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[thepoeticwit]

The Love of God: Love and Relationships CG Discussion

  On 8 April 2019, IACT Christian Fellowship had a cell group discussion on Love and Relationships, following up from the Relationship Goals series sermon video that was watched in CF the previous week. The sermon was titled ‘Before the Person’ preached by Pastor Michael Todd from Transformation Church, and it was the first sermon that was the start of the entire Relationship Goals series. Pastor Michael Todd preached that often times we have no aim when it comes to relationships and we end up missing the mark and shooting all over the place, because we do not know what the prerequisites are to a relationship with someone else. Before we are given a person to journey with, we are first given by God a few things: a place, a purpose, provision, an identity, and parameters. Pastor Todd referenced Genesis 2, the creation of Adam—he was placed in the Garden of Eden; he was purposed to tend to the garden and work the ground; he was provided for his purpose, in all of the trees that God planted in the garden He gave the fruits to Adam for food and seed in them for new trees; in all of this his identity was realised, that being the image and likeness of God, all of earth and the creation on earth was to be ruled over by Adam as God’s authority on earth; Adam was finally given parameters, a command by God not to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, to keep Adam secure. God gave all of this to Adam before He gave Adam a helper, that he should not be alone because it was not good. In the same manner we are made for relationship but are made as individuals first with our unique place, purpose, provision, and identity, with parameters God has placed to protect us.

  Recognising the way we are made moves us to do what we ought to do, that we are made and purposed as individuals as well as for relationship. Being made in the image and likeness of God Himself, who in Himself is a community of co-equal Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), causes us to seek and build relationships with one another. But what if we do not realise this? This would be due to the distortion of sin that is evident in our broken distorted human nature. Why we cannot fully comprehend, what more experience the true meaning of love, is because we are blinded by our sinful nature to view love as something else. We can say a lot of things when it comes to love. For instance: “I love my Mom”, or “I love my dog”, or “I love pizza”. We say ‘love’ very loosely like it could mean anything (if you love your mother with the same love you love your pizza with, your mother will be disappointed). Yet, we know there is a different kind of love when it is expressed relationally with other human beings—usually this is expressed in mainly five ways called “love languages” which include words of affirmation, acts of service, quality time, giving gifts, and physical touch. The ancient Greek philosophers understood relational love in four major categories: Agape (the love of God, unconditional, sacrificial), Philia or Phileo (deep friendship or brotherly love), Storge (familial, instinctive, protective love) and Eros (romantic or sexual love). In general understanding (and according to Google dictionary, which I would have to use as representative of the world’s definition of love) love is described as “an intense feeling of deep affection” (like the affection a parent feels for their child), “a great interest and pleasure in something” (like a man’s love for football), and yet also to “feel deep affection or sexual love for someone”. To the world, love is merely a feeling for people or things that one likes, but it is definitely so much more.

In Christian terms, the highest form of love or charity is Agape love. Agape is also known as the love of God for man, and of man for God. Agape love is the kind of love that loves without any conditions, unaffected by feelings. Agape love is love that gives the most sacrifice for the good will of the other. It is willing the best for the other above your own. The perfect example of that Agape love is in Jesus Christ: he gave his life as a sacrifice to pay the death penalty for the sins of many so that believers will be justified before God, and resurrected from the grave to show that He has overcome death by His life and love. Let us take a look at some Scripture. In 1 John 4: 7-19, it says:

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us

13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

19 We love because he first loved us.

From the text, we can see the extent of God’s love from sending His Son Jesus Christ as an atoning sacrifice for our sins but not only that, He also gives us His Spirit to abide in us. And His promise is that we abide with Him, and God in us when we love others.

This love is unconditional in the sense that it is not conditional on feelings but rather the will to give others what they need. As Christians, the same is expected of us. We love not only our friends but also our enemies—it may not be Phileo love but it is with Agape love. How do we characterise Agape love? The apostle Paul writes about Agape love clearly in in 1 Corinthians 13:

1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

It is evident that the kind of love that Paul talks about is Agape love. The characteristics of love that Paul describes are not with feelings but verbs, actions, things of the will, and what can be seen is the character of Christ. It is with these characteristics that prove love (or this kind of love) to be worth everlasting. This is the love that without which all other gifts and works are brought to naught. This is the love that is constant, that proves the perfection that is coming when we cannot see it now. This is the love that never fails. “For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.” This shows that whatever we know, experience, and give of the love we have is only in part and imperfect. “When I was a child, I talked like a child, though like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me” The love the world proclaims to be feelings of affection and the love we understand before knowing God’s love, is childish, whereas God’s love and the Agape love we show to others is mature.

