Thursday, October 28, 2010

Personal Words to the Church

Sermon on 1 Corinthians 16:5-24

Introduction
This is the final sermon in the series on 1st Corinthians. And we have come to the concluding words of Paul to the Corinthian Church. There is a big spectrum of topics that he is addressing in his remarks, and I have deliberated for a while how best to approach the text with such a diverse collection of concerns. In the end, I have decided to keep to the same tone as Paul’s words, and to use this opportunity to share some personal words about our own church. In the issue-based passages, I used a fair-minded problem-based analysis style, and in the theological passages, I presented in a logical persuasive manner. I think it is suitable that sermons can sometimes be about personal sharing just as how Paul has concluded in his Corinthian letter. There are times for theological debates, and there are times of spiritual and moral encouragement. But as demonstrated in letters and narratives in the Bible, God’s word can also come in the form of sharing about what is going on in the church ministries and in the lives of believers. I will share using passages in Paul’s personal words, and then I will share about personal parallels in our situation today.

Reading 1 Corinthians 16:5-9

On Planning in ministry
Paul wrote 1st Corinthians from the church in Ephesus. He intended to continue his ministry there because there was a window of opportunity. He would later go through Macedonia, presumably to solve some issues at the churches in Thessalonica and Philippi. And eventually he hoped to have a longer stay at Corinth. All these he would do if the Lord enabled him to do. There are 3 things I wish to highlight about Paul sharing of his plans with the Corinthian Christians.

Firstly, we see that Paul was not just an itinerary preacher making his rounds and just “doing his business”. Sure there were important tasks to be completed like collecting the offering for the Jerusalem churches and resolving conflicts, but there was also the personal wish to spend some time with the Corinthians. I think this is the best rebuttal against the modern mindset of “quality time” versus “quantity time”. Time has no quality if it does not have quantity. Very often the best form of ministry is simply to “spend some time”.
Paul could have just made a passing visit, took the collection money, set the gospel message right, punished the immoral ones, and then quickly move on to the next city. But I think there is wisdom in a prolonged stay at Corinth. Some things like relationships, healing, maturing, establishing solidarity takes time, lots of time. I sincerely believe quality time that takes the form of quantity time is the secret to true discipleship.

That in essence is one of the objectives behind the restructuring of both services since May last year. Sunday service must be more than just a passing visit to church. There cannot be genuine spiritual growth if you have a hit-and-run mindset to church, like a drive-through where you take what you need and leave. Now we ask that we spend time to pray together as a church in the morning prayer meet. For youths to spend time with parents during service; for youths to spend time in children ministry; for more adults to spend time in youth ministry; for members of both services to spend more time with one another during breakfast and lunch; spend time with newcomers; spend time with the elderly, when we all eat together. Come early so that you can leave late. If you didn’t come to church with the intention to mingle and to serve one another in the church, you have missed the greatest gift that the church can give to you.

Secondly, we see the beauty of Paul’s plans for his ministry. His strategy was specific, focused and intelligent. He targeted the major cities of every province of the Roman empire and based on the individual dynamics of the local church, he applied the necessary evangelistic message and appointed the church leaders. Yet at the same time, he was always mindful of the four words “if the Lord permits”. There is no conflict between wise strategizing and the permission of the Lord. There are places that flourish, and there are places where all effort fails. That is no excuse not to try hard and plan wisely every time, as long as we are always mindful that all results depend on the will of the Lord.

Thirdly, we see that Paul gave two reasons for his stay in Ephesus. One, because there was an opportunity. Two, interestingly, because there was also opposition. “An open door and much opposition often go hand in hand, and they may jointly signify that God’s Spirit is mightily at work… … A prolonged lack of results in ministry more often than not suggests that it is time to move on, while prolonged prosperity without any difficulty should make one question if the full-orbed gospel with all its demands is clearly being preached.”[1] This gives us a proper perspective in planning our ministry direction.

I chose Jubilee Church as the place for my ministry not because I was bonded here. The session opened the door in inviting me to serve here, but God made me see a bigger window of opportunity. I saw God guiding many families in Jubilee for more than a hundred years. That is a big harvest field ready to be reaped and there is lots of work to be done if only everybody would just come together as one; young and old, English or mandarin speaking, progressive or conservative. But there is also opposition. There are many that want the church to change as long as they themselves do not have to change. They want to hold on to their personal ministry, personal community, personal routine and habits. This opposition is natural but against the gospel which challenges self-serving mindsets and concerns. For more than five years I have continued to stay because I know the door is still open, the harvest field is still plentiful, and I accept the opposition as a challenge that comes with the proclamation and manifestation of the gospel.

Reading 1 Corinthians 16:10-12

On teamwork in ministry
Next we look at the intricate workings of teamwork in Paul’s pastoral ministry. We have Paul, a strong and eloquent leader of the mission team. But he is only one person and he needed teammates to help him manage churches when he was not around. He needed to develop the next generation of leaders. He was grooming Timothy, who was already about 40 years old, and despite wishing Timothy to be by his side, he would be sending Timothy to Corinth first since he needs to stay in Ephesus. He asked that the Corinthians accept Timothy. Apollos was another strong and eloquent leader. And Paul urged Apollos to visit them as well, although Apollos was rather unwilling. There are two things I would like to highlight here.

Firstly, the problem with Timothy besides his age, is his modest and unassuming personality. As the saying goes, “nice guys finish last”[2]. Because the Corinthian Church is filled with strong personalities, it is foreseeable that Timothy will be ignored if he is not assertive and domineering. If the church looked down on him and made him feel afraid, then Timothy would not be able to carry out his ministry. This I think is a real pity and it continues to be a problem in Christian circles today. It is all too convenient to covet after ‘natural leaders’, those with charisma and smoothness with looks and words. And it is also a common bias to associate age with maturity, outspokenness with wisdom, and forcefulness with leadership. This is a real shame because God has also blessed those who are meek and gentle with a lot to add to our spiritual lives.

Secondly, we have the exact opposite problem with Apollos with his winsome and charming personality. There were those in the Corinthian church who made used of his popularity to create factions in the congregation to gain status. They leveraged on his good relationship with others to increase their influence in the church by creating false rivalry with Paul sympathizers. Paul demonstrated that he was above such petty schemes and his good relationship with Apollos by urging him to visit the Corinthians. Paul was unconcerned about his own popularity as long as the gospel continues to be preached. On the other hand, Apollos demonstrated great sensitivity to avoid Corinth so that those pretenders could not make use of his natural allure to stir up more unrest.

Teamwork in pastoral ministry is a delicate matter. It is natural for members of the congregation to have preferences for different pastors induced by a variety of factors. But it is harmful and frustrating when church leaders are discounted based on youth, a lesser pastoral position or a less commanding personality. I am thankful that our senior pastor has smashed stereotyping tendencies with years of competence despite his baby face and bookish image. Stressing on the unity of the pastoral team, we foster common respect to all church leaders regardless of hierarchy, and I am thankful for the fading of the old Chinese church mentality that only the ordained senior pastor is the genuine pastor of the church.

Reading 1 Corinthians 13-18

On attitude in ministry
Next I wish to talk about attitudes that we should have when we do ministry in Church. We see here that Paul encouraged the Corinthians to be like soldiers, vigilant, strong, bold and mature. Yet at the same time, to do ministry in love. This is the first thing I wish to highlight. We often hold a dichotomy between strength and love. As if we are loving, we cannot be tough like a soldier as well. I think that in ministry, we need to rely less on sentimentality and the use of ‘guanxi’ and ‘face’ to get things done. That I think is a fictitious kind of love. Love must be a combination of truth and grace. There must be acceptance and allowance of time to grow and readiness of forgiveness. But the truth of the gospel and the integrity of a Christian community must never be compromised as well. In Jubilee, anybody can serve. You will be given opportunities and training, regardless of status or weaknesses. But we stress on commitment and a selfless attitude. Ministry is not a place for self-gratification or a chance to assert personal influence. This is an exercise of true love, and with such attitude in ministry there is genuine growth.

Secondly, Paul talked about the household of Stephanas. They served the community since the beginning with devotion. To these who have proven their heart of servanthood, Paul urged that they be given submission and recognition. In a place of big egos who take pride in their knowledge, status and wealth, it is intentionally ironic that Paul extolled the servant-like as the true leaders of the church. On this matter, I am immensely thankful to be serving in Jubilee. It is common to see the rich and the influential or highly educated to be chosen as leaders in a Chinese church. But here in Jubilee, for the past few decades, we have consistently elected those who have a record of serving the people with humility and love. The result is that our session meetings in Jubilee are filled with sincere discussions about programs and directions that best benefit the people of Jubilee, rather than petty squabbles for power that is sadly quite common elsewhere. This is one of the greatest blessings of God to the credit of our community.

