Friday, May 30, 2008

Praise Songs for 6-1-08

Hello all! As we do each week, here's our praise song line up for this week! We'll be singing mostly songs that we've already had the opportunity of singing together:

Lamb of God (A piece done by a few of my former church brothers)
There is a Higher throne
This Kingdom (I'm sorry, but the only thing available online that I could find was an instrumental version of the song. I hope it's still enjoyable and helpful!)
Be Thou My Vision









Stay strong and God bless!

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

05-25-08 Sermon Review

Do You Know Jesus?
John 1

Charles Spurgeon says in one of his sermons, "The most excellent study for expanding the soul, is the science of Christ, and Him crucified, and the knowledge of the Godhead, in the glorious Trinity. Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continued investigation nof the great subject of the Deity."

It would do us well to recognize the truth that comes out of young Spurgeon's mouth (he was only twenty when he preached this). The Christian world today, it seems, has mostly abandoned the "science of Christ." It is no longer willing to put in the sweat and tears to actually... study. And I raise this particular issue about what it means to know Jesus and I bring this to your attention today because I believe that pastors and teachers can stress different aspects of what it means to know Jesus to the point where you are left with one wing of an airplane and not two.

I am very thankful to the Lord that in recent days, many have arisen to stress that knowing Christ must mean that you are changed and that your life is lived in a way that proves you indeed know Jesus. I am very, very thankful for that. But what I grieve over is that such emphasis often leads to legalism and bumps Jesus out of the picture. People are relentlessly trying to live their lives to show others that they know Jesus, when they don't know him at all.

Who are these people like? They are like a husband that lives in every way like a genuine husband. He writes notes to his wife, he calls her, he does the dishes, he leads the family. Yet when you ask him what her favorite color is, he couldn't tell you. He couldn't tell you who her friends are, he couldn't tell you what kind of food she likes, he couldn't tell you any of her close relatives names. Now that's pretty absurd, but that's what American Christianity looks like.

Look at what Jim Boice writes: "In the last century alone, approximately 60,000 books have sought to explain Jesus. Those writing them have differed widely. So, for many who do not know the biblical replies, the question about who Jesus is goes unanswered."

There are many, many opinions out there about Jesus, and sorry to say, many Christians fall into the category of those "who do not know the biblical replies." Just like the husband described earlier, many Christians probably couldn't give much of an answer when asked, "Who is Jesus Christ?" It is really no wonder why there has been so many deceived into false Christs; many have forsaken the "science of Christ." I am still surprised that some people actually think Jesus was born in Nazareth (He's called Jesus the Nazarene)! And we hear so often of how many so-called "born-again" Christians can't even name the four gospel accounts or differentiate Paul from Moses.

What makes it even more sad is that Christians often times know much about a certain subject, much more than Christ. I am culprit of this! My siblings can attest to the fact that a few years ago I was heavily into the manga/anime culture, actually I was living and breathing it. My brother, sister, and I were so into it that we spent almost twenty hours a day watching anime over the school breaks. Yes, you read it right, twenty hours a day! For a whole week or even more! I could probably tell you every single character detail about any given anime character. I knew my anime. Yet, what did I know about Christ? You see, it's not that it's hard to get to know much about Christ. There are just other things that we like to study more, and until we dethrone the idols that captivate our minds, we will pay little attention to the "science of Christ." Please, help me change the sad state of American Christianity where we know more about our pet dogs than Christ, where we know more about our dream cars than Christ, where we know more about the NBA playoffs than christ, where we know more about fictional cartoon characters than the true and living Christ.

Now, why do I bring this up? Well, we have just spent eight sermons on the first chapter of John, and each sermon was a highlight of Christ. I don't want you to miss that. We have been studying the person of Jesus Christ. I want to review today, as we end our first chapter, the seven different ways Jesus is addressed and ask you the question, "Do you know Jesus? Do you know the Jesus that John is describing?" I pray as we examine, very briefly, these seven titles of Jesus, that your knowledge of Him and who He is will grow.

