Last year, I wrote an entry named "Top 5 Reasons Non-Christians Should Read The Bible". At the time, my brother-in-law (who at that time was not yet my brother-in-law) suggested that I write one to exhort Christians to read the bible. He reasoned that too many people professing to be Christians are very unfamiliar with the Bible, its contents, and what it really espouses. I couldn't agree with him more. I have met too many Christians whose only study of the bible occurs at Sunday service or in cell groups. Although they appear to have a strong belief, yet the foundations of their faith are all too easily shaken. I have, since then, wanted to write something like this, but it has taken me a long time.
This is an exceptionally difficult post to write... if we were going to talk about the Bible and why it is important... gosh, where do I start? Do I talk about my own experiences? Do I talk about the intellectual or the emotional ways that the Bible helps us in our faith? Do I go into the theology of scripture - concepts like inspiration of scripture, the birth of the canon, inerrancy of the canon, etc? I hope to write a short, concise, yet compelling and motivating treatise. The emphasis here is on short, something that is easier said than done. Here is my attempt, after many trials and errors. Hope this works.
1. The Bible is God's Story, and if you are a Christian (and therefore believes in God), then it makes sense for you to read it. It is a biography of God and His involvement with His creation. The entire book - even those parts that are not narratives - weave together to tell the story about a perfect God, imperfect and tainted mankind, and His attempts to love us. You can't afford to miss out on this story.
2. Get your theology right.
What do you say if somebody starts attacking your faith? What do you think if someone presented you with what seems like quite a compelling message (in a leaflet, book, or sermon) that sounds good and doesn't seem to deviate too much from Christianity? If ever you were in that situation, would you even know what are the fundamental tenets of the Christian faith? On that vein, what does the Bible really say about abortion, extramarital sex, homosexuality, euthanasia, etc?
It is imperative that the everyday Christian is clear about their theological beliefs, rather than just relying on their leaders and pastors. Firstly, your pastor isn't necessarily going to be around when you are attacked... Secondly (and God forbid that you should meet these), not every compelling "speaker" or "leader" is going to be theologically sound. In the early church, medieval and middle ages, literacy was not widespread among the populace, and people were easily lead by anybody who had good oratory skills. Not so our generation! Read the Bible because you can, and get your theology right.
3. The Bible is practical
What is the best way to make money? What is the best way to relate to people around you? How do you build a relationship with your spouse? How do you bring up your children? How do you deal with life when poverty, persecution, or loneliness comes? What exactly is wisdom, which choices are wise? The Bible does not beat about the bush when it comes to these practical problems that trouble us. Aside from being an epic large scale romance and a theological doctrinal treatise, it is also a practical guidebook of life-money-marriage-parenting.
4. Know what God promises
I believe that what we believe about God and His nature and promises has a profound effect on our values, attitudes, and even our life vision. "Theology dictates living", theologian Dr. S. Donald Fortson III once said. If you know God and what He promises, how will you live differently?
The Bible contains countless promises that God gives us, and without reading it we don't really have an understanding of what they entail. Not only do we need to read the Bible for the promises that are recorded, but we need to keep reading it to remind ourselves, and even memorise it for a time when we can use it to encourage others.
5. Jesus read the Bible. Actually, that's not strictly true - the Bible didn't exist in Jesus' day - many books were in fact written after Jesus' death. However, Jesus was familiar with the scripture that was available to him - the prophets, the laws, and psalms in the Old Testament. He knew them well, committed them to memory, and often made references to them in his teaching.
If you profess to be Christian, and follow Jesus, it makes sense to follow his example!
In closing, you may notice that I didn't include reasons like "God talks to you using the Scriptures". Sometimes it is true that, whilst reading the Bible, a certain verse just jumps out at us, comforts our hearts and directs our steps, as if a personal revelation. Many people have experienced it, myself included... indeed on numerous occasions. However I didn't include this as one of the five reasons, because I don't think we should have a "mining" approach to reading the scriptures, as if we are reading in order to "find" a revelation or to somehow "channel" God to talk to us this way. If you take this attitude to your scripture reading, you may find yourself frustrated after reading 10 chapters of Leviticus and nothing jumps out at you, and you may consider Leviticus 'useless'.
My husband, who is usually permissive about these things, once remarked that regular reading of the Bible is compulsory for anyone who seriously wishes to love and serve God... and we all learn this, sooner or later.
(I'm sure there are a thousand other reasons that I've not presented here, even now I can think of heaps that didn't make this list. If you can think of heaps more, I would love to see your comment.)
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
The Doctrine of Common Grace
Common Grace is a theological term referring to grace that is bestowed to all mankind by God.
