Rhapsodies on Christ

Matthew 6 On Prayer

2010-03-18T10:47:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-10T08:45:00.000-08:00

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

2010-03-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

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

2010-03-09T09:24:00.001-08:00

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?

2010-03-08T18:16:00.000-08:00

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

2010-03-06T11:15:00.000-08:00

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

2010-03-04T17:21:00.000-08:00

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

2010-03-04T09:22:00.000-08:00

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

2010-03-04T08:32:00.000-08:00

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

2010-03-04T08:28:00.000-08:00

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

2010-03-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

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.

Mark Driscoll's comment on "Avatar" the movie

2010-02-26T08:44:00.000-08:00

Mark Driscoll's comment on "Avatar" the movie

Read it here.

Don't leave out the interesting comments following the article. Read them and see the clear gulf between the believing and the non-believing communities. Since Scripture urges Christians to share our faith with kindness and gentleness, seriously we ought to pray for the transformation of our hearts to bear the spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness and self-control to represent the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

The feast is ready. And the Master is asking the servants to go invite everyone to His feast.

The Unpardonable Sin

2010-02-25T11:28:00.000-08:00

This article by Ed Welch of CCEF was both informative and instructional to me. I sure hope it will be as helpful to you as it was to me.

Blessings from the LORD

Book Recommendations

2010-02-24T09:42:00.000-08:00

Looking for books to read, I have the following recommendations:

Michael Horton, Christless Christianity Baker 2008

Michael Horton, The Gospel-Driven Life Baker 2009

Wayne Grudem, Ed. ESV Study Bible Crossway 2008

Sinclair Ferguson, Faithful God Bryntirion Press 2005

Sinclair Ferguson, Deserted by God Banner of Truth 1993

Sinclair Ferguson, In Christ Alone Reformation Trust 2007

Elyse Fitzpatrick and Dennis Johnson, Counsel From the Cross Crossway 2009

Arthur Bennett, Ed. The Valley of Vision Banner of Truth 1975`

Donald Macleod, A Faith to Live By Mentor 1998

Martin Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression Eerdmans 1965

Paul Miller, Love Walked Among Us NavPress 2001

Paul Miller, A Praying Life NavPress 2009

2010-02-24T09:40:00.001-08:00

I recommend to you the following article about a 35 yr old pastor, Matt Chandler, with brain cancer

Suffering Well: Faith tested by Pastor's cancer

then follow along as he preaches from the Book of Colossians:

Date	Title	Series	Speaker
2.21.10	Covenant With the Eternal Son	Colossians (Part 4)	Matt Chandler
2.14.10	The Image of What is Invisible	Colossians (Part 3)	Matt Chandler
2.07.10	For Knowledge and Godly Conduct	Colossians (Part 2)	Matt Chandler
1.24.10	An Encouraging Beginning	Colossians (Part 1)	Matt Chandler

To listen to the MP3 audio, just click the green music logo on the right hand side.

1Cor 15:50-58

2009-04-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-17T07:33:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-17T06:42:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-12T05:17:00.001-07:00

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

2009-04-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-09T19:19:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-08T17:19:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-06T16:24:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-05T14:48:00.000-07:00

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.