What is “sound doctrine” and why is it important?

"But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine" (Titus 2:1 NKJV)

Doctrine. That very word used to scare the wits out of me. I had heard of various people who had gone to bible school and had lost their faith as a result of that so naturally I made the conclusion that 'doctrine', or whatever I thought that was, was something that I would stay far away from. I perceived doctrine to be not life giving; a practice that just uses the mind to try to understand God (who I had thought was completely not understandable) and was also dry and boring. I also saw how various people would use 'doctrine' to wrongfully 'bash' people and cause division and strife. I wanted nothing to do with that. I wanted the fun stuff; the miracles, signs and wonders and just be contented with that. Then I hit a brick wall. I could not stand for myself when my faith was tested or when I came across hard questions. I just ignored them; moved on, embraced ignorance and kept saying, 'I'll never understand', when the fact was I had never opened myself to going deep into the study of His word. So when I felt I was challenged by God to embrace 'doctrine', I knew that this from Him. He wanted me to be a student of His word and to grow in the knowledge of Him.

"Sound doctrine" really mean "healthy teaching". The sound doctrine that Paul was encouraging was simply teaching that would bring the fellowships in the places that he was writing to (Ephesus and Crete) to healthy maturity as disciples of Jesus. This is something that all of us should desire to; to become mature in our faith. There has to come a point in our lives where we desire the 'meat' of the word once we've grown past the 'milk' stage. Our lives were never meant to stagnate with knowledge of the past; but to mature with new revelation daily in order to keep the tree of our hearts growing by the streams of living waters. I'm not saying that we should chuck everything we know in the past away, but to not allow ourselves to stagnate, to be contented with just the little bit that we know and be ignorant about matters of our faith. Paul writes it well in the letter to the Hebrews, "So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding". (Heb. 6:1 NLT). Paul understood the maturing process; that as child thinks like a child and understands like a child, a man should think and understand as a man and put his childish ways behind him (1 Corinthians 13:11).

This, among other reasons, was why I chose to go to bible school. I was no longer satisfied with 'second hand' knowledge. I wanted to find God for myself in His word and let His word speak to me. I wanted to dive deep in His word and open up my heart to receive His love. I realized, the more you grow in the knowledge of God, the more you fall in love with Him. And that is the purpose of it all.

Japheth Chew

Why should Christians read the Old Testament?

Have you ever heard someone say, "I don't need to read the Old Testament because I am under the 'New Covenant'; the New Testament is all I need"?

Here are two simple reasons why I believe Christians should read the Old Testament:-

1. It was the Scriptures that Jesus, the apostles, and all the New Testament authors used

The authors of the New Testament never imagined that they were writing something 'new' that was disconnected from or 'replaced' the old. Nowhere in either the 'Old' or 'New' testament is there mention of one negating the other or of the other being irrelevant. In fact, Jesus' words in Matthew 5:17 clearly indicate that He had not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. The early believers viewed the Scriptures as the foundation of God's plan. They articulated the beauty, majesty, and person of Jesus through the verses and lens of the Old Testament. That was the entire 'Bible' they ever had until the 'New Testament' written in the 1st Century AD.  Even Jesus taught in a synagogue in Nazareth from the book of Isaiah (Luke 4:16-21). He even expounded on the 'Old Testament' regarding Himself to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus; "Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." (Luke 24:27)

2. The Old and New Testament is one unified story; God's story. 

The Old Testament sets the stage or the backdrop to the New Testament, in God's grand story line. Numerous times in the New Testament are Old Testament Scripture used and referenced to. Crossway gives a figure of 263 times a New Testament book cites and Old Testament Scripture. If clear allusions are taken into consideration, the figure is much higher, up to more than 10% of the New Testament is made up of citations or direct allusions to the Old Testament. This fact alone should give us motivation to look back to what happened in the past before the New Testament was written. The Old Testament gives us context and background into correctly understanding and interpreting the New Testament. Just imagine reading the chronology in Matthew 1 and not having any understanding at all of anyone mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus! If we do not understand the Old Testament, we will have trouble understanding the New; especially in the area of messianic prophesies concerning Jesus who is essentially; the 'Gospel of the Kingdom' that He himself proclaimed (Matt 4:23).

In conclusion, it is clear that ALL Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Paul wrote that verse referencing the Old Testament! Oh, that our heart would burn within us as we read the Old Testament Scriptures just like it did for the two disciples did when Jesus expounded it to them (Luke 24:25-32). 

