The Holy Spirit of God has already reminded me three days in a row to put this down on paper; and when God reminds you three times relentlessly about something, you know it's important.
Serve God and worship God, even if it means going to hell at the end of the road.
I pause, as you contemplate on the words written above.
Dear friend, if you are a Christian, this is not to remove the assurance you have received from God concerning your salvation. This is not to say that you are destined for hell if you serve God and worship God (with the power of the indwelt Christ of course). BUT, this is to say, continue to serve and worship God, even if life looks dim, as if no bright future beckons; even if you are called to recant or deny Jesus, and threatened with death and torture upon refusal to do the fore-mentioned - yes, serve God and worship God, even if it means going to hell at the end of the road. Why? Because He is worthy to be obeyed and loved and adored, He deserves all of our undivided attention and service.
I was listening to a sermon by Paris Reidhead, titled "Ten Shekels and a Shirt", and he made a similar statement in his sermon. This was on Sunday night (July 18). I had listened to the sermon a few times a few months back, and never quite made sense of how brother Reidhead could say something so harsh and so insensible as to the effect of "serving God even if it means going to hell at the end of the road". But when human reasoning receded, and the Holy Spirit of God began to pour out the wisdom of the ages, my eyes were opened.
In the days of Noah, when he was building the ark in preparation for the Great Flood, he was also a famous preacher - famous in the sense that everybody knew him, but did not welcome him. Can you imagine how Noah and his family were rejected, ridiculed, mocked at, perhaps even threatened by society at large? You have to remember, the Bible records this age as a time of exceeding evil.
Let us recall the Apostle Paul as well. His life was far from a life of comfort and painlessness. Read and see how he was persecuted and tortured time and again; when he was locked in jail, he sang songs of praises (Acts 16:25); when he was imprisoned on a ship, caught in a storm, seemingly devoid of hope. he preached to the soldiers a message of hope (Acts 27:21-25).
Or even of our dear Lord Jesus, whose life was a living example of a living hell, or so we think. And yet he was devout to The Only Father, he continued his life of obedience, adoration and worship. He continued it all, even unto death on the cross.
Dear reader, there will come a time in your walk with Christ, or perhaps it has already come, where life on earth will seem like a living hell. God is not mad at you, and God has not forsaken you; on the contrary, God is sharing with you the very nails that pierced those hands of compassion - fellowship with God is meaningless if we do not share in his sufferings. Look to the glory that is set at the end of the road, where we will be raised in new bodies of glory that can never perish, spoil or fade.
If you are living in an atmosphere of extreme comfort, detached from all the trials and sufferings that the Lord Jesus went through, which present day martyrs have gone through as well, I want to gently rebuke you for your unwillingness to suffer for Christ. If you are suffering for the righteousness of Christ, and life seems like a living hell, and you are going through a dried, parched and weary stage of life, be encouraged, God has not forsaken you and holds true to His promised deliverance. Life may seem like hell now, but ask for sight from the Lord Jesus, and He will teach you the future glories that are in store.
I close with these verses - 1 Peter 1:6-7.
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
What is required for a church to grow?
July 19, 2010 [A day spent in the backyard]
God, you have gifted me with both the ability and compassion to write. Let me use it to bring glory to your name. What I am about to write, surely you have already laid on the hearts and minds of countless people from countless generations; it has already been written about prior to my time, and it will be written about subsequent to my time. Is what I'm doing redundant then? Merely repeating the same ideas from times past? Would it not be more efficient for me to just read instead of rewriting?
If writing is to be viewed merely for its function of the dissemination of information, perhaps this activity might be relegated to the racks of redundancy. However, I would like to suggest to both the reader and listener of this short article that writing is more than just recording information. When one is engaged in writing, the mind is sharpened. Undoubtedly, reading also sharpens one's mind; however, my purpose here is not to discredit reading, it is to give due credit to the benefits of writing.
So how does one sharpen his or her mind with writing? Knowledge of grammar is a must. Familiarity with a wide range of vocabulary is necessary. Punctuation is of great importance. One must not neglect sentence structure. Where does one begin or end a paragraph? That is of tantamount significance as well. The processing of information in one's mind and the unique expression of ideas through the strokes of a pen - this is no simple mental activity as well.
Dear reader, I do hope with sincerity and some certainty, if you have not been convinced about the wholesome mental excersie that writing provides through its intricate web of interrelated activities and disciplines, you would at least give it due consideration.
Now that we are done with introductions, allow me to express what God has laid on my heart.
What is required for a church to grow? Those of you who have a very Christo-centric view of things - and by Christo-centric, I do mean God-centric - would undoubtedly and instinctively respond "Jesus!" Excellent, but let's not stop there, let's not resort to one word responses, let's not succumb to mental or intellectual lethargy. What did Jesus do? What was Jesus the very personification of? He loved, yes; and He is love. But out of this foundation of love, out of this wellspring of love, what was the outflow? What are the tangible things that God has blessed us with? I would like to emphasize three points today: Education, Encouragement, and Empathy. The intelligent reader must realize that this is not a book, nor is this an attempt to provide a conclusive and all-encompassing view of what a church needs. And by church, I am referring to it in the biblical sense of a body of believers. This is merely a short essay, but nevertheless, this small piece of work is dedicated to the glory of God.
