Le blog de Willis: Une tragé-comé-drame épique

Calvinists need more friends..

2012-02-24T13:28:00.005-05:00

me:

Father Ed

I need to confess my sins

Edward:

bahaha

continue.

me:

YOOO

MY SOLUS CHRISTUS SHIRT CAME IN TODAY

5solas baby

Edward:

hahaha

congratulations my son

me:

shutup, you're catholic

you don't know anything about the solas

Edward:

hahahaha

that's so messed up!

me:

but tru fax

imma reform you son

willis used sola scriptura attack!!

Edward:

hahahaha

such a weiiiiiiiird combination of theology... and pokemon...

me:

yo mang

spiritual warfare

for asians

Edward:

hahahaha

Father Edward deflects attack with "stubborn heart"

me:

snaps

Edward:

(use the holy spirit attack willis! the holy spirit attack!)

me:

but

I'm arminian

you must make the choice bro

Edward:

what???!

me:

unfortunately my theology is too weak to cause any change

Edward:

just use it man! use it!

me:

willis has evolved into calvinist

learned new skill, monergistic irresistable grace

willis used holy spirit on father edward

Edward:

IT"S SUPER EFFECTIVE!!!!!!

me:

OHHHHH

Edward:

Father Edward faints.

me:

....

Edward:

hahahaha

i mean

Father Edward has CONVERTED!

or...

me:

yayayayay

Edward:

reformed!

hahaha

whooooo

What's this??

He's evolviong!

Father Edward has evolved into... REVEREND EDWARD!

2012-02-24T10:38:00.000-05:00

I love you mommy<333

Free Veritas Forum event tonight!

2012-02-22T00:24:00.003-05:00

Oxford mathematician and Penn Law professor have intelligent dialogue about God.

7:30PM, IRVINE AUDITORIUM.

Stuff Bboys...Wished Girls Said

2012-02-06T11:26:00.002-05:00

God chooses solidarity of feelings

2012-02-03T15:30:00.001-05:00

Interesting point J.I. Packer raises as I speculate the correctness of the claim. In the same way that God chose to limit his omniscience and capabilities for the purposes of his redemptive history in the person of Jesus (Matthew 24:36, Philippians 2:7), in some immanent sense he also chooses to make his happiness dependent on our happiness.

We look at verses such as the following:

In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15:10)

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. (Ephesians 4:30-31)

Of course, we affirm the completeness and security God has within himself for he never needed us in the first place (John 17:24, Psalm 115:3). But the act of choosing, and thus in some sense sacrificing, his emotions for our sake is pretty astounding. Think of someone you love. You are only ever completely happy when that person is happy as well.

We might hear preachers tell us to somehow get over our depression by looking at how happy our God is (Philippians 4:4, Hebrews 12:2). And what truth! However, an additional motivation I’ve found is that I know I am serving my God quite directly by finding joy in him, and that makes him extra happy. The feedback is completely positive. When I am reluctant to emotionally invest in people due to painful past hurts, I look to my God and the cost he exacted on himself to make me his friend!

Mill halo, finallyyy

2012-02-03T02:41:00.002-05:00

Jesus can be a hardbutt

2012-01-31T17:23:00.001-05:00

Shallow inspection of his character will never do. Time to examine the heart of Christ.

Jesus correcting opponents:

Often did it quite publicly and humiliatingly. (Matthew 15:1-20)
Straight-up calling false teachers wrong. (Luke 11:37-53)
Name-calling, sometimes semi-racistly. (Matthew 7:6, Matthew 7:15, Matthew 23:33, Luke 13:32)
Compared people. (Matthew 8:5-13)
Called BS on seemingly good excuses. (Matthew 8:18-22)
Had an outright physical tamper tantrum. (Matthew 21:12-13)

Jesus correcting his elect:

His authority was important to him and at times needed to let others know. He calls his gosh darn mom "woman." (John 2:3-5)
Compared people. (Luke 10:41-42, John 21:22)
Used people's deaths to preach his agenda. Dude's mad cold. (Luke 13:1-5)
Embarrassment and condescension. (Matthew 18:1-5)

So would these actions be necessarily applicable to us? Not to disappoint Word of Faith adherents, but I think "no."

