Advent 2012, Day 3: God Arrives On Time

"'Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,' says the Lord of hosts." - Malachi 3:1, NKJV

   400 years of silence followed that proclamation from the mouth of the prophet Malachi. I wonder how many generations passed during that time, as Israel clung on to the word of their God who had repeatedly issued this promise, but seemed to take endlessly long to deliver. I also wonder what it would have been like if I had lived during those centuries of silence. Would I have held on in expectant faith till my last breath, or would I have given up, doubting as the years went by without any sign of fulfilment?

   But God operates in history at His own time and purpose, pulling the threads of lives, places and events together; weaving a tapestry of an intricate and complex pattern, beyond the comprehension of His creation that is but "a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust on the scales" (Isaiah 40:15, NKJV). And when He decides that the time has come to implement His promise, it begins at a most unlikely source - an old priest, rendered impotent by his age and his barren, childless wife. When God delivers the news to him, Zechariah's matter-of-fact response seeps with the faithlessness that plagues even the best of us: "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years." (Luke 1:18, NKJV). Contemplating God's methodology, the natural tendency is to wonder if He could have perhaps chosen more "capable" candidates. But then I am reminded that even in this there is purpose, for "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence." (1 Corinthians 1:27-29, NKJV).

   Reading the Advent passage of the day (Luke 1:68-71) from John Piper's devotional, "Good News of Great Joy",  I was struck by what he had to say regarding Zechariah after the birth of his son: "Now, filled with the Holy Spirit, he is so confident of God’s redeeming work in the coming Messiah that he puts it in the past tense. For the mind of faith, a promised act of God is as good as done."

    Bringing my devotional time to a close, I was reminded of a short but interesting text message I had received on my cellphone many years ago, regarding God's timing:

"Don't run ahead of God,

Don't lag behind.

God's clock is neither early nor late,

It always strikes on time."

   "Now the long-awaited visitation of God was about to happen", wrote John Piper. "...indeed, he was about to come in a way no one expected." May we look forward expectantly to His coming this Christmas.

- The Wisdom Seeker

Advent 2012, Day 2: With Us, For Our Sake

"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive
and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." - Isaiah 7:14, NKJV

   "We needed not only God for us, but God with us." That insightful observation came from Kelly Boyce, writing for the second instalment of Gordon-Conwell's Advent devotional. Contemplating the passage of 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, the emphasis fell on the latter half of verse 5:

"...as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake." - 1 Thess. 1:5, NKJV

   Noting the incarnational principle referenced by the Apostle Paul, Boyce reminded me that "...Christ joined our world, felt the full range of human emotion and experienced for himself our struggles and joys." Those words of comfort mean much to me this Advent, looking back on the sometimes winding and bumpy road that I have travelled this year. 

   Remembering the Child that was born, the Son that was given, the fire of God's word that would light the darkness [3], I am reminded that God did not treat His undertaking as a project to a nameless and faceless population. The coming of the Son, the "..glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14, NKJV) was not purposed and defined by much that marks our human endeavours - constraints of time and resources; efficiency; paperwork; numerical projections; bean counting; statistical and simulation models; profit-loss margins; return on investment. Rather, the sending of His Son is demonstrated as the loving act of a personal God who shows Himself as "Father", of whom it is said "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16, NKJV). And like His Father, it is written that the Son looked upon the hapless humanity that He had come to, and when "...He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd." (Matthew 9:36, NKJV).

"..among you for your sake."
The presence, compassion and comfort of Jesus, who comes among us this Christmas.

   I am reminded of the words of A. W. Tozer, writing on the character of God in his book "The Knowledge of The Holy": "The love of God is one of the great realities of the universe, a pillar upon which the hope of the world rests. But it is a personal, intimate thing, too. God does not love populations, He loves people. He loves not masses, but men. He loves us all with a mighty love that has no beginning and can have no end. In Chistian experience there is a highly satisfying love content that distinguishes it from all other religions and elevates it to heights far beyond even the purest and noblest philosophy. This love content is more than a thing; it is God Himself in the midst of His Church singing over His people."

"..among you for your sake."
The love of God, personally present in the midst of His Church.

     John Piper, reflecting on "Mary's Magnificat" in Luke 1:46-55, reminded me of Mary's reflection of the personal occupation of God in the midst of directing history: "...for He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant" (Luke 1:48, NKJV). "The most important three decades in all of time are about to begin", says John Piper, "And where is God? Occupying himself with two obscure, humble women—one old and barren (Elizabeth), one young and virginal (Mary)." [2]

"..among you for your sake."
The Almighty God of history, who condescends to occupy Himself with the lowly and obscure.

   I was reminded of the following verse from the book of Hebrews, as I brought my second day of Advent devotions to a close: 

"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,
but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." - Hebrews 4:15, NKJV

- The Wisdom Seeker

REFERENCES:

============

[1] Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary: Advent Devotional Sign-Up

[2] Desiring God: Good News of Great Joy

[3] Advent 2012, Day 1: A Fire Lights The Darkness

Of Whom The World Was Not Worthy

Standing with the persecuted church

"Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented - of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth." 