Education. This has been an institution and activity of prime importance in human civilization. I may be wrong, for I am no expert at ancient civilizations, nor even at the history of the Middle Ages, but I seem to get the impression that in times past, education was limited to that in the home (in current day terms known as "homeschooling"), but in recent centuries, there has been a proliferation of education as the mass-societal level, the building and estbalishing of schools, universities, churches, colleges, various centers for learning. Be it institution or activity, one cannot deny that education is important. In specific reference to the church, by which I mean a body of believers (and that is what the Bible says as well), a church needs to be educated in order to grow. That is why we have weekly bible studies, that is why some pastors carry a more educational approach in the presentation of their sermons, that is why we have a church library. Think of it this way - being well educated in the Word of God, being fed and nourished with the Word of God, the believer as an individual and the collective body of blievers are therefore armed with the knowledge of God's law and moral absolutes, and will erect walls and gates of protection against the enemy. Let me remind you as well, Jesus was and still is The Teacher, He is our Rabbi, He is the Word of God.
We will not stop at education. Encouragement is important as well. A parent is delegated by God the sacred responsibility of educating their child, teaching them the ways of the Lord; a parent also has the responsibility to encourage the downcast child. The Christian life is full of challenges and temptations, difficulties and disasters, and it is our job as a body of believers to mutually encourage each other and lift each other up from the depths of despair, from the pain and anxiety, from the darkness of the deep, and this we do with the Word of God, a light that has come into the darkness, a man who has been exposed to every trial and temptation and triumphed over it all. You will notice, that some pastors also carry a more encouragement type of approach in preparing their sermons. Part of the reason why we have prayer meetings is so that we may encourage each other with praise reports, or that we may seek encouragement through prayer requests. Even in small group meetings, or discipleship sessions, we share life experiences and life lessons as well. Do we not call upon our God as Jehovah Jireh? Are you not encouraged that He provides in the midst of your poverty? Do we not call upon our God as Jehovah Rapha? Are you not encouraged that He heals you in the midst of your sickness? Do we not call upon our God as Jehovah Shalom? Are you not encouraged that He provides peace in the midst of chaos?
We finally arrive at empathy. For the purposes of this idea we refer back to the family or the example of parenting again. The parent teaches, the parent encourages, and the parent also provides a shoulder for a child to weep on. "I know your pain", "I identify with what you are feeling", "I've gone through the same problems as well..." These are the phrases that come to mind. Do we as a church care for each other? Do we have compassion for each other? Do we perceive what grief is going through the person's mind? Do we weep? Let me tell you this. Jesus wept. Every single ounce of pain you feel in your heart, Jesus knows. He knew the depravity of the people of Jerusalem when he wept. He know of how God Almighty was being robbed of the glory that He could get out of the people of Jerusalem because of their sin and idolatry. And he wept. Friend, when was the last time you cooked a meal for someone not for pragmatism or utilitarianism but for the glory of God? When was the last time you dropped by another friend's place to visit, and show care for his or her life? When was the last time you closed your mouth and opened your ears to the friend who wanted to talk?
Just because there are no signs of encouragement or empathy, that does not mean we throw education out of the window. Just because a bird is not flying due to a broken left wing, that does not mean we throw the right wing away (Credits to Dr. A.W. Tozer for the analogy of the bird). My friend, it would be the right and sensible thing to do - mending the left wing. Keep the education, and introduce encouragement and empathy as well.
Dear Christian brethren, I leave you with a final word. Thank God that He has sovereignly and divinely appointed people around us who educate, encourage, and empathize. But, at the end of the day, the Holy Spirit of God is the best person to educate, encourage, and empathize. When you look to the left and to the right, and find no human soul, you can look up to the heavens, go down on your knees, and thank God that He has put in you His Holy Spirit.
God, you have gifted me with both the ability and compassion to write. Let me use it to bring glory to your name. What I am about to write, surely you have already laid on the hearts and minds of countless people from countless generations; it has already been written about prior to my time, and it will be written about subsequent to my time. Is what I'm doing redundant then? Merely repeating the same ideas from times past? Would it not be more efficient for me to just read instead of rewriting?
If writing is to be viewed merely for its function of the dissemination of information, perhaps this activity might be relegated to the racks of redundancy. However, I would like to suggest to both the reader and listener of this short article that writing is more than just recording information. When one is engaged in writing, the mind is sharpened. Undoubtedly, reading also sharpens one's mind; however, my purpose here is not to discredit reading, it is to give due credit to the benefits of writing.
So how does one sharpen his or her mind with writing? Knowledge of grammar is a must. Familiarity with a wide range of vocabulary is necessary. Punctuation is of great importance. One must not neglect sentence structure. Where does one begin or end a paragraph? That is of tantamount significance as well. The processing of information in one's mind and the unique expression of ideas through the strokes of a pen - this is no simple mental activity as well.
