faith

I Desire Mercy, Not Sacrifice-I came to call sinners

/ Al Ngu, MDiv / Leave a comment

Matthew 9:10–13 (ESV)
10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus at the Table of Sinners

Matthew places this scene right after his own calling (Matt. 9:9). A despised tax collector turned disciple, Matthew celebrates his new life by hosting a meal. Jesus reclines at the table with him, surrounded by tax collectors and “sinners.”

In Jewish culture, table fellowship was never casual—it was a declaration of welcome and belonging. To eat with someone was to accept them. By sharing a meal with outcasts, Jesus made a radical theological statement: God’s kingdom welcomes those considered unclean, those on the margins, those desperate for grace.

The Pharisees’ Question

The Pharisees are scandalized. They ask Jesus’ disciples: “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (v. 11).

Their question is more accusation than inquiry. To them, holiness meant separation from impurity. Fellowship with sinners was unthinkable—it risked contamination. In their eyes, Jesus was not preserving holiness but destroying it.

This reveals the Pharisees’ blindness. They were more concerned about outward conformity than inward compassion, about cultural boundaries more than God’s heart. Mercy had no place in their system.

The Physician for the Sick

Jesus answers with an image everyone understands: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (v. 12).

Doctors do not avoid the diseased—they run toward them. By implication, Jesus is the Great Physician, whose calling is to heal the spiritually sick. His mission is not about avoiding contamination but bringing restoration.

The irony is sharp. The Pharisees see themselves as “well,” but in reality, their hardness of heart reveals their own sickness. Those who think they are righteous blind themselves to their need for healing.

“I Desire Mercy, Not Sacrifice”

Jesus presses further: “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice’” (v. 13).

This quotation from Hosea 6:6 is a stinging rebuke. In Hosea’s day, Israel’s worship was filled with sacrifices, yet devoid of covenant love. God rejected their empty rituals because their hearts lacked mercy and faithfulness.

By invoking Hosea, Jesus declares that the Pharisees are repeating Israel’s failure. They cling to ritual sacrifice but neglect mercy—the very thing God desires. Outward performance without inward compassion is worthless.

Jesus concludes with a mission statement: “For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” He did not come to reward the self-assured but to redeem the broken. His table is open to the desperate, the weary, the guilty. Mercy is the entry ticket, not merit.

Mercy: The Heart of God

What is mercy? In Scripture, mercy is not passive pity but active compassion. The Hebrew word (hesed) in Hosea 6:6 points to covenant love—faithful kindness toward the undeserving. The Greek word (eleos) emphasizes compassion that moves into action.

Sacrifice without mercy is hollow religion. Mercy, however, reflects the heart of God. The cross itself is the ultimate demonstration: as Christ’s blood poured out, we saw divine compassion toward sinners who deserved judgment.

Mercy Moves Us to Evangelism

Why do many Christians struggle with evangelism or missions? Could it be that we lack the mercy of God burning in our hearts?

Mercy compels. When Jesus saw the crowds, He was “moved with compassion” (Matt. 9:36). He did not merely feel pity; He acted, teaching, healing, and shepherding the lost.

Without mercy, evangelism becomes duty. With mercy, it becomes delight. The more we experience God’s mercy personally, the more we long for others to know it.

But too often, like the Pharisees, we become numb. The constant flood of suffering in the world—spiritual and physical—can make us withdraw in helplessness. We stop feeling. We stop acting. That’s why we need continual renewal in the Spirit. Only God’s mercy can soften our hearts again.

Mercy Heals the Sick

Mercy also shapes how we respond to physical suffering. Jesus repeatedly healed on the Sabbath, provoking the Pharisees. He exposed their hypocrisy: they would rescue an ox that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, yet refuse to heal a suffering human being (Luke 14:5).

Mercy moves toward the sick, even when inconvenient.

Today, many churches practice mercy through social justice—feeding the hungry, serving the poor, mentoring youth. These are good and necessary works. But mercy must also extend to the sick and brokenhearted. James commands the church: “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14).

Sadly, prayer for healing is often neglected. Instead, churches default to asking for doctors to succeed. While medical care is a gift, biblical mercy calls us to pray boldly for God’s healing power. Healing prayer is not easy—it requires faith, persistence, and courage. But mercy presses us to act anyway.

Mercy Over Sacrifice in the Church

What would it look like for the church today to embody Jesus’ words?

  • People over programs: valuing relationships more than routines.
  • Compassion over comfort: moving toward the messy and broken instead of retreating into safe spaces.
  • Prayer over passivity: laying hands on the sick, even when uncertain, rather than avoiding the risk of disappointment.
  • Evangelism through empathy: sharing Christ not out of guilt, but out of deep compassion for the lost.

Sacrifice without mercy is lifeless religion. Mercy breathes life into the church.

The Cross: Mercy in Full

At the cross, we see mercy in its fullest expression. Jesus bore our sin, not because we deserved it, but because His compassion compelled Him. His sacrifice was filled with mercy, unlike the empty sacrifices of the Pharisees.

From the cross, Jesus calls His followers to extend that same mercy outward. To sinners. To the sick. To the weary. To the forgotten.

Conclusion

Jesus’ words in Matthew 9 are as relevant today as they were then: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The Pharisees missed it. They chose performance over compassion, ritual over relationship. But Jesus reveals the heart of God: mercy for the undeserving, compassion for the broken, grace for sinners.

