A Compromised Faith

notwally:

I’m sure you will all know that the media in first-world society would have all forms of religion as being an untenable position to hold.  This social stigma is so prevalent that statements made in passing mockery are accepted with little objection:

“Christianity is an emotional crutch for the weak”, ”Christians were probably brainwashed from when they were children”, “Christianity is so backwards.  Those Christians need to get with the times!”

These sort of statements have been passed around long enough that it now is a prevailing worldview.  An orthodox faith in Christianity is now seen as ‘fundamentalist’, ‘holier-than-thou’ and poisonous to the ‘progress’ of society.

Our society has become post-modern in the negative sense.  Society doesn’t bother asking “Why should people believe in Christianity?” but jumps to the conclusion, “Christianity is old, and we’ve seen some rotten Christians.  So let’s move on from it.  We know better now.”

And then temptation arises - the one which we call nominal Christianity or cultural Christianity.  The nominal Christian may say, “I believe Jesus and God exists and Jesus taught some good stuff.  I’m a pretty good person.  I mean, I’m nice and all.  So I’m probably going to heaven.”  The nominal Christian may selectively follow parts of the Bible - in particular the bits about love and doing good works - but put a blind eye to other parts - like repentance or laying down one’s life.

The temptation here is compromise.  The message of Christianity is compromised and then a distorted message is sent out instead which says:

Morally upright and good people who believe in the existence of God and his son Jesus, who was this really good role model, get to go to heaven when they die.  And this is somehow important because Jesus could rise from the dead.

The above statement was my very wrong understanding of Christianity until I was around perhaps even 15 years of age.  Maybe I was even older.  How could this be?  I went to a church all my life.  Yet, my problem was that I had always learned ‘Christian morality’ or ‘Christian living’.  I could tell you a hundred general principles of how to live a comfortable and ‘right’ life - because of course, that was in the Bible.

• Don’t hate?  That’s a good moral and general life principle that’s also in the Bible.
• Don’t steal?  Another good moral life principle that’s in the Bible.
• Take a day of rest every 7th day?  Another great principle to live by.  Stops you from overworking.

See a pattern here?  If you asked me what it meant to be a Christian all those years ago, I would given you that earlier statement as my answer.  The standard of being a Christian is so low.  May I take a verse from James 2:19

You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

What is this saying?  Believing in the existence of the God of the Bible doesn’t make you a Christian.  Thinking that God is good doesn’t make you a Christian either.  

 

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One month… moving out of comfort zones

soo much can happen in soo little time.. :|

its been abit over a month since I’ve been in a relationship.. with a girl.. (of course I am first and foremost in a relationship with God)

It’s crazy how suddenly that shifts your perspective on everything. I still remember just earlier that day I was single and praying and hoping… and then that night the opportunity arose…. 

I won’t go into detail about it yet but reflecting over the whole situation I’m convinced God has his timing… 

Relationships in general aren’t always within my comfort zone… particularly with girls. I just don’t understand how girls work. In a perfect world, girls would explicitly explain what they thought, what they wanted, and how they wanted it etc. I guess thats one thing I admire about HER. And a genuine love for Jesus definitely makes HER beautiful :D 

I’m consistently challenged to move out of my comfort zone. The underlying reason being that I want to be growing and changing to be more Christ like and time and time again I’m convinced that pushing one’s boundaries and doing things that one is not comfortable with can facilitate this. 

I find we can theoretically understand theology but our actual understanding of theology really comes out when we live out life and make those tough decisions. For example giving bible talks have been something that recently I’ve had more privileged opportunities to do. Being offered these opportunities is one thing but the actual process of deciding is a completely different story.

Soo many struggles go through my mind. I get stage fright and end up having tunnel vision. I freeze up. I get soo nervous i shake.. and when i actually begin to get over myself.. i begin worrying about my motives. why do i want to give a talk? Do i just want to please man? Am i getting nervous because I’m relying on my own ability? Maybe I shouldn’t.. but I actually want to preach Jesus. But am i preaching Jesus with bad motives? ..maybe out of envy and rivalry.. maybe i want to move up the Christian ladder… BUT truly examining my heart I’ve found I do want to proclaim Jesus because I do love God and intentionally want to love people. And i do trust the spirit’s power to work through my weakness. 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

(2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV)

So I intentionally move out of my comfort zone. And I intend on challenging myself. I don’t want to lay stagnant. I want to grow in my love for Jesus as I grow in my service and love for Him and subsequently for the church and the lost.