Here is a holy God among sinners that all deserve to be teared limb-from-limb for their constant disobedience. But instead, he delivers relatively light rebukes. And take note at how customized each one is; our God is so loving and personal. In contrast, as laypeople, our duty is to expunge the huge planks in our eyes as we gently restore our fellow sinning kindred. LORD, we worship you for your faithful mercies and discipline!

"Willis, the friendly Christian hipster"

2012-01-24T14:01:00.004-05:00

Curtis Lee along with cohorts Sam and Ernest have been giving me a run for my money as of late. Exhibit A and Exhibit B have instated both a record label and fan club among the trio, but they plan to go global by way of meme-ing it up:

Sigh.

Clockwise barrels and babymills

2012-01-23T14:12:00.003-05:00

Learning maneuvers quite quickly..

Swipes, mills to headspin

2012-01-19T01:17:00.002-05:00

We love God for what he says about himself

2012-01-05T10:10:00.001-05:00

It is a great irony to me that Calvinists are stereotyped as logic-driven. For forty years my experience has been the opposite. The Calvinists I have known (English Puritans, Edwards, Newton, Spurgeon, Packer, Sproul) are not logic driven, but Bible-driven. It’s the challengers who bring their logic to the Bible and nullify text after text. Branches are lopped off by “logic,” not exegesis.

Who are the great enjoyers of paradox today? Who are the pastors and theologians who grab both horns of every biblical dilemma and swear to the God-Man: I will never let go of either.

Not the Calvinism-critics that I meet. They read of divine love, and say that predestination cannot be. They read of human choice and say the divine rule of all our steps cannot be. They read of human resistance, and say that irresistible grace cannot be. Who is logic-driven?

For forty years Calvinism has been, for me, a vision of life that embraces mystery more than any vision I know. It is not logic-driven. It is driven by a vision of the ineffable, galactic vastness of God’s Word.

— John Piper

A mark of sanctification

2012-01-04T09:49:00.001-05:00

I am now deliberately searching for the radio edits of hiphop songs for my Grooveshark playlists.

What.

the heck.

is wrong with me..

Just had a dream within a dream

2012-01-02T19:51:00.001-05:00

In the second level of dreaming, I’m watching CCTV4 cooking programming in my living room, but from my periphery I spot my ex-girlfriend with a katana. I am not fearful - for the LORD my God is with me - annddd my house apparently has an electric fence. I text her to say that the Zhang office is closed, it’s a federal holiday.

I wake up from that level, still in the living room, and realized I “subconsciously” texted her in this level so I’m kinda dealing with the subsequent (excrement)storm. Pretty difficult to explain but I think you get it.

I finally wake up to real life, passed out in my work clothes on the living room couch. Much laughter ensues :D

2011

2011-12-31T14:03:00.000-05:00

Summer brought hours of (voluntary) aimless lonely meandering through a dense urban jungle, sleepless nights, emptiness, hospital visits and deteriorating health. Fall semester: cue more hospital visits, dead cat, and dead friends. And the year closes again with parents completely rejecting Jesus.

Slowest year. So. Ridiculously. Heartachingly. Slow. Yet the LORD made it so! I stand encouraged! And still young! LORD, if it is your will, if you still see immaturity in me, you are free to discipline me again and again this coming year so that I may cling tighter onto you! I love you to the uttermost, LORD.