It is 'common' because it is given to all humanity, irrespective of
whether they are believers or not. It is 'grace' because it is a gift of
God that is undeserved by us, and can't be earned by merit. Examples of
common grace include basic things like the phenomena in creation that gives
us life (rain, sunshine), civil authorities and civilisation, etc. This is, of course, different from special grace, which is the gift of adoption into God's kingdom, given only to believers.
When I first learnt about the doctrine of common grace, I must admit I was a bit unimpressed. After all, what sort of 'grace' is rain? What sort of 'grace' is speeding cameras and parking regulations? Besides, we need more than just rain and oxygen for an abundant, fulfilling life. I recall feeling that common grace was really pretty useless.
Common grace began in Genesis 2:17, when God told Adam that if he eats from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he will "surely die". So when Adam and Eve ate from the tree, we expect to find them perhaps instantaneously put to death. In fact, when I first read those words as a child, I thought perhaps the fruit would contain some sort of explosive that detonates upon eating. I was surprised to find that Adam and Eve were not struck by lightning, nor did they spectacularly perish the moment the fruit enters their mouths. In fact, Adam did not die until he was 930 years old. I wonder how Adam must have felt about common grace, waking each morning to sunshine and the knowledge that the Lord Almighty had tolerated (or perhaps even delighted in) his existence for another day. I wonder what he thought of common grace as he worked the soil and the rain nourished his crops. Adam knew the heights from which he fell, Adam knew what he really deserved, and the significance of the rain was not diminished in his eyes.
After Adam, generation after generation fell to the same darkness... from Cain to Lamech to the days of Noah. No one deserved this common grace, yet all benefited from it. Although it is given to everybody, it is anything but 'common'. Each person uniquely exemplifies the gracious and loving kindness of God. Each person, believer and unbeliever, is given it as a special gift, a miracle that defies our nature.
Common grace is given to each of us. What are you doing with yours?
When I first learnt about the doctrine of common grace, I must admit I was a bit unimpressed. After all, what sort of 'grace' is rain? What sort of 'grace' is speeding cameras and parking regulations? Besides, we need more than just rain and oxygen for an abundant, fulfilling life. I recall feeling that common grace was really pretty useless.
Common grace began in Genesis 2:17, when God told Adam that if he eats from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he will "surely die". So when Adam and Eve ate from the tree, we expect to find them perhaps instantaneously put to death. In fact, when I first read those words as a child, I thought perhaps the fruit would contain some sort of explosive that detonates upon eating. I was surprised to find that Adam and Eve were not struck by lightning, nor did they spectacularly perish the moment the fruit enters their mouths. In fact, Adam did not die until he was 930 years old. I wonder how Adam must have felt about common grace, waking each morning to sunshine and the knowledge that the Lord Almighty had tolerated (or perhaps even delighted in) his existence for another day. I wonder what he thought of common grace as he worked the soil and the rain nourished his crops. Adam knew the heights from which he fell, Adam knew what he really deserved, and the significance of the rain was not diminished in his eyes.
After Adam, generation after generation fell to the same darkness... from Cain to Lamech to the days of Noah. No one deserved this common grace, yet all benefited from it. Although it is given to everybody, it is anything but 'common'. Each person uniquely exemplifies the gracious and loving kindness of God. Each person, believer and unbeliever, is given it as a special gift, a miracle that defies our nature.
Common grace is given to each of us. What are you doing with yours?
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
To Agree with One Another
"I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, that you may be perfectly united in mind and in thought." 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NIV)
The New International Version of the bible uses the word "appeal"; the King James Version uses the word "beseech". In the Greek, the word is "parakaleo", meaning an urgent and heart-felt exhortation. Paul used the most urgent terms to encourage unity in the early church in Corinth. The word "plead" is used elsewhere. (See Philippians 4:2).
The issue of unity among believers is something that weighed heavily in the minds of Jesus and the early church. The longest prayer spoken by Jesus, recorded in the gospel of John, was a prayer for unity among the believers of the world. The themes of unity and division can be seen in the writing of Paul, Peter, James, and Luke. So why is there so much division within the local church? And why is the body of believers, the Church in general, so divided? Paul practically pleads with the local church for the members to agree with one another (elsewhere, in Philippians, he does plea.) How do we minimise divisions within the church?
This is, of course, a huge topic, and I am by no means a biblical scholar. The dogmatic differences between denominations of Christianity is not my forte. However, I do believe that large gaps in unity all started from differences between people and they way they rub shoulders with one another; as such, below are merely some of my reflections on rubbing shoulders and fitting into a church family.