- Hebrews 11:35-38, NKJV

   

   Over the last week beginning November 4th with the International Day of Prayer [1], Willingdon Church participated in a week of prayer for persecuted Christians worldwide. At the culmination of this last week, we had the privilege of hearing Reverend Paul Johnson, Executive Director of Open Doors Canada [2] preach at Willingdon's sunday service today. I was fortunate to have the chance to have a long personal conversation with him after everyone had gone home.

    Much of what we talked about that was close to our own hearts - missions, evangelism, theology, truth, suffering, life, faith, practice, sacrifice, purpose - reminded me of my own convictions in post I had written a week or two ago, "To The Last Drop of Blood." In the process, I was also reminded of the verses of Hebrews 11:35-38 that I've quoted above.

   All of these challenge me once more as I examine my own life and conscience. I am reminded of my priorities and "first things", as one life among many others that have been called, more than an organization - a family. I am reminded that as much as my life and purpose are precious to God, so are those of others that form His church, of whom it is said, "a great multitude which no one could number, of all all nations, tribes, peoples and tongues." Where then, are my thoughts and concern for them, in the midst of all that crowds into my life clamouring for my attention? I was convicted by Rev. Johnson's observation during his sermon, that he found his own prayer life in want of fervor and discipline in comparison to those fellow believers whom he has encountered of the persecuted church around the globe. Is too much comfort and too little devotion slowly asphyxiating me? 

   I was also reminded by my Bible that while I am often found living my life in silent contemplation of my own "bubble world", a great cry has been heard in heaven. Blood cries out from the ground and voices have not been silent in heaven, of those whose blood has been spilt on account of the Christ they have followed, because they " did not love their lives, even unto death" :

"...I saw under the altar, the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" - Revelation 6:9-10, NKJV

While the blood and voices of the slain cry out on their own behalf,

why is mine not heard on behalf of the church that is being dragged to the slaughter?

And when asked of me, am I willing to join them?

     "Watch and pray," Jesus said, "lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Just as I am in desperate need of the good news of the Gospel preached to me everyday while struggling along the path of sanctification, so too do I need a daily reminder of what that entails in my life as part of the larger family in which I find myself:

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnared us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1-2, NKJV

- The Wisdom Seeker

REFERENCES:

===========

[1] International Day of Prayer

[2] Open Doors Canada

Judgement Begins At The House of God

Jesus cleanses the temple in a scene from
"Jesus of Nazareth" (1977)

   Today being the second day of Passion Week, I wanted to look at an event that caught my attention as I was reading through the Gospel of Matthew yesterday. It refers to Jesus' cleansing of the temple on the day following His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, which I reflected on in yesterday's post. On a personal note, I particularly like how this event is portrayed in the 1977 movie "Jesus of Nazareth" that I later watched as a child. The film makers imagined Christ paraphrasing the prophetic words of Isaiah 1:21 - "Jerusalem! The faithful city! She that was full of justice, has become a harlot!" - before proceeding to clean the temple.

   This event can be found described in all four Gospels - Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-17, Luke 19:45-46, and John 2:13-17. Of these, I thought I'd use the description provided by the Gospel of John here:

"The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” - John 2:13-17, ESV

   Christ never ceases to amaze. The day before, we saw His soul was in distress during His triumphal entry, as He anticipates His coming suffering under the full potency of the Father's divine anger against the sins of human kind. Now, He almost seems a different man. I used to hold to the popular perception of "gentle Jesus, meek and mild", and imagine Him as a "nice guy" when I was growing up. The more I am coming to know Him through Scripture, the more that I see that He is anything but a "nice guy"; we must never forget that this Person emerging through the pages of Scripture is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, the eternally existing and omnipotent Word through whom all creation was made.

   I was struck that Jesus, after surveying the goings-on in the temple, deliberately sat down and took the time to make a whip out of cords in an act of premeditated aggression. See the fire blazing in the Master's eyes! See the sinews of His strong hands, as He fashions the instrument of His anger! Christ makes no attempt to invoke diplomacy and engage in polite, negotiated conversation. The Lord of glory storms into His temple, people and animals fleeing before the lashes of His whip, as He kicks tables over and flings their money to the ground. What has made the Saviour so angry?

   No one needs ask; Christ Himself roars the accusation with pointed finger - "a house of trade!"; "a den of robbers!"  This is the reason for the Master's potent fury - the desecration of reducing His holy house into a place of commerce and profit; a department store! a foreign exchange counter! When God had first instituted the sacrificial system for worship and sin offerings in the Old Testament, He had commanded that each person was to personally pick and bring the best bull from his herd or lamb from his flock, or if too poor, turtledoves or pigeons. By the time of Christ, worship had lost all sense of truth, meaning or spirit. Corrupted by the emptiness of an external show of religious observances and devoid of true holiness, it had made a mockery of the spirit of God's law by turning the temple into a department store for the worshipper to buy the animals that he needed instead of bringing them himself. For those Jews coming from outside Israel to worship at Jerusalem, money changers had set up business to exchange their currency and buy the animals that they needed. Oh, how the righteous anger of Jesus must have burned as He saw this the previous day!

