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Jesus Christ has died. Jesus Christ has risen! Jesus Christ will come again! If Good Friday raised the question, Resurrection Sunday raised the Man, and the risen Man is the answer to all the raised questions!

Indeed the Resurrection is at the very core of our Christian faith. Insofar as the Resurrection can be validated and set forth, Christianity stands or falls. As believers of Jesus Christ, we are the resurrection people; we believe in the resurrection from the dead. Out of all the global religions, there is only one with a Founder who claimed that He would rise from the dead – and He did!

The Importance of the Resurrection

The birth of the Church is dependent upon Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Without the empty tomb and the appearance of Jesus to His disciples, no disciple would have left his fishing boat a second time and no one would ever have gathered in the upper room. What took place early on the third day after the Crucifixion began a historic shift in world history. Lewis Peter rightly said,

“Without the Resurrection, Christianity would have been still-born, for a living faith cannot survive a dead Savior.”

Jesus stated His own claims about the Resurrection. He foretold His own death and stated that the evidence of His identity would be based upon His rising from the dead. Imagine the audacity of a Man who was saying that the validity of His identity as the Messiah is based on his power over death (John 2:18 – 21)! No other religious founder has based the audacity of his claims as well as his ethics upon an empty tomb and upon post-death appearances in a physical body.

Wilbur M. Smith said,

“It was this same Jesus, the Christ who among many other remarkable things, said and repeated something which, proceeding from any other being would have been condemned him at once as either a bloated egoist or a dangerously unbalanced person. That Jesus said He was going up to Jerusalem to die is not as remarkable, though all the details He gave about that death, weeks and months before He died, are together a prophetic phenomenon. But when He said that He Himself would rise again from the dead, the third day after He was crucified, He said something that only a fool would dare say, if He expected longer the devotion of any disciples – unless He was sure He was going to rise. No founder of any other religion known to men ever dared say a thing like that!”

A Historical Event and a Real Event

Christianity claims that the Resurrection was not a mere spiritual resurrection in the hearts of disciples for some philosophical or theological construct. It claims that Jesus, in real time and space, rose from the dead with a physical body and appeared in the flesh to real people. The Gospel writers testified that the tomb was empty and that Jesus appeared to His disciples over a period of forty days. In those encounters, the disciples and the women held on to His feet and touched His hands and side. Jesus also ate with the disciples.

“Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst if them, and said to them, ‘Peace to you.’ But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.’” (Luke 24:36 – 39)

The Proofs of the Resurrection of Christ

There are five proofs to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

1. The empty tomb stands as a proof of the Resurrection.

All it would have taken to dispel the “myth” and to squash the beginning of this upstart religion would have been to produce Jesus’ body from the tomb. One body from Joseph’s tomb and the testimony would have been over. It is important to note that even the enemies of the Gospel admitted to the empty tomb and did not try to dissuade people from believing in an empty tomb. Rather they spread the rumor that the disciples had stolen the body and paid off the guard to say the same. Tom Anderson (the former president of the California Trial Lawyers Association) said,

“Let’s assume that the written accounts of His appearances to hundreds of people are false. I want to pose a question. With an event so well publicized, don’t you think it’s reasonable that one historian, one eye witness, one antagonist would record for all time that he had seen Christ’s body? The silence of history is deafening when it comes to the testimony against the resurrection! As we will see, His opponents don’t even argue the fact that the tomb was empty. They concede it!”

2. The multitude of Jesus’ appearances stand as proof of the Resurrection.

The Resurrection of Jesus took place early on the third day. Over the next forty days, Jesus would make numerous appearances in His resurrected body. Some examples of Jesus’ appearance:

i. The women received the angelic report and told the disciples. Mary Magdalene continued to believe that someone has stolen Jesus’ body. (John 20)

ii. The race to the tomb – Peter and John raced to the tomb to verify the women’s report. John arrived at the tomb before Peter, yet stopped at the entrance as Peter rushed in and found the linen neatly folded. (John 20)

iii. Jesus appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. As Jesus led them through the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms, the disciples moved into a supernatural understanding of Scripture. Their eyes were able to see both the suffering and glory of the Messiah. (Luke 24)

iv. The appearance specifically before Thomas in John 20:27 – 29.

v. The appearance to the disciples by the sea of Tiberias in John 21.

vi. The appearance to the five hundred, to James and to Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3 – 8.