The Word - The opening of John starts with this bold identification of Jesus as the Word. What does this mean that Jesus is the Word? He is the ultimate, supreme revelation of God. Hebrews 1:2 states that God has spoken in many ways but "in these last days has spoken to us in His Son."

The Light - Jesus is the source of life for all men, as well as the one who shines the way. He is not only the source of life, but He is the conqueror of death. The darkness cannot overcome the Light.

The Lamb of God - Now a short summary of this title would not do it justice, so let me encourage you all to study it in more detail. Suffice it to say, Jesus as the Lamb of God means that He is the substitionary sacrifice for our sins.

The Son of God - This highlights the deity of Christ as well as his separate personality from God the Father. He is fully God as stated in vs. 1 "the Word was God," but is separate from the Father. He is the beloved, most prized and cherished by the Father.

Rabbi -This is a hebrew word for teacher. Jesus is the one whom we follow, whom we come to in order to learn and be His disciples. He has the words of life, we don't. He has the truth, we don't. He is our teacher.

Messiah - This title denotes three important offices: King, Priest, Servant. There is much more to be said of this title, but suffice it to say that He is the long anticipated one for Israel. He will restore them in the end.

Son of Man - Jesus loved to call Himself this, and in the Gospel accounts, no one except for Himself ever called Him by this title. Isn't it amazing that the living God, the blessed Son, the eternal Word would forever add upon Himself human nature? And for this very reason, the Son of Man will be exalted. That He humbled Himself means that He will be lifted up. He will return in glory.

I pray this bullet point analysis of what we have seen so far in the book of John was helpful for you to have a grasp of who Jesus is. Theology and the "science of Christ" does not mean you truly know Jesus, you really need to live like it. But remember, you can't live like you know somebody, if you really don't know anything about him. You can't live like you know Jesus, if you don't know anything about Jesus. Let's put our focus on searching for the person of Christ through the witness of the Scriptures that we may know Him. I pray we all have the mindset of Paul when he writes "I have counted all things as loss... that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering" (Philippians 3:7-10). May we all be able to answer question "Do you know Jesus?" with a hearty "Yes, I do!" Stay strong and God bless!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Desiring God - John Piper

A Christian classic written in our life-time. I had high expectations from this book because I have heard so much about it, and to my delight, I was not disappointed. It is no wonder why Desiring God receives such high praise from the Christian community. The book is written very clearly, and therefore though the main theme and concepts of the book might be radically new to some, they are not hard to grasp and follow. Everything from the preface to the appendix is well-written and exceptionally useful and pertinent to the reader. I found the chapter on suffering to be particularly enjoyable and challenging as it exhorts you to view suffering in such a radical God-pleasing, delightful way. The book is a study and meditation on the doctrine of pleasure in God. Piper starts by explaining his concept of Christian Hedonism by tweaking the Wesminster Catechism's statement "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever" to " The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever." This has been the bed-rock of Piper's ministry (see http://www.desiringgod.org) and has been affecting the lives of many as their eyes are opened to the pleasures of knowing God. I agree with John Macarthur's praise of the book: "A soul stirring celebration of the pleasures of knowing God... A must read for every Christian and a feast for the spiritually hungry." Indeed, what a joy to know that "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him!" I am grieved that my writing ability is not good enough to write a review that is deserving of the book. Highly recommended.

Pages - 307
Reading Difficulty - Normal
Rating - 5/5
Buy or Borrow - It is highly recommended that you get your own copy of this book. It is a classic that I'm sure you'll find pleasure reading more than just once!

Sunday, May 25, 2008

A Gospel Story

I recently picked up the book "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Joshua Harris (review forthcoming!). In the middle of the book, Harris decides to bless us with a gospel story to encourage us in our fight against purity. The story was quite compelling and moved me to tears (yes, literal tears). I thought I might share the end of it with you to encourage you as well.