References:

http://www.bible-researcher.com/nicole.html

http://www.theopedia.com/New_Testament_use_of_the_Old_Testament

home

and it feels great :)

here's to the next chapter of life

closing newsletter to my past year and a half of being away will come soon. yes. soon :)

Praise Report

Hi guys,

Just thought I'd send a praise report of a recent testimony that we've experienced here in Sabah

About a week ago we were in Kampung Narandang, Kudat on a 1 week Mid-Term Outreach. 20 of us traveled up north and stayed together in a wooden house next to a church after going through lots of gravel (bumpy) roads to serve and minister to the Rungus people of Narandang and around that area. We helped them to harvest rice and clean-up the church grounds. We also did children's ministry, minister in their cell groups and prayer meetings, and visited various houses and prayed for the sick.

One of the things that we did is called 'treasure hunting'; an activity where we ask God for clues to lead us to a specific person (our treasure, or rather, His treasure) and we then build a relationship with that person, offer prayer for that person and see where it leads to (prayer, salvation, healing). On our way back from of our 'treasure hunting' trips -

We met an old lady who was bent over. She held a tongkat on one hand and was being led by another person on the other hand. At that time we were just about to head back from visiting various houses and praying for their sick from our treasure hunt but we felt led to pray for her. As we gathered around her and laid our hands on her we began to pray. As we prayed together in one voice she began to straighten herself up. Some of our team members said that they could feel her straightening up as they laid their hands on her; as if strength was returning to her body. After we had finished she was so thankful and grateful and as she left, she could walk without being helped! she was healed!! It was a miracle that happened right before our eyes! Praise the Lord!!

Attached are some pictures, before - during - and after prayer! Our God is an awesome God! I've heard of many healings but have never seen one happen right in front of my eyes! We felt really encouraged and so happy that we were thanking God in our land cruiser on the way back. God is amazing! Praise the Lord!



More praise reports to come, I am sure! Hope this blesses you! Have a great day and remember, nothing is impossible for God!

Japheth Chew

Words of encouragement

1. God is with me. I am not alone. We're in this fight together

2. Start the day off focusing on Jesus, asking Him to lead the day, and by being thankful

3. The greatest leaders are the best followers of the Holy Spirit

4. I will see the fruits of my labour

5. Rest in Him, release my burdens about Him and take His yoke, which is light and easy

6. Do not strive

7. Love God, Love people. Do this, and I shall LIVE.

More to come once I remember them! Thank You Jesus for these words. Thank You Lord for sending Your awesome people to share them with me at the right moments. I am so grateful to You. Thank You for caring, and for not letting me go. I love You Jesus

Mini Update

And so I finally a short breather and time to update you guys and home :)

It's week 5 at the Discipleship Training School here at YWAM Sabah, we have a total of 14 students and 6 staff. I'm not the only guy staff this time round, thank God :) We have a student from Hong Kong and another from Penang and the rest are local Sabahans. We've gone through topics about Father heart of God, Identity in Christ, Inductive Bible Study, Worship, and Character and nature of God. We're at the beautiful city of Kota Kinabalu near to the sea.

God has been good. We recently had an opportunity to minister at a National Service Camp. Praise the Lord for the 30+ who gave their lives to Christ and for the students who stepped out during ministry! We've also had opportunities to minister at Rumah Sayang (a school for immigrant children) and very recently had a practical on treasure hunt (hearing God for clues and finding His treasure (people) and talking/praying for them).

The most recent development about myself would be that i'm going to be leading a team to Pontianak and Sibu for the month of May and June, along with a phase of outreach in the villages in Sabah too. This is probably the craziest thing I have ever done in my life so far. I've never been to Pontianak and Sibu. In fact I had not even heard of such a place (pontianak) before in my life haha. It's an actual capital city of west Kalimantan by the way :) I would be leading a team of 6 students, a co-leader and myself, which makes 8 of us. Most likely it'll be, 2 weeks in Pontianak, 3 weeks in Sibu and 3 weeks at Sabah villages. Plannings for it is underway, not easy at all as this is my first time leading an outreach team proper and for long term, but I'm confident that if God's in it, things would be ok :) I do appreciate all the support and encouragement and prayers :)

This shall be it for this time round. I will be back for good in mid July. Time is flying very fast and will continue to do so. I do apologize for not updating often. It's rare sometimes to catch a breather as there's always something happening. Sometimes I do miss home a lot, especially when significant events happens and i'm not around :( Weekends are the best times to catch me though :) A team from PenHop's (Penang House of Prayer) is coming for the next few days so i'm super excited for that :)

How is everyone doing? It's encouraging to hear from home too :) Take care you guys, God Bless. Keep running and seeking after Him!

