I am excited to share our next Sunday Celebration sermon series called, “Identity Theft.” In the last 11 months, I have to come to the stark realization that one of the biggest issues for people in Indonesia is their struggle with their God-given identity. I think this struggle is prevalent in most Asian cultures.
The dilemma with trying to address the identity issue is that people generally know what the problem is but then it is so hard to live it out. A lot of our identity is shaped by our parents, peers, and the world. We are constantly faced with these influences in our lives; therefore it slowly erodes away at our identity, which should be rooted in what Christ has done for us on the cross.
If we are going to win this battle for our identity, then we will have to commit to going back to some of the basics. Our sense of significance, feeling accepted, being loved, and longing for security need to be found in Jesus Christ.
When our identity is rooted in the wrong things, then our perception of ourselves will be contorted. Even our view of others and the world will be twisted. Then this leaves us empty and dissatisfied.
We will explore from Scripture the biblical principles about centering our identity on a strong foundation. We will cover 3-parts to this series:
1) Part 1: “Who We Are Matters” 2) Part 2: “How We Live Matters” 3) Part 3: “Why We Do Things Matters”
I am praying from some big breakthroughs through this sermon series. This will launch us to greater things, as people in our church experience greater freedom and joy in their journey with Christ.
This week, I re-read a portion of Max Lucado’s book, He Still Moves Stones: Everyone Needs a Miracle. It was a good reminder of several principles that I try to live by.
Here is a excerpt from Lucado’s book:
Most mornings Peter and his partners would sell their fish, repair their nets, and head home to rest with a bag of money and a feeling of satisfaction. This particular morning there was no money. There was no satisfaction. They had worked all through the night but had nothing to show for it except weary backs and worn nets.
And, what’s worse, everyone knew it. Every morning the shore would become a market as the villagers came to buy their fish, but that day there were no fish.
Jesus was there that morning, teaching. As the people pressed there was little room for him to stand, so he asked Peter if his boat could be a platform. Peter agreed, maybe thinking the boat might as well be put to some good use.
Peter listens as Jesus teaches. It’s good to hear something other than the slapping of waves. When Jesus finishes with the crowd, he turns to Peter. He has another request. He wants to go fishing. “Take the boat into deep water, and put your nets in the water to catch some fish” (Luke 5:4).
Peter groans. The last thing he wants to do is fish. The boat is clean. The nets are ready to dry. The sun is up and he is tired. It’s time to go home. Besides, everyone is watching. They’ve already seen him come back empty-handed once. And, what’s more, what does Jesus know about fishing?
So Peter speaks, “Master, we worked hard all night trying to catch fish” (v. 5). Mark the weariness in the words.
“We worked hard.” Scraping the hull. Carrying the nets. Pulling the oars. Throwing the nets high into the moonlit sky. Listening as they slap on the surface of the water.
“All night.” The sky had gone from burnt orange to midnight black to morning gold. The hours had passed as slowly as the fleets of clouds before the moon. The fishermen’s conversation had stilled and their shoulders ached. While the village slept, the men worked. All… night… long.
“Trying to catch fish.” The night’s events had been rhythmic: net swung and tossed high till it spread itself against the sky. Then wait. Let it sink. Pull it in. Do it again. Throw. Pull. Throw. Pull. Throw. Pull. Every toss had been a prayer. But every drag of the empty net had come back unanswered. Even the net sighed as the men pulled it out and prepared to throw it again.
For twelve hours they’d fished. And now … now Jesus is wanting to fish some more? And not just off the shore, but in the deep?
Peter sees his friends shrug their shoulders. He looks at the people on the beach watching him. He doesn’t know what to do. Jesus may know a lot about a lot, but Peter knows about fishing. Peter knows when to work and when to quit. He knows there is a time to go on and a time to get out.
Common sense said it was time to get out. Logic said cut your losses and go home. Experience said pack it up and get some rest. But Jesus said, “We can try again if you want.”
The most difficult journey is back to the place where you failed.
Jesus knows that. That’s why he volunteers to go along. “The first outing was solo; this time I’ll be with you. Try it again, this time with me on board.”