3. The changed lives of the apostles stand as proof of the Resurrection.

The Gospels are clear that the disciples were in a state of disillusionment when the Resurrection occurred. The Gospels testify that the disciples had not understood the prophecies of Jesus about His death and resurrection. Confused and broken, they were returning home after His death. The road to Emmaus alluded to their shattered faith. Even after the empty tomb, some did not believe until they had seen the risen Lord! It is clear that Thomas did not believe. Before the Resurrection, James, John, Peter and Andrew had returned to fishing.

Their almost immediate surge in courage is a proof of the Resurrection. The apostles moved from denial, disillusionment and being dispersed to gathering together to boldly proclaim Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. For instance, Peter had been moved to denial out of fear from a young girl’s question but shortly after, Peter was boldly proclaiming the resurrection of Christ in the face of death.

The self-sacrifice of the apostles is also a proof of the Resurrection. They had moved from arguing over who was the greatest to self-surrender and sacrifice for the witness of Christ. After the Resurrection, a moral shift took place among the twelve. By Acts 15, the reader of the book of Acts isn’t sure who was in charge – was it Peter or was it James? Humility permeated the scene. This is a weighty argument for the Resurrection. How could men who preached and lived lives of the highest moral standards have based their moral construct on a faked Resurrection? Keeping up with such an outlandish and intentional lie could not have caused them to live lives of moral integrity.

The martyrdom of the apostles is another proof of the resurrection. Even the scholars who do not believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus admit that something powerful had to have happened for the disciples to be willing to die – powerful enough for them to be willing to die the most gruesome and torturous deaths imaginable.

4. The apostles’ preaching in Jerusalem stands as proof of the Resurrection.

The disciples immediately preached the message of the Resurrection in the very town where all the events described had happened in plain sight of everyone. Not enough time had transpired for legends or myths to be circulated and believed, for the events being proclaimed had happened just weeks before. Creating legends and myths about Jesus in the same town where He had been killed a few weeks earlier would have been impossible.

John Warwick Montgomery said,

“Note that when the disciples of Jesus proclaimed the resurrection, they did so as eyewitnesses and they did so while people were still alive who had contact with the events they spoke of. In 56 A.D. Paul wrote that over 500 people had seen the risen Jesus and that most of them were still alive (1 Corinthians 15:6). It passes the bounds of credibility that the early Christians could have manufactured such a tale and then preached it among those who might easily have refuted it simply by producing the body of Jesus.”

5. The conversion of Saul of Tarsus to Paul the Apostle stands as proof of the Resurrection.

In order to dispute the claims of Christianity and the resurrection of Jesus, one must explain the dramatic conversion of Saul of Tarsus. How do you explain a man who gave his life to killing Christians, but, in one moment, turned around and joined the very ones he was killing, even giving his own life for them? What happened on the road to Damascus? Your arguments against Christianity can be foolproof and your position can be strong. Yet, there is no defence against a risen Lord who shows up the way He showed up to Saul of Tarsus on that day. Paul gave the reason for his startling shift in belief and behaviour before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem (Acts 22). He declared that he had met the risen Lord.

Five Historical Explanations against the Resurrection and the Arguments for the Resurrection

1. The wrong tomb theory

This position holds that because it was dark, the women went to the wrong tomb. Having found the wrong tomb empty, they rushed back with joy to tell the disciples, and thus what had been a rumour was presented as truth.

Argument against the wrong tomb theory:

a. Everyone knew where the tomb was. Peter and John verified the women’s account later and found the grave clothes folded in the empty tomb.

b. Jesus’ enemies knew where the empty tomb was and could have easily produced the body to silence the nascent movement.

2. The stolen body theory

This theory states that either the Roman or Jewish authorities stole the body.

Argument against the stolen body theory:

a. In light of the trouble that the apostles’ preaching about the Resurrection caused for both the Jewish and Roman authorities, this view is unthinkable. One cannot imagine the authorities would have hidden the very object that would have dispelled all rumours of the Resurrection.

b. The production of Jesus’ dead body would have ended all contention.

