Love

I came across this speech excerpt on a friend's blog, and although it's not an entirely Christian perspective, what it proposes and advocates do have some merit. It is seemingly directed at love in a boy-girl relationship, but from a broader perspective, it actually does apply in all our relationships, which include, of course, friendships, and to some extent, "enemy-ship".

What you're going to read below may not be anything new, it may have been something you've heard before (maybe even countless times), they may be ideas which you've already been exposed to. But as we read it, may we continue to reflect on our perspective on love, how we love, and going back to God's word, how Jesus taught us to love and realigning ourselves once more to God's teachings and instructions on love.

"The other side of the coin is this: fall in love.

I didn't say 'be loved'. That requires too much compromise. If one changes one's looks, personality and values, one can be loved by anyone.

Rather, I exhort you to love another human being. It may seem odd for me to tell you this. You may expect it to happen naturally, without deliberation. That is false. Modern society is anti-love. We've taken a microscope to everyone to bring out their flaws and shortcomings. It far easier to find a reason not to love someone, than otherwise. Rejection requires only one reason. Love requires complete acceptance. It is hard work the only kind of work that I find palatable.

Loving someone has great benefits. There is admiration, learning, attraction and something which, for the want of a better word, we call happiness. In loving someone, we become inspired to better ourselves in every way. We learn the truth, the worthlessness of material things. We celebrate being human. Loving is good for the soul.

Loving someone is therefore very important, and it is also important to choose the right person. Despite popular culture, love doesn't happen by chance, at first sight, across a crowded dance floor. It grows slowly, sinking roots first before branching and blossoming. It is not a silly weed, but a mighty tree that weathers every storm.

You will find, that when you have someone to love, that the face is less important than the brain, and the body is less important than the heart.You will also find that it is no great tragedy if your love is not reciprocated. You are not doing it to be loved back. Its value is to inspire you.

Finally, you will find that there is no half-measure when it comes to loving someone. You either don't, or you do with every cell in your body, completely and utterly, without reservation or apology. It consumes you, and you are reborn, all the better for it.

- Quoted from Mr. Adrian Tan's speech at the NTU Convocation 2008 "Life and How to Survive It"

Mr. Adrian Tan a litigation lawyer at one of Singapore's leading law firms. Outside the courtroom, he is known for a variety of funny things, including The Teenage Textbook, which he wrote in the late 1980s.


Emmett

Freedom from Quiet Time Guilt - Part 3 of 6

3. The Remedy: Weakness Christianity

There are two religions calling themselves evangelical Christianity today: Strength Christianity and Weakness Christianity. Strength Christianity is that religion which places both feet squarely on the Bible and proclaims, “I am strong. I sought the Lord. I’m a believer. I’ve turned away from sin. I read my Bible and pray every single day. I’m for God!” Weakness Christianity, by contrast, places both knees squarely on the Bible and says, “I am weak, but the Lord has sought me. I believe, but help now my unbelief. I fail and am broken by my continued sinfulness. Have mercy on me, Lord, and grant me favor, for apart from you I can do nothing.”

Those who pursue Strength Christianity will never find joy in God, for they will never find God. Our Father refuses to be approached in that manner. They will find only increasing religious pride and secret hardness of heart. On the outside, they will project a picture of righteousness. They’ll have it all together. They’ll be spiritual. But only on the outside.

For those who stumble across the rare jewel of Weakness Christianity, however, there is provision beyond what we can possibly imagine. Our suffering, our failures, our weaknesses and disappointments all gain an incredible spiritual significance. God never says he’ll be glorified in our religious accomplishments. But he does promise that his power will be made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor 12:9).

Neediness is the heart of biblical religion. When we honestly lay our brokenness before God, we’re surprised to see a radically different message in the Bible. While we had perhaps expected a to-do list from Holy Writ, a program to make us righteous, or a divinely sanctioned self-help book, we instead see a shocking message that centers on our God and his grace to his broken people, not about us and our performance and expected rewards. And when we approach God in brokenness—Weakness Christianity—we find a radically difference vision for prayer. Prayer is not something we do—a performance designed to get something from God. Instead, it’s merely a free and honest confession of our neediness to God and our spoken reliance upon him for each and every blessing. When you stumble upon Weakness Christianity, you realize that true religion is all about God’s grace, not about our devotional consistency.

