bachnwill's randoms

the end of the blog

2012-02-07T21:59:00.001+11:00

this will be the last entry of my blog on blogger. all blogs will be on http://bachnwill.wordpress.com. I have been reproducing all posts held here there.

Knowing versus Knowing about

2012-01-31T22:10:00.001+11:00

Tonight is the first night in ten that I've taken myself off amitriptyline for pain, so I hope to write a little on this theme that has been hovering over my mind of late.

How do you know that you know someone, or know something? This sounds so simple but is so important. Have you ever questioned whether you really knew someone or something. I do, constantly. I just want to be sure, about the big things of course, and about the small things.

I think I know a little about medicine and human physiology, a little with a huge chasm of ignorance to fill. I also learned about pain in my anaesthetic training. But did I really know it? Sure in a sense. I learned about how to manage neuropathic pain in chronic pain-patients at Nepean Hospital in 2009. The knowledge stayed with me such that I was able to reproduce treatment on tens or even hundreds of patients. But I really knew neuropathic pain, when I went through it myself. I am currently having treatment for neuropathic pain of my left ulnar nerve, which has been triggered by a fractured pisiform (small, moveable) bone in my left wrist. I understand just what the quality, intensity, the relief you could get from gabapentin, only in this first-hand sense through going through it. I can say I know what neuropathic pain is like with more certainty now.

The same applies to an extent to any real relationship, not just professional collegiate but something like siblings, or a friendship, or even more personal, a courtship, a marriage! There. Nothing tops marriage in terms of relating to someone not yourself right? (perhaps, but not if you believe in the Trinity) How do you know the other? I could read biographies, emails, texts, watch you tube videos or even talk with those closest to this Other Person of interest. But does any of the fans know who President Obama is? Any follower know who Adele is and what her heart aches of? No. Not unless you have actual relationship with this Other Person, you know really know a thing or know for sure. A conversation, at least a meal, a group function, simple shaking of hands, or walk side-by-side, leads to a knowledge you can gain through mere data retranslation, no matter how detailed that data is.

I detest just knowing about someone AND thinking that I know that person or subject. Data and facts don't matter, in this personal and spiritual sense, as a relationship. That's why I give thanks for people who genuinely reveal themselves. THis is not an advocacy for selfish dumping of emotional burdens, but honest, self-revelation. Because it allows another to know The Other truly, with vulnerability. Friends, Brothers, Sisters, and even acquaintances take on a whole new level of trust when self-revelation does happen. Does it then surprise some of you that I seem open on this ever-evolving social network? It probably makes more sense as I AM revealing my thoughts in this blog.

I am most thankful for God's self-revelation. I could have studied, contemplated, dug deep into the heart of the earth, looked as far back and forward into the Cosmos to search for some truth about Him. Romans chapter 1 speaks of this way of knowing about God. But nothing beats knowing God. He is an awesome guy. A Father, A Friend, A Sympathetic Spirit, A Lord, A so, so and so. We do relate to HIm in many ways. Even as our Judge. Oh, on that Day we will really know HIm. But He's always self-revealing back then as He is now. I know Him by hearing HIm in His Word. I can't even begin to reject His person and personality if I haven't heard Him properly. So I'm kind of saying you can't know HIM enough to reject HIm just by reading about HIm through… say Richard Dawkins. You can't even know HIm throughout the greatest and truest theologians, let alone through this blog.

But if you'll have the grace and justice to hear Him, as He speaks and as is recorded through His Word in the Bible and talk to Him in response by prayer, then that is enough to kindle a real relationship. And that is a relationship no one can afford to ignore.

p.s. I have never found HIm cold, distant or silent. He is welcoming, yes honest, but always willing to relate. Jesus said: "Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened. Ask and it will be given." He refers to the Kingdom of God (God's very own self, presence and best blessings) in Matthew and LUke when He promises this of His Father. And that is exactly how I have found him.

wandering home

2012-01-26T22:52:00.001+11:00

I'm writing under a little time pressure. After recently fracturing my left pisiform bone from a bike-stack, I've been having neuropathic (basically burning nerve) pain in the inner part of the left arm, forearm and hand. In short, the night dose of amitriptyline makes me sleepy within 1hour: I took it 45minutes ago. I also need to rest up before a 12 hour drive with stop tomorrow.

We're moving to Melbourne for a year as of tomorrow. For work, for adventure, for learning, for growing, for closer relationships and for challenges, but ultimately for what? Why leave home, friends, family and most of all comforts? Things were, and God-willing, nice, easy and just right.

My family and Danielle's family have been families of wanderers. Not pointlessly, not unwillingly, but certainly big movers. Danielle had spent several years in rural NSW and San Francisco in her childhood; I of course migrated from Hong Kong with my family and have moved homes 4 times since settling in Australia. All the places we had been to were made "homes".

But as a Christian, I honestly never feel at home, not here, not there. Yes, I have a single residential address, I am an Australian citizen, a permanent citizen of Hong Kong. I also enjoy relaxing in a place that lets me put my feet up, like those Victorian husbands. But, I am still looking for home. Home is this collective memory that we hall have but all realise we haven't got. It's forever elusive. If the place you're presently at is home, then, why change, why modify, why move interstate? Why wander?

I'm not really moving in a sense, as we have our home in NSW still. We have plans to return, to rebuild and to provide stability for kids. That's because I want to give the children a sense of home. More than that, by the Grace of God, I wish they will see that the truest home for all people, not just Christians, is Heaven itself. Now that's HOME, a mansion with many rooms for the children of God, all having access through the Lord to the Father of the mansion, the Centre and Life of the party.

Once there, I will, we will, not wish to move out. It'll be a place where all, once made perfect, will enjoy perfection forever. Paradise, who wants in? And who would wish to leave?

For 2012, Melbourne will do just fine, and have I said that it is a better place than Sydney? As objective as I can be, it is better in many ways. But whilst on Earth, I have earthly vestiges, I linger on the idea of home, so Sydney, however imperfect it is, will be home for now. But I'm clear, that my longing lies elsewhere and further than here. I remain, inwardly, a wanderer.

Good night, the amitriptyline and Danielle are calling me to sleep. I can't even stay up to watch Federer lose to Nadal in the Australian Open semifinal.

recollections and collections

2011-11-16T00:02:00.001+11:00

I've lost 2 important pens recently. They weren't too expensive, or really beautiful, but they were important because they were gifts.

I'm sure I'm not alone in my value system: that things, in themselves, aren't worth so much to the public or the market, but are invaluable to those who owned them.

I broke the nib of a Parker my Aunty gave me for my graduation from medical school in 2004: it's limited edition, the nib is non-standard, and it'll cost more than a brand new great quality Parker for me to replace it. I searched long and hard and the cheapest replacement is 500 Euros, located in Spain.

The second, was a high school graduation present my mum gave me. I still remember shopping with her at Myer that day. It was a fine silver Parker Sonnet.

I am very sad that I had mishandled and misplaced these possessions. I had dreams that I'd use these enduring tools well for the sake of serving in public health, or in note-taking and reflections. I had always wanted my possessions to last: they had become like personal relations to me.

But then I have a Christian perspective to my missing pens. An eschatological view point, so to speak. Because I am convinced that nothing, however real or treasured, lasts. Not even "true love" lasts. It's clear that at the Resurrection, all things that are to last undergo a radical transformation, like a seed that falls, dies, but rises into a fruitful plant, glorious compared to its previous state. All things, including our bodies, minds, even our innermost selves are perfected by none other than God HImself, who raises the dead to life.

What does this make of my pens or possessions? They certainly have a physical nature that will not last into the next age. I certainly won't "miss" them, neither functionally or relationally: I will have other means of drawing, creating, writing if these ways of thinking and communicating are needed for the next age. I will also be comforted that no death enters into the realm of Heaven, that also means no losing of loved ones or loved things. There is no hint of separation or decay at the great reunion with the Creator, Judge and Saviour. That is great comfort.

For now, I've bought a Lamy, a functional, durable and cheap fountain pen to use as my writing tool of choice. Of course I shall become attached to it: it's the sentiment stuff I was made of and have not much control over. For deep within me, I have a strong sense of being faithful with what I am given, but more importantly, having things, people, goals, aspirations, projects - things material or abstract - that will accompany me into Eternity. I like lasting things, it's a deep yearning which I find concordant with a biblical eschatology. I'd rather be long sighted than not. Now that leads to the danger of me, a mere human, not concentrating on the present. But that can be the subject of another blog.

Johnny Wong's wedding speech

2011-11-02T22:15:00.001+11:00

The Man’s Man

I originally named this revelatory speech about our groom Johnny as the “Evolution of Man”, with illustrations on how Johnny exhibits all the features of the Modern Man, but I thought again, what I’m really trying to say is that Johnny’s the “Man’s Man”.

Why? For Johnny is what a Man ought to become and also he is the right Man for Sarah: Johnny is the Man’s Man in all senses of the phrase.

So what are the fine features of the Man’s Man, the Modern Man, the Destination of Man’s Evolution?

Friend

Firstly he’s a friend. Quiet, unassuming, but looking out for the need of others and quick to respond to them. On a recent mission to Bolivia, Johnny won a team award for demonstration of his chivalry, when he sprinted from an ailing, failing trailing vehicle, around treacherous Bolivian mountain roads to alert the leading vehicles of her distress. This is equivalent to a Medieval Rescue Mission of a Damsel in Distress. Of course he’s a friend in the relational aspects of life. You can see it in the way he inquires of those at church, especially those under his care at small groups. Even though I have changed church homes and been busy with work and family in the last couple of years, Johnny has kept a concern for me and my family, updating us with news of the small group. This Man’s Man displays true and thoughtful friendship in the bigger and smaller events in life.

Feeling

Secondly, the Man’s Man is not afraid to reveal Feelings: yes, a Real Man has real feelings, deep affections for good and the beautiful. Johnny is a Poet, did you know? I cannot read you the poem with which he asked Sarah out, nor the one he used to pose the big question, but the Man’s a Poet! Not afraid to be named names, setting the romance bar high for those mere men who come after, the Man’s Man can’t control his affections for and appreciation of true beauty. [As far as I know he hasn’t yet written a song for Sarah, so I’m still “ahead” in this count. But I must be lesser, the Bridegroom greater] The Man’s Man treasures memories of his loved one, so much so that he keeps a photographic log of all the significant dates and events he has shared with Sarah. Nothing crass like pictures of food and fine dines on Facebook, the Man’s Man prefers words, experiences, meaningful events which has shaped his affections for his beautiful subject, he savours and relishes by reminiscing his relationship with Sarah via pictures with stories behind. “Don’t be afraid of affections!”, especially for good and worthy things, the Man’s Man shows us.

Finesse

Johnny is thirdly a man with finesse and fine hands. You are at least familiar with the field of Neurosurgery I guess? It’s not carpentry, it’s more like fine sculpturing, not coarse but refined, not hack and saw but precision and scalpel. The Man’s Man is able to translate his finesse with brain tissue, rat spines, cerebral vessels and delicate membranes, to control, composure and meticulous planning, with Sarah’s comparable talents, that materialised into the Wedding and Banquet we are privy to today and tonight. WIth none of the melodrama of bridezillas or groomorillas, they worked seamlessly in tandem to make this event so enjoyable for us, for me, for you. I suggest you ask the couple, how Johnny devised an Amazing race across the Sydney Harbour from Dawn til Dusk on their epic proposal/engagement day. There was a sunrise watch, champagne breakfast, cruise, jetboating, harbour bridge climb, Circular Quay sunset dinner, and of course as I’ve mentioned, the photobook of memories and the killer poem. As far as a Man could, Johnny nailed it precisely, for Sarah’s heart. The Man’s Man is able to finely navigate through His beauty’s precious Heart. This takes finesse, our young scouts, please take note.

Fun

The Man’s Man must have varied interests and be willing to try new things and adventures. A healthy dose of risk-taking behaviour is required, one where Sarah won’t be too stressed but nevertheless poses challenges and new insights for the head, heart, mind and most of all the body. Henry related to me how from a young age Johnny was keen to try new hobbies. He enjoyed the piano, violin, competition tennis, swimming, then as horizons broadened and pockets widened, new adventures like grand prix, bridge climbs, paint-ball warfares, white-water rafting and oddly, golf. According to Dr C. Wong, budding anaesthetist in SW Sydney, Johnny ain’t half-bad on the greens. Personally, I wouldn’t place golf in the high-risk thrill-seeking fun-activity for a Man in his Prime to the objection of some here. But Sarah, if at anytime Johnny is keen to attempt a triathlon I am willing to stand by or follow your Man’s Man.

Finisher

I was told by Henry and Winnie that Johnny is a finisher: he finishes well. With academics, hobbies, music, with pursuits, medical training, research, he has proved to be a perseverant Man’s Man. They’ve never had to worry about him giving his best efforts and performing well at any task. I see this as a character trait closely linked to the next few, which is infinitely more essential, namely, the Man's Man is...

Firm, Faithful and has Faith

Why are this Three infinitely more essential? For I think it goes into the Heart of Hearts of the Man’s Man. What makes a Man most Manly if not for HIs firmness, faithful reliability and Faith, which is not a blind leap into ignorant foolishness but thought-out, calculated, dependence on something or someone of which He is convinced to be True, Good and Trustworthy? Johnny is firm, in his Christian Principles, derived from hIs Faith in a Truth in God, which he has been convinced of and come to know in person, leading to a Faithfulness or Trustworthiness that is shown in the Man’s Man’s life! Let me illustrate by a trivial example: have you guys seen Johnny’s Mazda 6? Well, he is faithful to it. How so? He would be willing, to ship this car to and back from New Zealand, during his secondment to Christchurch for his training. He loved it and was faithful to it, so much so, he’s willing to pay a great cost, to have it close by him where ever he went. I am sure this trait will come through in Sarah and Johnny’s marriage. The same type of faithfulness. Some laugh at the surface of foolishness of faithfulness but to the Man’s Man, Firmness, Faithfulness lies at the heart of it all.

Father’s Image

For I am convinced that throughout our Man’s Man’s life, which I’ve superficially surveyed, the Father has been at work. That’s how I can compute Johnny’s life so far and predict in his life ahead. All the features of the Man’s Man are actually a gradual work of the Heavenly Father so that Johnny becomes the Father’s Image, through the Son of Man the Lord Jesus. The final state of the Modern Man or Evolution, is the Father’s image. And I ‘m sure that’s what both Sarah and Johnny wish the most for our Man’s Man that one Day he’d become a Fine image of our Father, who loves us and is faithful to us.

I think our Man’s Man is on a good trajectory. Like a good golf drive, Johnny’s started well, the pull-back is just right, the contact with the ball is good, it’s now the time for follow-through. I’m sure you’ll finish well, Johnny, given what I’ve seen so far. If only our brief life was as brief as a par 4, it’d be simple and hassle free. But then where’s the time for refinement? The time to enjoy with Sarah, time to grow in disagreement and in reconciliation, time for the worse and better? I’m glad life isn’t golf and golf isn’t life. It’s even much for fun and satisfying. I’m excited for you both and the path that God has projected for you, Sarah and Johnny.

...

Now I would like to propose a toast to the Bridesmaids, Ming and Sarah. They have been helpful, fun and thoughtful friends to Sarah not just today, in the past but will also the future. To our Bridesmaids.

And a second toast to our happy couple:

To a loving and lasting union, clothed with the grace of God, for your joy and His glory:

To Johnny and Sarah!

the Super-Christian and the Sub-Christian

2011-08-08T22:44:00.001+10:00

Luke 18:9-14

It’s a pleasure to read and go through this parable in Luke with you. I have previously said Luke is a clear narrative of the witnessed Life, Teachings, Death and Resurrection of Jesus, who the believers call the Son of God and God’s chosen King. Luke also clearly claims that the Good News for all human-kind lies in knowing this Jesus, because Salvation and Relationship with God is found through Him.

