Matthew 6 On Prayer

Since a very young age and before I profess faith in Jesus Christ, I have always been fascinated by how much is said in the Lord's Prayer. It is no wonder that the Reformed Catechisms extend so much space to tackle its messages. There really is so much to learn about God and humanity in the Lord's Prayer.

As I read the whole of Matthew Chapter 6, I see that Jesus taught a whole chapter on prayer. Below is a brief outline to recap the chapter:

1-4 Do your giving to the needy (prayer) in secret

5-6 Go into your room to pray (for the needy??) - to rip your reward from heaven

7-8 Safe the empty yet verbose phrases; your father already know before you ask

9-13 Pray like this (the Body of the Lord's Prayer)

14-15 Special Comment on the mandate to forgive others

16-18 Perform your fasting (and prayer) unto the Lord [in secret again]

19-24 What to pray for: Earthly treasures or Heavenly treasures

25-34 What to seek first when you are anxiety free in your Father’s care

I'd like to use the next few days to work out a clearer understanding for my own benefit. You are invited to follow along. May the Lord bless the time spent.

Topmost of all, may our prayers indeed hallow our Heavenly Father's name. AMEN

The plight of the migrant workers

I edited a newsletter for a missions organization today. The newsletter intends to call for prayers, help and attention as the organization plans a three-day conference to wrestle with an important issue affecting millions of migrant workers in China. Teenage boys and girls are leaving rural China by the tens of thousands everyday to seek work in the richer, coastal regions. When so many young, clueless, and restless teenagers live together in tight quarters away from home and parents, you can imagine the resulting social issues: widespread exploitations, gambling, substance abuses, premarital and extramarital sex, unwanted pregnancies, abortions, homosexual activities, suicides and what not.

The conference intends to first build awareness among Christian counselors and pastors and then educate them to help stem the plight of these vulnerable mass. As I begin to think about the urgency of the need, I can't help feeling despair. The number of young people involved are in the tens of millions but the number of equipped Christian coworkers is so few and far between. Even if I were to cry out to God like Isaiah and said "I will go, send me," sadly I am not qualified to help. I don't even know how to begin to help. A few warm-blooded volunteers or some selected counseling material cannot solve a problem as vast as this one. It is multi-faceted. The visible and discernible issues involved are physical, psychological, educational, social, economical and political. But sin is at the bottom of all these. The sinful nature of men is being exploited to the fullest here.

Satan is going all out to destroy. Satan is enslaving a whole generation of young people by enlisting an immensely powerful yet extremely effective tool: greed. All you need to start this human disaster is the greed of one person. He sees the material riches that he doesn't have. So he leaves home to seek his fortune. When he succeeds, he will return to show off. Now the seed of greed is multiplied. More and more young people will traverse the same path. Only no one is waiting to help them grow and watch out for their welfare. They will arrive in a world where everyone just watches out for himself and his benefit. It is a trap of no exit. Young mothers would rather give up their babies to be raised by grannies in the village than to return to the rural "dump" of a home. How can they escape this trap when they believe they are escaping the trap of poverty in the first place? From the beginning of time, human beings have been migrating to escape hardship. Satan is simply using the same trick he used back in the Garden. Eve saw the fruit and ... she ate. He tempted Eve to sin, didn't he? And he shall tempt all humankind away from God.

If God is not love, then we truly should give up in despair. Sin wins and that will be the end of the story. But praise be to God, there is hope. Satan's celebration shall prove to be premature. Years ago I left home to come overseas doing very much the same thing these migrants are doing today. Even though I didn't know it at the time, my life was in peril all the same. Except God wouldn't let me fall to the pit. He caught me and pulled me into His fold. He wouldn't let me out of His sight even as I rebelled again and again against Him. By the blood of my Lord Jesus, the Heavenly Father gave me hope for a bright future. It is a future with the presence of the loving God instead of a future of torment in the eternal furnace. He did it then and He shall do it now because of the promise of saving grace.

