Sabbath Walk

Three Thoughts about Supreme Court Decision on TWU vs Law Societies 2018

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 12:26:00 -0700

Three Thoughts about the Supreme Court Decision

Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: June 15th, 2018

Today, the Supreme Court of Canada delivered its verdict on the issue of accreditation. After a series of back and forth between the TWU and the law societies of British Columbia and Ontario, the case was brought to the top court of Canada to decide whether the law societies should or should not be allowed to deny the university the appropriate accreditation for its new law school. This accreditation is crucial because without the approval by the respective law societies, one cannot legally practice law in the provinces concerned. At issue was the “community covenant” which every student had to sign before one could study at TWU. This is totally consistent with the religious stand TWU had made in its 56-year history. Unfortunately, there are increasing number of dissent coming from outside and some say inside as well. Let me put in three thoughts about the decision and its impact on TWU and the larger Christian public in Canada.

1) It’s a reflection of changing times
While I am disappointed with the court decision, I think it is only a matter of time before TWU’s “community covenant” would be legally challenged and overturned by public opinion. If this case was brought up two decades ago, I believe the decision would go TWU’s way. Two decades later, among other things, there is a shift of moods and attitudes. Institutional religion is now seen with disdain. People are abandoning churches in large numbers. Throughout Canada, not only are more churches closing down every year, even the remaining churches are struggling with declining numbers. According to PEW research, since 2007, the number of religiously unaffiliated people has been rising. The single largest group of people who believed but are not affiliated with any church or organization are the NONES, people who essentially answer “None” in the column about their religious affiliation. They could still be believers but they prefer to live without being attached to any religious institution or denomination. According to Leslie Williams, a professor of English at Yale Divinity School, she points out how things had changed. In the 50s, Baptists have the best Bible School and the Methodists the best Sunday School program, and lots of people still go to Church. These external signs hide an underlying discontent about the failure of people connecting with the modern culture. She notes in her book, “When Anything Goes,”

“Finally, after half a century of church squabbles, secularism, and Sunday morning golf games, we lost the people, our congregation dwindling along with most other mainline denominations.”

She then adds: “The current age has not come up with a new label for itself but defines itself in terms of what it has lost: the influence of Christianity.” In other words, Christians have not updated their own labels. Perhaps, that is one reason why the word “evangelical” is also view negatively. In fact, the words, liberal, conservative, or whatever in between are labels of the past, struggling to maintain their grip on current culture. The frustrated who hold neither of these views too strongly like their ancestors would simply put themselves as “None.” New names are needed.

Such a frustration is not new. Bonhoeffer scholar Jeffrey Pugh of Elon University reflects on the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and notes how the WWII martyr had written about “religionless Christianity.” Pugh notes:

“Oddly enough there are people today whose first thought is what would Bonhoeffer do? And the truth is we don’t know because Bonhoeffer never believed in absolute rules. He responded as a Christian rooted in the realities of the moment. And these concrete moments coloured his actions in ways that seem quite contradictory to us looking at them from the position of today.” (Jeffrey Pugh, Religionless Christianity, T&T Clark, xiv)

That was in the 40s when Bonhoeffer was disgusted with how the Church at that time sided with Hitler in his persecution of the Jews. If the 40s was a case in which Christians abandon the Church because of a lack of faith in authentic Christianity, 2018 is a case of a lack of faith in institutional religion. Here I like to point out that the importance of faith is not in the what but in the who.

The changing environment is a challenge to how we are practicing our faith. Is it a faith in Jesus or a faith in faith? Make a distinction. Our practice of faith in changing times may need to be adapted, but our faith in Christ does not change.

2) The decision is not the end but the beginning of tough faith
Whenever anyone goes to the courts, there is always a possibility of decisions going against the way we wanted. The community covenant is an interpretation of the Bible, but not biblical canon per se. History hints at but does not guarantee the future. What happened back in 2001 between TWU and the BC College of Teachers is no longer a strong or reliable guarantee. That was one of the reasons for the optimistic approach by advocates of TWU’s case. That was nearly two decades ago. If that case was to be fought now, the result would probably be different. Modern cultural changes take precedence over historical events. It is easy to justify that by saying: Is our present planning for the sake of the past or for the sake of the future? The courts have sided with the latter. Truth according to the SC is based upon the presented evidence, not biblical canon. Reinhold Niebuhr's prayer is still pertinent for today: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." We should not put our faith in man’s decision but in God alone regardless of man’s decisions.

James Emery White shows us two ways to reach a post-Christian generation. The first way is to understand the meaning of Church. The word is “ekklesia” or “called out ones.” It is not to throw Church agendas at the world but to be manifestation of Christ in the world. The early Church was a persecuted Church. They lived out a tough faith at the risk of their lives. The mission of the Church is to call people back to God. TWU may have lost the legal battle but that should not diminish their role as educators. Maybe there will not be a law school after all. Putting things in perspective, the courts have agreed that such a decision infringes on TWU’s practice of freedom of religion. Moreover, even at 7-2, the decision was not unanimous. Numbers are at play here. It’s a limitation of the democratic process. As LGBTQ rights become more mainstream, and the rights of traditional Christianity curtailed, the utilitarian philosophy of the greater good for the greater population will take hold. Such a teleological premise will not be fair to the marginalized. Understanding the meaning and identity of Church will go a long way to remember that one's identity is not diminished because of a court decision. It is always anchored in the Person of Christ.

White’s second way is counterculture. The Supreme Court decision is basically pro-culture, making decisions in favour of cultural norms so familiar to everyday life. Counterculture is about exerting the influence of Christ in everyday life, regardless of how society treats Christians. Just because the decision does not go TWU’s way doesn’t mean TWU should retreat from society. The battle of ideas is just beginning. Neither good works not good words will change the world. Good influence however will require both. More importantly, it’s finding our cultural voice centred on Christ rather than our own interpretations.

3) It’s a Post-Christian culture and we better learn how to live.
Abdu Murray in his recent book, “Saving Truth” calls our world a Post-Truth world. Truth is no longer what truth is, but what the modern culture says it is. In such a world, Murray says that "we elevate feelings over facts, believing that personal preferences are what determine meaning and fulfillment. Objective truth is jettisoned. The transcendent is jettisoned. We no longer just elevate personal preferences over truth. We elevate our own personal preferences over the preferences of others. When that happens, freedom will die the most ironic of deaths under individual autonomy’s machete.”

Feelings and hurts are fought intensely in the legal case between TWU and the law societies. Even when they are fighting with a stated purpose of human rights in a court of law, the question remains: Whose rights are we talking about? If majority rights, what about the minority? If cultural rights, what about the counter-cultural? Are winners determined solely by number of votes for? Truth is, nobody really wins. If the decision does not unite all Canadians, nobody wins. If the decision leads to a one-sided affair, nobody wins. If all Christians exit the legal scene, the legal society would be impoverished. Who would be able to represent Christians from a biblical worldview? Society would lose an important influence. Diversity decreases.

Christians who choose the path of abandonment of society would have failed to be in the world even when they are not of the world. The failure to see the difference is tragic for the spread of the gospel. How then should we live? Perhaps we should learn to accept the decision of the courts and to remember that in the heat of the moment, do not forget the heart of Christ. Remember how Jesus went through unfair trials and wrongful accusations. He was innocent but was still judged like a criminal. Yet, he died for all. He was not voiceless. His Word remains strong and influential even today. The world may try to subdue Christ, but as Scripture says, His Word stands forever. Our calling is to cultivate a voice of reason and persuasion as friends and fellow human beings.

Professors Tim Muehlhoff and Richard Langer give us guidance in their book “Winsome Persuasion.” They say that Christians living in a Post-Christian world need to maintain three kinds of voices: A prophetic voice to declare the biblical faith and principles of the Bible; a pastoral voice to empathize with the needs of society; and a persuasive voice to keep a check on the excesses of modern society. Just because one battle is lost at the courts should not deter us from pushing forward in engaging the world with biblical mindset. Muehlhoff and Langer urge us to move away from an argumentative attitude toward a persuasive one. The former tends to have “adversarial frame of mind” while the latter approach would be more accepting rather than affirming. That means learning to learn to cultivate constructive conversations that put dialogue above monologue; learning to disagree maturely instead of childish demonizing; and attracting rather than attacking. They note the example of Chick-fil-A who adapted their long held policy of not opening on Sundays to serve over 600 peace officers waiting to donate blood in the aftermath of a tragic shooting of an Orlando gay nightclub in June 2016. It’s a great example of learning to be flexible without compromising on their faith. Opening on Sundays should not be seen as compromising faith. Rather, see it as compassionate faith that is willing to make an exception to the general rule. Unfortunately, acts like this are not regularly reported on mainstream media.

In summary, two things that TWU could still do with regard to the law school. The first is to re-consider the imposition of the community covenant to make it voluntary rather than mandatory. The wording of the covenant need not be changed but the mandatory manner could be relaxed. If one freely subscribes to the covenant, that does not infringe on a person’s rights of expression or belief. I admit there will be other consequences that it may fracture the community further. I also believe that the benefits will outweigh the disadvantages. Bite the bullet now so that one would have a more inclusive environment, a place where people freely subscribe to the faith rather than an interpretation of faith. Perhaps, have half the TWU law school under the jurisdiction of a non-TWU entity like some form of a partnership. That way, if it is not a wholly owned school by TWU, that could justify an exemption from the rule.

The second option is to re-phrase the community covenant. This may take some work to anticipate any future legal challenges to its legitimacy. Once that is done, re-apply for accreditation. Being innocent as doves and shrewd as serpents should be a good guide in such an endeavour. This should not be seen as a loss but a desire to progressively engage the public as a reasonable and respectable voice. This is not just for the case of the law school but also for future departments that may arise in the future. The gospel and the great commission is bigger than a phrase in the community covenant.

Until then, the opening of the law school should be delayed.

Conrade Yap (DMin, MDiv)

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Five thoughts about Malaysia's GE14

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Tue, 15 May 2018 11:25:00 -0700

TITLE: FIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT MALAYSIA's GE14

Written by: Dr Conrade Yap

Date: May 15th, 2018

1I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim 2:1-4)

On May 9th, 2018, history was made in Malaysia. If you have been following the news, like me, you would have known by now, as far as the nation of 31 million people are concerned, the new has come and the old has passed away. A new government will lead the country into the new era. It was an exciting moment for me and my family to see history been created. Malaysia indeed has been reborn. Here are five thoughts I have.

First, Malaysians from all races have clearly rejected racial politics. For the past two elections, non-Malays had been fleeing their component parties; the Chinese from the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and the Indians from Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC). They saw the bigger need for unity and renewal. The leaders from the ruling coalition, the Barisan Nasional (BN) thought status quo was the better option. They were wrong. Dead wrong. They failed to read the signs and sentiments of a new Malaysian generation: For a free and fair Malaysia. For various reasons, many Malays took a little longer to do the same to UMNO, a party that was supposed to champion their racial standing. They had conflicted emotions within them, largely due to the way their leaders had said and done to them. At GE13, MCA and MIC were decimated, leaving only UMNO to hold BN together, barely. At GE14, the Malay exodus from the Malay-dominated party helped to tilt the balance of power, in a show of unity with the rest of Malaysia. This is most significant. For this, all of Malaysia would say: THANK YOU! For standing up for what is right. For standing up for our future generation. For standing up against greed and corruption of the ruling coalition. For standing up for the ordinary man in the street regardless of ethnicity.

Second, corruption is colour-blind and party-blind. Nobody is immune from the evil temptations of money and power. The more money there is to grab, the bigger the temptation of greed. The more power and fame there are to have, the bigger the temptation of pride. It is not simply a problem with the previous coalition. It is a problem faced by all political environments, some more, some less. So beware Pakatan-Harapan (Alliance of Hope). The Rakyat will hold you accountable, just as they had done to the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) government. The Rakyat has the power to vote you in. The Rakyat also has the power to vote you out.

I like what Nurul Izah Anwar, daughter of Anwar Ibrahim said in an interview question regarding nepotism. She affirmed the principles of Reformasi and said that it doesn’t matter who is in office. She is first accountable to the Malaysian people, to make sure that the ones in power would “toe the line” of the Reformation principles. Such a leader is worth supporting. All of Malaysia must play their part to watch over the new powers. One important avenue is a strong, free, and responsible media. The press need to be independent to report on any abuses of power. At the same time, they need to exercise responsibility to weed out fake news. We must all help one another to “toe the line” of Reformasi, including ourselves. With regard to family members in politics, it is good to remember the English idiom, “Blood is thicker than water.” No matter how principled we are, when it comes to decisions between family and nation, emotions would complicate things. If possible, I would prefer to see family members not serve together in the same administration. So that they would be spared the painful choices when family relationships conflict with national agendas.

Third, the Malaysian cause cuts across age divide. With the appointment of Tun Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, we now have the oldest Prime Minister in the world! Not only did older citizens voted for him, a lot of young people too. It's heartwarming to see former political foes putting aside their differences in order to serve a common cause for the common good for the sake fo the common people. Many young people are delighted with the chance for change. At the same time, they need a trusted guiding hand to help navigate the complex world of politics, a changing economic environment, and an uncertain social climate. I see parents and children coming together to vote for the same party. I see the young supporting the old and the old encouraging the young. That is great news.

Fourth, we need a new identity. As long as we keep associating ourselves according to our ethnic group, we will remain focused only on the needs of our own groups. There are many young people whose only country they ever knew is Malaysia. They may be of Chinese origin, but they will never be fully accepted as Chinese in China. In the same way, citizens may have Indian roots, but they would never be fully accepted by India. Even today, some influential members of the political party (UMNO) are thinking of changing the "Malay" in their name to "Malaysian." That would be a move in the right direction, because the Chinese and Indians have largely abandoned the MCA and MIC, parties which historically stood for their races respectively. A new identity is needed urgently to forge ahead a new country. We need this new identity because the world we live in is changing rapidly. A greater identity will open up greater opportunities for the next generation.

(Photo Credit: FreeMalaysiaToday)

Fifth, we are all Malaysians. Imagine the pride when foreigners envy the New Malaysia, that it has new hope and new freedom. The power of the Rakyat (people) shown on May 9th, 2018 is something that resonates far and wide beyond the shores of Malaysia. For all the worries or accusations about foreign interference in local politics and so on, if something is good and reflective of the fundamental desires of the human spirit for goodness and peace, why divide it between local and foreign? We are all humans. We are all desiring a better future. We are all concerned for the new generation. We are all hoping that our children, and our children’s children will live a better life, and they would create a better children for their respective generations and beyond. Perhaps, the Malaysian spirit would become synonymous with what is fair and free; what is passionate and compassionate; what is good for all. I want to remind all that those in the previous coalition, the Barisan Nasional (National Front) are also Malaysians. They are also passionate and patriotic about the country. We need them too in order to build a new Malaysia. We need them to keep watch and act as a check against any excesses of the new government. I urge all to reset, to restart, and to renew our hopes about the ordinary Malaysia. Malaysia Boleh!

Malaysia is bigger than any one race, party, or coalition. The good news is this. I look forward to a Malaysia where it will become the place where people of all races would be proud to live in, to work in, to study in, and to be proud in. Hopefully, not only will this stem the brain drain of talent from the country, it would inspire and encourage more overseas Malaysians to return home to build the country. A truly united Malaysia will not let anything or anyone divide them, including distance. A progressive Malaysia would welcome back overseas Malaysians with open arms.

I close with the thoughts of something often quoted by football team managers in the English Premier League. “No player is bigger than the club.” In the same light, I would say: “No single race or party or human differentiator is bigger than Malaysia.” May we all remember that.

Pray for our nation according to 1 Timothy 2:1-4. Progress for the sake of all our children. Persevere for the good of the next generation, and the generations to come. All for Malaysia and Malaysia for all.

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FIVE POST-ELECTION THOUGHTS

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 14:04:00 -0800

TITLE: FIVE POST-ELECTION THOUGHTS
SCRIPTURE: 1 Tim 2:1-4
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: Nov 10th, 2016

1I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. - (1 Tim 2:1-4)

For many people, the unthinkable happened. If Murphy was alive, he would have repeated with an i-told-you-so look: "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." For nearly half the population of America today, it has indeed gone wrong when their candidate failed to garner the required number of electoral votes to win.

On January 20th, 2017, the controversial and straight-talk tycoon, Donald Trump will become the next President of the United States. In a result that took many people by surprise, it was the Democrat supporters, the widely leftist media and pollsters who had to flee with their tails between their legs. Even today, some are still scratching their heads wondering what happened. Others blamed it on the complacency of the Democratic establishment while some analysts said many Democrat supporters stayed home and did not vote. Those who could not accept the result took to the streets and protested the outcome. I watched the media and saw a 180-degree turnaround in their reporting. All their predictions were wrong. Instead of Clinton winning by a huge margin, it was Trump who took in the majority of the electoral votes. Instead of the former First Lady and experienced bureaucrat sweeping into power, it was a boisterous and shrewd reality-TV personality receiving the prize. News agencies and reporters continued to analyze the results and the reasons. Some blamed, others shamed. Many people continued to talk about what happened on Nov 8th, 2016 where America elected her new President. Some people might want some guidance with regard to this event. Let me then offer five post-election thoughts.

First, we put our hope in God, not in earthly persons. It bothers me when Christians carelessly throw in the Bible and quotes verses loosely to prove that God had already ordained Trump to be President. With lots of biblical references and spiritual rhetoric, they talk as if God had used the new President-Elect to lead them into the promised land. That premise only holds true if America is the new Israel. That is most unfortunate and somewhat presumptuous. According to renowned Old Testament scholar, Walter Brueggemann, there are at least three groups of people who claim to be the chosen. The first group are Christians who claim they are the "newly chosen" to the point of dismissing all others. The second group are those who claim "Americans are the most recently chosen," and the third who claimed that it is the "poor who are perennially chosen." All three claims will have counter-claims. Jews would protest against the notion of Christians only being the "new Israel." The Russians would argue against America being the chosen nation politically. The world outside of Latin America and the poorer economies would protest against the third view. Brueggemann concurs with Todd Gitlin and Liel Leibovitz that hanging on and proclaiming such definitions dogmatically would lead to negative consequences. He writes: "To cast some as chosen may evoke endless hostility toward others’ lives at the brink of violence. "

All of these views had one thing in common: They are human-centered. We must avoid this and to be reminded that it is not earthly beings we put our hope on, but on Christ alone. Being assured about our own chosenness is one thing. Telling others they are not chosen is another. The former we can do in humility. The latter we must avoid becoming judgmental. I like what Shane Claiborne said:

“The Christian icon is not the Stars and Stripes but a cross-flag, and its emblem is not a donkey, an elephant, or an eagle, but a slaughtered lamb.”

We should not elevate the President-Elect above Jesus, for doing so would be idolatry. It is one thing to honour the winner of the recent elections. It is yet another to put our hopes on a mortal man. We should always put our hopes in God and God alone.

Second, the media is more biased than we think. Indeed, one of the key shockers in this election is not about who won but the margin of victory. For a long time, the polls and the media have literally promoted the Democrat candidate as the winner. They poured scorn on the Republican Party, throwing all kinds of names at them. Though the candidates hurl verbal punches at each other with the media taking sides, it is the voter who ultimately calls the shots. In fact, the media have indirectly promoted the discontent and disbelief through emotional transference of their shock from the studio to the streets. Day in and day out, as reporters and analysts ask "How could they have gotten it all wrong?" they continue to feed the protestors with incredulity. Fact is, they are biased and they have largely pulled public opinion to their cause. Watching the major news networks yesterday is a case in point. Why aim cameras at heavily-Democrat cities like Los Angeles, Hollywood, Chicago, New York City, and Seattle? What about the mid-West, the South-Eastern states, and much of rural America? Fair reporting must be done. Unfortunately, Christians are not in control of media. They are in turn being influenced and many are manipulated by the media opinions. I would urge believers not to be easily swayed by opinion polls or public media statements. Ensure we are anchored on God's Word by being anchored in the Truth of God. The Psalmist says it well:

"1Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night." (Ps 1:1-2)

We can seek to understand but not walk in step with public opinion. We can choose to empathize with but not necessarily accept secular perspectives. We can acknowledge the presence of mockers but not participate in their vulgarity and loud protests. Our delight must be in God's Word and our actions be guided by God's love. The media may be biased to their own agendas. We must always be guided by the Word.

Third, the polls are misguided and mischievously cynical. Always question every poll by asking about sample size, type of respondents, margin of errors, etc. Data can lie. One can have all the facts and still not tell the truth. The secular press have prided themselves as being non-aligned and neutral. They often do polls and use quantitative data in their reporting. This election, they do a lot of polls and all the polls pointed to a Clinton victory. The experts said it. The polls said it. The media unabashedly reported it. Bradley Wright, a sociologist believes that we have been fed many lies or myths from media, both secular and Christian. One of the seven myths he helped to debunk is the negative portrayal of Christians. Note how he debunks them:

"Essentially, people who associate themselves with Christianity, as compared to the religiously unaffiliated, are more likely to have faithful marriages, commit less crime, interact honestly with others, and not get into as much trouble with drugs or alcohol. What's more, the more committed Christians are to their faith, as measured by church attendance, the greater the impact the church's teachings seem to have on their lives." (Bradley Wright, Christians are Hate-Filled Hypocrites . . and Other Lies You've Been Told, Bethany, 2010, p150)

Perhaps, about this "How could we have been so wrong?" about Trump winning, the same could be said about their largely negative perceptions of evangelical Christianity? In fact, from what I have been reading so far, the media are zooming in on a few vocal evangelicals and are broadly brushing the entire evangelical community for being Trump supporters. That is simply not true. A lot of Christians I know do not support Trump. Beware of any media that cynically spin-reports a minority and projects it as a majority. The polls have been proven wrong for this elections and they could be wrong again.

Fourth, give people room to express their unhappiness. In a winners-take-all world, it is arduous to swallow a bitter pill of defeat. With protestors up in arms, calls are even made to change the existing electoral system. No matter where we stand, I believe we must be gracious to give people room to vent their frustrations. Disappointment and grief are real human emotions. It can come across as complaining. It can also be viewed as whining. We must learn to be gracious in our response and to allow space for expression, as long as they are done within the law, in legitimate ways, and without violence. Say what we want but remember to be responsible for what we say, especially when we start inciting others to do things.

