“Resurrection Life Now” (Acts 2:42-47)

The Risen Christ in Everyday Life

This morning we sang “Easter People, Raise Your Voices” at the top of our lungs. Once again we proclaimed that Christ is risen and lives within us today. The question is, “What does it look like? What is it like to live the resurrection here and now?”

Every time we receive communion we affirm our faith in this way:

 

Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ.

By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection

you gave birth to your church,

delivered us from slavery to sin and death,

and made with us a new covenant

by water and the Spirit.

 

The church was born through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The church is a resurrection community. The Early Church Christians lived the resurrection in everyday life. If we read carefully today’s passage about the birth of the church, we find at least three qualities standing out.

 

Day by Day

The first quality is persistence. “Day by day” they worshiped together at the temple. “Day by day” they met in homes for the Lord’s Supper and shared their meals together. “Day by day” the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. The Early Church was a “day-by-day” community.

In the video we watched earlier, the man repeated the same daily routine – feeding the street dog, giving money to a beggar mother and daughter, helping an elderly street vendor, sharing food with his neighbor, and so forth. For a while, perhaps for months, nothing seemed to change. People around him were skeptical, but he did good anyway – day by day. And “day by day” becomes “one day.” One day he saw the daughter of the beggar mother wear a school uniform and come home.

Day by day the Early Church Christians worshiped together, prayed together, shared meals together, helped the poor together. The next day they repeated the same daily routine. For a while, nothing seemed to change. But day by day became one day. The day did come. One day Peter and John were doing their same daily routine. They were on their way into the temple for prayer meeting. There was a man crippled from birth. He was begging at the temple gate. He saw Peter and John about to enter the temple and asked for some money. Peter said to him, “Siver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Peter grabbed him by the right hand and pulled him up. Immediately his feet and ankles were healed. He walked and jumped and entered the temple for the first time, praising God. He was healed and saved. The Early Church was faithful in the ordinary. They were persistent.

24/7

The Early Church’s second quality is congruence. We find no chasm between the Lord’s Supper and breaking bread at home, no disconnection between their public life and their family life. Pastor Eugene Peterson rightly said, “The Christian life is the lifelong practice of attending to the details of congruence – congruence between ends and means, congruence between what we do and the way we do it, congruence between what is written out in Scripture and our living out what is written, congruence between a ship and its prow, congruence between preaching and living, congruence between the sermon and what is lived in both preacher and congregation, the congruence of the Word made flesh in Jesus with what is lived in our flesh.”

Congruence is not something we can master. It’s a gift. It’s a fruit. The more we stay close to the risen Christ, the more congruent we become. Living the resurrection in everyday life means living a congruent life by staying close to Christ. Missionary Frank Laubach desired to be with Christ 24/7, working and resting with Jesus, eating and sleeping with Jesus. For the first few weeks, nothing seemed to change. But later, he said, “The results of this practice grew rich after six months, and glorious after ten years.” Mr. Laubach exhorts us to bring Jesus to mind at least once each minute. He calls this experiment, “the game with the minutes.” He encourages us to fix our eyes on Jesus by practicing spiritual disciplines[1]:

1.         Pray.

2.         Recall God.

3.         Sing or hum a devotional hymn.

4.         Talk or write about God.

5.         Seek to relieve suffering of any kind in a prayerful spirit.

6.         Work with the consciousness of God’s presence.

7.         Whisper to God.

8.         Feel yourself encompassed by God.

9.         Look at a picture or a symbol of Christ.

10.     Read a scripture verse or poem about God.

11.     Give somebody a helpful hand for the Lord’s sake.

12.     Breathe a prayer for the people you meet.

13.     Follow the leading of the Inner Voice.

14.     Plan or work for the Kingdom of God.

15.     Testify to others about God, the church, or this game.

16.     Share suffering or sorrow with another.

17.     Hear God and see Him in flowers, trees, water, hills, sky.

The living Christ walks with me and talks with me. The question is, “Do I actually walk with him and talk with him minute-by-minute?”

 

Living in Community

The third quality we find from the Early Church is life-together community. Before Jesus ascended to heaven, the last words to his disciples were, “Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them” (Matt 28:19-20). So the first thing the disciples did when people responded to the Word was to baptize them. “So those who welcomed [Peter’s] message were baptized…” (Acts 2:41a).

What happens when we are baptized? Baptism requires two actions from our part – repent and follow. Repent is the no and follow is the yes. When we are baptized, we are asked:

Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin?

I do.

 

Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord, in union with the church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races?

I do.

When we are baptized, we are set free from our former master called “sin” and are adopted into God’s family, that is the Church. Living the resurrection means living in Christ’s community. The church is a community. The church is united. The church is together. In the Early Church there was no such a spiritual elite or professional. They learned together, had fellowship together, served together. They were one people, life-together community.

 

The Best Is Yet to Come

So it is possible and available to live the resurrection life here and now. But even greater thing is yet to come.