2011-12-30T12:03:00.004-05:00

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://pointplace.bandcamp.com/album/mediterannea"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Mediterannea by Point Place&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Unlike fictional couple Gordon-Levitt/Deschanel, here is collab music of a real couple.

why pursue truth anyways

2011-12-30T11:57:00.001-05:00

It’s a wonder how I’m a stickler for correct theology when it would be bringing to light how much greater the wrath would be for my family, currently vessels prepared for destruction (Romans 9:22). Or is it that I seek to know more of God so others may know more of him too when they talk to me?

… on that note, please talk to me if you have questions (willisz@seas.upenn.edu).

Corporate World 101!

2011-12-29T10:44:00.003-05:00

Osama bin Laden and Kim Jong Il

2011-12-18T22:42:00.000-05:00

Both died during finals week. Hmm. HMMMMM.

Games Willis Play, #1

2011-12-05T20:58:00.003-05:00

Players. 1 v 1, 2, or 3. Increase number of opponents as per skill level.

Background. Unanticipated conversation initiates between you and associate(s) as you walk through campus. Difficulty level gauged by longevity of previous encounter with said opposing party.

Objective. Cultivate cheery atmosphere. Force opposing party into jovial mood for the purposes of making a tactful escape, usually by collective use of winsomeness, animated banter, and/or offhand faux pas.

Current record. Daily average - 3 wins, 2 losses, 0.5 mutual forfeits.

Games Willis Play, #2

2011-12-05T20:58:00.002-05:00

Players. 1 v ego.

Background. Game set whilst advancing adjacent to large building windows.

Objective. Correct posture (straighten back, extend legs wotwot) using window reflection within a time window just shy of complete vanity.

Current record. Undefeated record.*

*Scrimmage matches against laptop monitor reflection (the first 2 - 3 seconds where the screen is loading but otherwise black enough to check your hair) not included.

Insecure about praying

2011-12-03T16:00:00.000-05:00

Praying aloud in group settings was seriously the bane of my faith up until sometime last year when I learned more about God’s attributes through systematic theology. I really fell in love with Jesus by poring through the doctrines of grace; his necessity and faithfulness was made abundantly clear from studying christophanies within the Old Testament to God’s present soteriological work in our walks. And I would gush about it while praying to the point where someone I wanted to bless didn’t approve of how I prayed. This stumbled me a lot and to this day I feel a wave of hesitance and insecurity as I pray for someone.

As I read more on the topic, I have felt God’s assurance and affirmation through what we see in his word. Tim Keller and John Piper have both written on the prayer in Acts 4:24-31. Things to note in their plea to bring down the Holy Spirit (from our Bible study this week hehe):

Praying corporately and together. “It is the church gathered, not just the apostles, that pray for God to give boldness and to heal and to do signs and wonders.” People like you and me can pray for crazy stuff.
It was more absorbed in praise and worship to God than in human requests. “If we want his fullness, we will do well to fill our minds with the truth he has revealed about God in Scripture.” These guys didn’t even ask for protection during persecution!
With regards to Scripture, declarations from the word guided their prayer. Look! Halfway through the prayer as they meditate on God’s sovereignty, these guys were convicted that even Christ’s death was predestined so that he may be glorified (so how can we not trust God in all things??). We get revelation during prayer; it’s all a process.
The main point was God’s glory. The requests aimed to make God known to more people.

I’m with Tozer in desiring daily experience of praising Thy glory so that we are accustomed to the glory when we enter Thy heaven to dwell with Thee there.

from the confessions of our faith

2011-11-30T11:24:00.001-05:00

So here’s a truth that hits home for all of us. We all die. It is irreversible. You can only act like it doesn’t matter to you for so long. From the Heidelberg Catechism, we know the purpose of death for the believer:

42. Q. Since Christ has died for us, why do we still have to die?

A. Our death is not a payment for our sins, but it puts an end to sin and is an entrance into eternal life.[1]

[1] John 5:24; Phil. 1:21-23; I Thess. 5:9, 10.

This hinges on a belief that Christ died for you so that you may be satisfied. You cannot deny your times of emptiness. Whether it manifests in desperate need for attention or exceeding disappointment at failures made by ourselves or friends, our hearts without Jesus are unsatisfied.

