God Takes a Risk to Bless Us - Deut. 8

God's love is incomprehendable. Blessing us yet risking that we will be too focus on the blessing than the blessor. Several times in a roll, God has repeatedly remind us not to forget to obey His law and He is Lord. Cannan is a land of abundant provision and blessing, after years of wandering, the Promise Land is heaven. God wants to give all that He could for our enjoyment. The shortcoming of human nature, makes it an opportunity to turn away from the creator and the provider of such enjoyment. (to be continued...)

Putting Other's Needs First

It hurts to see they are suffering.

日出之友

最近去了一個婚禮，碰到很多多年沒有見的朋友。勾起了不少回憶。人大了，對於昔日總是有很多懷緬、感觸。看到不少成熟的面孔，當日不知天高地厚的小子轉眼成了父親。昨日滿有情懷的也成了母親和少婦。在歲月的消磨下，當年一班在事奉中出生入死的好朋友，今天都在現實與際遇下失了色。看到摰友一個一個帶著不少傷痕過日子，婚姻似乎沒有帶給他們近似當年的氣息，似乎也還未帶來醫治。

日出之友，好像沒有那一個能得到真正的幸福和滿足。內心總是流露出幾分蒼涼，隱若的疤痕在淡淡的談話中呈現。只有小數在健全的教會生活中慢慢痊癒，在真正愛主、跟隨主的群體生活中重新建立信任與互愛。

幾日前聽到弟兄的分享，心裡真的很感動。一位主內的好弟兄、好朋友在教會生活中傷痕纍纍，走過不少崎嶇路，經過不少屬靈生命的低谷，他在眾人前分享主與他走過的窄路，帶給他的每一個應許。死陰幽谷之後確是有出路、有希望，讓他今天更珍惜教會肢體生活，更重視領袖的牧養。我很為他的勇氣、信心感謝主！願昔日「日出之友」找到一個家。

Lecture VI-A Rule of Life: Cultivating Rhythms for Spiritual Transformation (Ruth Haley Barton)

Sometimes we need to be unplugged.

I’ve learned a new term in this lecture, however it is not something new to my personal experience, CHRISTIAN FATIGUE SYNDROME. It is described as jar of water got shaken up... too many bubbles, it is unclear, it needs to be settled for clear vision. It takes a still soul to unfolding our spirituality.

Sitting down with God, with no agenda, no scripture to read, no prayer to pray, just sit still, face just what is about me at that moment with the presence of God. Hear my heart whispering my desire, the deepest desire... longing for love, happen at the unlikely place, beneath the busyness and noise. At times, this finding is not pleasant at all, and it can be quite annoying and uncomfortable to realize my longing.

Rhythms - setting up rhythms in our lives orient ourselves to the transforming of God.

Rhythms of solitude and silent: settlement of our life.
Self-awareness: seeing ourselves of who we are. (Isaiah, Paul & David)
Spiritual Journey of who we are and who God is.
Invitation to settle, water become water.
Rhythms of spiritual discipline
Normal to experience some resistance, it is time that when God is at work.
Effective Spiritual Practices
Personal – no two individual are the same. There are different practices for different sins we cope with.
Ruthlessly realistic – people with kids to take care, need to set-up realistic practice
Balance – pick those that stretch you.
Flexibility – God doesn’t need our rule of life to find us, we need it. God can still do HIS work in us, be flexibility, open to God presence.

Lecture IV-Forgiving Others: A Grace-Filled Obligation of Spiritual Formation (Dr. Michael J. Wilkins

Matthew 18:21-25 - "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, and 'I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

To Forgive is to release a person from the wrong that they have done to us, for the purpose of re-establishing one relationship in a healthy way. Everyone of us has sinned and everyone needs forgivness. Forgivness is a crucial key to our personal formation and the health of our communities.

Matthew 18:21-35
1st section: a typically human way of dealing with people who have offened us (18:21-22). It's a performance driven requirement.
Peter's motive, he is waiting for a time for retribution, he will forgive until a point the person will pay for it.

2nd section: a God's way of Forgiveness
A Grace-filled obligation (18:23-35) there is a kind of forgiveness that comes from heaven.
FORGIVENESS is a supernatural impulse from a transformed heart. We are made to forgive, in the likeness of Jesus.

The 1st servant is an example of a person who has never truely received God's forgiveness.
HOW??

Forgiveness comes from being forgiven - "mercy" is not giving a person what she or he deserve, while 'grace' is giving to a person what she or he doesn't deserve.

*Mercy & Grace experienced will produce mercy & grace demonstrated. (v.32-33)
Forgiveness comes from a changed heart - to experiences the grace of the gospel of the kingdom is to experience a transformed heart. and it's Jesus kind of heart, which continually give to other for their benefits.

What prohibits our forgiving others is when we harden our heart, one of two basic ways:
a. When we sin againist God or His people
b. When we have hurt by others, we harden our heart so we won't be hurt again.
* A hard heart can't love, our spiritual life grow as we forgive others.

Forgiveness is your responsiblity; leave judgment to God.
a. Don't try to take it into your own hands to bring retribution to others.
b. Don't try to be God's cop to the world.

Be wise as a serpent, but harmless as a dove
a. Don't be foolish about placing yourself unnessearily in a place where you'll continue to be wrong.
b. Be wise about those who would continue to hurt you, or hurt those you love.

Kingdom Forgiveness -
A life motto: "I don't get mad, I get even."
A life transformation: "If God can forgive a jerk like me, I can forgive you."
stop focusing on what others have done to us and focus on what Jesus has done in and for us.

Some Final thoughts (Kingdom Forgiveness) -
An unhealthy person and community is one that doesn't not live in relationship to the reality of the cross and resurrection of Jesus.

