WE MEET SUNDAYS 11:00AM AT 55 Phạm Cự Lượng

Have you ever read C.S. Lewis’ best-selling fictional work, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”? If you haven’t, I suggest you visit to the local bookshop to pick up a copy (yes, you can easily buy it in Vietnam) or purchase it online.

Without spoiling the story, there are four siblings who embark on a journey of unparalleled mystery engaging many characters along the way. “The Lion” is, of course, Jesus, in the form of the fictional talking lion named Aslan who models turning the other cheek, honouring promises, and sacrificing for others. “The Witch” is the leader of those who oppose the Light and Life, hurting themselves and others in a literal winter of the soul.

Then there is “The Wardrobe” – a commonplace item readily found in most rooms of the house. But, this one wardrobe found in one room of the house the children were staying at was no ordinary wardrobe – it was a portal to a different world known as Narnia.

Not only was it a magical portal, but this wardrobe also contained within it several fur coats (the exact number required might I add) for each of the children to use when choosing to venture into Narnia.

A devout Christian, C.S. Lewis wrote this (and the other six in the series) to teach children about the need to live with courage, honesty, kindness, loyalty, and introduce them to the miraculous element of Christ’s story in a new way – believing they could relate to them in a new and engaging way.

He did this by weaving fantasy with Christian allegory, often drawing on events from the Bible to impart life-long lessons to help his young readers become better people.

With that in mind, let’s go back and revisit the powerful symbolism and practical application of this “wardrobe” concept – it is one not to be missed especially in light of our theme this year from Colossians 3:12.

You see, this term “wardrobe” can be applied to both the object that holds clothing (and other items) and to the apparel within.

On the one hand, the wardrobe of Lewis’ story is a portal with its private access to the fantastical land of Narnia. This is symbolic of our relationship with Christ – the doorway or pathway to the kingdom of Heaven (Luke 13:24; John 10:7; and John 14:6).

On the other hand, this wonderful portal of mystery and adventure also contained an abundance of quality and seasonally appropriate ‘clothing’ to put on for the journey ahead. For those who ignored or dismissed the strategically placed gift, there was great hardship. This is symbolic of the Kingdom Living ‘clothing’ – ways of living, thinking, and being – that have been selected just for us as we ‘wear Christ’ in our world (Galatians 3:27).

God has given us a blessed opportunity to go into a purpose-built, quiet space with private access. Not only that, with great care and attention, He has prepared “clothing” for us to “wear” in this new life of love – each has been hand-picked, hung up, and made readily available for us.

We simply have to accept the gift and reflect the glory of “the Author and Finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2) as we “wear His gifts”.

Spoiler alert: As you continue reading the series, you’ll note Aslan reminds the adventurers that “you don’t enter Narnia the same way twice”. Instead, each portal is different, as is the clothing (and tools) required.

Take some time today to reflect on the power of His hand-picked and gifted wardrobe that has been made available for you. It is specific to the season and tasks before you. Remember, He has selected you for “such a time as this”.

You have been chosen for greatness.

To my brothers and sisters in Christ, blessings!

We have begun another new year – but this one marks the first quarter of this century. My, how quickly time passes, and how full are the days as we pack them with numerous activities and events. At times we can even push ourselves to the brink of our human ability (and beyond). But these times can also teach us precious lessons about our true identities: who we are; why we are here; and what we were created for.

As we look at the world around us with all its turbulence, it is easy to feel small and insignificant, even powerless. But nothing could be further from the truth. It is too easy to forget who we are in Christ. Let’s take a look at some scriptures that tells us who we are. The bible offers us encouraging words as it informs us we are the children of God.

1 John 3:2 [ERV] “Dear friends, now we are children of God. We have not yet been shown what we will be in the future. But we know that when Christ comes again, we will be like Him. We will see Him just as He is.”

Our identities are in Christ which means we are fully reliant on God and must trust in His plans for our lives.

1 Peter 2:9 [NIV] “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”

We often ask ourselves: “Why am I here? Do I really have a purpose?” Hopelessness is the greatest tragedy in our lives. But that is not to be the outcome of the child of God.

