During the Christmas season, I have the habit of preparing my heart through the daily reading of a short passage from the Gospel. One particular year, I was reading the Gospel of Matthew. I was greatly touched by how Matthew divided the genealogy of Jesus into three distinct phases, in that the history of the people of God began, in the first phase, with the glorious father of faith in Abraham and ended with king after God's own heart. Then the second period began with the reminder of David's infamous moral failure with the mother who bore Solomon, she whom the Bible referred to as being somebody's wife; the period ended in not only a divided kingdom, but the beginning of the exile of God's people. The third period began with the post-exilic kingdom crumbling and it ended with the people under total foreign occupation, without any king, any nation, and any prophet. But just as all hopes were gone, came the birth of Jesus Christ. God had not forgotten His promise. God had not forgotten His people.

It was during that Christmas, that I had a dream one night. Well, I had a nightmare in which I dreamt of a past event of my life, one that I was not proud of. In fact, simply with it resurfacing in my dream, I was very embarrassed and as I woke up, I felt totally defeated. "Lord," I said, "I am not worthy to be your servant." Just as I felt discouraged and hopeless, God reminded me of the lesson I learned from the reflection of the genealogy of Christ and a strange and powerful warmth descended upon my troubled heart. Yes, the past is the past, all has been forgiven. Christ has come and been born into my heart. The old has gone, and I have been renewed.

Right there and then, I worshipped the Lord with tears of joy and thanksgiving because just as the shameful past of Israel as depicted in the genealogy has totally been reversed by the birth of Christ, so has my past and the past of all those who put their trust in Christ.

During the Christmas season, I have the habit of preparing my heart through the daily reading of a short passage from the Gospel. One particular year, I was reading the Gospel of Matthew. I was greatly touched by how Matthew divided the genealogy of Jesus into three distinct phases, in that the history of the people of God began, in the first phase, with the glorious father of faith in Abraham and ended with king after God's own heart. Then the second period began with the reminder of David's infamous moral failure with the mother who bore Solomon, she whom the Bible referred to as being somebody's wife; the period ended in not only a divided kingdom, but the beginning of the exile of God's people. The third period began with the post-exilic kingdom crumbling and it ended with the people under total foreign occupation, without any king, any nation, and any prophet. But just as all hopes were gone, came the birth of Jesus Christ. God had not forgotten His promise. God had not forgotten His people.

It was during that Christmas, that I had a dream one night. Well, I had a nightmare in which I dreamt of a past event of my life, one that I was not proud of. In fact, simply with it resurfacing in my dream, I was very embarrassed and as I woke up, I felt totally defeated. "Lord," I said, "I am not worthy to be your servant." Just as I felt discouraged and hopeless, God reminded me of the lesson I learned from the reflection of the genealogy of Christ and a strange and powerful warmth descended upon my troubled heart. Yes, the past is the past, all has been forgiven. Christ has come and been born into my heart. The old has gone, and I have been renewed.

Right there and then, I worshipped the Lord with tears of joy and thanksgiving because just as the shameful past of Israel as depicted in the genealogy has totally been reversed by the birth of Christ, so has my past and the past of all those who put their trust in Christ.

I used to wonder why God would only appear to Joseph time and again in a dream, while others connected with the birth of Christ, like Zechariah and Mary apparently met with God's messenger face to face. I also wondered how Joseph could be sure that the dreams (of the virgin's birth, of having to flee to Egypt etc.) were truly of God.

But I also read of Joseph's instant submission in each case. Obviously, he knew and he obeyed.

It reminds me of how, before I received God's call into full-time gospel ministry, I often heard from godly pastors that it was imperative for us to receive a clear call into full-time ministry from God and that when God somehow calls us, the question will not be, "Was it really from God?", but "Am I willing to obey?"

Indeed, the righteous man, Joseph, gave us such a good example. For someone who is obedient, when God calls, the focus is not so much on if it is from God (because our inner spirit will be the witness), but on whether we are willing to obey.

The way God chooses to reveal Himself is far less important than an honest and obedient spirit.

I used to wonder why God would only appear to Joseph time and again in a dream, while others connected with the birth of Christ, like Zechariah and Mary apparently met with God's messenger face to face. I also wondered how Joseph could be sure that the dreams (of the virgin's birth, of having to flee to Egypt etc.) were truly of God.

