The Bible tells us that it was in Antioch, now located in the southern part of Turkey bordering with Syria, that the disciples of Jesus were first called “Christians” (Acts 11:26), followers of Christ. It was not a name chosen by the disciples but rather a name given by others. Jesus did not start a new religion called Christianity; instead, He offered us a relationship with God, His Heavenly Father. Rightly that J. I. Packer, in his book, Knowing God, defines Christian as “one who has God for his Father.” And, Packer adds, “the gift of sonship to God becomes ours, not through being born, but through being born again.” As aptly put forth by John (1:12-13), “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Amen!
Packer’s concise definition of what a Christian is puts matters into perspective, doesn’t it? Christianity is not a religion even though it is called so, but a relationship between us and God. More than an acquaintance, God becomes our Father, not because we claim so, but because God says so. It’s His will, not ours, and it’s His work, not ours, that has brought us into this relationship. Being children is not a title we earn but a gift we receive. This relationship is simply a gift, awarded to us who receive it. God becomes our Father.
The other day Santy and I talked about some of our friends’ children who were brought up in the loving care of Christian parents who are not even clear where they are spiritually now. Having gone through it ourselves with our children, our hearts go out to them who ache and pray for their children. All this reminds us that we are not born into Christian family, but rather we are born into Christian home. To be born into Christian family where God becomes our Father, we must be born again; we must be in a Father-children’s relationship.
Pastor Paul
In his book, The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan tells the journey of a man, namely Christian, from a place called the City of Destruction, referring to the world, to the Celestial City, referring to the heavens. Along the way Christian must face various obstacles that try to stop him from reaching his destination. Out of all, the hardest he must face is the refusal of his wife and his four children to follow along; they had rather stay in the City of Destruction. But to make the long story short, one day Christiana, his wife, repents and decides to go.
It’s then while she’s contemplating going that someone knocks on the door. A man by the name of Secret is sent by the Merciful One to let her know that her sins have been forgiven and that she’s now invited to join her husband in the Celestial City. Upon receiving the good news, she pleads, “Oh sir, won’t you carry me and the boys with you, so that we may worship the King?” Secret replies, “The bitter comes before the sweet. You must go through troubles, as he did who went before you, before you enter the Celestial City.”
There is one verse in Psalms 56 that caught my eye, “You number my wanderings; You put my tears into Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?” (Verse 8). Not long after he was anointed to be the next king of Israel, David had to be a fugitive from Saul. On top of it he had to deal with the Philistines, the nation that Israel was at war with. Psalm 56 was written out of his experience of being captured by the Philistines. We can understand how distressed he must be; trouble never stopped coming from left and right. But as always, he went to God and in prayer, he expressed his trust in God’s care.
God knows what happens and cares for him so much that He even keeps the tears that David sheds in His bottle. God is still in control, so he need not worry; all are in God’s book. We are in God’s book!
Pastor Paul
We always go from Point A to Point B, either by walking, driving, or other ways. Spiritually we always go, too, from Point A, where we are now, to Point B, where God wants us to be. We do not always know where Point B is and how God will take us there. His mode of transportation is often a mystery. God used the Ishmaelites to take Joseph to Egypt, a country and a nation that he had never dreamed to set foot on. God later used Potiphar’s wife to transport Joseph to prison. From there God used Pharaoh’s butler to transport Joseph to the palace where he was appointed to be the Interior’s Secretary. We know the end of the story: God used Joseph to transport Israel to Egypt. God always transports us from Point A to Point B, His will.
We perhaps think, if only we knew what Point B is, and how God would take us there, we might feel better. Personally, I don’t want to know where or what Point B is and the mode of transportation that God will use to take me. I’d rather not know because knowing ahead of time might make me more stressed and anxious. Do I want to know how I will die? I don’t. Knowing is not always good and not knowing is not always bad. Hence, God has so assigned that certain things are for us to know, but not all. He knows how much we can handle. So, for our own good, He keeps certain things a mystery.
