1Cor 15:50-58

Apr 21, 2009

I once knew a lady. She was widowed recently when we met. I will call her Ann even though that is not her real name. Ann got married in her late 30s. Her husband was twenty years her senior. I believe they have had a wonderful married life. After a prolonged battle with cancer, he passed away leaving her widowed and childless. She has no family around her. Her closest family was thousands of miles away. You would think that she must be so sad. Or she must be an angry person. It must be difficult to get along with her.

You would have been wrong about Ann though. She was one of the sweetest person I have ever met. Everybody loved her because she was such a cheerful person. She turned herself into an unofficial chaplain at the hospital where she had spent so many hours and days with her late husband. Everybody there called her by her first name. She knew most of them by their first names too. I meant everybody. She knew every patient and their family. She knew the nurses, the doctors and the janitors. She knew their schedule. She knew what everybody liked to eat. She was there to celebrate a successful surgery. She was there when a hug was needed. She was there when the bad news was too hard to bear alone. She came to say goodbye to those leaving the hospital. She accompanied those mourning their lost.

Ann was such an incredible person. The hospital that she frequented was a hospital for the elderly with acute illnesses. Many patients do not live to leave the hospital. How could Ann bear so much sorrow? How could she wear such a sweet smile greeting the families? How could she find enough tears to cry with them all? Doesn't she have something more important to attend to? What about finding a job that pays?

If you ask Ann, she would have told you that she couldn't bear most of it. She was not a natural. It was hard to find words of encouragement most of the time. She missed her husband. She missed her family. She was a mere human being too. Where did she find strength to carry on living for others? Ann didn't go to find it from within. She sought strength from above. Indeed she placed her trust in the promises of God in prayer. Her faith was built on what is not seen, not on what is known or understood. God gave her peace to carry on. God gave her wisdom from above to trust in the Lord in all her ways.

She exemplified this passage. Ann was content to have no answer for all the hard questions. She rejoiced in the mystery revealed. She looked forward to the last trumpet. While she wait in patience, she was not idle. She seems to truly understood Paul's words here:

1Cor 15:58 "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

AMEN.

1 Cor 15:35-49

Apr 17, 2009

This is a profound passage. It is beyond my understanding for I am merely a man of dust. I am still tied up in my earthly body. I cannot "see" the spiritual body. In the same way, it is easy to see the church building but it is impossible to see the "body of Christ" - the church of God. I cannot and should not form any images of a spiritual imperishable body. I can understand in an intellectual sense what Paul said. But I am afraid Paul's teaching may not be fully understood until we actually receive this spiritual resurrected body from God. Since it is not up to us to decide the when and the how, I have no right to speculate and conjecture.

I am content to live within my bodily limitations. It is liberating really. It stops my mind from wondering, grumbling and complaining like the wandering Israelites in the wilderness. That means I need to learn to trust God's providence in my life. Whether I am well or I become ill and die, I live for Christ. Since His providence is always going to be better than what I can ask for, I need to grow in faith to walk by faith and not by sight. By faith, I believe Jesus will make all things clear. But he is not choosing to do so now.

So I will carry on in my body of dust until He gives me a new one. I need to treasure and enjoy this body that God has given me. I wasn't a careful steward of my body most of my life. But I need to do a better job since my body is not my own. It is given for a reason and with a purpose. It is a capsule. In Paul's term, it is a kernel of something amazing. Although I don't yet know what an amazing thing the spiritual body will be, even a grain or a kernel is a wonder to reckon on its own. God is amazing. He shows me that I can actually swim. I probably won't ever swim like a champ but I can swim. He shows me that I can speak Mandarin. Just a year ago, I can't speak much without laughing myself silly. But now, I can speak some and expect some level of understanding of my speech. Wow, that is amazing.

If this body is so amazing, what more is to come. If this body is perishable, what an imperishable one will it become. God made such a wonderful world already. Let's learn to love it and enjoy it. Let's learn to love our bodies and enjoy them before God.

Lord, teach me to celebrate every moment you give me and live it for your glory.