Reading 1 Corinthians 19-23

On the matter of greetings
I would like to end with a few more personal words in the vein of Paul’s letter. A true authentic open embracing Christian community is not easily formed. Human weaknesses will threaten to bring about strife, oppression, discrimination and alienation. It pains me deeply whenever someone describes Jubilee as cliquish, cold or elitist. Christian community is difficult but it is what God has generously bestowed upon us for our Christian living. We are God’s gift to one another. (repeat). It is my dream that Jubilee continues to be a place of warmth. A place to convey love. A place to greet each other, maybe not with a holy kiss, but at least with a holy smile and a word of peace. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. And let Jubilee be the place you can receive it.
1 Craig Blomberg, 1 Corinthians (The NIV Application Commentary)
2 See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nice_guy for actual studies on this phenonmenon.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The Resurrected Body and its Implications

Sermon on 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Reading from 1 Corinthians 15:35-44

The evidence of creation
This sermon is the last of the trilogy of sermons on the topic of resurrection in 1st Corinthians. The first speaks about its truthfulness. The second speaks about its importance. Today we speak about its possibility. Is the resurrection possible? And if it is real, important and possible, what are the implications then for us? That is what we want to talk about today. During his first year of graduate study at the University of California at Berkeley, George B. Dantzig (later known as the father of linear programming) arrived late for a statistics class. He saw two problems on the blackboard. Assuming they were homework, he copied them and a few days later turned in his solutions. One Sunday morning six weeks afterward, the professor appeared at Dantzig’s door, waving a manuscript. It turned out that the professor had merely written two examples of unsolvable problems on the blackboard. The manuscript was Dantzig’s work readied for publication.[1]

This is a famous true story, that was later repeated in the movie Good Will Hunting. “According to Dantzig, the problems "seemed to be a little harder than usual", but a few days later he handed in completed solutions for two, still believing that they were an assignment that was overdue.” Dantzig completed them because he didn’t know that they were supposed to be “impossible” to solve. I think it is the same with the matter of the resurrection. It is natural to be curious about the nature of the life after death. I myself have often wondered what will we all look like. Will we have wings at our back and a halo over our head? Will we be able to recognize one another?

Those who are more skeptical might wonder how is it possible for a physical body to live forever. This criticism is especially true if you believe in the Greek dualism that only the spirit is good and eternal and all that is material is bad and temporal. Many of the Corinthians start to question the validity of such a thing as an eternal body. And since it is not conceivable, it is not possible. The resurrection is impossible because they cannot imagine such a body in existence. This is an impossibility. Everybody knows that. If you are resurrected, you need a body, and since a body that is both material and eternal and good cannot exist, resurrection is impossible. Everybody knows that.

Guess what? Paul didn’t get the memo. He wasn’t told that this was unsolvable. And just like George Dantzig, Paul solved the supposed “impossible” problem. And the solution is remarkably simple. God. The creator God is the solution. That is why Paul called these skeptics ‘fools’. When the bible says somebody is foolish, it is not a sign of his intelligence, but a sign that the person has not included God into his reality. These skeptics are fools because they have not included God into their considerations. And when Paul puts the creator God into the equation, the “impossible” problem is solved. Take note here that using the creator God as an answer is not a cop-out. The omnipotence of God is defined by his revelation and it is not based on a philosophical construction. God’s omnipotence is not a theoretical “can do anything”. God cannot create a circular square; God cannot create a rock so big he cannot lift it. Can cannot break his own promise. God cannot sin. What Paul says about God must be consistent with the self revelation of God. So, can we see the resurrection as a possibility based on God’s revelation in his creation? Yes, we can.

Firstly, Paul uses an analogy from plants. What happens when you plant a seed? That’s right, out grows a giant seed. (kidding) No! You get something else. The seed must die for the same life to appear in a new form. In the same way, you plant a dead person in the ground to get a new person. (kidding) No! That is not what Paul meant. But you can see from the plant analogy the principle of transformation, of a new body in continuity with the old yet somehow different. The seed does not end up a seed, just as a resurrected body is not a resuscitated body, it is not a zombie. It is very much in God’s style in his creation to make transformation in a resurrected body. The point is, “God gives it a body as he has determined”, and it could be totally different from the previous form it took, as different as an acorn from a tree.

Secondly, Paul uses an analogy from all the different forms in God’s creation. Man, animals, fishes, birds all have different kinds of body. And they are again very different from the bodies of the sun, the moon, the stars. And if you know your astronomy, stars and stars can be very different in composition based on color and luminosity. The point about this analogy is God’s versatility. Do not assume that God can only create one type of body. In the observable creation, God has proven he can create all kinds of body.

So what is this resurrected body like? It is a spiritual body. This does not mean that it is not physical, like a ghost. No. What it means is that it is animated by a totally different kind of life. It is a little like how some engines run on fuel, and some are solar powered. The outer form has to be different but the crucial difference is the source of energy. Similarly, our present body is natural as it is animated by the human soul which keeps us alive. But the resurrected body is spiritual in the sense that it is animated by the Spirit of God. Therefore, this body is transformed from perishable to imperishable; from dishonor to glory; and from weakness to power. The difference is like horse-power to nuclear power. And based on God’s style of transformation, and his versatility, is such a body possible? Surely so. But more importantly, if God can create such a body, then resurrection is not impossible. This will be the body of those who are resurrected. It is imperishable, glorious and powerful. This is a body that cannot sin. Is there one that we can use as evidence that such a body is possible? Yes, that is the body of the resurrected Jesus Christ.

Reading from 1 Corinthians 15:45-50
The evidence of Christ
Do you remember the four-minute mile? They’d been trying to do it since the days of the ancient Greeks. Someone found the old records of how the Greeks tried to accomplish this. They had wild animals chase the runners, hoping that would make them run faster. They tried tiger’s milk: not the stuff you get down at the supermarket, I’m talking about the real thing. Nothing worked, so they decided it was physically impossible for a human being to run a mile in four minutes. Our bone structure was all wrong, the wind resistance was too great, our lung power was inadequate. There were a million reasons. Then one day one human being proved that the doctors, the trainers, and the athletes themselves were all wrong. And, miracle of miracles, Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile in 1954.[2] In the last 50 years the mile record has been lowered by almost 17 seconds. The four-minute mile is now the standard of all professional middle distance runner.

It took only one man to prove what was seemingly impossible possible. In breaking the four minute mile, Roger Bannister proved to the world that it was not impossible. From him onwards, many had broken the four minute mile because they now know it is possible. One man can make the difference. So it is the same and to a much greater extent with the resurrection. We all have the likeness of the first Adam, perishable in death, shameful in guilt and weak in sin. But Jesus in his resurrection has shown that there is more to humanity then just the first Adam. Jesus is the last Adam ushering in a new humanity.

There is a new model waiting in store, just waiting for the right time to be given. The prototype though, the resurrection body of Jesus, has already been launched. I often say this in funerals, but there will come a time where we will give up the perishable early body, and receive in grace through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit this body of the man from heaven. With this body, we inherit the kingdom of God.

Reading from 1 Corinthians 15:51-58
The implications
Due to my pastoral work in a church with many elderly members, I have seen my fair share of people facing death, especially during my frequent hospital visits. In the face of impending death, there are the fearless and there are those that are afraid. I have always admired those with the courage to face death, but actually there are two types who are fearless. The first type is fearless because they are ignorant, they are not really fearless, but rather foolhardy. They do not really understand what is death. “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.” The law represents God’s will for mankind, and by all measurements we have fallen short of the glory that God has intended for us. Sin is the dark power that has seduced us all into rebellion against God’s will. And because death has sin and the law as its powerful allies, it is truly deadly, it is lethal and victorious. If you really understand what is death, you are foolhardy to be fearless. It is like a praying mantis blocking a car, not knowing what is ahead. But there is the second type who is fearless precisely because they know why they can be bold. There is a reason for their courage. This is true courage because they know they already have the victory through Jesus Christ. Such people is like a general knows himself, and the enemy and the terrain, and before they set out for war, victory is already calculated and assured. How do they know victory against death is assured? Because Jesus’ death and resurrection has washed away the sin and completed the law. Without sin and the law, death has no sting, no victory against us. We will be transformed upon death, and we will receive a body suitable for the eternal life. But this true courage of the fearless is needed, not only for the future, but also for our present life. Why?

When you fear that the worst will happen, your own thoughts may help to bring it about. “Fear,” a writer once said, “Is the wrong use of imagination. It is anticipating the worst, not the best that can happen.”

A salesman, driving on a lonely country road one dark and rainy night had a flat. He opened the trunk—no lug wrench. The light from a farmhouse could be seen dimly up the road. He set out on foot through the driving rain. Surely the farmer would have a lug wrench he could borrow, he thought. Of course, it was late at night—the farmer would be asleep in his warm, dry bed. Maybe he wouldn’t answer the door. And even if he did, he’d be angry at being awakened in the middle of the night. The salesman, picking his way blindly in the dark, stumbled on. By now his shoes and clothing were soaked. Even if the farmer did answer his knock, he would probably shout something like, “What’s the big idea waking me up at this hour!” This thought make the salesman angry. What right did that farmer have to refuse him the loan of a lug wrench? After all, here he was stranded in the middle of nowhere, soaked to the skin. The farmer was a selfish clod—no doubt about that! The salesman finally reached the house, and banged loudly on the door. A light went on inside, and a window opened above. “Who is it?” a voice called out. “You know darn well who it is,” yelled the salesman, his face white with anger. “It’s me! You can keep your blasted lug wrench. I wouldn’t borrow it now if you had the last one on earth!” [3]

How you see the future will have direct implications on how you live your life now. If you see a bleak dreaded future of death, you live in fear. If you see a glorious future, you live accordingly as well. To believe in the resurrected life is to live out the resurrection here and now. If death has no victory against us, we then live our life anticipating death. When death comes, that is our time for glory. Knowing this gives us great courage. We need this courage for our present lives. Turn to your neighbors now and say to one another “Live without fear!” We all have our limitations in our earthly bodies. I have my youth and inexperience, Boon Young had his stroke, and everyone in the pastoral team has their flaws. But that has never stopped us from putting ourselves fully to the work of the Lord. Why? Because the victory is given through Jesus Christ, not achieved by us. Our call is to be faithful and not because we are perfect to begin with. To be faithful is to stand firm. We stand firm in our belief in the resurrection ahead and commit ourselves to God’s work. You may feel tired. You may fail. Like many of the apostles, you may even die trying. But it is promised and secured in Jesus’ resurrection, your labor in the Lord, it will never be in vain.