And Peter reluctantly agrees to try again. “But you say to put the nets in the water, so I will” (Luke 5:5). It didn’t make any sense, but he’d been around this Nazarene enough to know that his presence made a difference. That wedding in Cana? That sick child of the royal ruler? It’s as if Jesus carried his own deck to the table.
So the oars dip again and the boat goes out. The anchor is set and the nets fly once more.
Peter watches as the net sinks, and he waits. He waits until the net spreads as far as his rope allows. The fishermen are quiet. Peter is quiet. Jesus is quiet. Suddenly the rope yanks. The net, heavy with fish, almost pulls Peter overboard.
“John, James!” he yells. “Come quick!”
Soon the boats are so full of fish that the port side rim dips close to the surface. Peter, ankle deep in flopping silver, turns to look at Jesus, only to find that Jesus is looking at him.
That’s when he realizes who Jesus is.
What an odd place to meet God – on a fishing boat on a small sea in a remote country! But such is the practice of the God who comes into our world. Such is the encounter experienced by those who are willing to try again … with him.
Peter’s life was never again the same after that catch.
Here are the principles that I need to be constantly reminded of:
1) Walking by faith and not by sight is hard, but do it anyways.
2) Stop trusting in yourself because God is stronger and smarter than you.
3) Don’t calculate so much because you will start limiting God and yourself.
4) Don’t do things without God because He is the best wingman.
5) Obedience is always rewarded.
6) God’s past faithfulness should be a good predictor of future faithfulness
7) God reveals Himself the moment we let go & jump – no sooner or later.
In light of the shocking news of Al and Tipper Gore’s divorce, I was thinking, “how can a couple get a divorce after 40 years of marriage?!” In all news accounts and some personal testimonies from people who know the Gores well, they have mentioned that the Gores just “grew apart over the years.”
No couple enters into a marriage thinking, “We are going to get a divorce sometime in the future.” Every couple wants their marriage to succeed. As Christina and I have done many pre-marital counseling sessions with excited engaged couples, one of the things that we address is the issue of myths and expectations. It is surprising to see that many engaged couples hold on to various myths that can signal trouble once they get married.
Tony Welty wrote an article describing some of the most common myths that couples have about marriage. Welty numerates them for us by writing,
1) “Once we get married, any relational problems we’re experiencing will go away.” In short, no they will not. Because relational problems are cyclical by nature, they do not simply vanish after the wedding day. Rather, difficulties will drop below the surface for awhile, only to rear their ugly heads at an opportune time. In combating this myth, I try to encourage each couple to think soberly and realistically about the covenant they are about to enter. Relational issues are like weeds. It’s often difficult to get at the roots, so the gardeners need patience and grace. The task here is to offer premarital couples a realistic perspective along with a few tools for later use.
2) Marriage is mainly about personal happiness. As the logic goes, “The goal of my marriage is to be happy. If I’m happy, my marriage will be happy and good.” Not necessarily true. God’s design for marriage certainly envisions happiness; it’s just not the sort of happiness we’re accustomed to experiencing as self-determining individuals. Good and healthy marital relationships are profoundly other-centered. In addressing this false belief with couples, I use several different communication inventories, which require each individual to begin thinking in terms of “us” rather than “me and you.” The ultimate goal here is to train the couple to think of one another empathically.
3) “Our love is so strong we don’t need to work at our relationship. I mean, we never even fight or argue.” This logic suggests that true and pure love can be recognized by the absence of any tensions, constraints, or extra efforts. However, any couple who has been in a covenanted relationship for more than about 10 minutes knows the fallacy behind this belief. The underlying problem here is an over-dependency on the current strength of feelings. The cure is to again train the couple to think about their relationship in a different way. To do this, I will often share personal stories of how God, by taking my wife and me through tumultuous times, transformed some aspect of our marriage. When faced as a “cord of three strands” (the Lord, my wife, and me), marital trials and difficulties purify and strengthen our relationship by forcing us to depend on his faithfulness, rather than our own strength of will. The movement is away from an over-dependence on personal feelings to a settled reliance on covenant faithfulness.
These are just three of the many myths that people have about marriage. With the wedding season under full swing, it will be good to reminds ourselves that marriage is not about making us happy (even though there is a lot of joy), but more about making us holy and more like Christ.
