Boat People

Just watched Boat People by Ann Hui and came back to do a bit of reasearch and stumbled upon a present day link -- http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/refugee-crisis-son-of-vietnamese-boat-people-shares-story-of-how-britain-treated-asylum-seekers-in-10493316.html

Am glad I'm taking the course on the refugee crisis EOY.

The Carefree Christian

This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. There judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God. (1 Corinthians 4:3-5, NIV)

Is life really one unending bell curve?

We love to judge by comparison, from school rankings and performance appraisals, to our fluctuating notions of rich and successful. In church, we even dare to measure holiness horizontally, like the Pharisee who prayed “thank you God I am not like that terrible person over there”.

The topic of how we are judged is what Paul picks up on in 1 Corinthians 4. In verses 1 and 2, he reminds the Corinthian church of his identity as a minister and the expectations that come with it. 

Usually when a leader takes office, he or she is sworn-in and promises to perform their duties well. But instead of appeasing his audience, Paul declares he cares very little if he is judged by them or any human court. I don’t care what you think about the effectiveness of my ministry, he says; my identity is not tied to your evaluation.

Paul’s carefree position is a hard one to get to. We are often told, “don’t care about what people say about you, focus on yourself and living up to your own goals.” But Paul knows that our own standards are often unattainable and still motivated by others in the equation, leaving us guilty and self-loathing when we fail ourselves. And so he goes a step further and says he does not even care how he judges himself.

Can you see the trappings of Paul’s life start to fall away?

There is nothing that matters to Paul apart from the honest scales of God.

Like Isaiah and Job in the Old Testament[1], Paul knows it does not matter what we or anybody else thinks of our life’s work when we find ourselves before our Maker – it will not make us innocent. Ultimately, the standard by which we are judged is not a curve but the absolute standard of God’s perfection.

O holy Judge, here is my heart
What can I say to You?
Where could I run, how could I hide?
Darkness is day to You
The heart of a man is a maze within
So, come, light the way, illuminate sin
Nothing’s concealed, all is revealed
Jesus, I yield to You

I was condemned under Your law
Rightly I stood accused
I felt my need, my conscience agreed
I was without excuse
So how can I judge the ones who fall?
I know in my heart I’m just like them all
I will confess: my righteousness
Jesus, must rest in You

The Carefree Christian does not care for any verdict but Christ’s; all have fallen short of God’s standards and He is the only way God will judge us not-guilty. She holds on to the truths that she is a sinner yet justified by faith in Christ, and abandons everything else that contests for her identity. Because she is secure as God’s beloved, she no longer connects her failings or triumphs to her onward mission as a servant of Christ, “judg[ing] nothing” before the Lord comes but “wait[ing]” for that day. This is gospel-humility: self-forgetfulness that sets you free to think about Christ more! The Carefree Christian thus becomes a person who cares more because they have dropped out of life’s competition. They already know that on the day the Lord passes absolute judgement they will be praised and not punished, commended not condemned, and they long to bring others into the same fold.

Dear Heavenly Father, you are light in you is no darkness at all. You are a holy and you judge righteously, and we are so glad we can trust you to never be unjust! We confess that we have forgotten your ways and twisted your law to make it our own. We have deceived ourselves and claimed to be without sin. Our eyes are blind to our spiritual hollowness, our lips are too busy talking about stuff to sit in quietness and speak to you. We ask for your forgiveness for the private moments with our families, friends and in our areas of influence where we have been unfaithful to you. We thank you that though we are so prone to wander you call us home. We thank you for giving us your Spirit that works in us to make us more like you. We pray that you would give us the desire to want to die to our old selves. Help us want to love you more because our hearts are so tangled up on themselves and we cannot move them on our own. Please give us generosity and sacrifice to be better family members. In our church, help us trust you for growth and teach us obedience even when loving is hard. For our brothers and sisters who are persecuted we pray they would hold fast in their faith, and that all under social, financial and political strain, would continue living as they should even if it means making adjustments. We thank you and praise you, in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

---

[1] See Isaiah 6:5 KJV “I am undone”; Job 9 ESV “There is no arbiter”.

the two stage post-mortem life

HEROD

What is this miracle of the daughter of Jairus?