God shall rescue these little ones from the hand of Satan. He shall do it not so much with the strength of men, but with the power of the Cross and the life born of the Spirit. Long ago, He had spoken through Jesus: the harvest is ripe in need of laborers. But not so fast, Jesus was not calling men to use their ways and methods. Jesus called: "pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers." Will you pray together with me? May the power of the Gospel overcome what is impossible to men. Amen.

The Gospel and the Poor

Wonderful stuff

Milton Vincent, A Gospel Primer for Christians: Learning to See the Glories of God’s Love, pp. 38-39:

Like nothing else could ever do, the gospel instills in me a heart for the downcast, the poverty-stricken, and those in need of physical mercies, especially when such persons are of the household of faith.

When I see persons who are materially poor, I instantly feel a kinship with them, for they are physically what I was spiritually when my heart was closed to Christ.

Perhaps some of them are in their condition because of sin, but so was I.

Perhaps they are unkind when I try to help them; but I, too, have been spiteful to God when He has sought to help me.

Perhaps they are thankless and even abuse the kindness I show them, but how many times have I been thankless and used what God has given me to serve selfish ends?

Perhaps a poverty-stricken person will be blessed and changed as a result of some kindness I show them. If so, God be praised for His grace through me. But if the person walks away unchanged by my kindness, then I still rejoice over the opportunity to love as God loves. Perhaps the person will repent in time; but for now, my heart is chastened and made wiser by the tangible depiction of what I myself have done to God on numerous occasions.

The gospel reminds me daily of the spiritual poverty into which I was born and also of the staggering generosity of Christ towards me. Such reminders instill in me both a felt connection to the poor and a desire to show them the same generosity that has been lavished on me. When ministering to the poor with these motivations, I not only preach the gospel to them through word and deed, but I reenact the gospel to my own benefit as well.

Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

Pertaining to our special interest this and last month, I have two recommendations for you:

1. Book Recommendation

John Piper and Wayne Grudem (Editors), Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism (Paperback) Crossway 2006

2. C.J. Mahaney Video on Biblical Manhood

You may find the video here at Gospel Coalition (Justin Taylor's Blog)

Book Recommendation: When Helping Hurts

I think I may have recommend it once before. But here is a worthwhile review from a discerning reader. Check out this Tim Challies' review of the book When Helping Hurts: How to alleviate poverty without hurting the poor and yourselves by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert.

I recommend this book for everyone thinking or planning on going on a Short Term Mission Trip or Relief Effort.

Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?

I kept coming back to these first verses of Matt 18. I am intrigued with the disciples' question. Why of all things Matthew recorded this conversation about the Kingdom of Heaven. These disciples wanted an answer so bad that they even went to their master who was just then talking to them about his death and resurrection. The two topics don't mix with each other. It seems they weren't really listening and learning from Jesus because they were preoccupied with this particular question among themselves.

I will venture to say that their understanding of greatness didn't come from Jesus. Rather they understood greatness from their upbringing. Jews might have been great some time in the distant past. But they were not so proud of their greatness anymore at Jesus' time. Their nation were overthrown. They were subjects to the Romans. They had to pay taxes to a hated foreign government. The practice of Roman Emperor Worship at the time probably contributed to their earthly understanding of greatness too. Hence the question: who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? The way the question is phrased leads me to believe they were not so much asking: would we the people of God be great? But more likely: would I the individual be great? Could I be great? What must I do to be great, greater than my rivals or greatest among my peers?

In Jesus' answer, one might get the impression that He had singled out a way to achieve this "greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven" stature. One gets the title of the greatest by being the humblest of all. Reflecting on this, I can see myself many times contriving a humble appearance to win praises, or leaving the lesser crown on the table to run for a bigger one. Many a person do that. It is a learned skill perfected by age and practice. Singularly, children in general are not very good at this game. This kind of people is outwardly humble but inwardly ambitious. He is not driven by humbleness but pride. Truly, Jesus didn't have this kind of people in mind.