Upcoming: Part 4 - The Shocker: Grace for the Christian


Emmett

Freedom from Quiet Time Guilt - Part 2 of 6

2. The Culprit: Legalism

The root of Quiet Time Guilt is legalism. Often when we think of legalism, we think of the petty man-made rules that have so often strangled the churches—rules against dancing or drinking or makeup or ‘secular’ music. But these legalistic rules are merely an outward sign of a deeper legalism of the heart. When prayer and Bible study are thought of primarily as duties (‘disciplines’) rather than as grace, both prayer and the study of Scripture become unfruitful in our lives. We put ourselves on a performance treadmill and cease relying on God’s grace to sustain us. We trust in ourselves and our consistency, becoming proud if devotionally successful—or despairing because of our inconsistency. Either way, our spiritual self-reliance short-circuits the inexpressible joy of life in Christ. The quiet time becomes a human work whereby we think we gain—or lose—God’s daily favor. When we’ve started our day with Scripture, we presume that God’s blessing will rest upon us because of it. When we fail in our quest for devotional consistency, we feel we’ve short-circuited God’s grace in our lives. Quiet-Time Guilt.

If this describes you or anyone you know, the situation is far worse than you think. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for this very attitude about Bible study. “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me” (Jn 5:39). Yes, that’s what Jesus said. Bible study can be a sin. The Pharisees assumed the Bible a book of rules or principles for living, but failed the grasp it as a story about God’s love for his people. The quiet time can drive you far from God if you fail to understand that the Scriptures are a story about grace. The Scriptures are a story about Jesus Christ, the man of grace. His works—not our works—are the center of the biblical story. And this Jesus gives grace daily to those who fail him. How you approach the Bible—as needy sinner or as self-reliant Pharisee, says a lot about the state of your soul.

Just like Bible study, prayer too can be sinful. Remember what Jesus said about the Pharisee and the tax collector. The one saw prayer as a work, the other as an expression of need. The one who merely expressed his neediness to God—the expression of our neediness being the heart of true prayer—that one went home right with God.

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk 18:9-14).

Often we assume that if we really had it together and could approach God without sin, without failing, with only pure spiritual successes to offer, then God would somehow delight in our prayer more. The opposite is true. If you approach God in that manner, you approach him as his enemy. We are all fallen. If we presume to approach him as something more than needy, dependent sons and daughters, God rightly takes offence. There’s nothing more dangerous than the pride of devotional consistency.


Upcoming: Part 3 - The Remedy: Weakness Christianity


Emmett

Invited

"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am." [John 13:13]

Jesus gives us a choice to believe in Him. If He said, "You have to believe - you HAVE to treat me like I'm the Son of God," then it would completely change our relationship with Him. But He gave us a choice. - Osward Chambers' Classic

Imagine you were given a chance to be a part of Josh Groban's or Jay Chou's concert, or Goh Chok Tong is inviting you for a dinner tonight. Will you be extremely excited and do tones of preparations with zillion passion in doing the job well? I guess yes, at least I will. 

Now we're being invited by the almighty King, into His ministry, into His blessings and His heaven, I'm sure most of you who are reading this post had already accepted this invitation, but are we having the same type of attitude? At some point of time we might tell God that "Hey! I'M serving You, I'm so tired, give me your blessings!" But will we carry the same type of attitude when we're plainly helping out in the concert of a big star? Or will be feel so honored to be able to be in a part of this big star? 

Are we feeling honored and pleased in being the son and daughter of the almighty King?

We are a part of a BIGGER star. Say thank You. =)

Thank You  ✝

Vivian

Sermon Notes 《一齐成长》

经文：弗4：11-16

人是健忘的，让我们莫忘上帝所赐给我们看不见的恩典。

1。建立基督的身体（弗4：11-12）

我们都是基督里的肢体，若肢体不成为身体，教会便无法成长。
我们要明白我们在主里的职分，并且这职分所带来的责任。
一个真正的信徒是不可能只有领受上帝所赐的福分，却不参与事奉，回应神的爱。Let us all do our part!

2。在真道上合而为一（弗4：13）

“对神的儿子都有一致的信仰和认识” - 我们需要在真理上和谐，彼此接纳，分享经历，一起体会更高的信仰层次。

我们的文化背景会否搅乱我们对信仰的认识？
Can we be sure that our faith will bring us back to God?

