The Ministry of Listening

Christians, especially ministers, so often think they must always contribute something when they are in the company of others, that this is the one service they have to render. They forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking.

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together  

In my Christian journey, I have very often found that the ability to listen to someone else is an essential part of ministry. It could occur virtually anywhere - such as over a meal, while waiting, during a long train ride - and is hardly confined within the four walls of the church.

In Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book, Life Together, he discusses some essential ministries in a Christian community. One of these is the ministry of listening:

The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists in listening to them. Just as to love God begins with listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them. It is God's love for us that He not only gives us His Word but also lends us His ear. So it is His work that we do for our brother when we learn to listen to him. Christians, especially ministers, so often think they must always contribute something when they are in the company of others, that this is the one service they have to render. They forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking. 

Further, Bonhoeffer warns of "a kind of listening with half an ear that presumes already to know what the other person has to say":

It is an impatient, inattentive listening, that despises the brother and is only waiting for a chance to speak and thus get rid of the other person. This is no fulfillment of our obligation, and it is certain that here too our attitude toward our brother only reflects our relationship to God. 

I, for one, could not agree more. 

I remember the frustration I felt when I was simply trying to have a conversation with a pastor. I was telling him about something I had spoken about in another church. It was just a simple sharing, without more. Nevertheless, he weighed in, almost out of a particular perceived obligation, with his opinion on what I had told him about, speaking at length about church doctrine and tradition on that particular topic. 

Again, on another occasion with another pastor, I shared in a group on social media an article which I had written. What followed was an unsolicited comment from the pastor, who was quick to jump in and go the whole nine yards with his views on the topic, even though this caused the discussion to go off on a rather meaningless tangent.

Had I been seeking pastoral help, I would have been thoroughly put off by how the pastors had behaved. 

In ministry, the ability to listen is sometimes more valuable than the ability to speak. Some of the most meaningful and powerful of ministry which I have offered or which I have received have involved extended periods of listening, coupled with only a few pieces of short prophetic words spoken right into one's soul. 

Even in the midst of profound disagreement, whether in the context of heated debates on controversial issues or more civil discussions, listening has on many occasions shown itself to be more important than speaking and making one's point. As the Apostle James writes, "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" (James 1:19).

Bonhoeffer concludes by emphasising that "the ministry of listening has been committed to [Christians] by Him who is Himself the great listener and whose work they should share". He writes:

We should listen with the ears of God that we may speak the Word of God. 

How Do You Bring Someone to Christ?

Over lunch with a friend yesterday, I was telling her about several questions I have been pondering over recently, relating to being a Christian at work. One of the questions related to evangelism in the workplace. 

I said that some people approached evangelism at work in the sense that one would do one's work, and then spend some time on the side or on top of that to evangelise, i.e. by telling people about Jesus Christ. 

I found this unsatisfactory, because it drew an artificial line between "work" and "evangelism", and sometimes the way one works might undermine his or her evangelism.

At the same time, she told me about a Christmas outreach concert that will be taking place tonight. A number of friends and colleagues have been invited. I told her I would keep that in prayer.

Late yesterday evening, while on my way home, I began to ponder again over the question of workplace evangelism. Sensing the difficulty of the task and with some frustration, I asked God the question, "How do you bring someone to Christ?"

God replied, "How do you bring Christ to someone?"

I smiled. 

"Yeah, I can do that."

Freedom is Born Only of Truth

"Then you will know the truth,

and the truth will set you free."

(John 8:32) 

Freedom is born only of truth, for as Jesus Christ said, "the truth shall set you free" (John 8:32). Yet truth offends, for everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed (John 3:20ff). 

So how can the truth be spoken unless there first is freedom? Will it not be that everyone who speaks the truth must endure scorn, ridicule and persecution so that others might be free?

For this very reason, the Son of God came to "testify to the truth" (John 18:37), and to purchase our freedom through His sacrifice on the cross. 

For this very same reason, there must arise in every generation prophets and martyrs who will speak the truth, regardless of the consequences, so that others might be set free. 

And this is the call of every disciple of Jesus Christ. 

The Answer to the Religious Spirit

It has often been said that religion is about Man's attempt to reach God, but Christianity is about God reaching Man. Some have also said that Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship.

