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  • Born Again: What It Is Not

    Read John 3:1-21

    Despite the wear and tear that come as a result of use (or overuse?) of the expression “born again,” I doubt if this biblical concept is well understood.

    I recently preached from John 3:1-21, the Scripture narrative in which “born again” is originally introduced by Jesus to a Pharisee named Nicodemus. I asked the people in the congregation what the expression meant to them. One said it’s about salvation. Another said it has to do with eternal life or “living without end.” Then another said that “some say” it has something do with religion. All of these answers were said in a tone that, to me, betrayed uncertainty.

    If believers themselves are unsure about what “born again” means, can we really blame the secular world if the expression is badly misunderstood, or if it conjures weird pictures of the so-called “born-again Christians”? I wouldn’t be surprised if such negative snapshots of believers can cause “allergic” reactions on people. Perhaps that is why some try to avoid those who are labeled (or label themselves) “born again.”

    So even though the Scripture text is a very familiar one—so familiar that in the past I tended to avoid it as a sermon text—I feel that there is still a need for me to revisit it. And I’d like to invite you to join me and together let’s take a very good look at the passage again. Hopefully, we can nail the meaning of the expression this time.

    To do that, we’re going to use what I’d call a “reverse approach,” that is, instead of immediately looking at what it is, we’ll begin with what it is not and in contrast to its real meaning as expressed in the words of Jesus.

    It is not about getting religion or more religion or better religion

    Jesus’ night time guest, Nicodemus, is a connoisseur of religion, if there is such a thing. He’s got religion and religion’s got him. Religion is his career. It is his life. It is everything to him. And since it’s always good to be ahead of the competition, Nicodemus may have been worried–perhaps even jealous–when Jesus appears on the scene.

    From the looks of it, if Nicodemus has 1,000 Facebook likes, Jesus has 100,000! And the latter’s increasing popularity seems unstoppable! Jesus may be a competition in the Who’s Who of religion, but because Nicodemus desperately wants to learn the secret of this rising preaching star. He’s got to see him… no matter what! Smart as he is, he comes to Jesus at night, apparently to avoid being seen and “unliked” by his “friends.”

    From what Nicodemus says to Jesus we can deduce that to him good religion is about getting God on your side. It’s about becoming God’s fave. Such divine favoritism is evidenced by one’s ability to perform “signs”—stuff that only God’s favorites are able to do.

    Some say that Nicodemus is nervous and doesn’t really know what to say to a celeb Rabbi whose name is Jesus. Maybe so but I tend to believe that thinking men think about what they’d say first before they’d say it. As a member of the Sanhedrin, “the Jewish ruling council,” as well as “Israel’s teacher” (vs. 1, 10), babbling in front of Jesus is out of the question—it’s just not good for his reputation!

    Immediately after Nicodemus uttered the last word of his introductory statement, Jesus points out the defect in his way of thinking: that what really matters as far as life in relationship with God is concerned is not religion, or getting more of it, or a better one.

    It is not about knowing some religious secrets or a key to gaining God’s favor so that one can do stuff that only God’s favorites can do.

    It is not about re-inventing yourself like a successful and very rich athlete who perhaps thinks that if he can be the champion in his kind of sport, what could possibly stop him from conquering not only the world of politics but also religion? As a popular “born-again Christian,” he can become the face and mouthpiece of the “born-again” religious movement. And despite his limited understanding of the Bible or the Christian faith, perhaps he now has the authority from God and considers it his duty to reprimand people, regardless of their rank or position, if they do not subscribe to a literal reading of the Bible!

    I hope I am wrong about the aforementioned person but from the way it looks, I may be right. And the sad thing is that religious leaders who are fans of his (or there to exploit him?) are not really helping. They seem to feed him the wrong thing and, for some reason, they appear to be in a hurry to lift him up to stardom in the arena of religion. But is that what he really needs?

    According to Jesus, no! What this champion athlete needs is not that kind of “born again” which is merely a religious label or as a way to get God on one’s side to do more religious stuff. Like Nicodemus what he really needs is to be born again in the real sense of the expression. But what is it really?

    “Born again” can also be rendered as “born from above” which I assume is in contrast to being “born from below,” which is earthly or man-made. To be born from above is absolutely wrought by the grace of God and takes place way before we recognize that the new life shaped by the Spirit of God is there.

    Like physical birth, the one who is born from above just realizes that he’s been born. And like a new-born baby that instinctively reaches for his mother’s breast, the one who has been born again takes spiritual nourishment from God and God’s word. As he opens his eyes he sees the kingdom of God, the spiritual realm where he’s been born and meant to live as a child of God.

    The one who has been born from above has been transformed by the Spirit of God and designed to live wholly and fully in an environment where the presence of the living and loving God is the very source of life—a spiritually abundant and wonderful life that only those who have been truly born again have experienced and know about!

    (To be continued…)

  • We Have the Spirit…Let’s Drink

    The title of this message seems appropriate in this place where alcohol is freely flowing—Vegas baby! Please don’t get me wrong: my purpose is not to take the message of Pentecost lightly. On other hand, if you feel that the title makes you thirst for something you have already given up, or thought you have already given up, read my lips: that is not my intention! But if you see that the title tends to radicalize the message of Pentecost, then, hey, let’s drink to it!