1. We are one, but we are many
In Romans 14, Paul addresses the issue of diversity in opinion among the early church. Some held on to their perhaps pre-Christian beliefs (either from Judaism or from paganism) that some foods are unclean, or that some days are more sacred than another. How to resolve these differences? Consider these verses: "Accept those whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does." (Ro 14:1-3) "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification" (Ro 14:19) And let us not ignore: "So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God." (Ro 14:22) Finally: "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." (Ro 15:7)
In other words, the Romans had great disputes over matters which to them at the time must have seemed of astronomical importance. It's interesting in a way: those early Christians would have experienced oppression and persecution and the threat of being thrown by lions every day - and yet some Christians still thought the important issue of the day was whether it is ok to eat meat. Paul tells us that whatever our personal views are on these matters, to accept and not judge one another, and to be accountable to God.
Aside from diversity in opinion, and a whole host of other problems, the early church in Corinth also had issues with diversity in gifts. 1 Corinthians 12 addresses the issue of differences in spiritual gifts, and the necessity of these gifts to work together as members of the one body.
Of course, some differences in doctrine can not be accepted - these concern the doctrines central to our faith as Christians. But these central doctrines are few (concerning God, the Trinity, Christ, human sin, and our need for salvation). Most of the dogmas that divide Christians are not these fundamental theological doctrines, but the "side" issues - like food, holy days, and whether we can baptise babies. Jesus never said anything about whether we can baptise babies, neither did any of the biblical writers. Perhaps there is a reason for that. At the risk of sounding flippant - perhaps it doesn't matter as much to the Saviour as it does to the generations of scholars debating the topic. And yet, many great schisms arose from issues such as these.
On a more practical note, perhaps we should all stop trying to change each other, thinking we know best. (Yes, I know this isn't in the bible, but I needed to say it.) I have been married for 3 months, and the first lesson I learnt about marriage was to give up the temptation try to change my husband. (I love him, but I see his imperfections better than anyone. Ladies, you know what I'm talking about, right?) I figured that changing him would kill the diversity and spontaneity in our relationship, and I'll probably die from exhaustion and peptic ulcer before he budges an inch.
2. Focus on the common ground
Joel A'bell, a pastor at Hillsong Church, once said: "If you want to increase in love for another - focus on what you have in common. Don't spend all day thinking about how different you are to this person - instead focus on the common things - and you will find that there are many." I personally would extend this "common ground" to the general human condition: that everyone you talk to, no matter how different you are, is still a child of God, but is never the less a sinner, and has been sinned against. That is pretty much the basic description of human: God-like, sinner, sinned against. There is something glorious and yet weather-beaten in everyone. Last week the baby of one of the pastors at my church died, and I seen and heard of many more such tragedies occurring in the lives of even the most pious Christians... each time to my great sadness and distress. No one is immune from the toils of life, and when we realise that the chasm between us is not so great, love becomes easier.
3. Love is indispensable
1 Corinthians 13 has got to be one of the most quoted passages of the bible, written beautifully and often quoted at weddings (not ours, I had to be non-conformist). What is often forgotten, though, is that it is immediately after chapter 12, which talks about diversity and unity, about all members working together as one body. After he talks about the different gifts working together, in case the reader is left wondering how, he states: "And now I will show you the most excellent way", and goes on to talk about love. In other words, love is the answer to working together with diversity, love supersedes all your gifts and knowledge and even your good deeds. I need not quote all the scriptures that exhort us to love one another.
What perhaps does need to be mentioned, though, is where this love comes from. Jesus tells us to love our enemies, but generally when we look at those who hurt us, "love" is not the four-letter word that comes to mind. We sometimes not generous and charitable enough to love even the annoyingly slow waiter or check-out girl, let alone our enemy.
The word for "love" in 1 Corinthians 13 is the Greek word "agape". If you are a lover of C S Lewis, or if you know something of Greek, or if you are just generally nerdy (and I am all of the above), you will know that in the New Testament there are various words which are all translated to English as "love", but mean different things (like brotherly love, sexual love, etc). Agape refers to the love that Christ showed for us - it is a God-love. 1 John 4:19 says: "We love, because God first loved us". In other words, it is so hard for us to love others if we hadn't first received God's love. By continually receiving God, we can continually love others.
4. Humility
Paul, in Philippians 2:2-3 again talks about unity among the believers, and this time he points to humility as a vessel to help us be like-minded. "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest but each of you to the interests of others".
You can't get along with others, accept differences, and be like-minded, if you consider yourself better than others. Even IF you are RIGHT, are you are indeed smarter, better educated, or can remember more bible verses.