[1] Reader’s Digest, Sept. 1990; refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Dantzig#Truth_in_urban_legends for further details.
[2] Harvey Mackay, U.S. Entrepreneur and author in Speechwriter’s Newsletter, quoted in Bits & Pieces, July 20, 1995, pp. 20-22.
[3] Bits and Pieces, May, 1991, p. 23

Thursday, October 21, 2010

The Reality of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Sermon on 1 Corinthians 15:1-11


I had one of my biggest crisis of faith 3 months into my education at Trinity Theological College. This might be shocking to many people because outwardly I appeared to be a confident, enthusiastic Christian youth leader. And since I was then devoting myself to full-time ministry, surely I must have had a very close relationship with God, and I must have been a very strong Christian. But I tell you the truth, at that very moment I had considered quitting everything. There was a part of me that questioned all my Christian beliefs and that compelled me to stop my religious studies, stop church, stop my faith, and live a totally different life.


What triggered the crisis? I think it was the sudden realization that becoming a pastor meant that I would be affirming others on their Christian faith, spreading the gospel and proclaiming the truth openly. In short, the gospel would be my life. Prior to that moment, I was a believer. But I was only responsible for my own life. If I were wrong, it would be my own life that I would have destroyed. But, if I were to be responsible for what others believed, I would have to be totally serious about my faith. And at that instant, there was a moment of truth. What did I really believe? And I came to see that I had nothing.


Sure, I had religious experiences. I had been touched in worship and felt times of intimacy with God. Sure, I had religious knowledge. I had been well trained in the children Sunday school and in youth ministry, I was mentored by the very best, pastor Daniel. But the problem lied with me. I had not “believed with coherent consideration”. NIV called it “believed in vain”. But what it meant was that the faith was careless and even reckless. What this meant was that my commitment to Christ was hasty, and I had not logically and diligently assessed my entire faith. As one brought up in a Christian family, and with a loyal and stable personality, I had accepted my beliefs easily. But it meant that I had not probed and investigated for myself to a proper depth.


The consequence was that the foundation of my faith was a shaky one. My knowledge was not full, and the many weak areas inside collapsed upon intense pressure when I needed a solid backing. Despite an outward appearance of a solid Christian, the porous core of the understanding of my faith was exposed upon honest examination. I found that I had nothing to base my trust in the gospels. I did not know the real identity of Jesus. I knew what he did, but I found that I did not know the person. I started to question the credibility of the miracles. And my main doubt lay in the bare, stark notion that all of God's redemption was done in 3 years of Jesus' ministry. In fact, the bulk of it in less than 40 days. Can we ever really know the truth about what happened in this tiny fragment of human history in a remote corner of the Roman empire? When I came face to face with my then simplistic, fairy tale like version of the gospel, my crisis happened, and my faith collapsed like a deck of cards.


I think something similar was happening in the Corinthian Church. There were misunderstandings about the meaning of resurrection and there was some strong opposition to its reality. We know for a fact that the Sadducee who are the Jewish aristocrats disbelieve in resurrection of the body. Under immense pressure, maybe even ridicule, perhaps some of the Christians think that they can compromise this aspect of their faith. It is embarrassing to admit that you believe in something so incredulous as resurrection, and so it is safer to drop this strange idea, and just believe in something more universally approved like love and peace and moral good.


Brothers and sisters, the same can happen to us all. We all have the sugar-coated version of the gospel that we came to know either when we are young in Sunday school, or when we were a new believer and we could only drink milk and could not absorb solid food yet. Maybe you came to believe because of a miraculous healing, or you were overwhelmed by the warmth of the Christian community, or because of an emotional outburst in an evangelistic rally. Or like me, you believe because it was convenient and familiar since it is the one you grew up with. All these are good legitimate starters, but there is the danger that you would be drawn into a false security that you have understood the entire truth. If we do not go on to take time and trouble in appropriating all the truth, and build a foundation of depth and firmness, a crisis of faith can crumble everything.


Maybe you are hounded by atheists or curious friends. Maybe something drastic happened like cancer or death or disability that shook you to your very core. Maybe like me, you needed to teach and share your faith and others now depend on your understanding of what the gospel is, and what is the truth. Or maybe simply, you just decide to be truly honest with yourself. What have you got? What can you believe with conviction? What can you hold on to that nothing can tear you away from? Paul knows exactly how important this substance of the gospel is. It is what we must hold on to as we are in the process of being saved. And hence it is his duty to restore it for the Corinthians. In my crisis of faith, I needed this restoration. And if your foundation is as shaky as when you were a spiritual infant, you need it too. NIV calls it a reminder, but it is more than that. Every time we renew our faith, it needs a full restoration so that the weak areas can be strengthened, the weak links reinforced, the logical gaps bridged.


Fortunately for myself, I did not give up my faith in that crisis of faith. I took up the challenge and began my own Quest for the Historical Jesus. I earnestly studied and investigated the roots of the Christianity and allowed it to withstand sincere scrutiny. Take care to note that I was not maliciously trying to find fault with the Christian claims, because if you begin with evil intent, you generally bear your own poison fruit. What I was doing was to approach it with fair-minded honesty. What I discovered was that the gospel is not a mere human construction. This means that it is not the fanciful imagination or deliberation of some men. If it were only a human invention, I doubt it would have survived the persecution and martyrdom in the first few centuries of early church history.


Instead, you find the uncanny design of God to entrust his salvation plan, the truths about Jesus of Nazareth on a group of chosen people. They preserved and safeguarded a few statements of beliefs, those of first importance, known as a creed. These people were known as apostles because they had been chosen and sent by God as guardians of this creed of primary Christian core beliefs. As apostles, they were also witnesses. Hence it is paramount that they are also those that physically experienced the Jesus Christ event. They could be questioned and tested and they were evidences of the validity of Christian claims. God cannot have Jesus to appear to all of us for everybody to poke his ribs and touch his hands. Instead, he intended the foundation of Christian doctrine to be the early apostolic witness to Jesus Christ.


What is the Creed that is passed on from the apostles to the early believers, and generations to generations until present times? 4 statements summarize it. Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; He was buried; He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures; He appeared to Peter and then the Twelve. The first and third has great theological implications, and the second and fourth is the historical backing for those claims. The death of Jesus is substantiated by his burial, and the resurrection of Jesus is substantiated by his epiphany (manifestation) to the chosen witnesses. Both the burial and the epiphany are attested by eye-witnesses and hence verifiable for the earliest audience of the gospel.


Today, we cannot question the eye-witnesses for ourselves. But we can ask those who spread the gospel to us. They had in turn asked those who have witnessed the gospel to them. And the tracing will go back two thousand years of Church history until we reach the original witnesses, the apostles. Isn't this succession of witnesses, from one to another, one generation to the next, a marvelous design of God? We all get to participate in this great process but make sure that you have believed with diligent and coherent consideration as Paul has warned the Corinthians. And there is more! The solid evidences for the burial and epiphany of Jesus which is intended as the backing for the death and resurrection of Jesus is ultimately useless if the death and resurrection of Jesus has no meaning. If the death and resurrection of Jesus is a meaningless event, like a magic show or a freak accident, then all evidences in the burial and the epiphany comes to naught. Hence the exciting few precious words in the creed: “according to the scriptures”.


Jesus died according to the scriptures and he was raised according to the scriptures. The scriptures for the early Christians is not the Bible we have today, but the Old Testament. The meaning, the theological implications of Jesus' death and resurrection is derived from the Old Testament. This is why the early Church Fathers kept the Old Testament as part of the eventual scriptures, the Bible. Despite the embarrassing wrathful side of God, the wars and killings, the cumbersome laws and rituals, the narrow ethnocentric Jewish overtones, the Old Testament is indispensable because it gives meaning to the death and resurrection of Jesus. There are two ways the Old Testament gives meaning to the Jesus Christ event. In a minor way, the death and resurrection of Jesus is the fulfillment of lots of Old Testament prophecies, and these passages can be used as proof-text on the genuine identity of Jesus.


But there is also a major way. The Old Testament is a precious record of a long history of the ways and will of God. We can understand the meaning and implications of the death and resurrection of Jesus based on how God has always acted and his intentions with humankind prior to the coming of Jesus. We do not have time for details today, but we can understand the death of Jesus from the salvation of the Israelites from slavery in Exodus; from the idea of the suffering servant in Isaiah; from the ideas of sacrifice in Leviticus, and many more. We can understand the resurrection of Jesus from the vindication of the righteous that is promised in the Psalms; from the concepts of kingship in Samuel, from the idea of a new creation in Genesis, and many more. When I discovered this was the beauty of God's plan, my heart did leap for joy and my faith rekindled like fire. The claims of Christianity go beyond the 3 years of Jesus' ministry. It is delivered to me using 2 thousand years of witnesses and testimonies. And the meaning of the event itself is embedded in at least 2 thousand years of revelations and religious reflections since and before the time of Abraham. Indeed, there is nothing more real and more dependable.


