When 1 + 1 = 3

I normally don't really like to blog about politics in this country (even though I like reading about it in other people's blog), but for some reason, I just can't stay silent over what I've just read in the news today.

This is not the time for experiments, says PM

By Sharanjit Singh and Audrey Dermawan

29 February, 2008 (New Strait Times)

KEPALA BATAS: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday said the people should not wager the country's future by trying out the opposition. He said forming the government was a serious business and the people could not afford to "conduct experiments".

"It is going to be disastrous if the experiment fails. The risks are just too high.

"I hope such calls for the people to experiment with the opposition will not get any support."

Abdullah was asked to comment on calls by opposition party leaders for the people to give them a chance, even if it was just for one term, by voting against the Barisan Nasional.

The prime minister said the BN had already proven that it could run the country and ensure continuous economic growth.

Now look at what was written in the news a day before:

Najib: Give Barisan four years (The Star, 28th Feb 2008)

PASIR MAS: Give Barisan Nasional four years to rule Kelantan and kick it out if it fails to deliver, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak told the Kelantan people.

The Deputy Prime Minister said Barisan had many plans for the state and wanted a new and developed Kelantan.

“Four years is enough time for us to bring changes and show what we can do,” he said yesterday at the SM Tengku Panglima Raja here.

He said the Federal Government had pumped in a lot of money to build roads and bridges in Kelantan, adding:

“If they want more development at a heightened pace with more dramatic transformation and with East Coast Economic Region (ECER) corridor coming up, the answer is to go with Barisan,” he said.

See anything wrong here? The PM tells us (the states under BN's rule) not to 'try out' the opposition party because this is not the time (when is the time then?) but his deputy tells the people in the state of Kelantan (who is not under BN's rule) that this is the time they should try BN. It's like 'only the things I say and do are right'. Ri-ggght....

Not.

29 Feb folklores

Check this out:

http://www.snopes.com/oldwives/february29.asp

and also

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadie_Hawkins_Day

29th February, 2008

Every four years, something uniques happen. We get an extra day in the year, the US elects a new President, the world competes each other in the Olympics and Prince Khoo celebrates his birthday! Officially, Prince would be 5 years old this year! Yippie. Now he can count his toes!


Sadly, he still ages whether he blows his candles or not. So Prince, being this the first birthday that you're celebrating out of Malaysia, I present to you an imaginary cake. Don't laugh at this cake! This cake is fat free, sugar free, carbo free, cake free, and more importantly, it's free!

Have yourself a wonderful birthday. Give thanks to God for another 4 years and keep praying! Take care and hope to hear from you soon!

Easter 2008

Taken from http://www.snopes.com/holidays/easter/earlyeaster.asp

Do you realize how early Easter is this year? As you may know, Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

Found out a couple of things you might be interested in! Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare.

Here 's the interesting info. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Here's the facts:

1. The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).
2. The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!
   

Barisan Rakyat

Saw this poster from RPK's Malaysia Today website.

80th Annual Academy Awards' Results

This just up in case some of you didn't catch it:

Best Picture
"Atonement"
"Juno"
"Michael Clayton"
** "No Country for Old Men" WINNER
"There Will Be Blood"

Actor
George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"
** Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood" WINNER
Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
Tommy Lee Jones, "In the Valley of Elah"
Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises"

Actress
Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Julie Christie, "Away From Her"
** Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose" WINNER
Laura Linney, "The Savages"
Ellen Page, "Juno"

Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
** Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men" WINNER
Hal Holbrook, "Into the Wild"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War"
Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton"

Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"
Ruby Dee, "American Gangster"
Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement"
Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"
** Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton" WINNER

Director
Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Jason Reitman, "Juno"
Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"
** Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men" WINNER
Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"

Foreign Film
"Beaufort," Israel
** "The Counterfeiters," Austria WINNER
"Katyn," Poland
"Mongol," Kazakhstan
"12," Russia

Adapted Screenplay
Christopher Hampton, "Atonement"
Sarah Polley, "Away from Her"
Ronald Harwood, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
** Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men" WINNER
Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"

Original Screenplay ** Diablo Cody, "Juno" WINNER
Nancy Oliver, "Lars and the Real Girl"
Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"
Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava and Jim Capobianco, "Ratatouille"
Tamara Jenkins, "The Savages."

