Sabbath Walk

FIVE MYTHS IN BIBLE STUDY

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:52:43 PDT

TITLE: FIVE MYTHS IN BIBLE STUDY
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: 1 June 2012

(Picture credit: jamestownumc.org)

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:14-15)

I have been leading Bible study groups for a long time. For the most part, it has been enjoyable. Yet, at times, I feel that there are certain situations in which I need to make a judgment call to bring the discussion back to basics. In Part Three of the Four-Part series on Bible Study, I like to highly five common myths in Bible study groups. It appears in different flavours. They are listed as is, and not in any particular order.

#1 - “I do not gain anything out of the Bible Study.”

This is one of the most common complaints. Sometimes, it is due to the inadequacy of the leader or facilitator of the group. When the leader does not prepare sufficiently, does not reflect on the Bible passage itself, it makes the whole discussion rather haphazard. As the saying goes, “If one fails to plan, one plans to fail.”

On the other hand, if group members come with an attitude of “What’s in it for me?” it places unhealthy expectations on the leader. While it is good to have powerful sharing or sensational stories during the Bible study, such things may distract members from the true purpose of coming together: Study the Bible. The word to Timothy is clear: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned ….”

Note the words “continue in what you have learned.” The trouble with most people is that they are constantly asking for something new. The Been-There-Done-That perspective makes a mockery of the Word of God as well. The Word is basically telling and retelling the old, old, story: God and His dealings with man.

SUGGESTION: Come with an attitude of asking God, “What are you trying to teach or remind me today?”

#2 - “It is ok to come only when I have time”

This is perhaps one of the main peeves I have with Bible study groups. Some people treat Bible studies as a lower priority. Whether it is office work or family time, they can usually choose to skip Bible studies even though such Bible sessions have been planned and scheduled months in advance. I remember telling and retelling some group members about the meeting dates and times. Some of them are plain forgetful. Others simply approach Bible study time as an “optional” event in their calendar. Their attitude is:

“I will come if I have the time. After all, other people are more knowledgeable than me.”
“I really have an important business meeting. ”
“I have not spent enough time with my children. Can I skip the meeting tonight?”

My answer is this. I am busy too. What makes your time with your family more important than my time with my family? What makes your business a bigger deal than my own business? Why in the first place can a sudden family or work reason, take priority over a scheduled event? Remember, your absence can directly or indirectly discourage the group.

Don’t get me wrong. I can understand family emergencies. I can also understand a tough business climate. If the interruptions occur once in a while, that is fine. However, if it happens over and over again, the problem may not be due to the family or work situation. The problem lies squarely with the person's sense of priority.

Paul’s exhortation to Timothy is clearly about “have become convinced of.” We come to Bible studies not because of our own personal conveniences. We plan to come based on our convictions in the Word, that God speaks through us as a group. We come to listen to the Word, eager to hear God’s reminder to us.

SUGGESTION: Make attendance a priority. Learn how to minimize family interruptions or work related meetings by communicating to family and colleagues a week in advance. For example, tell your boss on Monday that you have a Bible study on Friday.

#3 - “Why study more when I can go help the poor or save the sick?”

Another common accusation on Bible studies is that we can do something more useful outside. Such people will bring out statistics of how much the poor is suffering, or how bad the social situations are in our neighbourhoods. Having said that, I notice that many people who bring these things up, instead of doing something about it, tend to do nothing about it.

I reflect on Paul’s exhortation to Timothy, “because you know those from whom you learned it,” and I remember about the need to gather, to encourage and to share our lives. Timothy has been an active ministry worker. He has been working and learning from people more experienced than him. The attitude of coming to Bible Studies is not to be solely seen from the perspective of “What are we going to do about it?” It also requires a perspective of sharing "What we have done about it," what we have learned, and to reiterate the lessons we have benefitted from people around us.

Yes, it is important to talk about the mission of social help and salvation. However, Bible study is not strictly about these. It is about coming together to share the truth that we have experienced over the weeks. It is gathering our testimonies together to encourage one another. It is to meet together and realize, “Hey! We are not alone in this struggle to live Christianly in a tough world.”

SUGGESTION: We come together not only to learn about what to do next, but to share about what God has done in us, or through us.

#4 - “There is no such thing as right or wrong.”

Sometimes, I hear people chiming in this mantra, “There is no right or wrong.” Frankly, if there is no such thing as right or wrong, then why are we studying anything? Is the Bible “right or wrong?” Is Jesus right or wrong? Is our belief right or wrong? My point is this. While we cannot be arrogant about saying that we are right and others are wrong, or vice versa, the important thing is that truth is always right, never wrong. Take for example the gray situations of life, like the hot topic of homosexuality. The classic answer to whether homosexuality is right or wrong is this: “It depends.”

Paul reminds Timothy about his early training, “and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures.” Did Timothy begin by questioning whether the Holy Scriptures are right or wrong? No. He does not question it. He seeks to know it. Questioning it basically puts ourselves the reader ABOVE the Word of God. Knowing it puts ourselves UNDER the Word of God.

Our quest for meaning is driven from the desire to seek truth. My problem with the argument of no-such-thing-as-right-or-wrong is that they diminishes the importance of seeking out the truth. The battle we face is a battle for truth. In a group environment, we can all contribute our ideas, knowing that in every situation, the fight is not about right/wrong, but about truth. Error contains half-truths and half-wrongs. Truth on the other hand, is always right.

SUGGESTION: Remember that “No such thing as right or wrong thinking” can begin a discussion, but it can never become the conclusion of the discussion. Truth is the goal, not right/wrong. Truth is always right. We cannot guarantee knowing all truth in just one meeting. We continue to meet and discuss because we seek truth always.

#5 - “Everyone has a right to their own opinion”

Often used to cool tempers down, this statement is closely tied to the other phrase, “Let’s agree to disagree.” Inexperienced Bible study leaders tend to adopt this ultimatum. I question this because there is no need to issue ultimatums. Complex topics cannot be concluded within a span of one and a half hours. Who gives us the authority to make conclusions about our opinions?

The purpose of coming together is to learn to engage one another as constructively as possible. Whether we agree or not, we need to be open to one another, remembering that our point of view is only one part of the bigger story.

Like the story of the four blind man and the elephant. The first blind man touches the trunk and says that the elephant is a long hose. The second man touches the ears and says that the elephant is like a carpet. The third man touches the leg and insists that the elephant is like a tree trunk. The fourth man strokes the tusk and says that the elephant has a stony feel of ivory. Who then is correct?

When we come together, we seek truth and at the same time remember that truth can be revealed to us through the eyes of other people. Most importantly, truth is based on the Word of God. Paul advises Timothy, that the Word of God is that “which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

When we come to the Scriptures like a success manual, we concentrate on verses that talk about success. If we treat the Bible as a book of comfort and encouragement, we gravitate toward verses that talk about comfort and encouragement. The purpose of reading the Bible is to know God and to make God known. Paul reminds Timothy that the Scriptures can make him wise (mental disposition), for salvation (assurance), through faith (application), in Christ Jesus (foundation).

When we read the Word of God, it is not about spelling out our interpretations. It is about being vulnerable to the Holy Spirit speaking the Word into our hearts.

SUGGESTION: Do not talk about your rights of opinions before God. Talk about God, with God, and to know God.

In conclusion, we need to adopt a spirit of humility and openness to God each time we come together for Bible study. People who says that there is nothing new in the Bible has already closed their hearts to learning. Those who claim they gain nothing out of Bible study have already missed out the meaning of Christian fellowship. One more thing. Personally, I will call a Bible study session good if it leaves participants with more questions than answers. That is why I agree very much with William Sloan Coffin.

“It is a mistake to look to the Bible to close a discussion; the Bible seeks to open one.” - William Sloane Coffin

Avoid the five myths of Bible studies. Cultivate a desire to meet God and to know God, as you come together.

sabbathwalk

Copyright by SabbathWalk. This devotional is sent to you free of charge. If you feel blessed or ministered to by SabbathWalk weekly devotionals, feel free to forward to friends, or to invite them to subscribe online at http://blog.sabbathwalk.org . You can also send me an email at cyap@sabbathwalk.org for comments or enquiries.

Using the Bible?

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:08:29 PDT

TITLE: USING THE BIBLE?
SCRIPTURE: 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 25 May 2012

[Part 2 of a series of 4 on the topic of Bible Studies.]

Last week, I touched on an important area of developing Bible Study leaders. In any group, it is important to have leaders. In a Bible Study group, the leader needs to be one who has and willing to cultivate a servant heart. This week, I will touch on the question of the use of the Bible.

A) Getting Something Out Of the Bible

Using the Bible for us, or to know God?

Sometimes, I hear well-meaning Christians confessing to me in private. "I cannot seem to get anything out of the Bible." Honestly, I shudder at such a statement. While I appreciate the frank comment, I feel sad that the statement tells more about the mindset of the person rather than the Bible per se.

In our consumerist culture, we use tools to fix our stuff, like a screwdriver to tighten screws, or a hammer to punch nails. We use a microwave oven when we need to heat food, and a car when we want to travel from place to place. We buy material things with money, and we exchange ideas with ideas. With such a dominant consumerist mindset, we unwittingly apply the same logic to the Bible, and especially Bible study.

So diverse are the needs of people, and the great belief that the Bible can be used to meet all of these needs, that Bible publishers have turned the Holy Bible into a "Chicken Soup" series like enterprise. From busy mums to retirees, from little children to working adults, from sportspersons to military people, there is a Bible for every kind of need. The premise is simple. The Bible is God's Word for us. We are needful people. The Bible meets needs. Thus, use the Bible to meet self-needs.

KEY POINT: The statement, "I am not getting anything out of the Bible" reflects more of a pathetic case of self-importance. Read the Word. Pray, and ask for help, trusting in God's time, we will understand what the Word means to us. That is the purpose of Bible study: Meditate, keep the Word, and wait.

B) A Bible For Every Kind of Need

Just look at how the world, even the Christian world is consuming the Word of God.

For Busy Mums

For Teenage Girls

Bible for Married Couples

For instance, Zondervan, a Christian publisher offers a whole potpourri of choices of bibles in all colours, flavours, and all kinds of needs.

A Bible for Military

So, what is the Bible for? Ask any Bible believing person and they will be quick to point out Scriptures that talk about the profitability of the Word of God, and how it can be beneficial for men.

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Tim 3:16-17)

Sometimes, I feel that some of these publishers may have gotten a little carried away in their offerings. They have peddled the Word of God into a consumer item. People read the Word on the basis of their perceived need instead of their real need.

Recently, I finished a review of another gift Bible, which is a collection of verses for marriage and couples. I wrote my review saying that choice verses plucked out of the Bible for no other reason other than meeting the satisfaction of the reader based on perceived need risks taking the verses out of context. The key to using these gift-wrapped editions of the Bible, is to read them with the actual Bible side by side. Remember that the original texts of the Bible are more than 2000 years old. Why superimpose the needs of 2012 into a text written before the birth of Christ or in the times of the early Church?

KEY POINT: Are we bringing into the Bible a self-seeking mindset of meeting our own needs when we read the Bible? Or are we more mindful of letting God speak to us, regardless of our needs?

C) Levels of Bible Study

I am not criticizing the intent of Bible publishers. They not only want to help their employers meet the bottom line, they are also aware that there are many needy people out there. What I am criticizing is the way that the consumerist mindset is being cuddled and pampered. Not only is this risking taking the Bible out of context, it gives people a sense of self-importance, that the Word of God is merely another tool to attain their worldly pursuits.

A Model for Bible Study

Plain reading of 2 Timothy 3:16-17 suggests to us the purpose of the Bible. We can use it to teach, to rebuke, to correct, and to train in righteousness. In our culture of consumerism, there is a danger to consuming the Word and no more. Like a dam that prevents water from flowing farther downstream, when this happens, the Bible becomes merely a tool for self-knowledge and personal devotion. It makes the Bible appealing from a consumer standpoint, that while one can find his material needs from the world, one finds his spiritual needs from the Word. Put them together and one has a 'balanced' life.

I like to propose three levels of Bible reading in order to promote growth and knowledge of God in the Word. I feel that there are three levels of understanding our relationship between ourselves and the Word.

D) Level One - The User Level
Level One is what I call the "user" level. This is ok when we are little babes needing milk. We start off as consumers. We study and analyze the text for self awareness, self profits, and personal inspiration. While it is nothing wrong for us to desire personal growth, the trouble comes when we continually become stuck at this level, never able to jettison ourselves out of the gravitational pull of self-seeking mentality. Some like the health-and-wealth gospel promoters, use the Bible as a means to draw attention to self, or to milk money from believers. Others use the Bible like spiritual therapy. Many go to the Bible only when there is an urgent need. There is nothing wrong in going to the Bible when there is a need. After all, the Bible are filled with invitations to come to the Word.

For Direction: "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." (Psalm 119:105)
For Assurance: "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)
For Comfort: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)
For Trusting: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
For Encouragement: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 40:10)
....

The question is, are these the only ones you know?

While I understand people going to the Bible when the need arises, the danger is that we tend to overuse certain verses and miss out the contexts where the verses are written. What about the verses before and after the choice verses above? Have we understood the contexts? Are the promises given for self-seeking purposes or are they given for a much wider purpose? Are we using the Bible verses like magical verses to solve problems?

Those who get stuck and know only these verses after many years are not growing Christians. They fail to tap into the riches of the living Word. People who stay there basically put their personal agendas above the Word. They are not loving the Word as it is, but using the Word for self-love. Learn to move toward level two.

KEY POINT: It is ok for young believers to use the Bible like a tool initially. The trouble is, if that is our atttitude after all these years, we are not growing. We are merely consuming and bloating up in our self-importance.

D) Level Two - The Service Level

Level Two us what I call the "service" level, which goes beyond personal fulfilment. Note that verse 17 mentions the reader being "equipped" to do every good work. In other words, while being profited by the Word is good, learning to let the Word of God equip us for good works is even better. See how Jesus use the Word for teaching. He is careful to honour God while rebutting the temptations of the evil ones. He obeys the Word and serves the people on the basis of that obedience. See how he overturns the temple profiteers and merchants in order to maintain the temple being a house of prayer? (Matthew 21:13)

Look at the ways in the the Bible records people serving one another, especially in the book of Acts.

"All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need." (Acts 2:44-45)
"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men," (Ephesians 6:7)
"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." (1 Peter 4:10)
....

At this level, we move beyond personal fulfillment toward something more community and service of our neighbours. However, that alone too is insufficient.

KEY POINT: Using the Bible as a way to serve others is a good measure that one has grown beyond self-needs.

E) Level Three - Transformational, Incarnational, Relational

Level Three is where I feel is the crux of where the Word of God wants to lead us to. I call it the transformational-relational-incarnational level. Here lies the potency and the true inspiration of the Holy Spirit as the Word that became flesh in Jesus, become alive in us. Sometimes, we focus so much on the "useful" part of 2 Timothy that we fail to recognize that it is "God-breathed" living Word, not spiritual tablets. The Word of God is living, and not a spiritual magical potion to be consumed as and when we want. Most crucially, the Word of God transforms us, not merely storing our heads with knowledge.

At level Three, letting the Word of God indwell in our hearts, to be transformed from worldliness to holiness, from passivity - activity to sanctity of all of life. Instead of us trying to "use" the Word for self-benefit or for others, we let ourselves be used by the Word, in the power of the Holy Spirit, sanctioned by the love of God. Think obedience. Learn sacrifice. Be challenged to grow. Not only are we doing good works per se, we become good in the eyes of God. We become transformed in the eyes of the world. We become pilgrims on the journey toward God's holiness.

One of my favourite spiritual writers is the 20th Century Coptic monk, Matta El Meskine, or commonly known as Matthew the Poor. He writes this in one of the most powerful ways.

"When you read the Bible as a personal message to you from God, the words find their way to the depths of your conscience and spiritual emotion. You read with a spiritual awareness, your heart being open, receptive and ready for obedience and joy. Like living and distinct fingerprints of God's will and pleasure, they move, form and impress their divine, effective impace. In response, the deadened conscience revives. Tears flow as the word comforts the will and conscience. It reshapes the soul, closer and more like God's will and pleasure. It pushes man forward in thankfulness as he makes steps toward God in the light of the word. Christ hold man's hand, leading him through the hardships of life and the darkness of this age, until he reaches the heart of God the Father." (Matthew the Poor, Reference: link)

Let us all be transformed by the Word, instead of being mere consumers (Romans 12:1-2). Let us seek Jesus who indwell among us (John 1). Let us out of love, relate to one another in the Word (Acts 2). Let us let the Word take root in our hearts to be changed from the inside out, and not squeeze our needs in to make the Word conform to our needs.

Spiritual growth is this. We adopt "user-mode" less and less, and "knowing-God" more and more. We move away from "using" the Word to be "used" by the Word. We grow from making the Word fit our personal needs and schedules, to let the Word mold us. That we will all be equipped to meet the standard of the Word.

THOUGHT: "The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian." (A. W. Tozer)

conrade

Developing Bible Study Leaders

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:16:49 PDT

TITLE: DEVELOPING BIBLE STUDY LEADERS
SCRIPTURE: 2 Timothy 3:10-11
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 18 May 2012

"You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them." (2 Timothy 3:10-11)

[This is Part One of a Four-part series on Bible study.]

For the past four weeks, I have been writing on the small groups ministry, a vital part of any growing church. For the next four weeks, I will reflect on the place of the Word of God. In many Churches, Bible studies remain the core purpose of coming together. Call them care groups, contact groups, family groups, Alpha groups, Christian fellowship groups, or simply Bible study groups, all of them have one common purpose: To study God's Word. Part One focuses on developing the Bible Study Leader, beginning with ourselves. Before that, let me share a little of my life last week.

A) A New Phase

I graduated last week in absentia. Due to financial and logistical reasons, I had to skip the ceremony in Boston and South Hamilton. It would have been awesome to have my entire family celebrating the occasion with me wearing my doctoral regalia and receiving the award as a visual witness of the fruits of my years of work and hard labour. At least, my seminary has been kind enough to list my name on the website here. The journey had been long and tough. Yet I feel strange. I feel awkard when people call me "Dr" to prefix my last name. I feel shy about it all, and also a little concerned whether my new title will distance me away from people I care for. At the same time, there is also that weirdness over expectations. Are people going to expect me to say profound words all the time? Am I going to be pushed out more into the limelight? How then do I remain grateful for the accomplishments and at the same time be humble about it all?

The end of one phase is but the beginning of another.

Someone asked me if I will be continuing with this Sabbath Walk weekly writings. Of course! Sabbath Walk has become my sabbathing journal. I write not because my dissertation topic happens to be on the Sabbath. I write because I love to write. I love to share my learning. I love to think aloud with words. That is my calling. That may very well be my second vocation. One thing is for sure, the Word of God will remain my key launchpad for any writing. I hope to encourage all of us to learn to handle the Word of God carefully, passionately, diligently, and reverently.

B) What is the Bible For?

What is the Bible for? Ask any Bible believing person and they will be quick to point out Scriptures that talk about the profitability of the Word of God, and how it can be beneficial for us.

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Plain reading of the above suggests to us the purpose of the Bible. We can use it to teach, to rebuke, to correct, and to train in righteousness. In our culture of consumerism, there is a danger to consuming the Word and letting it end in our heads. Like a dam that prevents water from flowing farther downstream, when this happens, the Bible becomes merely a tool for self-knowledge and personal devotion. It makes the Bible appealing from a consumer standpoint, that while one can find his material needs from the world, one finds his spiritual needs from the Word. Put them together and one has a 'balanced' life. Right? No. Our goal in life is not about maintaining a balanced life as if we are controlled by a "yin-yang," "black-vs-white" or a "0 and 1" world. It is about glorifying God, regardless of personal balance or imbalance.

The trouble with such a mode is that we tend to miss out the context of 2 Timothy 3:16-17. We cannot read this verse in isolation from the person who had been inspired by the Holy Spirit to write it. It is to be read together with knowing who is writing this. It comes from the pen of one who has been taught in the Word, who has lived in the Word, who has learned the Word in patience, kindness, goodness, who have endured great trials and tribulations, and still is able to affirm the beauty and the power of the Word.

C) Profiting or Profiteering?

Is the Bible a tool for us? Is the Bible to be used the same way we use a screwdriver or a car? Is the Bible an engine to help us achieve our own objectives? Well. Sad to say, some people do. Some clever and classy people are experts at using the Bible to draw crowds, and then to promote themselves. Look at some of the prosperity gospel preachers, who come to the people declaring their love for God, and go away with loads of cash, voluntarily given by faithful believers who are taken in by the charisma or the good-feel effects of the charismatic preacher. Others use the Bible as a pretext for self-gain. Like a leader of the Church who uses the Bible like a judge using his gavel, to push forth his ideas and his plans, using the name of God through the Bible. Cult leaders are experts at that. They take one or two verses in the Bible and then interpret it to the extreme.

No. God's Word are not for self-profiteering. It is for God-glorifying. Make sure our leaders are not gearing themselves out for personal profits to the detriment of the people and God.

D) Servant Leadership

The Word of God is seen to be alive in Paul, the teacher and discipler of Timothy. This means that the person that we are doing Bible study with must be exemplary in his life as a disciple. This is one of the most important marks of a Bible study leader. Is this leader a practitioner of the Word of God? Has this person gone through the ups and downs of life, and is still growing faithfully? Like Paul, is this leader able to endure and trust God to deliver? What do servant leaders look like? The table below from Stacy Rinehart gives us a stark contrast between power leaders and servant leaders.

As a Bible study leader myself, I need to be reminded again that my role is not to hang on to my role. My role is to develop leaders. My role is to be loyal to the people instead of insisting on people's loyalty. My role is to be faithful even though people in my group are not as regular, as punctual, or as faithful. My role is to magnify Christ above all. My role is to affirm God's kingdom, and not grow my own empire. My role is to be a servant and not insist on others being servants. My role is to make disciples of all nations, beginning with myself.

How to develop servant leaders? Use the Five Keys as a start.