   It was as I was thinking over this passage that the words from the first Epistle of Peter hit me like a lightning bolt:

"For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” - 1 Peter 4:17, NKJV

   Dearly beloved, let us contemplate this verse during Holy Week - God is not mocked or partial; He will set His own house in order first before He ventures to judge those who do not belong to His kingdom. Christ will cleanse His church of every evil that corrupts and distorts His gospel, with stern measures if He has to. This is a very sobering thought, for the the temple of God is not to be found in humble parishes, church buildings or impressive cathedrals; it is not a congregation or denomination. No, indeed, for the Apostle Paul writing to the Corinthian church states the truth of the matter:

"Do you not know that you are God's temple and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” - 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, NKJV

   If the Master were to come into my temple today, what would He see? Would I be able to look Him in the eye, or cast my eyes to the ground in shame? Would I hear the words "Well done, good and faithful servant!", or would I hear the kind of words that He used upon those who He drove out with whips in Jerusalem? Knowing that He will begin with me, is my conscience clear? Let us examine ourselves and if we find our temple in disorder, let us repent and confess our sins to Him, knowing that "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:19, NKJV

   See you in the next post for Passion Week!

- The Wisdom Seeker

Following Jesus Into The Downtown Eastside

"Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered."  

- Proverbs 21:13, ESV

"By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers...Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." 

- 1 John 3:16, 18, ESV

    Since the experience of my last post, I have found myself spending a lot of time over the last two days in prayer and meditation, trying to understand what is happening to me. I feel as if several significant things are slowly but surely stirring in my heart, accompanied by a great contemplative silence in the presence of God with a longing for sanctification and holiness. In the midst of this time of prayer that I'm still pursuing, I felt the prompting and leading of the Holy Spirit to go into the one area of Vancouver that I have heard much about since first arriving here, but never dared to traverse thus far - the Downtown Eastside.

   Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES), titled "Canada's poorest postal code" by The Dominion Newspaper [1] is an area spanning a few blocks, and one of it's oldest neighbourhoods. In addition to being a victim of urban decay, it is also one of its most destitute, inflicted with a high incidence of poverty, alcoholism, drug usage, the sex trade, violent crime, and the highest HIV infection rate in North America. Till today, my encounters with it had only been from an insulated, sanitized distance - newspaper reports, and the secure, air conditioned interior of the #135 transit bus that I'd taken numerous times from SFU to downtown, passing along Hastings street in the middle of the neighbourhood. 

   And so it happened following God's prompting through His Spirit, that today afternoon I drove downtown after running some errands, parked some distance away from the DTES and walked the several city blocks that led straight into it. I felt nervous, never having been into a neighbourhood like this in all the time that I've been in Canada so far. But trusting God's call, I followed Him all the way to the heart of the DTES -  East Hastings and Main streets, which has acquired a reputation for being an "open-air market" for drugs.

   It was early afternoon and although the sunshine and warmth of spring has begun to move into the Lower Mainland over the last few days, the air was still cool when I got there. Nonetheless, there was no mistaking or avoiding the stale smell that hung in the air - unwashed bodies and clothing, alchohol, cigarette smoke and the telltale occasional whiff of smoked marajuana that I have learned to identify after moving to BC. But it wasn't so much the smell that caught my attention as I walked along the blocks towards Hastings and Main streets - it was the people - multitudes of them, lining the sidewalks.

     I was struck by how many of them were using walking aids - wheelchairs, crutches and braces, both the reasonably young as well as the old. A number of others limped by with difficulty, including one native Indian man with a vacant expression expression in his eyes, clutching an almost empty Cocoa-Cola bottle. Many others stood aimlessly against the walls or in front of entrances to buildings, with their only possessions in suitcases, garbage bags or shopping carts. I passed a rather skimpily clad lady who seemed to be trying to pour some liquid into what looked like a whiskey bottle. There were several small groups of people along the sidewalk, huddled together trying to buy, sell, trade or exchange random things - appliances, clothes, odds and ends. Others slept in makeshift shelters or on the sidewalk in sleeping bags or blankets. Most of the storefronts had a look of dank decrepitude, and almost all of them without exception had barred windows and doors. I passed by elderly chinese man, bent over and holding on to a walking stick, receiving in his open palm what looked like white pills being shaken out of  an unlabelled prescription bottle by another man. I didn't stop to take a closer look, just kept walking along at as steady a pace as I could.

