Month: September 2011

“The Most Patient Person in the World” Journal of reflection on 9/24/2011

Disclaimer: The sharing is pure from my personal view; therefore, please don’t take it to be absolute. Thanks.

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A young man was driving a pastor to a service in the next town. The youthful driver had his streamlined roadster hitting seventy miles an hour.

The pastor leaned over, “Aren’t we going a little too fast?

Oh don’t you believe in a guardian angel, pastor? He’ll take care of us.”
Yes,” the pastor replied. “He would if he was here, but I’m afraid we left him miles back!

This is an interesting and enlightening story that I came across months ago. Talking about young and restless drivers, you may think they are all lack of patience. But, I am sure this is not just youthful drivers’ privilege; in fact, if you have ever driven on freeway, I bet you will have opportunities to meet some “speedy” drivers from all ages.

Under nowadays’ “busy” environment, “speed” seems to be the king over everything else. Have you ever seen the advertisement “Bigger and Better; Faster and Easier”? Look at all the “McDonald”, “Burger King”, “Wendy” fast-food chain stores flourish around our community; how about high speed internet, high speed computers, etc.? They quickly become indispensible necessities in our daily living. To carry one step further at my work place, I was often being asked by my colleagues, “If you have to guess, can you give me a quick and dirty estimate for this problem?” Ha! “Where is the virtue of patience?” I told myself.

We all know that patience is a virtue and it is the ability to endure waiting, delay or provocation without being annoyed or upset, according to the Dictionary. The Bible teaches us that patience is one of the fruits from the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Rev. G. Campbell Morgan once said, “Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.” He indicates to us that patience is an ability of waiting for God’s instructions. The book of Ecclesiastes also teaches us that there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Therefore, we need to wait for God’s timing and be patient.

In recent week’s daily Bible reading, we are studying the book of Isaiah. I don’t know whether you have noticed or not there is one name being appeared repeatedly. It is the “Holy One of Israel (以色列的聖者)”. It represents God’s character attribute and He wants His chosen people, Israelites, to be holy because He is holy.

Now let me ask you a simple question, “Among God’s creations, who is the most patient person?”

Do you know the answer? Let me give you a hint. He is always waiting patiently for his moments – whether it is our frustration or we are experiencing life storms; we are in celebration or are proud of our victory – to pry open and get inside our heart with his treacherous implement. He is not easily discouraged; he is invisible and could be anywhere and any moment without sleeping to wait for us. Isn’t he the most patient person? By now you probably know the answer – he is the “Evil One”. His patience is to “destroy” our patience in waiting for God’s timing and instructions. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, please be aware of the Evil One is diligently working on tearing down our faith in God. We have to put on the full armor of God, so that we can take our stand against the devil’s schemes (Ephesians 6:11). For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)

Below is a list of collected promises (not meant to be exhaustive) that our God has given to us when we are waiting for Him patiently:

我們的心向來等候耶和華.他是我們的幫助、我們的盾牌。(Psalm 33:20)

你當默然倚靠耶和華、耐性等候他.不要因那道路通達的、和那惡謀成就的、心懷不平。(Psalm 37:7)

因為作惡的、必被剪除.惟有等候耶和華的、必承受地土。(Psalm 37:9)

我曾耐性等候耶和華.他垂聽我的呼求。(Psalm 40:1)

我等候耶和華、我的心等候.我也仰望他的話。(Psalm 130:5)

你不要說、我要以惡報惡.要等候耶和華、他必拯救你。(Proverbs 20:22)

耶和華必然等候、要施恩給你們.必然興起、好憐憫你們.因為耶和華是公平的 神.凡等候他的都是有福的。(Isaiah 30:18)

但那等候耶和華的、必從新得力、他們必如鷹展翅上騰、他們奔跑卻不困倦、行走卻不疲乏。(Isaiah 40:31)

凡等候耶和華、心裡尋求他的、耶和華必施恩給他。(Lamentations 3:25)

至於我、我要仰望耶和華、要等候那救我的 神.我的 神必應允我。(Micah 7:7)

我要將我父所應許的降在你們身上.你們要在城裡等候、直到你們領受從上頭來的能力。(Luke 24:49)

