Christian Paradoxes: Weakness and Strength

September 2nd, 2010

It was a joyous occasion in our family.  My kid brother had a daughter, born on the 31st of August at 7:33PM.  He names her Jona, (without the terminal ‘h’) for they want a name that is easy to pronounce by her grandparents and one that is sort of ambiguous when it comes to gender-specifics (even though we well know Jonah the prophet was, male).  I briefly tell them about the significance of this name, for when it comes to the critique of the “wicked and perverse generation” of Jesus’ time who demand signs, none will be shown except that of, the Prophet Jonah.  And as frail as the baby is, she is in God’s hands, commanding all the attention of her eager grandparents, and her admiring uncle (me).  I am astounded by the miracle of new life, and the magnet for potential that all newborns intrinsically possess.

When Jesus states that every one of us have to be like children to enter the Kingdom of God, this is a prescription of something that is not easy to do by our own efforts.  The transformation that Jesus seeks from us, is a deconstruction of our persons as to be stripped from any reason for pride- that is except, for our new identity in Christ!  [I contend that this is one of the invariable effects of the gospel] We are warranted to be proud of Jesus, to hold our esteem purely by knowing clearly just who we are now connected to, by the virtue of the gospel that our hearts accept, in faith, in the simple trust that children for the most part, seem to be natural at.  In Apostle Paul’s case, he has numerous credentials that places him in the position of being a Jewish elite- le crème de la crème, so to speak; yet finds these things tantamount to rubbish, when encountering the grace and love of Jesus Christ.

So, while it is one thing to carry the object/person of our devotion (ie. God) with honor, the devotion itself is not what makes any one of us superlative in relation to the other.  While Paul is no less of a Super-Apostle than the other twelve, he was stuck in a difficult position to carry out his authority in the posture of complete humility.  Just a few of his well-remembered verses stand out:

Rom. 8:26 ¶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
1Cor. 1:25 For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
1Cor. 2:3 And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.
1Cor. 15:43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.
2Cor. 11:30 ¶ If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
2Cor. 12:9 but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
2Cor. 13:4 For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.

Rom. 8:26  Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.

1Cor. 1:25 For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

1Cor. 2:3 And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.

1Cor. 15:43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.

2Cor. 11:30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

2Cor. 12:9 but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

2Cor. 13:4 For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.

But in the world, we do not cherish this attribute.  Weakness is undesirable, we seek people who are strong, who carry their strengths with panache; while some even exalt those who zealously guard their weaknesses while displaying only strengths and esteemed attributes.  In the case of Paul, he was a brilliant theologian with powerful ability to articulate the eternal things of God as he lived them out, but he was not an impressive speaker by Greek standards.  He also suffered from a physical infirmity that kept no small discomfort in his day to day life (some speculate that he might have had problems with his eyes).  But how do these cherished verses that assign certain value to weaknesses fare against the repeated charges to be:  ”Strong and courageous”? (Josh. 1:6, 9, 18; 10:25, Dan. 10:19)

While Paul makes it abundantly clear, of the dormant strength hidden in the posture of the weak who trust God, (appropriating weakness as a necessary attribute in the larger function of just how God displays his powers) a recent life example outlines this principle even further.  The Christian detects power from unexpected places and people.  Just a day prior to my niece’s birth, one of my seminary brothers David, asked me for a ride to the prayer mountain to fast.  When I picked him up at his house in Walnut he was already emaciated, just skin and bones really.  From what I understand, he had already completed a 40+ days of fasting and was on a slow recuperative diet but he felt led by the LORD to fast more.  On his long list of concerns he is praying for the current political regime and the various policies regarding marriage, as well as for the wisdom of our current president.  He was so feeble when I sat across him, fading in and out of sleep.  It broke my heart to see him, as he was already a pretty skinny guy to begin with.