As you know, we have been given a purpose in this life, and we are Priests to the Most High God. We are daughters and sons of the King of Kings. We are His ambassadors – His hands and His feet to the unsaved broken world.

According to Genesis 1:27, we were created in the image of the Most High God – a claim no other creature can make. What an incredibly great honour He’s given us!

Of all of God’s creation, humans are the only ones who search for significance. But the great search for human purpose can only be found in the correct understanding of Who we are and Whose we are.

2 Timothy 2:11-12 [NLT] “Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him.”

So you see, according to this scripture, we were created to rule and reign with Christ for all of eternity.

1 Corinthians 6:3 [NIV] “Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!”

You have been chosen for greatness. Nothing can overcome you or defeat you!

1 Corinthians 2:9 [NKJV] But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love.

The theme for DIF (Da Nang International Fellowship) this year Is “Chosen.” Peter was chosen. He was a completely flawed individual but he was chosen. My personal experience humbled me and helped me to identify my pride. The world tells us that being Chosen means we have to meet a specific standard or criteria. Our selection is based on what we do. When I see the word Chosen I can’t help but think of the Chooser.

We are chosen not because of who we are or what we’ve done but we are chosen because of who our Chooser is! This is wonderful news. This is amazing grace! One of my favourite moments in all of scripture is in John 21:15-17. Jesus gives Peter three opportunities to profess his love for Him that mirror his previous denials. It’s a beautiful moment that displays Jesus’ redemptive nature, Grace, and Love for us in all of our flaws. Jesus solidified us as His chosen people on that cross. His death paid for our transgressions and His blood covers our iniquities.

Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

Dear Lord,

Thank You for Your love. Thank You for Your gift of Grace. Lord, we are flawed but You are perfect. Thank You that through our belief in You, Your Spirit is at work within us aiding us to be transformed into Your image. Praise be to You Lord for choosing us and that because of Your perfection, we can be called sons and daughters. Lord, I pray for continued strength and endurance by Your Spirit so that we can be a people that walk in boldness and righteousness.

In Jesus name,
Amen.

Over the past few months, God has continually stirred in my spirit that every part of my life is meant to be in worship to Him. Why? Because I am Holy Spirit’s dwelling place – His temple.

Whether I’m working, sleeping, eating or cleaning my house – everything that I do can and should be done in worship to Him because He is always with me as His temple. That even includes times of silence.

So, as you begin your devotional today, I want to encourage you to start with silence (if you’ve never practiced silence before the Lord, start with 1-2 minutes)

Then take some time to read Psalm 150 [MSG and AMP] out loud once or twice (there is power in God’s Word when it’s spoken aloud).

And for a time of musical worship, I recommend listening and singing along to “Praise You Anywhere” by Brandon Lake.

Right from the beginning, Psalm 150:1 [MSG] says, “Praise God in His holy house of worship.”

When this psalm was written, the writer was probably thinking about the Tabernacle (The Tent of Meeting) and then later worshipers would have thought about the Temple that Solomon built, but now we get to think about and know that we are the Temple.

What beautiful gift! The presence of God, through Holy Spirit, dwells in us! We are His temple, his “holy house of worship”. Because of this, we should worship Jesus from the core of who we are.

From the dawn of creation, God breathed life into us (Genesis 2:7).

So, when Psalm 150:6 [AMP] continues, “Let everything that has breath and every breath of life, praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)”, we can know that every breath in our lungs belongs to the Lord. And it is His Spirit in our bodies that continues to give us life as He dwells within us (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 TPT)

But we have to be careful that we don’t lose sight of being God’s temple as we are living life. That we work to keep the connection that He gave us by dwelling in us, otherwise it can be easy to get sucked into the ordinariness of everyday life – we can lose the spark of what makes us different, what sets us apart, what makes us holy.

We can even start to take on the characteristics of this world and the culture around us – and that can mean death instead of life. John 6:63 tells us that it is the Spirit who gives life and the flesh, this world, is no help.

And Romans 8:6 tells us that the mind of the flesh is death because it causes us to pursue sin, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace, a spiritual well-being that comes from walking closely with God and remembering to live and act like we are His “holy house of worship”, His temple.