And there is more! This is becoming a commercial that is too good to be true, but I kid you not one bit. The reality of the death and resurrection of Jesus, the moment it hits home to you, will bring about observable transformation. We know the transformation in Peter, when he turned from the cowardly denying disciple to become a bold evangelist on the Day of Pentecost. We know the transformation in the disciples, who at first all ran away, but in the end many died for their faith. We know the five hundred who received the great commission of Jesus in Matthew 28, they were so effective in disciple-making, Christianity survived despite the persecution of the Roman empire. We know James, Jesus' brother, who changed from a skeptic to become the leader of the Church at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. But surely the biggest before-after spokesperson has to be Paul himself.


Paul describes himself as an aborted fetus, or abnormally born. What this metaphor implies is that it is totally unlikely that Paul will ever live. He is ugly, out of shape, and doomed to death because he persecuted the church of God. But the reality of the death and resurrection of Jesus can be seen in him because miraculously, he is now an apostle. We know the death and resurrection of Jesus is real because we see the transformation in Paul. Such a change can only happen when you experience divine grace and you believe in a new and eternal life. This is the clearest case of a life transformed by the gospel, that is the foundation, the springboard to a different existence. Brothers and sisters, I too experienced this transformation. When the death and resurrection of Jesus became a solid reality for me, when I acknowledge to God that I am a new life purely because of his grace, I now have a firm foundation to live at a new level. I have no more fear except fear in the Lord. The gospel can now become my life and my vocation because it has become the core of who I am.


And Paul manifested this new resurrected life. See the way he dealt with all the Corinthian issues. How can you have sexual immorality when your body is for divine eternity. How can you have chaos in your marriage or ill intentions in church worship when it will be glorious and beautiful and practiced in love in the kingdom of God. No way. If your foundation is a solid belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus, you must live a real resurrected life. Brothers and sisters, what about you? Do you possess this foundation of the highest importance that allows you to live a true life based on grace in the death and resurrection of Christ? If you don't feel the transformation, then work on your foundation again. Study the scriptures, which now includes the entire bible, both the old and new testaments. Know your church history. When the reality of the death and resurrection of Jesus hits home for you, a new life begins.

Monday, October 18, 2010

爱的真谛

林前13:1-13

今天,我们要来谈情说爱。你也许会怀疑,爱还有什么好说的?的确,没有人不知道什么是爱。今天的经文,我从小在主日学就会背了。每逢婚礼也常常会运用这段经文。人人都懂爱,是不是?在今年七月的一项调查,在5568受访的新加坡人当中,最受欢迎的字就是爱。几乎有一半的受访者说爱是他们最喜欢的字。排名第二的字是和平,而票数只有爱的一半。这样看来,新加坡人都渴望爱,珍惜爱,也懂得爱,是不是?新加坡是一个爱的社会,是不是?


调查结果一出来,负责人都很意外。新加坡是很现代的城市,但爱这个字却是表达很传统的价值观。新加坡人运用语言都是很公式化的,但爱这个字却是很讲究关系和人性的。由此看来,今天的课题绝对不容忽视。我们可以生活在很现代化的社会,人与人之间讲求效率,竞争与利害关系。可是,来到内心深处,最向往,最渴望的还是离不开爱。所以,我们今天要来探讨我们生命里面最关切的课题,希望可以从神的启示那里带来一道亮光。


可是,尽管我们很热切,想要一些答案,我们要小心运用今天的经文。我们有两个重要的考量。第一,保罗在这里并不是要抽象的来谈爱的哲理。保罗的每一个结论,都是针对歌林多教会实际上的问题,对症下药。保罗通过对爱的诠释,正面的反映基督和自己的正确榜样,反面的驳斥假教师的错误行为。我们不是凭空在谈爱到底是恒久忍耐,还是热情奔放。每一句都是根据一个特定的情况,我们拿来自己运用的时候要小心。第二,保罗在这里也不是要包含所有关于爱的课题。保罗在这里对于爱的想法是针对信徒在运用恩赐的时候,应该具备的理念。爱有包括亲情、友情、爱情、爱世界、爱国家、等等。有些我们可以举一反三运用在其他领域,可是在这里,保罗主要的课题是信徒群体生活的爱,特别是运用恩赐是该有的爱,而更详细的是在敬拜时候运用恩赐时该有的爱。所以,婚礼其实不是宣讲这段经文最好的时候,其实应该是装备信徒,敬拜团,诗班、等等有关于敬拜的时候最恰当。


明白了这两个重要的考量,让我们来认知保罗对于爱的看法。经文可以分成三段,那我就已三句话来表达今天的三点。第一,爱是价值,不是架子。第二,爱是行动,不是心动。第三,爱是过去(crossing over),不是过去(passing away)


第一点,爱是价值,不是架子。一件事情,一个举动,只要是有爱,就有价值。同样的情况,人物一样,举动一样,有爱和没有爱,就是有价值和没有价值的不同。爱改变了人物的关系和举动的意义。没有爱,就算讲的话再好听,再精彩,都只是噪音,好像收报纸的喇叭声,卖冰淇淋的铃声,是没有意思的,纯粹是响亮,要引人注目而已。就算有再大的能力,再大的恩赐,再大的牺牲,如果没有爱,那等于没有。没有爱,就等于做什么都没有价值,因为爱就是价值。


弟兄姐妹,我们要清楚看明白这点。我们做事情最怕就是白做。白跑一趟,白忙一场,空欢喜一场,没有人希望做这样的事。可是,如果我们在运用恩赐的时候没有爱,这就是下场。你不管搞到多风光,多成功,多耀眼,在神那里,你只是在为自己摆架子。你所做的一切是虚无的,是空的,是毫无价值的。你就算在教会里面多忙碌,多有成就,多有仰慕者,但如果不是出于爱,你白活了。但是,如果是出于爱,就算没有人知道,神知道。每样都有价值,每样神都记得。我在这里说得彻底,斩钉截铁,因为我要打破一切幻梦,一切假象。我们都要扪心自问,我们每个星期来敬拜,来运用恩赐,来事奉,是因为什么?如果,没有爱,那没有价值,只是在空摆架子给人看。


如果爱真的不可缺少,那为什么不是每一个信徒都可以做到呢?是能力的问题,还是意志力的问题?是会不会的问题,还是要不要的问题?其实,两者都是。说到要以爱来在信徒群体里面运用恩赐,信徒往往是不会,也不要。千万不要以为爱很容易,那是一生的学习,一生的成长。保罗对于那些不会爱的信徒,有所教导。


第二点,爱是行动,不是心动。爱不是好感,不只是感情,爱更是要通过行动体现出来。

· 爱是恒久忍耐。这不是守株待兔。爱是耐心等候时机。爱不是鲁莽,不是冲动。爱的行动不是随心所欲,随性而发。爱的行动是积极等待良机。行动的时候,要合适又合时,这就是爱。当你在教会里面和人有冲突,你也许等到气消了,也许坐下来喝咖啡的时候,总之你时刻等待最好的时机去和解,这就是爱。

· 爱又有恩慈。这指的是爱表达恩慈。重点是表达。善良的人一定要行善。借着神所赐的恩赐,以行动表达出来的恩慈才是爱。领诗可以通过几句温柔的话表达恩慈。讲道,招待都可以这么做。当你在教会,看到有人有痛苦,你用爱心慰问,为他祷告,给他温暖,这就是爱。

· 爱是不嫉妒,不自夸,不张狂。嫉妒就象心头在燃烧的一把火。自夸和张狂就像膨胀中的气球。燃烧和膨胀不是一天两天的事。所以,爱是时时刻刻检查自己的心怀意念。是否已经起了嫉妒心,那就要趁早扑灭。开始自傲,赶紧泄气。因此,爱的行动是常常纪念群体的好处。人家好,是群体的福分,自己好,同样是群体的福分。当你在教会,庆贺别人的恩赐,谦虚分享自己的恩赐,这就是爱。

· 爱是不作失礼的事,不求自己的益处。爱的行动就是观察,了解别人的感受。有很多事不是对错的问题,而是关乎礼节,礼貌和品味。爱绝对不会因为私欲而惹人反感。爱以克制自己的行动尊重别人。在严肃的场合,收敛自己的喧哗声,穿着端庄,没有迟到早退,这就是爱。

· 爱是不轻易动怒,不计较人的过犯。轻易动怒就像有人整天用尖锐的东西激怒你。计较人的过犯就像记账一样,斤斤计较。被激怒,和记账也不是一天两天的事。所以,爱是不断的学习敞开胸怀,排解心中的怨恨和苦毒。不让自己变成定时炸弹,或地雷区,一触即爆。爱的行动就是学习看淡自己的虚荣心,学习宽恕,心情放轻松。当年长者愿意放下身段,跟青少年亦师亦友,这就是爱。

· 爱不喜欢不义,只喜欢真理。“不喜欢不义”的翻译不好。原文是“不在别人做错的时候沾沾自喜”。有些人为了炫耀属灵上或道德上比别人优越,当别人跌倒的时候,他们就幸灾乐祸。他们的口头禅是“早跟你说了”。这不是爱。我们一同奔跑生命的道路,不是在比赛,而是彼此扶持,到达终点。别人的失败不是我们庆幸的时候,相反的当别人追求真理的当儿,才是我们高兴的时候。当我们的敌人浪子回头,我们为他们欢悦,这就是爱。

· 爱是凡事包容,凡事相信,凡事盼望,凡事忍耐。凡事的翻译不好,让我们以为什么都要接受。原文的重点是没有止尽。所以,爱是绝不停止支持,绝不停止相信,绝不停止盼望,也绝对不放弃。“包容,忍耐”的翻译也不好,原文是“像支持屋顶的支柱一样支持,保护,不放弃”。所以,爱不是一味的仍然,纵容。有时,爱的行动可以是责罚,可以是又狠又痛苦,可是当你的理念是永不放弃的时候,这就是爱。


