The New Year

“Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

- Matthew 9:17

            This verse for as long as I can remember has been one of the most confusing sayings of Jesus. I never quite understood what the point of it was and would skip wrestling with it because it was too obscure. Over the past couple weeks I have been thinking and working through it and finally I am beginning to see a little bit of light at the end of the path.

            Today, as we are preparing for New Years (Eve), we look upon this past year and think about all the good and the bad which have occurred. Usually, the bad seems to outweigh and outshine the good. And although we as people seem to be forever stuck on the bad, I believe that in this passage, Jesus is saying, “It’s time to move on! It’s time to change things around! Let’s be joyful!”

            Just before this verse, Jesus makes a very big claim of himself being the bridegroom which in reality means that he is equating himself to God. Now, Jesus is telling the people that the Old and New do not mix and that there is a new structure and new way of doing things. His death and resurrection provides us with new life and a new order which forces us to look and act differently with the world. God’s incarnation began something great which would change the world forever as we know it.

            As we enter into this New Year, let us reflect upon the good work of Christ one more time. Perhaps we have done this too often and it has become boring or meaningless but I assure you that if you begin to see the glorious nature of what he did on that cross, we cannot be the same. This past year may have been the best or the worst year we have ever experienced… but hey, WE MADE IT! Now that we have an opportunity to start fresh, may we begin with a new outlook on life through what Christ has done. Although we may be poor, sick and out on our luck, may we remember that Christ has shifted the powers of this world and has given us something to look forward to, something to be joyous about. Let’s be joyful this year, regardless of what comes at us because we have been given much.

No Free Passes for the Believer

           There’s a huge misconception in the churches today and it is perhaps one of the most detrimental heresies of our time. Many evangelicals today believe that the Bible promises a prosperous and “blessed” life if we are truly faithful to Christ. Although this is a preposterous lie, it is enticing enough for many people to succumb to its power. As the Christmas season is rolling in and we reflect upon our good fortune (and for some, a very difficult year), we must not forget that an easy life does NOT mean that God is for you.

            Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:12, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” This letter is addressed to Paul’s closest disciple and friend and he is advising him on what it means to be a true follower of Christ. This is not a message specifically for pastors, elders, missionaries, etc. but it ultimately regards all Christians. There is no such idea here that Christians get to live a pain-free life. Paul himself was someone who endured much suffering.

            If we want to see the best biblical example of someone who did not receive the best of what life had to offer, all we need to do is look to the main character of the Bible, Jesus. Born in a manger to a woman who became pregnant out of wedlock, he would ultimately die on a cross. Jesus who was without sin, who knew his Bible, experienced the most horrific death the Bible has to offer. Not only that, leading up to his death, he was homeless and of humble origin. Jesus’ faith must not have been strong according to the name-it-claim-it teachers.

            So from these 2 examples, I hope that you will see that we are not guaranteed an easy life. In reality, we are called to go through some rough times BECAUSE we worship Christ. What a mind-blower! Knowing this, what is our response to be? I think when we look at Acts 5:41-42, “[after being flogged] The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.” Our response should be worship! Worship because we are counted worthy to go through a hard time and in doing so we have the ability to show the world that CHRIST IS FAR GREATER THAN ALL THINGS!!!

            Posted here is a link to an article on Pastor Matt Chandler in the Dallas area. He is someone who has recently gone through a battle with a brain tumor and although times are rough, although some days just suck, we see that he is someone who is using this suffering to show the world that God is greater than our health and possessions.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/112610dnmetpastorcancer.3fcb92b.html

            I hope that as we go through this Christmas season and every season in our lives, we will see that God is greater than our comfort. Although life may at times be unbearable and there seems to be no end, may you worship God and show the world that our God deserves worship because He is good.

Questions to Consider:

1)      Have you ever been promised/told that God will give you what you want?

2)      In your inner most being, do you feel/believe that God owes you for your good behavior?

3)      What would your worship be like if everything you loved and owned was taken from you?

