"Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the heart of the simple." (Romans 16:17,18)
Having experienced the situation first hand, the message totally hit home when I saw the exhortation. There are four types of reactions to this situation. Those who are totally oblivious of what's going on. As a result, totally gullible. Those who know something's fishy but doesn't break away. The result could be two fold, being led astray or turn the culprits around. Then there are those people who break away and do nothing about the situation. Finally, there are the people who break away but because they are totally bothered by the situation, they try all means to better it. After observing these four types of people, it's apparent that their reactions to this situation usually end up mirroring their amount of faith for God.
The members in jeopardy are those who live in total oblivion. These are the new born babes who are still nuturing through milk. They have only began to study the Words of God on the surface, and are totally gullible of whatever another member may say. In the odd times of a non-qualified speaker preaching, the 'older' members may filter through what is spoken, but the new convert will take in whatever is preached on the pulpit. They have no clue of what's the right interpretation, so they tend to favor the eloquent, those with smooth and seemingly powerful words. Therefore, it is crucial that the 'older' members take our new brother/sister step by step in coming to understand the teachings of God. That way, they will be able to discern what's right and wrong in the future. If no one takes the chance to lead them in the right direction, they may fall into the trap set by the offenders, trusting in their treacherous language. The ultimate end is the losing of yet another soul.
Some members know enough concerning the doctrines of God to know when something contradictory happens. However, these members tend to be the observers in church. They will keep in mind of whatever happens but take no sides for fear of offending anyone. They have not gone to the depth of the Words of God to take a stand for what they believe is right. The reflection is in their intentions to please the people around them instead of God. This implies a faith not deeply rooted, hence easily swayed. Although this may seem like a good way to keep peace between the opposing sides, it may not be what God expects of us. God's Words are absolute, what's right is right, what's wrong is wrong. Nothing is ever in the gray area. You are either for it or against it. The important thing for these members is to learn the importance of the absolute doctrine of God. To know that it is more important to keep peace between us and God than us and other people if it comes down to that.
A member with a faily good idea that God's doctrines cannot be swayed will stick by it. However, not all of them will make the wrong right. Many members just stay out of what's wrong and go on with what's right. Usually these members see themselves as visitors to the church and not part of the church. They will participate only when asked. Even so, they stand their ground on what's the right way to conduct a church and voice their annoyance to the people standing on smiliar grounds. The important thing is they have the doctrine down and know what's right for the church. However, everyone would clean their dirty house and not leave it for someone else to clean up. Therefore, these members need to work on looking at the church as their own.
The last group of members will fight for what's right and make sure someothing is done about it. They will not only voice the frustration but will act on it with the intention to set the crooked straight. These are the people who knows their place in church, and know that they are a part of it. They realize that unless they step up, nothing will be resolved. After all, church is composed of each individual. If no one makes an effort to make it better, how could it improve? Unless someone stands up against the wrong, the mistakes will continue to be made. It is up to these members to remind the congregation to refer back to our doctrine. They will be the ones to realize what the offenders have up their sleeves. In return, they will figure out how to pull the church back to what is pleasing to God.
It is difficult to pinpoint which kind of member we are in the church. We may fluctuate between more than one kind. However, beware to never fall in the trap of being the offender and not know it. It is important for us to examine our motives behind out actions. Why we do certain things at church and why we don't. Are we there to seek approval from the congregation or from God? Are we there to hold a political campaign or to uphold God's truth? It is a constant battle that we fight within ourselves to make sure that we are doing things for the right reasons. Hopefully, we can all ask God to search within our heart and let us see ourselves clearly.
Wednesday, April 09, 2003
Tuesday, April 08, 2003
Romans 15:30
"Now I bed you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me." (Romans 15:30)
Paul has constantly asked the members to pray for him throughout his ministry. Through his request, we know that ministers are not omnipotent. They also require a boost of strength and support from fellow brethren. Hence, we should always keep the work of ministers in our prayers.
Often times, we have the inclination to believe that ministers should always be strong and never falter in their faith. The truth is, ministers are but humans, and with that comes human weaknesses. No one can go through life without some ups and downs, and ministers are not an exception either. They get drained just as we do. They get tired like any other human being. They face trials and temptations just as we do, if not more. After all, they are but a vessel of God and not God Himself.
If we put aside their salary and focus on their purpose of working, we can see that they are just like any other holy worker. I'm sure we have seen the weaknesses of the holy workers in our local churches before, and we expect that of them because they are human. Many times we forget that pastors are yet another holy worker. Just as we pray for the weaknesses of the holy workers at church, we should especially pray for the ministers of our church. After all, they are doing important work for God, but they also have to face many trials and temptations that we can only dream of. They are the role-model for the entire TJC. Therefore, if they fall, many might follow the same path. Therefore, it is crucial that each member pray for the ministers since they can affect the faith of so many, both inside and outside of church.
I'm sure we feel the lack of full-time ministers to help out in the church. Therefore, we must strive together to keep the ones we have currently. We know how devastating the fall of a minister can be, because we have witnessed the power of God working with them previously. The whole entire church can falter with such a tragedy. The once strengthened church falls because of the lack of motivation they once had. Can we blame the ministers solely because of their fall? Yes, they should have been better spiritually cultivated. But maybe if we, as a church, interceded for him, he may have pulled through the down times. After all, ministers aren't perfect.
Their job description may be to preach the gospel, but that doesn't mean the ministers alone must preach the gospel. God has instructed us to spread His gospel to the four corners of the earth. Therefore, while we are not able to travel to the four corners of the earth to preach, we can aid the work of ministry through intercession. In turn, we will have a chunk of reward for our effort.
Even Paul, the most renowned apostle requested the intersession from the members, realizing that there's no power without God. How much more should we as members realize that ministers need the abidance of God to do their job well. We must not forget to remember the work of God through the ministers in our prayers, because they are influential individuals in the church, for better or for worse.
Paul has constantly asked the members to pray for him throughout his ministry. Through his request, we know that ministers are not omnipotent. They also require a boost of strength and support from fellow brethren. Hence, we should always keep the work of ministers in our prayers.
Often times, we have the inclination to believe that ministers should always be strong and never falter in their faith. The truth is, ministers are but humans, and with that comes human weaknesses. No one can go through life without some ups and downs, and ministers are not an exception either. They get drained just as we do. They get tired like any other human being. They face trials and temptations just as we do, if not more. After all, they are but a vessel of God and not God Himself.
If we put aside their salary and focus on their purpose of working, we can see that they are just like any other holy worker. I'm sure we have seen the weaknesses of the holy workers in our local churches before, and we expect that of them because they are human. Many times we forget that pastors are yet another holy worker. Just as we pray for the weaknesses of the holy workers at church, we should especially pray for the ministers of our church. After all, they are doing important work for God, but they also have to face many trials and temptations that we can only dream of. They are the role-model for the entire TJC. Therefore, if they fall, many might follow the same path. Therefore, it is crucial that each member pray for the ministers since they can affect the faith of so many, both inside and outside of church.
I'm sure we feel the lack of full-time ministers to help out in the church. Therefore, we must strive together to keep the ones we have currently. We know how devastating the fall of a minister can be, because we have witnessed the power of God working with them previously. The whole entire church can falter with such a tragedy. The once strengthened church falls because of the lack of motivation they once had. Can we blame the ministers solely because of their fall? Yes, they should have been better spiritually cultivated. But maybe if we, as a church, interceded for him, he may have pulled through the down times. After all, ministers aren't perfect.
Their job description may be to preach the gospel, but that doesn't mean the ministers alone must preach the gospel. God has instructed us to spread His gospel to the four corners of the earth. Therefore, while we are not able to travel to the four corners of the earth to preach, we can aid the work of ministry through intercession. In turn, we will have a chunk of reward for our effort.
Even Paul, the most renowned apostle requested the intersession from the members, realizing that there's no power without God. How much more should we as members realize that ministers need the abidance of God to do their job well. We must not forget to remember the work of God through the ministers in our prayers, because they are influential individuals in the church, for better or for worse.
Romans 14:23
"...for whatever is not from faith is sin." (Romans 14:23)
What a eye-catching statement! It sounds harsh at face value. However, it makes a lot of sense after looking at it closely. This verse goes back to the fact that everything is black and white, and nothing can ever be grey. Afterall, we either end up in Heaven or burn in Hell, there's nothing in between. Since there's only two consequences, whatever we do, we either do it to advance toward Heaven or take a step back toward Hell. So, what does it mean to do everything from faith?
It's quite a tough question to answer. But the answer can be formulate by looking back to what faith comprises of. As previous discussed, the process of gaining faith includes accepting Christ, studying God's Words to better understand Him, following His commandments without question, and giving all the credits and glory to God. Therefore, to have faith means the sum of all of the above. Ultimately, everything we do must be within the commandments of God and for the glory of God. Jesus told us the greatest commandment is to 'love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself' (Mt 22:37,39). If we do everything under those two commandments, then we are sure to steer clear of sinning.
Part of keeping the commandments it to glorify God. In anything we do, we must keep the result in mind. Is the result going to cause bad opinion of God? Why is God not glorified through the stumbling of our brethren because of our eating? As Christians, we are expected by non-believers to uphold the principles of God. We are to be ethical, loving, holy, etc...If one of us stumbles, then it is to the devastation of the whole group, since we are viewed as a collective body. Through one person's fall, the whole church can be criticized for being hypocrites. On the other hand, we are breaking the 'love your neighbors as yourself' commandment for not caring for our brethren's soul. Either way, if we fail to keep the commandments of God for the glory of God, then we are prone to sin.
In everything, we must think before performing, analyze the reason we do it for. Is it for our benefit only? Or is it really for the benefit of God? What are we studying for? What are we trying to achieve at work for? Who are we earning money for? Why do we make so many friends? Why do we fast and pray so many meals at NYTS? Why do we sing in the choir? Why are we doing holy work? The list can go on and on. Ultimately, the questions is: What do we live for?
What a eye-catching statement! It sounds harsh at face value. However, it makes a lot of sense after looking at it closely. This verse goes back to the fact that everything is black and white, and nothing can ever be grey. Afterall, we either end up in Heaven or burn in Hell, there's nothing in between. Since there's only two consequences, whatever we do, we either do it to advance toward Heaven or take a step back toward Hell. So, what does it mean to do everything from faith?
It's quite a tough question to answer. But the answer can be formulate by looking back to what faith comprises of. As previous discussed, the process of gaining faith includes accepting Christ, studying God's Words to better understand Him, following His commandments without question, and giving all the credits and glory to God. Therefore, to have faith means the sum of all of the above. Ultimately, everything we do must be within the commandments of God and for the glory of God. Jesus told us the greatest commandment is to 'love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself' (Mt 22:37,39). If we do everything under those two commandments, then we are sure to steer clear of sinning.
Part of keeping the commandments it to glorify God. In anything we do, we must keep the result in mind. Is the result going to cause bad opinion of God? Why is God not glorified through the stumbling of our brethren because of our eating? As Christians, we are expected by non-believers to uphold the principles of God. We are to be ethical, loving, holy, etc...If one of us stumbles, then it is to the devastation of the whole group, since we are viewed as a collective body. Through one person's fall, the whole church can be criticized for being hypocrites. On the other hand, we are breaking the 'love your neighbors as yourself' commandment for not caring for our brethren's soul. Either way, if we fail to keep the commandments of God for the glory of God, then we are prone to sin.
In everything, we must think before performing, analyze the reason we do it for. Is it for our benefit only? Or is it really for the benefit of God? What are we studying for? What are we trying to achieve at work for? Who are we earning money for? Why do we make so many friends? Why do we fast and pray so many meals at NYTS? Why do we sing in the choir? Why are we doing holy work? The list can go on and on. Ultimately, the questions is: What do we live for?