    In some churches today, Pentecost Sunday is a great opportunity for “P-type believers” (Pentecostals) to go dancing and praising God, perhaps more than they usually do on a regular Sunday. If your church service is ritualistic, bland, and boring, please don’t invite these P-type believers—they’d rather be in the Dancing with the Stars show than in your church! (Just kidding and I do not intended to offend my Pentecostal sisters and brothers in the Lord.)

    I wonder how many of you who, because of your boring church, have considered giving a try the “full of Spirit,” jolly and fast-growing church down the road. Yeah, why not? Over there, the “anointed preaching” of the tongue-speaking preacher could make his people literally shake, rattle and roll… perhaps in a way that would make Elvis Presley look like an amateur!

    But before you say goodbye to your boring church, please understand what it really means to be Pentecostal in the biblical sense. The way to do that is to read the Scripture, Acts 2:1-21, which may be the favorite passage of our Pentecostal sisters and brothers, and to really understand it.

    [Read Scripture]

    Filled with the Holy Spirit

    Believers agree that we all need the same filling-with-the-Holy-Spirit experience. It is in how they know that they actually have such an experience that they differ. Most, if not all, Pentecostals say that the only way to know that is if you speak in tongues, and so making the tongue the evidence for being filled with the Holy Spirit.

    But I think that misses the point. Why did the Holy Spirit enable the disciples to speak in tongues? The answer is to enable them to proclaim the good news of salvation in Christ clearly and effectively!

    The tongue was not the end; rather, it was a means to an end. The reason for speaking in tongues was not just so that the disciples might have wonderful ecstatic experience as a result of the Spirit of God coming to them; the goal was so that people understood the good news of salvation. Indeed as they spoke in other tongues “each one heard their own language being spoken.” In other words, the goal was more for the sake of the hearers rather than the speakers.

    I’m sure it was a great and wonderful experience to be filled with the Holy Spirit as it is still today, but let’s not forget that speaking in tongues was not the end but a means to an end. So if today the same end can be had without speaking in tongues or unknown languages why then should one insist that you and I have to speak in tongues?

    If we should be looking for evidence for being filled with the Holy Spirit, then I would say that the evidence is found not necessarily in speaking in tongues but in a powerful and effective way of communicating the good news of salvation: so that those that need to hear it, hear it in a clear and understandable way!

    They had too much wine

    Having said that, let me say loud and clear that while we do not make speaking in tongues a requirement, being filled with the Spirit of God is. We should not undermine the power of making a scene in a world whose attention is hard to get. And how can we do that without being filled with the Spirit of God?

    If today God would enable us to speak foreign languages to the millions that visit Las Vegas each month, then we should not resist it. I’d be glad to speak in tongues if that is what God wants. But is that the only way how God works? Of course not!

    Perhaps the reason why God may not enable us to speak in tongues today is because the people who come to Las Vegas already understand English! However, it seems to me that the key is not just the language but the manifestation of the Spirit of God as we prophesy which, in the context of our Scripture passage, does not mean to foretell or predict the future but to forth-tell or to simply proclaim the good news!

    How will the Spirit of God manifest his presence as we proclaim? I don’t know. God may just surprise as one who is always doing a new thing.

    How about the wonders and signs? Well, God said, “I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below” (v. 19) So don’t worry about wonders and signs because they are God’s works, not ours! All we need to do is to pray that God would help us do our part, and that is to proclaim the good news so that those that hear may call on the name of the Lord and be saved (v. 21).

    But here’s what I believe: if we are filled with the Spirit of God, then God will manifest his presence in a way that those that witness our proclamation of good news will notice something different…something out of ordinary…something divine.

    But if there are still those whose eyes do not see the presence of God despite the Spirit’s manifestation through us and make fun of us saying we are crazy, or weird, or, yes, even drunk, then we should give thanks! Why? Because such comment may be an indication that indeed we are drunk… but not with wine but with the Holy Spirit!

  • The Power of the Word

    Read Mark 1:21-28 

    What can words do? A lot!

    Imagine what a single word can do to a young man who’s been courting a girl for years and about to give up when all of a sudden she responds to his seemingly useless wooing with a ‘yes.’

    Sadly, however, if words can make one ecstatic, they can also make one’s life a tragic.

    Can words kill? No, not directly that is. But CBS News reports that “more than 150 children have taken their own lives in recent years because they were victims of harassment in school and online.” *

    We cannot undermine the power of speech because, indeed, words can either build or destroy!

    When it comes to the words of Jesus, his words have direct power. He simply speaks and the man possessed by an evil spirit is delivered. It is because of the power of the words of Jesus that, as a teacher, he was perceived as “one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.”

    I don’t think that the teachers of the law were bad teachers, or that they did not teach the truth. Speaking the truth, however, does not make one a person of authority. If it does, then the man possessed by an evil spirit was a person who had authority because he truthfully declared Jesus: “I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” (v. 24b).

    What makes Jesus different is that his words are the very words of the Word. In the first chapter of the Gospel of John the evangelist declares: “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

    In the creation story in Genesis 1 the phrase “And God said” jumps out of the text as it is repeatedly used to show how God created. In the Gospel of John, “the Word of God” is not just some verbal utterance but a person, namely, Jesus.

