The First Importance

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared......" . (1 Corinthians 15:3-5)

The Gospel is the "first importance". Nowhere else in Scripture does it use that phrase. Although Scripture is important in its entirety because it is God-breathed, Paul would emphasize the Gospel to be the most important. I wrestled asked myself, "Why is it the first importance?" Although the answer to that question is found in the same chapter of 1 Corinthians, I want to try and take another angle in answering that question.

I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 3 where Paul talks about laying a foundation of one's faith.

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:10-11)

Paul laid down the foundation by preaching Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the foundation of our faith. The Gospel is what saved and continues to save us. Without the Gospel being the foundation and center of our faith, other things in which we try to build the foundation of our faith (e.g. memorizing the Bible, God is love, leading worship, teaching Sunday school, mission trip), although important, will fall.

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)

Therefore, I think that`s one of the reasons why the gospel is the "first importance". Whether Christian or non-Christian, the Gospel continues to transform and hold people. The gospel should and ought to affect every area of our lives. Whether if you`re struggling in different areas of your personal life or even your faith, may you find the answer in the Gospel.

 

 

Passion Week

I'm very excited for this Sunday because we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We celebrate not just the fact that He defeated Satan, sin and death in victory through His death and resurrection, but that ultimately He's alive to show the world that He is God! On a personal note, we can't completely celebrate Easter without understanding the depth and seriousness of our sins. Jesus took upon the sin of the world as he was hung on the cross.

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." (1 Peter 2:24)

I highly encourage you and myself to make this week all about Jesus (it should be every single of moment of our lives as Christians). Whatever that is distracting you, whether if it's videogame, drama, schoolwork, or the business of life, I encourage you to set those aside and be alone with God and reflect upon the cross.

Here is a song (hymn) that's not very well-recognized, but I hope you'll be encouraged:

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Gift exchange is part of celebrating Christmas. with family and friends.

Let us also remember the Great Exchange.
"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
(2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV)

Absolutely Beautiful

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/55307071]

Reminder For Us As Christians That We Are Adopted Into God's Family:

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:14-17)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6)

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. (1 John 3:1)

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13)

Reminder For Us That Jesus Was Adopted By Joseph:

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:4-7)

And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents [Mary and Joseph] brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law... (Luke 2:27)

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. (Luke 2:41)

VOLUME

As I was heading home from school, I picked up my iPod and started reading the Scripture through the ESV Bible App. I picked the book of Colossians a few days ago, and I'm slowly reading through it. Have you ever find that as you continue to read the Bible, the text of Scripture that you read sounds so familiar to you because you read through it many times? Not only that, does it sometimes seem like it's just God's Word, and I'm reading through it as if nothing big stands out anymore? Today, as I was reading on the bus, God spoke VOLUME to me as I read this part of the passage in Colossians:

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
(Colossians 3:12-13 ESV)

As I'm reading through Colossians, Paul was arguing and exhorting the Colossians in chapter 1 verse 3 ti verse 14 and about the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ in chapter 2 verse 9 to verse 15. And there were a lot of syncretism coming in to the church of Colossae. Paul was reassuring born-again Christians that the opponents (false teachers) of the cross cannot separate nor disqualify them from being alive with Christ simply because they didn't mix into their "self-made religion" and false teachings. I think this disqualification simply meant the false teachers were passing judgement on them. Because of the power of the Gospel, this passage (Colossians 2:13-15) applies to Christians. Therefore, because of the gospel, we who are raised in Christ Jesus would desire to seek the things that are eternal, things that are above.

This week and today has been a difficult moments when I have to wrestle hard with my emotions and my mind. Nonetheless, there are sins in my life that I need to repent of daily. When I read v.12, God the Holy Spirit convicted me as I look at the characteristics of God's chosen ones. Have I been showing compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience around me? I forgive those who have/had sinned against me, yet I cannot bear the pain that I have suffered from people. When I am reminded of the Gospel, how much more was Jesus willing to suffer the pain that I deserve and die on the cross to forgive me of my sin? "As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." For the non-Christians who read this, just because I sinned doesn't disqualify me from being God's chosen ones because nothing can separate me from the love of Christ. I know I am a screw up every week and I acknowledge that I am sinner who is in need of God's grace everyday. That's why, I'm grateful for Jesus for taking away my sin and shame, and that "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Therefore, I don't have to try so hard to forgive because I have to. I forgive...simply because God has forgiven me. Holy Spirit will sanctify me and continue to transform me daily as I walk with Him.