Animated Feature Film
"Persepolis"
** "Ratatouille" WINNER
"Surf's Up"

Art Direction
"American Gangster"
"Atonement"
"The Golden Compass"
** "Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street" WINNER
"There Will Be Blood"

Cinematography
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
"Atonement"
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
"No Country for Old Men"
** "There Will Be Blood" WINNER

Sound Mixing
** "The Bourne Ultimatum" WINNER
"No Country for Old Men"
"Ratatouille"
"3:10 to Yuma"
"Transformers"

Sound Editing
** "The Bourne Ultimatum" WINNER
"No Country for Old Men"
"Ratatouille"
"There Will Be Blood"
"Transformers"

Original Score
** "Atonement," Dario Marianelli WINNER
"The Kite Runner," Alberto Iglesias
"Michael Clayton," James Newton Howard
"Ratatouille," Michael Giacchino
"3:10 to Yuma," Marco Beltrami

Original Song
** "Falling Slowly" from "Once," Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova WINNER
"Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz
"Raise It Up" from "August Rush," Jamal Joseph, Charles Mack and Tevin Thomas
"So Close" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz
"That's How You Know" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz

Costume
"Across the Universe"
"Atonement" ** "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" WINNER
"La Vie en Rose"
"Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street"

Documentary Feature
"No End in Sight"
"Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience"
"Sicko"
** "Taxi to the Dark Side" WINNER
"War/Dance"

Documentary (short subject)
** "Freeheld" WINNER
"La Corona (The Crown)"
"Salim Baba"
"Sari's Mother"

Film Editing
** "The Bourne Ultimatum" WINNER
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
"Into the Wild"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"

Makeup
** "La Vie en Rose" WINNER
"Norbit"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"

Animated Short Film
"I Met the Walrus"
"Madame Tutli-Putli"
"Meme Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)"
"My Love (Moya Lyubov)"
** "Peter & the Wolf" WINNER

Live Action Short Film
"At Night"
"Il Supplente (The Substitute)"
** "Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)" WINNER
"Tanghi Argentini"
"The Tonto Woman"

Visual Effects
** "The Golden Compass" WINNER
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"
"Transformers"

Election Fever

In less than 2 weeks, people from Malaysia will heading to the polls to decide who they will want to govern over them. On the way to work this morning, I could see that the streets were already filled with banners, flags and posters of the various parties that are contesting. Dark Blue, Light Blue, Green, and Red are the theme colors of the respective major parties running.

It's a good thing that I registered myself last year so that I can vote this round during the general elections. If you have also registered, and would to check your status, go here. This would be my first time voting, and strangely, I've never felt so 'involved' and 'empowered'. In the previous years, I was always just 'indifferent' towards politics in this country. Maybe its because I was younger back then, or maybe, and probably, I am just 'old' right now. Sigh.

Anyways, for some reason, I've got a feeling that the outcome of this coming elections will be much different that the previous one. I've heard many say that though they have voted for the major government the last round, they are changing their minds this time and will vote for the opposition. Will the BN lose its 95% dominance in the parliament? Who knows. I'm guessing that the reason why people are throwing their support to the opposition is because of the many controversial issues that happened in the past few years. From the government servant who could build himself a mansion to the suppression of the people's voice during rallies, the present government has failed to convince the people that they are FOR the people. The government has just shown that it's protecting itself, and it that way, prove that they are no longer listening to the people. Their attempts to silent the people's woes by bribing them with occasional freebies such as lowering road taxes to giving them a free holiday only show that they are interested in short term effects, rather than feasible long term solutions.

Will the opposition be better in running the country? Not necessarily. But I'm feeling that they can't do much worse than the present one. At least, if the major party is denied of the 95%, it will show that the people of Malaysia will not condone and support a complacent government. Winds of change is coming. Whether the wind will bring about changes of good and bad, I'm still unsure. But at least, we hope, and pray, that things will not remain the same.