How then do you develop Bible study leaders? In the light of 2 Timothy 3:10-11, we develop leaders beginning with ourselves. We may not take on an official role anytime yet. That does not mean we disqualify ourselves altogether. Why not consider living a life of a disciple first? Let me adapt Stacy Rinehart's five points about cultivating relationships by calling them keys on learning to be servant leaders.

The Key of Sharing: "learn to risk sharing our weaknesses."
The Key of Speaking: "say hard words in love to a brother."
The Key of Subjecting Self: "to let someone really know our temptations and faults."
The Key of Solidarity: "enter into someone else's pain."
The Key of Serving: "care about the person and not the objective."

THOUGHT: "When we lament to God about the lack of servant leaders, and pray for more servant leaders, do not forget to look at the mirror, and ask God by saying: 'Here I am Lord, use me if you wish beginning with the five keys above.'"

sabbathwalk

Meeting One Another's Needs?

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Fri, 11 May 2012 23:32:20 PDT

TITLE: MEETING ONE ANOTHER'S NEEDS?
SCRIPTURE: Acts 4:34
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 12 May 2012

"There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales." (Acts 4:34)

This is the concluding part of a 4-part series on Small Groups Ministry in the Church. The key point in this article is that meeting needs of members is not the primary responsibility of small groups. Meeting needs is very much secondary.

A) No Needy Among Them

Tucked in a corner of the book of Acts is this amazing little verse that says, "There were no needy persons among them." No needy people? You've got to be kidding! In every Church I go to, every community I get involved with, the needs often exceed the supply. Some complain that the pastor hardly visits or calls on them. Others say that they feel neglected even on Sundays. Still, there are those who comment that the pastoral care in their community is grossly lacking. When they need some attention, the pastor is either unavailable or too busy.

My friends in the pastoral ministry regularly tell me that they needed a break, or a time away just to recuperate from an exhausting period of meeting the needs of their members and congregations. It is interesting that the very people who try to help parishioners rest in the Lord, themselves are often the recipients of their very own advice: The need to rest in God alone.

Meeting needs involve sharing and caring

B) Is It the Colony Instinct?

The book of Acts presents us with an interesting observation. Mind you, the early disciples in Acts are not rich people materially. They are often poor, and come from the lower ranks in society. Without a large personal bank account, or an enormous inheritance, they give whatever they have. If necessary, they sell their possessions to give to all who have need. Like worker bees individually collecting nectar from flowers, they return to the common hive to contribute to the food collection for the entire bee community. If anyone of us dares to look down on the collected nectar of each tiny bee, just take a look at the honeycomb.

I always believe that as a group, we meet one another's needs at different points of time. Not everyone of us is up or down all at the same time. There will always be some who is bubbly at some time. Others may be downcast at other times. In a group, there is a good chance that there will always be a mixture of the needy and the helper. Sometimes, we are needy. Other times we are able to help others. Together, we develop a caring and sharing community that ministers to one another at different points of time.

C) Weakness in the Small Group Model

In the book of Acts, meeting needs is not the primary responsibility of the pastor or leaders of the church. The responsibility lies in the entire community who essentially "were one in heart and mind." Dr Robert W. Kellemen points out a shrewd observation on the weakness of the small group model. While many churches use small groups to provide a care-and-share method, most people in the church (up to 50%) are not in small groups. Moreover, while the small group model works better than a mere dependence on the pastoral team, the small group system fizzles out over time due to fatigue or lack of training of small group leaders. He makes this observation.

"Unfortunately, many churches provide little equipping in small-group leadership - especially in the personal ministry of the Word of speaking the truth in love." (Robert Kellemen, Equipping Counselors for Your Church, Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2011, 41)

Kellemen proposes something better than mere care-and-share small group networks. He recommends "equipping." This is the key role in any leadership.

D) Equipping is the Key for Growing Small Groups

How did the early Church in Acts learn to meet each other's needs so well? Cursory reading may well suggest that the people basically sell all their property and distribute all to anyone in need. That is quite correct. After all, the act of sharing and giving is an act of trust. When one gives away something, one trusts God to provide in other ways.

However, I see something more crucial in the act of meeting one another's needs. Before Acts 4:34, there is Acts 4:31.

"After they prayed, the place where there were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." (Acts 4:31)

Bingo! Meeting another's needs is not simply a physical or emotional exercise. It originates from something very spiritual. More specifically, it originates from the Word of God, inspired by the work of the Holy Spirit. It is from the inspiration of the Spirit and spurred the early Church to preach and practice the Word of God boldly. In other words, meeting needs is not the primary role of any group. Meeting needs is a subset of something bigger: Bold proclamation of the Word.

This is where the equipping of the saints is highly crucial. Remember Jesus' reply to the tempter in Matthew 4:4? Responding to the temptation of turning stones into bread, Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

E) The True Source of Meeting Needs

It is easy to be distracted by the needs around us (bread) that we forget the true source of help (Word). It is also tempting to try to touch every single life we meet with our modern church models, even small groups, substituting our primary responsibility (to proclaim God) with our secondary duties (meeting needs). Worse, while trying to meet needs as a primary focus, we end up trying to play the role of God. Can a blind lead the blind? Can the weary bring true rest to the needy? Are leaders really super-counselors that they have less needs than others?

No! If meeting needs is the key focus of any leader in the church, it is only a matter of time before that leader burns out. The key focus of a leader is to equip. There is no substitution for the Word of God. Kellemen adds,

"Our trainees need to feed on God's Word. They need to develop the conviction that the deepest questions of the human soul are God-questions, and that we find our deepest answers in God's Word." (Kellemen, Equipping Counselors, 207)

Let me repeat. Meeting the needs of members are secondary purposes of any small group. That is the responsibility of the movement of the Holy Spirit. The primary responsibility is the Word of God. Our role is to equip one another in the Word, to disciple one another to become more like Christ. In prayer, in coming together, in sharing, we must always have the Word of God in our midst. Otherwise, we can easily become another statistic in the unending numbers of needy ones. As we fix our eyes on God, through the Word of God, our awareness of our neediness becomes strangely dim, in the light of God's glory and grace.

THOUGHT: Plant a word in the mind, and you will reap an act. Plant the act and you will reap a habit. Plant a habit and you will reap a character. Plant a character and you will reap a nature. Plant a nature and you will reap a destiny. (unknown)

sabbathwalk

Four Kinds of Small Group Participants

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:08:44 PDT

TITLE: FOUR KINDS OF SMALL GROUP PARTICIPANTS
SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 5:1
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 3 Apr 2012

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Ephesians 5:1-2)

[This is Part 3 of a series on Small Group Ministry]

This week, an opinion poll suggests that "Canadians want everything for nothing." The statement is based on half the number of people surveyed who will vote against any politician who hikes taxes. While they are quick to demand for all things, from social welfare to personal benefits, they are extremely reticent, even vocal against paying for them. Paul Kershaw, a professor at the University of British Columbia observes that there are more people with an "anti-tax" sentiment who "want something for nothing." (Source: News1130.com, May 2nd, 2012)

Scary. If the report is true, that we are seeing a new generation of people who want everything, but unwilling to give anything, we are in trouble. In economic theory, the:re is what is called a "multiplier effect," where a stimulus leads to a knock-on effect that will generate a life of its own. Governments often provide the initial investment. A simple example goes like this. The Government issues a billion dollar contract to a big corporation to build a highway. This big corporation goes on to engage hundreds of other subcontractors and workers, who in turn benefit other entities like restaurants, hotels, transportation, logistics, school, and other miscellaneous sectors. In other words, one giant stimulus gets multiplied many fold. While there are other practical limits to such a theory, the idea is basically this: Giving stimulates economic activity or giving, taking, and sharing.

What if in our small groups in church, we see more of such people who give nothing but expect everything? There will be no multiplier effect. Worse, it becomes a shrinking effect when everybody takes and nobody gives. Continuing our series on small groups, this week, I like to suggest that there are at least four kinds of people in any small group environment. On the healthy end of the spectrum is a group called "healthy lambs" and "skinny goats" that nourish the whole community. On the unhealthy end, the appearance of "lamp-poles" and "leeches" suck away the life of the group. My main point in this article is that we should all strive to become the healthy kind, the healthy lamb. Let me first begin with the worst kind of participant, what I call the LEECH. Eeek!

A) Type 1: The Leech (Take Everything, Give Nothing)

This kind of person is miserly. When it comes to food and refreshments, he will take everything and literally give nothing back. He is slow to volunteer to give but quick to pounce on whatever that is laid on the open table. Leeches are calculative, miserly, and downright self-seeking. In small group environments, they are constantly asking for more stuff, but unprepared to give anything. As their appetite grow, so do their miserly behaviour. Leeches are open-minded to the point that they take in everything that is shared on the small group setting. They listen. They soak in the efforts of others like sponges. They refuse to share as they maintain a false humility by saying that they do not know anything. No amount of coaxing by the leaders or facilitators can pry apart the leech. All leeches want are to suck everything away, but give nothing back. Leeches are also small-hearted as they are easily offended, especially when they are asked to contribute something for the group.

B) Type 2: The Skinny-Goat (Take Nothing, Give Everything)

The second kind of small group participant is the "The Skinny Goat." They are extremely generous people, so self-giving that they will rather sacrifice their own personal needs for the sake of the group. They give away so much that sometimes, even their close friends will reprimand them for ignoring their own needs. Skinny-Goats do not keep a balance sheet of what they give. You can often count on them to keep giving without even asking them. When you ask them, they will seldom say no, even if it means going all out to provide for something they do not have. Skinny-Goats are big hearted people, but tend to be closed minded with regards to their own selves. In wanting to give, they become closed minded and refuse to allow others to minister to them. Skinny Goats may be altruistic in their good deeds and sharing, but when it comes to self-growth, they are pretty much stuck. As a result, they become fat in giving, but skinny in receiving. They can also easily offended when people refuse to accept their contributions. Over time, they become vulnerable to illness, and subsequently despair in their faith.

C) Type 3: The Lamp-Pole (Take Nothing, Give Nothing)

The third kind of small group participant is the neutral lamp-pole. They do not even have a lamp on top to give light to all. After all, a lamp-pole is simply a pole without the lamp. One can say that lamp-poles are essentially non-participants in any activity. The vocal evangelical leader, Chuck Colson passed away last week. His life has been a life of conviction. A friend of mine sent me this quote from Colson.

"One of the most wonderful things about being a Christian is that I don’t ever get up in the morning and wonder if what I do matters. I live every day to the fullest because I can live it through Christ and I know no matter what I do today, I’m going to do something to advance the Kingdom of God." (Chuck Colson)

As I read it, I marvel at the life of conviction in the love of Christ. His conversion leads to a very powerful Prison Fellowship ministry, where his legacy is continued by people who have been touched by his witness. In contrast, there are those who live not by conviction but by convenience. If it works for them, they will consider coming for any small group meeting. If it does not work, they will skip the meeting. They feel that their absence will not make a difference in the group. Even when they attend the group, they prefer to contribute nothing, and receive nothing at all. Both actions are their own personal choices.

Lamp-poles are basically inorganic members of the group. They put nothing in, and take nothing out. By being closed-minded on any learning, and being small-hearted in any kinds of giving, they waste everybody's time, especially their own.

D) Type 4: The Healthy Lamb (Take Everything, Give Everything)

Finally, there is hope. This is the best kind of small group participant any leader will be pleased to have. It is the healthy lamb! Healthy lambs not only play and work hard, they pray and they help wherever they can. They are very receptive to new visitors as well as their own group members. In their sharing, they often make themselves vulnerable as they openly admit their weaknesses and acknowledges their strengths. They feed well. They help others to feed well. They give of themselves generously, and willingly offer to step in even without being asked. They are great assets of any small group.

Like Ephesians 5, they are imitators of Christ as they take everything that the Spirit offers them. They are lovers of people as they reflect the person of Christ in their giving and their sharing. Like Christ, they are willing to give up everything, including their own self-needs for the sake of the group. Whenever they feed, they do not do so on a selfish basis, but do so on a constant focus on how they can use what they have to bless others. If there is a short phrase to describe healthy lambs, it will be this: "A Desire to be Blessed to Bless Others."

Blessed is the small group that is full of healthy lambs.

E) Summary of the Four Kinds of Small Group Participants

If you are honest with me, you will recognize a bit of yourself in every of the four categories at different stages of our lives. Sin pulls us toward leeches, skinny goats and lamp-poles. Grace leads us toward healthy lambs. Sin turns our heart from big to small, from generosity to miserly behaviour, and from humble learning to selfishness. May we all learn as a body to move to become big hearted contributors to our communities, depending on our giftings. Every one of us has at least one gift. There is no such thing as an ungifted person. Likewise, each of us can learn to receive one another openly. It does not mean that skinny-goats, fat leeches, and lamp-poles are unwelcome in any small group. My personal belief is this. It is ok to be a skinny-goat, a lamp-pole, or a leech once in a while, for whatever reasons best known to you. As long as one does not remain perpetually in that condition. The main thing is the DIRECTION of growth that one seeks. It needs to be toward becoming a healthy lamb, that will be big hearted, and open minded. That is the goal of all small group members.

Four Kinds of Small Group Participants

Let me close with an encouragement on what healthy lambs do. The 17th Century French Physicist, and Christian thinker, Blaise Pascal says, "Jesus is the God whom we can approach without pride and before whom we can humble ourselves without despair." Indeed, as we seek to imitate Christ, we become blessings to anyone, to our group members, and to ourselves.

THOUGHT: "The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say 'I.' And that's not because they have trained themselves not to say 'I.' They don't think 'I.' They think 'we'; they think 'team.' They understand their job to be to make the team function. They accept responsibility and don't sidestep it, but 'we' gets the credit.... This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done." (Peter Drucker)

sabbathwalk

SMALL GROUP LEADERSHIP

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:06:12 PDT

TITLE: SMALL GROUP LEADERSHIP
SCRIPTURE: Acts 2:13-14
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 27 Apr 2012

"Some however, made fun of them and said, 'They have too much wine.' Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd." (Acts 2:14)

This is Part 2 of a series of 4 articles dedicated to small groups ministry. For the next three weeks, I will write about small groups with regards to leadership, to meeting inner membership needs, and to reaching out and outreach as a group.

A) Leaders are So Hard to Find

I have been involved with small groups ministry for a long time. Since my Inter-Varsity days, where I first came to the faith, I have been active as a participant, as an organizer, as a leader, and increasingly as a trainer and equipper. Everywhere I go, there is a recurring need: Leaders.

Leaders are so hard to find. Good leaders are even more difficult to get. This is why one of the most important activities in the Church is training and development. Back in my undergraduate days when I first became a Christian, I was filled with enthusiasm to be with fellow believers, to learn from my seniors, and to grow in Christ. I read. I pray. I memorize Scripture. When it comes to the Annual Leadership Conference organized by my fellowship, I would just say to myself that those are for the more experienced, the more capable, and the more mature people. I had no sense of calling. I had no idea what leadership actually means or requires. I preferred to simply grow my own faith, and be content with my small circle of brothers and sisters in Christ. Living together in the hostel can be fun. People would come by my room each day, thanks to my proximity to my neighbours who were extremely active in the Christian Fellowship. They had many more years of experience as a Christian than me. I was barely two years old in Christ. One evening, the chairman of the Fellowship came by. I was visiting my neighbours. He was confirming the attendance list for the annual leadership training event with my esteemed neighbours. I happened to be visiting and chatting away with them. The chairman said that he had one last spot on the Christian leadership training course. Whether it is by coincidence or by divine calling, he saw me and offered me the opportunity to take that last spot.

I was bowled over. Me? I'm such a young believer.

My neighbours egged me on. The chairman looked at me with an inviting eye. I was floored. Resistance then is futile. Thus began my introduction to leadership. Simply put, I was there at the right time, at the right place, and at the right moment. I did not know why I accepted the opportunity then. What I do know is that I am glad I accepted the invitation. It opened my eyes to the new world of being a leader for Christ. It encouraged me to grow in ways that I would never have dreamed possible.

B) Sweet Spot of Leadership

Leadership Discernment: G.O.A.L

One of the ways in which discernment needs to do is to locate what Max Lucado calls the "sweet spot." I like to call it the G.O.A.L. Comprising three concentric circles, spiritual discernment is to find the spot where three things intersect: Gloryfying God; Opportunity to Serve, and Availability of our Strengths, toward Leading for God. I call it the way to discern our calling.

Three questions are to be asked in discerning God's call for leadership.

G: How does it glorify God?
O: What are the opportunities and needs in my community?
A: What are my available strengths?

The central point of intersection is a great spot for us to discern our calling to leadership.

B) G = Glorifying God

When the early Church experienced ridicule from people who said that they were drunk from wine, Peter stood up to lead the disciples. Instead of cowing away in fear like what he did to Jesus when he denied Christ thrice, Peter became a fearless witness for God. He seeks to glorify God with his leadership.

In small group environments, sometimes it is easy to get caught up in trying to make small groups an end in themselves. Call it a "Holy Huddle" or an exclusive "Holy Club." These groups exist only for themselves. I have known of groups which continue to remain in the similar size for decades. They are mainly content in serving one another. Leaders need to learn to see beyond the obvious membership needs. As a Shepherd, he/she needs to keep in mind how the group glorifies God. One of the things I regularly do in my group is to worship as a group. Playing musical instruments is not a requirement for leadership though it can surely enrich the worship experience. One reason why I like to encourage singing as a group is because it unites all of us to sing as one body. In singing, we remind one another the reason we gather. Songs like "As we gather" or "Bind us Together" remind us of our common bond in Christ and the reason we gather. The key is to let the worship guide our thoughts and to allow the Spirit of God to set the mood for the meeting. If there is no one who can play the music, use an MP3 player, or a Youtube video. Sing Acapella. Read Scripture. Leaders must be worshipers themselves. Worshipers will worship regardless of music, instruments or available facilities. The moment the prospective leader shuns away from worship, he has disqualified himself from leadership.

C) O=Opportunities

The Early Church waited for the Holy Spirit to come, and when the Spirit fills their hearts, they are empowered to serve and the share the gospel. Acts 2 shows us that the people were gathered together as one body when the Spirit arrives. Being Church is essentially coming together as a people of God in the Name of Christ. When people come together, they open themselves to learn to recognize needs within the group as well as outside the group.

The next question to ask is about the opportunities and needs around us. It is tragic to see groups disperse when the leader fails to turn up for the meeting. When I lead groups, I make attendance a priority. The one person expected to be present at ALL meetings is the leader. As I look back at my years in leading small groups, I notice one thing: No one else beats my attendance record. Another thing is, I find coming to small group gatherings a joy rather than a chore.

The needs of any group are many. Probe deeper and one will easily find all kinds of challenges. They can range from issues with spouses to discipline matters with children. While people can sometimes choose to come on the basis of how interesting the topic of study is, when the relationships are there, people will come. In other words, for those without good relationships with the other group members, often come to the meetings on the basis of how interesting the study is or how convenient the meeting times and locations are. Those with good relationships will come regardless of the logistics or the study.

Leaders are to maintain a conscious balance for both content of the meetings as well as the relationships among the group. The most important opportunity available for leaders is prayer. Leaders must be prayerful people for their group members. If a prospective leader shuns from prayer, he has disqualified himself from leading small groups.

D) A=Availability

Peter has a gift of leadership. As the spokesman of the group, he stood up with the Eleven to address the crowd. He made himself available to be used by God, on behalf of the group, to share with the hearers outside the group. Peter could have said that he is busy trying to unite his small group of new believers. He could have spent time to analyze what had happened when the Spirit fell on them. He could have avoided the ridicule of the people by just closing the door in the upper room. Instead, he made himself available to speak for the group, and for God.

In our modern world, "busy" is our common name. It is a cultural symbol of importance. It becomes a convenient excuse for anything we try to avoid. "Busy" is a catch-all reason not to go for any small group meetings. When one is unwilling, any reason is good enough, including busyness. If a prospective leader is not willing to make sacrifices, to make him or herself available for the greater cause, he/she has disqualified him/herself from leadership.

E) Leaders are Called

Leading small groups is not necessarily difficult. Taking up the mantle of leadership can be quite an easy feat. The challenge is to grow in leadership. Entering is easy. Sustaining is hard. Good leaders are growing leaders themselves. They need to. I take encouragement from the life of Peter. Having been a disciple of Jesus for three years, his number of years as a believer is perhaps about 4 years by Acts 2. Some Churches tend to choose only from people who have more than 10 years as a believer. No. I know of some who have been Christians for many years but remain spiritual babies. On the other hand, there are young Christians who are giants in faith.

My former professor at Regent College has this to say about leadership and calling.

"Inherent in God's call is something fierce and unmanageable. He summons, but he will not be summoned. He does the calling; we do the answering. . . . . . At times we try to tame the call by equating a staff position in a church or religious organization with the call itself. But the call always transcends the things we do to earn money, even if those things are done in the church. Our vocation in Christ is one thing; our occupations, quite another." (Darrell W. Johnson, "The Call to Ministry," in Leadership Handbook of Management and Administration, Baker Books, 2007, 43)

I thought about my early years as a Christian. In my heart, I asked about how best to glorify God (G). The opportunity to be trained as a leader was offered to me: (O). Inside my heart I was nervous but keen to take the step of faith. I made myself available (A). That began my growth as a leader.

What about you? Is God calling you to avail yourselves to be a leader? Are you willing to step up to serve? Are you willing to carve out time to pray for your group members? Are you prepared to give up personal comfort for the sake of community benefit? If the answer to any of these is yes, follow the Spirit's prompting.

THOUGHT: "We often say we have no priest, but that is not so. The fact is that we are all priests, or potential priests. In the same way, we may think we have no leaders, but that is not so either. We are all leaders, or potential leaders. Just as we are all required to be prepared to minister through the spoken word, we are all required to be prepared to receive a leading, or a prompting which may call us and others in directions we had not dreamt of." (Margaret Heathfield, a Quaker)

sabbathwalk

On Small Groups

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:46:49 PDT

TITLE: ON SMALL GROUPS
SCRIPTURE: Acts 2:42-47
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 20 Apr 2012

"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."(Acts 2:42-47)

I will be graduating next month from my doctoral program. That means, after May 11th, you can officially call me (Dr), though I will feel weird about it all. I want to pay tribute to my small group in Singapore. Many of them have been supporting me in different ways for the many years since I left for Vancouver. Thus, for the next four weeks, beginning with this article, I will be writing on small group matters. This week, I will be reflecting on small groups as a necessary part of any Church. Growing Churches will have vibrant small groups. Growing groups have people who are convicted by the Holy Spirit about one's sin, counseled by one another, and live in community that shares not just material needs, but spiritual needs.