 To conclude, just as we need to mature in our person knowing the place, purpose, provision, identity and parameters God has set before we meet the person that is going to be out life partner, so we ought to mature in our thinking about what love really is so that we can have mature and fruitful relationships. Our love without God is only superficial and can only last for so long, whereas true love is realised when you anchor and root yourself in the source of Love—God who is love Himself. This kind of love proves to be everlasting. With this, relationships can prove to be long-lasting since it is in a love that is steadfast. (Bible verses cited are from the NIV translation)

[thepoeticwit]

2018 Re-Solutions

Discussing new year resolutions with Stephanie Yap at IACT Christian Fellowship

  On 14 January 2019, we had our ex-President now CF Advisor Stephanie Yap speak to us on new year resolutions, reflecting on the past year and anticipating what is to come for the new year. Last year in 2018, our theme for the year is on Gifts, with a vision to witness the fruit of the Spirit bear within everyone in CF and in every individual that comes to the house of the Lord; a mission to gather Christians to be the salt and light for God and His people through our worship, fellowship and discipleship. (1 Corinthians 12: 1-11; Ephesians 4: 1-16)    Stephanie shared with us some of her resolutions, two of which were getting disciplined (waking up on time, sleeping on time, reading the Word more, being early) and getting focused (figuring out her niche, intentionally talk to people, work hard). 

  Our lives are pretty much like the Netflix show ‘Bandersnatch’ in which every choice we make has a consequence that shapes reality (though some choices won’t really matter or make that big a difference). 2019-- as with every new year-- is either a chance to start over or will be the same as every other year with no significant change. Stephanie then made a point, saying “2019 is a chance to start over, but it will be the same as every other year if it is anchored in the wrong person”       We discussed our choices: do we anchor ourselves in Christ, or do we anchor ourselves in our self? As we discussed, we figured that it would be better to anchor ourselves in Christ rather in ourselves because we can only do so much on our own by our own strength whereas in Christ, we can do so much more by His abundant grace. Since we as human beings are limited and fall short of many things, we would end up relapsing back into defaults and would have everything just the same. So when the next year comes, we’d be wondering “will 2020 be a chance to start over, or just the same as every other year?”

  In John 15:5, Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me, and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.” Similarly, in Psalms 16:2 it says, “I say to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.’” How important it is, then, should we be a part of Christ, to be anchored in Him so that we can bear fruit. There are reasons why we as Christians remain in Christ, and that is mainly because He abides with us. This is in contrast with what the world usually tells us, how we should be confident in our own selves and our own strength. 

Because He Cares For You

  So why be anchored in Christ? The first reason is because He cares for you. In Matthew 6:30-31, it is said, “...if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown in the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don’t worry about these things, saying ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will wear?’ These thoughts dominate the hearts of unbelievers, but your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs”. Coming to this point, Stephanie challenged us to ask ourselves what we have in common with unbelievers. It is this: worries. We, as human beings, tend to worry a lot. What is supposed to make us different as salt and light of the earth is that we trust in the Lord our God who provides for us, who knows our purpose, and who is our everything. 

  There was this one sentence in the verse that caught hold of Stephanie, which was: “Why do you have so little faith?” A lot of times we depend on experience when we are least aware of it. But take a look at King David. Should you observe his character, you would recognise that he had a gift in leadership. As a leader, you would tend to think-- based on experience-- that you would go with the formula that works best simply because you have been through it before. But what did David do? He went to God and consulted with Him each time before going out to battle. That in itself is astounding. Like, would you even consider going to God before starting on college assignments (not counting the very last minute ones or that which is past due, of course)? It would seem that a difficulty in this area of ours would imply that we do not have the practice of building our faith. So we should, by all means, go to God before any task be it in our assignments, our services to Him, or even in our interactions with our friends. All this, because he cares for us.

