Be faithful to God in the little things. The daily things. Those
will reveal your heart more than trying to figure out whether a big
decision will glorify Him or not.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. - Romans 5
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Monday, May 25, 2015
Listening to Narnia
To keep myself from falling asleep during the drive from DC
back to Pittsburgh, I decided to turn on the Chronicles of Narnia audiobooks.
It has been almost a decade and a half since the last time I’ve read them, and
a little longer still since I watched the original TV series on the small CRT
in Auntie Sandy’s minivan. It is just like what Jack (C.S. Lewis) said, that
adults get more out of children’s stories than children. I can finally call myself an adult right?
“Well, I
do think someone might have arranged about our meals,” said Digory.
“I’m
sure Aslan would have, if you’d asked him,” said Fledge.
“Wouldn’t
he know without being asked?” said Polly.
“I’ve no
doubt he would,” said the Horse (still with his mouth full). “But I’ve a sort
of idea he likes to be asked.”
The first book I listened to was the Magician’s Nephew. As
the narrator proclaimed, this story is about Creation as God intended in
Genesis, with trust and betrayal and forgiveness all tied into it. In the
entire book, this part stood out to me the most, where Fledge the flying horse
attempted to explain the heart of God/Aslan to the two children. We know that
God is omniscient, that He knows everything, but does God really like to be asked
for requests? Hmmmmm I will have to stew on this for a while. This is part of
prayer isn’t it? As Jesus, Paul, and James explained? But what happens to those
who don’t believe at all in the power of prayer?
“Aslan?”
said Mr. Beaver. “Why, don’t you know? He’s the King. He’s the Lord of the
whole wood, but not often here, you understand. Never in my time or my father’s
time. But the word has reached us that he has come back. He is in Narnia at
this moment He’ll settle the White Queen all right. It is he, not you, that
will save Mr. Tumnus.”
Going into the second book chronologically, which was
actually the first book published in the series, several other passages stood
out, including this one. Oh and I didn’t know that a Faun holding an umbrella
was the image that started the entire series, and that Jack used to play in his
grandfather’s wardrobe with his friends/siblings. Kudos to Lewis’s adopted son
for telling me that. This part of the story really stood out to me because the
children, especially Peter and Lucy, really wanted to save Mr. Tumnus from
Queen Tardis/White Witch. But what Mr. Beaver kept repeating (like a million
times) in sound theology was that no human or creature can truly save another,
only Aslan can. “It is he, not you.” That is always a huge thorn in my side,
because I really really want to help everyone I meet. I want to solve their
problems. I don’t just want to be there and care and listen, I want everyone to
be joyful, to be at peace in life, to not be weighed down by the cruelties and
sufferings of this world. But I know I can’t. Too often I can’t even take care
of myself, lest another person. Too often I can only stand there and watch
people cry and break down. I am weak and unable to save a soul, and that is
reality. That is why I must find my Aslan, for it is He who is coming to save
those who are oppressed and turned to stone.
“Is—is
he a man?” asked Lucy.
“Aslan a
man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the
wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea. Don’t you know who is the
King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the great Lion.”
“Ooh!”
said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather
nervous about meeting a lion.”
“That
you will, dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can
appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than
most or else just silly.”
“Then he
isn’t safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?”
said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything
about safe? ’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
Mmmmm. This part. Gold. Christianity isn’t safe. It will destroy your life. God isn’t
safe, hence why we always say to fear God. But we have to remember that God is
good. He is good. He is good. And He is our King.
One of the things that bothered me was how much of a prick
and scumbag Edmund was in the story. Like, I totally forgot how freaking dirty he
was until I listened to the story again. Man I wanted to like…reach into my car’s
stereo and punch the little brat. Ya, just like Peter calls him, he is a total
beast. But of the four children, Edmund personifies the human race. Of the four
children, I am Edmund. Reality hits home. He was the son of Adam that Aslan
brought back to the side of good by allowing Himself to be sacrificed instead,
just like Christ took the place on the Cross for me and removing God’s wrath
from my destiny. Ya, realizing that was a sobering fact on the drive while
driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I still want to kick Edmund in the rear end
though.
Friday, May 1, 2015
I think I like the lyrics to this song. Japanese song lyrics are so much better than english ones (show me a song that has better lyrics than these). It is like singing a poem, one crafted in the depths of a creative heart.
Ano Hi Taimu Mashin
Time Machine to That Day
Start to run, facing front.
I drew with numb fingers in the sky,
Lighting the blessings in your future.