In a world drowning in suffering, we cannot afford to grow numb. We need the mercy of God to awaken us, to propel us, to move us outward. Mercy evangelizes. Mercy heals. Mercy acts.

Jesus still desires mercy—not sacrifice. And when His mercy fills us, it will overflow to those around us.

I desire mercy, and not sacrifice

/ Al Ngu, MDiv / Leave a comment

Matthew 9:10–13 (ESV)

10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus said, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice, for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” The Pharisees showed no emotion, empathy for sinners, but they were more concerned about legalistic outside show, cultural requirements. Look at their question, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” They have absolutely no mercy for the spiritually sick. Jesus profoundly said I desire mercy, not sacrifice. You know how big a statement is that?

Mercy is such an appealing attractive attribute of God, and I thank God every day for his mercy and compassion.

If he didn’t have that we’ll all be condemned. Jesus is essentially saying he wants the church to have mercy, and not sacrifice. What is sacrifice? In the context of what happened in that passage, sacrifice refers to not to eat with tax collectors and sinners trying to adhere mechanically to the Torah or the mosaic laws. But there is one overriding factor that overrides all the legalistic laws and legalism, and that is the mercy of God. When you look at the cross you see the mercy of God. You see the blood dripping down from the body of the son of God on the cross, you see the mercy of God for us.

That’s why when Jesus said I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, obviously that is such a phenomenal statement! Part of the reason that Christians are not evangelizing, reaching out to the lost, and missions is they lack of the mercy of God in their lives. They’re not seeing that as important, they do not seem to care after a while. They are kind of numbed by the brokenness in the world that they see daily including myself. I am guilty to that and part of the reason I struggle with is that, we lack the refreshing renewal of the knowledge of God and the impartation of the Spirit. When Jesus said to the Pharisees that he came to meet with Matthew, because he is broken like we all are, and by his grace, He chose Matthew. Pharisees said that he is made ‘dirty’ because he sits with the tax collectors. You see there are so many times the Pharisees are problematic.

On one Sabbath day Jesus healed a cripple, the Pharisees challenged Jesus and want to watch upon him see if he will heal a man on the Sabbath day. Jesus famously challenged them when you have your donkey or your horse dropped into a pit on the Sabbath day, would you not rescue your animal? And here it is the son of Abraham in sickness, and you won’t heal him? That’s the mercy of God!

We are so numbed by the things of the world that we are so incapacitated in some way to reach out to the sick, the spiritual sick

We are so numbed by the things of the world that we are so incapacitated in some way to reach out to the sick, the spiritual sick and physical sick because we feel a sense of helplessness. And the comfortable thing to do, therefore, as you feel so helpless is just to give up and move on in life.

And may I argue from the fact that we lack the mercy of God. That mercy of God’s will propel us to actions. I would also say that the reason we are showing a lack of mercy is because we feel we have a lack of ability to really help. That’s precisely the reason why so many Christians do not evangelize or share the gospel and outreach, that’s because of the fear of rejection, and our lack of success, and because realistically, the harvest is really not there, we may argue. But the reality is it is hard, the soul market so to speak.

That’s why we need all the more the mercy of God as a propellant inside our lives.

There’s something powerful and beautiful about the mercy of God. Because when you see the sick, the spiritual sick, needy brokenness and people in trouble and hardship, in tears, you feel compassion for them. You feel your heart is swelling up with mercy and that is from God. And that mercy will turn you into action. I would argue that one of the reasons churches are not praying enough for the sick, is because they are showing a lack of mercy of God. They rather do sacrifice, but no mercy. Not because there are not kind, but because their internal mindset has been numbed and also felt discouraged with unbelief. Let’s face it, healing doesn’t come easy, by any means. If you see somebody who is sick physically, do the churches pray for the sick today? They hardly do. I would certainly choose to pray for the sick every single Sunday, stretch your hands and believe by faith.

A lot of churches today are big on mercy ministry, in what is called the social justice

That is feeding the poor, helping the underprivileged youths etcetera. They are all good things to do but I’m arguing that that mercy is not extended enough towards those with physical sickness, which is the main pattern of Jesus ministry, and Paul’s. Those people who are physically sick coming to church, no one from the church is reaching out to them by praying for the sick. Or emotionally sick, depresssed, etc. They rather praying for the doctor to have wisdom to cure them. This is very alien to Jesus ministry or even Paul or Peter for that matter. And that’s why I will advocate strongly that churches today should administer healing and praying for the sick. In fact in James he says bringing the sick and lay hands on them put oil upon them. Laying hands on them to bring healing is a very biblical thing to do.

We need both.

God’s Fingerprints in Beijing: A Devotional Reflection

/ Al Ngu, MDiv / Leave a comment

My wife and I recently returned from a journey to Beijing, China. For one week we walked the ancient streets, entered palaces of emperors, and observed a city both modern and deeply rooted in 5,000 years of culture. What I carried home with me were not only photos and souvenirs, but deep impressions of the people, their history, and the surprising ways in which God’s truth shines through their culture.

As I reflected on our experiences, I realized that Beijing was more than a tourist destination for me. It became a place where I saw God’s fingerprints—in kindness, in order, in safety, in history, and in the very longings of the human heart. Scripture teaches us that God has “set eternity in the human heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). What I saw in Beijing was a culture that, knowingly or not, has been reaching for the eternal.

1. The Courtesy of a Gentle People

The very first thing that struck me about the Chinese people was their courtesy. Coming from New York City, where the streets are often filled with rushing, shoving, and impatience, I was stunned at how different the atmosphere felt in Beijing.