But I also read of Joseph's instant submission in each case. Obviously, he knew and he obeyed.

It reminds me of how, before I received God's call into full-time gospel ministry, I often heard from godly pastors that it was imperative for us to receive a clear call into full-time ministry from God and that when God somehow calls us, the question will not be, "Was it really from God?", but "Am I willing to obey?"

Indeed, the righteous man, Joseph, gave us such a good example. For someone who is obedient, when God calls, the focus is not so much on if it is from God (because our inner spirit will be the witness), but on whether we are willing to obey.

The way God chooses to reveal Himself is far less important than an honest and obedient spirit.

I often read the story of the "three kings" with great interest. Although painting after painting depicts three wise men riding on their camels to look for Jesus, the Bible never says there were three of them. Simply because there were three different kinds of gift, we automatically assume that there had to be three magi.

Whether there were two, three or even more magi is not really important; the important point of the story is that they were magi from the East. Whether they were from Iran or Babylon, they were following a star which actually was used by God to guide them to find Jesus.

Star gazing as an omen was absolutely forbidden by God. To think of God using such pagans to find the Messiah is mind boggling! But even more puzzling is the fact that the star was really a star that led them to find Jesus.

No wonder, none of the scribes or priests wanted to join them in the search for the Messiah. They were pagans. Their practice was against the Law of God.

Yet, the magi were the blessed ones, not the religiously correct scribes and priests.

This is always how God works. Although the Magi were pagan and adopted practices forbidden by God, they did it out of their ignorance. But they did have a genuine heart in their search for God. Seek and ye shall find. That is God's promise.

Of course, we do not follow or condone practices that God has forbidden, including palm reading, star gazing, or any other form of divination or seeking omens. Our trust in God, like the three friends of Daniel, does not depend on our fortune. However, we do not despise those who follow such practices out of ignorance, knowing that Christ has come and died for them as well. If they have a sincere heart to seek the Truth, they will find Christ.

I often read the story of the "three kings" with great interest. Although painting after painting depicts three wise men riding on their camels to look for Jesus, the Bible never says there were three of them. Simply because there were three different kinds of gift, we automatically assume that there had to be three magi.

Whether there were two, three or even more magi is not really important; the important point of the story is that they were magi from the East. Whether they were from Iran or Babylon, they were following a star which actually was used by God to guide them to find Jesus.

Star gazing as an omen was absolutely forbidden by God. To think of God using such pagans to find the Messiah is mind boggling! But even more puzzling is the fact that the star was really a star that led them to find Jesus.

No wonder, none of the scribes or priests wanted to join them in the search for the Messiah. They were pagans. Their practice was against the Law of God.

Yet, the magi were the blessed ones, not the religiously correct scribes and priests.

This is always how God works. Although the Magi were pagan and adopted practices forbidden by God, they did it out of their ignorance. But they did have a genuine heart in their search for God. Seek and ye shall find. That is God's promise.

Of course, we do not follow or condone practices that God has forbidden, including palm reading, star gazing, or any other form of divination or seeking omens. Our trust in God, like the three friends of Daniel, does not depend on our fortune. However, we do not despise those who follow such practices out of ignorance, knowing that Christ has come and died for them as well. If they have a sincere heart to seek the Truth, they will find Christ.

I had the opportunity to visit Egypt some years ago. I was excited about the trip, because I always wanted to see the pyramids, to ride along the Nile River where Moses was found by the princess, and to see the famous Egyptian mummies.

The trip turned out to be everything I expected and more. We were most fortunate to have a government archeologist (inspector) as our guide. I learned a lot about many of the archeological relics, and I also learned a few things that I was not aware of before, like the custom of putting coals on one's head in order to keep oneself warm in the cold of the desert's night.

One of the pleasures was meeting and talking to some of the Coptic Christians. At Eastern Baptist Seminary, I had the chance of meeting one of the Coptic priests who came all the way from Egypt to study, so I had some idea about the Coptic Christians in Egypt (who make up 10% of the total population). But the real highpoint was the realization that Jesus had actually set foot in Egypt, and probably was there for a number of years. We learn from the Bible that Egypt is the land that God has chosen to perform some of the most spectacular miracles, but to know that this land has also provided a safe haven for the Christ child in His time of trouble is precious. This reminds me of the amazing words from Isaiah 19:25 that the Egyptians are called God's people.