Sunday, April 06, 2003
Romans 13:1
"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God." (Romans 13:1)
I find this verse fitting in a time like this. As many war-protesters crowd the streets, this verse shines some light into what our role should be. God created all men, and God has authority over all men. Whether it is Saddam Hussein or George W. Bush, God has the authority to determine the outcome of their actions. Jesus Christ sets an example for us to 'subject to the governing authorities' (13:1) when He paid taxes to Caesar. If Jesus submitted to the government, then why should we oppose our's? Ultimately, the end is determined by God. The punishment and the sparing of lives are all up to God. He is the Creator, men are merely His creatures. Who are we to question the Creator? 'Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this"' (9:20)? Therefore, it is not up to us to worry about the actions the government takes as long as it does not contradict the teachings of God.
Then the ever contraversial issue of capital punishment may come up. Should we also support our government for such a cruel action? In the Old Testament and New Testament, capital punishment is often used on the offender. Here, the author clarifies that the ruler 'is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil' (13:4). Therefore, from this verse we can understand that the governing powers are God's ministers. They are to punish those who do evil. The rest is up to God to worry about. Our part is simply to 'do what is good' because 'rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil' (3).
You may then ask, 'Why is there such people as Saddam Hussein in the world?" Sometimes things in life happen for a reason. Even while Jesus prayed for his disciples he said, 'and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled' (Jn 17:12). There will always be the bad guy even from the bunch of people closest to Jesus. Jesus submitted to the authority when Judas pointed Him out to be arrested. Everything is under the plan of God. If we study deeper into the prophesies in the Bible, we may come to see that Saddam Hussein is part of the Scriptures to be fulfilled. This may serve as a sign for us that 'our salvation is nearer than when we first believed' (Rm 13:11) just as Judah's betrayal marked the crucifixion of Jesus. All in all, it is not up to us to worry about the actions of our governing powers. Our role is to do what is good and leave what is evil alone.
To bring this issue back home, we can apply this to the 'politics' in church as well. Our church has set up a way to organize the many things that go on. Sometimes the trend of this world may cause us to despise the way church organizes things. We may think that the church is too traditional or not open-minded and try to come up with new ways to organize the church. I have seen that happen and the only result is chaos. When we try to bring worldy values and worldy ways into church, something is bound to go wrong. There is a reason why the early churches decided to do things a certain way. There's a reason for a certain way of organization. Why is it that we have to do it our own way when the way has been practiced since our church was established? Isn't there a 'governing authority' in our church? The church has organized a way to decide things. Why do we go against it and refuse to follow simple directions? Isn't this also a way of defying the 'governing authority'?
I remember once my dad said, 'If you don't want to follow the ways of TJC, then you might as well split from TJC and be another church." Even though my dad isn't a member of TJC, he understands the concepts. If you were to work for a company, but don't follow the protocols of the company, then why should the company keep you? It's the same with TJC. If we refuse to follow the ways established through God, there's no reason for God to keep us around either.
I find this verse fitting in a time like this. As many war-protesters crowd the streets, this verse shines some light into what our role should be. God created all men, and God has authority over all men. Whether it is Saddam Hussein or George W. Bush, God has the authority to determine the outcome of their actions. Jesus Christ sets an example for us to 'subject to the governing authorities' (13:1) when He paid taxes to Caesar. If Jesus submitted to the government, then why should we oppose our's? Ultimately, the end is determined by God. The punishment and the sparing of lives are all up to God. He is the Creator, men are merely His creatures. Who are we to question the Creator? 'Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this"' (9:20)? Therefore, it is not up to us to worry about the actions the government takes as long as it does not contradict the teachings of God.
Then the ever contraversial issue of capital punishment may come up. Should we also support our government for such a cruel action? In the Old Testament and New Testament, capital punishment is often used on the offender. Here, the author clarifies that the ruler 'is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil' (13:4). Therefore, from this verse we can understand that the governing powers are God's ministers. They are to punish those who do evil. The rest is up to God to worry about. Our part is simply to 'do what is good' because 'rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil' (3).
You may then ask, 'Why is there such people as Saddam Hussein in the world?" Sometimes things in life happen for a reason. Even while Jesus prayed for his disciples he said, 'and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled' (Jn 17:12). There will always be the bad guy even from the bunch of people closest to Jesus. Jesus submitted to the authority when Judas pointed Him out to be arrested. Everything is under the plan of God. If we study deeper into the prophesies in the Bible, we may come to see that Saddam Hussein is part of the Scriptures to be fulfilled. This may serve as a sign for us that 'our salvation is nearer than when we first believed' (Rm 13:11) just as Judah's betrayal marked the crucifixion of Jesus. All in all, it is not up to us to worry about the actions of our governing powers. Our role is to do what is good and leave what is evil alone.
To bring this issue back home, we can apply this to the 'politics' in church as well. Our church has set up a way to organize the many things that go on. Sometimes the trend of this world may cause us to despise the way church organizes things. We may think that the church is too traditional or not open-minded and try to come up with new ways to organize the church. I have seen that happen and the only result is chaos. When we try to bring worldy values and worldy ways into church, something is bound to go wrong. There is a reason why the early churches decided to do things a certain way. There's a reason for a certain way of organization. Why is it that we have to do it our own way when the way has been practiced since our church was established? Isn't there a 'governing authority' in our church? The church has organized a way to decide things. Why do we go against it and refuse to follow simple directions? Isn't this also a way of defying the 'governing authority'?
I remember once my dad said, 'If you don't want to follow the ways of TJC, then you might as well split from TJC and be another church." Even though my dad isn't a member of TJC, he understands the concepts. If you were to work for a company, but don't follow the protocols of the company, then why should the company keep you? It's the same with TJC. If we refuse to follow the ways established through God, there's no reason for God to keep us around either.
Romans 12:6
"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given us, let us use them..." (Romans 12:6)
Warning!!! Semi-personal
This verse particularly sticks out because I've often denied the gifts God has given to me just because I haven't quite figured out what my gifts are. This verse implied that God has given each of us a gift, and no one is left without a gift because we are 'individually members of one another' (12:5) in the body of Christ. Therefore, to deny having any gifts would be to deny God's justice. I often ponder what I can do for God, what are my gifts that I can exercise for God's purpose. Many times I end up with a blank sheet of paper. There are many things I can do, but I haven't found anything that I really excel at. It's like the saying, 'A jack of all trades, but a master of none.' Sometimes it bothers me that there's nothing that I can do really well, and it doesn't help when people compare you with others.
I have been asked many times, "Why don't you translate like your sister?" Everytime someone asks me that, the parable of the talents comes to my mind. 'And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability' (Mt. 25:15). I just answer to myself, 'because I have one talent' and it's not in translation. Maybe it's fear, maybe it's the lack of practice, but translation definitely hasn't shined as a gift given to me. However, I haven't given up on trying to find the gifts that belong to me. I just find it awkward why people would ask me that question, including pastors.
I've been told by my mom through her personal experience that you can ask God for gifts. I've also come to realize that gifts don't always come naturally. Sometimes you have to work at something to get better and better. If you work hard and ask God to add on to your effort in order to work for Him, He will listen to our request. Even though we might not have been born with certain gifts, it doesn't mean that they are not obtainable. It's true that something may come a lot easier to someone born with the gift. However, someone else who works hard to obtain that same talent may come out on top. Therefore, if we see a need of a certain talent at church, and pray to God to help us so that we may work for Him, I'm sure God will answer our sincere prayers. Afterall, He has answered my mom's prayer.
My mom has already pre-warned me that she's going to train me to translate just as she did my sister. I'm a little overwhelmed by it because I know I'm not fast with words. However I realize there is a need at church, so I pray that God may be with me to take away that fear and the feeling of being not good enough; because, doubting ourselves equates doubting the power of God. I pray that I can be a good vessel for God without being proud. Through observation, I've come to see the pride in people when they realize their many talents. It has come to take a toll on the growth of the entire church. I pray that will never happen to us when we serve God. We should always keep in mind that we are blessed with gifts to work together in accomplishing different things in the body of Christ. The Bible Study Leader should not belittle the dish washers. Each member of the body has its purpose. Hopefully we can all find our gifts and use them to serve God righteously.
Warning!!! Semi-personal
This verse particularly sticks out because I've often denied the gifts God has given to me just because I haven't quite figured out what my gifts are. This verse implied that God has given each of us a gift, and no one is left without a gift because we are 'individually members of one another' (12:5) in the body of Christ. Therefore, to deny having any gifts would be to deny God's justice. I often ponder what I can do for God, what are my gifts that I can exercise for God's purpose. Many times I end up with a blank sheet of paper. There are many things I can do, but I haven't found anything that I really excel at. It's like the saying, 'A jack of all trades, but a master of none.' Sometimes it bothers me that there's nothing that I can do really well, and it doesn't help when people compare you with others.
I have been asked many times, "Why don't you translate like your sister?" Everytime someone asks me that, the parable of the talents comes to my mind. 'And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability' (Mt. 25:15). I just answer to myself, 'because I have one talent' and it's not in translation. Maybe it's fear, maybe it's the lack of practice, but translation definitely hasn't shined as a gift given to me. However, I haven't given up on trying to find the gifts that belong to me. I just find it awkward why people would ask me that question, including pastors.
I've been told by my mom through her personal experience that you can ask God for gifts. I've also come to realize that gifts don't always come naturally. Sometimes you have to work at something to get better and better. If you work hard and ask God to add on to your effort in order to work for Him, He will listen to our request. Even though we might not have been born with certain gifts, it doesn't mean that they are not obtainable. It's true that something may come a lot easier to someone born with the gift. However, someone else who works hard to obtain that same talent may come out on top. Therefore, if we see a need of a certain talent at church, and pray to God to help us so that we may work for Him, I'm sure God will answer our sincere prayers. Afterall, He has answered my mom's prayer.
My mom has already pre-warned me that she's going to train me to translate just as she did my sister. I'm a little overwhelmed by it because I know I'm not fast with words. However I realize there is a need at church, so I pray that God may be with me to take away that fear and the feeling of being not good enough; because, doubting ourselves equates doubting the power of God. I pray that I can be a good vessel for God without being proud. Through observation, I've come to see the pride in people when they realize their many talents. It has come to take a toll on the growth of the entire church. I pray that will never happen to us when we serve God. We should always keep in mind that we are blessed with gifts to work together in accomplishing different things in the body of Christ. The Bible Study Leader should not belittle the dish washers. Each member of the body has its purpose. Hopefully we can all find our gifts and use them to serve God righteously.
Thursday, April 03, 2003
Romans 11:20-22
"Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off." (Romans 11:20-22)
It's so easy to take advantage of God if we don't constantly keep in mind how lucky we are to be the 'chosen ones'. But if we read closer, it is through the downfall of God's original chosen people that we were able to 'stand by faith'. We received faith under the mercy of God, not because we were better than any other human beings out there. We were actually pitied by God, and the Israelites were casted away for our reconciliation. We are not of the firstfruit; the firstfruit, its root, and branches still lie with the Israelites. We were only 'grafted in among [the branches], and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree' (11:17). So in plain terms, we are the ones on life-support. If at any moment God decides to cut that life-support, we are as good as the abandoned branches without a root for support.
Hence, the author reminds us to 'not be haughty, but fear' (20). Who are we that God should spare us if He 'did not [even] spare the natural branches' (21)? God is fair in His severity and His goodness. The Israelites were rejected because they fell. God dealt with them as they deserved, in severity. Therefore, too keep ourselves grafted, we must 'continue in His goodness' (22). Afterall, we are the ones feeding off of the root from the firstfruit. If the Israelites, being the original chosen people of God were cut off; how much more severe will God deal with us if we were to stray away from His goodness.
Now you may say, 'God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew' (2). Yes, the cast away is temperary. 'Israel will be saved' (26) and God's chosen people will again turn to Him. Does that mean if we were cast away, it would also be temporary? We know of the restoration of Israel becaus it has been prophesied in the Bible time and again. Does the Bible in any way prophesied that the Gentiles will be restored if they were to fall? We are already under the grace of God to be able to feed off of the original root. Do we dare to ask any more from God? 'For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare [us] either' (21).
Instead of boasting of what we received from God and be haughty about what we possess, we should be thankful that we were chosen. The best way to repay God for the chance He gave us to graft into the original root is to remember His love. We should constantly remind ourselves not to take advantage of His mercy but always remember that we are chosen because of Him. That we only had a chance at life because of Him. We were the branches of a wild olive tree, never able to be a part of the original root on our own. The chance to be 'a partaker of the root' (17) is a gift given to us. We must never trample over that gift.
