A God Talk with My Daughter

For some reason, my 9-yr old daughter Tiffany likes to ask deep questions at night. To be precise 15 minutes before she falls asleep. Here is what went on a few hours earlier, which started with a question around the story of Ananias and Saphira, on which my sermon this morning was based. We saw a YouTube cartoon on the story the night before, then talked about it in the car briefly on the way home from church. Little did I know it led to a deep theological chat after she finished her prayer (don't get me wrong, it's not every night the conversation goes to doctrinal channel, sometimes it's more mundane, earthly, girly, or just plain kids talk).

Tiffany: Dad, did Ananias and Sapphira actually drop dead?

Me: Yes, they did.

Tiffany: Why?

Me: Because they lied to God. They sold the house for, say, 10, 000...

Tiffany: What? That's so cheap. Even cars are more expensive!

Me: Okay... let's make it 100,000. They then gave some of the money to the church and keep the rest for themselves - all is well. But their sin was they told everyone at church they gave all the money because they want to be praised. They lied to God.

Tiffany: How did Peter know that?

Me: The Holy Spirit told him

Tiffany: Is this the same Peter who healed the man from birth?

Me: Yes, the apostle Peter. Do you know why people today didn't drop die even though many lie to God?

Tiffany: I don't know.

Me: Because God is patient with us since Christ has died in our place.

Tiffany: O, of course, I understand that. But why did't God make us love Him?

Me: Because God doesn't want us to program us like robots who love Him

Tiffany: Huh, robots?

Me: Yeah, if have Tamagochi or a robot that you program to love you, then it does have to love you.

Tiffany: O I see. That's why He creates heaven, for people who love Him.

Me: Yeah, but not everyone wants to be in heaven.

Tiffany: What??? Not everyone. I always picture heaven like that nice place in Bali. Why wouldn't they?

Me: They want heaven, but they don't want Christ Jesus.

Tiffany: That's crazy! It's Christ Jesus who created heaven.

Me: Yeah.

Tiffany: Is there any bad people in heaven?

Me: Heaven is not for nice people. But for people who believes in Jesus Christ, even though they used to be bad or nice.

Tiffany: What do you consider 'believe'?

Me: You admit you are a sinner, and need Jesus to save you, then you give your life completely to Him to be changed.

Tiffany: Now I know why we need the church ... To tell people about God, Christ, heaven, and the likes.

Me: Yup!

Tiffany: But my friend ________ who is Buddhist said that Buddhism is better than God. What should I say to her?

Me: It's not that Buddhism is better, but salvation is only found in Jesus, the God who came to earth and lived among us.

Tiffany: Hmmm.... I am afraid she won't listen to me.

Me: Well, you need to pray for her, Tif. It's late now. Why don't we stop there, and you close your eyes...

Tiffany: Ok, nite dad. I'll tell you about the book fair at school on the way there tomorrow.

Seeing Glory, Experiencing Joy

Our family bible study group recently started the expository bible study on the epistle of 1 John. Here is my take on the first four verses.

Our Christian faith can only be genuine if we experience the joy that results from seeing God's glory in Christ
1 John 1:1-4

I was intrigue to read John used a different word (theaomai) in the phrase "we looked upon" (1 John 1:1), which is distinct from the word (horao) used in the phrase "we have seen", precisely in the same verse? Why didn't he use horao for the fourth time? What is so special about theaomai?

A simple search using KJV's Strong Number which is available online tells me that the word 'theaomai' (which for untrained ear sounds like Siomay) actually means: "to behold, look upon, view attentively, contemplate (often used of public shows)". The word 'theater' is derived from this word. When we go to theater to watch orchestra, opera, broadway show, we put extra energy to pay attention to the show (not only because we pay $65 to get B reserve seating but because we want to enjoy the special performance).

Interestingly, and certainly not coincidentally, John used the same word in his gospel (John 1:14): "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have SEEN his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth". Or we BEHELD his glory. Or we LOOKED UPON his glory.

There is something about beholding or viewing with intensity the glory of Christ that takes a profound effect in the viewer.

What is the effect of seeing or beholding the glory of God in Christ? JOY. "And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete" He wrote 'our' joy and I think that's more accurate than 'your' joy, meaning it's the joy experienced by John and other apostles from beholding Christ the word who became flesh.

Seeing the glory of Christ, beholding His glory gives John joy as he fellowships with Christ. Or to put it differently, his fellowship with Christ brings him joy because he beholds Christ, view attentively the manifestation of his glory.