Many of you are familiar with the songs, Until Then and It Is No Secret. Stuart Hamblen wrote those beautiful hymns. On several occasions I spoke about him but there’s something else about him that we should know. You see, later in life he was diagnosed with brain cancer. His wife Suzy told the story that not long before he died, one day he called her and said this to her, “You might not believe me when I say this to you, but I just want you to know that the past two weeks has been the most peaceful time of my life.” Life is a mystery, but the grace of God is sufficient to carry us.
Pastor Paul
I’d like to thank you for praying for my mom. When I left her three days ago, she was weak but already in a stable condition. We hope and pray that with therapy she will be able to regain some of her bodily functions. While I was there, I was able to visit with Herwi. She remains in good spirits and remarkably positive despite her deteriorating condition. She thanked you for always praying for her.
While there I was also able to visit a former student of mine who’s receiving chemotherapy. After being in remission for several years her cancer is now back attacking her body. Instead of feeling “poor me,” she is feeling good; instead of finding reasons to be mad at God, she is finding reasons to be thankful for. She’s grateful to God that the hospital where she is at, considered one of the best centers for cancer treatment in Indonesia, accepted BPJS (state-sponsored medical care, like our Medicaid/Medi-Cal). Not only that, but she also told me that in that hospital everyone receives the same quality of care, regardless of his or her financial coverage. It’s truly a gift.
There is something else for which she is thankful. Because it was not her first hospitalization there, before she was admitted, she had already prayed for a bed by the window. You see, each room has three beds separated by curtains that enclose each bed. (It reminds me of the ER setting here.) Hence, only the bed by the window has the best view of seeing something other than windowless curtains. She told me that God had answered her prayer and she’s grateful.
Once again, I see the same pattern of God’s work: Instead of doing something huge, such as radical healing, He does something small, such as giving the bed by the window. Trivial, but to someone like her, it’s a cause for celebration. Jesus didn’t come to the world to heal the sick; no, He came to show how much He cares for the sick.
Pastor Paul
One chokes out wisdom, the other makes space for wisdom.
There is always a wrestling match going on in our hearts and minds – that between pride and humility. That between us thinking we know what’s best, and us knowing we need help and guidance – with the truest guidance being from God.
Proverbs often compares pride and humility, saying things like:
"Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor." Proverbs 18:12
"One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor." Proverbs 29:23
The reason is this – pride chokes out and space for wisdom to dwell. It does this because we don’t think we need any help, any guidance, and we’ve got things on our own – we’re good. But humility realizes just how much help and guidance we need. Even if we feel capable at “living life” we still realize we could do it so much better and more in line with what God intended, so as we humble ourselves, we actually make space for wisdom to dwell in our lives.
As we do this, wisdom will naturally lead us to life, because Solomon keeps referring to 2 paths in Proverbs – the path of understanding and wisdom, which leads to life, and the path of folly and foolishness, which leads to death. And if your soul cries out for life and longs to live – then making space in our lives through humbly seeking God and following His ways is what helps us to stay on the path which will lead us to life.
When it comes down to it – pride is simply ignoring God’s guidance for living life as He intended, and when we do that wisdom can’t guide us, but humility opens our hearts up to first acknowledge we don’t know everything and helps us rely on the God who created everything.
Pastor Steve
What’s the wisest first step?
In Lifeline we’ve been working through the book of Proverbs. It’s been an enlightening journey. One of the amazing word pictures in Proverbs is what wisdom really is. Wisdom in the Hebrew mind isn’t just knowledge, but it’s a tangible skill. The word translated as wisdom in other parts of the Old Testament are also translated as a tangible skill, like stonework, metal work, or working with materials. In the same way those professionals have a tangible skill to craft something, “wisdom” is a tangible skill to craft something – how to live life well according to God in His universe.
That’s why Solomon, who’s wisdom is really the source of a lot of the wisdom literature in the Bible, says this –
"The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding." Proverbs 4:7
In this world where people are going to do whatever is right in their own minds, and there is so much uncertainty, how do you know what to do and how to live? Have the right skill to live this life – and that’s what Proverbs describes as wisdom. That’s why Solomon says things like – though it cost you everything you have, it’s more precious than treasure, it will save you and lead you to life – because the wisest first step in life is to find wisdom. And the source of that wisdom is God Himself. This is also why God rewarded Solomon because he chose the right thing in his first step leading Israel – to have wisdom.