Fifth, we must start building bridges of reconciliation from all sides. The elections are over. The winner has been declared. That does not mean that the losing party can be silenced. In fact, the work is only beginning. For some, the next elections will be in 2020. If the President-Elect fails to deliver on his promises, citizens can always vote him out. Until then, it is imperative that we stand behind him and support his efforts to unite the nation and to build good relationships with their neighbours. Trump is no longer a candidate. Neither is he a mere rich businessman. He is now the President-Elect, to be sworn in official as the Commander-in-Chief on Jan 20th, 2017. The world can only watch and wait for his next steps. At the meantime, the Church can pray. The Church can continue to speak up for the rights of people all over the world. More importantly, the Church must continue to be the conscience of the state. Ordinary believers from all sides of the divide can come together to pray for wisdom and discernment for Trump. He has won the elections fair and square. He is now in authority. Do not be distracted by his past statements about various things. Measure him on what he will be doing now and the future. Hold him accountable. We want him to succeed because we want America to succeed. More importantly, we want God's will to be done and this will is based not on human persons but on the Holy Word of God.

Let me close with the famous words of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

“The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.”

May we learn not to rise up to control the state. Neither is it being controlled by trigger-happy secularism or the enemies of the gospel. Let us stand up to let the conscience of Christ reign supreme in our words and our works. Whether you are for or against Trump or Clinton, it's reconciliation time. The Presidential office is greater than any one perspective, larger than any one party, and definitely bigger than any one person. Now the results are out, we need to pray for the President-Elect and support him as much as possible. Yes, we must still hold him accountable. We must continue to stand against any forms of bigotry. We must all look forward and move on.

May all evangelicals pray with grace and wisdom.

c

Mother's Day Tributes

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Sat, 7 May 2016 08:31:00 -0700

TITLE: MOTHER'S DAY TRIBUTES
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: May 7th, 2016

Mother's Day is coming. All over the world, mothers are celebrated with a well-deserved meal or special dinners. Often, they would be given beautiful bouquet of flowers. Sometimes, they would be treated to a surprise that is out of this world. It could also be a simple hug from a loved one. As long as love is expressed and received, who cares what the present is. Who would question where or how much the item costs? It is more than the thought that counts. It is the heartfelt gratitude for mothers who had the toughest job in the world.

As a tribute to mothers all over the world, I would like to share five of the most touching videos I have seen this year. They have been made at various times but the effect is still powerful. Enjoy.

1) Toughest Job in the World (American Greetings, 2014) - Youtube
Created by ad agency, Mullen in 2014, this video shows several online interviews over a fictitious job. The results are heartwarming.

2) Mother's Day Tribute (Embridge, 2016) - Youtube
This is a beautiful reminder that all of us have mothers who will grow old one day. There's no better joy than to see loved ones visit and to know that one is never forgotten.

3) Thai Ad on Runaway Daughter (2015) - Youtube
The love of a mother knows no bounds.

4) Full-Circle (2012) - Youtube
A creative audio-visual video on the growing person.

5) Prayer For All Mothers by Rick Warren (2016) - Youtube
This prayer is all-encompassing and inclusive. Great prayer to learn from.

THOUGHT: "She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue." (Proverbs 31:25-26)

Happy Mothers' Day!

sabbathwalk

It's Still Easter!

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 12:43:00 -0700

TITLE: IT's STILL EASTER!
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: April 22nd, 2016

The Church is well-prepared for the coming of Easter. For 40 days, pastors, preachers, and Church leaders will call their flock to fast, to pray, to seek God more, and to observe a sense of holiness as one reflects on Christ’s journey to the Cross. Then comes Holy Week and voila! Christians are united with one voice to sing: “Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed!” That was more than three Sundays ago. This coming Sunday is the Fourth Sunday.

Nice Summary of Eastertide
(Credit: holyart.com)

The same cannot be said for the periods after Resurrection Sunday. After all the excitement; the disciplines of the 40 days; the preparation for Palm Sunday; the solemnity of Maundy Thursday; the painful trials and sufferings of Good Friday; and the pinnacle of Easter, the days following the Resurrection Sunday remembrance seem to become an anti-climax. The traditional Church calendar puts out 7 Sundays (including Easter Sunday) as a season of Easter, or Eastertide. The 8th Sunday is the Pentecost. How then do we celebrate and live out Easter? One way is to search the Scriptures to learn how the disciples responded to the Resurrection.

1) Remembering the Promise

6“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ” 8Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. (Mark 16:6-8)

Jesus had promised that He would be killed, buried, and on the third day rise again. The disciples didn’t believe, let alone the women. That was why Mary Magdalene and Salome did not expect to see an empty tomb. That was why they were afraid. That was why they didn’t know how to react. They had forgotten what Jesus had said about Himself. If only they had believed Jesus meant every word He said.

Easter is about remembering that whatever Jesus had promised, He will do it. He proved it in the First Coming. He will do the same, and even more in His Second Coming. That is glorious reason for hope!

2) Obeying the Great Commission

16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)

Jesus appeared to hundreds of people after He rose from the dead. The Great Commission is one of the most memorable post-Easter message. We are to obey the commands of God. Based on the authority of Jesus, we too have the authority to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to all nations. We are to make disciples of all nations. This means we do not stop at simply sharing the gospel. We disciple. We take in apprentices of faith. We train others even as we are trained. We must maintain a focus on obedience to God’s command as more important than personal sacrifices for mere programs. Easter is about obedience to the Great Commission. It is a response to this Call.

3) Witnessing

“You killed the Author of life, but God raised Him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.” (Acts 3:15)

It takes one to know one. How can we speak of something passionately when we have not experienced it? The early disciples were able to declare that Jesus was raised from the dead emphatically. Sometimes, people might say that they cannot believe because they have not personally seen Jesus rise from the dead. My response is this: The facts have been testified not only by eye-witnesses then, the evidence of His Resurrection continues to pile up now. The very fact that there are witnesses is an opportunity to give thanks. It is because of these witnesses, Christ’s good news is shared and spread. Imagine if the disciples failed to share. We would become even more suspicious. In the same way, if we do not share, our children and our children’s children, and all of the coming generations will lose out in terms of hearing our own testimonies. We are witnesses of what we had experienced. Witnessing is simply speaking out what we have seen and experienced. It is about our own walk of faith. It is about declaring the praise of God, who had called us out of darkness into His wonderful light.

4) Powerful Testimony

“With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all.” (Acts 4:33)

As I look around the churches, sometimes, I see people simply worn out after much programming and worrying over various aspects of the ministries. Is that really a testimony of God’s grace? If the Resurrection is central to our Christian living, should not all of our Christian ministries be a testimony to the power of Jesus? We need to let the power of the Holy Spirit embolden us to testify of the kingdom of God. I suspect the reason for much fatigue and anxiety in ministry is because people had tried to build the Church rather than God’s kingdom. They have substituted programming for gospel witnessing. They have reduced the work of God into programs for people. As the social club attitude increases, the gospel living decreases. Easter is none of that. Easter is about testimony of faith that it is not about what we have done or not done. It is exactly about what Christ had done at the Cross! Our starting point of ministry is at the Cross, and not at our cross-roads of ministry.

5) Defending the Gospel

11Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. 12But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Cor 15:11-19)

The Resurrection is central to our Christian faith. Knowing this, the evil forces of darkness will always try to destroy, downplay, diminish, or distract believers from emphasizing this. That is why we need to continue to stress the truth throughout our Christian lives. We must testify of the gospel to all generations. The Apostle Paul declared that without the Resurrection, our faith would be in vain. If there is indeed the Resurrection, our faith would eminently powerful, exciting, and beautiful.

Easter is about this amazing grace being held up high for all the world to see. It is not about us and our whimsical fancies. It is about Christ and His coming Kingdom.

My friends. It is still Easter. In fact, all of life is Easter. Let us not wait until that one Sunday each year for the popular bunnies and chocolate eggs to remind us. The Bible had already reminded us of this great truth of the Risen Christ. We must proclaim the truth of Easter each Sunday and every Sunday!

Here are some really good Easter quotes to reflect through Eastertide.

“Easter is the only time when it’s perfectly safe to put all your eggs in one basket.” (Evan Esar)
“To the Christian, Easter Sunday means everything, when we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
“The great gift of Easter is Hope in Jesus Christ.”
Jesus said: “I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.” (John 11:25)
"Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there." (Clarence W. Hall)
"Here is the amazing thing about Easter; the Resurrection Sunday for Christians is this, that Christ in the dying moments on the cross gives us the greatest illustration of forgiveness possible." (T.D. Jakes)
"Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song." (Pope John Paul II)
"The joyful news that He is risen does not change the contemporary world. Still before us lie work, discipline, sacrifice. But the fact of Easter gives us the spiritual power to do the work, accept the discipline, and make the sacrifice." (Henry Knox Sherrill)

Remember that hope must be anchored on the Resurrection Promise. That is the beauty of Easter. The song, "Because He Lives" is the essence of what it means to be a Christian.

THOUGHT:

“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone,
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living, Just because He lives!”

sabbathwalk

Finding Our True Need

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Sat, 9 Apr 2016 09:22:00 -0700

TITLE: FINDING OUR TRUE NEED
SCRIPTURE: Philippians 4:19
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: April 9th 2016

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

This is a popular verse when we write encouragement cards to people. It is a marvelous verse to tweet quickly to one another to assure them that God is aware and God will do something. Moreover, it comes from God’s abundance and generosity. What more could we ask for? If God is for us, who will be against us? The question for this week is this: What is our true need?

A) Typical Hierarchy of Needs

The Famous 5-Level-Needs of Maslow

Those of us who are familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs will remember the famous pyramid. Based on these, we all have the five levels of need. The first level is physiological where we need to provide food on the table, shelter for the family, and paying for our basic expenses. This is something all of us will understand. With jobs, we get some income to help pay for our housing, our food, our transportation costs, and the basis living expenses. The second level is the need for safety and security. We look not simply for a good house but a good neighbourhood. We do not simply buy food but healthy diets. We travel in a manner that is safe. When I was young, my mother kept telling me about the dangers of riding a motorcycle. Whenever there is an accident involving the two-wheeler, regardless of who is in the right, the motorcyclist will usually end up as the victim. I have known friends who had been seriously injured when they fell out of their bikes for various reasons. To this day, I do not have a motorbike license. I have heard lots of nice stories of people feeling a sense of freedom when they ride on a bike. Not me.

The third level of need is about relational needs. Also called psychological needs, it is something that human beings long for. Without family and friends, one would be lonely. Loneliness is a terrible feeling. Mother Teresa is often known for her ministry to the poor in India. She founded the ministry called “Missionaries of Charity” which is based in India. Its primary mission is to train people to reach out to the poorest of the poor. Not many people know that Mother Teresa also had a heart to care for people in the West. In A Simple Path, Teresa writes:

“The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty -- it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There's a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.” (Mother Teresa, A Simple Path, New York, NY: Random House, 1995, p79)

With good relationships with others, Level 3 is covered. With a good self-awareness and personal success, one fulfills Level 4. The highest level of all is Level 5: Self-Actualization. People usually see this as the accomplishment of one’s lifelong ambitions. Entrepreneurs call it achieving their deepest passions in their business ideas. Christians call it fulfilling the highest calling. All of these is summed up by Abraham Maslow as “Self-Actualization.” For many years, people have thought that this is the highest level that Maslow had envisioned. Not many people know about a Level 6. It is a level that is higher than “self-actualization.” Maslow himself toward the end of his life felt that his 5-Level Hierarchy of Needs is deficient because it does not capture the highest level of need for the human being.

B) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Revisited – Even Higher Levels

Maslow's Revised Hierarchy

Just before his death in 1970, Maslow posited a new level called “Transcendence” which is about the need for a person to connect to a divine being, to something far greater than self. While it is important to achieve self-actualization, that alone is inferior to connecting to a Higher Being. Perhaps, it has got to do with Maslow’s growing awareness of mortality, that we cannot take our achievements or our self-actualized successes into the afterlife. Indeed, we learn that it is not about us. The needs hierarchy maps out nicely the basic paradigms of human living. Yet, what good is it after we die?

C) Finding Out What We Truly Need

Simple Way to Determine Our Real Needs

It begins with "I Don't Know." Seek not self-interests. This is the most sure way of being derailed from our true needs. Be humble about it. We are often not sure what we really need. Some of us may think that money will solve our pressing problem. Yet, the more money we have, the more complicated our lives will become. In the book, "Money for Nothing," Edward Ugel tells his story of how he deals with people who suddenly had a great windfall, such as a lottery win. Knowing that winners simply wanted more cash upfront instead of monthly installments, he entices these people to part with their right to these monthly payments in exchange for a higher payout as well as a higher interest rate. Ugel finds out that most people would take the deal simply because they wanted more cash upfront. Little do they know that not only will they get a lesser nett amount, but also the problem of not knowing what to do with the extra cash. Ugel gives some more frightening stories:

Connie and Kenneth won a $25 million lottery in 2003. Three months later, their 16-years-old marriage was dissolved.
Juan Rodriguez, a New York parking attendant earning about $28000 annually won a $149 million jackpot. His wife came back to him after the win. Ten days later, she filed for divorce, demanded half of the prize money and won!

Ugel writes from his experience with lotteries:

"The ones who really harm winners are the state lotteries themselves. Lotteries market players into believing a myth. Then, when the player defies the odds and wins, the lotteries hang their winners out to dry, leaving them exposed to the vultures and hangers-on. New winners are entirely unprepared for this, ............ There are virtually no new-winner assistance programs, no classes or seminars held by the lotteries themselves. Instead, lotteries push the myth, snap the all-important marketing photos, and go back to what they were doing before yet another in an endless line of 'millionaires' walked through the door." (Edward Ugel, Money for Nothing, HarperCollins, 2007, p39)

If I may add, people who don't know what they want are prime candidates for others to manipulate. People with a sudden influx of money often do not know what to do with their windfall. If that is the case, why are there so many people just wanting more and more?

D) Seek Wisdom

The second tip is to seek wisdom. There is no greater guide than the Bible itself. The book of Proverbs alone contains lots of wisdom promises with regard to wealth.

"Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her." (Prov 8:10-11)
"Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil." (Prov 15:16)
"How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!" (Prov 16:16)
"Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel." (Prov 20:15)
"The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but people are tested by their praise." (Prov 27:21)

What good is a lot of money without the corresponding wisdom to manage or steward it? If in doubt, seek wisdom. This is pleasing to God.

E) Seek God

Finally, our deepest need is for God. God is our Maker. Surely, He holds the Master's manual. Surely, He knows what is best for us. He knows absolutely what we all need. The book of Ecclesiastes concludes with this:

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." (Eccl 12:13-14)

When we learn to fear God, we keep our worries in check. Oswald Chambers writes:

"It is not only wrong to worry, it is infidelity, because worrying means that we do not think that God can look after the practical details of our lives, and it is never anything else that worries us." (My Utmost for His Highest)

In tackling the challenge of not approaching God as Santa Claus, we are often taught not to seek God for gifts per se, but for God Himself. Richard Foster gives us a pretty nice way of putting this in perspective.

"Real prayer comes not from gritting our teeth but from falling in love. This is why the great literature on prayer is frankly and wonderfully erotic. 'The Trinity' writes Juliana of Norwich, 'is our everlasting lover.' 'O my love!' exclaims Richard Rolle. 'O my Honey! O my Harp! O my psalter and canticle all the day! When will you heal my grief? O root of my heart, when will you come to me?' 'Jesus, Lover of my soul,' pleads Charles Wesley, 'Let me to they bosom fly." (Richard Foster, Prayer, NY: HarperCollins, 1992, p3)

When we truly seek God, we will go beyond self-needs. We will desire wisdom to choose what is better. We will love God for who God is, not according to what God can give us. That is our true calling. It is our greatest need. Paul knows the deepest need of humankind. He knows exactly what will be fulfilling to the Philippians. That is why he is able to say confidently to all who seek God with all their hearts:

"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:19)

When our truest desire for God matches the greatest needs of people, that is where God's will is.

THOUGHT: Imagine the difference in our workplace if we prayed with the “arms up” approach rather than the “every man for himself ” approach. What would happen if we lifted our arms for our country and our leaders rather than watching hours of mindless political jargon on TV ? Picture the intimacy of teams, classes, and churches that held up each other’s arms instead of casually observing as arms fell in exhaustion. (Gari Meacham, Spirit Hunger, Zondervan, 2012, p149)

sabbathwalk

Faith and Contentment

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Fri, 1 Apr 2016 16:00:00 -0700

TITLE: FAITH AND CONTENTMENT
SCRIPTURE: Philippians 4:12-13
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: April 1st, 2016

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:12-13)

This week, I want to share three thoughts from my sabbatical.

It has been a strange sabbatical for me. After seven years of being in gainful employment, I took a 3-month sabbatical so as to take a step back from my routine, my regular work schedule, and my familiar activities. During this time, I preached at different churches. I traveled to the Far East. I spent more time with family and friends. When people asked me what I wanted to do during this time, I told them I wanted to write a book. That had not taken off. The ideas were there. The thoughts were there. However, the determination and discipline to do that were not there. After all, a sabbatical must be a sabbatical. Otherwise, call it a different kind of work or some activity-oriented break. One of the problems in modern society is that we have not really understood what rest means. We know how to work from 9 to 5. We know how to bring our projects home from the office. We know how to get connected to the Internet, carry our emails with us, and stay connected to work even when we are home. We have become so comfortable with working that we are increasingly uncomfortable with anything non-work. With such a work-saturated mindset, true rest is hard to find.

Many people have said good things about the sabbath. Let me share a few.

Seven days of work makes one weak
"It is not the Jews that kept the Sabbath but the Sabbath that kept the Jews." (Jewish Rabbi)
"He who cannot rest, cannot work; he who cannot let go, cannot hold on; he who cannot find footing, cannot go forward." (Harry Emerson Fosdick)
"As a man addicted to activity and anxiety, I could tell you story after story about how a restless lifestyle is everything from silly to stupid to soul killing." (Mark Galli)
"Test the premise that you are worth more than you can produce – that even if you spent one whole day of being good for nothing you would still be precious in God’s sight. " (Barbara Brown Taylor)
"No other behavioral change has brought so many unintended but welcome benefits to my life of faith and my work as a pastor." (Eugene Peterson)

This week, I want to share three thoughts about my sabbatical.

1) We Need Space from the Race

The Rat Race is Like . . .

Whether we like it or not, most of us are in some kind of a race. From getting a good performance review to winning business deals, we want to make sure that our efforts bear fruit. We work hard. We push hard. We pray hard. In Christian communities, Sundays too can be one of the most hectic day of the week. Parents rush their kids to get ready for Church. Sunday school teachers prepare lessons diligently and deliver them faithfully. Preachers prepare sermons through the week and deliver them. They have to work hard, pray often, and hope that when the day comes, they do not fumble or say the wrong things. Following the Church service comes other activities like clean-up work, catching up with people over fellowship, and preparing as much as possible to minimize the following week's logistics. If afternoons are free, some would take a walk in the park. Some would have extended fellowship. Personally, Sunday afternoons are the best times to nap.

We have become so accustomed to doing things that we have missed out on what it means to really rest. When I was writing my doctoral thesis on the Sabbath, my supervising professor asked me to think about the question: "What do you do on the Sabbath?"

My answer: Nothing and Anything.

This may sound strange as both activities appear to contradict each other. How can nothing and anything co-exist? This brings me to the passage this week where Paul writes about his own faith and contentment.

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty."

The context was about Paul's material needs. The Philippians cared for the imprisoned apostle. They had expressed concern about Paul's lack and wanted to bless Paul with gifts, according to what Paul needed. Gently, Paul assured the people that the material needs are secondary. He had learned that in all circumstances, contentment is key to joyful living. Being content is very much a reflection of the inner person. As I reflect on the topic of poverty, sometimes I wonder. Why is it that people who are poor often remain poor? Is it because they do not have enough food? Is it because they have been bullied by society, trapped by the poverty cycle, or cannot find gainful employment?

Hardly. The biggest problem with poverty is not material but a lack of hope. Without hope, without a dream, and without a vision for the future, people are unwilling to find a way out of their own predicament. It is like that lame man at the pool of Bethesda who laid pitifully beside the pool for 38 years. The moment Jesus asks if he wanted to get well, he didn't even answer the question directly. All he said was:

"Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me." (John 5:7)

Jesus addressed this spiritual condition directly. He knew that the lame man's greatest need is for something more than healing. That was why when Jesus saw the man, He instructed: "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." (John 5:14)

The biggest problem with the lame man was not the physical handicap but a lack of hope for his future. Coming back to the Sabbath, I think without making space in our weekly schedules to re-orientate our souls, we will be unable to snap out of our self-inflicted work routines.

2) The World Goes On Even Without You

I got this theory, that the more we try to work ourselves hard, the more we are trying to prove to the world that we are needed. We are vital to the survival of the organization. We are indispensable. This is actually the cultivation of pride. The moment we start to heighten our personal sense of importance, the more we are susceptible to the fallacy of pride. At seminary, I have been trained to preach, to prepare, and to produce sermons week after week. Sometimes, it is out of necessity to preach week in, week out. Other times, it is because we cannot find alternative speakers. Still, there are churches that insist that their pastors preach every week. Sometimes, it is a case of the pastor's unwillingness to share the pulpit.

I have a problem with that. Even if a pastor can preach every week, I would caution against that for three reasons. First, every pastor needs a break. How can anybody maintain a high level of sermon preparation and delivery every week? It is impossible. Without taking a week or more to reflect and to be refreshed, the danger is that sermons become stale. Stories get repeated. The joy of speaking becomes dull. Eugene Peterson writes:

"We are capable of preaching good sermons on it to our parishioners, and we take great care to provide them a Sabbath of good worship and holy leisure. But we exempt ourselves. Curious." (Eugene Peterson in CT, The Pastor's Sabbath)

Second, the congregation also need a break. Imagine hearing the same voice every week, the same style, the same mannerism, and the same kind of sermon structure. Would that not bore even the most ardent listener? What about those who would like to hear a different perspective from time to time?