Because Everything Of This World Will Eventually Fade

 We should be anchored in Christ because everything of this world will eventually fade. The world actually preaches that you should be great and that you should leave a mark on this world. It is actually not bad and it doesn’t really fall far from the Bible which tells us to do excellently and be a good example. However, the Bible also makes a stark contrast by saying, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” (Matthew 6:19-21) This verse calls to mind a particular word of interest: disappointment. We easily get disappointed at a lot of things be it team mates, our grades, and generally get very disappointed in life (or with life). 

  We would think thoughts like, “Oh, I’m supposed to be in a Christian family, thus everything is supposed to be nice and orderly” or “This is supposed to be a church, everyone is supposed to be nice to each other” or “This is supposed to be CF, people shouldn’t be gossiping”. Truth be told, these are things on earth. Your system, the CF, our gatherings, and even the place that we gather in are all temporary. Don’t take this the wrong way: it’s not like we shouldn’t put our heart in it or give our all for these things. However, at the end of the day, you can do all things but your heart is not meant to be here. Setting your heart on earthly things would give cause to see everything crumble down, because that is just the nature of life here on earth-- temporary and fading away. 

   In Psalm 144:4, it says “Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow”. Stephanie shared how she felt God spoke to her by this verse; it was like He is telling us that we tend to put our hope in human beings as well-- people who are gone, even. We should indeed look up to the legacy that Christians before us have left behind, reading up on them and their works, and being encouraged by them. Yet, everything has a potential to become an idol. When even the best of the saints become our idols, in the end, we realise that they can disappoint us too. Anchor yourself in Christ because He is the only person who does not and will not disappoint you! “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

Because He Is The Giver Of Dreams

    We should anchor ourselves in Christ because He is the giver of dreams therefore only He can see it to completion. For some of us (especially those of us who are IACT students) we would have immense amounts of opportunities before us and thus we have big dreams. Conversely, we can be on the opposite end seeing no opportunities at all and wonder, “what’s the point?” Stephanie shared how she was at this state, but felt God saying to her, “Dream bigger.” Then she replied, “But doesn’t that contradict Your lesson to me all these years not to put my identity in my dreams? Because Lord, You know the way You made me, that I will go all the way in full force and then I will be disappointed.” Then the Lord said to her, “You already have your answer right there: who do you put your trust in? The dream coming to pass, or Me coming through for you?”  

   If you have no idea where to start on your devotions, go look up the stories of Abraham, Joseph (in Genesis), King David, etc. These are some of the people who are people of faith who put their trust in God and see their dreams come true. Could you ever imagine that, in today’s time, God suddenly says to you “you will become a nation” meaning that you will be a race of your own? That was what it was like when God told Abraham the exact same thing, and imagine how Abraham would have felt as a human being who did not really know God’s will at large at the time. Yet, still he trusted in the Lord. David was given the call to be king of Israel when he was just a very young teenager and didn’t become king until he was around 30 years old.   

   Like David, some of us may have had prophetic words/words of knowledge spoken over us, over the years even, in church or other about what our futures may be like. Don’t let those dreams die yet. We should be like Mary, Jesus’ mother, and keep these things in our heart. Mary didn’t see how Jesus was the Saviour of nations although she had bore witness to Jesus’ life, ministry, sacrifice, resurrection, and the ministry of the church after these things in her own lifetime (not to say that she didn’t, she probably did). Yet, on the grander scheme of things, she wouldn’t be able to see past her own timeline to see Christ’s work on earth after her own time. It is the same with us. God works in our life not just for our timeline but for a bigger timeline. He wants to work in your timeline for sure, but trust that you are a part of something that is much bigger. So when you walk in God’s will, you are actually part of something much bigger than yourself. 

2019 Resolutions: How do we be anchored in Christ?

  So that’s that. We are anchored in Christ for those three reasons: because He cares for us, because everything in this world will eventually fade, and because He alone is the giver of dreams and thus the only one who can bring those dreams to completion. Now comes the next question: How do we become more anchored in Christ? We anchor ourselves in Christ by trusting God and not the dreams or works; identifying with Him, not the world; knowing Him above ourselves; and having fellowship often with one another.

Trust God, not the works or the dreams.