   After arriving at the intersection of Hastings and Main streets, I was surveying the sight of the neighbourhood when a short middle-aged woman passed, carrying her possessions in two black garbage bags and trying to cross at the traffic lights. "Careful what you're looking at or doing around here, baby", she said. "Somebody gets upset, and they might kill you. Heck, I've felt like doing it myself to other people a few times." I nodded silently. She kept going and crossed the pedestrian crossing, talking to herself. Crossing the adjacent sidewalk to the opposite side of the street, I started heading back in the opposite direction. 

   The scene didn't look too different on that side of the road. I hadn't gone to far when I happened to pass by a young boy and girl heading in the opposite direction along the sidewalk. Seeing me, the boy stepped in my direction, waved his palm towards my face and said "hey, good-looking Chindian!", and then carried on walking up the street. "Chindian" is a slang expression for someone of mixed Indian and Chinese descent. I was startled for a bit, wondering what made him think that I possessed Chinese heritage, but kept walking. Looking across the street, I saw a building with "Potter's Place Mission" written on the board at its front. I remembered two friends of mine during my time at SFU - Steve and Kitty (who are now engaged) serving at a soup kitchen and homeless shelter on Hastings by that name, run by Korean missionaries. I concluded that it must have been the same place, and made a mental note of it for later.

     Having roamed around the DTES and on my way headed back out, Ifelt my heart beginning to break for the broken lives, mental, physical, emotional and spiritual lostness that I was seeing around me. I suddenly remembered the words of a passage from the Old Testament book of Isaiah that had been the topic of a bible study session in a small group that I used to attend last year. In His indictment and proclamation of judgement against the hypocrisy, injustice and indifference that was rampant in ancient Israel, God had this to say:

"Is not this the fast that I choose:

  to loose the bonds of wickedness,

  to undo the straps of the yoke,

  to let the oppressed go free,

  and to break every yoke?

  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry

   and to bring the homeless poor into your house;

   when you see the naked, to cover him,

   and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

  Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,

  and your healing shall spring up speedily;

   your righteousness shall go before you;

  the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

   Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;

    you shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.'

   If you take away the yoke from your midst,

    the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

   If you pour yourself out for the hungry

   and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,

   Then shall your light rise in the darkness

    and your gloom be as the noonday."

- Isaiah 58:6-10, ESV

   In the opening chapters of Isaiah, the prophet sees a vision of the glory of God, and after seeing his own wretchedness in the light of the majesty of God and being cleansed of it, hears God ask:

   "And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then I said, 'Here am I! Send me.'" 

- Isaiah 6:8-9, ESV

   Isaiah encountered the vision of the holiness and the person of God, and was ready to take the word of God to the people of his nation. Having followed Jesus into the Downtown Eastside today, I have to ask myself - what am I doing to declare and demonstrate the healing message of the Gospel to the destitute of this city? Guide my mind, mouth and hands to think, speak and work for you, Lord Jesus.

- The Wisdom Seeker

REFERENCES:

==========

[1] The Poorest Postal Code

A Letter To Rome: Once Upon A Time, There Was A Terrorist...

   I've just made it part way through a one-day fast which I had undertaken to study the Word and seek the mind of God regarding my life. With that done, this is my first post that actually starts my journey through the book of Romans, after my introductory post of more than a week ago, "A Letter To Rome: Thinking Through The Gospel". In that, I had recollected my initial motivations behind wanting to do this. I've never done a study like this before, so this is going to be scary and exciting at the same time. So here I go...

   It was approximately the winter of 57 AD, almost twenty-five years after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. In the city of Corinth, a middle-aged man picked up his pen and began to write the introductory words of a letter. Addressed to the congregation of a tiny church, in what was acclaimed as the greatest city of the mightiest empire and epitome of civilization of the known world at that time, he began with a simple introduction, describing himself for who he really was:  

"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God" - Romans 1:1, ESV

   I believe it is worthwhile examining some of the background of the Apostle Paul, before wading any further into his letter. Who was he? What made him the man who wrote this letter? How did he suddenly get thrust into the unfolding events and narrative of Biblical history? Given that Paul finally contributed almost half of the books that comprise the New Testament, I think it makes sense to find out what I can about him.

   Paul first appears in the Acts of the Apostles, under a different name - Saul of Tarsus. The circumstances of his entrance don't seem terribly inspiring:

"Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, do not charge them with this sin.' And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Now Saul was consenting to his death."

- Acts 7:57-61, ESV

   I remember my reaction as a child reading my Good News Bible, when I first figured out what was going on in this passage and encountered Saul of Tarsus - I disliked him instantly. In fact, I'll be honest: I still feel ambivalent about my feelings toward Paul the Apostle. I'll try to figure out why as I go further along Romans. Hopefully, my feelings towards him will change. In any case, the case for "St. Paul" isn't going very well at this point. He essentially functioned as the approving overseer and witness of the execution of the first known martyr of the early church. In fact he admits to this himself:

"And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him."  - Acts 22:20, ESV

   Apparently, it doesn't stop there. Over the next few verses and one chapter later, I encounter the following:

"As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison...Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letter from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem." 