Old Testament Clues To Christ

I think two years ago, I did a project on how we could find Jesus in the Old Testament. It was a very edifying and mind-stretching experience to be studying the Word of God. I want to share it with you so you could see Christ in the Old Testament. We could see the Old Testament pointing to the Gospel, the person and work of Jesus Christ. Give thanks to God because we worship a God who defeated Satan, sin, and death through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Passage	Description or Outline
Genesis 3:15	There will be hostile between Satan and the woman, and his offspring and her offspring. Offspring, seed, does not come from her seed, but God prophecy that He will miraculously put a seed in the woman, Mary, to give a virgin birth to a Son, who is Jesus. Jesus shall bruise Satan’s head, and Satan shall bruise his heel. Ultimately, Jesus will have the overall victory.
Genesis 12:3	Through offspring of Abraham, all families of the earth SHALL be blessed. This offspring is the coming the Messiah who will come to take away the sins of the world and bringing people back in fellowship with Him.
Genesis 49:10	Scepter symbolizes royal authority. Thus, the One who holds the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff (lawgiver) from between his feet. This tribute (Shiloh – Messianic title), “until he comes to whom it belongs” according to the footnote, means that the One that has all royal authority comes because He is the lawgiver. And to Him (Jesus) shall be the obedience of the peoples. The gospel is not only that Jesus died for our sins, but He also obeyed every commandment in our place while we broke every commandment out of disobedience to Him.
Deuteronomy 18:15	Moses is FORTH-telling that God will raise up a prophet. Jesus is the greater prophet that is yet to come. In reference to Hebrews 3:1-6, Jesus is greater than Moses because “Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses” (v.3).
Joshua 5:13-15	Jesus is the commander of the army of the Lord. A similar event happened with Moses at the burning bush. God told Moses to take off his sandal for he is standing on the holy place. Likewise, the commander, Jesus, told Joshua to do the same thing.
2 Samuel 7:16	God was making an unconditional covenant with David spoken through the prophet Nathan. As a Great King, Jesus’ house, kingdom and throne will be established forever. Jesus is making the new heavens and the new earth, and He all authority of the heavens and earth belongs to Him. He will rule as the Great King and Saviour.
Psalm 22	This 1st part of the chapter reminds me of Jesus when He was on the cross, being crucified. While Jesus was on the cross, He echoes verse 1, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In verse 6-8, it describes the humiliation and sorrow that David went through, which also describes Jesus’ mockery and insult from the crowd and soldiers. When Jesus was the cross, soldier mocked Him that if He was God, then He could save Himself. On the cross, Jesus’ hands and feet were pierced (v.16). However, the 2nd part of the chapter reminds me of the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. He didn’t hide his face from anybody. He did not despise the people, but invites them to turn to the Lord and praise Him in reverence (v.27-28).
Isaiah 7:14	“Therefore, the Lord (Jesus) Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin SHALL conceive and bear a son (Jesus), and shall call His name Immanuel” (God is with us).
Isaiah 9:6-7	Isaiah prophecies, “For to us a child (Jesus) is born, to us a son (Jesus) is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace...”I see that Jesus will on David’s throne and rule over His kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.
Isaiah 11:1-2	Isaiah gives us a picture of the branch to describe the descendent. Jesse, David’s father, will have a branch coming forth from him. This branch (Jesus) from his (Jesse) roots shall bear fruit. Holy Spirit will rest upon Him (Jesus). Holy Spirit will give Him wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, and knowledge and fear of the Lord.
Isaiah 53:1-12	Isaiah describes the very detail of the suffering of Christ. Jesus was despised and rejected by men. Jesus was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. Jesus has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Jesus was wounded for our transgressions. Jesus was crushed for our iniquities. It was God’s, the Father, will to lay His wrath on Jesus the iniquity of us all. Jesus was oppressed, and Jesus was afflicted, yet he didn’t open his mouth. Jesus, the Lamb of God, was led to the slaughter. The will of the Lord shall prosper in Jesus’ hand. Jesus, out of the anguish if His soul, shall see and be satisfied. Jesus poured out His soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors, yet He bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Jeremiah 23:1-8	Jesus being the righteous Branch whom God will raise up for David. Jesus shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In Jesus’ days, Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. Jesus will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”
Ezekiel 21:24-27	During this time, God said that Jerusalem will be overthrown. “Ruin” is said three times to describe the intensive nature of the destruction that will come. Prince of Israel, probably Zedekiah, will come to an end as the Babylonian overtakes Jerusalem. Jesus shall come who is the one to whom judgement belongs, and God will give it to Him. Other commentator says that “The priestly and kingly offices would not return until the coming of Him whose right it is – the Messiah.”
Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45	The stone described in the passage is Jesus. He shall break in pieces of all these kingdoms (the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold) and bring them to an end. The stone became a great mountain and filled the whole earth, and this stone shall stand forever.
Daniel 7:13-14	Daniel sees a vision of the One that looked like a son of man. Jesus Himself used the name, “Son of Man”, to emphasize His humanity as the incarnate Son of God. Jesus was given dominion and glory and a kingdom. All peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. Jesus’ dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away. His kingdom shall not be destroyed.
Micah 5:2	Bethlehem shall come forth the One, Jesus, who is to be ruler in Israel. He is coming forth from of old, Ancient of Days.
Habakkuk 2:14	Like the waters will cover ocean, so will the knowledge of the glory of the Lord cover the earth. Jesus will come as the glory of the Lord in full manifestation of His divine being on earth.
Zechariah 9:9-10	Jesus is the coming King of Zion. Jesus is righteous and has salvation. As foretold, Jesus will be humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Jesus shall speak peace to the nations. And He will reign from sea to sea like the River flowing to the end of the earth.

Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus || Spoken Word

Youtube had voted this video to be the most viewed for the past 48 hours. Jefferson Bethke wrote a poem that differentiates false religion and Jesus. As Bethke posted the video, as the title says, thousands upon thousands of viewers gather into this video. Now, it has reached at least 3 millions views.

This video was design and made to exalt the name of Jesus Christ over every humankind and false religions in the world. It has amazed, disturbed, confused, and inspired a lot of viewers around the world whether if they are religious, non-religious, or Christians. For Atheists and non-Christians (including not born-again Christians), the language that Bethke speaks may be foreign to you. It sounds cool, but without understand what the message he's delivering, then you miss the depth of the meaning. It sounds confusing because you don't have the mind of Christ. It sounds pathetic or ridiculous because it is foolish to you.

Finally, it may sound disturbing because Jesus was than just a moral or good teacher. He indeed did come to abolish religion and rebuke those who were self-righteous. He came and lived a perfect and holy life by fulfilling the laws. He came on a rescue mission to save sinners (tax collectors, prostitute, unclean, poor, religious and etc.) by dying on the cross for our sins so that His righteousness and His perfection could be inputted to us when we believe and receive what He has done. Additionally, He was resurrected 3 days later to demonstrate that He is God, and that He has conquered Satan, sin, and death. In his resurrection, He walked in the newness of life. Through His resurrection, when we place our faith in Jesus Christ in what He has done, we too could walk in the newness of life and one day experience resurrection--we could also conquer Satan, sin, and death--after this life and live in the New Heaven and New Jerusalem for eternity with Jesus.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
(2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV)

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
(Romans 6:4 ESV)

Enjoy the Video :)

THIS IS VANCOUVER

For those who do not know me, I live in the city of Vancouver. I shared a video that was thought-provoking. Personally, I do see God working in Vancouver and saving people every day, but this video is to show the broken side of Vancouver because greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city! Hope you enjoy this video.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/stpetersfireside/thisisvancouver]

Can God Command our Emotions?

There are many Scriptures which suggest that we are to have certain emotional responses to the Lord. But is it possible for our emotions to be commanded, even by God? Can we really control our emotions? Here is John Piper's response to this question.

"Jesus Commands the Emotions:

"I recall reading a book in college that argued: Love cannot be a feeling because it is commanded, and you can't command the feelings. In other words, love must simply be an act of the will or a deed of the body without involving the emotions or affections. But the problem with this argument is that the premise is false: Jesus does command the feelings. He demands that our emotions be one way and not another.
"He demands, for example, that we rejoice in certain circumstances (Matt 5:12), and that we fear the right person (Luke 12:5), and that we not feel shame over him (Luke 9:26), and that we forgive from the heart (Matt 18:35), and so on. If a feeling is proper to have, Jesus can demand it. The fact that I may be too corrupt to experience the emotions that I ought to have does not change my duty to have them. If Jesus commands it, I should have it. My moral inability to produce it does not remove my guilt; it reveals my corruption. It makes me desperate for a new heart - which Jesus came to give." [1]

 

REFERENCE

[1] John Piper. What Jesus Demands from the World. Crossway Books, Wheaton Illinois. 2006. pp 52-53

Adolf Hitler, Abortion, and the Gospel: Ray Comfort and "180" Movie

Some of my friends (Wanda, Chris, Kevin, and maybe others) have posted a documentary video on their Facebook page. I began to ponder what this video meant. This morning, therefore, I took the time to watch it. In the first few seconds into the movie, out comes this question, "Have you heard of Adolf Hitler?" Ray Comfort, who is interviewing the people on the street, is a Jewish and was deeply concerned with this current generation because they are forgetting the greatest tragedy that has happened on the face of human history.