While one side of me was concerned with his health, there was an unmistakable radiance and power from his being, I was able to drop him off and head home knowing fully, that God was with this young man.  I was in a sense, ashamed of the weakness of my own prayer life in comparison to his- but was encouraged by his commitment, courage, and finally strength that shines forth in spite of his apparent physical frailty as it relates to his current condition.  He is not the most eloquent guy I know but his gusto for sharing the gospel is unparalleled in my experience.  It is a spiritual strength that outshines the fleshly, and each time we encounter the Word of God, we encounter this principle that conditions our senses to detect the spiritual strengths in each other, just beneath the surface of our frailties.  It is my hope that we each be cultivated by God, this sense of the spiritual, which is undoubtedly interwoven into the supernatural, and emerging finally, into the eternal.

The Distinction of Being a Christian

August 25th, 2010

“To use the word ‘Christian‘ as an adjective, is rather problematic.”  Spoke Stephen Hawthorne, one of the coeditors of Perspectives: On the World Christian Movement in one of the sessions where he stood as guest speaker in Whittier, California  (around May of 2002?  Not quite sure at this point).    What he was referring to is the vast commercialism that is now pervasive in the realm of “Christian” music, “Christian” literature, “Christian” merchandising where the focus of what is essentially Christian has become vaguely diluted.  The tendency shifts its attention from the qualitative dimension of the spectrum of Christian discipleship to the broader quantitative concerns that turns church into yet another religious institution that dispenses morsels of bite-sized religious wisdom for larger consumption.  This subtle critique is valid, necessary and prophetic but does that mean that we must strip any capitalistic industry from all things “Christian?”

I believe that this is precisely the point that brother Stephen was making when he points to the grammatical difficulty.  One cannot simply attach “Christian” to some worldly process and then expect such veneer to convert the essence of it.  The practice of such labeling can easily be abused because this adjective does not automatically create around any enterprise the authentic shift in world view, identity, and allegiance to Christ.  What then, is the solution?  Well, the Christian things, or the myriad industries of everything “Christian” exist and the assumption is, that these things do exist for certain tangible benefits of the Kingdom, such as promulgating the knowledge of Christ, sharing the love that inspires the “products.”  By now, however, this is not merely an assumption but a confession of faith.  By faith I will trust that the Christian things are with true Christians in the midst, those who belong to Christ, for the sake of His Kingdom.  But more importantly this distinction comes not from merely placing the label on the outside as “Christian” but to place one’s utmost priority in following “The Way,” one that decidedly reverses the common priorities of the World:  People moving out from densely populated financial capitals and settling in more remote places, people surrendering a higher paying job position to spend more time with his or her family, people making careful decisions on careers based on the larger more important values of the Kingdom that is espoused, by virtue of being “Christian.”  People becoming unfettered from sins, one sin at a time.  This is to say, that because I wear a cross neckless I am not necessarily a Kingdom Christian nor that simply because I attend church for about 90 minutes a week can I expect to have that intimacy with God that is attested as the “great reward.” (Gen 15:1)

To embed into ourselves the Christ culture, we first examine if we understand the gospel.  If we are inspired by the gospel to make the right decisions, not only move by a sense of religious duty.  In the end, not to do the right thing only because “the Bible said so,” but because our obedience to the text comes from a deeper “amen” that resonates from the things of God, from the continual seeking of “His Kingdom and His righteousness” made incarnate, the only worthwhile obsession that drives a Christ-person to remain in Him.  In any amount of trying to share this message, the message of the gospel which is in its primary form, information, we quickly begin to see just how privileged of a state it is, to have faith, to be gifted with belief.  To know at every level, mentally (cognitively) , experientially, intuitively, spiritually that by belonging to Christ, that we are God’s children, God- the Maker of heavens and the Earth!