Cut through, with those hands.
Can you hear this voice?
Embrace the ability to laugh honestly.
Now, start to run.
I drew with numb fingers in the sky,
Lighting the blessings in your future.
Cut through, with those hands.
Can you hear this voice?
Embrace the ability to laugh honestly.
Now, start to run.
Even if only a little, my fingertips are dyed an adult color.
As if embarrassed, I softly hide them.
With your chin in your hands, in front of your field of vision,
A small flower bud was slowly swaying.
As if embarrassed, I softly hide them.
With your chin in your hands, in front of your field of vision,
A small flower bud was slowly swaying.
Hey, for me, who always hesitates,
Even now, I think of those words you sent me.
Even now, I think of those words you sent me.
Start to run, facing front.
I drew with numb fingers in the sky,
Lighting the blessings in your future.
Cut through, with those hands.
Can you hear this voice?
Embrace the ability to laugh honestly.
Now, start to run.
I drew with numb fingers in the sky,
Lighting the blessings in your future.
Cut through, with those hands.
Can you hear this voice?
Embrace the ability to laugh honestly.
Now, start to run.
Even though I am reluctant to think of how good the past was,
There are still feelings I want to recover.
My eyes fill with the me who pushes me from behind,
a vision piled on top of sprouting flower buds.
I will triumph over time, and someday again,
I want to be able to boast of that day long gone,
I will even carry a clock that runs backwards.
Cut through, with those hands.
Are you laughing? It's just like me,
To hold tightly to these feelings I can't let go.
Now, start to run.
I want to be able to boast of that day long gone,
I will even carry a clock that runs backwards.
Cut through, with those hands.
Are you laughing? It's just like me,
To hold tightly to these feelings I can't let go.
Now, start to run.
Hey, for me, who always hesitates,
Even now, I think of those words you sent me.
Dye the future your color.
Even now, I think of those words you sent me.
Dye the future your color.
Start to run, facing front.
I drew with numb fingers in the sky,
Lighting the blessings in your future.
Cut through, with those hands.
Can you hear this voice?
Embrace the ability to laugh honestly.
Now, start to run.
I drew with numb fingers in the sky,
Lighting the blessings in your future.
Cut through, with those hands.
Can you hear this voice?
Embrace the ability to laugh honestly.
Now, start to run.
I will triumph over time, and someday again,
I want to be able to boast of that day long gone,
I will even carry a clock that runs backwards.
Cut through, with those hands.
Are you laughing? It's just like me,
To hold tightly to these feelings I can't let go.
Now, start to run.
I want to be able to boast of that day long gone,
I will even carry a clock that runs backwards.
Cut through, with those hands.
Are you laughing? It's just like me,
To hold tightly to these feelings I can't let go.
Now, start to run.
Before my mind decides otherwise, I just want to put here that sharing night today was wonderful.
"We are a family of brothers and sisters."
"Be a blessing to others."
"Looking heavenward means glorifying and worshiping God, focusing on eternity. That means grades and earthly things, though may still need stewardship, are not the priority."
Romans 5:3-6 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
"We are a family of brothers and sisters."
"Be a blessing to others."
"Looking heavenward means glorifying and worshiping God, focusing on eternity. That means grades and earthly things, though may still need stewardship, are not the priority."
Romans 5:3-6 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Find the plain meaning in Scripture
What happens when we read one of the many portions of the Old Testament that seem so distant? In Exodus 17, for example, Israel goes to war against Amalek. As Joshua lead the army in battle, Moses sat on top of a hill and kept his hands raised in the air. The Bible says, “Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed” (Ex. 17:11). This is a fascinating account, but how do we interpret it? We will probably all agree that the verse isn’t telling us to go sit on a hilltop and hold our hands in the air. Should we be seeking a spiritual meaning that lies beneath the surface, then? Maybe the verse means that we must keep our hands and our hearts pointed toward heaven if we are going to defeat our spiritual enemies. While that may be true,there is no indication that this is what God is telling us through this passage.
- Francis Chan, Multiply P3-S3
This...is a new twist to how to read Scripture, aka to not try to look too deep into each passage and draw out messages that may be there, but may be not. I think we all tend to do this a lot. Yes, from Colossians 3 we do know we should point our hearts to heaven, so let us use that passage for that teaching, and not the story from Exodus 17:11. That goes for a lot of passages.