A) Growing Churches (Acts Style vs Modern Style)

I have read Acts 2 umpteen times, never bored, always amazed. Amazed at how united the members of the early Church are. Amazed at how diligent they meet on a daily basis. Amazed at the same things that they do and yet they do not seem to be bored by the routine. Most of all, I am amazed that the Lord added to their numbers on a daily basis. In a context of a Western Church that seems to be shrinking year after year, this passage of Scripture appears out of this world! The Church in Acts shares everything they have. The modern Church takes when it is possible. The Acts Church comes together daily enthusiastically. The modern Church gathers on a weekly basis, depending on one's work schedule.The Acts Church gave fully of what they have. The modern Church gives a little of what they have. The Acts Church enjoys the favor of all the people. Many in the modern Church expect favor from people.

In a nutshell, the modern Church is a far cry from the early Church. I confess I may have been a little harsh on the modern Church. My point is that I am more amazed at how the Church in Acts behave. I am simply giving credit where credit is due. The Acts Church is amazing! It does something that modern Church seminars, inspirational talks, or leadership conferences cannot replicate. Growth. We have seen how the world's largest Church has grown beyond a million members. South Korea's David Cho Yonggi's Church has been growing tremendously. We have also seen the great success stories of Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago, as well as Rick Warren's Saddleback Church. There are also stories of the unofficial church in China, North Korea, and elsewhere in Africa that are growing by leaps and bounds. A sizable amount of growth comes from the prosperity gospel camp.

B) A Growing Church Has Vibrant Small Groups

Go to most growing churches and you can easily hear leaders talking up the impact of small groups and how people's lives have been changed. Most churches have them. Traditional churches need them. Megachurches thrive on them. One of the biggest impacts have come about through the popular concept of 'cell groups.'

Groups are essential to any Church. It is essential for community building. A healthy Church is not one that has a big building packed every Sunday. A healthy Church is one that has every member in a small group. In other words, a healthy Church is not an efficiently run organization, but a living organism. An organization can strategize, plan, and implement programs to attract people. An organism will be attractive in itself. After all, if a person is cared for, and is able to care for others, everything else is secondary. That includes programs, type of study materials, or the logistics of meeting times and places. If a person has a reason to come, he/she will find every means to make it to the meeting. If the person does not want to come, any excuse is possible.

C) A Program Is Only An Introduction

I once interviewed a pastor at a large Church about his Church strategy for growth. "Programs!" he said. His reasoning was that the programs are needed to meet the different needs of the people. Thus, there are programs for different ethnic groups, various age groups, and all kinds of interest groups. The basic conviction is that, with the right program mix, the people will keep coming, and keep bringing friends. I am not too sure if that works. I know of several people from that same church. Apparently, they are not very involved in the Church at all. "Attend Church service only" is the regular answer. The pastors do not know them. They do not know others. Others do not even know they exist. My problem with this approach is that programs may draw people in, but they do not necessarily build relationships. We build relationships with people meeting people where they are, not programs catering to people's tastes.

My point is, programs come and go. People live and love. Programs only lead us to the meeting place, but the rest is up to the people. Programs are temporal. People are not. If that is the case, why focus on programs when we ought to focus on people?

Now, let me be clear. I am not against programs. I simply want to maintain that programs are only introductions or invitations. The growing and the relating is up to God using us, and us obeying the Spirit's leading.

D) Small Groups are Necessary

John Wesley has often been credited with the invention of small groups. Douglas Hunt calls Wesley the "pioneer of small-group evangelism." Tim Stafford acknowledges the small group as one of Wesley's "most enduring legacies." It has also been widely recorded that John Wesley's famous "Holy Club" marks one of the earliest versions of Wesleyan style small groups. Here is one tip that Wesley has given the Christian world. D Michael Henderson has even called John Wesley's Class Meetings as the "Model for Making Disciples." John Wesley writes about the beginning of a small group.

"In the latter end of the year 1739, eight or ten persons came to me in London, who appeared to be deeply convinced of sin, and earnestly groaning for redemption. They desired (as did two or three more the next day) that I would spend some time with them in prayer, and advise them how to flee from the wrath to come; which they say continually hanging over their heads; that we might have more time for this great work, I appointed a day when they might all come together; which from thenceforward, they did every week, namely, on Thursday, in the evening. To these, and as many more as desired to join with them (for their number increased daily) I gave those advices, from time to time, which I judged most needful for them; and we always concluded our meeting with prayer suited to their several necessities." (John Wesley, in his Preface to the Rules of the Societies)

Like the Acts Church, I am amazed at John Wesley's strict no-holds-barred purpose of conviction, counsel, and communion. Firstly, there is a conviction to tackle sin head on. Secondly, there is counsel via opportunities to pray and come together to meet on a regular basis. While it is a little different from the Acts Church which meets regularly, Wesley's model follows the rules of consistency (every week) rather than a literal copy of Acts (every day). Thirdly, there is a communion element, whether people's needs are addressed via prayer.

Be amazed by the quantity of people being added in the Acts Church. Be amazed by the desire of people to meet to confess sins and grow in Christ during Wesley's times. Can you be amazed by opportunities in your Church to grow small groups? You do not need many. Just begin with two or three persons and launch a small group. Do all the sowing that you can. Do all the watering that you can. Do all the care and cultivation that you can. Then sit back. Pray. Relax, and watch the Holy Spirit makes it grow.

THOUGHT: "The heart of this revolutionary system was a cell group of six to eight people which Wesley named 'the class meeting.' They met weekly to give an account of their personal spiritual growth, according to the rules and following the procedures which Wesley had carefully crafted. The class meeting proved to be such an effective tool for radical personal change that it can be acknowledged as the pivotal medium which enabled the message to be internalized. The Methodist movement helped shape England's moral and spiritual destiny, and its impact continues to be felt around the world, . . . . . but the key element was the class meeting." (D. Michael Henderson, A Model for Making Disciples, Evangel Publishing, 1997, p11-12)

sabbathwalk

In Defense of Plan B

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:39:35 PDT

TITLE: In Defense of Plan B
SCRIPTURE: Acts 16:6-8
Date: 13 Apr 2012
Written by: Conrade Yap

“Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.” (Acts 16:6-8)

Life is strange.

Sometimes I feel like we are easily stuck when we feel like we do not have all the right answers. More often than not, we like to have things laid out properly and done correctly before we really get that feeling of satisfaction. When things are rushed, we feel less than 100%. We are not as contented with the results, saying that things could have been better. When our Plan As fail to take effect, we kick in Plan B, often lamenting that “if only” we have Plan A, then life will be better. Much better. Pete Wilson writes about this effect on how we tend to believe that the grass is always greener on the other side. We say,

“Everyone else is getting married. Everyone else is having kids. Everyone else is successful. Everyone else is healthy. Everyone else is happy in their marriages - or content and productive in singleness.” (Pete Wilson, Plan B, Nashville, TN: Thomas-Nelson, 2009, 4)

When our Plan As fail, we scramble our Plan Bs reluctantly. We work out our contingency plans not without dreaming how life is much ‘better’ if our As turn out according to plan. This week, I like to reflect on why we ought to see that very often, man’s Plan B may very well be God’s Plan A for us.

A) When A Fails

People generally loves a good story. Fairy tales are best. It brings about the glimmer of hope that we can one day have a happily-ever-after ending. Single girls dream of being swept up by a handsome princely character, full of riches and charisma. Married men dream of a nice loving wife who cooks well, brings us children brilliantly, looks beautiful all the time, and provides excellent sex on bed. Young men envision careers that provides global travel with executive perks. Living in a society infatuated with all things success and happiness, everyone seeks after the same things: Becoming rich and successful. Even Christians are caught up in that mad rat race. They employ their best efforts. They utilize their connections. Some even use God. When times are good, they answer with shouts of “Hallelujah! Praise God!” When times are bad, they question God.

B) The Bithynia Denial

After traveling far and wide, Paul must have gotten used to preaching the gospel to different lands. After all, Acts recorded him making four missionary journeys in his outreach to the Gentiles. During his second missionary journey, made sometime between AD 50-52, Paul and his followers encountered a road block. After traveling westward through the lands of Galatia and Phrygia, they were attempting to bring the gospel to the lands west of Mysia. At that time, the Roman Empire has divided Phrygia into two separate regions: Asia and Galatia. It was in Asia that Paul encountered the impasse. This Roman province of Asia is not to be confused with our modern understanding of Asia. Around AD 25, the Romans have carved out an expanded area comprising of cities such as Mysia, Lydia, Caria, and parts of Phrygia.

So Paul and his companions, instead of heading up northward toward Bithynia, they headed west toward Troas. All because Paul had been prevented from entering Bithynia. Whether it is through visions, dreams, of physical barriers we do not know. What we do know is that Paul wanted to enter Bithynia (His Plan A) but instead entered Troas (Plan B). The text says that “the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to” enter Bithynia. As a result, they skipped Mysia.

C) Paul’s Focus is on Christ

I am not sure how Paul felt at that time. Perhaps, he was disappointed that Bithynia was out of his reach. From the use of the Greek ‘perazo,’ it can be interpreted to indicate their best efforts to enter the land. This same verb can also be translated as ‘to attempt to go; or tempted to enter.’ It is enlightening to note that as far as the gospel is concerned, it is not the place of travel but the heart of obedience that matters. For Paul, if northward bound is not possible, head westward. It does not matter as long as the gospel is preached. This attitude has been recorded in Philippians 1:18:

“But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,” (Philippians 1:18)

I have heard of some friends of mine wanting to reach a particular people group for God. Along the way, their best intentions fell apart. Their dreams were not met. Their Plan A fails to materialize and they have to accept their Plan Bs, even Cs. I too have my fair share of Plan A not coming into play.

Back in 2004, I was eager to get theological training, and then return to my home church and hopefully teach in a local seminary. Naive and idealistic, my wife and I uprooted ourselves from the comforts of Singapore to go to Canada, thinking that after 3-4 years, we will all return and then serve happily ever after back home. Unfortunately, that Plan A seems more distant with each passing year. Our kids became more used to the school systems here. Lifestyles change. People changes. We change. Even the place that we used to call home has changed. The Singapore we know in 2004 is no longer the same as in 2012. My father passed away in 2010. Each time I returned home for a visit, people tend to be extremely busy with their own stuff. A friend of mine who has since decided to stay in Canada commented to me in a somewhat skeptical manner:

“Don’t bother returning to Singapore. People have no time for you anyway.”

I hesitate to come to that conclusion. I know of many people who will spend time. I also understand why he said what he said. After all, I too have experienced my fair share of disappointments with regards to trying to meet up with ‘busy’ people in Singapore. You can plan ahead. You can even get all the people’s names and reminders in place. Yet, at the very last minute, things can change. People have their own priorities. Their Plan As are not necessarily yours, and your Plan As is not necessarily theirs.

Personally, we need to be open to one another. Emergencies can happen at any time. Our Plan As are often simply a plan waiting to be changed at last minute’s notice. Matt Chandler once said that there is a big difference between trust and understanding. Trust is what is needed when we lack the understanding. Likewise, when we fail to understand why our Plan As did not work, we need to trust God to help us work out our Plan Bs, Cs, or even Ds.

Who knows? Our Plan As need time to be baked in God’s perfect timing. In the meantime, He can choose to use us more effectively through Bs, Cs, Ds, Es, even Fs. As far as God’s will is concerned, it is not the plan per se. It is the heart that seeks to obey God regardless of what it is. Pete Wilson writes:

“God can take the pain and hurt you’ve experienced and use it to expand and mold your heart to reflect his heart. The question is, do you think you can sacrifice who you are today for who you could become?” (Pete Wilson, Plan B, 222)

Bingo! Sacrificing something temporal in order to gain something eternal is priceless. Paul is able to obey God despite the Bithynian denial. He knows what is at stake. It is not his pride of being denied entry. Neither is it his frustration at why God is stopping him from sharing the gospel northward. As the song goes in the Jimmy and Carol Owens’s play called the Dreamer:

“When GOD Closes the door, HE opens a window,
so I can see HE's working it out the very best for me.”

Trust God. Trust Him for all of your plans, not just your plan As or Bs. As far as God is concerned, He does not distinguish it according to A, B, C, D, or whatever. His goal is to love us so much that He gave Jesus for us. We are called to bring this love into our homes and beyond our local comforts of home.

THOUGHT: "Disappointment to a noble soul is what cold water is to burning metal; it strengthens, tempers, intensifies, but never destroys it." (Eliza Tabor)

sabbathwalk

Thanksgiving for everything? Are you kidding me?

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 09:12:23 PDT

TITLE: Thanksgiving for everything? Are you kidding me?
SCRIPTURE: 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 6 Apr 2012

"In everything give thanks." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

How is it possible to give thanks in everything?

(Credit: manwifeanddog.com)

Tom went into a business partnership with his best buddy Tim. Both put in their fair amount of hard work. One day, for some reason, Tim decided to take the money that was meant to be deposited into the business account and absconded. How on earth is it possible for Tom to be thankful about what had happened?

Patricia prayed for years for the eventual healing of her sick mother. She had faith. Faithfully she asked her church elders to lay hands, to pray, and to anoint her mother's head with oil. She followed the best medical advice given to her, took her mum regularly for treatment. Unfortunately, her mum died a year later. How can Patricia give thanks?

After working faithfully for his employer for 30 years, Anthony was laid off and were treated the same way as a 1-year old employee. How can Anthony be thankful about such a treatment to him, a loyal and faithful worker?

Life is tough. Many things can be planned, but outcomes are very much unplanned. A business failure, a death, and a terminated career are some of the things that make thanksgiving such a difficult thing to do.

1) State of Unthankfulness in Society

It is easy to simply take things for granted. Whether it is a cleaner at the food courts, or the parking attendant, we tend to assume that it is their job to do what they are supposed to do. When we see dirty spots on our table and off we go, barking at the frantic cleaner to come and clean up. Sometimes, just waiting a few minutes longer for the response drastically reduces our readiness to thank the cleaner. Consider the parking attendant. He is doing his job, applying company policies to vehicles that have breached the time limit for parking. Drivers who have received violation tickets are normally mad. Are we to withhold thanks from people who are merely doing their jobs, and who have inadvertently annoyed us with violation tickets? After all, aren't errant drivers at fault in the first place?

The list is long.

2) An Unthankful Heart is a Spiritual Condition

Perhaps, the reason why Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to give thanks in everything comes out of something less externally affected, but internally motivated. Things done to us may irritate us and make us unhappy. External things are not within our control. The same is not true for internal.

Like Jesus' teaching about turning the other cheek when a person slaps him. Or the fact that if we have two coats, to keep one, and to give the other away. Or the example of giving in secret instead of in public. All of these actions stem from the inner self. It transforms an internal heart of gratitude into external actions of thanksgiving. Good fruits come out of a good tree. An inner disposition drives an outer application.

Jesus has even said about a kind of unclean condition. He reminded the people.

"He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’" (Mark 7:6-7)

When our hearts are far from God, we cannot honour God with our hearts. Likewise, if our hearts are not thankful in the first place, thanksgiving is more a challenge than a joy.

3) Story of the Ten Lepers

In the story of the ten lepers, Jesus laments at the poor level of thankfulness in the hearts of people. Out of ten people who desired to be healed, and who were healed, only one returned to Jesus and thanked Him. Not only that, he was a Samaritan, a 'foreigner' as recorded in Luke 17:18. The story has several pointers with regards to thanksgiving.

#1 - Thankful People a Minority
It is sad that people in general have lots of opportunity to demonstrate thankfulness. The sad case is that many chooses NOT to. Christians are called to be thankful for everything because without God, we are nothing in the first place. When we are thankful, we acknowledge that God is in control and we are trusting God to deliver the best, not on our own mortal timeframe, but in God's eternal timelessness.

#2 - Spiritual Healing is Harder

The ten lepers were all healed, but the poor rate of thanksgiving only goes to show that man's default condition is sin manifested in unthankfulness. Jerry Bridges in his book, "Respectable Sins" have even called unthankfulness a sin. An interesting thing in the story of the ten lepers occur in Luke 17:19.

"Then he said to him, 'Rise and go; your faith has made you well.'"

What? The one who has given thanks have been declared 'well?' Is Jesus implying that the other 9 men are not fully well yet? This is a remarkable clue that healing needs to be holistic. Just like faith without good works is dead, or theory without practice is empty, outer healing without inner healing is incomplete. The 9 lepers who are healed were healed on the outside. Only the tenth obtains inner healing. For Jesus has declared: 'your faith has made you well.'

#3 - True Thankfulness is Heartfelt

Note the four acts of the tenth leper. He intentionally came back. He praised God loudly. He flung himself at the feet of Jesus. He gave thanks. Only a person deeply touched can do such things. It goes beyond the head and flows from the heart. Such a thankful heart is what Paul is asking the Thessalonians to practice.

Finally, let me close with some of the possible reasons why the other nine lepers did not return to give thanks.

SKEPTICISM: "How do I know if the healing is permanent or not?"
ABSENT-MINDED: "Oops. I forgot."
PRESUMPTUOUS: "I'm sure others can do it."
UNTHANKFULNESS: "Am I supposed to give thanks in the first place?"
INFERIOR COMPLEX: "Jesus is so high, and I am so low. How can I even approach Him?"
SUPERIOR COMPLEX: "Jesus is a Jew. I am a Samaritan. How can I thank Him?"
TAKE FOR GRANTED: "Jesus is supposed to do his job anyway."
FEELING UNJUST: "I have suffered so long. Why didn't Jesus heal me earlier?"
VICTIMIZED: "If Jesus is God, He should have prevented me from being leprous in the first place!"

Is it possible that the nine men who failed to return are guilty of at least one of them above? Perhaps. May we be free from these acts of ungratefulness as we reflect upon the immense grace of God as we think of Christ willingness in going to the cross.

THOUGHT: "You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink." (G. K. Chesterton)

sabbathwalk

Will Jesus Use Facebook?

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:41:38 PDT

TITLE: WILL JESUS USE FACEBOOK?
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 28:16-20
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 30 Mar 2012

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt 28:16-20)

There is one lingering question that is becoming more fascinating by the day. "Will Jesus use Facebook?" For Christians, this question typically triggers at least two kinds of responses. The first group deplores any technological association (branded the world) with a sacred figure. The second group embraces the use of anything as long as Christ is preached. My reflection this week will touch on the impact of online media on society, with a particular interest in what it means as far as Christian witness is concerned.

A) Technological Luddites

In the 19th Century in the UK, due to the perceived threats of technology on their jobs, many workers revolted against factories that implemented modern machinery. Instigated by a person called General Ned Ludd, a movement arose between 1811-1816 that emboldened ordinary wage earners against anything that threatened their livelihood, namely, technology innovations. Workers burned, broke, and banished the machinery in a widespread protest against technological devices. The term 'Luddism' is now used to describe people who sense a fear of the downside of technology and seek to fight against the use of certain technologies or engineering innovation. Such a fear reared its head again during the Industrial Revolution where machines increasingly dominate workplaces. I remember a time when my fellow workers were complaining about their duties being replaced by a robot. Sure enough. After a few quarters, the company laid off people in order to cut costs.

At the turn of the century, technology has appeared more frequently via a new name: The Internet. Like Newton's law, whenever there is a change, there will also be an equal and opposite reaction. Cultural critics like Neil Postman have since argued against the downsides of technology, saying that:

"Technology always has unforeseen consequences, and it is not always clear, at the beginning, who or what will win, and who or what will lose." (Neil Postman, in a speech here, given in Stuttgart)

Others like Sherry Turkle, a long time observer of human-machine interactions bemoans the way people are isolating themselves as they allow technology to get in the way. Nicholas Carr goes farther to warn people about how technologies like Google are changing our brains and the way we think and live. In an insightful book called The Shallows, Carr argues that as people praise the glories of modern technology and gadgets, many users tend to be blind to the side effects of technology.

"Our focus on a medium's content can blind us to these deep effects. We're too busy being dazzled or disturbed by the programming to notice what's going on inside our heads. In the end, we come to pretend that the technology itself doesn't matter. It's how we use it that matters, we tell ourselves." (Nicholas Carr, The Shallows, New York, NY: W W Norton, 2010, 3)

Not to be left behind, we have Kevin Kelly, in a provocative book, "What Technology Wants," that pushes the envelope even more, saying that the new technological world is not about what man wants from technology, but about what technology wants from people. On the pervasive use of smartphones, one contributor to the Economist appeals to us to remove our enslavement.

Neo-Luddites! You may accuse them.

B) On the Other Hand

Then there are those who champion technologies. The bookstores are full of those in praise of Google, the Internet and the use of technology. Just talk to any man in the street and you will realize that they spend more time connecting online than relating offline. Christians have also adopted the use of computer terminology in their writings. Neil Cole, a church planter even uses computer software versions to tell Church History. He calls the New Testament Church in the early centuries "Church 1.0." The 16th Century Reformation is called "Church 2.0," and our modern era represents the evolution of a new version called "Church 3.0!" Popular speakers Tami Heim and Toni Birdsong have combined their expertise to urge Christians to go online and to learn to share our faith in the Internet world. As I read their latest book, '@StickyJesus,' I get a feeling that the Great Commission can be read as:

".... Go ye therefore and make digital disciples of all online communities. . . ."

Acts 1:8 can be partially re-written as:

". . . . you will be my witnesses on Google, and in all Twitter and Facebook, and to the ends of the social media world."

Again, those are not their words. They are conjured up as a result of reading how passionate Heim and Birdsong have been. They argue:

"For you, a Christ follower, the discussion around technology and its impact for good cannot be left to chance. It's a conversation that must be an ongoing priority. It must become part of the writings, readings, and teachings that communicate faith to this and future generations. And if businesses, motivated by profitability and survival, continue to generate effective content marketing solutions and new ways to engage the public, the body of Christ should be alert - and teachable - to use those same strategies." (Toni Birdsong and Tami Heim, @StickyJesus, Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2010, 7)

C) My Take

My personal reading of it all is that we need to learn to use technologies well, but also critically. We need to periodically take a step back and ponder why we are doing what we are doing. We need to pause to reflect upon the ways of social media, the pros and cons, and to draw the line often by saying:

"Social Media. You shall have no hold on my life."