1 Cor 15:12-34

Apr 17, 2009

The moment I thought I'd take an Easter break from blogging, I reckoned to be off one day. Before long, I am almost one week off. It took so much courage to get back before the screen to interact with the word of God in a personal way. It is like I want to keep myself from waking up. I am afraid or weary of facing the mirror of God's word. It might reveal much too much of myself to me. God's word has this way of convicting the sinner. So knowing in my subconscious that I am guilty as charged, I stay away from the blog post as much as I can. The producers of multiple daily blogs season in and season out are just amazing to me. My salute to all these. You are my heroes.

Jesus is, of course, the hero of all heroes. Look at these verses: (V20) "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep," (V22) "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." Simply, he lives therefore all lives; even the dead will be raised because of him. (V27-28) "For God has put all things in subjection under his feet ... that God may be all in all." Jesus is the reason I am living and breathing. His resurrection gives meaning to the here and now for his resurrection answers all questions about the future. When the future is secure in Christ, what is there to hinder me from living boldly and freely for Him? What is keeping me from living without fear and worry? What is holding me back from investing my time and effort to do good for God's sake? What is preventing me from repenting of my sins and forgiving the sins of others?

If Christ Jesus, my righteousness, lives, why should I care about the slights of men? Why am I timid in doing what is right in God's eyes? If he lives to intercede before the Father on behalf of all the saints, why am I still wondering whether he has listened to my cries? Why do I go on sinning?

This reminds me of the state I find myself in most of the mornings. I think in my mind that I have waken and I am going about doing my business until moments later I awake to realize that it was all a dream. I had done nothing but remained in bed. I am still asleep in my "drunken stupor (V34)." I need to wake up.

Lord, help me wake up for you. Help me live for you. AMEN

1Cor 15:1-11

April 12, 2009

How appropriate it is to come to 1 Corinthians 15 on the Day of Easter! Christ died. He is risen. He is alive forever more. As Paul stated here, Christianity is built on this foundation and this alone. Jesus died and resurrected. He has ascended unto heaven and sat down in the heavenly throne room. He is now King, Lord and Savior of the Kingdom of God. He is the Head of the one universe, Catholic church. We are His subjects. Because of Christ, we are children of God with an everlasting inheritance. The Bible teaches nothing less.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow

Because He lives, all fear is gone
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth a living, just because He lives
Our life is worth a living, just because He lives

If Jesus has not risen, we believe in vain. But because He has indeed risen from the dead, the world should tremble in fear:

Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

Serve the Lord with fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the Son,

lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,

for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Ps 2: 10-12)

I will exalt you, my God the King;

I will praise your name for ever and ever.

Every day I will praise you.

I will praise your name for ever and ever.

Every day I will praise you

and extol your name for ever and ever.

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;

his greatness no one can fathom. (Ps 145:1-3)

1Cor 14:26-40

Apr 11, 2009

Easter is just a few hours away. It is the happiest day of the year for us Christians. We celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus from the grave. Death could not contain Him. He triumphed over death and Satan. His obedience established the new covenant of grace. Jesus received power and authority in heaven and on earth. He has authority to save whoever he wills. Jesus said, whoever believes in him has eternal life. Therefore, Christians do not fear death because Jesus shall raise us from the dead. The gospel is truly good news. In Jesus Christ, we have hope for a life everlasting, a life free of regret, pain, separation, and tears.

Paul writes with this hope. His words are driven by this hope. To Paul, the mystery of God is revealed. Jesus has come. Salvation is at hand. All that is left is for God's people to enter into salvation. This is the only unfinished task that Christians are given to do on earth: to help one another finish the earthly walk toward heaven in the power of the Spirit. All the rest are just means to this end. Another way to say the same is: Christians exercise spiritual gifts to build up the Kingdom of God. The Spirit moves individual Christians like an architect (or a concert conductor) to do our part as salty salt and shiny light wherever we are. We may be young or old, male or female, rich or poor, Jews or non-Jews, able or disabled. Each one does his/her part for the sake of the whole. When that is the case, Christians are not self-focused. We don't try to stand out or show off. We are active followers. We ought to be spirit-focused (following the instruction of the architect). There are different roles to play to put the whole together. We should not fuss over not seeing the big picture. If we are so focused on the Spirit, we have no time to "see" what the Spirit doesn't call us to see.