耶穌和他們聚集的時候、囑咐他們說、不要離開耶路撒冷、要等候父所應許的、就是你們聽見我說過的。(Acts 1:4)

但我們若盼望那所不見的、就必忍耐等候。(Romans 8:25)

我們靠著聖靈、憑著信心、等候所盼望的義。(Galatians 5:5)

等候所盼望的福、並等候至大的 神、和我們救主耶穌基督的榮耀顯現。(Titus 2:13)

因為他等候那座有根基的城、就是 神所經營所建造的。(Hebrews 11:10)

弟兄們哪、你們要忍耐、直到主來。看哪、農夫忍耐等候地裡寶貴的出產、直到得了秋雨春雨。(James 5:7)

“Doing Your Part” Journal of Reflection 9/18/2011

Disclaimer: The sharing is pure from my personal view; therefore, please don’t take it to be absolute. Thanks.

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In recent months, I have been busy in attending several task forces at my work place. There is an interesting phenomenon that I observed during these task force meetings. Usually, a lot of discussions would take place first and then several to-do items would be distributed to some of the “lucky” team members for further analysis. Due to its urgent nature, the turn-around time usually is very short. Therefore, the dependency on other team members to provide necessary information / data to you in order to complete the requested analysis is relatively high, if you are happened to be one of the lucky members. The trouble then comes when the person whom you depend upon didn’t do his / her part in giving you what you need. Consequently, you would be look bad for not doing your job at follow up meeting. From this kind of experience, I learned that a critical factor of success in requesting “timely” information from other member is having a good working relationship with him / her. Without the good working relationship, you will find yourself frequently in an awkward position because you are at a lower priority to him / her than others.

As we all know, a relationship has to be built from both directions. A good relationship, in particular, would require time and effort to cultivate it. Last week, I shared with you it is our responsibility to plead for help from God when we are in difficult situations. From another perspective, pray for God’s help could also be viewed as a relationship building process too.  In order to build a good relationship with God through praying, I personally think there are three steps we need to take. The first step is to have faith in Him. The second one is to pray / plead to His heart earnestly. Finally, we must also be willing to do whatever we can, using whatever means He gives.

The author of the book of Hebrews taught us that “…. without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists (He is I AM who I AM) and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” 人非有信就不能得神的喜悅‧因為到神面前來的人,必須信有神,且信他賞賜那尋求他的人‧ (Hebrews 11:6)

Corrie ten Boom, the author of “The hiding place”, once said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” Her words once again indicate the importance of trusting our future to God.

As faith in God enables us to entrust our future to Him, we also need to learn how to know His will better in order to pray effectively. God will always answer our prayers except He may not always grant what we want. This is up to God’s sovereignty and His character attributes to decide.  We have seen a lot of teachings in praying, from our Lord Jesus in the New Testament. One of them well known to us is the “Lord’s prayer” (Matthew 6:9-13). It teaches us to pray for His kingdom come and His will be done first, then pray for ourselves. Through this way, we learn to pray to God’s heart and we are likely to develop a closer relationship with Him accordingly.

Lastly, to build a good relationship with God through praying is to do the part that God wants us to do or to take. There is a good example in the Old Testament – Naaman healed of leprosy (2 Kings 5).  The story is very fascinating. To me, the climax of the story is on verses 13-14.

Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. 他的僕人進前來,對他說,我父阿,先知若吩咐你作一件大事,你豈不作麼‧何況說你去沐浴而得潔淨呢‧於是乃縵下去、照著神人的話.在約但河裡沐浴七回、他的肉復原、好像小孩子的肉、他就潔淨了。(2 Kings 5:13-14)

Think about this: a great commander of army would be willing to listen to his servant’s suggestion and humble himself before a foreign prophet Elisha, isn’t this worth us to learn? From this story, we can see Naaman’s faith in God and God’s answer to Naaman via Elisha’s intercession prayer. Finally, Naaman did his part by following God’s order through Elisha – dipped himself in the Jordan river seven times. This is called an act of “submission” and is crucial to our Christian life.

My dear brothers and sisters, God is sovereign and almighty. He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm. (祂說有,就有‧命立,就立. (Psalm 33:9)) He does not need us to do anything in order to fulfill His will or command. However, it is His grace that we can be part of His plan and He desires to have a relationship with us (Isaiah 7:14). Therefore, it is up to us to do our part, my dear brothers and sisters.