FIRST NAZARENE

The daughter of Jairus was dead. He raised her from the dead.

HEROD

He raises the dead?

FIRST NAZARENE

Yea, sire, He raiseth the dead.

HEROD

I do not wish Him to do that. I forbid Him to do that. I allow no man to raise the dead. This Man must be found and told that I forbid Him to raise the dead. Where is this Man at present?

SECOND NAZARENE

He is in every place, my lord, but it is hard to find Him.

_______________________________________________________________________

Contemporary Confusion; Present Confusion about Future Hope

-Heaven is important but it's not the end of the world
-Resurrection does not denote going to heaven when you die! Jesus' resurrection did not mean he died and went to heaven, it meant he was bodily resurrected and back
-the kingdom of heaven is not about a place where you go when you die
-God banished upstairs (out of the public square) so that we can run things downstairs
-"Going home to heaven" vs. Wilberforce & co. who believed that society had to be reformed so that it became thinkable to live in a Christian way.
-Evangelicalism in Britain gave up believing that it was possible to reform society at the same time they became more keen on heaven as the immediate destination rather than resurrection as the ultimate destination.
-The Sadducees were the conservatives who did not want any change in their world- they were the rich aristocratic class who liked the way they lived and thus denied the Pharisaic teaching of the resurrection
-It's nice to have a healer, but if somebody's raising the dead then the tyrant knows that his ultimate weapon is not his ultimate weapon

"The kingdom of heaven is not a place where God rules away from the present earth. It is the fact that God rules and the whole point of Jesus' ministry was that that rule was coming to birth on earth as in heaven, and that we should pray for its final coming. So that at the end of matthew's gospel, when Jesus says "all authority in heaven and on earth have been given to me", that needs working out, cashing through... because the mission of the church (Matt 28) follows from the fact the Jesus is already the Lord of earth as well as heaven. God forgive us that in the church we've often behaved as though he was basically the Lord in heaven, and that we through our present spirituality get in touch with that Lord in heaven in order that we might eventually go and be with him forever - which is precisely what the New Testament is written to say no to. In fact we have thereby colluded with various soft forms of (yes) Gnosticism. -- escapist theology"

When Earth's last picture is painted and the tubes are twisted and dried,
When the oldest colours have faded, and the youngest critic has died,
We shall rest, and, faith, we shall need it -- lie down for an aeon or two,
Till the Master of All Good Workmen shall put us to work anew.
And those that were good shall be happy; they shall sit in a golden chair;
They shall splash at a ten-league canvas with brushes of comets' hair.
They shall find real saints to draw from -- Magdalene, Peter, and Paul;
They shall work for an age at a sitting and never be tired at all!

And only The Master shall praise us, and only The Master shall blame;
Andd no one shall work for money, and no one shall work for fame,
But each for the joy of the working, and each, in his separate star,
Shall draw the Thing as he sees It for the God of Things as They are!

Beautiful stuff, totally non christian: 

Peace, peace! he is not dead, he doth not sleep,

He hath awaken'd from the dream of life;

'Tis we, who lost in stormy visions, keep

With phantoms an unprofitable strife,

And in mad trance, strike with our spirit's knife 

Invulnerable nothings. We decay

Like corpses in a charnel; fear and gried

Do not stand at my grave and weep (lovely and beautiful stuff, simply non christian)

we are image bearers, death is an insult to 

- Shelly (atheist), for Keats

Do not stand at my grave and weep

I am not there. I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on snow. 

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush 

I am the swift uplifting rush 

Of quiet birds in circled flight. 

I am the soft stars that shine at night. 

Do not stand at my grave and cry;

I am not there. I did not die. 

-Mary Elizabeth Frye 

Right idea of death:

Death be not proud, though some has called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;

For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow

Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

From rest and sleep, which but they pictures be,

Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,

And soonest our best men with thee do go,

Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery. 

Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, 

And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,

And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well

And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then? 

One short sleep past, we wake eternally 

And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

Subtly wrong hymns

Finish, then, Thy new creation;

Pure and spotless let us be.

