A quaint little video about how Good News can move. God uses us to create an impact in the lives of other people. Think about those who God placed in your life, and thank Him! :)
Protestant-Catholic Marriage?
My sister from church is going out with a Catholic man, and is torn about whether she should continue her relationship with him and perhaps pursue marriage together. What advice would you give them?
Off to the Land of the Rising Son.
My heart’s brimming with excitement!
It hasn’t been long since I received the long-awaited results of my Exchange application. Presented is the opportunity to go to Japan for six months and study at the prestigious Keio University. It’s against the odds that I made it, so I’m surer that it’s under God’s direction.
For years I have studied Japan and have been fascinated with the country on many facets: it’s language, culture, and people. The good and the bad. Thankfully, I have the chance to study it up-close and personal; not to mention, being better able to teach Japanese, which has been my want for a while.
Oh, how so much can change in that time? I look forward to so many things:
- Having my own abode (and tidying it up on my own!)
- Testing the strength of relationships overseas
- Making new friends, brothers and sisters in Japan
- Supporting one of the few churches
- Greater devotion to God in my alone time with Him
As great as this sounds, I am determined not to make these six months another regret. Who knows, I may not go after all.
Anywho, I’ll keep you posted!
Alli
Audrey Assad - Sparrow
For when you’re in need of real company. He’s always been there.
‘Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.’ (Matthew 10: 29-31)
Rest Assured!
R.C. Sproul reinforces the duty of all professing Christians to examine their own standing with Jesus. How sure are we of our salvation?
I’ve already watched the first episode, but I am considering purchasing the DVD through an Australian distribution company. Let me know what you think.
A Compromised Faith
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.
Preacher advocates the virtue of beating as three child deals fuel punishment debate
There is a voice inside of me wanting to shout out against the blatant bias - not just against this preacher and his ways of disciplining children, but against Christians. The article does not need to say ‘Christians endorse inhumanity, don’t listen to them’ to shout it out loud and clear.
Now, I have not read the book so as to make a clear judgment about whether what he and his wife advocates aligns with Scripture. Just like a lot of people have done with this article, I appeal to you not to make quick judgments either. I have and really, I should really think it through a bit carefully. I can get a bit heated, but I’ll ask God to soften my heart and help me respond in a Christ-like fashion.
And yet I know this, I know that the world generally hates Christians, and thus Jesus Christ.
18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’
John 15:18-25
What disturbs me more is how people use reports such as these as a basis to reason their lack of belief in a God (see comments at the bottom of the link). I think we should really keep in tune into what things are going on around the world, so that we can really bear witness to the alleged ‘injustices’ and ‘hypocrises’ of the Christian faith.
Let’s respond in love!
counting the costs for righteousness
1. You’re determined in keeping your promise of completing your 120 hours of driving by the end of this year, so you can take the pressure of your hard-working sister who drives you everywhere. You can’t remember anyone who has seen the 120 hours through. You want to cave into the voices that tell you ‘you’re good enough!’, ‘get someone to forge it!’, and ‘hey, I did it!’.
2. You realise that when you served a customer at work today, they were $100 short of their payment. Hours after they had left. Your fellow work-mate tries to cheer you up by saying they’d try to find some spare money around at the end of the day. You also are saving up for a potential exchange trip, and $100 is a dent in the savings fund.
These things tugged at my conscious today. Thankfully, I resisted the temptation of disobedience. It’s amazing the amount of tests I’ve been given today, but especially even in the past few months as I grow in commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. But even as frustrating as these decisions can be, I know this: God is completing the work he started.
4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:4-6
Hope for the wandering woman
Just like with the Samaritan woman:
Jesus seeks you
Just like with the Samaritan woman:
Jesus knows your past and present dilemma, your spiritual dryness
Just like with the Samaritan woman:
Jesus comes to you with springs of living water