John wrote his epistle that so that his joy may be complete, because he wants us to experience the same thing, that is for us to fellowship with Christ with joy by beholding His glory. The glory that is now preserved in the Scripture. Today we see the glory by hearing the Word of Life from the Scripture read, meditated upon, chewed on, preached, etc.

How easy it is for me to lose the joy of living in Christ or reading His word or serving God because I lose the awareness of His glory and instead become preoccupied with my own glory. Personal devotion, ministry, and relationships with others become monotonous routines because we lose sight of Christ's beauty, holiness, and majesty.

When John wrote 'we looked upon', the theater he referred to was probably the transfiguration of Christ that Peter, James, and John saw with lots of anticipation in Mark 9. That glimpse of Christ's glory must have changed his life, giving him a inside-out, life-transforming joy that sustained him to stay at the foot of the cross when others have abandoned Christ.

The life-transforming effects of beholding God's glory is a key theme in the NT:
- 1 John 1:1 and 1 John 1:4 suggests that it results in joy
- John 1:14 and 1:16 suggests it results in receiving 'grace upon grace'
- 2 Cor 3:18 suggests it results in our becoming transformed 'from glory to glory'

What are we to do then? APPLICATION? Here is a couple points that fits me personally:

1. We who profess we are Christians, have we really seen/beheld the glory of God? That is have we been met Christ personally, awe-struck by His holiness, captivated by His beauty, and overwhelmed by His majesty that sin loses its power within us and the world no longer appeals to us? Have you experienced the joy of salvation that does not give us fire insurance from hell, but re-orients the sources of joy in our hearts from anything but Christ to Christ alone?

2. Have do we grow in faith joyfully, from grace to grace and from glory to glory? How do we help others to grow in faith? How should I preach? How should church programs be developed? The answers to all these questions is: By focusing on God's glory in Christ.

I won't grow in faith by reading about God (theology). Atheists love it too.
And so is the Devil.

I won't grow in faith by obeying ten commandments or the sermon of the mount.
That makes me a religious snob, a Pharisee.

The church won't grow in faith through sophisticated programs, uplifting music, heartwarming fellowship, or inspirational sermons (e.g., health-and-wealth preaching or moralistic preaching that convicts people and sentenced them into guilt).

I will grow, you will grow, the church will grow if we focus on seeing the glory of God manifested in Jesus Christ, namely in the person and work of Christ, in the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Christ, or put simply in the GOSPEL.

Let us continue to drink from the Gospel which was maintained by the apostles through their writing (1 John 1:4) to experience the life-transforming joy of the Lord that strengthens us.

In Christ Alone

One of my favorite YouTube videos that never fails to preach to my soul:

Idol dethroned

The dearest idol I have known,
Whatever that idol be,
Help me to tear it from Thy throne,
and worship only Thee…

- William Cowper, “O For a Closer Walk with Thee”

Lamb Chop, Wrestling Match, and Jacob's Hip

That afternoon a mother was preparing a family meal in the kitchen when her son stepped out of his room. Little did he know that in the next few minutes he will encounter a profound truth that will forever change his life.

Mom: I am preparing a special meal. It's your favorite: Lamb chop.

Boy: Nice! But mother, why do you throw away the tendon part? Isn't that the yummy bits?

Mom: Son, there is a story behind it that we as Jewish people have passed on from generations to generations.

Boy: I've got 10 minutes before the game on TV is on, mother.

Mother: Since when do you put TV after your mother? Listen now. You remember the story of your great great ancestor Jacob who wrestled with God at Pniel?

Boy: O yeah, that poor guy. He wrestled with the the Lord, and went away limped for the rest of his life.

Mom: Yes, because the Lord touched the socket of his hip. Do you know that chapter in Genesis 32 ended with this: "Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob's hip was touched near the tendon."

Boy: Aha, so that's why we are tendon-free families.

Mom: Every time I prepare a meal for us, I am reminded of the story. Do you know what the Lord teaches us?

Boy: To never pick up a fight with someone bigger than us?

Mom: There is nothing further from the truth than what you just said. Our Lord teaches us that self-reliant, self-confident people like Jacob can never please God no matter how hard he tried.

Boy: But doesn't the Lord help those who help themselves?

Mom: No, son. Listen, many people today are quite like Jacob. Going through motions in their lives wrestling with something they thought will give them the true happiness, build their identity, and secure their worth. Jacob deceived his dad, ran away for his life from Esau who swore to kill him, deceived his uncle, worked hard to get Rachel. He did all he can to satisfy his heart only to be disappointed over and over again.

Boy: Yea, what a restless creature!