On Beijing’s busy sidewalks, crowded with people and electric motorbikes, there was a striking gentleness. Motorbike riders, instead of startling pedestrians, would simply honk politely and pass by. Pedestrians themselves, when needing to move past us, would say a soft “sorry,” their cultural equivalent of “excuse me.”

I remember one moment in particular: while shopping in a mall, I asked a sales clerk where I could find a shoe repair shop. She kindly pointed the way. A few minutes later, after realizing we had gone in the wrong direction, she ran after us, out of breath, just to make sure we didn’t get lost. Her determination to serve was humbling.

Another time, while at the airport, something fell from our basket. Before I could bend down, a nearby staff member quickly reached to pick it up. When I thanked her warmly, she simply smiled and replied, “No problem.”

These small gestures might seem ordinary, but together they revealed something profound: the image of God written into every human being. Even in a nation where many do not know Christ, kindness and gentleness shine through. As Paul reminds us in Romans 2:14, “When Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law… they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts.”

In the courtesy of the Chinese people, I caught a glimpse of God’s common grace. It reminded me that wherever we go in the world, His image-bearers cannot help but reflect something of His nature—even if dimly, even if unknowingly.

2. Safety and the Illusion of Security

Another impression was the sense of safety. In New York City, there are neighborhoods I would not walk through after sunset. Yet in Beijing, I walked freely at night with no sense of fear. There were no signs of homelessness on the streets, no groups loitering with malice, no undercurrent of danger in people’s eyes.

Our tour guide explained that this safety was due, in large part, to the government’s surveillance system. Cameras monitor nearly every corner of the city. The guide even told us that if someone left a suitcase unattended outside the airport, it might still be there thirty minutes later, untouched.

From a human perspective, this level of safety is impressive. Yet as I reflected, I was reminded that true security does not come from cameras or human systems of control. Scripture teaches, “Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain” (Psalm 127:1).

Beijing’s peace reminded me of a deeper peace—the peace that only God can give. Surveillance may restrain crime, but it cannot restrain sin. Only the transforming power of Christ can bring true safety, true wholeness, true shalom. One day, in the New Jerusalem, there will be no need for cameras, locks, or guards. God Himself will dwell with His people, and nothing impure will ever enter (Revelation 21:27).

3. Ancient Longings for Eternity

Perhaps the most fascinating part of our journey was visiting the Forbidden City. There, within the walls of the emperor’s palace, I saw in architecture and symbolism a culture’s deep longing for immortality, harmony, and peace.

The colors of the buildings, the placement of gates, the arrangement of courtyards—all carried spiritual meaning. Dragons adorned the pillars, symbolizing imperial power. Incense smoke rose in the morning, filling the air as the emperor looked out from his throne, giving him the illusion of sitting in heaven. Even the animals sculpted into the architecture—turtles, phoenixes, lions—were chosen because they were believed to belong in paradise.

Our guide explained that twice a year, the emperor would fast and lead the nation in sacrifice to the God of heaven. Hundreds of animals were slaughtered. Prayers were offered, not in worship of God for who He is, but as requests for good harvests and national prosperity.

The parallels to the Old Testament struck me immediately. Like Israel, China’s ancient emperors knew there was a higher power who controlled the rains and the harvest. Like Israel, they brought sacrifices, hoping to secure favor. Yet unlike Israel, who were pointed by their sacrifices to the coming Messiah, China’s sacrifices stopped at the symbol. They revealed the longing of the human heart for eternity, but they lacked the fulfillment only Christ provides.

This reminded me of Paul’s words to the Athenians: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious… What you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:22–23). The Chinese emperors longed for eternal life, but Christ alone offers it. Their sacrifices sought blessings, but Christ became the ultimate sacrifice once for all.

4. Echoes of the Bible in Chinese Language and Culture

What amazed me further were the echoes of biblical truth embedded in the Chinese written language and traditions.

Take, for example, the character for “boat” is (船). It is composed of three parts: the radical for “boat,” plus “eight” and “mouths” (meaning people). In other words: a boat with eight people—precisely the number who entered Noah’s ark.

Or consider the character for “Satan”, (魔). It is formed from two trees above, with a ghost or demon beneath. Could this be a reflection of the serpent tempting Adam and Eve under the trees in Eden?

Even cultural traditions mirror biblical events. For instance, Chinese families have long hung red cloth above their doorways to ward off evil spirits. How similar this is to Israel’s Passover, when lamb’s blood was placed on doorposts so that the angel of death would pass by.

Are these coincidences? I believe not. They are whispers of a greater story—echoes of the truth that all humanity once shared before God scattered the nations at Babel (Genesis 11). From that moment, tribes spread across the earth, carrying fragments of memory, traces of the true God, embedded in their languages, traditions, and rituals.

In Beijing, I saw these traces in full color. And they point to a remarkable truth: the God of the Bible is not the tribal god of Israel only. He is the Creator of all nations, and His story has touched every people from the beginning.

5. The Dragon and the Enemy

Yet alongside these echoes of truth lies evidence of distortion. The dragon, for example, permeates Chinese culture. Carved into palaces, emblazoned on robes, the dragon symbolized the emperor’s divine power. The emperor was even called “the Son of Heaven,” a title dangerously close to divine worship.

But Scripture is clear: the dragon is none other than Satan himself (Revelation 12:9). What Beijing’s culture revered as a symbol of strength, Scripture unmasks as the enemy of God’s people. Here we see the tragedy of fallen humanity—longings for eternity mingled with lies, fragments of truth corrupted by the adversary.

