Called to Bear Witness for the Truth

Photo credit: Metro Praise International Church

The apostle Paul says that the church of the living God is the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15). What he meant to say is that the church is the instituted organism called and equipped to uphold and proclaim the truth in this world of lies, illusions, and delusions.

As Christ's church we preach the truth. As members of the His church we testify to the truth, defend it, support those who proclaim it and seek to live it out in our daily lives.

But what is this truth we’re called to proclaim and guard? What kind of teachings should be our forte? It should be the apostolic teaching which centers on the gospel, the good news of salvation in and through our Lord Jesus Christ.

After testifying that the church is the pillar and foundation of the truth, Paul goes on to say, “Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory” (1 Tim. 3:16).

In this verse, we have what scholars call an early Christian creed that contains the gospel in a nutshell. It’s not the whole apostolic doctrine but a good summary of what they proclaimed. This summary is about Jesus Christ and it contains six truths about Him. (By the way, Paul emphasizes the person and work of Christ a lot in 1 and 2 Timothy. It's probably because it was the doctrine under great attack in the church of Ephesus).

Notice in 1 Timothy 3:16 that what is about to be said is “the mystery of godliness” which is great and is commonly confessed. “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness” as the other version says. In other words, it's a common creed of the early believers. Every point of this creed is indeed true!

It is called “the mystery of godliness” not because it is something that is puzzling that no one knows or understands it. Rather, it really means something that was once hidden and has now been revealed. The question is not “What is this mystery?” but “Who is this mystery?” Verse 16 tells us that it is Jesus Christ, the true revelation of godliness – and He has been revealed to us in the pages of the Scripture.

Paul tackles six things here that are at the center of the Christian faith. Briefly let's take a look at these truths.

First, Jesus Christ was manifested in the flesh. Many cults and world religions challenge the basic tenets of Christianity, including the incarnation of Jesus Christ. But what a remarkable fact that Jesus Christ is the living, eternal God in human flesh. The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us!

Second, Jesus Christ was vindicated in the Spirit. It means His resurrection. The ultimate vindication of Jesus took place when He was raised from the dead by the Spirit of God (Rom.1:4). It could also mean that Jesus was vindicated in His spirit. In other words, although He was fully man, He was sinless and perfect (Heb.4:15).

Third, Jesus was seen by angels. Throughout His earthly ministry, angels ministered to Him. They announced His birth. They ministered to Him during His temptation in the wilderness and they strengthened Him in Gethsemane. They also observed him during His death and resurrection. After He was put in a tomb, the angels rolled way the stone at the door of His tomb and they announced His resurrection and ascension. Angels were involved in His earthly ministry from beginning to end. This statement could even have in mind the worship given to the ascended Christ by angels in heaven.

Fourth, Jesus was proclaimed among the nations. After His resurrection, Jesus commissioned His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. He commanded them to proclaim the message of His salvation to every tribe, nation and tongue. This is taking place. The gospel is being preached all over the world. This is our calling as the church and we fulfill our identity as “pillar and foundation of truth” as we do our share in making disciples from every nation, calling everyone to bow down before King Jesus, and teaching those who would heed the call to obey all the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Fifth, Jesus was believed on in the world. At the first public preaching of the gospel of Christ after the pouring out of the Spirit to the first disciples, 3,000 people believed and were saved. In the days that followed, thousands more believed. The gospel was spreading and God has ordained that everyone who believed in Jesus Christ will be saved. We proclaim faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ as the only means by which man can be saved. Not by good works or faith plus good works. Salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone is our message.

Sixth, Jesus was taken up in glory. This refers to the bodily ascension of the risen Christ. It shows that God was satisfied with His atoning work. Hebrews 1:3 says, “After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Now He is at the right hand of the Father, with all authority in heaven and earth. And that authority He shares with the church by His Spirit.

This is the gospel in a nutshell. God in Jesus Christ became man. He died for our sins, triumphed over death, was honored by angels and feared by demons, and ascended into glory. This message has been preached all over the world and many have believed and been saved and empowered to live in holy obedience and service to Jesus Christ.

As believers in this day and age, you and I are proofs that Jesus is believed on in the world. That is why we ought to take the church seriously, to be strong in our proclamation of Jesus Christ, who is “the way, the truth, and the life.”

God's church is the chosen instrument to proclaim the saving truth of Christ. This is our identity. So let us consider seriously that as Christians, as people called and redeemed by God through faith in Christ, you and I are members of that institution that is the pillar and foundation of the truth. That’s our identity in Christ. And we ought to live accordingly by the power of the Spirit who is in us to bear witness for this truth.

God and His Saints Shall Triumph Over Sin, Satan, and Death

As I prepare for another overview lecture on the book of Revelation I came to chapter 20 again. Although there are issues that need to be sorted out in this chapter, it is such an edifying and encouraging study as the chapter tells us about the triumph of God and His people over their enemies.

The first heartening truth that comforts me a lot in this chapter is the coming to life and the reign of the saints who have died. These saints are described as "those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God" and because "[t]hey had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands" (Rev. 20:4).

These saints are alive and are reigning with Christ in the heavenly realm (as the thrones in verse 4 indicate that they are in the heavenly realm having been beheaded).

Revelation 20 also portrays the binding and restraining of Satan. This binding of Satan is "to keep him from deceiving the nations" (v. 3) in order that the preaching of the gospel could progress to the nations throughout the world for a thousand years (v. 3) which period corresponds with the reigning of the souls of the beheaded saints with Christ (v. 4).

The chapter also talks about the release of Satan towards the end "for a little while" or "for a short time" (v. 3) in order to gather the unbelieving nations for the battle ('τὸν πόλεμον,' v. 8; see also Rev. 16:14; 19:19) against the people of God (v. 9).

Their huge gathering could be intimidating but their threat to the church will only be followed by the fire coming down from heaven devouring them (v. 9), casting the devil into the lake of fire and brimstone "where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown" (v. 10).

For the saints of the first century who were suffering under the fury of the devil and the beast and their earthly minions, this vision was comforting. They saw that their faithfulness even to the point of death was not pointless but was real victory over sin and death, and the devil himself.

Like their Lord Jesus, they conquer their enemy by dying. Their death ushered them into the glorious presence of Christ and they came out victorious through their death, just like their Lord and Master who conquered death by dying and coming back to life.

Thus, when it seems that evil is gaining the upper hand in our time, when wickedness seems to prosper, when saints seem to be defeated and the church oppressed by the enemies of the Lord, the message of Revelation 20 in particular gives hope to the suffering and oppressed church of Jesus Christ.

In times of apparent defeat, setback, and weakness, may God remind us of this biblical truth that in dying for Christ and for the sake of the gospel, we shall be victorious.

We need to remember that because of Christ’s decisive victory over sin and death, and over the devil, and in light of His glorious appearing, the church of Jesus Christ shall prevail in conquering and discipling the nations with the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom of God (Matt. 24:14).

In spite of the seemingly insurmountable oppositions, by the power of the Spirit of Christ, the Church shall advance and go forth with the gospel of salvation that even the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18).

Notwithstanding the cost – suffering, sacrifice, self-denial, even death – and the infirmities that afflict the bride of Christ in this world, and in spite of the harm that many false teachers and apostate churches are inflicting upon the cause of the gospel, the Church of our Lord Jesus shall fulfill her mission.

That mission is to call the nations to bow down and to submit to the authority of her Lord, Redeemer, and King (Matt. 28:18-20), who is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David (Rev. 5:5), the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8).

The message of Revelation in general and Revelation 20 in particular is that God and the Lamb shall triumph over the seemingly formidable and ruthless enemies of His people.

One commentator aptly summarized the message of Revelation 20 saying, “At history’s end the deceivers (dragon, beast, false prophets) will dupe the world’s kings and nations, gathering them to wage the war against Jesus and his people…Persecution is bad now, but it will get worse then, just before the end."