I don’t know about you, but I have zero tolerance for false advertisement. Some companies and corporations are very sneaky to put it mildly. They will advertise in their eye-catching ads about a huge sale or a real bargain, but when you walk in to the store, you quickly come to realize that there are “terms and conditions.” In other words, “read the fine print.” Even though they did not flat out lie to the consumer, they were not completely upfront either. Who reads the fine print anyways when the information to lure you in are all in red and huge letters?
This is how marketing works sometimes and it stinks. It leaves the consumer feeling a bit deceived and betrayed, especially when what is initially promised comes with “terms and conditions.”
I am the kind of person that likes everything upfront (in big letters). In this way, I can consider all the factors, count the cost, and then make an informed decision.
As I was thinking about this, I couldn’t help but to think that churches also engaged in “read the fine print” advertisement. How many times have we preached the Gospel by telling the pre-Christian that God loves them? How many times have we shared the Good News by informing the pre-Christian that God can forgive all their sins? How many times have we presented the message of salvation by telling the pre-Christian that God has an awesome plan for their lives?
While all these factors in presenting the Gospel are true, we rarely tell the pre-Christian about the “terms and conditions.” For starters, there is a clear call for repentance. There is also the call to a life of surrender. Jesus’ words are pretty straight forward. He states that no idols and gods can take greater allegiance or supremacy in a person’s life. Jesus said, “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Mt 10:37-39).
Christ takes it a step further and says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:34-36).
To follow Christ, it means to live a life of complete surrender. But this is hard to do when we live in a world of competing allegiances.
The Church of Jesus Christ is participating in somewhat of a spiritual false advertisement. When we only preach parts of the Gospel by eliminating the “hard” parts, then we do the pre-Christian and disservice. When we talk about how God loves them, but do not share about repentance and how Jesus demands their whole life, we are not giving them the full picture.
Why don’t we share the “fine print” when we share the Gospel?
This has been the downfall of the prosperity Gospel. This is why many so called “Christians” give up on their walk with Christ at the first sign of hardship or difficulty. This is why the statistics shows that the divorce rate is the same in the world as in the church. This is why many people get disillusioned when they have to finally grapple with the “fine print” as the Gospel demands their whole life. It even contributes to the many Christ-followers who are lukewarm in the church today.
We have given people the Gospel-lite version of Christianity and this is hurting the Church and our witness to the world.
My advice to pre-Christians: “Always read the fine print!”
My advice to the Church: “Enlarge the fine print so that everyone will know what they are getting themselves into when they decide to follow Christ.”
I had the privilege of studying under Dr. Wayne Grudem while I attended seminary at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. Not only did I study all my Systematic Theology with him, but I also took some elective classes that he taught in different semesters.
There are two fond memories of him that increased my respect and admiration of him. First, I remember how we would sing a song or two before we started class. They ranged from old classic hymns to some modern praise songs. One time, as we were singing, I saw him get down on his knees and with uplifted hands singing praises to God. It was a humbling moment for me because here was a man, who graduated from Harvard (cum laude) and University of Cambridge, bowing down in humility worshiping God. Sometimes people think any signs of emotions or “charismatic” expressions are equated with a lack of intelligence, but Dr. Grudem definitely debunked that theory.
Secondly, I will never forget when I heard the announcement of his resignation from Trinity. I was in shock. In fact, I think many people in the evangelical circles were shocked. Dr. Grudem was on the height of his academic career. So the question was, “Why in the world would he step down from everything?”
His answer floored me.
It was because of his love for his wife. She was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. It is a disease that brings pain to various muscle groups in the body. There is really no cure for this disease. The only time Margret was able to find some relief was when she was in a place with warmer weather. Therefore, as he wrestled with the decision, Dr. Grudem realized that the most honoring thing to do was to surrender his prolific career at Trinity and go to another seminary out West with lesser credentials for the sake of his wife’s health. You can read his official response in Trinity Magazine here (you have to read it… please have some tissues ready).
Wow!
How many guys who are on top of their successful career can do the same thing?
Not many. This is why I have such admiration and respect for the man.
Real life examples are the best to follow.
Here is a funny video made as a tribute to Dr. Grudem. Check it out.