Some of you may have heard a story about an old missionary couple who had been working in Africa for years, and they were returning to New York City to retire. They had no pension; their health was broken; they were old now and afraid. They discovered they were booked on the same ship as President Teddy Roosevelt, who was returning from one of his big-game hunting expeditions. When the ship docked in New York, a band was waiting to greet the President. The mayor and other officials were there, and everyone made much over him, but no one noticed this missionary couple. They slipped off the ship and found a cheap flat on the East side. That night, the missionary’s spirit broke. He poured out his heart to the Lord. He said, “Lord, I can’t take this. You are not treating us fairly. The President received this tremendous homecoming, but no one met us as we returned home.” But when he finished it, God simply said, “My son, you’re not home yet!”[2]

Are you weary and tired? Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit proclaimed by the Apostle Paul, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Gal 6:9, NIV) Brothers and sisters in Christ, be encouraged. Let us be faithful and persistent. Let us stay close to Christ 24/7. Let us remember our baptism and always live in community. And remember the best is yet to come.

---

[1] Frank Laubach, Letters by a Modern Mystic (p. 114). Purposeful Design Publications. Kindle Edition.

[2] Ray Stedman, Talking To My Father (Barbour & Co. 1997).

“Eclipse of God” (Jonah 1:17-2:10)

Eclipse Journey  

It’s Eclipse Eve. We are all expecting tomorrow to witness one of the greatest sights in the universe – a total solar eclipse. The other day I read an article saying that this eclipse experience can draw us closer to God and to each other. Indeed, the Bible says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Ps 19:1, NIV). We are drawn to God the Creator when we see the wonders of nature. We are also drawn to one another as we share this memorable experience together as a community. We will remember April 8, 2024, and say, “I too was there.”

Somehow eclipse also reminds us of our own spiritual journey – from darkness to light, from death to life. We’re all in different places in our lives. Let us pause, ponder, and ask ourselves, “Where am I?” Let me ask you, “Where are you on your journey?” Perhaps some of us are in a place where we feel distant from God.

 

Dark Night of the Soul

If so, you are not the only one who feels that way. In fact, it’s a part of the journey. Our spiritual ancestors in the Bible and in the church have gone through this same journey, what’s called, the “dark night of the soul.”

What is the dark night of the soul? The dark night of the soul is when we are going through a dark season of life. Whether we are struggling with our faith, lost a loved one, or are going through a health issue, all these things can lead to a dark night of the soul. Sometimes it comes upon us so suddenly without any particular reason.

When we are in the dark season, we feel like we are going backward emotionally and spiritually. Our spiritual disciplines that were once life-giving (ex. Prayer, Bible reading) are now dull, boring, wearisome, and dry. We feel like we’re not bearing fruit. We feel like God has abandoned us. We feel like God isn’t real. We feel like this will last forever. But deep in our hearts desire for God runs deep. We hunger for God and his presence.

What’s actually happening in this dark season is “progression” instead of “regression.” God is freeing us from all attachments and idols while we are going through this painful dark night of the soul. Psychiatrist and theologian Gerald May rightly said in this way:

Each of us has countless attachments. We are attached to our daily routines, our environments, our relationships, and of course our possessions… In a spiritual sense, the objects of our attachments and addictions become idols. We give them our time, energy, and attention whether we want to or not, even – and often especially – when we are struggling to rid ourselves of them. We want to be free, compassionate, and happy, but in the face of our attachments we are clinging, grasping, and fearfully self-absorbed. This is the root of our trouble.^[1]

Through the dark night of the soul God is stripping us of our attachments to set us free and to give us a humble desire for God, saying, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth I desire besides you” (Psalm 73:25). The dark night is a time of refining.

 

Jonah

One of many examples who have gone through the dark night is Jonah. He was God’s prophet – a man of faith. He enjoyed a close relationship with God, listening and talking to God. Life was good. But one day God gave Jonah a mission that made no sense to him – preaching the message of repentance to his enemy, the people of Nineveh. So Jonah ran away from God’s presence. We know the rest of the story. He ended up being in the belly of the big fish. Depth. Darkness. Death. Silence. Solitude. That’s where Jonah is now. He is right in the middle of the dark night. 

What should we do during a dark night? How can we cope with it? We can learn at least two things from Jonah’s example.

 

Flying by the Instruments

Jonah prays to God from the belly of the fish, saying, “I called to the Lord out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice” (v. 2). Even though Jonah is now in the place of death, he has learned to trust God because of God’s past dealings with him. Through his personal experiences, he knew God is faithful, he knew God is merciful, he knew God is just. So in the darkest valley he is patiently waiting, praying, trusting.

Aircraft pilots must learn to fly by the instruments. What does it mean by that? When a pilot flies into a dark cloud or at night, it becomes dangerous for them to trust their physical perceptions. They might feel like they’re flying straight, when they are actually descending toward the ground. So they must learn to trust what the plane’s instruments are telling them, not what their feelings are telling them.

There are times when we just can’t see; reality is hidden. We feel uncertain of direction. We feel like it’s a waste of time, no clear timeline. We feel like God is absent. But feelings and emotions are not always an accurate barometer of reality. The reality is God is never absent. God is always near, even when we don’t feel a thing. “If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there” (Psalm 139:8). So in the dark night we need to patiently wait, pray, and walk by faith – faith in God’s character – not by sight. We need to fly by the instruments. That’s the first thing we can learn from Jonah.