It's so easy to take advantage of God if we don't constantly keep in mind how lucky we are to be the 'chosen ones'. But if we read closer, it is through the downfall of God's original chosen people that we were able to 'stand by faith'. We received faith under the mercy of God, not because we were better than any other human beings out there. We were actually pitied by God, and the Israelites were casted away for our reconciliation. We are not of the firstfruit; the firstfruit, its root, and branches still lie with the Israelites. We were only 'grafted in among [the branches], and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree' (11:17). So in plain terms, we are the ones on life-support. If at any moment God decides to cut that life-support, we are as good as the abandoned branches without a root for support.
Hence, the author reminds us to 'not be haughty, but fear' (20). Who are we that God should spare us if He 'did not [even] spare the natural branches' (21)? God is fair in His severity and His goodness. The Israelites were rejected because they fell. God dealt with them as they deserved, in severity. Therefore, too keep ourselves grafted, we must 'continue in His goodness' (22). Afterall, we are the ones feeding off of the root from the firstfruit. If the Israelites, being the original chosen people of God were cut off; how much more severe will God deal with us if we were to stray away from His goodness.
Now you may say, 'God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew' (2). Yes, the cast away is temperary. 'Israel will be saved' (26) and God's chosen people will again turn to Him. Does that mean if we were cast away, it would also be temporary? We know of the restoration of Israel becaus it has been prophesied in the Bible time and again. Does the Bible in any way prophesied that the Gentiles will be restored if they were to fall? We are already under the grace of God to be able to feed off of the original root. Do we dare to ask any more from God? 'For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare [us] either' (21).
Instead of boasting of what we received from God and be haughty about what we possess, we should be thankful that we were chosen. The best way to repay God for the chance He gave us to graft into the original root is to remember His love. We should constantly remind ourselves not to take advantage of His mercy but always remember that we are chosen because of Him. That we only had a chance at life because of Him. We were the branches of a wild olive tree, never able to be a part of the original root on our own. The chance to be 'a partaker of the root' (17) is a gift given to us. We must never trample over that gift.
Romans 10:1
"Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved." (Romans 10:1)
What a touching statement of intercession. The spirit of intercession should follow us wherever we go. Even though Israel rejected the true gospel, the author of Romans never gave up on them. He stills prays to God for their Salvation. This serves as a reminder for ourselves to notice our surrounding, to intercede for those not so wonderful members around us.
Usually our notion of dealing with someone not so 'churchy' is to keep a mental distance. We may be nice to them on the surface, but once we turn our backs, they may come up as a topic of discussion. How lazy someone is at church, how they never help out with anything and only knows how to complain. "Who does he think he is always preaching to others, but never does what he preaches." "Those sisters, all they can do is gossip, gossip, and gossip"....and the criticisms go on.
How often do we hear 'we should pray for them' after those criticisms? Doesn't it become gossip if we had no intent of trying to help them? When we say we should pray for the church to grow, do we never think that the church is composed of each individual member? Therefore, for the church to progress, each one of us must also improve. Those sitting in our surrounding pews may not be model Christians just as we sometime fail to be, but they are part of the Body of Christ just as we are. For the Body of Christ to be fully functional, each member must do its part. If one part fails, the whole Body cannot function properly. Therefore, the failure of one member is the imperfection of the whole Body. For the Body to be perfect again, that imperfection must be made perfect.
There are a few ways of potentially perfecting the Body...or destroying it further. One would be to wait for the member to realize its own imperfection while the others grumble over the fault of that member. This would lead to a disconcerted bunch of unhappy members, which would bring about more imperfect members. Another way would be to patiently wait for the imperfect member to perfect itself. The best way would be for all the other members to help the imperfect member back on its feet.
If the first way were to be taken, the result would be a totally dysfunctional Body. The imperfection will spread from one to the next because of the criticism each has on another. Ultimately, nothing will be resolved and the Body will be worse off than before. If the other members were to wait for the imperfect member to realize its hindrance on the whole Body, how long would they have to wait? What if the imperfect member never thought it was imperfect? The problem may never be resolved. If all the members would pray for that one imperfect member, the result will be picture perfect. The imperfect member won't have to receive harsh criticisms from its fellow members. It wouldn't have to live in total oblivion of its imperfection. The whole Body would be perfected in no time, because 'where two or three are gathered together in [God's] name, [He is] there in the midst of them' (Mt. 18:20). God will hear our prayers because our goal is to be the perfect Body of Christ for His glory.
Instead of criticisms, we should strive to pray for those who are lacking. Instead of thinking ill of the proud, we should pray for God's mercy to shower upon them. Instead of labeling someone a 'non-zealous member', we should pray for their return to God's calling. Instead of spreading the family problems of others, we should show our love toward them and pray for God to comfort their hearts. Instead of calling someone incapable, we should ask God to strengthen them. Instead of giving up on someone, we should pray for God's love to touch their spirit. We are but one member of the Body of Christ, but if we start to do our part in intercession, others will follow. Just as the bad virus spreads, the love we have for the souls of others will also spread, for the better.
What a touching statement of intercession. The spirit of intercession should follow us wherever we go. Even though Israel rejected the true gospel, the author of Romans never gave up on them. He stills prays to God for their Salvation. This serves as a reminder for ourselves to notice our surrounding, to intercede for those not so wonderful members around us.
Usually our notion of dealing with someone not so 'churchy' is to keep a mental distance. We may be nice to them on the surface, but once we turn our backs, they may come up as a topic of discussion. How lazy someone is at church, how they never help out with anything and only knows how to complain. "Who does he think he is always preaching to others, but never does what he preaches." "Those sisters, all they can do is gossip, gossip, and gossip"....and the criticisms go on.
How often do we hear 'we should pray for them' after those criticisms? Doesn't it become gossip if we had no intent of trying to help them? When we say we should pray for the church to grow, do we never think that the church is composed of each individual member? Therefore, for the church to progress, each one of us must also improve. Those sitting in our surrounding pews may not be model Christians just as we sometime fail to be, but they are part of the Body of Christ just as we are. For the Body of Christ to be fully functional, each member must do its part. If one part fails, the whole Body cannot function properly. Therefore, the failure of one member is the imperfection of the whole Body. For the Body to be perfect again, that imperfection must be made perfect.
There are a few ways of potentially perfecting the Body...or destroying it further. One would be to wait for the member to realize its own imperfection while the others grumble over the fault of that member. This would lead to a disconcerted bunch of unhappy members, which would bring about more imperfect members. Another way would be to patiently wait for the imperfect member to perfect itself. The best way would be for all the other members to help the imperfect member back on its feet.
If the first way were to be taken, the result would be a totally dysfunctional Body. The imperfection will spread from one to the next because of the criticism each has on another. Ultimately, nothing will be resolved and the Body will be worse off than before. If the other members were to wait for the imperfect member to realize its hindrance on the whole Body, how long would they have to wait? What if the imperfect member never thought it was imperfect? The problem may never be resolved. If all the members would pray for that one imperfect member, the result will be picture perfect. The imperfect member won't have to receive harsh criticisms from its fellow members. It wouldn't have to live in total oblivion of its imperfection. The whole Body would be perfected in no time, because 'where two or three are gathered together in [God's] name, [He is] there in the midst of them' (Mt. 18:20). God will hear our prayers because our goal is to be the perfect Body of Christ for His glory.
Instead of criticisms, we should strive to pray for those who are lacking. Instead of thinking ill of the proud, we should pray for God's mercy to shower upon them. Instead of labeling someone a 'non-zealous member', we should pray for their return to God's calling. Instead of spreading the family problems of others, we should show our love toward them and pray for God to comfort their hearts. Instead of calling someone incapable, we should ask God to strengthen them. Instead of giving up on someone, we should pray for God's love to touch their spirit. We are but one member of the Body of Christ, but if we start to do our part in intercession, others will follow. Just as the bad virus spreads, the love we have for the souls of others will also spread, for the better.
Wednesday, April 02, 2003
Romans 9:29
"Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, We would have become like Sodom, And we would have been made like Gomorrah." (Romans 9:29)
We often forget that we are under the mercy of God. If we were to remember it constantly, then there would be no problems of pride. After all, everything is possible because God had it that way. Is there something that we possess which is not given by God? If the answer is no, then where's all the boasting coming from? God gave us life and everything that composes it because He loves us. Only becuase He loves us did he leave us that 'seed'.
Before the 'seed' was sent to us, the sinners were destroyed brutally by the wrath of God. The earth destroyed by the flood because of all the weakedness that filled the entire land (Gen 6). Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by a rain of brimstone and fire because of their depravity (Gen 19). Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron were consumed by the profane fire they offered without the Lord's command (Lev 10). The adulterer and adulteress were put to death (Lev 20). The basphemers of the name of the Lord were stoned to death (Lev 24). Achan was stoned and burned along with his family because he took the accursed thing (Joshua 7). The list goes on...
The point is, we are living under the grace of God while our ancestors lived in the wrath of God. The 'seed', that is Jesus Christ, was sent to us for the redemption of our iniquities. It gave us a chance at life when our end would've been death if Christ hasn't been sacrificed for our sake. Therefore, what have we to be proud of? We were saved from immediate death because someone died for us. Who can claim their credits when we would've been stoned to death without the grace of God? God said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy" (Rm 9:15). We have been the blessed ones to receive that mercy from God. Therefore, we must remember to give all the glory unto God and not to ourselves.
If we can remember that we are nothing without Christ, then we will remember to give all the credits to God for His glory. 'In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you' (1 Thess 5:18).
We often forget that we are under the mercy of God. If we were to remember it constantly, then there would be no problems of pride. After all, everything is possible because God had it that way. Is there something that we possess which is not given by God? If the answer is no, then where's all the boasting coming from? God gave us life and everything that composes it because He loves us. Only becuase He loves us did he leave us that 'seed'.
Before the 'seed' was sent to us, the sinners were destroyed brutally by the wrath of God. The earth destroyed by the flood because of all the weakedness that filled the entire land (Gen 6). Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by a rain of brimstone and fire because of their depravity (Gen 19). Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron were consumed by the profane fire they offered without the Lord's command (Lev 10). The adulterer and adulteress were put to death (Lev 20). The basphemers of the name of the Lord were stoned to death (Lev 24). Achan was stoned and burned along with his family because he took the accursed thing (Joshua 7). The list goes on...
The point is, we are living under the grace of God while our ancestors lived in the wrath of God. The 'seed', that is Jesus Christ, was sent to us for the redemption of our iniquities. It gave us a chance at life when our end would've been death if Christ hasn't been sacrificed for our sake. Therefore, what have we to be proud of? We were saved from immediate death because someone died for us. Who can claim their credits when we would've been stoned to death without the grace of God? God said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy" (Rm 9:15). We have been the blessed ones to receive that mercy from God. Therefore, we must remember to give all the glory unto God and not to ourselves.
If we can remember that we are nothing without Christ, then we will remember to give all the credits to God for His glory. 'In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you' (1 Thess 5:18).
Tuesday, April 01, 2003
"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death...Therefore, brethren, we are debtors--not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." (Romans 8:2, 12, 13)
As a repeating theme in Romans, 'Jesus has made [us] free from the law of sin and death' (8:2). However, can that verse stand alone? Just as we have previously discussed that unless we take the initiative to accept faith, we will not be justified. These verses remind us that even after taking initiative to accept faith, we are not guaranteed a sure justification. It is only after living according to the Spirit that we can 'put to death the deeds of the body' (13).
Even though we may possess the Spirit of God, it doesn't mean that we actually 'live according to the Spirit' (5). Having the Spirit dwell in us will 'give life to [our] mortal bodies' (11), but it doesn't guarantee us eternal life. It only give us a chance at true life. The concept can be likened to being accepted into a college of our choice, we are not guaranteed to graduated unless we do our part and study. Only if we set our minds to study and pass the classes are we in contention of the degree we seek after. 'Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit' (5). Therefore, only if we set our minds on the things of the Spirit are we able to overcome our fleshly desires and walk on the path God has opened for us. Only then, do we have a chance at Salvation.
