Have you ever told a joke and at the end of your joke the person doesn’t react to your story at all?

I came across this joke from a Readers’ Digest this morning:

My friend John and I, determined to see the world, signed on to a Norwegian freighter as deckhands. John’s first lesson as a helmsman was given by the mate, a seasoned by gentle white-haired sailor. John was holding the helm he’d been given, when the mate ordered, “Come starboard.” Pleased at knowing which way starboard was, John left the helm and walked over to his instructor. As the helm swung freely, the mate politely asked, “Could you bring the ship with you?” – Bruce Ingraham

Did you get the joke?

I didn’t.

At the end of the “joke”, I wasn’t sure how I should’ve reacted because I just didn’t get what the person was talking about.

It wasn’t even about the joke not being funny. It’s more that I just don’t get the whole story!

True, I “kind of” guessed where the joke – or where the funny bit of the story – was supposed to be, from the punch line. But because the joke-teller used quite a bit of jargons / terms / words I am not familiar with, I wasn’t sure if my guesses of of the meanings of those terms were right and if I laughed at the right thing…

Now, he might be familiar with jargons he used, and thought of them as part of “daily language”, but they certainly are foreign enough to me that without checking the meanings of some words, I could’ve have easily missed the joke!

Of course, the fact that English isn’t my first language and that the word “helm” is used to refer to something totally different in my first language might have added to my mis-understanding.

Anyway, why am I telling you all this? =)

Just because I think the above story is a good one to remember when you are either preparing a sermon, or trying to explain or share the good news of Jesus Christ with someone! =)

Some Christian terms are SO familiar to us that we forget that they aren’t part of other people’s daily language… And if we fail to ‘explain’ those words – people would either come up with their own guesses and ‘kind of get’ the meaning, or would totally missed the whole point.

Either way, those jargons would come in the way of people’s response to your story.

And wouldn’t that be such a great pity and a sad thing? Especially, when you know that the consequence of them missing your story is much greater than them missing a joke!

My sis turned on the TV to watch paralympic games on ABC1 tonight, and was surprised to find see the opening ceremony (again)!

We thought it was a repeat broadcast of the whole ceremony and so we told some of our friends who missed it last night.

However, as we watched it, we realised that it wasn’t actually a full repeat broadcast of the ceremony. Rather, it was showing highlights of the broadcast only!!

As I watched it, and as the last flame bearer (the one who ended up lighting the flame) was shown doing his leg, a thought suddenly came to my mind! I was thinking – “That’s it! That’s what I have been looking for all this time!! I finally found it!”

Well, you see, I have been thinking how can I help people to see that there is a difference between listening to God directly (i.e. through your own personal reading of the Bible) and listening to God through someone else (e.g. a preacher, Christian books/authors, BS leaders, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, etc).

They are just not the same! And I know it, but I wasn’t sure how to describe it in a way that would help people see my point…

But tonight, as I watched the highlights, I realised that I’ve found what I was looking for! =)

You see, people who watched the highlights tonight, but did not watch the actual broadcast last night, would have appreciated what the last flame bearer did – pulling himself and his wheelchair up for as high as the end of the giant torch – on a rope, using his own hands(!) That was a big task! He had to pull himself up really high…

So yeah, I’m sure whoever got a chance to watch even a bit of what he did would really be amazed by it! Simply because the action itself was just… so unreal!!

And yet, those who did get a chance to watch the whole thing last night would be able to tell you that what was shown tonight was only but a highlight! It actually missed capturing some of the more incredible moments!

Last night, my siblings and I watched how the athlete actually had to stop several times on his way up. He was tired, his hands were probably sore, we could see on his face how much pain he was in, and at times, we could even see that he was struggling to keep pulling himself and his wheelchair up!

It was so moving that as we saw him struggling and all, I remember saying to my sister – “If he made it up there, that would be his gold already! After this, he wouldn’t need to win a gold… This would be the mark of his achievement!!”

And I don’t think that strong emotion was captured in the “highlights”!!

Sure, the highlight did show at a glance his relief when he finally reached the end point of the torch (his end point). But it was nothing like what we watched last night…

And I think, that is my illustration (!) . . .

You see, just like watching “highlights” – which is really a summary of what someone else / some other people consider “important” or “a must see” – when we listen to God’s word through someone else, we only get just that – “highlights”!

It doesn’t matter how faithful and true to the Bible that person is. If you heard it from someone else, you would already be getting that person’s interpretation of it.

Just as in “highlights” you still get the “main/big points” from someone’s talk/explanation/book, and especially, if the person is faithful to the Bible – you would surely still get the “important bits”!

