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Rivers of Living water

Dr Andrew C S Koh

landscape photo showing treees and a double rainbow

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we commit to You our daily devotion. Holy Spirit, we pray that You will explain, teach, reveal, and give us spiritual insight and understanding, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Setting

Jesus took the shortest route from Judea to Galilee by traveling directly northward stopping in Samaria. This was not the usual route. The Jews bypass Samaria by going through Perea, eastward, northward, and westward into Galilee. Jesus took the road less traveled. 

Jesus arrived at Jacob’s well in Sychar at noon, tired, hungry, and thirsty from the long walk. The disciples went into the city to buy food. Jesus, who was fully man and fully God, felt tired, thirsty, and hungry. As a Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water, she noticed a stranger, a man, waiting there for her. This was most unusual. Woman came to the well in the morning or evening to draw water, socialize, and gossip. This woman came at 12 noon knowing that no other women would be there. 

Woman of Samaria

7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 The Samaritan woman therefore said to him, “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. So where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father, Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his children and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I don’t get thirsty, neither come all the way here to draw.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered, “I have no husband.”Jesus said to her, “You said well, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands; and he whom you now have is not your husband. This you have said truly.”

John 4:7-18

Reflection

Jesus had a divine appointment to seek and save this unnamed Samaritan woman. When Jesus asked her for a drink, she was shocked because Jews and Samaritans were sworn enemies. In the first-centrury world, a woman was not allowed to talk with a man in public. This was forbidden, unacceptable, and even scandalous. Jesus broke the social, cultural, and gender divide in His opening gambit! Jesus, the gift of God, spoke to her! If only she knew! Here was a spiritually thirsty woman who looked for satisfaction in the well of relationship with other men but could not find it. Jesus’ brilliant icebreaker was to ask for water, and He was ready to give her the living water of the Holy Spirit, John 7:37-39.

The woman was shocked. Here was a Jewish rabbi asking her for a drink! Jesus spoke spiritually but she thought physically. She blurted out a rhetorical question, are you greater than Jacob? Jesus responded that drinking water from this well would not satisfy her spiritual thirst. 

The woman was caught hook, line, and sinker!. She wanted the living water! When Jesus told her to go home and bring her husband, she was speechless! With omniscient power, Jesus exposed her sin, revealing that she had 5 previous husbands and the present man in her life was not her husband. Jesus exposed her sin to convict her to repentance. 

“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them’. By this, he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time, the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified”. 

 

John 7:37-19

Application

Here is an evangelism 101 masterclass. How do you talk to a stranger? How do you break the ice? Ask a simple question. Jesus was thirsty, and the woman came to draw water with a bucket. It was very natural to ask for water. Use this approach. Start a small talk by asking a question with eye contact to build a bridge. Be sincere, friendly, and genuine. You are trying to break into a stranger’s world and he/she may be going through some hard times. Break down social, racial, political, gendered, or religious divides. Jesus did it and so must you and me. 

Drinking water will only quench the thirst temporarily. What she, and everyone need is Jesus Christ, the living water of eternal life. Only Jesus can satisfy the thirst of relationship with the God of creation. Blaise Pascal, a Christian physicist, once said that each person has a void in their heart that can only be filled by God the Creator, who is revealed through Jesus Christ. This void can never be filled by anything else in this world. 

What wells are you drinking from? Are you drinking from the material wells of the world? None of these wells can satisfy the longings of your heart. Only the well of Jesus Christ can give you true inner and lasting satisfaction. Will you turn to Him?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, the waters of worldly pursuit make us thirst for more. We need a drink from You to satisfy us for eternity. Fill us with Living Water, Holy Spirit, Spirit of Truth, and Spirit of Life. You came to seek and save those that are lost. You went out of Your way to save a lowly, unnamed, despised, and immoral woman of Samaria. Thank You for Your grace, mercy, loving-kindness, and faithfulness, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Dr ANDREW C S KOH

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Devotion: Creation

Genesis 1:1-4

by Dr. Andrew C S Koh

a picture of God creating Adam
Creation of Adam

Creation

God created the world in six days. Whether this is a literal 24 hours day or not is something that is hotly debated. According to God’s reckoning, 1 day is as 1000 years and 1000 years is as 1 day, 2 Peter 3:8. God created, transcends, and is outside of the time, and space continuum. There are two schools of thought regarding the age of the universe. Is the age billions of years old or is the universe 6000 plus years old? There is also the gap theory. Is there an interval of time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2? These are hotly debated issues among Bible scholars. As far as the Bible is concerned God is the creator of the universe. In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth. The universe is not a product of a massive explosion billions of years ago. The universe is not a product of random chance and mutations. Human beings did not evolve from monkeys or gorillas

“But don’t forget this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.”