The fountain of Salvation has indeed been opened. It is for us to take freely. However, it doesn't come without effort on our part. God has done His part by sending His only begotten Son to sacrifice for our iniquities. Now is it up to us to finish up the journey and obtain that 'certificate' of Salvation.
As a repeating theme in Romans, 'Jesus has made [us] free from the law of sin and death' (8:2). However, can that verse stand alone? Just as we have previously discussed that unless we take the initiative to accept faith, we will not be justified. These verses remind us that even after taking initiative to accept faith, we are not guaranteed a sure justification. It is only after living according to the Spirit that we can 'put to death the deeds of the body' (13).
Even though we may possess the Spirit of God, it doesn't mean that we actually 'live according to the Spirit' (5). Having the Spirit dwell in us will 'give life to [our] mortal bodies' (11), but it doesn't guarantee us eternal life. It only give us a chance at true life. The concept can be likened to being accepted into a college of our choice, we are not guaranteed to graduated unless we do our part and study. Only if we set our minds to study and pass the classes are we in contention of the degree we seek after. 'Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit' (5). Therefore, only if we set our minds on the things of the Spirit are we able to overcome our fleshly desires and walk on the path God has opened for us. Only then, do we have a chance at Salvation.
The fountain of Salvation has indeed been opened. It is for us to take freely. However, it doesn't come without effort on our part. God has done His part by sending His only begotten Son to sacrifice for our iniquities. Now is it up to us to finish up the journey and obtain that 'certificate' of Salvation.
"For I delight in the law(1) of God according to the inward man. But I see another law(2) in my members, warring against the law(1) of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law(2) of sin which is in my members." (Romans 7:22,23)
It seems as if Paul is playing word games with us by the use of the word 'law' in almost the entire book of Romans. It's amazing how one single word can mean totally opposite things. Hence, we must be very careful in interpreting what we read. Otherwise, a concept that totally makes sense may seem conflicting. This verse would pose for a perfect example.
Excuse my labeling of the word 'law', but I did it to help myself out in keeping the meaning of the word straight. There is obviously two meanings to the word 'law' mentioned in this verse. 'Law(1)' would be the law we are to keep and supposed to keep. 'Law(2)' is the law within our carnal bodies that disrupts us from keeping 'law(1)'. We know in our mind that we must keep the law of God, however our flesh is weak. It is only with Jesus Christ that we are able to 'serve the law of God' (7:25).
If we know what is right but don't do it, then sin is the culprit. 'For when we were in the flesh, the passions of sins which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death' (5). The only one able to overcome sin is Jesus, since He already taken up all the sin we have upon His shoulders. Therefore, after having died with Christ, 'we should serve in the newness of the Spirit' (6). Through the strenght of the Holy Spirit, we have the power to renew ourselves in order to fight with the law in our members. With our determination we can defeat the carnal weakness that taunts us day in and day out. Even if our flesh is weak, '[we] can do all things through Christ who strengthens [us]' (Phil 4:13).
It seems as if Paul is playing word games with us by the use of the word 'law' in almost the entire book of Romans. It's amazing how one single word can mean totally opposite things. Hence, we must be very careful in interpreting what we read. Otherwise, a concept that totally makes sense may seem conflicting. This verse would pose for a perfect example.
Excuse my labeling of the word 'law', but I did it to help myself out in keeping the meaning of the word straight. There is obviously two meanings to the word 'law' mentioned in this verse. 'Law(1)' would be the law we are to keep and supposed to keep. 'Law(2)' is the law within our carnal bodies that disrupts us from keeping 'law(1)'. We know in our mind that we must keep the law of God, however our flesh is weak. It is only with Jesus Christ that we are able to 'serve the law of God' (7:25).
If we know what is right but don't do it, then sin is the culprit. 'For when we were in the flesh, the passions of sins which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death' (5). The only one able to overcome sin is Jesus, since He already taken up all the sin we have upon His shoulders. Therefore, after having died with Christ, 'we should serve in the newness of the Spirit' (6). Through the strenght of the Holy Spirit, we have the power to renew ourselves in order to fight with the law in our members. With our determination we can defeat the carnal weakness that taunts us day in and day out. Even if our flesh is weak, '[we] can do all things through Christ who strengthens [us]' (Phil 4:13).
Friday, March 28, 2003
"For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." (Romans 7:22,23)
I have yet to fully make sense of this verse at this hour, so....this will be work in progress.
I have yet to fully make sense of this verse at this hour, so....this will be work in progress.
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" (Romans 6:1,2)
It's funny how we can excuse something so severe as sin while not tolerating ourselves to fall backwards in our life advancements. Once a person becomes a millionaire, it's hard to fall back to being just middle class. It is deemed as shameful and self-degrading. One would start to avoid the topic with the group of elite friends. However, how long can one keep that up when one cannot afford to dine at a five-star restaurant anymore?
Have we never considered that we might be in that elite class? We are the children of the Kings of kings and Lord of lords. We are part of the top elite class. 'We were buried with Him through baptism,' (Rm 6:4) 'united together in the likeness of His death,' (5) 'our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin' (6). God has taken us out of that life in the dump into His kingdom. We are transformed from dirt to refined gold in Christ.
Now that we are part of the elite class, why go back to the old life in the slum? Do we feel no shame associating with sin that we would've easily avoided if it were a rundown filthy house in the ghettos? Would we have chosen to live in the dirty house when we can live in a nice neighborhood? Why choose to present ourselves 'as instruments of unrighteousness to sin' when we can present our 'members as instruments of righteousness to God' (13)? Why is it ok to let 'sin have dominion over [us]' (14), when it's unheard of to have our subordinates order us around? Are we above sin or does sin reign over us? We know the right answer, but do we live for the true benefits?
The 'benefits' of living in the slum are unheard of, unless of course you consider filthy places a benefit. The benefits of being in high society are many. It gets us things that our hearts desire. It gives us a sense of accomplishment. It gives us something to be proud of. Hence, we pursue a comfortable life. The reward of sin is death. However, A life with God will give us 'fruit to holiness' and 'the end, everlasting life' (22). Why don't we pursue that gift from God that's even better than a comfortable life on earth? Who would want to trade a piece of diamond for a glop of mud? Who would want to trade everlasting life for death? When are we going to live a non-contradictory life to show where our heart truly lies? We cannot hate filth and love it at the same time. 'The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord' (23). So, what's it gonna be?
It's funny how we can excuse something so severe as sin while not tolerating ourselves to fall backwards in our life advancements. Once a person becomes a millionaire, it's hard to fall back to being just middle class. It is deemed as shameful and self-degrading. One would start to avoid the topic with the group of elite friends. However, how long can one keep that up when one cannot afford to dine at a five-star restaurant anymore?
Have we never considered that we might be in that elite class? We are the children of the Kings of kings and Lord of lords. We are part of the top elite class. 'We were buried with Him through baptism,' (Rm 6:4) 'united together in the likeness of His death,' (5) 'our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin' (6). God has taken us out of that life in the dump into His kingdom. We are transformed from dirt to refined gold in Christ.
Now that we are part of the elite class, why go back to the old life in the slum? Do we feel no shame associating with sin that we would've easily avoided if it were a rundown filthy house in the ghettos? Would we have chosen to live in the dirty house when we can live in a nice neighborhood? Why choose to present ourselves 'as instruments of unrighteousness to sin' when we can present our 'members as instruments of righteousness to God' (13)? Why is it ok to let 'sin have dominion over [us]' (14), when it's unheard of to have our subordinates order us around? Are we above sin or does sin reign over us? We know the right answer, but do we live for the true benefits?
The 'benefits' of living in the slum are unheard of, unless of course you consider filthy places a benefit. The benefits of being in high society are many. It gets us things that our hearts desire. It gives us a sense of accomplishment. It gives us something to be proud of. Hence, we pursue a comfortable life. The reward of sin is death. However, A life with God will give us 'fruit to holiness' and 'the end, everlasting life' (22). Why don't we pursue that gift from God that's even better than a comfortable life on earth? Who would want to trade a piece of diamond for a glop of mud? Who would want to trade everlasting life for death? When are we going to live a non-contradictory life to show where our heart truly lies? We cannot hate filth and love it at the same time. 'The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord' (23). So, what's it gonna be?
"through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:2)
Romans is just full of one liners that other denominations cling to as their sole belief to Salvation, and this one is no exception. A more popular and familiar twin to this verse may be 'for by grace you have been saved through faith' in Ephesians 2:8. These verses although comforting, are for the most part, easily misused. These verses are paradise to those too lazy to find out the whole doctrine of Salvation, or those so naive to believe that God only spoke one line in the entire Bible concerning Salvation.
Ok, even if they did read just that one line, is the whole line read or just the part that sounds pleasing? Yes, it does say 'for by grace you have been saved,' but it also continues on to say 'through faith'. Doesn't anyone ever wonder what 'through faith' means? Is faith something you never have to work at to possess? Do they believe that everyone is born with faith, therefore, we are directly saved by grace? As I have already shared in my reflection for chapter four, faith doesn't come without effort. It is something we constantly work at to perfect.
Now, going back to 'by grace you have been saved'. 'We have access by faith into this grace,' meaning we must first have faith to receive grace. So, after exercising the steps to perfect faith, what's next? Does anybody ever wonder what 'by grace' means? Does it mean we sit idly for grace to fall on our lap? Is grace really something that's freely given? And yes, we are 'being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus' (Rm 3:24). Does that give us a green 'GO!' to be idle and receive salvation? Haven't anyone heard of the cliché, "there is no free lunch"? Even if there is 'free lunch', we got to get up and go get it. Grace may not have a monetary value, but nothing falls on our lap without some effort. What have we done to receive that grace which was already given to us freely?
Abraham put his own life in the hands of God and migrated out the comfort of his homeland. Moses realized his place was with God and His people and gave up the luxurious palace life. Joseph persisted in trusting God even while he was imprisoned. David upheld the principles of God even while Saul pursued his life. Elijah trusted that God would provide for him even in the time of drought. Stephen was martyred because he was 'full of faith and power' (Acts 6:8) in God. James was killed by Herod because he belonged to the church of God. Paul was stoned for giving glory to God. What have we done to confirm our faith is with God?
Grace has been freely given, have we made an effort to receive it?
Romans is just full of one liners that other denominations cling to as their sole belief to Salvation, and this one is no exception. A more popular and familiar twin to this verse may be 'for by grace you have been saved through faith' in Ephesians 2:8. These verses although comforting, are for the most part, easily misused. These verses are paradise to those too lazy to find out the whole doctrine of Salvation, or those so naive to believe that God only spoke one line in the entire Bible concerning Salvation.
Ok, even if they did read just that one line, is the whole line read or just the part that sounds pleasing? Yes, it does say 'for by grace you have been saved,' but it also continues on to say 'through faith'. Doesn't anyone ever wonder what 'through faith' means? Is faith something you never have to work at to possess? Do they believe that everyone is born with faith, therefore, we are directly saved by grace? As I have already shared in my reflection for chapter four, faith doesn't come without effort. It is something we constantly work at to perfect.
Now, going back to 'by grace you have been saved'. 'We have access by faith into this grace,' meaning we must first have faith to receive grace. So, after exercising the steps to perfect faith, what's next? Does anybody ever wonder what 'by grace' means? Does it mean we sit idly for grace to fall on our lap? Is grace really something that's freely given? And yes, we are 'being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus' (Rm 3:24). Does that give us a green 'GO!' to be idle and receive salvation? Haven't anyone heard of the cliché, "there is no free lunch"? Even if there is 'free lunch', we got to get up and go get it. Grace may not have a monetary value, but nothing falls on our lap without some effort. What have we done to receive that grace which was already given to us freely?
