Women of the Reformation - Anna Reinhard Zwingli

Faith, Quiet but Strong as Steel



Ulrich Zwingli, the great forefather of the Reformation, addressed her as his dearest housewife, and such she was, a useful helpmeet in his work. She was a model minister's wife, the foster mother of the poor, and the visitor of the sick. She was called "the apostolic Dorcas." Her care for her husband was greater even than for the parish. She brightened his cares and sympathized with him in his sorrows. When her husband, with the other ministers of Zurich, began translating the Bible (1525) and published it (1529) complete several years before Luther's complete Bible appeared (1534) it was his custom to read to her its proof sheets every evening before retiring. She afterwards spoke of the eager interest she felt in the story of the gospel as it was thus translated into her own Swiss tongue by her husband. When it was published he presented her with a copy of it. The Bible thus became her favorite book.

The most prominent scene in her life, and also the most impressive, is at the time of her husband's death on the battlefield at Cappel. Bullinger says that at the news of that awful defeat there arose in Zurich a loud and horrible cry of lamentation, and tears, bewailing and groaning. But her weeping was greater, her sorrow was deeper. The greater her husband, the greater her grief. She had had sorrows before, but this eclipsed them all. For his death was not her only sorrow then. With her husband there died on the battlefield her bright, beautiful son, Gerold. Nor was this all her sorrow. With her beloved husband and son there lay dead on that battlefield her brother and her brother-in-law, while a son-in-law was wounded unto death. The sadness of death compassed her about in all directions. And then came the news that her husband's body was quartered and burned and its ashes desecrated. Was there ever sorrow like hers? Yes, there was One, of whom the prophet speaks: "Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow." To that Savior from sorrow she went in her sorrow, and He comforted her soul and raised up helpers to her.

Excerpts taken from:
Leban, a Journal of Reformation Life
http://leben.us/index.php/component/content/article/46-issue-01-02/114-anna-reinhard
 

New Year Study - Zechariah

Zechariah 1:1-6

Jehovah Remembers

Zechariah means Jehovah remembers, it is a good name. It is very comforting to know that God remembers us.

Verses 2-4: God remembers to punish His people. He is a holy God; He punishes the evil and the unjust. It should cause fear in our hearts, and yet we should rejoice, for this lead us to holiness. God chose the people of Israel to bless them if they follow Him. Verse 3 - Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. God will bless so long as the people turn towards Him. However He must punish and judge if the people disobeyed Him (Deut 8). In the history of the kingdom of Israel, the kingdom flourished when there were godly kings to lead the nation to God. The nation declined when they turned away from God.

God will also keep His promise; He sent His words to the nation through His prophets. he promised to restore Israel and He did when He lead His people out of Babylon after 70 year. His prophet Jeremiah had prophesied on God's good word to the nation. God's promise was very precise in the boom of Isaiah, including the number of years and the name of the King that will release the people to go back to their land. This prophesy was delivered 150 years before the events happened.

How can we take God's words lightly? Should we not have the highest regard for His words, and study it diligently?

Measure of a Man

Psalms 39:4
Lord, make me to know mine end,
and the measure of my days, what it is;
that I may know how frail I am.

This is the cry of the greatest King David, the man after God's own heart. How wise of him to know that no matter how great he can be on earth, his life will still end, like everyone else.

We know man's life is finite. The obituaries in the newspaper, the funeral procession that happen around us are constant reminders for us that one day our lives will end. We live in a world that tells us to work hard, do good and achieve. As we lead our busy life day after day, we fail to stop and ponder on the gravity of life, that life has a purpose and how fragile it is. We are now living in the land of the dying, not the living.

Life at best is very brief,
Like the falling of a leaf,
Like the binding of a sheaf,
Be in time!

Fleeting days are telling fast
That the die will soon be cast,
And the fatal line be passed,
Be in time!

Be in time! Be in time!
While the voice of Jesus calls you,
Be in time!

If in sin you longer wait,
You may find no open gate,
And your cry be just too late:
Be in time!

We hear of stories where people's lives were taken away, suddenly, unexpectedly, untimely. God can take our lives at any time accordingly to His good will. There is a clock, it is ticking, we are counting down to the end of our earthly presence.

Ecclesiastes 1:2
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

Solomon, the greatest builder of architecture, another great king of the Jews, the very wealthy king. He died and died leaving everything behind. What is the use of immense wealth, achievement and fame to us? How long can we enjoy these before time's up?

There are 2 dates that we can never control in our lives - our date of birth and date of death, and it is only these 2 dates that will ever be recorded for us when we passed. These are the dates written on our tombstone, and nothing else in between because nothing else matters.

James 4:14
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Have we already planned out our days, our week, this year, future and even our retirement? Aren't we proud that we have made plans and felt assured that our future is secured? Where is God in our planning? Have we considered God's will for us in all these? In all our pride have we considered the fragility of our life, that only if God allows, then would we have a future and and a future we thought we would have. To prepare for something as guaranteed is foolishness and vanity. DV - Deus Volent. God Willing.

The only single event that is guaranteed is the meeting of our God one day. That, you can put in your calendar. Check ourselves today and see what are you really living for? For self or for God? We better have the answer to that question because we will one day be called to provide that answer in front of God.