    Jesus speaks with authority because he is a person of authority. He is the Lord and, therefore, every word he utters is the very word of God.

    God’s word is not just meant to declare truth, however important that maybe.  In the first place, we notice that the Word of God acted in creation. Then, in this Gospel narrative, we see the Word being active in redemption because, although everything God created “was very good” (Gen. 1:31), at some point evil entered the world and tried, and still do, to “possess” God’s creation, especially the human race.

    The deliverance of the demon possessed man in the synagogue illustrates the insidious influence of evil. But, more importantly, it shows the power of the Word to deliver and redeem and restore.

    And, I believe, that the Word will do the final act of re-creation in the making of “a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Pet. 3:13).

    On a personal level, our relationship with the Word can change our lives in a very powerful way. We may not like comparing ourselves to the demon-possessed man in this Gospel story but the truth is, evil has also gotten hold of us. The good news, Jesus, the Word, can redeem and restore us if we put our faith in him. If we do, then we can also look forward to our eternal home—not heaven, which is a temporary “residence” of the faithful who die, but the “new heaven and new earth”!

    (Thank you for reading. Please make your thoughts known and write your comment. And if this is worth reading, please share it with your friends. -Ed)

  • The End of the World

    Read 2 Peter 3:10-13

    A Discover Magazine article has a list of  “20 Ways the World Could End.” The Bible has only one. And it declares it in a matter-of-fact way: “The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare” (v. 10).

    Now that’s pretty scary. Is it going to happen in 2012? Despite NASA’s assurance that “Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012,” a vast number of people are getting ready for doomsday.

    “Worried Americans are rushing to buy everything from £17 survival guides to £32,000-per-person places in bunkers that are marketed as being both nuclear bomb and asteroid-proof,” Tom Leonard (www.dailymail.co.uk) reports.

    “But it’s not just America. Mayan apocalypse converts have started flocking to Bugarach, a tiny hilltop town in the foothills of the Pyrenees.” And Leonard adds, “The 200-strong local community has had to contend with 20,000 visitors since the start of last year, and the French government is worried about the threat of mass suicides.”

    Since the end is associated with “the day of the Lord” which “will come like a thief,” who knows when the world will end? And because the Bible declares a total devastation by fire (“everything will be destroyed”), who will be spared?

    “But”–here’s good news–“in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (v. 13). Those who believe and made righteous through faith in Christ (Romans 5:19), will find their resurrected selves in “a new heaven and a new earth.”

    For those who believe in Christ the end will be a new beginning.

     

     

  • Jesus: “You will see greater things…”

    Read John 1:43-51

    On some hot and humid day, the best thing to do is do nothing.  A good place to do just that: under the shade of broad-leafed fig tree. And if it’s too hot to go elsewhere for some snacks, the tree might offer some sweet refreshment as well!

    But perhaps Nathanael was just killing time under the tree. Or, maybe, he got tired walking around with Philip and needed some rest.

    We can make all kinds of conjectures about what’s up with Nathanael but, in reading the story, you get the feeling that his day was like most days… uneventful… ordinary… boring.

    Before the day was over, however, his friend, Philip, found him. And before he could say anything, Philip breathlessly blurted what seemed to be the most important thing ever:  “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

    But skeptic Nate was quick with his wit: “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”

    How can you convince a guy who seemed to have made up his mind about something? Well, try Philip’s trick because it worked!

    “Come and see,” that’s all that he said… and Nate came and saw!

    And look what he saw! He saw Him that knew him before they saw each other and who said to him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

    Surprised that Jesus knew him a lot better than some people that knew him did, he asked, “How do you know me?”“I

    “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

    What a strange thing to hear from someone you’ve just met! And if you were Nate, you’d probably wonder, Who is this guy?

    But the moment he heard those words, Nate remembered what his friend Philip said about him. And immediately he believed that Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph, was indeed the Messiah!

    But that was just the beginning of this strange but wonderful experience with Jesus. Jesus said, “Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than that.”

    True to his promise, Jesus performed many miraculous signs, the first of which was at the wedding in Nate’s hometown. There, in Cana, Jesus turned water into wine!

    “You will see greater things…”

    As we ponder upon these words of Jesus, we may ask the question, Is this promise also for the rest of us who have followed Jesus?

    Yes!

    How do we know that?

    Well, the pronoun “you” is plural, which implies that the promise is not just for Nate but to all that read this story and respond to the call and follow Jesus.

    And, indeed, the Lord appears to be in the habit of showing great things to people, especially to those that call upon him.

    Jeremiah 33:3, a verse a lot of us know, has this wonderful promise: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (NKJV).

    But why is it that our experience is often devoid of these “great and mighty things”?

    I can only speak for myself, really. But if you are like me, then your walk with Jesus is perhaps more cerebral than spiritual… more talk than walk.

    People that make good use of their brain, which is often a good thing, have the tendency to be more intellectual than spiritual and experiential and practical in their walk with the Lord. The thing is, we are to love the Lord, not only with all our mind but also with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength (Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27).