We can reread 1Cor 12-14 in this light to understand the function of spiritual gifts. It is also clearer why Paul is critical of a few things: the idle person, the ones who don't desire the gift of love (and secondarily prophesy), tongues speaking that do not edify others, prophesizing (preaching, teaching or testimony sharing) that confuses rather than builds up, people who do not paying attention to learn, and people asking silly questions that compound the confusion. Following the same logic, man and woman ought to recognize and exercise their different roles too.

Spiritual gifts are to be exercised so that believers and non-believers may experience the love and mercy of God's free grace in Jesus Christ.

Women in the Word

April 10, 2009

I just read a great article on a topic that I place great significance. No, it does not come from a well-known scholar. It comes from the pen of a mother of three. She is a true practitioner of what she writes. The Lord bless this community in the Word. And may He join us together into a community in His Word.

Women in the Word

Tisha Woo, Grace Matters Volume II, Issue I Jan/Feb 2009

She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. Proverbs 31:26.

I often ponder this verse as I’m going about my daily tasks. Sometimes it inspires a warm glow of encouragement in my heart, other times it delivers a well-needed rebuke. We need wisdom from God if we are to pursue work with meaning and with God-honoring excellence; if we are to bring encouragement and peace to our homes and marriages; if we are to trust God to lead our homes through our husbands; if we are to raise children who are not necessarily successful in the world’s ways, but who know God and carry His Gospel to the next generation. These are awesome responsibilities for us!

Since I became a Christian in high school, God has used several key women to deepen my relationship with Him. My best friend’s mother first gently explained the Gospel to me. In college, a mother with a young family took me under her wing. Over many homemade Sunday dinners and visits, I saw how she desired to be faithful to God in home-schooling her children and starting a prayer ministry in the church. After college, I moved to Baltimore and joined a church Bible study of other twenty-something women, some married, most single. I was encouraged by their thoughtful devotion to the Word; how they lived it out in their new careers or graduate studies, or in dating or marriage relationships. When I became a mom, my church’s women’s study (in New Jersey) provided me both fellowship (of older and wiser women to counsel me through those nerve-wracking first few months of motherhood) and instruction (a place to substantially engage God’s Word). I needed to deeply immerse myself in the Bible and in community to have the strength to be a good mom, and God filled that need through this precious group of women.

In each case, God used both friendships with godly women and church communities to teach me how to walk with Him in a way that I could not have experienced in other contexts. Here at Grace, we too have the opportunity to encourage one another and engage the Word together. At our women’s breakfasts, we connect with people we may not normally get a chance to talk to on a Sunday morning. It is a place to share prayer needs as well. Many of our women’s events celebrate a new baby, a birthday or a holiday. What a way to participate in the important milestones of each other’s lives! It is an opportunity for those of us who are “older” (in age or in the faith) to gently bring along those who are “younger.” I grasped a deeper picture of this during the Women in the Word conference that Doris Crabbe, Iris Wong and I attended in the Philadelphia area in October. Sponsored by World Reformed Fellowship, the conference aimed to equip women to teach the Bible to others (primarily other women). Women taught the Word to one another through small group presentations. Women led other women in praise and worship. The Gospel became more deeply grasped and understood as it resonated from the Minor Prophets to the Psalms to the Pauline Epistles. I left with a renewed desire to see such a rich understanding and application of God’s Word happen at Grace Church. May He work in our hearts so that we will hunger and thirst after righteousness, seek His kingdom first and become women of wisdom together through the means He provides in our church community.

Book Recommendation

April 10, 2009

I have always loved the verse, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Do you know where it comes from? That's right. 2Cor 12:9. Do you know why Paul quotes these words here? Knowing the in's and out's of 2 Cor 10-13 matters a lot. It could turn a life of complaint and frustration into one of praise and celebration.