Let me tell you why I love this parable. Because I find out that

God justifies the Unrighteous, Sub-Christian and the Humbled Sinner

It’s something that’s speaking to my heart lately, and even now as I talk. I know and feel and experience the angst of the Sub-Christian, the Un-Righteous and the Sinner humbled. From hearing God’s verdict and mercy, I can taste this sweetness. It’s also like someone taking away a 10tonne load off my back. I’ll explain more of how this parable applies to me, later.

Parables

Firstly, a short word on Parables. Luke chapters 12-19a is where our theologian-historian places Jesus’ parables. Jesus used these stories, to explain simple but powerful truths about God, about relationship with Him, about the Kingdom of God (yes, God is a Monarch, not a PM), about future events, about human behaviour, about God’s behaviour. All parables teach explore important godly issues; but parables also divide, as you will see. Some will get it, some won’t. Some will agree and some will treat it as rubbish. But that is the very intention of these parables. [reference]

Secondly, why think about Righteousness? This is the more important question. Why do we, upstanding moral citizens, need a parable on Righteousness? We’re alright. We’re okay. We’re fine by God’s standards, in comparison to our peers. We’re decent, common sense human beings, who love and are loved. We’re pretty right, right now and we’ll be alright if we ever had to face God.

As a reader of Luke (and of Scripture), I must disagree. Let’s go to Luke 5:31-32³¹Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ³²I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Jesus’ analysis of decent, common sense human beings is nothing less than a final medical diagnosis: people are diseased. Not just physical disease, spiritual disease. In God’s eyes, we are sick, helpless to help ourselves or others. We are Un-righteous. We need Righteousness in God’s sight. Righteousness is three-sided: a legal, moral and relational [covenantal] right-standing with God. Rightly related to God and Right in God’s sight. That’s Righteousness. This leads nicely to the first character of our Parable today, who doesn’t see disease in himself, but goodness, morality, uprightness and health in full blossom all-round. He’s “alright.” I’ve called him the Super-Christian.

The Super-Christian

Let me read: ⁹To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

Let me explain who the Pharisee was in His day. He was alright, in fact more than alright. He is someone with impeccable behaviour. He had community respect amongst the Jews. He had professional standing and is doing well in the eyes of the public. He is educated, learned in the Law of God. His words are wise. His actions are exemplary. He is very generous, especially in giving money - at least a tenth of what he owns, probably pre-tax, to the synagogue and the poor. Similar Pharisaic figures today would be churchmen, professionals who are environmentally conscious, generous with time and money, well-liked and respected people with lots of adoring friends and fans.

But his problem lies in his confidence, see v. 11. His Righteousness is found within himself, he stands by himself, his wears his life as the medal of Righteousness before God. Well why is this a problem you may ask? Shouldn’t we too feel great in our standing before God? Should we feel confident in what we’ve done so that we can stand justified, right and acceptable before ourselves, our friends, our family, our society, and if there is a judgment, before God Himself? From this Parable, this is a crucial problem to Jesus. Let’s look at the Pharisee’s prayer:

The most obvious thing to say is that by Biblical standards it is NOT a prayer.

- Firstly, God is not addressed. I know he says in v. 11 “God” but most of his declaration refers to himself: “I, I, I, I”. I thank you that I am better than sinners, that I fast and that I give.

- It is a public proclamation, not a private, intimate confession to God.

- His purpose is to boast before men and not to talk to God. His words are phrased for men’s ears and God is an attached, afterthought. God is not his primary audience.

- But the biggest problem is his blindness. He cannot smell any whiff of arrogance, or imperfection in himself. He doesn’t sense his own ridicule that you and I should find comical.

- And as a result he shows no mercy to sinners: they are simply not good enough. Not good enough for God and certainly not good enough for him. In fact their existence serves to prop up his own moral strength and makes him even more confident in his own righteousness. When Jesus said he came not for the “righteous”, he’s referring to the Pharisaic figure who is so self-righteous, so blind and so unmerciful.

- As a result, God is not pleased with a prayer like this and the attitude that lies behind it. You know God has been known to describe Super-Christian prayers and deeds as a stench in His nostrils and burden and a repulsion to Him? [find Isaiah, Ezekiel reference]

The Sub-Christian

Let’s contrast this with Tax-Collector, our Sub-Christian, the one whom I personally relate to and feel like. Let me re-read: ¹³“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ Look at his physical position. He distances himself from the Temple or God, he’s bowed and is very distressed about his own pitiful state. He feels rotten, if you told him “you look awful” he’d agree with you. He feels likes he has a heart-ripping cancer, tearing away his being.

Why you may ask? What is so sordid and wrong about the Tax-collector? Wasn’t Jesus friends with sorts like this and wasn’t Matthew (Levi) an ex-tax collector? Surely they’re just misunderstood decent, huggable friendlies? No. It’s not like a cartoon, friends. The tax-collector is our moral criminal, he extorts family, countrymen for unjust taxes, he works with the enemy against his own, and is the moral equivalent of a pimp, drug-pusher and not the ATO.

Yet it’s his prayer which delights God and his attitude that receives Righteousness before God. Firstly,

- It addresses God. God is the only good character in his sight, he turns to him, because he feels and knows he’s wronged and angered God. God knows all that he’s said, thought and done, and he’s ashamed of who he is before God. Yet because of God’s position, the tax-collector has no-one else to turn to. He pleads with God.

- His prayer is both private and public. Private and honest as it’s an outpouring of truth, the ugly, dirty truth of confession to God. Yet it’s public in that he humbles himself in the public’s view. This sort of publicity is not a boast, but a reflection of his true grief. To this Sub-Christian, he cares most of all about what God thinks of Him: if God knows he’s Un-righteous, what’s the big deal that his peers declare him as Un-righteous too?

- But Jesus praises his insight. He sees his condition truly. And that’s why he can ask for mercy. Only the diseased and sick will seek for help. If you don’t know or think there’s anything wrong with your body, you’d shun any doctor that comes to offer help.

- And oddly, God is pleased. The Sub-Christian walks away “Justified” before God (v.14) It is the lowly who are raised, the humble who is exalted. It’s the Sub-Christian, Un-Righteous and Sinner that God justifies, or declares Righteous.

** So what have we learned, what are we to walk away with after hearing this Parable? **

Jesus flips upside down our moral judgments and equations

For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. You see, God justifies the unjustifiable, God shows mercy to the undeserving and God esteems the humble and lowly. This moral code is out of this world, it is unethical. But it’s clear God does this. You should have questions on why is God allowed to do so? Is He immoral or unjust in doing so? How can He justify the Justification of Sinners? Does it mean that God wants us to sin? Etc. But one thing that is clear is that God can forgive and Justify the sinner, even if he’s a tax-collector, a pimp, a drug-pusher, a Sub-Christian, a Sub-Human!

We are often unknowingly the Super-Christian

Let me take

- Mainstream Australian attitudes. We hate tall poppies. We hate those who do well, who are rich, who are ahead of the game. We like those who go through hardships, who can battle on, who can cope. They’re not like us, who really know what it means to have it tough. And we, unlike the leaders, the politicians, the mining giants, the corporate leaders, we know what life is like. I see this as a moral superiority, a moral anger against the well-to-do. Of course it works from the top down as well. Those immoral breeds, those uneducated, drunken no gooders, those slackards, those dole-bludgers. It’s the same sort of moral superiority. Both sides think they’re Super-Australian, or true Australian, or better than the other. Even those in the middle, have our own sense of Superiority. But please, in light of this Parable, all forms of unfounded superiority is stupid. It really is.

- Then take Asian attitudes. Sometimes we take cultural pride in being Asian (for those who are), not in itself a bad thing, unless we really mean it as something superior. Oh those Aussies, those “guei-los”. Oh those Sub-continentals.It’s as if they’ve really got their diets, their dresses, their life-styles, their bank accounts wrong. But we really aren’t that much better than another, and our laughing at other cultures, is very unmerciful in light of this parable.

- But it’s Our Own attitudes (my attitudes), that must come under God’s word today. For illustration’s sake, I find my own ugly Super-Christian head popping up in the times of arguments: oh I am so right in my line of thinking, I can’t believe he can think otherwise! I don’t need to be gentle or merciful to that douche-bag! Or in the times when I’ve been wronged or hurt, this self-centred justification comes up again. I can’t believe she would say that or do that. He’s always doing this and annoying in his words, he’s just a repeat offender and will never change!

Friends, God knows how we all in our own way are Super-Christians and Super-human beings. I’m right, you’re wrong. I’m better, you’re a loser. That sort of attitude. And it’s not just an attitude. It’s a disease in our inner most beings that affect our whole beings and make us as unacceptable as the Pharisee in an all-night prayer. The worse thing is we are blind to it, by definition. God can see it, our close friends and family can see it. We can’t, I can’t. I need this parable to jolt me into realization.

So we are called to repent humbly

- We must turn, that is we must repent. God demands that His word is heard and acted upon. But where does Luke suggest we turn to and what direction ought we take? He doesn’t mince his words.

- To Jesus (Luke 24:46-47) ⁴⁶[Jesus] told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

- Repentance is called for and forgiveness is given in His name. There is no other. You must be asking, why is forgiveness only given in Jesus’ name and what does turning your life around look like as well? These are good questions and there’re answers, they lie in the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus, God’s Chosen King. But know this: to all who ask [reference in Luke 11:9-10], Righteousness and Forgiveness is given instantaneously and freely and with love from God the Father through the Lord Jesus. That’s how the Sub-Christian, the Un-Righteous, the Sinful but humbled Tax-Collector walked home justified before God.

So I beg you…

Seek righteousness before God

- I know it’s difficult, but ultimately simple. it’s difficult because of our pride, blindness and doubt. But once you turn you will experience

- The sweet heavenly relief of acceptance with God, forgiveness from Him and friendship with Him. It feels terrible to admit guilt, or defeat because it says that we are imperfect and that we are covering, something, many things, that are unpresentable, not nice, very shameful within ourselves, like the dirty deeds of the tax-collector. And you’re saying to the world that they know, God knows and you know that you are Un-righteous.

- But once you’ve made that confession and turned to God for refuge, the relief is so sweet. How sweet is it? More sweet than making up with lost best friends, more sweet that the sweetest romantic love and more sweet than any success because the Righteousness, the guilt-free, shame-free, declaration of “Made Right” in God’s sight and at the Judgment in the whole world’s eyes: that’s worth the laughs and the sniggers of the proud, the Super-humans who’ve got it right by themselves. That’s worth the short-lived humiliation when you’ve received the approval of God and pleasure of God. Walk home righteous before God now.

- I have the most sincere, heart-felt and sympathetic warning to those who don’t “need”. Don’t be blind. I was blind, many have been blind, but listen to Jesus and see that you haven’t got it right, not according to any man’s standards, not by God’s standards and not even by your own. There is a separation, a gulf between God and all of us who once were Super-Christians, Super-humans, Super-Women, Super-Men, so vast that it’s called Hell. But Hell’s not the end of the story: you too can walk home Righteous now, and receive the warmth and gracious gift of reconciliation and relationship with God, who is our Father. Because He is the:

God, who justifies the Sub-Christian, the Un-Righteous and the humbled Sinner

Confessions of a CostCo. Convert

2011-07-29T23:38:00.001+10:00

I'm a follower of the masses. For fun, and deliberately of course. I just wanted to know why every 2nd anaesthetic nurse is telling me to visit the CostCo. at Auburn that opened last week. A friend from Bible Study group said the same thing. It's like Disneyland for adults, the Ikea equivalent for the family-minded.

It was hard just parking, evening on a Friday evening (I thought others would have better places to go than this. There was a lot of agitation, urgency and bated breaths as I joined the queue for membership. The helpers, ushers and membership crew, were all very ordinary people, but all had the common purpose of ushering the masses up a ramp to material heaven. They were genuinely happy, helpful, and probably satisfied with their hardwork and achievements for the common good.

I did not even blink, like I sometimes to when donating to charities in shopping centres, when I paid $AUD60 (valuable dollars) for a Gold-Membership. I wanted to see what people got upto inside that massive warehouse. I first saw families, with trolleys, boxes, squatting and crowding around the cheap eat outlets. (good idea from Ikea) Then I was pushed along the designated flow of new masses "in" to the warehouse.

It was pretty massive. The loft was even higher than a typical Ikea complex. I only had time to venture through electronics and confectionery sections. All I wanted to find were Almond Rocas and Reeses, one a childhood favourite and the latter a late acquired taste in my 24th year of life. My mother would use to lug these lollies 1000 of miles from her San Francisco trips. Well, even with the Traffic CostCo was within 20min from work. I know there's a CostCo in Melbourne too!

At the checkout, people with huge name tags, very friendly, ordinary and unintimidating, all cheerily ushering masses with massive trolleys through a speedy checkout system. 2 servers at each checkout made such a difference. I got weird looks for purchasing so few items (a couple fo bags of confectionery). The ladies behind me had 3 cartoons of instant noodles that I wished I had picked up. Ahhh, the neighbour-envy effect.

Bigger, Cheaper, More, Easier, Tastier - just Bigger. They've really picked the right time and place to titillate our appetites.

It was worth my $60 just to have a look. But in my nature I'm happy with less. I think

often it's more. Godliness with contentment is great gain, Paul said that to Timothy and I have to say this to myself and others. More is always less, in all spheres of living, and not just economics. The more we have the less satisfied we are - if it's the material we find our contentment in and not the Giver of the gifts or the Maker of the materials from Whom we seek our joy and satisfaction. At my best moments, I sweetly and satisfying savour the never failing water of life that comes through a living relationship with God through HIs Son Jesus. So satisfying is this good, that a little refreshes and a little more enrichs. And I don't tend to get bored of it ever. It obeys the Law of Increasing Returns. "To those who have, more will be given, but to those who do not have, even the little that they have will be taken away." Matthew 25.

Don't get me wrong, I need Almond Rocas and Reeses! But I have found something or someone, even more delicious and satisfying.

A volcanic ash cloud, a taxi-ride and the job interview

2011-07-01T22:45:00.001+10:00

This is a true story about how, by God's grace, I arrived at a job interview in Melbourne, Wed 22 Jun 2011.

On 21 Jun, Tuesday evening, I found out 15 minutes before my department meeting that all flights into Melbourne were cancelled due to the ash cloud from a Chilean Volcano. By the time the meeting ended, I was too late in securing train, bus or coach tickets. But with much supernatural help, I got to central station after some wavering; I prayed that some kind soul would sell their ticket to me at a good price.

But because of my wavering, I was too slow to the train, and I also missed the last GreyHound bus that had left for the night. I didn't like the idea of just driving up myself: a 1000 lonely km in the dead of the night, at least with a companion, I had the chance of broken rest in preparation for my job interview. I had found out from a colleague earlier that the going rate for a cab-ride to Melbourne was $1200 (AUD). It was 10pm, I was semi-desperate and I had the next day off so I chose the cab option, over hiring a car and driving solo (I was unwilling to disturb friends at this last minute).

After a few rejections from 3 Subcontinental cab drivers, I was down to a Middle-eastern and an Asian (Indonesian) driver at the taxi-rank. I asked this Indonesian cab driver whether he would take me to Melbourne? He replied "how much", and I said "$1200". Without a pause he agreed and said "Hop in mate". And so the deal was struck. It turns out that his cab had just been tuned up, he had relatives in Melbourne that he had wanted to visit and had always wanted to visit.

