Overjoy

This week I went to an all-day training session about computer programming for my job with a person who worked at Microsoft. It was nice to take a break from the every day work and to learn more about some of the good practices about coding.

I was a bit worried that I will be bored and fall asleep (since I haven't attended a lecture for a while), but the presenter made it very interactive, and we had some good group brainstorm activities (we were seated in tables). We also took 7-minute breaks every hour, and after every break the presenter will show us some interesting pictures that are a puzzle, as we need to guess what words of phrase those pictures represent.

I wasn't able to find anything in the internet, so I tried reproducing the most simple ones:

These ones are quite easy to get (if you can't get it, the answers are in the end of the post). There are others that were almost impossible to get, and some that were very neat, but I forgot most of them now!

I have a friend who like to use the word "overjoy" which I don't hear much nowadays. He often applies this word during prayers or deep conversations about our faith to convey how joyful we should all be because of the grace and mercy shown to us by the cross of Jesus Christ, and that the gospel that has saved us is still affecting us every day because the Holy Spirit is continuously working in us to be more like Christ, and He is filling us with joy and peace.

I am always encouraged by Paul, especially in the book of Philippians (which many know it's my favorite book). When Paul wrote this letter, he was in jail and not knowing if he will die the next day, probably going through many hardships, probably missing some of his closest fellow workers (like Timothy), probably not doing great in health. In spite of his circumstances, he was able to write some of the most encouraging words I have heard:

• I thank my God every time I remember you (1:3)
• In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy (v4)
• to live is Christ and to die is gain (1:21)
• Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ (1:27)
• I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (3:8) 
• Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (4:4)
• Do not be anxious about anything (4:6)
• And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (4:7)
• I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation (4:12)
• I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (4:13)

In a bible study in grad cell, a sister shared her insight that Paul was not thinking of his circumstances at all, but always thinking about God, about how good He is, and about how much He has blessed him and the fellow saints in Philippi. Because of that he was able to be joyful despite his circumstances; even more, he was able to encourage others to be joyful because his mind is set on God.

In this exam time, I hope that fellow brothers and sisters will commit themselves to the Lord, and be joyful in this mental and physical challenging times.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Guess what this means:

Answers:
first 3 pictures: J-walking, breakfast, circular reasoning.
last picture: always overjoy

Gentle whisper

It has been more than 7 months since I last blogged. This is kinda ridiculous that I am slacking that much. I have to admit that laziness is one reason why I have not blogged for a while. Also, I have been quite drained by work (even though it is only 9-5, it can take a lot away from you), as well as busy after work with some sort of ministry. I tend to like to fill my schedule because I want to be useful to God with the time I have. But there are many points in my life when living this full-schedule has been doing more harm than good in my relationship with God, because I just don't enough spend time alone with Him, quiet down myself in prayer, talk to Him in prayer, and meditate on His Word. Sometimes it is just difficult to feel that God is near.

As time increases, symptoms of burnout increases.

This has been a struggle lately. And it is something that I was aware of, and was hopefully wanting to overcome it at the start of the fall term, but this term has been quite demanding. 

But somehow, God has been giving me certain realizations here and there, as well as encouragements from brothers and sisters, and just personal conviction that God is indeed near and He is gentle whispering to me to focus on Him every time. Now that the term pretty much ended, I have some time to rest up physically, reflect on the things I need to improve, and replenish myself with the goodness of God. And I look forward for this, to just really deepening communion with God every day.

I look forward to prayer walks, reading more (both the bible and as well as Christian literature), blogging, and writing personal emails (I really like personal correspondence!). Blogging is definitely good because it helps me to put in words the realizations from God, and it makes me discipline to be constantly thinking about God and His interaction with people, and I hope that by the grace of God this can be encouraging to others.