 

Gratitude

The second is gratitude. Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish written in chapter 2 is often called a prayer of thanksgiving. It’s still dark, still depressing, still uncertain. He’s still in the belly of the fish. But Jonah concludes his prayer with thanksgiving in this way: “But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Deliverance belongs to the Lord!” (v. 9)

This past week was particularly challenging for the Hans. Holy Week, Easter, then Eclipse Weekend was coming. In between, starting with Hannah, Esther, Grace, Abe, and I got sick. In one particular morning it was challenging to even get out of bed – no strength, no desire, no motivation. I felt overwhelmed. Then I decided to practice gratitude for the little things. If I get out of bed, it’s a win. If I get down the stairs and have breakfast, it’s a win. If one of the sick children feels better, it’s a win. If I pray for my father’s surgery, it’s a win. In the dark night, we can slow down, savor the little things, and practice gratitude, instead of trying to skip or rush through it.

 

Take My Hand, Lord!

Thomas was born into a pastor’s family. He had a gift for music. In his late teens he became famous. Then he compromised in his lifestyle and turned away from God. He was weary and restless. One of his relatives urged him to return to God. At the age of twenty-one, he did. He encountered God personally. Since then, he used his gift for God-honoring music. He worked with some of the greatest singers in the history of gospel music. Thomas was enjoying God’s blessing to the full: happy marriage, growing ministry, first child on the way. Life was good.

But then the dark night came upon him. One night he got a telegram. It read simply: “Your wife just died.” She had passed away in childbirth. He ran to the hospital, and the following day his newborn son also died. He avoided people and grew angry at God. He said, “I don’t want to serve Him anymore or write gospel songs.” He isolated himself, nursing his anger and sorrow. One day one of his friends took Thomas to a neighborhood music school. That evening as the sun was setting, Thomas sat down at a piano and began to play… and pray. He poured out his heart to God:

Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand,

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;

Through the storm, through the night, Lead me on to the light:

Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.

In the dark night Jonah didn’t know how long it would last. But God did – it was for three days. In the belly of the fish Jonah felt like a waste of time, no purpose, no direction. But God had a plan – the fish was directly heading toward Nineveh.

If you are going through the dark night of the soul, be encouraged. It’s a season. It will not last forever. By God’s sheer grace a breakthrough will come. Let our prayer change from, “God, take me out of this,” to, “God, take my hand, take me through.” There is a light, there is a purpose, there are answers.

---

[1] John Mark Comer, “Step Sheet,” https://practicingthewayarchives.org/naming-your-stage-of-apprenticeship/step-sheet#:~:text=Slow%20down%20and%20enjoy%20the,actually%20be%20a%20joyful%20season

Vincent van Gogh. The Starry Night. Saint Rémy, June 1889

“I Have Seen the Lord” (John 20:11-18)

Four-Minute Mile 

Have you heard of “4 Minute Mile”? In athletics, the four-minute mile means running a mile in less than four minutes. For years it was believed that the human body was incapable of a 4-minute mile. Since 1864, for almost a century, numerous athletes had tried to run 1 mile in 4 minutes, but no one could make it. So, people believed that human beings can't run 1 mile within 4 minutes. But, in 1945 one physician published a paper showing that the human body is capable of running 1 mile in 4 minutes. A few years later, on May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute barrier. Then several more runners made it. Now, it’s almost routine. Even strong high-schoolers today run 4-minute miles. Our Lord Jesus Christ broke the barrier – the wall that had separated us from God. The Bible says, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1Co 15:20). Jesus Christ our Lord has conquered death, has broken down every wall, and opened the door to eternal life so that we might go in!

The Women at Jesus’ Tomb
In today’s gospel lesson we meet Mary Magdalene and the other women. Those are faithful ones. When Jesus was on the cross, they didn’t abandon him but were standing by the cross of Jesus (John 19:25). After Jesus was placed in a tomb, they patiently waited until the Sabbath was over. Early next morning they came to the tomb with spices while it was still dark, hoping they might anoint him. That was the way of honoring their teacher. That was all they could do. They loved Jesus very much, but now he was gone. They must have felt hopeless and powerless. They didn’t know what to do next. Although they were going to the tomb early in the morning, they didn’t even know what to say to the tomb guards. They didn’t have the strength to roll the tombstone away for themselves. On the way they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away for us?” (Mark 16:4)

They were filled with all kinds of worry and fear. But to their surprise, when they arrived, they looked up and saw that the huge stone had “already” been rolled away! Jesus already did it for them. It was Jesus who conquered death. It was Jesus who rolled the stone away. It was Jesus who first came to see these women. In fact, all the problems and concerns that the women had already had been solved. They didn’t need to roll the stone away. They didn’t need to find and anoint Jesus’ body. Jesus already did everything for them. That is why Jesus was able to say on the cross, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). “It’s done… complete!” (MSG). Do you have any burden of life – guilt, shame, wound, pain – something in your heart like a large stone that you just cannot roll away for yourself? We have good news! Jesus has already rolled away that stone. For you. For me.

The Resurrection at Cookham
That’s why we are here today to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Some of us in this room may still wonder why resurrection matters. It matters because it tells us that this life is not everything It tells us that there will be a resurrection of all the dead, including you and me. We too will be resurrected. 1 Corinthians 15:23 says, “But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.” That means there will be more fruits to follow. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 says that when our Lord Jesus Christ returns with the trumpet call, the dead in Christ will rise first and then we will also be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever!” By his suffering, death, and resurrection, Jesus did open the gate to eternal life. So now everyone who believes in him has eternal life. In Christ you and I have eternal life!