"Then [Jesus] got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card.
'No!' I shouted, rushing to Him. All I could find to say was 'No, no," as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn't be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood." (Italics mine).

This short story reminded me of the joy that comes from knowing the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross. Oh how can this be? Great sorrow and joy mingle together as I contemplate my Savior's death and my redemption in His victory over it. It leaves me speechless... Well, not quite so. It leads me to wonder and praise as I sing with the hymnist
My sin oh the bliss of this glorious thought,
My sin not in part but the whole,
Was nailed to the cross and I bear it no more!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul!

Saturday, May 24, 2008

A Sad, Sad World

This week's news had some interesting stories two of which almost dropped me to tears at the depravity of, not just our nation, but the whole world. I just wanted to share some of these thoughts to you and guide you through how we should react to these times. One story tells us how the European Court agreed to hear the case where one party is actually defending the rights of a Chimpanzee. The article relates to us how one lady desires Chimpanzees to be recognized as a "person." The next story relates to us how a family in southern Germany recently posted their baby for sale on ebay. Their defense was that it was simply a joke.

The two stories show how warped human reasoning has left us. On one had, we're defending the "person-hood" of a chimpanzee, and on the other, human beings are considered to be nothing more than objects. True, a family selling their baby is pretty extreme and can not stand in for the general public; yet, the reduction of person-hood for a the unborn is more rampant than ever. This is a tragic affair in our world. It should not surprise us though, the Lord has already shown us what occurs when man continue to deny their Creator (Romans 1). It is frighteningly accurate.

And so, the world will continue on this downward spiral as long as it is willing to reject the supremacy and goodness of Christ. How are we as Christians to respond to this? I have thought about it much and only two things come to mind: Pray and preach the Gospel. Why do I say this? What about getting into politics, or making a statement, or being an activist? Why simply pray and preach the Gospel? This is because I believe there is only One who can change the degenerate mind and world. He will accomplish this by the preaching of the Gospel, regenerating a fallen mind to believe in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and by His second coming, where He will reign supreme and shine forth His righteousness.

So Christian, as we consider how we can change this depraved world, let us not resort to man's works and man's wisdom. Let us remain faithful to the call which we have received from the Lord: to proclaim the good news to all and wait patiently, as well as expectantly, for His coming. A sad, sad world indeed, but the final chapter is yet to be written (or should I say, is already written)! Stay strong and God bless!

Friday, May 23, 2008

Praise Songs for 5-25-08

Here are the songs we'll be singing this coming Sunday. We've already sang three of these songs before, leaving the last one as the only new song we'll introduce this week. During my youtube search of the songs, I came across a Shane and Shane rendition of Before the Throne, which was a truly a blessing. I pray it's a blessing to your soul! Stay strong and God bless!

Before the Throne of God Above
Jesus Lord of Heaven
Wonderful Maker
The Wonderful Cross







Wednesday, May 21, 2008

05-18-08 Sermon Review

The Greatness of Jesus in the Conversion of Men (John 1:43-51)

Today, we'll take a look at the Apostle John's account of the conversion of Philip and Nathanael, both of whom will become part of the twelve disciples. But don't be mistaken; this passage is more about Jesus than anyone else. Actually, I would consider this section to be a part of the opening of John's Gospel. The first chapter seems to be a statement of the person of Jesus Christ through propositions as well as personal testimonies, and starting from the second chapter, we are given the historical evidence that proves the author's assessment of the person of Jesus Christ. It would be to our great benefit to see how the conversions of these men glorify Jesus and teach us about Jesus.

The Conversion of Philip - Now, the text begins by stating "The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip." It is assumed that this "he" is Jesus in our English texts, but the Greek text is a bit ambiguous. D.A. Carson in his commentary suggests that this might be Andrew, giving significance to "first" in vs. (41). The idea is that Andrew first sought out Peter and then Philip. Though the Greek text is not conclusive, it seems to suggest that the "he" was indeed Andrew, since the Apostle gives us some extra detail that "Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter" (vs. 44). Andrew and Philip, as well as Peter, were most likely hometown friends, and once Andrew found the Messiah, he was driven to go find Philip.