Abraham put his own life in the hands of God and migrated out the comfort of his homeland. Moses realized his place was with God and His people and gave up the luxurious palace life. Joseph persisted in trusting God even while he was imprisoned. David upheld the principles of God even while Saul pursued his life. Elijah trusted that God would provide for him even in the time of drought. Stephen was martyred because he was 'full of faith and power' (Acts 6:8) in God. James was killed by Herod because he belonged to the church of God. Paul was stoned for giving glory to God. What have we done to confirm our faith is with God?
Grace has been freely given, have we made an effort to receive it?
Thursday, March 27, 2003
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
"It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification." (Romans 4:24, 25)
We can only be justified because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. Jesus was only raised 'because of our justification' (4:25). Even then, it does not guarantee us a sure justification, since it is THROUGH faith that we are justified. Therefore, we must take the initiative to have that faith which leads to justification. This is likened to applying for college. We are accepted through an application. Therefore, we must take the initiative to fill out that application. Failure in taking the initiative to fill it out will deny us any chance of acceptance. Not having that faith will deny us any chance of being justified.
First, let us clarify the purpose of being justified. Even though the discussion of sanctification hasn't been mentioned, we all know that justification leads to sanctification. In layman's terms, the purpose is to enter the Kingdom of God, to be sanctified as one of the heavenly inhabitants, and live eternally. With that said, how can we achieve that goal? In hopes of trying to explain the path to salvation, the story of the man born blind from gospel John can be used as an analogy.
"Now as Jesus passes by, He saw a man who was blind from birth...When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam". So he went and washed, and came back seeing. Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?"...they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I received sight." (John 9:1,6-8,10,11)
A simple passage such as this shows us the clear steps toward receiving the blessing from God, which can be extended to the obtaining of salvation.
1) Humble acceptance - He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay (The man heard Jesus spat but never said to Jesus, "What are you doing putting your nasty saliva on my eye," he simply let Jesus do His thing even though it was out of the ordinary.)
2) Followed without complaint - So he went and washed (The man never complained to Jesus, "Why are you making me walk, haven't you noticed that I'm blind?" He simply did as he was told without a word.)
3) Glorifying God - A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes (When asked what happened to him, he proclaimed the Name of the His benefactor without hesitation.)
4) Blessed Result - So I went and washed, and I received sight (By accepting the way of Jesus without a word, the blind man was able to receive sight.)
The journey from having faith to receiving eternal life can be summarized in the four steps mentioned above. It is only with humble acceptance that we are even able to get glimpse of who God is. With that initial step, we give ourselves the chance to understand the ways of God. Through further digging, we come to realize that God's ways don't always synchronize with human ways, such as the way of receiving the Holy Spirit. It is only by following without complaint that we are able to really experience God.
To know something and to act on it are two totally different things. Knowing the way of receiving the Holy Spirit doesn't mean accepting it. To actually kneel down and pray for the Holy Spirit, however, means that someone believes in it enough to try it. It takes a lot of humility and trust in order to kneel down without question and pray in a silly way. After knowing that God is true through the experiences we have with Him, we are able to share it with others. We must never be ashamed to proclaim His Name and His blessings. To deny Him His glory is like taking credit for someone else's work. It is not only degrading, it is shameful. In all things, we must give glory to the One above.
In order to have faith in something, we must understand the purpose of our belief. We can build our faith toward God through 1) accepting Christ, 2) studying God's Words to better understand Him, 3) following His commandments without question, and 4) giving all the credits and glory to God. It is only when we truly have faith and understand what faith encompasses of, are we able to be justified through faith.
We can only be justified because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. Jesus was only raised 'because of our justification' (4:25). Even then, it does not guarantee us a sure justification, since it is THROUGH faith that we are justified. Therefore, we must take the initiative to have that faith which leads to justification. This is likened to applying for college. We are accepted through an application. Therefore, we must take the initiative to fill out that application. Failure in taking the initiative to fill it out will deny us any chance of acceptance. Not having that faith will deny us any chance of being justified.
First, let us clarify the purpose of being justified. Even though the discussion of sanctification hasn't been mentioned, we all know that justification leads to sanctification. In layman's terms, the purpose is to enter the Kingdom of God, to be sanctified as one of the heavenly inhabitants, and live eternally. With that said, how can we achieve that goal? In hopes of trying to explain the path to salvation, the story of the man born blind from gospel John can be used as an analogy.
"Now as Jesus passes by, He saw a man who was blind from birth...When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam". So he went and washed, and came back seeing. Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?"...they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I received sight." (John 9:1,6-8,10,11)
A simple passage such as this shows us the clear steps toward receiving the blessing from God, which can be extended to the obtaining of salvation.
1) Humble acceptance - He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay (The man heard Jesus spat but never said to Jesus, "What are you doing putting your nasty saliva on my eye," he simply let Jesus do His thing even though it was out of the ordinary.)
2) Followed without complaint - So he went and washed (The man never complained to Jesus, "Why are you making me walk, haven't you noticed that I'm blind?" He simply did as he was told without a word.)
3) Glorifying God - A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes (When asked what happened to him, he proclaimed the Name of the His benefactor without hesitation.)
4) Blessed Result - So I went and washed, and I received sight (By accepting the way of Jesus without a word, the blind man was able to receive sight.)
The journey from having faith to receiving eternal life can be summarized in the four steps mentioned above. It is only with humble acceptance that we are even able to get glimpse of who God is. With that initial step, we give ourselves the chance to understand the ways of God. Through further digging, we come to realize that God's ways don't always synchronize with human ways, such as the way of receiving the Holy Spirit. It is only by following without complaint that we are able to really experience God.
To know something and to act on it are two totally different things. Knowing the way of receiving the Holy Spirit doesn't mean accepting it. To actually kneel down and pray for the Holy Spirit, however, means that someone believes in it enough to try it. It takes a lot of humility and trust in order to kneel down without question and pray in a silly way. After knowing that God is true through the experiences we have with Him, we are able to share it with others. We must never be ashamed to proclaim His Name and His blessings. To deny Him His glory is like taking credit for someone else's work. It is not only degrading, it is shameful. In all things, we must give glory to the One above.
In order to have faith in something, we must understand the purpose of our belief. We can build our faith toward God through 1) accepting Christ, 2) studying God's Words to better understand Him, 3) following His commandments without question, and 4) giving all the credits and glory to God. It is only when we truly have faith and understand what faith encompasses of, are we able to be justified through faith.
Sunday, March 23, 2003
"But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? Certainly not!...Where is boasting then? It is excluded...man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law...since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law." (Romans 3:5,6,27,28,30,31)
This chapter is certainly a confusion if read without much thought. With some focus, however, some main ideas can be gathered. With first glance, it may seem unfair that God should inflict wrath upon those who demonstrate righteously. As the chapter unfolds, it is clear that the message is that we are not justified by deeds alone but by 'grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus' (Rm 3:24). And it is up to God's Sovereignty whether He chooses to inflict His wrath because under the law, 'there is none righteous' (10).
The law encourages good deeds, on the contrary, the chapter quotes that 'man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law' (28). By looking at this verse, it is easy to omit the rest of the Bible and proclaim that no matter what our deeds may be, we will be justified by faith alone. Many denominations claim that all their wrongdoings will be overlooked because of this verse. However, they fail to read further that 'through faith...we establish the law' (31). This translates to: Because of our belief in Christ, we go on to perform the good deeds. Therefore, the 'deeds of the law' (28) are a part of our 'faith in Jesus' (26) and not something to be omitted.
The conclusion to this 'totallay contradictory' but yet non-contradictory chapter would be to keep the deeds of the law because 'eternal life [will be] to those who by patient continuance in doing good...' (2:7). Yes, even though we are not directly justified by good deeds, Jesus exhorts us to 'let [our] light so shine before men, that they may see [our] good works and glorify your Father in heaven.' (Mt. 5:16). Having good works is an extension of our faith in Christ, therefore, 'those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works' (Titus 3:8). Just as sacrifice is part of the love Christ gave to us, the good deeds we perform is wholly because of our firm faith in God. Therefore, even though we are not justified by our good deeds only, those deeds will be counted in the eyes of God if we do it for the purpose of glorifying Him.
This chapter is certainly a confusion if read without much thought. With some focus, however, some main ideas can be gathered. With first glance, it may seem unfair that God should inflict wrath upon those who demonstrate righteously. As the chapter unfolds, it is clear that the message is that we are not justified by deeds alone but by 'grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus' (Rm 3:24). And it is up to God's Sovereignty whether He chooses to inflict His wrath because under the law, 'there is none righteous' (10).
The law encourages good deeds, on the contrary, the chapter quotes that 'man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law' (28). By looking at this verse, it is easy to omit the rest of the Bible and proclaim that no matter what our deeds may be, we will be justified by faith alone. Many denominations claim that all their wrongdoings will be overlooked because of this verse. However, they fail to read further that 'through faith...we establish the law' (31). This translates to: Because of our belief in Christ, we go on to perform the good deeds. Therefore, the 'deeds of the law' (28) are a part of our 'faith in Jesus' (26) and not something to be omitted.
The conclusion to this 'totallay contradictory' but yet non-contradictory chapter would be to keep the deeds of the law because 'eternal life [will be] to those who by patient continuance in doing good...' (2:7). Yes, even though we are not directly justified by good deeds, Jesus exhorts us to 'let [our] light so shine before men, that they may see [our] good works and glorify your Father in heaven.' (Mt. 5:16). Having good works is an extension of our faith in Christ, therefore, 'those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works' (Titus 3:8). Just as sacrifice is part of the love Christ gave to us, the good deeds we perform is wholly because of our firm faith in God. Therefore, even though we are not justified by our good deeds only, those deeds will be counted in the eyes of God if we do it for the purpose of glorifying Him.
Friday, March 21, 2003
"For 'The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,' as it is written." (Romans 2:24)
Although this verse was formerly quoted in Isaiah and Ezekiel referring to the Jews, it should serve as an eye-opener for the present time believers. Today, the term 'Gentiles' tend to mean those who have not found the true gospel. For those of us who were blessed by God to understand the true doctrine, we no longer refer to ourselves as 'Gentiles'. Therefore, the verse would apply to us just as much as it applied to the Jews when it was first spoken.
With that said, this quote is telling us that we are committing a huge crime worthy of the death penalty; and this is not just one of Texas' death penalties, this is the penalty from God. However, from a more positive light Paul stated:
"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 4:26-29)
Why should we choose to be the stumbling block for the Gentiles when we are the heirs of Christ? Why should we be the reason people reject God when we can be the reason that they come to know God? Instead of rejecting God in our daily lives, we need to remember to live out a Christ-like life. Instead of being ashamed to say grace in the company of our friends, we should be honored that we understand the love from God. Instead of whispering "True Jesus Chuch" when asked which church we belong to, we should proclaim boldly because God chose us. However, this is only half the battle.
Our walk with God is a process. The beginning of our faith is being able to trust in our belief. After understanding the profound Words of God, our belief slowly transforms to a conviction. That conviction is where we draw the energy when we can proclaim loudly that "I go to the True Jesus Church"!. However, belief and conviction will get us no where if it is not followed up by actions. The constant words of "faith without works is dead' (James 2:20) turns in our head. How many times do we stop to realize that those words apply to us and not others only. In order for the Gentiles not to blasphem the name of God, we must 'put on Christ' and 'be holy'. To prevail in our strive to perfection we must keep in mind that:
"In all things showing [ourself] to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of [us]" (Titus 2:7,8).
Although this verse was formerly quoted in Isaiah and Ezekiel referring to the Jews, it should serve as an eye-opener for the present time believers. Today, the term 'Gentiles' tend to mean those who have not found the true gospel. For those of us who were blessed by God to understand the true doctrine, we no longer refer to ourselves as 'Gentiles'. Therefore, the verse would apply to us just as much as it applied to the Jews when it was first spoken.
With that said, this quote is telling us that we are committing a huge crime worthy of the death penalty; and this is not just one of Texas' death penalties, this is the penalty from God. However, from a more positive light Paul stated:
"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 4:26-29)
Why should we choose to be the stumbling block for the Gentiles when we are the heirs of Christ? Why should we be the reason people reject God when we can be the reason that they come to know God? Instead of rejecting God in our daily lives, we need to remember to live out a Christ-like life. Instead of being ashamed to say grace in the company of our friends, we should be honored that we understand the love from God. Instead of whispering "True Jesus Chuch" when asked which church we belong to, we should proclaim boldly because God chose us. However, this is only half the battle.