The terms were I would take the wheel when he got tired, so after a long, rainy, cold journey - including 3 stops and 2 cans of coke - we got there. He drove 750km and I did about 200km into Melbourne. I was dead tired as it was very hard to sleep: the taxi made much turbulent and high-pitched noise throughout night at high speeds.

He even took me into his relative's place where I was served tea, used their shower, shaved and even got some reading done. They didn't serve lunch, but I had 2 more Cokes and LCM bars.

He was willing to stay the whole day for extra $350, since he had to pay his boss, who incurred losses from a day's worth of cab-rental. But when I got to the hospital, Melbourne flights were back on that afternoon. I paid him, a handsome total of $1550 (AUD) as promised and bade him Godspeed.

I then wandered into the anaesthetics library, looking a bit under-the-weather. I had a friendly yarn with someone there, with whom I had to share the tale of my awesome joyride. I showed him the docket, and he said I was crazy.

Soon, I found out that I was chatting to the director, who was on the interview panel. He shared the story with the Deputy on panel. They were somewhat impressed, but definitely bemused and humoured by this.

A couple of hours after the interview at 4:15pm, whilst I was at the airport, they offered the Fellowship Job in Cardiac Anaesthesia! Thank God!!! I definitely don't deserve it, but I will receive it with a smile.

I talked to my closest and dearest first, mentors, department head and others before I said yes. So Melbourne is the go for 2012 : D. There is a great cost in going, directly for others and so indirectly to me, but hopefully God will provide. A very sad thing will be leaving our present church, which is gospel-centred, loving and our home.

But I thought it was a $1550 well-spent. God even gave me a new friend! Although the next time round, I'd just hire a car, because it's near impossible to sleep in a noisy cab, or I would call-up some bored friends to come down with me.

Anyone for a Joyride?

p.s. It turns out my driver is also a Christian, and he repeatedly asked me to pray for his strength on the way there! He rang me to make sure I did get a job offer, commenting how much we had both sacrificed to get me there. I hope it has encouraged him in his faith.

grace, random selection or other?

2011-05-29T00:15:00.001+10:00

"Thank God, they passed me",

is what I common say to people when I pass an exam. I actually mean it, and mean it literally. I know language is imprecise, but we can't interpret my meaning that wildly here.

"Thank God." Because He gave me all things, life, breath, body, brain, work, opportunity, support, family, friends, nice examiners, safety from accidents, mental blanks, colleagues, children, wife, freedom, financial security, praying friends, and much more.

"They passed me." I know I did do some study, but I know what I don't know, I know how much I've done, I know what I said and what I wrote. I know the quality of other candidates, etc. Though I don't deserve to pass, "they passed me." I will take this, with gratitude and thanks.

It really is another small act of graciousness that I experience daily, as a Christian, and have experienced in ways much, much greater than passing my Fellowship today. Just to name the forgiveness of all my sins at the price of God's own Son by a just and all-knowing God for the explicit purpose of enjoying Him and His goodness forever. Some graces are greater than others, but it's all grace and I receive it all with THANKS!!!

p.s. I'm not inebriated, I did have 7 in the course of the afternoon, but I have been boring and stayed in my hotel tonight.

Philippians 2:12-18 "Work out your Salvation"

2011-04-24T20:47:00.001+10:00

Recap Philippians 2:1-11

Last week we heard about God’s incredible humility as lived out by Jesus. Though He was fully God, the Son of God, He became a servant, lowering Himself and letting go of HIs own face, and looked after the interest of us humans, above His own. Our majestic God became nothing and even died for us and our sins by crucifixion, so that we may be made right with God, and be given His righteousness, guaranteed God’s life and benefits through Jesus’ sacrifice.

And in the context of the Letter to the Philippians, Jesus’ life of humility and service, is the good news and basis of the Fellowship or Friendship. When God’s Spirit is given to His people - we who believe in our hearts that Jesus has died and rose again during that Easter and confess with our lips that Jesus is now Lord and God’s Exulted King - this Spirit gives unity to the Fellowship of God’s people:

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. “ (Phil 2:1-2)

The Gospel, wins for God a whole new people, united by the Spirit of Jesus, that display and work out a unifying humility, like that of Jesus, within the community, and which is so different, so distinctive that the whole world around the church community are left speechless when they see God’s people living out their Gospel-changed lives. This is the theme of today’s passage and can be split into 3:

[God’s People] Working out [our] Salvation
[God’s People living] Pure and Blameless lives [marked by humility with grumbling or arguing], and lastly
[God’s People] Joy[fully] Serving [each other]

1. Work out your salvation (12-13)

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Phil 2:12-13)

Paul uses “Therefore” because he wants us to know that the reason, the example and the power behind us living Gospel-changed lives is Jesus’ humble service and sacrifice for God’s people, shown in Phil 2 above, and the unifying Spirit that lives in believers. He says, “Therefore”, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. To “work out” is to be active, to produce, to achieve, to labour, to try our best, in order to gain something and in this case, we are working out “our salvation”.

Woh, woh, wait, are you thinking that you have just heard me say that we are saved by our good works? Are your alarm bells ringing? They should be. But listen to me carefully, Andrew has, last week, and I have, earlier, said that it’s all God’s grace when He chose to come in His Son, to humbly die for humans on a cross for our sins, serving us and so wins salvation for us sinners, who are made right with God and receive the full blessings of a restored relationship with God. SO you guys need to work out, what Paul means by “work out your salvation, with fear and trembling.”

You see, Jesus initiates, sustains and guarantees salvation by HIs life, death, resurrection and return as Lord and Christ [aka God’s chosen King]. He starts by turning us, sinful enemies of God into a saved people in God’s community, His death effectively, sufficiently and absolutely guarantees - “on the day of Christ” when God returns to judge the whole world - that we will not die or be condemned for our sins. That’s simple, and it’s a huge part of the Gospel. You must not forget that even on your death bed. Salvation is finished in this way: we know that those in Jesus Christ will be saved from God’s wrath on that day! But salvation is also a journey towards that day, it is a relational process in a life, which shows that someone is saved and changed and is in relationship with the God who saves!

And remember again, who and what is the power behind our working out? It is “God, who works in [us] to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.” (Phil 2:13) God initiates, works and sustains our Christian lives to will and act so that He achieves a community that displays HIs power and likeness so that He gains Glory. In fact Jesus did that during the first Easter. He died, in obedience to God, humbled Himself for you and I, and God raised HIm to life again and gave Him a name above all names, so that everyone will acknowledge Him and give Glory to God the Father. (Phil 2:6-11)

We work out because it’s God who works! We are not lazy, compromising, or complacent because we have God Himself, changing our wills - that is our hearts and motivation - and God helping us by grace to act - that is using our bodies, hands and feet, in order to live out godly lives. We no longer live for our selves, seeking our selfish ambitions and interests, but seeking what God wills. Our purpose is to identify God’s good purpose in our lives. And let’s no forget that obedience is the ongoing attitude of God’s people. (Phil 2:12a) Jesus obeyed, we obey. He was obedient to the Cross, i.e. death, we too are obedient with our whole lives to God.

[Fear and Trembling]

2. Blameless and pure (14-16)

“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.” (Phil 2:14-16)

Together, we are to look so different in the middle of our world. The world around us is a wee-bit troubled in Paul’s days, it’s not so different today. It’s “warped and crooked”, that’s twisted, perverse and wandering away in disobedience and way from God’s moral, ethical and social standards. How are the people of God to be different, especially in our relationships with each other? Well, as we individually and collectively work out our salvation, we will look out for the interest and humbly serve each other, just as Jesus did, and do “everything without grumbling or arguing.”

Grumbling may be against each other, or against Paul and other leaders in the church, or even against God. Israel, God’s original people and now us, are fabulous grumblers. Grumbling in Egypt, grumbling in the desert, grumbling with Manna from heaven, grumbling with meat, grumbling when thirsty, grumbling before entering the promised Land, grumbling at Moses their leader all the way, grumbling when in the promised land, grumbling when they had no king, grumbling when they had a king, grumbling when prophets told them to obey, grumbling when God punished their disobedience, grumbling when they return from Exile to a diminished Israel, grumbling when God takes HIs time in return to save them, grumbling even when Jesus shows them the way and offers salvation by Grace: grumbling is a major trait of the people in the OT. And it is also in the NT, most likely in the Philippian church, which you’ll see in chapter 4, and we too are a grumbling nation and people, even our Christian churches here.

But serving each other with humility, seeking the other’s interests without bickering or arguing is the mark of a Gospel-community. The goal of this is that we be “blameless, pure and without blemish” against an entirely crooked world. God’s working out a perfection within this community that even in the unfinished work, the world can tell the difference. “Blameless” is living of a standard that the world can’t fault, “pure” is the state of our inward and outward life, shown in how we use our minds, hearts, eyes, hands feet and most of all tongues and “without blemish” is similar to blameless, that to the outside world the way we behave appears like a perfect community, even though we are being perfected and are not perfect yet as God’s people.

The difference is like the stars, moons and heavenly bodies, standing out in a dark sky. Our world is dark, and we are to look completely different and attractive, in the midst of all this. What thrives in God’s people is obedience, thankfulness and generosity: lives which are godly and faultless, and most of all, filled with mutual service and giving that’s done willingly, without seeking our own benefit and face. There is no university, work, volunteer or interest group that compares to a living Gospel-community, with God working within each and everyone’s wills and bodies.

Look, I’m not saying we are sinless right now, Paul has said that we are working it out and God is working it out. Our individual lives and collective fellowship is not complete yet. We still depending on God’s forgiveness, His grace, and His Spirit daily. But I am saying that we strive for that goal, which will be complete on the Day of of Christ (2:16). Another thing is that not only do we work and trust in God’s work, we need the Gospel, the constant reminder and teaching and explanation and spiritual digestion of “the word of life”. If we for one week or a day, forget what Jesus the Lord God did for us in His life, death and resurrection, or put another way, if Easter Friday/Sunday is not our holy day every day, then we can’t work out this Gospel-community. Christ is the power, the example, the standard, the reason for what we do. We have to have the mind of Jesus, we must continually feed on the Good News of Jesus’ humble service for mankind. That safeguards us all from falling into perverse and twisted darkness. That changes us into God’s Gospel-community.

3. Joy in serving God’s People (17-18)

“But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.” (Phil 2:17-18)

The Philippian pyramid that Andrew used had 3 layers: the context or situation of the Philippians is suffering, that’s the bottom, the reason is the Gospel and the outcome is Joy. And Joy again is the result for Paul’s labour and also the Philippians. Paul serves, having the mind of humble Jesus Christ and so do the Philippians, the result is Joy in each other and because of each other. Paul brought the gospel to the Philippians, and has been lovingly praying for them, teaching them, sending messengers like Timothy to check up on them and even in prison, He is writing with instruction and encouragement and, of course, prayerfully giving thanks for them. (Phil 1-2)

But their Friendship is not one way. The Philippians have responded to Paul’s work with faith and obedience (Phil 2:12a), they have been generous to Paul in sending Epaphroditus and financial gifts (Phil 4). They have been a source of Joy for Paul in their ongoing faith - trust in God - and even in their suffering for their faith (Phil 1:27-30). Most of all they have been Partners in the Gospel, in supporting Paul, in prayer for Paul’s work and giving toward the work in personnel (Epaphroditus) and money. That is the mark of this Gospel-friendship. So much so, that Paul describes their work as a sacrifice and service, like that of the OT priest or Jesus’ own sacrifice and service for God’s people, and Paul’s own service is like a “drink” poured out, emptied out, again like Jesus, in addition to the Philippians’ work in the Gospel. Paul and the Philippians have been Christ-like to each other in their Gospel-friendship. And the result is mutual Joy in each other and ultimately in God’s glorious grace.

Implications

God uses the Gospel to work in our Lives Today
1. Fear and Trembling. This attitude is not natural. People don’t fear (in their hearts) and despise fear, because it basically means a submission to one in authority. We would rather be feared than to fear. But this is the natural Christian response from the Gospel. God is an awesome judge and our fear of Him draws us closer to Him, not away from Him. So the fear is different to earthly fear. It means a lot for our lives, having a fear of a righteous, loving, generous Father who is behind us and working in us. It actually motivates us to work harder in our lives, because we know the one working in us and what He is like. We also need to treat all our lives as serious projects, where God is the Architect, Engineer, Resource Manager: it is ultimately His work: me, you, the guy you’re sitting next to, we are ultimately God’s work! Thinking like that instills a healthy fear as we relate and serve.
2. Work Out. It’s clear that we need to work hard at our lives. We often put more effort working in our homes, our university work, our career, our holidays our next meal than we often do in our lives. I think the use of “I can’t change myself, only God can” is a sign of laziness. But why don’t we place the same thought, planning, effort, money, intention, worry, contemplation, reflection and evaluation in our godliness and in our church-friendships? Remember it’s God who’s working in us for His good purpose, we have God-given resources to do that: His Spirit, His people, the Word of Life, Christian Books, Others’ Experiences. All these things help us. And the end goal is Christ-likeness and Christ-like living in our church! It’s going to look really, really impressive, it’s happening and will be complete on the Day of Christ. Hear my encouragement from God Himself, let’s work hard at our Gospel-living Today!
3. Pure and Blameless. And this of course means privately and publicly. Publicly we usually have no problems, we are not yet so individualistic and often face-saving helps mould the appearance of purity and blamelessness. But I must confess, before everyone else, that innermost purity and blamelessness in the knowledge of God is hard. Again, God’s Gospel, His Spirit of Fellowship and His present help and forgiveness is wonderful in helping me strive for purity.
Mutual Service, Generosity makes Church truly attractive
1. Without grumbling but with filled with Grace. This is the distinguishing mark of our church. May I tell you that at most churches in Sydney that believe and preach the Gospel, I know it happens. When compared to working in even public health, it’s even worse in private health, often what drives relationships is material good, mutual monetary benefit and asking people, even your assistants for assistance, which they are paid to do, is filled with grumbling, retaliation, delay, there is no enthusiasm, no seeking the others’ (i.e. patients’, colleagues’) benefit or generosity. But we are not to be like that. They are often dark, perverse, without God’s love, but we are to be filled with Grace, that is people experiencing God’s grace in HIs full measure in Jesus, so we serve each other, happily, out of our freewill and with creativity and joy! We are all God’s work, together we are in this enterprise of working out our salvation. If we did this, I know, our churches will be filled with those who hear the call of God. We will be marked with love and by this the world will know that we are God’s people and give Him praise.
We are Friends in the Gospel
1. More than Friends. In our churches we have great friendships. In general friendships are not hard to build. Time, fun, food, lots of outings, interesting stunts make good friendships. But Gospel-friendships are more than this. We are in partnership of Gospel-building-lives together. We are building each other’s lives and helping the sending of the gospel to other gospel-communities. That’s the relationship between Paul and the Philippians: it’s one of mutual service. That will be the relationship between your leaders and Andrew and yourselves and between you and me. We are really good at maintaining, spicing up our friendships; let’s be even more adventurous in our gospel-friendships. Pray, with thanksgiving and this frequently for each other, give and raise funds together to help gospel ministries, serve communities, especially needy non-Christian ones, together.
2. True Joy. We will have this if we are Friends in the Gospel. There is nothing sweeter. Even secular projects or work gives off much satisfaction, as I know when I’ve worked well with my team at say a resuscitation, at a horrible case or something similar. In normal friendships, traveling is often the essential element to some common joy. But I’m talking of True Joy. The Joy of seeing the Gospel work in lives, completely changing your own, each other and even stranger’s lives with the Gospel of God. If your friendship is based on this and you hold firm to the Gospel yourself, your friendships will be so satisfying, it’s a prelude to our satisfaction and the filling of our appetites when we meet God face to face on the Day of Christ. Make it a point, that your friendships are based on the the Gospel and work for the Gospel.