Romans 1 describes this dynamic well: “They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things” (Romans 1:23). Humanity longs for God, but without revelation, we turn to symbols and idols. We worship the creature instead of the Creator.

6. The Gospel in China Today

And yet, the story does not end there. In our own time, China has witnessed one of the fastest church growth movements in history. Despite persecution, despite restrictions, the gospel has taken root and spread with power. Millions of Chinese believers now worship Christ as Lord, rejecting the dragon and embracing the Lamb.

This is nothing short of miraculous. The same culture that once sacrificed to heaven without knowing the true God is now offering spiritual sacrifices through Jesus Christ. The same language that once carried echoes of Noah and Eden now carries songs of praise to the Savior.

It is a living testimony of Revelation 7:9—that one day a great multitude from “every nation, tribe, people, and language” will stand before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white, proclaiming His salvation.

7. Conclusion: The Greater Story

As I walked through Beijing, I realized I was not just looking at palaces and monuments. I was glimpsing a culture’s heart cry—a longing for eternity, for peace, for life beyond death.

And that longing, I am convinced, is the same one God has planted in every nation. The Chinese emperor’s sacrifices, the dragon imagery, the architectural pursuit of harmony—all of it is humanity’s restless search for what only Christ can provide.

In Christ, the search ends. The emperor longed for longevity, but Christ offers eternal life. The people sacrificed for blessings, but Christ gave Himself once for all. The dragon deceives, but Christ has conquered.

So as I left Beijing, I carried with me not just memories of a great city, but a renewed conviction: the gospel is for all peoples. God’s fingerprints are everywhere, pointing us to Jesus. And one day, from east and west, from north and south, the redeemed will gather at His table (Luke 13:29).

Until that day, we proclaim Christ—not only in New York City, but to the ends of the earth.

Fear of God is the anchor of our wellbeing & society flourishing

/ Al Ngu, MDiv / 1 Comment

The root cause of sin is the failure to fear and honor God


Romans 3 says people are spewing out venom. The speech, the wickedness, thoughts and everything, there is no Fear of God. NIV study commentary brilliantly says that the root cause of sin and evils in this world is there’s “No Fear of God.” That’s it. No Fear.
3:18 This citation from Ps. 36:1 identifies the root cause of sin as the failure to fear and honor God. Any society that commonly assumes that God will not discipline sin in this life or judge it in the next will have no fear of God and will therefore give itself increasingly to evil.
I’ll call this as the holy fear and holy honor of God. This is not fear as in terms of being frightful or being punished, although it is also part of it, but this includes having the reverence and awe of who God is. It is that sense of the awesomeness of God so captured the imagination of us that we look to him, we depend on him, we adore him, we worship him and all these are becoming very intrinsic part of us. So that matter of fearing God is very much in the positive and the negative sense. In the negative sense its the fear of being disciplined and punished for committing sin in this life, which is a good thing in itself, because it refines our character and shapes us according to the holiness of God. There is nothing better to be molded and shaped by the creator of the universe and indeed its an honor.


If God doesn’t mold you and shape you while you commit sin, that means he doesn’t care for you.

So when he does that that, it means that he cares for you and just like an earthly father will always discipline his children especially in the young age when they are over the board or breaking family or moral laws and regulations.


Romans 3:10–18 (ESV)
10 as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 in their paths are ruin and misery,
17 and the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

And the reason for no fear of God is really that there is an assumption that God will not discipline our sin or judging us in the next life.


And that is the lie of the devil. Just because we don’t see God tangibly, physically in this world, a lot of people choose not to be bothered about the holiness of God and who he is. And in that why there’s a diminishing sense of the fear of God in people’s lives because of that.
And the consequences of No Fear of God in any one’s life is facing the judgment of God which means eventually we’ll be Hellfire bound.
10 as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
And anyone being naive thinking that there is some goodness in themselves and being presumptuous that “I’m good enough for God” is completely ignorant and even obnoxious. The scripture is very clear on this that in verse 10, it says none is righteous, no, not one period not a single one, and not even any perceived goodness of any person who even may be doing good deeds and helping the poor, feeding the hungry, being a responsible husband and wife.

The underlying reason is no one understands, verse 11, and no one seeks for God

We must remember that there is a huge difference between doing good but not acknowledging God, not seeking God, and doing good because of seeking and knowing and understanding God.

The former is doing for yourself, or even because of yourself, because of your perception of your inborn image of God, but failing to acknowledge and to worship the God who puts that DNA or image of God inside you. The world will spin around and go around thinking what is next unless we come to grip with the reality of who we are on earth and therefore seeking God.
John Calvin famously said unless we know who God is, we would never know who we are.
That’s a huge statement and there has to be reckoned with. In fact there’s a lot of guys who changed the world like Augustine, Martin Luther etcetera are the people who are pounding the floor and with huge effort and tears and anguish seeking who God is, because they’re so confused, so lost in their own lives, and by coming to God and coming to connection and the revelation of God, they were completely liberated and in fact empowered to embark on the journey to change the world.

And for that to happen, we need the revelation from God

nd for that to happen we need the revelation of God.

In fact Martin Luther was transformed and saved because Romans chapter 3 verse seven that says the righteousness manifested by God apart from the law, As opposed to the self achieved righteousness which exhausted him and which devastated him. Romans 1:17
17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[e] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”


So folks there’s no way we can live a life that will bring us to eternal bliss with God until we receive the revelation and for that to happen, we must seek God we must therefore understand the word of God.