God does not force the decision. It is entirely your choice to accept this free gift or not.

I suck at loving people

2011-11-27T01:44:00.001-05:00

It’s not even one of those fake humility things where I’m downplaying my awesomeness. How do you know if you’re a pretty good friend of mine? We share blessing experiences together but over time I’ve neglected you and taken you for granted. You would then confront me about it and I offer my feeble apologies. This will occur perhaps multiple times.

Quick exegesis on 2 Corinthians 6:3-12:

(verse 3) Unable to genuinely love people is a stumbling block that really hurts people, learned both from friends and cg members.
(verse 6) Purity. Understanding. Patience. Kindness. Sincerity. These things are super foreign to me.
(verse 12) I withhold affection as only prideful people do.

Atm, very unconcerned about the theological integrity of this post. So much so I used NIV in writing this. It’s all about that ridiculous heart for the Gospel.

Open invitation to Jeff Lee's memorial worship service tonight @7PM, Bodek Lounge

2011-11-22T01:22:00.001-05:00

"Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less"

2011-11-18T12:55:00.004-05:00

Martin Luther defined sin as “mankind turned inward.” And sadly, the way many of us think about sanctification is terribly narcissistic. We spend too much time thinking about how we’re doing, if we’re growing, whether we’re doing it right or not. We spend too much time pondering our failure and brooding over our spiritual successes. In short, we spend way too much time thinking about ourselves and what we need to do and far too little time thinking about Jesus and what he’s already done. And what I’ve discovered is that the more I focus on my need to get better the worse I actually get–I become neurotic and self-absorbed. Preoccupation with my performance over Christ’s performance for me makes me increasingly self-centered and morbidly introspective. This is the opposite of how the Bible describes what it means to be sanctified. Sanctification is forgetting about yourself.

Peter only began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on “how he was doing.” Anytime our natural fixture on self is rattled, shaken, turned from itself to that Man’s blood, to that Man’s cross, the devil runs!

When we stop narcissistically focusing on our need to get better that is what it means to get better. When we stop obsessing over our need to improve, that is what it means to improve!

— Tullian Tchividjian of The Gospel Coalition

How I can become more gospel-centered

2011-11-13T01:51:00.000-05:00

That is, make applicable the riches of God’s grace through Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection for pathetic sinners like me:

Take the entire Bible seriously to enhance the sweetness of the gospel message. To my shame, I have not read through the Old Testament.
Preach the gospel to both believers and nonbelievers.
Repent. Repent. Repent.
Have a contagious, constant astonishment of the gospel.
Be known to give grace; be a person skeptics and seekers would like to talk to.
Love the person of Jesus more than doctrinal implications.

Remixed Calvinism

2011-11-11T18:59:00.000-05:00

It sometimes feels like Calvinists first invoke the five points, then apologize for invoking the five points, then explain how the five points don’t really mean what they seem to mean and aren’t really saying what they seem to be saying. This can’t possibly be the best way to introduce people to what we believe.

Funny but true. Greg Forster offers another version of TULIP which references the three persons of God and the mechanism of salvation:

State of man before salvation: wholly defiled
Work of the Father in salvation: unconditional choice
Work of the Son in salvation: personal salvation
Work of the Spirit in salvation: supernatural transformation
State of man after salvation: in faith, perseverance

Das cool.

What church should I attend?

2011-11-09T18:41:00.001-05:00

From Pastor John of Good News Church I attended this summer:

1) Don't base your choice on comfort. Ever thought that, perhaps, as a sinner what you consider comfortable God may consider uncomfortable?

2) Risk-benefit analysis is ill-advised. A good church will always cost you by asking you to give yourself in committed service. In that way, it is blessing you (ref. Beatitudes).