So, today, choose life, choose Spirit, choose to praise God with every breath in your lungs and every fiber of your being because He is worthy of all praise and you are the place He chooses to dwell, His temple, His place of worship!

Have you ever watched the movie “Toy Story”?

There is a scene where Woody & Buzz get put into a crane/claw game. You know the game you find in arcade… it’s housed in a glass cabinet with lights all around it with a joystick-controlled claw at the top. Your mission is to use the joy-stick, accurately to position it over a pile of prizes, and then release the claw while hoping it grabs and drops one of the prizes in the chute for you to collect.

Anyway, in “Toy Story”, there is a scene with the claw machine in it and the claw picks up one of the many green alien toys. As this toy gets grabbed, he says “I have been chosen, farewell my friends, I go to a better place”.

Now, do not mistake my meaning. We are not in a game or a movie, but, sometimes I feel like that. Like I have been pulled out from an old life of sin; and I have been chosen for something better.

We are chosen not because of anything we have done, or any of our achievements its not because of our past or because of our family. We have been chosen because of the love of God. We have been chosen; plucked out; and removed form a past that would have us bound to our sin.

But even when we have been removed from a past of sin and hurt, our human sinful nature wants us to return back to that past.

We imagine a past that was better and the illusions of pleasures that it had and not the brokenness or hurt that held us down. During these times its important to remember, that we have been pulled out from that past life.

The children of Israel went though this, years of slavery, they wanted a release from their bondage, from their slavery and after they were delivered some wanted to live in the freedom they were given but wanted to go back to slavery.

In all of this God still thought of them as his treasured possession (Deut 7:6), and that’s the same way he thinks of you today.

We have been chosen by God as his treasured possession, and as His treasured possession He holds you close to Him, even if you stumble or fall.

In the busyness of life, it’s easy to forget the importance of rest. We live in a world that celebrates constant productivity, always moving, and always doing. Yet, in the midst of this, God offers a gift—a gift of rest. This gift is called the Sabbath, a day set apart for renewal, reflection, and connection with our Creator.

In Ezekiel 20:12, God speaks of the Sabbath as a special sign between Himself and His people: “and I gave them my Sabbath days of rest as a sign between them and me. It was to remind them that I am the Lord, who had set them apart to be Holy.”

God’s command to observe the Sabbath is not a burden, but an invitation, a gift, to experience His presence in a deeper way. It’s a time when we can step away from our daily tasks and acknowledge that our worth is not defined by our work, but by the One who made us.

The Sabbath reminds us WHO God is and WHO we are in Him. We are holy and set apart, not because of anything we’ve accomplished, but because He has chosen us and made us His.

Psalm 46:10 echoes this invitation: “Be still, and know that I am God.” God calls us to stop. To quieten our hearts and minds. To rest in the knowledge that He is God, that He is in control, and that we can trust Him with our lives, our family, our mission, and our purpose.

The Sabbath offers us a sacred space to be still and remember that we do not have to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders—God is already holding it.

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus extends a beautiful invitation: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Jesus understands the exhaustion that life can bring. He knows the pressures we face, the burdens we carry. Yet, He offers us rest—not just physical rest, but rest for our souls. He calls us to come to Him, to lay down our burdens, and to find peace in His presence.

The Sabbath is a tangible way to experience this rest and to exchange our weariness for His peace.

Reflecting on these Scriptures, we are reminded that the Sabbath is more than just a day off—it’s a gift from God, a sacred time to be restored. It’s a time to pause, to be still, and to experience the presence of God.

In a world that often tells us to keep striving, God invites us to rest, to trust, and to simply be with Him.

Today’s meditation is on Psalm 130, so please first read the full chapter.

This psalm was typically sung by a God-fearing pilgrim travelling uphill from their hometown to worship God at the temple in Jerusalem, a city on a high hill. The pilgrim is travelling towards God, and expectant to meet God. Psalms 120 to 134 are all songs of ascent, and the focus of Psalm 130 is on repentance. The pilgrim is repenting, to be ready to meet God.

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! 2 O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

The psalmist is in “the depths”. These depths are not specified, but there is deep suffering, pain, or difficulty of some kind – or they may be in anguish over their own sin. As we ourselves have sufferings, we can relate to the psalmist’s journey.