One of the most memorable CCF bible studies was on summer 2007, when we did 1 King 19, which talks about an ownage person like Elijah. He did great things but he fled when the queen Jezebel was persecuting him. Elijah feels lonely, unmotivated, tired, inadequate, depressed (all of these seems signs of burnout). Then the Lord speaks to Eljiah, but Elijah responds with much complains. Then the Lord manifests His great power:

"Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”" - 1 Kings 19:11-13

God is able to perform so many powerful things (very strong winds, earthquake, fire) but the Lord came and spoke to Elijah through a gentle whisper. This shows that God is merciful and gracious, that His gentleness breaks the tough hearts of men to draw them back to Him. God is intense.

scandalous

One time I was browsing through a Christian website, and came across a book named Scandalous by D.A. Carson. I can't hide the fact that I felt impulsive to get it because of the title =P. And then I found that Mark Driscoll strongly recommends this book, so I totally went for it.

I have to say... it is good. "Scandalous" is an excellent book that explains clearly the work of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection. It provided me a deeper understanding of how every sin is a transgression against God, and more knowledge of the meaning of propitiation and redemption that was accomplished in the death of Jesus on the cross.

The first chapter talks about the "double irony" of the cross. D.A. Carson presents 4 "double ironies" from the account in Matthew 27 on the death of Jesus. I found it very neat, even though Jesus was mocked on the cross, ultimately God owns them with their own mockery.

1. Jesus was mocked as the King of Jews
   
   Matthew 27:27-31, the soldiers mocked Jesus, saying "Hail, king of the Jews!". And on verse 37, it is written the charge against Jesus, "THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS". The soldiers were making fun of Jesus, because He claimed to be the Messiah but He is now rejected and condemned. And that is the irony. But, the counter irony is that Jesus is indeed the King. Revelations 19 shows a breathe-taking description of Jesus as the rider on the white horse, and on His robe it is written "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS". Jesus is King.
   
   
2. Jesus was mocked as powerless
   
   Matthew 27:32-40, Jesus was insulted even by one of the thieves who were also crucified (Luke 23:39). The soldier casted lots on His clothing, and the public kept on shaking their heads and insulted Jesus. They kept on with saying that it is impossible that Jesus e can destroy the temple and build in in three days. And that if He is the Son of God, then He should be able to save Himself! So basically, it was ironic that Jesus proclaimed that He is the Son of God, but was powerless in this situation. But the counter irony is that Jesus is indeed powerful because what He accomplished on the cross is indescribable. He took upon Himself the wrath of God for the punishment of our sins, and He resurrected from the death three days later. Jesus defeated death! Jesus is God, powerful.
   
   
3. Jesus was mocked as not able to save anyone
   
   Matthew 27:42, the chief priests mocked Jesus saying that Jesus save others but can't save Himself. They further mocked that if Jesus can come down from the cross, they will believe in Him. The irony is that Jesus offers eternal life for those who believe in Him, but He can't save Himself on the cross. But the counter irony is that Jesus can save all those who have faith in Him because of His death on the cross. Only Jesus can live a righteous life, and His righteousness is imputed on those who believe in Him, and our sins was imputed on Him so that He will take upon the punishment (2 Cor 5:21). Only the blood of Jesus can save us.
   
   
4. Jesus was mocked as not receiving help from God
   
   Matthew 27:43, further mockery about how Jesus always said that He trusts God, but if that's the case then God should be able to rescue Him. The fact that He is not receiving any help from God is an irony. But the counter irony is that Jesus is submitting to God the Father in obedience to death on the cross, and Jesus is then exalted to the highest place, and Jesus' name is above all names (Philippians 2:9).

This is just the tip of the iceberg of how good the book is, and how powerful Jesus is.

The work on the cross of Jesus and His resurrection is real power that defeats all human works, wisdom, mockery and anything. We can only boast on the cross of Jesus, and stand amazed at the grace offered to us.

"And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he [Jesus] made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." - Colossians 2:15

More about the atonement

draw our life from His smile

So recently I am watching an anime called Arakawa Under the Bridge, which is a comedy that consists of extremely peculiar characters doing random things, and they all live under a bridge. It sounds weird, but it's actually very enjoyable.

The main male character (Ric) is a guy who has everything. He is the heir of the most successful company in Japan, he is smart, knows his stuff, excels in many areas. Because of that, he is full of himself. Moreover, his family has a motto of "to never rely on anyone". Meaning that he has to do everything by his own powers. So the story starts with the main female character (Nino)  rescuing him from the death. And then he wants to do everything possible to repay her, as he can't owe people anything. She doesn't want to take anything from him, but eventually she requested if they can start dating, lol.