3) Christ-centered. A good gauge whether the church is not grieving the Holy Spirit is if Christ is the chief priority (John 16:14). Not morals, practical advice, fellowship events, cool worship - other religions have those. Not personalities or movements. Just Christ.

4) Marked with humility. Philippians 2:1-11 not only on an individual level, but does the body care for the church universal and form partnerships? Does it celebrate victories of other bodies or is it absorbed in its own happenings?

Now commit.

describes my conversion to a t

2011-11-03T15:30:00.002-04:00

But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

-1 Corinthians 14:24-25

hard truth

2011-10-31T11:34:00.002-04:00

From Terry Virgo of The Resurgence:

Being depressed is bad witness. Self-importance dictates that I deserve to be unduly sad.

Remembering that my body and feelings are not mine. Nothing is. Humility dictates that the living Christ be the source of strength and emotion (Philippians 1:18) - and every other source is self-seeking and self-destructive! Voltorb!!

How do you really ask for filling of the Spirit? Read the Bible.

2011-10-27T19:02:00.003-04:00

Found a better response to when people ask why they should read their Bibles. Credit to P.Chaz and Redeemer Presbyterian for the cool Bible study question:

Many people think that all the church needs is more of the Spirit, but the Bible never pits learning against power, truth against the Spirit.

(Acts 1:3-8) Why do you think Jesus prepares the apostles’ minds before he sends them power? What is the relationship between knowing truth and experiencing the Spirit?

(Ephesians 1:17-19, 3:16-18) Increasing wisdom and revelation to grasp God’s excellencies empowers the spirit. Think of the Spirit as “fire” and the truth of God’s word as “firewood.”
(John 4:24, 16:13-14) The nature of the Spirit is one of truth, not necessarily subjective emotion or experience. Above all, the Spirit’s main objective is to glorify Christ.
(Romans 1:16) The gospel is the power of God. The Spirit’s power does not work apart from the truth.
(Luke 24:44-49) Correct interpretation of the Bible is important to Jesus, where he opens the minds of the disciples in order to be effective witnesses. Expository preaching!! Christ and his gospel must be preached so that divine love can truly transform people.

This series is gonna be awesome.

Même en rêve

2011-10-25T10:49:00.000-04:00

tu as le don pour enflammer chilling fields à chaque coup d’oeil non réciproque. Cependant j’espère sincèrement que tu peux vendre le bateau.

Discipleship season

2011-10-22T22:57:00.001-04:00

is now in session.

One hand rollback, pop up, 2 babymills

2011-10-19T21:00:00.000-04:00

Moralism produces immorality

2011-10-14T15:32:00.003-04:00

When I thought God was hard, I found it easy to sin; but when I found God so kind, so good, so overflowing with compassion, I smote upon my breast to think that I could ever have rebelled against One who loved me so, and sought my good.

- Charles Spurgeon

Legalism actually leads to immorality, whereas a grace-centered life -> an obedient life. Think about it.

4AM trip to Atlantic City

2011-10-11T14:15:00.000-04:00

Well, that was random.

Be sure to watch yesterday’s clip before this one.

2011-10-11T13:45:00.001-04:00

Apart From Jesus, Gandhi's In Hell

2011-10-10T09:05:00.001-04:00

“Some of you, God hates you."

"‘He hates the sin and not the sinner.’ That’s Ghandi, not Jesus.”

Thank you Pastor Mark for the truth.

2011-10-02T15:06:00.001-04:00

Take care, Whiz!

"Those religious people"

2011-09-27T23:02:00.000-04:00

When I hear pastors bring up distinctions between the aims of their own ministry and those of “religious people,” I get uneasy. These pastors claim that under “gospel-centered” and “grace-centered” banners that they “got Jesus” and everyone else is so lost. I have seen and continue to see this happen. I was one of these stupid idiots and along the way I badly hurt people I loved.

2 Corinthians 12:9 sufficiency of the lord’s grace not only applies to walking with Jesus but preaching about him. It is sufficient to preach that grace. Lose the divisiveness (James 4:1). If you really want to change/remove the legalists in your congregation, they will be offended by the good news. Any other method is not one of love.

