Sunday, July 27, 2008

Inspiring sermon

These past few post I am talking about speakers in church (at least in my church:P ). I am writing this on Sunday afternoon after attending the morning service. This time, the sermon was quite ok except for one part. The speaker said, "The committee asked me to speak an inspiring sermon this morning (it was a Sunday to sort of promote Christian discipleship through Bible study)". And he said nothing more. Not long after that , in the opening prayer, he said, "Lord, may you speak your Word to us". [the words are not exact].

So, I am wondering, is the words of the sermon the speaker's own inspiration or is it truly from God? In my view, the speaker's own mouth has spoken that its because of his skill that makes his sermon inspiring. This leads to a question: is a sermon good because of the speaker's public speaking skills or is it good because God is truly speaking through the speaker?

I acknowledge that a certain degree of skill in speaking in front a lot of people is good but one must acknowledge that in the end, God is the one who speaks to the hearts of the people. One can be the best public speaker with fiery speeches but if God is not in there, it will not make a lasting impact on people. The speaker will only be remembered as a good and powerful speaker but whatever he said may not be remembered.

3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

1 Corinthians 2:3-5

The verse above is self-explanatory. Think about it.

Soli Deo Gloria!


Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Imagine--A Poem

I have seen a world
Where no mortal feet have trod
Nor material eyes have gazed
Nor hands of flesh have touched

Yet it is still a place
Where my wishes are realized
What is not shall be
What is shall not be

Behold the brave warrior
Strong in physique, brave at heart
Unmatchless zeal for my king
Whose commands are my will

Look! A fleet-footed archer!
Matchless in skill
By hand or by foot
Piercing foes with frightening fear

Look upon the proud general
In full regalia and valor
Walking tall and straight
Commanding battalions under him

Or consider the wise sage
Scholar of the ages,
Full of wisdom and knowledge
Guiding all those who seek it

I can be an honorable lord
Among all the house of lords
Respected by all, looked up by many
Who seek justice against injustice



Or consider the humble merchant
Uncorrupt in all his dealings
Friendly and trustworthy
And still possessing everything

Look upon the lover,
Calling out to his beloved,
“Fairest beloved, Lily of the Valley,
Wilt you accept mine hand?”

Honor to the high prince’s guardian
Highest among highest, greatest among greatest
Closest confidante, trustworthy friend
Bodyguard yet also a brother

This is a world
The concoction of my dreams
Soon I must return to Reality
For there is where I truly am

Do dreams leak into Reality?
Where is the seam which doth separate both?
Will the endless laboring of strongest hands
Work to tear that seam?

uNkNowN

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

The Church is a Hospital....really?

“The church should be a spiritual hospital. It should not only be a fellowship of saints but also includes sinners.” How often we hear these words being spoken as an analogy of the church? I recently heard it again last Sunday. After some thought, I begin to see that the phrase has little biblical support, especially the second part of the phrase. (the phrase is not in its exact words but sounds something like that)

“The church should be a spiritual hospital”. I don’t argue that there is some truth in this phrase because it’s the church is supposed to spread the gospel to bring salvation to the unsaved and thus bring life and healing to their spirit. But is it only a hospital? I can’t imagine staying in a hospital the rest of my life. I’ll always be under treatment, can’t move freely and as a result, feel weak and sluggish. Imagining my spiritual life in this state makes me shiver.

Am I denying the sinful condition of myself? Of course not! We need checkups every now and then to asses our condition. If we sin, we should turn to God in repentance. He is the true Physician of the spirit. His Holy Spirit works in our spirit to cut away the tumors in our life.

Often than not, Christians in the bible are called to be soldiers and athletes, not patients. Read Paul’s epistles. We are called to fight the good fight (1Timothy 6:12) and run the race (Hebrews 12:1). We are called to pick up the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:13). We are called to stand firm and resist the evil one (James 4:7). We are called to flee from temptation. I highly doubt a person who spends his whole spiritual life in a hospital can do any of these.

I am particularly against the second part of the phrase stated at the beginning: It should not only be a fellowship of saints but should also include sinners. I was quite alarmed when I heard the speaker speak these words. I don’t know if other speakers pronounce these words but the speaker in my church certainly did last Sunday. If this is the sort of teaching that is being spread, I don’t know what is happening.