你可能会觉得,我的问题不是能力而是意志力,我会,可是我不肯,也不要爱。我不能逼你,但我可以保罗的话鼓励你。第三,爱是过去(crossing over),不是过去(passing away)。爱有一个特点,是什么都没得比的。爱可以过去到永恒。不管是什么恩赐,预言,方言,知识,到了永恒都没有用了。在永恒里面,全都成为过去。为什么?因为完美的来到,我们就用不着不完美的了。三个比方。当你明白事理,成人的时候,还像小孩子想事情吗?不会!当你可以跟人面对面,你会用镜子来看他吗?不会!当你在神面前的时候,你还在乎你以前的支离破碎的知识吗?不会!所以一切恩赐在完美的永恒里都要过去。可是,爱过去到永恒。到了永恒,爱只有更灿烂,更丰盛。我们现在以信心依靠主,以盼望等待主。但见主面的时候,信心,盼望都到结局了,都要过去。但爱却在见主面的时候充满到永远。所以弟兄姐妹,爱有时很难,改变自己很辛苦。你不想,不肯,也不要。但爱是过去,不会过去。爱是你今生今世唯一有永恒价值的东西。很难,不过很值得。让我们一起努力。

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

The 3rd Perspective in a Church

Sermon on 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

I would like to start with a trick. *Does trick*. What is the first thing that comes to your mind? Is it ‘nice trick’? Or is it ‘nice magician’? It seems like when most people see something done or performed, these are the two thoughts that will pop into their mind. They either focus on the act or they focus on the person. It is the same with Church. When a sermon is delivered, we think ‘good sermon’ or ‘good speaker’; or when somebody is charitable, we think ‘what a wonderful gift’ or ‘what a wonderful person.’ Today, we want to add a third perspective, which is the most important perspective when it comes to matters dealing with a Church or a Christian. What is the perspective? When we see something done or something performed, we see the Spirit at work. When I performed the trick, has it crossed your mind that there is an original inventor or teacher of the trick? The third perspective besides ‘nice trick’ or ‘nice magician’ is ‘good inventor’ or ‘good teacher’. But more important when it comes to a sermon or a charitable act or something kind or something edifying, before we can think of ‘good act’ or ‘good Christian’, we must learn today that we must first think of ‘good God’ or ‘good Spirit’. If we do that, and we recognize that behind all the gifts and services and activities happening in Church, it is God at work, then it would surely transform the way we perceive those around us, and the way we see ourselves.

But what does it mean when we say that it is the Spirit that is behind the gifts and services and activities that we find in Church? Today, I will ask that we all memorize one important verse 1st Corinthians 12:7 “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” This verse summarizes the 3 key aspects of the Spirit’s work that I want to highlight today.

Point 1: For the common good
Paul wants the Corinthians to be free from a very crucial ignorance. And that ignorance is that they can worship God the same way as they worship when they were pagans. There is a remarkable difference! You can worship Greek gods like Zeus or Venus or Chinese gods Goddess of Mercy or God of Wealth in the same way, in the sense that they are there to grant your wishes. Whichever it is that you desire, you approach the right one ‘in charge’ and worship accordingly. But it is drastically different when it comes to Christianity. When it comes to worship, you have to be given the Holy Spirit to worship. Because it is only when the Spirit is given, then you can say ‘Jesus is Lord’. And when the Spirit is given, then you cannot say ‘Jesus is cursed’, because that can never be the work of the Spirit.

Now let me explain that we are not speaking about vocal proclamation here. When we say ‘Jesus is Lord’, we are claiming his lordship over us. In the past, there were only two scenarios for this, either you were referring to Caesar the emperor or you were a servant referring to your owner. When we say ‘Jesus is Lord’, he is the one that is king over all other authorities. When we say ‘Jesus is Lord’, we are saying we are his servants to answer to his bidding and do his will. Such acknowledgment of Jesus sovereignty and such submission on our part is never easy. Our hearts are hard against transformation and our minds are dull to the true reality. Hence, it is only by the Spirit that it is possible for us to proclaim that ‘Jesus is Lord’. Those without the Spirit cannot claim Jesus’ lordship over them.

Similarly, nobody that is of the Spirit can say that ‘Jesus is cursed’. There are two ways to interpret this phrase. One, you are saying that you can heck care about Jesus. You have so much freedom and liberty that Jesus does not matter to you. Or you are saying that ‘Jesus gives a curse’. This is a popular way of using deities in the past. Idol worshippers rely on their deities to curse their enemies, hoping that their deities will bring misfortune to their targets. Both ways of interpretation sums up one thing about the person that makes such a proclamation. And that is the person’s self-agenda comes first. Jesus’ will is brushed aside or he is used as a tool to serve the person’s selfish objectives. If you are of the Spirit, you will never make such a proclamation or harbor such a thought.

What is Jesus’ will? It is to build up the kingdom of God, and the most visible form of it is the Church. Therefore, the ones that is of the Spirit, those that claim Jesus’ lordship over their self-agendas must put the kingdom of God, the holy community that is the Church, first. This is the only way to discern if a work or a person is of the Spirit or not. If it is of the Spirit, it is good for the Church. Jesus who is Lord wills it so. If it is not of the Spirit, then we see Jesus chucked aside or used for personal gratification. Paul uses a simple phrase ‘for the common good’ to clearly spell out what it means to say that a work or a person is spiritual.

How does this truth impact our Christian living? Many times we differentiate what is spiritual from what is not, by judging whether it is supernatural or not. Sometimes, we also judge by the results, if it is ‘abnormally’ successful, or whether the work is ‘Christian-like’. Now we know all these don’t matter in the discernment of what is spiritual. We know a work is the Spirit’s work if the motive and the purpose is for the good of the Church, and we know it is not when it serves selfish gains. What matters is if the work done is ‘Christ-like’. This is because the Spirit is all about the lordship of Christ. What you do don’t matter as much as why you do and who you do it for. And the first point is: for the common good.

Point 2: The manifestation of the Spirit
There are many things going on in a Church. There are displays of gifts, acts of services and lots of activities. To the naked eye, they may seem worlds apart. Yet, from the exuberant passionate worship leading to the sorrowful silent wake service, from the artistic meticulous decorations to the diligent down-to-earth toilet cleaning and from the serious brain-burning bible study to the wild nerve-wrecking fun and games, these are all manifestation of the same Spirit. The same one Spirit! It is shocking indeed! There are so many different kinds, but all originating just from one. It is shocking, but not surprising. That is because this is the very nature of God himself. The manifold manifestation of Spirit should not surprise us because God himself is manifested to us in this manner. God the father, creator of heaven and earth, sustainer of all life, righteous and holy; Jesus the son, humble and meek, lover of sinners, died a man on the Cross; the Holy Spirit, personal yet universal, powerful yet in obedience, transforming yet unchanging; such different properties and attributes, but yet one God who we worship.

There are two significances in this. One, we must recognize the unity that is present in all these many seemingly different things. They may be different, but they all profess one thing, that it is the same Spirit that is manifested. We may belong to different ministries; different cell groups, different languages and backgrounds, and these differences are real. But we cannot really speak of different status, different levels of importance, different final objectives because at the very core, the very essence that makes all these possible, it is the same Spirit. The Corinthians thought that the different ways they experience God makes that special and unique, Paul reminds that that it is precisely because they are different that they are really the same and must remain in unity. The same Spirit is the one that works through all.

I have truly experienced this in my participation at the Presbyterian Synod youth council. We arrived at a creed that we all sincerely commit to. “All for one and one for all.” Our youth ministries may be totally different in the way we operate. We have different backgrounds, sometimes different theological training. But we are all willing to sacrifice our own time to serve the needs of others because we believe it is the same Spirit at work in all the different ministries. When one of the council members had to leave because she is married overseas, she wrote this: “It has been great working with you guys. I am really blessed by the 'one for all, all for one' spirit, and the simple desire to serve. It's great that there isn't any politics here; we don't have to second guess one another, nor put up our defense with one another. You guys are great!!! :) Thanks for being a blessing in my life.” I felt really touched because I feel the same way. It is my desire that all ministries and cells recognize this: that it is the same Spirit we depend on, making us united as one.

The second significance is that however different the gifts, services and activities, they are all manifestations of the Spirit. And since they are manifestations of the Spirit, they must be honored and glorified as such. They manifest the Spirit! It is not only when it is holy-like or Christian-like that we think the Spirit is manifested. We especially must refrain from overly extolling the super-natural from the mundane. As long as deeds are done for the common good, they reflect Christ-likeness and that is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. That means we are witnessing the presence of God. Think about it. If we have been belittling some people or some groups because what they do are “beneath” our status, we need to reexamine our thoughts. We are not giving due respect to what the Spirit is manifesting through these people’s lives.

There are many examples I can think of, but one thing I would like to share today is youth ministry. It is said that teenagers are the most obnoxious, self-centered, unreasonable bunch of people created by God. Children are cute and naive and we can generally forgive what they do, and adults can conduct themselves and are self-assured. But teenagers... ... One parent says, “God is good. He gives us twelve years to develop a love for our children before turning them into teenagers.” Another said, “You can tell a child is growing up when he starts refusing to tell where he is going.” Joking aside, this phase of the human life is essential for a child to become an adult. Their brain develops rapidly and their need to develop an identity drives them into extreme self-consciousness and individual awareness. My point is that it is therefore understandable that not many people are keen to work in a ministry at a stage where the audience is there learning to challenge authority, assert responsibility and discover raging hormones. However, when you see people willing to spend time with the youths, drinking coffee, talking pop culture and kicking soccer, they may not be doing holy and 'spiritual', but in their care and concern, they are manifesting the holy Spirit. I use youth ministry as an example, but it is the same with other activities in Church as well.