When Philip and Jesus meet, Jesus tells him to "Follow me" (vs. 43). It is apparent that Philip accepted Jesus' invitation as the next thing he does is to go find his friend Nathanael to tell him about Jesus. Here are Philip's words: "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Jospeh" (vs. 45). Now here is an amazing statement. Why did Philip portray Jesus in this way to Nathanael? Why did he use "we" instead of "I"? Why did he appeal to the Scriptures? Here is my conjecture: both Philip and Nathanael, along with Andrew and Peter, were diligently studying the Scriptures to see how the Spirit of the Lord manifested Christ. This is probably why Andrew "determined" to go find Philip. Andrew knew the appearance of the Messiah would delight Philip to the uttermost.

There are so many movements today, one of them being the "Find Jesus Everywhere" movement. It challenges us to find Jesus in our movies, our cars, our backyard, our chicken soup, etc. But why is it so hard to see a movement that calls us to look back into the Scriptures to find Jesus. Where is the "Find Jesus in the Bible" movement? I am not surprised that there are so many cults whose leaders claim to be Jesus. I heard in one year, there were over 13 individuals claiming to be Jesus in the small country of Korea. A friend tells me there's even more now. You know what's devastating? These men weren't men in the mental institutes; they were actually leaders with a wide following. Don't believe me? Check out this youtube clip. Philip and his friends were eagerly expecting the Messiah, but they did not give themselves over to whatever "Messiah" that would come around. They prepared to meet Him by searching the Scriptures. A Messiah that is not of the Bible is no Messiah at all.

What does this say about Jesus? Jesus is the treasure of true believers and the hope of Scripture; He is the fulfillment of our desires and the fulfillment of the Bible. There is no greater object of faith to which the Scriptures point. What does this imply for us? We are much like Philip, Nathanael, Andrew, and Peter in that we are also waiting for Jesus, and the Jesus we are waiting for on this side of eternity is the Jesus of Holy Writ. The question for us is this: Will we have known Jesus through the Bible enough in our lifetime that when the real Jesus appears, we will be able to recognize Him and join the joyous exclamation of Philip, "We have found the Messiah"?

The Conversion of Nathanael - After Philip's exclamation, Nathanael responds with unbelief, pondering how anything good could come out of Nazareth, a hick-town. This lack of enthusiasm does not discourage Philip though; he simply responds, "Come and see" (vs. 46). Nathanael consents and follows. When Jesus sees Nathanael, He calls him "an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit" (vs. 47). Nathanael naturally responds, "How do you know me?" (vs. 48). Jesus responds by saying, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you" (vs. 48). Jesus' response to Nathanael has been the topic of discussion for many, but the main point is that it displayed a divine omniscience, enough to move Nathanael to say, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel" (vs. 49). What a quick change of heart (see vs. 45)! Jesus replies to Nathanael's bold assertion of Him by saying, "Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these" (vs. 50). The conversation ends and Jesus closes with these last words: "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man" vs. (51).

I believe we are much like Nathanael. We are so quick and ready to make bold assertions about Christ, lavish statements about who He is. We are quick to address Him as Lord, Savior, Messiah, King, God, etc. And we mean it. I'm not trying to say we don't, or that our confessions aren't genuine. We do mean it, but we are far from knowing it's full realities. When we say that God is good, we can't even start to comprehend the magnitude of His goodness. When we say that God is Lord, we can't even start to imagine the fullness of His glory. I think that everytime we make such bold acclamations of Jesus that we will get the same response as Nathanael: "You will see greater things than these." The problem isn't with our confession or our hearts; it's not even a problem at all! It is a splendid truth that what we have come to know and experienced about Jesus' goodness and glory is only the beginning of further revelation of His magnificence. What an undeserved blessing, an unbelievable invitation to see and experience the goodness and greatness of our God!