3. The swoon theory

This theory holds that Jesus did not actually die on the cross. While appearing to die, He actually swooned. Supposedly, His injuries left Him in shock but still alive, and the coolness of the tomb revived Him in such a way that He was able to come forth from the grave on the third day.

Argument against the swoon theory:

a. It is clear that Jesus was dead. No one could have survived those injuries, especially without aid or assistance. Also, the blood and water that flowed from His side clearly indicated that Jesus was dead.

b. The soldiers were experts at crucifixion. They made sure and testified that Jesus was dead. They did not break His legs due to their certainty of His death, but proceeded to stick a spear in His side to ensure their findings were correct.

c. Jesus was covered with burial clothes and eighty pounds of spices after the crucifixion. How could Jesus have lived for three days without food or water while being completely wrapped from head to toe in linen and covered by eighty pounds of spices?

d. How could Jesus have revived, unwrapped himself, rolled away a great stone that took many men to put in place, fought off a Roman guard, and then walked several miles on the road to Emmaus while dialoguing with two disciples?

e. How could Jesus have disappeared for the next forty or more years without a trace while the disciples died for a propagated lie? Moreover, why would He have done such a thing?

4. The hallucination theory

This theory holds that the Resurrection took place in the minds of the disciples. Dr. William McNeil articulates this position and he said,

“The Roman authorities in Jerusalem arrested and crucified Jesus… But soon afterwards the dispirited Apostles gathered in an upstairs room and suddenly felt again the heart-warming presence of their master. This seemed absolutely convincing evidence that Jesus’ death on the cross had not been the end but the beginning… The Apostles bubbled over with excitement and tried to explain to all who would listen all that had happened.”

Argument against the hallucination theory:

a. Hallucinations of this kind can only happen if certain conditions are met.

b. Also, hallucinations are perceived by only individuals, not groups, and are very subjective. Entire groups of people saw the risen Jesus, and they all saw the same thing.

c. The disciples did not claim to have seen a vision. They testified to touching Him and eating with Him.

d. Also, hallucinations are very restricted as to when, where, and how often they occur. The resurrection appearances happened in several different environments and at different times.

e. Hallucinations occur when a person is hopeful and expecting something to happen. The disciples were not in a hopeful or expecting state. Rather, they were disillusioned and in despair. Jesus showed up unannounced and suddenly.

5. The theft theory

This theory is the most popular and was the one the Jews circulated in an attempt to discredit and quash the Apostles’ ministry in Jerusalem.

Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.” So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. (Matthew 28:11 – 15)

Argument against the theft theory:

a. If the Romans were sleeping, how did they know it was the disciples who stole the body?

b. The possibility of a Roman guard sleeping was highly unlikely. Falling asleep on a night watch was punishable by death for a Roman soldier.

c. It is highly unlikely that the disciples would have gathered in one place to strategize such a plot. Their lives were in danger, and they were in hiding.

d. Even if they had gathered and formulated such a plan, the tomb was also secured with a Roman seal, and the punishment for the breaking of the seal was death. It is unimaginable that the disciples would risk their lives for their dead master when they had not been willing to risk their lives for their master when He was alive.

e. If the disciples had overcome their cowardice, broken the Roman seal, rolled the large great stone uphill without waking the soldiers, and stolen the body, why would they have taken the time to unwrap Jesus and leave His grave clothes nicely folded in the tomb?

Six Significances of the Resurrection

1. The Resurrection confirmed the identity of Jesus as the Messiah, the Divine Son of God. Jesus is the Lord, the resurrected Christ, and we are the people who testify to the Resurrection. He is going to judge the human race based on what we believe concerning the Resurrection.