Point 3: To each one is given
Point 1 is to say that the way to tell if a gift or service or activity is spiritual is to see if it is for the common good. Point 2 is to say that all these activities are manifestations of the Spirit, and we must recognize them as such. Point 3 is to say that everyone of us has the potential ability to contribute. As a Christian, the Spirit is in us, and its empowerment is there for us to receive. “One person is given a word of wisdom through the Spirit; another, a word of knowledge by the same Spirit; another, faith through the same Spirit; another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit; another, the workings of mighty deeds; another, prophecy; another, the ability to distinguish spirits; another, various kinds of languages; another, the interpretation of languages.” We will have in depth discussion on prophecy and tongues in chapter 14 so I will leave that for future discussion. The key word I want to emphasize today is 'another'. The way Paul is writing is that the list is not exhaustive. It is another and another and another until the very last Christian that is willing to be used by the Spirit for the good of the Christian community. And every 'another' will have something new and complimentary from the Spirit to add to the Church. It is the same Spirit that manifest himself in a different way in another Christian. It is hence important that there is not jealousy or comparison or overly intentional mimicry and imitation. I for one am extremely glad that in Jubilee, the pastors preach in different ways, the worship leaders have different styles and the cell groups have different dynamics. This is unity in diversity.

One important truth that must be emphasized is that everyone has something from the holy Spirit to give. This something is given by the Spirit so there should be no pride or hoarding of the gift because it starts from the grace of God. What is given in free grace should be exercised in free grace. Everyone must seek and ask and contribute. My friend who is another pastor in another Church has this policy there. All Christians must be serving, the only people not serving are the new-comers. But the moment you accept Christ and receive the holy Spirit, there is surely something that you can serve. You don't need a 'baptism of the Spirit' and speaking in tongues to show that you have the Spirit and a true Christian. You know when you start to serve in love and the Spirit is manifested through you. If you are a Christian you have no excuse not to serve.

I would like to conclude this with a look to the past. When we look at Church history, we see 'great deeds' and 'great people', but today we add a new perspective, we say 'great God'. We identify which is the work of the Spirit when we see the Church build up in the process. And they are very different: from the suffering martyrs to the triumphant evangelists, from those who fight with their swords to those who defend with their words. Everybody has a role to play and they all manifest what uniqueness the Spirit freely gives. What about you?

Monday, October 11, 2010

温故知新

讲道经文:哥林多前书 10:1-13

先贤有一句著名的古训:温故知新。这句话的意思就是如果可以温习以前的事,就能知道以后的事。人们之所以要温故,是因为本有其认识上、实践上的历史价值;从温故中走向知新,即从结合现实中提出新的认识,进而有补于新的实践,正是反映了人们在历史运动中的一种自觉的进取意识。这就好比现在学生考试前喜欢作“十年考题”(ten-years series)。为什么呢?因为,他们知道历史的奥妙。如果能够应付过去十年的考题,今年的考题也变不了多少,自然没问题。温故,就能知新,所以新加坡的学生每个好成绩。做学生要温故知新,做人,作为一个基督徒也同样要温故知新。我很喜欢历史。而要懂得有智慧的做人,就要熟读历史。站在古人的兴衰成败,悲欢离合的人生百态,就能看得更高更远。


作信徒也是一样。神是个人的,但也是普世的。所以保罗说:“叫你们的爱心有根有基,能以和众圣徒一同明白基督的爱是何等长阔高深!(弗3:17-19”。普世的神,要以普世的方法来明白,要和众圣徒一同来明白。我有时会听到一些话这么说“我们不要头上的知识,我们只要用心去经历神”。所以这些人看轻教导,看轻有深度的讲道。弟兄姐妹,这是荒谬,是愚昧的!头和心可以二分化吗?不可以!头里的知识要心来体验,心里的感受要头来理解。没有学习,没有彼此考究,没有谈古论今的分析,就只剩下很个人化,很狭隘的属灵经验。如果要摆脱坐井观天的陷阱,有一个好方法。学生有“十年考题”(ten-years series),我们基督徒有“千年考题”(ten-centuries series),那就是圣经里面的历史。圣经里面有人和神相处超过一千年的详细记载。只要温故,就可以知新。保罗就以同样的方式解决当时候的歌林多教会的问题。我们也同样以歌林多教会的历史,解决我们现今的问题。


问题是什么呢?有两个英文字就把问题充分体现出来。一个是(licentiate),另一个是(licentious)(licentiate)就是说你有(license)的人,有权利,有自由来做你要的事。(licentious)是说一个人放荡,放肆,没有纪律,特别是指性关系这一方面。我们可以看到这两个字关系密切,根源都跟自由有关。可是在运用上却表达了两个不同的极端。一方面我们好像是有权利,有自由的人,但另一方面,我们却要避免成为放荡,放肆的人。哥林多的信徒,特别是那些所谓“强”的基督徒,他们清楚知道他们在基督里所得到的自由。可是,在运用这自由的时候,他们变成了放荡,放肆的人。让我们看保罗怎么用“千年考题”,圣经里面的历史来解决问题。这段历史主要来自出埃及记与民数记。而里面的以色列历史,就是我们基督徒的历史。所以保罗称他们为我们的祖宗。保罗从他们走过的路得到神跟人相处的教训。我把保罗的教训以一个四句箴言来表达:神有恩典,人有缺点,小心谨慎,有惊无险


首先,神有恩典。保罗一定要肯定耶和华的恩典。所有出埃及,离开奴隶生活的以色列民,“都”领受了耶和华的恩典。重点是这个字“都”。耶和华对他们的恩典可以用四方面来表达。第一是他们离开埃及在旷野逃难。他们经历耶和华用云柱火柱帮助他们。(出13:21-22)“日间,耶和华在云柱中领他们的路;夜间,在火柱中光照他们,使他们日夜都可以行走。日间云柱,夜间火柱,总不离开百姓的面前。”第二是他们经历过红海的救赎。(出14:29-31)“以色列人却在海中走干地,水在他们的左右作了墙垣。当日,耶和华这样拯救以色列人脱离埃及人的手,以色列人看见埃及人的死尸都在海边了。以色列人看见耶和华向埃及人所行的大事,就敬畏耶和华,又信服他和他的仆人摩西。”我们其实也有同样经历。云柱火柱是神引导我们走出被罪恶捆绑迷失的道路。过红海是我们得着救赎,逃离死亡的追索。而教会就以洗礼让我们具体的体会这点。


第三是他们都经历神赐给他们灵食。这个指的是从天而降的吗哪。(看出16章)第四是他们都经历神赐给他们的灵水。(17:5-6)“耶和华对摩西说:"你手里拿着你先前击打河水的杖,带领以色列的几个长老,从百姓面前走过去。我必在何烈的磐石那里站在你面前,你要击打磐石,从磐石里必有水流出来,使百姓可以喝。"摩西就在以色列的长老眼前这样行了。”如今,我们也同样经历灵食,灵水。因为(约6:35)“耶稣说:"我就是生命的粮,到我这里来的,必定不饿;信我的,永远不渴。”而教会就以圣餐来让我们具体的体会这点。


所以,第一,神有恩典。神的恩典是真实的。是大家都可以体验到的。然而,保罗也从历史中带出第二点,那就是人有缺点。有许多在其中的得到恩典后,最终还是遭到耶和华的审判而灭亡。就如恩典的例子有四个,审判的例子也有四个。第一,拜偶像。(出32:6)“次日清早,百姓起来献燔祭和平安祭,就坐下吃喝,起来玩耍。”这里指的是金牛犊事件。神在那天杀了三千人。第二,淫乱。(民25:1-3)“以色列人住在什亭,百姓与摩押女子行起淫乱。因为这女子叫百姓来,一同给她们的神献祭,百姓就吃她们的祭物,跪拜她们的神。以色列人与巴力毘珥连合,耶和华的怒气就向以色列人发作。”在这个事件里,死了两万四千人。第三,试探神。第四,发怨言。(请看民21:4-9保罗提出这些例子是要强调一个事实。不是每个领受了恩典的,都到达应许地。许多因为任意,放肆遭受了耶和华的审判。可想而知,如今我们同样通过耶稣得着神的恩典的,也不例外。


Two pals are sitting in a pub watching the eleven-o'clock news. A report comes on about a man threatening to jump from the 20th floor of a downtown building. One friend turns to the other and says, "I'll bet you ten bucks the guy doesn't jump." "It's a bet," agrees his buddy.

A few minutes later, the man on the ledge jumps, so the loser hands his pal a $10 bill. "I can't take your money," his friend admits. "I saw him jump earlier on the six-o'clock news."

"Me, too," say the other buddy. "But I didn't think he'd do it again!"

Ohio Motorist, quoted in Reader's Digest, June, 1994, p. 72.