He initiates the conversation by asking them about Adolf Hitler and what they thought about him and if his movement (murdering the Jews) was evil. Surprisingly, some of the people he interviewed didn't know who he was, let alone showing a photograph of him. Some gave honest opinions and answers, and some were outrageous.

He connects the event of Holocaust to the modern activist of abortion. The people saw the Jews were, indeed, human beings, but what makes it difference in murdering a child in a woman? Comfort gave them a statement and wants them to finish the sentence, "It is okay to kill the child in the womb when ________." It shockingly challenged them to think about the mentality that they have and what they believe to be moral and true. In addition, he challenges their perspective of abortion, good, evil, sin, God, heaven, hell, judgement, salvation, Jesus, the Cross and the Gospel. As shocking as it was to watch some of the conversations and worldviews expressed in them, the conclusions at the end were equally powerful in their impact.

After watching the documentary, I was confounded by the conversation. It got me thinking more critically about how I go out sharing with my friends to a bunch of strangers. The passion that I have, along with Ray Comfort, is to engage in people's worldview and asking right questions to get this current generation to think deeper and critically about life. I would lovingly say that a lot of the interviewees were hypocrites. The answers given by one situation contradicts with the other situation. Most of them do value human lives. Knowing that the murder of the Jewish lives is not right, what makes it right to abort a child in a mother's womb even if the situation (e.g. rape or financial problems or not ready) is different? I would encourage you to take the time and watch the documentary below:



I thoroughly enjoy the fact that Comfort is engaging with strangers and challenging them to think critically. Even through the conversation, he pointed them to Jesus Christ. As a Christian, I desire to be fill with the Holy Spirit and see people discover Jesus. As Apostle Paul said to the church at Rome and Corinth:

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. " (Romans 1:18-32 ESV)

"For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God."
(1 Corinthians 1:25-29 ESV)

"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete." (2 Corinthians 10:3-6 ESV)

Word On The Street: Grace

For the past  week, I was in shocked to see my friends walk away from Jesus. Even today, I grief for them. I think God ordained this time for me to write another post to edify those who are in pain to see their friends saying they walk away from Jesus, find Jesus not relevant, deny Jesus as their Lord and Savior, don’t see any love coming from Jesus, and many more reasons.

Take at least few minutes to read Luke 15:11-32.

My assumption to those who reads this entry would know this famous parable that Jesus taught - Parable of the Prodigal Son. The younger son asks for his father’s inheritance - half of it. And then he goes out and blows the money through partying like a rock star. After spending all the money, he goes out and work to make a living out of a worse labor job ever. Despite all the effort he made, nobody, not even his friends, gave him anything. He was left alone and abandoned by the world.A lot of people are totally depraved in this world. Their eyes are blinded by the gods of this world from seeing the light of the gospel. Claiming to be wise, they became fools. The prodigal son could have ended at Luke 15:16 and the story could have been told like that. Jesus could have told that the moral of the story is this: “Don’t be an idiot like this son at the end of his life.”

Here is a single word that changes everything: BUT. Jesus, however, continues the story with an amazing redemption for this pathetic son. His mind clicks. When the son came to himself he realized that his sin was not only against his earthly father but in the deepest sense against heaven, that is, against God himself. I do not believe, however, that it was any human conscience that caused this son to realize his sin. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that people can realize their mistakes and try to change it. In Biblical sense, the consciousness of realizing one’s sin that moves him or her to repentance can only be done by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the son was deeply sorrowful for the foolish mistake he made for walking his own way and finds words to say to his father before he sees him.

The Father sees his son at the distance. He runs to embrace him and love him. The son confesses his sin to him, and the father throws a party for him because he “was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.”

Some of us have went to church only during for Sunday school. Somehow this world (e.g. videogame, girlfriend, boyfriend, partying, smoking, getting drunk) was more attractive than God; therefore, we chose to walk away from God and indulge in this world. At the end of the day, this world leaves you nothing but suffering and emptiness. However, no matter where we are at with God, we are either a friend of Him or a foe. Not everyone will have this "BUT" in their lives where they realize what in the world they are doing with their lives. Some will continuously be stiff-necked, stubborn, and arrogant to continue their folly, which in the end leads them to their destruction - hell.

God is waiting for you to come back to Him and truly want you to experience His unconditionally love and irresistible grace. Good news is this: God extends His grace to you, first, by embracing and hugging you. Referencing from what Reality Church states: The goal of the Gospel is not the gifts God gives, but rather God as the gift given to us by grace.

I will say this again: the gospel always makes the difference in our lives.

“Your GRACE has found me just as I am.” (Majesty by Delirious)

Anticipate His 2nd Coming

MY LIFE IS COMPLICATED

There is, indeed, greater needs that wants to consume our emptiness. We crave, actually. What do you consistently put your hope in? Let's not talk about the knowledge of the answer is, but let's talk about where your heart is at. Your thoughts, your emotions, your intelligence, and your actions. I remember reading parts of the book called "Soul Cravings" where the author, Erwin McManus, said there are three major aspects of things which we crave for: Intimacy, Meaning, and Destiny. In one of this entries (#12) on Destiny, he says, "What is fascinating about the human spirit is that we can live with a conscious awareness of death and not be paralyzed...it can actually inspire us to live a life of passionate urgency...even the smallest of dreams will keep us moving forward...but when we give up hope, when we allow ourselves to internalize despair, we shut down..." Despair to mean that "to live apart from hope" or "to live without a future." Continuing, "We should be able to live perfectly well without God and without hope. But neither proves to be the case. Ironically, when we should believe even the existence of hope, when we are most consumed with a sense of our insignificance, it is here we will crave it the most...Without hope your life may not come to an end, but it does come to a stop."

Fascinating, I suppose. If you are a Christian, then what do you consistently put your hope in? Answer: Jesus. Yes, that's a good simple answer. Now, let's not talk about the knowledge of the answer is, but let's talk about where your heart is at. Really? Do you really? Do you truly consistently put your hope in Jesus every moment of your life?

I'm convicted of this question that I asked myself, "Do I constantly have hope in the anticipation of His 2nd coming?" Honestly, my life is full of complicated issues. There are a lot of disgusting, unclean, unrighteous, and sins that need to be purify. As I live everyday, I get anxious about my future, my education, my future wife, future ministries (my career), my student loan, my family, and whole bunch of crap that are weighing me down. Nonetheless, I do have hope. If you're not a follower of Jesus Christ, then I am sure you have hope. Hope for a better future, a good wife (a good husband if you are a woman), good place to live, and career. We plan out this kind of list and work our way towards the future.