2 Peter 3:8,

The Beginning

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day”, and the darkness he called “night”. There was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Genesis 1: 1-4

Commentary

The Bible begins with “in the beginning God created”. We do not know when this beginning was. Is it billions of years or thousands of years? God created the universe in eternity past. The universe did not evolve by random chance over billions of years. It takes a lot more faith to believe in evolution than creation. God has no beginning. He is outside the time-space continuum. He is pre-existent, self-existent, eternal, from everlasting to everlasting, from eternity past to eternity future, from the Alpha, and to the Omega.

The six days of creation have a pre-set template, starting with “let there be…..” and ending with ”there was evening and there was morning………”

On the first day, God created the heavens, the earth, and the light. There are three heavens. The atmosphere from the ground to the clouds is the first heaven. The outer space from the clouds to the galaxies is the second heaven. The abode of God’s throne beyond the galaxies is the third heaven. When God created the earth, it was dark, empty, and structureless. Hebrews word for create is bara, which means to create something out of nothing, or ex-nihilo in latin.

God separated the light and the darkness, calling the darkness, evening, and the light, morning, and this was the first day. God defined a day as one evening and one morning. A Jewish day starts from 6 pm in the evening until 6 pm the next evening.

The Holy Spirit circled around the formless, structureless, dark, empty, and watery earth. God spoke, let there be light and light appeared on site. This was not the light of the sun but the light of God’s glory, Revelation 21:23. Jesus Christ is the word of God’s word, John 1:1.

The Trinitarian God of the Bible, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit created the universe. God saw that the light was good. He separated the light from the darkness and called them day and night. Hebrews for God is Elohim, a plural noun.

In the presence of the Holy Spirit, God, the Father spoke, and it came to be. Jesus Christ is the spoken Word of God, the father.

The city has no need for the sun, neither of the moons, to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

Revelation 21:23,

“in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.”

John 1:1,

Application

Genesis declared that everything is created by God. If you believe that God created the heavens and the earth in 6 days, you will have no problem believing the rest of the Bible. How big is your God? How big is your faith? It takes more faith to believe in evolution than in creation. Faith is the key to unlocking spiritual truth. Believe and you will see the glory of God. Without faith, it is impossible to please God.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help us to understand Your word. We pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit to enlighten us and to give us wisdom and understanding. Open our hearts, minds, eyes, ears, and spirit to receive, understand, see, apply, honour, and hear the truth of Your word, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Devotion: spiritual lessons from Ai

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Joshua 7:1-8

1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the devoted things; for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. Therefore Yahweh’s anger burned against the children of Israel. 2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the land.” The men went up and spied out Ai. 3 They returned to Joshua, and said to him, “Don’t let all the people go up but let about two or three thousand men go up and strike Ai. Don’t make all the people to toil there, for there are only a few of them.” 4 So about three thousand men of the people went up there, and they fled before the men of Ai. 5 The men of Ai struck about thirty-six men of them. They chased them from before the gate even to Shebarim, and struck them at the descent. The hearts of the people melted, and became like water. 6 Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before Yahweh’s ark until the evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads.

Joshua 7:1-6
(please read the rest of Joshua 7 on your own)
A satellite image of the middle east, showing Egypt, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Red Sea
A satellite image of the middle east, showing Egypt, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Red Sea

Commentary

After the successful military campaign of Jericho, the Israelites came to the city of Ai. Compared to the fortified city of Jericho, Ai was a very small town with no walls. Ai was located to the east of Bethel, and about 2 miles to the west of Jericho. Abraham built an altar to the Lord between Ai and Bethel, Genesis 12:8. The Israelites’ first military campaign to take Ai was a total failure.

He left from there to go to the mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to Yahweh and called on Yahweh’s name.