These are just some ways to work out our salvation with all of God’s heart, mind and strength.

Jesus: The Basics, Talk 3 - The Resurrection

2010-11-13T22:59:00.001+11:00

(Link to full talk)

1. All History, not just Christian History, but all human History even your own History, hangs on the answer to this question: did Jesus rise from the dead? I have been using Luke [I refer people to Talk 1 for why we use the Gospels as History] in the last few weeks to show that the most reasonable and plausible explanation of the witnessed events is that Jesus truly lived, truly died as God’s Messiah (the Christ) and that He truly rose in history. And this History has personal, relational, spiritual and universal consequences. Christianity depends on Truth, if it was shown that Jesus did not Rise from the dead then there is no Christian answer to anything anymore, there is no Messiah, there is no answer to Sin and Death, there is no sign of a living God acting in History, there is no hope: we have been duped, and we are worse off than unbelievers because we have been sold a false Gospel. But that is NOT the case. The Resurrection of Jesus is another externally, verifiable truth which has stood the test of time and much opposition and still stands today. He rose and that means for us who have been convinced, God’s Messiah - His chosen and anointed King - lives, that He is Lord of all History and Humanity, that He has defeated Sin and Death our last enemies and that we will Rise just as He has Risen. Do you see the importance of this question: Did Jesus Rise?

We have here many facts presented to us by Luke the Historian/Doctor that combine up into an whole account of Jesus’ Resurrection. Firstly we know for sure that Jesus died. The Centurion (Luke 23:47) was with other soldiers (23:26) made sure of that [...] He was DEAD.

But just as we are sure that Jesus was dead, we can be sure that the Tomb was empty on the Sunday morning and that Jesus met His disciples firstly around Jerusalem and later Galilee and again in Jerusalem: this happened over a period of 40 days, inclusively. Because, secondly, we have witnesses of the women disciples. I think it’s a wonderful thing and one that smacks of Truth: that we trust in the eye-witness confessions of humble women, among whom included the ex-prostitute Mary Magdalene [Matt 28:1] and Jesus’ own mother, both of whom were grieved to the core because of Jesus’ life with them. Why is it wonderful truth? Because women were the lower, second-rate class of the day but Christians uphold their testimony as trustworthy and equal in standing with other accounts; in fact they were the first-ones to find the tomb empty, the stone rolled away, it was to them that the angel reminded and reaffirmed what Jesus had promised to him: “The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again” [Luke 24:6-7]. It was to women, the lowly and despised, that God chose to announce that: “Jesus is Risen, He is not [laying dead in the tomb]!” Even the Eleven did not believe them [Luke 24:9]. But the women knew what they saw. This is embarrassing literature, embarrassing admission and an inconvenient truth because people didn’t trust women in those days! Yet because it’s embarrassing it’s therefore True. There is no way the disciples would have preferred it - it’d been nicer if Peter got to the tomb before they did [Luke 24:12], or if not Peter, then John, who was close to Jesus’ Crucifix at Mary’s side [John 19:26] but for sake of truth-keeping and honest recollection, we have women, the first witnesses of Jesus’ Resurrection, starting with the empty tomb.

Thirdly, there were multiple attestations of Jesus’ physical bodily Resurrection at various times, places and to different people [...] Similarly there’re multiple attestations to Jesus’ Resurrection, so good, so many, so closely documented in time in relation to Historical events that we have more evidence for this than any other figure in ancient history? For most of you, if you disappeared from the face of the earth today, there won’t be as good proof of who you are, what you do, where you live, what you are like or what you said compared with that of Jesus and His life, death and resurrection. None of us will have a biography written about ourselves and our highlights in life, let alone four?! [...]

Jesus then dined with the Eleven along with other disciples (Luke 24:36-44). He showed them and they touched him on His hands, feet and side [...] These witnesses were unsuspecting witnesses, they did not have in their hearts and minds to expect and let alone create a risen Jesus from their imagination. For a long time they were frightened, then amazed, then realised and finally became joyful (Luke 24:41) because of Jesus’ resurrection. You would have been too, if you were there, at the time.

Fourthly, there are silent witnesses in Luke’s account, that negatively support the Empty Tomb of Jesus and His Resurrection. These weren’t believers, they were equally afraid, stunned, but they didn’t have joy with their knowledge. These were the Roman authorities and the Jewish Leaders. There were guards at Jesus’ tomb, they’re silent. Why? Matthew does give an account that Jewish leaders bribed the Roman authorities to say that the disciples stole the body (Matt 28:11-15). Which means at least there was an empty tomb. The opponents are silent on why the tomb was empty, in that they don’t have an alternate, plausible explanation. Also, if there was a body, why couldn’t they just show it, why not contest, why not gather all the Jerusalem disciples and show them, I mean that’s where they were, why not stop another potential trouble right where it started? But History tell us, they were silent, they couldn’t overcome the witnesses and News of Jesus’ Resurrection, His appearances and as a result the early Church rose, just as Jesus rose.

The fifth and biggest fact which subsequently supports the Resurrection of Jesus is the Rise of the early Church. Luke gives an explanation (Luke24:44-49):

⁴⁴He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

You see, these people were once frightened, hopeless and lost. They had lost the one person whom they thought had brought God’s new age or His Kingdom that much closer. They had hoped in the rescue by God for them and others, in their personal, spiritual, moral and social lives. They were longing for a time where God who again be their God and they would be His own people. They wanted salvation in every sense of the word. They wanted a king who would lead them and teach them form God and lead them to God. But this person on whom all their hopes had laid was crucified and laid in a tomb himself. What good is a dead Saviour, what good is a cursed corpse, what good is a Messiah who was dead? Yet for some reason, some gaping event in history they were changed, literally over a short space of time, something like 40 days and nights. They were empowered (Luke 24:49). They began to call Jesus their Lord again. They had renew trust in Jesus as the Messiah. They started to worship this Jesus as God. They then called others from the outside in, so that they may know the Jesus they know, and preached repentance and the forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name. A small group, but convinced group of several hundred, slowly and steadily, overcame the Roman empire with their message, that Jesus is the Resurrected Messiah. What could cause this? A lie? A hoax? A mass common delusion? What else can explain the conviction of enemies of Jesus, Paul, unbelieving brother of Jesus, James, such that they would become leaders, teachers and martyrs for the fact of Jesus’ Life, Death and Resurrection. Only the Resurrection can explain this.

SO important was this Resurrection, it became part of an oral Creed that circulated within years of the event in 30AD, that Paul could refer to, as you and I would refer to a pop-song, say Viva La Vida by Coldplay, or Teenage Dream by Katy Perry [try to sing these, Will]. Paul wasn’t even arguing the case but simply referring to something COMMONLY known, held to heart and publicly proclaimed, 1Corinthians 15:3-8:

³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance:

that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

⁴ that he was buried,

that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas,

and then to the Twelve.

⁶ After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,

⁸ and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born...

To put simply, nothing explains all these things from these witnesses, unless Jesus Rose, physically, bodily from the Dead. You need more blind scepticism to believe any other explanation. There is no better alternative explanation [I’ll leave your questions to Q&A time]. Jesus simply Rose for all to see and hear. And now we must ask...

2. Did the Messiah (aka the Christ) have to rise from the dead? Jesus referred Himself as the Messiah, or more correctly, the Messiah portraits or predictions from the Old Testament fit Jesus perfect, especially in hindsight, especially after Jesus’ resurrection. [Again, I refer people to Jesus’ life, his teachings, his miracles, his explanations of the OT teachings in Talk 1] I can’t have created these, neither could Jesus, or the New Testament witnesses because the predictions were in the Old Testament, written before 400BC. If you know that God is an all powerful agent in History, who acts, saves, speaks to and changes people in History, then it isn’t a surprise that Jesus came with an introduction and explanation, from God Himself. Look with me through Luke 24:25-27:

²⁵ He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the

prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then

enter his glory?” ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to

them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

[...]

Simply, the Old Testament Law, Prophets and Psalms - “all Scripture” - portrayed a Messiah who had to suffer all that Jesus did, die, be buried, and then raised on the third day and enter into “glory” as the Resurrected Messiah. And Jesus is the one who lived proclaiming the Good News as the Messiah, died for our sins as the Messiah and Rose from the dead as the glorious King-Messiah, in accordance with all Scripture.

Isaiah 53 [remember it’s written in 700BC, by a prophet, seeing the picture of a Suffering Servant, who looks remarkably like Jesus at the Cross] is useful once again, this time we’ll look at the second half in detail, we know that Jesus the Messiah, died on the Cross in our place for our sins to take away the death penalty deserved for us so that we don’t die and we don’t pay and we don’t receive God’s judgment in order that we may have forgiveness of sins (Isaiah 53:7-12):

⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
¹¹ After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

Verse 11 in particular says that after the Servant Messiah suffers, “He will see the light of life and be satisfied; and by His knowledge [the] righteous servant will justify [make right in God’s sight] many, [because] He will bear their iniquities [or sins].” After suffering for sins of the world, our sins, your sin my sin, the Messiah will rise and see life and the joy of life, forever. Isn’t this Jesus who was crucified, cursed by God for sin, buried, and rose on the 3rd day? ...

Why is it so important that Jesus is the Resurrected Messiah? It’s because only then is Jesus truly the Messiah and that the Messiah has truly come. You don’t know what I’m saying, I probably don’t grasp the entirety of the HUGENESS of this Good News either. But if Jesus is that Resurrected Messiah, then it means that God’s Kingdom has come, it means that today is the day of Salvation [Isaiah 61:1-2, Luke 4:18-19], when you hear Jesus and see Him and trust in Him and turn around to follow Him, you are personally saved and belong to God and are made His daughter or son, that not only you but the whole world can be reconciled to God the Father through the Life, Death, and Resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus! and it also means that...

3. The Resurrection put an end to our last enemy: Death and Sin, its sting. Death has died, because sins have been paid for and death’s no longer an eternal Enemy or Tormentor of Life for those whom Jesus has died and rose. Jesus’ own Resurrection, vindicates Him as the Lord who is at God’s [the LORD’s] right hand, the position of triumph, power, victory and majestic rule, look at Psalm 110’s opening with me:

¹ The LORD says to my lord:

“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”

² The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying,
“Rule in the midst of your enemies!”
³ Your troops will be willing
on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy splendor,
your young men will come to you
like dew from the morning’s womb.

How are you to interpret the Resurrection of Jesus if you believe in God’s word in the Old Testament? Use this Psalm [most quoted Psalm in NT, Peter, Paul, writer of Hebrews, all use to to point to the Resurrected Jesus]. Jesus used this to point to Himself even before His death and Resurrection. It’s because the suffering, substitutionary and dying Messiah was TO BE the mighty, ruling and glorious Messiah. That’s what it means that He had to suffer these things and enter into His Glory. [...] He has defeated the Greatest Enemy of All: Sin and Death - that ugly, two-headed rabid beast that will consume and feast on you if you are not under this glorious Messiah.

Verse 1 of Psalm 110 declares that all enemies, including Sin and Death and all its vile consequences, are under Jesus’ feet. His enemies are DEAD. There is going to be no evil in God’s kingdom come, no injustice, no disease, no miscarriage, no abuse, no hurtful lies, no life-destroying habits or fatal mistakes, there is no inner failure and outward wasting, there is

NO Enemy left against God, Jesus the Messiah or the new Humanity His own Creation and Children on whom His Spirit rests. There will be no Eternal Death. There will only be Life as Jesus knows it best. Life as we have longed for all our lives but can’t attain no matter how technologically-advanced, culturally-savvy, spiritually-enlightened, morally-upright, relationally-successful or materially-rich we have become because all that doesn’t compare to God’s Resurrected Life. It stinks in comparison. The joy is so miniscule. The life is so flakey. It’s cheaper than 1980’s Chinese imitations of real Western goods. But Jesus has risen and His enemies are now pronounced dead: Sin, its effects, its curse, its limitations on life as we all know it and Death that drives us all in fear, frustration and grumbling - Sin and Death are Dead if Jesus is the Resurrected Messiah. He Lives, He Rules, He calls us now to enjoy and to follow and He will return to realise all the promises of History, God’s history as we have heard it in the OT and NT.

4. So, which side of Jesus’ Resurrection do you stand on?

First, let’s take the “No” side. What does saying “No” to the Resurrection mean? If you are saying no because you are seeking and you want to be more convinced, then great, because the disciples, witnesses, even Christians today, have found Jesus’ life death and resurrection hard-going. But may I encourage you that you don’t need to know everything in order to know something sure? If you know Jesus’ Resurrection, it’s a start, a great start and all that you need to start with. Turn, repent from sins, trust in Him and receive forgiveness, life and relationship with God the Father.

But, beware of being a silent witness, one who knows enough of the facts but is not changed or moved by it in anyway. Your silence in witness, will condemn you in the face of God. We are the same as the Roman and Jewish authorities, who for more convenient reasons of security, power, comfort ignore the Resurrection. It may well be more convenient for you to let this slip under the table, let this knowledge go by. The Romans and that old way of life, were gone, they have past. The Jewish leaders still to this day seek a different Messiah. I’m not sure who they’ll find. Jesus’ Resurrection though True, was not functionally or significantly true for them, so they have all come, lived, and died under Sin, Death and Judgement, probably worse off than they were if they’d never heard the eye-witnesses. The same warning goes for anyone, if convinced of the little that I’ve shown from Luke today, then don’t go back. Christianity is either Truth, the whole truth and everyone’s Truth or nothing at all. [...]

And more importantly, I don’t want anyone of you to miss out... [on the things below]

So, let’s take the other side. What if you believe in the Resurrection in head, heart and will? What does that mean for you? At least it means that though you die once, you will rise just as Jesus has to a glorious new life, with glorious bodies and all that, for the enjoyment of God, HImself, His Creation and all His goodness in the company of many witnesses and believers in a glorious party. It means you will see Him just as He is because you have united yourself with the Suffering and Rising Messiah, His own Son and Lord of all. It means you have hope, that you didn’t have before and not many friends have found and will ever find. Treasure this, my brother and sister, make it your heart’s delight, make it your turkish delight, your teenage dream, your viva la vida, your revolution, your purpose, your POWER in life because Jesus has died, suffered and risen in Truth, in History and in God’s Reality.

Where then, may I ask, is the sign of the Resurrected power in your life, if you claim to know this truth in Head and Heart? Where’s the “proof” of a sure win and defeat of Life’s greatest enemies in your life? [...] When you and I go through disease, separation, failure, physical torment {hopefully not torture, but even then] may be know the power of Jesus’ Resurrected life, so that our hope and joy shines out. I’ve seen it. I know it in part, for I am a pigmy when it comes to suffering. But that was what got the first Christians off the ground, through the Roman Empire and the rest of the known world: they could be sawed, chained, have homes confiscated, and still they remained as loving, as forgiving, as energetic as we are after a European vacation.