So far I have either officiated or helped 72 funerals for our saints – 15 funerals for Hodgdon saints and 57 for Houlton) over the past 10 years. Imagine the Day of the Lord! Imagine that your loved ones are raised from the Evergreen Cemetery or Hodgdon Cemetery. How would you feel? In fact, Artist Stanley Spencer had this experience of revelation. He lived in the small English village of Cookham and attended a small Methodist church. There was a small cemetery in his churchyard. He passed through it numerous times, perhaps several times a week. One day as he was passing through this churchyard, Spencer had a sudden awakening experience. He perceived the great resurrection of the dead in his humble churchyard. He wrote his experience in this way: “Quite suddenly I became aware that everything was full of special meaning, and this made everything holy. The instinct of Moses to take his shoes off when he saw the burning bush was very similar to my feelings. I saw many burning bushes in Cookham. I observed the sacred quality in the most unexpected quarters.”[1]

In his painting, The Resurrection at Cookham, we see not only the Son Jesus and the Father in the center, but also his loved ones – his family and friends, and Spencer himself. When we believe in the resurrection of Jesus and all the dead, our local churchyard, this very place becomes a new Garden of Eden. The ground we are standing on becomes “a holy suburb of heaven.” The resurrection of Jesus tells us that on the Day of the Lord we will be resurrected. As Bonhoeffer says, in Jesus Christ all of us will be eternally united with him, and with one another, and with our loved ones.

He Lives!
But there is more! Not only does the resurrection of Jesus give us hope for tomorrow, but also it gives us the power to live our new life today. The Risen Christ promised, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20). Resurrection is a core Christian belief. The Risen Christ lives in us today!

John Wesley cried out on his deathbed, “The best of all is, God (the Risen Christ) is with us!” Today we are not merely here to honor a good teacher Jesus, who taught the truth and died two thousand years ago. We are here to worship and celebrate a risen King and Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives in the world and in us today! There are many evidences of Jesus’ resurrection, but perhaps the most convincing evidence of all is the transformation of the disciples of Jesus. All of them were transformed from cowards to martyrs because of the resurrection. Saul was transformed from a passionate persecutor of the Christian to the world’s greatest missionary for Christ. He was sold out for Christ. How is this possible? Only the resurrection. Saul met the Risen Christ. Not only in Jesus’ time, but still today we know it is true by our own experience. For me personally, there was a time in my college years, I found no meaning or purpose of life. But after I met the Risen Christ, my life changed. Everything became new and meaningful. Even in small things – whether I ate a meal, took a nap, or took a walk, I could find a sense of purpose and feel joy, contentment, and peace! The risen Christ gives us the power to live a new life in him and makes us more like him.

Perhaps one of the most beloved Easter hymns is “He Lives” written by Alfred Ackley. There is a story behind this hymn. In fact, two events gave Pastor Ackley fresh insight to write this hymn. One day he was holding an evangelistic meeting. A young sincere Jewish student asked the question, “Why should I worship a dead Jew?” Ackley answered, ““He Lives! I tell you; He is not dead, but lives here and now! Jesus Christ is more alive today than ever before. I can prove it by my own experience, as well as the testimony of countless thousands.” The young Jewish student eventually accepted the living Christ as his own personal Savior. A few days later, Easter Sunday came. On that Easter Day morning Ackley turned on his radio. He was then shocked to hear a preacher say something like this, “You know, it really doesn’t matter to me if Christ be risen or not. His body could have turned to dust long ago in some Palestinian tomb. But what’s important is that His truth goes marching on!” Ackley was so upset. That Sunday he preached with great fervency on the resurrection of Jesus based on the Scripture: “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.” But later that night, he still could not shake the question of that young Jewish student and the words of that preacher. Then, his wife said, “Why don’t you write a song about it?. Then you will have something that will go on telling the story.” That very night Ackley wrote out the words, and then composed the melody: 

I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today;

I know that He is living, whatever men may say;

I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him, He’s always near.

He lives, he lives Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.

He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart!

 Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

---

[1] Terry Glaspey, 75 Master Pieces Every Christian Should Know (Grand Rapids: Michigan, 2015), 214-15.

*The Cookham Resurrection by English artist Stanley Spencer

“From the Donkey’s Point of View” (Mark 11:1-11)

On the First Palm Sunday

Have you ever thought of the first Palm Sunday from a donkey’s point of view? In his book Anthony DeStefano tells us a story in this way. There once was a donkey—young, weak, and small, so weak he could carry nothing at all. No matter how much he tried or he cried, This was a donkey that no one could ride. One day two men came and untied him and took him away. The donkey was frightened. He said to the men, “Where are we going? Please leave me alone and just let me be!”  They walked on for miles and miles until they got to a town at the foot of a hill. At the foot of the hill stood a man tall and thin, wearing a cloak and a beard on His chin. He had eyes that seemed sad and a voice soft and gentle that floated on air. He said to the donkey, “It’s time that you knew about the great thing that you’re destined to do. You’ll carry Me into the city—we two. My help is enough; It’s all that you need. The weaker you are, the more strength I give. I’ll be there to help you as long as you live.”[1]

This story echoes the paradoxical truth that “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Cor 1:27). It’s a holy mystery. The strength of Jesus is at work in our weakness.

 

Two Voices

I think many of us are often struggling with identity and low self-esteem. We are swayed by between the two voices in this world. One voice says, “Listen to your heart,” “Be true to yourself,” “Trust yourself,” boosting our ego. The other voice says, “You’re nothing,” “You’re useless,” “You’re a loser,” lowering our self-esteem. Where can we find our true identity? Who am I?