Yes, Egypt is still a very much Islamic country, but there is hope indeed. One day, they will turn to Christ too and become God's people!

I had the opportunity to visit Egypt some years ago. I was excited about the trip, because I always wanted to see the pyramids, to ride along the Nile River where Moses was found by the princess, and to see the famous Egyptian mummies.

The trip turned out to be everything I expected and more. We were most fortunate to have a government archeologist (inspector) as our guide. I learned a lot about many of the archeological relics, and I also learned a few things that I was not aware of before, like the custom of putting coals on one's head in order to keep oneself warm in the cold of the desert's night.

One of the pleasures was meeting and talking to some of the Coptic Christians. At Eastern Baptist Seminary, I had the chance of meeting one of the Coptic priests who came all the way from Egypt to study, so I had some idea about the Coptic Christians in Egypt (who make up 10% of the total population). But the real highpoint was the realization that Jesus had actually set foot in Egypt, and probably was there for a number of years. We learn from the Bible that Egypt is the land that God has chosen to perform some of the most spectacular miracles, but to know that this land has also provided a safe haven for the Christ child in His time of trouble is precious. This reminds me of the amazing words from Isaiah 19:25 that the Egyptians are called God's people.

Yes, Egypt is still a very much Islamic country, but there is hope indeed. One day, they will turn to Christ too and become God's people!

The Pharisees and the Sadducees were the ruling class of Israel in Jesus' time. The former probably dominated the ruling Council, and the latter were priests who controlled the temple and the religious life of the people.

Jesus launched some of His most severe attacks on the Pharisees, calling them in one sermon, white-wash tombs. He also ridiculed the Sadducees on another occasion. But some of them did venture out to the desert to hear John preach, and some were willing to be baptized.

As much as John called them vipers and serpents, I believe some of them got baptized by John, and some, as we learn from the Acts of Apostles, eventually turned to Christ and became Christians.

I believe there is a lesson for us to learn.

We tend to sugar-coat our gospel in such a way that seeks to appease non-believers. We even bend over backward and tone down some of the more offensive teachings in the Bible, so that we can be accepted by the world. We do all this with the guise that it is a prudent way to evangelize the non-believing world. But often we end up preaching a gospel that does not involve repentance, radical changes in our worldview, nor a giving up of our sinful lifestyle and choices.

No, I am not advocating the preaching of fire and brimstones. But we have to understand that the power to convert remains the work of the Holy Spirit, and our role is to present the gospel as it is, calling sin by its true name, sin! Without the realization of one's sinfulness and eternal, grave destiny, there is no true conversion.

One of my preacher friends likes to say, "even if you have been baptized so many times that your skin is soaked through, you will not be saved."

His point is that baptism itself cannot save; faith in Christ does!

He is correct theologically, but because of such a theological angle, many Christians take baptism as superfluous and will not entertain the idea of being baptized.

We need to ask three questions:

1. Why did Christ purposely go through baptism himself?
   The fact is that His baptism aroused such excitement in the Father to the point He had to exclaim in heaven that "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Jesus used His public baptism to express His commitment to obey His Father's will to take the sin of all mankind and complete His plan of salvation even unto death.
2. Why did Christ command us to baptize believers?
   Although belief in Christ is a matter of the heart, it is God's will that we be born again into His family. A public act of commitment is an appropriate expression of true believers not only to God, to Satan, to the world, but also to the family of God that we now live for God and for one another in Christ.
3. Apart from the issue of obedience, why did Christians in the first century follow the command of Christ to baptize and be baptized?
   In the first century, a public baptism was a bold way of identification with Jesus Christ which, more than likely, would invite persecution, and thus it became the best way to test the genuineness of one's faith in Christ.

Therefore, baptism is never meant to be a mere ritual, but a very appropriate way of expressing a public commitment of our belief in Christ and our resolve to follow Him till death.

Many fine commentaries and articles have been written about the temptation of our Lord and I do not think I have too much to add. But of the many commentaries and articles I have come across on the subject, I am still deeply impressed with Henry Nouwen's point about what he perceived in the first temptations of Jesus, and that point was the temptation of relevance.

Jesus knew full well who He is and He really had nothing to prove. So, in spite of the pressing need to resolve the issue of hunger, He would not yield to the tempter's challenge to turn the stone into bread.