- Acts 8:3, 9:1-2, ESV

   And as before, Paul plainly admits to doing this in a public statement later on:

"Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities." - Acts 26:9-11, ESV

   Having grown up in the Middle East, I find myself thinking at this point in the story: If this man were alive in our day and time, he would instantly be labeled a "religious terrorist" by the rest of the watching world who didn't support his cause. That probably isn't too far from the truth. I find it interesting that Paul makes honest and open admissions to all these facts about his history in a number of his letters [1]. "Well," I think to myself, "at least the man admits his past." That's not too bad, is it? But then something happens to Saul of Tarsus:

He meets the person and power of the risen Christ Jesus.

   And what a meeting it is! While taking his persecution to Damascus, Saul is struck down by a blinding light that is described as "brighter than the midday sun", and voice that identifies itself as "Jesus, whom you are persecuting." (Acts 9:5). I took note of the instructions that Christ issues to this persecutor of His church: "...rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." (Acts 9:6). Blinded after the encounter, Saul cannot do anything else but obey.

   The story of Saul of Tarsus takes a 180-degree turn after that and is never the same again. His sight is restored by the prayer of a believer in Damascus, who is personally instructed by Christ to go and pray for his blinded persecutor. One of the most striking verses that I want to think about in a later post is one sentence in a passage that records Christ's plans for the life of this one-time terrorist:

"But the Lord said to him, 'Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." - Acts 26:9-11, ESV

   Many years later, Paul the Apostle reflected on some of those sufferings in his second letter to the church in Corinth, before writing to Rome:

"...in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night ad a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness - besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches."

- 2 Corinthians 6:23-28, ESV

   What a story this is, that emerges behind the first verse of the letter to the Romans! What pearls we find, when we dig through the only infallible, limitless, authoritative, inerrant, treasure that is the Word of God! I am convinced beyond any doubt that there is nothing like it; no tradition, edict, homily or saying from the mouth or pen of rabbi, pope, cardinal, saint, bishop, priest, saint, pastor, preacher, or religious teacher will ever be able to match the depth and brilliance of the power of Scripture, no matter how clever they may be. What a testament to the transforming power of God, who could take this self-righteous, religious zealot and Pharisee who willingly approved of the executions of early believers, and turn him into the spearhead of the early missionary movement that took the Gospel to the gentiles! What an encouragement to put my faith alone in Christ alone, to save and transform me by His grace alone, for His glory alone, because Scripture alone gives me proof through the life of Saul of Tarsus, now Paul the Apostle! What a redirection of ignorant and arrogant thinking to a life of power and purpose, because of whom we have almost half of our New Testament! What a difference in the man who finally describes the contrast of his old, useless life in empty religion with his new life in Christ in the following little autobiography in his letter to the Philippians:

"...circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith."  - Acts 22:20, ESV

   I can't believe that I've only gotten through the first verse of the book of Romans, and found this much to write about! I can't even begin to imagine what might happen as I keep going forward. This is going to be awesome. Thank You, Jesus, for a morning and afternoon well spent. Now to switch gears and carry on with Tim Keller's "The Meaning of Marriage" :)

Grace and peace to you,

- The Wisdom Seeker

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[1] 1 Corinthians 15:9, Galatians 1:13 & 23, Philippians 3:6, and 1 Timothy 1:13

Jesus, Religion, Spirituality And The Search For Truth

   It's been a long and busy, yet satisfying day at work. I'll be heading off to cook dinner in a few minutes and then settle down to do some study on the background of the apostle Paul for my next post on the book of Romans. While I was relaxing after getting home after work, I had remembered a YouTube video that had caught worldwide attention on the Internet at the beginning of this year, and wanted to watch it again. Here is Jefferson Bethke's poem titled "Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus", delivered in the style known as "Spoken Word". If you decide to watch it, please remember that you can view it in full 1080p HD!

   I didn't get around to seeing this video till almost a month or more after its release. In a television interview with Jefferson Bethke on GBTV's "For The Record" [1] (also available on YouTube), it was reported that this video was second on the list of the top 100 viral videos to be seen around the globe amongst all the video content posted on the Internet to date. "Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus" has been viewed in excess of 20 million times to date, spawned several responses in Spoken Word format from Muslims [2], Roman Catholics [3], Atheists, and many other quarters, and generated plenty of debate and conversation on the topic of Jesus, religion, faith, grace and the Gospel. Nonetheless, I was still surprised to see it being discussed by none other than Ravi Zacharias in an interview with Shawn McEvoy, the Managing Director of the Christian website Crosswalk.com, on Dr. Zacharias' latest book "Why Jesus? Rediscovering His Truth In An Age of Mass Marketed Spirituality". Here is the video of that discussion:

   I watched these videos today because of their connection with some of the topics discussed in Paul's letter to the church in Rome - sin, religion, the law and rules, the cross, salvation, justification, grace, and the saving, transforming power of the gospel. These are some of the most important questions that a human being in search of truth will encounter and wrestle with. I want to think through these in great detail for myself as I study the epistle to the Romans. 