There is some degree of truth in this, insofar as "religion" is understood to be a system of man-made rules, traditions, doctrines and rituals apart from a genuine relationship with God. And, for the purposes of this post, this is the definition of "religion" that I will adopt.

It is in this light that we can understand the religious spirit. The Pharisees in the New Testament are a typical example of those under the strong influence of the religious spirit. Quoting Isaiah, Jesus said of the Pharisees in Mark 7:6-7: "These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men."

Characteristic of the religious spirit is an almost slavish observance of traditions and rituals, while neglecting "the more important matters of the law - justice, mercy and faithfulness" (Matthew 23:23). The religious spirit by all appearances looks pious, "holy" and respectable, but like a whitewashed tomb, is full of dead and unclean things on the inside. There may be a zeal to make converts out of others, but ends up only placing heavier burdens on the consciences of their followers.

In our modern context, the religious spirit manifests itself through needless dogmatism and commitment to traditions. Traditional denominations are particularly susceptible to this. Repeated emphases on the observance of rituals, or the dogmatic harping on denominational doctrines are characteristic of those under the influence of the religious spirit. Church leaders or institutions under such influence may either completely shut themselves off from the outside world to adopt a highly insular form of personal piety, or may be concerned about social issues, but only as a matter of personal offence or a "social gospel" without spiritual renewal. Both are contrary to Jesus' call to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 18:19-20).

What is God's answer to the religious spirit? And what does God have to say to those under its influence?

The answer is found in the last of three parables which Jesus told the Pharisees and teachers of the law who muttered against Him when the tax collectors and "sinners" all gathered to hear Him in Luke 15.

In His first two parables, Jesus spoke of the kind of joy like when a shepherd looking for the one lost sheep out of a hundred and a widow looking for her one lost coin out of ten found what they were looking for.

In the third, Jesus spoke of a father who had two sons. The younger had indirectly but gravely (no pun intended) insulted his father by asking for his inheritance while his father was still alive, and then squandered it all in reckless living. When he returned after having lived among pigs, his father embraced and kissed him, gave him the best robe, a ring, sandals for his feet and killed the fattened calf for a feast.

As is characteristic of the religious spirit, the response of the older brother is not one of joy but of anger. His answer when his father pleads with him clearly shows how he has seen his father all these years: "Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends." (Luke 15:29)

To the older brother, his relationship with his father was not one of kinship, but one of slave and slave-master. It was endless labour without reward. At least his younger brother knew his status as a son when he asked for his inheritance and when he wanted to give that up to be his father's servant, a status that the father did not accept.

Likewise, the father did not accept the older brother's self-proclaimed status as a slave, reminding him not only of his status as a son, but a brother.

"My son," the father said, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." (Luke 15:31-32)

Much as the religious spirit seeks to make slaves out of the followers of Jesus Christ, God instead calls us His sons.

Much as the religious spirit would have us think of people in the world as enemies, the Lord reminds us that they are our mission field, our brothers and sisters who are lost.

God calls us all to a genuine relationship with Him, beyond what any tradition, ritual, doctrine or dogma can give.

The answer to the religious spirit is the Father heart of God.

Martin Luther's Anti-Semitism

The city of Wittenberg in Germany has its unique place in the history of the Protestant Reformation as the city where Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Castle Church (Schlosskirche).

Yet one of Luther's greatest sins was his sin against the Jewish people; his anti-Semitism. On the side of one of the churches in Wittenberg is a plaque featuring the common medieval symbol of the Judensau (Jewish pig).

Martin Luther wrote about the plaque in his 1543 book, Vom Schem Hamphoras und vom Geschlecht Christi:

Here in Wittenberg, in our parish church, there is a sow carved into the stone under which lie young pigs and Jews who are sucking; behind the sow stands a rabbi who is lifting up the right leg of the sow, raises behind the sow, bows down and looks with great effort into the Talmud under the sow, as if he wanted to read and see something most difficult and exceptional; no doubt they gained their Shem Hamphoras from that place.

It is a deliberate mixing of the holy and the profane on at least two levels. 

Firstly, the image is a direct insult to the Jews, given that pigs are regarded as unclean, and for pigs to be suckling human beings made in the image of God is degrading to the infinite value God has placed in us. 