    The other day Averell, a theologian friend, posted on Facebook the following quote from Danish philosopher, theologian and religious author Søren Kierkegaard which a Bible scholar friend and I liked:

    It is only all too easy to understand the requirements contained in God’s Word (“Give all your goods to the poor.” “If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the left.” “If anyone takes your coat, let him have your cloak also.” “Rejoice always.” “Count it sheer joy when you meet various temptations” etc.). The most ignorant, poor creature cannot honestly deny being able to understand God’s requirements. But it is tough on the flesh to will to understand it and to then act accordingly. Herein lies the problem. It is not a question of interpretation, but action. (“Provocations”)

    When Nathanael believed, Jesus did not say to him, “Good, Nate. Your answer is correct. I am the Messiah.”

    Instead, he said to him, “You will see greater things…”

    Perhaps the reason why ‘greater things’ is not a regular part of our experience is because we are more interested in knowing what ‘greater things’ mean rather  than seeing and experiencing them!

    The other week I told an “advanced” Bible study group that, since they had “graduated” from “basic stuff” of the Christian faith, rather than me deciding the topic, they decide  what they want us to tackle.

    The first thing topic they chose was a controversial one: “Slain in the Holy Spirit.”

    I was apprehensive because the group is a mixture of believers whose church backgrounds include Fundamental, Evangelical, Catholic, Pentecostal, Methodist or another mainline denomination.

    Some of those that were from a non-Pentecostal background were strongly opposed to the idea because the Holy Spirit, rather than “slay,” gives life to those that believe in Jesus.

    After looking at the Scripture texts that proponents use to defend the experience of being “slain in the Spirit,” we all agreed that “slain in the Spirit” was not well supported and the concept was problematic. In all those Scripture texts, however, we noticed a common denominator: people’s special encounter with the Lord that affected or changed their lives.

    One such good example is  Saul’s encounter with Lord on the way to Damascus. It turned his life around—he stopped persecuting believers and became a believer himself and an apostle of Jesus! (Acts 9:1-19).

    Saul’s dramatic encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus was  his first great experience. And it was followed by the many other great experiences as a follower of Jesus and as an Apostle known by the name of Paul. God performed  many “signs and wonders” not only for but also through him (see e.g., Acts 14:3; Acts 15:12).

    Is it because Paul was special that he, and those like him, alone could see and experience great and mighty things?

    I don’t think so?

    So what’s the secret?

    There is really no secret because to everyone that Jesus says “Come and follow me” he also gives the promise, ““You will see greater things…”

    So why is it that we don’t often see those great and mighty things? Perhaps the reason is because we do not always follow the Lord the way we should—wholeheartedly.

    But we can do something about that.

    If we want our Christian life to be exciting rather than boring, we should love the Lord not only with all our mind but also with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our strength. And we should stick with Jesus, for it is only by being present that we can witness the Lord’s mighty hand doing wondrous things! Amen.

  • Intimate things about a ‘Facebooking’ God

    Mark 1:9-11 (NIV)

    9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

    —

    Facebook has changed our lives forever. Thanks–but no thanks?–to Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, Time Magazine’s 2010 Person of the Year.

    People have things to say about Facebook. Here’s one from Facebook user Marketta Phillips: “I love and hate facebook because it has reconnected me with people, connected me to people I would probably not have met as easily and has kept me connected to people (even after you have blocked them) that I have tried to get rid of.”

    Whatever our feelings are toward Facebook, life is no longer the same for those of us who use it. We voluntarily give up our privacy when we willingly share some intimate things with Facebook friends whose friends, who can be total strangers, may be able to see them, too!  But despite the risks of using Facebook, over 800 million active users have returned to the site in the last 30 days!* 

    Personally, I like using Facebook. Of course there are times when I wish some girl friends wouldn’t always post pictures of them  that make them look like they are candidating to become models for a magazine for men, or flaunt to the world what they’ve bought during their last shopping spree. But overall, I like Facebook and Facebooking.

    Through Facebook I’ve made some good friends with whom I can share stuff: fun, prayer concerns, ideas, etc. Some of these friends I’ve never met before, nevertheless, to me, they are good friends. The other day I made this comment on the status of one such friend who was celebrating his birthday: “Strange it may be but some of my good friends I haven’t met in person yet I know them better than some of my neighbors!”

    I think it’s a wonderful thing that a friendship can grow even between people who have not seen each other face to face. And the good news is that, in our relationship with God, the same thing can happen. We haven’t really seen God or Jesus, that is, literally or face to face. But thanks be to a ‘Facebooking’ God!–we can know some of the intimate things about our heavenly Father and his Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

    Here’s what we find on God’s “Facebook status” today: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” God the Father willingly shares with us and to all the world his intimate relationship with the Son. God introduces his Son to us and and invites us to partake in the divine love by “adding” Jesus as friend so that we may know  more about him, and by knowing him we’ll know  more about our loving God! And when we who are friends of Jesus become friends as well, then that divine love that takes place in the Godhead can become part of our experience if we let the love of God be the venue and occasion for our relationship.

    Yes, a heavenly experience of a loving relationship with God and with with one another can be had even while we live in this fallen world! But first, we have to add Jesus as friend.

    ___

    *http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?factsheet

  • A Clean Slate

  • Let’s Get Digital

    You won’t make any money from self-publishing.