Scripture -> observations -> interpretation -> extrapolation to the modern context -> (personal) application
That is how it should go, and yes for truth to become interpretation requires discernment, wisdom, and Holy Spirit juice. Extrapolation is even harder, because we just don't know what should we continue doing and what we shouldn't. Things like tithing and slavery are examples that we have or may have gotten wrong. Jesus said to give EVERYTHING not just 10% (too many passages to list), so tithing almost seems like a cop-out to not give all of our bank account to God and to the poor and needy. Slavery...context...
We always try to dig deeper, but sometimes the plain text is golden enough. We got enough commands in the OT and NT (and again discernment to see which ones still need to be followed from OT, see Romans 7).
If we are going to take this verse at face value, we will read it as a description of the unusual way in which God used Moses to lead Israel to victory in a historical battle over the Amalekites. Through that story we can gain insight into the power of God and His ability to save His people, but those insights do not change the clear meaning of what God recorded in Exodus 17. It might seem more “spiritual” to try to find some deeper meaning behind the text, but what could be more spiritual than simply taking God at His word?
-Francis Chan, Multiply P3-S3
- Francis Chan, Multiply P3-S3
This...is a new twist to how to read Scripture, aka to not try to look too deep into each passage and draw out messages that may be there, but may be not. I think we all tend to do this a lot. Yes, from Colossians 3 we do know we should point our hearts to heaven, so let us use that passage for that teaching, and not the story from Exodus 17:11. That goes for a lot of passages.
Scripture -> observations -> interpretation -> extrapolation to the modern context -> (personal) application
That is how it should go, and yes for truth to become interpretation requires discernment, wisdom, and Holy Spirit juice. Extrapolation is even harder, because we just don't know what should we continue doing and what we shouldn't. Things like tithing and slavery are examples that we have or may have gotten wrong. Jesus said to give EVERYTHING not just 10% (too many passages to list), so tithing almost seems like a cop-out to not give all of our bank account to God and to the poor and needy. Slavery...context...
We always try to dig deeper, but sometimes the plain text is golden enough. We got enough commands in the OT and NT (and again discernment to see which ones still need to be followed from OT, see Romans 7).
If we are going to take this verse at face value, we will read it as a description of the unusual way in which God used Moses to lead Israel to victory in a historical battle over the Amalekites. Through that story we can gain insight into the power of God and His ability to save His people, but those insights do not change the clear meaning of what God recorded in Exodus 17. It might seem more “spiritual” to try to find some deeper meaning behind the text, but what could be more spiritual than simply taking God at His word?
-Francis Chan, Multiply P3-S3
Friday, April 17, 2015
T.C. told me yesterday that if I don’t understand Ephesians
1-3, then I cannot understand Ephesians 4-6. For him, being married and stuff,
he’s focused on Ephesians 5 aka the marriage chapter in the Bible. But if he
doesn’t understand 1-3, he will be unable to believe in the truth that is
contained in chapter 5 and live it out for his wife. The same goes for me. I
focus a lot on Ephesians 4, but no matter how hard I try to pursue it, it won’t
come alive because Ephesians 1-3 hasn't come alive for me yet. I will be living in a fake ideal Christian world instead of the
real and broken world around me. So…I guess read Ephesians 1-3 over and over
again until the Holy Spirit converts theology in to living, breathing Truth (or
just wait until HS does His thing)?
When we read the Bible, the living Word of God, we should
treat it as if we are literally hearing the audible voice of God. Like, God is
RIGHT THERE speaking to us. Then we will be BEWILDERED and full of AWE by His
voice and have JOY in His presence like how Psalm 16 puts it.
But honestly, really really honestly? That doesn't happen. Some of my friends want
to treat the Bible as a narrative, reading it as if they are reading a fairy
tale or a novel like Harry Potter or Game of Thrones. This puts the Bible on
equal footing as any quote you find on tumblr from a secular philosopher or
celebrity, or the message/theme/story you relate to from your favorite TV show
or movie (I do it too, I got quotes and illustrations from One Piece and Tower of God and Name of the Wind and LOTR right here on my blog). For example, I recently watched Death Parade/Death Billiards and I thought the message on what is a considered a rewarding and successful life lived and the values on human morality and how gets to be reincarnated and who gets dumped in the void were attractive, beautiful even. But its not right. Those views on life were quite unbiblical, and so is a ton of tumblr quotes and messages in media right now. Those worldviews are not what a Christian, a follower and
disciple of Christ should believe in, to put human wisdom on equal footing with God's wisdom. A lot of times, we unconsciously and unintentionally call Jesus a liar and God a fool when we agree with the world. I know I do it a lot. Sigh...