Last week was an eventful week as I made a trip out to Hong Kong and Singapore. In Hong Kong, I reconnected with some of our alumni and met up with some pastors and ministry leaders. It was an eye-opening trip as I heard about some of the great things that God is doing in Hong Kong. Even though I visited Hong Kong a few times before, for some reason this trip was different. I really felt like God opened my eyes to the harvest and gave me a greater burden for this great global city.
God also used my trip out to Singapore to remind me of the great need for believers to be a visual display and a viable demonstration of God’s love. When the Church, which is made up of people begin to live out its calling to be the salt and light of the world, we will see transformation start to happen.
I am thankful for the privilege of witnessing firsthand all that God is doing out in this region of the world. I am also humbled to know that God is trying to raise up people in our churches to take up the Macedonian call (Ac 16:9-10).
During my flight back to Jakarta, I was able to jot down some of my thoughts from my trip. I wrote down five major lessons and reminders from this trip:
1) God is moving powerful through unexpected means. One of our HMCC alumnus is teaching at University of Hong Kong (HKU), which is supposedly one of the best universities in all of Asia. I was able to get a personal tour of the university and my heart was beating fast. When I heard that close to 25-30% of the students were from mainland China, I realized the potential of reaching all of China. If these students were reached with the Gospel and discipled, they can be the missionaries who will bring the Gospel to their own people. I also found out that about 50% of all the graduate students were from outside of China/Hong Kong. Many different nations were represented in this 50% international student population. What a great opportunity to reach the world just through this one university. We also visited another top university in Hong Kong called The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). I was able to meet a student from the UK who was in CUHK to do a one year exchange program that was sponsored through his university in UK. It is a joint venture where 3 years are done in the UK, while the last year is done in CUHK. If we reach the international students at these top universities, we will be reaching the world. It is very similar to reaching international university students in the States. 2) God is giving favor to the Church to penetrate the various spheres of society. It was astounding to hear that Alpha Courses were being taught in the schools. At first I was a bit skeptical because in the States this will never be possible. But incredibly, it is happening in Hong Kong. Due to various open doors, God is allowing His truth to be taught as a mandatory curriculum in the public schools. Young students are hearing the Gospel and it is making a difference in their lives.
3) God is raising up a new generation of movers and shakers and history makers. The Church in Hong Kong is also penetrating into the entertainment industry and in the sphere of the arts and media. It was awesome to hear that recently some of the top pop artist and musicians have come to know Jesus Christ as a personal Lord and Savior. They are now reaching out to their friends and colleagues with the Gospel. In fact, a group started up a ministry to specifically reach out to the people in the music and movie industry and they are making a huge difference. I was also able to hear about what God was doing in the business sphere of society. There are more entrepreneurs and business people who are committed to the vision of God’s Kingdom. They are leveraging their wealth for Kingdom purposes and missions. It was so refreshing to see, especially in our generation where greed and self-centeredness have taken a stronghold. I am just curious what will happen when they turn 50 or 60 years old. There will be a major shift in Hong Kong. 4) God is bringing different streams together. The Bride of Christ has always been divided by denominations and associations. Difference in theology and jealous has always put a wedge between the various pastors and church leaders. But in this kairos moment we are seeing great unity. It was inspiring to see how God was bringing people from different backgrounds together to work for His Kingdom. I was personally able to network and make some solid connections. It was just a reminder that God is doing something bigger and greater than just one ministry. In particular, I was able to talk with a leader in Hong Kong, who is leading a ministry where they are bringing people from different parts of China and the surrounding nations together for a 5 day camp. After their time together, they would be sent out as teams to various locations to be a witness for Jesus. Even in Singapore, I was able to meet up with a pastor who just recently started a church but he is already connected with the various pastors and spiritual leaders in the city. They are fellowshipping together and even trying to work together for the building of God’s Kingdom. 5) God is preparing Asia to propel them into the next big missions movement. By being out here in Indonesia and in the region of Asia, I am coming to the conclusion that God might be possibly preparing Asia to lead a powerful mission movement to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth. There is just a different feel out here in Asia than what I experienced in the States. As China and India are now becoming nations that could possibly surpass the States as a great superpower, we are seeing more people being raised to do missions from this region of the world. For some reason, they are willing to lay down their lives to share the Gospel. They are definitely living out the 4-evers (whatever, whichever, wherever, and however) as they have surrendered themselves to God’s purposes.