But it’s different from listening to God directly – through our own reading of His written Word! When we read our Bible, we listen to God directly! We are watching the uncut version(!) . . .

And when we watch the uncut version, we get to see things that are not shown in the highlights (!), and almost always… we will get to appreciate God’s message and truth better! Simply because we get to see the whole thing, and so get to appreciate them much more… =)

So, two posts which seems to slightly contradict each other?

Well, not really. But two posts for two groups of people who have different tendencies.

The key to know which one you should remember more is – to know what is your natural tendencies are – and so to know which one to follow, i.e. one that is against your natural tendencies!

If I may borrow John Newton’s word in his Letter IX – Advice on the Work of the Ministry:

“You will probably be advised to different extremes, it will then be impossible to follow both; but it may be practicable to find a middle path between them: and I believe this will generally prove the best and safest method. Only consult your own temper, and endeavour to incline rather to that side to which you are the least disposed, by the ordinary strain of your own inclination; for on that side you will be in the least danger of erring. Warm and hasty disposition will seldom move too slow, and those who are naturally languid and cool are as little liable to over-act their part.”

Which basically means, I think…

You have just been given two extreme advices. Some might agree more with what I said about “familiarity”, while some would be more agree with what I said in “the other end of the spectrum”.

But just as Newton advised the gentleman in his letter, I would like to say to you – if you know that you have a tendency to be critical of others – or you know you are trained just a bit too well in that, then, you probably should pay more attention to “familiarity” – and remind yourself to be gracious and to learn something from those “you are unfamiliar with”. But if you know (or if people told you!) that you naturally tend to be influenced by fiery and ‘charismatic’ (in the sense of the word having a charisma), then you might need to pay more attention to “the other end of the spectrum”! =)

There are people like those mentioned in my previous post. And yet, there are others at the end of the spectrum. People who tend to just accept whatever a preacher said without checking what he said against the Word of God.

For these brothers and sisters, there are two things I would like to share with and remind you of.

First thing is – the more charisma a preacher has – the more careful you need to be – because the more convincing he can be, the more you will be convinced by what he is telling you, even if what he is saying / is doing isn’t in line with what God says in the Bible.

The Bible has many passages on warnings against false teaching, and warnings for us to be very careful – like passages in Galatians, 2 Tim, 1 Thes, 1 John and many others. The warnings are many because the danger is great and comes from everywhere, even from sources we didn’t expect – like within our own congregations (from Acts 20 – as Mark Driscoll reminded some of us at Engage).

So check whatever a preacher is saying against the Bible. Always! Even the greatest preacher is still a sinful human being and so can be wrong. Go back to what you know has no chance of being wrong – the Word of God Himself. Go back to your Bible.

If you are too lazy or think that flipping your Bible around during someone’s sermon is too much – I have a proposed solution for you! =) Want to know what that is? =)

Well, memorise your Bible! What else?! =) That way, you wouldn’t have to flip through all the passages that the preacher is quoting because you would have memorised all of them already!

Of course, before you achieve that goal (memorised the whole Bible) – the only way to go is just to keep flipping through your Bible. Check what someone says against the Bible. Sure, he might be fully convinced of what he said, and might said it’s true. But he might have forgotten something. Or he might have just said something wrongly. Check against your Bible. That can’t be wrong!

Second thing is – be careful not to idolise someone. He/she might be a great preacher and s/he might be teaching the truth, but we need to remember that s/he is still a sinful human being, and so we should not even come close to idolising him/her! (I am talking to both brothers and sisters, and sisters might idolise a female leader/teacher, and so the “s/he”.)

Jesus wants us to follow him, not follow anyone or anything less than Him!

No one comes close to Jesus. No one!

I know we would wholeheartedly agree with that statement, but I think sometimes some of us can come pretty close to idolising someone – especially a great and faithful teacher.

The Apostle Paul told us to imitate him, as he imitates Christ. Doesn’t that tells us something?

We are not told to be like Paul full-stop. We are told to be imitators of Paul, as Paul is of Christ.

Closing with an excerpt from Robert Murray M’Cheyne Memoir:

“He was well aware how easily the flock begin to idolise the shepherd, and how prone the shepherd is to feel somewhat pleased with this sinful partiality of his people, and to be uplifted by his success. “I sometimes think,” is his remark in a letter dated 18th January, “that a great blessing may come to my people in my absence. Often God does not bless us when we are in the midst of our labours, lest we shall say, ‘My hand and my eloquence have done it.’ He removes us into silence, and then pours ‘down a blessing so that there is no room to receive it;’ so that all that see it cry out, ‘It is the Lord!’ This was the way in the South Sea Islands. May it really be so with my dear people!”
From Memoir & Remains of Robert Murray M’Cheyne by Andrew Bonar, Banner of Truth Trust, 2004, 85

May all the great(est) preachers of today, would wish and pray for the same thing as what M’Cheyne prayed for his people. May they learn the same lesson – through different means, but same lesson – and may their people and they themselves follow and rely on the Lord only!