Personal prayer for spiritual gifts

/ Al Ngu, MDiv / Leave a comment

Spiritual gift is a decisively important subject among churches today because it is an endowment from the Lord for us. The topic is definitively needed in our church ministry personal ministry, evangelism etcetera and a lot of it has to deal with edification, building up one another. And to miss that it’s such a shame. And that’s why today we want to make it very clear so that we can all be encouraged to pursue spiritual gift that God has given to us for the tasks of the ministry of the gospel.

  • 1 Corinthians 14:1 (ESV)
  • 14 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

Paul wrote to eagerly desire the spiritual gifts first Cor 14 especially the gift of prophecy. As I wrote earlier in my podcast, the absolute majority of churches today remain very silent about spiritual gift, tacitly in essence do not endorse spiritual gifts. Which is a sad news. That’s right and the reason is most pastors do not believe in the continuation of spiritual gifts as in a lot of the reformed churches, they are neutral about it but they don’t know what to do with them because it is controversial especially prophecy and tongues. And the other reason of course, they themselves do not possess those gifts. In the Pentecostal charismatic churches however they do exercise healing and prophecy to some extent, but a lot more should be taught with good grounding theology.

Jack Deere wrote, “Some fear that because the Holy Spirit gives gifts just as he wills, it is useless to pray for gifts. But this is both a misunderstanding of God’s sovereignty as well as a misunderstanding of the scriptures. God is sovereign. He does everything just as he wills [see Ephesians 1:11]. But this does not mean that our actions have no effect on God. We can grieve God (Eph 4: 30 ) and we can delight God (Psalm147: 11).” [1]

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will

  • Psalm 147:10–11 (ESV)
  • 10    His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
  • nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
  • 11    but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
  • in those who hope in his steadfast love.

The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him and those who hope in his steadfast love. You see God responds to those who put they have faith and hope in him and fear him. If you are passive and do nothing about reaching out to God, he is not going to respond. He responds and he likes, did you see that, he delights or takes pleasure in those who actively seek him, fear him and hope in his unfailing love.

James also wrote, you do not have because you do not ask God, James 4:2. Jack Deere writes, “Ultimately, the reconciliation of divine sovereignty and effective human prayers is a mystery. The scripture teaches both. So, pray for the gifts you want, because your prayers may affect the Holy Spirit’s desire to give you gifts.” [2]

Jack Deere is absolutely right as he writes, “The Holy Spirit give gifts “just as he determines” also encourages readers to pray for new spiritual gifts for themselves. If someone speaks in tongues, he or she should pray for interpretation first Corinthians 14:13, which is also a spiritual gift, see 1 Cor 12:10. God is answering prayers today for spiritual gifts. If you want to give the prophecy, pray for it.”

That’s why the sovereignty of God and our prayers is a mysterious combo that we should leave his sovereignty to God, and what we need to do now is to ask and use them and not being passive about it.

[1] Jack Deere, The Beginner’s Guide to the gift of Prophecy, (Grand Rapids, MN: Chosen Books, 2002), p 33

[2] Ibid

Regulative Worship Vs Normative worship

/ Al Ngu, MDiv / Leave a comment

I have grown up in a Methodist Church as a kid switched over to intervarsity Christian fellowship in school in the middle school time and onwards, and essentially I’ve always been exposed to the normative worship. Normative worship includes elements not explicitly forbidden by scripture, as long as they are consistent with biblical principles and promote edification. That will cover the whole spectrum of interdenominational worship, even high church like Anglican high church with liturgical worship as long as they are related and in being consistent with biblical principles and promote edification, I will have no problem in fact I will have great affinity and for it.

What is and why Regulative Worship

But what is regulative worship? I never heard of it until I entered seminary on my last year I took a two-hour credit hours class on the regulative worship by Dr Duncan and to my amazement there is such a thing called regulative worship. Essentially the argument for such is actually found in:

Exodus 20:1–5 (ESV)

And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,

In Exodus 20, God established the 10 commandments for Moses to tell all the Israelites, and before that he gave them background why the Ten commandments to the nation of Israel. I love the fact that God started off saying, “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the House of slavery, you shall have no other gods before me.”  He established his credibility, He established who He is before telling Israel what to do. I believe that that’s the cool thing about Christianity is you need to know who the God of Christianity is before trying to do the morals and the commandments of Christianity. If you try to do or obey the 10 commandments yourself thinking that that will please God and get yourself a ticket to go to heaven, without knowing the God who gives the Ten commandments, you are really deeply wrong and in trouble. This is what you call legalism, and it is actually pretty rampant in our world today simply because of the ignorance of the truth of the word of God. And that’s why I’m passionate of bringing all this out in my writings and my podcasts and my preaching and teaching.

Now in the next verse God said you shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or the earth below or the water below and you shall not bow down to them or serve them for I’m a jealous God. I’ve been reading them for the last few decades thinking that God is warning us not to make anything in this world as an idol to bow down and to me that’s pretty clear. And that is connecting to v 3 that says, “you shall have no other gods before me .” In other words don’t make this idolatry of the images of carved images of anything on earth or in the water as God. In our modern-day application it will simply mean don’t love anything or put your hope in anything that’s above who God is like Augustine says our problem is not the love of the world, our problem is the disordered love. Just like if we love money, love worldly comfort that is OK to a great extent, but just don’t make it the same pedestal with God because any love for anything in this world that is on par with or above God will get us into the trouble of breaking this commandment of idolatry.