This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: “The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’ Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:32 – 36)

The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him. (Acts 5:30 – 32)

Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come – that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles. (Acts 26:22 – 23)

2. The Resurrection vindicates the righteousness of Christ and the righteousness of God. God was vindicated as the righteous judge of sin, and Jesus was vindicated as the sinless acceptable sacrifice. In God’s economy, sin had to be judged. At the same time, He provided a way for weak humans to come back into relationship with God through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

3. The Resurrection announced the destruction of death.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:2 5 – 26)

And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. (Rev. 1:17 – 18)

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:51 – 57)

4. Paul teaches the Resurrection as more than just an historical event; it was an eschatological event (i.e. End-Times). It was the first fruit of a transition in the human experience. Just as Christ was raised from the dead, so shall you be raised from the dead when He appears, but between His resurrection and your resurrection, you have access to His resurrected life by the Spirit. Jesus’ resurrection was the beginning of the eschatological resurrection of the whole human race at the End-of-the-Age, but the resurrection has started in this Age through the Spirit. We share in the resurrection power of Christ.

His resurrected life indwells every believer, releasing divine might and power unto transformation. The Cross of Christ provides the basis for forgiveness of sin and the resurrection life of Jesus breaks the power of sin in our lives and makes us into a new creation. There is a new life working in us. The law of sin and death no longer prevails in our mortal bodies. The resurrection power enables us to live the crucified life as it produces a glorious new creation within us. We are a supernatural people, a resurrection people testifying to the resurrected Christ who now dwells in us by His Spirit.

Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11)

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. (Colossians 3: 1 – 5)

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10 – 11)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3 – 5)

5. The Resurrection testifies to a coming resurrection of the dead where Christ, the first fruit, will judge between the wicked and righteous. The righteous will rise unto eternal life and the wicked will rise unto eternal destruction.

For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this: for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge: and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. (John 5:21 – 30)

And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:39 – 43)

Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. (Acts 17:30 – 31)

6. The Resurrection of Jesus displayed what characteristics our renewed, glorified and resurrected human bodies will have.

The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being; The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:42 – 45)

We have no ability within ourselves to love Jesus with our all, unless we encounter Him as One with a heart of a Bridegroom who loves us passionately and gives us His all (1John 4:19). More than saving us from hell’s fire, the Gospel is about God saving us to become His Bride. He is looking for a Bride who will love and trust Him. When we begin to realize how deeply Jesus loves us, we will have the power within us to love Him (Matt 22:37). Similarly, to have confidence in Jesus and to grow in our trust in Him (Proverbs 3:5-6), we must have assurance of His love and His ability as a leader. He is a good leader who is both able and willing. He has the wisdom to come up with the best plans for us and He has the power to bring them to pass. More than that, He wants the best plans for us to be realized. Our assurance is in His ability to lead. 2 Cor. 2:14 speaks of the triumphant procession that we will experience as we walk with God. More than experiencing victory in Christ, this verse assures us that God will always lead. There are two key words here: one is that He will lead, another is that He will always be there to lead. This will help us overcome the fear of stepping out or even fear of failure as we put our confidence in His ability to lead and guide us. Do not put our ability to follow Jesus, but put our confidence in His ability to lead us.

Psalm 23 – Jesus as our Shepherd and Great Leader

This Psalm powerfully portrays Jesus as our Shepherd. Jesus assures us that we do not have to worry and can trust in Him. He is our good Shepherd who has gone through the journey before us, and He is able to lead, protect and provide for us.

The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want. (verse 1) 

David uses the metaphor “Shepherd” as it is a profession the Israelites could relate to, and additionally speaks of one who is in close proximity to and intimate with His sheep. Sheep are known to be “dumb” animals that simply follow the rest of the flock. David rightly refers to us as sheep as many times we simply follow others or the ways of the world without much thought. Yet, our confidence is that Jesus is our Good Shepherd who He will lead us, protect us and provide for us, no matter how “dumb” we are. God created each of us and knows how we are wired (Psa. 139). He knows how to lead us and He will take care of us in this life as we seek to follow Him (Matt. 6:33). Jesus also assures us that we will have no lack. If, and when, we have a need, He provides for us. This is the Kingdom principle of finance and prosperity. Many confuse “having no lack” with God promising to prosper us financially. In the Bible, when the word “prosper” is mentioned, it primarily referred to the prospering of our inner man (soul / heart) and not to material things.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. (verse 2) 

We can rest in His provision for us. Just as a shepherd knows that his sheep need to eat from “green pastures” and will lead them there, God knows our need for sustenance and will provide for us. God does not promise that we will not have turbulent times and uncertainty, but He assures us that He will lead us through them triumphantly. We can be at peace and not afraid when the shakings of life come because He will be with us and He will walk through them with us. He will lead us beside the still waters.