I tend to read the Bible as a scholar, because I am a researcher and it is my job to look for patterns
and decipher meaning and truths and stuff like that, reading hundreds of papers
and looking at tons of data and trying to find the secrets of the natural world
in them. But I find that I go to the Bible and do use that strategy, and ask
tons of questions, look for passages to answer, I end up come out with more
questions and become more anxious. Take one of my devos for example
(unaltered):
1 Samuel 16:23
Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up
his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and
the evil spirit would leave him.
This passage has a lot of connotations and even more ability to
draw misconceptions (or correct ones).
So God sent an evil spirit. Why? Was this punishment for Saul?
Why send David then to comfort Saul? Why did the passage not say Satan sent the
evil spirit? Would Satan even want to send an evil spirit? How does music drive
away the evil spirit? Is it because it comforted Saul (“he would feel better”)
and then Saul’s spiritual immune system forced the evil spirit away? Or was
music just a sign for God to send the evil spirit away? Or does music in itself
have some spiritual power to send evil spirits away? Or was David himself
performing an action (of music) that drove the evil spirit away? Or was David +
music or David + music from a specific lyre that caused the evil spirit to go
away? Or does David have the power of healing? What was the evil spirit even
doing? Was it causing Saul to feel depressed, or make his soul heavy? Was it
actually inflicting physical illness to Saul? Was Saul’s spiritual state
weakened so that the evil spirit could have an effect?
Ya. I am confused. (Sure I did look up many commentaries and
context, but there are too many differing and contradicting views depending on
how you theologically lean).
I read one passage, and it makes more sense from an Armenian
perspective. I read another and it only makes sense if I was a Calvinist. I
know I’m supposed to find peace and comfort when I read scripture, but that
rarely ever happens. Nope nope nope, to quote Ducky. I read a passage, and I’m
like “no one in the church does that, so basically it is impossible.” Another
passage, “that is bulls***.” Yet another passage, “I’m gonna ignore that
because it is contradicting how I am currently living.”
But there was one time last November, that I was so spurned
by the Holy Spirit to read scripture that I read for like 6 hours straight and
felt super peaceful after I did. If I've ever felt true God given peace, it was
that night. So I know it can happen. I wish it happened in my life more, and I
try to find it. Try to force it. Try to work for it. But we know that if we
have to use the word “try,” then it is basically out of our own flesh, and it
ain’t gonna work. That’s why someone can pray for 5 hours straight and feel
nothing from God, but the next day they pray for only 30 seconds and BAM God is
right there revealing His will and reminding that person “I’m here and I’m faithful
to you and you are going to be alright.” I doesn’t matter how hard you try. It
matters about your heart. And your heart is given by God when He wants to give
you the heart. There is nothing you can do, but by His mercy and grace we know it’s
there or it’s coming. That’s the promise of the Gospel.
So I know I should be in awe of God when I read scripture, but in reality that happens 1 out of 1 million times. But because I have experienced that 1 time, I have Hope, the Hope that leads to Faith (Hebrews 11). I also want to encourage others to read the Bible as if you are sitting at the seat of God and your heavenly Father is speaking to you. Because the Bible is the story of God, unparalleled to any other story.
So I know I should be in awe of God when I read scripture, but in reality that happens 1 out of 1 million times. But because I have experienced that 1 time, I have Hope, the Hope that leads to Faith (Hebrews 11). I also want to encourage others to read the Bible as if you are sitting at the seat of God and your heavenly Father is speaking to you. Because the Bible is the story of God, unparalleled to any other story.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Preach the Gospel to myself
Some days, like today, I just need to really preach myself the Gospel.
Where do I go in the Word to find the Gospel?
(well there is always the Roman road)
Romans 3:23-26
Where do I go in the Word to find the Gospel?
(well there is always the Roman road)
Romans 3:23-26
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came
by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through
the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate
his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed
beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the
present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith
in Jesus.
Romans 5:8
God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 6:23
The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 10:9
because, if "you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and "believe in your heart "that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 5:8
God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 6:23
The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 10:9
because, if "you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and "believe in your heart "that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10
9 For God did not appoint
us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
10 He died for us so
that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
Hebrews 9:11-14
11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things
that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect
tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of
this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves;
but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus
obtaining eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of
a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that
they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our
consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Ephesians 2:1-10
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2
in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the
ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are
disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the
cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we
were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God,
who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in
transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with
Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in
order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his
grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace
you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the
gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s
handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in
advance for us to do.