Sometimes our “joylessness” or “lifelessness” isn’t true, or not based on reality, but on lies. Lies can recreate a false joy, or it can snuffle true joy; lies can cover up emptiness with an imitation - very good imitations, almost as good as the real thing, or lies can smother true Life that we already have an enjoy. [...] If you like, good food, good friends, good relationships, good marriages, good businesses, and good world-changing accomplishments are shadows, shadows of a greater reality, and markers of greater longings, which are only met and now freely OFFERED to us, in the Resurrection of Jesus. Why is Heaven likened to a banquet? To a great city? To a Marriage between God and His people? Why do inhabitants of the new Jerusalem sing and dance with celebration and energy? Why is Life on that side of Jesus’ Resurrection one of joy and hope and perfection? Well, because, it is: it’s the nature of the things to come, to be fully realised when the Resurrected Jesus comes back to bring God’s kingdom on this world with full force. LG: Life’s good, JC: Resurrected Life is even better. Don’t buy the lie of life now, without Jesus, because the life without Resurrection is a phoney, it’s a sham, it’s an imitation, in the it’s DEATH without the Resurrected Jesus. But the truth is that Jesus Has Risen, He showed the witnesses and now to us a glimpse of GLORY of Resurrection. [...]

Jesus’ Resurrection is POWER. It means we all are freed from sin and death, yes there are still cobwebs, a few tangles, a few knots, but the process of radical transformation, of a new life has started and will continue. Just as surely Jesus has Risen in Glory so will some of you one day. May that be your driving motivation, your pillar of strength, may it be what frees you to live by God’s Spirit in ways which are shocking to the world, but natural to your new Life. Have you considered giving? Giving lots of money? Away? To other people? For their good? Have you considered missing out on the best that this world has to offer so that at least others can have the best that God has to offer? I have, the disciples have, Paul has, but have you? I can’t drag you, you must be compelled by the Truth of His Resurrection. What has St Basil’s got to give to people in Artarmon? Something that they want, or something that they need and are looking for, they just haven’t found it, or Him. Offer them the Resurrected Jesus, who is Historically true, externally verifiable, and whose Rising changes the History of our world and everyone’s personal history as well.

Loneliness, Desires and other Voids of the Heart

2010-11-04T03:05:00.001+11:00

What do I think of human loneliness as a Christian?

Blaise Pascal (famous French philosopher and mathematician) is often quoted for saying inside each and every one of us is a "God-shaped" void or vacuum which is reserved for Him or only He can fill. In the same category as our universal sense of loneliness or alienation, are longings for home, for love, for significance, for permanence (oft called transcendence in philosophy) and for awe and beauty. It is so strange that this is really an innate thing, like some common experience built in our communal "DNA" or memory.

It's also strange that in our clearest and even happiest moments in the midst of friends and loved ones, we are acutely aware still of our need for a significant other, more significant than a lover, spouse, friend, family and even one identical to ourselves. Why is this so? I find that desires in their most raw forms all point to our need for a personal, loving Father God who knows and actively cares for and identifies with us in His Son and communes with His by His Spirit. [I will not explain this statement here, except it is part of His Triune nature] Most desires are good if fulfilled by the right object. The truest and most satisfying object of all our desires in sum and in parts is God Himself: our desires are perfectly matched by and in Him and Him alone. And the desire for fellowship, for communion and for deep belonging is fundamental to our sense of loneliness.

Where does my loneliness point? Will it be met in all its needs? A few of my friends are remarkably sociable creatures. It's great, honestly. But I know that still, all the best of us fail in providing for each other what only God Himself can do. I cannot replace my need for God with a significant other no matter how good he or she is. It is a universal experience again, and that's why romantic idealistic characters can never find that someone in movies. It's a funny experience most of the time because most people just get on with it and know and accept that a good marriage or friendship or relationship is as good as it gets. It's good when we DON'T take the relationship too seriously or exhaustively - I must qualify here - in the sense that we cannot place such a burden on the significant other to provide for ALL that we need. We can't, we don't want to, it breaks the other person and belittles the good that is already in them. A stable, faithful partner is good enough. But still, why this loneliness still, what good can it achieve?

As a Christian, I believe in something hideous called SIN. It is a personal betrayal of God our Father and Creator and Judge, the falling short of the perfect, the twisting of something good into something evil, and the essence of human pride against the goodness and trustworthiness of God. Sin is both against God and against others, usually, but always against God. One of the effects of sin is the separation of humankind with our natural owner or Creator or "husband" [if humankind is female-like] - God: it alienates us from His goodness and righteousness. And we live in it, we feel it, we sense it in loneliness and other cousins of this desire. It reflects a deep defect within us, for which we yearn an answer, a peacemaker.

God promises the deepest of reconciliation and communion with Himself, beginning with forgiveness, and all this freely through the Death and Resurrection of Jesus on our behalf for the sake of our sin. "He who knew no sin became sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2Cor 5:21). The Bible has so many wonderful images on the relationship the Christian has with God, as his Children (Romans 8:9-11), as people with access to a glorious God (Romans 5:1-2), at peace with God (Romans 5:6-11), and so on. In Him, I truly find what I had been looking for and still long for, not perfectly yet, but fully realised in the future. It's true that though I may sense loneliness, I know it's a residue of the past, no longer a death-hold on my being or behaviour. I have great freedom now and confidence, knowing and tasting the love of God for us in Jesus, to serve and love others. By no means am I doing it right, anyone around me can tell that, but I know that it is a sure process. In Him the Christian is never alone, even if they are outwardly so in the world's eyes.

***

Ecclesiastes 3:11 "[God] has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end."

Psalm 43:5 "Why, my soul, are you downcast?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise Him,

my Saviour and my God."

Jesus: The Basics, Talk 2 - Jesus Died (Luke 23)

2010-10-31T23:08:00.000+11:00

1. That Jesus Died

I think that even the most skeptical or critical of us agree that Jesus, of Nazareth, died. That He died on a Cross. That Christians believe His death to be significant and important. I don’t need to convince people of the plausibility of Jesus death as much as the plausibility of Jesus’ life because it is totally believable. Everyone dies, at some point. I had to work hard last week, to establish the plausibility of Jesus doing the things He did, performing the miracles he did, claiming the wild things that He did. But this week, most people can believe that if a man is public sentenced to death by a Roman Governor, brought before Roman soldiers, nailed on a cross that Jesus really did die, that day, in around 30 AD, on a place called Golgotha/Calvary or the “Skull” (Luke 23:33)

The First thing we need to find is the significance of Jesus’ death. That’s where the clincher is. There are many minor variations on the specific details, such as mechanism of the Crucifixion, but the main divergence is on WHY, or what is the significance of His Death? So what that He died. This question, when answered, actually forms the basis of everyone’s religious viewpoint or faith commitment. No matter who you are, the answer you give to WHY Jesus died determines your viewpoint on God, what and who He is, how we relate to Him or get to Him and on the cause and purpose of your life today. Really? Is my answer to WHY Jesus died that important? Luke, along with other eye-witnesses of Jesus’ Life, Death and [Resurrection] would have you say yes. I agree with them. Because if your answer, by the end of my explanation, is not something along the lines: “Jesus died for me, personally, for my good and my sake” then you have placed your faith commitments on something other than the Christian God, someone other than the Centre of Christianity. Your faith is probably placed in yourself, your work or some other thing you have done.

The Second thing to note is that the historical fact that Jesus died was actually more shocking to Jesus’ followers, His enemies, the critical public than it is to us today. It was completely unexpected. If I walked up to someone on George St (Sydney) and said, “do you think that Jesus died on the Cross?” their answer would be, “Yes, very probably. It is entirely conceivable”. But this was not the case to His disciples, His followers, His Critics and even HIs enemies. I’ll explain in detail but every witness to His death you’ve heard in the Scriptures today, were shocked by the fact that this Man Jesus died and at HOW He died. It all to do with expectation. Did they expect Him to live forever? Given that He had displayed many signs of God’s power, given His teaching with wisdom and authority, given His love for the sickest and the worst in Society, given His claim that He was God’s Son, representative and chosen King [Christ]... given all things He said and did in His life HisDeath on the Cross is Inconceivable to everyone around Him, it was merely impossible that Jesus should die, in that fashion, like a criminal on the Cross, it is completely paradoxical if this Man really were the Son of God or God’s Chosen King.

Yet can I tell you that God was not shocked? That Jesus was not shocked? That throughout His Life Jesus had tried really, really hard to tell His disciples, his friends and even his enemies that He was going to die? Like that time after feeding the 5000, Jesus asked His disciples (Luke 9:18-22) who He was, Peter answered “You are the Messiah or Christ” and Jesus then began to start telling them He must suffer and die at the hands of Jerusalem leaders. And He kept on dropping hints, reminding them, over and over again, but still they didn’t think He was serious. No one really thought that the total sum of Jesus’ Life and His raison d'être was that He would give up His body, blood and spirit to be executed at the hands of men and God? Did you ever have such ambitions as a child, when someone asked: “So Will, you’re a pretty okay boy, what do you want to be when you grow up”, “I want to be betrayed by friends and countrymen, sentenced publicly, be humiliated and beaten, then experience the worst sort of execution preserved only for criminals and cursed human beings: I want to die like that.” What, are you crazy? Is this a shady side of Jesus that is so incompatible with the rest of His life? Well, it’s not. As we look at HOW Jesus Died and WHY He did, we ought realise that God had meant it and revealed it in the OT [explain under point 3 - Isaiah 53] for a long time. Jesus was always going to die, the OT expected it, God planned it and His Life mission was to Die.

2. How Jesus Died

So How did Jesus die? What was His manner? How did He approach His death? I am not asking you to see Him like Socrates and use Jesus as an example. Firstly, you can’t. Jesus, as remembered by eye-witnesses showed superhuman composure and wisdom. Secondly, that’s not the significance of His death. If you walked away from today and thought: I am going to follow Jesus’ example and try to be like Him, you have completely missed the Christian answer to the question. Yet How He died is revealing of who He really is and makes the question of WHY even more urgent.

Jesus held onto the Truth claims he spoke of in His Life. Look with me at the preliminary hearing of Jesus’ trial in front of the Chief Priests and Teachers:

^22:67"If you are the Christ," they said, "tell us."

Jesus answered, "If I tell you, you will not believe me, ⁶⁸and if I asked you, you would not answer. ⁶⁹But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God."

⁷⁰They all asked, "Are you then the Son of God?" He replied, "You are right in saying I am."

⁷¹Then they said, "Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips."

^23:1Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. ²And they began to accuse him, saying, "We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king."

What Jesus says here before his death sentence, is entirely consistent with the rest of His life and also the signs, teachings and testimony of those around Him. No one missed the point that He claimed to be God’s chosen King the Messiah or Christ. He is not going to deny what He knows is true, though to some of you He is probably closer to a lunatic than the real thing. To His accusers, they didn’t really care whether He was the Messiah, but they had been personally insulted, and they were thrown off their positions of authority when Jesus criticised their behaviours. This trial was merely a legal ploy to get rid of Him for standing up for truths about God. [One of their gripes was Jesus’ healing lepers, cripples, diseased persons on the Sabbath or Day of Rest. Jesus repeatedly did this to proclaim that God’s day of salvation has arrived, but because this Good News trumped the traditions of the Elders, it started an animosity between Jesus and what He taught about God and the Old School of Chief Priests.] Jesus did not back down from proclaiming the reality of God’s kingdom and neither did He backdown from claiming that He really was from God, that He was God’s chosen King the Messiah.

From a human level, what Jesus did was NOT convincing. I am expecting you guys to not be convinced yet. Why? Because like the Chief Priests our expectation of God’s chosen king is not the portrait of a poor, homeless, average man who befriended sinners, losers, outcasts. He had no class, no status, no worldly importance. He talked about spiritual things not visual, tangible, immediate gains or victory and He didn’t seem like a boss, or successful leader by our standards. May I challenge you now that you are practising what the Chief Priests did? That you are not viewing Jesus as God of the Bible would? That your expectations are way, way, way off compared to the expectations of Kingship in the Scriptures? Let me show you, firstly by looking at HOW Jesus died: Innocently and with Love.

Pilate was the Roman Governor who eventually signed the papers for Jesus’ execution. He could find nothing wrong in Roman Law against Jesus:

^23:3So Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the king of the Jews?" "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.

⁴Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no basis for a charge against this man.

Pilate repeatedly told the crowd of Priests and Jerusalem Leaders that He could not legally execute Jesus. He even sent Jesus to the corresponding Judean King Herod, who “hoped to see him perform some miracle.” Jesus didn’t allow him that pleasure and was handed back over to Pilate for a final judgment. And this is what Pilate says:

^23:14and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. ¹⁵Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. ¹⁶Therefore, I will punish him and then release him."

Pilate says: He’s innocent, I’ll punish him, i.e. flog him to a pulp, then I’ll let him go. But even this level of injustice was NOT enough for the priests and leaders. They shouted, crucify him, crucify him, and Pilate resisted a third time, saying I’ve got no grounds to execute this guy, man, just let me and let him go? Isn’t this punishment enough. It wasn’t, so Pilate “surrendered Jesus to their will.”

Despite being innocent and falsely condemned, and ridiculed, what sort of composure did Jesus exhibit? Something in the realm of the divine, something PERFECT.

^23:33When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. ³⁴Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

How could Jesus say this? This is non-sense. Jesus of all teachers of the OLD Testament Law knew the heart of God. God is one who loves justice, urges His people to practice mercy and humbly obey His righteous law. God is the one who keeps His eye on the oppressed, who upholds justice for the defenseless. How could Jesus, who claims to represent God as His King, let this injustice go? Because God is able to absorb the Injustice within Himself at His own cost [more on this later]. In forgiving His enemies, however hurtful or bitter they were, He shows a divine Love that is impossible for a mere man. Jesus is stripped bare, devoid of dignity, tortured and beaten, tired and fatigued, thirsty and in physical pain. He is placed with criminals who are likely murderers, rotten and ugly. Yet He is starts to demonstrate just a fraction of the depths of God’s love for all Humankind. He says: Father forgive them, even though I am innocent, Father forgive them; they don’t know the extent of their evil deeds in crucifying the Christ, Father forgive them for they do not know just whom they have sentenced to Death.

But WHY, WHY would Jesus die? WHY die He willingly choose this career path? WHY if He claims to be God’s King would He die? Remember He’s not just your example, He’s not your local hero, He’s not going to be featured on Oprah as inspiration for humankind because simply He isn’t that sort.

3. Why Jesus Died

To put simply. Jesus died for you, Jesus died for us. For you. For me. Jesus died for you and me. That’s why.

When I ask WHY I don’t mean what are the factors, causes and human players and decisions that led to Jesus’ execution. That is plain for all to see, it’s there on the surface, in all the accounts. I have already given you the human cause: in jealousy, in personal vengeance, in cowardice of governance and in people acting unjustly for the sake of convenience. It’s there. When I ask WHY, I mean, for what purpose did Jesus die? It is a question you don’t ask these days. A lot of you still are affected by philosophical movements that says: in life, there is no real purpose, what happens just happens and what is just is and the purpose is that you learn and be “good” [whatever stand of good you can conjure up] as a result of what happens in life. Life is existentially fluffiness for some of you and the purpose may be maximising short-term pleasures for tomorrow you die.

But not in God’s world. In God’s world there is purpose, He has plans He has power to enact them and He has reasons for making things happen the way they are: Jesus as God’s Son has a purpose in resolutely heading to His Crucifixion which He knew in advance, spoke of repeatedly to His disciples and actually FINISHED His work by dying on the Cross for you and me. How do I know? Because God laid down the plan long before Jesus came. Throughout the OLD Testament [which is a book that spans at least 1800 years of various writers and genres as God acted in Human History], God laid down a blueprint or if you like a Resume for the Role that the Christ, God’s chosen king. Let me read you from Isaiah, prophet in 700BCs, and what he saw as the portrait of the Christ. It is commonly know as the Suffering Servant passage:

[Context: God is speaking of the One who is to come, referred to as He. We know Jesus is that He for He fits the portrait. We bystanders feature in this song or vision, we are the ones who look on the Servant, who benefit from the Servant’s suffering and understand what is happening to Him. We are right in the middle of this Song, we are NOT innocent, we are the cause...]