I thank God for cultural critics like Postman, Turkle, Carr, and others. They help many of us who tend to use technological gadgets uncritically sit up and think. We are pressed with questions like:

Is there a better way to communicate than using the Internet?
How do I know if I am addicted to Facebook?
Am I missing out opportunities offline when I am hooked online most of the time?
Why do I need so many 'friends' on Facebook?
Am I using social media, or is social media using me?

The human problem is not technological. The human problem is still sin. Before the rise of the Internet, parents worry about their kids spending too much time watching TV or playing games on the computer. Society gets worried about the drug problem or gang recruitment activities in their neighbourhood. Pornography was a big concern a number of years ago.

Not anymore. Now, people have shifted to social media, and we hear news of Internet predators posing as innocent 'friends' to try to manipulate young minds to meet them at a physical location. The threat is real. Policing the Internet is becoming more and more challenging as privacy structures become more sophisticated. Sin masquerades itself in any media, any platform, through any channel. Christian, beware!

D) Will Jesus use Facebook?

As I read the gospels, I believe it is likely that Jesus will meet us where we are. Just like the Samaritan woman in John 4, Jesus meets her at the well at odd hours during the day. Like Zacchaeus, the despised tax collector in Luke 19, Jesus offers to meet him at his house. Like the lame man in John 5, Jesus sees him at the Sheep Gate in Bethesda. The interesting thing is that Jesus did not remain at the well. Neither did he stick around in the house of Zacchaeus. He did not linger all the time at the Sheep Gate in Bethesda. After the witnessing for God, and the demonstration of signs, Jesus moved on! Even if Jesus has a Facebook account, He will not linger around in cyberspace. Neither will he be hooked online so many hours that he fails to pray and seek God's face first thing each day.

Yes, Jesus if he is walking the streets today, he will not simply disregard the technological gadgets we have on our hands. Instead, he may be asking us what we are doing, or why are we Tweeting what we are tweeting, or writing stuff on Facebook.

What will you do, if Jesus asks you: "Will you be my friend?" Certainly, Jesus will not simply want to be a 'friend' on your lists of Facebook friends. He wants to be more. Much more. Will you let Him? Will you lead others to Him? Let me close with the following set of tips from Birdsong and Heim, which I hope can help us be more intentional and godly in our social media interactions.

"I am on my face before God before I get on Facebook and seek Him before I tweet.
I ask for the Holy Spirit's guidance and discernment before I enter into social media platforms.
I am deliberate about preparing my heart to go online and devoted to the larger, eternal mission.
I am others-focused and enter online communities with a desire to serve.
I am intentional about checking my heart for conceit, superiority, prejudice, and judgment.
I am fully present to people when I engage.
I acknowledge that God values every person I encounter online and that beating hearts are behind every picture and post.
I choose to be digitally generous. I retweet, post comments to blogs, follow up on emails promptly, and help promote worthy causes online."

(Tami Birdsong and Tami Heim, @StickyJesus, Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 2010, 175)

THOUGHT: "It is questionable if all the mechanical inventions yet made have lightened the day's toil of any human being." (John Stuart Mill)

sabbathwalk

Fighting Authority?

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:44:19 PDT

TITLE: FIGHTING AUTHORITY?
SCRIPTURE: Titus 3:1-2
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 22 Mar 2012

"Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men." (Titus 3:1-2)

Currently, there is an ongoing dispute between the British Columbia Teachers Federation (BCTF) and the provincial government over pay and class conditions in the province. After several months of limited strike actions by teachers, the government has passed a law making it illegal for teachers to initiate job actions. Called Bill-22, if the teachers union decides to go on a strike, not only will it be an illegal act, the federation will be fined heavily for every day of job action. As the two parties go after each others' throats, the rest of the province helplessly look on. Many parents have to rearrange their work schedules in order to provide for alternative arrangements for their children. Some take no-pay leave. Others decide to put their children into private schools instead. The entire situation is not only messy for many households, but utterly embarrassing for the entire province. It has made Canada look silly, like children refusing to let go of each other's demands.

A) No Winners

I tell my kids that in situations like these, there are no winners. Everybody lose. The government loses credibility. The union leaders lose respectability. The teachers and many parents lose financially. Children lose out on instructional time. Anyone associated with businesses during a normal school day will also lose substantial income. When schools are not in session, there will be minimal business. I have heard from several teachers that they too are on the helpless end. Even for those who desire to simply concentrate on teaching, they cannot flout union regulations. If the union asks them to strike, they have to strike. So much for democracy. It is a socialist platform in which majority rules. Unfortunately, the BCTF has unwittingly isolated many parents as they look to become more militant in their demands. Just this week, the leaders even dare to broach the idea of 'breaking the Bill-22 law.' This raises alarm bells. It begs the question: What kind of a message are the teachers sending to our children? I think, the recent actions have given me concerns about the elevating stakes. As both BCTF and the government go back and forth at each other, the following unwittingly gets communicated.

"If you do not get what you want, DEMAND!"
"If you still do not get what you want, STRIKE!"
"If you still do not get what you want, and forced to back down, STRIKE BACK!"

This is deeply troubling. I think it reflects frustration on the part of the teachers and parents. It also reflects the complex situation that the BC Government has dug themselves into. For the government, with their net-zero mandate, in which they are trying to manage the budget as best as possible, they simply do not have the money to meet the demands of the BCTF. For the BCTF, they say have tolerated for too long the classroom sizes and the wages they have been given. There are no winners. Even graduating Grade 12s are left on a limbo as the lack of proper grades can affect their applications for college and university places. Recently, the University of British Columbia has allowed the use of results obtained in Grade 11. I believe many BC institutions will be sympathetic to the situation of the children. Unfortunately, colleges in other countries may not show the same understanding.

B) Different Messages

As a parent, I try to understand both sides as much as possible without desiring to take sides. I appreciate what teachers in general are trying to do, in terms of better classroom conditions and wage increases to keep up with inflation. As workers trying to make ends meet, pay our bills, and cope with rising costs of living, there is nothing unreasonable about that.

From the perspective of the government, I appreciate too that the education sector is only one part of provincial matters, albeit a big part. Balancing the budget is a tricky thing. In an environment where taxpayers are particularly tax-rise sensitive, it is not easy to give everybody what they demand without newer sources of revenue.

Unfortunately, do our children understand all of these things? Are teachers unfairly using their influence with our children to hit back unfairly at the government leaders? Are the TV commercials that promote the two sides of the arguments fair in depicting the different points of view? In fact, are parents themselves given the big picture of what is going on? I am afraid not.

C) Warning: Indoctrination in Progress

(Snapshot of a Grade 1 child's letter to the Education Minister)

Many of us are simply given all kinds of information from different sources. Just take for example some of the comments to news articles. In general, public opinion is shifting against the BCTF. I believe any antagonistic actions done in a tit-for-tat manner by the BCTF will be harmful not only for public opinion and sympathetic parents, it will send a wrong message to our children. When the emotions are high, the temptation to manipulate young minds is equally high. There is one horrible example where one elementary school teacher manipulated her class to write something against the government. My opinion: Teachers, the issue is between you and the government. Keep our children out of adult matters.

There is a way of fighting for our rights that is very wrong. We do not employ illegal ways simply to fight something that we think is wrong. In terms of principles, even if the BCTF feels that they have been unfairly victimized by the government in Bill-22, they cannot break the law simply because they feel it is not right. An unfair decision is one thing. Taking the law into our own hands is another. Two wrongs do not make it right. If the teachers do decide to hit back at the government, BCTF will go down in history as law breakers themselves. What is worse is that, they are telling our kids that it is ok to fight authorities when we feel we are victimized.

D) Teaching Moments

Titus 3 begins with a call for us to obey our authorities. It does not provide conditions. Neither does it tell us to fight authority according to how we feel. Instead, it urges us to do more.

be ready to do what is good;
to slander no one;
to be peaceable and considerate;
and to show true humility to all men.

The focus is never on our rights. The focus is on doing the right thing in true humility to all people. That means we do not slander anyone no matter how heated are the discussions. We need to learn to live peaceably. We need to show due consideration to all. We need to show true humility to everyone. Maybe, non-believers do not feel any need to obey Titus 3:1-2. They have their own principles and agendas. They have their own versions of what their rights are to be. I write this opinion for Christians. We are called to obey our authorities that have been legitimately elected within the laws of the land. There is no option to break the law simply because we do not like it. Having said that, let me attempt to be as constructive as possible, by taking the position of asking what is best for our children. From this angle, I have three reasons why I believe the BCTF should NOT break the law, even the hotly disputed Bill-22.

#1 - Teachable Moments

As far as children are concerned, teachable moments can be highly important. By coming back to the classroom, not only are teachers maintaining a lawful attitude, they are cultivating in young minds the need to respect authority whether we like it or not. Imagine paying taxes. Can we stop paying taxes simply because we do not like it? Or take the traffic lights at a junction. Do we simply beat the red-light simply because of our liking? Of course not. We obey the law because this is a lawful society. Laws are meant to protect ordinary citizens like you and me. When people flout the law, they risk hurting other people. Even for teachers who say that they have exceptions when they break certain laws, are children able to understand? No. As far as children are concerned, many are not ready to distinguish which laws can or cannot be broken. They need to be taught the general rule of thumb: Laws cannot be broken simply based on our feelings or our interpretations.

#2 - Big Picture Understanding

By presenting all sides of the story without slandering anybody, teachers have the opportunity to teach and help children come to a conclusion of their own. It is one thing to teach fairly. It is yet another to manipulate minds. Teachers have a responsibility not simply to espouse their own views, but to fairly represent all the different viewpoints.

By coming back to the classroom even though one feels unfairly treated, it is also an opportunity to teach our kids that life is not always fair. Sometimes, it takes a real life experience to learn the fact that this world is cruel. We do not always get what we want. Think about the growing rich and poor divide. Kids do not really see the difference, that the world outside Canada is far worse than simply fighting for our rights. Think about the different wage conditions in our communities. is it fair for one to work hard and get small wages, while another works little and gets huge pay? Is it fair for employers to hire people based on their personal connections? Is it fair? No. Many things in life are not fair. Learning to live responsibly in an unfair world is an opportunity to teach the big picture.

#3 - Teach Humility

Teachers have a sacred duty to teach responsibly. Titus 3 shows us a higher standard of performance.

"...and to show true humility toward all men." (Titus 3:2b)

We establish moral authority and credibility through humble living. Whatever stand that we take, humility is key to constructive negotiations and living in a community. Whether you are with the government, the BCTF, with parents, or any one particular group, we are to demonstrate true humility toward people. Feelings do not dictate breaking of any law. Interpretations cannot be used to fight authority. Loving humble is not just the domain of Christians. It is desired of all people. I hope and pray that many more people will be encouraged to learn obedience to authorities, to be wise in understanding the big picture, and to live humbly with all.

Teachers, please do not embark on a crusade to fight authority. It is one thing to stand up for what you believe. It is another thing altogether to break the law. Worse, any actions to fight to government may lead to unintended wrong signals to our children.

THOUGHT: "One cannot imagine St. Francis of Assisi talking about rights." (Simone Weil)

sabbathwalk

"Sticky" Faith vs "Post-It-Note" Faith

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:24:36 PDT

TITLE: "Sticky" Faith vs "Post-It-Note" Faith
SCRIPTURE: Luke 8:14-15
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 13 Mar 2012

"The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop." (Luke 8:14-15)

MAIN POINT: Inculcating sticky faith, in a 'post-it-note' world?

Man has always strived to invent things, and to create wonderful gadgets and devices. Yet, for all their striving and their diligence, the fact remains that many of the world's most innovative stationery products happen by accident. The American company, 3M (also known as Minnesota Manufacturing and Mining company) has long been known for producing great innovative products. Sometimes, they create so many different things that they do not know what to do with it. One of such an invention was a special adhesive developed by Dr Spencer Silver. Such a chemical will be able to hold light objects together temporarily without forming a permanent bond. At that time, this product is deemed to be a 'solution without a problem.'

While searching for a marketing application, Silva's colleague, Arthur Fry decides to use the adhesive for his music notes while singing for the Church choir. Often, the choir will struggle to keep the musical sheets together as any movement will cause the papers to fall all over the place. Just then, Fry remembers the adhesive back in the office and decides to use them for his choir notes. The application works like a champion for the church choir. The rest is history. The Post-It-Note pad becomes one of the most successful products ever to be launched by the 3M Corporation.

(A) POST-IT FAITH

Unlike faith, the Post-It-Notepad is meant to be for temporary use only. It is not meant to be a permanent seal. It is not created to stick, no matter how long you leave it. Once the purpose is achieved, the note is discarded. I use Post-It-Notes for my sermon points as well. Sticking it on my Bible, I can easily put and remove them, and organize my thoughts effectively. As I think about faith, I wonder about how some Christians behave exactly like the adhesive used in the Post-It Notes. I call such a 'Post-It Faith.'

What is 'Post-It-Faith?' Simply put, it is another name for half-way faith, or temporal belief. When times are good, we keep the commandments and religious practices. We smile more. We thank God for blessing us. We shout 'Hallelujahs' and 'Praise God.' We chime in 'Glory to God' each time we receive good news. This is even more prevalent in places that promote a prosperity gospel. The basic premise of prosperity gospel is this.

"God wants you to be rich. God wants to prosper you. Give and see how the Lord gives back to you even more. There is no reason why a God so rich will let any believer be so poor."

The trouble with such a teaching is that it focuses more on faith rather than on God. By believing enough, one gets enough of God's blessings. Conversely, if God does not bless, such believers will blame themselves for their lack of faith. Such a faith is too dependent on results and tries to hem God in, to spiritually blackmail God into submission as if God is servant to man.

True faith is never conditional upon God's promises. True faith is unconditional, and gives God absolute right to give and NOT to give. Unfortunately, people with a Post-It-Faith tends to be fair weather Christians rather than All-weather believers.

(B) Easy To Stick; Easy to Remove

Sometimes, Church people are guilty of inculcating a Post-It-Faith culture. Take a look at the evangelistic messages. Some well meaning but misguided Christians use the 'Abundant Life' approach to attract non believers. They quote John 10:10 and impress upon non-Christians that once they believe in Jesus, they will have a more abundant life, including a big increase in material things.

"See! Once I believe in Jesus, my stocks soar. I am upgrading to a new BMW next month! Hallelujah! Praise God! Amen?"

They use God as a Healer.

"I used to be walking with a limp. The moment I believe in Jesus, I can walk again. I can even run like never before on both legs!"

They use God as an emotional stopgate, that once they believe in Jesus, all their problems will be over. Words from certain songs are heavily into this positive emotionalism. For example, look at the words of the popular song, "Jesus we celebrate Your victory."

And in His presence our problems disappear
Our hearts responding to His love.

Do problems really 'disappear' magically when we see Jesus? Or are we drumming up some kind of a escapism from our worldly troubles? Didn't Jesus tell his disciples that in this world that they will have many troubles and sorrows? (John 16:33) It is one thing to claim that Jesus has overcome the world. It is yet another thing altogether to manipulate Jesus to become our problem solver.

Reminder. We are Christians called to be witnesses for Christ, not spiritual salesmen. We cannot simply present half the story, but the whole story. Otherwise, if we present Jesus only as an Abundant Provider, an itinerant Healer, or a Problem Solver that we can wish into being like a genie in the bottle, we are doing our non-Christian friends a disservice. Worse, we are only sharing a half-way faith. We will be unwittingly raising a generation of Post-It-Faith people. When times are good, these people believe heartily. When time are bad, these people will leave. Such people who stick to the faith easily will also easily remove themselves from faith in bad times.

(C) Wither Perseverance?

The Parable of the Sower lists four different types of soil of which the last type is fruitful. Note Jesus's description of this last group.

"But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop." (Luke 8:15)

Matthew's gospel gets even more specific.

"But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." (Matt 13:23)

Here, Jesus is using the parable in a metaphoric way. Prosperity gospel proponents will tend to measure it almost always in a materialistic way. Unfortunately, this is not what Jesus meant. Jesus is not talking about kingdom of diamonds, rubies, gold, or silver. He is talking about the kingdom of heaven. Note his introduction to the parable.

"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:
When anyone hears the message about the kingdom . . . " (Matt 13:18b-19a)

It is the Word that Jesus is talking about, not materialistic things. It is the Word that becomes alive in a person. It is the Word that grows and multiplies into good works and fruitfulness that comes out of a transformed being.

People who fail to let the Word become sticky on their hearts will easily fall away. Likewise, people with Post-It-Note type of faith will not stick around for very long. When the threats of persecution come, or the winds of change approach, they will be quick to flee the faith. Post-It-Note faith sticks during good times, but falls away when troubles come.

D) Sticky Faith via 3Cs

How can we help inculcate a sticky faith? I suggest 3 Cs in our sharing of the Christian faith.

1. CONVERSATIONS (not CONVERSIONS)
Firstly, focus on having a conversation rather than aiming toward conversions. Having attended many training workshops on how to do evangelism, there is an overwhelming focus on trying to bring people to faith. In some cases, it is downright coercion that can be manipulative. I know of some church groups that use magic shows as a facade to invite non-believers to come. Thinking that these are entertainment events, the unsuspecting visitors are then treated to a short entertainment, followed by a long sermon on the Christian faith. Even as a Christian, I find the whole thing rather distasteful. While I acknowledge that God can use any situation to win souls, I feel that Christians ought not be ashamed of the power of the gospel in itself. We do not need magic shows, attractive events to fish for people. We need simply be ready to give an answer for the hope that we have. Like Peter's exhortation.

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect," (1 Peter 3:15)

Conversation is our responsibility. Conversion is God's. When the Holy Spirit works, the Word will stick to the person much better than any human devices. Let our lives shine so brightly, that non Christians around us will start the conversation by asking us for the hope we have in Christ. Let our saltiness bring out the curiosity of people to want to talk to us.

2. CREDIBILITY

We believe that there is power in the gospel. Let our belief show forth through honesty and openness to people. That said, we need to establish some credibility by acknowledging that we are not much different from non-Christians in that we too sin. We struggle too. Sometimes, Christians struggle and get persecuted more simply because of our faith. Non-Christians will be very curious to know why we continue to persevere in our belief despite the hardship and persecutions. Do we have a personal story? Do we have a testimony of how God is faithful to us in both good and bad times? Are our actions congruent with our inner faith?

When the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of people, there will be credibility as words, actions, and emotions all blend together as one unified whole. Let our honesty, our consistency in witness and in living be a credible witness in itself.

3. CARING

The old adage is true. "I don't care how much you know, until I know how much you care."

I have seen how people try many different ways to bring their friends to Christ. Yet, their friends remain stubborn to the core, refusing to budge. Yet, all it takes is an observation of how Christians care for one another, that keeps them interested. While they cannot be intellectually convinced about Christianity, their hearts are clearly touched when they see Christians caring, sharing and loving one another. Jesus has said,

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35)

Let our caring touch the hearts of all people, that they will know the source of love is not of ourselves, but of God in Christ.

These are three simple suggestions on how we can be part of inculcating a sticky faith. For others and for ourselves. For our families and for our Church. Persevere on. The time will come, when those who persevere will bear much fruit, and cause others too to bear even more fruit.

One more thing. Unlike Post-It-Note faith that begins with a solution looking for a problem, may our sticky faith begins with Christ in us, continuing with Christ through us, and sharing the hope of Christ for others.

THOUGHT: "Don't be discouraged. It's often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock." (Unknown)

"Saints are sinners who kept on going." (Robert Louis Stevenson)

sabbathwalk

The 5Rs of RE-tirement

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:20:59 PST

TITLE: THE 5R's OF RE-TIREMENT
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 6 Mar 2012
SCRIPTURE: Ecclesiastes 7:10

"Do not say, 'Why were the old days better than these?' For it is not wise to ask such questions." (Ecclesiastes 7:10)

Last week, thanks to a few thoughtful and passionate members of my congregation, we celebrated the retirement of two sisters in Christ. One has retired from the financial industry, while the other from the medical sector. Both have been very ardent Church going members, dearly loved by the people in the Church. I gave a short exhortation for these two persons and invited the rest of the people to eavesdrop. This week, I will summarize what I have said that evening, and expand a little bit on the points I made.

A) Wisdom from Cicero

Beginning with the wise words of the Roman philosopher, Cicero, I read out the following:

"It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved but by reflection, force of character, and judgment. In these qualities, old age is usually not only not poorer, but is even richer." (Marcus Tullius Cicero, 106-43 BC)

For a person more than 2000 years ago to speak so profoundly on the nature of the human individual, this is impressive. In our modern era, we are gravitated toward bigness, the powerful, the speedy, or any positive superlatives like great, gigantic, and gargantuan. The computing world magnifies power and speed through maxims like 'faster is better,' 'powerful is wonderful,' 'big is greater.' The consumer world advocates more as better. We see supermarkets selling goods in quantity by introducing 'huge' savings if we buy more. Hypermarkets sell things in bulk on the basis of value for money. Manufacturers bundle in a lot of stuff that we usually do not need together with some basic commodity that we need.

Unfortunately, many of us in our aging years bring these ideas into our thinking as well. We lament at our 'slowness' in getting things done when we see our younger colleagues doing more things at three times our speed. We are discouraged when we can only do one job while our juniors accomplish three tasks in a multitasking environment. We walk while they run. We single task as they multitask. We work with frequent pauses while the young does not seem to need any rest!

(Credit: National Post)

The main problem with such a lifestyle of speed and might is this. As one tries frantically to make things happen, they risk rushing into doing things without adequate reflection. A story was told of a Chicago man who receives a request for an interview from a company located in Portland. After packing his bags and making his travel arrangements, he begins to think about how efficient he is in his logistics. Unfortunately, in his rush to get things done, he fails to clarify exactly which Portland the company is in. Upon arrival in Portland, home to the nice Western coast of Oregon, he is horrified to realize that the actual interview is in Maine, all the way to the Eastern part of the United States!