    MYTH!

    The internet has revolutionized every business it has come into contact with, and publishing is no different.

    For the first time, these changes are handing power back to the writer. It’s up to YOU if you want to profit from them.

    Let’s Get Digital: How To Self-Publish, And Why You Should.

    This guide contains over 60,000 words of essays, articles, and how-to guides, as well as contributions from 33 bestselling indie authors including J Carson Black, Bob Mayer, Victorine Lieske, Mark Edwards, and many more.

    Click here to read more.

     

  • Want to be somebody someday?

    Read: James 4:13-17

    The world around has been telling us that if we do the “right” steps–and they usually exclude knowing the will of God–then we can do whatever we want and we can be whatever we choose to become.  But in our Scripture text today, there is a reminder to remember, an advice to prize, and a warning that can sting if we don’t heed it.
    –
    The reminder:
    13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
    .
    The advice:
    15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
    .
    And the warning:
    16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
    .
    Remember the reminder, prize the advice, and heed the warning to avoid its sting.

  • Begin to look the gorgeous you!

    Read: 1 Timothy 4:1-11

    About a couple of months ago a friend of mine offered to check my blood pressure after checking his. I said OK. I was confident that mine would be normal as it always had been. But to my dismay it was high–within the hypertensive level! I went to see a doctor who gave me two options: a mild medication or I diet and exercise. I chose the latter.

    We do not take our health for granted. During the holidays, some of us ate more and exercised less. Perhaps now we’re trying to reverse that. But there is another area of our life that we should even be more concerned about. And our Scripture text speaks directly to the issue: 

    7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

    We need spiritual training. Like in physical training, we do not have to start with a regimen that is way beyond our ability to do. Sometimes we, preachers, give people the impression that for them be spiritually healthy they need to be just like us–deep in theological understanding. (Sometimes we become “too deep” that we speak like we’re from another planet and yet tend to blame people when they don’t get it! Sorry.) Well, bear in mind that theology is also our “bread and butter” so, like physical trainers who spend all day and all week in the gym, you shouldn’t be surprised if you see some bulging “spiritual muscles” among some pastors or preachers.

    But just as muscles as huge as watermelons are not required for one to become healthy, and so eating healthy and walking regularly is a sufficient daily regimen, so for most believers a daily “walk with the Lord” may be enough. Unless, of course, one wants and have the time for more. The simple advice of an old Sunday School song “Read your Bible, pray everyday” is still good. And don’t worry about those stuff you don’t understand. Here’s our little secret: theologians and so-called Bible scholars don’t understand everything either!

    Indeed it’s a laudable thing to “move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity” (Hebrews 6:1). But let us not assume that the “intermediate” or “advance” teachings are all tough stuff. In our text, which I think has something to do with maturity (“godliness,” and therefore “beyond the elementary teachings”), the instruction is quite simple and straightforward: “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales….” And so are the other teachings in this passage. So don’t worry about whether or not you have the right spiritual regimen. If you read your Bible–with the determination to understand what you can and apply them–and pray everyday, I think you’ll be OK.

    “Read your Bible, pray everyday and you’ll grow, grow, grow!”

  • Want to be successful in 2012?

    Read: Proverbs 2:1-9

    We often assume we need to be wise to, well, live wisely and successfully. But what is a wise person? Let me suggest the definition found in verse 9: a wise person is one who understands “what is right and just and fair–every good path.”

    And how do we get there from wherever we are now in terms of wisdom? We are to pursue it–

    2 turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding
    3 indeed, if you call out for insight
    and cry aloud for understanding,
    4 and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure, 

    And here’s where wisdom for believers leads and results in: they will be in awe of God and become successful–

    5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
    and find the knowledge of God.
    6 For the LORD gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
    7 He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
    8 for he guards the course of the just
    and protects the way of his faithful ones.

    People often think of success as something related to money. But as believers, we should think in terms of doing the will of God using the wisdom the Lord gives. Although God has given some believers the ability to make money, yet we should think of success as not just the shallow pursuit of financial success or “freedom” but of God’s kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

    To succeed as a believer, pursue wisdom and God’s kingdom.

  • What do you do with people you don’t like?

    Read: Luke 6:27-36

    The second day of 2012 is like coming down from a mountain-top experience. There’s the messy kitchen to clean up and laundry to do. Or, worse for some, going back to a job they hate and working with people they don’t like very much.

    But such is life. However, instead of just living with our realities we can make a change that would drastically change our attitude toward others and make life better: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

    Easier said than done, I know. But we are not without help. God, who is love, can fill our hearts with, well, love–a love that is big enough to include even our enemies.

    So today, why not let God love through you? Think of people you don’t like and name them one by one. As you do, pray for each of them. And if you have the chance, do good to them. Then wait and see what happens.

    Love is something you can do when the Lord of love is in you.

  • Something Worth Treasuring and Pondering

    Read Luke 2:15-21

    ________________

     

    Amazing

    One of CNN’s Top 10 Newsfeed the other day had this warning for a headline: Don’t Get Caught Using These Banned Words in 20121 

    Guess what word tops the list.

    “Amazing”!

     

    Amazing is one of the abused and overused words that people want banned.