It is very possible to produce in a person the right sets of behavior but to inspire the continual attitude, to get up when circumstances knocks you down and under, to not give up the good fight until the appointed end, to keep our hopes on the return of our Christ and King!  It is a proud distinction that goes far beyond triumphalism, deep into the humility that reserves that spot just for us, all the time.  It has become passé to try and revoke that adjective, “Christian,” and to opt for a more authentic definition, “I am not a Christian, I simply follow Jesus” because to be Christian is to be someone that follows Jesus with all the decisions that present themselves before us.  To assess, evaluate and carry out our decisions not uninformed but with the constant reminder of the wisdom of the Cross, which the world cannot see as wisdom.  To work, rest, eat and toil, to live and breathe under the fact that on the Cross, is a quiet power that sustains the meek, blesses the poor, and fulfills all righteousness.  In the end, the Christian is the one who trusts Christ in everything, and because of this, is able to whole-heartedly praise Him and give Him all the glory that is due Him.  Try reading in the whole context, the Sermon on the Mount and you will see, that what Jesus calls us to is not a mere set of outward “good,” “Christian” behaviors, but that these become a supernatural outpouring of God’s doing in your lives:  ”Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  (Matt 5:48 teleioi = “complete” or “perfect”) and may your distinction of being a Christian be the ends and made complete finally, in Him.

Christian Paradoxes: Vulnerability versus Protection

August 18th, 2010

One of the books of the Bible is able to weave a historical narrative of  substance, speaking volumes about the posture of a person who trusts God, and more importantly about God Himself in how He works it all out in the end (implicitly), while He is never mentioned once:  This book of course being Esther of the Old Testament.  (Do a word search for “God” or “Lord” you get none)

It has all the elements of a great historical novel, the presentation of a Persian king Xerxes (Ahasuerus), whose ambivalence towards the Jews is fairly consciously outlined, the villain, Haman, whose hunger for power and recognition is only matched by his hatred towards the Jews, the Jews- personified by Mordecai, in his upright refusal to bow down to him; further with the idea of family helping each other in times of distress (between Mordecai and Esther), the Jewish heroine Esther, who accepts her mission to take the opportunity to be in essence, the intermediary between her people and their captors. (“Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. After that I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.”-Esth. 4:16)

It has everything… Trouble, tyranny, opportunity, virtue of a resolute commitment, and finally, poetic justice.  ”We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Rom. 8:28

What sparks this devotional is the recent release of a documentary by our own Julian Park in the EM, who took a great personal risk a while back in December of 2009 on a hitchhiking trek “to find adventure,” “to see America” and finally, “to witness kindness.”  From what he has told me, one of the reasons he dared to do this is because once he starts to work, he will not have the time to enjoy such protracted freedom for travel.  I can already imagine the parental objections and the countless oppositions to any person subjecting themselves to such a dangerous risk.  The footage shows some potentially close calls, with Julian’s traveling partner’s comical sense of morbid fantasies as well as cautious, contra-”naïveté.”

While the gesture of placing one’s self at the vulnerable, unguarded, exposed situation of being on the road to be picked up by just about anyone may appear no different from one of the three great temptations, (namely to throw one’s self from a high pinnacle, expecting to be caught by the angels) the gesture of picking up these weary travelers pose not, an unequal level of threat to one’s safety (refer to the Parable of the Good Samaritan- when he helps out the fallen victim, this is not without the possibility of ambush; “Book of Eli” features a scene with a similar premise).  In one section of Julian’s footage (towards the end) a driver by the name of Jacob talks about a serial murderer in the vicinity of Jennings, Louisiana, offering his kind word of warning.

One of the undercurrent themes of the documentary however, is the protection of God, explicitly mentioned by Brandon, one of the drivers who picked up our adventurers.  If we shelter ourselves with a self-preserving mistrust, how will we be able to genuinely love one another?  I am not saying, let’s open ourselves up to any or all hazardous situations for the sake of love but at least in the church, vulnerability to each other should carry at least a proportionate level of protection.  In other words, because I am able to extend myself in vulnerability, can I count on you to cover me with God’s love.  You will find that true discipleship occurs when these conditions are met, these conditions that take place in the context of God’s love.  If this can be achieved it will only be by the Gospel, and only through Christ, and then the church then can be en route to becoming a saving community, from an exclusive, saved community that begins to exalt herself for her privileges.