B) Wisdom, Character, and Judgment

No matter what, there are many things in life that cannot be measured by speed, by might, or by physical abilities. This is because life is not always quantitatively determined. More is not always more. Less is not necessarily bad. A recent article in ChristianityToday laments the trend of modern higher education that is introducing secular values that displaces the importance of wisdom. They focus on technical knowhow, content, and the frenetic focus on specialization. All of these quantitative measurements are accomplished at the expense of qualitative factors such as wisdom, character, and judgment.

Cicero reminds us again that there are things that old age will enable one to develop more and more. The older we become, the more we realize that the futility of life is real. We learn from one of the wisest man who has ever lived, Qoheleth in Ecclesiastes. He reminds us that it is not a wise thing to constantly harp back at the past, saying 'Why are the old days better than these?' Such good-old-days thinking is prevalent among the older folks. When they see that they are no longer as competitive as before, as efficient or as competent as in the past, they start to feel depressed. Wisely, Qoheleth reminds us that such thinking is not good. Even the mere 'asking' of such a question is rendered foolish. By being fixated on the past, not only do we bog ourselves down with unhelpful nostalgia, we miss out the opportunities to live a brand new phase of life, to reap the benefits of what it means to grow old.

C) RE-TIRE

For Christians, think retirement in terms of RE-TIRE. Like fixing in All-Season tires when Spring/Summer approaches, or Winter tires before the cold and the snow comes, re-tirement is about receiving old age as a gift rather than a dreaded stage of life. We say goodbye to the old phase and greet the new phase with a bright 'hello.' We re-tire our lives in a way that recognizes our new stage of life.

Like Cicero, we can learn to be more reflective, to appreciate more about character building, and to develop a heightened sense of discernment and wise judgment. These characteristics are sharpened even more as one reflects back on the past years of old. In other words, the years that have gone by are not to be lamented merely as the good-old-days. They are essentially past events, valuable lessons, and personal stories that help one to live better, live wiser, and live more meaningfully. Instead of good-old-days thinking, I suggest the following 5Rs of RE-TIREMENT.

D) THE 5R's of RE-TIREMENT

i) READ a little more

Far too many people are buying books without actually reading them. They have become book collectors rather than book readers. Their bookshelves are full and some books remain in a shrink-wrapped condition! Perhaps, as one prepares to slow down, they can pick up the reading habit all over again. Read widely to supplement one's life learnings by interacting with some of the wise authors. Appreciate life through the literary gems. I recommend Joan Chittister's 'The Gift of Years' and Billy Graham's 'Nearing Home' as two possible books to begin your reading quest.

ii) REFLECT a little more

The young does not have many years to reflect upon. They are too busy trying to live out their careers and lives. Not so for those who have more than 60 years of life. Ask any statistician or economist who works with numbers. They will tell you that a wider range of data will give a much more credible understanding and interpretation to any particular study. The old will have this special privilege of reflecting. They can give thanks for the good times, and to learn from the bad times. They grow as a person as they reflect more of their past. One of my favourite writers is the Danish philosopher, Soren Kiergergaard, who famously writes:

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” (Søren Kierkegaard)

iii) RE-ENERGIZE a little more

Physical exercise is a legitimate spiritual discipline. In fact, the older we get, we need to make sure that our physical conditions do not be compromised. Instead of running, why not walk? After all, health experts have said that by mere walking, one can meet the exercise requirements by at least 50 percent! Moreover, if the old can keep fit, it is a valuable contribution to society as well. Healthy individuals mean less stress on the national health system. It means more money saved for society. It creates lesser burdens for the young who are already struggling with the many challenges in this tough life. As the elderly re-energizes themselves, they too are setting forth a good example for the rest of society to follow. Talk about leading by example.

iv) RELAX a little more

The common catchphrase in our conversations is "I'm busy." This catch-all excuse can be used in practically any situations. Retirement phase is a good time to simply learn to slow down and relax. Like Jesus' teachings in Matthew 6. Look at the lilies of the field, or the birds in the air. Contemplate how God has fed and clothe them. It is a great opportunity to reflect and ponder about God, and the spiritual life that we do not normally get to appreciate. Chances are, the more we relax and give thanks, the more we learn to appreciate the little things in life, and the little acts of kindness done for us.

v) REACH OUT a little more

Finally, as the old increases in wisdom, character, and discernible judgment, they can become excellent mentors to younger ones among us. They can share of their experiences. They can learn how to say yes and when to say no. As they seek to disciple a younger person by reaching out to them, they are helping to fill in the gap that the young needs. In an age where Universities, colleges, and workplaces, have become so sidetracked by competence and efficiency, the older folks among us can help to supplement these temporal things with something more eternal: Wisdom. Reach out a little more and to bless a younger chap.

No one knows more about the futility of power, money, and fame than those who have tasted it and found it lacking. No one can appreciate the temporal nature of worldly things than the elderly and older people in retirement. Remember. Retirement is not a time to dread or to lament about one's physical prowess being halved. It is less about physical but more about spiritual. Let me close with Joan Chittister's words about old age.

THOUGHT: "A burden of these years is that we might allow ourselves to believe that not being as fast or as busy as we used to be is some kind of human deficiency.

A blessing of these years is that we can come to understand that it is the quality of what we think and say that makes us valuable members of society, not how fast or busy we are." (Joan Chittister, The Gift of Years, New York, NY: BlueBridge, 2008, 12)

Grow old gracefully inside, and graciously outside.

sabbathwalk

Purpose of Church

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:33:41 PST

TITLE: WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF CHURCH?
SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 3:10-11
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 29 Feb 2012

"His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Ephesians 3:10-11)

Main Point: Is your Church a hospital, a hotel, or herald of angels?

Many Christians go to Church on Sundays. Faithfully they attend, faithfully they give, and faithfully they stayed with the Church. For many Christians, Church on Sundays pretty much is their main source of fellowship with fellow believers. For the young, it means Bible stories, games, and fun activities. For the youths, it often means some level of serious Bible study before the main event: Sports! For the rest of the congregation, it is one full length Sunday service complete with psalms, Bible readings, sermons, and others. Is this what Church is all about? What about our modern era? I like to begin by asking which of these is true of your Church.

Is your Church constantly clamouring for care, with people constantly wanting to be fed and need lots of attention? If the majority of your church are complaining about the lack of pastoral care, perhaps your church is running on 'HOSPITAL' mode.
Is your Church more about maintaining a level of comfortable social gathering, where activities center around playing sports, social outings, buffets, BBQs, and food? If the majority of your Church functions like that, your church is running on 'HOTEL' mode.
Is your Church actively looking out for opportunities to share the gospel, to be the mission post, the salt and light of the neighbourhood? Is the Church actively equipping members and friends to reach out and touch lives? If it is, your church is running on 'HERALDS of angels' mode.

This week, I want to look at the purpose of Church. I begin by asking whether the Church is some kind of a hospital for hurting people. Is it a place where people constantly cry out for their needs to be met? Is it where people feel that the leaders are largely ignoring their needs.

Or is the Church more like a hotel? Is it a place for people to enjoy connecting with one another like a business conference? Is it a place for people to have fun and fellowship all the time, delegating the other stuff like mission work, prayer, evangelism, and discipleship matters to the ragtag bunch of 'more spiritual people' to do? After all, some Church organizations have hired specific people to do their jobs, so why not simply let them? Let the ordinary member just eat, drink, and be merry. Let the more pious people, the elders, the pastors, the leaders, the trained, and the experienced handle the rest of the Great Commission?

A) What Is the Purpose of Church?

Church is for all. Unless every member wakes up to the responsibilities and the roles that they are in, they are not living up to the expectation of living stones for God. The WWII martyr for Christ, Dietrich Bonhoeffer says this about the purpose of Church.

"The church is the church only when it exists for others. To make a start, it should give away all its property to those in need.. . . . It must tell people of every calling what it means to live in Christ, to exist for others." (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison, NY: MacMillan, 1967, 282)

The passion of Bonhoeffer is clear. Church is not about us. It is about God, and church is a channel in which we glorify God. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul has this passion too. God intends his wisdom to flow 'through the church' outwards, to rulers, to authorities in the heavenly realms. The imagery is impressive.

How can the heavens see the glory of God on earth? Answer: When all of earth manifests God's glory. This means that the church is the primary engine in which the glory and wisdom of God is expressed. Mind you, it is more than evangelism and mission. It is all of our lives as a manifestation of God! This is the purpose of church.

During the times of the early Church, the members are persecuted and they come together largely to encourage one another. Times are really bad. The name 'Christian' is very unglamourous, and often used as a derogatory manner. Church for them is fellowshipping in their common suffering, and their persecuted identity in Christ. Through their persecution and suffering, their fervent practice of faith has glorified God and the gospel spreads far and wide.

What about the modern church? Let us look at how some Churches have turned into.

B) Church as Hospital

For the early Church, the gospel spreads vibrantly from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to many other parts of the world. Peter ministers to the Jews. Paul goes to the Gentiles. It is outward looking, and upward honouring. The Church in hospital mode tends to see too many of the unmet needs. Their self-seeking attitude has become so big that the general mood is this:

"How can our church help others when our needs are not met? Our members are hurting. Our people are needy. The pastor hardly visits. The elders seem to have their own busy schedules. Nobody cares for me!"

In hospital mode, the church is constantly on a 9-11 emergency call mode. An illness, a major accident, a sudden death, are all examples of emergencies that turn the church into a hospital. Others suffer job losses, marital problems, relationship woes, which also turn the church into counselling centers. While these are legitimate needs, it is a problem if these occupy the main concerns of church leadership. Such an attitude is too inward looking and outward lacking. After a while, caregivers get exhausted. Some becomes so discouraged at the continued level of give-and-give-and-give-some-more that they leave the church eventually.

C) Church as Hotel

Some Churches spend lots of money on their church building fund. After the mad and passionate plea for money, property, and building resources, after the work has been completed, the vibrancy dies down. Once the structures are built, people settle down, feeding themselves with frequent meals together. They meet to play more often than to pray. They plan social outings more often than designing opportunities to hang out with the neighbourhood. They take away parking spaces on Sundays and give nothing back to the neighbourhood. The Church in hotel mode is constantly consuming things for themselves, budgeting programs for themselves, and planning events for themselves. Such a mentality is narcissistic, inner-looking, and also outward lacking.

In hotel mode, Christians become fattened up so much that they eat more and more while the original cause of Christ becomes less and less prominent in their spiritual radar.

D) Church as Herald of Angels

Let me say an emphatic no to hospital-mode or hotel-mode kinds of church. In my opinion, the former is a counseling center, the latter a social club. None of these are true churches of Jesus Christ. The Church as a biblical model knows that it exists for the benefit of others.

Let us read through a few passionate quotes from some Christians from the past.

On the existence of the Church, the famous Oxford don, CS Lewis writes with conviction:

"The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose." (CS Lewis, Mere Christianity, Harper Collins, 2001, p199)

The English missionary to China, James Hudson Taylor says:

"The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed."

One of my favourites is from the British cricketeer turned missionary to China, Charles T. Studd says:

"Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell." (CT Studd)

The very popular spiritual writer, Dallas Willard, even calls the ignorance of the mission of God, as the Great Ommission.

"The last command Jesus gave the church before he ascended to heaven was the Great Commission, the call for Christians to 'make disciples of all the nations.' But Christians have responded by making 'Christians,' not 'disciples.' This has been the church's Great Omission." (Dallas Willard, The Great Ommission, San Francisco, CA: Harper Collins, 2006)

Men like these are people I call 'heralds of angels.' Jesus says:

"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." (Matt 9:37)

In hospital mode, these words become: "The church is needful but the carers are few."
In hotel mode, these words become: "The food and fun are plentiful and the consumers are many."
In heralds of angels mode, people will turn Matthew 9:37 into a response: "Yes Lord. I will go."

What kind of mode is your Church? What are you doing about that? Perhaps, begin with prayer, just as Jesus has said:

"Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (Matt 9:38)

Thought: "To know the will of God, we need an open Bible and an open map." (William Carey, missionary to India)

sabbathwalk

On Tolerance in a Pluralistic Society

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:49:31 PST

TITLE: ON TOLERANCE IN A PLURALISTIC SOCIETY
SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 1:25
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 22 Feb 2012

"For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength." (1 Cor 1:25)

A Popular World Perspective of Tolerance

Nowadays, tolerance is being marketed in society as a do-it-all word in a pluralistic, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious climate. Intolerance is increasingly unacceptable, and in many cases illegal. Some activists take the issue even farther. For every mention of 'intolerance,' even without the presence of real facts and evidences, people will be up in arms to claim solidarity with the marginalized, the weak, the poor, or the minority.

A) An Intolerant World

Recently, there is a rather sensational news report about a pregnancy care center in British Columbia. The center provides counsel for pregnant women in crisis. The reporting is a case of an intolerant one-sided reporting against a Christian-based organization that is against abortion. A news reporter disguised herself as pregnant, and acted as if she was lost about not knowing what to do with her baby. Despite signing a standard agreement of services that prohibit any recording material, this journalist recorded the entire session using a hidden camera. Not only was this reporter not pregnant, she broke several ethical principles just to make the whole crisis pregnancy center look bad in public eyes. The end result is a classic case of spin reporting where a less than 5 minutes comment about the dangers of abortion becomes highlighted as if the ENTIRE counsel is about the dangers of abortion.

Nothing was said about how the counselor tries to comfort the woman. Nothing was said about the honest desire to connect with the client. Nothing was said about the counselor trying to console, and to understand the predicament of the woman 'in distress.' Instead, the news zooms in on one small segment of the interview and make the small thing the main thing. Not only that, it spins this short phrase over and over again throughout the report, manipulating viewers to believe the interpretation of the news station. Fact is, this report has been conceived by a pro-choice group. The end result is sad. Apart from the negative publicity, the center has been 'punished' by schools that cut all links from this group. Just one biased reporting can unravel all the good the center has ever done.

Things typically happen in 3 steps. Do it once, and people will remain skeptical. Do it twice, and minds change. Do it three times, and people start believing. You can read more about the sting operation here.

This week, I will write about the climate of tolerance in our modern society. I will argue that true tolerance is not about retreating to a position of "You have your opinions, and I have mine, so let's agree to disagree." Instead, tolerance has three faces. Firstly, it is humble enough to attempt to understand the different positions reasonably. Secondly, it is that conviction to affirm one's faith resolutely. Thirdly, it is the courage to disagree with another person respectfully. Any deficiency in any of these faces will be a deficiency in our practice of tolerance.

B) Tolerance #1 - Understanding Different Views Reasonably

In a pluralistic society, there are people of different faiths. Even atheists who promote their secularism in an active manner, are being religious about it too. A recent radio interview with the famous atheist Richard Dawkins is a case in point. In an interview with a Rev Giles Fraser on radio, Dawkins disses the Christians by saying that the majority of them cannot claim to be Christians if they cannot even remember the first book of the New Testament. Here are his exact words:

"Many of them don’t go to church, don’t read the Bible, and an astonishing number couldn’t identify the first book in the New Testament." (Richard Dawkins)

In reply, Fraser asks Dawkins if he himself can remember the full title of Charles Darwin's seminal work on Darwinism, often championed by atheists in the origin of life. The reply is indeed embarassing for this self-professed champion of atheism.

“‘On The Origin Of Species’ … Uh. With, Oh God,” “On The Origin Of Species.’ There is a subtitle with respect to the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life.” (Richard Dawkins)

This has become the talk of the town as Dawkins, the champion of atheism cannot even recall the full title of the book that made Darwism famous. Dawkins in dumbing down Christians as a whole, has made himself a laughing stock.

Bigotry or intolerance flow many ways. It is not enough to simply talk about it. We must all practise it. Though I disagree with Dawkins's many anti-Christian tirade, I feel that he has been given fair opportunity to present his views. What he is unfairly given is the literally free sphere of publicity and popularity just because he is an atheist. My question is, if the media regularly flaunts and paints Christians as 'intolerant,' why are they not giving fair representation to all parties? Why in the case of the CTV crisis pregnancy session, is the reporter breaking all the normal ethical principles just to gather a tiny bit of evidence and magnify the part to become the whole? Tolerance must occur from all parties. Tolerance means the recognition that all of us are guilty of intolerant behaviour. Even the atheists who attack Christians for imposing their faith, are often guilty of imposing their brand of secularism or atheism on the rest of society. Tolerance require us to give fair representation to all parties concerned.

C) Tolerance #2 - Affirming One's Faith Resolutely

Being tolerant does not mean we compromise our deeply held faith or values. If being tolerant simply means we stop becoming what we claim ourselves to be, it is no longer tolerant. It is hypocrisy. There is a way of being resolute about our faith without diminishing others. Recently, a student organization has been told to stop all campus activities after an unfortunate bulletin that appears to be intolerant and 'offensive.' As the complaints mount, as the media pounce on this unfortunate turn of events, it seems like the rest of society are seeking to exact more than a pound of flesh from the besieged student group. In cases like these, it is normal for people to retreat back into their shells or cocoons. I can imagine hearing the parents of students in the group to retreat and to simply hit their books. After all, Christianity is 'just a religion.' I can even hear prominent leaders trying to score political points by harping on the need for tolerance, while shooting down any accusations of intolerance. In times like these, it is easy for people to just live and let live, and to move back to a neutered position. Discouraged. Dejected. Disillusioned.

No. Every failure is but an opportunity to learn about seeking a better way to practice one's faith. There is no shame for apologizing for something not done properly. There is no shame in acknowledging humbly that we can do better. In fact, by standing up for what we believe, we will gain more respect and more credibility for our own positions. John Marks, even after abandoning his evangelical faith, continues to marvel at the convictions of his believing friends. He confesses with a surprising force of conviction.

"No force, neither political movements nor intellectual arguments, neither violence nor money, has ever been able to obliterate those beliefs. The refusal to surrender completely to reason, the choice to believe, doesn't prove the existence of God, as some claim. It's merely beautiful, the closest thing to a taste of the infinite in this life." (John Marks, Reasons to Believe, New York, NY: Harper Perennial, 2009, 372-3)

If Christians are so easily discouraged, and distracted by accusations whether true or false, people will start to question their convictions. If Christians honestly believe, let them earnestly stand up for what they believe. Falling down is no shame. It is the failure to get up, or the refusal to stand up for what one believes in, that is downright embarrassing.

C) Tolerance #3 - Disagree Respectfully

We live in a world with different beliefs. There is no turning back. Even during the New Testament times, there is a plurality of beliefs. Look at Paul's letter to the Corinthians.

"Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" (1 Cor 1:20)

Everyone claims their right and opinion to the truth, but what is truth? Is tolerance simply based on one's own definition of what wisdom is? Is the free citation of particular scholars make one more credible? Is the wisdom of the world going to save the world? In a remarkable understanding of the world, Paul writes,

"Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength." (1 Cor 1:22-25)

Paul is able to understand the culture of his times. Jews are more sensitive to miraculous signs. The Greeks are more open to philosophies, and debates about ideas. It is good to be able to engage Greeks and Jews at their level. This is only the beginning. The Christian needs to learn the contexts in which they live in. There needs to be critical engagement with the world around us, because we are called to be the salt and light of the world. Remember that the greater our witness, the greater the resistance too. That does not mean Christians should start going around calling people names, or denigrating their religions. Christians need to engage actively but to always do so respectfully. One way to do that is to proclaim the faith of Christ. Let the Spirit convict the hearts of hearers that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. We do the sharing. Let God do the converting.

D) Truth is Primary; Tolerance is Secondary

One more thing. Tolerance must never be obtained at the expense of truth. Christians are called to truth claims. Tolerance must always be done in the name of truth. We need to speak the truth in love. We need to proclaim the truth at all times. We are to be truth tellers, speaking in love, in earnest, and in honesty. Let me close with this wise words of a missionary regarding cross cultural work.

"Cross-cultural reality testing forces people to examine both their own and others’ understandings of reality. Most people simply assume that the way they look at things is the way things really are, and judge other cultures’ views of reality before understanding them. These judgments are based on ethnocentrism, which closes the door to further understanding and communication. Furthermore, ethnocentric judgments keep missionaries from examining their own beliefs and values to determine which of them are based on biblical foundations and which on their cultural beliefs.” (Paul G. Hiebert, R. Daniel Shaw, and Tite Tienou. Understanding Folk Religion. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999, p27)"

Thought: Conversation is our job. Conversion is God's.

sabbathwalk

The Character of Leadership

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:47:49 PST

TITLE: THE CHARACTER OF LEADERSHIP
SCRIPTURE: Ps 26:1
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 16 Feb 2012

"Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, And I have trusted in the LORD without wavering." (Ps 26:1, NAS)

For the past two weeks, I have been preaching on leadership matters in my Church. It has made me more aware of all things leadership. I read about it. I pray. I talk with friends. I pray. I write about it. I pray. One word stands out clear: Character. If there is one word to describe spiritual leadership, this is the word.

What is character? For Henry Blackaby, character essentially means people follow leaders and are influenced on the basis of their leaders' integrity. For that, there are two kinds of influences: illegitimate and legitimate.

A) Illegitimate Sources of Influences

Blackaby goes on to indicate three kinds of illegitimate sources of influence. Firstly, good leaders do not need to depend on a position to be authoritative. People who depend on their titles or the power associated with their titles are merely leading by position. Such a manner will lead followers to chase after positions for all the wrong reasons.

Secondly, power is another illegitimate source. In this world, we hear about money is power, and that money can make the world go round. Like the rich man paying money for a prostitute to sleep with him. One can buy sex but not love. Worse, the rich man loses respect for self because he has failed to respect the woman for who the woman is. Even in churches, there is that common concern about power struggles within the board and the clergy. When things do not go the way of either party, it is common to see each group garnering support in order to force a majority decision. The fact of life is that, majority decisions do not necessarily mean they are right. Just because more people voted for A does not mean A is ethically more correct.