    And someone blames Martha Stewart “because to her, EVERYTHING is amazing!”

     

    Here’s an example:

    Martha tastes binagoongan, a Pinoy dish of pork and shrimp paste, and she goes, “Amazing!”

     

    If Martha  really likes binagoongan, then the use of amazing is OK. But if not, you be the judge.

     

    Here’s another one:

    After watching Pinay singing sensation Charice sang “I Always Love You” in the style of Whitney Houston, Martha goes, “Amazing!”

     

    Do you think it’s a good use of the word?

     

    Let’s try this one:

    Martha is found guilty, sentenced, and taken to jail.

    The moment she steps into her prison cell, Martha goes, “_______!”

     

    Right, “Amazing!”

    What?!

     

    Despite the abuse and overuse of the word, I really don’t think amazing should be banned.

    What should be banned is the misuse of the word.

    Thing is, implementing that is really impossible.

    In our Gospel story today the verb form of the word appears: “amazed.”

    It is used to translate the reaction of the people who heard the shepherd’s revelation about Mary’s child:

     

    “17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”

     

    So what is amazing in what the shepherds said?

    The shepherds simply retell the angels’ revelation to them concerning the child.

    And so we need to take a look at what they heard from the angel of the Lord to find out what’s amazing.

    Here it is:

     

    11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

     

    That a Savior has been born in the town of David gives the shepherds and those that heard them a clue that the child lying in a manger is not just an ordinary child.

    This baby, Mary’s child, is going to be king!

    I almost sure that the moment the people heard the revelation about Mary’s child, immediately their imaginings took them to that glorious and prosperous kingdom ruled by King David, a kingdom they were wishing for.

     

    But as they look at this helpless child lying in a manger, it’s hard to believe he will be king.

    Much less a king who will be like David!

    The place where Mary gave birth was probably not as bad as painters, and some preachers, would depict it.

    Most likely, they were in a sleeping quarter intended for animal caretakers and were not really sharing a room with animals.

    Nevertheless, the Savior, the Messiah, this child who would be king is not born in a palace but in this humble place.

    And that indeed is surprising… amazing!

     

    “But…”

    That’s how Luke begins his description of Mary’s response to the revelation about her child.

    Why a word of contrast?

    Why not just say, “And Mary…”?

     

    There must be a reason.

    I think Luke wants his readers to see the contrast between people’s astonished reaction and Mary’s calm response to the revelation by the angel of the Lord through shepherds:

     

    “19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

     

    I think there’s more to see here than just the manner in which people and Mary responded.

    I would compare the people’s response to how people today generally respond to God and God’s word: superficial and shallow.

    Like those seed that fell in the rocky ground in the Parable of the Sower, they gladly receive the word.

     

    21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

     

    Indeed, many of those who followed Jesus rejected him in the end.

    They loved the picture of Jesus with the golden crown, and not the Jesus with the crown of thorns!

    And many today love the Jesus who sits on the throne—a great benevolent king who can provide them with everything they want!

     

    “If this Jesus can give me a job, heal me of my ailments, make me successful and rich, then I will follow him.”

    Unfortunately for those who expect a Savior who would reign like King David, Jesus does not wear a golden crown.

    He does not overthrow the Romans of the past and the present and sits on a glorious throne like his ancestor David.

    The only crown he wears is the crown of thorns.

    The crown of thorns which symbolizes the Lord’s sacrificial act of redemption, not the golden crown, secures for us another crown: the crown of life.

    But somehow we prefer the golden crown.

    We want the golden crown of peace, prosperity, and perfection… and we want it NOW!

    And what do we sometimes do when we don’t get it?

    We leave Jesus.

     

    Backsliders

    That’s what we sometimes become when we don’t we don’t get what we want.

    We become backsliders when our faith gets cold and we go back to our old selfish way of living.

     

    But there’s something worse than a backslider: an apostate.

    One becomes an apostate by falling away from the faith.

    I hope that none of us will become an apostate.

    Why? Because that would be the most dreadful thing that could happen to a follower of Jesus.

    In Hebrews 6, the Bible says,

     

     4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen[c]away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 

     

    What must we do then to prevent that from happening?

    I believe that our response to the love of God in Jesus should be one that goes beyond being amazed.

    Our response to the grace of God shouldn’t just be a “Wow!” or a selfish seeking of God’s blessings.

    Instead, it should be a selfless seeking of God’s kingdom and righteousness.

     

    Don’t get this wrong because we are not speaking against seeking God’s blessings.

    There’s nothing wrong about asking God’s help us become materially prosperous in this world, especially if we intend to use our wealth to serve God.

    And indeed, God can help us accomplish our plans that are within God’s will.

    It is against seeking the blessings to fulfill selfish ambitions and desires that we are speaking against.

     

    God wants to bless us.

    There is absolutely no question about that.

    In fact God has taken the initiative to bless us and that without us asking for it.

     

    If you feel that you have not yet been blessed by God and think that you’ve been deprived of God’s blessings, the truth of the matter is that God “has (already) blessed us (and that includes YOU) in the heavenly realms with (what?) every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

     

    Since that is so what is our proper response to a very generous God?

    We are to bless God!