I will be voting in the Subang Jaya constituent. Coincidentally, I discovered that an old friend of mine is running for the opposition in the same constituency. If her name is on the ballot, she can be sure to have my vote. If you're voting in Subang Jaya also, you can check out her blog at http://hannahyeoh.blogspot.com to learn more about her before you cast your vote.

Malaysia will decide on March 8th. Lets pray that the elected government will be a government that will be bring about good changes for the people.

The Logan Show

I came across this on the internet. Has anyone watch any of their shows before? I haven't got chance to watch it yet since I'm still at work, but am really looking forward to it once I get home. If you have time, watch it and let me know what you think of it.

Their write-up:

The Next Generation In Late Night TV
Clean comedy has never been hipper and the laughs more gut-wrenching than the skits, bits, and guffaws emanating from the nationally and internationally syndicated The Logan Show hosted by funnyman Logan Sekulow.

Described by the media labelmeisters as a clean alternative to the kingpins of late-night TV comedy, The Logan Show is in reality much more – and much edgier.

It’s all the zany memories millions of American youth have of family, friends, church, music and high school, packaged into a non-stop, half-hour variety venue of stand-up comedy, slap-stick skits and outtakes. Add to all that appearances by the hottest Christian music acts with interviews focusing on Hollywood celebrities and well-known sports personalities.

The Logan Show, with its growing fan base of millions of viewers worldwide, is one of faith and family-friendly TV’s best offerings, and is one of the most popular shows in its category viewed by teens and young adults.

The show takes a bit of the "Late Show," mixes in a smidgen of "Saturday Night Live," then adds a little "Austin City Limits." Sprinkle in a tad of "Conan O' Brien," shake it all up, and "WALLA!" — you’ve got the next generation in late night TV -- The Logan Show!

Sample video here.

Some thoughts on global warming

The global warming issue was probably one of the most hyped-up doomsday message that was spread by the media last year. They attributed many of the natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and floods in India to global warming. Some 'scientist' predicts that within a hundred years, the polar ice caps will melt and will contribute to rising of sea levels to as much as a hundred feet, hence sealing the fate of coastal regions around the world, and all other areas that are less than a hundred feet above sea level.

But just as we enter 2008, news of snow storms and extreme freezing took hold of many news headlines. Until now, no one dared link these weather conditions to global warming, well, as you can see, 'warming' tend to cause hotter temperatures, not cooler (well duh..). So, how is it that within a year, the so called greenhouse effect caused by you and me driving our cars to the local grocery stores has managed to be dramatically reversed?

Another less known fact was that several independent parties conducted temperature measurements around the world concluded that the year 2007 was actually cooler than predicted (by global warming activists), in spite of the increase in atmospheric CO2s. Wouldn't that cause a "wait a minute" moment in your mind? Environmentalists, scientists, politicians, and even your next door neighbor has been harping on what they believe as truth beyond doubt, that is, the more you drive your car, the warmer the earth will become. The more you and I breathe, the more the polar ice-caps will melt. The more the cows poop, the more.. well, you get what I mean. So now, is this so called 'fact' then, still a fact?


Due to the fact that most of my blog readers were born during or after the late 70's, many of us are actually unaware that back in the 1970's, there was a world-wide scare that the earth was experiencing a 'global cooling'. I don't really know much about what people who predicted this said the causes were, but I know enough that it took the attention of many around the world. However, as the years gone by, the scare was overshadowed by other unrelated world events and eventually just faded away like yesterday's news.

Since I'm not planning to further bore you with more of these stuff, my point of writing this is to more of an informer, and hopefully to open your eyes to the truth so that you do not just believe whatever the media dishes out to you. There are plenty of good content out there on the internet that speaks about both sides of this theory, and hopefully, you'd be more a little more informed the next time you suggest your neighbor to save the world by breathing less.