 

Christ’s Identity  

How about Jesus? Where did he discover his identity? He was firmly rooted and grounded in God’s Word. After Jesus performed his first sign at Cana, everyone was fascinated. But he would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people, and needed no one to testify about anyone, for he himself knew what he was in everyone (John 2:24).

Jesus found his identity in God’s words and promise – Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. That’s who he is and what he is.

Christ has died. Jesus knew who he was. He was sent as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matt 20:28). He came to die.

Christ is risen. Death is not the end. It’s just a means to an end. Three times Jesus said to his disciples that he must suffer and die, after three days he will rise again. The emphasis is on the latter – his resurrection. Jesus came to conquer death by becoming the firstfruits of those who have died.

Christ will come again. On the first Palm Sunday people waved their branches and shouted, “Hosanna!” It was a king’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem for sure. But Jesus knew that was foreshadowing what was coming. The better and more perfect one is on the way. It was just the beginning. Jesus had an entire picture of God’s salvation in his mind. One day Jesus will wipe every tear and rule the world with justice and peace.

Christian’s Identity

We, Christian’s identity comes from Christ’s. Because Christ has died, our sins are washed away. We are forgiven, accepted. We are adopted into God’s family. Because Christ is risen, we too will rise. We have eternal life. Because Christ will come again, heaven is our home. Everyday is one day nearer. He will make it right. He is making all things new. That’s who I am. That’s who we are.

 

I am a child of God. God is my Father.

I have eternal life. I can face tomorrow.

Heaven is my home. My citizenship is in heaven.

 

I exhort us to speak this truth to our souls every day – in the morning and at night.

 

The Small Woman

Gladys Alward (1902-1970) was a British Christian missionary to China. She was from a humble family, poor and uneducated. In her young age she was called to ministry – mission to China. But no one was willing to support her ministry. Even the China Inland Mission turned down, saying it was not possible for her to learn the language and carry out the mission works. In 1932, completely ‘off her own back’, she spent her life savings on a train passage to China. The perilous trip took her across Siberia with the Trans-Siberian Railway, where she was forced to get off the train she was on and walk to her destination. Throughout this dangerous journey Gladys found her strength, her purpose, her identity in Christ and His Word. Every time she was down, she pulled out her pocket Bible and spoke to her soul, “God is with me,” “I am His beloved.” By this, she was able to stay the course.

Later, she rescued hundreds of street children during the war and became a “mother of orphans.” She took care of wounded soldiers – both Chinese and Japanese soldiers. She preached the Good News to governors and generals and brought them to Christ. Though she was not qualified from a professional point of view, God was able to use her so mightily without hindrance. In her book The Little Woman, Gladys concludes her story as follows[2]:

My heart is full of praise that one so insignificant, uneducated, and ordinary in every way could  be used to His glory and for the blessing of His people in poor persecuted China.

 

From the Donkey’s Point of View

Somehow, we’re like a donkey. Oftentimes, we are deluded into thinking, “I am somebody.” We easily think that people’s praises are for us. At other times, we are discouraged, thinking, “I am nobody.” But with Christ and in Christ, we are God’s body. When we are weak, then we are strong. May we abide in Christ. May we always be rooted and grounded in His Word and find our identity there. Praise be to God.

 

---

[1] Anthony DeStefano, “The Donkey That No One Could Ride,” https://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/blog/teach-your-kids-about-palm-sunday-with-the-donkeys-story

[2] Gladys Aylward, Gladys Aylward, The Little Woman (p. 135). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

“The Cross of Christ” (John 12:20-33)

 If God Is Good

If God is good, why does God allow suffering?

If God is in charge, why is the world so unfair?

In today’s scripture Greeks wanted to see Jesus. In Jesus’ time Greeks were known as “seekers” after truth and wisdom. At that time some Greeks came up to worship at the feast in Jerusalem. They heard that Jesus was in town. They approached Philip and said, “Sir, we want to see Jesus. Can you help us?” Though we don’t know exactly why, perhaps they might have had some questions in mind that we have today: “If God is good, why does God allow such suffering and injustice?” “Where is God in our suffering?”

God in the Night

I think Elie Wiesel can help us. Born a Hungarian Jew, he became an internationally famous author. In his book Night he shares with us his boyhood experiences in the death camp of Auschwitz. When he was 14 years old in 1944, his family and he were arrested and sent to the concentration camp of Auschwitz. As soon as they arrived, the men and women were separated, and Elie never saw his mother or sister again. He said, ‘Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke (sc. of the crematorium)....Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever....Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul, and turned my dreams to dust ....’ (p.45).

Perhaps the most horrifying experience of all was when the guards first tortured and then hanged a young boy. Just before the hanging, Elie heard someone behind him whisper, “Where is God? Where is he?” Thousands of prisoners were forced to watch the hanging (it took the boy half an hour to die) and then to march past, looking him full in the face. Behind him Elie heard the same voice ask, “Where is God now?” At that very moment Elie heard a voice within him answer him: “Where is he? Here he is – he is hanging here on this gallows....” (pp.75–77).[1]

Suffering God

“Where is God in our suffering?” Though there is no easy answer, we can find comfort when we look at the cross of Christ. The God who allows us to suffer, once suffered himself in Christ on the cross. The same God still suffers with us and for us today. Our God is a suffering God.