    That’s exactly what the beginning of the verse literally says: “Bless God…who has blessed us…”!

     

    Going beyond seeking for God’s blessings to seeking to bless God is a sign of a deeper spiritual life.

    It reveals a deeper relationship with Jesus, whose name means “the Lord that saves.”

    Now how do we develop a deeper commitment to the Lord who has been wonderfully gracious to us and saved us from the penalty of sin, continues to save us from the power of sin and, in the end, in glory, from the presence of sin?

     

    I suggest that we respond to the grace of God in Jesus the way Mary did.

    In contrast to the people’s reaction, Mary’s response went beyond being amazed—

     

    “19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

     

    The word of the Lord was planted in Mary’s heart like a seed planted on very good soil.

    You may be thinking: Of course, Mary was the mother of Jesus, that’s why he responded the way she did.

     

    True.

    But aren’t we all supposed to respond like her?

    If so, how does it actually work out?

     

    Indeed the depth of Mary’s response was brought about by her special experience that no one ever had and will ever have.

    Being the channel through whom the Savior was born Mary’s spiritual experience with Jesus was unique and deep.

     

    But, added to that, she was a willing ally in the fulfillment of God’s word.

    When the angel Gabriel told her that she, a virgin, would conceive through the Holy Spirit and give birth to a son, she said,

     

    “I am the Lord’s servant…. May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38)

     

    That, I believe, is a very important point.

    Like Mary we can choose to be a servant of God and an ally in the fulfillment of God’s word.

    Mary’s child may be the Savior of the world, but for now she knows he is a helpless child who needs to be picked up and nurtured by her.

     

    The Savior that Mary gave us was not a child but an adult.

    But before Jesus acted out his name and became “the Lord that saves,” Mary had to feed him, wash him, wipe his butt, teach him and had him circumcised.

    Mary did all things a good mother would do for her child!

     

    As the mother of Jesus, Mary must have been very proud of her son.

    She knew he was special, not in the sense that we use the term in America today, but special in the sense that Mary could not fully comprehend.

    Her child was literally from God and was “God with us.”

     

    Knowing what the angel said, that her child was conceived through the Holy Spirit, Mary must have wondered, “What child is this?”

    And so when she heard what the shepherd’s said about her child, she cherished everything she heard and reflected on them.

     

    Treasuring and Pondering

    I believe that this treasuring and pondering of the revelation about her son helped Mary fulfill her role as the mother and a follower of Jesus.

    What was the reward of Mary, the blessed among women, for doing God’s will?

    For sure she did not become the mother of a king.

    She did not become rich.

    Her life was not perfect.

    And she did not live in perfect peace—

    For how can a mother be at peace having a son whose life his enemies were seeking to take?

     

    In the end, like her son, Mary became poor.

    How?

    By giving her son away so that through her poverty we might become rich.

     

    When Jesus was crucified, she, too, felt being crucified with him!

    Why was Mary willing to suffer all this?

    Because Mary was willing to do the will of God.

     

    So she gave birth and delivered a son whom she delivered to the world so that the world might be delivered from sin through him.

    God sent his son, but his son had to become a son of Mary first before he could become the Son of Man—Savior, Messiah and coming King.

     

    All this, Mary was able to do because of the depth of her commitment.

    And her kind of commitment is what the Lord seeks in those that follow him.

    How then can we have such deep commitment to the Lord?

    I believe that we can become like Mary in her commitment if we, too, respond to God’s word like Mary did.

    Then we, too, can “deliver” the Savior to the world.

     

    Mary’s response to the revelation about Jesus went beyond “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound…”

    So should ours.

    And when our commitment becomes as deep as Mary’s, then perhaps there will be a time when we can truthfully sing,

     

    Through many dangers, toils and snares
    I have already come;
    ‘Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
    and Grace will lead me home.

    —

    1Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/12/30/dont-get-caught-using-these-banned-words-in-2012/#ixzz1i55Kcv6s

     


  • Spread the Word: “Do not be afraid…”

    Read Luke 2:1-20 

    When we think of Christmas we begin to have this nice, warm feeling. Indeed, how can we not have such good feeling? Our past experiences of Christmas were mostly, if not all, pleasant. Today, Christmas Day, everything around us—the scents, sights, sounds, and, what else, mmm…  sarap (the smell of good food)—seem to conspire to give us that Christmassy feeling.

    In the Philippines, Christmas is a long season that begins on the first month that ends with a “ber,” continues on to New Year’s Day and lasts until the Feast of the Magi or “Three Kings” on January 6. So when I talk about Christmas bear in mind that long season of celebration.

    Since I was a kid, Christmas has been a pleasant experience for me. But not at the very beginning.  I was born on New Year’s Day, right within the very first hour, so the cacophonous and confusing sound of the world I was born into was just the exact opposite of a quiet and peaceful world that I came from: my mother’s womb.

    Do you remember anything when you were in your mother’s womb? Well, when I was in my mother’s womb…. Just kidding! No, I don’t really have any memory of  my “womby” life, and I don’t have any memory of my birth …except that I remember how good looking I was when I was born! (That’s really according to my mother!)