Lose Yourself in the Moment

      In the past 10-20 years, living a life of purpose has become the new fad. We desire so much to live a life that is full of meaning. What I have realized about many of the books written on the topic is that the ideas are generally very individualized and lacks depth. Often times the goal is to be in a certain position in life which will optimize our ability to live in comfort but it rarely allows us to enjoy “the moment.” So the question which I pose is, “How do we live a life which is full of purpose yet we can still learn to enjoy it in the process?”

      The simplest way I can answer it is: live with the mindset of eternity. It rolls off the tongue easily and seems like a simple thing, however the act is really important for us as Christians.

     
When we live a life where we must achieve a specific number of goals in our lives, we live with the mindset that we only have X amount of years to live. We feel rushed in our lives to do new things or we feel huge regret and remorse because we have wasted our lives. I am not quite sure this is how we are supposed to live.

      I feel that we are to have a Kingdom mindset, one that shoots for eternity and not the year 2060. If I keep in mind that the end of my immediate life is the end, then I am continuing to feel that I must achieve, achieve, achieve. I will never be satisfied because there is always going to be more to do and I will never be able to accomplish it within this lifetime. However, if I live with the mentality that my death is not where it ends, that there is resurrection, I am able to take the time I have and be satisfied with the effort I put forth. I will be able to enjoy, “the NOW.”

    
I understand that people automatically fear that this thinking allows people to be lazy, however I do not believe that such a person understands grace. As we experience the grace of God and understand that there is eternity, we put forth hard work but do not kill ourselves trying to set records. When we sit with a person at the hospital, we do not need to check our watches to make sure we’re not spending too much time there. We can rest with that person, give them quality time and not worry about doing more work because at this moment, the Kingdom of God is manifesting in the love you are showing. We can live understanding that quality is greater than quantity.

      This was super brief and I understand that this blog does not fully spell out all the thoughts I had but I do not wish to bore you so quickly. So I want to end with a couple suggestions and questions.

1)      First, take a deep breath sit back and think. Are you living a rushed life that tries to collect accolades or are you living a life full of hard work which at the same time enjoys the moment?

2)      Are you living for your life only, or are you living a life that factors in eternity?

3)      Do you find yourself often times thinking, “The next phase of my life will be better”?

4)      How often do you enjoy the work/service/ministry you do? Are they just part of a to-do list or do you find them to be important and enjoyable?

5)   Finally, How often are you able to spend quality time with friends and family?

You Are Representing Him

The blog below was written by Ray Ortlund (questions by me) and can be found at :
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/rayortlund/2010/11/23/you-are-representing-him/

 


Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.  Luke 6:26
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account . . . for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  Matthew 5:11-12
The Bible warns us against “an unhealthy craving for controversy” (1 Timothy 6:4) and guides us toward “the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Timothy 6:3).  That is clear, and wonderful.  But a glad hyper-focus on Christ might not keep you out of controversy.  It might take you there.
When Jesus said, “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you,” he didn’t mean it’s wrong to be popular.  He did mean it’s wrong not to be prophetic.  His “Woe” falls on those who turn their backs on the true demands of the gospel rather than turn their backs on the false demands of people.
I wish I could say that if you lift up Christ in a positive, biblical way, everyone will love you.  But sadly, some will oppose you, because their hearts are captured by other passions.  They may even be captured by good but secondary biblical themes.  But if you maintain the primacy of Christ himself and submit all else to Christ, some people will not understand you, they will have “concerns” about you, they may even forsake you.  They will point to your weaknesses, which are real, and you will learn from your critics.  But your weaknesses are beside the point.  The point is the lordship of Christ alone.  He is the controversy.  You are representing him.
When the Lord leads you into this difficulty, you will suffer.  But remember, he is saving you from the “Woe” of Luke 6:26 and giving you the “Blessed” of Matthew 5:11-12.  Whatever others may say, Jesus speaks well of you.


Think About It:
1) Try to remember a time when you wanted to speak about Jesus but you knew it would be unpopular, what did that moment feel like?

2) Being a Christian witness is difficult in the world, especially because we are all fallen and are no better than the people who we are ministering to. What are some of the factors in your own life which have held you back from effective witnessing?

3) Although many of us may stand up for Christ and the Bible, how well do you feel about your ability to speak about him/it to others? Are there resources which you would like?

Going Back to Egypt?