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.Yes, and I will rejoice,

(Philippians 1:18 ESV)

Sermon I gave: Luke 16:19-31. Evangelistic

The Ghost - EVANGELISTIC

BIG IDEA: There will be a final great chasm. Which side will you be on?

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“For I the LORD your God am a jealous God”

My family got a new car around three weeks ago. For the few months leading up to collecting it I was so eager that I googled and read every car review and watched every video on it. When I was bored i’d go on forums and read about what other customers said about it, when I wanted to procrastinate I’d go so far as to reread and rewatch those reviews on that car again.

Was so keen to drive it.

Unfortunately because I was so eager I found out some info that I would have preferred to be ignorant about. That due to my P plate restrictions I actually needed to apply for an exception letter to drive this moderately powered turbo charged vehicle. It would pretty much be granted 100% of the time but they still required the letter. And for some reason I was still quite nervous that for some stupid reason the government might not allow me the exception.

So ended up finally getting the car but my conscience didn’t allow me to drive it. I knew the chances of being pulled over and fined was minimal but I couldn’t bring myself to drive it. Even permission from my parents didn’t afford me a clear conscience. So I waited for the exception letter to arrive.

Waited for over a week. Was quite annoying having the car in the garage but only being able to sit in it.

And finally got the letter :D was incredibly happy and pretty much took the first opportunity I could to go for a drive in it :) 

Deep down I kept trying to tell myself that I had to love Jesus more.. That I mustn’t allow so much of my mind and attention to dwell on this nice piece of creation.

I thought I was doing pretty well NOT worshiping this IDOL. 

I also kept trying to tell myself that my identity and self worth mustn’t be caught up in this piece of creation. That I mustn’t have pride while driving it. That i needed to “set your minds on things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God”.

Yea, I didn’t think i was worshipping it. I had put up all the appropriate measures to make sure I was no idol worshipper.

On the third day of legally being able to drive the vehicle I drove it to church and intentionally did not draw attention to myself. I was NOT going to boast and pride myself in this piece of creation. 

But people noticed and I ended up giving people a tour. I thought i was doing pretty well being humble and contrite in spirit… and all that stuff.

But then i noticed a very slight indentation on the front of the bonnet. Size of a tennis ball. 

It’s been close to two weeks now and whenever I see a car bonnet I’m reminded of the dent on my new car. The time I previously spent thinking about how awesome the car would be, I now spent sorrowfully moaning over the dent. When I let my mind wonder my face becomes downcast because of that dent.

For some reason  something as small as a dent on a new car makes me hate the car. And become incredibly annoyed in general. I don’t want to be associated with that car. I don’t really want to drive it anymore. I just want to sell it and get a new car. 

My asian parents said that it was a good lesson. That even if it cost “only $30 dollars” they would not fix it, because its a good lesson…. argh! Its not even my own money and I’m so annoyed.

I wasn’t even worshiping it… right!!!???

You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God,

Dear Lord, thank you for exposing my heart. Amen :)

Assertive!

For some reason being told by the opposite gender that you are not assertive enough feels like a blow to one’s own masculinity and manliness. I keep getting told this because supposedly I’m not decisive enough relative to  the many more opinionated peers I can be compared to.

I wonder what assertiveness looks like particularly when considering that the bible places great responsibility on the man to lead and teach (1 Tim 2) yet encourages a Christ-like humble servitude. (Phil 2)

Does one hold off their opinions until it really matters? So that one’s opinions of things that matter (such as theological stances) can have more weighting …

OR

Does one voice out and portray a consistent level of assertiveness that provides for a greater chance of misunderstandings… or being assertive when one doesn’t even have an opinion? 

I guess another problem I have to consider is how much confidence one has about themselves. Its possibly a level of “self esteem” that must be fostered. But of course for Christians the idea is that its “God esteem” where one’s self worth can only ever be tied up with Christ and his immeasurable worth. 

Thats soo hard…

……trying to view my self worth the way Jesus valued me when he shed blood for me on that tree, bearing all my sins. 

What is my life worth?

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” - Acts 20:24

What is Jesus’ blood worth?

These have recently been my two consistent prayers:

1. That I love God with all my heart, soul and mind. - leading to a responsive life changing love for Jesus and my neighbours

2. Loving myself the way Jesus loved me when He was dying on the cross for ME - that I not degrade God’s love by degrading what he purchased with Jesus’ blood

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. -1 Cor 15:58

I WILL BE ASSERTIVE in the LORD!