The bible tells us: be quick to listen, slow to speak. (James 1:19). Joyce Meyer once said: "I know that I can learn something from every person I meet. So when I am speaking to someone, I ask myself - what am I learning? What is God trying to teach me from this interaction?" I am of the personal opinion that if everybody spoke less and listened more carefully, many people would find that they are not as smart as they thought they were.
When I was talking about this with my husband last night, he observed: "Humility is not something you can preach at someone about, because it's not something you do, it is a state of mind. If you preach at someone to be humble, they will just go about acting humble, and then feel very proud of how humble they are. For someone to have an attitude of humility, they need to be taught by God - they need to take a fall, crash to the ground, and realise they are not as smart or wise as they thought they were. Then, they will see God and other fallen humans the humble way."
He is right, of course. Nothing teaches humility like the University of Hard Knocks. But sometimes I wish there was an easier way, other than be knocked about and off your feet.
5. Submission is not a dirty word
Yes, you heard right, all you Generation Ys. Submission. It is not a dirty word, and if you don't know what it means, look it up in the dictionary.
Hebrews 13:17: "Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you."
Ephesians 4:11-13: So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
The verses are so clear, there's almost no argument. Your leaders are Christ-appointed. Trust them, submit to them. Simple. Don't like it? Too bad: they were anointed for this work, you were not. Deal with it. Submission is not a cop-out ("I submit, therefore I don't have to do or say anything). Submission is not switching your brain off, nor is it being lazy. Submission is humbly having respect and trust for those whom God has placed in authority. Submission is allowing those in authority to help equip you to serve God the best way you can, in the best way they can. Submission is allowing yourself to be corrected, to be rebuked, and to learn. This is a hard teaching, especially to today's stiff-necked, tech-savvy, post-modern and somewhat rebellious generation. Can you accept it?
It gets a little less clear-cut than that, if you disagree with your leaders, or if you frankly just don't like them and the way they do things. It happens - after all, we are all human. You may have a dogmatic disagreement with the teaching of your pastor (see point no. 1), or you might not have much in common (see point no. 2), or, in the worst case, they have done or said something to upset or hurt you. All these are possible, because they are human, and because you are human. Of course, I can't give a clear-cut solution for all of these problems that may arise (as some of them are far too complex to be solved by a simple cliche answer), except to say that love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are virtues all exhorted in the bible, against these there is no law. (Galatians 5:22)
Conclusion: why is unity important?
If you are an obedient Christian, then just the fact that Jesus preached for and prayed for unity should be enough for you to strive for it. Is there any doubt that we better fulfil the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:19) when we are unified in a group? Is there any doubt that we better influence our surroundings, feed more orphans and widows, build more hospitals and such, when we are "of one heart and mind"? A look at church history shows us what disunity does to us. We have one God, one Saviour, one Holy Spirit. And yet we have enough denominations than most people can count, a joke that is thousands of years old. In the local level, unity in the church is important so that we can better learn from each other and so that we can better serve our surrounds. On the world-wide scale, we're all meeting up in heaven anyway, so we might as well get on with each other now.
The New International Version of the bible uses the word "appeal"; the King James Version uses the word "beseech". In the Greek, the word is "parakaleo", meaning an urgent and heart-felt exhortation. Paul used the most urgent terms to encourage unity in the early church in Corinth. The word "plead" is used elsewhere. (See Philippians 4:2).
The issue of unity among believers is something that weighed heavily in the minds of Jesus and the early church. The longest prayer spoken by Jesus, recorded in the gospel of John, was a prayer for unity among the believers of the world. The themes of unity and division can be seen in the writing of Paul, Peter, James, and Luke. So why is there so much division within the local church? And why is the body of believers, the Church in general, so divided? Paul practically pleads with the local church for the members to agree with one another (elsewhere, in Philippians, he does plea.) How do we minimise divisions within the church?
This is, of course, a huge topic, and I am by no means a biblical scholar. The dogmatic differences between denominations of Christianity is not my forte. However, I do believe that large gaps in unity all started from differences between people and they way they rub shoulders with one another; as such, below are merely some of my reflections on rubbing shoulders and fitting into a church family.
1. We are one, but we are many
In Romans 14, Paul addresses the issue of diversity in opinion among the early church. Some held on to their perhaps pre-Christian beliefs (either from Judaism or from paganism) that some foods are unclean, or that some days are more sacred than another. How to resolve these differences? Consider these verses: "Accept those whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does." (Ro 14:1-3) "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification" (Ro 14:19) And let us not ignore: "So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God." (Ro 14:22) Finally: "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." (Ro 15:7)
In other words, the Romans had great disputes over matters which to them at the time must have seemed of astronomical importance. It's interesting in a way: those early Christians would have experienced oppression and persecution and the threat of being thrown by lions every day - and yet some Christians still thought the important issue of the day was whether it is ok to eat meat. Paul tells us that whatever our personal views are on these matters, to accept and not judge one another, and to be accountable to God.