These days, the pressing need seems to be to resolve many issues in society, not for our own sake, but for others'. Still the real issue is relevance. We do not want the world to think that we are so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly good. We sense the need to prove to ourselves that we are relevant, we can solve problems, and we can deliver!

But Henry Nouwen was so right! We have nothing to offer the world, except our own brokenness. But that's so inapt, so weak, and so un-Evangelical! We belong, we have influence, even political influence. We have answers!

Really! If we follow the footsteps of Jesus, we can only offer our brokenness, our weakness, our prayer, our inapt presence, a broken vessel. But within our brokenness, our weakness, our prayer, our inapt presence and our broken vessel is our treasure, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is in our brokenness that we find wholeness in Him. It is in our weakness that we find strength in Him. It is in our desperate and helpless prayer that we find hope in Him. It is in our inapt presence that we find Immanuel. It is in our broken vessel that we find great treasure in Him.

We can offer the world nothing, except Christ. But anytime we offer the world our pretended wholeness, our own strength, our eloquent prayer, our social influence and our charisma, we leave our treasure, Christ, behind.

Sadly, this temptation of relevance may not be an outside force, but oftentimes, it comes from within the church.

As we seek to share the gospel with our loved ones and others within our sphere of influence, we often have a pre-determined mindset as to who might be more receptive to our sharing and who might be most hostile to our message.

In general, we lean toward sharing the gospel with the "nice guys" and tend to shy away from the more worldly ones or those who like to argue. In my years of learning to share the gospel, I have learned that this is not how the Spirit of God works.

I still remember the time I visited a Chinese restaurant owner of a small town. He seemed extremely friendly and he knew who I was and what my purpose of visitation was. And I knew his brother well too. After several visitations in which I thought I had built up a basic friendship (we talked about many things in common, almost like old friends), I thought it was time to share with him the gospel. Once I changed our conversation and talked about the gospel, he suddenly turned hostile. In fact he began to swear at me, at God and at his family. I had no alternative but to end not only my sharing, but my visitation.

On the other hand, in earlier years, when I was less confident in sharing the gospel, I bumped into another restaurant owner in a small town. Again, she knew who I was and what my purpose of visitation was, except that she made it clear she was a devout Taoist, and that I would be wasting my time in sharing the gospel with her. I was naïve enough not to give up and asked that she would give me 15 minutes to talk about the gospel as it was very dear to me and that she owed it to herself simply to know what it was about. As I sat in her rather well-decorated restaurant, surrounded by all her workers, I was rather discouraged, thinking that she was listening to me out of politeness only. Yet, at the end of my sharing (which went way beyond my 15 minutes), when I asked her dutifully what she thought of the gospel and whether she would believe in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior, to my great surprise, she responded positively, in front of all her employees and gave her life to Christ right there and then!

Indeed, the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16), and our job is to share faithfully to whoever is willing to listen, without prejudging them based on who they are.

Sometimes, "converting" someone might be easier than helping one "follow" Christ.

It appears that because of persecution, the early believers, once they decided to believe in Christ, would be committed to follow Him till death, from their public act of baptism. Seldom would one be foolish enough to invite persecution by publicly confessing one's faith, unless one truly believed that Jesus is the Son of God who died and had risen for our sake.

So, baptism became an instant and effective test on the genuineness of one's faith.

But this is not necessarily the case today, especially if being a Christians invites no instant sacrifice and is even fashionable in some circles. How then can we be sure that these new converts have genuine faith — i.e. not just an intellectual faith or one that seeks temporal benefits of this life only?

Well, for one it is not up to us to judge the faith of another person. However, we must responsibly share the gospel not as a gospel of prosperity only, but one that demands total surrender to Christ, and makes Him both our Savior and Lord. Then it is up to the hearer to respond. If the hearer decides to put his or her faith in Christ, tests will come, as Jesus puts it in the parable of the sower (Matt. 13:1-9), in the form of pleasure or trials. These tests will serve to prove the genuineness of their faith. It is true that some who fail their tests continue to remain as nominal believers, but we should be patient with them, because by remaining in the fold, they continue to avail themselves to the power of the Living Word. Perhaps, one day, they may still come to true repentance, especially when God allows them to face even more severe trials of life.