Mom: He would have lived his entire life in quiet desperation and gone to his grave with that same song had the Lord not intervened. When Jacob wrestled with the Lord, he was confronted by his sin of self-reliant. The Lord asked him "What is your name?" When he answered, "Jacob", that's his way of saying "I am a deceiver from birth, I cut corners to get the wish of my hearts using my own twisted brains. I am a sinful man."

Boy: O so that's what it means.

Mom: That's why although he was limping, he didn't let go our Lord until the Lord blesses him. The Lord did not crush Jacob with His omnipotent weight for the sinful things that Jacob did, but spared his life, blessed him, and transformed him into a new person called Israel.

Boy: Does that mean God always loves us no matter what? What about God's justice that Dad always told me about?

Mom: Glad you asked that. God was not being unjust when He did not crush the sinful Jacob. Because many centuries later on a night darker than that night at Pniel, the Lord crushed His own Son at Calvary. The prophet Isaiah wrote "he was crushed for our iniquities". He spared Jacob but did not spare His own son. Why? So that you and I who are not worthy to receive God's, who did not seek God but busy chasing after the things of the world, who in fact hated Him in the past, could and did receive His mercy and grace.

Boy: That's cool, mother. So Christ Jesus was crushed by His father so we who once were self-reliant people can be a people of God who rely on God, and live for Him in obedient gratitude.

Mom: Indeed, son, indeed!

Beauty Lost

We thank you, O God, for revealing Your Son through the life of Leah
The ugly duckling who went through her life of endless disappointments
Thrown in by her deceitful dad to be a substitute-bride for a man
Whose heart is always attached not to her but her beautiful sister

Unlovely and unloved, she tried with all her might to be loved
Bearing children for her husband, hoping he would love her
Praying daily 'If only my husband would love me as he would my sister'
Only to be ignored over and over again by her husband

Until one day her self-hated soul is touched with the Gospel of grace
When she understands that what matters is God's love for her
When she is chosen to be the Messianic seed despite her performance
So she can stop chasing after others' love, approval, and attention

It no longer matters how other people see her, her weak eyes and all
Because You, O Lord, love her as a Bridegroom loves His beautiful bride
The God of heavens chose the despised, the ugly, the rejected
What a story, what a mystery!

Until we realize that we were Leahs.
Unlovely because of our sin-ridden souls
Unloved by the world no matter how hard we try
But Lord, You love us and You make us lovely

Because Christ Jesus, Your Son, who is beautiful beyond description
Came to us in human form with "no beauty that we should desire him"
So that we who who are unlovely are made beautiful in Your eyes.
Christ lost His majestic beauty so that our ugliness is covered by His beauty

As Your heavenly bride, remind us each day O Lord
You didn't die for us because we are worthy
But because you died for us, we are made worthy
Our worth and lives rest secured in You

As Your heavenly bride, teach us each day O Lord
To never seek our happiness from this world nor praises from people
For not only will we be chasing disappointment after disappointment
But because we now know You alone are our happiness and praise

The Aroma of Christ

"For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient [1] for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ" (2 Corinthians 2:15-17).

These are mighty words. Paul Barnett in his commentary on the 2 Corinthians, page 53-55, unpacks these verses as follows:

If incense impinges on the senses, even though invisible, so to Paul’s ministry makes its presence felt. . . Although an aroma of sacrifice is unseen, its presence is unmistakable in the nostrils of the worshipper. The point of the metaphor is that although the word of God is also invisible, there is no doubting of its effects. It divides its hearers into two groups; those who are being saved and those who are perishing (verse 15). For those who receive the word of God the message is the fragrance of life, but for those who reject it there is the smell of death...

It is through us he says that God spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of God. The sacrificial lifestyle of the messenger is an extension of the ministry and death of Jesus himself… The message incarnated in the messenger is a fragrance of life to those who obey it, but to others it has the odour of death. Barrett comments that “the apostles are the smoke that arises from the sacrifice of Christ to God

He Bore Our Griefs

I stumbled upon this beautiful poem, He Bore Our Griefs, written by Jacob Revius. Very moving and relevant piece for these holy weeks:

No, it was not the Jews who crucified,
Nor who betrayed You in the judgment place,
Nor who, Lord Jesus, spat into Your face,
Nor who with buffets struck You as You died.

No, it was not the soldiers fisted bold
Who lifted up the hammer and the nail,
Or raised the cursed cross on Calvary’s hill,
Or, gambling, tossed the dice to win Your robe.

I am the one, O Lord, who brought you there,
I am the heavy cross You had to bear,
I am the rope that bound You to the tree,
The whip, the nail, the hammer, and the spear,
The blood-stained crown of thorns You had to wear;
It was my sin, alas, it was for me.