Dear reader, I do hope with sincerity and some certainty, if you have not been convinced about the wholesome mental excersie that writing provides through its intricate web of interrelated activities and disciplines, you would at least give it due consideration.
Now that we are done with introductions, allow me to express what God has laid on my heart.
What is required for a church to grow? Those of you who have a very Christo-centric view of things - and by Christo-centric, I do mean God-centric - would undoubtedly and instinctively respond "Jesus!" Excellent, but let's not stop there, let's not resort to one word responses, let's not succumb to mental or intellectual lethargy. What did Jesus do? What was Jesus the very personification of? He loved, yes; and He is love. But out of this foundation of love, out of this wellspring of love, what was the outflow? What are the tangible things that God has blessed us with? I would like to emphasize three points today: Education, Encouragement, and Empathy. The intelligent reader must realize that this is not a book, nor is this an attempt to provide a conclusive and all-encompassing view of what a church needs. And by church, I am referring to it in the biblical sense of a body of believers. This is merely a short essay, but nevertheless, this small piece of work is dedicated to the glory of God.
Education. This has been an institution and activity of prime importance in human civilization. I may be wrong, for I am no expert at ancient civilizations, nor even at the history of the Middle Ages, but I seem to get the impression that in times past, education was limited to that in the home (in current day terms known as "homeschooling"), but in recent centuries, there has been a proliferation of education as the mass-societal level, the building and estbalishing of schools, universities, churches, colleges, various centers for learning. Be it institution or activity, one cannot deny that education is important. In specific reference to the church, by which I mean a body of believers (and that is what the Bible says as well), a church needs to be educated in order to grow. That is why we have weekly bible studies, that is why some pastors carry a more educational approach in the presentation of their sermons, that is why we have a church library. Think of it this way - being well educated in the Word of God, being fed and nourished with the Word of God, the believer as an individual and the collective body of blievers are therefore armed with the knowledge of God's law and moral absolutes, and will erect walls and gates of protection against the enemy. Let me remind you as well, Jesus was and still is The Teacher, He is our Rabbi, He is the Word of God.
We will not stop at education. Encouragement is important as well. A parent is delegated by God the sacred responsibility of educating their child, teaching them the ways of the Lord; a parent also has the responsibility to encourage the downcast child. The Christian life is full of challenges and temptations, difficulties and disasters, and it is our job as a body of believers to mutually encourage each other and lift each other up from the depths of despair, from the pain and anxiety, from the darkness of the deep, and this we do with the Word of God, a light that has come into the darkness, a man who has been exposed to every trial and temptation and triumphed over it all. You will notice, that some pastors also carry a more encouragement type of approach in preparing their sermons. Part of the reason why we have prayer meetings is so that we may encourage each other with praise reports, or that we may seek encouragement through prayer requests. Even in small group meetings, or discipleship sessions, we share life experiences and life lessons as well. Do we not call upon our God as Jehovah Jireh? Are you not encouraged that He provides in the midst of your poverty? Do we not call upon our God as Jehovah Rapha? Are you not encouraged that He heals you in the midst of your sickness? Do we not call upon our God as Jehovah Shalom? Are you not encouraged that He provides peace in the midst of chaos?
We finally arrive at empathy. For the purposes of this idea we refer back to the family or the example of parenting again. The parent teaches, the parent encourages, and the parent also provides a shoulder for a child to weep on. "I know your pain", "I identify with what you are feeling", "I've gone through the same problems as well..." These are the phrases that come to mind. Do we as a church care for each other? Do we have compassion for each other? Do we perceive what grief is going through the person's mind? Do we weep? Let me tell you this. Jesus wept. Every single ounce of pain you feel in your heart, Jesus knows. He knew the depravity of the people of Jerusalem when he wept. He know of how God Almighty was being robbed of the glory that He could get out of the people of Jerusalem because of their sin and idolatry. And he wept. Friend, when was the last time you cooked a meal for someone not for pragmatism or utilitarianism but for the glory of God? When was the last time you dropped by another friend's place to visit, and show care for his or her life? When was the last time you closed your mouth and opened your ears to the friend who wanted to talk?
Just because there are no signs of encouragement or empathy, that does not mean we throw education out of the window. Just because a bird is not flying due to a broken left wing, that does not mean we throw the right wing away (Credits to Dr. A.W. Tozer for the analogy of the bird). My friend, it would be the right and sensible thing to do - mending the left wing. Keep the education, and introduce encouragement and empathy as well.
Dear Christian brethren, I leave you with a final word. Thank God that He has sovereignly and divinely appointed people around us who educate, encourage, and empathize. But, at the end of the day, the Holy Spirit of God is the best person to educate, encourage, and empathize. When you look to the left and to the right, and find no human soul, you can look up to the heavens, go down on your knees, and thank God that He has put in you His Holy Spirit.
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