But what happens if what you crave for fails you? What happens when you become despair? We may typically want to continue find these things until they fulfill our cravings completely. We do not want to lose heart or hope, actually. We want our lives to continue. I know some people who are despair and lose all hope in whatever they are doing. They won't persevere. Like McManus said, "without hope your life......[comes] to a stop." Indeed, that's when suicide attempts happen. That's when life becomes meaningless. Your boyfriend/girlfriend breaks up with you, you lose your job, you go through bankruptcy, your parents divorce, your friends betray you, you are very stressful, your health fails you, your mentality was wrong, you experience catastrophe, and maybe you can list more. What, then, did I do wrong with my life!? Then, majority of the social network would put these three simple letters: FML...maybe for real this time.

My friends, let me confess to you on the account of my life. I am bitter. I am jealous. I am proud. I am an idolator.

I am bitter about something that I shouldn't be bitter about. I am jealous about something that I shouldn't be jealous about. I am proud about myself that I shouldn't be prideful of. I am idolizing something that I shouldn't worship. I am, therefore, broken. I put my hope on something that eventually led me to brokenness and despair because I didn't put my hope and focus on something that will last for eternity. This is what the Bible says about me, as a sinner:

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21)
" For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)
"Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food." (Isaiah 55:2)
"And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me..." (Mark 7:6)
"But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.” (Matthew 15:18-20)
"Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." (James 4:13-14)

Are you despair recently? If so, why? If you have not yet experience this of deep despair, then God bless you. But, what you hope for in this world (your future and stuff) will eventually bring you to despair. We all agree that we will die one day. When we will die is not the right question. "How short is my life" is the question. You and I don't know for sure if we will live tomorrow. But aren't we supposed to be hopeful or optimistic about life? Yes, we human beings are hopeful people and we want to live forever in this earth, but that is not happening. After you die, you will live forever: Heaven or Hell. Wake up, my friends. Can you prove to me that you will live tomorrow or can you guarantee yourself that you will live tomorrow? Wake up, my friends. Do you know 100% for sure know where you will be going after you die?

What do you put your hopes in? After feeling all beat up about my life being so complicated, when all hope is lost in this world, I still have Jesus Christ. I was a fool. He's been walking beside me the whole time. He promised me that "I will never leave your nor forsake you." "I (Jesus) am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me." (John 10:14) When this world fails me, I am reminded of what Jesus promised:

"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:3-5)

My friends, Jesus is alive and He will make all things new, and He will come back again. It is either we die and meet Him as our Judge, or He comes back for the second time. Wake up, my friends. Life is short! "You are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." We don't know when we will die, and we also don't know when Jesus will come back. We could die in a minute or tomorrow, or Jesus could come back in a minute or tomorrow.

"And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:29-36)

If you do not believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord ans Savior and what He has done for you, then God bless you that you are still alive today while grace and forgiveness of sin are still open-handedly given to you freely. Turn to Him and believe in Him while you are still alive. You and I are sinners who turned our backs against God. Because God loves you and I, He demonstrated that love by sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins while we should be the one who should have paid that penalty. He died and, 3 days later, He was resurrected to give us new life and the hope that we could have in Him alone. Do you see that you have turn away from God and put all your hopes in this world in which God created that will ultimately lead you to despair and destruction. Now, YOU have an important decision to make, my friends. Do you want to accept and believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us stop sleeping around and watch out for ourselves "lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life", and be awake and anticipate our 2nd coming of our Lord Jesus Christ! Believing this truth, there are still people who needs this hope that we have! What a joy and great hope we have in our Savior! Love My Life because of Him.

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2)

Word On The Street: Compassion

Take at least 2 minutes to read Luke 10:25-37 for this week’s passage of the “Word On The Street”.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is probably one of the famous stories in the Bible. Christians and non-Christians (secularism) know this story and have implemented into the culture. The concept of the “Good Samaritan” is found in the “Good Samaritan law”, helping others and cleaning up the mess in the riot, and I don’t know how many “Good Samaritan _____  “(fill in the blank) there are. Hopefully some of you know what the story is about, but we often miss the main point of the story.

It started out with a lawyer asking Jesus what it takes to go to heaven. Jesus asked, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” The lawyer answered the Great Commandment. Since the lawyer answered correctly, he must apply it. The lawyer wanted to justify himself. What did he mean “justify himself”? To be show what is just and to be made right. Why did he want to “justify himself”? He asked Jesus a question, “Who is my neighbour?” As deceitful and clever this lawyer was, he tried to escape the responsibility of not loving those who are “non-neighbour”, such as the poor, the sinners, the sick, the lame, and those who are in the lower social classes.

Jesus told a story to show an example of what a neighbour is like. A man from Jerusalem got mugged by robbers. There were three people who Jesus talked about: Priest, Levite, and Samaritan. Priest is a descendant of Aaron who had priestly responsibilities in the Jerusalem temple. He saw the man wounded but he passed by on the other side, which was to describe his unwillingness to love his neighbor. Levite is a member of the tribe of Levi but not a descendant of Aaron and therefore not a priest. The Levites were the ones who assisted the priests. He also passed by the man. Then came a Samaritan. Culturally, it would have been unthinkable for a Samaritan to help a Jew (the wounded man could have been a Jew because he is coming from Jerusalem) because Jews and Samaritans hated each other. Jesus, however, emphasized the point that to love your neighbor involved showing care and compassion even to those who would not have any normal relationship or to those who are undeserving to be loved and cared for. The Samaritan ministered and helped the injured man by setting “him on his own animal” because he’s probably too injured to walk, brought him to an inn and paid for the fees because he’s been mugged and has nothing left, and extending whatever more cost and care may be needed for this Jew. On the extended note, two denarii were equivalent of two days salary; therefore, it showed that the Samaritan was willing to sacrifice his money and energy for the well-being of the Jew. Jesus ended with this question, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” And we can all answer: “The Good Samaritan”.

I want to make a personal note that I don’t agree that there is a “Good Samaritan”. The headline of your Bible may say that “The Parable of the Good Samaritan”, but Jesus never said the Samaritan was good although he did demonstrate love and kindness. I think, perhaps, that the “Good Samaritan” was able to show love and compassion for his neighbor was because God showed compassion and love toward him in the first place, if he ever existed. Because of the grace of God, the Samaritan’s heart and mind was able to be changed and renewed by the Holy Spirit. No one is good besides God. No one is righteous besides God. Why did Jesus tell us this parable then? It is to show how the “wise and understanding” (the religious leaders who thinks they are good and self-righteous) do not understand even the simplest commands of Scripture. We too fall short like the lawyer. Like the lawyer, we try to justify ourselves by picking and choosing who our neighbours are. How about the man or woman living in E Hastings and doing drugs and sleeping street? Do they need compassion and need to be loved? How about a new person coming into the youth Sunday School or small group or Bible study and we ignore him or her because we like to be comfortable with the friends we know? Does he or she need compassion and need to be loved?