Colossians 2:13-15
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision
of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14
having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us
and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having
disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing
over them by the cross.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the
gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your
stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I
preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I
passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the
third day according to the Scriptures
Titus 3:5-7
5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:5-7
5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Ya...I'll leave those here so I can look at them. I know that preaching the Gospel myself won't instantaneously change my heart to want to desire God more, but it's a start. Hearing the Gospel is where it all starts/started, and continuing to live out and be rooted in the Gospel is how we persevere.
"The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”- Tim Keller
"The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”- Tim Keller
Monday, April 13, 2015
Worship and Pizza 3
I’ve written about how pizza and worship are related
analogically before, but I will try to flesh it out here:
So let us worship God, not worship worship.
Pizza. One of the most tempting and adulterous foods out
there (more than ice cream). Why? Because pizza contains mainly 3 ingredients:
sugar, salt, and fat (ice cream only has 2 of the 3). These ingredients are
what the body craves most (if you don’t, you are a mutant). We are
physiologically wired to desire those 3 ingredients: sugar for energy to
perform physical tasks and maintain brain focus; fat as a reliable source of
long-term energy and storage for times of metabolic fasting; and salt to
regulate blood pressure and various organ function. But we also know that too
much sugar, fat, and salt lead to severe health problems and take away the
point of eating: to stay alive. Our bodies need more than just those 3
ingredients. We also need protein, vitamins, minerals, water, electrolytes,
fiber, flavenoids, cholesterol, and other do-dads. Pizza sometimes will contain
these (buffalo chicken, pineapple etc), but for the most part pizza is not a
reliable source for other essential nutrition.
Musical worship is like pizza. Our souls are naturally wired to love
music, emotions, and personal attachments. This is what worship songs give us.
But over indulgence will make us lose sight of what is truly important: knowing
God and knowing Christ. And music and emotions are not necessarily needed for
sincere worship, else people who are born deaf or those who have lost emotional
centers or undergo periods of depression and sorrow cannot be Christian. The
ingredients we must need for our souls are truth, hope, faith, and love. These
can be and often are found in musical worship, but like I said above, there are
other forms of worship out there that do provide what we need. Let us not
idolize a single form of worship by designating it as the only form of worship.
Let us enjoy it for what it is, God’s gift to us as a single expression of
worship among many, but it doesn’t replace any of the forms of worship that are
actually mentioned in the Bible (musical worship in scripture is never related
to worship but instead to praise, and depending on your denomination, worship ≠
praise).
So let us worship God, not worship worship.
Saturday, April 11, 2015
More notes of the week
God doesn't care whether u get an A or a B, but He cares greatly about the heart in which you pursue your grade.
In our depravity, we have a track record of being poor judges of character...
Hebrews 12
Discipline is good
It teaches moral right from wrong
It teaches one to avoid mistakes, but also how to learn from them and grow
It prepares one for hard work in the future and how to handle stress
It teaches respect and honor
But discipline must be done out of love
It cannot be emotionally abusive
It cannot be done in a cold way
Never discipline out of selfish anger
The reason for discipline must be explicitly said or known
The
act of discipline must hurt the one disciplining more than the one
receiving (even if this reality is hidden, and should be for the meaning
of discipline to stick)
Positive reinforcement is always stronger than negative reinforcement; discipline as necessary
The argument that seeing good come out of a situation or decision
automatically justifies it as good/acceptable/right is extremely flawed
I am not impressed...
I am not impressed by your musical talents.
I am not impressed by your skill at sports.
I am not impressed by your ability to buy expensive clothes or make them match.
I am not even impressed by your ability to move people with your speech or zeal.
I am impressed when you care and give beyond your ability, because I know that I am really being impressed by God.
That is what I seek in my fellow brothers and sisters. That is what we all need to seek.
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his
height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things
people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD
looks at the heart." - 1 Samuel 16:7
There is no reason at all for a christian to have a big house or buy a fancy car or living way beyond what is necessary to sustain them. Being rich? That is fine. But living without giving what
you can give to the poor and needy? That goes against EVERYTHING in the
bible. You cannot justify living in a big house scripturally,
biblically, or realistically. There isn't any justification for it at all. I can only imagine how Jesus' heart breaks to see rich Christians living lavishly in an age of hunger and suffering.
Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses. - Proverbs 28:27
Francis Chan always talks about "the Holy Spirit only taught me this now, even though I've read this before (many times)." That's how I should be with scripture, realizing the true message can only be revealed by the Holy Spirit.