You guys are welcomed to disagree: is it fruitful to make a deprecatory example of non-gospel-centered ministries as legalists? Also as an aside, Anberlin concert was so fun.

Been one of the most spiritually blessing weeks in recent memory, so therefore

2011-09-24T15:35:00.002-04:00

Lord, guard my heart and keep me repentant.

My walk with Jesus is like a coupled oscillator

2011-09-21T21:19:00.002-04:00

Taking Dynamics and Bifurcations with Dr. Ghrist this semester, and from just today we learned how to model (first-order) social fads and synchronized menstrual cycles among female friends. Joy.

One uncoupled second-order system for a brushless DC motor, seen below, routes itself into chaos.

Compare with a system with coupling, shown below with increasing coupling strength parameters.

I think this is how God aligns my will with his. With time, he allows limit k →∞. Not sure if I’m preaching a synergistic or monergistic theology, but I know he will erase the double-facedness in me. Jesus presents it better:

44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

John 6:44-45

"They can't"

2011-09-19T02:29:00.000-04:00

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed?

And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?

And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

And how are they to preach unless they are sent?

Romans 10:14-15

Optimizing humility

2011-09-13T16:15:00.004-04:00

Escaping linear programming for a bit. Been noticing I get annoyed when I sense people striving to take credit for work, and that could only mean that I have the same complex. People with pride quickly suspect pride in others, and humble saints suspect pride in themselves in order to esteem and give thanks to others.

To be prideful is folly (Proverbs 27:2), may the spirit give me a habit of noticing, encouraging, and helping others.

Philippians 2:

Do nothing ~~can I erase ALL selfishness?~~ out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. ~~can I serve friends even more selfish than me?~~ ⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature^[a] God,
did not consider equality with God ~~I delude myself in personal sense of justice instead of God’s perfect justice~~ something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature^[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross! ~~do I wish myself accursed for the sake of lost friends? Romans 9:3~~

2011-09-07T11:46:00.000-04:00

Funny shirts this sister showed me.

Westminster Catechism Rap by Voice feat. Dr. DA Carson

2011-08-19T23:55:00.002-04:00

wow.

Also, Lecrae is more theologically sound than most American pastors.

The Law is more useful than Romans 8:3 makes it out to be

2011-08-16T10:19:00.001-04:00

Besides civil, didactic, and pedagogical uses, the Law is also most importantly reflective:

The Law reveals a glimpse of the perfect righteousness of Christ.

As we stagger under the lengthy, weighty mass of Scriptural imperatives, breathlessly gasping our own depravity, let us also find the answer to the question “How perfect is Jesus’ righteousness imputed to us?” with "This perfect.” (And more perfect still.)

2011-08-10T09:05:00.001-04:00

This is probably what heaven looks&sounds like JUST SAYINN’ WOWOW.

John Calvin is the man

2011-08-09T13:32:00.006-04:00

Nothing will more effectively preserve us in a straight and undeviating course in this economy ~~of the crippling yen, euro, and dollar? hahaha~~ than a firm persuasion that all events are in the hand of God.
...
It is wrong to infer from prosperity that God is favorable toward us, and from suffering that God is angry. For God does not consider in chastening the faithful what they deserve but rather what will be useful to them in the future. He fulfills the office of a physician rather than of a judge. Suffering often brings us to the end of our rope, so we will look to God in Christ for our safety.