When Christ meets WIIFM

As an Indonesian-born Chinese, I instinctively know how deep the concept of 'gain and loss' is embedded in my life (and countless others who were brought up in Indonesia - and the rest of the world, for that matter). Our well-meaning parents typically teach us to approach every single issue with this one big idea: "How is that gonna benefit you?" If we make a silly decision or a foolish bargain, they will say "Shame on you. How could you not lose if you did that?" Such seemingly innocent remarks given repeatedly over a few critical years at young age cement in our mind a certain attitude that goes very far in our lives. We are wired to think: "What's in it for me?"

What's in it for me. WIIFM. That's the mantra we live by.

Nearly everyday we are led to believe that if we don't think "I, Me, My, Mine, and Myself", we won't last in this dog-eat-dog world. If you don't look out for yourself, no one will. Only the paranoid survive.

Find it hard to believe? Think again.

When it comes to choose a major, we assume it is only logical if we think along this line: Which one will give me the most opportunities to land in a most highly-paid, socially admirable, eternally secure job?

When it comes to getting to know new acquaintances, we wonder: Which ones of these folks who will at least allow me to reap half the benefit I give if I make some efforts to befriend them? Let see this couple has a social status I want to be associated with, she has very powerful friends who knows other powerful people, he is good with financial stuff, she is the queen of bargain stuff, he is a handy man I can always rely on, and so on.

When it comes to select a business opportunity, we will be remiss if we don't ask: Which one will give the greatest rate of return, so I can take my family to five-star overseas holiday every year, pay off that mortgage ASAP, or retire young?

When it comes to find a soul mate, we ask: Which man or woman will satisfy me the most first visually, then perhaps emotionally, relationally, intellectually, morally, spiritually, physically, etc. (often it's not in that order).

When it comes to choose a church, we muse: Which church will help me to experience the most enjoyable worship? The most inspirational sermons? The warmest fellowship? The nicest folks? The most gourmet snack after church?

. . . and so on (feel free to contribute to the list).

I am more and more convinced today that this WIIFM mindset is a huge barrier that stops us from personally coming face to face with Christ to experience inside out transformation. Of course we swim well along the religious tide in our Christian circles, but we never knew that our WIIFM tendency is in a major collision with Christ's terms.

WIIFM Christians always ask: How does following Christ benefit me?

If by knowing Christ, going to church, obeying the 10 Commandments, getting involved in the ministry, praying, fasting, tithing, I will be less likely to be infected with anything from flu virus to cancerous cells, I will be getting a great job and an ideal soulmate, I will be having obedient kids, I will have a comfortable life relatively free from stress-inducing problems, then HEY I WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO DO ALL THAT!

We serve the Lord and sacrifice our time, energy, and money to make him indebted to us that He owes us His blessings.
We lead a holy life and avoid sinful behavior so the Lord felt compelled to bless us with what we wish to get.

Christ Jesus is nothing but a means to an end. In our interaction with Him, we are the ones who hold the remote control, since we control how much we give and surrender to Him on the basis of what we can get out of Him. Either that or Christ is useless.

If we are willing to step aside from all the trapping of our religious circus, we will know that there are areas in our lives where we relate to Christ the way the Greeks relate to their gods. When I was little, I lived in a remote town in the deep end of East Java where the villagers there dutifully worship the goddess of the sea, Nyai Roro Kidul, of course while expecting something in return from the goddess. Safety, Fertility, Harmony, Peace, Comfort, Health, Success. I don't see much differences between the villagers and the 21st century suburban Christians in big cities.

WIIFM stops us from seeing Christ as He really is. We just don't get it, just as Judas never got it though He was always physically close to Christ. We never taste and see the majestic glory of God, the blinding holiness of God, the deafening love of God in Christ, the sweet grace of Jesus Christ, the astonishing death of Jesus Christ, and the life-altering resurrection power of Christ. We know all that intellectually of course, but never personally. We know that in group, but never alone one-on-one with Christ.

The only way to reverse this trend is not to try harder. But to turn to Christ and humbly cry:

Lord, please undo my WIIFM so I can see you for who you really are.
Save me from myself, from my relentless desire to control my life.
Save me from using You to get the things I wish and want.
Save me from moving on the road that leads to eternal destruction.

Turn me o Lord for the pig that I am who trample the pearl You gave me
Into a new creation, a fully spiritual human being who values the pearl
That is, Christ who came for me, the almighty became a single cell for me,
Lived the life I should have lived, and died the death I should have died.

Stop me Lord from asking what You can do for me in the future
by continually pondering what you have done for me in the past.