He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. (verse 3) 

Jesus is committed to heal and bring restoration – emotional, physical and spiritual – to all of our past. He does this “for His name’s sake”. He will help us to arrive where He has destined for us to be, and He will help us grow in righteousness. He is our Shepherd who is able to lead and guide us into righteousness. He is committed to make us better.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (verse 4) 

We will fear no evil because He is with us. There are moments in our lives where everything seems to fall apart; yet our confidence is that He is with us and will never leave us (Heb 13:5). We will not fear death or the threat of death, because He is with us. He uses His rod like a King to fend off our enemies and His staff as a Shepherd to lead us. Having this assurance will bring us comfort.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. (verse 5) 

In the midst of our enemies, God invites us to sit down and commune with Him. The cup refers to the cup of our “marriage covenant” with our Bridegroom God. Every time we take Holy Communion and we lift up the cup, it is in remembrance of this covenantal relationship. We remember that He is coming back for us (1 Cor.11:26). In the midst of our enemies, Jesus wants us to remember His commitment to us and say to Him, “Come back for me”.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (verse 6) 

If Jesus is our Leader, then goodness and mercy will follow us. Mark 16:20 further says that miracles and wonders will follow us as we follow Jesus. Because Jesus is our Shepherd, we can be confident that we will be at the place that Jesus has destined for us – near Him and with Him forever. David longed to be in the house of the Lord. He had the assurance that despite his heavy commitment and schedule as king and ruler over Israel, he would dwell with God and be with Him forever. We have no power to trust God with all our heart (Prov 3:5-6) until we encounter Jesus as our Bridegroom and our good Shepherd. May we put our trust in Him as our great Leader!

by W. Choong

Mention the word “meditation” to many 21st Century Christians, and the likelihood would be that one could receive quizzical expressions on their faces. In our fast-paced and highly-networked societies, the very idea of meditation – retreating into the quiet and beholding the very Word of God – remains a remote concept. As the famed psychiatrist Carl Jung once remarked: “Hurry is not of the Devil, it is the Devil.”

But the fact is that meditation has been the meat and potatoes to sustained growth in a Christian’s walk with the Lord Jesus. From Catholic to Protestant, from Eastern Orthodox to Western Free Church, we are encouraged to “live in His presence in uninterrupted fellowship.”[1] The Russian mystic Theophan the Recluse said: “To pray is to descend with the mind into the heart, and there to stand before the face of the Lord, ever-present, all seeing, within you.” And in more recent times, the Lutheran martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer, when asked why he meditated, replied: “Because I am a Christian.”[2]

While the practice of meditation seems to be a difficult concept in theory – and even more formidable in practice – the truth is that meditation is not difficult, and even easy, and enjoyable! As Richard Foster writes in his classic Celebration of Discipline, meditation is the ability to hear God’s voice and to obey it.[3] Moses, for example, learned how to hear His voice and obey it. Exodus 33:11 talks about Moses speaking to the Lord “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.”

Another way of understanding meditation is to see it as the activity of calling to mind, thinking over, dwelling on and applying to oneself the various things one knows about the works, ways, personality, purposes and promises of God. As J.I. Packer put it, meditation is the “activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God.”[4] Simply put, meditation enables us to focus our entire being on the very nature of God.

Instances of meditation are littered across the Bible. The first Psalm talks about the man whose “delight is in the law of the Lord.” (Psalm 1:2). The prophet Jeremiah spoke about the word of God being “like a fire” and hammer that breaks the rock into pieces (Jer 23:29). Jesus Himself took time from His busy time on earth to withdraw and contemplate the Father (Matt 14:13)

It is true that meditation helps us to hear His voice and thus obey His Word. But ultimately meditation is about the inner transformation of the Christian’s spiritual walk. Many a times, we feel that we are too weak to fulfil the requirements of God’s standards. But when we meditate on the Word, we interact with and encounter the very Living Word Himself. The Word, after all, is a Living Person with emotions and feelings. Such encounter will, over time, change something in our hearts, such that we’d love Him more, and become more like Jesus.