A case example: Jesus Christ, although very much God (the one and only), in his full embodiment of the Word places himself in ultimate vulnerability, stripped of His Father’s protection on the cross (Phil 2), experiencing abandonment, left to be mutilated and destroyed by the very people he came to serve, “and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mat 20:28)  This being the highest gesture of any love, if our commitment to Him is sincere, we too will be in situations that seems highly compromised as far as our own safety goes (traveling for Mission trips in areas of high crime or persecution, for example).  But the ultimate benefit we seek is not our own, but the Glory of God, which is beneficial for all (for the nonbelievers too, whether they know this or not).

The hard teaching resultant from this entry is not without the reminder, that death is not the worst that can happen to a believer (for the nonbeliever too, for that matter) and that safety and comfort is never, more precious than love.  Anything supremely worthwhile will cost sweat, blood, maybe “freezing your butt off” for several nights on the chilly winter road, or years of devoted time of sacrifice and constant check on purity in our motives.

I don’t mind confessing here that I sort of “envy” Julian’s having “seized the day” so to speak, in fulfilling his desire for adventure, and seeing America and doing all of the above under the auspices of human kindness.  As everyone in our church does I am sure, I thank God that the outcome of this trip was the safe return of our brother, coming back not prodigally empty-handed but with an inspiring documentary of the living kindness of God in people, when the cynical suspicion of our neighbor is already more of the cultural norm.  While we should not look for trouble, when we are inspired to follow God, these expeditions are never without personal risks and some ensuing trouble, and at the same time never without His protection and the “exceedingly great reward” of His reassuring presence.

Psa. 127:1 Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the LORD guards the city,
the guard keeps watch in vain. 

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain.”   Psa. 127:1


“Mission” or “Missions”?

July 29th, 2010

In the academic arena (especially seminary), quibbling about words for their technical value is something that cannot be avoided- as much of our doctrinal heritage includes many councils (Chalcedon, Nicea) that had to work out theological implications of just that, words! (for a controversy that turned quickly heated, look up the homoousious the homoiousious debate, which was a church-splitting argument over an iota)  Some issues are not resolved yet, some resigned to the realm of the “mystery” of God (such as the Trinitarian doctrine) and still others, regarded as peripheral issues that do not bear too much on our spirituality.

Here’s one issue that comes up from time to time.  When we discuss “mission,” as in Summer Short-term trips (typically ranging from a few days to several months) many of us don’t give it too much thought as we say “missions.”  Why?  Because there is a variety of mission trips (Church trips, para-church trips like KCCC, KCM…etc).  We [DFC] have been to Mexico, Perú, and Ecuador all in the last half-decade and yet sometimes we forget, that these are episodic of  a singular mission of God that began way back, right after the fall:  ”If an Old Testament ‘Great Commission’ must be identified, then it will be Genesis 12:3 ‘all the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you [Abraham].”  This is the earliest statement of the fact that it will be God’s purpose and plan to see that the message of his grace and blessing comes to every person on planet earth.  The message did not begin there.  The basis of it, in fact, went all the way back to Genesis 3:15,…”  (Walter Kaiser Jr., Mission in the Old Testament:  Israel as a Light to the Nations- p.7)

When it truly is, an unmistakable mission of God, it is purposive, arduous, rewarding, and life-changing.  If it is a mission of God, it is driven by nothing less than His love, that is the blessing of others through us who choose (and are chosen) to participate in this Great Commission.  To me, when we say “missions,”  It may connote other agendas (which are not automatically “bad” or “irrelevant”) such as infrastructural work, relief from famine or conditions of absolute poverty next to religious conversion or discipleship.  Consider:

“Up until the 1950s the subject of the missionary movement was referred to as ‘missions’ in the plural form.  In fact, the term ‘missions’ was first used in its current context by the Jesuits in the sixteenth century.  But the International Missionary Council discussions in the 1950s on the missio Dei convinced most that the mission of the Triune God was prior to any of the number of missions by Christians during the two millennia of church history.  Consequently, since there was only one mission, the plural form has been dropped out of familiar usage and the singular form, ‘mission,’ has replaced it for the most part.  Nevertheless, most churches and lay-persons hang on to the plural missions…” (Kaiser Jr, Mission in the Old Testament p. 11)

God’s been on a faithful mission since our first ancestors took the fall.  And since Jesus Christ and even prior to, God’s been inviting us to join in His mission.  At what capacity do you feel that He has been calling you?  I pray that each of you get a taste of His goodness, which comes from not only the “trips” but from any situation that requires you to intentionally “go to the other side” (that is, to cross barriers for the sake of the Gospel).

Biblical Poetry

July 20th, 2010

Psalms being the obvious poetic sections of the Bible, as per academic classification of genres there are three others in this category: Song of Solomon, Jeremiah, and Lamentations (although some Hebrew scholars bunch Job as an early narrative poetry, while still more will include Genesis 1 as a poetic and theological preamble to the other creation narrative in Genesis 2). But Psalms in and of themselves have a lot of different kinds:

a. Thanksgiving and Adoration
(8,19, 29, 33, 65, 67, 81, 91, 95, 96, 98, 100, 103, 104, 105, 107, 111, 113, 114, 115, 117, 123, 124, 131, 133, 134, 135, 136, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150)
b. Individual Praise
(11, 18, 23, 30, 32, 34, 40, 41, 46, 48, 66, 75, 84, 85, 92, 106, 108, 116, 118, 138, 139)
c. Individual Lament
(3, 4, 5, 6, 7,13, 17, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 35, 39, 42, 43, 51, 54, 55, 56, 57, 63, 64, 69, 70, 71, 76, 77, 86, 88, 102, 109, 120, 130, 140, 141, 142, 143)
d. National Lament
(44, 74, 79, 80, 83, 90)
e. Royal
(2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 89, 101, 132, 144)
f. Enthronement
(47, 93, 96, 97, 98, 99)
g. Songs of Zion
(42, 43, 87, 121, 122, 125, 126, 129)
h. Penitential
(6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143)
i. Imprecatory
(35, 58, 69, 83, 109, 137)
j. Messianic
(2, 16, 22, 24, 45, 72, 110)
k. Wisdom
(1, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 19, 36, 37, 49, 50, 52, 53, 73, 78, 82, 94, 112, 119, 127, 128)

One of the interesting categories that strike me, is “Imprecatory” or cursing Psalms. Why? Because these set of Psalms are extremely comforting in times of spiritual attack. There are times when even your best friends will turn on you, and there are times when you will realize that they had never even been truly friends. There are times when for no reason, you are plotted against by many and there are times you are ensnared and stumbled by malice. But Jesus and Paul’s teachings run decidedly antithetical to these Psalms. (Matt. 5:44 “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” Luke 6:27 “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,” Luke 6:35 “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.”  Rom. 12:14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.”) These are hard teachings, and the ones that fulfill them consistently will be proven to be truly of God.

So who can we curse? I think it would not be unbiblical to curse the forces that clearly exist, both in the visible and invisible, that hinder our love relationship with God. These can be operative within the self, within a collective group, a territorial region or even a political boundary. When I was younger and more naïve, I used to think that I had no enemies. But when you have made an allegiance and commitment to the Truth of Jesus Christ, all sorts of enemies suddenly creep up into your life, both inwardly and through people of your intimate circle, through people that you would not have expected. It is always with the hope that they too will come to know the Lord, that we do not curse the people caught in a particular opposition against us. Instead we bless them with our prayers, our thoughts, and our actions. It is entirely appropriate to vent our vexations to God, as many of David’s Psalms abundantly show.

And some of the keener minds out there may be thinking, wait a minute, aren’t you just trying to spiritualize our opponents? Well, there is a spiritual priority to the material reality, they are not disconnected. On a concluding note, Woe to the spirits, who take pleasure in malice!