The third illegitimate source of influence is personality. Nowadays, we see personality cults in all places, including churches and Christian groups. Hire a famous name, and we can see people queueing up every Sunday morning to enter the church. Get a charismatic speaker and the congregation grows by leaps and bounds. The fact remains is that spiritual leadership has got nothing to do with personality. It has more to do with Christ-like humility.

B) Legitimate Sources

Thankfully, Blackaby does not stop at just giving us the bad aspects of leadership. There is hope. He gives us 5 sources of legitimate leadership influences. First and foremost, it is God who chooses the leader. God chose Moses, Joshua, David, Deborah, and Jesus. God chose John Wesley, John Calvin, the disciples, and many others. Good spiritual leaders will recognize their being chosen by God.

Second, the spiritual leader will have that vibrant relationship with God. If anyone does not have that special intimate relationship with God, he/she cannot be a leader.

Third, a spiritual leader has character and integrity written all over him/her. I preached last week that 'what a person is doing when no one is looking is a test of his true character.' The story of Ted Haggard is a sad case. Haggard was once a prominent evangelical leader, and had many followers. Due to one hidden sin in which he solicited sex in private, while appearing pious in public led to his downfall.

Fourth, how a leader is can be seen from his/her past track records. Here, I want to caution anyone from merely looking at the results or the highlights of the person. Remember that all of us go through periods of ups and downs. Look at the trending. Are the ups and downs trending toward a greater and deeper trust in God? Look at how potential leaders handle their highs with humility? Notice how the leader manage their disappointments. It is ok to be disappointed from time to time, but if one remains in disappointment for a prolonged period of time, it is a red flag.

Fifth, how much is the potential leader preparing himself for leadership? Is the leader actively exercising his/her gifts and talents? Is the leader always telling the same old stories without any sign of himself or herself learning things new?

C) Leading From the Spirit

Spiritual leadership is not for the faint-hearted. It is definitely not for the fleshly-minded. Here, Oswald Sanders gives us a valuable contrast between natural and spiritual leadership.

[Adapted from Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership, Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1994, p29]

It is a helpful table to remind us the difference between self-dependence and God-dependent. Spiritual leadership is wholly dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit. We need to respond to the Spirit's work. Let me close with Sanders's powerful words about spiritual leadership.

"Spirituality is not easy to define, but you can tell when it is present. It is the fragrance of the garden of the Lord, the power to change the atmosphere around you, the influence that makes Christ real to others." (31)

Pray for your leaders. Pray for future leaders. Pray that your spiritual leaders will not lead from illegitimate sources of leadership, or natural skills only. Pray that they will lead with the Holy Spirit guiding them. For the spiritual leader himself is led by God first. Then and only then he can lead others spiritually.

THOUGHT: "The development of a strong Christian character is the development of a man after God's heart. Your character is who you are when no one is looking and what you are willing to stand for when someone is looking. Character is who you are striving to be and what you can be trusted with." (Henry Blackaby, The Man God Uses, Nashville, TN: B&H Publishers, 1999, p6)

sabbathwalk

Is Worry a Sin?

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:03:10 PST

TITLE: IS WORRY A SIN?
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6:24-25
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 8 Feb 2012

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? " (Matt 6:24-25)

This prickly question can be controversial. It invites all kinds of theological interpretations. It has the potential to split groups. On the one hand, there are those who insist that any forms of worry is sin. Some argue from the Bible that because Jesus calls his disciples not to worry, and if the disciples still worry themselves out, it is a sin (Matthew 6:24-25). This is based on the contexts of serving either God or Mammon. If one serves God, one will learn to trust God, and not be given into worry. If one serves Mammon, the pressure will be to perform and to accumulate to the level of our own expectations. Worry comes as a result of the lack of trust. That is why they say worry is a sin.

On the other hand, others reason that there are legitimate worries. For example, a mother worries for her son when he fails to return home at his usual time. It can also be a frantic brother outside a hospital operating room worrying about his sister after a bad car accident. Is it a sin to worry like that?

A brother in my discipleship group shares that biblically, worry is sin. What is important is to be sensitive to the underlying concerns that surround such worries. Another brother shares wisely about worry being more of an 'attitude' rather than an act. He also advocates distinguishing 'concern' from 'worry.'

Wise words. I am inclined to agree with both of my learned brothers in Christ. There is a lot of wisdom in that. Yet, the questions remain. Is worry really a sin? How do we know when is it 'concern' and when is it 'worry?' The problem continues.

As I think about it, one of the most important ways to determine whether something is sin or not, is to know the Scriptures. Here are some of the verses dealing with sin.

"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." (Ps 119:11)
"Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin." (John 8:34)
"Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness." (1 John 3:4)

It is the Word of the Lord that is the reference. Disobedience to it is a mark of sin. In other words, sin is not what we human beings argue out to be. Sin is defined by God in the Bible.

A) Sin in the Bible

The Bible deals with many different aspects of sin. There is no one concept that is nicely packaged for us to take home. I will draw out some aspects of sin from the Old and the New Testament. In the Old Testament, sin is basically disobedience to God, as evidenced in the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve intentionally ate the forbidden fruit. Then we have the intentional worshiping of idols by Israel through the ages. The Law of Moses are written to instruct Israel about what is sin and what is not. The book of Amos contains multiple references to the different acts of sin.

In the New Testament, we see how the devil tries to tempt Jesus to sin in the wilderness. There is the sin of Judas Iscariot, and subsequently in the Pauline epistles, Paul warns the church against false and deceptive teachings that blur the lines of what sin is. The Greek word for sin essentially means 'miss the mark.'

Our working model for determining what is sin can be described this way. Sin is that deviation from the divine path. It uses anything to manipulate, distract, deceive, and disrupt any person's path toward God. The nature of sin itself is to miss the mark, and in the process, cause anybody to miss their mark, to miss out on their original calling. William P. Young, author of the bestselling book, The Shack, calls sin as follows:

"Sin is its own punishment, devouring you from the inside."

B) Worry as a Legitimate Human Emotion

Credit: CompleteSalesActionSystem

Let me try to reconstruct our understanding of worry in terms of a legitimate human emotion. Jesus in Matthew 6 realizes this as a typical human reaction to the problems and the struggles of this world. His remedy is simple: Do not look at the problem of what we ought to eat, what to drink, or what to wear. Instead, look at the certainties of God's providence.

Look at the birds of the air, and marvel at how God feeds them. Look at the flowers of the field, and take in the beauty of God's providence. A story was told of a man who happens to get everything that he wanted from the Lord. He planted an olive sap. He asked God for rain, and God sent rain. He asked God for sunshine and God gave sunshine. He asked God to provide frost to firm up the leaves. God provided the frost. However, by the evening, the plant died.

In contrast, his friend planted a little tree about the same time. All he did was to pray to the Lord:

"Lord, whether, rain, sunshine, or frost, I do not want to bind your hands, but trust you to provide for this plant. Amen."

This friend's tree blossomed.

Through this story, it reminds us about who is actually trying to control life. Worry if it is an attempt to try to control events in this world, will lead us farther from God. Trusting God is a way that leads us away from sin.

C) Where There is Worry, Sin Abounds

It is quite hurtful to tell people that worry is a sin. Let me say that worry is a human emotion that we need to learn to manage with faith and with hope. Where there is worry, sin abounds. Sin will try to manipulate oneself into thinking one knows best, instead of God knows best.

Principle #1: Worry is not necessarily a sin, but where there is worry, sin is lurking very closeby.

It is one thing to worry and then forget all about it. It is yet another, to remain in a state of worry. It is in this state that sin wields its most powerful influence.

Principle #2: Worry becomes sin when it moves one away from God

When we try to take control, we are not trusting God. We are trusting anyone or anything other than God. Christians sometimes pay lip service to their faith. On the one hand they say they trust God. Yet, in their private moments, they worry themselves to death. Like the serpent that tricks Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. The evil thought that is planted in their heads causes them to question God's original command. Their first result is to fear their own nakedness. This leads to the first murder where one brother killed the other out of envy. Cain's envy of Abel, leads him to take things into his own hands. Each act of sin moves people farther and farther from God.

If worry causes us to move away from God, that is sin.

Principle #3: Turn Worry Into a Journey Toward Contentment

For those who worry a lot, think of each worry in terms of an opportunity to trust God. Treat it as an invitation to start the journey toward a state of contentment. This is what Linda Dillow suggests. Learn to treat our anxieties and worries with a journey from control to contentment. Whenever things do not turn out her way, she worries a lot. Anxiety becomes depression soon after. It takes a friend to gently counsel her.

"Linda, you like control, and there are too many uncontrollables in your life."

Indeed. Worry is a sign that we are trying to control the uncontrollable. It is an attempt to wrest control from God. It is a stubborn retort that spits at God saying: "I know what is best."

When worry orientates itself away from God, it becomes sin. If worry is turned back toward God, and the person embarks on a journey from control to contentment, it becomes redemption.

D) Worry Little, Stop Quickly, Trust Fervently

It is ok to worry a little while. The important thing is not to remain in that condition. Worry is a result of our imperfect self, and it is not sensible to deny our basic expression of our emotions. It is a little bit like anger. We all do react angrily at matters of injustice. However, remaining in that state of anger for a prolonged period will breed harmful pride and destructive wrath. Righteous anger is acceptable. Jesus has been angry before at the merchants hawking goods outside the holy temple of prayer. It is normal for parents to worry about their children. The key is what happens AFTER the worry. Do we seek to grasp control for ourselves? Are we trying to claim we know best, more than God?

Each time we worry, take the 3-step process. First, let ourselves a little room to express our emotions either through sharing with a friend or loved one. Keep a leash on the time. Set a worry time if necessary.

Second, stop. When it is time to stop worrying, try to stop worrying. Pray. Meditate on the word.

Third, trust. Memorize key verses in the Bible that enables us to trust. Let me share three.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
"And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,j whok have been called according to his purpose. " (Romans 8:27-28)
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:6-7)

As for me, whether worry is literally a sin or not is not something we need to argue about. What is important is to love the person who are in the state of worry. Do not condemn or downplay that person's concerns. It is what that worry leads to that we need to pay careful attention to.

Worry is not necessarily always sin. It can lead to sin. What matters is not to remain in the state of worry. Worry loves to feed on more worry. If needed, worry but limit the worry. Then stop and turn our eyes to God and trust God.

THOUGHT: "The temptation of the age is to look good without being good." (Brennan Manning)

sabbathwalk

Parents, Are You eReady?

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:20:03 PST

TITLE: Parents, Are You eReady?
SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 6:4
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 1 Feb 2012

"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4)

MAIN POINT: We raise teens in a Social Media world by first becoming eReady parents ourselves. A lack of understanding is a major cause of parents exasperating their children.

You have heard it all before. Statements that reference young people as being addicted to electronic games, computers, video gaming, and electronic gadgets. Now, we hear parents complaining about their teens getting hooked on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and so on. Adults say that the children are wasting time on the Internet. Teens argue saying that it is the way of life for them. Adults insist on doing some kind of monitoring of their children's activities online. Teens say that the Internet is part of their whole education process. Adults assert the problem of distractions in the new e-media. Teens rebut by saying they are able to multitask very effectively. It is a familiar pattern. Parents push. Teens push back.

(Credit: stylex.ca)

The Internet has changed the world. The bludgeoning world of social media is set to change the world even more. As Facebook prepares to launch its first initial public offering, pundits are betting on how much the value of the company will be. According to ComputerWorld, Facebook may be one of the largest IPO in the history of the American stock market. With an estimated 800 million user accounts, Facebook is the face of the Internet today. Even the traditional stronghold of emails is being threatened. One European technology company, Atos, has even eliminated emails, in favour of the new media such as social media. After all, it is easier to locate friends on Facebook than to search Google for them. Like it or not, social media is here to stay. The question is: "What are the implications for our relationships?"

This week, I want to suggest five ways that parents can adopt to connect with their teenagers. Every effort to connect is an act of love. Every effort not to connect breeds distrust. For parents, understanding our children is a major first step toward connecting well.

A) Understanding the Teenager Mind

One of the ways to get into the head of a teen is to quickly recall how we behave when we ourselves were teenagers. Remember how rebellious we were? I do. I remembered how angry I was at my father who refused to let me play ball. It even led to a swearing incident which was totally uncalled for. Looking back, I was embarrassed even to just think about it. Playing ball back then is no different from playing games on computers or video games now, or interacting compulsively on social media. Firstly, acknowledge that the online world has both pros and cons.

"While the Internet has the potential to isolate our teenagers, it can also extend their community. Cyberspace could encourage them to become self-absorbed narcissists, but it can also help them become caring citizens of the world. Living online could potentially turn them into shallow thinkers, but it can also help them problem-solve and multi-task." (Lyndsay Green, Teens Gone Wired: Are You Ready?, Markham, ON: Thomas Allen Publishers, 2011, 4)

This attitude of holding both views together is a realistic position to begin with. We do not want to dismiss the benefits of the social media. At the same time, we want to be responsible to guide our teenagers appropriately. This spirit is evident in Paul's letter to the Ephesians. On the one hand, children are to obey their parents (Ephesians 6:1-2). On the other hand, parents are not to exasperate their children. Respect operates both ways, not necessarily as equals, but as co-partners of family living.

B) Ask, Not Assume with Condescension

Secondly, learn to ask for permission rather than assume with a condescending attitude. 'Condescending behaviour' is an attitude of putting oneself superior over others. It is a 'I-know-it-all-and-You-better-listen-to-me' attitude that puts people off. It is very tempting for parents to exhibit condescending behaviour.

"This is so simple and why are you finding it hard to understand it?"
"I have more years of working experience, and you'd better listen to me."
"You know, your dad many years ago have gone through worse situations than you."
"I told you so."

Such statements exasperate teenagers a lot. It makes them feel like fools and good for nothing blokes. Instead of such things, why not simply ask:

"Woud you like me to explain it again in another way?"
"I may have more years of experience, but your world is very different from mine years back then."
"How are you coping with your situation? Can I share from my experience?"
"I know I have warned you before, but let's try to see what happened, and how we can redeem the situation."

C) Learn, Not Be Ignorant

Thirdly, it is better to learn the new tools, languages, and the mediums instead of brushing them aside into the pool of ignorance. One of the things my teens tell me is about the use of emoticons and abbreviated words when I am texting on my phone. They tell me that fully formed sentences in the texting world comes across as 'stern' or 'angry' moods. They ask me to use words like 'lol,' or use smileys to end my texts. Instead of "Can you come to the library after school?" as a text message, I am encouraged to text like a teen:

"c u at lib ok? :) "

I have tried and it worked wonders. While language purists will be annoyed by the language adopted in the social media world, twitter like language, emoticons, and short forms, are the alphabets of the social media generation. The simplicity, the brevity, and the efficiency of compressing thoughts and sentences into a 140-character limit phrase is compelling. It fits into the social media enthusiast's mindset of minimal words for maximum effect. Teens may not talk a lot, but they can surely tweet a lot. This means that parents ought to be assured even when their teens are not speaking a lot. They are still communicating, albeit in a different way. If we want to talk to them, learn the tools.

D) See Opportunities instead of Threats

Fourthly, parents can play a major role in their parenting of teens by learning to hold both opportunities an threats of social media in perspective. Learn to see opportunities as well as threats in their respective contexts. It is often very tempting for parents to brush off their teens with a generalized statement like:

"The Internet is full of sex predators."
"There is nothing good on the Internet."
"Students are cheating with the Internet."
"There are lots of misinformation out there."

The threats are real. Let us not overstate their threats or undermine their danger. Maybe, when we parent teens, it is less of telling them what to do or what not to do, but more of guiding them. Share with them our experience, only when asked. Talk to them in their world. Relate to them as growing adults. Treat them respectfully, even though they may be rude or dismissive. Perhaps, the most important role a parent can do is to show (not tell them) them how to be an adult. Understanding and trust makes for great parenting companions. One parent says:

"I adopt a two step process when parenting teens. Firstly, I always try to see things through the eyes of a 13-year old. Then, I act like a parent. Understanding precedes good parenting."

E) Some Practical Tips

Finally, there is also a neurological aspect of teens, in both girls and boys. The psychiatrist, Louann Brizendine writes:

"Many girls turn to drugs, alcohol, and food (either they'll stop eating or they'll binge) when they're under stress. As a parent of teens, you have the job of ignoring much of what they say. Don't take any impulsive or emotional tirades seriously. Stay calm. Teens state their intentions - and feel them - with such passion that you can be persuaded in spite of yourself. Just remember, your teen daughter's impulse-control circuits can't handle the input. Like it or not, you must provide the control while her brain cannot." (Louann Brizendine, The Female Brain, New York, NY: Doubleday, 2006, 52)

One last thing. What about teens who apparently spend more time playing games than working on their school projects? Ana Homayoun suggests tips like better organizing of time, tips on how to study, allocating Facebook time AFTER homework time, and setting personal goals. She suggested parents and teens agree on scheduling both homework time and facebook time. A six hour project can be broken down into four chunks of 90 minutes each, spread out with Facebook time.

"Not only is it important to break up the projects and preparation into smaller manageable tasks, it is also crucial to create breaks when kids can do something fun and stress relieving. Time the breaks so that for every few hours spent studying they have twenty to thirty minutes to completely free their minds and do something entirely unrelated to school." (Ana Homayoun, That Crumpled Paper Was Due Last Week: Helping Disorganized and Distracted Boys Succeed, New York, NY: Pedigree Books, 2010, 133)

Parents, let us not exasperate our children. Instead, let us aim to understand that their world is different, and social media contains both pros and cons. Let us stop any condescending behaviour and humbly adopt an attitude of asking to learn with them. Let us keep learning the tools of the Internet. Finally, let us keep both opportunities and threats of the Internet in their proper perspectives.

May we all grow to be better parents in an Internet driven, an eReady people who grow with our growing teens.

THOUGHT: "To bring up a child in the way he should go, travel that way yourself once in a while." (Josh Billings)

sabbathwalk

Sleeping with Idols

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:23:25 PST

TITLE: SLEEPING WITH IDOLS
SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 50:38
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 25 Jan 2012

"A drought on her waters! They will dry up. For it is a land of idols, idols that will go mad with terror." (Jer 50:38)

MAIN POINT: Idols are everywhere. The worst state of idolatry is to sleep with idols without even being aware of it. Beware of the three dangerous forms of idolatry.

Idolatry. What is idolatry? The great reformer, John Calvin, has this to say:

"Man's mind is like a store of idolatry and superstition; so much so that if a man believes his own mind it is certain that he will forsake God and forge some idol in his own brain." (John Calvin)

A) An Unnatural Incline

The human tendency is to lean toward idolatry. This is why God is so insistent about Israel removing idols from their land. Idols have no respect of nationality. It does not care about ethnicity or language. Idols fuse themselves to human flesh and feelings, and turn the possessor into the possessed. Sometimes, I feel that the media has completely transformed the word 'idol' from danger to desired. Instead of sounding out the alarm on the threat of idolatry in the human heart, the world has waxed the image of idols and made them more sought after. Look at American Idol. We have contestants so focused on winning the ticket to Hollywood that they cry and jump for joy when selected, or pour out scorn and profanities when not selected. Our modern culture has turned idols into deceitful prizes to capture our hearts' attention.

Problem: We tend to seek after these things so uncritically, that we sleep over thoughts of wanting it.

B) An Ancient Curse

If the Creator understands how humans naturally behave, should we not listen more intently, and obey God more fervently? Calvin perceptively points out that idolatry begins in the heart. In the human heart, there is only room from one person. If it is not God, then it is an idol.

The verse from Jeremiah is a reminder to us too, that although we do not live in an ideal world, we live in a world furnished with idols. The passage is a hard hitting prophecy against Babylon during the times of King Nebuchadnezzar. The Babylonians (or Chaldeans) are known to be harsh rulers over the exiled people of Israel. In a way, this prophecy is laced with a triple purpose. It warns the Babylonians not to be proud and arrogant about their riches and power. It encourages the Israelites that God is mightier than Babylon. It reminds all the nations that God is in control, and idolatry will cause the downfall of anyone.

Problem: We live in a world of idols but often fail to see them as idols.

C) No Lack of Idols

In our modern world, there is no lack of idols. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, suggests that there are three 'mid-day demons' that we all need to be wary of, namely; ambition, boredom, and vainglory. All of these are actually distractions from a true seeking of God. Ambition makes us focused on our primary targets of the world. Boredom makes us easily dissatisfied. Vainglory is an attitude of self-seeking that puts oneself more important than others, even God.

Problem: In vainglory, we substitute holy ambition for God with an unholy pursuit of idols.

D) Idol #1 Ambition

We are used to having fresh water from our taps. Sometimes, we take the convenience for granted. Water is a gift from God. The distribution of the water is a service we have also taken for granted. In those days, when the water dries up, it creates havoc in the daily life of ancient Babylon. Worse, the dried up river means that enemies can march along the river and attack Babylon. With the river the source of life, it is easy for the enemy to strike at the hearts of Babylonian homes.

The same applies for ambition. When we take things for granted, we are not easily satisfied. When our rivers of contentment dries up, the enemies of temptation will march up our dried rivers, offering all kinds of promises that look good on the outside, but fatal on the inside. Wilson-Hartgrove calls ambition as a 'whisper.' Human beings tend to pay more attention to seductive whispers of the world than the instructive commands of God. Wilson-Hartgrove writes:

"We are so easily unimpressed by the ordinary, longing for the feeling of excitement that comes with a new task to take up, new people to engage, new challenges to face." (114)

Isn't that true? Some of us change our cellphones so much that every new flashy phone makes us despise our prized phone obtained a few months ago. Some of us think that only the latest and the greatest makes us cool. This is not a problem of technology. It is a problem with the human heart that is not easily satisfied.

E) Idol #2: Boredom

Boredom is very much the state of the mind. While it may not be a directly categorized form of idolatry, it leads one rapidly toward idols. Even the monks who are supposed to be 'spiritually sensitive' are guilty of boredom. One story speaks of a monk opening the door of the monastery. On seeing a familiar face, the monk shakes his head and says: "Oh. It's you again." Wilson-Hartgrove warns us about the effects of boredom that leads to idolatry.