Secondly, the very fact that such a plaque has been placed on the wall of a church is an abomination, for "what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14)

The plaque remains at the side of the Wittenberg parish church to this day, mark of a history of anti-Semitism which is a scandal upon the Lutheran Church, the Reformation and the whole of Christendom. 

As I stood before the horrid image, I bound the spirit of anti-Semitism in the name of Jesus and repented for the sins of those who came before. On my lips were the words of that Jewish man - the Messiah, the Son of God - as He hung on the cross: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34, KJV)

"So the Gospel will be preached"

The annual Pink Dot event, advocating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender  (LGBT) rights in the name of the "freedom to love", took place at Hong Lim Park a few days ago on Saturday, 13 June 2015.
 

On that night, I asked God why Pink Dot and all this activism was happening. This was not the first time I asked Him such a question, and will probably not be the last.
 

He replied, "So the Gospel will be preached."
 

On Sunday, I read the report on Pink Dot in the papers, where it was published that they had a record turn out of 28,000.
 

It weighed heavily upon my heart. In the evening, I was gripped with such a strong burden that I broke down and wept, praying, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
 

These were Jesus' words on the cross. It was His prayer of forgiveness for them even though they had turned on Him and His Word.
 

I knew that God was letting me have a sense of His love for all of us, including those who identify as LGBT and those who have voiced their disagreement by wearing white over the weekend.
 

Even in the midst of all these, God has opened doors for many amazing testimonies to be heard about those who have been set free from the bondage of sin. Many have delivered powerful messages about God's freedom and love. And the beauty of God's design for marriage and family have been declared in various places.
 

So, far from being alarmed or afraid, or shying away from addressing the issue, we ought to preach the Gospel faithfully in this time as in every other time, even if it is not politically-correct in this season.
 

God has allowed all this to happen, and will allow more in the days to come, "so the Gospel will be preached."

"Who do you say I am?"

"Different people have different ideas..."

This has become a mantra of our time. Postmodernists and relativists claim that different people have different ideas of truth, and there is no truth. Politicians dodge direct questions from citizens or journalists by making vague statements about how there are different points of views from different segments of society and how it is not easy to "balance" these competing views.

But if there is anything that we can agree with German postmodernist philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche on, it is that without Truth, all we are left with is the "will to power". Thus, quietly but surely, the claims of postmodernists and relativists about "different ideas of truth" or of politicians of "balancing" vaguely defined competing views often masks a carte blanche for the imposition of sheer power.

Jesus had a direct question that He asked His disciples, "Who do people say I am?" (Mark 8:27) Although they were not exactly dodging the question like the postmodernists, relativists and politicians, the disciples replied by referring to the different views that people had: "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." (Mark 8:28)

Jesus pressed in further, to which only the straight-talking Peter replied. The Gospel of Mark records:

"But what about you?" He asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ." Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about Him.

(Mark 8:29-30)

The same question that Jesus posed to His disciples is the same question that Jesus poses to us today.

It is easy to simply reply by appealing to what other people think or say about God, about Jesus Christ, or about all the "controversial" moral issues of today. It is easy to reply things like "Christians say this about Jesus, while other religions say that", or to say things like "social conservatives say this, while those who are socially liberal say that".

It is also easy to just repeat what other Christians think or say, by saying things like, "According to my pastor..." or "According to my church..."

But the question that Jesus Christ is asking us today is a much more pointed one, "Who do you say I am?"

Will we, like Peter, proclaim "You are the Christ"? Is He your Lord and Saviour? Is He the Way, the Truth and the Life? Or is He just a good man, or something else?

Do we recognise Jesus Christ and His Words as the way to eternal life, an objective Truth that sets people free? Or are we ashamed of being identified as His disciples in a time when following Christ means exposure to contempt, ridicule or even persecution?

Jesus Himself said:

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it... If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.

(Mark 8:34b-35, 38)

In a time of growing confusion and compromise, let us "fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)

Amen and amen.

Robert P. George's address at Russell D. Moore's Inauguration as Eighth President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

On 10 September 2013, Russell D. Moore was inaugurated as the eighth president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the moral and public policy agency of America's largest Protestant denomination.