What moves us is not God's majesty or sovereignty. We see it and
know it. Not impressed. It is natural for us to blow it off. What
shatters us is the reality of that God sending His son to die and save
us. That is what truly moves us to long for Him and worship His glory.
Too many seekers come to Church seeking a radical and
counterculture community, but leave jaded seeing something possibly
worse than what the world teaches. Why oh why...
"When you are well prepared for your sermon, you cite a variety of
sources, but when you aren't well prepared, you just quote C.S. Lewis" - Member to Tim Keller
We must live with the decisions we make, as well as the decisions made for us.
Worship and Pizza 2
What is worship?
What does it mean to worship idols?
Presence of God – something only the high priest could be
in, and only once a year. Holy of Holies.
I will use the Biblical analogy Jesus used to illustrate
worship.
(God talking to Elijah at the cave entrance)
(God talking to Moses through the burning bush)
(God residing over the Tabernacle in the desert)
(High priest offering sacrifices to God outside the Holy of Holies, technically the veil should be fully covering the entrance. Note Spirit of God hovering over the Ark of the Covenant)
Before, the Israelites could only worship at a specific
location and only during specific times. For this reason the tabernacle and
later the temple were built. Even then, the relationship between the Israelites
and God was not personal. An average Israelite could only call upon God as Elohim,
which is a reverent but distance name for their God. Only those chosen by God
were allowed to call Him YHWH, the covenant name for God to those who He gave
promises. People could not see God, else they be blinded by His glory and
vaporized by His wrath (remember Moses?). But He still revealed Himself visibly
through forces of nature, like tongues or pillars of fire. The most holy and
intimate of worship was only for the high priests, those who actually got to go
into the Holy of Holies, and only during specific days of the year.
(Flow of Worship required by priests, something we don't need anymore as Christ already did it)
(Flow of Worship required by priests, something we don't need anymore as Christ already did it)
(The veil being torn when Jesus died)
Jesus came and changed all that. Worship used to be special
and restricted. John 4, Jews could only worship in Jerusalem (in the temple)
and the Samaritans could only worship on the mountain. During the exile, the
Israelites were heartbroken because the temple was destroyed and they couldn't
worship. But Jesus said to the Samaritan women that worship will be done in
spirit, anytime and anywhere. He fulfills this when He died on the cross,
(literally) tearing the veil (Matt 27), opening that special Holy of Holies for
everyone. He has become the high priest for us (Hebrews 3, 9), and we now also
get priesthood (1 Peter 2). Remember, we now are the temple (1 Cor 6:19, Romans
8:9, 1 Cor 3:16, 2 Cor 6:16, James 4:5). We have the Holy of Holies inside of
us, where God’s Spirit resides.
(We have received the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, becoming the Temple)
We again have to remember that worship is not about works.
We were saved by grace (Ephesians 2:9), and it was because of God’s mercy. Just
like how He chose the Israelites not because they were special or numerous,
they were actually the fewest (Deut 7), so in the same way He chose us to be
His chosen people (1 Peter 2). That humility to God’s mercy and love for us
makes worship a response. It is not of the flesh, but of the spirit (Galatians
4). We worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). It is not self-imposed aka
faked or forced (Col 2:23). We also worship in awe of God (Hebrews 12:28,
Revelations). That requires knowledge of God, a whole other topic but basically
full revelation in Christ and translated by the Holy Spirit (Proverbs 2, Romans
1:28, 2 Cor 4:6, 1 Cor 2 = HS).
Remember, worship is to give all of our lives to God. Romans
12 offer up our bodies as a living sacrifice – proper worship. We know we are
to deny/die to ourselves. We were bought and paid for, and are servants/friends/brothers
of Christ (1 Cor 6:20, 1 Cor 7:23). He owns us, buying us out of sin by His
blood. We call Him Lord and King (1 Tim 6:15, Rev 19:16). What does it mean to
be a subject to a king? Think about what it would be like to be a subject to
King David or King Solomon. It is a shame we don’t have any modern kings to
look up to, only democratic bodies and tyrants.
Two people can worship, and the outer appearance can be
exactly the same. But internally, one will be worshiping out a humble and
sincere heart towards the Lord. The other would be worshiping either for
him/herself or for the sake of worship itself or the feeling of worship.
Worship is all about the state of one’s heart and where it is pointed towards.