We are people who are not used to change… or something different… and I think, most of us, especially those who are in our church, i.e. FOCUS, have been trained SO well in being critical of other people/teaching that we forget to be gracious in our assessment of others… And sometimes, even forgetting the words of Paul to the Christians in Rome (which happens to be one of the things God reminded me of this morning):

3For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. – Romans 12: 3-7

I think, sometimes, in our zealousness to guard “the Biblical truth” as we know it, we forget that there are still much for us to learn from others around us, including those whom we might not agree fully or wholeheartedly, or those who are “not familiar” to us.

An action, which I strongly believe, is something we need to repent of!

By all means, be careful. By all means, don’t just swallow things in. But please, dear brothers and sisters, do not forget to be generous and gracious in your assessments of others as well. There are good things that we can learn from they have to say and from the expressions of their love for God – as seen in their lives.

As sinful human beings, it is only natural for us to prefer the familiar rather than the unfamiliar. And to think that we are better than others – especially those who are not familiar to us.

But just as Paul would not have it – but rather challenged the Christians in Rome to remember that God has gifted each member of the body of Christ differently – maybe, we will be wise in remembering that as well. Not that we didn’t know the passage above. Of course we know Romans 12. But maybe, it would be good to remember that as well??

There are good things we can learn from others, even when taking their teaching critically. And it’s good to be generous. And it’s good to have an outsider see something that we don’t always get to see.

Just like someone with a body odour problem not knowing that they spread unpleasant smell because they are so used to it… sometimes, it is good for us to have someone pointing something to us that we just “simply missed” because we are so used to it that we no longer realise we have a problem…

Saw an ad for a church on a free magazine, with this ’slogan’ as its main selling point:

In light of the above passage (and many others like that in the Bible), I thought it would be more appropriate to change the slogan to:

Although, followers of Christ are meant to be not attractive to the world… just as our Lord was not considered ‘attractive’ by the world’s standards…

A few weeks ago during my personal Bible reading time, I came across this verse:

And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them.
Mark 10: 1 (ESV)

That’s what was noted down as Jesus’ custom when crowds gathered around Him! Not healing them, not performing miracles, but teaching them!!!

A very sobering reminder, especially when many around us (those who also claim to be His followers), give conflicting voices about what the priority of Christ-like ministry should be…

Some quotes from “From Wales to Westminster” by Catherwood that I found interesting – nothing to do with why I am highly commending the book to anyone though. =) Just some interesting quotes:

Of course, it may be easier to say, ‘Never go to the cinema,’ than to say, ‘Work out what film is good and what one isn’t.’ But as the Bible says, the key thing is why we do something. As Martyn realized about himself, ‘Doing good things can lead to sin because you can do them out of a sense of pride in your good achievements.’ Or, as the joke goes, ‘Aren’t I wonderful, I’m so humble…!’ (p.94)

‘Didn’t Calvin say X?’ someone would say
‘Yes,’ the Doctor would reply, ‘but on what biblical grounds did Calvin say it?’
As he said of himself, he was a ‘Bible Calvinist’, not a ’system Calvinist’. (p.84)

As many of us know, just because we become Christians doesn’t mean that things will work out for us in this life. As the saying goes:
‘The rain it falls upon the just
and also on the unjust fella
But mainly on the just because
The unjust’s got the just’s umbrella!’
(p.69-70)

But people still asked him ‘Why give up a good profession in medicine? If you had been a bookie for instance and wanted to give that up to preach the gospel, we should understand and agree with you and say that you were doing a grand thing. But medicine – a good profession, healing the sick and relieving pain!’ One man even said to him, ‘If you were a solicitor and gave it up, I’d give you a pat on the back, but to give up medicine!’
‘Ah well,’ Martyn felt like saying, ‘if you knew more about the work of a doctor you would understand. We spend most of our time getting people fit to go back to their sin!‘ (p.59)

There are many other things worth quoting, but I don’t want to spoil your ‘treasure hunting’ just in case one of you does decide to read the book for yourself. =) Maybe I will post some more in the future. =)

Compromising sin, compromising Christ

Something worth reading and pondering:
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/457702672.html

Once you compromise sin, it’s only a matter of time before you compromise the gospel of Christ…