Numbers 14:1-4

 ¹ That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. ² All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! ³ Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” ⁴ And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

      One of the things which I find quite ironic is that the best decision I have ever made in my life is the one which I at times regret the most. That ironic decision is my salvation from sin.

      Uh oh, I can already imagine the backlash and fury people are feeling in their bodies. “How dare you say such a thing Nathan?!” “You call yourself a pastor?!” And I know that the list of comments and concerns keep going on and on and on. But I think I have made a point here which many people can actually resonate with.

      There’s this crazy misconception out there that being a follower of Christ is supposed to be easy and pleasurable at all times. Maybe I’m not a very good Christian or just extremely pessimistic but let me tell you, this Jesus thing is HARD! I stay up some nights and contemplate “just exactly what the heck am I doing?” It’s not so much that I doubt the goodness of God but the path is often times filled with jagged rocks, high hills and tons of bugs.

      

      The Israelites for hundreds of years were living in slavery and it was not plush for them. Their taskmasters were cruel and they did not give the Israelites any respect, even though YHWH worked powerfully for the Egyptians through Joseph. In their slavery, the Israelites wanted to be set free, they wanted to be taken out of the hand of their oppressors and delivered by God.

      Finally, one day God decided to answer their prayers in the affirmative. He chose Moses to take His people out of Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land. With great miracles and signs which God performed through Moses, the Israelites were finally free of their oppressors! But one thing they forgot to realize was the fact that to get to the Promised Land, they were going to have to walk a certain path to get there. However easy or difficult this walk may have been, they oftentimes ignored the fact that God was leading them.

      The Israelites would have to fight battles and walk through the desert not knowing what was waiting for them tomorrow. Out of much frustration, they began to grumble against Moses and they contemplated going back to the land of their slavery. 

“If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword… wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?”

      They did not see that to follow God, they would have to go through a time of trial, a time of testing. When the test began to get too difficult, they wanted to retreat back, even if it meant them being oppressed slaves without any value.

      As we walk and follow this Jesus, don’t we find ourselves often asking God, “Why have you made it so difficult for me? I love you but why can’t you throw me a bone here?” Often times because of the difficulty, we would rather go back to Egypt where we might be guaranteed a little something, even though it would ultimately mean our destruction.

      The final line of our passage is “And they said to each other, ‘We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.’” God was the one who was ultimately leading them and even though they are meaning Moses, they are doubting God’s provision and goodness. They have lost faith in the one who sent the plagues on Egypt and the one who split the Sea.

      I find that I am often in the place of the Israelites in this passage. I struggle so deeply with certain aspects of my life which I feel should not be this hard. However, we have a God who has done all the work on the cross and won the victory. We have a God who we know is victorious and will one day usher in His kingdom which will reign forever.

      I heard a quote once from someone who I cannot recall and it went a little like this, “I have read the end of the book and I know who wins.” This life is hard and there’s very little that we can do to escape that fact. What we can do though is trust in our Creator and show faithfulness to Him which the Israelites were unable to. As God has given us the salvation of Christ and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we are given the ability to go through any trial as we depend on His strength. Let’s honor God with our full obedience and faith in Him!

                 

Things to Ponder Upon

1)      When have you felt that God has let you down?

2)      Are you letting God be in control in these situations?

3)      Finish the sentence: If I could ask God to help me change one thing about myself it would be…

     

Steps to Reading the Bible

Steps to Read the Bible

            Many of us have grown up in church and quite honestly, most of us don’t have an interest in the Bible. Not only do we not have an interest in the Bible but most of us actually have no idea of how to read it. Strangely enough, most people who have been in church for a very long time have no idea that they do not understand the Bible. To illustrate, it is similar to someone who hates snowboarding because they think they’re too good at it but in reality, they actually suck. In this blog, I would like to introduce a few steps about how we should approach the Holy Scriptures.

           The first thing we must understand is that the authors who wrote the Bible were influenced by their culture and background. It is not difficult for many of us to see how our own cultures and backgrounds have drastically shaped us. I for one have been raised up in America by parents who came from Korea. There are specific traits I picked up from my own American background and my background being a minority. Within those large overarching classifications, it breaks down even more (i.e., finances, neighborhood, city, school, etc.). For us, we have to dig pretty deep into the historical, social and political atmosphere of the author’s life in order for us to see what things have shaped him/her. 