The gospel is a better news than just helping the poor and paying their hotel fees. It is about Jesus. I think that Jesus wanted to us to see ourselves in the story. Who did the injured man represent? I think it would be, in the context of the Bible, the sinners, the lame, the sick, and living in the lower social class (like you and I spiritually speaking). Who did the priest and Levite represent? The religious leaders. Throughout the story of the gospel, the Pharisees never cared about the sinner and didn’t even want to interact with them because they were afraid that it would defile them. They would condemn people like hypocrites for not seeing the plank in their own eyes. In John 8, Jesus was with the prostitute who was about to be stoned by the Pharisees. It shows that being religious doesn’t work.

Jesus not only taught about “loving your neighbor as yourself”, but He fulfills that command in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 6:5). It is about Jesus loving the world by demonstrating His love on the cross. Jesus loves those who hated Him. Jesus loves those who are affected by culture (John 4). Jesus loves those who persecuted Him. On the cross, He told the Father to forgive them because they don’t know what they were doing.

Apart from Jesus, if we think that by doing good works will label us as “good” and “righteous” people, then don’t be fooled by the religious culture we are living in. Apart from Jesus, all our good deeds are like garbage. I’m not saying don’t help people and stop doing good, but if Jesus has renewed your heart and mind, then all the good deeds you do are no longer for yourself, but for Jesus Christ. Instead of asking an improper question, “Who is my neighbor?” we should ask, “How can I be a loving neighbor?”

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you...Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.” (Luke 6:27; 30)

Word On The Street: Gratitude

Take at least 2 minutes to read Matthew 20:1-16 for this week’s passage of the “Word On The Street”.

As Jesus taught in the parable, the landowner teaches the laborers to be thankful with wages they received. The landowner clearly promised the laborers that the deal was to give them a denarius (a typical day’s wage for a laborer) a day. The landowner, however, did not say denarius per hour. When the laborer came in the last hour before laborers need to get off work, he too got the denarius as the ones who worked from morning at 6am, 9am, 12pm...and so on.  The workers grumbled at the landowner for being unfair because he gave the same wage as to the one who worked only for an hour while they worked for 12 hours. The landowner reminded them, “‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? (v.13 ESV)” That’s the deal my friend! He continues saying, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what BELONGS to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?” The reward (the wages) belongs to the landowner, and he explained the fairness of his actions. Begrudge (or envious NIV) literally means, “Is your eye evil?” Instead of being thankful for their wages, they have been blinded by their own self-interested lack of compassion for his fellow worker who needed a job (v.7).

I’ll be asking this question for this post and for the next four weeks: What does this have to do with the gospel?

Jesus is not just an idea originated from the western culture. That is the biggest mistake and assumption that people make regarding Jesus. Jesus was a God becoming a man and was born in Asia in a place called Bethlehem. Anybody can believe in Jesus whether if you’re an Asian, Caucasian, African and every race and tribe and tongue and nation. This parable displays God’s generosity to give salvation to anybody whom Jesus saves whether if they are young or old. Some of us became Christians when we’re young. There are some who would become Christians later on in our life. Some would become Christians a moment before they die. What? Jesus can save those an hour before they die? Yes! But that’s not fair! What about the things they did in the past? Stealing, murder, rebellion, sexual immorality, and etc. Take this parable as a warning from Jesus. Do NOT despise those who would come to faith later. We are no different from them because we are all sinners and we have once been on their shoes before. As Jesus teaches, “So the last will be first, and the first last.” As Christians, we should never measure our worth by comparing it with other’s accomplishments. For example, I helped around the church longer than this person did, so I think God should reward me more. Being a Christian is not about getting a bigger reward than others, but it is about where our heart is at when we serve God. Does our serving focus from a heart of gratitude and joy in RESPONSE to God’s grace to us? Basically, do we love God because Jesus saved us by dying on the cross for our sins, from the wrath of God, resurrecting from the grave to give us new life. Those who are Christians will get the same reward. If you’re a Christian, then you and I will get the same reward when we get to heaven. “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12)

This parable is an amazing story that Jesus taught, and it can relate to us in a personal level. If you’re not a Christian yet, by God’s mercy and grace, Jesus welcomes you. Let our attitudes be changed to gratitude by believing in what Jesus has done for you and I and accept His forgiveness, inviting the Holy Spirit to regenerate you, and to convict us of sin, and repent of sin.

"Religion will change your outer behaviors, but grace will change your heart."

"If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire." (1 Corinthians 3:14-15 ESV)

Day 29 – Goals for the next 30 days.

Finally, this is the second last post for the "30 Days" challenge! Will I continue to blog after the challenge? Yes, I will because I won't be so limited to what I need to blog about.

There are tons of goals that I need to accomplish for the next 30 days.

For those who do not know, I will be going on Project with Campus For Christ this summer. Therefore, it will be an exciting journey that God has graciously called me into! You know, I never thought I would be used by God. I'm not worthy, and I do not deserve His love and forgiveness, but by God's grace, He still chose to love me and sent Jesus Christ to be my propitiation of God's wrath. Through His blood, my sins were washed away. "I'm just a nobody who wants to tell everybody about Somebody."

In order to go on this trip, I am challenged to raise financial and prayer support who will partner up with me as I embark on this great adventure that I am very excited about. Doing ministry and serving the Lord are my passion, and I probably will pursue ministry in the future. I will need to raise $4800 before the end of April. Before that, I actually need to raise $1500 by March 18th, which is approaching really fast; however, it doesn't mean I can't go if I don't meet the deadline. It is just to make sure I am on top of things with support raising. I am working hard, somewhat, in raising support and sending out support letters. In addition, I will need to do vaccination this Thursday because there might be some diseases that I need to be aware of when I am on project. I believe there are more technical stuff, but that will do for now. Hopefully by 30 days, I will be able to accomplish lots for the glory of God. Therefore, please pray for me in terms of support raising, allowing God to equip me and sharpen my sword, and open up the hearts for those who are ready to hear the gospel. If you want my support letter, then please let me know by messaging me by facebook personal message or comment below (but let me know who you are).

For the Youth Sunday school, I will be teaching on the book of Ruth. I taught chapter 1 last Sunday, and I believe it went really well. Pray for the youth that it is not just a nice story, but to demonstrate the work of Jesus Christ who is the greater kinsman redeemer or greater Boaz. I praise God that Jesus is my kinsman redeemer, and I have been brought back into fellowship with the Father with the COST of Jesus' blood on the cross. I greatly enjoy teaching the book of Ruth and I look forward to seeing what God will do in my heart, and in the hearts of the youth and leaders.