As I am seeing some of these things firsthand, it is making it hard for me to go back to the States; but I know that God is calling me and my family to go back and raise up more Kingdom workers who will eventually go to some of these nations and build God’s Kingdom. I am just privileged to have witnessed it. The best is yet to come!
As we are preparing for our return to the States, Christina and I have realized that there are a lot of things that we need to get in order. For one thing, we need to purchase a car. Right before we moved out to Indonesia, we sold our Honda Odyssey.
I thought I would be done with the days of a mini-van since our kids are getting older, but after seeing this video I am thinking that it might not be so bad. This might be Toyota’s way of making a comeback after all their safety recalls problems.
Whenever discussions revolve around religion, it is always a heated and charged discussion. The reason behind this is simple: Religion is something personal. Therefore whenever our faith is attacked, a religious person will do everything in order to protect and defend the basic tenets of their faith. In this way, religion has been one of the catalysts for some of the wars throughout history. It is usually not a very pretty picture.
This notion of religion being an emotionally charged topic was illustrated perfectly in the recent South Park episode where they parodied Islam and Muslims’ reverence for the prophet Muhammad (note: spelling varies depending on the source).
In fact, after it was aired there were death threats leveled at Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park. The threat came from various blogs and websites. One person in particular is Zachary Adam Chesser (a.k.a. Abu Talhah al-Amrikee), who posted something on www.RevolutionMuslim.com. Chesser said that he wrote what he did and put the picture of a murdered Dutch filmmaker to raise awareness and to show the severity of what happens to someone who mocks Muhammad. But he clearly reiterated that it was not a threat, but rather it was just an explanation of what would be the most likely outcome, if anyone criticized the prophet or Islam.
It is very clear – Islamic law prohibits any forms of depiction of the Prophet Muhammad.
Even with the recent failed terrorist car bomb attack in New York’s Times Square reminds us of another example. As facts are coming out, there is some speculation that this was linked to the South Park “transgressions.” But as the investigation is underway, authorities are finding out that the car bombing suspect Faisal Shahzad was upset at the U.S. treatment of Islam. The court evidence shows that Shahzad has some ties to the Taliban militants by receiving explosives training in Pakistan’s Waziristan region. Shadzad was also in contact with people in Pakistan prior to the attempted car bombing.
President Obama in his press conference said, “This incident is another sobering reminder of the times in which we live around the world and here at home, there are those who would attack our citizens and who would slaughter innocent men, women and children in pursuit of their murderous agenda. They will stop at nothing to kill and disrupt our way of life.”
Bill Maher has even jumped into the discussion. He challenged the claim that Islam is a “peaceful” religion. I thought it was a very bold and honest interview with Anderson Cooper.
Incredibly, there are some similarities between Christianity and Islam, well, at least more than what we see at the surface (i.e. theology, Christology, views of salvation, etc). Both religions seek to claim to have the “truth.” Both religions seek to “convert” people. Both religions demand devotion from its followers. Both religions have “extremists” who take some of their holy writings out of context and justify their actions. The list goes on and on.
But in the midst of these surface or general similarities, I couldn’t help but to notice the reaction of people towards the two religions. I decided to put it in a question format to help us think through some of these issues:
1) Why is it that people are constantly defending Islam and saying that it is a peaceful religion?
2) Why is it that people have no fear or reservations in disparaging Christ and Christianity, but when it comes to Islam, people are afraid and very accommodating?
3) Why did South Park, who is well known for ridiculing and satirizing religion (especially Christianity) all of a sudden decided to censor themselves and pull out all videos associated with the episode of the Bear Muhammad episode?
4) Why is there a glorification of “homicide bombers” and “justified killings”?
As I am asking these questions, I am challenged by the Muslims’ passion for honoring their great prophet. Do I have just as much passion and is my emotion stirred when people attack or negatively talk about Christ?
But as I look at Christ and the various Gospel accounts of his last days here on this earth, I sometimes get disturbed and a bit angry. Why didn’t his disciples do anything to defend Jesus? Why didn’t Jesus call upon the twelve legions of angels (Mt 26:53) to destroy the people who were going to hurt Him?