Jesus' last statement gives us a small glimpse as to what these "greater things" entail. Much can be said about the angels descending and ascending, but I believe the main idea that Jesus is portraying here is the inauguration of the Son of Man as king over His chosen people. The Jewish people had no idea of the "Son of Man." It was not even an accepted title of the Messiah. But Jesus loved to call Himself the Son of Man - actually, I believe He never calls Himself anything else! But the term has much significance as it reminds us of the incarnation (God the Son identifying Himself with humanity), the crucifixion (God the Son bearing the weight of our punishment), and exaltation (God the Son forever glorified as Lord of all). Jesus in a sense is pointing to the ultimate glory with which all the world will see Him. This is indeed, a much greater thing.

Conclusion - Conversion is not about us, it's about Jesus. Jesus displays Himself glorious in the conversion of men, and if we missed the magnification of Christ in the conversion of men, we have missed the point. We have looked at how Jesus' glory was displayed in the conversion of Philip and Nathanael. In Philip's conversion, we found Jesus as the treasure, the hope of Scripture. In Nathanael's, we found Jesus as the unfathomable treasure, the hope of greater things. I thank God that he has displayed His Son so beautifully in the conversion of the saints. I see it in Philip, Nathanal, and all those who have come to see Jesus as the Psalmist does, "Whom have I in heaven but You, and besides You I desire nothing on earth." Let your love for Jesus likewise reflect the beauty of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Stay strong and God bless!

Monday, May 19, 2008

Helping Bhurma

If you have been contemplating about giving to relieve the suffering in Bhurma, please consider giving through Sorvereign Grace Ministries. This is the minsitry of CJ Mahaney, and it seems they have contacts in Bhurma that can get the aid directly to those in need. Please prayerfully consider giving. Stay strong and God bless!

Saturday, May 17, 2008

The Surprising Blessing of Journal Writing

Today, I took out my journal and read the last entry - it was written four months ago. The reason why I titled this thought "The Surprising Blessing of Journal Writing" is this: You can't even begin to understand the impact and encouragement of the entry that you're writing will provide ten years down the line as you reflect upon your past entries, we don't even write with that aim. I was reading this entry that I have written four months ago and was exhorted and encouraged in so many ways, and it has caused me to look through my journal and I have found precious words of encouragement and exhortation. Here are some things that I wrote:

"There's much I don't know and much I forget to remember."

"Grace has only become my meditations and not the blood that sustains and empowers and lives in me."

"I can talk about the kenosis, hypo-static union, the heresies concerning the person of Christ, but I am reminded that I do not cherish Him as I ought, love Him as I ought, and adore Him as I ought."

Now here is the great surprise: God in His mercy allows your former wretched self to encourage you. Now the reason I bring these entries up is because the best journal entries that I have found to be helpful are those that deal with the personal fight against sin and fight for joy that are grounded on the truths of Scripture. So here's an encouragement and exhortation to all you journal writers, and for those who don't write journals (myself included): Fill the pages of your journals with Gospel truth. This will guarantee their precious value five days, five years, ten years down the line for the truth of the glory of Christ will always be relevant to our lives. Think richly on Christ, and write richly on your pleasure, or lack of, for Him. Stay strong and God bless!

Friday, May 16, 2008

Praise Songs for 5-18-08

As promised, I will try to post links or youtube videos of songs we'll be singing on Sundays. This week, we'll be singing three new songs, but some of them should be familiar to most of you. Here is our song list for praise this Sunday.

Be Thou My Vision
God of Wonders
Wonderful Maker
The Power of the Cross









I hope these were a blessing to you, and that it stirs you to wonder at our amazing God. Stay strong and God bless!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

05-11-08 Sermon Review

This week, I had the opportunity to speak at our outdoor service for Mother's Day and though I was only allowed ten minutes, I really did enjoy this great privilege of sharing the Word with the whole congregation. I pray the sermon notes below will be a blessing as you meditate on motherhood a few days after Mother's Day.