See Luke 18 about the Pharisee and the tax collector. Again a whole other topic
can be teased out of that. Pharisee worships for himself, and does so with
talent and skill worthy of man’s praise (John 12:43, Matt 6:1-6, Matt 23: 5-7 -> Deuteronomy 11:18, Numbers 15:38-40),
but the tax collector humbles himself before God, and Jesus said the tax
collector was justified before God and will be exalted.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Is marrying a nonbeliever a sin?
First we need to define a few words. What is sin?
Sin is anything that does not glorify God.
Under this there are two things we can do to not glorify
God. One is to disobey a direct command from God. Another is to be rebellious
against God and believe you know better than Him.
So onto the first point: disobeying a direct command of God. The first command is found in 1 Corinthians 7:39.
“A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if
her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.”
I know others translations have “only in the Lord” and
people just say that it only implies that the marriage is done in the presence
of the Lord (I don’t know…at a church?) but that is a very big stretch. The
other passage in 2 Corinthians is stronger:
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do
righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have
with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a
believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the
temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has
said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and
they will be my people.” Therefore“Come out from them and be separate,
says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” And, I will be
a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord
Almighty.”
Do not be yoked. Yoked in historical context usually means a
business partnership but can be extrapolated into a romantic relationship aka
marriage. Take a closer look at the analogy. The imagery is supposed to be an
oxen and a horse pulling the same plow, but there are differences in height,
differences in strength, and differences in endurance that will severely hinder
the work and eventually cause the plow to tip over. Biblically speaking, the
imagery we should have in context of marriage is trying to carry a cart/box
with a corpse. You will be trying to lift a load with someone who is
spiritually dead. Continue to look at the juxtaposition in the passage.
Righteous vs wickedness. Light vs darkness. Christ vs Belial. Believer vs
unbeliever. Temple of God vs idols. God’s people vs not God’s people. Clean vs
unclean. Sons and daughters vs children of the Devil.
Now define what nonbeliever.
What is a nonbeliever?
A nonbeliever as
defined as the Bible are the wicked, children of the Devil, and an enemy of
God. I’m being blunt but I also have to admit I was once wicked, a children of
the Devil, and an enemy of God. This is reality. But I am now no longer, bought
by the blood Christ and have the promise of inheritance through Christ in me.
Now we have defined what a nonbeliever is, a slew of more verses are available
about how we are supposed to interact with our enemies and the wicked. Proverbs
anyone?
Hold on. There are passages governing a marriage between a
believer and a nonbeliever aren’t there? 1 Corinthians 7:12-14 says this:
If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is
willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband
who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce
him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the
unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise
your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
Makes it now very likely that it is okay to marry a
nonbeliever if the act can be sanctifying right? Missionary dating ftw! Not
quite. Most modern scholars will look at the context of this passage in the
early church and say this: the reason why Paul puts this clause in 1
Corinthians is due to the rapid growth of the early church. Many people were
becoming believers, and a lot of them were already married, but their spouse
have not believed yet. So now that they were believers, and they know
culturally they are not yoked with an unbeliever, they started asking Paul if
the right thing to do was divorce (which they also know is a sin). Paul writes
this to exemplify God’s grace in these kinds of union, but that doesn’t mean he
is justifying future marriages between believers and nonbelievers (else he
would be directly contracting himself in this letter and his next one to the
church of Corinth).
So we now have direct commands from God (Paul’s words empowered by the Holy Spirit are equal to God’s Word), and to disobey them is sin. This is the same with homosexual marriages. This is the same with avoiding pre-marital sex and not sleeping/cohabiting with someone who is not your wife (1 Cor 6:18 flee sexual immorality, the only temptation God says to not stand our ground against). Let us not forget the marriage chapter in scripture aka Ephesians 5. Here Paul is only addressing marriages made in the Lord. He characterizes these marriages as those in reverence or fear in Christ. How can a nonbeliever have a reverence in Christ? The entire covenant falls apart without Christ, and it is not something that glorifies God or points to God nor preaches the Gospel in any kind of way.
Time to define another word.
What is pride?
Pride is the idolatry of self. What this means is we believe
that me as a human being is deserving of more glory and worship than God.
Something along the lines of believing that we know what is best for us better
than God falls into the category of God. This especially applies to who we
should marry. Through scripture, God repetitively tells us to pursue
holiness/Godliness. We ought to pursue that in a spouse as well. As a guy, we
have all heard to find the Proverbs 31 woman. Now given, no girl will meet
those standards presented (if such a woman exist, then the only man worthy of
marrying her is Jesus). As guys we are to be like Jesus to our wife. Both
impossible standards but both something we are to realistically work towards in
our walk as followers of Christ. To marry a nonbeliever throws all of this out
the window. Because of our pride. We couldn’t wait for God’s providence. We
didn’t trust God to bring a Godly man or woman into our lives to co-work in our
ministry.