Aside from diversity in opinion, and a whole host of other problems, the early church in Corinth also had issues with diversity in gifts. 1 Corinthians 12 addresses the issue of differences in spiritual gifts, and the necessity of these gifts to work together as members of the one body.
Of course, some differences in doctrine can not be accepted - these concern the doctrines central to our faith as Christians. But these central doctrines are few (concerning God, the Trinity, Christ, human sin, and our need for salvation). Most of the dogmas that divide Christians are not these fundamental theological doctrines, but the "side" issues - like food, holy days, and whether we can baptise babies. Jesus never said anything about whether we can baptise babies, neither did any of the biblical writers. Perhaps there is a reason for that. At the risk of sounding flippant - perhaps it doesn't matter as much to the Saviour as it does to the generations of scholars debating the topic. And yet, many great schisms arose from issues such as these.
On a more practical note, perhaps we should all stop trying to change each other, thinking we know best. (Yes, I know this isn't in the bible, but I needed to say it.) I have been married for 3 months, and the first lesson I learnt about marriage was to give up the temptation try to change my husband. (I love him, but I see his imperfections better than anyone. Ladies, you know what I'm talking about, right?) I figured that changing him would kill the diversity and spontaneity in our relationship, and I'll probably die from exhaustion and peptic ulcer before he budges an inch.
2. Focus on the common ground
Joel A'bell, a pastor at Hillsong Church, once said: "If you want to increase in love for another - focus on what you have in common. Don't spend all day thinking about how different you are to this person - instead focus on the common things - and you will find that there are many." I personally would extend this "common ground" to the general human condition: that everyone you talk to, no matter how different you are, is still a child of God, but is never the less a sinner, and has been sinned against. That is pretty much the basic description of human: God-like, sinner, sinned against. There is something glorious and yet weather-beaten in everyone. Last week the baby of one of the pastors at my church died, and I seen and heard of many more such tragedies occurring in the lives of even the most pious Christians... each time to my great sadness and distress. No one is immune from the toils of life, and when we realise that the chasm between us is not so great, love becomes easier.
3. Love is indispensable
1 Corinthians 13 has got to be one of the most quoted passages of the bible, written beautifully and often quoted at weddings (not ours, I had to be non-conformist). What is often forgotten, though, is that it is immediately after chapter 12, which talks about diversity and unity, about all members working together as one body. After he talks about the different gifts working together, in case the reader is left wondering how, he states: "And now I will show you the most excellent way", and goes on to talk about love. In other words, love is the answer to working together with diversity, love supersedes all your gifts and knowledge and even your good deeds. I need not quote all the scriptures that exhort us to love one another.
What perhaps does need to be mentioned, though, is where this love comes from. Jesus tells us to love our enemies, but generally when we look at those who hurt us, "love" is not the four-letter word that comes to mind. We sometimes not generous and charitable enough to love even the annoyingly slow waiter or check-out girl, let alone our enemy.
The word for "love" in 1 Corinthians 13 is the Greek word "agape". If you are a lover of C S Lewis, or if you know something of Greek, or if you are just generally nerdy (and I am all of the above), you will know that in the New Testament there are various words which are all translated to English as "love", but mean different things (like brotherly love, sexual love, etc). Agape refers to the love that Christ showed for us - it is a God-love. 1 John 4:19 says: "We love, because God first loved us". In other words, it is so hard for us to love others if we hadn't first received God's love. By continually receiving God, we can continually love others.
4. Humility
Paul, in Philippians 2:2-3 again talks about unity among the believers, and this time he points to humility as a vessel to help us be like-minded. "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest but each of you to the interests of others".
You can't get along with others, accept differences, and be like-minded, if you consider yourself better than others. Even IF you are RIGHT, are you are indeed smarter, better educated, or can remember more bible verses.
The bible tells us: be quick to listen, slow to speak. (James 1:19). Joyce Meyer once said: "I know that I can learn something from every person I meet. So when I am speaking to someone, I ask myself - what am I learning? What is God trying to teach me from this interaction?" I am of the personal opinion that if everybody spoke less and listened more carefully, many people would find that they are not as smart as they thought they were.
When I was talking about this with my husband last night, he observed: "Humility is not something you can preach at someone about, because it's not something you do, it is a state of mind. If you preach at someone to be humble, they will just go about acting humble, and then feel very proud of how humble they are. For someone to have an attitude of humility, they need to be taught by God - they need to take a fall, crash to the ground, and realise they are not as smart or wise as they thought they were. Then, they will see God and other fallen humans the humble way."