Third, others need a chance. I believe in the cultivation of a community of preachers. Whether it is a preaching elder, a theological student, a mature disciple, or some visiting speaker, when we have a community of preachers, we can let God use the different gifts they have, the creative ideas, and the spiritual maturity to bless the rest of the Church. Failing to let them exercise their gifts undermines the movement of the Spirit. I concur with Gavin Adams:

"I think every preacher forgets they were once young and learning, too. Every great preacher began as a young, growing, aspiring preacher. As a senior pastor, you have the opportunity to shape the future of the church by allowing the younger guys opportunities to preach." (Gavin Adams, Pastor: You Don't Have to Preach Every Week in "Churchleaders.com")

This is perhaps one of the most important lessons I have learned in my sabbatical: Life goes on, even without me in it. God uses anyone, and God can also choose NOT to use me.

3) It's Important to See God Work Amid Our Rush to Do God's Work

In the days of creation in Genesis 1, there is a constant refrain,

"God saw that ____ was good."

Photo Credit: Foxnews.com

The cellphone is one of the most visible symbols of our culture today. Just the other day when I was at an Apple store, one Apple specialist was boasting about the iPhone being the world's most popular camera in the world. True. Many people worldwide have iPhones. With the rear camera, they snap pictures of everything. With the front camera, they take selfies. Whenever they go, the automatic impulse was to snap an image with or without us in the picture and then post it on social media. The rush to get ourselves in the picture and to share with everybody on the Internet is so overwhelming that the actual scenery, monument, or attraction becomes secondary. Like a typical tourist that is more interested in taking a picture of the self next to the attraction. Once the picture is taken, the interest in the very attraction wanes. It seems like the "I've been there" is more important than the actual wonder of the world. Could this also mean that the rush to do God's work is more important than God?

When we are constantly on the move, we miss things. Those of us who drive often need to learn to take a walk around our neighbourhood. For when we do so, we slow down. We see our neighbourhood. We become familiar with our home surroundings. Drivers often miss things. In the same way, if we do not pause regularly, even in the doing of God's work, we may miss seeing how God works.

Paul writes to the Philippians that "He can do everything...."

What kind of "everything" is he talking about? It is about the doing of everything because it is the Lord who strengthens him. It is the Lord who makes things happen, not us. It is the Lord who gives us joy in service. Will God prefer to use a cheerful or a grouchy usher? Will God prefer to use an inspired or an exhausted Sunday School teacher? Will God prefer to use a happy or grumpy board member?

My fellow readers, and servants in Christ. Do yourself a favour. Take a break regularly and often. Just as the doing of God's work requires a step of faith, taking the Sabbath in itself is also a step of faith.

THOUGHT: "There is a restlessness and fretfulness in these day which stand like two granite walls against Godliness. Contentment is almost necessary to Godliness, and Godliness is absolutely necessary to contentment. A very restless man will never be a very Godly man, and a very Godly man will never be a very restless man." (D.L. Moody)

sabbathwalk

Were You There?

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 07:52:00 -0700

TITLE: WERE YOU THERE?
SCRIPTURE: Luke 23:44-49
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: March 25th, 2016

44It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. 47The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” 48When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. 49But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. (Luke 23:44-49)

This Holy Week, the following came to me:

God's tears were shed on Holy Thursday;
God's blood was bled on Good Friday
God's voice was muted on Silent Saturday;
God's glory was raised on Resurrection Sunday.

As far as man are concerned, they view Jesus not from God's perspective but from the world. On Thursday, the disciples were still oblivious to what was going to occur. They ate bread and drank wine together with Jesus. Their feet were washed. They were served. They were prayed for. Little did they know that among them was Judas Iscariot who would not only betray their lord, but would be the first of a long list of people who would desert Jesus.

On Friday, Jesus was tried, humiliated, crucified, and was buried. The crowds cheered and the mobs jeered. Some people cried but were easily drowned out by taunting noises. Though Jesus was nailed on the cross, together with two other convicted thieves, he felt alone. Deserted by the people, deserted by his disciples, and deserted by His Heavenly Father.

On Saturday, hardly anything happened except the grief and silence of a day filled with gloom. The Rabbi had died. The Miracle-Healer was gone. The Teacher was no more. Even the four gospel writers did not have much to write about on this Silent Saturday.

During the 19th Century, the North American slaves took the Friday mood to heart as they sang the negro spiritual, Were You There.

WERE YOU THERE

Were you there when they crucified my Lord? (Were you there?)

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed him to the cross? (Were you there?)

Were you there when they nailed him to the cross?

O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!

Were you there when they nailed him to the cross?

Were you there when they pierced him in the side? (Were you there?)

Were you there when they pierced him in the side?

O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!

Were you there when they pierced him in the side?

Were you there when the sun refused to shine? (Were you there?)

Were you there when the sun refused to shine?

O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!

Were you there when the sun refused to shine?

The haunting melody repeats itself over four stanzas, moving from the time Jesus was crucified, to the moment Jesus was nailed, the excruciating torture of the pain, and the dark clouds that reflect the spiritual forces of darkness that seem to be winning the spiritual battle. Man's response was simply to tremble. Tremble at the unreasonable circumstances and plots leading to Jesus' conviction. Tremble at the unholiness of man that nailed Jesus at the cross. Tremble at the unimaginable horror of bully and humiliation of a man who did nothing wrong. Tremble at the anger of God up above, whose full force of justice and righteousness for the punishment for the sins of man, were fully meted out on the body of His only Son.

So we wait. The words of AJ Swoboda are instructive.

"Friday is the day we own up to our part of the evil in the world. It's the day I admit my culpability, my part, my doings in the system of darkness. It's the day I look up at Jesus as the one I've nailed to the cross and stops blaming everyone else for the nails in his hands. On Friday, the buck stops here." (A.J. Swoboda, A Glorious Dark, Baker Books, 2014, p15)

Indeed. Good Friday is good because it is a time for self-examination. It is a time for confession. It is a time in which we realize the depth of our sinfulness and the intensity of God's love.Take time to be holy. Take time to pray. Take time to reflect.

Thank God, that the world did not end that Friday. Neither did it pause on Saturday. For then came Sunday.

THOUGHT: "Even the darkest night will end and the sun will eventually rise." (Unknown)

sabbathwalk

What is Calling?

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 10:30:00 -0700

TITLE: WHAT IS CALLING?
SCRIPTURE: Romans 8:18-30
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: Mar 16th, 2016

18I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

These days I have been thinking about calling. Maybe it is just that mid-life crisis topic, or just an impromptu moment. Maybe it is about transitions or some new adventure to embark upon. It forces me to go back to the biblical word, "called." What is it? How is it applied to today's context? These two questions will guide my reflection for the next two weeks. This week, I like to deal with the subject of calling.

What is calling?

Simply put, I believe calling is a journey. In Romans 8, we see how Paul describes his own call in terms of moving toward a final goal. Life for him as a Christian had been tough. He could have enjoyed the fruits of his Pharisaic achievements. He could have become a top solicitor for some rich clients. He could have earned enough money to simply go through life by sitting in positions of influence, reputation, and fame. Yet, he made that decision to turn back and as a consequence, had to suffer for his choice. He writes with boldness that "I consider our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."

The journey from suffering to glory is a long one. He suffered for his faith and was persecuted for his faith. He needed constant reminders about his calling to press on, knowing that one day, one shall be well. It is the hope that kept him going. For hope enables us to look beyond temporal concerns. The amount of present concerns are never equal to the future glory. In fact, they are much less. Tiny. Pittance compared to the flood of glory that would gush out in immeasurable ways.

I remember those days as a student in Regent College. One attraction in a Regent education is the opportunity for "Vocational Clarity." According to the website here, Regent offers a place to be about to find clarity in what we want to do and our role in the body of Christ. Several professors have shown the way. They point out that all of life is important, both spiritual and secular, indirectly showing us that we cannot separate the two. They speak frequently against dualism and warn us against the impact of Gnosticism. In our culture infatuated with the "Spiritual but not Religious" mantra, it is so easy to adopt Yoga-like exercise as a way to escape the present sufferings in order to achieve that state of tranquility. Once the trance wears off, one goes back to the grind, to work until the next rest point. Romans 8:20 may come as a shock. How can a loving God allow His dear children to suffer?

I am reminded of the emperor butterfly story where a man tried to help a pupa struggling through a tiny neck inside the cocoon. Feeling pity for the pupa that did not seem to be making much headway through, he decided to enlarge the neck by cutting it loose. Suddenly, the pupa stopped moving. The whole thing remained swollen with its wings wilted. Suddenly it dawned on the man that there is a reason for the struggle. The pupa had to go through the tiny neck so as to physically circulate fluids throughout its growing body. When the blood and nutrients are pumped to the wings, it can then fly. The struggle through the neck is essentially an essential part of growth!

Nobody likes suffering. Neither do I. Yet, there are times in which it is essential to let God have the final say. Let God show us the way to grow. Trust God.

Second, Calling is personal, not mere vocational. The Old Testament servants of God were all called to serve. Abraham was called to be the father of all nations. Moses was called when he was tendering sheep in the wilderness. Young Samuel was called when he was sleeping. The disciples were all individually called simply to follow Jesus. They all receive a personal call. On that note, sometimes, I wish that God's calling to me is as dramatic as Paul's experience in Damascus; or a celestial angel that appeared before me to give me explicit instructions. Maybe, if God suddenly appear to me in a dream or speak with a clear booming voice at some point of my life, I would know for sure that God is calling me. It is good to remember that even when calling is personal, it is not individualistic. It is a personal call not in itself but to God. Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church says it very well.

“A job is a vocation only if someone else calls you to do it for them rather than for yourself. And so our work can be a calling only if it is reimagined as a mission of service to something beyond merely our own interests. Thinking of work mainly as a means of self-fulfillment and self-realization slowly crushes a person and – as Bellah and many others have pointed out – undermines society itself.” (Tim Keller, Every Good Endeavor, Hodder and Stoughton, 2012, p19)

Yet, that is often an exception rather than the rule. God has already called. It came at that very point when we hear the gospel. When we made the decision to follow Jesus. When we join a Church. When we begin to serve. When we obey the promptings of the Spirit. When we receive the spiritual gifts. These are all signs of a calling. They all come in very ordinary ways, interspersed with some divine unmistakable highlights. Far too often, we pay more attention to the highlights and forget that the beauty is in it all. Like climbing a mountain, we do not simply enjoy the peak for itself. We grow in the discipline of training; the wisdom of packing; the due diligence of preparing; the execution of the climbing expedition; the use of maps and compass; the teamwork needed to travel as one team; and so on. All of these are part of the journey of calling.

Third, Calling is to God, not simply a job. Mother Teresa has one of the simplest ways to define calling. She says: "Many people mistake our work for our vocation. Our vocation is the love of Jesus." The Latin word for "calling" is "vocatio" which is where we get the word "vocation." It is a term used to match one's gifts and training to the type of work to be done. In the Catholic Church, this word is widely used to describe the dedication of one's gifts and talents to the ministry of God through the Church. Over time, due to the frequent use of this word, vocation has become a higher form of "career" or "job." Sometimes, at interviews, I would hear prospective employers asking: "Are you looking for a job or a career?" What they are trying to ask is whether we are simply there for the money. Anybody who desperately wanted a job will simply say "career" as the appropriate answer. Unfortunately, the true intention of a person will need time to discover. An interview is never a good test of a person's true character. This is one reason why I tend to be suspicious of people who go around saying that they had a specific divine calling like the ones the biblical characters had. Like the experience of Elijah, one must learn to listen to the still small voice of God instead of the bombastic images of earthquakes, typhoons, and loud noises. I read somewhere this week about listening:

"The biggest communication problem is we do not listen to understand. We listen to reply."

How true. If we are indeed open to the voice of God, we must learn to deny ourselves, to take up the cross, and to follow Jesus. True listening is less about ourselves and more about the heart of God.

Fourth, calling demands a response, our response. If God's call is an opening bracket, our response is that essential closing bracket. The popular saying goes: "It takes two to tango." When we are talking about the calling of God, it is essential that we respond in faith. This responding is not necessarily a perfect one. If that is so, we can always say no by using the reason:

"But God, I'm not perfect now. Can you wait until I am more perfect before I go?"

Here, it is comforting to read Romans 8:27-28:

"27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

God already knows our condition, our struggles, our concerns, our cares, our wants, our needs, our everything. Even if we are not sure of what EXACTLY is God's direction, what PRECISELY is God's instructions, and what SPECIFICALLY is God's call, the Spirit of God knows. The Spirit of God is now interceding for us. The Spirit of God is perfectly aware of the will of God. God's Spirit is interceding for us it he way that will ultimately work in the will of God and for the best of us. Perhaps, in becoming too distracted by the outward manifestations of the call, some of us have failed to be attentive to the inward movements of God's spirit. For now, let us love Jesus, love people, and serve all. These three things are the best response any believer can ever do. These outward responses reflect an unmistakable inward call of God. There is no greater calling than to be conformed to the image of Christ.

THOUGHT: "The call of God blocks the path of all such deeply human tendencies. We are not primarily called to do something or go somewhere; we are called to Someone. We are not called first to special work but to God. The key to answering the call is to be devoted to no one and to nothing above God himself." (Os Guinness, The Call, Paternoster, 2001, p43)

sabbathwalk

Don't Idle. Evangelize!

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Fri, 11 Mar 2016 13:38:00 -0800

TITLE: DON'T IDLE. EVANGELIZE!
SCRIPTURE: Isa 43:18-21
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: March 11th, 2016

18“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. 20The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, 21the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise." (Isa 43:18-21)

I have brothers and sisters, friends and acquaintances in many different churches. Some of them are normal Sunday parishioners while others are actively serving in the leadership. Others are fellow ministry workers plugging along through the ups and downs of Church life. Indeed, one of the most difficult places to work in are non-profits such as Christian organizations. One is expected to do good, to be good, and to appear good even when the going gets tough and the emotions get rough. Without a proper way to vent frustrations, one can easily get burnout. An effective way to share the burdens is to find encouragement among people who understand the unique situations when serving in Church. One feels free to talk about the flock, about the leadership board, or even about fellow workers in the same Church. Usually, no names are mentioned. It is more about finding ways to support one another in prayer rather than to turn the meeting into some forum for complaining. From time to time, whether over coffee or casual meetings, we would talk about some serious going ons. One such question is this: "Why is the Church not growing?"

It is a common question. It is also a very common scenario. Whether it is numerical growth or spiritual growth, the same question applies. For churches that have been stagnant for many years, there is no numerical growth, only gradual decline. Even for churches that are growing in numbers, there is no assurance that members are also growing spiritually as well.

In Vancouver, declining churches are the norm rather than the exception. Churches that grow in numbers are few and far between. Some would protest by saying that that is not true. One example was a mainline Church on a recent Sunday where there was almost a 40% growth in attendance. What was not explicitly mentioned was the presence of 8 additional members that Sunday on top of the regular attendance of 20! Numbers can deceive, depending on what context you are looking at. Yet, another Church I learned had to sell their Church building because of an aging congregation of 15 people. While numbers are not necessarily the key measurement of church health, it is definitely a symptom of something gone or going wrong.

If a Church is not growing, it is declining. There is no such thing as a status quo. For life is about growth, not sustenance. A car that is idling with its engine running generates lots of combustion and engine activity but the car does not go anywhere. Likewise, a Church that is busy running its own activities without moving toward a particular target is not going anywhere anytime soon. Eventually, the gas runs out.

This week, I want to combine the question of Church growth with the topic of evangelism. My main point is this: Churches do not exist for themselves. They must declare the praises where they are both inside and outside.

A) The Idling Church

Is your Church like an Idling Car?

A Church that is offering lots of programs and activities without a particular purpose is like that idling car that burns up petrol and pollutes the environment. It stays where they are with activities meant for internal consumption. If a Church is full of teaching programs, why not call it a "school" instead? If a Church is full of activities to get members involved in golf, in dance programs, in cooking seminars, or in watching movies, why not call it a "social club for religious people" instead? If a Church is always pre-occupied with soup kitchens, free bread distribution, and housing homeless people, why not call it a "social welfare organization" instead? If a Church exists simply for its members, why not call it an invitation-only "private club?" These situations present the Church trying to do a lot of good but lacks direction. When there is a lack of purpose, people would become immersed in activities that make loud sounds but on the inside, they are empty. Devoid of purpose and significance, they would spiral toward meaninglessness sooner if not later.

A Church idles simply because she does not know where to go. The numbers may continue to come, but if they catch the vision of another Church or another place, they might jump ship.Rick Warren, popular author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California writes:

"It's far easier to set the right foundation at the start of a new church than it is to reset it after a church has existed for years. However, if you serve in an existing church that has plateaued, is declining, or is simply discouraged, your most important task is to redefine your purpose. Forget everything else until you have established it in the minds of your members. Recapture a clear vision of what God wants to do in and through your church family. Absolutely nothing will revitalize a discouraged church faster than rediscovering its purpose." (Rick Warren, The Purpose-Driven Church, Zondervan, 1995, p81)

I do not believe that people are content to just idle around and sustain themselves. In all fairness, I believe people want to grow. They want to welcome new members. They need to catch a fresh vision. The major problem is leadership. Proverbs 29:18 has been well quoted: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." The ESV renders it better as: "Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law." At the root of the verse is the need for vision, for a Word of God to show us the way. The trouble with idling churches is that they have lost the vision of God. They may study a lot of Bible but that does not mean that they are listening well to the voice of God. It comes back to the meaning and existence of Church. In Mere Christianity, The popular philosopher and writer, C.S. Lewis writes:

"There is nothing else. It is so easy to get muddled about that. It is easy to think that the Church has a lot of different objects—education, building, missions, holding services. Just as it is easy to think the State has a lot of different objects—military, political, economic, and what not. But in a way things are much simpler than that. The State exists simply to promote and to protect the ordinary happiness of human beings in this life. A husband and wife chatting over a fire, a couple of friends having a game of darts in a pub, a man reading a book in his own room or digging in his own garden— that is what the State is there for. And unless they are helping to increase and prolong and protect such moments, all the laws, parliaments, armies, courts, police, economics, etc., are simply a waste of time. In the same way the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose." (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, HarperCollins, 1972, p199)

B) The Evangelizing Church

I believe that the Church is a place of equipping people to share the good news. If the Church is not doing that, no wonder the Church is not growing. Looking at Isa 43, there are three things I want to say about a Church that is God-aware.

First, such a Church will not dwell on the past because God forgives. When Israel was asked to "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past," they were reminded of the ways their forefathers had given their allegiances to idols. If Israel were to continue in the old ways of their ancestors, they would be doomed. They would fall into the same traps. They would die. The calling of Israel is not to pursue idols and to build kingdoms for the benefit of self. The calling of Israel is to declare the praises of God by being the people of God that they have been called to be. The name of Abraham means: "Father of all nations" (Gen 17:5). Israel exists to glorify God and to be a blessing for all nations. Through Israel, God will save the world. Unfortunately, Israel failed miserably. Despite the opportunities given them, they did not do what they were supposed to do. Instead, they dwelt on the past mistakes, repeating them so frequently that it brought lots of pain and heartache to God. The calling of Isaiah gives Israel another chance. God forgives and continues to forgive us.

Second, they are attentive to new things of God because God gives. Isa 43 is full of new imagery that refreshes, recharges, and renews our hopes. God is doing a new thing; making a new way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. God will provide water and feed His people. Why? It is because we are God's children. God will take care of us. God will shelter us. God will comfort us. Even John the Baptist can only "prepare the way" (Luke 3:4). It is God who makes the way (Isa 43:19). What "new things" are God talking about? It is the remaking of a brand new spiritual infrastructure. It is the dawn of a new era. It is the restoration of Israel. Only God can give such a great promise. Will it not grip our souls to proclaim such wonderful news? Think about a new development that will transform our neighbourhood? Think about how an old debilitating neighbourhood can be changed when a new developer starts refreshing the whole place with a brand new vision. Think about what happens when a developer of great compassion and integrity starts to invest positively to a town, that it benefits citizens and residents in multiple ways like giving jobs; laying new pipes to replace broken ones; improving public transportation; building beautiful landscapes and parks; and so many other benefits. God promises more. God promises a new Jerusalem. Will that not excite us to want to be a part of such a movement?

Third, they are constantly on a lookout be that gift to declare the praises of God. Once a Church catches a fresh vision of God, they will be on their way to becoming the praises of God. You don't have to tell them. They will tell you. The purpose of Israel's existence is to be the people of God that they have been called to be. The same applies to the Church. We are called to be the people to declare the praises of God. Isaiah 43:20-1 read as:

"The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise."

Israel could proclaim what God had done for them. Likewise, we proclaim out of what God had done in our lives. The simplest way to put it is our own personal testimony.

A growing Church is a Church that evangelizes. If a Church is not growing in numbers, there is often a serious lack of evangelistic activities. After all, it is the Great Commission, not a Great Suggestion. Soup kitchen and feeding the poor can only do so much. Many government and non-government organizations are already doing that. Many churches are also doing that. The problem is not the charitable acts of mercy but the FAILURE to share the good news alongside with it. What is the point of giving a person a fish but not teaching the person how to fish?

THOUGHT: "So if the lesson from science is that people matter to God, then the lesson from business is they'd better matter to us, too. Only as we begin to value those outside our Christian circles will we be truly fulfilled and functioning according to God's purpose for us. But let's be honest. It's hard to keep our focus. Our tendency is to drift away from genuinely valuing the spiritually confused. We're quick to forget how much they matter to God." (Mark Mittelberg, The Contagious Christian, Zondervan, 1994, p15)

sabbathwalk

Spiritual Unity

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Fri, 4 Mar 2016 13:41:00 -0800

TITLE: SPIRITUAL UNITY
SCRIPTURE: John 17:20-23
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: March 4th, 2016.

20“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

The Church is not as united as Christ wants her to be. This is a historical fact and also a present reality. In biblical times, there are many examples of how God's people go their separate ways. The very first split between human beings mentioned in the Bible is the classic case of Cain and Abel over worship. Cain offered some of his crops to God while Abel gave the best of his firstfruits. Envious of God's acceptance of his brother's gift and not his, Cain schemed and slaughtered Abel. When questioned by God, he skirted the issue. In Genesis 13, we saw the first patriarch of Israel having to contend with family dispute with Lot. In order to prevent further tensions, Abram and Lot agreed to part ways as they could not get along (Gen 13:8-10). Family relationships are often the most difficult to resolve.