He then adds this encouraging message, "Yet even when Satan is unleashed to work his worst, it only will be for ‘a short time,’ and the outcome of the conflict is certain to be the defeat and destruction of dragon, beast false prophet, and all who worship and obey them. John has seen history’s ugly end: now he will see eternity’s beautiful beginning” (Dennis E. Johnson, “Triumph of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation,” 299-300).

All Saints' Day and the Gospel of Christ

Today, November 1, is "All Saints' Day" or "Feast of All the Saints," a festival celebrated in many Christian churches (Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, the Methodist Church, the Lutheran Church, and other Protestant churches) in honor of all the saints, known or unknown.


This celebration of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (November 2) "stems from a belief that there is a powerful spiritual bond between those saints who are already in heaven (the 'Church triumphant'), and the ones living here on earth (the 'Church militant')."


Living in a predominantly Roman Catholic country, All Saints' Day is a national holiday in the Philippines. Traditionally many Christians here, especially those of the Roman Catholic background, flock the cemeteries and other burial places visiting their departed loved ones at their grave.


Many graveyards turn into a picnic ground during this time of the year. While the intention of this celebration might be noble, one does not see its Scriptural warrant in doing so.


I am convinced, however, that we should be thankful that our loved ones who died in faith in our Lord Jesus Christ are now enjoying the comforting presence of their Redeemer. They are with the Lord waiting for the day of His appearance to the world and for the resurrection of their bodies.


To visit them at their grave is fine. But to remind ourselves of the finished work of Christ on their and our behalf is even better. And while they are now in the presence of the Lord, we who are still here on this earth have a calling to fulfill.


We are called and commissioned to make disciples from every nation making Christ known through the preaching of the gospel as clearly as we can. We are called to proclaim the glories of God in the work of Christ in order to dispel the darkness of ignorance of the truth of the Holy Scripture and to overcome the blindness of many because of sin and Satan's dominion.


As James Jordan rightly says, "The Festival of All Saints reminds us that though Jesus has finished His work, we have not finished ours. He has struck the decisive blow, but we have the privilege of working in the mopping up operation. Thus, century by century the Christian faith has rolled back the demonic realm of ignorance, fear, and superstition."


The Reformation churches all over the world have commemorated the 501st anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. We thank God for His Word that gave light, life, and hope to many who were groping in ignorance and fear, unsure if they could be accepted by God or not by their own sacrificial works.


We thank the Lord for raising men like Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, Bucer, Bullinger, Tyndale, Cranmer, and many others before and after them, "for paving the way for a host of new translations of the Hebrew and Greek Scripture into the language of the people." Their aim in doing so was that the people could read for themselves God's word about redemption and forgiveness of sins and "for restoring the preached Word to its central place in the life of the people of God!"


God has willed that Luther, as a perceptive and sensitive soul that he was, would understand the hopelessness and helplessness of the human race before a righteous and holy God. Thus, Luther's restlessness has providentially been used by God to ignite the fire of the Reformation.


This Reformation spread and affected many parts of Europe, and even the rest of the world, that neither disease nor death, not even sword or Satan can stop the burning passion of the Reformers to proclaim the blazing sword of the Spirit that cuts the heart of sinners, on the one hand, and brings healing and comfort to their weary souls, on the other hand.


Today, while many will congregate at the burial grounds and memorial gardens all over the Philippines and enjoy the company of family members and relatives around the grave of their dead loved ones, a few of us will gather together to thank God and to remind ourselves of His work in saving His people by His grace through the finished work of Christ.


We do this to challenge ourselves to the remaining task of bringing to the nations the good news of redemption in Christ, who is the Lord and Redeemer of mankind and the only way to the Father (John 14:6).

Repentance

"When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said 'repent,' he meant that the entire life of believers should be one of repentance." This is the first proposition that the 16th century Augustinian monk, Martin Luther, wrote in his 'Ninety-Five Theses' which he posted on the eve of All Saints' Day of 1521 at the door of the castle church at Wittenberg, Germany. These 95 theses set the flame of the Reformation in Europe ablaze.

Repentance is an important Christian doctrine for "God commands all people everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). At some point in medieval period the biblical idea of repentance was misunderstood. As Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson rightly observes, "The gospel called not for an act of penance but for a radical change of mind-set and an equally deep transformation of life" ("Here We Stand: A Call from Confessing Evangelicals," 132). Many scholars have observed that the word "repentance" is used many times and described using different metaphors (including plowing, circumcising, turning, and returning) in the Holy Scripture.

One of the ways repentance is used in the Old Testament has the idea of returning to "the provisions and prescriptions of God's bond." Dr. Ferguson adds that "to repent" is even "used to describe the return of God's people from geographical exile (e.g., Isa. 10:21-22), and in many ways this provides us with a helpful metaphor to understand what repentance is. Just as restoration from exile means returning geographically from the far country to the sphere where God has covenanted to fulfill his promise of blessing, so repentance from sin means returning from the far country of bondage in sin and guilt to the place where God has promised to fulfill his covenanted blessings - and all based on the promise of God's free mercy and grace (cf. Deut. 30:11)....

"Biblical repentance, then, is not merely a sense of regret that leaves us where it found us; it is a radical reversal that takes us back along the road of our sinful wanderings, creating in us a completely different mind-set: We come to our senses spiritually (cf. Luke 15:17). No longer is life characterized by the demand 'give me' (Luke 15:12) but now by the request 'make me' (Luke 15:19)" ("Here We Stand," 133).

The Recovery of the Gospel

In his introduction to John Owen's "The Death of Death in the Death of Christ," Dr. J. I. Packer says, “One of the most urgent tasks facing the evangelical church today is the recovery of the Gospel.”


Dr. Packer first made this statement in 1958, but I do believe that that is still true and probably even more urgent now than before. I thank the Lord that there is an increasing interest in many churches today, especially among young people, in learning gospel truths.


There is also a growing movement within the evangelical community that aims at recovering and propagating the old gospel truth that centers on God and His redemptive work in the person and work of Christ. Books, blogs, podcasts, and internet articles about the gospel are reaching many people in our time opening their eyes and ears to the amazing grace of God in saving sinners through the finished work of Jesus Christ.


Instrumental in popularizing these gospel truths among the evangelical youth and young ministers of today are Michael Horton, the late R. C. Sproul and James Montgomery Boice, John MacArthur, John Piper, J. I. Packer, Paul Washer, Joel Beeke, Kevin DeYoung, Mark Jones, Tim Challies, and many others, including the works of Ligonier Ministries, Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, TGC, and several ministries. Through the writings and publications of these authors and gospel-centered organizations there is an ongoing revival of the truths of the gospel in the lives of many people in our generation.


It is my prayer that the Spirit of God would sustain this steady stream of gospel-centered preaching and teaching in the church of Jesus Christ all over the world. I hope that the urgent task that Dr. Packer was talking about some 60 years ago will be fulfilled in our time, that is, the recovery and the propagation of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of many to the glory of God.


This gospel, in one of its multi-faceted truths, tells us that the God who created the world, this sovereign and holy God has provided for us sinners a substitute sin-bearer in the person of His Son. Jesus Christ, God’s only Son is the perfect high priest who made a once-for-all sacrifice for our sin. He carried all our sin upon his shoulder and nail them at the cross canceling all our debts and reconciled us back to this holy God. He offered himself in our place at the cross to save us who deserve the wrath and just condemnation of God.


Like a precious diamond, the gospel is a many-faceted truth. It is taught and proclaimed in the pages of the Holy Scripture. It is also portrayed through various stories in the Bible, the written Word of God, of which the Parable of the Prodigal Son is one of my favorite narratives.