In today’s passage Jesus tells us how he will rescue us from our suffering, our sin, and our death. Jesus said, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (v. 24). Then he continued, “Now my soul is troubled” (v. 27). Why was Jesus’ soul troubled? His soul was troubled because he felt the burden of our sin pressing him down. Before taking away all our sins, he had to bear our sins upon his shoulders, carry our sins, and groan under the burden of our sins. As a result, Jesus had to suffer separation from his Father on the cross as a cursed one, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” So his soul was greatly troubled. But Jesus was determined, saying, “What should I say: ‘Father, save me from this hour? No, this is the very reason I came!” (v. 27) Then, Jesus said, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself” (v. 32). Jesus came to suffer and die for us. Still today, Jesus suffers with us and for us. Where can we find hope in our suffering? Only our suffering Christ is able to help us and save us. “Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested” (Heb 2:18, NLT).

In the Light of the Cross

Truly the name of Jesus is Immanuel, “God with us.” The play titled ‘The Long Silence’ says it all. The story goes like this. At the end of time, billions of people were scattered on a great plain before God’s throne. Most people shrank back because of the brilliant light before them. But some groups near the front talked heatedly, saying, “Can God judge us? How can he know about suffering?” One woman ripped open a sleeve to reveal a tattooed number from a Nazi concentration camp. “We endured terror...beatings...torture...death!” In another group a Negro boy lowered his collar. “What about this?” he demanded, showing his deep scars and burns. “Lynched...for no crime but being black!”

Each had a complaint against God for the evil and suffering he allowed in this world. How lucky God was to live in heaven where all was sweetness and light, where there was no weeping or fear, no hunger or hatred. What did God know of all that the people had been forced to endure in this world? For God leads a pretty sheltered life, they said. So each of these groups sent forth their leader, chosen because he or she had suffered the most. A Jew, a Negro, a person from Hiroshima, a horribly deformed arthritic. In the center of the plain they consulted with each other. At last they were ready to present their case.

They insisted that before God could be qualified to be their judge, he must endure what they had endured. Their decision was that God should be sentenced to live on earth – as a man! “Let him be born a Jew. Let the legitimacy of his birth be doubted. Give him a work so difficult that even his family will think him out of his mind when he tries to do it. Let him be betrayed by his closest friends. Let him face false charges, be tried by a prejudiced jury and convicted by a cowardly judge. Let him be tortured… At the last, let him see what it means to be terribly alone. Then let him die. Let him die so that there can be no doubt that he died. Let there be a great host of witnesses to verify it.”

As each leader announced his portion of the sentence, loud murmurs of approval went up. And when the last had finished pronouncing sentence, there was a long silence. No one said another word. No one moved. All of sudden, all knew that God had already served his sentence.[2]

The Bible prophesies about the Messiah (Christ) this way: “He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering, who knew pain firsthand… Surely it was our pains he carried, it was our sins that weighed him down… He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed” (Isaiah 53:3-5).

God with Us

Why must Christ die a criminal’s death on a cross? Who killed Jesus? Was it Judas Iscariot? The Jewish leaders? Pilate? The Soldiers? It was the Father who gave His Son up for us. It was Jesus who gave Himself up for us.

Our hearts are troubled when we look at today’s world. It seems like suffering, evil, and injustice are all around, and God seems distant. But when we look at the cross of Christ, we can face the most perplexing problem of suffering. We can face tomorrow.

Today we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Patrick was born in Britain. When he was 16 years old, he was captured by Irish pirates and lived as a slave for six years in Ireland. During that time, in his suffering he encountered Immanuel, the God who suffered with him, and became a Christian. After this, he was able to escape and return home in England. But he sensed he was called to serve the people in Ireland. So he returned to spread the good news of Jesus as a missionary to Ireland. Jesus said, “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will be my servant be also” (v. 26). Patrick shared in Christ’s sufferings. He lived in the constant danger of martyrdom. But throughout his life, he always experienced Immanuel – the Christ who suffered with him and for him. As I close, I would like to share his prayer with you:

Christ be with us, Christ before us, Christ behind us,

Christ in us, Christ beneath us, Christ above us,

Christ on our right, Christ on our left,

Christ where we lie, Christ where we sit, Christ where we arise,

Christ in the heart of every one who thinks of us,

Christ in every eye that sees us,

Christ in every ear that hears us.

Salvation is of the Lord,

Salvation is of the Christ,

May your salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.

 

---

[1] John R. W. Stott, The Cross of Christ, InterVarsity Press, Kindle Edition, Location 6733 of 10583.

[2] Ibid., Location 6786 of 10583.

“How Can This Be? (John 3:14-21)

Who Am I?

There was a bright and promising young man. He loved God. He was so earnest and serious about his faith. So he became a Pharisee – a prominent religious group in the Jewish community at that time. Since he was outstanding, he was able to go up the ladder and became a leader of a Jewish ruling council. He also became a respected scholar and teacher of his people. But when he thought he knew everything, when he thought he had reached the pinnacle of his life, he felt miserable. He felt lost. It was quite an embarrassing experience. All of sudden, so many questions were bubbling up inside. Finally, after much struggle he came to see Jesus at night seeking answers and guidance.   