You don't believe me. That's okay. Read A Model of Christian Maturity: An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 10-13 by D. A. Carson.

I am still in the middle of reading this. But I can't wait to recommend this book to you.

1Cor 14:1-25

Apr 9, 2009

Paul has nothing against speaking in tongues by itself in a private setting. He said he spoke in tongues more than any in the Corinth church (V19). However, he has a bone to pick with tongues that are not properly understood. Unintelligible speaking is not an encouragement. It doesn't build up the listeners. It confuses. It brings frustration. Most importantly, Paul made his comment about tongue speaking at a worship setting. Words spoken in a worship service ought to be edifying and building up the attendants. Worshipers don't just come to "serve" the Lord God. They come to be built up by His word. The principle way that God employs to transform lives is through the powerful speaking of His Word. The audience wouldn't feel the power of the Word if it wasn't understood.

Clearly, Pentecostals, who desire the gift of tongues, ought to take heart here. I thank God that Pentecostal worships are so lively and joyous. May the Lord bless them and fill the worships with His Spirit as well as the Gospel of truth. On the other hand, I do see this passage speaking to a much wider circle of believers though. First of all, this passage speaks against the Roman Catholic practice of conducting worship service in Latin where it is not understood. I grew up in a Catholic school where the daily mass is conducted in Latin. I honestly don't think many students (yours truly included) come away with any dearer thoughts toward God thanks to the Latin service. On the contrary, we'd trained ourselves to shut our ears the moment we entered the sanctuary. This is a habit that I am painstakingly trying to eradicate ever since.

However, I see many Protestant pastors guilty of the same crime too. Surely, I am guilty. Most of my preaching belongs to the unintelligible babbling type. Instead of convicting the audience of their need of the precious blood of Christ Jesus, I speak to please my audience. I say things to solicit laughter. I seek praise to boost my self-esteem. I want my audience to listen to my latest fancies. In the end, none are the wiser about the things of God. If my speaking does not bring people closer to God and one another, I am merely speaking in strange tongues.

In short, the pulpit is established to build up the church before God. If it doesn't serve this function, it is not doing God's work at all. If worshipers do not seek to be built up in Christ, we worship in vain. God is not in our midst. Woe is me! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of people of unclean lips. Oh Lord! May your word cleanse our lips and purify our hearts. Humble me that I may serve as your messenger. Humble us that we may be steadfast in listening and obeying your word. Draw us to you and set us apart by your word that the world may see and give you praise.

1Cor 12:31-13:13

God gave spiritual gifts to His people to build up the church. He judicially gives them in accordance to his plan of redemption. Everything has its time. God doesn't grant a gift just because we want it. He grants gifts to accomplish His will. Gifts are not given to satisfy the dreams and fantasies of mere mortals. On the contrary, revival fire comes at some of the least expected time. It doesn't come at our convenience. Beginning at Pentecost, the Spirit always does what he wills. Hence, it is, more appropriately, the Acts of the Holy Spirit rather than the Acts of the Apostles.

The exercise of spiritual gifts quickens the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth. The Holy Spirit gives gifts, plants the desire to use them, and achieves the result God intends. Accordingly, it is hard to imagine God wanting to perform acts of miraculous healing through some TV personnel wearing a fancy suit. This kind of "shows" obscures the true meaning of the Gospel. Why would God want to do that? Why would God grant some particular church groups ("the Pentecostals") the gift of tongues and deny it to others? How does that build up the church of God?

In that light, the higher gifts (V30) obviously do more to build up the church. Therefore, it is not difficult to see that "love" is the most desirable of all spiritual gifts and greater than even faith and hope. Love builds up where tongues or prophecies divide. Love impacts the heart much more than the most eloquent teaching.