   It is clear that Jefferson Bethke has wrestled with these questions himself in his own life, as he makes clear in this video and others. He recites his history as a 22-year old who was conceived out-of-wedlock, abandoned by his father, brought up in the church and presenting the neat facade of a Christian who attended church on Sunday, while struggling with pornography, drink and sex on the sidelines during the rest of the week. Despite the differences people may have with some of his assertions, it is clear that the power of the true Gospel has met him head on, and he cannot but help talk about it and make much of Jesus.

   And with the head-on collision with the Gospel in my life as well, I can't help it either.

Grace and peace to you,

- The Wisdom Seeker

REFERENCES:
=========
[1] GBTV's For The Record Inteviews Star of "Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus"
[2] Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus (Muslim Response)
[3] Why I Love Religion, And Love Jesus (Roman Catholic Response)

Marriage: Preparing For The Mystery

Image Copyright: The Sage

   While I'm doing research for my next post in the study of Paul's letter to the Romans (which I began with "A Letter To Rome: Thinking Through The Gospel"), I thought I'd fill in the gap of time with something else that is also fast becoming of interest to me. I anticipate that there will occasionally be gaps of time in between posts on my journey through Romans, and it seems worthwhile to use those occasions to write about what I'm learning about marriage from Timothy Keller's "The Meaning of Marriage", which I ordered recently.

   While I'm not married, I do hope to be happily married one day, serving and glorifying God with my future wife. Thus, I want to do what I can now to prepare for that. Curiously enough, it was the movie "Courageous" that inspired me to buy this book, although marriage is not the central theme of the movie. As a quick side note, I highly encourage you to watch Courageous if you haven't seen it. I especially say this to young Christian men who respond better to visual depictions of what it looks like to take up God's call to manhood in various roles, and young Christian women who want to understand what solid men look like, and the challenges that they face in their pursuit to be faithful to God's call.  Courageous made such an impact on me that I expressed some of those impressions in my post titled "Wanted: Courage To Be Courageous". Please read it and then rent/buy the movie, watch it for yourself and think carefully through its message!

   But let me get back to "The Meaning of Marriage". I'm reading this book because I want to be a courageous husband and father one day, when God ordains for those events to happen. I don't want to be a flaccid, spineless husband to my future wife or a deadbeat father to my children, unable to lead either and sinking the small familial ship that I hope God will entrust me with. For that matter, I doubt that any man goes into marriage intending to be a failure, but it seems that few men ever make it through to victory at the finish line. Most seem to fall by the wayside.

I don't want to be one of those men.

   When the call comes, I want to run hard for Christ in married life with everything I have, like Eric Liddell in "Chariots of Fire" (another great movie to watch)! I've heard it said and written that no one is ever ready for marriage. While that might be the case, I do know the following as I take a good hard look at myself right now:

• Christ must increase, and I must decrease; too often I find Him relegated to second place
• The foundation for a solid marriage is laid with a solid understanding of the Gospel
• A solid understanding of the Gospel comes from the Word of God - The Bible
• I thirst for a better, deeper understanding of the Gospel in my life
• Thus, I need to immerse myself ever more in His Word
• I need grace in my life, because I'm often ungracious to those around me
• Pride rages in my flesh; I need to mortify it and exalt humility
• I see a need to grow in terms of faithfulness and discipline
• Fear and anxiety often paralyze me; oh Great Faith, I need thee!

    The list could go on, but that's not my end goal. I see only one solution: to throw myself at the foot of the Cross, and cry out to God for the power of His Spirit to transform me through His Word. Without this, I will not be ready to answer His call when it comes.

   So I'm hoping to post my thoughts of what I learn from this book, in between the posts of my study through Romans. I look forward to having you join me on this journey as well, and hearing from those who would be willing to share their thoughts and experiences. I'm going to get a snack and get ready for bed; it's going to be a long day tomorrow. See you soon, in the next post!

Grace and peace to you,

- The Wisdom Seeker

A Letter To Rome: Thinking Through The Gospel

"To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints..." - Romans 1:7, NKJV

The time has finally come where I feel that the stage is ready for me to start on an endeavor that I had first mentioned towards the end of last year, but haven't really done anything much about till now.

I first mentioned my desire to work through Paul's letter to the Romans last December. My spiritual journey had arrived at the point where my three-year struggle to make sense of my experiences across different churches that I had grown up in and their doctrine drove me to a point of resolve, haunted by the words of a poster that is still mounted on the wall at the foot of my bed. The story of the background leading to that point of decision, and my motivations for deciding to work through Romans can be found in full in the entry titled "Haunted By The Gospel".

Haunted by the Gospel

This is going to be an intensive endeavor; I have no idea how long and how many posts it will take, but I'm looking forward to plunging into the words of this epistle. I trust the Holy Spirit to guide me to the truth of Christ and illuminate my heart with the brilliance of His glory, as Christ has promised in His Word [2].