I have been a bit behind with schoolwork, and I need to stop procrastinating. Readings after readings; projects after projects; assignments after assignments. When will this end? Until I graduate...I hope. Therefore, I pray for strength and motivation to work hard and be a good student. By God's grace, He has given me education while a lot of people around the world don't have that kind of opportunity, so I want to cherish my University moments while it lasts.

That's all for this post. I look forward in reflecting on what happened for the past "30 Days"...which was actually more than 3 months ago which I started this challenge. God Bless

Day 25 – Someone who fascinates you and why?

There are a lot of people in my circle of friends who fascinates me. However, I am asked to only choose one. I didn't have much thought and I immediately thought of Someone. His name is Jesus.

His life is very peculiar. Most of us know the story of Jesus, right? Speaking of Jesus, I had a spiritual conversation at SFU yesterday with someone who's not a student. I was talking to him about what he thinks about God and Jesus. He told me he  had some idea of who Jesus is. He shared with me that Jesus is like a "moral teacher". I agree. He was a teacher, but He was more than a teacher.

Jesus came down to earth, and born of a virgin woman named Mary. He was very bright and had great wisdom when He's young. He was a carpenter. He was in the wilderness for 40 days being tempted by Satan. He had great teachings. He was quite controversial and lived a counter-cultural life, but He didn't sin. Crowds wanted to find opportunity to arrest Him and kill Him.

Jesus IS God, who came down into human history. He walked on earth and lived a life like us. He still sympathizes with us. He healed the sick. He healed the blind and deaf. He went to the cross and atone for our sins so that we would find forgiveness of sin in Him and be reconciled to the Father. He was buried and was raised to life. Now, He ascended into heaven. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him.

Jesus is my Savior and Lord. It is by GRACE that I have been saved through faith. This is grace: Jesus did everything for me in which I cannot do and do not deserve. This is CRAZY! This why Jesus fascinates me! God would still love me even though I am a worthless sinner and ill-deserving of His grace and love.

His love is unconditional and powerful that it compels me to LOVE. This is love: He laid down His life for His friends...and died and shed His blood on the cross for my sins.  He suffered the wrath of God on my place. He is the whole reason why I am here today. Everything spoken in the Bible points to Jesus.

We are all sinners. We all deserve to go to hell. We all don't deserve grace and love. However, God still offers eternal life in Jesus. God still offers grace and love to us. God the Father still offered His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus substituted Himself on our place. Wow...I don't know what to say anymore.

Does Jesus resonate truth to you? Does Jesus fascinate you? Do you see that you are in desperate need of a Savior? You can also know Jesus as your Savior and Lord. You can also have this relationship with Him and get to know the living God. Without Him, then you have nothing worth living for because everything will fade and everything will become vain. You and I will die, and eternity is LONG time - depends on which two directions you are going: Road to Destruction or Road to Life.

John 1:1-5 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

I remember posting this video in this entry, but my prayer is that the character of Jesus will continue to shine and illuminate the darkness of this world because He is God and He is the purpose of why I live:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yzqTFNfeDnE]

Winter Conference 10/11 – Your Love Never Fails (PT.2)

[caption id="attachment_604" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="I was sharing my evangelistic experience to more than 200 people during the day of evangelism"][/caption]

This is the 2nd part of my sharing for Winter Conference. Last blog, I talked about the highlights that I took out, Initiative Evangelism (during our free time and night time), and also my visions in how God wants me to impact the world. For this entry, I will basically finish up the rest of my experience at Winter Conference.

Our speaker for this conference is Tom Cullen. He's a pastor at a Chinese church in Scarborough. I thoroughly enjoyed all the main session. He covered a lot of important depth of the Bible in the Old Testament and how we can play part of God's story. He encouraged us to always read the Bible in CONTEXT. He used few examples of how the verses or passages are taken out of context, such as 1 Corinthians 13.

Pastor Tom went through:

The survey of Genesis: The story of God in creation;
The survey of Deuteronomy: The story of God's grace;
The survey of Ruth: The story of God in redemption;
The survey of Jonah: The story of God in mission.

Pastor Tom knew his stuff and I thank God that He called him to speak at conference, blessing us with the word of God, encouraging us and challenging us. For those who went on conference, indeed you may be fed with good knowledge of the Old Testament, but I encourage you (and myself) to use it and go out and share this message with our friends because "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up."

The workshop this year is pretty good this year. I went to three seminars: How to Love difficult people, Why is the Old Testament awesome, and Make the most of your time. I won't go into a lot details on the workshops because there would be lots to cover.

Personally, I do struggle with loving difficult people, especially my family. Sometimes I am selfish towards them and not care about them. Because they are non-believers, they talk about stuff that it's hard for me to participate. God is using me to love them and I want to show that love to them so that they would see Christ in me.
Old Testament is awesome! PERIOD. Interestingly enough, I am taking Willing School of the Bible, and the course is covering all of the Old Testament. So far, the course is awesome! God is good.
I need to find my notes for the last workshop (Make the most of your time). This is what I took out: find a purpose and manage your time to meet that purpose.

During the day of evangelism, C4C did an outreach in a totally new way. We used facebook, msn, phone, and other technical innovation to help advance the message of the gospel through the use of the media and the internet. Long story short from my experience (check the photo on the top), it started out with prayer and empowerment of the Holy Spirit to guide me to talk to whoever is online. Also, I specifically prayed for my friend to be online so I may have another spiritual conversation with him. And praise God! My prayer was answered. He and I had a long spiritual conversation about Grace vs. Religion. I explained everything he needed to know about the difference, and he understood the difference. Ultimately, I want to show love and I want to love him as much as possible to help him discover who Jesus is and what His goal was on earth. Therefore, I shared the gospel with him for my fourth time. However, in the end, he would say that he does not believe in the existence of God, and I didn't know what to respond to him. Although I thank God because he is very open to both arguments between theist and atheist because there is no concrete evidence...yet he leans on the other side more.

If you are reading this, and you do not believe God exist, then may I submit to you to consider the life you are living in. This world we are living in will all die and fade away. Actually, we will die some day. If I am DEAD WRONG that God exist (or if God does not exist), then no hard feelings for me because I do not have anything to lose (think logically =D ). However, if you are wrong, then you are making a BAD gamble for your eternal destiny. I do love you because I do not want you to make that gamble. For those who are in Christ, we have the full confidence that Jesus is alive and has all the authority of ruling over all the heavens and the earth, and that those who receive Him as Saviour and Lord shall inherit eternal life; therefore, we do not need to make that kind of gamble. If you are not a Christian, then what is your craving in life? Do those cravings fulfill all the satisfaction in your own life? What if Jesus is the one who can fulfill those cravings?