Matt 18:2 said he called to him a child ... Jesus didn't pick a particular child but one who happened to be nearby. By grabbing the first child he could, Jesus referred to children in general. He then said "unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." The emphasis is not so much about becoming the greatest but just gaining entrance. To enter the kingdom of heaven one must be humble like children. Before one considers his stature in the kingdom of heaven, he should worry first if he is in at all. How can one be humble like children when he is already an adult? Can we roll back time? Fact is, there is nothing one can do. God alone does all things. He elected. He justified. He sanctified. He glorified. Come to think of it, Jesus was answering his disciples the same way he answered Nicodemus: one must be born again to see the kingdom of God (John 3:4).

Jesus wasn't teaching that the disciples could make themselves greatest by "humbling" themselves. He was not a guru of complete make-over. Rather, disciples had but one path to go: place themselves in the hand of God like children place their trust upon their parents. To a child, he is his father's child because his father says so. He doesn't fret about DNA testing and birth certificate. In the same way, we are children of God by faith in Jesus Christ. He said those who believe in Him has eternal life.

Is that a wonderful comfort? Is that a burden off your shoulder?

The greatest in heaven is not the best Hebrew/Greek scholar or the ablest preacher or the missionary with the longest list of sufferings ... Jesus said in Matt 7:22-23, "On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you ..."

Jesus calls out to his chosen: "Follow me." O Lord, lead me unto the path everlasting.

The 9th Commandment

Exo 20:16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

The other day I spoke on the Heidelberg Catechism Question #112 What does the Ninth Commandment teach? Well Exo 20:16 is what is commonly known as the Ninth Commandment. And oftentimes it is understood to refer to a prohibition against lying (giving false testimony) against your neighbor(s), especially in a court situation.

Some in my audience were puzzled when I brought up a Dutch Christian by the name of Corrie Ten Boom. She harbored Jews under the threat of the German Nazi Regime during the Second World War. She lied to the regime to help her Jewish friends escape. She broke the law of her "occupied" country in order to preserve many lives of a people who were under attack. These Jews would certainly face a terrible fate were their hideouts exposed.

The question is: didn't Ms. Corrie break the Ninth Commandment when she lied? She did. Did she bear false witness against her friends? I am not 100% sure. Shouldn't I have kept from mentioning her and her story when I am expounding on the Ninth Commandment?

Well I happen to believe Christians ought to interpret the Ninth Commandment differently under the Age of the Holy Spirit than under the Age of the Law. Under the Age of the Law, God's people living in the Promised Land are forbidden to lie against their neighbor when they are called upon to bear witness. Abraham lied about Sarah. Under the Age of the Holy Christ, Christians not only should be guarding ourselves against lying but we are also to be living witnesses of our Lord Jesus Christ. He came to deliver sinners from bondage. He calls those who are laden with a heavy burden to come and find rest in Him for his yoke is easy and his burden is light. As his followers, Christians are called to live free of sin (such as lying) but also to have a saving compassion for the poor and persecuted.

Corrie had lied to an evil regime and its murderous undertakers. But by what she did, she had also witnessed the love of Christ. Jesus took on the burden to save sinners who would otherwise perish. Ms. Corrie Ten Boom and her friends took on great risk to help Jews who were without hope of surviving on their own. I thought she bore her Christian identity very well. Her story has continued to bear a good witness of the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. At her testimony, ex-German soldiers came to repentance as well.

Am I a better Christian witness than Corrie Ten Boom because I don't lie? First of all, I am not less condemned than Corrie because we have both sinned deserving the eternal death of hell. By the mercy of God, Ms. Corrie and I are saved but only through faith in the saving grace of Jesus our Lord. We didn't do anything to merit this grace. Nor could we. I am not boasting Corrie's act of lying. But because we are saved, we are called to bear witness to the gospel of saving grace. On this matter, I think Corrie Ten Boom had brought glory on her Lord our Master.

I will be most flattered with your comments. Peace to you from our Lord Jesus.