  In Psalm 37:5 it says, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do it.” The thing about this verse is how it says that He will do it. Not you, but He. We may place a lot of emphasis on how we are doing, on what our hands can do, and when we fail, we condemn ourselves. Of course we need to do well and strive for excellence what more even now as students because how well we are doing in whatever that is entrusted to us is an indicator of our walk with Christ. People will be looking at us, watching us. So it is indeed important to do well in what we are doing as a testimony. But keep in mind that all of this is only possible because God enables it to be. “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain; unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” (Psalms 127:1) So while we work hard, we need to commit our way to the Lord lest it be in vain. 

Identify with Him, not with the world.

  We live in a world, in such a time as this where there are a lot of “isms” (feminism, veganism, minimalism, atheism, capitalism, communism, etc.). In a world with a variety of worldviews and philosophies, our sole truth and guiding principle as Christians is the Word of God. In Romans 12:2 it says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-- His good, pleasing and perfect will.” The first imperative in this verse is a “don’t”: Don’t be conformed to the world’s patterns. But then it is also followed by an imperative to “do”: Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The way to not conform to the pattern of this world is to actively transform your mind by reading the Word of God. 

  Not only do we renew our minds when we read the Word of God, but we will be able to test and approve what God’s will is. Let’s take a look at the word “Test”. We look into the Word of God to seek affirmation (to test ourselves) on whether or not what we are doing is right, whether we are moving in the right direction as a CF, whether we are on the right track even as future leaders, or just as Christians. Now let’s take a look at the word “Approve”. What do we approve of in today’s day and age? It can be simple things like “I approve of this colour” or “I like your dressing today, I approve it” or “I agree with you”. Come to think about it, we can’t approve or agree with something if we don’t love it. It’s the same with God and His good, pleasing, and perfect will. We must come to love God and His word so much that we will approve of these things so much that we would even want to transform ourselves in the renewing of our minds! 

Know God, above yourself.

  The first line of Psalm 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am God...”. There is this saying that some would say: “I wanna find myself this year”. But what does that really mean? What does it really mean to find oneself? Because really, to find oneself would entail searching inward which would be disappointing enough should the person not have Christ. In and of ourselves, we lack, and all that we have are only superficial things. Thus, in the end, all that we have within ourselves is emptiness. Even the best of things on earth do not compare to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:8) We should be seeking God instead.

  What would it then mean to be still and know that He is God? Probably because that is all we ever need to know and the starting point in which we come to know (more of) who God is. To know that God is good takes experience of God’s goodness in one’s life. To know that God is provider also takes experience of His providence in one’s life (and so it goes with other attributes of God, like Him being Healer, or Father). Knowing that He is God is the start, because when we acknowledge that He is God, we acknowledge that He is in control (and we worship a God who is in control. If He is not in control, then He’d rather not be God at all!) Too often we get ourselves caught up in the illusion that we are in control of our own lives when in reality, we do not have everything in our control at all. So we ought to get ourselves out of that illusion and see for ourselves that He is God, and we are not. 

Fellowship often.

  Fellowship often with one another. We, as Christians are members of Christ’s body. So we ought to commune together with one another as we do with God. Stephanie left us with a word from Ephesians 3:14-21 that says, “I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” 

  How we are able to know this deep, wide, long and wide love of Christ that surpasses knowledge is to fellowship with Christ, that is also to fellowship with those who are members in His body. “Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25) Not only this, but there are more places in Scripture in regards to us being the body of Christ. (Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12–27; Ephesians 3:6 and 5:23; Colossians 1:18 and Colossians 1:24.) Also consider how in our loving one another we make manifest our love for God and His love in us as well. (John 13:34-35; 1 John  4:19-21). 

Recap.

  With each new year, as well as every new moment, it is always an opportunity for new beginnings. However, should we lose our focus and anchor ourselves in the wrong person, it could end up just the same as usual with no difference. We should anchor ourselves in Christ because He cares for us, because everything in this world will eventually fade but He remains the same, and because He is the giver of dreams therefore only He can bring them to completion all for His glory. 

  We become anchored in Christ when we trust in God and not in the works and dreams, when we identify with Him and not with the world, when we are still and know that He is God who is in control, and when we fellowship with one another in the love of Christ making manifest even greater the immensities of his everlasting steadfast love. 

  Should we anchor ourselves in Christ, we will be able to grow and bear much fruit, for apart from Him we truly cannot do a single thing.