Jesus was talking to a Samaritan woman who was getting water at the well, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (Context of this passage is found in John 4)

If you want to know more about Jesus, then you have to know the basics of why I believe, which is ultimately the Gospel that is explained in this link.

I shall end my Winter Conference experience here. I want to end this post with a quote by my friend, Kevin Thomas, that truly applies to the desires that I have.

"So what do I want to do? I know what I don't want to happen. In my final moments before I take the road that exits this life, I don't want to look back and just see a diligent student who did well in school, got a high GPA and academic accomplishments to boot. I don't want my life to become about a great professional who always put the project first. I don't want to just see an hard-working engineer who wrote great code and built impressive systems; no one will remember either of them. I won't want to see my possessions, certificates or accolades that only accumulate ever thicker layers of dust; none of them will give me any comfort at that time. An impressive resume will become meaningless, for no one will ever use it to make a hiring decision ever again. Any money (or lack of it) that I accumulate will have an exchange rate of zero on the other side of this life.

I want to pour my life out to the very last drop for that which will bring life to people's hearts. I want to tell them about the Living One, the Christ without whom there is no Land of The Living. Loving people has become very important to me. I want to love those around me with all the risks that come with it, even if I get hurt in the process; the hurt won't matter anymore on the other side of this life. What good is it being a stingy miser with my words, affection and actions? Who am I saving all my capacity for love, anyway? Am I planning to hoard it carefully and spend it all on those whom I meet when I cross over into the Land of The Living? That's so stupid!

I have come to the conclusion that as great as it is that we are able to develop innovative technology, building better systems of any kind will not ultimately change the condition of the human heart, out of which all things flow. Neither will the approach of taking power out of the hands of the few and putting it into the hands of the people; it is pointless if the heart doesn't recognize the One who possesses and bestows all power, understand what true power is, and how to wield it. Without bringing people to the knowledge of the Living One, the Giver of Life, I have come to the belief that every other accomplishment in my life is ultimately meaningless.

I want to shine the light of the Living One in the Land of the Dying, so that those who are dead will see His light and come along with me on my journey with Him to the Land of the Living. If I die in the process, I'll get there all the faster. "

May God bless you as we journey this life together by His grace and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 "Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints."

Winter Conference 10/11 - Your Love Never Fails (PT.1)

This will be my first entry of 2011, and I am very excited to share my Winter Conference experience with everybody who reads this blog. Winter Conference is an annual conference hosted by Campus For Christ. This conference trains students to help the lost students discover Jesus through seminar, the day of Evangelism, fellowship with brothers and sisters, and the speaker in the main session. This would be my 4th Winter Conference that I had attended. Personally, I would consider this to be the best Winter Conference experience I had ever since my 1st Winter Conference.

My friends asked me, "What so great about this year?"

Here are three highlights or points that I took away from this Conference.

1.) When people see me, I want them to be reminded of Christ.
2.) Make imprints on campus, the nations, and the world that would count for eternity.
3.) Dream Big.

1.) When people see me, I want them to be reminded of Christ.

1 John 3:16-18 "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

This passage really struck me when I ponder throughout Conference. What have I been doing with myself through the years? What kind of impression am I leaving when people see me? "How can the love of God be in him?" This sentence convicted me. Have I been loving?

2.) Make imprints on campus, the nations, and the world that would count for eternity.

We have limited amount of time on campus. Some students may stay 4-7 years in University. However, the time on campus can be very valuable. Let me ask you a question: "Before you graduate, what significant imprints do you want to leave on campus that could count for eternity?" As I was in Calgary, I was very encouraged with the men who wanted to go out for evangelism during our free time and night time. This is a totally new experience for me at WC. It started out with 5 men. Later on, more brothers and sisters came along with us. We went to a small Asian mall to evangelize. Me, Alan, and Wayland walked up to a group of high school students. We talked to them, but it felt kind of awkward for them. Three of them have Christian or Catholic background, and one is not religious. We asked them questions based on what their beliefs, and we shared the gospel with them. We prayed for them hoping that they understood what we talked about (they nodded their heads). We walked away and turned our back, and we noticed we got fingered by one of them. It is where their heart is at. I do pray that the seeds that we've planted, it not land anywhere but good soil although it is God who does the work in them.

Alan and I approached a shop owner who sold anime models and toy figures. His name was also Tommy. Interestingly enough, I told him that Tommy means "seeker of the truth". This created an interesting transition to a spiritual conversation. He was familiar with God and Jesus because he went to a Catholic elementary school. There was a bit of a language barrier, but by God's grace and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, I did my best to explain and articulate the gospel message to him. As Alan and I shared with him, I believed God was working in his heart. He shared about his grandmother's sickness. We both understand him situation. In love, I shared God's love to him: He died for his and our sins. That those who receive Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Was he willing to receive Him? I do not know because salvation comes from God. Alan and I prayed for him and his grandmother. After praying, he had tears in his eyes. I didn't want to leave the store empty-handed, so I bought One Piece action figure.

Alan and I got very closed together in just one day of evangelism. It seemed like our bondage as brothers grew stronger as we went out for sharing. When I went evangelism in the past with someone, we didn't become as close like this one. Alan is just a 1st year student and he has a strong passion for God. He shared with me a bit of his past sins, and so did I. He and I went out a lot for evangelism and stayed together most of the time. Of course, we had more significant moments to share, but I believe the 1st two are some of the good moments we shared because it was our 1st time-sharing together. I hope to see him at UBC and go out and proclaim the name of Jesus.

We only had 4 days in Calgary. While I was in Calgary in a VERY limited amount of time, why not go out for evangelism and bless the city of the message of grace? Same thing with our campus, the nation, and the world. Our time is limited. Wherever God is calling us to go, we are all called to fulfill the Great Commission. Whether if it's at our workplace or our campus or wherever you are...go out and make disciples =) Take that faith step and let God do the rest.

3.) Dream Big

During conference, I was reminded to live a life with a purpose. I do have a dream, not the american dream...but a dream that gives glory to God. I signed up for East Asia Project, and I am praying to see what God will do this summer within my own life. Furthermore, if God wills, then I would love to go back to Hong Kong and minister to the culture there. It's been around 4 months ever since I felt God called me back to Hong Kong. It's be desire to go back and minister to the Chinese culture, and leading them to Jesus culture. Personally, I feel that Chinese people have two main issues: Pride and Gossip. Whatever God wants me to do there, then I will gladly serve Him over there.

Overall, this WC was a blessing. With many things to share and many things I learned, I want to take it back to Vancouver and put it into practice. I do have lots to share, but I will stop this entry here because it has gotten too long. If you have read this, then I hope that you're encouraged as well. =)

Christmas Greeting!