The Honor of Motherhood

Pastor Park told me a few weeks ago that I'll have this opportunity to address the mothers of our church, and what an honor to do so. It is my great joy to share with you. Since I only have ten minutes, and usually I take 45 minutes to an hour at our youth services, I'm only making one point today, and I pray this one point will leave a lasting impression. The point I want to make today by taking you through the Scriptures is this: God honors mothers.

The reason I believe this is such a critical issue today in our church is because many don't believe that motherhood is a high calling and a privilege for women. Actually, with the feminist movement infiltrating the Church, many Christian women have given into the lie that motherhood is a hindrance to women individuality, some even claiming that it hinders them from service to the Lord. But I want to show you that is completely against the teaching of Scripture. It is undeniable that the Bible displays motherhood as one of the highest callings for a woman and a great privilege. Here are three ways that I see this in Scripture.

God entrusts the raising of His servants to mothers. There is a countless number of God's servants that were raised by godly mothers. But more so it seems that God had entrusted these men into the care of their mothers. Such examples are Samson (see judges 13 and how God constantly speaks to the wife of Manoah), Timothy (see 2 Timothy 1:5), and even Jesus.

God commands His people to honor their mothers. God also requires that His people honor widows as well, widows who have served as mothers (1 Timothy 5:10). We must realzie that God doesn't simply require this from His people for it's own sake or for posterity's sake. God sees the labor of mothers as truly worthy of such honor.

God directly honors mothers in Scripture. From my recollection, there is no passage in the bible of the excellent husband, but there is one of the excellent wife (Proverbs 31). This wife that is honored was one that took motherhood seriously, and such a woman God honors. Five women are mentioned in the geneology of Jesus in Matthew 1. Timothy's mother and grandmother are praise in 2 Timothy 1:5. And these are but a couple of examples.

Though it was a very short a cursory glance at the honor of motherhood, I hope it was convincing enough to you to show that motherhood is indeed a high-calling and that it is a great privilege. I am not saying that every women should be a mother, but what I am saying is that every mother should take her call to be a mom seriously and joyfully.

I was surprised and overjoyed that God is indeed raising up a young Christian generation that has not given into the lie of feminism, but recognizes the high call of motherhood. I was reading Do Hard Things a couple of weeks ago and came across a girl name Brittany Lewin. She was eighteen years old and was already successful in the world of politics. At the height of her achievement, she says this: "I wouldn't mind a promotion from campaign manager to housewife. Motherhood is a higher calling than politics."

There is a reward for every one who serves the Lord. And as mothers, I pray you're not satisfied with the recognition you get once a year with a genuine hallmark card, or dinner out with the family, or carnations you get at church, or whatever you might do to celebrate Mother's Day. They are all good things, but they pale in comparison with the honor and the reward you will receive when the Lord calls you home and says, "Well done my good and faithful slave." Remember the high calling of motherhood, and remember the reward. God will honor your faithful service. Stay strong and God bless!

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

05-04-08 Sermon Review

Following Jesus (John 1:35-42)

"Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!' The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, 'What do you seek?' They said to Him, 'Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?' He said to them, 'Come, and you will see.' So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah' (which translated means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, 'You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas' (which is translated Peter)."

The topic for today is at the heart of Christianity: What does it mean to follow Jesus? Because the term "Christian" has lost much of its significance in our culture, Christians have resorted to calling themselves Christ-followers or disciples. But even this can lose much of it's meaning if not viewed through the biblical lens. Just using the right label will not suffice no matter how good of a term it is, unless we use the term rightly. In the passage for today, the apostle John gives us a narrative of possibly the first two followers of Jesus, and from this short account, we will be able to see four aspects of what it means to follow Jesus.