Isaiah 53

1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Let me show you only 4 features of the Suffering Servant that fits Jesus [there are thousands more, not just from this passage, but alas, we lack the energy]

1. The Christ has to Suffer (Isaiah 53:3-6, Luke 9:18-22, Luke 22:37), for the People
2. Facing God’s Judgment (Isaiah 53:8:, Luke 22:42, Luke 23:44, Crucifixion Curse 23:33), for the People
3. He the Righteous took the punishment for the Sinner [the People] (Isaiah 53:9, Luke 23:40-42)
4. He was Passover Lamb (Isaiah 53:7, Luke 22:13-20).

[I will expand each of these points if there is time. Explain the Judgment of God, why He is angry at Sin and is just to judge. That His judgment is fierce and complete and deserved. Must mention that’s why Jesus so wanted to celebrate the Passover with His disciples and asked them to continually remember His death in that light: He is the Passover Lamb that God prepared for rescue of His people. By the blood shed, God’s people are saved from judgment and are rescued by His might into His kingdom.]

If God was like the Boss, interviewing an Apprentice who was going to inherit all that He had and be CEO of all His enterprise, this excerpt would be the on top of the contract. Jesus, He would say, you are my Son, whom I love, with you I am well-pleased (Luke 3:22). But you must do this in order to achieve my greatest and most spectacular Rescue Package. You must Suffer, as a Servant, as a Slave, as a nobody for EVERYBODY. Because everybody has sinned and face eternal judgment for their sins. I am their judge. You must be the Innocent One who takes on EVERYBODY’s debt, EVERYBODY’s punishment that they deserve. Why? Because I, you, we LOVE them. They can’t save themselves, I, you, we must do it FOR them. Die for them, die for their sins, die for their short-comings, die in their place so that they will not die. I know you are innocent, but die for them as we love them. Die for the undeserving, the helpless, the wicked, die for our enemies, though they may reject us, reject our plans, reject our LOVE, still break your body and pour out your blood FOR them. Die for them or else they die themselves. This was Jesus’ calling, HIs vocation, His task to be that Suffering Servant who was (Isaiah 53:5)

Pierced for our transgressions,

Crushed for our iniquities,

The Punishment that brought us peace was upon Him [Jesus],

And by His wounds we are healed.

To put simply, Jesus died for us, for our sins, took our punishment, He died in our place so that we may not die and suffer the eternal consequences of our sins. And the flip side says, it is Jesus who was pierced, who was crushed. It is only By Him that we have peace with God, each other and ourselves and are healed in all spheres of Life.

[Answer objections now? Or save ‘til point 4? Or save ‘til Question Time?]

[So I hear you say. Sin? What is that? I’ve never heard of it? It is a culturally and socially relative term. I know I am not perfect but to say that I, an upright, tax-paying, sometime law-abiding, is a SINNER? That’s just a scare tactic. One if there were sins in my life they are not that bad, not deserving of God’s punishment... Argue the point backwards: because we know Jesus the Christ who was perfect has Suffered wrath from God -> we know that sins are punishable and must be judged.]

[And some of you might ask: How could this be Just? God is the prime violator of Justice if He chooses to transfer SINS from the SINNER to an INNOCENT 3rd party: the Suffering Servant?]

[Why should God be angry at all, why can’t He just forgive and forget like all good people? Why does He feel at all when we reject Him and forsake Him and just want His own good things, isn’t He a bit of a megalomaniac? I think the answer lies int he question itself. Why should God burn with rage and jealous anger?]

4. So what that Jesus Died?

You might get the idea, by now, that I take the Death of Jesus most seriously. It’s one of those things that I and countless other Christians before have held dearest to my heart. [speak of my near death event? and how I could only remember John 3:16, may be not] It is a thing that I am most unashamed of, most vocal about and will not hesitate in holding to Death’s door if I was forced to choose. That Jesus freely, lovingly died for my, yours and our Sins, completely so that we may not. Point a gun at my head and ask me to recount and I cannot. I will not.

That Jesus Died is to the Christian, the most paradoxically beautiful event in History: both global and universal history and our personal and intimate history. It is the litmus test for true Christian Faith: if for some reason, for some doubt, for some other obstruction, that you find this act of God in Crucifying His Own Son not a beauty, not a majestic artwork, not a heart-enthralling arrow then I declare you still in the dark, still blind to our sins and lacking a living Spirit. It is something so true, so right, so just, so loving that if we don’t see it I’m afraid we are not seeing at all. It grieves me and God that anyone should reject Him in the first place, and it grieves me and grieves God even more when He, the Lover has poured out His heart, and soul by breaking His body and shedding His blood only to find a cold, recalcitrant heart.

Look at the two thieves:

^23:38There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

³⁹One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"

⁴⁰But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. B

ut this man has done nothing wrong."

⁴²Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

⁴³Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

One saw a pathetic, contradictory miracle worker who was promising but failed to deliver God’s power. Jesus just didn’t convince the first thief. But the Other, his eyes lit up, HIs heart saw and was in awe of the awesome beauty of Jesus’ death. Both are looking at the same Suffering Servant Christ, only one went to paradise. WHY because only one saw the beauty of God’s love poured out on that Cross. Only one understood THAT Jesus died for him. Only one was guaranteed life with God everlasting in Paradise. Only one could link the portraits of a self-sacrificial loving, humble God and a majestic King. Only saw his own fallen nature that was repaid with undeserving love and generosity in Jesus’ death for him.

[I am not saying we stop asking questions, I am not saying that we shouldn’t spend time to think and really digest what is going on. You think anybody so miraculously understood the beauty and Majesty of the Christ when they saw Him naked, ashamed, despised, weakened? Hardly anyone is as lucky as the believing thief who saw the Majesty of Jesus on His side. Most people take time. What I am saying is for those who have heard, who have investigated, who have decided and then finally rejected this Death of Jesus as a death for them: I have no solution, I have no more tears, I’m all out of argument and out of love. If I am not clear, then mea culpa, but if I have been clear then I truly grieve for anyone who rejects God the second time. Not even God Himself can further convince you if He appeared to you in person, because He already has. He has fully demonstrated His own love for us in this: that Jesus Died for You and Me.]

Ask yourself, do you need this Jesus to Die for you? Do you honestly think that before the eyes of God we are blameless, guiltless, perfect and should be received in His presence as we would be by the King or Queen or any other important person and dignitary on Earth? Are we really that good, that nice, that fitting for a Holy, Just, Awesome Creator God? Yes I know He’s a loving Father, but what about the whole person of God? Or do you feel just that tiny bit, even just a little bit of need for someone like Jesus, who Suffers as one who Serves us so that we might be made Right in God’s Sight? Free, blameless, guiltless and forgiven fully because He has Died for us? Can I encourage you feed that right desire, even if it’s just a little, because friends humility or poverty of Spirit: knowing I am no where near perfect and need forgiveness - that brings you and me closer to God than any of our righteousness because we will start to trust in this Jesus, who Died for Us.

Are you as cold and clinical as Pilate and Herod, who saw and talked with and judged Jesus to be just another teacher and miracle worker but not the Christ who Suffers for Us? To them He’s just another good role model, but if He doesn’t fit with our current well-being, our current status and state of happiness, if His words just reveal too much of our own guilt in Sin and hopelessness in Death, then we can conveniently wash our hands of guilt and say: He’s good for you, but not for me. Fine if you want Him, fine if you don’t want Him, as for me, I’ll have nothing to do with Him. I’ll just stay neutral, agnostic and forever in the middle. But you can’t. His Death doesn’t afford that neutrality. At the End of the Day, as I said in the Beginning, the answer you give to the question “WHY did Jesus die?” will place you in a definite position with regard to who you think God is, what He’s like, how you will relate to Him and whether you need Him. If your answer is not: I know for sure that Jesus died for Me, then you will answer for that. You will have determined your own destiny and be responsible for your own life, but at a cost of ALL of your Life. Friends, brothers, sisters, my prayer is that God may open your heart of hearts, your mind’s eye, that God would so have mercy on you because I know He has, and can melt through the hardest and the coldest of hearts.

What about for those for whom Jesus has Died, those of you who still are faithful and ever holding to this Truth? My words of encouragement to you. My thanks to God for you. Because you stand in such privileged positions, such enormous heavenly glory is waiting for you, for whom Jesus Died! Do you know your joy? Do you know how good it will be when God’s kingdom comes in full and you are in the middle of it with Him?! Do you know you have experienced and will forever know first hand the greatest love-act of all, better than love from a lover, a spouse, a child, a mentor, a friend, an admirer, love from no one less than God Himself? DO you not feel empowered and free to love as He does? What if you are rejected by friends who mistreat you or just use you, can you afford to forgive them? Of course. You have been forgiven more. What if you are tempted to abandon ship, to drop this Jesus because you have a greater offer elsewhere? Show me the Love from this other person, this other thing, this other object [achievement, award, pleasure, thrill, success], show me what Love there is in that thing and I will show you more in the Death of Jesus for you. We have no choice but to be faithful because Jesus has Died for Us. Are you unsatisfied with your position in life now, with your state now, with your lot now? Are you lacking that something to make you complete? Let me say that Jesus’ Death for you proves to me that your insecurity is a lie from the devil: because nothing is more beautiful and precious than what God has already offered: He has broken His body for you and poured

out His blood in Dying for you.

So what if Jesus Died? The significance is found in your answer. He died for me, He died for you.

Jesus: the Basics, talk 1: Jesus Lived

2010-10-25T22:41:00.001+11:00

1. What we know about Jesus: Luke the Historian (Luke 1:1-4)

What do we know about Jesus? Why is it important? Christianity is definitely not a religion. A religion can live, have followers, enforce moral demands even if there was no history to it. From traditional religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and even Islam to modern “religions” such as Food Craves, Wall Street, Apple Co. - all can have followers, objects of worship and desire, and all call on followers to stalls, festivals and flagship stores for communion. All function as religion for our heads, hearts and wills but they can be separate from history; in fact it doesn’t matter what time in history they appear, so long as they are appealing and work for the worshipper, then they have their “truth”.

That’s not Christianity. Christianity relies on Truth. Christianity is basically about Jesus, whether He truly lived, truly died, truly rose and appeared to all and will truly come back again. From the Old Testament longings [predictions] of Jesus, to the actually comings and going of Jesus, Christians depend on externally verifiable events, not wishy-washy “spiritual sounding” principles. Because it is not a religion, not something that you and I take on, like a lifestyle choice, or a passion for living, or a set of moral principle. Christianity and Jesus is about externally verifiable events actually occurring in history and their effect on our lives. Christianity is not something that we act on but something that acts on us! It’s not something that I take-up but something, if true, will, ought and must change me.

That’s why I’m preaching on the Basics. That Jesus Lived, that He Died, that He Rose and appeared for all to see and that according to God’s word He will come back again. If He didn’t live, died, rise and will not come back that we have all believed in a lie and none of the claims of truth of Christianity will work. If people can prove, beyond reasonable doubt that in history Jesus did not live and do all the things I shall demonstrate form Luke today, then you should not have even come today, I have wasted your time, and don’t come back next week, because if Luke is not history, then there is no significance as there is no truth, and we should just all go eating (Food Crave), drinking (Oktober Fest) and fast-car driving (Motor show) and immerse ourselves in Games (Starcraft and Civ V).

So what do we know and where do we get our Jesus from? I am asking you to read Luke the Historian. You say: Hey isn’t he biased? Is he a converted Jew? How can he be telling the truth? Let me ask you a couple of questions in reply: have you read Luke? What parts of Luke does not correlate with what we know of Israel (Galilee, Judea, Samaria) under Roman occupation and rule of the Emperor Augustus? What do mainstream historians think of Luke as History?

Let me start from some historical critics of Jesus, and see what we learn about Jesus and what early Christians believe about Him. The point is that these are not friends, but sometimes enemies and haters of the early church. Like them, you need not believe the significance of the events, but at least suspend your prejudice and understand that even enemies close in time to the actual events, understood what Christians held to be true.

Thallos AD 50 in Histories - Eclipse at time of Jesus’ crucifixion

Tacitus AD 56-120

Christians derived the name from a man called Christ, who during the reign of Emperor TIberius had be executed by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilate. The deadly superstition, thus checked for the moment, broke out afresh not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but also in the City of Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world meet and become popular.

Pliny AD 61-113

The sum total of the guilt or error was no more than the following. They had met regularly before dawn on a determined day, and sung antiphonally a hymn to Christ as to a god. They also took an oath not for any crime, but to keep from theft, robbery and adultery, and not to break any promise.

Josephus AD 37-100

(18.63-64)

At This time there appeared Jesus, a wise man. For he was a doer of startling deeds, a teacher of people who received the truth with pleasure. And he gained a following both among many Jews and among many of Greek origin. He was perhaps the Messiah-Christ. And when Pilate, because of an accusation made by the leading men among us, condemned him to the cross, those who had loved him previously did not cease to do so. For they reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive. And up until this very day the tribe of Christians, named after him, has not died out.

Daniel and a God who loves His people: Daniel 6.

2010-07-16T23:59:00.001+10:00

Living in Babylon ~ in Sydney

You have to use your imagination here. We are in a time of ~550 b.c. and in a strange place. God’s people, the Exiles, have lost everything. They’ve been taken out of the Land, taken to Babylonian. Their Temple is sacked and gone. Their Kingdom is gone. Daniel [also S/M/A] belong to this Exile group who now live in Babylon under the King Darius. Babylon is a strange place. The language is not Hebrew, the laws are not given by God or enforced by the Hebrew priests. There is no temple, for the people to sacrifice to God. In fact when they walk around town, the statues, the temples and the rules are designed for worship false gods. The Hebrew God or God of the Bible is a “Loser”.

Daniel and a couple of brilliant Hebrews have been selected by the King to help in his court. He’s charismatic, clever and obviously blessed by God with gifts of wisdom, language, insight and even the interpretation of dreams. Daniel was a 1 of 3 administrators who were in charge of all other satraps and governors; similar to our Federal Leaders today, but even more respected. It was the King’s plan to make him the second in charge, i.e. just under him. Wow. This is a Hebrew, in a strange land, who trusts in a strange God, whose people are servants and slaves.

You guys need to know that Sydney is Babylon, if you count yourselves as Christians. God is not the god of this city. Not many are believers. We may live in this city, and do well. We may be clever, charismatic, blessed by God with gifts useful for the city, but Christians are still different in a strange city.

The language, the lifestyle, the habits and leisures [what gives us pleasure] are different. Yes on the outside we are the same, we attend schools and unis, we go to movies, we facebook and twitter. We go on similar holidays, we shop in the same area, we dress in the same fashion. It’s all the same on the surface. We enjoy similar jokes and a lot of us are ABCs in culture. But, if you are a Christian, inside there should be a feeling of strangeness. Some are obvious, some are subtle.

The obvious thing is you’re here, your parents believe in God, Jesus the Saviour and King. You’re not normal in this strange land. Your friends’ youth camps do not have oldies like me teaching you from the Bible. Your friends don’t sing songs to praise God. Your friends don’t understand praying to God and listening to Him. I mean, why waste your sundays?
You have words and ideas which your friends have no appreciation of and if you told someone the Gospel - NO - they will laugh at Jesus, a God who dies for sins and rises to give life to believers, people will find it strange or stupid. Jesus is a “Loser” in this strange city.

THE Reason why Christians are different [like Daniel] is that we have a true and living God, who loves and saves His people.