Among those who spoke at his inauguration was Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, who outlined the challenges for Christians in society today.

Here is a transcript of his speech:

The Southern Baptist Convention is blessed. The larger Christian community is blessed. The nation, Russell, is blessed. Indeed, the world is blessed by the decision to appoint Dr Russell Moore to this position of leadership in the Christian community. I will tell you truthfully that my heart leapt for joy when I got the news that my beloved brother whom I admire so much would be appointed to fill the big shoes of Richard Land for the next period of leadership, and may it be long and blessed of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. Those are big shoes to fill, Russell, but I haven't the slightest doubt that you will distinguish yourself beyond all measure.  

The right man, in the right place, at the right time.  

And let me express my gratitude on behalf of the larger Christian community to the Southern Baptist Convention and especially to the Board that made this blessed selection for the wisdom to have appointed such a man to a position of such importance and leadership at this time.  

And what a time.  

A time when the foundational principles, the foundational moral principles of our faith, the foundational ethical and moral principles of our polity, as a nation founded on the principle that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. And among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; the foundational principles of our very civilisation, a civilisation shaped at every turn, and in its greatness by the Judaeo-Christian ethic. A time when every foundational principle is in peril and is under assault. Assault sometimes - I will speak to you plainly - from positions of power in our own nation and in nations across the country.  

What are those principles? We know them well. They're the principles articulated in what Richard Land named the Manhattan Declaration, that great call of Christian conscience.  

First and most foundationally, the principle of the profound and equal and inherent dignity of each and every member of the human family; the idea expressed in our Scripture as the human being made in the very image and likeness of the divine Ruler and Creator of the universe. The idea that every member of the human family - no matter how small, no matter how weak, no matter how unimportant in the eyes of the world - is of immeasurable worth and dignity. It doesn't matter the size, it doesn't matter our age, it doesn't matter our stage of development, it doesn't matter are condition of dependency. All of us my friends, even those we regard as the most powerful, are dependent in one way or another. None of us can truly declare an individual independence. There is no Declaration of Independence of Robert George or Russell Moore from the community of which we are a part.  

The second principle - and it is absolutely indispensable - is the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife. That principle we know so well today - Pastor Luter, President Luter, mentioned it - is under the most severe assault. What is proposed is not an expansion of marriage or eligibility to participate in the institution of marriage, as it's sometimes peddled to us. What is at issue is whether marriage as understood in our tradition, and every tradition known to us, as articulated in Genesis 2 in the concept that the man leaves his mother and home and cleaves onto his wife and the two are one flesh.  

That principle is proposed for abolition, not expansion, abolition; to be replaced by a completely different way of organising human relations, replaced by a conception of "marriage" which is truly nothing other than sexual romantic companionship or domestic partnership. A conception that can make no sense - believe me brothers and sisters, I have had the challenge out there to our friends on the other side of this issue now for ten years - they can make no sense of the norms up exclusivity and fidelity; the idea that marriage is the union of two persons not three or four or five or more in polyamorous sexual partnerships.  

They can make no sense in the idea of marriage as a permanent union, as opposed to a temporary alliance for a two-year term or five-year term as now is being proposed in Mexico City. Renewable. Well that's nice. Or "for as long as love lasts" as the hippie weddings used to have it in them in the sixties.  

None of these structuring principles and norms of marriage can make any sense once the idea of marriage is a conjugal union - a one-flesh union - is jettisoned in favour of the alternative conception marriage as domestic partnership or mere sexual romantic companionship. 

And then of course, the great foundational principle of religious liberty for which the entire Christian community and the world owes a great debt to you Baptists, and to the Baptist tradition. You were there first, way before many of our other traditions. We got there, but with your good leadership and example. And to say that that principle is under assault is only to report soberly what a previous speaker said to you explicitly.  

My friends, the persecution is coming. Indeed it is here.  

We see it - I speak plainly I hope I offend none, but I take the risk - of the Health and Human Services Mandates imposing obligations on employers with the narrowest of exceptions on employers - even religious employers, Catholic hospitals, Evangelical colleges and universities - to provide insurance coverage for services or products which they cannot in good conscience, in Christian conscience, accept. Giving them the choice of following God or Caesar, demanding that they render unto Caesar that which is God's.  