Let us see Thy great salvation

Perfectly restored in Thee;

Changed from glory into glory,

Till in heaven we take our place,

Till we cast our crowns before Thee, 

Lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Charles Wesley 1747, Love divine, all loves excelling

Come near and bless us when we wake,

ere through the world our way we take,

till in the ocean of thy love

we lose ourselves in heaven above. (Buddhist idea of being a drop in the ocean that gets lost?)

- John Keble 1820, Sun of my soul, thou Savior dear

Hold now you Word before my closing eyes.

Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.

Heaven's morning breaks and earth's vain shadows flee;

in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

- Henry F. Lyte 1847, Abide with me

Good hymns

The golden evening brightens in the west;

soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;

sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;

the saints triumphant rise in bright array;

the King of glory passes on his way. 

Alleluia, Alleluia!

From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,

through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,

and singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:

Alleluia, Alleluia!

- William W. How 1864, For all the saints

weddings

When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Will your soul be ready for the mansions bright,

And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Don't run from the hard questions

“When obedience to God contradicts what I think will give me pleasure, let me ask myself if I love him.” ― Elisabeth Elliot

The Trauma of Holiness

The Trauma of Holiness - R.C. Sproul

The standard by which we will be judged ultimately is not a curve, but it will be the standard of God’s perfection. Now hear this, “everybody’s entitled to one mistake” – says who? Where did God ever say you can all have one mistake? One free sin, one free act of treason against my authority, one free insult to my integrity? He never said that did he, but even if he did, how long ago did you use yours up?

We’re comfortable with our imperfection, we judge ourselves by each other. No matter how ashamed I may be of the weaknesses of my life (and sometimes when I look inside myself I make myself sick, don’t you feel like that. Do you ever disgust yourself, saying how could I do that?! I can’t believe that I’m that selfish or I can’t believe that I’m that covetous, or lustful…) we are quick to excuse ourselves because we look around and we can always find somebody who is more depraved than we are, at least on the surface. So we can be like the Pharisee that went up to the temple to pray and say “O God I thank you that I’m not like that miserable guy over there”. We find a way to excuse ourselves, and to flatter ourselves, until we see the standard. When that happens, we are undone, as Isaiah was undone when he saw pure holiness; he understood what it was that he wasn’t. He couldn’t stand it and he’s on his face and he’s screaming out in pain saying woe is me for I am undone for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.

Why did Isaiah’s hand go instinctively to his mouth? Why do words matter? 

What was God's response? He did not:

- berate Isaiah for his excessive self-flagellation

- relish in Isaiah's suffering, leave him to writhe 

- offer cheap grace

Instead, 

"Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for."

The burning coal was used to cauterise dirty lips.

 

Dear Father, we pray that we might know your forgiveness, that we too might say, "here am I, send me". 

I'm praying for you, my friend

Apt words after todays study; praying for greater inward growth to love the things of God, to hate sin, to walk in holiness

Help me now to live a life

That’s dependent on Your grace

Keep my heart and guard my soul

From the evils that I face

You are worthy to be praised

With my every thought and deed

O great God of highest heaven

Glorify Your Name through me

also because this was the ad before it and it made me cry :')