This is when I realize that strength is found in what seems like an “apparent” weakness (2 Co 12:10). It is always harder to love people than to destroy them. It is always harder to forgive people than to get revenge. It is always harder to be humble than to demand our rights. It is always harder to obey God than to do what we want to do. It is always harder to deny ourselves than to be self-centered.
In essence, Jesus did the harder thing and took the road that many people would never have gone on. Maybe this is why I am drawn to Christ more each day. I am humbled to know how unique He is compared to anyone else in history. I am just amazed at how different He is than me, but yet, He calls me to be more like Him.
The difference? The Apostle Paul said it well to the people of Philippi:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Php 2:6-11)
I don’t know how many of you have heard or seen Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford University Commencement speech. Usually graduates, who sit under the hot sun, rarely remember the content of the speech that is normally given by a famous person during their commencement. Honestly, I don’t even remember the graduation commencement speech of my graduation.
But there is something about what Steve Jobs shared in his speech that really espoused some important principles in life. Even though it was from a secular perspective, there were some biblical truths that resonated with me. Through the power of personal stories, I have this strange suspicion that this is one speech that many of the 2005 Stanford graduates will remember.
First, check out his speech below. It is worth every 14 minutes and 11 seconds of it. Then I will give some of my thoughts.
There are several things in his speech that struck me:
1) Perspective. For some reason, perspective is one thing that is so elusive in a person’s life. It is amazing how two people can go through the exact same thing, but then one is on top of their game, while the other is in the dumps. The difference? It is perspective. When we are able to “connect the dots” then we will see that God’s hand was in it all along. This is when we are able to have greater trust, faith and gratitude in our lives. As Jobs said, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.” As we go through the ups and downs of life, we have to be able to connect the dots; and the way we do that is by believing in a God who is greater, bigger, and stronger. He will help make sense of it all. God will make all things beautiful in His time (Ecc 3:11).
2) Passion.Sometimes you only discover your passion for something, when you are willing to risk what is safe and secure. Often times we are bound by our fears. So instead of doing things that we love, we end up settling for “average” and the status quo. Sometimes failure helps us to discover our passions. Usually when we fail in something, there is a process of self-evaluation. We begin to see things more clearly. God has given each one of us various passions that have been shaped by our experiences. We will never find real joy and even purpose in life unless we live out the things that we are passionate about (Ps 16:11). The best part is when people pay you to do what you are passionate!
3) Priorities. Death is the ultimate equalizer. Regardless of who you are, what status you have, what material things you own, what awards you have won, death is a common denominator of all humanity. Too often in our quest for significance in this world, we forget what is important to us. We try to find temporary pleasure in material things, but it leaves us unsatisfied and longing for something more. There seems to be this unified sentiment from people who have either lost a loved one or who have gone through a near-death experience – they all talk about priorities and what is really important. We know that we will never be able to take “things” with us when we die, but then why do we so single-mindedly pursue them? When everything is said and done, what seems to matter the most is the impact you have had on people’s lives. I am a firm believer that you can always tell how a person has lived their life by observing their funeral. For us, as a Christ-follower, at the end of our lives, we want to know that we have done everything that God has called us to do. It is hearing the words of, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Mt 25:23) that we hunger for when we see Christ face-to-face.
Perspective. Passion. Priorities. These things help us to understand our purpose in life, as well as to enable us to praise the One who gives us all things according to His will.
This past week, I had the privilege of speaking at Karissa’s chapel. The best part of it was being introduced by my little girl. Not only did she do an excellent job, but I was so humbled by her joy and excitement when she saw me.
Before I went up to speak, Karissa and some of her classmates were leading the praise time. Well, let’s just say that they were playing a CD and leading the group with motions. I couldn’t help but to notice the purity of their worship to God. As I followed along, I was reminded of Jesus’ words, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Mt 19:14).
There is something about having a child-like heart that brings delight to the Father’s heart. Here are some lessons that I was reminded of on that day:
1) Your kids will grow up quickly so enjoy your time with them now.As I look at my oldest child, I realized how quickly he is growing up. Now, as he is going through changes, there are some things that he does not like to do. Things are different compared to when he was a child. I have to enjoy the time I have with my children now because there will come a time when they will all move away from home.