Even King David right from the start had to contend with the problem of unity. Before his enthronement, Saul his predecessor tried to get rid of him. In his later years, he had to flee for his life because of a family mutiny. While his heart remained true to God, his own son failed to do the same, resulting in the split of the nation of Israel into Israel and Judah.

The Early Church too had their share of disagreements and disunity. Paul and Barnabas disagreed so much that they had to go their separate ways (Acts 15:39). In his letters to various churches, Paul wrote about spiritual unity to the Romans, the Colossians, the Ephesians, and especially the Corinthians. In the Corinthian Church, the people were in so much disarray that everything seemed to be fodder for vicious contention. It led to quarrels over leadership (1 Cor 1:12). It came from spiritual immaturity (1 Cor 3:3). It caused suspicions of intent (1 Cor 4:18) and lukewarmness over immorality (1 Cor 5:1). Even the gifts of the Spirit were molded to become a showcase of human arrogance (1 Cor 12, 14). Out of the pain and heartache, Paul wrote one of the most beautiful passages on what it means to be spiritually united in 1 Corinthians 13. The great love chapter is not for weddings or romantic dinners. It was born out of a painful struggle over Church splits and a lack of spiritual unity. The key question for us this week is: What is spiritual unity and how can we be more united? I like to share from Bill Donahue's very insightful book (The Irresistible Community) about building spiritual community through the three Ts. These three Ts are very much the way of Jesus.

A) THE TABLE

We are united not because of what we think or feel. We are united because we are first called by God to the table. In the Last Supper, Jesus called all of his disciples (including Judas Iscariot) for a meal in which He blessed the bread and the wine, gave thanks, and offered them all for the disciples. The disciples did not earn it. They did not buy a ticket to enter the upper room. Neither did they persuade anyone to get a seat around the table. It was by invitation only, an act of grace. At the table, everyone was given the same bread and wine to partake. There were no class distinctions, no social separations, and no personal preferences. In an age of consumerism, every activity in the Church is threatened by the question asked by any member: "What's in it for me?" Contrast this with Jesus offering not only the bread and the wine but his life!

Our starting point is the same, that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There is none righteous among us. All of us have this in common: We need grace. Yet, there is a gross lack of grace in our churches today, even among churches that have word "grace" inked into their names. Someone I met recently was refused an opportunity to serve simply because she was divorced. Another left his Church and no longer attended because he felt the Church was hypocritical. Yet another was so disillusioned with Church that she walked away from Christ. At the table, Christ offered the elements for all sinners, and that includes you and me. It is one of the most inclusive symbols of unity. It is simple, easily available, and significant. It was at the communion table that Jesus too found a spirit of disunity among the disciples.

24A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25Jesus said to them, 'The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. (Luke 22:24-27)

Jesus brought the focus back to Himself. We are united at the table because of Christ, not anything else. Dispense with all kinds of personal principles or clever arguments. Do away with the need to raise our voices or to make our point. At the table, we are all equal. This is because the most common mark for all of us is this: We are all sinners and we come to the table to receive the grace of God.

B) THE TOWEL

The gospel of Mark showcases the purpose of Jesus' ministry on earth: To serve and to be a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). The call to servanthood is a mark of a disciple. It is also how churches remain united. We serve God on God's terms, not based on our personal fancies and preferences. This is counter-cultural to the world we live in. One of America's most loved writers, William Arthur Ward has these words to say:

"We must be silent before we can listen. We must listen before we can learn. We must learn before we can prepare. We must prepare before we can serve. We must serve before we can lead."

Any forms of leadership that ultimately benefit the self is self-serving. Servanthood is for others, just like Christ who offered his own life up for us. Servanthood is about putting the interest of others above ourselves. The reason why there is so much disunity in churches is because people have largely failed to give up their own personal vendettas for the sake of the larger body. Pride and a lack of faith are two of the most powerful missiles to torpedo the leader.

The towel is a powerful symbol of servanthood. In washing one another's feet, the towel makes us stoop below the level of the people we serve. We willingly dip and rinse the towel in clean water like a domestic helper. We wash the smelly feet of individuals with care even if it means dirtying our own hands. When church leadership becomes like the Pharisees of the first century, people will stick to rules and regulations more than the needs of the people. Service for God means taking care of the needs of individuals, doing good whenever we can, even if it happens on the sabbath.

C) THE TRUTH

What does it mean to be one body? Does it mean any of the following?
1) Everyone clapping and raising hands together?
2) Everyone doing the same thing at the same time?
3) Everyone gyrating and moving together as one?
4) Everyone nodding their heads in the same direction?

These are nice, but very superficial. What's biblical togetherness is summed up in Ephesians 4:25: "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body."

(Picture Credit: xamissionary )

Now, everyone can behave as if they LOOKED like one body. Not everyone can speak truthfully. For there are many places where people prefer to shy away from speaking the truth, just to keep the atmosphere nice, cosy, and non-controversial. Speak the truth, even when it means there are people who are uncomfortable about the truth.

It is not easy to speak the truth. It can ruffle feathers and make people very uncomfortable. Often, people would say, "Truth hurts." I would reply, "Not telling the truth hurts more." There is no greater unity than telling the truth in love. Church leaders that come to the same conclusions may not necessarily be united. Think about those cult groups that enforce uniformity of thought and discipline. For organizations like that, there is a whip or a leash to ensure that everybody keep to the same format, the same pattern, and the same opinions. There is no diversity, only conformity.

Likewise, Church leaders that have diverse opinions are not necessarily divided. At the Pentecost, everyone spoke different languages but were all speaking because the Spirit enabled each and every one of them (Acts 2:4). Spiritual unity must be initiated and sustained by the Holy Spirit. Common ideas are good. Making the same decision together is also commendable. Yet, all of these human actions and decision making devices, if they are man-made, ultimately, they will fall apart. It is only in Christ, and the unity of the Spirit that will hold things together (Col 1:17).

One of the most important aspects of spiritual unity is how leaders and members wield power. Whether it is a spiritual gift, a wonderful talent, or a position in the hierarchy, the way we exercise them is very telling of how gracious we are, or how unwilling we are to trust God. James W Thompson, in his commentary of Romans writes:

"When Paul acknowledges that believers receive each other despite differences of opinions, he is not suggesting a general tolerance of all views or practices, for he specifically describes the issues where believers are not in agreement. Nevertheless, the fact that we all stand before the Lord of all is a reminder of the ultimate truth that unites. Paul consistently reminds the readers of the common story that transcends their differences: God welcomed the other (14:3); 'Christ died and lived again' (14:9), 'did not please himself' (15:3), and 'welcomed' (15:7) all believers. This shared story unites believers of different traditions and challenges them to come together for worship and service." (James W. Thompson, The Church According to Paul, Baker Academic, 2014, p149)

Let us do what we can to cultivate communities of spiritual unity. Begin with the TABLE in recognition that we are all sinners needing grace. Embark upon a Christian life of service with a TOWEL to humble ourselves before others and simply do our best, use our gifts, and our talents to bless others. At all times, learn to be truthful in love. For Jesus is the TRUTH.

Philip Yancey makes a powerful observation of a really gracious community in an article in Christianity Today.

I was struck by one observation from an alcoholic friend of mine. "When I'm late to church, people turn around and stare at me with frowns of disapproval. I get the clear message that I'm not as responsible as they are. When I'm late to AA, the meeting comes to a halt and everyone jumps up to hug and welcome me. They realize that my lateness may be a sign that I almost didn't make it. When I show up, it proves that my desperate need for them won out over my desperate need for alcohol." (Philip Yancey)

THOUGHT: “Communities flourish when a spirit of give-and-take characterizes discussions, decision making, and goal setting.” (Bill Donahue)

sabbathwalk

Faith Films

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Sat, 27 Feb 2016 14:45:00 -0800

TITLE: FAITH FILMS
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: Feb 27th, 2016

The Oscars will be held this weekend. With glittering stars and dazzling movies, it is that one time each year that awards be given to film directors, notable actors and actresses, special effects, and all kinds of recognition of great movie work. Even faith films are in town.

If you check out Faith Films, you would see some movies due to be launched this year in Canada. The movie "Risen" has already been launched. As the title has suggested, it is about the eyewitnesses take on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Dramatized from the eyes of a non-believer, a member of the powerful Roman military establishment, the story revolves around the tensions after Jesus was crucified.

Another film that will be coming out on March 11th is a film called, "Miracles from Heaven." The story is about an incredible series of miracles that started with the discovery of an incurable disease in a 10-year-old girl named Anna. It sparks off a mad search for a cure, a doomed diagnosis, an accident, and a turn to faith. In real life, the making of the movie has impacted the lead actress, Jennifer Garner, so much that she has now made a point to take her own real life daughters to Church regularly. This is a dramatized version of a young girl who in 2011 was amazingly healed after a near death experience. It is a powerful movie about family, based on a book written by Anna's mother, Christy Beam. Poised to be a hit with family and Christians, this movie is a tear-jerker that forces viewers to come face to faith with the supernatural, faith, and how it impacts our day to day living. I am looking forward to this film release.

This week, I watched a preview of "Young Messiah," a movie that focuses on the life of young 7-year-old Jesus and his intimate relationship with his parents. Based on a novel written by Anne Rice, the storyline revolves around the dangerous journey taken by Joseph and Mary during the tumultuous time of King Herod, the Jewish rebellion, and the dangers faced by Jews in the midst of harsh Roman rule. Filmed on location, the film is set in beautiful scenery. Since the Bible has very little description on the life of young Jesus, there is a lot of imagination and dependence on Rice's "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt" to fill in the gaps.

What about consumers? What can we make of faith films? Are they real enough to be believed? Are they too fiction for comfort? Are they simply another Hollywood movie under the guise of a Christian label? Let me offer three thoughts this week about faith films.

First, every movie is a director's perspective. Like many of the movies, they are all dramatized versions and fictional retelling of a basic historical aspect of Jesus' life and the Christian faith. There is no need to go on a witch-hunt to determine how true is one film over the other, and how accurate it is in depicting the truth of the Bible. The key thing is that all the films are interpretations of a part of the Bible story from the lens of the movie makers. They are all made with the modern viewers in mind. The flurry of faith films that is coming out of Hollywood tells us that more and more directors are aware of the huge market in religion and spirituality. The spending power of Christians in churches around the world cannot be underestimated. Any business with a megachurch in town will surely do well to target this segment of spenders. The movie, "Heaven is For Real" may have been based on the story of the boy, Colton, but the story was told from the perspective of the father, Todd Burpo. Like any retelling, there is always a personal perspective infused into the storyline. While we may not be able to distinguish exactly what parts of the movie are on whose perspective, it is good to keep at the back of our heads that this is just one particular perspective.

Second, criticism of movies and the storylines is legitimate but do not let criticisms overwhelm the intent of the movie makers. The movie website "Rotten Tomatoes" is a popular place where people dish out their two cents worth of reviews about each movie released into the marketplace. Like real life situations where people throw tomatoes at horrible performances on stage, reviewers often throw all kinds of criticisms on movies that fail to meet certain expectations. Sometimes, the measurements can be quite ambiguous. Is the number of tomatoes thrown equal to the quality of the movie? Not really. Sometimes, a controversial movie may trigger a barrage of emotions that do not necessarily reflect on the true performance of a movie.

Third, enjoy the story. Whether it is a feel-good movie like "Miracles From Heaven" or a shocking rendition like the gory scenes of "The Passion of the Christ," going to the movies is essentially about the experience. Appreciate the movie for what it is, but let the questions drive us on our own personal research or discovery of the truth. Just like what I call a good Bible Study session. A good Bible study for me is not about the number of answers that one can derive after the study but the lingering questions that keep one's curiosity going. Getting one answer may be good after one session. However, leaving with questions can lead us onto more than one answers that enrich our learning experience.

As an avid movie-goer, I appreciate faith films although many of them still do not match the standards of a modern Hollywood offering. Fortunately, things are changing. More movies are now been made, thanks in part to successful launches by initiatives by Sherwood Pictures (Fireproof, Courageous, War Room). In fact, while I support faith films, I think it is more important to go to the movies with a Christian worldview to interpret the film and not become vulnerable to the shaping tendencies of movies. Like a measuring tape that has absolute boundaries in metric or imperial units, our worldview enables us to discern what is good and what is not. Personally, I find movies with vulgar language and excessive violence very off-putting. Generally, I would switch off and avoid such movies. This is one reason why I find faith films more acceptable. I understand modern movies try to be as "realistic" as possible about contemporary culture. Yet, I feel that we should not be "educated" by vulgarity or violent behaviours. We should stand up for what is right, what is beautiful, and what is holy. The perspective we bring into films is equally important.

Be aware. Be critical where needed. At all times, learn to enjoy the movie and not be stuck on criticisms. After all, going to the movies is more about an experience, not a school research project.

THOUGHT: "What's hard for Christian films is we're presenting to them [people], 'here's what a Godly, good, happy, loving marriage can look like, or here's what forgiveness looks like, or here's how God does answer prayer.' So to the world that may feel inauthentic to them because they've never experienced that before. They may say 'well that's cheesy' but we say 'No! That's real life, we're introducing you to something you've never experienced in your own personal life.'"(Alex Kendrick)

sabbathwalk

Miracles or Strength?

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Sun, 14 Feb 2016 18:53:00 -0800

TITLE: MIRACLE OR STRENGTH?
SCRIPTURE: Hosea 11:1
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: February 15th, 2016.

"When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." (Hosea 11:1)

What do you do when a loved one gets very ill? What happens when we are helpless and totally dependent on others for a good outcome? What goes through our minds when we seek comfort and assurance in the midst of a difficult time? For Christians, one of the things is prayer.

"I'll pray for you."
"Keeping you in prayer."
"Keep seeking God!"
"Get well soon. Praying for the doctors to be attentive to details."
"I'm praying for a miracle."

The last one is particularly poignant. Suppose I summon up all my knowledge and my determination, filled with all passion and emotion, and I boldly claim the promise of God for healing. In such a disposition, there is no room for doubt; no room for discouragement; and no room for debilitating thoughts. Surely God is Almighty Physician and Healer. He can choose to heal. If He can make the blind to see; the lame to walk; and the dead to life, surely He can do anything He wills. Some Christians, intent on seeing miracles would venture far to engage spiritualists and miracle healers, like the efforts of the woman with a tissue of blood trying to touch the tip of God's cloak and obtain healing in the process.

In her book, "A Place for Healing," Joni Eareckson Tada shared about an encounter with a visitor named David on a Sunday morning at a church parking lot. Seeing her, David said that he had been praying for Joni, a quadriplegic who had been on wheelchair for over 40 years. For all his zeal, he was trying to point out Joni's problem of sin, being the cause of her illness. Having met many people in her years of disability, Joni was familiar with them all. Patiently she listened, until David came to a passage about how the passage of Luke 5:18-19 described Jesus healing the man on a stretcher lowered down from the rooftop. All the time, David was convinced that Joni had not enough faith; not enough prayer; and not enough repentance for her sin. Gently, Joni pointed out verse 20.

"When Jesus saw their faith, he said, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven.'" (Luke 5:20)

Joni turned the tables around. The Luke passage that David pointed out is about the faith of the friends, not the disabled person. She then went on to say:

“Don’t you see? He didn’t require anything at all of the disabled man. What He was looking for was faith in those men who had lowered him through the roof. God doesn’t require my faith for healing. But He could require yours. The pressure’s off me, David. If God has it in His plan to lift me out of this wheelchair, He could use your faith! So keep believing, friend; the pressure’s on you!” (Tada, Joni Eareckson, A Place of Healing: Wrestling with the Mysteries of Suffering, Pain, and God's Sovereignty, David C. Cook: 2010, p17)

When we pray, if our focus is on healing, then we are not really focused on God. Our focus is on the outcome. In order to pray in the will of God, we need to acknowledge that we are not in charge. We are weak and powerless in ourselves. We need help. In prayer, we acknowledge that only God can do whatever we want. When we pray, we need help to come to that state of peace to be comforted by God's presence more than divine presents.

Perhaps, we can pray for strength. Strength to overcome the hard times rather than to ask God to pamper us by removing the hard times. The deepest virtues are often manifested through difficult moments of life, just how we detect who are our real friends. Will our true friends forsake us? No.

Perhaps, neither miracles or strengths should be our primary focus. Our primary focus must be Christ. Whatever it is, whether healing or strength, we give thanks. Whatever it is, whether strengthened or wearied, we submit to God's wisdom. Whatever it is, whether good news or bad, we remember that in Christ, God's answer is always yes. The passage from Hosea tells us of God's memory of Israel, that God calls Israel as a son. Even when Israel was suffering in Egypt due to the harsh enslavement, God calls out to the heart of the people, amid the pain and torment they were facing. God could have sent angels to lift each and every one of His people out, but He didn't. He could have used heavenly chariots to rescue the people, but He didn't. Instead, He called them. Many ways, He called, using Moses, Aaron, and even using many signs to assure them. Eventually, Israel was delivered. People celebrated, but only for a time.

When the going gets tough, it is not easy to say, "The tough gets going." If we wear the "miracle" hat, we would be praying with all our passion and might for the "tough" to be removed. If we put on the "strength" hat, we would press on with grit and determination to finish the race. Between the two, "strength" is almost always the preferred prayer request. This is something that enabled Joni Eareckson Tada to found her ministry of hope (Joni and Friends) for the disabled. This is something that kept Paul going even as he wrestled with the thorn (2 Cor 12:7). From Hosea 11, there is a clue that tells us of a third thing: Praying to understand the heart of God.

This is something not many people would do. It is common to pray for miracles. Next on the list is to ask for strength. Yet, asking to understand the heart and Person of God is not very common. Perhaps, it is time to do just that. Our prayers if centered on our will and desires will always be fixated on human needs and matters. If we want to pray in the will of God, we must have a spiritual breakthrough just like the words of Jesus:

27Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:27-34)

It's good to pray for healing. It's better to pray for strength. It's way way better, to seek after God's heart. This is spiritual direction. As we give up our agendas for God, and to adopt God's agenda instead, strangely, we find our prayers becoming more liberating.

THOUGHT: "The great challenge is living your wounds through instead of thinking them through. It is better to cry than to worry, better to feel your wounds deeply than to understand them, better to let them enter into your silence than to talk about them. Understanding your wounds can only be healing when that understanding is put at the service of your heart." (Henri Nouwen, The Inner Voice of Love, Image books, 1998, p107)

sabbathwalk

In Pursuit of Money

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Tue, 26 Jan 2016 18:44:00 -0800

TITLE: IN PURSUIT OF MONEY
SCRIPTURE: 2 Timothy 6:9-10
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: Jan 27th, 2016.

"Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (2 Timothy 6:9-10)

Last week, I wrote about the enticement of power, how power corrupts the flesh and how good Christian people in avoiding power like a plague miss the opportunity of seeing power as a gift to be stewarded rather than a poison to be shunned. This week, I continue with some thoughts about a second temptation: Money.

I watched IP MAN 3 last night, a movie about a Chinese legendary hero, Ip Man. He was the said teacher of the famous Bruce Lee. A top martial arts pugilist, he pioneered a special kung fu called the Wing Chun martial art. This third installment, while not as good as the first one that launched Donnie Yen to fame, has enough bells and whistles to make it a worthy watch. There are many wonderful values in the film. There is the value of friendship, where leaders from the top pugilist schools regularly show respect to one another in admiration of their respective skill-sets and legends. There is the value of integrity, where people meant what they say, did what they promise, and kept their word. There is the value of marital love, where the protagonist lays everything aside, his reputation and fame, just to care for his cancer-stricken wife. Yet, a movie plot is not very exciting without villains and some level of bad behaviour. Here is where my reflections on money begin: Money corrupts the soul of the person from the inside out. Let me share three examples from the movie Ip Man 3.

The first was the forced sale of an elementary school that was sitting on prime land. With the title deed in hand, lots of money could be generated from the possession of the coveted piece of real estate. The shipyard chief (played by Mike Tyson) ordered his subordinates to do everything they can to force the school principal to sign over the school title deed. This included violence, intimidation, and even arson. The thugs were watching out for every opportunity to make it impossible for the school to operate. They beat up the school staff. They chained up the school compound. Shipyard workers operated not on the basis of integrity but blind obedience to their bosses. Jobs, obeying orders, and monetary concerns trumped ethics and integrity. Until of course, the famous Ip Man and his disciples came to the rescue, becoming overnight security guards to ensure that the school can still operate as usual. Though the school was not sold, the bad blood continued between Ip Man and the boss of the foreign owned shipyard, which ended in a dramatic 3-minute winners-take-all fight.

The second is the collusion and corruption between the corrupt HK police chief and the Western Union shipyard boss, both of whom were played by non-Asians. Matters of security and law enforcement were usually the responsibility of the HK police. Unfortunately, money concerns took priority as the shipyard chief paid bribes to a caucasian police chief. With the money in his pocket and the promised future income, the police chief readily chose to ignore the crimes perpetrated by the shipyard personnel. It was a moment where greed for money became the primary motivation for wrongdoing to thrive. The movie director cleverly played on historical anti-colonial sentiments by showing how the foreigners were in cahoots with one another just to exploit the resources of the Chinese people. Money talked and led such foreigners on the path of extortion. The Chinese inspector in the police force knew exactly what was going on but was powerless to prevent his own boss's actions.

The third example demonstrated that money is colour blind and can corrupt all kinds of people. Ethnicity is no guarantee that one would not become enticed by money. Knowing that there was another great Wing Chun exponent named Cheong, the thugs bribed the latter with money, making Cheong a mercenary in the name of wealth. Cheong was a complicated character. On the one hand, he appeared to be a man of principle and integrity, choosing even to offend his bosses in order to help maintain some law and order. Yet, he allowed greed to consume him and eventually crippled another pugilist master unrelated to him. Money moved the man to do things he wouldn't have normally done.

Money corrupts. If we crave money, we would become enslaved to activities driven by the pursuit of monetary gains. The shipyard boss, the corrupt police, the greedy mercenary, were all driven by a common lust: Money. Whether it was property rights, bribery, or corrupt practices, the love of money led to one common result: Injustice, inhumane, and injury.