what we put in and put out of ourselves is important <3

lucy is not a bad name

miss these daze
can't wait for England

~~~~

1. 
   "I have been so often prevented from reaching India that it seems hardly real that I am sitting in a ship bound for India. And, having reached that, what shall I do with myself? However,'Lead kindly light, amid the encircling gloom, lead Thou me on'. That thought is my solace, and may it be yours in the darkest moments." -M.K.G.
   
    Lead, kindly Light, amid th'encircling gloom;
   Lead thou me on!
   The night is dark, and I am far from home;
   Lead thou me on!
   Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
   The distant scene--one step enough for me.
2. 2. I was not ever thus, nor pray'd that thou
   Shouldst lead me on.
   I loved to choose and see my path; but now,
   Lead thou me on!
   I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
   Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years.
3. 3. So long thy pow'r hath blest me, sure it still
   Will lead me on
   O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
   The night is gone.
   And with the morn those angel faces smile,
   Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!
4. Text: John Henry Newman, 1801-1890
   Music: John B. Dykes, 1823-1876

sin cycles

Some thoughts on 2 Chronicles 20 (scroll down)

After this ithe Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites,1 came against Jehoshaphat for battle. 2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom,2 from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in jHazazon-tamar” (that is, kEngedi). 3 Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his facelto seek the Lord, and mproclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, 6 and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not nGod in heaven? You orule over all the kingdoms of the nations. pIn your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. 7 Did you not, our God, qdrive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of rAbraham your friend? 8 And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, 9 s‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment,3 or pestilence, or famine, twe will stand before this house and before you—ufor your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ 10 And now behold, the men of vAmmon and Moab and wMount Seir, whomxyou would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt,yand whom they avoided and did not destroy—11 behold, they reward uszby coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. 12 O our God, will you not aexecute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but bour eyes are on you.”

13 Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. 14 And cthe Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.15 And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, d‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, efor the battle is not yours but God's.16 Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of fthe valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 gYou will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ dDo not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, hand the Lord will be with you.”

18 Then Jehoshaphat ibowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before theLord, worshiping the Lord. 19 And the Levites, of the jKohathites and thekKorahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

20 And they rose early in the morning and went out into lthe wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! mBelieve in theLord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” 21 And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him nin holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,

o“Give thanks to the Lord,

for his steadfast love endures forever.”

22 And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set pan ambush against the men of qAmmon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. 23 For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir,rthey all helped to destroy one another.

24 When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there4 were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. 25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. 26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah,5 for there they blessed the Lord. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day. 27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, sfor the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. 28 They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the Lord. 29 tAnd the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lordhad fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, ufor his God gave him rest all around.

31 vThus Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 32 He walked in the way of Asa his father and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. 33 wThe high places, however, were not taken away; xthe people had not yet set their hearts upon the God of their fathers.

34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, are written in the chronicles of yJehu the son of Hanani, zwhich are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

35 aAfter this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly. 36 He joined him in building ships to go tobTarshish, and they built the ships in Ezion-geber. 37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying,c“Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.__________________________________________________________

I love the prayers of the kings of old- they tell so much of the fears, hopes and lives of the people.

v9 ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment,3 or pestilence, or famine, twe will stand before this house and before you—ufor your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’

In times of peril, stand before God's house, his dwelling place, not out of tradition or randomness but because "your name is in this house" - it is imbued with the power of his presence. Come, crying out to Him and believe that he will hear and save.
c.f. 2 Chronicles 6:18-20

  

v12 O our God, will you not aexecute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but bour eyes are on you.”

How oft can sin feel like a great horde, charging at us, pulling at us strapping us down imprisoning us - trapped in the same relentless cycles again and again, at our wits end all we can say is "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you". What a magical turn of phrase, but our eyes are on you, that we can turn and look up, seeing there someone who is powerful and strong to deliver us.

v15-17 And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, d‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, efor the battle is not yours but God's.16 Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of fthe valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 gYou will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ dDo not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, hand the Lord will be with you.”

The Battle is not yours but God's - it is not mine to fight and triumph over sin, how can I emancipate myself from myself? Be still, the LORD will fight for you. Be still, hold your position, and watch as He does amazing things more than you could ever imagine. Go out and meet the enemy face on, tomorrow, do not delay. The LORD will be with you. 

v20b Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.”

Believe in the words that have been laid down

v29 And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.

Look what God can do :) How little a view I have of Him!

v35-37 After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly. 36 He joined him in building ships to go tobTarshish, and they built the ships in Ezion-geber. 37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying,c“Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.

And so Jehoshaphat falls back into his old bad habits- dallying with the evil kings of Israel, usually for political-territorial purposes. And again God punishes him - destroying his ships though Jehoshaphat himself is spared.

So God is mighty to win the battle for us, even when our enemies seem overwhelming. He will answer when we stand in his presence and call upon His name. Little is needed of us, but to hold our positions, stand firm for the kingdom we belong to, believing in God's word. God will ultimately triumph and everyone will know and fear Him, for He is strong to save His people. Even people like Jehoshaphat who fall into the same old bad habits- not that God condones them - but he preserves the lives of those he loves.