            Secondly, we understand that the authors of the Bible are writing about particular people (most importantly, Jesus) who are also shaped by their own language, culture and society. When Jesus rebuked the Pharisees or helped a Samaritan woman, the author had to filter the events through his own experiences and interpret it himself. So this is where things begin to get a bit tricky. First, we need to understand who our author is. Secondly, with a similar process, we have the task of trying to put together the pieces of the people who the author is writing about. Then we must put ourselves back in the place of the author with all of the information we have accumulated. We are going to have to ask, “How did the author perceive the events in the story and why did he communicate it in such a way?”

           

      The final person I wish to address is ourselves. Many of us have been given the privilege to study at prestigious educational institutions. We have been shaped in many ways by our schools and background. It is the task of us to the best of our ability to deconstruct who we are and try to read our information as objectively as we can. The reality is, we cannot read it objectively but it is our task to do our best.

There are many elements in reading the Bible and many different approaches. One of the important things that need to be stressed is that we must be critical and honest in our reading. We might not all be able to go back to the original languages (I sure can’t) or we might not understand all the different genres but we must do our best if we truly believe this book brings life.

To get more information on this topic, N.T Wright’s book New Testament and the People of God is a great reference. It is pretty difficult (especially the first 80-90 pages) but my NT professor has deemed it one of the most important works in NT studies in the last 25 years.

           

Altar Calls. Sacrament or Man Made?

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”

- John 10:27-29 [TNIV]

       There are two sacraments/ordinances which the Protestant faith recognizes as a command from God: Baptism and the Eucharist (Lord’s Supper). However, over the past 200 years, there has been a “new sacrament” which Protestants all over the world have seemed to participate in: the altar call. When many Christians are asked to describe their conversion, they will often times explain their walk down the aisle at the call of a preacher. As we begin thinking about this famous “Christian” act, we need to contemplate the positive and negative effects this has had on our faith.

       In an article written by Steven Gertz[1], he looks back on the historical beginnings of the altar call. It appears that in the early 1800’s, Methodists in America wanted to have some sort of evidence to determine who was saved in their audiences. In attempts to make this apparent, they began to call people to the altar which was generally used for the Eucharist and prayer (for those who needed it). This model of conversion would be popularized and is used even to this day.

      Although you will see quickly that I have a bias against the altar call, one positive aspect I see in this ritual is that it gives a person the choice at a given moment to consciously follow Christ. In making that decision, that person will always have an event to look back on, to remind them of the moment God intervened in their lives. Outside of this, my limited thinking does not allow me to see other positive aspects. As a matter of fact, I find altar calls to be a distraction to the true mission of the Church, which is to go and make disciples of all nations, loving God and our neighbors as ourselves.

      As I look back on my 24 years of church experience, I remember more altar calls than Communions and Baptisms combined. I used to attend a church where the preacher would have an altar call every week but I do not remember a single instance of taking the bread and wine or even attending a single Baptism (and this was a fundamentalist Baptist church!). How is it that the Altar Call has become more famous than the very acts which God has commanded His believers to take part in?

      I find a major problem with the altar call because it gives many people a false sense of salvation and hope. Someone who is not a member of a local church may be completely sure of their salvation because they remember walking down the aisle and praying a prayer to “give their hearts to Jesus.” With such assurance that they are in the “safe zone,” many will never feel inclined or convicted to live a life which goes beyond their borders of comfort and sacrifice. 

      If the altar is the place where salvation takes place, the goal of the Christian is not to take part in culture and the world but instead their goal is only to get a person in the pews of their church. The rest of the work will be done by a preacher who with the skill of rhetoric should be able to convince people to get saved. The Church is no longer a body of believers who live to redeem the world but instead it becomes an advertising company worried more about adding numbers to the congregation instead of making people whole. Relief work and social justice become an unimportant branch of the Church and is taken over by “fellowship” and “outreach.” 