We see it now increasingly with respect to the marriage issue. Wedding photographers, Christian wedding photographers, Mennonite owners of catering services, people who supply flowers for wedding events brought under prosecution, subjected to civil liability because they cannot in good conscience participate in the blessing of unions that, on a Christian view, cannot be judged other than to be immoral.  

And yet again, we see increasingly the tide turning against conscience and in favour of the imposition by political power on the conscience of the believer. We look abroad. It was kindly mentioned Philip that I was sworn in yesterday by Chief Justice Roberts on Harriet Tubman's Bible, let me add, as the new Chairman of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom; an office I'm very proud to hold, but I hold it in fear and trembling because I look around the world and I see the viciousness of persecution from North Korea to China to Iran, throughout the Middle East, Africa, Cuba, Venezuela. Increasingly, we see things that worry us deeply even in the democratic countries in Western Europe. Anti-Semitism again on the rise. Secularism aggressively pushing religion out of the public and into the private domain, as if religion were a purely private activity legitimately pressed by government into the narrow confines of the home or the church or the mosque or the synagogue.  

So we have a big challenge, both internationally and domestically, to religious freedom; a challenge that, it's the duty of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission to exercise leadership in. We need that leadership. We had it in Dr Land, we will have it in Dr Moore.  

These are not fights that we Christians can afford to fight alone. This cannot be simply an Evangelical battle, or even more narrowly, a Baptist battle. We need to unite across the lines of historic theological division both within the Christian world and beyond. We need Baptists and we need Catholics. We need Eastern Orthodox Christians. We need Latter-Day Saints. We need Orthodox and observant Jews. We need those members in the Muslim community - and they exist - who will stand with us for religious liberty, for the sanctity of human life, for marriage as the union of husband and wife. 

We need to be prepared in giving our Christian witness to stand arm-in-arm with them. It's our duty to engage the culture.  

As a Lutheran pastor recently said in a wonderful homily that I had the occasion to listen to, Jesus doesn't need any more secret agents. He's got enough of them. He needs bold witnesses. And Christians should be in the forefront - not alone - but in the forefront, of giving that bold witness to these foundational principles. And of course that's going to mean sacrifice. That means that we will place at risk all that we have - the status, the prestige, the standing in the eyes of the world, the opportunities for career advancement, sometimes for career advancement in politics. Some will put their businesses at risk. Recently a photographer couple went out of business - their own little small business - because they were forced out. They couldn't stay in business and remain faithful to their Christian conscience.  

So we need leaders. We need leaders who will set the example of courage. As the previous speaker said, we need giant killers. 

And thank God that God has raised up a man like Russell Moore at this time and placed him in the position of leadership that he now holds. But we cannot be mere followers of Russell or of anyone else. Each of us in this room needs to be a leader in defending the foundational principles our faith, of our polity and of our civilisation. No, not all of us are called on to be full time as Russell will be. But all of us are called not merely to follow but to lead.  

Let's exemplify that in the community. Let's live that life that we're called to live by Jesus. Let's cling to Jesus, as I know Russell will cling to Jesus, as we go forward. Not as mere followers, but as leaders, each and every one.

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez's speech at March for Life 2015

March for Life 2015 took place on 22 January 2015 at the National Mall in Washington D.C., the United States.

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, delivered a powerful speech and prayer before the launch of the march. (Rev. Rodriguez's speech begins at 1:16:42 of the video.)

The transcript follows:

We gather today not as blacks, whites, yellow or brown. We gather today as children of the living God.

We gather today with the commitment to reconcile righteousness with justice, sanctification with service, and Truth with Love.

We gather today with Biblical conviction and courage to speak to the spiritual forces that exacerbate the death of innocents in the womb.

We gather today to speak to the spirit of Pharaoh, and to the spirit of Herod, and to declare the following.

We declare the following:

For every Pharaoh there will be a Moses;

For every Goliath there will be a David;

For every Nebuchadnezzar there will be a Daniel;

For every Jezebel there will be an Elijah;

For every Herod there will be a Jesus!

And for every devil that rises up against us,

there is a mightier God that rises up for us.