The change on the inside is imperceptible at times, and gradual, but it happens over time. A key verse is 2 Cor 3:18:

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The verse here is powerful, focussed as it is about the 9 aspects of beholding God (i.e. “we all,” “with unveiled face,” “beholding God,” “in a mirror,” “glory of the Lord,” “transformed,” “into the same image,” “from glory to glory” and “as by the Spirit.” Our God is a generous God! With a little effort on our part, He gives to us an eternal reward – the promise of being transformed into His very likeness! When the Apostle Paul wrote about mirrors, the mirrors in his time were not the mirrors of today that give a perfect reflection. Rather, the mirrors of his time were made of metal that gave a dim view of one’s own image. As Paul described it, our beholding of the Lord is “dim,” like the images in the mirrors of Paul’s time. We gaze but dimly, lacking clarity and focus in our process of coming before Him in prayer and meditation. Paul elaborates on this theme in 1 Cor 13:12, when he writes about how we see in a mirror “dimly, but then face to face (with God)” Still, such “dim gazes” and a lack of focus enable us – through meditation – to transform ourselves into the very image of the uncreated God!

Granted, meditation sounds hard, but in practice is not so. One way to meditate is to take a truth from the Bible itself and ask the Holy Spirit to breathe living revelation of this truth into our hearts. If we meditate on say, Revelation 4:8 about “holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God almighty,” we might think that God is pure and without sin. As we dwell on this and ask the Holy Spirit for revelation, we would realise that He is transcendent – that is, He is far greater than anything, and above and beyond our imagination. He is the utterly “better than” God (Songs 1:2, Ps 84:10, Ps 63:3)! Such understanding will create a change in our hearts, of eternal impact. This slow but gradual change fuels the hunger in us to seek out the unsearchable riches of Christ even more (Eph 3:8)! The meditation cycle repeats, and before we know it, we are under the Master’s hand, the dull clay of our hearts are being shaped and transformed into the likeness of Jesus.

As the Holy Spirit inspires and expands Houses of Prayer across the earth, meditation is also a powerful practice to employ in such places. The prayer room is not only about worship, interceding the things of His heart and music. It is about encountering God. And meditation in the fiery furnace of intercessory worship will transform our cold hearts into burning and shining lamps (Jn 5:35), ready to receive the Bridegroom when He returns!

Again, meditation in the House of Prayer is not difficult. During a devotional or apostolic set, when a worship leader is leading the people in the prayer room, one simply has to open up the Word, engage our hearts and allow the worship songs being sung to facilitate one’s meditation. As we listen to the prayers being offered in the room, such prayers can also illuminate our meditation.

In the end, meditation is not merely about growing in knowledge about God, but growing in our knowledge of God. The two concepts constitute a world of difference. One might know everything about Barack Obama from what we read or hear about him, but it is a different thing altogether to know him personally as a friend. The same applies to the Lord Jesus.

The Lord Jesus is not boring. He is boring to us because we haven’t pressed in to know Him personally. I keep an electronic notebook that helps me write down the sweet nuggets of His Word that is impressed on me as I meditate in the House of Prayer. In a matter of 3-4 years of meditation and note-taking, I was pleasantly surprised that I had “accumulated” more than 160 notes of His Word to me. Most times, the notes were insights I received from Him about His Word. The sweeter notes were those that indicated His passion and desire for me, and how He sees me. And over time, I realise that I’ve grown to love His Word – and more than that, love the Word who wrote the Word. The lesser things of life are still there, but they have a lesser hold. As the author of the song “Turn your eyes upon Jesus” wrote, as we turn our gaze on Him, the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

As C.S. Lewis once said:

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”[5]

In the new year, let us press in to experience the very pleasure of experiencing Him through meditation!