2) Don’t be afraid or ashamed to express your love. For some reason, as we get older it is just harder to freely express what we feel. We are more guarded. We are more careful. But kids have a way of just “letting go” and freely showing their love. It is so refreshing and humbling on the receiving end.
3) Do everything with a pure heart. With time, it seems as if so much of what we do are laced with agendas. Why is it that we sometimes forget that we should do things, just because? Even though there are no direct benefits to us, are we humble enough to do things because it is just the right thing to do?
4) Don’t worry so much about what people think about you. We are always trying to preserve our reputation. It is interesting how our concern for our reputation is directly correlated with our age. The older we get, the more concerned we become and sometimes it blinds us from doing things that bring joy to the Father’s heart.
5) Allow the simple things to bring joy throughout your day.The day before Karissa’s chapel, she doubled checked in the afternoon to make sure I could make it. The night before, she worked on her introduction with Christina. In the morning, she came into the room and just smiled at me. When I dropped her off at school, she said, “I will see you very soon, daddy!” To know that my very presence at school would bring that much excitement to her heart, it filled my heart with joy.
6) Be proud of the things that matter to you.As we were about to start chapel, I could tell that her friends were pointing their fingers at me and whispering things to Karissa. With a huge smile on her face, Karissa waved at me and responded to her friends with some kind of “yeah, that’s my daddy.” There were several times throughout the chapel time when our eyes met. I just gave her a huge smile letting her know that I loved her and was so proud of her. You should have seen her response – she stood up tall and sang louder. It just made my day.
I have been working on my message for the Sunday Celebration sermon series called, “The Price.” This Sunday I will be covering “The Price of Freedom” by preaching on Romans 6. It has been an interesting study for me because it reminded me of a principle that has been proven true over the years, not only in my life but also in the lives of people that I have counseled over the years.
So often in the midst of trying to find ourselves, we forget that it is only by losing ourselves that we will truly find ourselves. Jesus said in Luke 9:23-25, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?”
In our search for our identity, we frequently base it on the things of this world – our grades, career, family, reputation, friends, and the like – rather than on the Gospel and our relationship with Christ. This is why sometimes we feel as if following Christ is restrictive and more of a burden, than finding true joy and freedom.
The story of the “prodigal son” (Lk 15:11-24) describes our plight so well.
When the younger son was at home with his father, he felt restricted in his freedom and confined to his father’s rules. This is why he made the audacious request of his share of his inheritance and decided to leave home in order to find himself and enjoy his freedom.
But the irony of the story (which by the way is often times our story) is seen when we notice what happened when he started to experience his freedom. Instead of finding himself, he lost himself further into sin. In his freedom, it turned out that he was really enslaved in the grip of sin. It was only when the prodigal son repented of his rebellion that he realized true freedom was found in his father’s house.
He then made the long journey home.
We are only able to find ourselves when we are willing to lose ourselves to Christ. Conversely, when we lose ourselves to the things of this world, then we will never find ourselves.
True freedom is found when we are in obedience to the One who laid down His life for us. This is the process of losing ourselves in order to find ourselves.
What an awesome weekend we had here in Indonesia! As I was giving more thought to it, I realized that this was the first Easter we celebrated outside of Ann Arbor in 14 years. It just felt different – in a good way.
Last week, we were busy getting ready for Good Friday and Easter weekend. But in the midst of all the busy preparations, one thing we realized that we could not neglect was prayer. We knew that God had to be the one that would reveal Himself to the people that we would be bringing to church. Those of us who were serving in the celebration also knew that God had to anoint us in order for our presentations to be Spirit-filled. Therefore, it was good to spend time in prayer in our LIFE Groups and even in our own personal times with the Lord before the weekend.
We had a full day with a packed Sunday Celebration and then an Easter lunch that followed. After the food and fellowship time with one another, we had our baptism service. As I was hearing the testimonies, I was reminded that God is truly alive and He desires to work in the lives of His people. When I looked around, I saw so many of the baptism candidates’ families and friends who came out to witness this important moment. I was just privileged to participate in baptizing the candidates. This was our first baptism here in Indonesia and God blessed it tremendously. We were humbled.
Now, we are in the process of filtering through all the response cards that we received after the message on Sunday. Already there are some awesome testimonies of people responding to the Gospel message. We are praying that many of the newcomers will join our small group ministry so that they can get plugged in to our community.