所以,我们可以体会,如果不从历史学习,是很愚蠢的。第一,神有恩典。耶和华是有恩典的。这是不可否认的。然而,第二,人有缺点。我们也看到,那些任意妄为的,就算曾经领受过恩典,但也可以从恩典堕落,最终因审判而灭亡。然而,我们明白了这个真理,不可跌入两个极端。那就是过分次恐慌(paranoid)和过分自信(cocksure)的极端。所以要避免两个极端,第三,我们也要知道,小心谨慎,有惊无险。让我以骨痛热症的传播来打个比方。新加坡现在每星期两百多宗新病例。统计数字是我们明白历史的方式。我们知道了,不要过分恐慌。以为到处都可能是伊蚊,所以不敢出门。但我们也不过分自信,以为一定不会是自己。所以也不清理积水,不提防伊蚊滋生。历史的教训是要我们小心谨慎,那就有惊无险。我们要敢于生活,可是我们还是要防范疫情蔓延。


信徒生活也是一样。我们必须确信神对于我们的恩典。这是我们每逢见证洗礼,领受圣餐可以具体体会的到的。我们要带的脱离罪恶的捆绑的意识,活出自由,活出荣耀的生命。然而,我们却不可滥用神的恩典,以为可以肆无忌惮的任意妄为。虽然神的恩典是确实的,那绝不可以成为放肆的借口。我们应该监察我们的心,以爱来对待主内弟兄姐妹。尤其你如果在教会里面比较长久,更要有宽容和谦虚。保罗安慰我们,没有什么试探是借着主的力量不能胜过的。只要我们愿意放下自己的权利,顺服上帝,神必给我们开路,让我们可以到达应许地。神有恩典,人有缺点,小心谨慎,有惊无险。

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

The 3 essential Senses of Christian decision making

Sermon on 1 Corinthians 7:17-40

1 Corinthians 7:17-24

Introduction

Today’s passage is long so we will divide the reading into 3 parts. Chapter 7 of 1st Corinthians deals with the manifold issues of marriage. Paul covered the issues of sex and spirituality, divorce, non-believing partners, single people, widows and widowers, engaged couples and many others. Paul provides many of his recommendations, and we must applaud his bravery to deal with these sticky issues with clear advice. But I also agree with Pastor YookCing that it is the principles that are ultimately decisive and not the superficial change of behavior that we want to learn today. Paul uses the illustrations of circumcision and slavery to share about some principles that he used for his decision-making process regarding issues of marriage. I too will follow his example by using a story to demonstrate my point.


THE MILLER, HIS SON, AND THEIR DONKEY
"I shall have to sell that old donkey of ours," said a miller to his son. "I can not afford to keep him through the winter. I will take him to town this very morning to see if I can find a buyer. You may go with me." In a little while the miller, his son, and the donkey were on their way to town.
They had not gone far when they met some girls going to a party. They were talking and laughing as they went along. One of them said, "Look at that man and boy driving a donkey. One of them surely might ride."
The miller heard what they said, and quickly made his son mount the donkey, while he walked along at its side.
After a while they came to a group of old men who were talking very earnestly. "There," said one, "I was just saying that boys and girls have no respect for the aged. You see it is true in this case. See that boy riding while his old father has to walk."
"Get down, my son," said his father, "and I will ride." So they went on.
They next met some women coming from town. "Why!" they cried, "your poor little boy is nearly tired out. How can you ride and make him walk?" So the miller made his son ride on the donkey behind him.
They were now in town. A man coming down the street called to the miller, "Why do you make your old donkey carry such a load? It has barely any strength left. I will bet you that both of you are even stronger than it now. You can even carry him better than he can carry you."
At this the miller and his son got off the donkey. They broke a long branch from a nearby tree. Then, they tied the donkey's legs together, turned him over on his back; and began to carry him.
A crowd soon gathered to see the strange sight. As they were crossing a bridge the donkey became frightened at the hooting of the crowd. It broke loose, fell into the river, and was drowned.


We see therefore that if you do not have your own guiding principles, you will be easily swayed by the comments of others regarding your actions. The moral is that if you wish to please everybody, you will please no one. So, we will study the recommendations of Paul regarding marriage. But more importantly, we understand the principles in which he derives his recommendations so that we do not apply his advice blindly, but rather use his principles to derive our own decisions for each and every peculiar situation in our lives. The problem with the Corinthians is that they are swayed by each and every false teaching they come across, and fail to examine them against the principles of truth. “Spiritual is good, body is bad”, and they all become ascetics and despise marriage and bodily intimacy.


Point 1: Sense of Calling

In order to be able to avoid the same trap that ensnared the Corinthians, we need to equip ourselves with solid principles of truth that will guide us into good decision-making. Thankfully, Paul did show us the principles that he uses to arrive at his recommendations. I name them the three senses of Christian decision-making. You can have many factors that weigh in when you make your decisions in life. But as a Christian, you must always do it with these three senses in mind. The first, I call it, the sense of calling.


This is the overriding rule: everyone should conduct their lives as the Lord appointed, as God has called them. The call of God is the primary foundation of our identity as a Christian. We can come into a relationship with God and we can belong to him because he has first called us. And this calling has a tremendous implication: we are no longer the same person. We now possess an identity of a Christian, we are hence inseparable from Christ. We are set apart from the others for God's holy use. From now on, our lives are for the purpose of fulfilling the will of God. We now hold God’s standard as the measurement of what is desirable. Because we have been called, God’s priorities now come first, and everything now must be placed in God’s perspective. So, in making our decisions in life, we have to have this sense of calling. As stated earlier, Paul has used the examples of circumcision and slavery as illustrations of this point.


For the Jews, circumcision is a physical mark to indicate that you are God’s people. Many Jewish men in Paul’s day were under pressure to pretend they were non-Jews, and some even tried surgery to make it look as though they were uncircumcised after all. (Romans went naked when they go to the gym, or used public baths, so Jewish identity is difficult to hide.) Paul states that when called by God, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters at all, since what matters is keeping God’s commandments. Why is this so? This is because identity is now not defined by a physical mark, but by what is accomplished by the work of the messiah. In the Messiah, we already have the full identity before God.


Naturally, the more shocking example is that of slavery. Paul tells the Corinthians who are slaves that they do not have to worry about their status. Does Paul really think that slaves and freedmen are the same before God? In a way, yes. It is true that many slaves at that time were treated kindly, and slaves in managerial positions were better off than freedmen in poverty conditions. However, the main reason for Paul’s reasoning is that “the one who is called as a slave is the Lord’s freedman, just as the one who is called as a free person is the Messiah’s slave.” Our sense of identity rests on who are we before God, not our social, financial conditions.


Many of our major decisions involve a desire to improve our status in life. Therefore, it is important that we have a sense of calling when we make these decisions. When God calls us, we now derive our identity from God. Improving our status in life is important, and we all aim to upgrade our standard of living. But we must understand that it is ultimately how God sees us, how God defines who we are that matters.

1 Corinthians 7:25-31


Point 2: Sense of Eternity

Two weeks ago, Rev Tan shared from Ecclesiastes that uncertainty in life is also a gospel from God. We must all face up to the reality that life at times is uncertain. The only true certainty is the eternity promised by God that will come when our life ends. And this is the second sense needed in decision making: the sense of eternity.


We may yearn for certain results from the decisions we make in life, but we must accept that all things on earth are eventually transient. Our sense of eternity will tell us not to be so absorbed in things of this world. Paul now refocus his discussion back on the issue of marriage after his illustrations of circumcision and slavery. He now addresses those who are engaged and he notes that it is a difficult time for marriage now. Why? It is because there is a famine going on. So it will be hard to start a young family amidst the hardships of survival and environmental turmoil. You don't have to break your engagements yet, and if your engagement is broken, naturally now is not a good time to start one. But note that Paul is not against marriage, whether you get married or don't, it is not sinning.


However, many people do treat marriage as an important status symbol. It is a big deal because they depend their security in life on marriage. Paul gives these people a sense of eternity. The pattern of the world is passing away. Sure you can celebrate and weep and use the world and live life to the fullest. But it is a totally different matter to rest your full security in these things. We may think that a married status and a single status are worlds apart, and in a way they are polar opposites. But no situations last forever. That is a perspective that we must never lose. If the current situation is tough for marriage, maybe we should not be overly hasty to rush into it. But if the situation is critical, like the age of the woman or other considerations like aging parents, to be married is fine as well. Whichever road we take, we keep in mind that they are only transient and our eternity rests in God's hands.

1 Corinthians 7:32-40


Point 3: Sense of Conviction

We can be fully certain that Paul himself totally approves of marriage. In his other letters, he speaks about their importance and how to best preserve them. However, it is also true that marriage takes up a lot of time and energy and Paul is just offering sound and realistic advice to the Corinthians here. Those who are unmarried have the advantage of undivided attention to do the work of God, while those who are married has to be concerned about pleasing their spouses. There is nothing wrong with either choice, in fact, it would be very irresponsible to be married and yet neglect about your spouse's well-being as stated earlier in the chapter. Paul's aim is that we are to be free from worries. And that is the third point: a sense of conviction.


Both the married and unmarried will worry, either about pleasing God or pleasing your spouse. The key to be freed of worries is to be fully convicted about what you are doing and avoid divided loyalties. If you are in one situation or the other but you are always thinking about the benefits of the other choice, the worries will never end. If you choose to be single or to delay our marriage because of some circumstances, then be fully devoted to your choice and devote yourself fully to God. If you need to be married, then do as you wish and be a devoted husband or wife. This is the same for widows who are thinking about remarriage. Paul's timely reminder against divided loyalties is for our own benefit. Be convicted about your choice as long as the choice is done in the Lord.