Leaven of the Kingdom of heaven

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus mentioned the word "leaven" twice.

In Matt 13:33, Jesus said "the kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened." Here leaven is referring to the kingdom of heaven. A little bit of leaven enters the flour. It may seem insignificant by weight or volume. But together the little bit of leaven will eventually work its magic through all three measures of flour (50 lbs). According to Jesus, the kingdom of heaven enters the world and eventually transforms the whole world. It does its work in a "hidden" way without the world knowing.

In Matt 16:5-12, Jesus talked about another kind of leaven. It is the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. He explained that this leaven is the teachings of Jewish leaders. Disciples of Jesus are to beware of the influence of this leaven. Or they would come under its power.

The world at Jesus' time despised the kingdom of heaven that Jesus proclaimed. It listened rather to the teachings of the Jewish leaders and nailed Jesus to the Cross. From the first century on down, the message of the kingdom of heaven always run into opposition with the teachings of the elite. There are no lack of doubters in the idea of the kingdom of heaven. The voices of these doubters seem to get louder and louder all the time. Is the kingdom of heaven ever going to make its mark in the world? Would it ever amount to anything? Are we Christians the fools that are to be pitied?

The elites of society will argue that many "Christians" don't even claim to be looking forward to this kingdom. The visible church is hardly any different from the world. And the faithful ones of Christ are much "hidden." We are dispersed and divided. There are mentions of Black Power or Gay Power but hardly any mention of Kingdom power. The infightings and disagreements make the headlines.

So which leaven is going to leaven the whole world? The teachings of God in His Bible or the teachings of the earthly influential/the elite. We know where the Apostle Paul made his stand. He said in Rom 1:16 that the gospel "... is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." He is not ashamed of the gospel because the triumph of the gospel does not depend on the power of men. It is the "hidden" power of God that will surprise and conquer every corner of the world.

Confession Time

I have been reading through the Gospel of Matthew these days with my six year old son. We spend about ten to fifteen minutes each evening to read a few paragraphs (ESV Bible) and talk about what we read. I am sure many Christian families share similar experience each evening.

I was struck with a difficulty: my son is gradually losing interest in the stories we are reading. He doesn't really look forward to the bible reading time. Without the color pictures, there isn't much to get him particularly excited. He was much more excited when we were reading an abridged children Bible. What am I doing wrong? Despite the good intention of steering my child to the Word, is the reading time doing the opposite of turning him away? Isn't this something that you experience yourselves?

Here we are: reading the miracles Jesus performed and listening to His parables. Why isn't the Word drawing our soul and mind to God? The problem, I surmise, is not with God or His Word. Rather, modern readers like myself have a very different mindset than the ones sitting at Jesus' feet at His time.

The fact of the matter is: modern readers are not sitting at His feet listening to Him and watching His every gesture. We are just treating the reading time as a chore. It is just one of a million activities that we "have to" get done before we hit the sack. When we pick up the Book, it is at a time most comfortable and convenient for ourselves and we sit there with a full stomach and a cup of hot milk, ready to be carried into sweet dreams and a good night rest. We do this day in and out with only one wish: please keep it short and sweet.

Unlike the first century followers, we aren't spiritually thirsting or starving for the Word. No, we are just trying to earn our own salvation by works. In this case, daily reading of the Word becomes a means to earn merit. It is a way for us to boast our spirituality. I read my Bible everyday. Do you?

Despite the outward appearance, I hardly connect our reading with our lives. For instance just a couple of nights ago, after reading Peter asking the LORD to let him walk on water, we just turned off the light and went to bed without nary a thought of asking for better and greater things for His sake. We slept soundly in His care without questioning our lack of faith thereof. How was that a way to internalize what we read? How was that thinking God's thought after Him? As Christian parents, am I modeling Christ in my Bible reading habits before my children?