For we understand that the right to life stems not from the executive branch, judicial or the legislative branch. The right to life does not stem from a political party or apparatus. It does not come from the donkey or the elephant.

The right to life comes from the Lamb that is on the throne; His name is Jesus.

Therefore, on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, let us remind our nation and our fellow citizens that Uncle Sam may be our uncle, but he will never be our Heavenly Father.

With that, let me invite you to pray.

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, we pray that this generation will recognise the image of God in every human being in and out of the womb without exception. We pray that the followers of Christ will no longer hide at the bottom of the threshing floor but rather they will emerge as mighty heroes of righteousness and justice.

We pray that the children of the cross realise that today's complacency is tomorrow's captivity, that moral stagnation leads to spiritual atrophy, and that there is no such thing as comfortable Christianity.

We pray that children will not be aborted, that marriages will thrive, and religious liberty will prevail for generations to come.

We pray that Truth will never be sacrificed on the altar of expediency, that Love will overcome hate, and that the prophetic will silence the pathetic. And we pray for the strength of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the anointing of God's Spirit to equip us in order to advance Your agenda; an agenda that protects the innocent and the unborn, all while we do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly before God.

And we pray all of this in the holy, righteous, triumphant, victorious name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen and amen.

The Year of the Sheep or Goat?

At the End of Days, God will not only judge each individual person, but will also judge nations. Jesus said in Matthew 25:31-33:

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

The sheep represent the righteous who gave the hungry something to eat, the thirsty something to drink, invited strangers in, clothed the naked, looked after the sick and visited those in prison. The goats, on the other hand, represent the wicked who did none of such things.

In this year of Jubilee, will Singapore be a sheep nation or a goat nation?

Remarkably, this coming Chinese New Year will mark the beginning of the Year of the "羊" (yang). The term is broad enough to encompass goats (山羊), sheep （绵羊） or gazelle (羚羊). The article in the Sunday Times, "Sheep muscle in on Year of the Goat" (25 January 2015), explores these different interpretations:

Technically speaking, the different interpretations are not wrong. 

Assistant professor Lee Cheuk Yin, who heads the Department of Chinese Studies at the National University of Singapore, says: "As the Chinese character is yang, the zodiac sign could be interpreted as either shanyang (mountain goat), mianyang (sheep) or lingyang (gazelle) and still be technically correct."

If that is the case, how did the goat claim the coveted spot in the traditional Chinese zodiac in the first place?

The simple answer is that sheep and gazelles were not commonly found in ancient China, so the Chinese were not familiar with these other breeds.

Geomancer Thomas T., 50, who owns Geomancy Hut consultancy, says: "This is why, from a traditional perspective, it's inaccurate to call this the Year of the Sheep or Ram because the zodiac sign has always been associated with the mountain goat."

Another geomancer, Mr Kevin Foong, 35, agrees that the traditional Chinese zodiac is not open to interpretation.

"A goat's horns are a sign of strength, which makes it more majestic compared with the more docile sheep," he explains.

So traditionally, "羊" refers to the goat (山羊) rather than any other breed.

 

羊

 

Other sources have also highlighted that the pictogram "羊" resembles the face of a goat, rather than a sheep, thus supporting the view that "羊" refers to goat rather than sheep.

But the point of the article, as is obvious from its title, is that people are opting for sheep instead. The Sunday Times report reads:

A tour around Chinatown bears this out, with cartoony interpretations of fluffy sheep plastered on everything from red packets to banners and lanterns.  

At Chinatown store Giftmaster, which is selling mainly sheep soft toys for Chinese New Year, sales assistant Ivy Koh, 24, says: "Customers generally prefer sheep to goats as they're more adorable, so we stock more of those."  

Ms Angelia Lim, 50, manager of another store in the area called Feng Shui Specialist, has stocked both goat and sheep merchandise for Chinese New Year.  

While she has seen equal demand for both animals, she says: "It's usually middle- aged customers who opt for traditional goat merchandise, while the younger ones gravitate towards the sheep toys."  

Ms Camille Lin, 33, a Taiwanese tourist who was shopping in Chinatown, says sheep are also beating out the goats in the marketplace at home.  

"We have lots of cute sheep plush toys in Taiwan too. I don't think it dilutes the culture just because the zodiac sign is interpreted differently," adds the waitress.  