 

“911, Help!” Journal of Reflection on 9/11/2011

Disclaimer: The sharing is pure from my personal view; therefore, please don’t take it to be absolute. Thanks.

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A decade later after the tragic incident of 9/11, people are still reflecting on how their friends and families suffered. The healing is slow, if not possible, to most of the families suffered from the loss and it has been a very difficult situation for the country – it changed almost everything the government operates. My heart goes to those who were suffered. It is my prayer that God’s all comfort is upon them…

Most of us may or may not have experienced life storms before. If you did, it might create a deep wound or a scar in your heart. Years later, the feeling of hurt may still come up when certain conditions stimulate it. Can we forget what have happened? No. On one hand, this is a good thing because we could feel the pain from the situations we experienced and learn from it. On the other hand, however, it would be bad to stay in that hurtful condition continuously and it might generate resentment and bitterness afterward. Can we forgive? Yes, if we believe in God’s mercy. Let’s all learn from the lesson that God wants us to learn.

Under modern society, 911 is an emergency hot line to provide help to whoever is under an urgent situation. Depending upon the situation and condition, the help may come in a phone call away. The only exception is when you have no access to a phone. At that time, what can you do?  Using your own voice to cry out “HELP! HELP!” would be the only option, I think. Crying for help has been the most basic and effective way that God provided for us to deal with hopeless situations. For example, Palmist David wrote,

Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught because of what my enemy is saying, because of the threats of the wicked; for they bring down suffering on me and assail me in their anger.  神 啊 , 求 你 留 心 聽 我 的 禱 告 , 不 要 隱 藏 不 聽 我 的 懇 求 !求 你 側 耳 聽 我 , 應 允 我 。 我 哀 歎 不 安 , 發 聲 唉 哼 ,都 因 仇 敵 的 聲 音 , 惡 人 的 欺 壓 ; 因 為 他 們 將 罪 孽 加 在 我 身 上 , 發 怒 氣 逼 迫 我 。(Psalm 55:1-3)

Someone used to say that “Responsibility is our response to God’s ability”. When we entrust our hope in God, we also believe that He is able. Therefore, it is our responsibility to cry out for help when is necessary. In fact, if we look back, mankind is under a dismay condition due to our fore father, Adam, transgressed from God’s command at Garden of Eden. We are all hopeless just like Apostle Paul mentioned “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” 因為世人都犯了罪,虧缺了神的榮耀 (Romans 3:23). Where is our help coming from? The only help – 911 – is from our Lord Jesus Christ! Because, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” 除他以外,別無拯救‧因為在天下人間,沒有賜下別的名,我們可以靠著得救‧(Acts 4:12).

My dear brothers and sisters, it is our responsibility to plead for help from our God instead of from this world, because He is the LORD of lords and He is the King of kings. His 911 hot line is open 24×7 without any technology and location limitations and without any interruption. With its infinite band width, guaranteed response and free of charge, how can we forget Him? May we all remember that He is our help in need – a true 911 hot line.

A Note on “從神的榮耀看屬靈生命” (1-2)

Message delivered by賴若瀚牧師at New York Summer Conference Reflection: 7/1 –7/3/2011

Disclaimer: This is my personal note and is not meant to be exhaustive and totally accurate. I will use my personal “aged” memory and notes to recall what I remembered.

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Pastor Lai was very instrumental in articulating this special topic – God’s glory and Spiritual life. I will try to elaborate as much as I can remember. The topic was from one of his books “求你顯出你的榮耀”. It contains 9 classes originally and it was condensed to fit into these 6 sessions this time.

Firstly, Pastor Lai explained the reason why we need to study God’s glory. Because it is one of the consistent messages in the Bible in terms God’s everlasting plan. Below is table provides a comparison of the 3 key messages in the Bible.