Our walk with God is a process. The beginning of our faith is being able to trust in our belief. After understanding the profound Words of God, our belief slowly transforms to a conviction. That conviction is where we draw the energy when we can proclaim loudly that "I go to the True Jesus Church"!. However, belief and conviction will get us no where if it is not followed up by actions. The constant words of "faith without works is dead' (James 2:20) turns in our head. How many times do we stop to realize that those words apply to us and not others only. In order for the Gentiles not to blasphem the name of God, we must 'put on Christ' and 'be holy'. To prevail in our strive to perfection we must keep in mind that:
"In all things showing [ourself] to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of [us]" (Titus 2:7,8).
Thursday, March 20, 2003
"Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed beast and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts or their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." (Romans 1:22-25)
The mere mention of God's disowning of the people should serve as a red flashing lightbulb warning us of danger. We may ask ourselves, "Isn't that the same God who left the ninety-nine sheep to seek for the one that is straying"? Isn't the Love of God great? And yes, it was the same God who gave Adam and Eve a chance to turn back; the same Jesus who gave Judas countless times to reconsider his plan. However, the results?
We all know the tragic ending to the stories of Adam & Eve and Judas. These stories should serve as reminders to ourselves not to take advantage of the Love of God. Yes, it is important to emphasize the Love of God; however, it is for a different purpose than this. The Love of God is to remind us of our duties toward God, not how much we can go on before God's wrath turns against us. The Love of God is a reminder of how we should lead our lives in the world in order to glorify God. The Love of God was never meant to be taken advantage of and trampled on. We should never forget that the Justice of God is the other side of the coin.
There is 'the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to [the] gospel' (Rm 2:16). The day when it doesn't matter even if we are the chosen ones of God. The day when it doesn't matter even if we were NOT unrighteous in the eyes of God. On that day, only 'the just shall live by faith' (1:17). We will only be regarded for our righteousness and not our unrighteousness. There are no degrees of being righteous, we are either righteous or we are not; we are either going to heaven or we are not. Therefore, turn back while we are still under the mercy of God. Turn back before the wrath of God pours upon us. Turn back...
The mere mention of God's disowning of the people should serve as a red flashing lightbulb warning us of danger. We may ask ourselves, "Isn't that the same God who left the ninety-nine sheep to seek for the one that is straying"? Isn't the Love of God great? And yes, it was the same God who gave Adam and Eve a chance to turn back; the same Jesus who gave Judas countless times to reconsider his plan. However, the results?
We all know the tragic ending to the stories of Adam & Eve and Judas. These stories should serve as reminders to ourselves not to take advantage of the Love of God. Yes, it is important to emphasize the Love of God; however, it is for a different purpose than this. The Love of God is to remind us of our duties toward God, not how much we can go on before God's wrath turns against us. The Love of God is a reminder of how we should lead our lives in the world in order to glorify God. The Love of God was never meant to be taken advantage of and trampled on. We should never forget that the Justice of God is the other side of the coin.
There is 'the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to [the] gospel' (Rm 2:16). The day when it doesn't matter even if we are the chosen ones of God. The day when it doesn't matter even if we were NOT unrighteous in the eyes of God. On that day, only 'the just shall live by faith' (1:17). We will only be regarded for our righteousness and not our unrighteousness. There are no degrees of being righteous, we are either righteous or we are not; we are either going to heaven or we are not. Therefore, turn back while we are still under the mercy of God. Turn back before the wrath of God pours upon us. Turn back...
Wednesday, March 19, 2003
"And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." (Heb 10:24, 25)
There are many verses in the Bible exhorting us to unit and assemble together with our fellow brethren. I believe that God encourages us to do that for many reasons. He knows that we will need support during our lifetime journey. Not only that, He has provided us companions and fellow workers to aid in our good works for Him. On top of all that, He wants us to unit so that we may be separated as different from the corruptions of this world.
During our spiritual journey, there are bound to be times of ups and downs in our faith. It is during those troughs that we need our brethren to pull us up. During those good times, it is our turn to look after those weaker than us. The see-saw effect will continue to take place until we all reach perfection and balance off. However, before that occurs, God has placed people around us to help us and exhort us.
It is also important that we aid each other in the works of God. We are all given different gifts and function as different vessels in the body of Christ. If we can congregate our talents together, there is no telling what great things God have in store for us. God also wants us to 'consider one another', meaning give one another a chance in being part of the team. Sometimes we may discriminate against certain people believing they have no talent in a certain area. If we've never give them a chance, how are we able to judge what God has blessed them with? In many cases, people just need to be included before they feel comfortable performing a task. Not many try to appear puffy by telling everyone what they are capable of doing. So when we fail to include new comers or even people we've neglected, the church may be missing out on those talents that have been dormant waiting to be awakened.
Lastly, in order for us to stay strong in Christ, we must unit as one. If we scatter among ourselves, there is no reason why unbelievers should join in our congregation. An army of a thousand is much stronger than that of just one man. In order for us to fight the spiritual battle with Satan, we must unit under one mind and one heart to strive for that one goal. A split of mind among ourselves only shows those observing afar that we are not concrete in our own faith. A lack of harmony only appears as a disconcerted crowd. In no way will we ever exhibit the love of Christ or be an example for Christ unless we assemble ourselves together.
In loving and exhorting one another, we are able to unit together under Christ. Through our comrades we are able to draw strength. With the help of our companions we are able to do greater things for God. By exhibiting the love of Christ, we will be able to draw the unbelievers to Him. May we all remember the importance of a strong bond within ourselves and look to God for the strength to unit us as one body just as Christ is one body
There are many verses in the Bible exhorting us to unit and assemble together with our fellow brethren. I believe that God encourages us to do that for many reasons. He knows that we will need support during our lifetime journey. Not only that, He has provided us companions and fellow workers to aid in our good works for Him. On top of all that, He wants us to unit so that we may be separated as different from the corruptions of this world.
During our spiritual journey, there are bound to be times of ups and downs in our faith. It is during those troughs that we need our brethren to pull us up. During those good times, it is our turn to look after those weaker than us. The see-saw effect will continue to take place until we all reach perfection and balance off. However, before that occurs, God has placed people around us to help us and exhort us.
It is also important that we aid each other in the works of God. We are all given different gifts and function as different vessels in the body of Christ. If we can congregate our talents together, there is no telling what great things God have in store for us. God also wants us to 'consider one another', meaning give one another a chance in being part of the team. Sometimes we may discriminate against certain people believing they have no talent in a certain area. If we've never give them a chance, how are we able to judge what God has blessed them with? In many cases, people just need to be included before they feel comfortable performing a task. Not many try to appear puffy by telling everyone what they are capable of doing. So when we fail to include new comers or even people we've neglected, the church may be missing out on those talents that have been dormant waiting to be awakened.
Lastly, in order for us to stay strong in Christ, we must unit as one. If we scatter among ourselves, there is no reason why unbelievers should join in our congregation. An army of a thousand is much stronger than that of just one man. In order for us to fight the spiritual battle with Satan, we must unit under one mind and one heart to strive for that one goal. A split of mind among ourselves only shows those observing afar that we are not concrete in our own faith. A lack of harmony only appears as a disconcerted crowd. In no way will we ever exhibit the love of Christ or be an example for Christ unless we assemble ourselves together.
In loving and exhorting one another, we are able to unit together under Christ. Through our comrades we are able to draw strength. With the help of our companions we are able to do greater things for God. By exhibiting the love of Christ, we will be able to draw the unbelievers to Him. May we all remember the importance of a strong bond within ourselves and look to God for the strength to unit us as one body just as Christ is one body
Monday, March 17, 2003
"But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance." (Heb 9:7)
We all know that before the sacrifice of Christ, human beings weren't able to communicate with God directly. Only through the high priest were God's messages communicated, and as the verse stated, this happens only once a year. After the sacrifice was made on the Cross, the veil was torn and the barrier of communicate broken. We were able to come before God since Jesus has already made atonement for us through the sacrifice of His blood. Even though the blood of Jesus washed away our sins during baptism, we continue to sin with each day of our lives. Therefore, for us to continue to have a direct communication with God, we must first repent of our sins as the priest repented the sins of the people and himself before communicating with God.
Even though Christ has opened the channel of direct contact with God, our prayers are not able to reach Him unless the spiritual barrier we have between us and God is removed. That barrier keeps building up as we continue to sin. If we fail to confess our sins, even the ones we 'committed in ignorance', before each communication with God, our prayers will go unanswered. Even though we won't be physically struck to death as a high priest might if he failed to atone for the sins of the people and himself, we will be spiritually dead because our unrepented sins are filled to the brim. Maybe we wonder why God has been neglecting us in our prayers, but have we remembered to offer up our sacrifice before we communicate with Him? Maybe it wasn't God who wasn't listening, rather it was us who created that noisy static. God is already ready to hear our prayers, He "walks in the midst of [our] camp, to deliver [us]...; therefore [our] camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among [us], and turn away from [us] (Deut. 23:14). May we always remember to clear that barrier and offer up that spiritual sacrifice before our tete-a-tete with God.
We all know that before the sacrifice of Christ, human beings weren't able to communicate with God directly. Only through the high priest were God's messages communicated, and as the verse stated, this happens only once a year. After the sacrifice was made on the Cross, the veil was torn and the barrier of communicate broken. We were able to come before God since Jesus has already made atonement for us through the sacrifice of His blood. Even though the blood of Jesus washed away our sins during baptism, we continue to sin with each day of our lives. Therefore, for us to continue to have a direct communication with God, we must first repent of our sins as the priest repented the sins of the people and himself before communicating with God.
Even though Christ has opened the channel of direct contact with God, our prayers are not able to reach Him unless the spiritual barrier we have between us and God is removed. That barrier keeps building up as we continue to sin. If we fail to confess our sins, even the ones we 'committed in ignorance', before each communication with God, our prayers will go unanswered. Even though we won't be physically struck to death as a high priest might if he failed to atone for the sins of the people and himself, we will be spiritually dead because our unrepented sins are filled to the brim. Maybe we wonder why God has been neglecting us in our prayers, but have we remembered to offer up our sacrifice before we communicate with Him? Maybe it wasn't God who wasn't listening, rather it was us who created that noisy static. God is already ready to hear our prayers, He "walks in the midst of [our] camp, to deliver [us]...; therefore [our] camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among [us], and turn away from [us] (Deut. 23:14). May we always remember to clear that barrier and offer up that spiritual sacrifice before our tete-a-tete with God.
Thursday, March 06, 2003
"For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." (Heb 5:13, 14)
The cliche, "Practice makes perfect", comes to mind as I read this verse. An amateur can never advance unless the basics of the trade is molded into a foundation, which in turn acts as the root of all practice. However, having the basics doesn't guarantee us a perfect practice unless we exercise our skills to good use through time. As we all know, the basics in consuming food comes in the form of swallowing. Before one learns to chew, one must learn to swallow so as not to choke on the food. It may sound like the process comes naturallly as a baby grows to a child, however, it still takes practice to perfect the semi-involuntary effort. Just as a baby is learning to walk, the first step is to exercise and build the leg muscles through crawling. Once the muscles are built and strong enough, the baby then tries to stand. The process eventually leads to a 'drunken' walk with occasional falls before it is perfected. Through daily practice, the baby acquires the natural process of walking.
Therefore, to perfect in the word of righteousness, we must utilize and practice it. Just as a babe learns to chew solid food, we must learn to use our foundation in the gospel to discern good and evil. And just how are we supposed to learn the art of discerning good from evil? Here the author states that "by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." Only through using the word of righteousness are we able to exercise our senses. We must meditate and use these words daily to strengthen our senses. The lack of use will desensitize us in discerning of good and evil, just as the lack of use of a bed-ridden patient's legs are no longer inclined to walking. The patient must relearn the once involuntary gesture. Therefore, to keep ourselves from decreasing back to the basics, we must use what we have often. Just as an English teacher advises that "once you learn a word and use it three times, it is yours", we must use the word of righteousness and make it part of us.
