Monday, September 28, 2009

A Life stamped with God's nature

No one has ever seen God face to face, and this makes it so hard to really know who God is and what does God look like. However, the Bible is our only source of information that gives us at least a glimpse of God is. The Old Testament has a compilation of stories that depict the different faces of this God. From a God who creates the cosmos to the one who destroys it because of its wickedness; from a God who rejects to the God who welcomes back, and so forth. However, the New Testament portrays God in a human form; Jesus, the Son of God.

The four gospels reveal the life of this extraordinary man. They tell us about the birth, the youth and later life of this wonder-making man. In addition to these books, there is an epistle, which was written to the Hebrews, and that talks also about Jesus. This will help get an idea of what God's nature is like.

In Hebrews1:1-4, we read that Jesus is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being. This makes it clear that knowing Jesus means knowing God. Jesus, even himself said it to his disciples that if you see me, then you have seen the Father (John 14:6).

What comes later in the Scrpiture is what makes Jesus's life be stamped with God's nature.
  • Jesus has loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Please read the gospels. You see how this was reflected in his ministry. He was not happy when things were bad. He denounced every single sin by its name. That was even the reason he was not welcomed among the religious leaders in his days. With love and grace, he comdemned people's wrongdoing, but welcomed everyone to him.
  • Jesus has chosen the high risk taking path to save and redeem humanity. This man was so generous with his life. He accepted to give himself up for the sins of all humankind. it was a very dangerous path he was on, but for the love of the world, he chose to take it.
  • Jesus gathered all around him as brothers and sisters. During his days of life here on earth, he embraced everyone from a leper to a gentile; from a tax collecter to a pharisee, and so forth. Everyone had a place around him.
  • Jesus proclaimed God's goodness among his people. On his first public appearance, he began proclaiming God's word in his community. He clearly said it in Luke that God had anointed him to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor (Luke 4: 19).

Well, how is all this reflected in our lives today? Do we love righteousness to the point we can do anything to fight wickedness? What I mean hear is to the point where we can let what is precious to us for the sake of others?

Christianity should always be a high risk taking path we choose. This does not mean to scare anyone, but to say that it requires us to do things we may not be confortable of doing. Being stamped with God's nature means living like Jesus, which is to let the above points be mirrored in our lives. And it is only by doing so that the world will be able to see that we are Christians.

My prayer today is that we may all be the exact imprints of God's very Being in our communities and the world!

Monday, September 21, 2009

A World of Insecurities

I read today an article from DesMoines Register, which says that in 2008 Iowa homicides rate jumped to about 105 % when compared to that of the year 2007. While the state of Iowa has been one of the states in the whole country with the lowest rate together with the Dakotas, one would wonder what these rates will be like this year.

When Lydia and I came to Iowa, lots of people told me how this state is really a good place to raise a family. They told me about safety and security. These are two things that all of us need. Most people before moving to a new area often want to look at how safe and secure it will be for them and their families. As a result of such a growing sense of insecurities, trust in people has considerably decreased.

I come from a country where insecurity is part of the everyday life. You expect anything to happen at anytime and to anybody. In a place like that, there is really not a chance to dial 911 to ask for help. People have therefore just learned to place their trust in the One, they believe, hold their future in His hands.

Will human justice end homicides and evil? Noone can really change a human heart. Evil is deeper than genetics. If we cannot change someone's genetics, it is then harder to change a human heart. The world thus needs God's word as it has never done before since this is the only cure to all evil we find in humans. God's word has power to change all of us and provide a community where there is going to be safety and security for all. We will learn to trust each other and fears about other people will be no more. Such a community can only be possible through God. Churches, it is our time. It is God's moment to present the word in a way that lives will be touched. It is the time that we should let people know that in the Scripture, one can find redemption, transformation and salvation!