Money blinded the greedy from all sense of justice. It caused individuals to be distracted from their proper roles toward improper roads. It inflicted all kinds of injuries and hardships on ordinary people. The question is: How real is the threats and temptations of money in our modern world? The short answer is: Very real. The long answer is in three brief reflections. In the parables of Jesus, almost 40% relate to the use of money and possessions. Whether it is stewardship of talents, the encounter with the rich young ruler, or the building of bigger warehouses to store our increasing wealth, Jesus always has a warning for the accumulation of wealth. What concerns me is not whether we know the temptations of money or not. What troubles me is the unwitting manner we "obey" the calls of money. According to Mike Slaughter, author of "The Christian Wallet," our allegiances to God or Money can be visible in how we spend; how we give; and how we live. He writes:

"There is no clearer indication of our ultimate values than our financial priorities and practices - how we spend, how we live, how we save, and how we give reveal the true altar of our hearts. In Jesus' own words, 'For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also . . . No one can serve two masters; either you'll hate the one and love the other; or you'll be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money' (Matthew 6:21, 25)" (Mike Slaughter, The Christian Wallet, Louisville, KY: WJK Press, 2016, p1)

1) How We Spend

One of the major acts of greed is how people adopt the using money to make money doctrine. The way the shipyard owner tried to force through the sale of the prime real estate showed desperation of wanting to spend some in order to gain more. Such measures of trickery and deceit exist today as well. The other day, my wife was telling me about a hairdresser who was encouraged to give up her rental space at a prime location in order to move to another less popular location. This hairdressing owner regretted the decision to this very day, accusing the previous landlord of deception just to take over her coveted space and customers. Her old location was quickly occupied by another hairdressing saloon. Not only did she had to start afresh at her new location, she also lost her own customers to the new hair saloon. All businesses run the risk of flouting ethical rules and basic human decencies. When money becomes the overriding concern, good and reputable business practices can easily go out the window. It takes a principled person to ensure the rules of fair play are intact.

A friend of mine will be conducting a course on "What Does Christian Theology Have To Do With Banking?" on January 30th, 2016. There is a free first lecture (9.30am to 12pm, Jan 30th, 2016) that is open to public. Send an email to inquiry@bgst.edu.sg if you are interested in attending.

2) How We Give

Money can be a force for good as well as evil. In the Ip Man 3 movie, we learn of how the love of money can buy a person's services to do evil. Cheong, enticed by the love of money, went on to beat up another person who had no quarrels or anything to do with him at all. When we use money to influence another person, we are in a way trying to bend him toward doing what we want him to do. In this context, the way we give money can be at best, misplaced charity, and at worst, bribery. In the former, sometimes we do not put enough thought into how we give, thinking that the money we dish out to the poor we see is enough. It is easy to give money away but how many of us have made any effort to think about the most appropriate way to help. Questions like:

Will our giving hurt the poor rather than help?
Are handouts disempowering the poor?
Are we giving out of goodwill or out of some guilt trip?
Do we give toward what the poor really need, or are we giving out of our own personal conveniences?

Poverty is a complex matter not easily solved by some handout or some monetary investment. It takes intentionality. It requires our personal investment of time and effort. Above all, it needs love. Without love, we can end up becoming enslaved to money and what money can do, to use it for self-interests rather than serving others.

3) How We Live

Toward the end of the Ip Man 3 movie, the hero of the show said something rather profound which I paraphrase as follows: "The best investments are made by spending time with the people we love." Instead of showing up at a challenge for the most authentic Wing Chun master challenge, Ip Man chose to spend time dancing with his dying wife. Instead of becoming distracted by reputation and fame, he chose to stay behind closed doors with his own family, supporting his wife as she goes to the hospital for cancer treatments. At the end of it all, family is more important than money. How we live, and how we invest our time, will show our true allegiances.

Far too many people are spending their time making money under the guise of providing for their families. They work long hours. They do over time. They sacrifice their weekends just to appease their customers in order to maintain their mantra: "The customer is king" or "The customer is always right." These philosophies are reflections of our enslavement to money. Why is the customer king? It is because the customer has what we want. Why is the customer always right? It is because we want to remain on the right side of the customer's pleasure so that when the customer wants to part with his money, or his company's money, he would know who to give to. At the end of it all, we would have to ask: Is it worth it?

As people grow older, sometimes they would look back at the "good old days" and lament at how quick, how able, and how witty they were in business or in all manner of worldly achievements. As muscles ache, bones creak, and pace of life slows, sometimes they would regret at not spending enough time with their families. One common sign is how older adults miss their children's growing up years. As fathers travel widely and mothers spend time in the office extensively, the children grow up spending more time with their domestic helpers or their teenage friends. Parents returning home from their overseas trips will become so exhausted that they sometimes say to their friends: "Quality time is more important."

The fact is this: There is no quality time without quantity time. Learn not to let money dictate our lives, but to let the Word of God direct us on how we spend, how we give, and how we live. Money is important but money should be placed in its appropriate level of importance. Family is most important. Our children grow up much faster than we can sense. Our marriages need the fertilizer of time, the sunlight of love, and the nourishing waters of regular communications. Let not our relationships be dictated by our pursuit of money. Let our desire for love put all things in perspective.

THOUGHT: “My wallet is one crucial form of God’s provision within my life. It enables me to take care of my family and myself and to serve others. My intent for deploying its contents is to be focused on others, not on myself. I am responsible for asking myself daily, “How can I live more simply so that others can simply live?” ..... ...Money will never bring me contentment—no matter how much or how little I have. Contentment is found in relationship with Christ and with one another.” (Mike Slaughter, The Christian Wallet, WJK, 2015, p204-5)

sabbathwalk

As the Spirit Leads - Reflections on Power

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 17:20:00 -0800

TITLE: AS THE SPIRIT LEADS
SCRIPTURE: Romans 8:5-8, 14
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: Jan 20th, 2016.

"5Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God." (Romans 8:5-8)

"For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God." (Rom 8:14)

If we crave status, we would be lead by the enticement of power.
If we crave money, we would become enslaved to activities driven by the pursuit of monetary gains.
If we crave fame, we would become infatuated with famous people in order to be somewhat like them.

This week, I want to start a series of reflections on how the idolatry of power, money, and fame are dangerous to the spiritual life. Power, fame, and fortune are three major distractions from the spiritual life. First off, power.

A) The Seduction of Power

George Orwell has famously written in his classic satire, Animal Farm, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Like nooses that render one helpless like a donkey, power makes one weak on the knees as the heart gives way to the potential benefit of power. The famous words of Darth Vader in Star Wars also refer to power: "Come to the dark side" and "You don't know the power of the dark side."

The star in the movie, Luke Skywalker was also intrigued with the powerful dark side when he asked Yoda his teacher: "Is the dark side stronger?" Yoda replied gently: "No, no, no. Quicker. Easier, more seductive."

The use of power is key to getting things done quickly in many societies. The movie, "The Story of Qiu Ju" (starring Gong Li) tells of a pregnant village woman (Qiu Ju) trying to find justice in a sea of powerful establishment. Angry at how the village chief kicked and hurt her husband on the groin, resulting in severe pain. Just watching the movie tells us a lot about the use of power in the Chinese culture. If one is a nobody, a weak peasant, a woman, or a marginalized person, it is hard to get things done. People brush one aside like fluff. They trample on the weak like leaves that dropped on the road. However, when they hear a serpent hissing, they stop their tracks. When they see a dalmatian growling, they freeze. When the king or president of the country travels, the roads that you normally drive in are immediately closed so that the royal or official entourage can pass.

In countries where corruption is rampant, if one does not have the right connections or know the right authority, it is quite impossible to get things done. Even issuing passports can be expensive. If one refuses to pay top dollar for quick processing, following the regular process can be extremely long and frustrating. Just one bribe to the man in charge and the passport could be renewed within 24 hours. Gang members drop names to tell others about who they are dealing with.

B) Put Not Power on the Pedestal

The Roman centurion in Luke 7 understood precisely this when he admitted to Jesus about his power position. Before Jesus, he was feeling out of place, and unable to use his very power to order Jesus around. For he knew that all of his power and authority cannot save his sick servant. Being humbled at the limitations of his power, he had to approach Jesus with utter humility.

"That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it." (Luke 7:7-8)

The powers of the world are totally opposite from the power of the Spirit. As the Spirit leads, true power is often not about taking up, but about letting go. It is not about grabbing things for ourselves but giving them away to help others. It is not just things but a ministry of touching the heart. Jesus was touched by the faith of the Centurion, where the powerful soldier of authority willingly humbles himself before Jesus and submitted to the wishes of Jesus. The Pharisees fail to see that, instead, preferring to dictate what Jesus can or cannot do; when Jesus can or cannot heal; what Jesus can or cannot say; and failing which, they conspire to put him down. In fact, it is the very fear of losing power and influence that the religious leaders of that time feel threatened by the ministry of Jesus.

C) Power Corrupts from the Outside In

When we give in to power, the image of the dark force in Star Wars can remind us of how we can turn to the dark side so easily. How does the Spirit leads us? How do we know when the Spirit is leading us? Let Romans 8 guide us. Romans 8:5 warns us about where our priorities of life are. The clue to where our hearts are lie in what our desires seek after.

Are we set on the things of the flesh or on the things of the Spirit?

Power is one such thing. Like what Yoda from Star Wars said to Luke Skywalker, that the use of power is quick, the gaining of power is easy, and the presence of power is seductive. Like what some people tell me: "It's not a matter of your abilities. It's whether you want it or not."

What do we do when we are in a position of power? This is where I believe it is important for us to remember that we are not what the power tells us to be. We are what God says we are.

D) The Spirit Leads Us With God's Power to Bless

This week, my son received his commissioning charge from the President of Singapore. The entire event was conducted with military professionalism, discipline, and pride. The 582 officer cadets all attained the rank of second lieutenant, qualified and authorized to be leaders in their respective vocations in the military rank and file. As commissioned officers, there is considerable power and authority in what they say and do. With the sudden rise in power, it is extremely easy to succumb to pride and even abuse. I shared my thoughts with my son: "It is not the rank that determines who you are. It's who you are that brings credit and honour to the people you serve with."

The vices of the flesh all tempt one to become individualistic and self-centered. The virtues of the Spirit encourages us to become more other-centered in line with Paul's exhortation:

"3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." (Philippians 2:3-4)

On the flip side, I am aware of people who are so afraid of power that they shun it. They refuse to accept it because of all the negative connotations surrounding it. The phrase: "I hate politics" is a reference to the dislike of anything to do with power struggles. The truth is, it is not power that is the threat. It is sin. When we use power for our own benefit, that is where the dark side is most prominent. When we use power for blessing others, that is where the Spirit's presence can be felt. Learn not to see power as something to be shunned but a gift to be received with open hands. See it as using our positions of power to ensure justice, fair play, and goodwill. Above all, use all the powers we have to serve others. Just like Jesus, who despite being a King, chooses to be a servant. Having all riches in heaven, He chooses to be poor. Even though He is powerful, He chooses to be meek and endured the temptations in the wilderness. In doing so, Jesus shows us what true love is. The use of power comes under this umbrella. Love one another just as God loved us.

This is the purpose of power, that we use it to bless others. We use it to glorify the Name of Jesus. We use it to benefit other people, that our joy in our hearts be complete. As children of God, we can listen to the Spirit's leading. The use of power is an opportunity to listen to the Spirit speaking.

THOUGHT: “We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was ‘legal’ and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was ‘illegal.’” (Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963)

sabbathwalk

Spiritual Formation: A Love-Hate Relationship

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 23:59:00 -0800

TITLE: SPIRITUAL FORMATION: A LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP
SCRIPTURE: Galatians 4:17-19
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: January 11th, 2016

"17Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them. 18It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you. 19My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, 20how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!" (Galatians 4:17-19)

SYNOPSIS: Spiritual Formation (SF) is not some Spiritual Disciplines version 2.0 or 3.0. It is a life-long process that lets Christ be formed in us so much that people who see us, would find it inviting enough to do the same. For all its good points, I still have a "love-hate" relationship with this term. This article explains why.

A sample copy of the popular devotional

There was a time in which people were all crazy about devotionals. I mean super crazy. The freely available "Our Daily Bread" from Radio Bible Class was one of the first devotionals I ever had. Printed as a pocket-sized booklet, it let new believers to read a verse, reflect on the story, say a prayer, and to hear a thought for the day. Other friends of mine swore by Selwyn Hughes's "Every Day With Jesus" devotionals. Unlike the ODB, EDWJ is not free. The first issue of EDWJ was published in 2000 and focused on monthly themes. The next wave was the practice of spiritual disciplines, thanks to the popularity of Richard Foster's "The Celebration of Discipline" which not only became a bestseller, it created a new wave of interest in both inward and outward practices of spiritual disciplines. Even today, people still talk about Richard Foster's spiritual disciplines as a way to live out their Christian lives.

Just like the way we upgrade our software, Christians sometimes wonder, "What's next?" Lo and behold, there is a new wave after Foster's Spiritual Disciplines. This is called "Spiritual Formation." I remember a time in which seminaries, churches, and various Christian groups were all talking about spiritual formation for their communities. In the minds of many, it was the "next big thing." For some then, it simply meant "Spiritual Disciplines 2.0" or version 3.0.

This week, I want to share the five things in my Love-Hate relationship with this strange thing called, "Spiritual Formation."

1) What Is Spiritual Formation?

LOVE: It sounds nice and looks cool. Thus begins my love-hate relationship with this seemingly attractive semantic. It sounds nice. It looks cool. "Spiritual Formation" sounds a lot better then mere "spiritual disciplines." The latter looks like some crazy routine one needs to do in order to be kept in shape, like forcing oneself to refrain from BBQ meat in order to lose weight. When I flash the phrase to my friends, "My Church is into Spiritual Formation," there is some kind of a cool "spiritual advancement" curriculum that can be quite impressive. It may even give some people a chance to boast that their Church is a cut above the rest. It's like saying, "I am using an Apple iPhone 6S" to a generation of people still stuck with their keyboard Blackberrys. I will deal with the definition later in this article.

HATE: It is easily uttered but not easily understood. Wow. Nice and cool, but what is spiritual formation? Here is where it becomes uncomfortable. It is not very clear, not easily understood, and requires people to explain over and over again, what it is, who said it, and why it is necessary. It is not surprising that definitions are hard to pin down. I hate it when it cannot be simply defined by one phrase. Even if I could, it still does not guarantee the listener's understanding. Moreover, people with different understanding of SF will go on to teach even more different variants of SF which further clouds the picture.

In the words of the late Dallas Willard, SF is simply "renovation of the heart." It renovates that part of us that determines our "outlook, choices, and actions" of faith. The Word of God forms us. The Word of God also transforms us. It is like repeating to oneself that "Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart" constantly. Willard adds:

"Spiritual formation, without regard to any specifically religious context or tradition, is the process by which the human spirit or will is given a definite “form” or character. It is a process that happens to everyone." (Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart, Navpress, 2011).

2) Spiritual Formation is a Life-Long Process

LOVE: When Practitioners Understand it as a Life-Long Process. Being formed into the image of Christ is a life-long process, and spiritual formation as a tool to do that is certainly a good thing. It is a life-long endeavour. From roots to shoots; from trunks to branches; from twigs to leaves; from buds to flowers; and from flowers to fruits; all that is happening is growth. There is a center for that growth. Water gets into the ground which are then absorbed by the roots. The tree then circulates the water to the rest through a complex structure of tissues and membranes. As the tree grows in size and in height, so do the fruits. Unlike Jack's magic beans, a tree does not grow branches in one day. Likewise, being spiritually formed is not based on a human project timeline, but completely dependent on the Holy Spirit.

HATE: When it is dependent on mere programs. Spiritual Formation is not a mere program or some latest incarnation of a spiritual project. It is a marathon process. Many churches have become very proficient in organizing programs and buying resources to fit the needs of the Church. How do we know we are spiritually formed? Honestly, reading a book does not make me a spiritually formed person. It takes intentionality. It requires humility. It needs community. Above all, it needs God to form us, not human projects. The more stubborn we are, the more we need to be broken. A hardened heart refuses to be formed. If old ways are formed like concrete, the best tool to use would be a sledge-hammer to obliterate the concrete. One program cannot do that. It takes a loving person to help.

3) The Leader

LOVE: A person who has been spiritually transformed will be able to guide others in their journey. It takes one to lead one. If the person leading the program is not spiritually formed in the first place, it is impossible for that person to lead. Individual leaders have to be trained and equipped in order to guide another person toward spiritual formation. Spiritual Formation is not about imparting spiritual information. It is about the person being drawn more toward Christ, not technique; focused on Christ, not self; and led by the Spirit, not the leader. This is why only leaders who have been formed can lead. Such a leader must remember that the initiative is the Spirit. That is why we call it SPIRITual Formation.

HATE: It's not easy to discern the transformed leader. Just because one has finished a course does not mean one has the ability to transform others. In fact, it is entirely possible for one to be strong advocates of spiritual formation without themselves been transformed in the first place. Human beings have become masters of deception. They can hide behind the worldly achievements and human techniques. They can showcase only the parts that they want to show, while keep in secret those parts they want to hide. Mere knowledge cannot cut it. Even the production of a certificate is no X-ray of the person's spiritual condition.

4) It Blesses Others

LOVE: Being Christlike means becoming a blessing to others. Spiritual Formation is not about selfish accumulation of knowledge for puffing one up. It is a process of being transformed into the likeness of Christ to be a blessing to others. Like a lamp that gives light, people in the same room will benefit from that one light. Bruce Demarest writes: "Spiritual formation, on the other hand, involves the shaping and nurturing of the Christian’s inner being after the pattern of Jesus Christ for the blessing of others." One who is spiritually formed will be conscious of how he treats others. He longs to be a blessing for others, and not constantly on a lookout for self-gain. It asks the question, "How can I help you?" instead of clamouring for "How can you help me!"

HATE: I am wary of SF becoming an internally-driven endeavor that ends with the individual. The monks of old have often been accused of fleeing to the deserts because they want to escape from the world. Some pledged to run away from the world and indulged in spiritual activities in order to gain some peace. Those who had a bad relationship pledged to remain single and completely devoted to God instead. Sometimes, I shudder when I see individuals receiving a certificate of completion for a spiritual formation course, as if it is a degree to be framed up on a wall to show off one's latest spiritual achievement. For that, I think it is more "spiritually informed" graduate rather than a spiritually formed disciple. A SF program that ends in the benefit of oneself is putting spiritual ego before others, and before Christ. It is contrary to all the good purposes of spiritual formation.

5) No One-Size-Fits-All

HATE: Some people think that there is a one-size-fits-all solution. That is wrong. What works for Dallas Willard may not work for others. There are others who prefer to focus on simpler terms like "Prayer," "Bible reading," or "Discipleship." and not some amalgamated term like "Spiritual Formation." Moreover, there are different age groups in the churches. Adopting the term SF may not necessarily mean much to laypersons. I remember a seminary that sets out a 3-Year "Spiritual Formation" program for all. At the end of the 3-years, when I ask a student what is spiritual formation, he was still not sure what it was. I thought to myself, "If seminarians are already not sure of what SF is about, what about churches?"

LOVE: Spiritual Formation Starts Where People Are. In Frances de Sales's Introduction to the Devout Life, spiritual formation processes vary according to one's state of life. One does not begin from the position of some imagined ideal state. One begins in the exact state of being. Without a firm grasp of one's identity and state of being, it is hard for anyone to know where to start. Just like doing a search on Google Maps. Two points are necessary: Present location and Intended Destination. In spiritual formation, it is not enough to know our intended destination (which is Christ). It is equally important to know our actual identity (our existing state of mind and self-awareness). If spiritual formation becomes yet another mask to hide ourselves away, and we are only interested in the destination, then SF becomes mere activities that exclude the real person. Sales writes about how spiritual disciplines need to be in sync with one's emotional condition:

"Another man reckons himself as devout because he repeats many prayers daily, although at the same time he does not refrain from all manner of angry, irritating, conceited or insulting speeches among his family and neighbours. This man freely opens his purse in almsgiving, but closes his heart to all gentle and forgiving feelings towards those who are opposed to him; while that one is ready enough to forgive his enemies, but will never pay his rightful debts save under pressure." (St Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life)

6) Concluding Words on Spiritual Formation

Personally, I feel that spiritual formation while good in its essence is a little "above the head" for the layperson, especially younger believers. This in itself is a problem. Time must be given. Patience is necessary. That said, let me share my favourite definition. Jeffrey Greenman and George Kalantzis put it very succinctly what spiritual formation is about.

"Spiritual formation is our continuing response to the reality of God's grace shaping us into the likeness of Jesus Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit, in the community of faith, for the sake of the world." (Jeff Greenman & George Kalantzis, Life in the Spirit: Spiritual Formation in Theological Perspective, IVP, 2010, p24)

I like it because it is not only comprehensive in terms of a response between us and God, it leads to a reflecting of God's goodness to others. It parallels the greatest commandment to love God and neighbour. I see spiritual formation as a metaphor of the three members of the Triune Godhead: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. As we dance with God in developing our relationship with Christ, we invite the third party (others) to join us. This is Trinitarian faith in action.

SF is about being sensitive to the Spirit's prompting; to be humble in our responding; and to be generous in our sharing.

THOUGHT: "Spiritual formation is primarily what the Spirit does, forming the resurrection of Christ in us." (Eugene Peterson, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2005, p237)

sabbathwalk

Happy New Year 2016?

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Fri, 1 Jan 2016 11:13:00 -0800

TITLE: HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016?

Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: Jan 1st, 2016

Happy New Year? What does it mean? Wait, isn't this the exact same words we wish back in 2015, in 2014, in 2013, in 2012, and well, almost every other year? It's the same Auld Lang Syne every 365 days.

It's the same fireworks, parties, and dancing every 52 weeks. For some, it's the same mumbo-jumbo of goodbye or good riddance to a year mixed with more downs than ups. For others, it's the same "looking forward" to new hope, new promises, new adventures, and new opportunities. Then, like the annual clock, we come back to the same old midnight countdown the last minute of the year. With cheers and whistles, with beer and thistles, we welcome the new year by giving it another 365 days expiry date.