Enough is said about 13:4-7 elsewhere. I will leave you to read them at your time. But verses 8-12 is very helpful to me. I can see why Paul said knowledge puffs up. Humankind will never gain enough knowledge to equal God's. Yet our society is so taken with gaining "progress" through knowledge. We prefer measurable things. Society decides excellence based on test scores. As a result, children no longer learn morals at schools. And parents don't teach them at home either. Kids learn to stuff their brain, to take tests and to earn high marks without hearing anything about the meaning of life. Few educators see education as a tool to help the next generation achieve their fullest potential as upright citizens. When education don't teach children noble values like love, faith and hope, society suffers crimes more violent and more hideous. What a darkness it would be in a world without love!

Thank God for God so loved the world that He sent His beloved Son to earth to demonstrate what true love is. Christ Jesus planted a love seed and it will grow to give shade to the world. Praise God. Paul said we should earnestly desire the most excellent way - love. Oh God, give us love that we may do your will.

1 Cor 12:12-30

Apr 7, 2009

I wish to focus on verses 12 through 30 and leave verse 31 to the next passage.

Having confirmed the Lordship of God over the church, Paul moves on to illustrate the rest of the church. He equates the church to a human body. The decision maker, the head, is Christ while all the other parts are on equal footing. In other words, there are no Big Mac vs. Mac jr. in the economy of the church. Every member plays a vital role and every one is indispensable. No one is disposable.

The church structure described here is absolutely alien to the US Corporate culture. The difference is most pronounced in an economic downtown such as the global slowdown we are experiencing right now. As corporations race to reduce labor cost to survive the turmoil, lower wage jobs get cut first. Positions like senior management are much more secure than the secretaries or the mail clerks. Old age, experience and seniority are liabilities. The ones with the largest IRA accounts are first to get the pink slips. Under the capitalistic system, the rich almost always get richer and the poor almost always become more vulnerable.

Paul's words must sound incredibly unbelievable to our worldly ears. He said when one part suffers, the whole body suffers with it. He said Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, all were made to drink of one Spirit. The Holy Spirit plays the central role. It alone nurtures and sustains the health of the body. The Spirit is the life force behind every part. As 2 Tim 3:16 illustrates, the Spirit applies God's word to teach, reprove, correct and train every member of the body. So even though the members have a great diversity of roles, they receive the same amount of attention and care from the Spirit. Every part must work together to keep the body going.

The more I meditate on these verses, the more I realize how much we should be praying for spiritual transformation. Oh Lord, help us put off the old me-first mentality. Fill us with your Spirit that we might see as you see, walk as you walk.

Amen.

Book Recommendation

Apr 7, 2009

Kevin DeYoung's new book, Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will is great. Read Joshua Harris' foreword here:

It is God’s will for you to read this book. Yes, I’m talking to you. What are the odds that you would “just happen” to pick up this book and flip open to this page and start reading? Obviously it’s a sign. Of all the millions of books in the world, you found this one. Wow. I have chills. Do not pass up this divinely orchestrated moment. If you miss this moment there’s a good chance you will completely miss God’s will for the rest of your life and spend your days in misery and regret.

Now that I’ve scared you, let me acknowledge that everything in the previous paragraph is total baloney. It’s bunk. Not true at all. Actually, I don’t know if it’s God’s will for you to read this book. But I do think that reading it could be a really good idea.

If you’re prone to think of God’s will in the way I so threateningly described it, this book will help set you straight. Kevin DeYoung is a skilled pastor, theologically astute and a clear communicator. He gives you content but makes it easy to absorb and understand.

In this book he will show you what trips you up from moving forward in decisions. He’ll talk about how God speaks to us and what it means be guided by wisdom. In a gentle and loving way he will challenge you. There’s a good chance that you’ve picked up some faulty ways of thinking about this issue. I love the way no-nonsense way Kevin pulls us back to truth: “God is not a magic eight ball we shake up and peer into whenever we have a decision to make. He is a good God who gives us brains, shows us the way of obedience, and invites us to take risks for him.”

I’m a pastor. And the highest praise I can give this book is that it is my “go to” book on decision making and “finding God’s will.” If you were in my church and you came to be and said, “I have a big decision to make (marriage, job, house, etc), and I need to know what God wants me to do!” I would put this book in your hands.