However in the reformed world the regulative worship principle actually argues that:

3 “You shall have no other gods before me.4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the

When God commanded Israel not to make any imagery of anything on earth or heaven or water below and they shall not bow down to them and serve them, the reformed teachings actually teach us that what God is saying is don’t worship me in the form of a carved image or the likeness of anything on earth in heaven or in the water. Now this is hard to swallow because in verse 5 God said you shall not bow down to them or serve them for I the Lord your God and my jealous God. God didn’t say you shall not bow down to them thinking that I am being expressed in those carved images. God clearly makes a distinction between those idols and him, because he says don’t bow to them or serve them.

There is no indication whatsoever to think that don’t worship the Lord your God in the form of those images.

But anyhow, this is how the regulative worship doctrine comes through by the fact that God commands the way how he is worshipped and not to be worshipped through those images. Case in point perhaps is the golden calf that Israel bowed down to the golden calf, is that an idolatry of the golden calf, or did Israel think that the almighty God manifests himself in the form of golden calf? In my mind the latter is clearly an abomination.

That aside if we go by that argument regarding regularity for worship which means:

  • Regulative Principle of Worship: Worship must include only those elements explicitly commanded or authorized in Scripture. Anything not prescribed is forbidden.
  • Normative Principle of Worship: Worship may include elements not explicitly forbidden by Scripture, as long as they are consistent with biblical principles and promote edification.

Regulative worship includes only those elements explicitly commanded or authorized in scripture. Anything not prescribed is forbidden. That’s why regulative worship is called prescriptive worship. While normative worship may include elements not explicitly forbidden by scripture as long as that consistent with biblical principles and promote edification.

John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, and Herman Bavinck are all leaning towards regulative worship. However to my pleasant surprise and joy, I found Augustine more leaning towards normative worship.

Augustine & Normative Worship—Heart’s disposition & centrality of scriptures

In works like On Christian Doctrine and City of God, Augustine emphasizes that worship should glorify God and edify the church. He focuses on the heart’s disposition and the centrality of Scripture, preaching, and sacraments (baptism and the Eucharist), but he does not explicitly restrict worship to only scripturally mandated elements. [1]

Augustine emphasizes that worship should glorify God and edify the church, I think he’s got it exactly on the point. Now what he wrote the next line is fascinating because he wrote he focuses on the hearts disposition and the centrality of scripture, preaching and sacraments, and that’s precisely what I would go by. I think the most important point is the word, “hearts disposition and the centrality of scripture.” As long as the worship contains a hearts disposition of the author of the composer and with a genre of the centrality of the holy scripture, I think that will be the best form of worship which happens to be normative. If you look at Augustine, a man who wrote one of the most fascinating and engaging and intense thought-provoking affectionate books in the Christian theology world, The Confessions, it is not hard to see that why he would focus on the heart disposition and the centrality of scripture in worship. In fact I would argue that worship without heart’s disposition would actually make worship to be more rigid and even dry.

I don’t think God wants to take away that hearts disposition from us in our worship towards him and that’s precisely what the entire book of psalms all about. David wrote majority of the worship, adoration, prayer, lament of the book of psalms from deep down his heart and that is heart disposition. We would do well to learn from David and expressed that hearts disposition towards the Lord in our worship, in our writing of songs, and the liturgical worship on Sunday church service. I would argue that David wrote the psalms with his heart’s disposition inspired by the Holy Spirit. I would therefore argue that in modern day God gives us space in room for us to express our hearts disposition in our worship lyrics and liturgical worship with the centrality of scriptures. As long as we are in line with the centrality of scriptures it will make worship so much more authentic genuine and passionate.

Normative Worship in Anglican high church liturgy and contemporary Hill Songs etc.

In fact normative worship includes high church Anglican high church worship with lots of liturgical expression and words which are not directly from the holy scripture but flows in line with the centrality of scriptures and edification of the church, I would definitely support that and go with that. So normative worship is not just songs like Hill Songs, Elevation songs, Bethel songs etcetera. I’m keenly aware of some of the theological faults in some of those churches. But there are good songs from them with spontaneous heart expression or disposition to the Lord with the centrality of scripture albeit somewhat repetitive and less words format it, nevertheless, is superb worship in fact I think that’s what draws in a lot of young people to church.

[1] Augustine, On Christian Doctrine and City of God

Why does God want us to seek him? And promise that if we seek him with all our hearts we will find him? (Jer 29)

/ Al Ngu, MDiv / Leave a comment

God promised Jeremiah 29:14 that says. “I will be found by your declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all nations that I have driven you.” This is truly a very comforting and reassuring verse showing the promise of God. But I want to explore with you why does God want us to call upon him and pray to him and seek him?

Well the answer is pretty simple and that is in v 11, “… for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, and to give you a future and a hope.”  Now v12 is significant because it says, “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.”

The word ‘then’  is a result of verse 11 talking about God’s plan to prosper you and not to harm you but to give you a future and hope. This is Israel going through exile in Babylon, was sent to Babylon because of their disobedience to God and their sin before him and God exiled them to Babylon for 70 years for a purpose essentially to discipline them and to teach them to humble themselves.

Motivation to seek him and pray to God

V11 …for I know the plans I have for you, to prosper you, to give you a future and a hope

v10 God said, “I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back.” v11 “…for I know the plans I have for you, to prosper you, to give you a future and a hope” is a mighty motivation. That is a promise. A big promise.