 

I am once again reminded of some of the great people in the history of the church, some of long ago and others still alive, whose lives were shaped by God through the words of this book. Sharpened by Him like the fine tip of a spear and used mightily in His hand for the sake of His kingdom, their lives are a demonstration of the power and impact of this magnificent letter - Aurelius Augustine, John Chrysostom, John Huss, Martin Luther, John Wesley, John MacArthur, Ravi Zacharias - the list is endless.

My prayer and plea is that God will do a similar work and sharpening in my life, and use me in His hand for the sake of His name. I'm going to start my journey investigating the background of the author of this letter - Saul of Tarsus, the zealot who introduces himself as "the slave of Jesus Christ" [ 3]. That will be the next post. I will leave you until then with the customary salutation of the Apostle whom I am growing to dearly love:

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." [3]

- The Wisdom Seeker

REFERENCES:

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[1] Haunted By The Gospel - December 4th, 2011

[2] John 14:26, 16:13 - 15
[3] Romans 1:7b

The Equation Of The Gospel

 "What in the world makes us so embarrassed about the Gospel?"

- John MacArthur [1]

Over the last two weeks, I've been trying to write a follow-up to my last post on the disturbing reality of the "prosperity gospel" and its purveyors. It's been difficult going, because I've also wanted to draw from my own experience of being blinded by subtle variations of the same message. That post still isn't finished, but I hope that I'll be able to dig deep down, find the right words for what I want to say and have it finished soon.

In the meantime, I've managed to finish reading through my Christmas present from my roomate Paulman - Tullian Tchividjian's "Jesus + Nothing = Everything". It's been a great read, one of those precious pieces of Christian literature that when I came to the end of it, knew that God had been at work in my mind and hear to propel a paradigm shift in my understanding of His gospel. I thought I'd share some of my impressions here.

"Jesus + Nothing = Everything" is more than an attempt at creating a catchy Christian jingo that appeals to our generation's short attention span. It is more than just another attempt to deliver an exposition of the New Testament book of Colossians. Pastor Tullian delves deeply, invigoratingly and refreshingly into the life-giving waters of the Gospel, and encouraged me to dive into its depths with him. By the grace of God and the working of His Spirit, I gained more than just an intellectual excursion through the core message of the Christian faith, more than just pithy and stimulating sayings or an entertaining read. No, much more in the little bit of poetry that I wrote to express my gratitude:

I see more clearly now the hollowness of the Nothing, 

The radiant brilliance of the Everything, 

And the pearl of Jesus, and Him alone.

The light of the truth is blinding;

How much better to be blinded by the truth 

Than to have the sight that never sees!

I think that little bit of prose expresses my sentiments about the message of Pastor Tullian's book. God in His mercy has been using to help me see and savour the wonder of His gospel, so that I might better understand the words of the writer of the book of Hebrews, exhorting me to join my fellow believers:

"lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1-2, ESV

I came across the following video depicting a section of a sermon by Matt Chandler, on part of the text of Paul's letter to the Romans. It fit very well with the exposition of Jesus + Nothing = Everything, and I wanted to include it here. It lifts my heart every time I hear these powerful words from the pen of the apostle that have saved lives over the last twenty centuries:

I could think and write all night without stopping on the blinding light of His word that God is beginning to breathe into my mind, heart, and life by the power of His Spirit. I feel like my head will explode if I think about this anymore; I'm so happy. So I'm going to stop here for tonight, and take my thoughts with me as I get ready for bedtime. As I wrote this post, I was listening to part of a sermon by John MacArthur titled "God's Own Defense of Scripture." I'd like to leave you with what he had to say; they were incisive:

"You can't be saved unless you know that God is too righteous to accept your works, and you're too sinful to earn salvation...Does the word of God have to be helped along because it is somehow inept, inadequate, irrelevant, antiquated? Do we need somehow to package it in some culturally sensitive way to make it feel like everything else in this culture feels in order to get an entrance? Do we have to beef it up, by making it seem to promise health, wealth, prosperity, healing, as if God was some divine Mary Kay passing out pink Cadillacs? Do we need to make a syrupy, schmaltzy appeal to the emotions of people based on their feelings, bruised egos, need for self-esteem, desire for trinkets and goodies, and somehow alter the hard gospel so that people will buy it? Does it have to be polluted with promises of material prosperity, material success? Is it insufficient on its own?"

- John MacArthur

The answer, as he clearly laid out, is no. The Word of God alone tells me that Jesus is my Everything. Nothing else. I'll say a happy "Amen" to that.

Grace and Peace to you,

 - The Wisdom Seeker

Sheep With Sharp Teeth

Wolves in Sheep's Clothing. Image Copyright: unknown

"And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”- Matthew 21:13, ESV

   I had wanted to upload this post while it was still fresh in my mind yesterday. Amidst the business of this weekend, that didn't happen. As the weekend draws to a close, I want to complete this post before I go to bed.