Consistent message in God’s everlasting plan  
救贖紅線 (The Red Line of Salvation) J. Barton Payne: 一十架, 一聖經, 一教會

  • 救贖的確是聖經中重要的主題
  • 但不能成為神計畫中心的目的
  • 它只是將人帶回原來目的的開始點
  • 它若是最終目的, 就很難解釋地獄的存在
  • 救贖紅線是 “有始有終” (創: 3 – 啟 21)
國度紫線 (The Purple Line of Kingdom)
  • 國度的開始:人開始管理伊甸園 (創: 1:26-28)
  • 國度所涵蓋的範圍比救贖更廣
  • 救贖只是將人帶回原來被造的目的的開始點
  • 因此國度紫線是“有始無終”
榮耀金線 (The Gold Line of Glory)
  • “救贖”有時間性的開始
  • “神的榮耀”早在創世以前就已存在
  • “救贖”是通往 “神的榮耀” 的路
  • “神的榮耀”可以彰顯在信與不信的人身上
  • “神的榮耀”的主題可以解釋天使的創造
  • 因此榮耀金線是 “無始無終”
  • The meaning of Glory 榮耀的意義

o      The two usages of glory:

Verb: to glorify

Noun: God’s glory

=> Question: What do you think of when we are talking about “Glory”?

For glory, its meaning have 3 folds:

a). Weight or measure or quantity 重量或份量

For example: Everybody respects him because he is “heavy-weight” in the area.

b). Fame or good commendation 名聲或佳評

For example, the “Doxology” prefixed with “Doxa” -> good commendation, glory

In modern world, we have a word called “fans”, 人氣

c). Flame or radiance or light 火焰或光輝

For example:

o      There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush耶和華的使者從荊棘裡火焰中向摩西顯現 (Exodus 3:2a)

o      Pillar of cloud and pillar of fire in the wilderness

o      Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. 下雨的日子,雲中虹的形狀怎樣,周圍光輝的形狀也是怎樣‧這就是耶和華榮耀的形像‧我一看見就俯伏在地,又聽見一位說話的聲音‧ (Ezekiel 1:28)

o      who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen. 就是那獨一不死,住在人不能靠近的光裡,是人未曾看見,也是不能看見的,要將他顯明出來‧但願尊貴和永遠的權能,都歸給他‧阿們 (1 Timothy 6:16)

ð    Question: What is “God’s Glory”?

God’s glory is directly connected with God’s character attributes.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God因為世人都犯了罪,虧缺了神的榮耀 à can’t reach the standards set by God’s holiness and righteousness

God’s glory is “An external manifestation of all God’s attributes” 神的屬性的總和的外在彰顯

God’s glory is a perfection of His attributes, an accumulation of all His attributes; this includes His mercifulness, righteousness, power, holiness, etc.

ð    The worthiness and unworthiness of glory

o      Who is worthy of glory

1. The meaning of worthiness

It is the result of others’ good commendation because of one’s good attributes.

We can see repeating occurrences of “worthiness” in Revelation chapters 4 and 5.

ð    The longing for God’s glory

Example: Moses

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:18) 摩西說,求你顯出你的榮耀給我看‧

Question: What is your greatest desire in your life (什麼是你一生中最大的渴求?)

  • Glory and Judgment 榮耀與審判

The ark of covenant is a manifestation of God’s presence with the Israelites. We know that God’s glory is an external manifestation of all God’s attributes à it is also meant for “God Himself”

Therefore, when God’s glory left the Israelites, it represents God’s judgment – God disagrees with Israelites. Consequently, God’s presence represents a “double-edged sword”.

1). God’s judgment against disobedience of His people 神審判百姓不順從的罪

for example:

Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 6於是耶和華使火蛇進入百姓中間,蛇就咬他們‧以色列人中死了許多‧百姓到摩西那裡,說,我們怨讟耶和華和你,有罪了‧求你禱告耶和華,叫這些蛇離開我們‧於是摩西為百姓禱告‧ (Numbers 21:6-7)

2). God’s judgment against the sins of hypocrisy神審判百姓虛有其表的罪

For example, the defeat of Israelites in front of Philistines (1 Samuel 4:11-22)

3). God’s judgment against the sins of idolatry神審判百姓拜偶像的罪

For example: The book of Ezekiel

Chapter1 – God’s glory and Ezekiel’s serving

Chapter 8 – Idolatry in the Temple

Chapter 9 – Judgment on the Idolaters

Question: Where is God’s glory?