(Scriptures cited and referenced from various versions of the Holy Bible)

[thepoeticwit]

Jesus at The Center

On 25 February 2019, Daniel Lim spoke at IACT Christian Fellowship on the topic of “Jesus at The Center”. 

What does it really mean for Jesus to be at the centre? Israel Houghton, a worship leader and a writer of the song with the title “Jesus at The Centre” said that it is “the simplicity of being all about Jesus, and not using ‘pronoun-ed’ gospel… going back to a place where it’s not about us, where we’re decreasing because Jesus is increasing and drawing all men to him.” John Piper, a pastor, writer, Bible Teacher and author of the resource known as Desiring God said, “God Is the Blazing Sun at the Center of Reality. Everything revolves around Him. And as the most valuable and glorious person who exists, God is loving, not conceited, when He calls us to worship Him…” It seems that all of life and reality is simply about this person, Jesus Christ.

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26)  

For the Christian, one ought to recognise that what it means to live is to first live for God before anything else and that is through Jesus Christ the Son of God. The commandment to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength is given to us first and foremost as though it was top priority which then flowed out into loving your neighbour as yourself. For us, our love for Christ outshines our love for others for when we first confessed Him as Lord, He indeed became Lord enthroned over all our lives and thus worthy of our first love.

Why is it all about Jesus? Daniel shared some powerful theological truths about our King that point us to the reason it is really all about Him. It was by Him that all things were created! “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1: 15-17) Paul continues, writing that Christ is the head of the body, the church, and that He is the first to rise from the dead, that in all things He would have pre-eminence (or supremacy). For God was pleased to have His fullness dwell in Christ, and through Christ to reconcile all things to God, things on heaven or on earth by making peace by means of His blood shed on the cross (paraphrased, Colossians 1: 18-20). This means that Jesus is more real than our reality because our reality is created through Him!

He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and The Last. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8) In Colossians, we see how by Christ all things are created and reconciled to God, that He may be supreme and thus the first and last over everything. He is eternally powerful, the reason for our beings, and the giver of our life! 

He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Yes, it is stated there in John 14:6 that Christ is indeed the Way, the Truth and the Life, yet how so? It was not just because He had the right words to say when he taught or preached, or that He worked the miracles or healings. He lived a life in perfect obedience to God, ever since He came right until the point of death on a cross and even after that when He resurrected. He lived under the Law as a Jew, fulfilling all of the requirements. When the time came, Christ took upon Himself the sin of the world and had God’s punishment inflicted upon Him, so that whoever believed in Him would not experience eternal death from God but new and everlasting life with God. “Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:18-19) It was in this that Christ glorified God in perfect obedience. 

To sum it all up, HE IS THE BEST POSSIBLE GIFT EVER! “The greatest news in all the world is that there is no final conflict between my passion for joy and God’s passion for His glory. The knot that ties these together is the truth that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him...” - John Piper

SO WHAT IF I DON’T WANT HIM AT THE CENTRE OF MY LIFE?

You lose your edge. If you profess yourself to be a Christian, merely believing and following certain principles but not doing the will of God, living out the mission of Christ, then are you really who you say you are? “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how will its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away...” (Luke 14:34-35) Christ told his disciples that “You are the salt of the earth...the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-16) Salt was known to be mixed with animal poo or directly thrown onto the ground for fertiliser. Salt is also known for its properties on food, being a preservative and as seasoning to add flavour. Adding to that we are light for the world to see. What Jesus was pointing out is that as Christians, we are meant to stand out, be different so as to impact the world around us. 

You won’t have impact with eternal value. As Christians, we have Christ in us, and that we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to reach out and touch the world around us and live out the Kingdom of God. To others, they might hear our testimony and hear the Gospel, have faith and be saved. The things we do following Christ’s teaching say, for example, loving your enemies and forgiving one another might bring healing to the place that you are where it was once broken. Ultimately, living for Christ impacts the here and now and will not only remain here but will be brought also into the next life. The souls who we impact will have a lasting impression which would lead them to eternal life. Thus we are given this exhortation, yet again,  “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26)   We ought to remember Jesus’ own words when He said, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5) 

Daniel shared with us a few examples of people past and present who had stood for Christ and made that kind of impact. From the past, there were missionaries such as Robert Morrison who translated the Bible into Chinese and evangelised in China, Hudson Taylor who started Christian schools and had conversions from all 18 provinces, and Jim Elliot who not long ago, participated in Operation Auca, an attempt to evangelise to the  Huaorani people of Ecuador. 