One thing that we (those of us who are here) cannot deny is God’s faithfulness. We realized that God loves His people more than we ever could and that God uses weak people like us to present the message of Easter. It is simply another demonstration of God’s grace and His power at work. How can we not praise Him?
Chuck DeGroat wrote an article in Neue Magazine. He wrote, “I’m in this relationship, and it’s been quite difficult for some time. She continually lets me down and disappoints me. There are certain things I want from the relationship, but she seems to ignore my needs. She seduces me, and then kicks me out. Then, I walk back into the relationship cautiously, and she does something to totally redeem the rift. She sometimes gives me no confidence she even knows what a relationship is about. More than once, I’ve given up on her and left. But she’s never left my heart despite my attempts to forget her. What am I going to do?”
What do you think? What should he do in his situation?
Any sane person would say, “Dude, just leave her! What the heck is your problem? She is not worth it! There are better girls out there for you.”
But what if DeGroat was not talking about a boy-girl relationship but about the Church?
That changes everything.
Please re-read what he wrote, but now in the context of his relationship with the Church.
This describes a lot of people in our generation. Whether we have been hurt by the Church (actions of other members or leaders) or we are just disillusioned by the frailty of the people who lead the church, what should a person do when they are conflicted with the love-hate relationship they have with the Church?
We will never know how we view the Church unless something happens. So often instead of focusing on Jesus, who is the Head of the Church (Eph 5:23), we put the focus on people and ourselves. When we think the Church is all about us, then we will be disappointed because it is not about you. When the focus we put on a pastor or a leader overshadows the focus that should be on Christ, who is the Author and the Perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2), then we will be disappointed. This is why when people do something that hurts us or something that we don’t like, our whole world gets rocked.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I do believe that leaders are judged according to a higher standard (Jas 3:1), therefore it is their responsibility to live their lives above reproach. But the reality is that there is no one who is perfect except for Jesus Christ. Therefore, if we put leaders or pastors as the ultimate example then we will get disappointed – NO MATTER WHAT.
Whenever we get critical of the Church, the first thing we should do is look in the mirror. If the Church is not a building or a place that we just go to, but rather it is a made up of people, then we have to conclude that the Church here on this earth will always be imperfect. In fact, I have said it many times before, but if you find a perfect church please do not join it because you will ruin it.
The Church will always disappoint. It will always make mistakes. It will always be hypocritical. It will always be flawed. It will not always meet you needs.
Then why should I be a part of a church and even commit to it?
Well, let me allow God’s Word to explain:
“… Just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Eph 5:25-27 NIV).
Maybe this translation will help you to visualize it more:
“Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness” (The Message).
In my last two trips to the States, Austin has always been my first stop for ministry. I really enjoyed my time down there, not only because the weather is warmer and the food is incredible, but more importantly because I am able to reconnect with Pastor Ben and his family.
Pastor Ben was in Ann Arbor back in 1996, as a graduate student when HMCC of Ann Arbor first got started. It is hard to believe that we have a long 13+ year history together. It is a joy just to see how God has developed him as a husband, father, and pastor.
I have been privileged to see HMCC of Austin first get planted back in 2008. Then with various visits along the way, I have seen the development of the church. After this trip, I can confidently say that God is doing some great things down in Austin. I was able to meet some people who recently came to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Also, I had lunch with a couple of people who were asked to be part of their leadership team for next year. Whenever you are able to raise up your own leaders, it is a sign of health.
Even though, things have not gone according to our timetable, I definitely see God at work and bringing forth His plan to fruition.
Here are some lessons that I was reminded with in my time at Austin:
1) God loves His church more than we could ever love it in our lifetime.
2) God teaches us how to depend on Him by not working according to our timetable.
3) God reminds us that it is not about us, but more about His glory and honor.
4) We cannot try to force things, but rather we have to trust in God for the results.
5) The signs of health in a church are: people coming to Christ, leaders are being raised up, and people are passionate about sharing the Gospel.
6) Humility and teachability are important traits of a disciple.
7) Texas has the best beef briskets in the world!
I am excited to see all that God is going to do in the weeks, months and years to come. Already there are clear signs that God is doing some great things. The best is yet to come in Austin.