Further reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming_controversy
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=20070315&articleId=5086

Emily & Ashley's Farewell Video

Dilbert's Widget

Check this out!

Zoe

To the one who made it possible though her faithfulness to God for me to marry the woman that I love: have a wonderful and blessed birthday and may God make this day a truly memorable for you.

Zoë

Merry Christmas!

To all readers,

A very joyous and memorable Christmas to you. May you filled with the peace of God that transcends all understanding, and may the Lord keep you and bless you and cause His face to shine upon You!

Be safe and blessed!

Kah Kheng & Angeline

How NOT to buy perfume for your girlfriend

On a lighter side...

Madness...

To the victims of these senseless shootings, may the blood that you've spilt, cry out to this crazy generation that we need more and more of Jesus.




We Need Jesus - Petra

When will the world
See that we need Jesus?
If we open our eyes
We will all realize
That He loves us
When will the world
See that we need Jesus?
When our hearts are as one
And believe that He's the Son of our God

(Chorus)
The Lord is our God
And we shall never want
The Lord is our God
And we shall live forever
When we share the love of Jesus
See each other as He sees us
Then His love will see us through
His love will see us through

When will the world
See that we need Jesus?
When sister and brother
Love one another as one
When will the world
See that we need Jesus?
Will we ever understand
Jesus is the Son of man?
We must live in the shadow of His love

When will the world
See that we need Jesus?
If we open our eyes
We will all realize
That He loves us
When will the world
See that we need Jesus?
When our hearts are as one
And believe that He's the Son of our God

When will the world
See that we need Jesus?
When sister and brother
Love one another as one
When will the world
See that we need Jesus?
Will we ever understand
Jesus is the Son of man?
We must live in the shadow of His love 

Lord, help us.

Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing

Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing by Sören Kierkegaard

Check this out for some good weekend reading...

http://www.religion-online.org/showbook.asp?title=2523

Lifehouse's "Everything" Skit

Prince was the one that forwarded me this video. It's pretty cool. Check it out!

24's Lost Episode

This is probably how Fox's hit drama series will look like in 1994.

Warning: May cause excessive and uncontrolled laughter...

Welcome Baby Ng!

Got a call from Ambrose a couple days back. 'Baby Ng' arrived safely on Nov 06, 2007 at 6:37am. Here's a photo:



Cute, ain't she?

So to baby ng, on behalf of Angeline and me, welcome to a wonderful world of new possibilities! And to Ambrose and Geraldine: Congratulations and God bless!

"I Am Sending You Out as Sheep in the Midst of Wolves"

"I Am Sending You Out as Sheep in the Midst of Wolves"
The Cost and Blessing of Being a Christian Missionary

October 22, 2007 By John Piper

Read, listen, or watch this resource on our website.
Subscribe to our sermon podcast in iTunes.

Matthew 10:16-31
Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household. 26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
When Jesus had finished his great saving work, and had laid down his life to save millions and millions of people who would believe in him, and had risen from the dead, he gave this final mandate to his disciples in Matthew 28:18-20:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

That mandate—to go and make disciples of all the peoples of the world—is as valid today as the promise that supports it: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” If the promise is valid today, then the mandate is valid today. And the promise is valid because it’s good, Jesus said, “to the end of the age.” So until Jesus returns the promise holds that he will be with us. And that promise is the basis of the mandate, and so the mandate holds today. Jesus is commanding us—commanding Bethlehem—“Go make disciples of all nations.”

The Apostle Paul’s Ambition: Frontier Missions
The apostle Paul is the most prominent missionary in the New Testament. He gave his life in obedience to Jesus’ mandate. He said in Romans 15:20-21, “I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, ‘Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.’”
This is the difference between and local evangelist and a frontier missionary. Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:5, “Do the work of an evangelist.” That means: As the pastor of a local church in a place where the gospel as already taken root, keep on winning people to Jesus. They may know about Christianity and live near lots of Christians there in Ephesus, but keep on evangelizing them. Tell them the gospel. Show them love. Keep on trying to win them. That’s local evangelism. And all of us should be a part of it.
But this is not what we mean by frontier missions. Frontier missions is what Paul did: “I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation.” Frontier missions is crossing a culture to plant the church where the gospel has not already taken root. This is the mandate that is still valid for us today. The job is not done. And the word of our risen king Jesus is binding on us today as much as when he first gave it.