Being Different in Babylon ~ in Sydney

Daniel was different. He and other Hebrews had different habits. Even though he was as high as any person could be on the social ladder, in income, in status, he remained faithful to His God, the God of the Hebrews and the Laws of God. Daniel was different in a good way.

He proved so trustworthy that he won the King’s heart and trust. He excelled in what he did. He was able to oversee many satraps and governors, who themselves were the important officials of the provinces. He had the top job, pretty good for a Hebrew in Babylon.

He followed different rules and guidelines and developed different habits to other satraps. In previous sections of Daniel, you find that the satraps loved to wine, dine and rewind with the King, but Daniel and S/M/A were happy with simple foods, high-fibre, low-salt and water. He didn’t chase after Babylonian tastes or prizes. He could have easily. He could have been one of them, but He had other things, God actually, in mind.

So Daniel had godly habits. He prayed [6:10] 3 times a day. He faced Jerusalem. His heart is with the promises of God, his concern was for the people of God, his priorities were all to follow God, His desire was for the triumph of God and His people. He trusted the God who once led HIs people to the promised Land and he hoped in the God promises to one day save His people.

It was because of Daniel’s difference that he was able to serve the city Babylon. It was God who gave him the gifts of wisdom and God’s rules and principles that helped him govern wisely and justly. Yet it was also because of Daniel’s difference that other straps hated him. There is no reason. He’d done no wrong. The only way they could get to him wasn’t going to be finding corruption in Daniel or evidence of slackness, bad behaviour. The only way to get Daniel killed was to twist the King’s arm into writing a non-sense law, an evil law and using false accusations.

It is the same for Christians in Sydney. You see, Sydney actually benefits from Christians, and in particular Christians being different: Sydney gains when Christians follow Jesus and His commands. If rules reflected Christian principles, your school, society, your city gains. Yet for no reason, people hate this difference. There is an evil attitude in the world. If you don’t see it you’re blind. What often belongs to God, what God approves, God commands are hated by people. God made the world, He came into the world, He spoke to the world in Jesus but the world does not understand Him, does not welcome Him, the world, when exposed of his own evil hates God. The Darkness hates the Light as John puts it.

What if, as a Christian, you don’t cheat? You’re an idiot. What if you don’t lie in an interview? You’re a prig. What if you don’t like to curse and swear? You’re anal. What if as a Christian, you freely serve with joy? You’re weird. What if you point out the evil in coarse jokes, bullying, corruption, a little meanness. You’re a wowser. What if you want to keep your body pure until marriage. You’re old fashioned and following medieval rules. What if you enjoy more than just Twilight, Violence, etc. You’re old.

[Aside: Jesus’s difference, persecution and death. Daniel was a prefigure.]

THE Reason why Christians are different [like Daniel] is that we have a true and living God, who loves and saves His people.

Trusting in God in Babylon ~ in Sydney

Daniel went to the Lion’s den. The King didn’t want to and tried his best to undo his non-sense law. But God allowed Daniel to go to the den anyway. At this point the King prays and calls on the living God to deliver [save] Daniel. Wow. Daniel’s difference has had a profound impact on the King. Not everyone, but King Darius. He, a pagan, self-centred, foolish king, prays to the God of the Hebrews. He does not know whether this God will save Daniel yet, because He’s not familiar with the God who rescued the Hebrews long time ago out of Egypt and into the Land. But at least He’s got an idea that this is a Living God.

God did save Daniel. Physically, and Spiritually. Even the Lions, animals without souls, had the intelligence to listen and obey God. God’s plan was to save Daniel, display His glory in his Faithfulness, Power and Grace. The lions obeyed and kept their mouths shut, when human governors could not and opened their big mouths and were eventually put to death by their own trap. Though God could have let Daniel die and still accomplish his purpose through a tragedy, in this case the purpose was to keep Daniel alive and to convert the heart of King Darius.

I want us to ask ourselves: does trusting in God pay off? Why dare to be different? What is the promise of God to His people? Why be different in your school, uni and work today? The Bible says yes.God is true, he is Living and He is able to save. But you need to know how He saves. He does not have to shut up the lion’s jaws and He can still save. But Often, He does shut the lion’s jaws for Christians to trust, love and obey Him today. Because He can, and even if you suffer, He is strong enough to take us through that suffering. That’s what makes Him a true and living God.

The Good News of Jesus really saves. The Story of Daniel and the Lions is a model to help us understand the bigger, better, really good news that God saves all sinners in Jesus and that whoever trusts in HIm will be delivered from sin and death, and brought back to eternal life and relationship with an everlasting, awesome heavenly Father.

God is true and living and deserves worship ~ everywhere

Darius ends up being a follower and believer of God. He calls Him correctly the Living God, the one who Delivers [saves]. There is another reason why Daniel dared to be different. It was for Babylon’s sake and for the King’s sake. Or, so that God will be worshipped by the unbelievers in the strange land.

See the profound effect Daniel’s trust makes in Darius’ life? Darius was once a pagan, idolater and foolish king given to flattery and selfishness. But He learns through Daniel’s life that God is true, living, just, mighty to save and full of grace on His people. He repents and turns into a believer and someone who praises God! And this is the king of the Babylonians.

What about us, why does God place us in Sydney now? And why are we to be different. God has a purpose for placing His people in modern Babylonian cities. And the Reason is the Good News. People will be changed by the Good News as we Sydney youth live faithfully. The reason is not just for us, the reason is for God’s sake, for His name and His glory and for the benefit of many.

THE Reason why Christians are different [like Daniel] is that we have a true and living God, who loves and saves His people. And He deserves to be worshipped by people everywhere, even in Babylon and even in Sydney.

Will's Half Marathon 20 Sept 2009

2009-09-12T23:39:00.001+10:00

I’m running the half-marathon and hopefully not just for fun on 20 September 2009. I’ve chosen the Youth Support network (Salvation Army) as my charity because I think homeless youth need that boost to turn the corner, and there's no one better than this trusted Christian Organisation to help them.

Any contribution large or small will be much appreciated!

Deo Soli Gloria.

https://www.gofundraise.com.au/bachnwill

2008 in hindsight

2009-01-10T21:39:00.001+11:00

I think it was Dickens who reflected, when looking at a beggar on the sidewalk one day, "There, but for the grace of God, goes I," or words to that effect. What he meant was that it was only the kindness of God that kept him from poverty, sickness, destitution and gave him material comfort, success and happiness.

It was not a comment in a Christian sense on what truly is God's blessing. He does not mean that just because we are doing badly physically that we are not blessed spiritually. No, he was only commenting on how all god things come from God and we as human beings cannot boast in what we have, what we have accomplished or even who we are. We are in good shape by the kindness and generosity of God alone.

Looking back on 2008, I can only say that nothing good - and some things very good - had come about because I deserved it or have earned it. Just thinking about my wife's patience and forgiveness and the coming of Emmanuelle, the support from friends and families, being granted a job for 4 years, seeing people at church and bible study grow, seeing how family and friends experience the goodness of God through trials - just thinking about these things made me realize just how "blessed" I am and those of my Christian friends are.

Mistakes, big and small, marked so much of the year. And I just wonder what in God's mind and heart kept Him forgiving, patient and even encouraging toward a fool such as I? Again, but for the grace of God. Perhaps I ought to point out more specifically how God did not condemn me in my weakness but instead, reminded me that He is God, the same faithful, persevering and loving Father that sends His one and only Son for the sins of the world who is against Him. I think that it is particularly in reminiscing my own weaknesses that I am more thankful for who my God is. Yet this is not the place for specifics, especially if my foolishness has affected others. But needless to repeat, I can't boast in my thoughts, character, achievement or being throughout the events of 2008; I'm just thrilled to still be a forgiven sinner.

In contrast, blessings are easier to name specifically. On top of the list I have mentioned, I ought to add the gift of true friends, the joy I receive in His word of promise given by Scripture, the hope of justice in His new Heaven and Earth, material comfort and so the ability to give, reconciliation of some sort with a lost friend, great teaching from my home church, the Spirit's work in my non-christian family members, God's keeping and maturing of my christian family members, exciting times of "regeneration" of many Christian friends, and the list just keeps expanding. To be brutally honest, I can have nothing to complain about, God has blessed me abundantly, I lack nothing at all in this life or the next. And it's not only me, it applies to so many fellow Christian friends.

I must remember here one of Mark Driscoll's talk on the prayer of Jesus. The main point was: prayer is about asking God's will, not my own; it's not about our own plans or desires, but about His desire and plan. Through any event or life-stage, and I sense that hardship will come sooner than I know it, God's promise still stands: He is with us who depend on Him, He may not give us what we ask or take away any earthly pain or disaster from us, but He promises to be with us until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Of course in the next age, there is no more sin, no more death and no more horrors of the curse.

So because of the Lordship of Jesus, who is Emmanuel or God dwelling with us, 2009 will display just as much and if not more of God's grace and faithfulness. For that I'm grateful and very excited.

2008 in hindsight

2009-01-10T16:24:00.006+11:00

I think it was Dickens who reflected, when looking at a beggar on the sidewalk one day, "There, but for the grace of God, goes I," or words to that effect. What he meant was that it was only the kindness of God that kept him from poverty, sickness, destitution and gave him material comfort, success and happiness.

It was not a comment in a Christian sense on what truly is God's blessing. He does not mean that just because we are doing badly physically that we are not blessed spiritually. No, he was only commenting on how all god things come from God and we as human beings cannot boast in what we have, what we have accomplished or even who we are. We are in good shape by the kindness and generosity of God alone.

Looking back on 2008, I can only say that nothing good - and some things very good - had come about because I deserved it or have earned it. Just thinking about my wife's patience and forgiveness and the coming of Emmanuelle, the support from friends and families, being granted a job for 4 years, seeing people at church and bible study grow, seeing how family and friends experience the goodness of God through trials - just thinking about these things made me realize just how "blessed" I am and those of my Christian friends are.

Mistakes, big and small, marked so much of the year. And I just wonder what in God's mind and heart kept Him forgiving, patient and even encouraging toward a fool such as I? Again, but for the grace of God. Perhaps I ought to point out more specifically how God did not condemn me in my weakness but instead, reminded me that He is God, the same faithful, persevering and loving Father that sends His one and only Son for the sins of the world who is against Him. I think that it is particularly in reminiscing my own weaknesses that I am more thankful for who my God is. Yet may be this is not the place for specifics, especially if my foolishness has affected others. But needless to repeat, I can't boast in my thoughts, character, achievement or being throughout the events of 2008; I'm just thrilled to still be a forgiven sinner.

In contrast, blessings are easier to name specifically. On top of the list I have mentioned, I ought to add the gift of true friends, the joy I receive in His word of promise given by Scripture, the hope of justice in His new Heaven and Earth, material comfort and so the ability to give, reconciliation of some sort with a lost friend, great teaching from my home church, the Spirit's work in my non-christian family members, God's keeping and maturing of my christian family members, exciting times of "regeneration" of many Christian friends, and the list just keeps expanding. To be brutally honest, I can have nothing to complain about, God has blessed me abundantly, I lack nothing at all in this life or the next. And it's not only me, it applies to so many fellow Christian friends.

I must remember here one of Mark Driscoll's talk on the prayer of Jesus. The main point was: prayer is about asking God's will, not my own; it's not about our own plans or desires, but about His desire and plan. Through any event or life-stage, and I sense that hardship will come sooner than I know it, God's promise still stands: He is with us who depend on Him, He may not give us what we ask or take away any earthly pain or disaster from us, but He promises to be with us until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Of course in the next age, there is no more sin, no more death and no more horrors of the curse.

So because of the Lordship of Jesus, who is Emmanuel or God dwelling with us, 2009 will display just as much and if not more of God's grace and faithfulness. For that I'm grateful and very excited.

The other Six Days

2008-12-08T23:58:00.001+11:00

I've been busy at work this year. In fact, this year more than any other, I have been more aware of why and for what I work and how I act and behave at work.

There's nothing noble about being busy per se. But I've found something worthwhile in work that has been created since the time I was at university and has blossomed as I revisit Ecclesiastes, Proverbs and the NT Gospel that makes sense of this thing that God has made: work. That something is honouring and thanking God in work.

Personally, this two-pronged approach to work simplifies things and makes work fall within my worldview (a Christian one) neatly. So I can conscientiously say I have a Christian attitude when it comes to work.

Because the aims for work and the aims for life are one and the same, I don't have to forget God in the other Six Days of my week. These Six Days are not literal, but find themselves in all shapes and forms in the different lives that you lead. In my life, it means early mornings, or late nights, driving out west, up north, critical care or cruising to the sound of the anaesthetic machine, patient counselling or leaving them alone, working as a team or helping out a colleague. Honouring God, by working faithfully, diligently, excellently, honestly, efficiently and by being a friendly, trustworthy, cheerful and generous worker or colleague, this is most important for me and I hope it is the same for my Christian brothers and sisters.

The workplace is where most of us have the most time, effort, energy to exhibit godliness and attract others to the Good News that saves us; if we don't do it there, we miss a great opportunity to lead others to thanksgiving or praise for God. The LORD is Lord of all, all of the week and all of the heart, mind soul and strength of our beings. This is actually the key to fulfillment in our lives; you must live it out in the knowledge of the God of the NT in order to know what it feels like.

That's why I like mondays.

______

I feel that this blog can be balanced by another one on our lives at home. Another related topic is Secular vs. Christian work: what is the difference, or is there a false dichotomy?

______

This note was inspired by several facebook notes by a friend from whom I have been blocked (?) or at least I cannot access. Sorry I cannot link this to them, which would have added flavour to this entry.

How to relate to parents, Australian Asian Style | workshop @500, 5th Oct 2008

2008-10-16T22:52:00.001+11:00

(image from stock.xchng: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/353243)

I thank God that more than 20 of us turned up to 500 - a fellowship at my church NDCCC - 2 wks ago for that special workshop on relating to [Chinese] parents. There were a couple of friends from other churches who wanted to think through Chinese cultural issues pertaining to serving, it was very nice to see them.

Andrew (our pastor) briefly explained how Confucianism affected and still pervades even our Australian Asian culture. Say... why is it that parents often make their ABC kids play an instrument? Well, this is an example of Confucius' emphasis on the imposition of harmony within a family or social unit. It was helpful to entrench in my mind the five key relationships within Confucian society: Father & Son, Elder & Junior, Husband & Wife, King & Subject and Friend & Friend.

We had an interesting panel, consisting of Aaron, Gabriel, Sarah H. & Priscillla (thanks for prompt replies guys). A spectrum of parent & child relationship was seen. I was quite thankful of some of the reasonable and open parenting styles in particular. It seems like God has blessed us with some pretty godly parents in our congregation.

A small highlight was of course prayer at the end. THere was a common resolve to "honour our parents", even though we had not defined or explored exactly how it happens. But it was clear that the Bible's inference, indeed God's character as the Father, is at stake in how we honour our own earthly parents. I prayed with Dan Wong, and it was clear that Andrew's recommendation had an impression on both of us: that we move from Conforming, Ignoring, Conflicting to Engaging with our parents.

To keep it simple and stupid: we grow from obeying our parents to honouring them as we mature as Christians. We must think hard on how we do that as young/old adults who take our God the Father seriously.

For those who missed it for one reason on another, simply get Andrew's notes or read his blog:

http://andrewhongnsw.spaces.live.com/Lists/cns!EEB36B88C6BA62C4!2454/

Fatherhood by Tony Payne | a review

2008-09-06T19:20:00.007+10:00

I have never been a fan of guide books, instruction manuals and in particular self-help books. That is why I particularly loved this critical and practical Christian book on "Fatherhood". It had none of the superficiality, generalisation nor false optimism of many guide books. Tony Payne succinctly goes through the biblical basis of Fatherhood and relevant advice on major Fatherhood decisions of the Christian father. Like its subtitle, the book explains what fatherhood is and what it is intended for.