There is one particular scene I really like, when the male character's father converses with the main female character... goes like this:

- Nino: whenever I brought him food, he wouldn't shut up about doing something in return.
- Ric's father: Of course he did. You need to want something too. Otherwise it is not fair.
- Nino: No. It's fair. When he's full, it feels like I'm full too.

With all the facial expression and musical background from the anime, it was really cool and spoke to me. When I serve God, I know that my works don't contribute to my salvation, because it by grace and through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). And I get my motivation to persevere in my faith because I desire in my heart that the Lord will say to me "good faithful servant" on the day I stand before God.

But, as I live here on earth, there are times of discouragement, burnt out, lack of fruits, and many other things that can damper my motivation to run in the race. So often, the lack of a visible affirmation from God that He is pleased with what I am doing really throws me off.

Then, I realized that perhaps I am putting more emphasis on results of my works instead of God Himself. I came to the conclusion that I have missed God in those times of discouragement in serving by focusing on what I do. Because I want to get something back (a visible result!), but I am missing the point that God already loves me.

Truly, I need to learn how to be satisfied in God, drawing power from the assurance that He loves me so much (1 John 3).

"[God] He meant us to see Him and live with Him and draw our life from His smile" from The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

cell membrane

As an engineer I am used to study for engineering courses. Most of these courses have to be studied with learning how to solve problems (assignment questions). So understanding the theory might not as important (though, it helps and it makes you a better engineer). Somehow, I got a bit tired of engineering courses and decided to take a "free" course on human physiology (BIOL 273). It was fun, I have to learn to memorize text (and not numbers), and it was very interesting to know how the body works. It was also very fun that some CCFers from engineering and science were also taking that course at the same time. So, we engineers aimed to beat the science kids, but we couldn't beat the cookie eater.

I think high school science teaches about cell membrane in a very high level, and in BIOL 273 we went a bit deeper. These are some of the cell membrane's functions:

• Traffic control: semipermeable membrane that allows certain particle to pass and blocks others
• Protects the cell from outer environment
• Reads and process information: contains binding channels that reads information from an agent (hormone, protein, etc) and elicits a response

I might be a bit off so bear with me in my limited scientific knowledge.

I want to share a bit about the purpose of the ministry I am co-leading with Jon Lin, which is called  Breaking-down Brick Walls (BBW) (yes, we stole the name from a friend's blog name). The vision of our ministry is to help equip Christians into the service of God by imparting knowledge and teaching skills of various Christian topics (apologetics, bible studies, serving, etc) through workshop and discussions. We started as a ministry solely focused on apologetics, but later we expanded our scope across various Christian topics.

The more I think, ponder and talk (back and forth) with Jon about this ministry, I realize that our focus should not be so much about teaching people knowledge because people can just easily absorb a truth and believe it without thinking and questioning it. Besides, information is so easily accessible nowadays. Instead, our focus is   about helping people build a "biblical mental framework" that can teach them to filter knowledge. That people will not just blindly believe in one side of the argument without understanding where both sides of the arguments are coming from. Our aim is that through discussions we can incite people to think and question about the truths of our faith. 

Because it is so easy to just believe about what is taught in the church without looking in the bible. There is a lot of gain in "wrestling" with a passage of the bible (because a lot of verses are very hard to interpret). The more we wrestle, the more we gain from the riches of the Word of God  (instead of just believing everything a pastor say). Also, this is important especially since there are many false teachers in this age.

Since many Christians who grew up in church might think that Christianity is another part of their routine, that most of them might not be able to put in words the basic truths of our faith. It is important that we understand and think thoroughly and even question about our faith. We have to take ownership of our faith, meaning that I am not a Christian because I go to church or because my parents bring me to church, but that I decided to believe in Jesus Christ, who died for me on the cross for my sins. That I made that step of commitment knowing its implications (cost of discipleship).

Also, there are times when we are emotionally down, and the knowledge of our faith (assurance that God is faithful, the promises of God) is what we can cling on to persevere in our faith.

Moreover, there are many topics in which there is no black/white distinction of what is right or wrong (maybe because the bible is not clear about all topics) so a believer has to think critically and discern what biblical truths can be applied.