1. Know who you have to follow - The two men that are mentioned in this passage were very religious. They were very serious about their faith. We know this because they were disciples of John, the very man that was to point out the Messiah. John was called the greatest man every to be born of a women by Jesus. These two men were under the teaching of this great man. Yet, he was just a man. When John the Baptist pointed out the Messiah, his two disciples recognized that they weren't supposed to hang around him any more; someone greater had come.

When we talk about following Jesus, we need to make sure we're following Jesus. Today I heard of a woman who was visitng my friend's church who loved John Macarthur. My friend told me that she would not come to the small home groups because they weren't studiyng one of John Macarthur's books. Yes, there are great men who teach truth boldly and well, but they are simply men pointing to the ultimate. When sitting under good teaching or lead by a charismatic pastor, it is easy to feel like you're following Jesus when you're simply following a man. The two disciples of John the Baptist could have easily fell into that trap, but they moved on because they understood that their duty was not to follow John the Baptist but the Son of God.

2. Know why you follow - Simply knowing who to follow is not enough, at least for Jesus. When he sees the two men following him, Jesus turns around and asks a striking question, "What do you seek?" A more probing question could not be asked. One of the two might be tagging along, but this question calls both of them to consider their purpose in following Jesus. The two replied, "Rabbi, where are you staying?" This seems to be a very random reply to Jesus' question, but it really is not. They first recognized Jesus as Rabbi, meaning they wanted to learn from him. Second, they asked where he was staying, meaning they wanted to have a private encounter with Jesus. They did not follow Jesus because they wanted things. They followed Jesus because they wanted to know Him intimately. How gracious of Jesus to say, "Come and see."

Do we follow Jesus with that sort of motivation? Are we followers of Jesus because we are awed by His majesty and captured by His beauty? Do we eagerly wait to hear His invitation, "Come and see"? We follow Jesus because we want to know Him intimately. Jesus, later in this Gospel account, will say, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3). Let us be overjoyed that the Lord of Glory has revealed Himself to us, and will not deny our plea to enjoy sweet fellowship with Him.

3. Know the reward of following - The text implies that the two disciples spent the night where Jesus was staying, and that the very next day, one of them, Andrew, went to find his brother, Simon Peter. The Greek implies it was the first thing Andrew did that day. When Andrew finds his brother, he tells him, "We have found the Messiah!" The tone of his voice must have expressed great joy, as a man who has found a pearl of great price. The Jews were long awaiting the arrival of the Messiah, eagerly expecting the coming of their King. For Andrew, having found teh Messiah would not have been a small thing; it would have been the greatest joy he ever experienced.

The point in mentioning this is to show that following Jesus is not done for the sake of following. There is a great reward. Following Jesus is not a joyless duty or mechanical necessity. Following Jesus means having the reward, the greatest reward: Jesus the Christ, the Messiah. Though Andrew did nothave at that time the same fuller understanding of the title Messiah as we do, he still reacted with joy from what he did understand. Therefore, we, who live after the cross, have a greater reason to rejoice at our reward. As we understand the person of Christ and the God-man we follow, may we also say with Andrew with joyous conviction, "We have found the Messiah!"

4. Know the cost of following When Simon first met Jesus, he did not introduce himself. Actually, Jesus knew exactly who Simon was and gave him a new name: Peter. Jesus explains the significance of this name in Matthew 16:18, "I say to you, you are Peter and upon this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." Jesus had plans for Simon, and He made that clear to him even from day one. Jesus had no ice-breaking moments with Simon, but from the beginning made it unquestionable who the Leader was.

Following Jesus means... you really have to follow Him and let Him lead. Jesus is the leader; we are the followers. Jesus is our Lord; we are His slaves. The cost is great. We are called to submit our wills completely to His and follow him even to death. Death for following Jesus was a reality that Simon faced one day, but he had decided long before that He would rather be called Peter and die for Jesus than to have his own way. Thinking himself unworthy to be executed in the same manner as his Lord, Peter asked that he be crucified upside down. Are you ready to follow Jesus wherever He leads? Are you willing to pay the cost?