How are You Using Your Freedom?

June 4th, 2010

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” Gal. 1:3-5

This past Monday was Memorial Day, a day which our nation remembers those who gave their lives for what we appreciate the most about our nation- freedom to do whatever we want to do. But do we actually remember them, those young men and women who had actually fallen in battle for our nation? There are men like Richie M. who was shot in the forehead and who wore different colored socks on each foot for good luck. No one remembers Eddie G. who promised Julie W. that he would marry her right after he returned home from the war, but he never did as he fell on Iwo Jima.

But when we say such men “gave” their lives for our freedom, that would be an inaccurate statement. They didn’t give their lives, their lives were taken from them. They were compelled by circumstances to place themselves in harms way- but not a single one of them would say they willing gave their lives for their country. No, they had no choice, their lives were taken in horrific struggles in our least noble act, war.

There is one man who did freely gave His life- that man, Jesus Christ, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10:18) Because of His sacrifice, we enjoy our freedom from the bondage of sin. His blood was the price for our freedom.

Memorial Day has become just another day off… bbqs, 18 rounds of golf, shopping deals at the local mall. I feel we need to give reflection to such men who gave their lives so that we can enjoy this day off. If you think about sacrifice- it should make us reflect about how we spend our freedom.

There is a story of Russ McGuiness, a 19 yr old who jumped on a grenade to save four of his fellow soldiers in Iraq. Ian Nooland, one of the surviving soldiers, believes he has to live every single day worthy of the sacrifice of his friend. Nooland now has opened a horse ranch in Colorado to help other veterans help cope with the war.

How are you using your freedom?  “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.” (Eph. 4:1) There was a price for your freedom, freedom from global threats, freedom from our bondage of sin. Be thankful and live worthy by utilizing your freedom properly. May God bless our country.

Pastor Sung Chang

Every Decision Counts, Everyday Counts

May 19th, 2010

“Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness. When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him.  So he said, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants Canaan shall be to his brothers.” (Gen. 9:22-25)

Ever wonder whether your life really matters?  Ever wonder if each decision you make has a rippling effect upon others? Do you sometimes ask yourself whether the sacrifices you’ve made for your family will have any lasting effect?  Let me assure you, your life does matter and that each decision you make has consequential effects upon your family.

Noah was a righteous man but he made a mistake- one day, he drank too much and became drunk. From that one episode, he started a chain of events that had lasting impact upon generations to come. We do not know the relationship Noah had with Ham but from the Scriptures we can see that Ham mocked his drunken father which resulted in his family line being cursed. One decision led to a generational impact.

Your decisions do matter and I base this bold statement on two studies about how a person’s actions affect the lives of their family in generations that follow.  The research centered on the lives of two men:  Max Juke and Jonathan Edwards.  Here’s how the men lived and the legacy they left.

According to research conducted by Richard L. Dugdale in, “The Jukes: A Study in Crime, Pauperism, Disease and Heredity”, there was a man named Max Juke who lived in American colonial times.  Juke was reportedly an atheist who believed in dissipation, immorality.  He allegedly advocated free sex, had no formal education and hated imposed responsibilities.  Dugdale wrote that Juke was “‘a hunter and fisher, a hard drinker, jolly and companionable, averse to steady toil, working hard by spurts but mostly a life of idleness. He had a numerous progeny, some of them almost certainly illegitimate.”  In other words, Juke was neither principled person nor industrious.

Some years later, a gentleman named A. E. Winship studied what happened to the descendants of colonial era evangelist, Jonathan Edwards.  Edwards was everything Juke was not:  hardworking, God-fearing and Bible believing.  Edwards “was a godly minister who was credited with igniting The Great Awakening through his sermons. He served for a brief period just before his death as president of what is now known as Princeton University. He believed in leading by example. He authored two books on the subjects of physical fitness and kindness. Mr. Edwards later became involved in teaching people to be responsible for their daily actions.”