In one controversial book written in history, the author explains the gospel by saying, “[T]he Gospel is a doctrine revealed from heaven by the Son of God, immediately after the fall of mankind into sin and death; and afterwards it was manifested more clearly and fully to the patriarchs and prophets, to the evangelists and apostles, and by them it was spread abroad to others. In this gospel, freedom from sin, from the curse of the law, from the wrath of God, death, and hell, is freely promised for Christ’s sake to all who truly believe on his name” (Edward Fisher, “The Marrow of Modern Divinity,” 208).

A Testimony of My Conversion and Call to the Ministry

Shared at the Gideons International Mindanao Camp Gathering in Tagum City on September 23, 2016

Good evening, friends. At the outset, I'd like to thank the organizer for giving me this opportunity to share with you my experience with the ministry of the Gideons International. I'd like to begin by saying that I have believed in God and was taught about Jesus since I was a child. I owned a blue New Testament given by the Gideons International representatives when I was in high school. From that New Testament I learned about the life and ministry of Jesus. Through it also I was able to read the books of Psalms and Proverbs.

Early in my life, I have desired to serve God in full-time ministry as a priest in the Roman Catholic Church. Yet I grew up a disobedient child. The concept of the fear of the Lord was unknown to me. I may have looked nice outwardly but deep within I was miserable. My conscience would always bother me and condemn me and I was so uncertainty of my future.

It wasn't very obvious to others but I was very afraid to die. Although I knew that Jesus Christ saves, still I did not have the faith to trust Him fully. So I tried hard doing nice things, like being respectful to my parents, doing the dishes and other house chores, and many other kind deeds. I was made to believe that in doing good works I can sort of earn my way to heaven.

But it did not help me at all and I was quite frustrated. There was something that I was looking for that I haven't found and tasted during those years.

It was the French physicist and philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) who spoke of people's need for God when he said, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man, which only God can fill through his Son Jesus Christ." About 1200 years before Pascal, Augustine (354-430) also wrote, “You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

Those quotes from Pascal and Augustine are true in my life. There was a vacuum in me that needs to be filled and there was some kind of restlessness that I didn't know how to put to rest. I thank God that in Christ he fills my emptiness and enables me to rest and to live in peace.

It was in February 1986 when I came to meet a Baptist minister from Bacolod City. He shared to me what I called "a strange teaching about God." We were roommates at a secondary school press conference in Iloilo province.

One night he saw me reading my blue Gideons New Testament. It has been my habit to read my New Testament before I sleep at night. He then asked me if I was a Christian. I was a Roman Catholic at that time. He then asked me if I could spare a few minutes to talk with me about some important things. I said "Yes" out of respect.

Using a Bible tract, he then started to explain to me the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, and the death of Christ in a way that I did not see in my upbringing. Gradually I was beginning to understand the gospel, the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.

At first I was so skeptical at what he was telling me. But later, I was moved to believe that Christ indeed saves, as the Bible says, and by believing in Him, I can be assured of my salvation.

Knowing this gracious saving act of God in Christ toward sinners like me, I was led to confess and repent from my sins. I then began to experience that sense of joy and peace deep within. The things that Augustine and Pascal were talking about became real to me. That peace within that wasn't there before started to overwhelm me.

My contact with this Baptist minister was short. When I returned home after the conference, I started reading some of the Bible tracts that he gave me. I also continued reading my blue Gideons New Testament. When I entered college in 1987, one of my older brothers, who was a new believer, was instrumental in my conversion and in my new found love for the Word of God.

Since then, God has used several people to help me grow in the Christian faith. And in the providence of God, I became a youth-worker serving the Lord among high school and college students. I would say that it was one of the most difficult yet faith-building experiences in life.

While I was serving as a youth-worker I was greatly influenced by the writings of John Stott and J. I. Packer. I especially like John Stott’s book Basic Christianity, which helped me in understanding the Ten Commandments. I was convicted of my sins while reading it.

However, I was also comforted knowing that Jesus paid for all my sins when He died at the cross. Stott also has emphasized in that book the atoning sacrifice of Christ at the cross and how that sacrifice satisfied the righteous requirement of God for our sin. I am so thankful that Christ did everything to secure my salvation.

The peace that I have been longing for has come as a result of the knowledge of God’s saving grace in Christ. My reading of the Bible became very meaningful. One time, I was reading Isaiah 53 where it says, "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed."

Isaiah was talking about the servant of the Lord who died and was condemned instead of God's people. Suddenly my eyes were opened to the truth that God will not take my sins against me anymore all because His servant has taken my place and paid for the penalty of my sins. That’s really amazing! That’s grace! It gripped me from the inside out.

God did many wonderful things to me since then. One of the amazing things that He did in my life was to call me to serve Him in the ministry of the gospel. He called me to become a preacher of His Word. I am now pastoring a church in Davao City.

I thank God for the privilege He has given me to serve Him as a pastor-preacher. Please pray for me that I might remain faithful in teaching and preaching the Word of God, which I first read in my blue Gideons New Testament. I don't have that Gideons New Testament anymore. I gave it to someone already. I now have the gold Gideons Bible. And I am willing to give this to anybody who needs guidance from the Lord and knowledge of the great salvation that He offers through our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you very much for the opportunity you have given me to share my story about how I came to know the Lord and how God used the ministry of the Gideons International to impress upon me His precious Word, the Bible.

Fulfilling the Great Commission as Ordinary Christians

When we think of the Great Commission we usually have in mind career missionaries going overseas or cross-culturally. Definitely that's an important part of the Great Commission. But not all will become full-time missionaries. Some will be stuck in the home taking care of their children or to some their aging parents. Some will be managing family business. A few might even do both. Still some will probably stay in their local churches serving for the rest of their lives. Does that mean that they can't fulfill the Great Commission?

Let's look at it this way. Yes, the Great Commission takes place cross-culturally and in faraway places as missionaries are sent out to preach the gospel, make disciples of Christ, and start a church. However, ordinarily it happens in our homes, our workplaces, in the church, at school, even in some unexpected places.

The Great Commission begins at home where Christian parents are patiently teaching and disciplining their children in the ways of the Lord, including doing cheerfully simple house chores. Disciple-making takes place at home where husbands and fathers lead their families in reading the Bible, in teaching their families the precious doctrines of the Christian faith, and in leading their wives and children in prayer. Remember that as believers our children also belong to the Lord. We consider them disciples also. They also need to be taught of the teachings of Christ until they, too, would profess faith in him.

Proper understanding of the Great Commission would also lead Christian single men and single women to seriously consider marriage with a fellow believer in the Lord in order to build a home where Christ is honored as Lord, where his Word is taught and obeyed, and where children are nurtured to believe and serve God.

The Great Commission also happens in the workplace where Christian professionals and employees bear witness to the grace of God in their words (evangelism) and their good deeds to their fellow workers. They are the light of Christ in the workplace bearing good works as testimonies to the power and presence of God in their lives.

The Great Commission is also being fulfilled in Christian schools where children are taught in every subject the truth about God not only as the great Creator and Lord of the universe but also as the Redeemer and Savior in the person and work of His Son Jesus Christ. So Christian teachers are also fulfilling the Great Commission in the workplace.

And of course, in the church, where everyone is being taught of the gospel and its implications in personal lives and in the life of the whole community of faith, the Great Commission also takes place. Our Reformed churches must always proclaim the gospel in the pulpit, in Sunday school classrooms, in catechism classes, and in the nursery. Every member of the church must be captured and saturated by the same good news of salvation so that each one and the whole body naturally bear the gospel-fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, and self-control. We need the gospel not only to fulfill the Great Commission but also to live daily the Christian life bearing witness for Christ.

Leaving a Godly Legacy

For more than a year now I have been enjoying the privilege of teaching the Bible on air at Mango Radio Philippines, then at 97.1 FM in Davao City, now at http://mangoradio.asia/. I am thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to proclaim and teach the Holy Scripture over the radio. I also enjoy answering many practical, doctrinal and ethical issues asked by our listeners through text and Facebook messages.

