Demons and Angels

So this post started with a conversation over the demons of the Bible, technically started when I was discussing about the demon in Paranormal Activity with someone. Most of these are only told in religious text that accompany with the Bible, but are not considered canon. But some, like Baal, Beelzebub, and of course Lucifer, prince of demons, are. It is just a curious notion, to see these demons being fought back by Angels, like Michael and Raphael, and that this struggle is happening all around us, but invisible to the naked eye. It is like the book Piercing the Darkness by Frank Perretti, how there are clouds of demons surrounding sinful places all around the world, such as college campuses. The hover over us, whispering evil thoughts into our heads, manipulating our footsteps along the path of life. They lead us into pits of darkness, like those described in Pilgrim's Progress. They never show themselves to us, instead they use trickery, blackmail, and seduction, as mentioned in Proverbs and in The Screwtape Letters. I guess going back to the spark of this conversation, in Paranormal Activity, a demon haunts and possesses a woman, and the movie was scary. But, i reality, it is more scary than that. The thought of demon possession is freakishly scary. There are historical accounts all through history, along with exorcisms and epic battles between saints and those demons. Even in the Bible is Jesus commanding demons out of people. But whats more scary is that these demons who possess people are just around the corner, in every room, always watching you. They don't want to possess you, they just need to to fulfill their task for them. They are under a standard also, one that is counter-moral to ours. They dare not break it, for they also fear their master. They tap into our human nature, our sinful nature, to try to get us to do their dirty work for them. In the end, we end up possessing ourselves, or let our sins possess us, and we live our lives looking demon-possessed, though it may not show up on our exterior.

Theology is Christianity on Easy-Mode
I really like to talk about theology in Christianity. I really like learning all the aspects and history of it too. But what is the point of knowing all this knowledge? It isn't wisdom. I can't help a single person with it. What does it do for others if i sit in a corner and dabble over what philosophers and analysts have discovered in the Bible. This is a faith of action, not a faith of words and theories. How much time have i wasted? I wonder...

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Matthew 25:31-46

The Sheep and the Goats

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Buddhism is life on Easy-Mode
In an earlier post i mentioned about the desire to bring people in my family to God. Every Christian has people like that in their lives. If they don't, they aren't true Christians or they live in a box not of their choosing. Everyone has people in their lives that they know haven't found God in their lives, and because you care for them, you really want to bring them to God. I mentioned this as a major suffering for my parents, especially for my dad, whom parents (my grandparents) were Christian but converted to Buddhism due to easier lifestyle and the turn of events between China and Taiwan. There is tension on my mother's side as well. My uncle was a doctor, but he found his calling and left to become a missionary. My grandfather, following traditional Confucianism beliefs, believed he was shirking his duty to society, his duty as a father, his duty as a son to go become someone with no social status, no income, and no family respect. I really fear what my grandpa would do to me if i ever became a missionary. It has been a calling for me too, to go off and really see the world, to really see the suffering of many others, to see the persecution in this world, and to be able to help those in need. I don't know, sometimes i feel like going to a faraway land to help those who clearly are way worse off than myself is running away. I am running away from my past. I am running away from the hardships of life over here. But what do i know? What is suffering? What is hardship? I recount the biography of people like Hudson Taylor or Brother Andrew, and how hard it was to mission. Were they running away too? Or was God leading them down a road full of suffering, but also full of joy as well. They brought so much joy, so much hope, so much love to so many people. Because of them, and others like Robert Morrision, was the Chinese people able to find God. They paid their price in the death of loved ones, in the oppression of the Communist Government, and in sweat and blood of their own bodies. Why can i not be like that? I shall pray for my family everyday, hoping that someday they will find God (or re-find God). I pray for my aunts and uncles, my cousins living in faraway places. I pray for my friends who are near me now. I can reach them, can i not? They are only a hand's width away. But no one can grab someone else's hand and drag them to the cross. It is a gift, and a gift must be received willingly. But i will always be there, through thick and thin, and live out my life as an example. May i be like the salt of the earth, and the light on a hill. I will not be hidden underneath a cup, or be blown out like a candle. May i become a pillar for God.
It isn't easy being a Christian. By definition, it is one of the hardest faiths to follow. No wonder why my grandparents switched over to Buddhism. Love all life and do good in all aspects of life. It is too easy. And its too hard.

No faith is life on Easy-Mode
Everyone needs faith in their life. And many people find it, or create it. Look at all the faiths in the world, religiously or non-religiously. Philosophies, scientific conclusions, and theologies, theses are all faiths. What is a faith? As my literature professor told me, it is just a set of beliefs that one abides to. Do follow our savior Jesus Christ blindly? Is our faith rational? I guess this goes back to what i said about theology, and you really have to know a little to understand. There is no easy answer for a Christian. But how can someone not have faith at all? They are just lying to themselves. Everyone believes in something, or the lack of something. But to not care about one's future, to not care about one's action in this world, its too easy to do. But to stand by one's faith, especially if its Christianity, is hard. Very hard. I am under fire from all directions. From academics, from society, from myself. In the bible, it tells us that people will persecute us for our belief. It is proven by the apostles, whom all were executed except for John. It was proven again during the rule of the Roman Empire. It is proved time and time again by all the martyrs in this world, even to this time year 2009. There are people dying for their faith. In Christianity and in other religions too. Then why can so many Christians seem to have it so easy? Its like what one pastor in Taiwan said to me, if i cannot say "i'm under persecution at all times" then i'm not really living my life for God.

When i struggle to see the fellowship in ACF, when i realize that it will never be the "acf" i dreamed of, i pull out the ACF support video from Mizzou. I dont know why i have it, but i believe God put it in my lap to show me that all is well, and that ACF WashU is well too. Not every fellowship is perfect. Some may have deteriorated over the years, over reasons like drama, lack of commitment, loss of strong members, and growing too big.

I pull out my Bible, and begin reading about fellowship, the struggles the early church had back in the day, the struggles the prophets like Daniel, Elijah, and Jeremiah had during their periods. How hard must it be for them to stand up for what they believe in, and why can't i on a campus so small. Family is not something given to you, it is something that is fought for, and worth fighting for the rest of your life for. I remember last week during GF small group, we talked about the earliest fellowship in Acts 2: 42-47:

⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. ⁴⁴All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. ⁴⁶Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

When we discussed it during small group, obviously they spoke of how GF did hang out together. They interpreted the breaking of the bread as eating together, whether it is at their fellowship meetings or just eating out. Basically, fellowship equals spending time together with brothers and sisters in Christ. When i read that passage, i immediately equated that with all the Christians on campus. I didn't immediately think about ACF, nor did i think about the GF small group at the time. Hey, there were 3000+ people doing this. That number is easily larger than the total Christians in fellowships on campus right now. I want to bring them all together. I want us to have fellowship on this campus. I will try to do every little thing i can, and hope God's will will continue to spread.

The fight between angels and demons rages on all around us. Jesus and his army of Archangels have already thrown down the devil and his angels, but his presence still lives on around us. I don't see any hope unless we are united against him. The war may be won, but the battles still rage on. Who else will have to be sacrificed?

In the end, there is too much i don't know about this world, this universe. There is too much i do not know about life. I can only count on the One who does know, and that is what i shall do. He knows what to do, i just have to believe in him right?