Nicodemus and Jesus

Who is this person? Nicodemus. He desired to change. He wanted to have a new sense of purpose, a new sense of calling, a new sense of wholeness. He wanted new mind and new personality. But he didn’t know HOW. Jesus went straight to the heart of the matter, “Nicodemus, unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus was perplexed. Jesus continued, “No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water (repentance) and the Spirit.” Nicodemus was even more astonished. Jesus graciously helped him understand with the wind metaphor. We don’t know where the wind comes from or where it is going. But we can’t deny there is the wind. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. Their new birth, their “fruits of the Spirit” cannot be hidden. But Nicodemus was still perplexed, “How can this be?”

Are you like Nicodemus? Do you want to change? Do you want your life renewed? Do you want to know your calling? Do you want to be born from above and understand how it can really happen? Nicodemus is a representative of humanity. Nicodemus is you and me. That’s why in today’s passage Jesus uses a second person plural (vv. 7, 11, 12). He was talking to Nicodemus, but at the same time, he was talking to all of us. Nicodemus asked Jesus, “How can this be?” Today we ask, “How can this be?” “How can we have this new birth?”

 

The Serpent on the Pole

Now we move on to the most glorious part of the Bible. Jesus says, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (v. 15). In numbers 21, as the Israelites made a detour around the land of Edom, they became discouraged and impatient. They spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!” So God sent poisonous serpents among the people, and many were bitten and died. The people came to Moses and asked, “We have sinned! Please pray to God to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. God said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent and put it on a pole. Whoever is bitten and looks at it will live.”

Here the serpents are symbolic of sin. It was a serpent that tempted Adam and Eve in the garden, thereby bringing sin into the world. Since then, our very natures – our affections and wills – have been polluted. The Bible says, “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). Then we see a replica of a serpent lifted up on a pole. What does this mean? It means our Lord became sin (a serpent) for us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”” This story of the serpent foreshadows looking to Jesus for our salvation.

Moses raised that serpent up high, and anyone who was bitten and looked at the bronze serpent, that person lived.” No matter how horribly they were bitten, no matter how many times they had been bitten, no matter how serious they were sick, they were healed and saved. The worst sinner who looks to Christ will be saved. The new birth, the radical change, is available and possible only when Christ Jesus takes our infected natures upon himself, bears the venom, and imparts a new nature to us. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation; the old life has gone, the new life has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

 

Look to Jesus

Corrie Ten Boom rightly said, “If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God (Christ), you'll be at rest.” The Spirit exhorts us through John 3, “Don’t try to find a cure for the venom for yourselves. Give up your dependence on yourselves – your cleverness, your self-help, your self-improvement. Do not look within and without, but just look to Jesus and live!” God says in Isaiah 45:22, “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” So look to Christ lifted up on high on the cross, and believe, and have eternal life.

We need this saving grace – not only at the very first hour when we become a Christian, but also every hour. I don’t know about you, but for me, I am so often and easily sidetracked and discouraged and lose sight of my calling. But when we fix our eyes on Jesus, everything becomes crystal clear – our calling, our purpose of life. And we grow and become more and more like Christ.

At first, Nicodemus didn’t get it. But as time went by, especially after our Lord was crucified, he put it all together. He realized that Jesus became the serpent on the pole (the curse on the tree), so that he might be healed, cleansed, and become his righteousness. So he came to the Jewish leaders and boldly claimed Jesus’ body for burial. That day Nicodemus looked to Jesus lifted up and crucified and lived.

 

The Love of God

John Calvin teaches that we are not truly converted by merely understanding doctrine, but by grasping God’s love so that the inner structure and motivation of the heart are changed.[1] So how can this be? How can we have this new birth? The answer is through the extravagant love of God. “For God so loved the world (your name) that he gave his only Son, that you may believe in him and should not perish but have eternal life” (v. 16).

Many of us love to sing F. M. Lehman’s great hymn, “The Love of God Is Greater Far.” Interestingly, the last verse was not written by him, but by the person who found the great love of God in a prison about a thousand years ago. It was inscribed on the wall next to the bed of this person:

 

Could we with ink the ocean fill

And were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill

And every man a scribe by trade,

To write the love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry,

Nor could the scroll contain the whole

Though stretched from sky to sky.

How can this be? Whoever we are and wherever we are on the journey, the new birth, the new life is possible because of the great love of God. So let us turn our eyes and look to Jesus. Let us look not just once or twice, but until we grasp God’s love – how deep and how wide it is – so that our inner being and our heart are changed. This is my prayer. This is our prayer.

---

[1] Collin Hansen, Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation (p. 102). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

“In His Time, In His Way” (John 2:13-22)

The Heart   

What does the Bible say about our heart? The Bible mentions the heart about 1,000 times. In essence, the heart is portrayed as the center of our being – our emotions and our desires. For example, Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

The condition of the heart matters because our heart is the very place where we communicate with God. Jesus says in Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." In other words, a clean heart is essential to have a deep and meaningful relationship with God.

 

Old Heart Vs. New Heart

But there’s a problem here. Our natural heart condition is not pure. Instead, it is depraved and deceitful since the Fall of Adam and Eve. Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Our heart has been damaged by sin. Our heart has become a heart of “stone,” which means we are unresponsive and dead to God. 

That’s the reason why transformation of the heart – “being born again” – is necessary. In Ezekiel 36:26, God promises while his people were still dead in their sins, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh (a tender, responsive heart)." Jesus says in John 3:3, “You must be born again.” Transformation of the heart is necessary and possible for us to live a life with God.