Japheth Chew

The Crazy 2011

2011 has been absolutely crazy. To me at least.

Arab Spring - Toppling of governments in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Ivory coast. Unrest in Yemen, Syria and other arab countries

Deaths of Osama bin Laden, Muammar Gaddafi and Kim Jong-il

and others taken from wikipedia:

Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan (killing 15,840 and leaving another 3,926 missing. Tsunami warnings are issued in 50 countries and territories. Emergencies are declared at four nuclear power plants affected by the quake)

In Thailand, 657 people are killed by floods during a severe monsoon season, with 58 of the country's 77 provinces affected
The death toll from the flooding of Cambodia's Mekong River and attendant flash floods reaches 207

Israel and the Palestinian militant organization Hamas begin a major prisoner swap, in which the captured Israeli Army soldier Gilad Shalit is released by Hamas in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian and Israeli-Arab prisoners held in Israel, including 280 prisoners serving life sentences for planning and perpetrating terror attacks

An estimated two billion people watch the wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey in London.

global population reaches seven billion

The United States formally declares an end to the Iraq War

Tropical Storm Washi causes 1,010 flash flood fatalities in the Philippines and MANY COUNTLESS other floods and natural disasters here there and everywhere lol

In Malaysia - Bersih 2.0, announcement of the repeal of ISA, clean-up of electoral reforms

In my own life - Graduating from Monash Uni, Living in Sabah for a total of 7-8 months including many of those weeks in villages

yeah. quite crazy la 2011.

2012. here we go!

According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way that a bee should be able to fly. Its wing are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyway. Because bees don't care what humans think is impossible.

Dare you to move ~ Switchfoot

Welcome to the planet
Welcome to existence
Everyone's here
Everyone's here
Everybody's watching you now
Everybody waits for you now
What happens next?
What happens next?

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened before

Welcome to the fallout
Welcome to resistance
The tension is here
The tension is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be

Maybe redemption has stories to tell
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself?
Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna go?
Salvation is here

Part the seas - Alarice Thio

Verse 1:
When I walk alone through the wilderness
Even though, I know you’re more than enough
My body is tired and my flesh is weak
But it’s your Word that I will keep

Chorus:
When I walk through the desert
Through the fire, through the storm
When I’m weary, and I’m tired
Without the strength to move on

You are here with me in the night
Like a pillar of fire
You will breathe in me new life
And I trust, that you will part the seas

Verse 2:
When the enemy is at my feet
I know that you will fight for me
So I’ll keep my steady and I will be still
For I know the battle has been won,
Has been won

Chorus:
When I walk through the desert
Through the fire, through the storm
When I’m weary, and I’m tired
Without the strength to move on

You are here with me in the night
Like a pillar of fire
You will breathe in me new life
And I trust, that you will part the seas

Psalm 46

<sup>God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

7 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has made desolations in the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariot in the fire.

10 Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

11 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah</sup>

Psalm 42

¹ As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?^[b]
3 My tears have been my food day and night,
While they continually say to me,
“Where is your God?”

⁴ When I remember these things,
I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go with the multitude;
I went with them to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and praise,
With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.

⁵ Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance.<sup>[c]

6</sup> O my God,^[d] my soul is cast down within me;
Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,
And from the heights of Hermon,
From the Hill Mizar.
⁷ Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
⁸ The LORD will command His loving kindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me—
A prayer to the God of my life.

⁹ I will say to God my Rock,
“Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
¹⁰ As with a breaking of my bones,
My enemies reproach me,
While they say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”

¹¹ Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.

Psalms 27

¹ The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
² When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
³ Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

⁴ One thing I have desired of the LORD,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD,
And to inquire in His temple.
⁵ For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.

⁶ And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.

⁷ Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice!
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
⁸ When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”
⁹ Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
¹⁰ When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the LORD will take care of me.

¹¹ Teach me Your way, O LORD,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
¹² Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
¹³ I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.

¹⁴ Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD!

Moving Forward - Israel Houghton

(1st verse)

What a moment
You have brought me to
Such a freedom I have found in You
You're the Healer
Who makes all things new
Yeah yeah yeah

~Bridge~

I'm not going back
I'm moving ahead
Here to declare to You
My past is over in You
All things are made new
Surrendered my life to Christ
I'm moving, moving forward

(2nd verse)

You have risen
With all power in Your hands
You have given me
A second chance

Hallelujah hallelujah
Yeah, yeah, yeah

(back to bridge)

~Chorus~

You make all things new
Yes
You make all things new
And I will follow You
Forward