This leads to my next point and word defining.
What is marriage?
Well the biblical marriage is this: a covenant union between
a man and woman that preaches the Gospel and glorifies God by pointing to the
mystery that is Christ and the Church. Bam! Two birds with one stone. Fulfills
the both the purpose to bring the good news to the ends of the world and the
fact that we were created to give God glory.
Now, does a union between a believer and nonbeliever do
that? You can argue that under God’s sovereignty it may. Hosea and Gomer is one
example. But I don’t think you are a prophet like Hosea (and I will seek help
for you if you are Gomer…seriously). If you argue that the action can’t really
be a sin, then that’s fine. Let us look at the heart of one doing the act. Most
likely it is full of pride and selfishness. Since both of those are sins, then
by attribution the act is the result of sin. It has been brought to my
attention there can be exceptions to this, namely reasons for marriage are for
compatibility, security, prosperity, and comfort. Fine, but this leads to the
prosperity Gospel, which is arguably the most damaging false message in the
history of human civilization. And at the core is still basically selfishness.
Our marriages are supposed to the purest form of preaching
the Gospel. No manipulation required. No pressuring required. Just the showing
of supernatural, inhuman, unconditional love to our spouse is enough to get
those in the world thinking. But this unconditional love has to be mutual or
else our marriage will just be “conforming to the world.”
God intended our marriages for good, let us not use them for
our own selfishness and desires.
Evidence of the mortal consequences of sin.
We know from scripture that evidence of disobedience to sin
occurred in the lives of Biblical characters. We know the consequences of sin
due to Jacob having two wives. We know the consequences of sin of Abraham
producing an heir with Hagar. We know the consequences of sin due to David
laying with Bathsheba. We know the consequences of sin due to Solomon having
multiple (nonbelieving) wives.
This is also evident in our own lives. We have all heard the
stories of families with one parent being a Christian and the other one who
isn’t. Stress from decisions over money and time and priorities. Confusion in
the faith of their children. Many tears have been dropped over the ages in many
of these stories I’ve heard. Decades of pain. We see there is a reasonable
correlation with causation in a majority of these cases. The act of marrying a
nonbeliever led to these unnecessary trials and suffering.
There are always exceptions though. Through God’s grace and
mercy, quite a few of these marriages do end up with the conversion of the
nonbelieving spouse, fulfilling 1 Corinthians 7:12-14 in a modern context.
Sometimes the new believer becomes even stronger in faith than the more
seasoned believer. God can make good come out of a bad decision. This is the
power of the Holy Spirit and cannot be attributed to the “okayness” of the
original marriage and the original intents of pursuing a nonbeliever.
We as believers have a duty to the Body of Christ, our
community/accountability partners, and our posterity to find a spouse who loves
God and wants to do His will. To not do so is an act of rebellion and that is
sin.
Personally I think the 1st argument I gave is
enough to show that marrying a nonbeliever is a sin, but when all 4 arguments
stand together the truth is very apparent. You will either have to have
different definitions of the terms I defined or different interpretations of
the scripture I used. I will then ask you to read those passages out loud and
then do inductive Bible study on them. Context, author, audience,
cross-reference.
Like all sin, there is repentance and redemption. I am not
saying marrying a nonbeliever is going to doom you to eternal wrath. I am not
saying it is a worse sin than any other sin. I am not saying there cannot be
grace following the sin. God is good. But I am trying to challenge believers
into really wrestling with the severity of sin in our lives and how to identify
it in this depraved world. What really is sin? How do we die to ourselves for
His sake? How do we glorify God in our relationship? We are way too quick to
say something is a bad idea but not call it a sin. This is undermining the
severity of sin. A pastor once said it wasn’t a sin to put a lawn mower to your
face but it was just plain stupid, but I would say it is a sin because you are
self-mutilating yourself and there are (many) scriptures against that. It is a
sin to commit bad stewardship of your body. It is not loving and properly
caring for what God has given you. This is the same with relationships. This is
the same with your emotions and the Godly desire for a wife. By defining a sin
as really a sin, then according to scripture we are responsible as Christians
to address sin in our brothers and sisters through rebuke out of love and care.
Let us not baby them but telling them it isn’t a sin.
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