Of all the things we pursue, do we pursue wisdom? When we purse God and His wisdom, we actually gain a tangible skill to live life well in this world because it is the world God created. Wisdom leads us down a path that brings understanding, but even more than that – Solomon says it brings us down the very path of life itself.
Pastor Steve
If God’s willing by the time you are reading this Santy and I will have been in Jakarta, visiting my mother who suffered a stroke several days ago due to a blocked artery in her brain that caused her blood pressure elevated. By the grace of God her blood pressure has now come down to a normal level. Thank you for your prayers and for giving Santy and me time to visit her. We’ll return home on July 15.
The past couple of months we have weathered storm after storm as some of us had to be temporarily and painfully separated from our loved ones. So much to do and so much to process but your support and prayers have made a big difference in the lives of our brothers and sisters who are grieving. They know that they are not alone; you show up in prayer or in person to let them know that you are there for them. So, thank you for your love and support to them.
Last week we celebrated Father’s Day. For some, it’s a day that we look forward to but for some, it’s a day that we wish we could just skip it. There is nothing to celebrate! The reason is because being a father is intricately connected to our children, and sometimes it is not easy to feel good about us as fathers or about our children. We do not expect much from them and we try to be as reasonable as possible but so far, we have not gotten anywhere. As ordinary men who happen to be fathers, we’re disappointed, but we keep it inside because we don’t want to discourage our children even more.
Parenting is a complex process; as a young father I thought I knew how to raise children based on what I had learned in school. Well, it turned out what happened at home was not as simple as I thought. Raising children is not like raising chicken on a farm; there are a lot of unknown factors. So, here is what we must do: stay with and for them. Don’t walk back; don’t walk away; the Lord is not finished yet.
Pastor Paul
Last week our brother Anyauw was admitted to the hospital. When we visited him, he was still in good spirits and able to chat freely; in fact, that evening he and I still talked over the phone. The following day he was admitted to the ICU where he remained till the day he moved to his heavenly home last Tuesday. Along with Apostle Paul, he could say, “I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Well-done, well-lived, Nyauw.
For five years Anyauw embattled a rare case of breast cancer. We wouldn’t know if he didn’t tell us because he looked so healthy. It’s all by the grace of God that he could live relatively healthy. It’s also by the grace of God that he could attend his daughter’s wedding and welcome the birth of his grandson. And it’s by the grace of God that his son finished his medical residency just days before hisI am reading a book about Donald Grey Barnhouse (1895-1960), an American pastor, preacher, and writer. One of the things he was famous for was his penetrating insight to the Bible and his ability to apply it to our daily life. Here is one of them: Some of you have just enough Christianity to be miserable in a nightclub, and not enough to be happy in a prayer meeting. I agree with Dr. Barnhouse that it is true in most cases but somehow it is not true in our church. I see that you have much Christianity to be happy in the prayer meeting. You come to prayer meeting excited even though it runs quite long, more than a couple of hours. Thanks to your prayers we, who are ill, can still live healthily; we, who have needs, can share what we have; and we, who’re tired, can be refreshed and refresh others.
Once I met somebody that I used to know but had lost contact with him for a long time. We were in a gathering somewhere, and he sat next to me. Out of the blue, he asked my permission to pray for me, which I, of course, gave. He said he felt moved by the Spirit to pray for me because I was going through something. So, he prayed. And he was right; I was going through something and his prayer for me was God’s way of reassuring me that He knew what happened and that He heard my prayer. Through his prayer, God spoke to me.
Prayer is not only talking to God, but it is also God’s talking to others through our prayer. In God’s chamber, everything is laid bare; there is nothing hidden. That’s why, what’s hidden in my soul was openly known and passed on to this man. We who pray abide in the Spirit’s realm; hence, can be used by God to carry His message to others. It is also in God’s chamber, we, who pray, can ask Our Beloved Savior to touch and heal someone or to reach out and touch someone. It is there in God’s chamber, through and in prayer, we are all connected with each other. In God’s chamber we become one body and spirit. time of departure. Along the way he kept trusting the Lord for each day he lived, giving thanks for His goodness that’s “running after” him, as the song Goodness of God says. Never once did he complain nor express disappointment in God for the sickness he suffered. He was secure in the providence of God, immovable by cancer. Not only did he keep the faith, but he also kept the joy of living till the very end.