He is right, of course. Nothing teaches humility like the University of Hard Knocks. But sometimes I wish there was an easier way, other than be knocked about and off your feet.
5. Submission is not a dirty word
Yes, you heard right, all you Generation Ys. Submission. It is not a dirty word, and if you don't know what it means, look it up in the dictionary.
Hebrews 13:17: "Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you."
Ephesians 4:11-13: So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
The verses are so clear, there's almost no argument. Your leaders are Christ-appointed. Trust them, submit to them. Simple. Don't like it? Too bad: they were anointed for this work, you were not. Deal with it. Submission is not a cop-out ("I submit, therefore I don't have to do or say anything). Submission is not switching your brain off, nor is it being lazy. Submission is humbly having respect and trust for those whom God has placed in authority. Submission is allowing those in authority to help equip you to serve God the best way you can, in the best way they can. Submission is allowing yourself to be corrected, to be rebuked, and to learn. This is a hard teaching, especially to today's stiff-necked, tech-savvy, post-modern and somewhat rebellious generation. Can you accept it?
It gets a little less clear-cut than that, if you disagree with your leaders, or if you frankly just don't like them and the way they do things. It happens - after all, we are all human. You may have a dogmatic disagreement with the teaching of your pastor (see point no. 1), or you might not have much in common (see point no. 2), or, in the worst case, they have done or said something to upset or hurt you. All these are possible, because they are human, and because you are human. Of course, I can't give a clear-cut solution for all of these problems that may arise (as some of them are far too complex to be solved by a simple cliche answer), except to say that love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are virtues all exhorted in the bible, against these there is no law. (Galatians 5:22)
Conclusion: why is unity important?
If you are an obedient Christian, then just the fact that Jesus preached for and prayed for unity should be enough for you to strive for it. Is there any doubt that we better fulfil the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:19) when we are unified in a group? Is there any doubt that we better influence our surroundings, feed more orphans and widows, build more hospitals and such, when we are "of one heart and mind"? A look at church history shows us what disunity does to us. We have one God, one Saviour, one Holy Spirit. And yet we have enough denominations than most people can count, a joke that is thousands of years old. In the local level, unity in the church is important so that we can better learn from each other and so that we can better serve our surrounds. On the world-wide scale, we're all meeting up in heaven anyway, so we might as well get on with each other now.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Top 5 Things Professing Christians Do To Wimp Out On the Pursuit Of God
Why would a professing Christian wimp out a committed, consistent pursuit of God? There are many reasons, I suppose... Unlike other pursuits, which requires action in order to reach your goal... the pursuit of God requires us to be still, to wait, and to be in humble submission. On those occasions when we do catch a glimpse of God... a mere passing glance at His perfection shows our own imperfections. There is to be no delusions of grandiosity, in our pursuit of the truly Grand.
And yet, we know we ought to be pursuing righteousness. It's imprinted in us. But the pursuit of God is hard, we feel we are in inaction, and God is not always easily within our reach. So, we professing Christians find ourselves some pretty good substitutes.
This is by no means in any particular order. Like all of my rants, it is completely random. Additionally, none of these things are inherently bad on their own. My point is none of these should stand in the way of the pursuit of the real God.
1. Christians like to pursue rules instead of God
We chase after rules, make up rules, and then try to obey them, because we think that they make us more righteous and Godly... and because they make us feel better, as if we are doing the right things and ticking the right boxes. And so, we use our energy following rules other people make for us. (Example: no wearing jeans to church. The worship team must wear the same colour. You must show up 1 hr early... and so on). When that is not enough, we might even make up rules for ourselves. (I must get up early to pray. I must spend 30 minutes on bible reading per day. I must keep a journal every day. I must reach out to someone. I must help out at church... etc).
We focus so much on these rules, that we miss God in the process. If you don't mind what you read or what you learn in your reading, as long as you are reading 30 minutes of bible per day, you are missing the point. If you don't mind what you are singing or playing in the worship team, as long as you don't forget the lyrics, don't play the wrong note, and wear the right shirt... you are missing the point, and you are not pursuing God.
2. Christians like to pursue ministry instead of God
Don't get me wrong. Christians should serve, we are called to wash each other's feet. And sometimes, as individuals, we feel a distinct call towards a certain ministry. Some feel called to preach, some feel called to minister in music, some feel called to minister to children. (Do you have a 'pet' ministry? I know I do.) It is so easy to focus on service or on our calling... after all, our ministry is tangible, it is superficially satisfying because we feel like we are doing something for God... and best of all, our ministry is within our control, whereas God is not. And so, we spend our energy, and our time, on making things run, and making sure we produce the best results for Him. This is not a bad thing by itself... but are you spending more time and energy fulfilling your call, or are you pursuing the One who called out to you?