Then comes the tough questions.

1) What's your new year resolutions? (Don't know. Been there. Done that. What's new?)

2) What's your plan for the year? (Don't know. Same old same old, I suppose. What's new?)

3) What's different from last year? (Don't know. Is there really anything different?)

Jobs may change, but the work remains. We grow a year older but hopefully also a year wiser. We look back with gratitude (and/or relief). We look forward with hope (and/or uncertainty). We stay the course in the present, hoping that whatever we do would be most rewarding, most meaningful, and most fulfilling.

So, what’s the meaning of a “Happy New Year?” Three things.

First, it means a fresh start to an aging context. From time to time, we all need to take a step back from our ordinary lives, to see our old problems from a fresh new angle. Perhaps, it can give us new ideas about new ways to tackle old problems. Just like Starbucks who had given the old coffee bean a new kick in the pod; or Apple giving the ubiquitous phone a new identity called the iPhone, thanks to Gorilla glass. For Christians, it is Paul’s exhortation: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor 5:17) Jesus came to give all mankind a fresh start. Not only that, every day is a new creation and we are all recipients of that great shower of blessings. The freshness of the garden is there. Take time to smell the flowers, to enjoy the beauty of nature, and to be still and know that God is near. The mountains will always be there. Only faith can move them. Mountains of doubt and fear are more formidable than the Mount of Olives or Mount Everest.

Second, it means try again. In this imperfect world, we are always in a trial-and-error mode. That is what life is about. Every merchandise out there are the best products after all the inferior ones are weeded out at Quality Control phase. Every software we download are beneficiaries of learning from bad code programmers had junked. Every book published had authors working through the nights with cups of coffee, enduring the writer’s block, and sacrificing beautiful unrelated individual ramblings for the sake of the greater book emphasis. Every relationship broken needs the courage for one to try to mend, to be healed, and to be reconciled. Christ had done that for us, and asks us to forgive one another just like he had forgiven us. He didn’t just ask us. He died for us even when we were unrepentant, ungrateful, and utterly unreliable.

Third, it means the Day of the Lord is near. Many believers have often taken life and time for granted. Having taken yesterday for granted, tomorrow is another mundane day to do the same. Lip service faith. We live a day at a time. Instead of living as if “tomorrow never comes,” we think that tomorrow is going to be the same as whatever today is. Hope is just a four-letter word. There are other things to be doing. We brave the traffic. We drive to work. We clock in the office hours. We eat. We play. When trouble comes, we pray. For such people, where is God? What is faith? Is faith only present when there is trouble? Is peace only sought after when we are in the midst of a crisis? The great writer and philosopher, CS Lewis writes from exactly that stance:

“There have been times when I think we do not desire Heaven but more often I find myself wondering whether, in our heart of hearts, we have desired anything else?” (CS Lewis, The Problem of Pain)

What is heaven? Is it ice-cream? Some food delicacy or bubble tea? Heaven is more than fodder for the stomach, distractions from the mundane or respite from the plain. Heaven is more than simply a place of eternal bliss. Heaven is that living relationship with our Divine God. For if hell is the separation from God, heaven is that union with God. At the heart of every new year celebration is the question: “What do we truly desire? Who do we long after?”

More things? We already have multiple versions of the same stuff. From tablets to coffee mugs; books to multiple TV screens in the house; kitchen appliances to credit cards in our wallets; we are a spoilt generation. Spoilt for choice. Spoilt by choices. Spoilt in God? Maybe.

More money? How much then is enough? For the greedy, nothing is ever enough for their hearts are like the black hole in outer space that sucks everything in and never gets filled. For the hungry, they think that a bowl of soup or a loaf of bread would suffice. Yet, the truth is, whatever they eat will only last them a day or two. Then they grow hungry again. For the rich, contentment is taboo for the working vocabulary of fame and success.

More friends? Maybe Facebook can help. Yet, I read reports from time to time that the loneliest people in the world are easily troubled by things happening on Facebook. Why are their posts not liked? Why are there no comments on one’s postings? Why are their friends not responding to their messages? For the popular, like a face that launches a thousand ships, one simple posting launches a thousand comments. Being popular is nice, but is it fulfilling? Ask the depressed stars who committed suicide.

More faith? Maybe. More hope? Probably. More wisdom? Definitely.

The ultimate relationship is our relationship with God. If this is not mended, healed, or reconciled, every year is a ticking countdown clock to the next Auld Lang Syne; to the next; and the next; and the next. What about the following?

A) Read regularly. Begin with the Bible. Have a reading plan. Read full chapters, not just verses. Read whole books, not just snippets of a letter. Read entire genres, to catch the big biblical narrative of the greatest story ever told.

B) Call a LTNS Friend. Long-Time-No-See should not be a byproduct of a chance meeting or some alumni gathering put together by a gifted organizer. Be intentional about cherishing our friends, past and present. Is there a message of gratitude? Is there some confession never said? Is there a book you have borrowed from him/her but never returned? Perhaps, you can be that glimmer of hope to a friend in the pits of despair.

C) Tell Your Loved Ones that they are indeed loved. Family ranks high on the list of everyone I knew. No exceptions. Even those who are unmarried will have uncles, cousins, nephews, distant relatives, and so on. We are all connected if not by name, then by memory. The three words “I Love You” are evergreen, meant to be used over and over again. There is no expiry date. Pray for them. Regularly.

Happy New Year. See you soon.

THOUGHT: "There are so many who profess Christ and so few who are in fact Christians; so many who go into the field against Satan, and so few who come out conquerors. All may have a desire to be successful soldiers, but few have the courage and determination to grapple with the difficulties that accost them on the way to victory. All Israel followed Moses joyfully out of Egypt. But when their stomachs were a little pinched with hunger, and their immediate desires deferred, they were ready at once to retreat. They preferred the bondage of Pharaoh to the promised blessings of the Lord." (William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour)

sabbathwalk

Year End Reflections 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Thu, 31 Dec 2015 11:44:00 -0800

TITLE: YEAR END REFLECTIONS 2015
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: Dec 31st, 2015

It's been another year. One regular thing I do is to reflect and to give thanks. Many people would note the big news highlights of the year. Whether it is political change or economic downturn, in an age of social media, people are becoming independent news broadcasters. I prefer not to focus on what the public have already written plenty about. I want to keep it simple and personal.

Like any other year, it began with a warm, nice, and fuzzy goodbye to the old and a fun and loud Happy New Year to ring in the new year. I was in Seattle last year with my family watching the fireworks over the harbour overlooking the Space Needle. It was nice to have all the family gathered together in one car. Of course, the few exciting minutes of fireworks were followed up by nearly an hour's wait for the traffic to clear after the fireworks event. It made me wonder if it was all worth it.

It was a year where I see a couple of high notes. Like many people, family has always been a priority for me. I am reminded of the biblical injunction in 1 Timothy 3:5 for any servant of God to learn to manage and care for his own family before even attempting to manage the Church. The apostle was clear:

"If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?" (1 Tim 3:5)

The context is for the servant-leader to be above reproach, be faithful in his marriage, be temperate, self-controlled, respectable, teachable, hospitable, and learning to care for his family. In Paul's mind, the family unit is the individual person's laboratory of faith and service. I make no apologies for spending time with family. In fact, loving my family is a demonstration of my service for God and Church.

Another high is to see my son enlisted into National Service in Singapore. Seeing him in green for the first time and learning lots of skills as part of his commitment, I see him mature from a young boy to a man. For all the negative talk about the compulsory military service, there are positive things to take from this phase of his life. A key source of joy is his willingness to be responsible for his own life. I took unpaid leave so that I could travel back to Singapore for three months, to support him in his initial months at basic military training phase. When my son goes for military service, the entire family is affected. While I was i Singapore, my wife stayed behind to be present for my other children. It was a pleasant surprise to learn about my son being selected for Officer Cadet School. We applauded on this achievement and opportunity for him to further develop his leadership potential. We are all proud of him.

I got to meet friends and reconnect with family. I gave several lectures as an Adjunct Professor. I preached. I gave talks and shared teaching moments. I ate lots of local delicacies too. On my return, I continued with ministry, also helping out in other churches apart from my own. It was fun and a deep privilege to share the Word of God. Whenever I delivered a sermon well, I would be pleased as well.

I ministered with people from different age groups. My online ministry continues and in the middle of the year, I reached the Top 1000 Amazon reviewers' list. I was also pleasantly surprised to find myself on the front page of a local online news ministry as a "Master Book Reviewer."

As a pastor, people growing in Christ often energizes me. It made it all worthwhile to see individuals hungering after God's Word, asking questions about faith, and desiring to grow in Christ. When people open up their lives to me, it helps me to pray and to position them before the Lord for God to bless them. I thank God for the privilege to be able to say a word of wisdom or offer a pointer of guidance. This is part of the joys of ministry. Writing is also a big part of my ministry. It helps me to put what I know, what I learn, and reconnect with practical matters of life.

There were low moments too. When I heard about two members of my extended family encountering health problems, it burdened me. I am reminded that we are all growing older. We are more susceptible to falls, health issues, and aging problems.

As I reflect on my life, sometimes I wonder about that weird decision 11 years ago to leave the corporate world and go to seminary. Maybe, if I've not, I'll be having a big house, a posh car, and rub shoulders with the powers to be. Maybe, I'll be boasting about my ranks or my accolades as I climb the corporate ladder. Maybe, I would have been retrenched by now, replaced by those young graduates who are more agile, more technology savvy, and more economical to employ. Maybe, I'll be struggling to even land a decent paying job just to make ends meet. I don't know.

But this one thing I know. I have watched my children grow up before my very eyes. I have spent the time just enjoying regular meals with them, driving them to/from school, and seeing the smiles on their faces. I've experienced a shift from a technologically-fed race to something more human pace. While financially, it is still not as good, I realize emotionally that life is indeed more than just making ends meet. In being counter-cultural to do the opposite of what the world expect me to do, I learn and re-learn this truth over and over again.

"I asked for all things that I might enjoy life; I was given life that I may enjoy all things."

All things. Indeed, the lack of worldly things frees me to pursue the Giver of all things.

The end of the year also marks the beginning of my sabbatical. After seven years, it is a good biblical practice to take time off to seek God for guidance in a more focused manner. As my current church does not have a sabbatical policy, I will be going on unpaid leave for the next three months. It is a step of faith for me to listen to God as I ponder about the next few years of ministry. Do pray with me. If you feel called to support me in this small writing ministry, you can click on the link on the top right hand corner to make a donation of any amount you choose. Sabbathwalk articles and devotionals will continue to be free. My time is not free but I do it out of love for the Word of God and the joy of sharing reflections upon God's Word and God's work.

Thank you for reading.

Have a Happy New Year 2016.

Happy New Year 2016!

sabbathwalk

Christmas Peace

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Wed, 23 Dec 2015 17:11:00 -0800

TITLE: CHRISTMAS PEACE
SCRIPTURE: Luke 2:13-14
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: Dec 23rd, 2015

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:13-14)

Christmas is around the corner. By now, the shopping rush is at its peak. Malls are packed. Car parks are full. People are ramping up purchases regardless of how slow the economy is. Christmas carols and festive songs are played over the airwaves about Santa Claus, reindeers, gifts, and of course the famous words, “Peace on earth and goodwill to all men.” Modern consumers generally let these songs remind them of shopping time and the coming end of the year festivities. Few would bother to pause and ponder at the words of the classic carols. In fact, some of these traditional carols were written not with modern hypermarkets or big box department stores in mind. They were written with a grim message of seeking hope amid the gloom.

A) Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All People?

One of these songs is the haunting 19th Century carol called, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” Written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who lost two wives and had a son injured during the war, when he hears songs about peace and goodwill, those were words he could not identify. His third stanza is an honest confession of his inner conflict.

And in despair I bowed my head: "There is no peace on earth," I said, "For hate is strong and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men."

On one cold dark winter, he wrote these words: “Believe me, every man has his secret sorrows, which the world knows not; and oftentimes we call a man cold, when he is only sad,”

Longfellow is not alone. Some people dread Christmas for various reasons. It might be missing the presence of a loved one who recently passed away. It could be the absence of a family member who could not come home for the season. It could also be due to illness or some unforeseen circumstances that render family get-togethers impossible. Someone I knew from Church recently died in a tragic car accident. He was hit by a speeding car on an early Saturday morning. His family was left reeling in utter shock and disbelief that he could not be present with the family on Christmas. In times like these, we would rather the festive season be over as soon as possible. For every occasion of family togetherness reminds us of the tragic loss of a loved one. How can one celebrate Christmas when one’s love is no longer around? It is hard. Painfully hard.

As I think about the first century Bethlehem, the coming of Christ was during a period of hard times too. Joseph, engaged to be married to his fiancée, had to grapple with the shame of being married to a pregnant woman. He could legally divorce Mary, but was told not to. Then there was the evil King Herod who was so paranoid about the words of the Magi about the coming “king of the Jew” that he ordered the killing of all boys two years and under in Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary too had to escape to Egypt to avoid Herod’s brutal genocide of baby boys. There was no Santa Claus to give presents then, only Roman soldiers ordered to kill. There were no nice hospital beds with advanced medical care for Mary, only a humble manger for Mary to rest and give birth.Just like Longfellow's carol, peace and goodwill are much hoped for but scarcely realized during the year of Jesus' birth.

Superimposed Modern Rendition of 1st Century Nativity Scene

B) A Superimposed Peace and Goodwill?
Seen in this light, I tend to shudder when some church performances superimpose modern conveniences and contemporary Christmas symbols on the nativity scene. There would be cute looking donkeys, furry sheep, and smiling cows all surrounding Joseph and Mary. There would be a clean shed, a nice crib, elegantly dressed Mary, and a proud looking daddy Joseph. With twinkle stars above, looking on would be angels fluttering above with wings and the three magi queueing up to offer their gifts. In reality, first century Bethlehem was no Hollywood play.

For most of us, we too superimpose the joys of Christmas with three different modern versions. The first superimposed version of Christmas is none other than material gifts. I have seen many places that celebrate the happiness of Christmas with Secret Santa parties and gatherings. Schools would ask their students to prepare a gift not more than $5-$10 and have it nicely wrapped for a gift exchange. Friends tell one another to bring along a special gift to a party to be distributed at random to guests. Churches also participate in making hampers, providing gifts for other poorer communities, and so on. All of these center around material goods. The underlying belief is that it is better to give than to receive. Not much to argue there, except to ask: Are our giving actually meeting the needs of the needy? What if one does not like the gift obtained during Secret Santa gift exchange? What if one already has three of the same gift at home? What if the supposedly needy people did not need another teddy bear or canned food, but real hugs and good nutritious food? While it is good to give, it is not good to give indiscriminately without considering the real needs of our recipients.

The second superimposed version of Christmas is family. With turkey dinners and Christmas trees to brighten up the faces of children, Christmas to many North American families means a time where family come together for simply "family time." The TV movies say it all. Each year, Hallmark TV channel releases several Christmas themed movies. This year is no different with 12 brand new Christmas themed movies. All of them center around good feel family reunions, reconciliation of relationships, romance, and snow flakes falling like confetti to create the magical Christmas spirit. On a cold and dark Winter season, such movies are like hot chocolate to warm the heart. Family moments are essentially the purpose of such Christmas themes. Christmas as a family theme completely replaces the birth of the Son of God with humanistic renditions of what it means to have a good time.

The third superimposed version of Christmas is human pursuit of happiness. The song "Jingle Bells" has a phrase that says: "Dashing through the snow, In a one horse open sleigh Over the fields we go Laughing all the way." Popular with kids, "Jingle bells" is a song widely played at shopping malls frequented by adults. As I watch people rush their last minute shopping and the racking up of debt to be paid by January, I am not exactly sure if will all be worth it. Money is the currency of happiness. This also means the lack of money will lead to the decrease of happiness. Last week's article on what it means to be spiritually rich has more information on the alternatives to such humanistic pursuits of happiness.

C) True Peace and Goodwill

Unlike the worldly offerings that treat Christmas either as a humanistic perspective or a secular manner, the Bible shows us that peace to the world is connected to bringing glory to God. It is a proclamation of praise to God. The words "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests" were uttered by angels at the birth of Jesus Christ. This is also called the Gloria in Excelsis Deo, which means in Latin as "Glory to God in the highest." The angels were declaring it outright when Jesus was born. The Christmas carol, "Angels We Have Heard on High" rightly proclaims this angelic chorus. It is a declaration of God's glory in the highest that once God is lifted up, true peace will come to earth and goodwill be extended to all people. I am reminded of the powerful Pauline phrase: "He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Christmas carols is about lifting up the name of Christ and the glory of God to be declared throughout creation. Such a mood is larger than all the shopping madness. It is much more fulfilling than all the turkey stuffings in the world combined. Peace on earth is not about the absence of trouble but the presence of God.

D) Two Portraits
Let me close with a story which I shared at a sermon last Sunday. Once there was a king who held a competition inviting artists throughout the kingdom to participate. A prize would be given to the winner who can paint the ultimate portrait of peace. After looking through the hundreds of entries, the king eventually shortlisted two. The first was a beautiful picture of a serene lake, surrounded by majestic mountains, and lush greens on the sides. With clear blue skies and beautiful colours, it was the crowd's favourite. Everyone clapped their hands and nodded their heads with approval when the king stood in front of the first portrait. When the king approached the second painting, he paused, and spent a long time observing the details. It was quite similar to the first scenery, except that the lake was not as still. The mountains were not as pretty and the skies are much darker with angry clouds signalling a storm about to arrive. There was also a raging waterfall. Suddenly, to everybody's surprise, the king immediately proclaimed the second painting as the winner. The decision stunned the crowd into silence. The king then said that he chose the second painting because of one thing. Behind the dark clouds, stormy lake, and furious waterfall was a mother robin nursing its young inside a crack behind the waterfall. When one is peaceful inside, nothing outside can shake you.

THOUGHT: "Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset." (St Francis de Sales)

sabbathwalk

Spiritually Rich - On Things That Matter

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 12:26:00 -0800

TITLE: SPIRITUALLY RICH - ON THINGS THAT MATTER
SCRIPTURE: Luke 16:25
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: December 14th, 2015

25“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. (Luke 16:25)

Codex Aureus of Echternach

In the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Jesus contrasts two scenes, and two worlds of richness and poverty. In the first scene (this life on earth), the unnamed rich man is presented as one who enjoys the luxuries of life, who is well-dressed with fine linen and has fine-dining daily. He lives the good life and appears to reside in a castle-like residence. He lives "in luxury every day." If he is in our modern world, I could think of him having the best of everything for self. He could be eating a lobster a day or had lots of choices about which tuxedo to wear when he goes out. He could have an indoor swimming pool or an elaborate exercise equipment. He could also be rubbing shoulders with the ruling powers of the day, meeting in high places and lazing around at posh resorts. Who knows, he could be playing golf with the Presidents or CEOs of major corporations of the world. Just a swipe of his credit card on a big purchase could render him frequent flyer miles that benefit his entire household. Life is good. So good that matters of poverty and injustice in the world do not register even a single thought of care or concern. People who are rich and powerful tend to have blind spots about the rest of society.

Almost immediately, Jesus switches channels to zoom in on Lazarus, who not only sat at the gates of the rich man, he had sores so painful that he needed the dogs to moisten the wounds with their tongues. Hungry, he was willing to settle for any crumb that fell on the table. I am not even referring to leftovers. Crumbs are like bits of food that would be discarded anyway. Like rats or stray cats that snatch away any food that falls on the ground, he longed for those crumbs. If the rich man is the epitome of luxurious living and wanton splurging of wealth, Lazarus is the symbol of poverty and a life nobody wants.

At the second scene (afterlife), the roles are reversed. Instead of Lazarus having dogs to lick his sores, it is the rich man having flames licking his body and soul. So tormented is the rich man that he pleads for a tip of mercy, from the finger of Lazarus. That is most preposterous! It seems like the rich man has not really learned what it means to be humble. Even in the afterlife, he is still unrepentant, wanting to savor the very things he once enjoyed. Licking from a finger instead of settling for crumbs. Why not ask Lazarus to spoon-feed him instead? If we stretch it even further, why not ask God to give him back all of his earthly comforts of life? Proverbs 10:3 tells us: "The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked."

The craving of the rich man will be thwarted. While Lazarus was suffering on earth, did the rich man ever send his servants to give food to him? No. How dare then can the rich man even ask for a personal treatment by Lazarus himself! The rich man fails to do all the good he can when he had the chance. He prefers to heap loads of food for himself, oblivious to the hunger right outside his gates. He does not even need to think of Africa or far away lands in Asia. All he needs is to open his eyes and to see what is outside. Even if he does not donate millions of dollars to World Vision or to the Red Cross, he could have offered a decent bowl of soup to a hungry beggar. If he is righteous in the first place, he would never let the beggar starve.

What about us?

There are three ways of being spiritually rich. None of them has to do with material goods or worldly reputation. All of them have to do with learning to see things from God’s perspective. The first is to recognize that being rich is not about getting but giving. Offering a big donation tells us not about the size of the donation but the size of the HEART that makes donation all possible in the first place. Think about the special place of seeing someone else getting blessed because of our giving or of our serving. I once prayed at a Church camp that I organized, that God would reward me for my efforts by showing me at least one life that was changed. God was so gracious to show me several. That feeling that I received was something that no amount of money could ever buy. Those who give, experience a richness inside their souls that words cannot describe. Such a “rich attitude” requires constant honing and intentionality. One reason why many people fail to find joy in their lives is because they have become too fixated on self-needs. For happiness and joy are elusive things behaving like the weasel that slips away no matter how hard we grasp at them. Instead, happiness is one of those things that cannot be obtained by constant pursuing. They can only be received by grace, not through a race.

Secondly, being rich is not about relying on temporal stuff but trusting in things of eternal value. Come to think of it, the crazy shopping atmosphere leading to Christmas Day are all based on the erroneous philosophy: That more possessions bring happiness. We all know that things cannot buy happiness. As one saying goes, money can buy you a house but not a home. For houses after a while will need renovations. Cars depreciate. Reputations wane after a while. Like technology, the latest and the greatest today is obsolete tomorrow. A friend of mine said to me that the moment the gadget gets produced in a production floor, it is already obsolete. Look toward things of eternal value and invest totally on them. I mean totally. Half-hearted investment will be like a drop of ink in a gallon of water.