Even amid such difficulties, the psalmist maintains confidence that God cares for him and will hear him. When we encounter difficulties or despair there are two paths, one good, one bad. Psalm 130 is a call to God’s people to not take the bad path of succumbing to despair, but instead to take the good path of trusting and hoping in God, who can get us through any difficulty and depths.

3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.

God’s eye sees everything and would discover even in the best person a multitude of iniquities and sins that would completely condemn them, without hope.

Therefore we should be in awe of God’s patience and forbearance towards us. The only reason we can expect God to hear our prayers and our pleas, is because God is brimming over with grace and forgiveness through the cross of Jesus Christ. If this was not the case, nobody could stand before God.

However, God has promised to forgive the sins of those that do repent. God is more forgiving than all the people around us! More forgiving than our wife or husband, children, parents, friends, co-workers. God is the God of great forgiveness – if only we would truly repent.

Because God does forgive our sins, and forgive them greatly, we are humbled before Him, we are grateful, we are spurred on to live lives full of reverence for God, we are changed. We then have an appropriate fear of displeasing the one who has forgiven us so much. Forgiveness is who God is! This psalm is about the very character of God, whose goodness hasn’t changed, even though we walk through the depths, the abyss.

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; 6 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.

Notice that the waiting is for the Lord, not for anything else. After crying out to God, the psalmist waits upon God, but not in a passive manner, but in an active manner of consuming God’s word, and using it as fuel for more hope.

The morning is a good thing to hope for, because we know it will come, and that we will not have to wait too long. We wait for the Lord with more eagerness than those that have been up all-night wait for the morning! That’s how we wait for the Lord. He is faithful and good, he will answer, he will help.

7 O Israel, hope in the Lord For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. 8 And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

The psalmist has dealt with himself, now he has something to offer to God’s people. He can now exhort others to find forgiveness and hope in God. Notice that the focus of the hope is not on the good things God gives, but on God himself. All the good things are with Him, ultimately with the Lord Jesus who provided the means by which God forgives sins and reconciles us to Himself.

The endgame is that God will redeem us personally and corporately, washing away all our sins through the blood of Jesus shed for us at the cross. Praise the Father for sending his Son and redeeming us! And for sending his Spirit so that we can live lifestyles of repentance and obedience, knowing God daily.

“Perhaps the sweet singer would never have found that precious thing had he not been cast into the depths. ‘Pearls lie deep’.” (Charles Spurgeon)

The impossible dream. Try as I might, I don’t have it “all together.” I identify with a popular meme that says: “My ducks are absolutely NOT in a row. In fact, I don’t know where some of them are and I’m pretty sure one of these is a pigeon!”

The great apostle Paul—powerful preacher, commander of demons, a praiser through pain, fearless before kings, calm in the hurricane, church planter, teacher, mentor, witness to God’s saving grace in the lives of multitudes—was the first to admit that he had not “arrived.” And maybe even more surprising, he tells the Philippians that in all that he had seen, heard, and experienced in the Lord—there was more that Jesus had for him.

Having been chosen by Christ, Paul had made a choice of his own: to go for it. With eyes on the future, he exhorts believers to “give no care” to the past, but to hear the voice of the One who loves them best: calling, drawing, blowing to flame the spark of hope and purpose. That beckoning call became the “starter’s pistol” for Paul’s race and it propelled him ever forward. To “press on” paints a picture of the committed runner pushing himself toward the finish line.

Most likely, all of us would admit that we have “not arrived”—we are a work in progress spiritually speaking. But we might need to ask ourselves, am I “pressing on”—do I have a singular focus to “take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Philippians 3:12, NIV)? Do I hear God beckoning me onward—to Jesus?

When these words were written to the church at Philippi, more than 25 years had passed since a murderous Pharisee named Saul had been knocked off his feet and then rose to become the Apostle Paul. Yet Paul’s determination and resolute zeal had not diminished. Has mine?

Today, embrace the truth that Jesus has more for you. More revelation, more power, more joy, more grace, more experience of His abundant life. Let the final declaration of these verses be your own: I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.”

The idea of being chosen is repeating theme through-out the Bible.

