Dear…
'…the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then he said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.'
Luke 9:22-23
Can one truly be in this world, but not of this world? This is a dilemma that many Christians not just faced at the beginning of their journey with God but throughout, so much so that many indeed fall by the wayside.
The challenge to move us off tangent from our focus on God used to be very much from within, ie our own self deceiving and sinful minds working in tandem with the lures of the world, but increasingly, one do get a sense of being hemmed in from the outside, as boundaries for lines of engagement are more clearly defined, if not tightened.
'I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove that what is that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God.'
Romans 12:1
Christians are often guilty of imposing their faith on others, yet falling short of what they professed in their own living. The Crusades of the medieval times are often highlighted as one example of that misguided arrogance and folly of men. If God does not impose His will upon others, who are we to propose? It is indeed foolish for us the finite men to think we know better. Does it than mean that Christians should not share the gospel of the good news of salvation with others? On the contrary, we must, for God wants all to be saved. But the sharing of our faith must not be based on our imperfect understanding or finite strengths, no matter one's good intentions, for it must only be in God's way and timing, for only God knows when a once unreceptive heart is ready, for only God can bring about the increase and God will tell us what to say.
It is good to take time to ponder upon and reflect upon Romans 12:1, for within these words are the essence of what it means to be a Christian, a believer and follower of our Lord Jesus Christ. A theologian I am not, but this verse reminds me of the need for me to let God transform me in His likeness. And it warns me against being like the sinful world, but it never says anything about me changing the world or others.
God in transforming us in His likeness, will use us to shine His light into the darkness encapsulating the hearts of others, but not by what we think or say, but by how we live, how those whom God place in our paths, see Christ in our lives, when once in us was all works of the flesh like anger, selfishness, envy, murders, drunkenness, relveries, and the like, that gnarled their very relationship with us, now they see the fruits of the Spirit emanating forth from us.
'But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, gentleness, self control. Against such there is no law.'
Galatians 5:22-23
"Letting go" was supposed to be the title of this next sharing, but my finger was a letter too quick and the title became "Letting God" and maybe for good reason, for when we let go, who do we let go to and can we truly let go totally ? If we know that we let go to our Sovereign God, does make a world of difference to the way and the extent of surrendering that sinful right to judge ourselves and others, that the first man, Adam procured by taking a bite off the forbidden fruit? In letting God lead us in the way we live and how we share our faith, is God bringing us to the wisdom needed in the new season of intensity that the world has entered into?
'…they shall make you eat grass like oxen: and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.'
Daniel 4:32
"My way" it seems is song that reeks of danger, at least in the Philippines karoke scene, where a disproportionate number of singing wannabes have lost just not their voice, but their lives in disputes arising from their rendition of the song. This was from an article in a reputable financial newspaper, and since April fools day is sometime away, there should be some credance to this lark of a tale.
Sharing our faith our way, and not by God's leading, no longer just brings you rejection and riducule, but in this increasingly secular world, where for good reason, any religious insensitivity and extremism can and do shake the fine harmony existing in society, can bring one great personal inconveniences but also reinforced the hardened hearts of many who seek not God.
'And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.'
Ephesians 6:16
Another gem of an article from my rummaging through the same newspaper had an interview with a very successful property developer in China. The CEO of this company shared about her new found faith(not Christianity) , and how it has helped to change her perspective of the corporate world, and have helped mellow her from till recentl, an intense drive for financial success.
Religion, contrary to some views, do help to take the hard edge off the materialism driving most people. Most mainstream religions do promote the goodness in human beings. Troubles start generally more because men like to play interpreter, arbiter and judge rather than totally surrender all. But surrender to who? Another human being, a committee, a machine or what?
"Religion should be the cause of love and unity" that is the line professed by the late founder of this same CEO's religion. Her religion has a basic principle - to bring about the oneness of humanity. And the belief that there is only one Creator and that the spiritual truth of all religions is the same. Does this seem lilke an ideal one world religion, which has a place for every other religion and beliefs?
How can our Christian faith be so different from this relatively new religion(19th Century) or for that matter, from religion in general? Christianity is a faith, not a religion though both words have been used interchangably for various religions. Christianity is a relationship with an omnipresent and loving Sovereign God, through His beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Relationships also exist in the world's religions, but there are differences in the conduit by which man liase with their deities and in the nature of their gods.
'Finally my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious,but for you it is safe.'
Philippians 3:1
One thing I have tried to do in the past was to foolishly nitpick the fine but distinct differences between the Christian faith and the world's religions. There are indeed diffferences, but increasingly, the newer versions of man's spirtuality is more subtle in their contrast to the Christian faith, and in fact, if one uses one's understanding, it can be quite daunting to detect or elucidate the differences. And even if one can, is that what God wants us to do, ie to harp on the differences? In the same vein, does God wants us to focus on the similarities? Or is there something else that God wants those who seek to obey Him to focus on?
'...so that His life may be revealed in our mortal bodies'
2 Corinthians 4:12
To understand our own relationship with God is of primary importance than to try to poke holes in the faith of others. It is not just a reality of the need for societal harmony, but it is a command of God to love others as much as ourselves. Our Lord Jesus Christ has shown by example, while he does not pepper over the differences, it did not stop him from ministering with love to all who are willing. We the imperfect man, are far from the God incarnate and rather than focus on changing others, it is better to let God transform us, and let our faith resonates forth from our lives and our deeds rather than our words. But much as we must respect the rights and views of our neighbours, Christ has also stood firm in the House of the Lord, where we must not compromise on His will, and we are the temple of God and while we must not impose upon others, we will truly need the wisdom from God to handle with love, those who desire us to not just accept but live their views.
'…Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.'
Matthew 26:75
Letting go and letting God lead is a concept that is clear as chalk. The difficulty is in the "eating of the pudding" or simply put, in the application of this principle. Christians or non Christians alike, all of us on our own strength and understanding, will be able to let go in varied degrees, but to totally let go and let God, as Christians, only the One and only Sovereign God can make it happen for us.
Letting go can not be studied, nor be based on our human understanding or the gamut of our natural senses. Letting go is a process build up from spending time with God with all our heart, soul and mind and a willingness to acknowlege Him in all our ways. The crossing of the chasm of doubt to faith is at God's timing and can only come from Him. Is this possible in the religions of the world?
The world looks for the ideal, but always from their own understanding. God looks for obedience. The line that bring us across to that state of faith can only come from our Sovereign God. For those whom the Spirit of God has enfolded, the indescriable joy and peace, the deep reassurance and knowledge of experiencing God's presence can never be fully explained in human words, nor can it be understood by the 3rd party.
If that is the case, than is it not better to watch out for ourselves to ensure that our hearts, our very being are right with God, so that the preparatory phase of our ministering to others, from a distance, in terms of prayers and how we live will be aligned to God's will. And only when God brings about the increase, and by His leading, do we engaged in a closer interpersonal level, with those willing hearts that He placed in our lives on their journey with God?
Do take time to ponder upon this last verse in Philippians 2:4. Is what is just shared truly a radical departure from general assumptions of sharing our faith, or have we all been wrong in our previous approach or it is just the season for a modified approach?
'Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others'
Philippians 2:4
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(9 Feb 2010)
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