3。在爱中建立教会（弗4：16）

全民皆兵：彼此牧养。每个信徒都能参与牧养的工作，每个肢体的长处都可以带来生命的祝福。
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On a side note, in addition to the reflection on the subject of service yesterday:

"The greatest competitor of true devotion to Jesus is the service we do for Him. The goal of the call of God is His satisfaction, not simply that we should do something for Him. Are we more devoted to service than we are to Jesus Christ Himself?"
- "It is the Lord!", My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers

Let us remind ourselves once again, never to take our eyes off Jesus, even as we serve Him.


Emmett

Service

"The call of God is not a call to serve Him in any particular way... Service is the overflow which pours from a life filled with love and devotion. But strictly speaking, there is no call to that. Service is what I bring to the relationship and is the reflection of my identification with the nature of God.Service becomes a natural part of my life. God brings me into the proper relationship with Himself so that I can understand His call, and I serve Him on my own out of a motivation of absolute love. Service to God is the deliberate love-gift of a nature that has heard the call of God. Service is an expression of my nature, and God's call is an expression of His nature."
~ "The Call of the Natural Life", My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers

This is a timely reminder for all of us who serve in ministries, whether in school or church, that service means nothing if we don't personally have an intimate relationship with God first. We cannot serve God or His church and people if we do not first love God or His people.

Let us not forget our Lord, the Subject of our service amidst our business, and to constantly build a close relationship with Him; lest we ourselves become the object of our worship.


Emmett

Freedom from Quiet Time Guilt - Part 1 of 6

I came across this article on the net, which challenged some of my notions on QT. As it is quite a long and wordy article, I will post this article in 6 parts according to the headings in the article over the next 2 weeks. Perhaps we can share our comments and views at the end of the series.

Should anyone want to finish the entire article at one shot, it can be found at this website:
http://gregscouch.homestead.com/files/quiet_time_guilt.htm

1. The Diagnosis: Quiet Time Guilt

I recently watched as a congregation I love was spiritually raped. A Christian ministry came into the church for a three-day program whose purpose was to encourage believers to pray more. During one of the breakout sessions, a man expressed his frustration with unanswered prayer. He had faithfully prayed with and for his daughter for years, and still she was not walking with God. He was broken, depressed, perhaps more than a little ashamed. How does God in his grace speak to this man? A bruised reed was crying out for help.

“You need to try harder. You need to pray more.” That was the message he was given. I was enraged. Having known this church for many years, I was horrified. What I was hearing was what one seminary professor calls sola bootstrapa. Self-reliance. We pull ourselves up by our own spiritual bootstraps. The teachers who said such things surely meant well. The problem was not a lack of sincerity on their part. The diagnosis is far more severe. The problem was heresy. Any heresy wounds the soul.

When I look upon the evangelical world today, I see millions of sincere believers who are loaded down with false guilt by teachers who fail to grasp the basics of biblical prayer. To sharpen the point slightly, Christ’s sheep have been lied to. They have been told that prayer is a work that we must perform in order to get God to bless us. As heresies go, this one is often subtle. Prayer has become a work rather than a grace. The result has been a loss of joy in prayer.

And prayer is not the only grace we’ve turned into a work. Personal Bible study has become a source of bondage as well. A whole generation of Christians has been told that God will bless them if they read their Bibles every day, as if the act of reading the Scriptures were some kind of magic talisman by which we gain power over God and secure his favor. This is not the religion of the Bible. This pervasive belief that God gives us grace as a reward for our devotional consistency is antithetical to the religion of Jesus Christ. Prayer and Bible study—what evangelicals for the past century have called the “quiet time” have become dreaded precisely because they have been radically misunderstood.

It’s ironic, but the Quiet Time has become the number one cause of defeat among Bible-believing Christians today. At one time or another, nearly every sincere believer feels a deep sense of failure and the accompanying feelings of guilt and shame because he or she has failed to set aside a separate time for Bible study and prayer. This condition is called Quiet Time Guilt. And it’s a condition with many repercussions. The shame of Quiet Time Guilt manifests itself in even deeper inability to fruitfully and joyfully study Scripture. Prayer becomes a dread; Bible study a burden. The Christian suffering from Quiet Time Guilt then despairs of seeing God work in his or her life, until finally he or she simply gives up. He may continue outward and public Christian commitments like church attendance, but secretly he feels a hypocrite. What is the root of Quiet Time Guilt?


Emmett