I don't want to make You a means of my success.
because I now see that You alone are my success.
I don't want to add You so I live a happy life
because I now see that You are my happiness

I don't want to ask You to find me the man/woman I love
because I now see that You alone are my true lover.
I don't want to use You for to get Your blessings
because I now serve You for Your intrinsic worth

I offer my life promptly and sincerely
For you alone are worthy O Lord.

God and Tragedy

Last Saturday 7 February went down in the Australian history not only as the hottest day on record, but also the darkest day. As of this very minute, 108 people dead and 750 homes and two towns wiped out. It is a national tragedy. The full coverage is here.

Let us pray for those who mourn the lost of their loved ones. We pray that "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your [their] hearts and your [their] minds in Christ Jesus."

The Scots' Church family retreat to be held in Maryville, one of the severely affected towns, had to be cancelled as the camp site was burnt down. Interstate reinforcement have descended in Victoria to help identify victims as I write these words.

The temperature shows 46.5 degrees in the city, and up to more than 47 degrees in a few towns. It was also very windy. When I opened the window, the wind felt like the desert wind, the kind typically blew in Las Vegas desert. What was truly remarkable on that day was that the 46 plus degree temperature dropped to 20 degrees in a matter of hours. In fact, the Bureau of Metereology reported that the temperature dropped about 10 degrees in less than 15 minutes. In a nutshell, Saturday 12pm was unbearably hot at 46 degree, but Sunday 12pm was rainy and cold at 20 degree.

Imagine two different overseas tourists stopping over in Melbourne only for the day, one on Saturday and the other one on Sunday. They would have had a big disagreement over the weather. "What do you mean it's cold? It was so hot I can boil egg in 3 seconds on top of my head." "You're out of your mind. It was wet and cold I had to put another layer on. So much for a great summer day."

I don't know what good one can deduce out of this tragedy. But I am sure it is not a random, meaningless event brought about by the mother nature who ran amok. God allowed it. God did it for a reason that we would be hard pressed to find out. He is not accountable to us His creation, that's perhaps the most important lesson that Job learned from God when he complained to God about his darkest day in his life. His infinite wisdom is far deeper than ours.

A few things are certain, however.

1. God shows to the people of Australia that He alone is sovereign. He alone is omnipotent. He is the Lord of creation who is capable to control the weather, fire, wind, snow, water, etc. And that other things people hold onto and rely upon are fragile. In fact, those things are idols that cannot give us security on earth, let alone eternal security. God alone deserves our utmost reliance. This perhaps is the most recent national reminder to people of Australia that their lives, without God, have no certainties whatsoever.

2. God shows us that our life is like a vapor, and without God that brevity of life is lived in vain. The ridiculous amount of wealth and asset we amass over the years in the end amount to nothing in the absence of God. Jesus once called a rich man who did the same "Fool!" I was reading these verses this morning, and was reminded of the futility of running after things of this world:

"And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him,'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God" (Luke 12:19-21)

3. For those who are God's purchased people, His promise in Romans 8:28 applied on Saturday. "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." We do not know what good can be drawn out of it, as I wrote above. And I don't want to pretend I know. But I know two things for certain:

a. God does not have to account for what He did or allowed to happened. He didn't have to answer it verbally. But He did not sit around doing nothing. He came in the midst of us, suffered with us emotionally and physically on the cross. Not only He showed solidarity to us human, but through His death and resurrection He gave us hope beyond death. He who experienced first hand the pain we feel as human shows us the way that death is not the ultimate thing. It does not have the final say. Jesus does. And in Him, we have the strength to carry on. In Him, we have hope beyond death.

b. This tragedy, to those whose lives are spared by God to see their loved ones gone, provides the loudest and clearest opportunity for them to acknowledge in the middle of this otherwise unbearable sadness that Christ is enough. Christ in sufficient. In Him alone one finds refuge, solace, and comfort. The happy times we have don't give us that perspective; on the contrary that blurs our devotion between God or Mammon. If we praise God when we get a promotion, pass an exam with flying colors, have a successful surgery, restore a broken relationship, it is easy for us to savor merely the blessings of God, but not God himself. Only difficult times provide the crystal clear opportunity to say with the Asaph

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever"(Psalm 73:25-26).

Photo above courtesy of The Age

Piper on Christ and Christian Sacrifice

An excellent 'sermon jam' from John Piper's keynote at the 2008 Together for the Gospel Conference entitled How the Supremacy of Christ Creates Radical Christian Sacrifice.

If you want to hear the whole sermon (it's worth doing, I did. Twice so far), you can find it here.