The cliche, "Practice makes perfect", comes to mind as I read this verse. An amateur can never advance unless the basics of the trade is molded into a foundation, which in turn acts as the root of all practice. However, having the basics doesn't guarantee us a perfect practice unless we exercise our skills to good use through time. As we all know, the basics in consuming food comes in the form of swallowing. Before one learns to chew, one must learn to swallow so as not to choke on the food. It may sound like the process comes naturallly as a baby grows to a child, however, it still takes practice to perfect the semi-involuntary effort. Just as a baby is learning to walk, the first step is to exercise and build the leg muscles through crawling. Once the muscles are built and strong enough, the baby then tries to stand. The process eventually leads to a 'drunken' walk with occasional falls before it is perfected. Through daily practice, the baby acquires the natural process of walking.
Therefore, to perfect in the word of righteousness, we must utilize and practice it. Just as a babe learns to chew solid food, we must learn to use our foundation in the gospel to discern good and evil. And just how are we supposed to learn the art of discerning good from evil? Here the author states that "by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." Only through using the word of righteousness are we able to exercise our senses. We must meditate and use these words daily to strengthen our senses. The lack of use will desensitize us in discerning of good and evil, just as the lack of use of a bed-ridden patient's legs are no longer inclined to walking. The patient must relearn the once involuntary gesture. Therefore, to keep ourselves from decreasing back to the basics, we must use what we have often. Just as an English teacher advises that "once you learn a word and use it three times, it is yours", we must use the word of righteousness and make it part of us.
Tuesday, March 04, 2003
"For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His." (Heb 4:10)
I think this trend of thought will be more of a technical than inspirational one. There are just too many implied pronouns in Hebrews. Everyone becomes 'he', whether it be Moses, Jesus, God, or human beings in geneal. However the 'he' in this verse was identified as 'the people of God' from the previous verse. We, who believed and are baptized, are defined as this 'he' mentioned. As many verses in the Bible could be taken at the physical or spiritual level, the message in this verse does not differ.
When 'rest' is mentioned, it takes on its physical meaning of the time we take off from the world on Sabbaths to attend worships. This is the time we dedicate to God and take a leave of absence from the world. To 'rest' on Sabbath doesn't mean we do no work. It simply means we separate ourselves from worldly matters and focus on the matters concerning God. Therefore, we still cook that one dish for pot luck love meal, wash dishes, mop the floor, take out the trash, etc...Jesus also upheld the performing of good deeds on Sabbath by healing a man with a withered hand when it was clearly unlawful (Mt. 12:10-13). However, this 'rest' is a temporary rest that we enjoy one day out of the seven day week.
The spiritual meaning of 'rest' is that eternal rest promised by God. When we obtain that eternal rest, we will be separate from this world. There will be no more worldly worries, no more work, and no more school. It is for that eternal rest that we strive for while we still live. When we enter that eternal rest, there will be no love meals to cook for, no trash to take out, no floors to mop, and no more dishes to wash. That rest is a true rest, a total rest from tasks of this world. Since we are still of this world, Sabbath is the closest we can get to that heaven on earth feeling. Let us take advantage of what God has established for us to enjoy, a rest under His wings.
I think this trend of thought will be more of a technical than inspirational one. There are just too many implied pronouns in Hebrews. Everyone becomes 'he', whether it be Moses, Jesus, God, or human beings in geneal. However the 'he' in this verse was identified as 'the people of God' from the previous verse. We, who believed and are baptized, are defined as this 'he' mentioned. As many verses in the Bible could be taken at the physical or spiritual level, the message in this verse does not differ.
When 'rest' is mentioned, it takes on its physical meaning of the time we take off from the world on Sabbaths to attend worships. This is the time we dedicate to God and take a leave of absence from the world. To 'rest' on Sabbath doesn't mean we do no work. It simply means we separate ourselves from worldly matters and focus on the matters concerning God. Therefore, we still cook that one dish for pot luck love meal, wash dishes, mop the floor, take out the trash, etc...Jesus also upheld the performing of good deeds on Sabbath by healing a man with a withered hand when it was clearly unlawful (Mt. 12:10-13). However, this 'rest' is a temporary rest that we enjoy one day out of the seven day week.
The spiritual meaning of 'rest' is that eternal rest promised by God. When we obtain that eternal rest, we will be separate from this world. There will be no more worldly worries, no more work, and no more school. It is for that eternal rest that we strive for while we still live. When we enter that eternal rest, there will be no love meals to cook for, no trash to take out, no floors to mop, and no more dishes to wash. That rest is a true rest, a total rest from tasks of this world. Since we are still of this world, Sabbath is the closest we can get to that heaven on earth feeling. Let us take advantage of what God has established for us to enjoy, a rest under His wings.
Monday, March 03, 2003
"For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end." (Heb 3:14)
Easier said than done. With that verse, I don't know how many people will become the partakers of Christ. There are many questions we can ask ourselves to reexamine our faith in God.
We often have spurts of zeal for God, but how often do those spurts last. Are they over by the time our growth spurt ends or do they persist on til' our skin sag?
It is true that God is always in the back of our mind, but why isn't He always in the 'front' of our minds?
Do we only think of God when trouble arises or is He a part of our daily decision making?
Do we cease to remember God's omnipotence when the period after a miracle prolongs?
It is fit then to mention the lesson given to the church of Ephesus, "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love." Have we left the first confidence we established in God while we were still ignorant? The church of Ephesus was cautioned by God to 'repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent.' Let us take heed of this caution as one that was given to us so that we may keep our lampstand when the time comes.
Easier said than done. With that verse, I don't know how many people will become the partakers of Christ. There are many questions we can ask ourselves to reexamine our faith in God.
We often have spurts of zeal for God, but how often do those spurts last. Are they over by the time our growth spurt ends or do they persist on til' our skin sag?
It is true that God is always in the back of our mind, but why isn't He always in the 'front' of our minds?
Do we only think of God when trouble arises or is He a part of our daily decision making?
Do we cease to remember God's omnipotence when the period after a miracle prolongs?
It is fit then to mention the lesson given to the church of Ephesus, "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love." Have we left the first confidence we established in God while we were still ignorant? The church of Ephesus was cautioned by God to 'repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent.' Let us take heed of this caution as one that was given to us so that we may keep our lampstand when the time comes.
Friday, February 28, 2003
I'm not sure how to classify chapter one, needless to say what verse was strikingly self applicable. Therefore, I think I'll have to leave that chapter as it is. As for the rest of Hebrew, I don't know how edifying I could be. I've read up til' ch. 4 and it's been more difficult to pin point thoughts than the Pauline letters.
"Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away." (Heb 2:1)
On a typical Sabbath, you see many people file into the chapel and take their respective seats that they have assigned for themselves since the beginning of time. During service, you observe many attentive ears listening to the inspired message from above. You see some sitting there in a daze, others squirming in their seats waiting for it to be over. Then you see a few writing frantically in their notebooks doing their best to capture every precious point made. That is not to say that these writers were better Christians than those who simply listened. The difference comes in whether the message heard is translated into something more.
The easy part comes in the listening. Everyone was created with two ears for listening. We can sit there and listen but hear only a noise in the background. In that case, nothing can be learned if nothing registered. We can sit there and hear the words being preached without much regard. As a result, we will hear the words in that moment and forget it by the time announcements are over. We can sit there and hear the words while we apply the message to our lives. In which case, we might agree by nodding or lower our heads in shame. In that scenario, we would have brought back something. However, that is not enough. Do we just acknowledge our lackings during that moment in time or are we bringing it home with us to improve ourselves? The utmost result of listening comes when we listen, hear, and execute.
To 'give more ernest heed to the things we have heard' encompasses paying attention to what we have heard. However, merely paying attention during that moment of speech doesn't guarantee that we will not 'drift away'. In order for us to be stable, what we have heard must always stay with us. When something 'stays' with us, it is manifested through our actions. We believe in God, therefore, we keep His commandments. The hearing of the commandments translates into 'I must do these things', which is manifested through our keeping of the Sabbath by attending church among other things. Likewise, when we hear the phrase 'be like Christ' and believe fully, our actions will show what we have learned.
In order for us to keep the commandments, we must first believe that it's essential to our faith that we keep them. Therefore, to 'take ernest heed' can also be translated into considering what you hear as something important, something you cannot do without. What we hear on the pulpit isn't merely a speech given by some chinese guy. It is the Words of God inspired by the Master Himself and only delivered through a vessel of God. Therefore, let us 'take ernest heed' to the Words spoken on the pulpit and carry it out in our daily lives so that we don't 'drift away'. James had it right on the money when he stated, "faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
In essence....
1. Listen and hear
2. Believe what we hear is essential to our faith
3. Practice what we have heard
"Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away." (Heb 2:1)
On a typical Sabbath, you see many people file into the chapel and take their respective seats that they have assigned for themselves since the beginning of time. During service, you observe many attentive ears listening to the inspired message from above. You see some sitting there in a daze, others squirming in their seats waiting for it to be over. Then you see a few writing frantically in their notebooks doing their best to capture every precious point made. That is not to say that these writers were better Christians than those who simply listened. The difference comes in whether the message heard is translated into something more.
The easy part comes in the listening. Everyone was created with two ears for listening. We can sit there and listen but hear only a noise in the background. In that case, nothing can be learned if nothing registered. We can sit there and hear the words being preached without much regard. As a result, we will hear the words in that moment and forget it by the time announcements are over. We can sit there and hear the words while we apply the message to our lives. In which case, we might agree by nodding or lower our heads in shame. In that scenario, we would have brought back something. However, that is not enough. Do we just acknowledge our lackings during that moment in time or are we bringing it home with us to improve ourselves? The utmost result of listening comes when we listen, hear, and execute.
To 'give more ernest heed to the things we have heard' encompasses paying attention to what we have heard. However, merely paying attention during that moment of speech doesn't guarantee that we will not 'drift away'. In order for us to be stable, what we have heard must always stay with us. When something 'stays' with us, it is manifested through our actions. We believe in God, therefore, we keep His commandments. The hearing of the commandments translates into 'I must do these things', which is manifested through our keeping of the Sabbath by attending church among other things. Likewise, when we hear the phrase 'be like Christ' and believe fully, our actions will show what we have learned.
In order for us to keep the commandments, we must first believe that it's essential to our faith that we keep them. Therefore, to 'take ernest heed' can also be translated into considering what you hear as something important, something you cannot do without. What we hear on the pulpit isn't merely a speech given by some chinese guy. It is the Words of God inspired by the Master Himself and only delivered through a vessel of God. Therefore, let us 'take ernest heed' to the Words spoken on the pulpit and carry it out in our daily lives so that we don't 'drift away'. James had it right on the money when he stated, "faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
In essence....
1. Listen and hear
2. Believe what we hear is essential to our faith
3. Practice what we have heard
Friday, January 24, 2003
acts 9
how someone is converted . . .
no contest: God is the One that attracts. however it was interesting how
perfectly Saul converted to Paul. i believe salvation is two-fold - it takes
the effort of an evangelist (worker of God) and also the good heart of
hearer of good news.