It’s liberating and encouraging and even where it smacks you up side the head (which it does once in awhile) you’ll be better for the smack. You’ll think more clearly and more biblically.

So read this book. You’ll be wiser because of it.

Joshua Harris
Senior Pastor of Covenant Life Church, author of Stop Dating the Church!

1 Cor 12:4-11

Apr 6, 2009

Since the first century A.D., Christians have been fascinated with the topic of spiritual gifts. You can surmise the level of interest in these gifts from the words of the Apostle Paul right here in the book of 1 Corinthians. More than two thousand year later, we know that the interest is not less just by observing the growth of the Charismatic Movement around the world.

When we read the wonderful miracles in the Bible, we dream of receiving such gifts as healing, tongues and the like. We dream of becoming "super." After all, Paul mentioned in 2 Corinthians that there are some who claimed to be "super-apostles" at his time. These people sound like "super-heroes" we read about in comic books. In so many books, magazines, TV shows, we hear numerous accounts of incredible miracles. So they must be real. Wouldn't you want to experience the power of God working through you? I wasn't a Christian long before I quickly learn about the need to discover my "gifts."

However, even though spiritual gifts are so much desired and prayed for, few gift seekers are able to answer these questions: what are they for? Why does God give to some and not to others? When are they given? Who are they given to? Can one ask for a spiritual gift? Why not?Paul gave a very clear answer to all these questions here in this passage.

Verse 11 said, "All these (gifts) are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as (the Holy Spirit) wills." (ESV)

Obviously, we won't know anything about the gifts of the Holy Spirit unless we first know, recognize, and acknowledge the Sovereign Lordship of God over the life of the church and each and every one of its members.

Bless His Holy name.

1 Cor 12:3

April 5, 2009

First Post

Wow! I am thrilled to be reading the Book of 1 Corinthians with you. It is my ambition to continue this post as we read each and every chapter in the Good Book. I know I will get busy or lazy. I will surely miss a few posts here and there. But, the Lord willing, I wish to walk through all sixty-six books and share a bit of my thoughts as we move along slowly. Be it mumble jumble and what not. It is offered to my Lord. I pray this post would be a source of mutual encouragement. Please feel free to give your feedback.

First of all, let me explain a little about the title "Rhapsodies on Christ." Well, I was just listening to some music and I heard one of my all-time favorite pieces Rachmaninov's Rhapsody On a Theme of Paganini. So I thought to look up the definition of the word "rhapsody." Interestingly, it has an archaic meaning for "a miscellaneous collection, a jumble." That sounds just like what I am going to do here. Besides, "Rhapsodies on Christ" is available as a Blog title too. Praise the Lord.

By arrangement, I will begin my post with 1 Corinthians 12. It is a great chapter. I might need a few posts before I get through with it all. But let me start here. Verse 3 was and continues to be a great encouragement to me. It said, 'no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except in the Holy Spirit.' You know, years ago when I came to know the Lord, I was not sure I was a Christian or not. I remembered raising my hand or standing up on three different altar calls. I wanted reassurance that God heard me. God did. He gave me this verse. And that was enough.

Oh, my ability to mouth these words "Jesus is Lord" is a gift of the Holy Spirit. It is God's grace. What a wonderful gift! Yes, it is that simple. God really answers prayers. I can say the words from my heart. I can, even though there is so much I don't yet know. I can say it in faith. It is something that has eluded me for years. But I can say it now. I can say it without embarrassment. What a comfort to be able to say "Jesus is LORD" to my soul. He is my LORD.

He has chosen to give me His precious Spirit, just as He promised the Spirit for everyone who are His. Surely, there is nothing else he would withhold from me. He has indeed washed away all my filth and sin and filled me with the guarantee of salvation - His Spirit. As I pray, I know the Lord hears me through His Spirit. I am not alone. He is with me. His Spirit is protecting me and guiding my spirit.

The Lord shall speak to me too through His wonderful Word. I don't really need to "hear" an audible voice itself. I know it is not I, my ear, or listening that matters. It is God speaking through His Word by His Spirit. Oh my Lord, thank you.

Praise your name.