Unreached People Groups
This is why we speak of unreached people groups. The most helpful website I know of for understanding and researching the unreached peoples of the world is the Joshua Project. It lists a total of 15,965 people groups in the world. Of these, 6,434 are still unreached, defining unreached as a “people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize this people group”—which means, in their definition, fewer than 2% evangelical Christian.
So Jesus gave the mandate to us to make disciples of all these groups, and Paul modeled what frontier missions looks like, making it his ambition to proclaim the gospel where the church was not already planted. And today the mandate holds (“Make disciples of all nations”), and the promise holds (“I will be with you to the end of the age”), and the stakes are eternal (“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him,” John 3:36).

Who Will Go?
So the question is, “Who will go? Who will proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ where the church is not yet planted and flourishing? Should I go? I ask myself this at least once a year. And I mean it seriously. I am willing to go. I think every follower of Jesus is bound by the cords of love and obedience to say, “I am willing to follow you wherever you lead me.” Every believer in Jesus should say, “Here am I, send me, if that is your will.”
It is not the Lord’s will that all of his followers be frontier missionaries. But some he calls. How he does it is a wonderful and mysterious thing. No one can explain how the work of God in your life rises to the level of a compelling call to missions. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, and it is marvelous and unfathomable in our eyes. But this we know, from Scripture and from church history and experience, that one of the instruments God uses to awaken a compelling calling to missions is the preaching of the word of God. And specifically the preaching of passages of Scripture that describe the mandate and its costs and blessings. So that is what I want to do in the time we have left.

The Coming of the Son of Man to Judge Israel
In Matthew 10:16-33, Jesus is telling his disciples what it will cost to bear faithful witness and make disciples in the coming years and what blessings they can count on to sustain them. The text relates directly to the next forty years after he departs, but it is true in principle for the rest of the age. He says in verse 23, “When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” I don’t understand the “coming of the Son of Man” in this verse as the second coming of Christ. If it were, this text would be false.
Just like the New Testament speaks of the coming of the kingdom of God in several stages and manifestations, it also helps to think of the coming of the Son of Man in several stages and manifestations. He came to earth the first time and died; he came as the risen Christ from the dead; he came in judgment in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 by the Romans armies; he has come in power from time to time in Great Awakenings. And he will come in visible bodily form at the end of the age. So I take Matthew 10:23 to refer probably to the coming in judgment in AD 70. “When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes to judge the Israel”—which happened in a decisive way forty years later.

A Fearless Witness in the Face of Danger
But the fact that these verses refer directly to the work of spreading the gospel to unreached people between AD 30 and 70 does not mean they are irrelevant for us. What Jesus says about the cost and the blessings of the missionary mandate in these verses is true today. And his main point is crystal clear: Be a fearless witness in the face of danger. My prayer, as I draw your attention to it, is that the Holy Spirit would use it awaken or confirm his calling on your life.

Six Costs of Frontier Missions
This text powerfully speaks for itself. So let me, without too much comment, focus our attention on six costs and ten blessings of being on the frontline of frontier missions. These difficulties are the kind of thing we may expect today even if in God’s forbearance we may be spared some of them. First the costs.