Conclusion

I would like to conclude with a personal reflection on my own experience with Christian decision making. I entered into theological studies immediately after my tertiary education, and during my first year of full-time ministry in Jubilee, I was married. Two points of consideration were firstly, should I gain some years of experience working in the secular world and achieve some financial stability before studying theology; and secondly, whether marriage is a good thing for my ministry. My sense of calling informs me that my life is to be fully devoted to God. What this means is that whether it is full-time ministry or working outside church, my focus remains the same, building the kingdom of God and not my own wealth. This perspective is critical because I shouldn't think that working for the outside world is my own business while only church work is God's work. Even more dangerous is the mindset that I will treat my ministry as my personal project for self-satisfaction. My sense of eternity informs me that ultimately all things on earth, be it ministry accomplishments or success in the workplace or family relationships will pass away. They all pale in comparison to the everlasting security that is reserved for me with God. Hence I could feel free to enjoy a family life or the pains and spoils of my labor without being overly concern if they will eventually avail me anything permanent. Lastly, my sense of conviction challenges me to be steadfast in my choices. Sure I could fantasize about a life without the burden of pastoral concerns or the freedom of singleness, but it would only bring about unnecessary frustration and distract me from my pursuit of contentment in what I am doing now. With these three senses of decision-making in mind, I believe I have approached my considerations with a proper mindset that is honorable to God. My choice of ministry after university and marriage is not tainted with personal ambition, compulsion from the environment or impulsiveness. Looking back, my decisions were probably for the best. I am an easily contented person and if I am well settled in the outside world, I might be too lazy now to uproot myself to devote myself into full-time ministry. I am also a dull-witted person and prior to dating and marriage, I am totally oblivious to the world of “womendom”. My pathetic dealings with the opposite gender is too embarrassing and numerous to recount. I cannot claim that I know women better now, but I think it is reasonable to say that I am better acquainted with the feminine side of myself. I have become more sensitive, gentle and compassionate as a pastor. But ultimately, if you have understood my sermon thus far, a good decision is not based on the pros and cons of the eventual result. No matter what is the final decision, it is only considered wise when it is done with God in mind. He has called us such that whichever path we take, we do it for him. He has given us an assurance in eternity so that we may enjoy our present life for what it is, and not put all our security in it. And lastly, he has given us faith. We know that nothing will get in our way if we are fully convicted in devoting ourselves fully to God.

Monday, October 04, 2010

不一样的身份

林前6:1-11

母亲一在嘱咐女儿:“今晚你和男友出去,务必要在十点以前回家。”
“可是,我已经不是一个小孩子了”,女儿不满的回答。
“就因为你不是小孩子了。”

女儿因为不再是小孩子了,所以不可以跟男朋友出去到太晚。大家一想原因就知道为什么。这个道理很简单,大家在生活里面一定也经历的到。身份一旦不同,行为上也一定有相应的改变。也许,你从单身变成已婚人士,也许你变成为人父母,又或许你变成主管,或是公众人物。只要身份一变,行为上自然需要调整。信徒生活也是一样。一旦成为基督徒,你就开始了新生命。这个新身份就意味着新的价值观,新的生活方向,当然也就免不了新的行为准则。

生命的改变和我们的新身份是分不开的。我们的新身份,我们的基督徒身份是怎么得来的?保罗说,我们借着主耶稣基督的名,和靠着圣灵,我们洗净了,圣洁了,称义了。首先,洗净指的是神把我们的罪一次过完完全全的除去。就好像脱胎换骨一样。不管以前如何,从此以后就是重新开始。你可以把这过程想象成一个重生。你也可以想象成死了又复活一样。其次,圣洁指的是神把我们如今分别为圣,我们的生命从此要用来做神圣的用途。不管是你的肉体也好,生命的追求,奋斗,努力也好,甚至是你跟别人的关系也好,从此也都要成为圣洁。你可以想象成把自己当作活祭献给上帝。你也可以想象你的生命从此就是为主征战,为主奔跑,为主服侍,为主牺牲。最后,称义指的是神把我们的关系和好了。我们跟上帝是什么关系?从创世记亚当开始,我们人跟上帝就是一个孩子跟父神的关系。而称义就是说我们跟神父亲孩子的关系已经和好了,正常化了。神的孩子的身份,是尊贵,荣耀的。作为神的儿女也就意味着我们是继承神那永不朽坏的基业的后裔。我们带有神的能力,神的权柄,我们甚至要审判世界,审判天使。你可以看到使徒们以耶稣的名医病,赶鬼。在历史里面,基督徒废除了奴隶制,尊重女权。如今,信徒继续在环保,善心,人权等等领域上奋斗。这都是在体现神的孩子的身份。总而言之,圣父借着圣子,通过圣灵,把我们洗净,分别为圣,称义,使我们得着一个不再一样的身份。我们也因为这样的身份,活出一个不再一样的生命。教会又是用什么具体方式来让我们体会这点呢?我们来看一段圣经。


3:13-17

的确,教会就是以洗礼的礼仪来具体的表明神在信徒身上所行的洗净,分别为圣,称义。我们因为与主联合,所以也同样成为神的孩子。洗礼是一个具体的方式让我们知道我们洗净了,也尽了全部的义。从此以后,我们就跟耶稣一样生命就是顺服上帝的旨意。这个道理是可信的。新的身份,新的生活方式。而保罗就是以这个神学框架来应对歌林多教会所出现的问题。

歌林多教会有弟兄姐妹在法律上互相控诉。这为什么是问题呢?让我们来明白一些重要的历史背景。首先,这里所指的纠纷并不是严重的刑事犯罪(criminal offences)。在这里的纠纷是我们律法上所谓的小额索偿(small-claims)的问题。所以,在这里任何一方并没有严重的犯罪行为,而是一些意见不和之类的事。这第一点我们要分得很清楚。这个不同点,就影响了下一个重点。那就是虽然当时的罗马政府的刑事法庭还算公义,因为罗马帝国算是一个有纪律,有文化的国家。(参罗马书131-7)可是来到地方行政法官的时候,往往因为有钱人的赞助(patronage)和各种特权阶级(vested interest)微妙关系,地方法官难免嫌贫爱富。富有的人跟有社会地位的人跟这些地方政府官员都有密切的彼此来往,彼此依靠来保障自己的利益。因此,有钱有势的社会人士可以利用他们跟地方法官的交情来欺负那些贫穷的弱者。所以,地方法院和罗马刑事法院是在正直无私的评价上是有天壤之别的。

我们明白了历史背景就能清楚的分析歌林多教会这里出现的问题。很明显的,教会里面一些有钱有权势的信徒在借用他们和地方行政法官的关系,以政治司法制度的手段告状教会里面贫穷而没办法攀关系的信徒,从而得到自己的利益。因为这样,我们可以明白这不是一个保罗偏好基督徒的,爱管闲事的事情。追根究底,这是一个不公义,仗势欺人的问题。保罗以三方面劝勉他们。

第一,如果主内弟兄姐妹有纠纷,就应当找一个公平的审判官来裁决。很肯定的当时的地方行政法官不适合做这个。他们是嫌贫爱富的法官,很难秉公办理。还有,就是他们不是信徒。因此他们不会在乎教会的合一,为了达到取胜的目的,一定不择手段,口无遮拦,最终破坏关系。但是,如果有信徒领袖来做审判,一来他们追求公义,二来他们也会顾及主内弟兄姐妹往后的关系。神的孩子的身份带给我们审判的权力。从旧约摩西选智慧人为长官(申19-17)到末日耶稣得荣耀掌权审判世界,我们要意识到因为上帝是公义的,我们做孩子的也自然是公义的代言人。当然,在初期教会艰苦挣扎存活的时代,在恶势力虎视眈眈的境况,家丑不可外扬是很重要的,能自己解决纠纷,避免外人参与最好。上帝既然使我们称义,我们就应该活出神的孩子的身份,以公义解决问题。

第二,主内弟兄姐妹可以避免纷争,就应该尽量避免。刚才已经提到,这里的情况是指小额索偿的纷争。所以,为了一些小利益,就彼此告状就是大错。弟兄姐妹之间斤斤计较,利益看得比关系还要重要是不可取的。我们基督徒是分别为圣的。我们的生命,一切物质都属于上帝,为要彼此相爱,彼此服侍。如果这样,小事情上有时吃亏,有时受欺,可是神的国得以建立,那又何必耿耿于怀,是不是?相反的,我们决不能象一些歌林多信徒一样,因为有社会地位或其他优势,利用这些去亏负,欺压别人。有些人以为,只要是他的权利(right),他就有资格,也很应该尽量利用他的权利来谋取最大的利益,别人损失是别人的事。象一些主管要他的下属什么都替他做。我们明白的分别为圣的身份,就当了解权利是上帝赐的,我们用权力来做主工,往往法反而是去帮助弱小的。

第三,不公义的人不能承受神的国。無論是行淫亂的、拜偶像的、姦淫的、作孌童的、親男色的、偷竊的、貪心的、醉酒的、辱罵人的或勒索的,都不能承受神的國。这也就是为什么神要洗净我们,因为我们不能带着罪进入天国。我们因着神的恩典,得着新的开始,让我们遵行神的道,远离那罪恶的道路。

今天的经文我们如何应用呢?我国的司法制度还算公正清廉。只要我们遵守国民的职分,信徒的呼召,继续提倡社会公益,我们仍然可以利用国家的政府人员来解决有时一些难缠棘手的问题。可是作为一个圣徒的群体,我们不可唯独推卸责任。作为教会领袖,我们要追求公义和智慧,在适当的时候能够做出良好的裁决。作为教会会友,我们向往和平,彼此忍让,建立爱的关系,那么也就纷争少,好见证多。最后,个人生命要不断改变。像树栽在溪水旁,按时候结果子,叶子总不沽干。