Businesses seem to agree. SundayLife! found more than 10 companies who have opted to market and design their festive merchandise or promotional materials around sheep or rams instead of the traditional goat.  

These include Nets, Starbucks, Schroders Investment Management and online retailer Zalora, as well as hotels such as Marina Mandarin, Hotel Jen, Hotel Re! and Royal Plaza on Scotts.  

Lego also has a limited-edition Year of the Sheep set, which comes with a matching hongbao.  

For Schroders Investment Management, choosing a sheep design for its corporate hongbao lent a contemporary touch.  

Mr Jerry Low, its head of marketing, says: "During conceptualisation, we found references to goats, sheep and rams and, after researching the provenance of each, decided to give our design a more modern twist by featuring sheep instead of the more conventional goat."  

Over at Royal Plaza on Scotts, general manager Patrick Fiat says the hotel opted to go with sheep for its marketing campaign as "their shape is rounder, which we felt was symbolic of fulfilment, unity and coming full circle in the Chinese culture". The hotel has also included lamb as part of its festive yu sheng (raw fish salad) special this year.  

Do not let the proliferation of sheep get your goat though, as there is still plenty of merchandise that is sticking to tradition.  

Both Singapore Post and The Singapore Mint have stuck to the classic interpretations of the goat for their official Chinese New Year stamp and coin collections.  

But The Singapore Mint has gone one step further to cater to different tastes and generations. While it uses the mountain goat for its official coin design, a spokesman says the mint has also produced cute money boxes in the shape of sheep that are pitched at kids.  

"The fluffy sheep seemed more relatable to prosperity and we thought it would appeal more to the younger generation," she adds.  

Brands such as BreadTalk have also stayed loyal, naming its festive goat-shaped buns Happy Goat Luck.  

At the end of the day, it does not matter whether you plump for the sheep or stick to the goat.  

As undergraduate Natasha Chong, 20, puts it: "The most important Chinese New Year tradition is to celebrate with your family, no matter the animal on your red packet."

One cannot help but to see the prophetic significance of this, not least due to the title of the article in the Sunday Times, about how sheep have "muscled in". Jesus said, "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it." (Matthew 11:12) The Book of Revelation tells of the ultimate triumph of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

Yet, as both Scripture and the article attest, both sheep and goats will remain. Prophetically speaking, there will be great confusion in the land, with both great light and great darkness, both contending for the destiny of the nation.

This year of Jubilee will be a year of choosing for Singapore.

Jesus the Returning Warrior, Lover and King

The Bible is a love story from start to beginning, despite the ups and downs, the betrayals and the persecution.

So key to the Biblical narrative is the passionate love between a man and a woman in marriage that the Bible begins and ends with a wedding. In the Garden of Eden, God made male and female, and united them as "one flesh" in marriage (Genesis 2:24). Likewise, the Bible ends with the marriage supper of the Lamb.

David and Michal

One passionate love story that began well but unfortunately ended badly is the story of David and Michal.

When King Saul noticed that his daughter Michal was "in love with David" (1 Samuel 18:20), he promised the hand of his daughter to David for the bride price of one hundred Philistine foreskins. (The choice of foreskins as a "trophy" was due to the fact that the Philistines were uncircumcised, unlike the Jews.) Though it was meant to be a trap so that David would be killed by the Philistines, God was with David and David more than succeeded in his task.

Instead of just one hundred Philistine foreskins, the returning warrior, lover and king (by this time, Samuel had anointed David) came back with two hundred foreskins, and "Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage" (1 Samuel 18:27). Once again, the Bible records that "Michal loved David" (1 Samuel 18:28). So strong was her passion for David that Michal helped David to escape from her father's jealous rage and lied to her father for the sake of her husband.

But this love story did not have a happy ending. While fleeing from Saul, David took other women in marriage as his wives. On the other hand, Michal was given away in marriage to Paltiel son of Laish.

By the time after Saul's death, and after David brought Michal back to him and returned to Jerusalem as king, Michal's disposition towards David had changed. The when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord at the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, "she despised him in her heart" (2 Samuel 6:16). David made sacrifices and burnt offerings, and blessed the people, but was confronted by Michal when he returned home:

When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!" (2 Samuel 6:20)

David did not appreciate the remark, and the Bible records that "Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death" (2 Samuel 6:23); though it is not clear why this was so, it is more likely than not that David ceased to have conjugal relations with her.