    Seriously now, when I was a little boy—not to say that I’m now a big boy!—I was scared to death whenever I heard those firecrackers!  So I assume that when I was born those firecrackers traumatized me! I would go behind my mother’s saya (a huge skirt)–or inside it!– but those loud and scary firecrackers and watusis—small firecrackers that when rubbed against a rough surface crackles into little sparks and jumps around—seemed to chase me wherever I went and I really had nowhere to hide, and I was just terrified!

    They were terrified

    Because of that terrifying experience I can appreciate that the shepherds in this Christmas story in Luke were at first scared:

     “9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.”

    The story of Christmas, as far as the shepherds were concerned, started like a scary movie. Yeah, it was an angel of the Lord, but who sees an angel every day? If a strange figure in white would appear to you in a dark night, wouldn’t you be scared? I would! And yes, the light that shone around them was the glory of the Lord, but who really can tell between the glory of the Lord and St. Elmo’s fire or, as we call it in Tagalog, Santelmo?

    But the shepherds’ fear I’m sure went deeper than that. They knew from history that in the past they were enslaved in Egypt, and while exiled in Babylon, life for them as a people became hard. Now, under the Romans, life was no better and they were afraid for them, their future and the future of their children and their children’s children.

    Do not be afraid

    But tonight, the words of the angel of the Lord calmed their fear and assured them that it was OK.  The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.” Why? Because…

    I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

    Just as I realized that Christmas was not a season to fear but a season to celebrate, so the shepherds’ fear turned into joy and celebration! And they were not alone in their celebration because suddenly a “praise band” of angels appeared, praising God and saying,

     14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

    They had a great experience. If something like that should happen in America today, I would not be surprised if somebody would start a church and perhaps call it “The First Church of the Joyful Shepherds.” The problem with some American churches, however, is that they may have everything, including a praise band, but because they have everything they forget about the Savior who gave them everything!

    Not so the shepherds!

    Let’s go to Bethlehem

     15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

     16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 

    The shepherds were not content with just hearing. They did not stop in that joyful worship experience with the heavenly praise band. They had to see and encounter the Savior in person. So they said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem….”

    So they went to Bethlehem…

    17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 

    So the shepherds did not just hear about the Savior. They had this personal encounter with the Savior. Having heard the good news and seen the Messiah, they, too, can now tell others about the Savior!

    And what became of these shepherds who were initially terrified? They were no longer a fearful group. They became a happy band of shepherds. Yes, they themselves became, in their own way, a praise band! How do we know that? Here’s what it says about them in the end…

    20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

    So, are you afraid of anything?

    Don’t be. Why? Because the Savior is born. Jesus can save you from fear itself, and he can give you peace.

    Afraid of death? Jesus offers eternal life.

    Afraid of the future or the unknown? Afraid that of the rumor that the world will end in 2012? Afraid that you might lose your job or means of living? Don’t be. Jesus holds the future!

    In Jesus you can live a fear-free life. But first you need to encounter  Jesus in a personal way, as the shepherds did. Believe in him as your Savior and Lord. Receive him and let him be born in your heart. When you do, you will be born-again into a new life—a life free from fear. And then, you, too, can begin to spread the word: “Do not be afraid.”


  • On Christmas, think about this: Why do you do what you do?

    “His Name Shall Be Called Wonderful” by Simon Dewey

    Read: 1 Corinthians 15:50-58

    Believe it or not, I don’t get paid for this and a lot of other things I am doing. So why do I do them?

    Everything I do is a response to the love of God:  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only (or only begotten) Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). I think that we’ll appreciate the love of God more if we  know the true value of God’s gift to us: Jesus.  And when we do, we’ll respond to the love of God in a deeper and greater way.

    Scriptures reveal Jesus to us. The opening of the Gospel of John declares: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (1:1-4).  It is quite clear that Jesus is presented here as one who was (still is) God. If you believe in Scriptures as the Word of God, then this is a revelation you must accept.

    In addition, you must also believe the other revelation, that the Word who was God became human: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (v. 14). Thus the Word who was God and became human is appropriately called Immanuel, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). This phenomenon, the union of deity and humanity in Jesus, which theologians call the hypostatic union, is not easy to comprehend. But that’s okay. In the same way as, for example, we appreciate the universe although it seems infinitely so vast and our knowledge of it is quite limited,  so we don’t have to understand things completely to appreciate them. The important thing is that we have a better appreciation of what God has done in giving Jesus to us.

    Christmas is a time to celebrate the gift of God. But the story of the gift of God in Jesus does not end in the Savior’s birth. Christmas is just the beginning. It does not end in the death of Jesus, either. It goes on and on, for the gift of God will never end. It is eternal! The moment we believe in Jesus we receive God’s gift of eternal life (John 3:16). However, experiencing the completeness of life will not take place until “the last trumpet” sounds (vs. 51-54):

    Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

    The gift of a loving God in Jesus is eternal life. Jesus was born as a human being. He died on the cross for our redemption. But he rose again! So those of us who believe in him will no longer “perish” but that through him we have eternal life!  It is in response to this great love of God that I do what I do. And I believe, as Scriptures says, that my “labor in the Lord is not in vain” (v. 58). How about you? Why do you do whatever you do? I hope that the same Scripture will encourage you and, if it already has, will continue to motivate you:

    “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).