1. The cost of being arrested by authorities. Verses 16-18: “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.”
2. The cost of family betrayal. Verse 21: “Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death.” This is almost unbelievable: Fathers and children will so be so opposed to the Christian faith, they will want each other dead rather than believing.
3. The cost of being hated by all. Verse 22: “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake.” Be careful that you don’t elevate friendship evangelism to the point where this text makes evangelism impossible. You will be hated by all does not mean: You can’t do evangelism.
4. The cost of being persecuted and driven out of town. Verse 23: “When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next.”
5. The cost of being maligned. Verse 25b: “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.” Jesus died in our place so that we might escape the wrath of God, not the wrath of man. He was called to suffer for the sake of propitiation; we are called to suffer for the sake of propagation.
6. The cost of being killed. Verse 28: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” So they can kill the body. And sometimes they do. Don’t ever elevate safety in missions to the point where you assume that if one of our missionaries is killed we have made a mistake. Jesus said plainly in Luke 21:16, “Some of you they will put to death.”
   For two thousand years, thousands of missionaries—unnamed people of whom the world is not worthy—have counted this cost and put their lives at risk to reach the lost with the only message of salvation in the world. And the reason they could do this is because the blessings so outweigh the costs.

Ten Blessings of Frontier Missions
May the Lord make these ten blessings that I am about to name overcome all your fears and give you a passion to know him like this.

1. The blessing of being sent by Christ. Verse 16: “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” “I am sending you out.” It is deeply satisfying thing to be sent by the living Christ into his work.
2. The blessing of being given words by the Spirit of God. Verses 19-20: “When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” What a wonderful thing it is to sense the presence and power of the Spirit in your life, giving you the words you need.
3. The blessing of experiencing God’s fatherly care. Verse 20b: “For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Jesus makes explicit that the one caring for you is your Father in heaven. You may have to leave father and mother to be a missionary. But you will always have a Father who cares for you.
4. The blessing of salvation at the end of it all. Verse 22b: “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” When all the costs have been paid, we will have the great end of salvation. We will be raised from the dead with no sorrow or pain or sin, and we will see Christ and enter in to his joy and hear the words, in spite of all our imperfections, “Well done.”
5. The blessing of knowing that the Son of Man is coming in judgment and mercy. Verse 23b: “You will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” This was a great encouragement to those persecuted disciples. Jesus comes at just the right time in historical judgments and deliverances, and he will come at the last day and vindicate all his people.
6. The blessing of belonging to Jesus’ household. Verse 25b: “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.” Whatever rejection we may experience, Jesus wants us to be sure we are ever aware: This rejection is a sign that you are mine. You are part of my household.
7. The blessing of knowing that the truth will triumph. Verse 26: “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.” Nothing is hidden that will not be known. For a season in this world, people will mock your proclamation of the truth. They will say, “What is truth!” But know this, and hold fast to this blessing: The truth will be known. Your proclamation will be vindicated. “Nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.” Count on it. What is scoffed at now will be written across the sky someday. And one minute of that vindication before all your enemies will make every act of patient endurance worthwhile.
8. The blessing of having an immortal soul. “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” The soul of the Christian is indestructible. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24). We have already passed from death to life. Henry Martyn, the missionary to Persia, said that he was immortal until his work on earth was done. True. And he would have also agreed that in the fuller sense: You are immortal after your work on earth is done. That is Jesus’ point here.
9. The blessing of having a heavenly Father who sovereignly rules the smallest details of life. Verse 29: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.” Jesus mentions the fall of a sparrow to the ground because nothing seemed more insignificant than that. Yet God, your Father, oversees that and governs that. So you may always know that your Father, who loves you as his precious child, oversees and governs every detail of your life.
10. The blessing of being valued by God. Verse 31: “Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” God does not despise his children. He values his children. For two reasons: One is that in union with Jesus Christ all of his perfection is imputed to us. The other is that by the Spirit, we are being changed from one degree of glory to the next, and God loves the sanctifying work of his own hands. He delights in what we are becoming.

God’s Call to Frontier Missions
How does God call people to give their lives in missions? He does it, along with other influences, by the mysterious and wonderful awakening of fear-conquering desire for the work through the preaching of his word. He does it by helping us count the costs so there is no romantic naiveté about missions. And he does it by filling us with a longing to know these blessings to the full.
For many of you God has been doing this for some time now. And this message is a seal to what has already been done. For others of you, this message has awakened a new sense of calling. And you really believe God is stirring you to go. May the Lord confirm his work in your life.