We see God choosing people, places, and groups on a continual basis throughout both the Old and New Testaments. It is woven into stories, poetry, and history. Not only do we see God choosing people and places etc but we also get to choose.

God allowed Adam and Eve to choose whether they would listen to Him or whether they would disobey.

Abraham chose whether he would leave his father and and go to the place God had promised him.

Another Biblical figure we can look at is Job. This guy seemed to have it all. Great wife, lots of children children, money galore, property, prosperous career e.g., owned thousands of cattle, sheep, and had lots of servants.

It seemed like he had everything! And, if the earthly riches weren’t enough, he was known as being “blameless and upright”. God Himself said that “there is no one on earth like him”… Now that is something I would like God to say about me!

Then, something happens.

Job has “one of those days”. You know the kind. The type where ‘everything’ just goes wrong from start to finish. One problem after another after another and, Job loses almost everything. All the money is gone. The cattle, the sheep, the oxen are taken. His children too. His health declines as well.

What if this was you or me? What would you or I do? How would we react? Would we go to our friends for help? Post on socials? Sit down and wallow at home (if we still had one)?

This was Job’s response:
‘At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ‘

Maybe you won’t loose everything in one day, but I can probably guarantee you that this year, you will face trouble and hardship of some kind (maybe you are going through something even now).

Maybe the loss of someone close, maybe your finances will be affected, or relationships will crumble.

Maybe it will seem as though everyone around you is against you and you feel lonely, rejected, or invisible.

Maybe you will have “one of those days” … or weeks or months.

Can I encourage you though (yes, Job can be encouraging), choose like Job chose. Go to God and worship Him.

Who remembers (or still does) play organised sport at school? And who remembers the infamous “choosing of players” to create teams process?

In case you need a refresher, a coach would often divide their team into two mini teams at weekly practice and nominate two players to act as captains who would take it in turns to name a player for their team. The selected team mate would then walk over to their ‘captain’ and ‘team’, with the process continuing until all players had been allocated.

If you remember this fabulous little process and perhaps weren’t the kind of player that exuded the athletic prowess needed to join an Olympic team, this was often a rather awkward if not painful process. You held your breath or suddenly found the dirt very interesting until you heard your name. You just wanted the humiliation over with!

But hey, maybe that was just my childhood experience.

Praise the Lord Almighty, that His choosing of us is nothing at all like this!

Instead, God’s choosing is intentional, intimate, infinite, perfect and glorious! So deliberate is His desire for you, He has chosen a new way of living, thinking, and being for “this new life of love” which is eloquently expressed in ‘The Message’ version of Colossians 3:12 – 14.

Far from an impromptu (and often forced) selection with all eyes watching and blood pressure rising, God’s choosing of you is no accident or decision made ‘on the fly’.

No, as John 15:16 makes plain, He chose us. He appointed us. Why? To “go and bear fruit – fruit that will last…”.

As inadequate and unworthy as we may feel at times, Ephesians 1:4-5 reminds us that despite of ourselves, He chose us “in Him before the creation of the world”. With great intention and action, God chose us to “be holy and blameless in His sight” and for adoption into His family through Jesus Christ according to “His pleasure and will”.

His love and grace for you is undeserved, unreserved, and unconditional – whether you know this beyond a shadow of a doubt yet or not.

Take a few moments to quiet your mind and heart. When you’re ready, read aloud the following declaration – it captures just a glimmer of God’s endless love and boundless intentions towards you.

“I am chosen for His salvation and service. I am chosen to be obedient and faithful. I am chosen to witness about and bow in worship of Him. I am chosen for righteousness, redemption, and restoration because of His sacrifice. I am chosen to be fruitful and multiply what he has given me. I am chosen for wisdom, understanding, and transformation.

I am chosen to be a living testimony of His goodness and grace. I am chosen for relationship – both now and in eternity. I am to display His love, grace, hope, and joy in a dark world. I am chosen for good works that reflect His kingdom values. I am chosen for His blessings. I am also chosen to suffer and be refined in the process. I am chosen for His glory and good pleasure. I am chosen and called to be holy, set apart, and dearly loved.

Who chose me? God. I am not His back-up choice. I am His precious possession. Nothing and no one will ever change that. Amen.”