Certainly Juke and Edwards had an impact on their immediate families, but what about the generations to follow?  Here’s what happened in the years after Juke and Edwards died:

Of 1026 descendants of Max Juke, 300 were convicts, 27 were murderers, 190 were prostitutes and 509 were either alcoholics or drug addicts.   Dugdale was able to estimate that the Jukes had cost the State of New York almost $1.4 million dollars to house, institutionalize and treat the family of deviants.  By contrast, the 929 descendents of Jonathan Edwards included 13 college presidents, 86 college professors, 430 ministers, 314 war veterans, 75 authors, 100 lawyers, 30 judges, 66 physicians, and 80 holders of public office, including three U.S. Senators, seven congressman, mayors of three large cities, governors of three states, a Vice-President of the United States, and a controller of the United States Treasury.

Having a strong, disciplined and godly family does not guarantee success for generations to come.  But the studies of Juke and Edwards confirms what we know in our hearts.  The way we live our lives has a profound impact on people around us and on generations to come. We must be careful, then, how we live our lives, our families depend upon it. Live wisely, live each day making each decision for the glory of God- and remember, your grandchildren are watching. May God bless you.

Pastor Sung

Will It Ever End?

May 12th, 2010

“God blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth; and only Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark. 24The water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days…  But God remembered Noah” (Gen. 7:23-24; 8:1)

This past Sunday was my graduation ceremony from seminary. Four years of arduous study is now officially over. The ceremony was more impactful than I had expected. I never gave too much thought about ceremonies in my life, birthdays, graduations, etc. But in the midst of the ceremony, I began to reflect upon what has been accomplished, to the point where I became overwhelmed with God’s faithfulness. It climaxed when they called all the graduates to kneel at the steps before the podium while the faculty placed their hands on us all as John MacArthur prayed for us.

I finally made it. It was so emotional because of how difficult the journey had been (going back to school at 40, learning Hebrew that resemble elvish more than a human language, the all nighters, the endless hours of commuting and even a semester of sitting out). It was so emotional because through it all, I can only credit God for getting me through. I can still remember my first day of class, 7:30 Hebrew class and I was wondering if I made the right decision quitting my job and going back to school. There were many times when I doubted what God was doing in my life.

I am sure Noah felt the same way. Imagine God telling you to build a huge boat in your backyard in preparation for a flood. People ridiculing him since no one has even seen rain before. He gathers the animals and boards the ark as God closes the door. And then silence.
God doesn’t say a thing. Imagine not hearing a word, not one answered prayer for an entire year. That was Noah on the ark.

“The water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days…” (Gen. 7:24) Maybe you are going through such a flood right now, unemployment, a breakup, singleness or loneliness, maybe your church is waiting for a shepherd, personal sickness, to finish school, debt, or even a death in the family… What are you to do? What did Noah do those endless days on the ark?

The answer… what he had always done, he was faithful, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God” (Gen. 6:9), “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” (Gen. 6:22; 7:5) Noah fed the animals every single day, he was such a faithful steward that he didn’t lose a single animal on the voyage! He continued to be a priest to his family, a faithful husband and father. He did everything just as God commanded him. That is the epitome of being a righteous and blameless man.

But as the page turns to Genesis chapter 8, I love what it says, “BUT God remembered Noah.” And in the midst of your own personal “flood” God remembers you too! That is the faithfulness of our God. He finally speaks to Noah, “Then God said to Noah, ‘Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives.’” (Gen 8:15) Just as God remembered Noah, He remembers us too.

Each one of us will go through our own “flood” as God calls us into the ark and there will be times of silence but never misunderstand the silence for God forgetting you, but rather “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry” (Psm 34:15). You can be certain of that and you can rest assure that He will someday instruct you that it is time to come out of the ark. The rain will cease, the clouds will part and you will see that beautiful rainbow! That day came for me this past Sunday and I can not stop praising my God! That day will come for you too but in the meantime, be righteous and blameless by walking with the Lord and doing everything just as God commands you. May God bless you as He remembers you.