 

In His Way

How does Jesus give us a new heart? When Jesus came to the temple of his people’s lives, it was a mess. The temple was initially made for worship, prayer, listening to God’s Word, and sacrifice. But many people were there to use God for their benefit. The money changers were there to change foreign currency into Jewish currency because foreign money was not acceptable for offerings in the temple. At that time, it was common the money changers charged as much as two hours of a working person’s wage to change a half shekel (temple tax). The inspectors wouldn’t approve of the animals that the people had brought. The people had to buy a “clean” animal at a high price from the temple merchants. This brought a lot of money into the temple.

How does Jesus cleanse the temple? Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers' coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. The Jews protested, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

Here when Jesus said, “this temple,” he was talking about his own body. The old, tainted temple must be destroyed first, only then the new temple can be rebuilt. So how does Jesus cleanse the temple? How does Jesus give us a new heart? The answer is by destroying his own body and rebuilding it, that is, his death and resurrection. Jesus didn’t pour out his anger at sin upon his people. Instead, he did it upon his own body. When Jesus made a whip and drove out the animals, he whipped his own body. When Jesus overturned the tables, he destroyed his own body, the Temple. By his death and resurrection, Jesus cleansed the temple of our lives and gave us a new heart.

 

Life Begets Life

That is Jesus’ way. The way of the cross is the only way to transform our heart. Tertullian, one of the early church fathers said, “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church.”

Two hundred years ago there were almost no Christians in Korea, today South Korea is now one of the most active missionary-sending bases in the world. It is now home to some of the world’s largest churches. For me personally, I am one of the beneficiaries. I received a new heart, a new life in Christ through the sacrifices of the missionaries’ lives.

The first martyr on the Korean soil was Robert Jermain Thomas (1839-1866), a Welsh missionary to Korea. He was born into the pastor’s family in 1839. He would receive an excellent education. He was a gifted young man, and particularly excelled in foreign languages. As he sensed God’s calling to ministry, he believed that he should use his linguistic gifts for God’s glory. In the same year in 1863 Thomas graduated from college, was ordained, was married, and sailed to China. But within three months in China, his wife died from a sudden miscarriage of their first baby. Devasted by his wife’s death, missionary Thomas wrote, “My wife’s death has left me utterly helpless… I feel weighed down by deep grief… but I thank God for her peaceful, painless end and say, ‘The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.’”

After this, Thomas met some Koreans in China. He learned the Korean language and made plans to visit Korea. Because he was fluent in Korean and well aware of Korean culture, Thomas accepted an offer to become an interpreter for the French Navy, which was about to sail toward Korea. Thomas and his people were not welcomed by the Korean government. Their ship General Sherman was attacked and exploded. Everyone on board had to swim to the shore. Everyone was beheaded on the spot. Thomas swam out with a few Bibles in his bosom. He scattered his Bibles on the shore. Before Thomas was killed by the soldier Park Chun-Kwon, he prayed for him and gave him a Bible.

 

In His Time

It was around Passover when Jesus cleansed the temple. When he did it, his disciples did not understand. About three years later, it was again around Passover when Jesus’ body was crushed and he died on the cross. The disciples didn’t understand. But after Jesus was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered what Jesus had said. They then connected the dots and believed the scripture and what Jesus had said (John 2:22). Not only did they believe, but also their hearts were transformed and burned within them. They became a new person and risked their life for Christ.

The story of missionary Thomas continues. After his death, Park Chun-Kwon picked up the Bible and took it with him. He read it and received Jesus Christ. Later he became an elder at his church. Also some of the crowds watching the execution picked up the Bibles that Thomas had scattered. One of them was Park Young-Sik who tore the Bible apart and used it as wallpaper. Later, he and his people read the Bible and became Christians and even founded the first church in Pyongyang.

Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). At that time, it seemed Thomas’ death was meaningless, but his sacrificial love became a cornerstone of the Korean church. The fruit of the life-giving work of Thomas gave birth to the Pyongyang Great Revival. It gave birth to millions of Korean Christians today. It gave birth to more than twenty thousand missionaries sent from Korea to the ends of the earth. Joyce and I consider ourselves missionaries.[1]

Jesus died and was raised again. By his death and resurrection, Jesus cleansed the temple of our hearts and our lives. By his death and resurrection, Jesus still gives a new heart and new life to everyone who believes and puts their hope in him. I don’t know about you, but for me, there are times when I feel like the sermons that are preached are all lost and thrown away. There are times when I feel like the exhortations given in pastoral visits are all wasted and forgotten. Perhaps you too may feel like the lessons taught by you to your children and grandchildren are all taught in vain.  But through today’s scripture, I hear the Spirit say to us, “Preachers, keep on preaching. Teachers, keep on teaching. Parents and grandparents, keep on training up your children in the way they should go. Christians, keep on sowing the seed of the gospel in patience and love.”

Jesus died and was raised again. By his death and resurrection, in his own way Jesus cleansed the temple of our hearts. Because Jesus died and was raised again, our labor is not in vain in the Lord. Our prayers and our words are remembered far more than we think and will yet spring up in his own time. “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying their sheaves (Psalm 126:5-6). In his way, in his time he will make all things new.

---

[1] Joo Young Kang, “Who Was Robert Jermain Thomas?” https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/missionary-robert-jermain-thomas