It's personal

Purpose of this last post is mainly to summarize the main reason I started this blog and the central point I really wanted to make, which is based on the concept of "personal relationship with God" and revolves around two questions:

1. Where is your heart?

For non-Christians, seekers

Matthew 6
19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

If your heart is not there, if you have yet to arrive at the above conclusion to seek what is eternal, what is secured, and what is truly valuable...

Does it really matter which church you go to? Does it really matter what kind of worship songs, church activities, or study guides you enjoy?

The church is full of broken, and hurt people, and none of the man-made organizational things will ever truly change that. The point is this, focus not on the faults or problems the church has, but the greatness of God's grace and love for you, and with that in mind, find a church that God calls you to go. Pray to God to show you where your heart can be led to a more real and intimate relationship with Him. Stop excusing yourself because churches suck, but be still, and hear the gentle whisper from God about what He has already done for you and what amazing plans He has for you in your life.

If you are a seeker or a non-Christian who stumble upon this site, please take my advice and pray for God's ultimate guidance. Yes, you can pray to God even if you are an unbeliever, and He so much desires that!

For Christians

Colossians 3
1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

I believer there are three components in Christian living

what you know - it's the head-knowledge that has been transferred to you one way or another
what you do - it's the behavioural modification that shows your head-knowledge
connected heart - it's the transformational relationship that you have with God

What is the most important of the three? The connected heart. And who knows your heart? God does!!! The Creator God, the Loving Father, the Gracious Saviour, the Sovereign Lord!!! Focus on what God values the most, your heart, your soul, and your relationship with Him. So many times as a Christian, I can be so tied up by what I know and what I suppose to do and became driven by the expectations, standards, or my pitiful pride that I live a behavioural relationship with God. Or sometimes, people who cannot understand my heart judge me and influence me to live in a certain way even before my heart is connected with God. Do not let people do that to you! It's a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with God, nothing else should have so much influence in your spiritual life that you lose track of who you are relating to! Am I giving you an excuse to be lazy and do nothing? Certainly NOT! Be intentional in struggling with God, pray to Him to soften your heart, to connect you to His heart, so that you might know the surpassing greatness of Jesus Christ our Lord, not by law, but faith and faith alone!

Philippians 3
7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

How amazing and awesome it is to be found in Him, and how comforting to know that is God's work, by having faith in Christ alone! There's nothing you can do to define your relationship with Him, and no one should ever use these external behavioural changes to judge you. However, you are hold accountable to God for faith without deeds is dead, and if you are willing, surrendering yourself to God, and He will overflow you with indescribable love and courage to live out the life He so much desires for you. Don't be complacent because the church puts you through a series of courses, ministries, activities, or whatever is provided by the church. Take ownership over your faith, and live it out despite the circumstances!

To Christians who are reading this post, if I may challenge you, please examine your lives and reflect on the principles and values God has placed in your heart. Who is it that you are living for? If God were to take your church away, and your community away, would you still love Him and serve Him? Are you just going through the motions? Doing what everyone else does? Doing what's expected of you as a Christian? Only God knows your heart, and you are accountable for it!

2. What are you counting on?

What are you counting on as you walk this Christian walk?

Galatians 5
5But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. I hope not to criticize, but to encourage that as brothers and sisters in Christ, we might live a life of faith expressing itself through love.

Thank you for reading this long post and many other posts on this blog. Like I shared earlier in the post, this might be my last post on this blog, and if you would like to read more on my thoughts and opinions on Christian living and leadership, you can go to Profound Simplicity by Oscar Ko

Thought of the Moment 20090314 (Oscar Ko)

Natural progression of Christian faith:

--> Recognizing God's sovereignty and one's identity
--> Receiving God's gift of salvation
--> Experiencing God's overwhelming love and grace
--> Living a life transformed

From my observation, Christian life normally starts with the understanding of who God is, and experience His love based on that understanding.

I believe understanding who God is and understanding the depth of God's love is a daily step of Christians and non-Christians alike to get closer to God.

Through that understanding of God and His love, and only that understanding, can "lead" to a life overwhelmed by God's unconditional and unending love for us as sinners, and therefore, live a life transformed by God and God's love alone.

I found that as hard as I tried to recognize myself as a sinner, my pride and my sin can prevent me from doing so, however, when I put my focus on God, then it naturally leads to my understanding of just how broken and how sinful I am because how great and how loving God is. This experience does not lead to a guilt-driven life, but a love-transformed life.

Therefore, it hurts me to see that as Christians, many people live their Christian lives in fear, guilt, responsibility, expectation, and standard. While it is only natural to have God's love overwhelm us to the degree that we love because He loves, we discipline because He disciplines, we care because He cares, and we live because He lives!!!


Galatians 2:20 (New International Version)
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

About This Site and Me - UPDATED: July 1st, 2009

Here's my email: (modified to avoid spam) o s c a r k o _at_ g m a i l _dot_ c o m
oscar ko in one word, @gmail.com

I felt the need to vindicate myself from some past events, and that's partially why this site started.

However, I have been reading through Romans 14, and being convicted of this:

Romans14 (The Message)
22-23Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don't impose it on others. You're fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. But if you're not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you're out of line. If the way you live isn't consistent with what you believe, then it's wrong.

Romans14 (NASB)
22The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who (AM)does not condemn himself in what he approves.

23But (AN)he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.

Romans14 (NIV)
22So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

Not to say that one should not stand up for the Gospel when it is at risk. However, I believe that personal ministry philosophies and styles are not something to be quarreled about until Gospel is at risk. I took down many posts based on that conviction.

There is no specific individual or church ministry I am targeting. Just thoughts on church ministries as a whole.

A brief introduction

It is our care and concern over the church that drive us to present what we have experienced and witnessed. The observations that we bring are not intended to slander the church, but rather to raise awareness to the point that members might change how they approach the existing ministry style. While we believe that only the leaders of the church are in a position to implement the needed changes, we have no desire to criticize their motives or intentions.