The support the speaker gave was that Jesus frequently ate and drank with “sinners” of his day. The “sinners” were the outcast of society, namely tax-collectors. Therefore, the church should not be exclusive for the fellowship of saints but also for sinners. But one thing is being omitted. It should also be noted that Jesus often had session with his disciples ONLY (Mark 6:31). In addition, he also had intimate fellowship with three of them: Peter, James and John. In light of this, the speaker is giving an incomplete picture of the situation.

Some terms need to be defined here to establish the ground. To my understanding, saints are those who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and repent of his or her sins. Sinners are those who do not or have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Note earlier I said that Christians do sin but the difference is that we repent of it. In that sense, yes, Christians are “sinners” but we have become saints through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

The church IS a fellowship of saints. Throughout Paul’s epistles, he opens with the words “to the saints”. In addition, Christians are often called ‘a royal priesthood’, ‘saints’ and ‘holy nation’ (1 Peter 2:9). When we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the old (sinfulness) has gone and the new (pure, holy) has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). In God’s sight, we are made holy through the blood of Christ.

In the church, the saints are to encourage one another, learn from the teachers of the Word and prepare themselves for works of service (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Its something like a barracks or a gym where soldiers and athletes are trained respectively. Would unbelievers understand the deeper stuff we Christians learn in church (if there is any deeper stuff)?

Recently, I hear of some churches going ‘seeker friendly’ whereby the sermons and worship are to attract unbelievers. The sermons should consist of humorous anecdotes and must not deal directly with ‘taboo’ issues like sin. By eliminating true exposition of the Word and replacing it with ‘seeker friendly’ stuff, they are starving the people of true spiritual food. The people are being fed milk everyday and not moving on to eating meat causing them to be weak. When challenges come, they fall almost instantly because they are not grounded on the true Word of God, both in knowledge and practice (Matthew 7:24-27)

But I digress. At this point, I would also like to clarify the meaning of fellowship. Fellowship is more than just casual chit chat or ‘makan-makan’. Fellowship in the Bible is so much more. I heard a pastor explain the Greek/Latin word for that is translated into fellowship in the Bible. It is a deep sharing of one’s life. It implies a close and intimate relationship with one another. So, pray tell me, how can an unbeliever have fellowship with the saints? How can light have fellowship with darkness? The church is the body of Christ, says the Word of God. How can unbelievers fellowship with the church when God, who is holy, can’t stand sin (1 John 1:5)? Therefore, the phrase itself is in contradiction with itself and with the Word of God.

“I believe in the church, those who are united in the living Lord for the purpose of worship and service.” This is a part of the Affirmation of faith for the Korean Methodist Church which is used in the United Methodist Hymnal. It further reinforces my point stated above: if the church is united in the living Lord, how can darkness have fellowship with light? Impossible.

Does that mean we cannot be friends with unbelievers? Obviously not! This verse in 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 is self explanatory:

9I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

If the person is an unbeliever and yet is included in the fellowship of the church and according to my definition of ‘fellowship’ above, he would be called a ‘brother’ as well, wouldn’t he?. But this verse says otherwise.

In conclusion, the phrase stated at the beginning is wrong. It contradicts itself and most importantly, contradicts the Word of God. All it is good for is to make the church sound less offensive.

Soli Deo Gloria

PS: Due to the length of this post, the Scripture verses used are posted in the post just below this particluar one.
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Oh my goodness! What the c*ap! So f*eaking long!!! Well...i told you guys that one long one is coming. :P There is another one. I'll put it up soon. Felt that this should be up first. Any comments, please post. Tell me if I made a mistake any where (misquotes, etc). Post counter-arguments also, if you have any. :P I would like to hear your point of view.

The Church is a Hospital....really? (the bible verses)

Bible verses

Hebrews 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

1 Timothy 6:12
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Ephesians 6:13
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

James 4:7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

2 Timothy 3:16-17
16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Matthew 7:24-27
24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

1 John 1:5
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

Mark 6:31
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

Sola Scriptura!!
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I am created unique by God. I am God's child. God is my Father. A sinner but saved by the grace and mercy of God through the faith that he has given me.

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