Conclusion - Following Jesus means much more than going to church and living a good moral life; it is much more. We have looked at four aspects of following Jesus today, and I pray that it stirs you up, gets you excited to follow after Him. Let us beckon the call of Jesus, "Come and follow Me." Stay strong and God bless!

Monday, May 5, 2008

The Getty's

I am terribly sorry for posting up this so late, but as I promised, I'm posting video clips on youtube of songs that we sing on Sunday worship servies. I pray these posts will be a blessing to you all. We will first start with Keith and Kristyn Getty, a personal favorite! A better introduction must be given, but I'm sure their music will speak for them much more than my words can! The first video is "There is a Higher Throne" on New Song Cafe, the second is "In Christ Alone," and the third is "Pow'r of the Cross." Enjoy!





Friday, May 2, 2008

Radical Christianity pt. 7 (Conclusion)

It seems only fitting to bring this series to a close by making some last observations and exhortations. If you've missed the series, you can find them here. We have in the past six posts introduced the concept of Radical Christianity and looked at five ways in which Christianity is radical. Here are all the points that we went through:

1. Radical Decision for Christ
2. Radical Commitment to His Church
3. Radical Mind Transformed by the Word
4. Radical Measures in Present Living
5. Radical Mission towards Future Glory

Now, the purpose in stating these five points was not to create a new kind of Christianity or even a call for reform in Christianity, but to show that true and historic Christianity was always radical. This was not to suggest that there is a higher level of Christianity, a extreme Christianity, or a "holier" Christianity, but simply Christianity. Frances Chan in his recent book called Crazy love is quoted by Tim Challiess in a recent post, "a lukewarm Christian is an oxymoron; there’s no such thing. To put it plainly, churchgoers who are ‘lukewarm’ are not Christians. We will not see them in heaven." I agree. Why? Because Christianity is radical; it allows no room for lukewarmness or complacency. I hope these seven posts have been sufficient to show that, and I pray we'd all vigorously test ourselves to see whether or not we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Do Hard Things - Alex and Brett Harris

I was extremely surprised that this book was written by teenagers, but I guess that was the point! Alex and Brett are sons of Greg Harris and brothers of Joshua Harris two already well-known pastors in the Christian world. The book is written on the central message of their website which has taken the teenage blog world by storm called The Rebelution. In a very simple style, the brothers present a very bold message that Randy Alcorn thinks will make this book "one of the most life-changing and culture-changing books of this generation," and in some sense I agree. The book is written primarily for Christian teenagers, but that is not to say those of us who are well beyond our teenage years can't benefit from the challenges set forth in this book. The message is this: Teenagers are far more capable and competent than the world would like them to believe, and we should expect them to live up to higher standards (that's their message in my words). Teenagers of our age definitely need to hear this message, and even more so the adults that influence them. This is why I was very thankful to have read this book, it changed my view on young adults and how I want to lead my youth pastorate.
Still, there are things that I thought they could have done better though I really can't complain! The book is well-written, the stories are encouraging/challening, and the message is rooted in a solid biblical world-view. But one thing that bothered me a little was that the brothers didn't touch much on spiritual guidance and biblical decision-making. The book talks about God speaking to someone and God telling someone what he needs to do, but doesn't really give a great amount of help in discerning what God's will is. If they had a chapter on this, it would be truly complete. And also, having been accustomed to expositional type books, I would have enjoyed it a lot more if the style was centered around scripture, but that's just personal taste! Christian teenagers should be very thankful that such a book is available, and the movement that's been growing through the Harris brothers' website proves to me that they are.

Pages - 224
Reading Difficulty - Simple
Rating - 4/5
Buy or Borrow - If you're a teenager or a parent or a youth-worker, this is a definite must-read; buy!