"Boredom tempts us to give up on the people God has given us. But simply walking away from our commitments usually requires too much initiative when we are weighed down by the heaviness of life. . . . When spiritual boredom sets in, we fight over the smallest things, unable to care for the other person whose will is bumping up against our own." (119)

PROBLEM: When boredom steps in, we find it more difficult to love our neighbours. We turn the command to love our neighbours into a demand for making our neighbours love us instead.

F) Idol #3: Vanglory

The third 'idolatry' that Wilson-Hartgrove points to is 'vainglory.' He writes:

".. vainglory is the evil thought that suggests that we should care only about our own success." (Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, The Wisdom of Stability: Rooting Faith in a Mobile Culture, Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press, 2010, 122)

The dangerous thing is that many people sleep with one or more of these idols without really realizing it. Tullian Tchividjian, the grandson of Billy Graham, describes this scenario in terms of the formula for Christianity.

"Jesus + Nothing = Everything."

Instead, many Christians add something to Jesus in order to mean everything.

Ambitious researcher formula: "Jesus + New Discovery = Everything."
Bored believer formula: "Jesus + cool-stuff = Everything."
Money-Minded formula: "Jesus+More-Money = Everything."
Vanglory Formula: "Jesus + Glory+Fame = Everything."
General Idolatry Formula: "Jesus + anything = Everything."

G) Summary

No! Let there be no idols in our hearts. Let them in, and it will be very difficult to flush them out. My readers, is ambition your idol? Is boredom leading you to other seemingly more attractive idols? Is vanglory your idol? Is discontentment your idol?

When you are ambitious, think: "What is Jesus telling you about your ambition?"
When you are bored, ask yourself: "Is Jesus not enough for my happiness?"
When you are tempted toward vainglory, ask: "Is the glory seeking for self or for Jesus?"

Do not sleep with idols. You have been warned.

Thought: The first step to turning away from idols is to unmask them.

sabbathwalk

Lessons from the Costa Concordia

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:30:20 PST

TITLE: Lessons from the Costa Concordia
DATE: 18 Jan 2012
SCRIPTURE: 2 Chronicles 32:7

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him." (2 Chronicles 32:7)

MAIN POINT: Leaders Need Courage, Initiative, and Integrity.

King Hezekiah faces a formidable enemy. As king of Judah, the beloved King Hezekiah has done a lot of good for God throughout the land. Living amidst pagans that worship idols, practise human sacrifices, and all kinds of despicable religious acts, Hezekiah bucks the trend. He obeys the laws. He seeks after God. He does everything that is right in the eyes of the LORD. Amid all of these righteous acts, comes a terrible Assyrian king by the name of Sennacherib, whose very name is 'bramble of destruction.' Instead of backing off, Hezekiah instructs his people:

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him.

With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles." And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said." (2 Chronicles 32:7-8)

Hezekiah is one bright light in a situation of dark gloom and potential doom. With courage, he encourages the people to stand up against the enemy. Simply because, God is with them. He knows it. He wants Judah to know it. He makes sure that the enemy knows it. As a result, Sennacherib becomes the frustrated Assyrian king who never really did conquer Judah. Despite his taunts to the Jews, and him stirring up his own forces for attack, plus a large efforts in war propaganda, Sennacherib suffers a humiliating defeat. He ends up slain by his own children (2 Chronicles 32:21). As Hezekiah leads boldly as leader of the nation, the LORD protects Judah and fights against the enemies. Kudos to King Hezekiah!

Such courage is commendable. Leaders are expected to manifest this trait. Unfortunately, there are some leaders in this world that does the exact opposite. Instead of fighting fear, they flee. Instead of standing up to be responsible, they shrink back from taking charge. One example is Captain Francesco Schettino of the ship, Costa Concordia, one of the largest luxury cruise liners in the world.

A) Failure to Act

(Credit: monstersandcritics.com)

On the evening of January 14th, 2012, the Costa Concordia ran aground when it hit rocks along the island of Giglio, in Italy. Carrying 4234 passengers including crews, with more than half a million gallons of fuel, there is danger to both humans as well as an ecological disaster. As the ship keels over to its side, passengers jump off the ship for their lives. The captain of the ship flees on a life boat, paralyzed as to what to do. For more than 70 minutes, while crews wait for the command to abandon ship, the captain is non-existent. Schettino has fled on a life boat, leaving both crews and passengers to fend for themselves. This failure to act has become a police matter. Schettino has been charged for manslaughter, for running the ship aground, and for failure to be the captain he has been expected to be. He fails as a leader because he has not demonstrated a critical initiative to act.

B) Failure to Save

Preferring to save his own skin, the lives of the crews and passengers appear to be the last thing on the captain's mind. A voice recording has been released to the public, showing how the captain shrinks from his responsibility as a captain. The Coast Guard in charge of the rescue operation has to literally order Captain Schettino to get back on the ship to direct rescue efforts. After all, the ship is the captain's responsibility. Instead, it takes an off-duty personnel on the ship to give out the order for the occupants to abandon ship. Roberto Bosio, himself an off-duty captain, condemns Schettino's actions as 'disgraceful.' He fails as a leader for failing to be courageous when called.

C) Failure to Own Up

When asked why he has abandoned the ship in the first place, Schettino's confession turns out to be a bigger joke. He gives the excuse that he 'fell off from the sinking ship into a lifeboat.' Fear causes him to flee first for his own safety. Fear also makes him fend off blame by giving the most incredible excuses. Such a captain is no leader. He has no courage to take action. He has no initiative to direct the rescue efforts. He has no integrity to own up for what he has done, or not done. The disaster itself is already bad. Schettino's actions have made it worse. He fails as a leader for the lack of integrity.

D) Courage, Initiative and Integrity Are Essentials

It is the quality of the inside that leads to the quality shown outside. Far too often, people seek after accolades and prestige on the outside. They want the title. They desire the fame. When the bough breaks, and the cradle falls, and when everything comes crashing down, the one possessing the title is put to the test. Courage is essential. Initiative is expected. Integrity is exacted. All of these are missing from the actions of Captain Francesco Schettino. I wish this has never happened. It gives me no pleasure in seeing leaders trip over themselves.

Hezekiah has been able to demonstrate true courage because of his trust in God. He keeps to his obedience of God. God sticks to His promise to deliver. Hezekiah believes. God honours that faith. Hezekiah urges the people of Judah not to fear, beginning with himself. God is pleased with the trust, and strikes fear in the hearts of Judah's enemies.

Do not covet the title of 'leader' without understanding the three important traits that come with it: Initiative, Courage, and Integrity. If one is not prepared to be a leader, do not chase after the title. It may cause grievous harm to others.

Thought: "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." (John Maxwell)

sabbathwalk

Unbroken People = Fragile Relationships

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:44:45 PST

TITLE: Unbroken People = Fragile Relationships
SCRIPTURE: Ps 51: 17
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 9 Jan 2012

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Ps 51:17)

MAIN POINT: Unbroken people makes for very fragile relationships. Worse, unbroken people hide their brokenness and refuses help. Effective ministry to broken people begins with a broken spirit and contrite heart. When we recognize our brokenness, we are less susceptible to hurts when we do ministry.

I remember a time sharing about my ministry reflections with one good pastor friend: “Sheep can bite!”

Admittedly, the phrase catches him off guard. Both of us subsequently laugh out loud. Laughter soon turns into an awkward moment of contemplative silence as both of us reflect on our own packages of hurts and disappointments in ministry.

The word ‘ministry’ is often seen as a high and noble calling by laypeople outside. It is sometimes elevated above other professions. It is also well-known for its low financial compensation. That aside, people do not enter the ministry for the money. They enter into it because they want to be channels of blessings for the people they love. Ministry work is not necessarily a higher calling. It is a unique calling, especially of its promised reward in spite of many discouraging moments.

A) Rewarding but Often Discouraging

Ministry is exciting. I am energized by people who take initiative to grow, and to empower others to grow. I am encouraged by those who lovingly give me hints by offering me a way out of tricky situations. Such people provide lots of wisdom and experience to help the unsuspecting clergy. Every ministry happens within the context of culture. It takes a while for anybody to understand culture. The better one understands the culture, the less likely the frustrations and discouragement. Culture in itself is a tricky thing. Misreading it can at best be laughed at or forgiven. At worse, it can mean a premature termination of the clergy contract.

While ministry can be rewarding, it can also become very discouraging as well. In some cases, church workers not only are dragged through the mud of unhealthy expectations, they end up becoming the sacrificial lamb. The one giving the sacrifice becomes the very sacrifice. A rural pastor shares this sad story:

"It is very frustrating to be a rural pastor," he says. "Church members are whipped and beaten down by the economy, then they pass that on to the pastor. One member even suggested that my salary increases be tied to the hog market." (Jennifer Schuchmann, "What to Pay the Pastor", in ChristianityToday, Jan 2000)

Thankfully, not all churches are like that. As the economy for 2012 continues to become more unpredictable, it is very likely that serving in ministry will become more challenging, salary wise as well as service wise. I know a lot of friends in ministry who have given up lucrative salaries, and have chosen instead to take a huge pay cut just to serve the people they love. Even though money is not the purpose of ministry, we cannot subdue its importance to helping the clergy make ends meet. While financial compensation is challenging, it is a distant second to what is most challenging in ministry: Discouragement.

B) Challenges of Ministry

In my years of service, I can summarize three primary situations in which ministry can be downright discouraging and disappointing. All of them can be classified under the headings, ‘half-way people,’ ‘What-way? people,’ and ‘no way’ people. They are summarized below in the ministry to three groups of people.

1. ‘Half Way’: People who say they want to grow spiritually, but unwilling to pay the cost.

2. ‘What Way?’: People who do not care at all. Apathy.

3. ‘Lost the Way’: People who have been hurt or disillusioned

HALF-WAY PEOPLE: Half-way people are those who want the fruits but are unwilling to pay the costs. Pilgrim’s Progress is a classic 17th Century allegory written by John Bunyan about the Christian life. It details the life of a man named ‘Christian,’ who has decided to follow Jesus on a journey of faith. He reads the Bible, becomes convicted about sin, and seeks to find to way to be delivered from his burdens. He hears about the promise of deliverance as well as the rewards associated with completing the journey. Right from the beginning, Christian meets an eager beaver man called Pliable. Upon hearing the paradise that comes to those who complete the journey, Pliable excitedly accompanies Christian. Unfortunately, both Christian and Piable at one point fall into a ‘Slough of Despond,’ a kind of muddy bog which transforms Pliable’s eagerness for paradise, into a desire to return to his former comfort zone. Pliable quits. Half-way people is like Pliable. It is like the seed that fell on shallow ground which grows quickly when times are good, but wilts when times are bad.

The Israelites who complained about Moses’s leadership in the midst of Pharaoh pursuing them in the wilderness are like these half-way people. There is a saying:

“You can take Israel out of Egypt, but you cannot take Egypt out of Israel.”

Half-way people is a tough category to reach out too, because they claim to want to follow Christ, but are willing only to go half the way.

APATHETIC PEOPLE: Apathy is a terrible thing. Contrary to what we think, people who are apathetic are not those who are nonchalant about everything. They are mainly concerned with what profits them. They care very little about others, or about the Kingdom of God. In Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian and his friend Faithful talks about Mr Talkative.

“'Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.' James 1:27; see also verses 22-26. This, Talkative is not aware of; he thinks that hearing and saying will make a good Christian; and thus he deceiveth his own soul. Hearing is but as the sowing of the seed; talking is not sufficient to prove that fruit is indeed in the heart and life. And let us assure ourselves, that at the day of doom men shall be judged according to their fruits.” (Pilgrim’s Progress, Part 1, 5th Stage)

HURT PEOPLE: I know of several friends who have been hurt in their respective churches. Recovery is tough. Trusting church people is even tougher. The need for healing comes with forgiveness. In Pilgrim’s Progress, there is a character by the name of HOPEFUL who met Christian in the journey. Together with Christian, they survived after an ordeal with a nasty giant called, “Giant Despair.” Reading the way both Christian and Hopeful encouraged each other is an excellent example of how we can reach out to people who have been hurt.

C) The Ministry of Brokenness

The key to effective ministry is to begin with a broken spirit and contrite heart. An East African Christian called Kefa Sepangi writes these powerful words about the lack of broken people among Christians.

“Hardly any of us can go to his own Christian community and say: 'This is my body which is broken for you. I am laying all my professional skills, abilities, and economic resources at your disposal. Take them and use them as you see fit." We cannot say this because we are not broken. We are too proud to give our lives away to people who are not perfect. We don't want to lose ourselves for sinners. We want to find them. So, like Judas, we make only a partial commitment to the body of believers to which we belong, and we find our identity in rebellion from them (Kefa Sepangi, "Walking in the Light," Sojourners, February 1978, p.27).

Strong words. Africans are well known for their community-like spirit. Apparently, for Sepangi to write like these, it tells us that the lack of brokenness is a universal condition. Whether in the East or in the West, in the African continent or in the Americas, we are all tempted to live in rebellion against things good for us.

D) If We are Not Broken

Unbroken people in ministry makes for fragile relationships.

If we are not broken, we cannot say honestly that we are willing to give all of ourselves to others. If we are not broken, our relationships become more fragile, always one criticism or one step away breaking up. If we are not broken, when we see people who are half-hearted in their faith, we can easily become discouraged. If we are not broken, we find the three groups of people above too difficult for us to manage. For the first group of 'half-way people,' we remember the popular quip:

“You can lead the dehydrated horse to the river, but you cannot force it to drink.”

Half-hearted people behave like this. They prefer their own ways despite the good offered to them. If we are not broken, we can easily give up trying to do good.

If we are not broken, we will find it hard to pray for the second group, the apathetic people who do not care about kingdom concerns, who only concern themselves with their own profits and personal agendas. If we are not broken, we will find it hard to minister to the third group, to share the plight of persons who have been hurt.

E) King David: A Broken Spirit and Contrite Heart

King David is a person who has been broken. He prays to God out of his brokenness. For him, true sacrifices come from a broken spirit and a contrite heart. Amazingly, prayers and petitions that comes out of such a condition, God will not despise.

The other example is Christ our Lord. He comes to us as a fully human person, and fully God. He takes upon Himself all of our sins. He gets beaten up, broken down, but He never stops praying. He never stops loving. Even at His last breath, He calls out:

“Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.” (Luke 23:34)

Jesus has been broken for our sins and transgressions. Each Communion Sunday, Churches all over the world proclaim the Lord’s Remembrance and Coming Again by the breaking of bread and the sharing of wine. It takes a broken Christ to bring healing to the world. The best position in ministry is not out of a high and mighty arm of power and authority. The best disposition in ministry is out of a broken and contrite spirit, of which God will never despise.

May we all find our identity in Christ, not in stubborn rebellion against all kinds of people or situations. Instead, let us discover our identity once again, renewed by picking up our broken pieces in life, and to ask God to heal us. Asking God to forgive us and make us whole again. As long as we recognize our brokenness, we will not easily quit. Neither will we give up the cause of Christ simply because of discouragement or hurt.

Thought: “The man, full of himself, can never proclaim the Christ who emptied Himself.” (Jacquelyn K. Heasley)

sabbathwalk

Pressing On

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:13:38 PST

TITLE: Pressing On
Written by: Conrade Yap
SCRIPTURE: Hosea 6:3

"Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth." (Hosea 6:3)

MAIN POINT: If God does not give up on us, why do we give up on ourselves? This week, I share 7 reasons why we ought to press on.

A Happy New Year 2012 to all my readers!

On the last week of 2011, I had pockets of quiet moments to reflect. Like the preceding year, I preached on New Year's Day. Again. Thus, my countdown celebration had been mixed with both anticipation of the New Year and at times anxiety about whether I would be too tired for a morning message. Thankfully, our service started an hour late, as we knew that most people would appreciate an additional hour of rest for New Year's Day. In my sermon, I challenged my congregation live beyond their average lives. Based on 1 Cor 12:31, my intent was to prepare my hearers for the pulpit theme for January 2012: Love according to 1 Corinthians 13.

After my sermon, I was exhausted. When I arrived back home, I watched "Dolphin's Tale" with my daughter. It was a good movie, and a nice way to simply chill out on a cold and rainy day. From tired, I became moved. I was inspired. The story was a dramatization of a true story of how a little boy (Sawyer Nelson) became re-energized about his own calling, and how he channeled this calling into saving the life of a dolphin. I was particularly fascinated by how Lorraine talked about her son's revived energy and passion. It was like a lamp inside him had suddenly lit up. Before I share 7 points about not giving up in the midst of adversity, let me reflect on the passage above.

A) Hosea's Predicament

Hosea is the first of 12 minor prophets in the Old Testament books. The 'minor' here is used with regards to the books being shorter in length, and does not mean they are of lesser importance. At the time of writing, the Jewish nation had already been split into Northern (Israel) and Southern Kingdom (Judah). Hosea spoke out against the spiritual atrocities of Israel, and called them to return to the Lord. Hosea 6 is written within the context of asking the people to hang on to God in the midst of hardship and persecution. One thing about reading the Old Testament is that we need to always look at judgment from the perspective of redemption and restoration. Hosea 6 is an excellent example. Even after judging the people by letting their enemies conquer them, the Lord provides a way back to Him. Note how Hosea develops his exhortation:

"He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us;" (Hosea 6:1b)
"He has injured us but he will bind up our wounds." (Hosea 6:1c)

Like Hosea 6, Hosea encourages the people to hope in God, and to never give up. He urges them to 'press on to acknowledge the Lord.' Punishment is not forever. Redemption will finally come.

B) Pressing On: #1 - Sawyer's Calling

Great Family Movie: 5 stars!

Coming back to Dolphin's Tale, there are many elements of how those who have been down and out manage to press on despite their struggles. Firstly, the movie shows Sawyer as a boy without passion or energy. He goes to school late. He hardly pays attention in class. He looks uninterested in anything. Until one day, he sees a wounded dolphin landed on the beach, whose tail is caught by a nasty crab trap. He develops a special connection with this dolphin. As he tries to help the dolphin survive and live, little does he realize that he has triggered an inner desire and purpose to live: To save the dolphin. From that day on, Sawyer becomes a passionate boy pressing on toward doing all he can for the dolphin.

KEY: Hosea recognizes his calling to be a prophet for a kingdom doomed to destruction. Imagine how Hosea feels when he sees only the threats and the coming judgment. Thankfully, he sees God's hopes more and the threats of judgment less. Hosea does not simply pronounce judgment. He announces hope.

C) Pressing On: #2 - Sawyer and Hazel

Secondly, both Sawyer and his friend Hazel have something in common. They are children of single parents. Together, they share a common bond in trying to help the dolphin called 'Winter.' It is encouraging to see that when one suffers, one needs not suffer alone. In one very special scene, when Sawyer laments about his dad who 'never calls' and 'never writes,' Hazel chimes in about her feeling the same way about her own mum. Pain when shared is halved. It seems like in moments of disappointment, one can find comfort and understanding with those who have gone through somewhat similar experiences. In other words, we are able to press on with the help of fellow strugglers.

KEY: For us, we can think of Jesus as a fellow sufferer, persecuted by the world. It is because He has suffered, we too can press on in spite of any disappointment or suffering. Pain shared is halved.

D) Pressing On #3 - Amputated Tail

Thirdly, due to the extensive damage and potential infection, Winter's tail has to be amputated. Without a tail, Winter cannot swim. Worse, it can lead to early death. With the lack of financial support, the rescuers are looking at the possibility of putting down Winter humanely. Just when all hopes seem lost, one of their friends agree to build a new prosthetic tail for free! That raises hopes in the midst of an impossible situation. Thankfully, the story's characters do not simply give in to their circumstances and give up on their hopes. They press on with whatever little they have.

KEY: Losing a part of us does not mean all hopes are lost. One small flicker of hope shines brighter than a large shade of gloom.

E) Pressing On #4 - Multiple Rejections

Time and again, the dolphin refuses to wear the tail. Each time a tail is put on it, it destroys it in no time. This is not only financially damaging, it is emotionally discouraging. It seems like the dolphin is destroying its very hope for survival. Yet, Dr Haskell presses on. Until Sawyer reflects on a possible reason for the rejection in the first place. When all hopes seem lost, Sawyer brilliantly comes up with a reason why Winter does not like the new tail. Sawyer eventually saves the day for all.

KEY: When the same way fails, try a different method.

F) Pressing On #5 - Kyle

Sawyer's cousin, Kyle, was once a champion swimmer serving with the military forces. Unfortunately, an accident leaves his right leg maimed. Kyle goes into depression and refuses to live for anything. The turning point arrives when he sees some similarity between Winter and himself. He sees how his cousin, Sawyer, presses on to keep Winter alive, and at the same time, keep encouraging Kyle. Toward the end of the show, Kyle was seen proudly swimming his best, with his artificial limb, just like Winter was swimming with its artificial tail. Sometimes in life, we learn to press on when we see someone else doing their best to get back to normal.

KEY: God can use anyone to encourage us, even a dolphin.

G) Pressing On #6 - Financial Disaster

Hazel's father, Dr Haskett had poured his money and energy in building up a non-profit hospital for animals. Without additional money, they would have to close down the whole operation. As they prepare to shutter the doors, to give all their animals away, and call it a day, that would also mean certain death for Winter, as no buyers wanted Winter. Someone came up with a great idea to have a "Save Winter Day," a day in which they would highlight their plight to the world, and showcase Winter the amazing dolphin. Miraculously, it worked. Eventually, they landed a generous donation that allowed their entire operation to continue. It took a creative idea to avert a near certain disaster.

KEY: When we do our best, we let our best shine for all to see. When that happens, chances of a dramatic turnaround are higher. When all hopes seem lost to men, it is never lost with God. God always has a better way. We need to give ourselves time to hope in God.

H) Pressing On #7 - Never Give Up

The story of Dolphin's Tale is not simply about a dolphin's tail. It is about the spirit of pressing on, regardless of the mountain of challenges. Scene after scene, we see how every adversity has been overcome by a sudden turnaround of hope and faith. Sometimes, like the case of the failure of several prosthetic tails, one discouragement leads to another. During moments like these, we need to remember to press on, perhaps through another creative manner. As long as we do not give up, there is always hope.