References [1] Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1989, p. 23 [2] Ibid, p. 23 [3] Ibid, p. 21 [4] J.I. Packer, Knowing God, InterVarsity Press, 1993, p. 23 [5] C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, New York, Harper Collins, 2001, p. 16

by William Choong

We live in unprecedented times in the early 21st century. At a time when there is increasing prosperity, technological advances and interconnectedness among countries of the world, there are also growing challenges such as religious divisions, a widening rich-poor gap and the threat of climate change. The same contrast can be found in the spiritual dimension.

As the Lord spoke in Isaiah 60:1 – 2, the glory of the Lord will shine on the Church at the End-of-the-Age, such that she will burn and shine for Him with unprecedented glory and power. This glory, however, will come at a time when a deep darkness looms over the land. The light is getting brighter as the darkness is becoming darker. The greatest revival and crisis in history is soon to come. In short, the darkness will grow – but so will the glory of His light!

One manifestation of His glory is the raising of a global worship and prayer movement, focused on 24/7 worship and prayer. Just fifty years ago, the entire notion of unceasing prayer before the throne of God was relatively unheard of (although 24/7 prayer has many precedents through history). In the past 10 to 20 years, however, the Holy Spirit has raised up thousands of new houses of prayer across the world. In 1984, the number of 24/7 houses of prayer totaled less than 25. Today there are more than 10,000 – and most of the growth has been in the past 10 years. According to Mike Bickle, Director of the International House of Prayer at Kansas City, such staggering momentum cannot be due to human ingenuity; rather it has to be the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit. This is a definite sign that the Lord is returning soon! ¹

Asia has not been left out in God’s grand plan to prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Isaiah 42:10, Scripture prophesied that praise and worship would be offered up to Him across the earth. In Asia, houses of prayer are emerging in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and mainland China, to name a few.

Again, this is all part of God’s divine orchestration and we stand at a critical juncture in our nation’s history. The Holy Spirit is visiting His people with power as darkness continues to increase. It is darkest just before the dawn for we know through the Word of God that a great awakening is soon to sweep across the nations. We look with confidence to God’s promise to pour out His Spirit on all flesh to empower His people to bring the gospel to all nations. What a privilege to live in this awesome hour of history!

The Spirit is speaking about this outpouring even as we see this crisis looming. We are already in the early days of the great End-Time outpouring of the Spirit (Joel 2:28 – 32). In this great revival the Spirit will release the miracles seen in the book of Acts and the book of Exodus combined and multiplied on a global scale. The greatest outpouring of the Spirit will be released through the unprecedented worship and prayer that the Lord is raising up at the End-of-the-Age!

The implications of all these events are staggering, to say the least. Christians in Asia have a unique call in the kingdom of God, to build houses of prayer that will pray the very things of His heart and cooperate with His divine will to prepare for Jesus’ return.

We are calling out to all intercessors, worship leaders, musicians, singers and anyone else who has the heart to establish this House for the LORD to join us in keeping this fire burning continuously in Singapore!

To find out more…

References ¹ Mike Bickle, “The Call to be a Full-Time Intercessory Missionary,” http://www.ihopkc.org/intercessorymissionaries/

David’s flight from Saul is a period in which a large number of his psalms were written. This is commonly referred to as the “Songs of the Outlaw”. Fourteen psalms begin with the superscriptions linking them to specific events in the life of David (Ps. 3; 7; 18; 30; 34; 51; 52; 54; 56; 57; 59; 60; 63; 142). Nine of these fourteen psalms are linked specifically to events occurring during David’s persecution by Saul (Ps. 18; 34; 52; 54; 56; 57; 59; 63; 142). Six of the nine psalms are clustered together in a group of fifteen psalms ascribed to David in Book 2 of the Psalter (Ps. 51 – 65).

These psalms are classic illustrations of the adage that “poets learn in suffering what they teach in song”. Ironically, the sweetest songs are born out of the saddest moments. As we read these psalms in connection with their events in 1 Samuel, we observe how God uses the refining fires of persecution to forge and shape the character and faith of David.

The remainder of the psalms with the superscriptions, link to specific occasions after David becomes king, which therefore become the “Songs of the King”.

Using the occasion set by the superscriptions of these fourteen psalms, the following is their chronological placement in the narrative flow of the life of David in 1 and 2 Samuel.

Songs of the Outlaw

Songs of the King