As a Reformed Christian, and a minister at that, it is my joy to teach the Scripture and relate it in the daily life and personal relationships of ordinary believers. My way of interpreting the truths of the Scripture is not unique. The interpretation I express is not new but I always seek to be consistent with how faithful Christian interpreters in the past have explained the Bible and applied it in the lives of the believers.

I always remind myself that I (or anyone in this generation) am not the first who studied the Scripture and discovered the truths it bears and applied them to life’s daily struggles. Our forefathers in the faith had the same struggles that we have and they turned to the written Word of God to find answers to the issues they were facing.

Wisdom calls for us to learn from faithful and godly authors from the previous generations. They can teach us a lot of things from the Scripture about problems we face today. We can build our own new discoveries and conclusions on the solid foundations that they have laid. Of course we can also learn from their mistakes.

But I’m afraid we are losing the rich Christian legacy that our forefathers in the faith had discovered and written about and passed on to us. We will impoverish ourselves if we ignore the truths they have learned to love and preserved for us and the succeeding generations.

In trying to understand the teachings of the Scripture many of them devoted their time to extended study of it. I, for example, am greatly helped by the printed and online commentaries, treatises and sermons of faithful men of previous generations like Athanasius, Ambrose, Augustine, John Chrysostom, Anselm, Bernard of Clairvaux, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Charles Spurgeon, J. C. Ryle, and many more.

Many of their precious insights and teachings are now available and accessible not only in libraries of old institutions of learning but also in the worldwide web or internet. We can easily read them there and try to understand them for our own benefit. We can especially pass on their teachings to our children and young men and women in our churches.

I am writing this essay because I want to share my thoughts on why it is important to leave a godly legacy. I wish to share my insights with you, dear readers, in order to somehow help stir within you the need to take seriously our responsibility to study the Christian faith in order to live it out and leave behind a godly legacy to the next generation.

I do believe that a good legacy one could pass on to his descendants, as I remember one radio listener has shared, is love for God and everything that pertains to Him. What I wanted to share with you here is similar to that idea. The one that I desire for my children and the next generation of believers to learn from me is the faith that I received also from faithful believers of our Lord Jesus Christ, which ultimately comes from God.

Does it sound like the one the Apostle Paul is talking about in 2 Timothy? Actually that’s the kind of heritage I desire to leave my children. Remember how Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:5 about the faith which he received from his mother Eunice and first lived in his Grandmother Lois? Although that faith that Paul is talking about pertains to the gift that God promises to give his people which the Holy Spirit creates through the hearing of the gospel of Christ that faith does not come without the knowledge of the gospel of Christ and the assurance and conviction from the written Word of God.

The faith I’m talking about is the body of Biblical doctrines handed down by the Old Testament prophets, preached by the New Testament apostles and their companions, faithfully proclaimed, guarded and defended by the Church Fathers, preserved through the Middle Ages by a few faithful monks and preachers, and fearlessly preached by the 16th century European Protestant Reformers. This body of doctrines were taught and lived by many English and Scottish Puritans as well as by a good number of French, German and Dutch Reformed Christians and their posterity.

That faith has been carried and preached by the 18th and 19th century missionaries (like William Carey, John Paton, Adoniram Judson and many others) to many parts of the world until it reached us here in the Philippines by the providence of God. This body of doctrines summarized in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creed and in many 16th and 17th century Confessions (like the Belgic Confession, Westminster Confession, Second Helvetic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, Westminster Shorter and Larger Catechism, The Thirty-Nine Articles, etc.) is now unknown to many Christians. But this is one legacy worth leaving the next generations of Christians.

Love for God rooted in the living faith of the Apostles results in true godliness. So sound biblical teaching and diligent exposition of the apostolic faith is imperative in producing wise and God-fearing Christians. There is no fear of God without the proper knowledge of God. Godly legacy is being passed on from one generation to another as a result of faithful and godly teaching being lived out by preachers and teachers in the church and by parents at home.

Faith that glorifies God does not come in a vacuum. The Holy Spirit brings it into our hearts by using preachers and teachers as well as godly parents who are soaked in and renewed by the Word of God. As the Holy Spirit uses their words and deeds and as He enables us to understand the holiness of God, the severity of His wrath against sin, the graciousness of His love and goodness and the super-abundance of His mercy in Jesus Christ to undeserving sinners, like us, we are empowered to believe.

These kinds of teaching and practices are becoming extinct in many churches and homes today. Teaching the Christian faith by pastors and parents used to be practiced in previous generations. If we read historical accounts we will discover that basic doctrines of the faith were being taught first by parents to their children at home. Conscientious Christian parents used to pass on their faith to their children in an ordinary house setting as well as in their more formal daily family devotions or family worship.[1]

Of course the church has a responsibility to nurture the believers and their children to mature in the faith. But this does not excuse parents from their responsibility to train and teach their children in the ways of the Lord. Believing parents are the main discipler of their children. They ought to teach their children the teachings of the Holy Scripture.

This is not the case in many Christian homes anymore. If we are going to ask a typical young people in our churches why he is a Christian, or why he or she goes to church, or what does it mean to be saved, you will usually get blank stares. Ask him about the basic doctrines of the Christian faith (such as the person and work of Christ, or the gospel, or faith and repentance, or justification and sanctification) and challenge him to defend these doctrines from the Holy Scripture and you might get frustrated.

But ask him to sing the latest composition of Hillsong or Integrity Music or Contemporary Christian Music and he will do it with gusto. Not that all contemporary praise songs are really bad (some of them are theologically sound and their melodies are quite singable, even a few of them might be sung in our church fellowships) but most of these songs are theologically erroneous.

One Vineyard song that I used to like is the song “Beloved.” Its chorus goes,

I’m Your beloved, Your creation, and You love me as I am;
You have called me ‘chosen’ for your kingdom,
Unshamed to call me, ‘Your own,’ I’m Your beloved.

To a typical evangelical Christian that song may not present any theological problem. But the thing is, when it comes to the love of God, God does not love me “as I am,” but He loves me “in Christ” and “through Christ.” He does not consider me His child apart from His Son, who is the Beloved. If God is going to deal with me “as I am” I will perish. “As I am,” in my natural state, I am a child, an object, of God’s wrath (Eph. 2:1-2) deserving judgment. But “in Christ,” I am God’s beloved.

That’s the problem of this contemporary song. God does not love me “as I am” but He does love me “in Christ” and “for Christ’s sake” by grace through faith in His Beloved.

I could cite another example but I think you get what I mean. Some contemporary songs that many Christians sing in church may sound nice and orthodox at first hearing but to a theologically-trained mind they are erroneous or unscriptural.

How sad it is to see many shallow and immature young people in our churches uninformed of the basic doctrines of the Christian faith! But there are elementary teachings of Scripture that we can’t live without as Christians (see, for example, Hebrews 6:1-2). Unless we grow in these basic doctrines we can’t go on to maturity in the faith.

How come many professing believers don’t know much about these fundamental doctrines anymore? I could safely say that many in our Evangelical churches today are Biblically and theologically illiterate. I was such an illiterate Christian once! If not for the gracious providence of God I could have remained immature in the faith oblivious of the precious and glorious doctrines of God’s amazing grace in Christ Jesus.

In His own time, God sent me faithful believers who diligently taught me the Biblical faith. He also gave me the opportunity to deepen my understanding of these Christian truths from faithful ministers of Christ in a Reformed church and at Mid-America Reformed Seminary.

By the grace of God, I’m still learning a lot from the Holy Scripture about the Christian faith. My learning of and training in the holy faith does not end when I took a three-year formal seminary education. As a pastor I continue to study and learn the faith ‘once delivered to the saints’ (Jude 3).