<10-11> now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to
him the Lord said in a vision, "Ananias." and he said, "here i am, Lord." so
the Lord said to him, "arise and go to the street called Straight, and
inquire at the house of judas for one called saul of tarsus, for behold, he
is praying."
everything was perfect - Ananias heard the Lord's voice, and Paul was
praying to the Lord. God's love is what brought these two men together that
day - the obedience of Ananias despite the possible hardship and the
humility of Paul to change from one extreme to another. today we can only
play the role of ananias (even tho sometimes we fall into the steps of
saul). ananias was called becuase he dwelt in damascas - probably not
becuase he is more mighty than others in jerusalem. however he had a heart
of obedience and trust, which is apparently enough - God handles the rest.
satan doesn't change . . .
just a few chapters back, Saul was the bad guy. he was the chief persecutor,
pulling people out of their homes if they called on the name of Jesus. he
grew notorious enough for Ananias to flinch when God mentioned Paul. "Lord,
i have heard from many about [saul], how much harm he has done to Your
saints in jerusalem. and here he has authority from the chief priests to
bind all who call on Your name." <13-14>
now, the enemy still exists even though paul was converted. satan never lets
down or gives up. now he used other jews to plot against Paul to kill him
<23>. so a lot of times, people in the church may seem to be an enemy of
God. however, people do change but Satan does not. therefore, we can never
judge a person for life or condemn them forever. everyone has their good
moments, and everyone has been a tool of satan at one point or another. i
think a lot of times, ppl miss who the enemy is - it's really a concept, not
an individual. it's satan and whatever he uses at the time - we wrestle
"against principalities, against powers, agasint the rulers of darkness of
this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
on the other hand, we are taught to love our neighbors as
ourselves.
barnabas did well.
how someone is converted . . .
no contest: God is the One that attracts. however it was interesting how
perfectly Saul converted to Paul. i believe salvation is two-fold - it takes
the effort of an evangelist (worker of God) and also the good heart of
hearer of good news.
<10-11> now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to
him the Lord said in a vision, "Ananias." and he said, "here i am, Lord." so
the Lord said to him, "arise and go to the street called Straight, and
inquire at the house of judas for one called saul of tarsus, for behold, he
is praying."
everything was perfect - Ananias heard the Lord's voice, and Paul was
praying to the Lord. God's love is what brought these two men together that
day - the obedience of Ananias despite the possible hardship and the
humility of Paul to change from one extreme to another. today we can only
play the role of ananias (even tho sometimes we fall into the steps of
saul). ananias was called becuase he dwelt in damascas - probably not
becuase he is more mighty than others in jerusalem. however he had a heart
of obedience and trust, which is apparently enough - God handles the rest.
satan doesn't change . . .
just a few chapters back, Saul was the bad guy. he was the chief persecutor,
pulling people out of their homes if they called on the name of Jesus. he
grew notorious enough for Ananias to flinch when God mentioned Paul. "Lord,
i have heard from many about [saul], how much harm he has done to Your
saints in jerusalem. and here he has authority from the chief priests to
bind all who call on Your name." <13-14>
now, the enemy still exists even though paul was converted. satan never lets
down or gives up. now he used other jews to plot against Paul to kill him
<23>. so a lot of times, people in the church may seem to be an enemy of
God. however, people do change but Satan does not. therefore, we can never
judge a person for life or condemn them forever. everyone has their good
moments, and everyone has been a tool of satan at one point or another. i
think a lot of times, ppl miss who the enemy is - it's really a concept, not
an individual. it's satan and whatever he uses at the time - we wrestle
"against principalities, against powers, agasint the rulers of darkness of
this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
ourselves.
barnabas did well.
acts 8
<18-21> now when simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles'
hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, "give me
this power also, that anyone on whom i lay hands on may recieve the Holy
Spirit." but peter said to him, "your money perish with you, becuase you
thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! you have neither
part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in th sight of
God."
i think that often through 'bad' characters in the Bible, we can really try
to dig deep and see if we can find ourselves reflected in them. many times,
it may be hard to listen to others' critiques - i know that my mom says that
i have a big issue with this, even though i am blind to it. sometimes,
drawing out my own weaknesses through the weaknesses and falls of unrelated
Bible characters help me see through my layers and finally see my motives
and basic nature. they also educate me on the final results of my life if i
followed in their ways. they teach me how i should live my life better.
in this case, simon is a new convert who used to practice sorcery. maybe we
would've laughed at his being foolish for offering money in exchange for
God's powers. however, remembering that he is but a spiritual infant and
that the spiritual realm is still very new to him - it drew a little more
sympathy from me becuase he just did not know any better.
other than just this, i see that what is important to us seems to alwasy
stay with us. what was important to us, before God became important, still
linger in our hearts and plays an invisible hand in our lives! it's hard to
forsake ourselves sometimes - the old habits, the way we carry ourselves,
the ways we react to others, our lifestyles, ... the way we feel about God.
simon shows me that. he was a sorcerer - it was his entire life! it was
important that he was able to do different and extraordinary things in this
world. that is how he was able to live and how he was respected by others.
similarly, today we hold on to other kinds of things - things that are
uniquely 'us'. maybe even things that mean the world to us. but we have to
remember what peter said - those things will perish with us. we all know
that what is God's can never be exchanged. if we can't let things go then we
can't have part or portion with God, becuase our hearts are not with God
completely yet. i don't know how to say this well, but i think this really
is important. simon would have to give up what he knew, what he was
successful in, his reputation, basically his life! - to find God. Jesus well
said a parable - a man when he found a treasure, would bury it and sell all
he has to buy the land w/ that treasure hidden inside. perhaps it takes our
wisdom and insight to really decide - from within, very consciously - that
God is whom we want to live our lives for. that forever is worth trading in
whatever it is we hold on to, and consciously see ourselves trading and
giving them up to God.
sometimes i am foolishly content w/ my spirituality - not that i mindfully
say "i like the way i am spiritually", but that i almost exuberate that in
my life. i think all of us are beyond the verbal confession of serious
weaknesses in the faith, saying that we forsook God. however, all of us have
forsaked God at some point of our lives; we have traded something else for
God before ... remember that we have had those moments even if we do not
recall, and remember that God is much sweeter than what we know of Him so
far. there has to be a much longer journey ahead, becuase a God-saturated
life has to be much more beautiful than the one i am living today.
<18-21> now when simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles'
hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, "give me
this power also, that anyone on whom i lay hands on may recieve the Holy
Spirit." but peter said to him, "your money perish with you, becuase you
thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! you have neither
part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in th sight of
God."
i think that often through 'bad' characters in the Bible, we can really try
to dig deep and see if we can find ourselves reflected in them. many times,
it may be hard to listen to others' critiques - i know that my mom says that
i have a big issue with this, even though i am blind to it. sometimes,
drawing out my own weaknesses through the weaknesses and falls of unrelated
Bible characters help me see through my layers and finally see my motives
and basic nature. they also educate me on the final results of my life if i
followed in their ways. they teach me how i should live my life better.
in this case, simon is a new convert who used to practice sorcery. maybe we
would've laughed at his being foolish for offering money in exchange for
God's powers. however, remembering that he is but a spiritual infant and
that the spiritual realm is still very new to him - it drew a little more
sympathy from me becuase he just did not know any better.
other than just this, i see that what is important to us seems to alwasy
stay with us. what was important to us, before God became important, still
linger in our hearts and plays an invisible hand in our lives! it's hard to
forsake ourselves sometimes - the old habits, the way we carry ourselves,
the ways we react to others, our lifestyles, ... the way we feel about God.
simon shows me that. he was a sorcerer - it was his entire life! it was
important that he was able to do different and extraordinary things in this
world. that is how he was able to live and how he was respected by others.
similarly, today we hold on to other kinds of things - things that are
uniquely 'us'. maybe even things that mean the world to us. but we have to
remember what peter said - those things will perish with us. we all know
that what is God's can never be exchanged. if we can't let things go then we
can't have part or portion with God, becuase our hearts are not with God
completely yet. i don't know how to say this well, but i think this really
is important. simon would have to give up what he knew, what he was
successful in, his reputation, basically his life! - to find God. Jesus well
said a parable - a man when he found a treasure, would bury it and sell all
he has to buy the land w/ that treasure hidden inside. perhaps it takes our
wisdom and insight to really decide - from within, very consciously - that
God is whom we want to live our lives for. that forever is worth trading in
whatever it is we hold on to, and consciously see ourselves trading and
giving them up to God.
sometimes i am foolishly content w/ my spirituality - not that i mindfully
say "i like the way i am spiritually", but that i almost exuberate that in
my life. i think all of us are beyond the verbal confession of serious
weaknesses in the faith, saying that we forsook God. however, all of us have
forsaked God at some point of our lives; we have traded something else for
God before ... remember that we have had those moments even if we do not
recall, and remember that God is much sweeter than what we know of Him so
far. there has to be a much longer journey ahead, becuase a God-saturated
life has to be much more beautiful than the one i am living today.
acts 7
one of my better mornings started with . . .
STEPHEN
this chapter spoke to me as the faith and journey of a man of God - stephen.
never have we seen more strength in people than when they are bound, beat,
or threatened for God's name; stephen really shows that quality of pure
Christianity that day when he stood before the council - the day he was
stoned to death.
perhaps it takes iron to sharpen iron; perhaps through trials he was refined
to be fine gold; or perhaps he took more intiative to focus on his faith and
grow in conviction spiritually daily. whatever it is, i bet he went through
a process to achieve who he turned out to be at the very end. truly, God
calls His loved ones back when they are ready.
stephen was a good evangelist. with a mere question, "are these things so?"
from the high priest, stephen started preaching to the council. shoving out
the potential and likely aggravation of personal danger, stephen still hoped
that the jews that stood before him could see that Jesus is their Messiah!
this really reminds me of when Jesus, full of agony, said "Father forgive
them, for they know not what they are doing." it's the same love. this must
be God's love.
stephen was amazingly well read and well-versed in the Bible. his sermon was
flawlessly backed up by the old testament even though he wasn't preparing
specifically to give a sermon. this reminds me that, it is really small
drops of water that makes a mighty ocean. stephen did his spiritual training
in his daily life - it is apparent, there is no need to verify this. from
the story of Moses he drew an analogy proving that the Jesus they had
rejected can be the messiah sent by God. he said it so well that i felt
convicted and edified all over again.
i think stephen has a great approach to persuasion - he carefully presented
all the facts before the jews that stood before him. he used what they
believed - the old testament - to relate it to the present. even tho he was
standing amongst wolves but he had God's strength and spoke boldly without
fear! (perhaps, this is what paul - then saul - learned from stephen when he
saw stephen die before his eyes.
stephen held on to God until the very end. after he was stoned he cried out
to God - and it was a cry that was victorious. i think that stephen is just
someone i need to learn from. in many ways, he revealed the strength and way
of his life. he had the face of an angel - and i think he speaks out to all
of us today to help us along and be stronger for God.
one of my better mornings started with . . .
STEPHEN
this chapter spoke to me as the faith and journey of a man of God - stephen.
never have we seen more strength in people than when they are bound, beat,
or threatened for God's name; stephen really shows that quality of pure
Christianity that day when he stood before the council - the day he was
stoned to death.
perhaps it takes iron to sharpen iron; perhaps through trials he was refined
to be fine gold; or perhaps he took more intiative to focus on his faith and
grow in conviction spiritually daily. whatever it is, i bet he went through
a process to achieve who he turned out to be at the very end. truly, God
calls His loved ones back when they are ready.
stephen was a good evangelist. with a mere question, "are these things so?"
from the high priest, stephen started preaching to the council. shoving out
the potential and likely aggravation of personal danger, stephen still hoped
that the jews that stood before him could see that Jesus is their Messiah!
this really reminds me of when Jesus, full of agony, said "Father forgive
them, for they know not what they are doing." it's the same love. this must
be God's love.
stephen was amazingly well read and well-versed in the Bible. his sermon was
flawlessly backed up by the old testament even though he wasn't preparing
specifically to give a sermon. this reminds me that, it is really small
drops of water that makes a mighty ocean. stephen did his spiritual training
in his daily life - it is apparent, there is no need to verify this. from
the story of Moses he drew an analogy proving that the Jesus they had
rejected can be the messiah sent by God. he said it so well that i felt
convicted and edified all over again.
i think stephen has a great approach to persuasion - he carefully presented
all the facts before the jews that stood before him. he used what they
believed - the old testament - to relate it to the present. even tho he was
standing amongst wolves but he had God's strength and spoke boldly without
fear! (perhaps, this is what paul - then saul - learned from stephen when he
saw stephen die before his eyes.
stephen held on to God until the very end. after he was stoned he cried out
to God - and it was a cry that was victorious. i think that stephen is just
someone i need to learn from. in many ways, he revealed the strength and way
of his life. he had the face of an angel - and i think he speaks out to all
of us today to help us along and be stronger for God.
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