The word ‘prosper’ in Hebrew:

—1. prosperity, success: a) Lv 26:6 Nu 6:26 Dt 23:7 Is 48:18 60:17, 48:22 = 57:21 52:7 = Nah 2:1 שְׁלוֹם הָעִיר Jr 29:7, מַחְשְׁבוֹת שָׁ׳ Jr 29:11 (rather as 7b).

 Ludwig Koehler, Walter Baumgartner, M. E. J. Richardson, and Johann Jakob Stamm, The Hebrew and Aramaic lexicon of the Old Testament, 1994–2000, 1507.

That’s the kind of thing you want to know so that you can have the strength and the determination and stamina to continue to wait upon the Lord and not to give up because God promised. But how long does it take we don’t know but a lot of times God uses this kind of situation to mold and shape us. So if you are going through a times of waiting and crying out to God for a long time and have yet to hear from him, this kind of verses will be very strengthening to you and I, so we need to hang on to the promise of God.

Jeremiah 29:11–12 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

Because those words that he said “I know my plans for you plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and the future”,  it’s the premise or the basis for God to say in v 12 “Then you will call upon me and pray to me and I will listen to you.”

 And God is so kind to promise to assure us he has a plan for us to prosperous and and to give us a hope in the future first before he said in v12 then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and he promised to listen to us.

Meditate over “I know the plans for us, a plan to prosper us not to harm us, a plan to give us hope and a future”

So folks it is incredibly important to understand verse 11 first and internalize it because once we are really knowing that God’s promise: viz “I knows the plans for us, a plan to prosper us not to harm us, a plan to give us hope and a future,”  then we can settle down settle in the presence of God and call upon God and pray to him over short period or long period even until he listens to us and responds. How long does it take for him to respond, we don’t know. But what we do know is based on his promise for the plan to prosper us and to give us hope and future, we can therefore persevere and put our hope in God in Christ without being wavered. Based on that promise we must internalize in our hearts that God would do it for us therefore we will call upon him continually and without giving up. I think this is really important for us to continue to pray to him even in the absence of response from him because he promised and we shall plough on.

Jeremiah 29:12–14 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

Any verse 13 God says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Now the condition is to seek God with all our hearts which means never give up even over a long period of time.

God promised, “I will be found by you declares the Lord and I will bring you back from captivity.”

You can apply that to yourself whatever that’s lost in your lives and whatever you struggled, whatever you pray for restoration. God promised to bring us back from the loss of what the enemy has ravished your family or lives or ministry or whatever. And the time of restoration will come and God will prosper us.

I love the fact that He has a plan for me and I’m gonna stick to that. And I hope you will be too. Amen.

Executing the power of God & not performing it; the experiential preaching Vs a solid rich theological exposition sermon

/ Al Ngu, MDiv / Leave a comment

Been thinking about the congruent power of the Spirit and the reformed theology how’s that going to work out in practice which is something I would love to see being implemented. There is a remnant of reformed pastors with the charismatic background are doing some of both, I have my own vision of what it should look like that I would love to see.

Make it spontaneous and authentic

Recently we visited a church and I saw their charismatic inclination or to have people coming up to be prayed for. I see there is positive and negative on that. The negative is that after a while, because this is being performed week in and week out, it almost feels like the congregation looks forward to be prayed for and making this whole exercise rather routinely repetitive. It sort of takes off the supernatural edge to it meaning it can become mundanely routine. I think this will cultivate a psyche for people to long to be touched by the Lord which I fully understand, from my charismatic church background, however I really do not see that scenario in the Bible, in the case of the Lord Jesus or Paul or Peter. I think if people long to be touched by the Lord and be blessed by God’s healing and touch because of a great need, they should act like the blind, the crippled crying for Jesus, or the woman with the bleeding problem pushing in among men to reach Jesus to be healed. That makes it so authentically real and powerful.

God responds to hungry hearts, longing hearts

God is not interested in amnesia kind of desire or lukewarm Christianity. What I’m saying is that from the scripture I see the initiative of the people to come to Christ to be healed came to Christ, and not the other way round. I recognize that we are not in the realm of Christ or anywhere remotely near him, but I would say that a better way to execute and not perform healing, is to have a general prayer from the pulpit for all people who have needs of healing of sicknesses perhaps by them putting their hands on on the body that need healing. Or to save time we can also ask that anyone who needs healing to put your hands up, which is in line with the scripture because the crippled or the blind always come to Christ to make themselves known. I think there’s a far better way of executing the healing power of Christ to the congregation without dragging the meeting or spending too much time on everyone else.

Depth of Preaching

The second really important aspect I observed is the lack of depth in preaching. It is not something to criticize or any sort but this is really falling far short of the reformed preaching of exposition of the scripture the reformed theology is doing so well. That’s why it’s my burden to exhort my charismatic church pastors’ leaders, pastors to consider to look into learning theology in a far deeper way or else we will end up speaking in rather superficial way in a very fast to application format of preaching. And also I see that there is a lack of argument for a case in the sermon because there is none. It is pretty much more towards experiential and application types straight away without much exegesis at all. And I will say using “the Lord told me” in certain direction of preaching is rather questionable because this can form a shortcut in doing proper research and study of exegetical requirements of the word of God. I was really awakened to the contrast in the depth of preaching in the argument in preaching like Martin Lloyd Jones said “preaching is logic on fire” and that’s exactly what I want to do, and would love to see in reformed pulpit or charismatic pulpit.