If church pastors and teachers won’t go back to the basic Biblical teachings taught by the Apostles and by our forefathers in the faith sooner or later the church would lose its power and the world around us won’t see our holiness (which literally means “set apartness” or “separateness”) and godliness as the people of God called to be salt of the earth and light of the world for our Lord Jesus Christ. How I wish that pastors and teachers, together with parents, would diligently teach their youth the whole counsel of God and the most holy faith, not man-centered and ear-tickling teachings!

By the grace of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit, I desire to leave these Biblical doctrines that I’ve learned and am still learning from others to my children, and Lord willing, to the young men and women and the next generation in the church.

There seems to be a prevailing myth among many pastors today that teaching solid Biblical doctrines bears no relevance in our lives since the 21st century has brought a lot of technological advances that renders the Christian faith irrelevant, if not obsolete. It’s kind of boring to them and besides, they would reason out, no one seems to like that kind of stuff nowadays. They are ‘nose-bleed’ for them. People in the pew, they would argue, have felt needs to be met that doctrinal or solid Biblical preaching would not be able to address.

That claim might be true if the teaching of these Biblical doctrines is devoid of practical applications. I’ve seen it done that way. But I have also seen faithful preachers and Bible teachers proclaim and teach these doctrines with relevant, day-to-day and down-to-earth applications. This kind of teaching does not only fatten the mind and gladden the heart but it also strengthens the feet and hands ready to go and do the will of God in the daily grind of life and every relationship.

So I agree that there’s a way to teach theology that can give knowledge but could not transform the thinking and lifestyle. But I disagree that theology is hard and irrelevant, unable to address the needs of ordinary people. People in the pew may have many felt needs. However even if these felt needs are somehow met or addressed by ‘practical preaching’ devoid of the gospel of Christ, yet if their basic human need is not met, that is, to be reconciled with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through the preaching of the holy gospel, these people will remain discontented and lost.

So many preachers today don’t preach anymore the doctrines of God’s sovereignty in creation and redemption, the fall of man, redemption in Christ in His substitutionary death at the cross, justification and union with Christ by faith alone, suffering for the sake of the kingdom of God, sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit and other basic Christian tenets.

Our forefathers in the faith were so moved by these doctrines that they can’t help praising God, serving Him with all their heart, soul and strength, living a life of gratitude, and pleasing Him in everything they say and do. Just the glorious thought and true knowledge of God moved them to endure fire, sword, persecution and many other forms of trials and sufferings to keep the faith and to stand for it. The book Foxe’s Book of Martyrs testifies to this.

Today we often hear many preachers talk about “Five Steps to Financial Recovery,” or “Ten Steps to Financial Success,” or “Five Steps to a Happy Marriage,” and other similar teachings without laying the Biblical foundations of these teachings or disconnecting them from the gospel – the redeeming and transforming work of God in Christ.

Worse yet, they tend to emphasize success and prosperity in life as if by his own wisdom and power man could achieve it by doing certain things that would oblige God to bow down to his selfish desires and demands.

Of course we need practical teaching but not at the expense of Biblical and doctrinal truths. If church members are being taught that financial success or career advancement is up to them – it’s their choice – apart from the sovereign will of God and from the finished work of Jesus Christ at the cross of Calvary, the church of Jesus Christ will produce many selfish, greedy, immature, and worldly people, ready to leave the church at the first sign of failure or disappointment.

Professing Christians who are unaware of the essential truths of Christianity on which practical issues, such as marriage, parenting, giving, prayer, stewardship, etc., stand will not grow deeper and stronger nor will persevere in the faith when the going gets rough and tough. Faithful and persevering Christians are enamored by the glory of God in Christ in the gospel. And this kind of believers would be willing to ‘give what they cannot keep to gain what they cannot not lose’ as missionary martyr Jim Elliot once said.

As long as the Lord gives me the strength and the voice to speak for Him it is my aim to proclaim the whole counsel of God and the Good News of salvation which is in and through Christ Jesus our Lord. I pray that the Lord would preserve me in this faith and will not let me go astray from it for the sake of His name.

I also wish that our faithful Christian listeners at Mango Radio Philippines would be vigilant in guarding the faith which we proclaim over the radio. I pray that they would be discerning, scrutinizing the kind of teaching that we promote and teach and let us know when we say things that are not consistent with the Word of God.

Paul said in 2 Timothy 3 and 4 that there will come a time, in the last days, when people become lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power… they will not put up with sound doctrine but, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. The only way for us to endure and counter such a terrible time is to do what Paul charged Timothy to do, that is, to “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Tim. 4:2).

It is my desire that the Biblical faith is being handed down by this generation of believers to the next. That I believe is one legacy worth leaving behind. While the church through its pulpit is the primary place to preach the Word of God, yet the homes, and even radio stations, like Mango Radio Philippines play a vital role in the propagation and the preservation of the true faith once for all entrusted to the saints.

I pray and work hard for this godly legacy to be passed on to the next generation for God’s greater glory and praise!

[1] Dr. Francis Nigel Lee’s 1987 Doctoral Dissertation, Daily Family Worship: Household Devotions Each Morning and Evening as a Chief Means of Church Revival, available at http://www.ebooklibrary.org/details.aspx?bookid=690203

The Presence of the Kingdom: A Review

(This is my review of the book "The Presence of the Kingdom" by Jacques Ellul)

In this book, the author simply explores and answers the question, “How should the Christian live in the modern world?” In this age of technological advancement and mass media, Ellul vigorously pleads for Christians to live out their identity as the salt of the earth and light of world to this decaying and darkened society. Christ calls His followers to function as “visible signs” of the presence and reality of God's kingdom here on earth.

In order to fulfill their mission, Christians ought not to separate themselves from the culture as most pietists do. However, they ought not to be triumphalistic either, engaging themselves deeply into the culture in order to conquer it or “redeem” it. While modern men are fascinated with, even enslaved by, technology and progress, Christians, however, should be preoccupied with God's kingdom and His righteous rule in the world, living as loyal subjects of King Jesus in all areas of life by the power of His Spirit. They should never forget that God has placed them in this fallen world in order to bear witness to Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. This seems to be Ellul's main message in this book.

Ellul of course recognizes that the task of witness-bearing is not an easy responsibility. In fact he identifies several obstacles and enemies that every Christian has to contend with in seeking to remain faithful to his calling in the world.

First, the world is not only a place of warfare but also a force that tries to exert pressure upon the Christian so as to conform to its wicked ways. This makes obedience to God's will for him difficult. Ellul quips, “The fact of living in the world, from which we ought not to escape, is a stumbling block for our faith” (p.9). Second, the reality of sin also renders the Christian weak and ineffective in bearing witness for the truth of the gospel of Christ. Third, we may also add to the equation the devil himself, completing the number of the believer's age-old arch enemies, namely, the world, the flesh and the devil. Ellul is aware of these enemies when he writes,

Living in the world we are living in the domain of the Prince of this world, Satan, and all around us we constantly see the action of this prince, and the result of the state of sin in which we are all placed without exception, because in spite of all our efforts and our piety we share in the sin of the world. We are involved in it because in spite of our faith we are and remain sinners; we are also involved in the sin of humanity through the various “orders” of life created by God, so that when a person of my family, or of my nation, commits sin, I am responsible before God for this transgression (p.9).

This leaves us desperate of ourselves. However, this desperation should not make us totally discouraged. We should instead recognize that though “it is impossible for us to make the world less sinful...it is impossible for us to accept it as it is” (p.9). Thus as Christians, we must learn to live in this tension in the world, being fully aware that God calls us and equips us by His Spirit to live as His people, serving as God’s preservatives and light-bearers exactly in this tense situation. Our lifestyle that is consistent to our calling as citizens of God’s kingdom brings genuine transformation that the world needs.