Similar to a cell membrane, a "biblical mental framework" has these benefits:

• Information control: discern between biblical and "sketchy" teachings
• Protects us from false teaching
• Process information: think critically about biblical truths and know how to apply them

There are two caveats:

1. This is more geared towards seasoned Christians. For new Christians, it is understandable that the focus is more on just learning biblical truths (and not so much questioning it). But as your grow in maturity in Christ Jesus, we are called to correctly handle the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15)
2. We believers have the Holy Spirit, and we acknowledge that He works in us and teaches us. So it's not just human thinking and knowledge, but it is taught by the Spirit and spiritually discerned (1 Cor 2:13)

Also, I talked in my past post about the importance of knowledge.

love relationships

I was reading an online conversation from my friends with some mormons, and they were defending their views on polygamy (a man can have many wives) with bible verses from the Old Testament in which many biblical role models (David, Solomon, Abraham, Jacob) have more than one wife (or had a child with the wife's maidservant). I pointed out that not everything that is narrated in the bible is an example of moral conduct. The bible tells us stories of God's interaction with men, and clearly shows us that men are sinful and are in need of the grace of God.

It pains me that people are twisting Scripture to justify their believe in a selfish and self-gain view on marriage by taking pleasure with many wives.

Because God's purpose on marriage is such a beautiful one. Ephesians 5:25 clearly says that the love display in a marriage symbolizes the unconditional love that Jesus displayed to His bride (the church) by dying on the cross for us (His bride). And yeah, it is not because we are in any way attractive to God or that Jesus needs us, but this is a display of God's love... giving up Himself to die for His enemies.

I was reading a friend's blog, and came across with this article of  Soul Mates or Sole Mates? from boundless that I think explains well the Christian view on relationship and marriage.

Also, for the guys, these are good question to ask yourself (21 Questions for a Prospective Suitor) before pursuing a girl :P.

Furthermore, for those who are single, this is a cool video from P4CM that encourages the single Christian to wait in a very poetic way:

the value of experience

The UEFA Champions League quarterfinals (soccer) ended this week. Surprisingly, the defending champion Inter Milan lost against the surprising "weaker" Schalke 04. On another match, Manchester United defeated their English rival Chelsea. An interesting point I want to emphasize is the value of the experienced players of the winning teams.

On one hand, Manchester United is historically a very powerful team. Many people from Hong Kong are fans of this team (I personally don't like them haha). But this year they are not in their most powerful state, still they are able to be in the semifinals. The three goals they scored were assisted by Ryan Giggs, a living legend of Man U. He is 37 years old (spend 20 years playing for Man U) and was indeed a determining factor of this series.

Schalke 04 is a not a so famous team, but they count with one of the greatest Spanish player, Raul Gonzalez, who had a great career in Real Madrid. Now he is in Schalke 04 to try to win things with another team in the latter part of his career. They faced the defending champions (Inter) and surprisingly destroyed them 5-2 on their away game. Raul scored two goals in the series showing his first-world class skills as a forward. 

This reminded me of a chapter of Naruto manga called "the value of Kakashi's experience", in which he fights the genius Uchiha Itachi for a second time and shows that he is able to fight fairly and squarely (after getting owned in the first fight). Kakashi did pretty well, but Itachi is still a lot more ownage.

Overall, experience is valuable in a person's endeavour, whether it is studies, work, ministries, relationships. Because experience teaches a person not to make the same painful mistakes and increases the knowledge framework for the individual to improve in such endeavour.

In a Christian context, experience is very valuable as well. This is not to say that people without experience shouldn't serve, as you have to start somewhere. But that mentorship and seeking advice from older people is beneficial. I remembered how encouraging and refreshing was to talk to my upper years about deep topics, and asking counsel about serving, fellowship, and Christian lifestyle. This does not mean that experience people are much more holier or better, but that their years of experience can make a difference.

In a more practical point of view, I think an individual should be connected with people more experience so that he/she can have easy access to advice. Also, an individual should be connected with younger people whom he/she can invest and share their experiences with them.

A caveat though, seek God first in all. Ask Him for wisdom first (James 1:5), but do remember that God can use brothers and sisters to speak to us as well.