Genesis 12:8

The Israelites sinned because Achan secretly took some spoils of war from the battle of Jericho and hide them. The Lord forbade the Israelites from taking anything in Jericho. Everything must be destroyed because they were cursed. Only articles of gold, silver, brass, and bronze were to be preserved. Only Rahab, the prostitute, and those family members who stayed in her house would be saved. The LORD’s anger burned against the Israelites.

At that moment, Joshua did not know about this. He sent spies to Ai. Ai in Hebrews means heaps of ruins. Modern-day Ai is Baythin in the West Bank. The spies returned and told Joshua that Ai would be an easy target and that all they needed was a small army. Without enquiring from the LORD, Joshua sent three thousand fighting men to Ai.

They men of Ai defeated the Israelites on the battlefield. Thirty-six Israelites were dead and the rest fled out of Ai terrified with fear. Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothes, applied ashes on their heads, and fell prostrate before the ark until evening. The people in biblical times tear off their clothes and apply ashes on their heads during times of grief, mourning, and loss.

The Lord revealed to Joshua that one of his men had taken some spoils of war from the battle of Jericho and hidden them. Joshua assembled the people and drew lots tribe by tribe, clan by clan, family by family, and men by men until the lot fell on Achan.

During the Old Testament time, the Israelites drew lots using the Ummim and the Tummin to seek God’s will, Leviticus 8:8, Proverb 16:33.

He placed the breastplate on him, He put Urim and Tummin in the breast plate.

Leviticus 8:8

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from Yahweh

Proverbs 16:33

Achan confessed to Joshua that he had taken a Babylonian robe, two hundred shekels of silver, and one piece of gold weighing fifty shekels, and had buried them in his tent. Joshua sent men to Achan’s tent, who went and brought back the stolen items. At the LORD’s command, Joshua and his men stoned Achan and his family members to death and burned their bodies with his animals, belonging, and stolen items in the valley of Achor.

Application

Sin

Joshua and his men were defeated at Ai because of many reasons. After the victory at Jericho, they became overconfident and proud. They did not seek God’s will and direction. They planned and acted on their own agenda and with their own strength.

You cannot hide any sin from God. God is omniscient and knows everything, Luke 8:17, Hebrews 4:13 Unconfessed sin will lead to a defeated spiritual life. If you have sinned, confess, repent and claim the promise of 1 John 1:9. God will forgive and restore you.

For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light

Luke 8:17

There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

Hebrew 4:13

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

1 John 1:9

You must not be overconfident and proud because of past victories. Always seek God’s will and wait for His direction first. Do not fight the battle with your own strength. You are fighting a spiritual battle using spiritual weapons such i.e. prayer, fasting, worship, and the word of God, 2 Corinthians 10:4. The battle belongs to God and not to you. You are not fighting against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, Ephesians 6:12

the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds

2 Corinthians 10:14

For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12

Seeking God’s will

Buddhists draw lots to seek god’s will in the Buddhist temple. On the altar, they juggle a bamboo container containing sticks with words on them. If they juggle long enough, one of the sticks will fall out to the ground. The words on the stick will be taken as god’s answer to their prayer.

As a Christian, you do not draw a lot. You seek God’s will through prayer, fasting, worship, meditation, and bible study. God will also speak to you through the Bible, the still small voice and the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and other mysterious ways.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we confessed that we are sinners. Please forgive our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. We pray that You will speak to us through Your Word, the still small voice, the Holy Spirit and other ways. Help us to discern Your good, pleasing, and perfect will. Help us to put on the full armor of God that You have provided for us. Thank You that the battle belongs to You, and not to us, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Dr ANDREW C S KOH

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Book: Apocalypse

The Last Supper by Bill Nicholls is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0

Understanding the Book of Revelation by Dr. Andrew C S Koh

A Book Cover of the book Apocalypse: understanding the book of Revelation by DR. Andrew C S Koh
book cover
book trailer

Description

Many of us find the Book of Revelation intimidating. There is also confusion over its intended audience, and new interpretations are constantly being presented about the Antichrist, the beasts, the tribulations, and the 144,000 chosen, to name just a few Using everyday language, Dr. Koh explains the writings of Apostle John to his seven churches on how to conduct themselves and prepare for the difficult times ahead. The Apostle also bids them rejoice, for final victory is coming. He encourages them to take heart with the help of the Holy Spirit and be ready ‘in season and out of season.  

