The Lord has impressed upon me from his word such warnings as “pruning branches” so we may bear more fruits (Jn 15), and renewing our “first love” (Rev 2). I have focused on these teachings from Jesus, as sources of my personal walk and renewal. Unless the church knows what God is saying and doing,…

Paul writes, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” I recently read an interesting article entitled, “Can You Question the Resurrection and Still…

Happy Chinese New Year! As we begin a new year, we need to be aware that 2024 represents a year of challenges and opportunities. As ORPC seeks to build a Disciple-Making Church (DMC) and take on the Alteration and Addition (A&A) project, we need to earnestly seek God for the future direction of the church.…

You remember the story? Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall around the city—a big project for his team of Jewish exiles! We read from vv. 1-4 that Nehemiah was troubled when he received report that the Jewish people in Judah were in distress, and the wall of Jerusalem was broken down. This left…

To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: … I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name… Since you have kept my command to endure…

What does it mean that God is our help? You may even ask if God is really in control. Just looking at the world around us will lead many to conclude that it doesn’t seem like God is keeping his people from harm. How can we reconcile God’s promises to keep us from all harm…

One of my favorite verses in the NT is 2 Tim 2:2: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” This is meaningful to me, because it focuses on Christian discipleship in terms of the need to…

As we follow Jesus in Christian discipleship, it would be helpful to reflect a bit on the meaning of the cross of Jesus Christ. The biblical writers assume the historicity of the crucifixion of Jesus and focus their attention on its significance. Paul, for example, portrays Jesus as: “Who, being in very nature God, did…