   While reading the blog of a ministry that I am following with interest, I came across a music video that they had linked to. I found its title interesting, because it is relevant to personal experiences along my spiritual journey through the terrain of different church environments over the last three decades that I am still thinking through. I had briefly summarized this journey in a post dedicated to Reformation Sunday, titled "Visiting The Crossroads". I will be exploring this in greater depth in the weeks and months to come.

   My curiosity was aroused, and as I did some further research online, I came across the following short video documentary produced by Christianity Today that not just disturbed, but made me really, really angry. I doubt if I could adequately verbally express the kind of fury that I felt as I watched this:

   

   Why am I so angry? Because I have personally heard and witnessed countless such abominations of the gospel preached from platforms and podiums during my time in the Middle East and India. This mockery of Christ and His cross has been perpetrated on unsuspecting and sincere believers, exploiting and led many astray. I am personally cut to the core and anguished in my spirit as I recollect those memories, because I too was once duped by these people into believing their promises of "blessing". And it cost me heavily. 

   But by the mercy and grace of God, He led me out of such false teaching and over the years, has helped me unlearn much of this theological nonsense, guiding me along the path of truth and discernment. I am deeply grateful for the church He mercifully guided me to - Willingdon, where I have found true water for my soul and have made my home for the last four years. God willing, I will call this my home church till the day I die. I shudder to think about where I would be now if it had not been for the merciful hand of God, who has promised to lead those who He has chosen and called His own. I have no words to thank Him for saving my soul.

    It's time to bring this post to a close and head to bed. As I was writing this, I was reminded of the following passages, which the Lord has been bringing to mind over the course of the last two weeks:

"Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears." - Acts 20:28-31, ESV

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed." - Galatians 1:8-9, ESV

"For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you...to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this that no one may delude you with plausible arguments." - Colossians 2:1-4, ESV

"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of this world, and not according to Christ" 

- Colossians 2:6-8, ESV

"Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared..." - 1 Timothy 4:1, ESV

   I have a lot of hard thinking and processing to do. I'll be writing more about this in coming posts. If anyone has thoughts that they'd like to share about their own experiences, I'd like to hear from you. Until next time, goodnight.

Grace and peace to you,

 - The Wisdom Seeker

Roses for Vancouver: Sharing the Faith, Hope and Love!

"By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers...Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."  

- 1 John 3:16 - 18, ESV

   Like the the "Biblical Manhood and Womanhood" event hosted by the young adults group at Willingdon Church last Friday, last Saturday was equally memorable, because of an outreach and evangelism event downtown that I participated in with some friends of mine from Willingdon and other churches. Geared towards the upcoming Valentine's day, they had ordered more than a thousand roses, and painstakingly attached a gospel tract to each of them. The event was set to occur at the intersection of Granville and Robson streets, where I had first ventured out on my own last summer to share my faith after the Stanley Cup Riots [1].

     It turned out to be a wonderful afternoon, as we gave away almost 1,200 roses to passers-by, and in the process has a great chance to engage in conversation with many of them! People were incredulous at first; the most common question that I was asked, was "You mean these roses are free? How come?" I had the pleasure of telling each person that I gave a rose to that it came to them from us with the love of Jesus Christ, because we loved the people of this city and wanted them to know the good news of His gospel. Here are some of the photos that I took of the event:

Two baskets of roses at our corner of Robson and Granville, outside Sears

The stand at the opposite intersection of Granville and Robson, outside Future Shop

Tyron handing out flowers to passers by, and engaging them in conversation

Mauri outside the Bay, as Esther and Stephen engage a passer-by in conversation

Sharing the love of Jesus with pedestrians on the streets of downtown Vancouver!

    As things happened, some of my friends from Willingdon's Entry Level also decided to use the occasion to do some video interviewing of people on the street for our upcoming "John 3:16" event. With my tripod and little Cisco Flip in tow, we had an afternoon of wonderful conversations with a number of interesting people!

In conversation with Alexander, who was handing out flyers for Burger King

A very interesting conversation with Josh, who knew quite a bit about the Bible!

      I had a great time last Saturday, and came away feeling happy and fulfilled. It had been a long time since I got to actively engage people on the street in conversation about my faith - almost six months, I think. As I bring this post to a close, I am reminded of the following verses composed by Charles Wesley:

Jesus, confirm my heart's desire
to work and speak and think for thee;
still let me guard the holy fire,
and still stir up thy gift in me.  

Ready for all thy perfect will,
my acts of faith and love repeat,
till death thy endless mercies seal,
and make my sacrifice complete.

- "O Thou Who Camest From Above", by Charles Wesley

   The more I get to speak for Christ and share the reason that I have for putting my hope in Him, the more I feel a deep sense that this is something I am actively called and gifted by Him to do. I'm looking forward to doing more of this in the weeks and months to come. Hopefully I'll get a chance again this weekend!

Grace and Peace to you,

- The Wisdom Seeker