Learn from our tradition & history

My last point would be just to emphasize the depth and the theological understanding insight from the reformed world like Calvin, Augustine, bathing, Edward is really something that we should take hold of and run with. For example I did a 30 minutes teaching on Christology taken mostly from Bavinck and I’ve found that astonishingly rich theology that I was not aware of even after gotten my own MDiv. But the beautiful thing is after you got your MDiv, you are kind of being trained to dissect and to analyze any theology books you read and make your own decision whether it is in line with the scripture, in context. I would say the non reformed world has missed a lot in this, the intellectual and pastoral great minds of our history.

Infralapsarian is much more compassionate, logical, and making sense than Supralapsarian

/ Al Ngu, MDiv / Leave a comment

This is a brilliant analysis by Herman Bavinck and I totally agree with that. I find it tremendously difficult to follow the line of supra, Lapsarian theology.

Its the God of compassion responding to the fall that he started to elect some humans to salvation in Christ and pass over others which is called reprobation. The logical sequence is what is making sense here. Eph 1:4-5 says even as he chose in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He in love he predestined us for adoption to serve his son through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. Bavinck explains that God’s council is a single, eternal, and indivisible act of his will, and creation, the fall, election, and redemption. Eph 1:4-5 highlights the election occur before the foundation of the world, this refers to the eternity of God’s decree, not as logical priority over the fall. In God’s timeless eternity, all aspects of the decree, creation, fall, election are also simultaneous, but theology distinguishes the logicality to understand their relationships.


Infra Lapsarian is about the logical, not temporal, order of God’s decrees

Bavinck argues that God’s election Eph 1:4-5 presupposes of fallen humanity in need of redemption. The phrase he chose us in him ( Christ) indicates the elections always in Christ, the media of redemption.


The goal of election that we should be holy and blameless and for adoption himself points to God redemptive purpose to a fallen state

Bavinck argues the election addresses human sinfulness, aiming to restore and adopt sinners into God’s family. This alliance with infra Lapsarian emphasizes on election as God’s mercy response to the fall, rather than a supra Lapsarian view: election seem to necessitate the fall to display God’s glory.


Addressing the tension


The apparent tension Eph 1:4-5, before the foundation of the world may seem to favor supra Lapsarian in that election precedes the fall. Bavinck resolved this by distinguishes logical and temporal order. The phrase does not imply the election logically proceeds the fall, but that all God’s decrees are eternal.

Infra Lapsarian orders the decrees logically ; God’s decree to create, permit the fall, and then elect some to election salvation in Eph 1:4-5 affirm that eternity of this plan, not its sequence.

Critique supra Lapsarian for potentially making the fall and necessary means to display God’s glory, which would imply God authored sin. Infra Lapsarian in his view, better preserved God’s justice, and mercy by seeing election as a response to the fall, not its cause.

I think this whole thing is brilliant. It really helped me– praise be to God.

Abrahamic Covenant

/ Al Ngu, MDiv / Leave a comment

Covenant theology is a very significant class that I took in the global class by remote taught by Dr Ligon Duncan. To say that it is a central theme of reformed theology is an understatement because it really encompasses the relational outworking of the divine sovereign almighty God with his creation human beings, whom He loved even before the foundation of the world.

Ephesians 1:3–5 (ESV)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

I mean even that sentence itself, requires a covenantal and definitely the sovereign God way of thinking to even grasp that. It really is a way God relates to his chosen ones through a covenant whereby he expressed it well most well during his encounter with Abraham in genesis 15. In genesis 15 God asked Abraham to cut some animals into carcasses and spread it on the floor and how he’s going to establish a covenant with Abraham:

Genesis 15:7–21 (ESV)

7 And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

The powerful thing about this passage how God revealed himself to Abraham when Abraham asked innocent naive question that, ” How I know that I will possess the land and have thousands of children when I am childless.” And instead of answering him directly God did the following.

9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.

God told Abraham to bring a heifer and a female goat and a ram a total dove and a young pigeon and cut them in half and lay on the ground and when the sun had gone down it was dark as smoking fire pot, and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. Do you know what is this flaming torch? The answer is God himself passed between these pieces of Caucasus on the ground. The question is what does it mean? In the olden days at those time it is the culture and custom of that time the vassal and the suzer in making a covenant of promise, the lesser party in this case is Abraham should pass between the carcasses meaning to say that if he breaks the covenant, he will be torn apart like the animals’ carcasses on the ground. However in this covenant making ceremony, God actually put himself in the lesser party of vassal and passed between the Caucasus in the form of a flaming torch.

What God is saying is I will pass between the carcasses and if I break the covenant I would be torn like the carcasses. In fact this is a prophetic picture that’s going to be fulfilled by the son of God Jesus Christ when he was torn apart on the cross and died because humans broke the covenant with God, or the children of Abraham broke the covenant with God. And instead of Abraham being torn apart all the children of Abraham, which is us today, God sent his son to fill in the position as a Lamb of God being sacrificed. This is precisely what happened when God passed between the carcasses in the field in the form of a flaming torch because he is prophetically saying one day God will be torn as a God man to fulfill this covenant that I’m making with Abraham and his children.

To me this is one of the most moving pictures of who God is and what God has done for us through the Abrahamic covenant. I would never forget this story and this biblical exegesis by Dr Duncan on this event that I have used it numerous times in my preaching, and it has impacted my life, and this is part of a covenant theology class.