Reviews

A great study material on the writings of Apostle John when he was banished to the small island of Greece, off the coast of Asia Minor. A simple explanation of these books makes it a great study and meditation for all ages. Apostle John wrote this book to the seven churches of Asia Minor. Beautiful prayers accompany each chapter. I am on the ARC team and I leave an honest review. I recommend this book to other readers, J Sharmani, Goodreads, and Bookbub, 5 out of 5 stars

Dr. Koh’s book is an enjoyable way to experience the Book of Revelation and understand its intricacies. A very good book, Rowan E Creech, Goodreads, 5 out of 5 stars

A timely book in everyday language that demystifies this daunting book of the Bible! Dr. Koh explains the instructions of St. John the Apostle to his seven churches on how they are to behave generally, and what they need to do to get ready for coming tribulation, Hilary Walker, Amazon, Goodreads, 5 out of 5 stars

A storyline that continues to keep individuals from all faiths and religions captivated. This novel is a story written following the works of John as closely as possible, but one in which the reader must form his/her own opinion of a story written nearly 2,000 years ago and now interpreted yet again. You will follow the story and draw your own storyline. Pamela Anne Reinert, Goodreads, 5 out of 5 stars

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Devotion: Sabbath

The Creation of Adam who reclines at left and touching the hand of God by Cherubino Alberti (Zaccaria Mattia) is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0

by Dr. Andrew C S Koh

Genesis 2:1-3

A photo of God creating Adam
The creation of Adam

Sabbath

.

1 The heavens, the earth, and all their vast array were finished. 2 On the seventh day God finished his work which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. 3 God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because he rested in it from all his work of creation which he had done

Genesis 2:1-3

Commentary

Genesis 1 is an overall account of the first week of creation. Genesis 2 zeroed in specifically on the sixth and seventh day of creation

On the sixth day, God created Adam, animals, birds and Eve. On the seventh day, God rested from His work of creation. He blessed the seventh day and made it holy.

The Hebrew word for God is Elohim. El is singular and Elohim is plural. The Hebrew word for blessed is baruch, which means praise, happy, favoured, or a good report. The number 7 is the number of completion. God completed His work of creation on the 7th day and rested. The Hebrew word for holy is qadesh, which means sanctified, set apart, or separated.

Application

The 7th day of the week is the Sabbath day. Sabbath starts from sundown on Friday and finished at sundown on Saturday. In the Old Testament, the Israelites stopped doing work on the Sabbath as stipulated in the Mosaic law. The difficulty is defining what is work and what is not work.

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates.

Exodus 20:10

The Jews today still keep the Sabbath by not doing any work.

If you are a Gentile Christian, you do not have to stop doing work from Friday sundown until Saturday sundown. The Jerusalem council of Acts 15, freed Gentiles Christians from keeping the Mosaic laws except for drinking blood and committing sexual immorality.

For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay no greater burden on you than these necessary things: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality, from which if you keep yourselves, it will be well with you. Farewell

Legalism verses freedom

Acts 15:28-29

For Gentile Christians, the principle of the Sabbath is to take a rest from work one day out of every seven days. You can also take a longer rest from work if you wish. How about one week out of every 7 weeks or 1 year out of every 7 years? This is a principle to apply, not a legalistic law to enforce. The principle is to have time to rest from work so that you can seek the Lord in spiritual things. A regular rest from work is required to reflect, recollect, recharge, re-energise, and re-connect with God, yourself and others. A regular rest will prevent you from getting burnt out. If you do not rest, you will fall sick, and you will be forced to rest. Even computers machines requires a rest periodically for maintenance.

The Sabbath rest is an opportunity to be free even for one day. Freedom from work, from anxieties, from the tyranny of the urgent, from the routine of daily life. The Sabbath rest allows you to free your minds from the demands of the world to concentrate on spiritual matters and on God.

The Pharisees became so legalistic over the law of Sabbath-keeping to the extent of causing a burden to the people and to themselves.

The Pharisees accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath because He healed people on the Sabbath. Jesus created the Sabbath for the benefit of people and not the other way around. As Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus superseded the Sabbath. Jesus had the authority to set aside the demands of Sabbath keeping. Jesus fulfilled the Sabbath. Jesus frees you from bondage to sin and death. Jesus invites you to come to Him for rest.

Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest

Matthew 11:28

Prayer

Heavenly Father, You are the God of creation, the God of salvation, the God of redemption, and the God of reconciliation. You are wonderful, counselor, prince of peace, mighty God, and everlasting Father. You are Lord of the Sabbath. Help us to rest in You. Free us from bondage to sin, fear, anxiety, depression, and pessimism, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Dr ANDREW C S KOH

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Bible Study: Genesis 12

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The calling of Abraham

A photo showing an opened Bible and a spectacle
an opened bible

Genesis 12: 1-20, God called Abram

Abraham was Abram before God changed his name to Abraham in Genesis 17:5. God appeared to Abram and called him to leave his home, relatives, country, and everything, to an unknown destination, with an unknown future. This was a tall order and it must have come as a shock to him. But God promised to bless him and the whole world, through him.

Genesis 17:5, Your name will no more be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

Verses 1-3, 1 Now Yahweh said to Abram, “Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who treats you with contempt. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”

God called Abram to leave his dwelling place in Ur of the Chaldees, his relatives, his father’s house, to go to an undisclosed destination, not knowing what his future will be. The Hebrew word for God is the tetragrammaton YHWH, or Yahweh, represented by the capitalized LORD. Yahweh is the covenantal name of God.

God gave Abram 6 promises, make him into a great nation, bless him, make his name famous, bless those who bless him, curse those who curse him, and bless the whole world universally through him.

Verses 4-5, 4 So Abram went, as Yahweh had told him. Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Abram took Sarai his wife, Lot his brother’s son, all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they went to go into the land of Canaan. They entered into the land of Canaan.

Abram did not fully obey the LORD. Abram left Ur of the Chaldees with his father, Terah, his wife Sarai, and his nephew Lot, see Acts 7:4. Ur of the Chaldees was Mesopotamia, present-day Iraq. Abram did not go to Canaan immediately. After leaving Ur of the Chaldees, he settled down in Haran instead of proceeding all the way to Canaan. Haran, in present-day Turkey, is northwest of Ur and is only halfway to Canaan.

Abram left Haran with his wife Sarai and nephew Lot, after the death of his father Terah, and traveled southwest to Shechem in Canaan. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. Canaan was present-day Israel.

Acts 7:4, “Then he came out of the land of the Chaldaeans and lived in Haran. From there, when his father was dead, God moved him into this land, where you are now living.”

Verses 6-8, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time, Canaanites were in the land. 7 Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” He built an altar there to Yahweh, who had appeared to him. 8 He left from there to go to the mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to Yahweh and called on Yahweh’s name. 

Abram passed through Shechem in the land of Canaan The LORD appeared to Abram a second time and gave promised to give Canaan to him and his descendants. Abram built an altar to the LORD and prayed to Him at Shechem. He pitched his tent on a mountain between Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. Abram was an idol worshiper before God called him. Now he built an altar to Yahweh and worship the One true God. Abram was a nomad, pitching his tent as he went from place to place.

Verses 9-13, 9 Abram traveled, still going on toward the South. 10 There was a famine in the land. Abram went down into Egypt to live as a foreigner there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 When he had come near to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman to look at. 12 It will happen that when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ They will kill me, but they will save you alive. 13 Please say that you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that my soul may live because of you.”

As Abram continued to travel south, the LORD tested him by bringing on a famine. Instead of trusting the LORD to provide for him in the famine, he went down to Egypt. Sarai was very beautiful and Abram was afraid the Egyptians would kill him. He pleaded with Sarai to lie to Pharoah by telling him that she was his sister. Abram the father of faith failed the test of faith! He ran away from Canaan because of a famine. He connived with his wife to tell a lie!

Verses 14-16, 14 When Abram had come into Egypt, Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16 He dealt well with Abram for her sake. He had sheep, cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 

When Abram entered Egypt, Pharoah was struck by Sarai’s beauty and took her into his harem. He treated Abram well because he thought Abram was his sister. Pharoah gave Abram sheep, cattle, donkeys, servants, and camels.

Verses 17-20, 17 Yahweh afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this that you have done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now, therefore, see your wife, take her, and go your way.” 20 Pharaoh commanded men concerning him, and they escorted him away with his wife and all that he had.

The LORD struck Pharaoh and his household with plagues because he was trying to get close to Sarai. When Pharoah discovered that Sarai was Abram’s wife, he summoned Abram to leave Egypt immediately with all his possessions.