Indeed may the LORD grant us all a heart of flesh to worship and adore Him every time we approach His Word. Lord, forgive us of our lack of faith. Draw us near that we may learn from you our master and King. Stand up our ears that we may hear your voice with our heart. Give us the thirst and longing to learn with our minds. Nourish our soul as we feast on the life-transforming Word. Stand us firm by your Spirit in your Word that we may live for your glory. Add to this our little faith that we may draw others to your grace.

Pray. O my soul, pray.

Patience patience

You may not notice but I was off the radar the last few days. I was answering my citizen responsibility to participate in the Jury selection process. Sadly I was not chosen to get more involved in the noble task of upholding the law of the land. So I am back to doing what I do most days (which is learning to walk according to the Spirit rather than according to the flesh).

Obviously I am forbidden to share any part of my experience in the courtroom. I wish to comment on my first impression entering a roomful of potential jurors. All of us had to go through a stringent security process of emptying all items in our pockets, getting a full-body electronic scan by an officer, and having our bags X-rated. This process from waiting to finish takes a long forty minutes and one has to repeat this process each time he enters a court building, albeit that he is just returning from lunch break. And all of this tedious effort only to get to a point of waiting to be called. While there in the Central Jury Room, some just sit there looking bored, some chat with neighbors, some read, some bring their work, some nap, ... none particularly wears a joyful look.

Come to think of it. Is it sort of like a mini-reflection of life in the Christian community? It isn't a short process to become part of the community (at least for me). Once entered, we may have a long time to wait before we are called heavenwards. In the meantime, what shall we do with the time? Patience is really the best medicine in this situation.

May the Lord grant His children the fruit of patience to live joyfully awaiting His second coming! It is apt to pray as such as Easter approaches.

The Masculine Mandate

Book recommendation for men:

Here is an excerpt of Tim Challies' review of the said book:

I found The Masculine Mandate helpful on several levels. I appreciated that Phillips defined a man's role independent of marriage. This is a trap many authors have been unable to avoid. Yet many men will remain single all their lives and this in no way reduces their masculinity. Jesus himself never married and was more of a man than any of us! And Jesus, despite never marrying, devoted his life to both working and keeping. At the same time, I admired Phillips' call to most men most of the time to get married. Marriage is, for the majority of us, a way God calls us to fulfill our mandate and too many Christian men seem eager to view marriage through a worldly lens. I appreciated as well that Phillips spoke both from Scripture and from personal experience. Many of his examples and exhortations were based on examinations of passages of Scriptures; many more were drawn from his own life and experience. It makes for a powerful combination.

Well-written and presenting tough truths within such a simple grid of work and keep, this book is a very useful call for men to live out their mandate before God. I feel challenged and equipped for having read it and am glad to recommend it to any man. Read it, apply it, live it.

Find this book at Amazon or WTSBOOKS.COM

I don't recommend - A New Kind of Christianity

If this kind of Christianity that appeals to you:

The message of McLarenism is pretty simple: God is love and wants everyone to be kind and inclusive and care for the poor and the environment. This is what Jesus was like, and we should be like Jesus. This is, of course, not wrong in so far as it goes. The Liberal/McLaren emphasis on the kingdom is right, their concern for the “other” is right, much of their ethics is right. But McLarenism, like liberalism, cannot be right. It has its emphases all out of proportion, its right statements thrown out of whack by all that is missing. In McLarenism there is no original sin, no wrath, no hell, no creation-fall-redemption, no definite future, no second coming that I can see, no clear statement on the deity of Christ, no mention of vicarious substitution or God’s holiness or divine sovereignty, no ethical demands except as they relate to being kind to others, no God-offendedness, no doctrine of justification, no unchanging apostolic deposit of truth, no absolute submission to the word of God, nary a mention of faith and worship, no doctrine of regeneration, no evangelistic impulse to save the lost, and nothing about God’s passion for his glory. This is surely a lot to leave out. (Conclusion of Kevin DeYoung's Book Review blog)

then you should read Brian McLaren's latest book, A New Kind of Christianity

Please note: this is NOT a book recommendation. On the contrary, I am writing to remind you to think twice before reading anything written by Brian McLaren.