3. Christians like to pursue causes instead of God
It is so 'in fashion' right now to have a cause, we are a generation that like to have a cause to fight for, something to 'stand up' for. The choices are many - human rights, environment, humanitarian services, starving children... If you are a spouse or a parent, your 'cause' may even be to bring up your children well or have a loving family. Important, yes... but none of these should take precedence or predominance over a pursuit of God.
4. Christians like to pursue fellowship instead of God
This is you, if your idea of the pursuit of God is wholly via cell groups, prayer meetings, and bible studies. I know Christians who attend every single cell group meeting and bible study, and yet spend very little time in personal prayer and personal study of the bible. Fellowship is important, don't get me wrong, and we often experience God's compassion and grace in the form of our loving brothers and sisters. And yet, we can not develop an intimate, one-on-one relationship with God if we only ever meet Him in a group.
5. Christians like to pursue lists instead of God
This is perhaps the one that gets to the most of us committed (and perhaps over-committed) Christians. We have lists to do, lists to get us through the day, lists of things to think about, lists of things to pray for, and even lists to summarise what lists we have. Although God is ever on our hearts and minds, and always on our lips, He is but one point of the list. We can not quieten our hearts, we can not settle ourselves at His feet, and we can not leave the list behind. What will we do? Will we bring our list to Him?
These are the five things I have most often observed in myself and others. Can you think of other important ones? Please add to comments.
And yet, we know we ought to be pursuing righteousness. It's imprinted in us. But the pursuit of God is hard, we feel we are in inaction, and God is not always easily within our reach. So, we professing Christians find ourselves some pretty good substitutes.
This is by no means in any particular order. Like all of my rants, it is completely random. Additionally, none of these things are inherently bad on their own. My point is none of these should stand in the way of the pursuit of the real God.
1. Christians like to pursue rules instead of God
We chase after rules, make up rules, and then try to obey them, because we think that they make us more righteous and Godly... and because they make us feel better, as if we are doing the right things and ticking the right boxes. And so, we use our energy following rules other people make for us. (Example: no wearing jeans to church. The worship team must wear the same colour. You must show up 1 hr early... and so on). When that is not enough, we might even make up rules for ourselves. (I must get up early to pray. I must spend 30 minutes on bible reading per day. I must keep a journal every day. I must reach out to someone. I must help out at church... etc).
We focus so much on these rules, that we miss God in the process. If you don't mind what you read or what you learn in your reading, as long as you are reading 30 minutes of bible per day, you are missing the point. If you don't mind what you are singing or playing in the worship team, as long as you don't forget the lyrics, don't play the wrong note, and wear the right shirt... you are missing the point, and you are not pursuing God.
2. Christians like to pursue ministry instead of God
Don't get me wrong. Christians should serve, we are called to wash each other's feet. And sometimes, as individuals, we feel a distinct call towards a certain ministry. Some feel called to preach, some feel called to minister in music, some feel called to minister to children. (Do you have a 'pet' ministry? I know I do.) It is so easy to focus on service or on our calling... after all, our ministry is tangible, it is superficially satisfying because we feel like we are doing something for God... and best of all, our ministry is within our control, whereas God is not. And so, we spend our energy, and our time, on making things run, and making sure we produce the best results for Him. This is not a bad thing by itself... but are you spending more time and energy fulfilling your call, or are you pursuing the One who called out to you?
3. Christians like to pursue causes instead of God
It is so 'in fashion' right now to have a cause, we are a generation that like to have a cause to fight for, something to 'stand up' for. The choices are many - human rights, environment, humanitarian services, starving children... If you are a spouse or a parent, your 'cause' may even be to bring up your children well or have a loving family. Important, yes... but none of these should take precedence or predominance over a pursuit of God.
4. Christians like to pursue fellowship instead of God
This is you, if your idea of the pursuit of God is wholly via cell groups, prayer meetings, and bible studies. I know Christians who attend every single cell group meeting and bible study, and yet spend very little time in personal prayer and personal study of the bible. Fellowship is important, don't get me wrong, and we often experience God's compassion and grace in the form of our loving brothers and sisters. And yet, we can not develop an intimate, one-on-one relationship with God if we only ever meet Him in a group.