Be in time!

Feed, Not Fleece the Flock

How should a Pastoral Ministry be?

Acts 20: 17-38

Acts 20:19
Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews.

A Pastor is Pastor for the long haul. Learning from Apostle Paul, he served The Lord with all humility, like a bond slave in the old times. A bond slave serves his master willingly and whole heartedly, for the rest of the his life. We should learn from Paul, and serve The Lord joyfully, willingly and full of love.

Acts 20:33
I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.
Acts 20:36
And when he had thus spoken, he keeled down, and prayed with them all.

Paul gave his mind, heart and life to his ministry and did not expect anything in return. In return surely The Lord will provide all that we needed. Pastors need not set the amount of salary he should get, The Lord will lead the church to give what is due. The most important is to have enough to sustain body and soul so that the Pastor can continue to work for The Lord. There should not be any complains, quietly and diligently serve The Lord, trusting in His good hands.

Acts 20:27
For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

Apostle Paul did his work well by teaching the flock the whole counsel of God. It is not just some part of God's Word, but ALL of God's word. That's the sole purpose of the Pastor and the church - to teach God's word and all of it, including doctrines and fundamentals. We need to know these doctrines to know how to do things right. With these then can we act upon it. We should be careful not to act and work without preparation by understanding God's word.

Study to know God's will, and then wait upon The Lord before we act. Quiet time, Sunday school, bible study, church sermon, bible college night classes, online courses - there are so many avenues to study God's Word. We should take the opportunities to study in order toast correctly. Don't blame God when things goes wrong if you have not done your homework!

Please spend time with God, there is no other way.

Why Sunday?

In the days not too long ago, a department store along Orchard Road in Singapore, one with an iconic green roof, was always closed on Sunday. As it appears, the owner of the store was a Christian. He bore the good testimony of keeping the Sabbath Day holy. He honored his God, and wanted his workers to do the same. What a great testimony!

Our God is a good God, He instituted the holy Sabbath Day as a day of rest. We were called to put aside our work and rest on this day, to have fellowship with fellow Christians and have a taste of heaven on earth.

Acts 20:7
And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

1 Corinthians 16:2
Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

Since the death and resurrection of our Lord, Sunday became the first day of the week and it has become a tradition for Christians to gather on this day to remember The Lord's resurrection and the second coming. It is a day of rest, as we ponder on the eternal rest when our Lord comes again. We also dedicate this day to worship The Lord, teach the children on God's word, study His word during Bible Study and evangelize the gospel to others. We fellowship over food and share with one another our trials and how The Lord has been good to us.

Hebrews 4:9 - 11
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. 

Note: a few hours later on this very same day, I walked passed the sign in front of CK Tangs again. There is a bronze plated sign on the side of the wall that stated the date at which that building was officially opened. A quick glance, it was dated 1995.. and at the bottom of the sign, a clear, simple yet powerful line - "To God be the Glory". Amen!

Blood So Divine

Acts 20:28 -
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Was the blood shed 2000 years ago man's blood or God's blood? Acts 20:28 states that the blood shed was from God. How can God have blood when God is a spirit? God is invisible, the only way to shed blood is for God to become man, and he did so 2000 years ago.

To save the sinful man we need a sinless man, but God is the only one sinless, none else. For man to be saved, we need a man to represent us to die for our sin. Therefore the only way for man to be saved, God needs to become man to die for man so that man can be saved. It is not impossible for God become man, for man was made in the image of God.

When God become man, He does not cease to be God. He retain all the attributes of Godliness. Yet He was man, having blood. He needed to shed the blood to redeem us from our sin, for the Bible says that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. Romans 5:8-9. There must be the shedding of blood and death, before man can be saved.

1John 1:7 - it is very clear that the blood of Christ has the power to save. Human blood can only give physical life, but Christ's man is different. It is the blood of God-man, the only one with the power to save. The blood of Christ is separated from the death of Christ, it does not just refer to death, for it is not the death that save man, but the blood. The blood that shed 2000 yrs ago can still wash away our sins today and in the past and future. This is the miracle of God, we cannot explain it, but we accept it by faith.

Signatures of a Disciple of Christ

Lord's Day, 3 March 2013, Nehemiah 9:1-7

What makes Christians different from others?

1. Read the Word of God with understanding. Nehemiah 8:2 - the Jews read the law, they understood who God is. W can start with Psalms and Proverbs. Psalms teaches us about God and who He is; while Proverbs tells us how to deal with others. 10 version of Psalms and 5 verses of Proverbs takes only 6 months to complete.

2. Be convicted and confess your sins. Nehemiah 9:2 - They submitted to The Lord and confessed.

3. Be separated from the rest. Distinct yourself. Nehemiah 9:2 - they need to step parts from the rest as they confess their sins.

4. Sing praises to The Lord for He deserves our prayers. Bless the name of the Lord. Nehemiah 9:5-7.

What we do represents us as a person and our belief. Demonstrate the right signatures as we are all called to do. "The steps of a good man are ordered by The Lord." Without God's guidance we can never hope to live the life of a good man.