Oswald Chambers died at the age of forty-three of complications following an emergency appendectomy while serving as a chaplain to British soldiers in Egypt during World War I. After his death, his wife, Biddy, compiled his sermons and lectures that she took verbatim shorthand notes into a devotional book, My Utmost for His Highest. Here’s something profound from Chambers that perfectly illustrates the life of Anyauw, “We have to learn to abide in Him wherever we are placed.” Wherever means wherever! Sickness is included, poverty is included, loss of our loved ones is included, loss of material possessions is included. In all we learn to abide in Christ. Pastor Paul
Last week our brother Anyauw was admitted to the hospital. When we visited him, he was still in good spirits and able to chat freely; in fact, that evening he and I still talked over the phone. The following day he was admitted to the ICU where he remained till the day he moved to his heavenly home last Tuesday. Along with Apostle Paul, he could say, “I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Well-done, well-lived, Nyauw.
For five years Anyauw embattled a rare case of breast cancer. We wouldn’t know if he didn’t tell us because he looked so healthy. It’s all by the grace of God that he could live relatively healthy. It’s also by the grace of God that he could attend his daughter’s wedding and welcome the birth of his grandson. And it’s by the grace of God that his son finished his medical residency just days before his time of departure. Along the way he kept trusting the Lord for each day he lived, giving thanks for His goodness that’s “running after” him, as the song Goodness of God says. Never once did he complain nor express disappointment in God for the sickness he suffered. He was secure in the providence of God, immovable by cancer. Not only did he keep the faith, but he also kept the joy of living till the very end.
Oswald Chambers died at the age of forty-three of complications following an emergency appendectomy while serving as a chaplain to British soldiers in Egypt during World War I. After his death, his wife, Biddy, compiled his sermons and lectures that she took verbatim shorthand notes into a devotional book, My Utmost for His Highest. Here’s something profound from Chambers that perfectly illustrates the life of Anyauw, “We have to learn to abide in Him wherever we are placed.” Wherever means wherever! Sickness is included, poverty is included, loss of our loved ones is included, loss of material possessions is included. In all we learn to abide in Christ. Pastor Paul
On Monday, June 1, in the wee morning hour, Jesus Our Lord came to take Aunty Ratna Lim home. Two years have passed since the day she was diagnosed with cancer but by the grace of God, cancer did not stop her from living fully. Even days before she passed, she was still alert and promised to make me choi pan, and a couple of weeks prior, she still came to church. Last Sunday night she went to sleep in her home, on earth, but she did not wake up on earth; she woke up in her new home, in heaven. Till we meet again, Aunty Ratna.
On the day of her passing, I shared with the family Word of the Lord from Psalm 116:15, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” I call her a saint because I never saw her angry or yell at anyone, and I never heard her speak ill of anyone. She was always positive and upbeat, and she never stopped smiling no matter what happened. She fully trusted in the Lord and rested in His care. She did not worry and if she did, she did not let it rob her of the joy of living. She lived as intended by Jesus Our Lord, “Do not worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will have its own worries. The troubles we have in a day are enough for one day” (Matthew 6:34). Amen!
In his book, Run with the Horses, Eugene Peterson writes, “There is no human being who is not useful with a part to play in what God is doing.” I know it is not always easy to see our part especially when we are not young anymore and increasingly dependent on others to perform basic tasks. Yes, as grow older, the part we play is getting smaller but by no means is it getting less significant. When we are young, we are like a beam, shoring up a structure; when we are old, we are like a screw, small but make no mistake, it is very important. Take a screw out, the whole structure will crumble. No wonder God does not remove a screw without replacing it first. So, we, who wish to go, must wait patiently; God is still calibrating another screw.Pastor Paul
Pastor Paul