Jesus and His Church

The Book of Revelation tells of a much more beautiful love story of Jesus Christ - the Son of David as he was known to the people at the time - and His bride the Church.

Jesus Christ "loved the Church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant Church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." (Ephesians 5:25-27)

In the last days, the Church will be subject to intense persecution at the hands of the woman Mystery Babylon and the Beast. The Book of Revelation records that Mystery Babylon "was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus" (Revelation 17:6). But the Beast eventually betrayed and destroyed her.

The great multitude declares, "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Revelation 19:7-9)

It is at this point we see Jesus come forth as a passionate Warrior, Lover and King:

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

(Revelation 19:11-16)

Jesus Christ and His army captures the Beast and the false prophet and throw them into the fiery lake of burning sulphur, and defeats the kings of the earth and their armies. Satan is defeated, the dead are judged, and then here comes the Bride:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

The Returning Warrior, Lover and King

Like David returning for his bride Michal, Jesus Christ fights the good fight and returns as a triumphant warrior king for His Church. But unlike David, Jesus Christ is not a fallen man, nor would he take additional wives. Unlike Michal, the Church is a Bride who loves her husband and willingly submits to His loving headship.

Here is a marriage covenant that will last forever. It is the beautiful Biblical love story of Jesus Christ, the passionate lover, the rider on the horse who judges and makes war, and who finally returns to marry His beloved Bride.

Circumcision, Not Castration

I recently heard a message preached from 2 Kings about the story of Hezekiah and his big mistake towards the end of his life.

The Book of 2 Kings 20:12-19 records:

At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of Hezekiah's illness. Hezekiah received the messengers and showed them all that was in his storehouses--the silver, the gold, the spices and the fine oil--his armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.

Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, "What did those men say, and where did they come from?" "From a distant land," Hezekiah replied. "They came from Babylon."

The prophet asked, "What did they see in your palace?"

"They saw everything in my palace," Hezekiah said. "There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them."

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, that will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon."

"The word of the LORD you have spoken is good," Hezekiah replied. For he thought, "Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?"

The blindness and folly of King Hezekiah was utterly remarkable. How could the invasion and plunder by the Babylonians of the palace, or the forceful subjugation and castration of his own descendants be called "good"?

King Hezekiah's comment showed the utter selfishness and self-centredness of his own heart. It cared nothing for the welfare of his own descendants, but cared only about his own wealth and temporary "peace and security" during his lifetime.

This, the preacher explained, seems to be the attitude of many parents towards the education of our children, who are being castrated in their hearts and minds by worldviews and philosophies utterly opposed to the things of God.

Nothing destroys the future generation more than castration. Yet in the same way, in the Old Testament at least, God's covenant from one generation to the next is marked by circumcision. It is not merely a bodily circumcision, but a circumcision of the heart that God calls for, as exhorted in Deuteronomy 10:16, "Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer."

Likewise, Paul emphasised in Romans 2:28-29:

A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.

A couple of chapters down, Paul urged, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2)

Ultimately, Christians should at all times be aware that this is a spiritual battle being waged on all fronts against a relentless enemy whose goal is none other than to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).

Former Lebanese ambassador Charles Malik, said in his address "The Two Tasks" delivered at the dedication ceremony of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College on 13 September 1980:

Responsible Christians face two tasks - that of saving the soul, and that of saving the mind... The mind is desperately disordered today. I am pleading that a tiny fraction of Christian care be extended to the mind too. If it is the will of the Holy Spirit that we attend to the soul, certainly it is not his will that we neglect the mind. No civilization can endure with its mind being as confused and disordered as ours is today. All ills stem proximately from the false philosophies that have been let loose in the world and that are now being taught in the universities, and ultimately of course... from the devil, whether or not the human agents know it.

As Christians, we cannot possibly neglect the mind, including the spiritual, emotional and intellectual education of our children. We are called to "demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God", and "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). In Ephesians 6:4, Paul writes, "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

Our children need to be circumcised in their hearts and minds, not castrated.