One of Morrison’s most famous quotes was when he was en route to China; the owner of the boat on which the young missionary was traveling sarcastically said:”And so, Mr. Morrison, you really expect to make an impression on the idolatry of the great Chinese Empire?” “No, sir,” Morrison replied, “but I expect God will.” (Tucker 1983:167)

Lecrae and NF, two rappers in the music industry who are Christian, writing songs about God, mentioning Him in their music spreading awareness. 

Hannah Yeoh, a politician now serving as Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development. Alvin Teoh, an advertising agent in NagaDDB. Both Christians working in their spheres of influence. 

Finally, if we don’t put Christ in the centre, we may as well experience eternal separation from Christ!  

“Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you, Away from me, you evildoers!’“ (Matthew 7:21-23) 

We may be doing all the right things, be able to prophesy, drive out demons, and perform many miracles in Jesus’ name. We could even so much as enjoy the grace and affection we have with God (Note: calling someone’s name twice is reference to affection) But one area where we fail to put Christ at the centre is when we fail to do the will of God. So what is the Father’s will? We can so much as serve in ministry but in our own walk we fall short and sin (so much because we love our sin more than we love Christ, that’s why He says “I never knew you; away from me, you evildoers!”) . The will of God can be seen in a few Scriptures: Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8), Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbour as yourself (Deuteronomy 6:4-7; Matthew 22: 37:40; Mark 12: 30-31; Luke 10:27), Love one another as Christ has loves us (John 13:34-35). 

The will of God is as such that love is always at the centre of God’s mission, and we follow after the character of Christ which is love. Without love (without God’s love, in Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit in us) we ourselves and our works become reduced to naught. The Apostle Paul recognised this, so he wrote to the church in Corinth (the chapter that we all so know and love) in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.”

SO HOW NOW?

Let Jesus be the center. In Luke 14: 25-35, Jesus talks about the cost of discipleship. In verse 27, He says, “whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” and in verse 33, He says, “ In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” As mentioned earlier, Jesus Christ is worth far more greater than anything in this world. So for one to follow Jesus, they would have to treat Him like He is the only one worthy to the point of laying down everything for Him-- even their own lives. 

Let His Word dwell in you and His Spirit fill you. As a cup can only pour out to others what it is filled and overflowing with, in the same way we pour out to others what we are filled with. If we fill ourselves with God’s Word and His Holy Spirit, we pour out Christ to others. Whatever we are filled with will result in an overflow of blessing to others around us. 

How do we keep Christ at the center and have His word and Spirit dwell richly in us? It is by surrendering, in a process Daniel described as “Spiritual Breathing”. Before surrendering, or rather when we do not surrender, we do our best to assume control of our life and entertain our every desire, our selfish interests, which often result in discord and frustration. 

When we surrender, we confess our sins, clinging to the promise that God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) We lay down all our burdens, we give up trying to control our life and indulge all our selfish desires, and heed Jesus’ commandments. By this, we no longer sit on the throne of our life but we get down to let Christ sit on His rightful place on that very throne.

With Christ on the throne of our lives, God leads us to be obedient to His Word; to go out and make disciples of all nations, so that His kingdom comes, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10; 28:19-20) 

In our journey as Christ-followers, we want to be more like Jesus. So we draw out what seems like a straightforward plan in reaching the goal. However, in reality, our journey is filled with trials and sometimes suffering before we can attain the goal to be like Jesus. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work in you so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1: 2-4) Also, “ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” (Romans 8:17) 

In all things, we have confidence that He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion at the day Christ appears. (Phillipians 1:6) Daniel then left us with a thought as he closed his sharing. “In the dust of your Rabbi” is a phrase is used among the Jews, when a person’s character and virtue follows that of the teacher he is following. Especially during Jesus’ time, the rabbis had no time to attend to each individual so they would teach anywhere and anyone who wanted to follow him must literally follow and be close to him, so much so that you’d be literally covered in the Rabbi’s dust that comes off him as he walks. This leaves us with the question: what does following Jesus look like in our life? Have we been so close to Him that we have become more and more like Him?