Application

The post-flood people wanted to make their names great by their own effort, but the LORD displaced them into obscurity and confused their language. The LORD called Abraham out from obscurity and his name great. Abraham did not do anything. He just had to believe and trust the LORD. You must not try to promote yourself. God will promote you if you believe and trust Him.

Abraham did not fully obey the LORD. He stopped at Haran and settled down there. He waited until his father’s death before proceeding to Canaan. If God calls you, will you obey Him fully, partially, or not at all? If you did not obey the LORD fully, you will miss out on His blessing.

Abram built a prayer altar to the LORD in Shechem. Have you built a prayer altar to the LORD in your house?

Abram’s faith was weak. He left Canaan when there was a famine. He told Sarai to tell a lie to Pharoah that she was his sister. Abram did not trust the LORD to provide for him in the famine. Will you trust God to provide for your needs? The LORD is Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides, Genesis 22:14.

Genesis 22:14,  So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

Spiritually speaking, going to Egypt is always going down, and going to Jerusalem is always going up. Egypt represents the world and Jerusalem represents the city of God.

Canaan is the promised land. God promised to give Canaan to Abram, Genesis 12:7.

If God called you to an unknown destination, and start from scratch, will you obey Him and go?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help us to obey You. Help us to follow Your leadership and guidance. You know what is best for us. You know how our future will end. Our future is in Your hand. Help us to walk worthy of Your calling. Increase our faith, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Dr ANDREW C S KOH

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Book: 1, & 2, Thessalonians & Philemon

By Dr. Andrew C S Koh

A Christ centtred, life changing expository commentary, bible study guide, and daily devotion on 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon

Forward by Archbishop Ng Moon Hing

Anglican Archbishop of Southeast Asia

These few Epistles of Apostle Paul addressed the main issues of the churches of his time which is wrong teachings, unholy living, and suffering. He was very systematic and thorough in his teaching and witness. As much as he was firm on having correct theology and truth, he was also very conscious and persistent on the proper conduct and holy living of Christ’s followers, the disciples of Christ. He believed that theology that does not lead to holy living and Christ-liked conduct is useless and worthless. On one hand, he praised the belief of the Thessalonians Christians, especially in their ‘work of faith, labour of love, and patience of hope’ in the Lord Jesus Christ, he was also, at the same time, commending them of their imitation of the Lord Jesus Christ and became a model for all believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The author of this book has also emphasized that holy living and proper theology must always go hand in hand. The missing of any one part of the equation will only lead to an imbalanced life which will not please and not bring glory to God Almighty.

What people are saying

“A great book to study the scriptures in the Bible and gain a better understanding of these lessons. It is a great daily devotional and study for all ages. Each lesson has a beautiful prayer. I am on the ARC team and I leave an honest review. I recommend this book to other readers”

— J Sharmani, Goodreads, Bookbub

“This book speaks of the plan of God at the end times where God’s children will be taken up to meet Christ in the air before Christ’s second return. In answering the concerns of the Thessalonians Christians, Apostle Paul is also telling us today that God has already considered and included all our pains, shortcomings, sufferings, disappointments, mistakes, failures, and rebellions into His master plan so that He can and has started a good work at His Will of a better future for us”

— Archbishop Ng Moon Hing, Anglican Archbishop of Southeast Asia

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Dr ANDREW C S KOH

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Book: Galatians

Justification by faith

A Christ-centred, life-changing, verse-by-verse expository commentary, bible study guide, and daily devotion on the book of Galatians, by Dr. Andrew C S Koh

https://drandrewcskoh.dashnexpages.net/galatians-a-man-is-not-justified-by-works-of-the-law-but-by-faith-in-jesus-christ-dr-andrew-c-s-koh

Foreword

Archbishop Ng Moon Hing Anglican Archbishop of Southeast Asia

The Epistle to the Galatians is commonly considered as one of the earliest foundational instructions of Christian faith. It was believed that Apostle Paul wrote this epistle at the early days of his missionary ministry. He was adamant to teach proper foundation of faith, especially amid heretical teachings by the Judaizers. After some years of laying the foundation of faith in the district of Galatia, he quickly realized that many so-called believers are straying away from the fundamental belief i.e. Justification by Grace through Faith.  Apostle Paul was required to draw out all his convictions and learnings to re-convince the Galatian Christians what he has taught when he was first with them. He was conscious of the Judaizers and the fleshy and worldly syncretic teachings which were indoctrinating and causing confusion to the believers. He laid a strong contrast between the ‘keeping of the law’ and the ‘faith in Christ’ as two opposing ends.