Thirdly, being rich is always about relationships. The greatest commandment of loving God and loving our neighbor have no references to worldly pursuit of fame, riches, or power. The tragedy of life is how people push and shove to become successful in things that ultimately do not matter. I know of a friend who lost his dear son at a tender age of 15. Each year, he would make a trip to his son’s tombstone to remember the good times. As he pondered upon the what-ifs of life, what if the son had not died, what if he as a father had done more, and all other scenarios, it becomes like a confusing mixture of hope and helplessness. He could have spent more time with his son and less time pursuing his career. He could have brought him to Disneyland or enjoy a father-son hiking trip they had talked about many times. They could have done a lot of things together. Death is a cruel blow to the hopes and dreams of many who procrastinate on the essentials while pursuing things that are of secondary importance. If you have that time, spend it well. If possible, on relationships.

The Rich Man could have given to Lazarus some basic food, clothing, even shelter. He chose not to. He could have focused on getting the things of eternity, like giving hope, sharing faith, or providing love. He chose not to. He could have improved his relationships with his neighbours, starting with the one lying outside his gates. He chose not to.

How many of us are in the position of Lazarus today? How many of us have body wounds that require dogs to lick our sores? How many of us are so hungry that we long for the crumbs to fall under the table of people eating at food courts or restaurants?

On the other hand, how many of us are in the position of the rich man? How may of us are living in luxury each day, eating well, drinking plenty, playing in posh places, and living the good life? If we are, perhaps, we need to ask ourselves. Are we giving according to Jesus's warning, that more is given, more is expected of us? Are we focusing more on things eternal, like what Matthew 6:33 tells us, about seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness? Are we spending time building relationships with whatever we have?

The choice is yours. Only yours.

THOUGHTS: "My wallet is one crucial form of God’s provision within my life. It enables me to take care of my family and myself and to serve others. My intent for deploying its contents is to be focused on others, not on myself. I am responsible for asking myself daily, “How can I live more simply so that others can simply live?”" (Mike Slaughter, The Christian Wallet, Westminster John Knox Press, 2016)

sabbathwalk

Beware of Prim-N-Proper Spirituality

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Thu, 3 Dec 2015 14:26:00 -0800

TITLE: BEWARE OF PRIM-N-PROPER SPIRITUALITY
SCRIPTURE:Luke 16: 1-15
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date:December 3rd, 2015

8“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

One of the most intriguing parables of Jesus has to be the Parable of the Shrewd Manager. In that story, Jesus told his disciples about a rich man who had decided to terminate the services of someone he hired. The NIV describes this "someone" as the “Shrewd Manager.” This shrewd manager had heard about his impending dismissal. Worried about his future, he went ahead to do something rather unthinkable. Calling in each of his master’s debtors, he went ahead to give his own version of Black Friday sales. For the first debtor who owed 450 gallons of olive oil, the manager dished out a 50% discount. For the second debtor who owed 1000 bushels (about 30 tons) of wheat, he immediately offered a 20% discount. Other than these two debtors, there were no mention of other such deals but it is safe to assume that these two examples reflect what he had done to the rest. The Shrewd Manager was offering a Great Middle-Eastern Sale of the Century!

For those of us familiar with earthly sensitivities and the need for right ethical behavior, this story should rub us on the wrong side in at least three ways.

A) Damaging Profitability

First off, how can we ever justify giving huge discounts without consulting our superiors? In the service sectors, anything out of the ordinary require the approval or signature of the next line of authority. Over at the Starbucks counter, if there is a dispute, or when the customer asks for something out of the ordinary, a common strategy is for the barista to consult his or her manager in charge. Whether it is giving out discounts or providing additional features at a lower cost, the employee usually does not have the authority to go beyond his/her duty. When we go to the bank, a withdrawal exceeding a certain amount would require additional levels of clearance from the branch’s supervisors. From airports to supermarkets; car sales offices to corporate deals, getting approvals to give deep discounts are needed. Last week was US Thanksgiving, followed by the traditional mad rush to go shopping after the Turkey dinner. Across the United States, people would hop onto their vehicles to rush to the malls or department stores for the post-Thanksgiving event: Black Friday. The word “Black” is used to describe the dark midnight hour where businesses like Walmart, Target, Sears, Nordstrom, etc would open their doors at the stroke of midnight to give shoppers a magical night of discounts galore. It has become an annual affair where people would fight over goods at Walmart and other popular discount stores.

(Photo credit: dailymail.co.uk)

As I watch the videos on how people would push and shove, punch and fight, I cannot help but shake my head:

Why must people buy a new TV each time Black Friday comes?
What’s the point of buying something cheap but suffer expensive damage to one’s reputation when filmed fighting on Youtube?
Aren’t people aware that the deeper the discounts, the more likely that discounted item is something the business is trying to get rid of quickly?

The Shrewd Manager in the parable did his own Middle Eastern Black Friday sale. Depending on the items owed, he gave different sets of discounts. If we observe carefully the items being discounted, some of us would be intrigued further that the more expensive the item, the deeper the discount. Compare and contrast olive oil and wheat. Surely, it’s more expensive to buy olive oil compared to wheat. I’m sure there is something we can learn about mercy and grace there. The problem is that he did it on his own initiative directed according to his own whim and fancy.

B) Personal Gain?

One of the biggest no-no in corporate matters is that we cannot use the company’s resources for self-gain. It is a criminal breach of trust. In many countries, this is also linked to bribery and corruption. In Canada, politicians who flout their positions are often brought in for questioning by representatives of the justice system. Even the newly elected Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau’s hiring of two nannies for his children came into scrutiny because he used taxpayer’s money to pay the salaries of the nannies. The government justified it as appropriate as long as comes within certain guidelines. Whether right or wrong, it hits a raw nerve every time public money is being used for personal gains.

One of Google's Several Restaurants Offering
Free Food for Employees
(Photo Credit: welovebuzz.com)

People who are in high positions often have their employers giving them perks for being at the top. It is common for top executives who are given company cars driven by personal chauffeurs, large personal allowances, and special domestic help to take care of young children while they jet around the world on company business. Even in high-technology places like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook, employees get special treatment to free restaurant food, free pantry snacks, free babysitting, and free entry to gyms and massages too! I heard of a story of a Chinese intern who abused these privileges by conducting secret tours to Google for personal gain. Hired as a Google intern, he would solicit his own personal clients from outside, gathered them at Google headquarters, gave them a personal tour of the premises, and eventually invited them for free food at one of Google’s many restaurants! He collected a fee from each individual for the tour and profited greatly. He was found out and promptly fired.

In our corporate world, it would be unthinkable for us to justify using company resources for personal benefit. Yet, the scandal in the parable runs even deeper when the Master of the parable, instead of nailing this scoundrel, commends him instead!

C) Strange Commendation

8“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. (Luke 16:8)

What kind of a logic is this? How can Jesus justify the dishonesty being done by the manager? Should not the boss be angry at the discount without being asked in the first place? Should not the rich boss be furious at the way the shrewd manager is benefitting at the expense of the company? Shouldn’t the shrewd manager be scolded, taken to task, and sent before a tribunal of judges to be condemned? Yet, the behavior of the rich man throws us readers off course.

It defies our basic understanding of right and wrong. The philosophies of this world rest on this basic premise: “If you do well, you will be rewarded. If you do badly, you will be punished.”

Whether it is the performance of your favourite football team, the company performance each quarter, or the numbers you see each week in Church, people use victories, profits, and numbers, to measure success. The parable had all the numbers but in the wrong direction. Instead of breaking even, the Master had to suffer a loss. Instead of earning profits, the business is seeing a major dip in the annual profit and loss statement. How can any boss be happy?

Not this boss in the parable. Seeing beyond the numbers and the unscrupulous tactics employed by the manager, Jesus points out three big lessons.

D) Three Major Lessons

First, we need to learn wisdom, even if it means learning from the world. This reminds us of the all-truth-is-God’s-truth argument. If something is true, why restrict it only to Christian labels? That is one reason why I believe that learning cannot be strictly one-dimensional. When listening to music, Christians should not dichotomize between Christian and non-Christian music. Distinguish between good and bad music. For there are so called Christian music that are pure garbage. There are also non-Christian music that deserve to be played over and over again. The same applies to daily lessons. There is much to learn from other people even when they do not believe in the same God as we do. The Master was able to see beyond the wrong deeds and to recognize the virtues of the deeds. This does not mean we emulate the exact deeds of the unscrupulous manager. It means for us that if such a dishonest person can do something (dishonorably) that the Master can commend, how much more we can do the same (honorably) in our own unique situations?

Second, Luke 16:9 tells us to use the worldly wealth in order to gain friends. Riches, possessions, material goods have a more important function. They can help build relationships. This is something that the shrewd manager was commended for. He manages to see the more important things in life. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but loses his friends? The Christmas Carol of Ebenezer Scrooge is a case in point. Being miserly and unfriendly, it takes a ghost to wake Scrooge up from his unpleasant slumber. He was shown the beauty of Christmas in relationships. All the things that he has been holding so tightly can be released to the redemption of his friendships, many relationships, and his own personal redemption. There are more to life than hoarding our own money. This is exactly what the shrewd manager had done. He used his position to win relationships, and along the way also gained a good reputation for his Master.

Third, it is about stewardship of what we have not daydreaming about what we do not have. We read in Luke 16:10 of how Jesus looks at the way we deal with the things we have, and not what we do not have. He says: 10“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. One of the tragedies of the Christian life is for people to be passively sitting on piles of gifts and talents that they have. As they fixate themselves on the things of others, they lose sight of the very skills they have. They envy the powerful worship leader who seems to know so many songs and play multiple musical instruments, forgetting that they too have a voice that can praise the Lord earnestly and honestly. They are jealous of the powerful preacher who seem to understand the original languages well enough, and comprehends the Bible so well that their sermons are so effective. They then forget that they too can do their own research, use Bible tools, and to learn personal lessons too. By being stuck in the good talents others have, they fail to see the very gifts that they have.

A good steward will take stock of one’s gifts and use them accordingly.

E) Prim and Proper Spirituality

The Parable of the Shrewd Manager is not about justifying dishonest deeds but how God is able to look beyond deeds and exercise His sovereignty in spite of our deeds. In summary, this parable shifts our paradigm of a nice cookie cut spirituality toward one that is based on God’s mercy and grace. For human inspired spirituality tends to look at man’s standards. They want a spirituality that reflects a good-behavior template. Do well, be well, and earn well, and you will receive the appropriate reward. There is no room for mavericks. There is no excuse for bucking the trend. There is no chance to rock the boat of common human expectations. Jesus used this parable to rock the boat of human justice (How can one incur financial loss?) He rocks the boat of personal ethics (How can one use the company resources to benefit self?) He rocks the boat of work commendation (How can the boss commend this man instead of criticizing them?)

All of these are to rock us out of our sense of complacency about self-righteousness and self-willed religion. We can do all the things right, but ultimately, all of our deeds of righteousness are like filthy rags (Isa 64:6).Here is my point. Be on your best behaviour, but do not expect to apply God's behaviour to the standards of our own. Let God be God. Beware of turning God into our own image with prim-and-proper spirituality.

THOUGHT: Did Jesus really tell a story about a conniving jerk, then urge His followers to think and behave more like, well ... this guy? Well, yes. And even more to the point, Jesus is telling us we’re sorely deficient in something the “people of the world” have in spades. And He’s telling us, for some reason, that our deficiency is not good for the kingdom of God. Jesus’s Parable of the Shrewd Manager startles and offends us, like a belching debutante at a tea party. We expect our Christianity— and our Messiah, for that matter—to conform to the sort of good guys/bad guys template that Christian culture has worked so hard to ingrain in us. We have, as A. W. Tozer observes, taken the Jesus of the Bible and bent Him into “a very well-behaved God.”” (Rick Lawrence, Shrewd, David C. Cook, 2012, p30-31)

sabbathwalk

Why I Still Prefer Printed Bibles

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Thu, 26 Nov 2015 12:52:00 -0800

TITLE: WHY I STILL PREFER PRINTED BIBLES
SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 40:6-8
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: 26 November 2015

6A voice says, “Cry!”

And I said, “What shall I cry?”

All flesh is grass,

and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.

7The grass withers, the flower fades

when the breath of the LORD blows on it;

surely the people are grass.

8The grass withers, the flower fades,

but the word of our God will stand forever. (Isaiah 40:6-8, ESV)

(Picture Credit: aachristian.wordpress.com)

There was a time when people bring their printed Bibles to Church, to Bible studies, to conferences, seminars, and Church events. On Sundays, whether they are on public buses, community vans, or personal vehicles, they could be seen carrying a printed book on one hand. Whether they are carrying bulky study Bibles in their colourful hardcovers; large ones in beautiful leather jackets; or pocket-sized ones that can easily fit into a ladies bag; people going to Church were easily recognizable. In Bible study classes, some eager believers would even bring more than one Bible translation. Some carry with them interlinear types while others would have bilingual Bibles to aid their reading. With a Bible, a notepad, and a pen, the individual would be all set to write notes.

Not anymore.

Times have changed. Instead of printed Bibles, most people carry pocket-sized cell phones. Whether it is an aging palm-sized iPhone 4S or the larger screen Samsung Galaxies; Kindle Fires or the Android 10” tablets; there is a new revolution in the way people read Bibles. With a swish left, they can move forward page, a chapter, or a book. With a swipe right, they can page backward. Using fingers to magnify or to shrink the words, it is a technological wonder on how we have the whole Word in our hands, ready to be manipulated according to our eyes. Sometimes, it seems like the attraction is not the Bible but distractions of other things.

A) Distractions

Distractions like the brightness and look of the screens. Where is the elusive setting to control brightness? How can the fonts be made a little bigger? What version do I want to open? Which Bible app should I use? There are the free ones like YouBible; the Zondervan BibleGateway app; the Logos Bible app; the Olive Tree Bible; the eBible; the GloBible; etc. Some of these require an active Internet connection in order to browse to our favourite versions. Unless of course, we pay a small fee to download some pretty good electronic Bibles such as the Tecarta (Android/iOS) and the NeuBible (iOS).

There is the distraction of seeing another person’s digital device looking more cool than ours. “Hey! Is that the latest iPhone 6S you’re using?”

There is the distraction of pop-ups, emails, and Whatsapp messages that appear on our cell phones. “Hey! I really need to respond to my boss. Just gimme a second.”

Meanwhile, the Bible reading progresses from person to person until someone says: “Where are we now?” This person had been lost trying to navigate the Bible on his own tablet. There were times in which I simply pass my own Bible to the person struggling to read from his own phone.

There is a change in the way we do Bible studies now. So what I do is to print out the entire passage for the group. Every single person gets the same Bible passage, the same Bible translation, and being on the same page. Literally and metaphorically. Literally, we all have a better following as the person reads the Bible and the rest of us follow accurately the verses read, the pages flipped, and the thoughts synchronized. Metaphorically, we are all following the journey through the same passage and studying the contexts together.

Having all on the same page is important for a Bible study environment. If not, we can easily go off tangent on other matters. A careless flip or an innocent tab on our tablets can launch us to a whole new app or page, leaving us behind from the rest of the group. Or when our phones go black to conserve energy, forcing us to look for the power button to get back on track. Worse, when we spend more time trying to navigate our eBibles, we subconsciously lose the train of thought by the person sharing about the Bible verses.

Bible study today is no longer the same. The presence of a multitude of devices of all shapes and sizes has complicated the way that we read, study, discuss, and distract. Here are ten reasons why I prefer Bible study members to have printed Bibles before them.

B) Ten Reasons Why I Prefer Printed Bibles

First, the page never blacks out. Barring the presence of strong winds from the windows or fans, the Bible that is opened to the page of study remains open. In contrast, depending on our digital devices, there is always a sleep timer or power settings that switches off our screens. With printed Bibles, there is no worry that our batteries will ever run dry.

Second, the context is easily visible. Members can easily see the verses before and after the passage of study. This is especially important if we want to study the Bible in context. It reminds us that the passage is just a part of the larger narrative. We can recognize how the chapters before and after the associated passage are linked together. The risk of showing only the passage of study on our small screens is that we easily lose sight of the larger context.

Third, there is something sacred about touch. There is a good feel of paper and the written Word. The feeling of holding the Word of God with both hands cannot be easily duplicated by a hand balancing the phone while we use out thumbs to swipe. For instance, when we use our finger to move from word to word on the Bible passage, touch-screens will not leave our intentions alone. If we do the same on our touch screens, the phone vibrates, the tablet triggers a highlight or accidentally launches a totally different app or function.

Fourth, I can easily write, highlight, underline, or scribble notes on the side. One of the things I find most helpful is to have the space to jot down thoughts and insights while doing a Bible study. That way, when I come back to the passage next time, I have these markings to remind me about what I have learned previously.

Fifth, we will have a more focused discussion. When all of us are reading the same passage in the same translation, using the same medium, it helps us put aside differences in our reading devices and to enable us to focus on the text proper. Many times, individuals who use their own electronic devices fail to follow the main discussion when they are lost about where the verses are in their devices. It is so much easier for the leader to simply say, “Look to the second line from the top of the page,” or something to the same effect to direct eyes to the same verse. It is only when members are on the same page, we will have a more engaging discussion without having to fiddle with apps, different translations, or different mediums. Honestly, a Bible study discussion is not a good time to compare digital apps.

Sixth, bookmarking on a printed Bible is so much easier. Frequently, the leader would ask members to cross reference to other passages in the Bible. As we do that, we can easily use a bookmark on our main passage of study before flipping our pages to the associated verses. Once that is done, we can then flip back quickly and continue where we left off. With digital mediums, it is not that straight-forward. The moment we want to compare our main passage with the cross-reference, printed Bibles allow us to flip quickly back and forth easily. Digital Bibles cannot allow us to do the same effectively. Moreover, if we use the Bibles in our phones, we may need to squint our eyes to read the texts.

Seventh, we avoid “digital eye strain.” With printed Bibles, we can have extended eye contact with the printed page. With digital screens, there is a good chance of visual discomfort over time. I have heard many eye specialists telling me to look away from computer or digital screens on a regular basis in order to preserve eye health. In the 2014 study, it was found that “office workers who spend significant time in front of computer screens and experience eye strain undergo changes in tear fluid similar to people with dry eye disease, creating a physiological change.” Imagine someone having a long day in the office working with computers, coming to an evening Bible study to be re-exposed to digital screens once again.

Eight, meditation is more possible with printed Bibles. I have tried using both printed and digital Bibles and have found that printed Bibles offer me a better way to lock in my eyes to the text. I can pray over it. I can ponder about the verses. I can study and analyze the way the verses are worded. Digital devices is a major distraction in themselves. Edmond Smith describes this well:

“We of the electronic age have much trouble with prolonged thinking. Television discourages it…. The average length of a shot on television is only 3.5 seconds, so that the eye never rests and always has something new it must see. Christians have allowed themselves to come under the spell of electronic images and spend many hours dazzled by them…. Thus, even to read the Bible may prove difficult for many Christians nowadays, let alone the effort required to contemplate, in a serious way, the meaning of the words.” (Edmond Smith, A Tree by a Stream, Christian Focus, 2001, p6)

Nine, we continue to support the Christian publishing houses. For those of us farther down the publishing cycle, we may not be aware of how purchasing a printed book or Bible can do to the ministry of the publishing houses. It is no secret that companies like Amazon are sweeping away the competition. The era of printed books seem to be at the tail end with the rise of the digital revolution. That said, there is still a need for books and printed materials. I have been personally blessed by books that trigger a thought or a moment of discovery. Even today, the ebooks I have on my computers remain as bits and bytes on computers. On my bookshelves are books I have read and are visible enough to remind me of what I have read.

Finally, it is a visible witness to the public whenever we carry printed Bibles. People will know that we are believers. With a Bible in hand, we are reminded that we are witnesses for God wherever we go. In contrast, digital Bibles in our phones make us blend in with the rest of the public. Nobody will ever know if we are believers in the first place. Nobody sees us differently. Nobody will ever initiate any talk about our faith. I wonder. If the visible Bible is the light that shines to the world, in sticking only to digital versions, will we be stuffing that light under the pillows of our digital devices? Maybe, or maybe not. Who knows.

THOUGHT: "While American Christians have access to more Bible study material and biblical preaching than ever before, they struggle to know what to do with all this knowledge. Thankfully, the Lord designed the practice of meditation to unite biblical knowledge to actual living. Unless a believer spends regular time thinking personally and deeply about the things of God, he will not be growing in the grace that the Lord desires in his life." (David W. Saxton, God's Battle Plan for the Mind, Reformation Heritage Books, 2015, p12)

sabbathwalk

To Welcome or Not to Welcome?

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 13:44:00 -0800

TITLE: TO WELCOME OR NOT TO WELCOME?
SCRIPTURE: 1 John 4:18
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: 18 November 2015

18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)

The Paris attacks last week easily consume the front pages of most major dailies around the world. With sensational reporting and graphic pictures, followed by commentaries and opinion pieces, everyone have heard at least something about it: Terrorism in France.

Hundreds of people died, mostly French. By targeting at key popular spots such as soccer stadiums, restaurants, cafes, concert halls, etc, the objective of the co-ordinated attacks is to instill fear and a sense of insecurity among the people. It has partial success. As Parisians grapple with a world that would never be the same again, they realize that safety and security cannot be taken for granted. Flowing tears of grief are mixed with growing fears of new threats that could come anytime, anywhere, and to anyone. These fears resulted in more counter-terrorist actions. The next day, France launched one of the largest assaults at terrorist targets in war-torn Syria. Today, anti-terrorist forces continued their hunt for the masterminds of last Friday's attacks. As world leaders and community groups come together to pray for France, social media is filled with notes of love with #PrayForParis.

At the France-England friendly soccer match yesterday, although England won 2-0, the result did not matter. The highlight was not the soccer game but the events before the game. United as one people, both French and English national anthems were sung by all in the stadium, including a sizeable number of French in the crowds. It is a show of unity and defiance against terror, saying that good will always triumph over evil. Everywhere we go, we see the French flag colours of red, white, and blue across monuments, buildings, and public events. The social media titan, Facebook has even made it easier for users to create French coloured backgrounds for them to express their sharing of grief and their solidarity with the French people.