By Emmanuel

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Emly's Birth

Posted by Emmanuel at 03:19 AM on May 16, 2009
Emly is my daughter who was born on March 13, 2009. Becoming a Father is such a blessing. It is a real life changing experience especially as I learn more what it is to care for this little girl. I see her grow everyday, and she has been changing. She has her own schedules of things though. She sleeps and wakes up at the wrong times. When she is awake, whether you like or not, you will just end up in her room.
However, with a pacifier in her mouth, she can go back to sleep as you play some music for her. She loves being touched and whenever she is in our bed room, she rarely cries. I believe that voices of people make her feel comfortable and secure. Is this not all about comfort, security and safety that we all are after?
In John 14: 15-31, Jesus is telling his disciples about the coming of the Holy Spirit. He says that “I will not leave you orphaned” in verse 18. This is that God will send God’s Spirit to give comfort and assurance that they will never be alone. Not only that the Holy Spirit will come as Comforter, but also as the Advocate.
I would like you to just think about the following:
• No matter what, God, as your Parent, is attentive to your single little cry.
• Every time, you are hurt, God is just there with you, touching and holding you in God’s hands.
Be blessed always!

What can make a church live or die

I don't know if there is a specific answer to this question. However, since the church is made up of people, lots of human-related issues can be the cause of a church membership to deplete or bloom. The other thing is that the church is not a human-based organization even though its constituents are women and men. It belongs to God. In other words it is God-related organization.

Jesus says to Peter: "on you I will build my Church." Therefore, the failure to acknowledge this fact could be the major cause of a church to die. It is like cutting off a branch from the tree. John 15: 1-6 tells us that the church cannot function when disconnected from the Vine itself, which is Jesus. Vital nutrients and other things flow no more to the branch. What happens first is that the branch stops from bearing fruit. No more growth at this time, and it is now all about survival. Next, the branch after trying its best to sustain itself, it will run out of energy, strength and power. This will finally give way to the process of dying. Is there hope for a branch that is in this situation?

Yes, there is some. The branch needs to get back to the Vine. It needs to return to its source, where it comes from. Some branches only need water, which is the vital element for plants. Water carries minerals the plant needs to grow. Branches benefit from all these.
Well, how much connected to the Lord do most church leaders feel they are? How many of pastors can tell their congregations with assurance that they have received a word from the Lord? Who do you think is leading your church? Is it you or God?

Talking about Sin in our churches today

In July, 2009, I will make four years of being here in the US. For this whole time, I have gone to a lot of churches from different denominations. I don't recall hearing many sermons talking about Sin. However, this word is found over 300 times in the Old Testament and more than a 100 times in the New Testament. Its use is much bigger than a word like Hope, which is found about 130 times in the whole bible, and which is surprisingly more used today than the word Sin in sermons.

Well, why this? Perhaps we hear more of Hope because of its positive connotations unlike Sin, which has some condemnation in itself. We think about uplifting, encouraging, affirming when we refer to Hope. However, Sin is very negative based on feelings that come with it, which are such as blame, guilt and so forth.

Why then is it that Sin is more used in the bible than a word like hope? I strongly believe that the number of the use of the word Sin is to tell us about our human nature. It tells us how wrecked we are. Our 21st century culture makes a lot of effort to portray humankind as positive as possible. This is a good thing to do especially when it comes to affirming each other. However, what does God think about us? Are we humans as perfect as God wanted us to be?
I doubt it very much because if that was the case, then why would Jesus have to border to come on earth and die on the cross for our salvation? It is because God is seeking to reconcile us with God's self that Jesus died and rose about two thousands years ago. Sin, from the very beginning, has caused a lot of trouble. What is happening in the word today is as a result of Sin, which is corruption of our hearts that result into greed, murder, selfishness, and so forth.
The written word of God talks more of Sin because it is something we struggle with on a daily basis even when we don't admit it. Therefore, Sin should be talked about in churches. It is even the most positive thing to talk about in sermons. Sin remains Sin as it is defined and listed in the Bible. No matter how you would like to look at it, it does not have to be contextual as some argue.

God hates Sin, but loves Sinners. We are all loved by God. Jesus is the only Being who gives us Victory over Sin. This happens through Prayer, the reading of the word, service and fellowship with other believers.