5. Christians like to pursue lists instead of God
This is perhaps the one that gets to the most of us committed (and perhaps over-committed) Christians. We have lists to do, lists to get us through the day, lists of things to think about, lists of things to pray for, and even lists to summarise what lists we have. Although God is ever on our hearts and minds, and always on our lips, He is but one point of the list. We can not quieten our hearts, we can not settle ourselves at His feet, and we can not leave the list behind. What will we do? Will we bring our list to Him?
These are the five things I have most often observed in myself and others. Can you think of other important ones? Please add to comments.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Fishbowls and flints
My mother once had a great love of goldfish, we had a tank that was two metres long. There was an entire ecosystem in there - water snails, water grass, shells, pebbles, numerous goldfish, and even tadpoles and guppies my brother caught in the nearby pond. It was huge, it was teeming with life... but it was a fish bowl all the same.
What is fish bowl mentality?
Fish bowl mentality is when we lose sight of the big picture, and we confine our lives, and our field-of-vision, to the fishbowl. The fishbowl becomes our world... and because it is a small world, we become enormous and important in comparison. We abutt against the same fish everyday, we swim in circles... and we believe that the fate of our world hinges on whether a particular shell is sitting a particular way, or whether a particular fish is swimming clockwise or anticlockwise. We do see the outside world, but only a distorted, blurred view of it... and, in the end, it doesn't matter much to us anyway.
Have we lost sight, or worse, forsaken what God has done for us? Have we forgotten how we were redeemed, how we were picked up out of the mud and the grave, and it took the sacrifice of Heaven's Son for us to be saved? Have we forgotten exactly what we were commissioned to do, have we lost sight of exactly what matters to God? Do we still remember the nature of the battle we are fighting... who we are fighting against, who we are fighting for, and on whose commission and command?
If Jesus were alive today, would he fit into our fishbowl? (Would we allow Him to try?) And if He didn't, would we have crucified Him for it?
The old hymn says: "Turn your eyes upon Jesus". If you find yourself increasingly agitated and frustrated at other people's fishbowl mentality, chances are you are living in the fishbowl yourself, and you also have the fishbowl mentality. To look upon your situation with such intense frustration, to let it rob you of your joy in Christ, means that you already have taken your eyes off Jesus... and fixed it on the fishbowl. (And... are you being judgemental of the very people you are accusing of judgementalism?) Regardless of the mentality of the people around you, yours must be one that is fixed on Him.
Isaiah 50:7 says: "Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame". Luke 9 describes Jesus setting his face like flint towards Jerusalem. Paul talks about being determined to finish his "race". Set your eyes on your Jerusalem, on your Goal, and set your face like flint towards it. Let your resolve not be swayed; let your joy not be robbed. Jesus paid too high a price for you not to fix your eyes and your life on Him entirely.
What is fish bowl mentality?
Fish bowl mentality is when we lose sight of the big picture, and we confine our lives, and our field-of-vision, to the fishbowl. The fishbowl becomes our world... and because it is a small world, we become enormous and important in comparison. We abutt against the same fish everyday, we swim in circles... and we believe that the fate of our world hinges on whether a particular shell is sitting a particular way, or whether a particular fish is swimming clockwise or anticlockwise. We do see the outside world, but only a distorted, blurred view of it... and, in the end, it doesn't matter much to us anyway.
Have we lost sight, or worse, forsaken what God has done for us? Have we forgotten how we were redeemed, how we were picked up out of the mud and the grave, and it took the sacrifice of Heaven's Son for us to be saved? Have we forgotten exactly what we were commissioned to do, have we lost sight of exactly what matters to God? Do we still remember the nature of the battle we are fighting... who we are fighting against, who we are fighting for, and on whose commission and command?
If Jesus were alive today, would he fit into our fishbowl? (Would we allow Him to try?) And if He didn't, would we have crucified Him for it?
The old hymn says: "Turn your eyes upon Jesus". If you find yourself increasingly agitated and frustrated at other people's fishbowl mentality, chances are you are living in the fishbowl yourself, and you also have the fishbowl mentality. To look upon your situation with such intense frustration, to let it rob you of your joy in Christ, means that you already have taken your eyes off Jesus... and fixed it on the fishbowl. (And... are you being judgemental of the very people you are accusing of judgementalism?) Regardless of the mentality of the people around you, yours must be one that is fixed on Him.
Isaiah 50:7 says: "Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame". Luke 9 describes Jesus setting his face like flint towards Jerusalem. Paul talks about being determined to finish his "race". Set your eyes on your Jerusalem, on your Goal, and set your face like flint towards it. Let your resolve not be swayed; let your joy not be robbed. Jesus paid too high a price for you not to fix your eyes and your life on Him entirely.
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