Rather, it lives according to the prevailing cultural paradigm of values. We might try to gather around like interests, or geographical location, or even ideologies.

But the kind of community that Jesus advances is based on having received mercy and forgiveness, which in turn will impel us to demonstrate mercy and forgiveness.

Lecture II - The Unbelievable Goal of the Spirituality Life (M. Robert Mulholland Jr.)

It is not uncommon to tell that the goal of spiritual life is going to heaven. However it is more than that.

Spiritual Life is not something cognitive, intellectual, a list of do's & don't's, dogma, performance, popularity...etc. IT IS... "...a true awareness of God , renouce to self..." (Merton, Contemplation) An alternate mode of consciousness, a MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE: Life of a loving union with God.

What Paul said about mystical experience:

Col 1:19, "... all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell..."

Eph. 3:16-19, "... filled with all the fullness of God." Paul is speaking a reality of spiritual experience. A loving relationship that has rooted in us. An experience that surpasses knowledge.

Col. 3:3

Gal. 2:19b-20a ... "Christ living in me."

What Peter said:
II Peter1:3, "...life and godliness... knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and goodness."
II Peter1:4, "...escape from the corruption that is in the world beacause of desire, andmay become partakers of the devine nature."

What Jesus said:
John 14:15-23..."he will be in you... I am in you...reveal myself to them... we will come to them and make our home with them."
John 15:4-5: "Abide in me as I abide in you... Those who abide in me and I in them."
John 17:20-23: "that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you..." Jesus is praying for a relationship for us, the same are just as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the world will see Jesus in us, when we live out this oneness. It is nothing to do with theology right.

The Unbelievable Goal of Spirituality: BE HIS PRESENCE TO THE WORLD. NO LONGER I LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVING IN ME.

What is 'Spiritual Maturity'? -
Ephesians 4:13: 1. The unity of the faith and, 2. the unity of the knowledge of the Son of God, 3. to maturity, 4. to the fullness of Christ.

Alpha & Omega!!! - PRAISE THE LORD!

Once again, Jesus have done great things among us. Thank you Jesus for all that He has done at CBMC. In the past 7 years, we have experienced great things one after another. How can we not trust HIM? How can we not pray? How can we not praise Him?

The Alpha & Omega completes the work that He started, no matter what the circumstances. He is God, the creator of the universe, the first and the last, the beautiful savior, the shepherd, the "GREAT I AM", the mighty KING, Ruler of the universe... the list go on and on. I wonder what joy Moses feels as he led millions of people crossed the Red Sea, Joshua feels as the wall of Jericho fall down, Neimiah feels as the King granted his request to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem...etc. The wonder of God's footprinted from the beginning of bible til now and forever. It is HIS attribute that nothing in HIM will left undone and incomplete. He is the Alpha, He is the Omega. The first and the last... Thank you Jesus!

In Rememberance of my spiritual father...

Today is Rev. Cheung's birthday. If he is still alive, he is 72 years old. I may not remember what's the headline news yesterday, I may not remember who got the academy award this year, however I can still remember Rev. Cheung's sermon and his impact on me. Rev. Cheung offers my 1st job at church when I finished my 6 months Lay-E committment. From time to time, I will flip through my sermon notebook and review his teaching. His teaching is solid, pierce to heart, rebuking, at the same time brings hope and encouragement. His preaching triggers my appetite to study the bible in depth.

Lecture I - The Reality of Spirituality (Dallas Willard)

Colossians 1:9-14 " For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

The Reality of Spiritualily is nothing mysterious. It is indeed, as simple as what have already heard in the years, however often misunderstood and distracked. That knowledge is actually the 'reality', indeed is our "INNER PERSON", an interactive relationship with God.

To "worship God in Spirit and in Truth" means to relate to God in terms of who we really are:

Not 'performance'

Not counting on outward things to please Him

As we come spirit-to-spirit with God, performance drop away. Worship can't be done when we are hiding. Hiding just means that i am not living in the domain of the spirit, therefore, it is important to 'confess'. When we seek honor from other, we don't worship God in spirit and truth. As we drop our own way, then that's the only occassion when God moves in.

Moving into the kingdom of light means that we decided to live without pretending - we abandon our kingdom to God's rule and don't take charge of outcome.

'In His steps' doesn't mean do what Jesus would do, but to be like Jesus, He "keeps entrusting" himself to Him who judges righteously. Not to just follow the rules/laws, but become a person the law intended, i.e. be like Jesus, the Inner Reality practical union with God. Power effortlessly becoming a kind of person when you do something good, you don't even aware you are doing it. Being 'righteous' is NO BIG DEAL! It is the outcome of Spiritual Formation.

Spiritual Disciplines: fasting, praying, confessing, solitude...etc. These practices... are only 'shell', vessels. The reality is "Christ living in me", closer than my breath, more tangible than my own soul. (II Cor. 4:7) If not kept in their place as mere instruments, they will generate a new legalism of 'spirituality'.

Once Again...

A little poem to my Lord for He has touched me, once again... with His Love for all....

The story of the old rugged cross...
The sacrifical love of my Lord...
The nails that pierced His hands and feet
Rusted in the wash of the years
His love, however renew daily with tears
My sin, inadequate and self-righteous
You're pure, sufficient and righteous
Jesus bring me to the cross on the hill of Calvary
Lest I forget Your great love in memory
Once again touched by that story of old
My Lord forsake everything to gain my hold
Jesus, I am weak, sinful and poor
Forgive my lust, untrue and fool
Down on my knee to plead Your forgive
Again, please grant me peace
Kneel before my Lord daily in prayer
Grant me mercy to live as You desire
Lest I forget our divine date
Give me enough trials to fall on my knee
My love is limited, weak and shallow
Lead me to Calvary whenever possible