My fellow readers, as we begin this New Year, we will all experience our fair share of ups and downs, happiness and sadness, encouragement as well as disappointments. The Bible tells us to hope in God. It tells us to press on. It calls us to look always to God. The certainty of God's coming is as certain as the sun that will rise in the morning. It is as certain as rain that will come one day to water our crops. It is because Jesus says He will come again, we can be sure to see it becoming a reality. Soon.

Press on. If you find it hard to press on, do yourself a favour. Watch "Dolphin's Tale."

Thought: "Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you respond to it." (Anonymous)

sabbathwalk

Overcome Evil with Good

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 12:26:52 PST

TITLE: Overcome Evil With Good (The Year in 2011)
SCRIPTURE: Ps 90:9
Written by: Conrade Yap

"All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan." (Ps 90:9)

MAIN POINT: The Year 2011 is associated with a year of protests. Christians need not protest like the world. They can do more than protests. They can witness with good works, with good behaviour, and with hope. Even though the world treats you badly, do all the good anyway.

This week, many people worldwide will be slowing down to prepare for the New Year's Eve bash. As they prepare to ring in the New Year 2012, invariably many will be reflecting on the past year. All around the globe, stories abound about the joys of victory for winners, and the agonies of defeat for the losers. We welcome new births, and say goodbye to loved ones who died. Some find new jobs while others lose theirs. With the continuing slum in the US economy, and the economic uncertainty worldwide, there seems to be more reasons for gloom. In relationships, some have gotten married to their sweethearts, while some have to annul their marriages through divorce or other kinds of agreements for separation. Students busy with their studies while parents busy themselves with bills and making ends meet for their families. The year has been mixed but many will say that there are more bad news than good.

A) Year Review

This morning, I read an article published in Huffington Post about the top stories in Canada for the year 2011. They are numbered as follows:

Stephen Harper's Conservative Party winning the majority vote to govern Canada. (politics)
Riots in Vancouver after the Stanley Cup final game. (sports/culture)
Wildfires in the town of Slave Lake. (environment)
Coverage of the Occupy protest movement (culture)
End of the military mission in Afghanistan (politics)
Corruption Scandal in Quebec (politics)
Hockey Headshots Controversy (sports)
Prince William and Kate's Visit to Canada (politics/leadership)
Decline of the Separatist Movement in Quebec (politics)
The Proposed Keystone LX Pipeline (environment)

Most of them are stories about politics and power, sports and leisure, and some concerns about environment. They reflect the general concerns of the people. Very little is mentioned about spiritual stuff. Although the Occupy protest movement is #4 in the list above, note that there are other similar movements around the world that produces the protests. There is the Arab Spring protest movements that are continuing to bring down long-time governments and rulers.

B) Year of Protests

(Credit: Time Magazine)

The death of a boy who committed suicide in Tunisia sparks the Arab Spring revolution. Bouazizi was a 26-year old boy just minding his own business. For a boy his age, he carried huge responsibilities. His meager income basically supported his family of 8 persons. He sold produce on a cart in the market. Along came a female enforcement officer who not only confiscated all his goods but also made derogatory remarks about his father who had passed away. He tried to complain to the authorities. Instead of being given a just hearing, he was ignored, slapped, and pushed away with a challenge to kill himself instead. Bouazizi in despair set fire to himself. He died on January 4th, 2011.

The Bouazizi suicide is the spark that lits up the Arab Spring movement. As Tunisia falls to public cries for justice, the other autocratic regimes quickly follow suit. Egypt, Libya, Syria, and Yemen all have similar uprisings which led to the deposing of their hardline autocratic leaders.

In the West, there are protests too, albeit over economic disparity. Even after the US government bailed out large US corporations with public money, the economy did not seem to improve. Main street people continues to question Wall street corporate bigwigs. This produces the 99% movement (Occupy movement) where protesters claim to represent the 99% of common folks over the rich guys (1%). Rightly or wrongly, the logic is simple: Corporate greed of the 1% is the cause of the economic problems affecting the 99%. It is no surprise then that Time Magazine this year declares 'The Protester' as the person of the year.

C) Ending the Year with a Moan?

Psalm 90 has been attributed to Moses. Called the 'man of God,' Moses declares that all of life has been held together because of God's mercy and grace. The generations of Israel have been kept in existence because God has been their dwelling place. The creation of the world has been sustained because God is at work. Time is limited but God is not (Ps 90:4). There is the image of powerful men and women of the day become nothing by the night (Ps 90:5). Due to sin, and the continued rebellion of Israel, God has allowed justice and judgment to follow suit. Without God's mercy, man would have ended their years with a moan. The trouble with the world is this. Man's continued rebellion and disobedience will lead to man ending their years with a moan.

(Credit: Biojobblog.com)

The events of the year is less of God's judgment but more of man's failure to come back to God. All over the world, people are more concerned about their own things which lead to widespread corruption, power hungry moods, and a general lack of compassion. Even the protests are symptoms of an underlying discontentment with life. When the economy is good, it is like sweeping the dust of unhappiness under the carpet of good jobs and comfortable materialistic living. When the economy turns nasty, when the carpet of comfort and affluence is removed, the dust of discontentment is revealed once again. Man is sinful, regardless of the state of the economy. Sin produces more sin. It leads to God's wrath. Contrary to what some people think, God is not angry simply because His Law has been broken by sinful people. God is angry because man is setting themselves up for failure right from the start, and chooses to condemn themselves. Man tends to blame everyone else except himself. Playing the blame game, man names all manner of excuses and problems, pointing at everything else except himself. Days of blaming leads to a final puff of moaning.

D) Overcome Evil with Good

Christians should go beyond protesting. They can do more. Christians have a higher mandate to witness regardless of their positions in life. They can overcome evil with good. Mother Teresa is not a high and mighty queen who can command large military ships or powerful armed forces. She is a gentle and humble lady, serving among the poorest of the poor, with whatever she has. Mother Teresa overcomes the evil of poverty by the good acts of mercy. Dietrich Bonhoeffer stands up against the tyrant Hitler during World War II, knowing that his resistance against the Nazi regime can ultimately mean him losing his life. He protested with boldness for God. Bonhoeffer overcomes the evil of Nazi power with the good of Christlike courage. Recently, the CEO of American Airlines chooses to resign in protest against the 'immoral' behaviour of corporate politics when AA declares bankruptcy. In an age where CEOs who failed their companies can still depart with generous severance pay, Gerard Arpey left AA without any golden handshake. The previous CEO of HP, Leo Apotheker takes home nearly US$25 million after leading Hewlett-Packard through one of the worst performances in corporate history. The ex-CEO of Yahoo, Carol Bartz receives about US$10 million after failing to turn Yahoo around. John Chidsey pockets about $20 million after his failure at Burger King. In an age where leaders are rewarded despite doing a lousy job, Arpey bucks the trend. He has no such financial windfall. He leaves based on an ethical principle, that by declaring bankruptcy, AA is legally free to avoid meeting their obligations. From pensions and medical benefits to negotiations with worker unions, the corporation hides under the legal umbrella of Chapter 11, to walk away from their ethical responsibilities. For Arpey, such acts are immoral. We may agree or disagree with Arpey's manner of resignation. One thing is clear. He lets the desire for doing right, overcome any temptations for doing wrong.

Paul exhorts us: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Rom 12:21)

We may not be able to control external circumstances, but we can certainly control our inner selves. We can control how we respond to evil. While the rest of the world spins away in their protests and despair about life, Christians can continue to do all the good that they can. They can give thanks rather than complaining. They can do something good regardless of what happens to them. They can trust our dependable God instead of the undependable rulers of this world.

As we prepare to ring in the New Year, let us do soul work to prepare to welcome the coming of the Lord. Do all the good that we can. Say all the good that we can. Be all the best that we can. Hope is simply this: When the world around us calls us to give up, to complain and to drown ourselves in despair, hope tells us to 'Give good works another go!"

Have a Happy New Year 2012!

Thought: "Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway." (Kent M. Keith)

sabbathwalk

Standing Up For Jesus

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:58:11 PST

TITLE: STANDING UP FOR JESUS
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 21 Dec 2011
SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:74

"He promised to rescue us from our enemies' power so that we could serve Him without fear by being holy and honorable as long as we live." (Luke 1:74, GW)

MAIN POINT: Fear not. Do not be afraid to stand up for your faith, even when society frowns on your worship of Jesus during this festive period. If believers do not stand up for their own faith, how will others take any interest?

Credit: Blackshear Place Baptist Church

It is this time of the year where spiritual and secular battle lines are drawn once again. Santa Claus vs the Son of God; 'Happy Holidays' vs 'Merry Christmas;' or commercialization of the Christ's event vs concentrating on Christ. Last year, I wrote about what Christians ought to do with 'Santa Claus.' I had argued that instead of confronting others about the use of Santa Claus, and become killjoys of people's happy occasions, Christians could use the relatively happy mood to point people to Christ. By our very presence, we can be living reminders of God's grace.

A) Banned from Wearing the Cross

It is no secret that many countries in the West are increasingly secular. Even Europe which has had a long and colourful history of Christian roots have swung to a secularism that tends more toward anti-Christ. In 2006, a British Airways employee by the name of Nadia Eweida was banned from the workplace because she was wearing a small cross around her neck. According to a spokesperson from BA, the official policy is that no religious symbols are allowed to be worn in the workplace. Since the wearing of the cross around Eweida's neck is a religious symbol, it has to be removed every time she goes to work for BA. Eweida refuses to back down, and opts to stay home rather than to compromise on her right to display her affection for Jesus. The main BA contention is that they are not saying Eweida cannot wear her cross. The only condition is that she has to keep it hidden away from customers, colleagues, or anyone in the workplace.

Eweida refuses to comply and accuses her employer of religious discrimination. It is her freedom to practice what she believes in. This sparks one of the biggest uproar in the United Kingdom, as both camps trade angry arguments. While the secularists and the atheists are cheering the BA decision, church leaders in England are not pleased. They protest their public displeasure. The archbishop of Canterbury threatens to boycott the airline and initiate the sale of all of the Church of England's share in the national airline. That will have created havoc to the share price of British Airways. The archbishop, Rowan Williams finds the lack of tolerance of people wearing a cross to work, 'offensive.' The archbishop fearlessly fights for the right of Eweida to practice her faith. Thankfully, BA finally backs down. If they have been allowed to ban the wearing of the crucifix, then BA will have to ban turbans for religious Sikhs, or veils from Muslim women.

B) 'Happy Holidays' or 'Merry Christmas'

This saga repeats itself every year. Somehow, while many countries in Asia do not see it a problem to use 'Christmas' as an open reference to commemorate the birth of Christ, not so in the West. It seems like the West is beginning to banish symbols of Christianity not only on normal days, but on the Christmastide as well! What is happening? Even the humble Christmas tree has been banned from one Ontario courthouse, based on the judge's logic that the courtroom must remain secular. People are replacing Christmas greetings with 'holiday' greetings. Crosses are removed if it offends the secular eye. If that is so, maybe churches in future will not be allowed to ring the church bells if they sound overly religious to the secular ear.

Personally, I do not have a problem with 'Happy holidays.' The problem comes when people tries to shove secular ideals down the throats of religious people. Tolerance must happen both ways. For instance, just because Canada is a secular society does not mean Christians have to toe the line to refrain from verbalizing 'Merry Christmas.' Hey! You are free to say 'Happy Holidays.' Don't tell us that we cannot wish people, 'Merry Christmas.'

Recently, at the commemoration of 400 years of the King James Bible translation, the British Prime Minister boldly calls the UK a 'Christian nation.' Lots of displeasure and bemusement begins to circulate all over the Internet, that David Cameron has lost touch with the fact that modern Britain is more secular than Christian. In his speech at Oxford, he emphasizes the need for Christians to stand up for what they believe, instead of bowing down to pressures by secularists to quieten down their practice of faith. Being a Christian does not mean dumbing down others. It simply means being bold to testify of one's Christian heritage.

"We are a Christian country and we should not be afraid to say so," he told the audience at Christ Church. . . . Let me be clear: I am not in any way saying that to have another faith - or no faith - is somehow wrong. . . .I know and fully respect that many people in this country do not have a religion. And I am also incredibly proud that Britain is home to many different faith communities, who do so much to make our country stronger.. . . But what I am saying is that the Bible has helped to give Britain a set of values and morals which make Britain what it is today." (BBC report, 16 Dec 2011)

Don't be afraid to stand up for Jesus. Those who insist on 'Happy Holidays' should not insist on Christians' right to call the season, Christmas. Christians have rights too. They have rights to worship Jesus the way that they want. If secularists insist upon Christian not to impose faith on them, the reverse is equally true. Secularists cannot insist that Christians stop worshipping or proclaiming their faith. They can do their shopping. Let Christians do their worshipping.

C) Fearless Faith

Zechariah the priest has seen the power of God. After his unbelief, he is struck dumb (Luke 1:20). Once the Word of the Lord has been fulfilled, his mouth opens and he proclaims the powerful works that his son, John the Baptist will be doing for God. Luke 1:67-79 is his prophecy. It is a prophecy of God working in the lives of his people. God rescues the people from their enemies, that they will serve God without fear. The gospel writer mentions two things that demonstrates bold and fearless faith: Be holy, and honorable all their lives. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his wonderful book, the Cost of Discipleship reminds us,

"When God calls a man, he bids him come and die."

This is discipleship at its core: Proclaiming the Name of the Lord boldly. No fear. It is fearless faith. Several years ago, Nathan Chan, a student at the Stanford Graduate School makes this insighful comment about how multiculturalism is actually individualism in disguise.

"If you take multiculturalism to an extreme, it is very individualistic, you have your own bias, and you can think what you want in that box, so long as you don't affect others' boxes. When you say that Christianity is the only truth, you are imposing on someone's box." (quoted in Tim Stafford's article, 'Campus Christian and the New Thought Police' in Christianity Today, 10 Feb 1992, 19)

D) Heroes of the Faith

Only those who have been changed by the gospel will proclaim fearless faith. There is no halfway faith. It is either we believe in Jesus or we do NOT believe in Jesus. The tragedy in many Christians is that they shun away too easily from any debates with people who disagree with them. This is not necessary. Even if we are not able to command a wide range of theological points for debate, each of us has a story to tell. Our testimony. If we fail to tell the story of how Christ has changed our lives, we not only lose the opportunity to share Christ, we fail to live up to our own calling as disciples of Christ. There are other modern heroes that have boldly stood up for their faith. There is the Coptic priest called Zakaria Botros, who is currently heavily protected because of his fervent preaching of the gospel. He has become so influential that some Muslim radicals have promised to pay out $50 million to anyone who assassinates him. Yet, Botros speaks out fearlessly, preferring to fear God rather than man.

There is Charles Colson, the man who is one of the driving forces behind the Manhattan declaration that seeks to stand up for traditional values such as marriage being between a man and a woman, and other fundamentals of faith. He is constantly ridiculed by many, including some Christians for his stand. His conviction to Christ leads him to start many powerful ministries, of which the most well-known is the Prison Fellowship. Then there is Corrie Ten Boom, who boldly demonstrates the love of God through her forgiveness of her most bitter enemies. Apart from these people, there are many unsung heroes of the faith. One of them is the British Airways employee, Nadia Eweida, who prefers to take a no-pay leave to fight for her right to stand up for her faith even in the workplace.

We do not have to be a Ten Boom, a Colson, or a Botros. All of us can be like Eweida. My fellow readers, do not be afraid to call the name of Jesus, especially during this Christmas and every Christmas season. Jesus after all, is still the reason for the season. Don't be afraid. Be fearless. Stand up for Jesus, ye soldier of the Cross. Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive the King!

Thought: "The best argument for Christianity is Christians: their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But their strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians - when they are sombre and joyless, when they are self-righteous and smug in complacent consecration, when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths.." (Sheldon Vanauken, A Severe Mercy, New York, NY: Harper Collins, 1977, 85)

Sabbathwalk.

Thoughts on Retirement - (Part 2 of 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:20:00 PST

TITLE: Thoughts on Retirement - (Part 2 of 2)
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 24:1-2
Date: 13 Dec 2011
Written by: Conrade Yap

"Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and their judges and their officers; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods.'" (Joshua 24:1-2)

Last week in Sabbath Walk, I remind readers not to equate retirement with financial definitions. Instead, it is an attitude that we bring to the world. We will soon pass away. The world will also pass away. The Will of God and the Word of God will remain forever. This week, we continue this reflection on retirement, with a focus on passing our spiritual baton of God's work for us. The best way to pass this baton is to live exemplary lives firstly, continually, and finally.

A) Stories in Progress

All of life is basically telling a story. All of our lives is basically the living out of our story. How well we live, is dependent on how much we lean on the Author of our stories. God is in control. If birth is the beginning of our story, death marks the end. Fully aware that his time is almost up, Joshua continues to tell the story of Israel, and how God has been faithful despite Israel lack of faithfulness. In Joshua 1, we see how even as the life of Moses ends, the story of God's redemption of Israel continues through the passing of leadership to Joshua. The times may change. People's focus may change. Even the place of dwelling of the people may change. What makes the story significant is that as far as God's love for His people is concerned, the story remains the same.

As we see the passing of the spiritual baton to Joshua, we read of Joshua's amazing declaration toward the end of the book of Joshua:

". . . as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15b)

B) When We Forget Our Stories

The trouble with many of us is that we have forgotten our own stories. When this happens, two possible distractions come in: Focus on Money, and a Loss of Purpose.

From my interactions with elderly people in my years of ministry, these two reasons are common. Firstly, MONEY. Far too many people, (including myself) have equated retirement with money. The government through the Old Age Security or Pension schemes use money. Insurance companies talk financial terms. Many corporations offer a retirement benefit that almost always have something to do with monetary units. Such overwhelming focus on money matters is a major distraction from true planning for retirement. Everyone worries about money. The old may worry even more. Graham continues:

"Our society places too much emphasis on money, implying that financial achievement is the main measure of a person's true success in life." (Billy Graham, Nearing Home, Nashville, TN: Thomas-Nelson, 2011, 59)

Great counsel. I think of couples whose life savings have been lost due to financial scandals such as the infamous Madoff Ponzi scheme. One couple laments about their loss, saying that they will never be able to retire. Reason: No money.

One elderly widower I know speaks constantly about money or the lack of it. She asks her children constantly for money, using her old age as the reason. She does not want to die poor. Many of us will be able to share stories of old folks in our midst who are exhibiting similar behaviour.

The question: Is money the solution to a good life of retirement?

KEY: No. The fact is this. For money-minded people, no amount of money is ever enough. For heavenly-minded people, godliness with contentment is great gain.

C) The Loss of Purpose

The second consequence of forgetting our stories is the loss of purposeful living. A few weeks ago, I wrote on my Facebook profile the following:

Ambition Through the Ages:
Young: "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Teenager: "What do you want to do when you grow up?"
Adult: "What is my calling as I busy myself day and night?"
Old: "What have I done?""

Is this familiar to you?

It is well known that we live in a busy and fast paced society. When times are good, this word 'retirement' is simply an after-thought. When times are bad, we dread even thinking about it. Some people retire at the age of 30 after striking a fortune. Some take retirement benefits when they sense they have passed their prime. Others retire when they are pushing 60. Some people never really retire, blaming it on the economic situation, the state of their finances, or simply an inability to let go of their familiar work routines. One couple, the Friedmans, invested their life savings in an investment fund, lost everything (US$3million) due to the infamous Madoff Ponzi scandal. With their nest-egg gone, they have no choice but to continue working in order to pay their bills and make ends meet.

D) The Life of Teresa Hsu

This grand lady of charity died on Dec 7th, 2011 in Singapore. She was 113, the oldest person in the small island country. Yet, her life emanates power and vitality. Having gone through poverty, she can understand the dire straits of people living in hunger and need. Having experienced her parent's lifestyle of giving and charity, she can learn to share whatever she had. Teresa recalls at time when she was so hungry that she had to chew and swallow grass to satisfy her hunger. She still felt hungry. What was helpful then was to satisfy the thought of her thinking that she was hungry. After that experience, she learned to share whatever she has with others, constantly thinking of people who are less fortunate than others.

Teresa Tsu (1898-2011)

In life, we are so apt to compare ourselves with the rich, the famous, the powerful, and the people high up the echelons of society. Unfortunately, when we are fixated in one direction (looking at the rich), we fail to turn around to see the other direction (looking at the rest who are not as rich). There are always needs around us. This attitude of looking out for those less fortunate drives Teresa's life. She believes in helping people with whatever she has. Some of us think that the only way we can help others is to wait for a $1million to accumulate in our bank account, or to receive something first. The truth is, we can always share. We can always give of what we have. Take a closer look, and chances are, all of us have extras to go around all the time.

Teresa's life does not develop out of a vacuum. She did not have a miraculous vision or splendid announcement from somewhere. Instead, she learns from her mother. There was a time in which someone who has not eaten for 2 days came to them for food. Immediately, her mother took the food from the table and gave it to them saying:

"We ate yesterday. They have not eaten for 2 days. They have more right to the food than we."

This begins Teresa's 'guiding light' all her life in which she is constantly thinking of people less fortunate than her. Wow! What a lady!

E) Concluding Thoughts

This is the way to retire. This is the way to rework our lives. Do not be distracted by financial limitations. Do help with whatever we can. There is always extras. Do not despair for the lack of purposefulness. Learn from people of wisdom. Learn from others who have inspired us. Maybe, as a gift to the world, to our friends and loved ones, live an exemplary life. Leave a path of faithfulness, charity, and conviction in Christ, to guide the ones younger than us. That all who come behind us will find us faithful.

There is no retirement age for the Christian. There is only constant reworking of our abilities, constant reminders of God's grace, and constant passing of the gospel baton to the next generation. Best of all, the way to retire well, is when someone else is able to tell OUR stories, as one that reflects Christlikeness. Don't forget your own story.

THOUGHT: "How can we know - beyond a shadow of doubt - that there is life after death? The only way would be for someone to die - and then come back to life and tell us what lies beyond the grave. And that's exactly what happened when Jesus Christ rose again from the dead." (Billy Graham, Nearing Home, Nashville, TN: Thomas-Nelson, 2011, 169)

sabbathwalk
Note: If you want to see the life-giving work of Teresa Hsu, click here.