In terms of concretizing this Christian lifestyle, Ellul observes that this is not all about techniques. The techniques which the world propagates will not foster real change in man or the society where he lives in. This is because man has this mistaken idea that with modern technology comes transformation. What modern technology has actually accomplished, according to Ellul, is that it helped shift our focus from end to means. Rather than thinking of what is good and just, and what brings peace and order to society, people start to think about how to make things work and how to do things efficiently. These have become man’s preoccupation.

This shift of mindset somehow affected many Christians. Thus instead of influencing society by being the salt of the earth and light of the world, Christians try to seek influence using social, economic and political means, thinking that these powers would accomplish the Christian task. By doing so, Christians have resorted to the means which natural man uses.

But no matter how hard the natural man tries to transform society and to make it a better place to live using man-made techniques, the result is always further destruction, decay and deformation of the society. The natural man, regardless of his ingenuity in creating technology, whether social, political, or economic, is totally hopeless in his attempt to promote lasting change in the world. The reason of course is that, the modern natural man employs strategies that only address the external issues of life, leaving the internal, most basic issue and need of the individual and society unmet. Thus at the end of the day, technology and mass media further enslave the sinful man rather than liberate him.

However, the power that is at work among believers is able to effect genuine transformation for every man and society that it touches. Only the Holy Spirit quickens dead spirits of men and causes them to do what is right and good, bringing personal and corporate peace, order and freedom. Ellul believes that the Christian faith alone is able to transform society not because of the Christians per se, but because of its revolutionary agent and king, i.e., the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ. When the kingdom of God is lived out faithfully by sinful men who are led by the Spirit of God, following their Lord and King, genuine revolution takes place in this fallen world.

Thus Ellul can say, “Whatever work is undertaken by man does not reveal its meaning or its value save in Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit” (p.102). He adds, “If Christians have a special mission here [on earth], it is due to the fact that they are witnesses to an event on which all other events are based, an event which took place in history, and an event which sums up and guarantees all other events, personal or historical, and renders history and life irreversibly. This event is the intervention of God in the course of human history, it is Jesus Christ” (p.108).

The book does not really offer concrete easy-steps to readers in terms of prescribing a lifestyle for Christians to follow in order to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The author himself admits this when he writes, “My aim was not to give ready-made solutions, but only to open the way for a work of the renewed church” (p.113). He nevertheless gives suggestions as to what Christians should bear in mind as they seek to live the reality of God’s kingdom out in the world as individuals and as body of believers, the church.

One of the things he points out is that we Christians must be aware of our weak or abstract, if not dead, witness-bearing of the power of the gospel of Christ before the watching world. The reason why the world is in such a mess is partly because Christians have forgotten who they are and why they are in the world. Additionally, they have abandoned the powerful means which God has entrusted to them, i.e. the gospel, which is the power of God for the salvation, in all its aspects, of those who believe.

Further, Ellul shows that if Christians are to effect radical change in the world, they have to take their identity and calling seriously, engaging themselves in ordinary human activity, proclaiming the gospel to the world both in meaningful words and kind deeds. In order to actualize this transformation, Ellul points out that Christians themselves must have been, first of all, transformed by the renewing of their mind, which the Holy Spirit alone can do by the Word of God.

I think Ellul’s analysis of the culture is right on target. While he is not against technology per se, he is denouncing the increasingly destructive influence and control of modern technology not only on Western civilization but particularly on the Christian faith. His observation of our failure as Christians to live out our identity and mission in the world is also quite indicting. While he prescribes no easy solutions, his critical thought helps us to think deeply our life and lifestyle before the watching world.

I would not fault Ellul for his lack of suggestions on how to address the Christian dilemma in the world. From my other readings of his life and writings, I came to realize that he tried to live out what he taught and preached. He was actively involved both in the church and the society, serving as a consultant to the Ecumenical World Council of Churches from 1947-53 and was a member of the National Council of the Reformed Church in France. He also had a long academic career and participated in local civic affair where at one point he served as Deputy Mayor of his hometown in the mid-1940’s. Finally, he was also involved in ministering with many troubled youth and drug addicts.

If there is anything that he accomplished in this book it is the fact that he reminds us that faith and obedience in the living and loving God who called His people out of slavery from sin and worldliness by His Spirit constitute our best weapon to let the kingdom of God in Christ be seen and felt by the world.

Building Strong Christian Marriages

(A message shared at Harold's and Pam's wedding based on Ephesians 5:22-33)

Many of us, if not all of us, would agree that “When marriage is founded on God’s Word, it is more enjoyable, more fulfilling, even though misunderstandings and mistakes exist.” The trouble is that many marriages – even by couples who are professing Christians – are not governed by God’s Word and the consequences of this are tragic.

What I’ve just read from Ephesians 5 is one of the clearest guidelines and most life-transforming passages in the Bible pertaining to marriage. And marriages founded on the Word of God are strong and healthy, not without problems, of course. And a healthy marriage makes a healthy home.

But you and I know that although we know these things pertaining to marriage, it doesn’t automatically follow that our marriages will turn out healthy and strong. I am aware that many Christian couples here – whether you are living consistently your faith or not – are hurting and are bearing the realities of our sinfulness and imperfections. We still live in this body that continually battles against sin. And so our attempts to build strong marriages are always hindered and many times end up a failure.

But there is hope, right here, in the Word of God. In this section of the book of Ephesians, the apostle Paul focuses on the implications of the Christian faith for the home, which is the basic unit of society. And it begins with marriage. In other words, in this passage, the Lord calls His people to be imitators of God in marriage.

Let us briefly consider two things on how to be imitators of God in marriage. First, we will consider the responsibility of the wife. Then, we will look at the responsibility of the husband.

A. The Responsibility of the Wife (5:22-24)

According to Paul, what is the specific God-given responsibility of the wife? Verse 22 says, “Wives, submit to your husbands.” The word translated "submit" means literally ‘to rank oneself under another person.’ It indicates an attitude of humility and a willingness to follow the leadership of others that manifests itself in outward actions.

Therefore, the passage essentially indicates that the wife is to joyfully and obediently follow the leadership of her husband whose God-given role is that of headship over the family. So Pam, as you enter into this marriage relationship, do not forget that your main responsibility as a wife, according to the Word of God, is to joyfully and obediently follow the leadership of Harold.

Let’s read v. 22 again. Now v. 22 also says submit ‘as to the Lord.’ What does it mean that wives ought to submit to their husbands "as to the Lord"? Well, it simply means that the wife is to willingly submit herself to her husband in the same way that she would submit herself to the Lord Jesus Christ. This means the "Christian wives’ submission to their husbands is one aspect of their obedience to the Lord." For you wives, this submission would include among others:

1) Displaying a heart of commitment and dedication to your marriage and family. Mga asawa, ang inyong pagtahod sa inyong bana molangkob ug 'commitment' ug 'loyalty' sa inyong kaminyuon ug sa inyong pamilya.

2) Secondly, this submission would also include assuming the posture of complete trust in and support of your husband’s leadership. Sa ato pa, mga asawa gikinahanglan ang inyong pagsalig ug pagsuporta o pagpaluyo sa inyong mga bana.

So Pam, you should recognize and respect Harold’s divinely mandated role as leader of the family, just as Paul tells us in v. 23 that the husband is the "head of the wife" in the same way that Christ is the "head of the church." What this means is that the husband-wife relationship follows the pattern of Christ’s relationship to the church, which is His bride. In other words, the church’s relationship with Christ is the model for the wife in her relationship with her husband.

This also means that the leadership of the husband provides stability, authority, protection, provision, and leadership for the family unit. This is patterned, of course, after the headship of Christ, who provides stability, authority, provision and leadership for the church.

Also, this indicates that the scope of the wife’s subjection is comprehensive and it extends to "everything" pertaining to their marriage and family relationship (v.24).