      As we reflect upon the nature of the Western Church today, I pose a few questions to you, the reader:

1)      What is more important to you: bringing unsaved people to Church or being there for your unchurched friend in a time of need?

2)      Where do you place the Baptism and Eucharist on your list of important things the Church does?

3)      How important is it for you to have this experiential moment in reminding you of your salvation?

4)      In your opinion, can you be saved and yet never be committed to a local church body?

                                                                                                                                         

      

     

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[1] http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/asktheexpert/may2.html

Reformation Sunday

             It’s 1:08 AM, I was in class for 9 hours and drove over 3 hours, therefore I’m going to keep this brief (I hope). Today being October 31, 2010, I decided to go to Christianity Today’s website and get an article on the Reformation. For those of you who are unaware, today is the day we celebrate/remember Martin Luther’s 95 Theses being posted in Wittenberg. Instead, I found one article on why the devil should get Halloween and several political issues.

            One of the troubling things for me is that we are completely unaware or do not care about our history. We care so much about our new fads and which pastors are popular but we are forgetting the roots of where we come from. What are we to pass on to our children and congregation members if we do not know who we are ourselves?

            This complete lack of respect for the saints who have gone before us is not only a stumbling block for me but it causes me to worry about the future of the Protestant Church. If we are not aware of our history, we are going to be so immersed in the idea that we belong to our denominations rather than the whole body of God. Our ecclesiology will begin to be weakened because we no longer remember that we were one catholic church before the split which Luther never intended. We will look at churches as Y’all vs. Us rather than getting together and loving one another, regardless of our differences.

            How big is your view of the body of God? Is it the 100 or 5000 people in your own church building? Or does it encompass ALL of brothers and sisters, including those who belong to the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church? I just ask that when you read your Bibles, look for the emphasis of being a unified body of believers, even among Jews and Gentiles.

Ancient Future Worship

        What is worship? I think when most of us are asked this question, the first thing that comes to mind is music and dancing. However, I feel that this is a very shallow answer and lacks much theological depth. In Robert Webber’s book, Ancient-Future Worship, he goes into the idea that worship DOES God’s story. What he means by this concept is that we are to remember God’s redemptive actions in the past, anticipate the eschaton and have the connection of the two manifest in the present.

        Imagine yourself at the age of 80, sitting next to the fireplace with a cup of coffee with your husband/wife of 50 years. As you sit there, you begin to remind yourself of all the great experiences you two had together. You especially remember all the times when they came to your side when you were in need of company and help. Similarly, worship is to do the same thing. We are reminded of the many stories in the Bible of when God came to the rescue of His people (The Exodus, David vs. Goliath, Samson, Gideon, etc.). We ultimately see God’s greatest act in salvation through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 Going a little further, we see that Jesus’ message and job in the Synoptic Gospels (Matt. Mk. Lk.) was to announce the breaking-in of the Kingdom of God. When we read the Bible, you can’t help but to notice that there is an understanding of God’s Kingdom already being here but it has yet to be fully realized. We are anticipating that day when Christ comes back and fully ushers in the Kingdom on Earth (“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on EARTH as it is in Heaven”). We are awaiting to be back in the Garden, where we are fully in the presence of God. It is like a long pregnancy, where you have gone through much of the work in keeping your baby healthy but you still are looking to the day when they are finally born and with you.

 So what does this look like in our context today? Webber states that proper worship connects the past with the future. In our own worship, we are to be reminded week in and week out that we have been saved out of sin’s grasp. However, we must be sober-minded and not forget that the work is not yet done. We live in anticipation for Christ’s return, when he will redeem all of creation.

 The fear is that when we over-realize the eschaton, we celebrate too much and forget the fact that sin and pain are in this world. We forget out responsibility of helping the poor and preaching the Gospel. If our realization of the Kingdom being here is too low, we get weary of the life we are to live and we become like the whiny Israel in the desert; we lose hope. We are in need of understanding what it means to live with both aspects in life.

 What we must do then in response to this understanding is to take seriously the preaching of the Word and be very mindful of the right administration of the sacraments (Baptism and Eucharist). As we “act out” our redemptive history and our fully realized future redemption, we remind ourselves that we are living for a good God who has all things under His control.