Christians are such loving people. my brothers and sisters are often asking me how MTS is going. they really want to know, because they are concerned for me.
how is MTS going? it's always really hard to answer. i guess they want to know if it is worth it, or if i am learning. or if people are growing. or if numbers are growing.
but how do i evaluate it for myself? what things do i assign value to, and how do i value them? first i need to figure out what it is that i am actually doing. am i training or am i ministering? should i make sure that i am training in the areas that i am weakest at, or should i be working with people where they most have a need. is my training more important than the needs of the church? no.
what is training anyway? i have a feeling that it has to do with the whole experience and learning to live a life of paid ministry. but then on the other hand we talk about needing to train in different areas where we aren't so competent.
how do i evaluate what i am doing in MTS anyway? do i compare myself to my brother who has a completely different set of skills? but how do i compare any way, because the products and outcomes of our work are so intangible. and God is the one who is doing the work, not i.
how do i know that i should keep doing this long term? i'm willing, but is that all there is to it? i can do somethings well... i think. but not as well as...
maybe the answer is to just keep plugging away. trying my best. earnestly seeking for glory and honour (God's obviously).
Monday, May 21, 2007
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
'hav you dun good?
what does it mean to do good? what actually is our role in the scheme of things? to do good? to be good people? i think it might be. but not in the way that we might first think.
as you share 2wtl* with someone, if they aren't on board at box 2 and 3 (humanity's rejection of God and the ensuing consequences), then they aren't going to see the need for box 4 and 5 (Jesus' substitutionary death and his enthronement as King through his resurrection). i'm good enough aren't i? sure i have done things that i'm not proud of, but i don't really deserve all that.
so we need to define good to start with. can we put "good" next to "purpose"? micah challenge might say that purpose is to recognize
so is that how God would have us live? is that the summary of how we should live in this world? caring for the poor, seeking justice for the oppressed, and walking humbly with God (whatever that might mean). is this a good summary of the Law, the way in which God would have us live?
the reason why i want to put the idea of "good" next to "purpose" is because what does it matter if i am good if that isn't my purpose? or does fulfilling my purpose actually define what it means to be good?
but then is it motivation or action? is it what we do or why we do it that counts?
is that the motivation for doing good? that we will receive glory and honour and peace? but we still have the problem of how do we do this good?
surely if we do not do good (or do evil), the tribulation and distress is what results because of God's reaction to that evil. the Bible shows us a history of how God interacts with people. in the old testament, he gets pretty angry. but what does he get angry at? he does get angry at injustice, but he is predominantly angry at Israel's idolatry. that word seeking to encompass the idea of not treating God as God.
1 Samuel 15: Saul is told to destroy the Amalekites fully. but instead he decides to keep some of the cattle in order to sacrifice to God (sacrifices generally considered a good thing). but Samuel tells Saul that God delights in obedience more than sacrifices (1 Samuel 15:22-23), and God then rejects Saul because of what he has done.
so God defines what is good. but i don't always do what is good. i don't always obey. so how can i be considered good?
* Two ways to live gospel presentation.
as you share 2wtl* with someone, if they aren't on board at box 2 and 3 (humanity's rejection of God and the ensuing consequences), then they aren't going to see the need for box 4 and 5 (Jesus' substitutionary death and his enthronement as King through his resurrection). i'm good enough aren't i? sure i have done things that i'm not proud of, but i don't really deserve all that.
so we need to define good to start with. can we put "good" next to "purpose"? micah challenge might say that purpose is to recognize
"O man, what is good; what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” [Micah 6:8 ESV]
so is that how God would have us live? is that the summary of how we should live in this world? caring for the poor, seeking justice for the oppressed, and walking humbly with God (whatever that might mean). is this a good summary of the Law, the way in which God would have us live?
the reason why i want to put the idea of "good" next to "purpose" is because what does it matter if i am good if that isn't my purpose? or does fulfilling my purpose actually define what it means to be good?
but then is it motivation or action? is it what we do or why we do it that counts?
There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honour and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. [Romans 2:9-10 ESV]
is that the motivation for doing good? that we will receive glory and honour and peace? but we still have the problem of how do we do this good?
surely if we do not do good (or do evil), the tribulation and distress is what results because of God's reaction to that evil. the Bible shows us a history of how God interacts with people. in the old testament, he gets pretty angry. but what does he get angry at? he does get angry at injustice, but he is predominantly angry at Israel's idolatry. that word seeking to encompass the idea of not treating God as God.
1 Samuel 15: Saul is told to destroy the Amalekites fully. but instead he decides to keep some of the cattle in order to sacrifice to God (sacrifices generally considered a good thing). but Samuel tells Saul that God delights in obedience more than sacrifices (1 Samuel 15:22-23), and God then rejects Saul because of what he has done.
so God defines what is good. but i don't always do what is good. i don't always obey. so how can i be considered good?
* Two ways to live gospel presentation.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Paul's persecution
Wow, I can't believe that it has taken me this long to have my first original thought. I may have had a few thoughts before this one, but none of them have actually materialized onto this spot.
Here we go then: Paul wasn't seeking to please God as he was persecuting the Church. He says about himself:
"I persecuted the church violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers." [Gal 1:13-14 ESV]
It sounds like he was zealous for what he thought to be right. He thought that the Church was a heresy, and so he was trying to stamp out this blemish among God's people. The problem for this zealot, though, is that he was wrong.
I mis-quoted the above passage. It actually says:
"I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers." [Gal 1:13-14 ESV]
Paul now recognizes that he was wrong. Because the truth has be revealed to him by Christ, he now knows that it is the church of God, not a blemish among God's people. Paul in his own life is showing what he is talking about in Rom 1:18-32. In his own unrighteousness, he was actually suppressing the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord. He was a great Jew, zealous for God. He thought that he was seeking God's approval, but he was actually suppressing the truth that God has made known, and not serving God.
Whoa, wait a minute, how can we be sure that we are doing the right thing? Because God has actually revealed truth to us. Let's not assume that we know who God is, but instead listen to who he says he is, and how we should respond to this. Praise God that he has given us his Word!
Here we go then: Paul wasn't seeking to please God as he was persecuting the Church. He says about himself:
"I persecuted the church violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers." [Gal 1:13-14 ESV]
It sounds like he was zealous for what he thought to be right. He thought that the Church was a heresy, and so he was trying to stamp out this blemish among God's people. The problem for this zealot, though, is that he was wrong.
I mis-quoted the above passage. It actually says:
"I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers." [Gal 1:13-14 ESV]
Paul now recognizes that he was wrong. Because the truth has be revealed to him by Christ, he now knows that it is the church of God, not a blemish among God's people. Paul in his own life is showing what he is talking about in Rom 1:18-32. In his own unrighteousness, he was actually suppressing the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord. He was a great Jew, zealous for God. He thought that he was seeking God's approval, but he was actually suppressing the truth that God has made known, and not serving God.
Whoa, wait a minute, how can we be sure that we are doing the right thing? Because God has actually revealed truth to us. Let's not assume that we know who God is, but instead listen to who he says he is, and how we should respond to this. Praise God that he has given us his Word!
Monday, January 29, 2007
Introduction
I wonder if I will ever take the time to post on here...
I might like to share some thoughts every now and then. Maybe some wisdom may even lead out... it could happen you know.
More soon:
I might like to share some thoughts every now and then. Maybe some wisdom may even lead out... it could happen you know.
More soon:
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