It is also important to note that this passage does not teach that the wife is of lesser worth or value than the husband. The distinction between the husband and the wife is set forth in terms of role, not value. Likewise, this passage does not teach that the husband is more important than Christ. While the husband stands in the role as head of the family, he too is the servant of Christ and is to live and conduct himself as Christ’s servant in the home.

So what is the point of this passage? The marriage relationship is the most beautiful picture of the spiritual relationship between Christ and His church and is, therefore, a sacred and holy institution. In fact Paul expresses this fact in verse 32: "This is a profound mystery – but I am talking about Christ and his church." In God’s divine wisdom, He chose marriage as the perfect picture of Christ’s relationship with the church, because marriage is the most intimate human relationship.

Therefore, the wife’s role of submission is the most important thing a woman can do. While this might be controversial to modern ears, it is nevertheless true that the role of wife is a holy and high calling before God. So Pam, I would like to reiterate it, to submit to your husband’s God-given role as the head is a holy and high calling before the Lord. This is your main calling. You should not be afraid to show your submission to Harold for in that way, you also obey the Lord, regardless of how you feel or what problems arise.

The role of the woman, then, is to manifest the type of submission to her husband that will resemble the church’s submission to Jesus Christ. Thus, our Lord Jesus Christ is most honored when the wife truly submits to her husband, “as to the Lord.”

B. The Responsibility of the Husband (5: 25-33)

Now, if the wife’s responsibility is captured by the word “submit”, the husband’s responsibility is centered on the word "love" (v. 25). Briefly let’s note some features of this love in the text:

1) This love is totally unselfish being patterned after Christ’s self-emptying life for unworthy sinners, like you and me (v.25). Christ knew that He was giving up His life for sinners, not for righteous people. When Christ showed His love to us, He sees nothing good in us. In fact, He sees us as sinners – helpless sinners, unworthy sinners. Yet He unselfishly gave Himself up for us. Aside from being unselfish…

2) This love is constant and is not subject to changing times or circumstances. This kind of love, in other words, is faithful. So Harold, your love to Pamela must remain – even if she loses her beauty and appeal. Even if at times she fails to submit to you. Your love, like Christ, is to be constant.

So our question here is: How did Christ love the Church? To what extent did He love His bride? Note the phrase in v. 25 "just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her." This kind of love indicates: First of all, a self-sacrificing love (v.25), which finds its ultimate expression upon the cross – "[Christ] gave himself up for her." In other words, Jesus paid the debt that the Church could not pay. And what was the debt? Sin. And what was the payment? Death. All of us have sinned. We ought to pay for our sin. But we cannot pay for our sin. Only the perfect sacrifice of Christ is the acceptable payment to God.

And Christ willingly and sacrificially died on behalf of His bride, bearing upon Himself the consequences of His bride’s sins. Christ paid for the debt that we cannot pay, so that in Him, and by faith in Him, we can joyfully live in eternal union with Him, just like being married with Him forever.

Likewise, the husband must love his wife enough to be willing to die for her. But practically speaking, husbands, do you patiently bear the consequences of your wife’s foolish acts and failures? Do you ‘sacrifice’ for her? Do you die to your pride just to take responsibility of your wife’s troubles?

Second, this kind of love is an up building love (v. 26). What do we mean? This love have the wife’s best interest in mind with particular attention given to her spiritual needs and Christian development – "to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word" (v.26). The husband should display his love for his wife by constantly building her up and encouraging her in her walk with Christ.

That’s how Christ relates with His church. He works for our improvement, our welfare, our holiness. Christ protects and preserves the Church until the day that she will be fully united with Him in the new heaven and the new earth. So in a very real sense, Harold, as the designated "head" of your wife, you are personally responsible for the spiritual well-being of Pamela and, God willing, your children. So would you commit yourself to help Pam to grow spiritually? Would you pray for her and with her? Would you teach her and set as an example for her what it means to be a true follower of Jesus Christ?

Third, this kind of love is an affectionate love (v. 29). Affectionate love "feeds" or “nourishes” and "cares for" the wife. This love keeps her warm. Again, this feature is perfectly displayed in Christ’s love for His bride. Note the interesting way that Paul illustrates his point in v.29.

So husbandly love should be passionate, tender, fulfilling, practical, and attentive at all times. So Harold, and all the husbands here, would you be caring and tender to your wife? Would you seek to be close and be one with your wife by being gentle and affectionate with her?

To us husbands, we are called to the solemn task of providing the family with a living example of authentic love. It should be obvious by now that if husbands truly love their wives just as Christ loves the Church, wives would have no problem submitting to their husbands.

I think you would agree that at those times when the husband mirrors the loving leadership of Christ, the wife’s submission will positively enrich her womanhood. Thus, ‘each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband’ (v.33). This is how we live godly lives and become ‘imitators of God’ in marriage.

But you and I know that this ideal in marriage and home is not easily achieved. Certainly the basic hindrance to the achievement of healthy and strong Christian marriages is our sinfulness. We talked about this in our counseling sessions.

So if you desire to build and experience a strong and healthy marriages and family, you need to come to Jesus Christ. Not just now, but always. Christ alone breaks down barriers. He alone reconciles you and me with God. He alone reconciles us with one another. He alone cleanses us from our sin. He alone gives us the Holy Spirit who produces in us the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Christ alone gives you, Pam, the Holy Spirit, who enables you to submit to and respect Harold ‘as to the Lord’. And He alone gives you, Harold, the Holy Spirit, who enables you to truly love Pam just as Christ loves the Church.

When both husband and wife faithfully fulfill their responsibilities in marriage according to God’s Word, marriage may not be perfect, yet it would be more enjoyable. It would be more satisfying and God glorifying! God bless you and your marriage, Harold and Pam!

Leaving All to Follow Christ - Part 1

(Part 1 of a sermon based on Luke 18:18-30)

In the three-year ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ on earth He was asked by different people with different kind of questions. Some asked Him in order to test or to trap Him. Others, however, asked Him sincerely.

In our passage today, we can see a very sincere person asking our Lord Jesus what to do in order to obtain eternal life. Unlike the lawyer who put our Lord to the test by asking Him the same question (Luke 10:25), here Luke does not tell us that the man had such a motive to trap our Lord.

The question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” is a very important question. The person who asks such a question is concerned not only of life in this world but also in the world to come. For the question itself pertains to our eternal comfort and salvation wherein God’s promise of abundant life in His presence is at stake.

In our passage, we are going to see that eternal life is for those who leave everything for the sake Jesus Christ and His kingdom.

What must you do to inherit eternal life? That’s the question I want to address as we look at our text. First, we will try to understand what it means by obtaining eternal life. Second, we will explore on the related theme of entering the kingdom of God. Third, we will wind up in discussing the encompassing theme of following Jesus Christ, the Lord and King in the kingdom of God.

Receiving Eternal Life (vv. 18-23)

What does it mean to inherit or to receive eternal life? What really is the essence of this man’s question? Maybe it is necessary to point out that the one asking our Lord is no ordinary person. Luke tells us that he is a ruler. Most probably the man was a respected leader in Jewish society, not necessarily a synagogue or religious leader because in Matthew’s account he was still young (Mt. 19:20). As noted earlier, his question is similar to the lawyer in Luke 10.

In essence, the ruler wants to be assured of his salvation in the final resurrection. Eternal life for him, in other words, is the essential covenant blessing that God promises in His Word, not only for this life but especially for the life to come.

So he is asking if there’s still something he needs to do in order to enjoy God’s blessings both in this life and the future life. So the question pertains to the kind of life God promises to all His covenant people, to all His children.

The answer this man got from Jesus does not immediately address his question. For the Lord made him realize something about what he said. He calls Jesus a “Good” Teacher. Before Jesus answered his question, he told the man that no one is good except God.