A) What About Beirut?

From Facebook Page of Karuna Ezara Parikh

As emotions run high with world support for the French victims and families, there are other voices that seem to look at the world sympathies with sarcasm. Why must world media attention be focused on France over a day's incident and ignore countries where bombings happen on a daily basis? One such reaction can be found in a widely shared retort by someone who shared about the bombings in Beirut last Thursday where 40 over people died.

Karuna's post has gone viral, shared by many people on social media.

I wonder why? Is it because people have been jolted about the reality of the world beyond beautiful France? Is it because they are guilt-tripped into recognizing the hypocrisy of self? Is it because they have failed to pay attention to the reality of bombings and terrorist attacks in countries often out of sight and out of mind? I guess, it would be fair to say it is all of the above, in varying combinations.

B) What About Syrian Refugees?

There are other lingering problem with regard to Syria. The refugee crisis that is fast approaching record levels never seen before in recent history. Across many countries in the West, it has become a political controversy and is testing the social fabric of every nation. Some countries have shut their doors right from the start, claiming that they have no capacity. Other countries like Germany have expanded their own refugee quotas and as a result, put their own political future on the line. In Canada, newly elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pledged to bring in 25000 Syrian refugees by the end of this year. It is an ambitious target made more complicated by the recent Paris attacks. The fears are genuine.

What if terrorists are hiding among the refugees?
What if another bombs go up in another major Western city?
What if the security screenings are so hastily done that radicals are allowed into the country?

Several states in America have already started to shut their borders from any refugee programs. Countries like Poland have rejected their initial refugee quota. Within Germany, there are growing anger against the German leader for accepting so many refugees. In Canada, there is a backlash against Muslims for what happened in France.

C) What About Christians?

What about Christians? Should Christian leaders take the lead in answering the questions: "To welcome or not to welcome?" How should Christians in the West respond to the refugee crisis?

Commentators like Mark Galli of ChristianityToday see the refugee crisis as an opportunity for "a beautiful gospel witness." Galli laments that America "has become increasingly stingy about welcoming the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free." Quoting statistics about how Germany, a size with a population of only a quarter of America's can admit 800,000 refugees, America is particularly miserly with debates on a mere 70,000 to 100,000 refugees. Of course, there are economic concerns that the refugees will tax the already embattled social welfare structures in the country. More than that is the fear of terrorism in our midst, whether there will be Trojan horses.

Trevin Wax in the Washington Post argues that while fears are genuine, they could also drive away compassion with regard to the refugee problem. He quotes Thomas Aquinas:

“Fear is such a powerful emotion for humans that when we allow it to take us over, it drives compassion right out of our hearts.”

Courage must speak louder than cowardice. Compassion must overwhelm fears. Love must reach out with hope and peace. In a related article, also in the Washington Post, Michelle Boorstein ponders on the question: "Would Jesus Take in Syrian Refugees?" After bringing out some calls for and against by various politicians and Christian leaders, the question becomes a matter of how to distinguish between peace-loving refugee and a bomb-wielding threat in the making. Uncannily, Boorstein does not answer the question of Jesus directly. The obvious answer is YES. The hidden emotions mutter NO. The general agreement is MAYBE, until the tension between fear and compassion is resolved.

Honestly, this tension will never be fully resolved. I like what one of my friends say: Love is always a risk. When Jesus touch the lepers, there is always a risk of infection. When he spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well, the one with seven husbands, there is a risk of being scandalous. When he eat with tax collectors and sinners, there is that unmistakable risk of being classified evil people dining with the devil. Is Jesus fearful of what is going to happen to him? Being fully human, I suppose Jesus do understand what it means to be fearful. Having said that, Jesus is the personification of love, the type of love that the apostle John wrote about in 1 John 4:13-18:

"13This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

Of course, it is easy to say: "But that's Jesus in the 1st century. This is 2015 and Jesus didn't have to face ISIS then!"

D) My Response

While it is true that Jesus didn't have Osama bin Laden, the Taliban, or the radical Muslims of today, he did encounter vicious forces of evil against him. The devil tempted him time and again. The Pharisees plotted against him. Many uttered death threats. His disciples forsook him. Pilate left him to die, choosing to free a known criminal instead. It is presumptuous for any contemporary person to belittle what Jesus himself had to go through. At the same time, it is fair to say that the world we live in is more complex than before. We are continuing to learn how to be innocent as doves but wise as serpents, which in itself is Jesus' teaching.

I think the Church must support government efforts to resettle the refugees, either in their homeland and if necessary, open our doors to them. There will always be risks involved. The tensions are real. On the one hand, we want to be welcoming. On the other hand, we don't want another disaster to happen just because we want to be nice. The truth is, there is no guarantee. I wrote the following a couple of days ago, lamenting this tension. In all things, let love guide the tension's ups and downs.

INNOCENT AS DOVES; WISE AS SERPENTS

It's nice to welcome refugees but not wolves in sheep's clothing.
It's nice to rush help but not so nice to compromise safety.
It's nice to assume people would assimilate, not divide.
It's nice to think of refugees becoming more grateful. It's nice to presume that refugees will automatically learn English, German, French, and not stick to their own native languages. It's really nice to expect reciprocal behaviour. It's nice to believe that if we do good, people would appreciate. ...... Until a bomb explodes downtown, taking out cafes, concert halls, and convention centers. Until a suicide bomber maims kids and people in a market. Until the past sense of security gets replaced by a future sense of panic and insecurity.
My point: Love is a risk. If you want to help, do so but be prepared for all the risks. Be ready for all the evils that could creep into any hastily assembled rescue plan. Be ready to ask: "What if tomorrow never comes?" Be even more ready to shout out: "I know who holds tomorrow!"

Be innocent as doves but wise as serpents.

In this life, there is no guarantee that things will work out the way we have planned. Some decisions will succeed while others end up as tragic failures. If we don't try, we will never know. The only assurance is God's Promise of a better tomorrow, when He finally arrives in all His Glory. If we really want to fear, fear God.

Pray for Paris. Pray for the world. One more thing. Pray also for ourselves.

THOUGHT: "Terrorism thrives on fear, and fear — if left unchecked — can spread into the deepest, darkest corners of our hearts and lead to decisions and choices that, in normal times, would be unthinkable. The apostle John wrote in the New Testament of “perfect love driving out fear.” From a Christian perspective, there is no fear in love because love is the primary purpose for human existence. There is no fear of God’s judgment when we love as we ought." (Trevin Wax)

sabbathwalk

Remembrance Day 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 15:57:00 -0800

TITLE: REMEMBRANCE DAY 2015
SCRIPTURE: Deuteronomy 4:9
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: November 11th, 2015.

"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them." (Deut 4:9)

It is Remembrance Day today. At 11:11am local time, on November 11th each year, many people observe a minute of silence to remember several things. They remember the terrible consequences of war where many young men died in the battlefield. Whether the nations are victorious or not, right or wrong, young or old, young lives are lost. Husbands, fathers, professionals, students, workers, and young males from all walks of life fought in the terrible wars. In World War I, nearly ten million soldiers from all sides died, together with more than 7 million civilians. All the major countries of the world were involved from East to West. In World War II, the numbers jumped up to more than 85 million casualties of war. Even today, many wars are still been fought in places like the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Wars are evil. They leave behind bad scars in the minds of first hand witnesses. Now called veterans in their countries, many have lost parts of their body. Some limped with only one leg. Others became blind or deaf. Still many have endured years of post-traumatic stress disorders. Families grieve whenever a loved one dies in the battlefield. Regardless of which side the soldier fights in, whenever there is a war, there are no winners. While biblical commandment "Thou shalt not kill" is more associated with pre-meditated intent to murder, taking the lives of human beings is evil in itself. That is one reason why countries like Canada have abolished the death penalty. Life in its very essence is sacred.

The human brain has an amazing ability to remember but tragically, also the ability to forget. With the number of the past two world war veterans decreasing, will Remembrance Day become less and less significant over the years? I hope not. The dangers of forgetting is real. The Old Testament reminds the Israelites to remember the deeds of God, how God had delivered them from their enemies, lest they forget. Deuteronomy is full of such reminders.

"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them." (Deut 4:9)
"Be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." (Deut 6:12)
"Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day." (Deut 8:11)
"Remember this and never forget how you aroused the anger of the Lord your God in the wilderness. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellious against the Lord." (Deut 9:7)
"When the Lord your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!" (Deut 25:19)

Deuteronomy is sometimes referred to as the "second reading of the law." Isn't that itself a reminder of what we need most? Not lots of new stuff or the latest and the greatest ideas or products, but memories. The more we remember, the more we give thanks. The more we appreciate the past, the more grateful we can be in the present. The more we practice remembering, the less likely we forget.

Here are several things that can inform our practice of remembrance.

1) "Only be careful" - Intentionality

Remembrance begins with an intent. Like the saying, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail," without intentionality, any act of remembrance is a mere hit and miss or come what may. It becomes some kind of a random act if it comes it comes, and if it doesn't come it doesn't come attitude. The Hebrew word "shamar" means to keep watch, to be on guard, and to attend to. There is no randomness about it. Like military disciplines, every exercise, every battle equipment, and every soldier have to be accounted for with purpose and with diligence. There is no such thing as toys or fun games. War is not a game. It is costly.

I was a volunteer lifeguard before on an offshore island many years ago. With my official life-guard shirt and the privilege to climb up the tower overlooking the beach, I get free drinks and free entry to the public restrooms. The payback is a day's watch. With binoculars and a sunshade, I need to be watchful of the people on the beach. Every scream, every commotion, and every unusual events have to be carefully observed. If there is any danger, I would need to spring into action. It is very exhausting, especially after the initial hours. People who say that lifeguards do nothing are dead wrong. Lifeguards are responsible to ensure that no one drowns or gets hurt at the beach during their watch. Thankfully, nothing happened on my watch.

2) "Watch Yourselves Closely"

When we remember, we are not simply putting a check on our to-do list. Neither are we to be content just to attend ceremonies outside and lay flowers on memorial altars. The biblical author of Deuteronomy tells us to keep our soul diligently and watch ourselves closely. The human heart is deceitful and emotions fickle. Watching ourselves carefully means being watchful about what we think and feel. It means guarding our hearts on what enters it and what exits.

As a lifeguard, I need to remember that my main role is not to kill time or to keep myself occupied while sitting on the high chair above everyone else. People expect me to look out for their safety. If I care only for myself by trying to multitask with things to keep me occupied, how can I be focused on the activities on the beach or out in the waters? If I have earphones plugged in to my radio, how can I hear any cries for help? If I read my book, my eyes will not be out there in the sea but restricted to the pages of my book. If I daydream about personal things inside my head, I cannot concentrate what is outside of me.

Sometimes, I shake my head when I see security guards watching TV or surfing the Internet while leaving the gates wide open. It can be so easy for any stranger to just enter the premises without the guard even knowing. We must watch ourselves carefully, lest we fail in our responsibilities.

3) Remembering What We See

The experiences of life are valuable, as long as we remember them. Just like the stuff we have in our storerooms. If we fail to organize them properly or to label our boxes, it is so easy to forget what we have. In fact, even if we can remember what we have, if we cannot find them, it is as good as lost. When we fail to remember what we see, it is as good as losing that experience or knowledge. A lot of us have attended conferences and seminars to be trained in all kinds of things. Whether it is a Bible study, a discipleship conference, or some Church event that trains us on something related to our faith, if we do not remember anything at all, it is as good as not attending those events in the first place. Save the money.

Forgetting can be a very expensive thing. Think of all the hours we have sacrificed and the time away from family and friends just going for these conferences. Then we forget!

4) "Teach Them to Your Children"

Here is a gem for us. The best way to remember stuff is to teach them. Teach them well. Teach them to our children and then to our children's children. In Church, this is also called discipleship. We can only teach from what we have learned. We cannot teach something that we ourselves do not believe. I remember years ago some friends of mine telling me that all who had the chance to graduate from tertiary institutions are in various ways teachers. It is not necessarily formal teaching in an educational institution. It is sharing experience and testimonies with younger co-workers. It can be doing our part in training someone else to take over our roles. It can be empowering the young to take over important positions as we prepare to venture into our next phase of life. Teaching is a skill with wide-ranging benefits.

Equipment need to be calibrated from time to time. The piano and the guitar needs tuning. Syllabi need to be revised. Books need to be updated. Knowledge must be relevant and current. As we become older, we have a responsibility to pass down what we have learned to the next generation, that they too may continue to build upon our good work.

The Great Commission is clear. We are to make disciples of all nations. Teaching is a primary calling for us. As long as we have learned something, we can teach something. As long as we keep trying, there is no way we can fail. As long as we remember, we will not easily forget. If we remember the horrors and evils of war, we will remember not to let that happen again.

THOUGHT: "When remembrance of God lives in the heart and there maintains the fear of Him, then all goes well; but when this remembrance grows weak or is kept only in the head, then all goes astray." (Theophan the Recluse, 1815-1900)

sabbathwalk

"What's the Point?" or "Where is Christ?" (On Expository Preaching)

noreply@blogger.com (Sabbath Walk) — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 13:34:00 -0700

TITLE: WHAT'S THE POINT or WHERE IS CHRIST?
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 19:14
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: October 28th, 2015

May these words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer (Psalm 19:14)

Week after week, pastors prepare sermons. They spend time working through the biblical text. Those with knowledge of Greek and Hebrew go deep into the original wording and contexts. Others use the resources like the Bible study helps; commentaries; Bible concordances; and dictionaries; available to help them understand the ancient contexts. Good preachers will take more time to read the text meditatively, letting the Word speak to their hearts prior to doing anything else. If the Word has not touched the preacher, whatever that comes out of the preacher is usually more about the preacher rather than the Word.

Doing it week after week is tough. At times, preachers are tempted to just depend on the insights of others, put a few interesting stories or illustrations together, and then preach a sermon based on knowledge and other people’s advice. Like processed food, such sermons are like high-sugar calories that rather than solid food that strengthens the soul. The former puffs one up for a while before one begins to ask: “What’s the sermon point(s)?” It makes one wonder about the things said. When a sermon starts to look like spiritual advice, it is the beginning of the end for expository preaching.

I hear the question quite regularly when members ask: “What’s the point today?” Whether it was a regular preacher or a guest speaker, sometimes this question would pop up among believers having an after-sermon discussion, a lunch get-together, or an online interaction. Most times, people would just go about with their other activities, having heard the sermon, and feeling somewhat contented about checking off one item on the Sunday to-do list. In the meantime, the pastor had to reflect on his delivery and his content. Sometimes he would get brickbats from those who are offended by certain parts of the sermon. Other times, he would receive lots of verbal pleasantries like “Great sermon!” or “Thanks for the important message.”

The tragedy is not when a sermon is "boring."
The tragedy is when Christ is not preached.

Indeed, the mark of a great sermon is not about leaving in the minds of people, “What’s the point today” but to have people exclaiming: “I have encountered Jesus today!” This is what good expository preaching can do. It brings out the Word of God in a manner that glorifies Christ. The sad thing in today's churches is that we try to make things interesting for the audiences. We try our hand at entertainment. We pick illustrations that thrill. We add so much calories and unhealthy literary cholesterol that are worldly that we miss out on the pure spiritual food we need: Jesus Christ Himself. Preachers, please don’t be afraid to be “boring” in the sense that you are always preaching the same point: Jesus Christ. Preaching that is not about Christ and centered on Jesus is no preaching at all. Preachers must preach Christ, and not dispense spiritual advice.The tragedy is not when a sermon is deemed "boring." The tragedy is when Christ is not preached.

What is expository preaching?

First, it is NOT always verse-by-verse description of the text. Just because someone goes from one verse to another in succession does not necessarily mean he is preaching expository sermons. The Bible has many verses and passages. How we expound the Word depends on how we segment the passages to be preached. The word “pericope” describes a literary unit that “has integrity even when cut off” from the main chapter. This happens a lot in the gospels when the gospel writer describes Jesus’s ministry and switches back and forth various scenes. Take Matthew 4 for instance as the writer transitions from verse 11 to 12.

Expository Preaching is NOT always Verse-by-Verse
(Excerpt from Zondervan NIV Study Bible)

“Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee.” (Matthew 4:11-12)

If we just go strictly according to verse numbers, we might begin to wonder what the end of Jesus’ temptations (v11) had to do with the imprisoned John the Baptist (v12). In verse-by-verse preaching, one needs to do a lot of connections from one verse to another. The problem is, the Bible is not written at the same time, in the same context, or by any one single person. The inspiration is from God, but God chooses the diversity of persons and the associated cultural contexts to deliver the message to us. This is where the modern study Bibles can help us. On each"pericope," study bibles give us a nice segmentation that tells us that verse 11 and verse 12 are not to be read as if one event immediately leads to the other event. It is not step 1-2-3, followed by step 4-5-6 scientifically. If one uses such extreme verse-by-verse methodology, one would be forced to ask:

What has the devil got to do with John the Baptist's imprisonment?
Did the angels that ministered to Jesus tell him that?
Did the devil move away from tempting Jesus to giving John the Baptist a hard time in prison?
Is Jesus withdrawing to Galilee for Temptation 2.0?

No! When we read the gospel of Matthew, remember it is the gospel writer trying to narrate the events according to his perspective of Jesus' life on earth. That is why we have four gospels that each give a fuller picture of Jesus and His ministry. Rather, it is to be understood as "meanwhile, at some point." Like a movie that switches from one scene into another, Matthew is trying to tell a story. Preachers must enter into this story and to tell it to the congregation. The big task in any expository preaching is to be able to select a "pericope" as appropriately as possible.

Second, expository preaching will respect the genre of the text. The Bible comprises of genres like the Pentateuch (Moses Law); poetry (wisdom literature); Historical books (Joshua - Esther); the Prophets; the gospels (Matt - John); the letters; and so on. Recognizing the genre of each book is key to right interpretation. One cannot preach the Pauline epistles in the same way as the book of Job. Doing so would do injustice to the Word and bring confusion to the hearers. For one, the book of Job contains a lot of bad advice, especially those from the three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. On the other hand, Paul's letters are excellent verse-by-verse candidates because they are written by Paul himself with an argumentation that is pretty much sequentially understood. A good illustration of what this means is from a very good text by Duvall and Hays, who describes literary genres in terms of sports. He compares and contrasts soccer and basketball. In the former, one can only use the legs to kick while in the latter, hands are essential to the playing of the game. Unless one understands the rules of the game, one cannot play the game. Likewise, unless one understands the literary genre of the passage, one cannot effectively understand the texts.

For communication to occur, the reader must be on the same page as the author in terms of genre. When the stranger said “go for it,” you could have responded with questions to clarify the meaning. But how can we clarify the meaning of the ancient authors when they are not around to field our questions? The answer is literary genre. As Vanhoozer puts it, “What writing pulls asunder—author, context, text, reader — genre joins together.” (J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays, Grasping God's Word, Zondervan, 2012, p129)

Third, expository preaching makes clear a passage. According to the Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, it is "a view of preaching that makes clear the meaning of a passage or verse of Scripture." How can any preaching be clear in his message if he is not at first clear in his heart? I believe that preaching is not mere hard work but HEART WORK. For anyone aiming to do this well, take the advice of H.B Charles, whom I have come to respect a lot. He is one powerful preacher and is a classic example of Black preaching that enlivens the congregation's imaginations and love for the Word. He gives seven pieces of advice which I will list before the grammatical colon and paraphrase my understanding in italics.

Start Early: This ought to be done so that the Word can be planted like a seed. This prevents last minute rush to try to cut and paste from all over the place.
Read Repeatedly: This means looking through the text and to soak in the Word.
Observe Carefully: Study the text just like preparing for an Inductive Bible Study class. Use the Bible, a pen, and paper to jot down observations, details, fine points, and let the Holy Spirit guide our understanding.
Dig Deep: Here, we can use all the available resources to help us understand the texts. With our homework done in Step 3, we can challenge, affirm, or to expand on our prior understanding.
Read Widely: There are so many valuable resources nowadays. Rather than to stubbornly insist on our own understanding, be humble to learn from others. Just be careful to pick the good sources.
Write Clearly: This is an important step prior to delivery. It is one thing to prepare like a student but it is yet another to prepare as a preacher. This step is crucial as the beginning of preparing the sermon.
Pray Fervently: This is what I feel should be done every step of the way. Though Charles had placed it at the end, I believe this can be applied all the time. What Charles is saying is that in prayer, we recognize that this is God's Word that requires God to work. In prayer, we submit our hearts to God and say to God: "May these words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer."

All of these must be done with a constant focus on Christ. Preachers must ensure that all their sermons are "boring" in the sense that it is always about Jesus. For the Word of God is Jesus personified. A preacher who is not preaching Christ is no Christian preacher at all. If your preacher is not preaching Christ, I urge you to talk to him. Encourage him to do better the next time. Pray for him. Don't be afraid of too much of Christ, when the fact is that many churches have not preached enough of Christ.

My readers, not many of us would be called to preach the Word over the pulpit. Some of us might do so in the future. Some of us may even have preached before. For all of us, we will be hearing preachers week in and week out. Some sermons will be boring. Others will not. More importantly, encourage your preachers to stay close to God by giving them time to study and to prepare for each Sunday sermon. Encourage them to preach Christ. Ask them to do good expository sermons. With the tips above, remember your preachers and pray for them every step of the way. Preaching is not just the preachers' job. It is all of us. That is why we are called the Church. Without the Bible as the foundation, the Church will eventually fall. With the Bible as foundation, we will be building the Church on solid Rock, Christ.

Preaching Christ is a privilege. It is not a burdensome task. So, after Church, do not go around asking one another "What's the point?" Ask: "Where is Christ and how is Christ preached today?" If you do that regularly and to encourage your pastors to do that, you are doing your part in participating in the Ministry of the Word each Sunday.

THOUGHT: "The pulpit is not the place for personal testimonies, political speeches, group therapy sessions, motivational talks, self-help advice, worldly philosophies, or scientific theories. The pulpit is the throne of the Word of God. Therefore, the sacred text must be the priority of our preaching." (H.B. Charles, On Preaching, Moody Publishers, 2014, p17)