Firstly, what is Fatherhood?

We live in times that refuse definitions, as if somehow making things clearer or following some pattern is intrinsically dull. Dull is the person who ignores helpful patterns, let alone what the Bible puts forth as true and relevant patterns of fatherhood. I would suggest that even Christians suspend judgement before looking at what the Bible says about Fatherhood, for otherwise it would be prejudice.

I was reminded of how fatherhood consists of creation, provision and responsibility, and authority last of all. These are certain qualities to fatherhood that are littered in the literature of the Old Testament and we find common in many non-Semitic cultures. But they need emphasis, because even these qualities are under attack from ignorance or outright redefinition. For many of us, sex is separate from creation, even sex that results in pregnancy. Add to that, in a current of absenteeism and ridicule of failed fathers/males, the idea of Father as Creator is anathema, or at least trivial. The Biblical centre of family is not surprisingly countercultural, for it lies in the father, for he is the father of his 'seed'. Children, wife, family and household revolved around the father. It is a simple picture of ownership, commitment and personal pride, not the nasty, masterful, chauvinist and manipulative caveman.

Flowing from his "creation" of children, both biological and relational, the father can provide and nurture his children. This deeply offends the non-discriminatory fighter for blind equality, without regard for what provision and nurture actually mean in the biblical sense. Why do many fathers leave after the sex act? Why are abortion clinics usually only filled with females? Who usually makes the decision to keep a pregnancy/fetus/baby (however you want to call life)? Why are hospitals, social security services, schools, tending to presume that children have mothers, and that fathers may not be there? (I know this for a fact from experience, having gone through the process of childbirth in July and having friends in the Obstetrics business and in public education) Our world just does not correlate often times with the biblical picture of father as provider and nurturer. Hopefully from the negativity we know how important care, tenderness, physical support and commitment are for families. Fathers have to be at least a central part of that. And when fathers heed the examples and exhortations in the bible, we will know that when we work, weep, lose sleep, keep patience, that we are only doing our job. The biblical form of fatherhood comes from God the Father Himself, who is our own help, and more than qualified as our model. We can't really boast, that's what I mean to say, when we do our job. Much of the world has failed, it is no excuse for Christian men to follow suit.

Authority should then be self-explanatory. Again, I find myself having to eradicate firstly abusive, fickle, violent and weak images of failed worldly fathers from our minds, before I can promote the loving, persevering, thoughtful ideal of fatherhood as the decision maker and respectable figure of authority. We all know abuses of authority and the damage they cause. But authority can be really, very good and that is the purpose of the biblical pattern: power to protect, provide and nurture. A lot of this may remind us of how fathers need the forgiveness and grace of God: that is the help of God as our own Father, who is our Creator, Provider, Carer and Lord and He has the power to give good gifts to His children who ask.

Secondly, what is fatherhood for?

You might think hasn't Tony already said it? Is there anymore? That is because we often live with a non-Christian worldview. The best advice, along with other few practical situations in family living, is that our end goal for our family is the same as our own end goal: our knowledge, growth and relationship as Jesus' disciples. So, a father who does all things but not lead others alongside himself toward Jesus Christ the Lord, in a sense fails. That is not to say that if our children turn actively away from Jesus that it is our crime. God is the Sovereign one who calls, regenerates, justifies, sanctifies and glorifies the forgiven sinner. We live alongside, teach, feed, befriend and pray for our children and spouse. But this purpose does change our priorities, plans and lifestyles. Tony then gives some short advice on just how fathers can do that, some important examples I remember are:

Remember our own daily walk, that includes our faithfulness to our wives.

Be responsible by making decisions and not leave things to someone else... such as your wife.

It takes courage.

Maintain a healthy personal life.

It really was a great encouragement, this book. I read it as my wife was in labour on July 4th, and I could not put it down. It certainly has helped prepare me and I hope to encourage the fellow guys at church to have a squeeze at it, whether they've been veterans or novices like myself.

4.5 out of 5 for me.

(image sourced from The Good Book company: http://www.thegoodbook.co.uk/Fatherhood-f_1037/largeimage)

Emmanuelle and ... the series begins

2008-08-25T23:09:00.005+10:00

Blogging on the arrival of Emmanuelle Hillary Ng has been long overdue. The reason for my delay is that there have been many thoughts, incidences and challenges in these two short months. I could easily write a book on these collected thoughts alone.

I will begin by saying that God has both a sense of humour and a penache for perfect timing. Remember that lovely refrain from Ecclesiastes? There is a time for everything, a time for peace and time for war... The lesson is that God makes everything beautiful in its time. The arrival of Emmanuelle - or Emmie - just goes to demonstrate His lovely timing.

Emmie was 3 wks premature, due to intrauterine growth retardation, or in other words, her belly wasn't growing fast enough and so the obstetrician decided to induce labour 3wks early, whilst things were still within normal ranges. We found out this by "chance" on some timely growth scans. So, a shocked Danielle packed her bags, and rang me in haste on the Wednesday (2nd) at 4pm and told me: "I have got to have this baby tomorrow." I finished what I was doing (reviewing some patient), and quickly asked my boss for some leave. All things were done at just the right time, I got my leave, talked with other registrars, filled my roster and got pay done with admin, all from 4:30 to 5:00pm, not a second wasted.

Then, my mother and sister had accidentally planned to arrive on the morn of the Thursday (3rd), 3wks prior to the due date. Wow, what timing. Another two pairs of hands to help me purchase some last minute stuff as we made the Mater Delivery Suite our new abode for the day. There was so much delay in the Suite, that we got the "prostin" (the induction gel) only by late afternoon. The night went by, the contractions hadn't gained strength, so we got some broken sleep. Emmanuelle was not meant to arrive until the next day.

Now it was the Friday (4th). My father had also accidentally planned to arrive that morning; his intention was only to see my brother off, who was leaving for London/Chicago for a whole year's worth of studies on the Saturday (5th). Would Emmanuelle come at the right time? She did. Dad was only scheduled to come in later that afternoon, Jimmy was to leave early the next morning. All up there was a window of say... twelve hours, in which my whole family would be there to see Emmie for the first time, and for the last time in a year for my brother. According to plan, she arrived at 6:30pm that night, my family and Danielle's family could all gather, to enjoy this child's coming.

God must have been enjoying His precise work all this time. He knew He wanted Emmanuelle to come on the 4th July, Independence Day. Did He know that we had named Emmie after Hillary (the Clinton) as well? Of course He did. There is not even the falling of a hair from our heads that escapes His notice (Matthew 6 somewhere). For Him, to bring Emmanuelle Hillary Ng on Independence Day was no feat at all. We, creatures of mankind, can only witness and enjoy Him, the powerful Creator and Ruler, in His wonderful timing. He does the actual work and He moves all things by His will. He has wrought much greater events in human history, the birth and life of Christ for example, was one such event. Why does Jesus come 14 generations after Babylonian Exile (Matthew 1)? Why does He escape infanticide in Judea under Herod (Matthew 2)? Why does Jesus pick the Passover for His death (Matthew 26)? Why did the King of the Jews choose the height of the Roman Empire as the time to bring about His Kingdom? Why will the Christ delay in returning once again, not as Saviour but as Judge of the world? God does all these things with intention. His timing is simply superb in bringing about His purpose.

In this little way, He has taught me just how skilled He is in all events of history, whether big or small. So begins the series of amazing events around the coming of Emmanuelle.

iQuestion Night 28th August 2008

2008-08-21T22:41:00.006+10:00

This is purely an invitation plug for iQuestion night.

It takes time to learn a craft, master a sport, settle in a new home. Guess what, getting to know someone is no different. But the important thing is talking and asking the right questions.

And iQuestion is just that: a night for food, thought and questions about why Christianity is relevant for this iGeneration in which we all live. We need to ask:

"What does Jesus say about 'i', how does He matter to our generation, why can Christians claim that He has the answer to the iGeneration's greatest need"

Where: Will n Dan's place in Wollstonecraft, Sydney

When: Thursday 28th August 2008, 6:30pm

Who: Bring a friend who has questions on Christianity

Reply: Li-Shia or myself by Wednesday 27th August

What: Dinner, Talk and Discussion.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to ask the right questions. Come to iQuestion.

hardwares to give away

2008-08-16T09:45:00.006+10:00

I love giving things, especially when they will be used for good purposes.

If anyone is interested please ask me for these items, which I will give away for free. Priorities to Bible College students, ministers, students, etc, i.e. persons in need and who will make good use of these hardwares.

1) LaCie 320 Gb external hard drive, USB 2.0. Designed by R.A. Porsche. Though I could not find the website for this model (superseded by this one), they are pretty similar, except this one is grey. All wires, cables, adapters, software and original packaging are as good as new. It's Mac OS X and PC compatible.

2) Pentax Optio S4 (4 megapixel) digital camera. With 2x 256Mb SD cards, battery, charger and adapter included. I got this in 2003... it has since been superseded by a few, including the latest S12 (12 megapixel) model, but the design is pretty much the same.

3) Other things such as recordable mini-disc man by Aiwa (if you're into collectables), Sony recordable walkman, Nokia mobile phone (8810, 6030), 15-inch notebook case by STM, 1x blue-tooth head piece for mobiles, 1x digital picture key ring for PCs, 1x pair of 80Watt PC speakers...

Please just drop by, email or phone me first, and pick them up for your personal use (just joking about the "good purposes", once it's yours, it's yours), or even better give them to a friend who'll use these things.

WYD (6) : What did everyone gain from WYD?

2008-08-03T23:49:00.015+10:00

It's been almost two weeks since the final event, the Papal Mass at Randwick on 20 Jul 2008, that saw almost 500,000 people gathered for the biggest Mass held on our continent. I am not surprised by the enthusiastic responses both during and after WYD from Catholic friends. Any public show of numbers is a physical sign of power, support and so rightfulness of the institution of Roman Catholic Church. Here are some of the comments on the Mass itself I have heard from practising mature Catholic friends:

"These Islanders [referring to those performing the Fujian dance in the Mass] they don't feel the cold, they're filled with the Holy Spirit that's why."

"This is the sign of the universality of the Catholic Church."

"Those people being confirmed by the Pope, aren't they lucky? How lucky are they, to be confirmed by the Pope!"

"That must be the Bible [referring to the ornamented Bible presented to the Pope by the Fujian Catholics], it's so beautiful."

"Are they speaking in Spanish [referring to the Spanish Bible reading at Sydney]? I think they are speaking in Spanish." And later on. "I think now it's in French. [when the next reading was spoken in French]."

There were many other interesting vignettes I remember from watching others watching the Mass at work. My department has many Philippinos, and a few Maltese and Italians, who are also practising Catholics.

I think this closing remark from ABC 7:30 report sums up well the effect of WYD on Catholics:

"O'Neill [reporter]: For the Australian Catholics too it has been a show of strength that the church will be hoping to continue long after the World Youth Day celebrations are over.

Ilic [interviewee]: I'm so glad to be involved. It's increased my belief in my faith and I hope it will increase others in the future."

There are many little things I could comment on in each of these. But the best way to do so is by providing my personal take on this Mass (not Mass in general, that I will do in a review on Ray Galea's "Nothing in my Hand I bring" tomorrow).

As a Christian who has mainly biblical knowledge of all those ideas that have been raised by the above comments and attitudes, I felt a huge gap between the God of the Lord Jesus Christ that I know through His Word in the Bible, compared to the God reflected in the lives of Catholics and the practices at Mass and other Catholic ceremonies. Honestly, my knowledge and experience, which I am confident in by the Word of God, is miles away from what we see above. The language may appear the same, but the meaning, significance and heart of my Christianity and Catholicism have little overlap.

From Jesus' promises, the Prophets of the Old Testament and the Spirit's witness in Acts, I know that the Spirit's task is to make known to the world what is from Christ, and call and regenerate people, who were once dead and deaf to the Good News, so as to turn them around to trust in this Gospel of the Lord Jesus. He is not a mere feeling of God empowering. The Power that was read in Acts was shown in God's calling of nations, when people who didn't know Him before and were outside God's promises to Israel, turned and trusted in the Lord Jesus who was appointed by His resurrection to be the universal ruler of all. This turning around to trust in Jesus is the Work of the Spirit, amongst other things.

Jesus' church on earth, commonly called "The Church", is actually a group of believers who confess their trust and obedience to the Lord. Jesus repeatedly warns us to be wary of earthly powers and authorities. In His days it was the synagogue rulers, who for the sake of earthly displays of power and solidarity could actually deny God, His rule and His commands. His kingdom is not of this world, but a heavenly one. On earth Jesus was a suffering, sacrificial, frail "king". But in God's eyes, He'd accomplished the greatest task of dying for sinners and rescuing them from the coming Judgement by His sacrificial death. This was His path to kingship and glory of the Resurrection. But He never had any worldly power or standing. Physical signs of numbers, riches, and most importantly power and influence, is no reflection of God's rule and authority, His blessings or riches. I am glad when many are genuinely confessing their trust in Jesus, but having a mass of people who merely want to belong to a group and have confidence in being a part of a great earthly power brings me no joy. I take heed from the Lord's warning: wide is the gate that leads to destruction, and narrow is the gate that leads to eternal life. Only a few will ever be rejoicing in the Gospel, majority will reject its truth. I don't think Christians will ever be in the majority, though God is the Lord of all nations, and people from every nation will confess Him.

I did not see the honouring of either God's Son or His word in the celebrations of the Mass or in the reflections of my Catholic friends. I see more confidence in proclamation of the Catholic "Faith", certainly Ms. Ilic in her interview believes in Catholicism more than she once did. But is she a more fervent follower of Jesus as a result? Is she surer about her relationship with God won by Jesus than before? The highlight of this whole thing missed the Lord Jesus by a long shot. I don't know if Sydney in general understood more about who Jesus is, what He's come to do, how He shows us who our Father is in Heaven. I honestly did not hear any of this from my Catholic friends. I certainly didn't get the impression from reading from our press or talking with non-Christian friends.

To finish off I will use another vignette. The way the Gospel was read during the Mass is indicative of the blurring of the Good News of Jesus. The reading was from Luke, a fantastic one about how Jesus fulfills the prophecies and longings of Isaiah, an 8th century B.C. prophet: that He was be the One would brings the Good News of Salvation to the Nations. It was sung beautifully in some pentatonic chant, in long, drawn-out phrases. The 'priest' who sang was charming, well-dressed, and hit every note and beat properly. But if I had not known that passage by heart, I would have gained nothing. No other Catholic friend around me understood and or heard clearly the Words He sang, although they thoroughly enjoyed the show. The Good News is buried so far beneath the ceremony that it is muted, made nought and forgotten.

Sydney has not learned too much about Jesus from WYD week. They've encountered wonderful people, young and old, familiar and strange, English speaking and non-English speaking. We all probably had a lot of fun in the process. But my personal wish is that apart from knowing that there is a God, Catholics and others would know the Man who is God better and better. The best way is still by His Word in the Bible, which historically fleshes out the story of this God who became Man, to show mankind the goodness and justice of God, and by His death brings all people in reconciliation to the Father in Heaven, and by His Resurrection promises all people everywhere life under His Lordship, and by His Spirit makes this Word of Truth more beautiful and wonderfully life-changing to those who will simply say Yes to Christ Jesus. Following Jesus is that simple. Please, look further than WYD. Much of Sydney has seen a show of strength, but have gained nought and will soon forget. I hope that won't be you.