Why did Jesus point out to this man that no one is good except God alone? One possibility is that, before the ruler understands what he is asking, “Jesus wants [him] to focus on God and his will [first] so that he will be genuinely responsive to God.” The mention of the commandments supports this interpretation. Jesus wants the man to first realize who God is and what He demands from man.

Jesus is therefore asserting God’s absolute goodness and His righteous requirements in the face of his question on how to earn eternal life. In other words, the ruler must realize, first of all, that God is good and that He is holy. If he desires to obtain an inheritance from God, he has to remember that God is full of goodness and at the same time He desires perfect obedience to His law.

Friends, do you see the cost to inherit eternal life? First you have to acknowledge that it is God alone who is good and the source of all good things, including eternal life. Not us. Not our good works.

When Jesus mentioned about the commandments to love one’s neighbor, the ruler confidently said that he has kept all of these since his youth (v.21), which is equivalent to early teen years in our time. So this man is not only a respected leader, he is also a very pious person. He keeps the law of God.

However, when Jesus further tells him what else is lacking, something within him was exposed that disqualifies him from obtaining what he asks. Jesus commands him to sell everything he has and to give them to the poor. In doing this Jesus promises him of treasure in heaven. This treasure of course includes eternal life and other blessings both in this life and the life to come. Then Jesus wants him to follow Him.

What can we see from the Lord’s demand from this man? Why he has to sell everything he owns and give the proceeds to the poor? Does Jesus prescribe a new way to be saved? What does Jesus ask of the man when he told him to sell everything and give to the poor? Someone says, “The selling of all is intended to force the ruler to trust God and humbly rely on him.” In context, this is the fundamental issue that Luke wants to point out. Humble acceptance of one’s inability to earn God’s favor and confident trust in God alone to provide one’s need, both in this life and the life to come, is at the heart of what Jesus asked of the ruler.

Not everyone who wants to be saved and to follow Jesus was told to sell what he has. But everyone who wants to become a disciple of Christ is compelled to obey Christ and to trust God for his salvation. This may mean different things to different people. For a fraud tax collector like Zacchaeus, it shows in giving half of his possession to the poor and to return four times the things he earned from corruption. For an adulterer like the woman in John 8, it means to stop his adulterous relationship and to start obeying God. Salvation is from God. One has to trust Him in order to obtain eternal life.

At this point, Luke tells us that the man became very sad upon hearing our Lord’s demand. Reason? He was very rich. He was not ready to let go of his possessions and help the poor. In other words, he is not ready to come to God and to follow Christ. He wants to earn eternal life. But he does not want to do the first step to obtain it. He does not want to listen to the One who gives eternal life. For Jesus alone has the power to grant eternal life to those who ask for it. But what is eternal life? Jesus said in John 17:3 that it is to know the one true God and the one He sent to save the world, who is Jesus Christ.

The man seems to be admiring Christ of His perfect character yet He is not willing to listen to what Christ tells him to do. He cannot give up his earthly treasures for a heavenly one.
Bottom line: this man is still in the grip of his greed, not of God’s grace. His wealth still holds him. They bind him so tight he cannot take hold of God. He may have obeyed the other commandments. But he stumbled on one. James said it counts to nothing (2:10).

If he really wants to obtain eternal life by means of obeying the law, he has to obey everything perfectly. Otherwise, the law condemns him. Or he can simply humble himself before Christ and trust God for His salvation. No one can obtain eternal life apart from the grace of God through His Son Jesus Christ. In other words, no one can enter the kingdom of God apart from God’s saving grace.

"Make Known His Deeds Among the Peoples" - Part 2

(Point 2 of a sermon on Isaiah 12:1-6)

His Great Commission (vv.3-5)

Now this song of praise is not only intended to be sung by an individual believer. Here the believer who received and experienced the saving grace of God calls the rest of the people of God to declare His praises.

Beginning in v. 3, a shift from individual salvation to salvation in community is revealed by the use of the plural pronoun “you.” The single male voice in vv.1-2 is now calling others to draw water of salvation from the same source. Once, the water supply was cut off from Judah because of her sin. Now in v.3, there is an endless water supply. Their gloom is now replaced with joy.

Clearly the water here is another picture of salvation. Life of sin and rebellion against God is portrayed in Isaiah as a desert and dry land (Isa.35:1ff). There is no life without water. Life in sin and unbelief is like a desert. No plant can grow and bear fruit there.

It’s the same in our spiritual life. Sin turns your life into a waterless desert, a place that cannot sustain spiritual life. Sin makes your life fruitless and brings you sure eternal death.
But Isaiah is talking about drawing water with joy from the "wells" of salvation (v.3). “Wells” or “springs” here refer to Christ. Congregation, salvation in Christ is like springs of water where flowers and trees blossom and those who are thirsty are satisfied. A well-watered place is an appropriate metaphor for the person who lives his life in living fellowship with God. That person is like a tree planted by a river of water that brings forth its fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither.

Now take note how this song of salvation is multiplied. After Isaiah has portrayed salvation experience as a joyful drawing of water from the wells of salvation, he then issues a series of commands to the congregation to participate in singing God’s salvation as a community.

So we read a great company joining Isaiah in worshiping God, calling upon His Name. They proclaim, sing, and broadcast to the far reaches of the earth. Their testimony is affected by their experience, but the testimony was centered in what God has done (v.4, 5). They are singing praises to the LORD for He has done gloriously (v.5a). And they say to one another let this glorious work of God be made known among the peoples (v.4b) in all the earth (v.5b).

These people who did not know God in the beginning of this prophecy (1:3) now make Him known to all the earth. They can’t help singing God’s great commission. They are singing the glorious work of God’s saving grace in our Lord Jesus Christ.

The word of God calls you today to fulfill His great commission not only by singing it but also by bringing the message of salvation to the ends of the earth, to all the peoples, nations and languages of the world, and to make disciples of Jesus Christ who will worship God in spirit and in truth.

We bring this salvation message to conquer the whole world not with human power, for the gospel message itself “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” It is mightier than the sword or any man-made weapon.

So you and I should not limit ourselves to singing and declaring God's work of salvation to one another. We should also declare God's deeds to all the nations of the world. Evangelism and mission involve our praising God through telling all people everywhere about the wonderful work of salvation which God has accomplished in Christ and which we have experienced.

We need to exhort the people of this world to look to the One living and true God for their only hope of salvation. There is no other way of salvation but our Lord Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. This is our only message to the whole world.

If we really are filled with gratitude for what God has done for us, we can't help but tell others about it. We can't hold it in. When something is especially meaningful and precious to us, we can do no other but to talk to others about it. That is what evangelism is. It is sharing the good news which is too good to keep to ourselves.

Isaiah exhorts God's people to proclaim God's salvation to the world. This is consistent with what we learn in the New Testament. The gospel is the power of God unto to salvation for everyone who believes, to the Jew first and then to the Greek. God's people are from every nation, tribe and tongue. Therefore our proclamation is universal. We need to carry the light of the gospel of Christ to the jungles of Asia, South America and Africa as well as to the big secular cities of Europe and North America. God’s glorious name must be proclaimed to peoples of the Middle East and the islands of the Pacific and Caribbean.

So Isaiah in our passage looks at salvation. What he looks at immediately is the then coming restoration of the nation Israel. The nation Israel hadn't even been exiled yet, but Isaiah as a prophet looks forward to Israel's future salvation from the future time of exile. Isaiah does not see all the details of the way his prophecy of salvation would be fulfilled in coming redemptive history. There were mysteries about the new covenant which were not revealed until the time of the new covenant.

I believe this prophecy about God's gathering His people continues to be fulfilled in our day and age as the gospel is proclaimed to all the nations, and people from all direction come to sit down at the banquet of salvation with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This prophetic word also looks forward to that glorious day when God's people will be gathered in that great final harvest and will be privileged to live forever on a glorified new earth.