Pastor Sung

Did You Miss Today?

April 29th, 2010

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. – James 4:13-14

We are in a midst of a major dilemma and I wonder how many of us realize it. With our world becoming ever more sophisticated and complicated, technology is advancing exponentially to help us manage it all. But as more complicated our lives become, have you realized that time is passing proportionately? The days, the weeks, the months, the years just pass us by too quickly. Our lives are passing by way to quickly… I never imagined that I would be forty years old and I’m not… I am forty two!

The problem can be blamed due to just one reason- days pass us by so fast because we are anxiously looking forward to tomorrow. We are never content where we are in life, kids want to teenagers, teenagers want to be adults, adults are so consumed with getting head to the point that they reminisce about being a kid again just to escape being drowned in sea of responsibility.

I recently heard a weather man say that “summer is just around the corner.” Well, it’s not. The first day of summer is June 21- that is still fifty three days away! What’s the rush? I am still trying to just take a break so that I can enjoy the spring.

Planning for the future is the culprit. Making plans a month in advance does appear to make the current month pass that much quicker doesn’t it? I am looking forward to May because I like May but by looking forward to May, I didn’t realize that April is already over! The days that seem to last a while are the days where we haven’t plan anything. Those are the days we need more of so that we can just live in the moment. That is the lesson James is teaching- why are you planning for tomorrow, “yet you do not know what tomorrow brings. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”

I guess there is no way around our planning, but may we just slow down. The less complicated your life becomes you will begin to realize how much longer your days will be. Slow down, smile a little more, commit to a random act of kindness, hug your kids and kiss your spouse and savor each day before the vapor of our lives disappears. Savoring each day is how we can give thanks to the Lord for each day is a blessing from our gracious Lord. God bless.

Pastor Sung

Messed Up Eggs

February 25th, 2010

“For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”  Romans 5:7-9

It is a given to say that the greatest blessing in life are our loved ones. God so rich in His gracious love for us have surrounded us with so many people that are precious to each of us. But here is a thought, “Do we come to appreciate our loved ones more in times of pleasure or difficulty?” Sure we love being with people we love in our leisure, going on vacations, spending a leisure day at the park or the mall or just snuggling at home. Or do we come to appreciate them more in our times of difficulty?

The other day after I picked up my kids from school, Kylie, my youngest daughter, wanted to make for herself some soba noodles topped off with boiled eggs. She asked me how long she should boil the eggs and she went about preparing her meal. A few minutes later, I came down to the kitchen to find her sitting on the floor whimpering like a little, lost dog. I asked her what was wrong and why she was crying. She replied that every time she tries to make boiled eggs, the shells would not cooperate and she is left with mangled eggs.  I took out the eggs and best I could savaged what I could and placed them on her noodles. I dried her eyes and encouraged her to eat her prepared meal. A little while later, I came over to see how she was fairing and to my delight, she finished the bowl of eggs and noodles. “It wasn’t pretty but it eats good doesn’t it Kylie?” She didn’t say a word, she just wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly. Without words, it was one of those father/daughter moments where daddy is my hero. Dads live for those moments.

Our lives too can turn out to be a bowl of noodles and messed up eggs. We think we know exactly what we want but some how the eggs won’t cooperate. Aren’t those the times when we can turn to our God, “Come unto Me all who are weak and burdened and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) What a wonderful invitation we have from our Christ! And that invitation is made possible because God in His infinite love offered His Son for our messed up eggs, that is how He “demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Yes, there is such joy in abiding in Christ each and everyday but isn’t it great to know that when we have rainy days, we have a God who has promised us that  “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. 6So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.” (Heb 13:5-6) What a hero we have in Christ!

How gracious is our mighty God who saves, who saw us in our plight and showed us love in the incarnation of His own Son to die for us so that He can be there for us each and everyday. Something we can appreciate when viewed in our past, difficult state- the wretchedness of our sins. Praise God today as you accept His invitation for His peace and His rest. May God bless you.

Pastor Sung