4). God’s judgment against the sins of forsaken the love one had 神審判百姓離棄起初愛心的罪

For example: Revelation 2:4-5

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

  • The radiance of God’s glory 神榮耀所發的光輝

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 他是神榮耀所發的光輝,是神本體的真像,常用他權能的命令托住萬有,他洗淨了人的罪,就坐在高天至大者的右邊‧ (Hebrews 1:3)

Glory = weight / measure + good commendation + radiance (份量+佳評+光輝)

Human glory, power, position, wealth, etc., was added externally. God’s glory is manifested from inside to outside.

Question: Who is the exact representation of God’s glory? Jesus!

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form 因為神本性一切的豐盛,都有形有體的居住在基督裡面(Colossians 2:9)

Angels sang praises on 3 important occasions:

  1. God’s creation of the world
  2. The birth of Jesus (Luke 2:13-14)
  3. The great praises in heaven (Revelation 4:8, 5:11-12)

A. Jesus isthe Word became flesh” and made his dwelling in us. 道成了肉身住在我們中間 (John 1:14a)

1. Tabernacling in us 支搭帳幕在人間 (Exodus 33:7)

2. Jesus’ supremacy (John 1:16-18, Hebrews 1)

B. The transfiguration – radiance of glory

1.     Transfiguration – the foretaste of God’s kingdom

For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

我們從前,將我們主耶穌基督的大能,和他降臨的事,告訴你們,並不是隨從乖巧捏造的虛言,乃是親眼見過他的威榮‧他從父神得尊貴榮耀的時候,從極大榮光之中,有聲音出來向他說,這是我的愛子,我所喜悅的‧我們同他在聖山的時候,親自聽見這聲音從天上出來‧ (2 Peter 1:16-18)

2.     The curtain was removed

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 過了六天,耶穌帶著彼得,雅各,和雅各的兄弟約翰,暗暗的上了高山‧就在他們面前變了形像‧臉面明亮如日頭,衣裳潔白如光‧(Matthew 17:1-2)

C. Return to His throne enter His glory

Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? 基督這樣受害,又進入他的榮耀,豈不是應當的麼‧(Luke 24:26)

Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.大哉,敬虔的奧秘,無人不以為然,就是神在肉身顯現,被聖靈稱義,﹝或作在靈性稱義﹞,被天使看見,被傳於外邦,被世人信服,被接在榮耀裡‧ (1 Timothy 3:16)

  • Glory and the Cross 榮耀與十字架

o      Cross and glory were integrated in Jesus’ life榮耀與十字架結合在耶穌的生命中

1. The sign of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:8-14; 2:30-35; Acts 2:36)

For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” 因為我的眼睛已經看見你的救恩‧就是你在萬民面前所預備的‧是照亮外邦人的光,又是你民以色列的榮耀‧(Luke 2:30-32)

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” 故此,以色列全家當確實的知道,你們釘在十字架上的這位耶穌,神已經立他為主為基督了‧(Acts 2:36)

2.     The talking on the mountain of transfiguration

Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 忽然有摩西以利亞兩個人,同耶穌說話‧他們在榮光裡顯現,談論耶穌去世的事,就是他在耶路撒冷將要成的事‧(Luke 9:30-31)

3.     The glory and the cross (The Gospel of John)

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. 這是耶穌所行的頭一件神蹟,是在加利利的迦拿行的,顯出他的榮耀來‧他的門徒就信他了(John 2:11)

When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 耶穌聽見就說,這病不至於死,乃是為 神的榮耀,叫 神的兒子因此得榮耀‧ (John 11:4)

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 耶穌說,人子得榮耀的時候到了‧我實實在在的告訴你們,一粒麥子不落在地裡死了,仍舊是一粒‧若是死了,就結出許多子粒來‧(John 12:23-24)

4.     The prophecy of Peter’s death (John 21:18-19)

The prediction of how Peter’s death is going to be, how it will be used it to glorify God.

信仰不是用來解釋苦難,信仰是用來承載苦難 (楊牧谷)

5.     The overview of Jesus’ life

Jesus was humble and obedient. He didn’t use miracles to make himself rich and famous.

We have to be careful not falling into myths of the Gospel of Success – desire glory without the cross