What people are saying

“A beautiful study of Apostle Paul’s teaching to the Gentiles and Jews and his clear message about the doctrines of the church. He wrote the epistle himself in the early days of his teaching and mission. This is a great book to read and learn Apostle Paul’s teaching and his strong advice that “Keeping the Law ” and ” Faith in Christ are two different teachings. I received this book for free and I leave an honest review. I recommend this book to other readers”

— J Sharmani, Bookbub, 5 out of 5 stars.

“Paul the Apostle wrote this epistle in the early days of his mission and teaching. He wanted to teach the fundamental beliefs of the church to the Gentile and the Jews. This book is a great study of the Apostle Paul’s teachings and avoids any confusion to the believers. I am on the ARC team and I leave an honest review. I recommend this book to other readers”

— J Sharmani, Goodreads, 5 out of 5 stars

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Book: Prison Epistles

by Dr. Andrew C S Koh

book trailer

https://youtu.be/klRLqZxCzuc

A Christ-centred, Biblical-based, Holy Spirit-enabled, Life-changing commentary, bible study, and devotion

Foreword

Rev. Ng Wah Lok, ex-principal, Tung Ling Seminary, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The book of Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon are the prison epistles of Paul. This is expositional, biblical teaching, and devotional guide to help readers encounter the God of the Word through the Word of God.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart

Hebrews 4:12

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

2 Timothy 3:16

What people are saying

“A great study on apostle Paul’s prison epistles. An informative book for all ages which helps in building better faith in the understanding of the doctrines. Beautiful prayers accompany this book. I am on the ARC team and I leave an honest review. I recommend this book to other readers”

— Sharmani Jeyaram, Bookbub, 5 out of 5 stars

“This book is on the prison epistles of Paul. This is a great study of the word of God. Simple explanations and prayers help in greater devotion to God. A very useful book for understanding epistles. A very helpful book for all. I am on the ARC team. I leave an honest review. I recommend this book to other readers”

— Sharmani Jeyaram, Goodreads 5 out of 5 stars.

What people are saying

“Paul’s prison epistles of Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon contain important teachings to counter false teachers and early Gnosticism.  They are very applicable to our modern church because there are many false teachers and prophets who preach corrupt doctrines today”

— Rev. Ng Wah Lok

“The author gives a clear background and simple explanation for every passage in Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon. At the end of each lesson, he gives a devotional application and prayer. Readers can use these 50 lessons in the book as a weekly bible study guide over 50 weeks”

— Rev. Ng Wah Lok

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Book: Pastoral Epistle

by Dr. Andrew C S Koh

book trailer

https://drandrewcskoh.dashnexpages.net/1-timothy-2-timothy-titus/

A Christ-centred, Biblical-based, Holy Spirit-enabled, Life-changing commentary, bible study, and devotion

Foreword:

Foreword:

Archbishop Ng Moon Hing, Anglican Archbishop of Southeast Asia

Paul’s pastoral letters are, as good as, his last testament. He knew his time was coming to an end soon. With his last and final exhortation to his disciples, he continued to press home the point to ‘be faithful’ to Christ, as he himself has been throughout his ministry. What a great and amazing disciple of Christ, Paul was – one who irrespective of the terrible treatments he had received from his persecutors and the enemies of the Gospel, yet he could say that ” I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Paul, too, did not deliberately only say the nice things to present a good picture of himself and his ministry.

He was very firm with right theological understanding as well as proper and holy living. So, he did not mince his words to lash out at those who taught heretical doctrines and those who practised immoral and impure living. He recognised that the churches had been infiltrated with many worldly influences and traditions. Thus, he strongly condemned the inconsistent and improper elements that had existed in the churches that caused divisions and destroyed good testimonies. He encouraged his beloved disciples, Timothy and Titus, to return to teach the redemptive work of Christ.

What people are saying

“ A great read and very informative. The advice of Apostle Paul to Timothy about how to lead a good Christian life. A practical book. I received this book free and I leave an honest review. I recommend this book to other readers”

— Sharmani Jeyaram, Bookbub, 5 out of 5 Stars

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