Merry Christmas everyone! Pray that you will enjoy the time opening up presents and spending time with family! Also, remember Jesus Christ because He's the reason for this season.

Isaiah 9:6 "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder,and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

God Bless you all.

Day 18 – Your beliefs

This post may hopefully spark up discussions and comments below. I'll start off by saying that I am a Christian. I am a follower of Jesus Christ. I believe Jesus died on cross for me and purchased my salvation through Him. I believe that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God. I believe in the God of the Bible, which is the same God in the Old Testament and the New Testament. I believe God saves people. I believe that people are going to hell if they do not give their lives to Jesus. I believe God is love.

I do have faith, not in something that does not exist. If I do believe in things that does not exist, then you could call me insane. However, I do have faith that God exists even though I am not able to see Him. In the Bible, faith is described as "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). I believe Jesus was raised from the dead. "And if Christ has not been raised, then [my] preaching is in vain and your faith [and my faith] is in vain...but in fact Christ has been raised from the dead" (1 Corinthians 15:14;20) So for those who do not want Him to exist or still want Him dead, then tough luck.

Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork."

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it the POWER of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Roman 1:16). This is the gospel that I believe because I personally experienced the power of it and Jesus Christ saved me. He has given me a new life, a new heart, and a new desire to love and serve Him. I am not my old-self as I was during my High school years, but I am a new creation, I have been clothed with a "new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:24).

I wrote a "letter" as an assignment for one of my Bible classes, and I want to explain why I believe the Bible is worth-reading and living by. So if you want to read it, then feel free. I'll be continuing my entry down below and end my blog.

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Dear (reader),

How are you doing lately? Hopefully you are doing alright with your life. Do you remember the letter you have sent me? You asked me why I believe the Bible is worth reading and living by. Therefore, hopefully in this letter, you will understand why I value Jesus as a Christian and live in obedience to Him. Hopefully you still remember the conversation we had about how I became a Christian and how you were struggling with life during that moment.

I believe the Bible is the authoritative word of God because it is authoritative, accurate, and authentic. If I may quote the Bible found in 2 Timothy 3:16, then I am very convinced that “All Scripture is inspired by God.” The word, inspired, means that the Bible is from God. Further on in that verse, I am convinced that the Bible is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” If God has given us the Bible, then He has something to say to us. When I read the Bible, I can clearly understand that the stories that Jesus told were speaking directly to me. God is teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training me to become more of the person who He wants me to be, which is to become the likeness of Jesus. I understand that reading the Bible is dull to you because I went through the same process too, but the Bible has impacted my life ever since I became a Christian since it is clearly from God. I love to read what He has to say to me so I could grow in my spiritual maturity, my spiritual effectiveness, and my relationship with Him. Hopefully you will experience the same joy as I have when I read the Bible.

You said, “The Bible was written by man, so how can the Bible be from God?” It is true that the Bible was written by people. Also, God did not use the pen to magically fly in the air and write for itself, although He could have simply done that since God is all-powerful, but He did not intend to do that. However, I believe that God worked through the authors of each book in the Bible through the process of inspiration. Inspiration is the process by which God worked through the human writers without destroying their individual personalities and styles to produce divinely authoritative and inerrant writings. In the Bible, I am convinced that “no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit”, which is found in 2 Peter 1:20-21. God used people to produce the Scripture in the sense that it originates with Him and is authorized by Him, even though it is articulated by men. Simply put this: God revealed, and man recorded His word.

In Psalm 18:20, it say, “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.” If God’s way is perfect, and that Bible is inspired by God, then Scripture in the original manuscript does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact. Therefore, I am assured that Bible is accurate and does not err because the Bible has its origin in God and was superintended by His inspiration.

The Bible does not generally say everything we want to know like an instruction manual. For example, how to get a girlfriend or boyfriend, how to fix the car, how to do a better make-up, or how to become a pro-gamer in whatever videogames you are playing. So how is the Bible sufficient? What is God trying to tell us? The sufficiency of Scripture means that Scripture contained all the words of God He intended His people to have at each stage of redemptive history. Perhaps when you read the Bible, it seemed like it just a story, poetry, prophecy, and logic, but God never intended it that way. Indeed, there are different genres in the Bible, but ultimately it contains the words of God we need for salvation, for trusting Him perfectly, and for obeying Him perfectly.

Unfortunately, we do not have the original manuscript, but one of the historical evidences is the early discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls found in 1947 which contained the oldest complete manuscript of the book of Isaiah that dated back to about 125 B.C. You may be wondering how we obtained the Bible we have in this modern culture and how can we be sure we have every books that were inspired by God, which also called Canonization. Ultimately, it comes by faith in believing that God was overseeing the process and preserving the Bible through the generation because I believe God is more concern in about it. The history of canon did not immediately become a collection of books, but it was a gradually development as some books were accepted quickly and other hovered for a long time on the fringe of the canon before being fully accepted.

After reading this letter, my hope is that you would understand why I believe the Bible is worth reading and living by. Hopefully, it also helps answer your question and spark up curiosity. We may have different interpretation in viewing the Bible; however, the Bible contains the central meaning of what God is trying to communicate. God created us for His glory because He loves us and wants to be in a relationship with us. However, the Bible warns us of the eternal punishment in hell for those reject God’s love and turn away from His provision and forgiveness for their sin. God has given us the path of salvation through Jesus Christ. If you have any more questions, then please feel free to reply.

God Bless,

Tommy

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Either you read the letter or not (hopefully you did), that's alright. I want to share what the gospel is...The gospel is the good news, in which Jesus died on the cross for your sins and my sins so that we may be reconciled to God and have a relationship with Him. God created all of us to reveal His glory and to be in relationship with us, just like the time in Adam and Eve. But we sinned against God, we chose to disobey Him, and we were set apart from God. And the consequence of sin is eternal torment in hell - eternally separated from God. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom6:23), and no one is perfect. No one can do good deeds and merit salvation. However, because God is merciful, gracious, loving, and compassion, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth as a rescue mission to save sinners. He lived on earth, lived just like us, but He did not sin. He taught, healed and did a lot of miracles. Later, He demonstrated His love by being crucified on the cross, and "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness" (1 Peter 2:24). Three days later, after He died, He rose from the dead so that one day we will rise with Him and live with Him forever. If your life feels perfect without, then I hope you are doing it right because the money, girl, reputation, and etc. won't last. Therefore, I urge you, don't walk in your own ways anymore. Turn to Jesus who can give you eternal life. Confess your sins to Him, call on Him, and repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ and thanking Him for what He has done for you. He will be coming back again, and He will judge! Those who believe in Jesus will spend in eternity with Him in heaven, and those who reject Him will spend in eternity in hell. That's the gospel! That's what I believe.