We must never forget that there is no tribunal so magnificent, no throne so stately, no show of triumph so distinguished, no chariot so elevated, as is the cross on which Christ has subdued death and the Devil. His whole life was nothing but a kind of perpetual cross. The cross of Christ always contains in itself the victory. But like the disciples at Golgotha, we flee the cross—both Christ's and our own. We imagine that somehow we deserve prosperity. But prosperity often inebriates people, so that they take delight in their own vanities. Instead of leading to gratitude, God's indulgent liberality is abused; prosperity easily becomes its own kind of prison that deprives us of God's greatest gifts.
...
Our salvation and reconciliation to God in Christ is more important than any present happiness. It is far better for the children of God to be blessed, though mutilated and half-destroyed, than to desire that peace in which they shall fall asleep. Our ultimate security and prosperity is found only in Christ and will be fully realized only in glory.

- from The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Without the gospel everything is useless and vain; without the gospel we are not Christians; without the gospel all riches is poverty, all wisdom folly before God; strength is weakness, and all the justice of man is under the condemnation of God.
...
It follows that every good thing we could think or desire is to be found in this same Jesus Christ alone. For, he was sold, to buy us back; captive, to deliver us; condemned, to absolve us; he was made a curse for our blessing, sin offering for our righteousness; marred that we may be made fair; he died for our life; so that by him fury is made gentle, wrath appeased, darkness turned into light, fear reassured, despisal despised, debt canceled, labor lightened, sadness made merry, misfortune made fortunate, difficulty easy, disorder ordered, division united, ignominy ennobled, rebellion subjected, intimidation intimidated, ambush uncovered, assaults assailed, force forced back, combat combated, war warred against, vengeance avenged, torment tormented, damnation damned, the abyss sunk into the abyss, hell transfixed, death dead, mortality made immortal. In short ~~oh yeah, REALLLL short John~~, mercy has swallowed up all misery, and goodness all misfortune.

For all these things which were to be the weapons of the devil in his battle against us, and the sting of death to pierce us, are turned for us into exercises which we can turn to our profit. If we are able to boast with the apostle, saying, O hell, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? it is because by the Spirit of Christ promised to the elect ~~Ephesians 1:14 baby!!!~~, we live no longer, but Christ lives in us.

- from a preface to the New Testament in Olivétan's French Bible Translation

Are there any prefaces in your Bible that are this nice??

To my peeps who don't understand the Bible

2011-08-02T09:40:00.002-04:00

honestly, I sometimes don't really either.

"Why is homosexuality a sin?" Well, it doesn't really bother me so I'm not quite sure.

"Why should wives submit to the headship of the husband?" Because the Bible said so?

If someone offers "because the Bible says so" as an answer to your question, you are free to write that person off as someone who has no clue what they're talking about. Silver or gold or humanist rationale I do not have, but what I have I give you. And that is an amazing redeemer who has shown himself in human history to fulfill these rules - which were graciously given to me like a father telling his child to not step out into the middle of the road. His perfect record made him the only one suitable sacrifice to clean my record of constant disobedience.

I deserve hell but instead I am getting Jesus. A story about a people deserving wrath but instead are given mercy? That love is on every page of the Bible.

Middle-aged black ladies

2011-07-28T20:40:00.000-04:00

I love them soooo much.

Whether they call me “honey,” “baby,” “handsome,” or “sugar,” they make me feel like the most desirable male on the planet. Every night I’ve been making 30-second conversations with one cafeteria server, Flora. However, between the good weather and random local block parties, I’m soon going to run out of topics to bring up.

What else can I talk to her about - just short of asking her out this weekend?

Actually, what a great idea.

So blessed like wow!!

2011-07-22T11:59:00.002-04:00

No drastic events transpiring to come to this conclusion, per se. God's just been allowing my heart to explode with joy more frequently. Victory is at hand in the nonphysical realms!

Life in New York is very tiring and it's been hard to motivate myself to read scripture when it seems like the city has enough things to superficially fill the holes in my heart. Stumbling into recurring emptiness, however, tells me that's not the way to go.

God works tho! He listens to prayers. He strengthens me. He keeps his promises.

I am useless. But Jesus made himself a curse for me. Why??? Because God was pleased to deliver me to himself. Dang, so happy!!!

Christians have funny conversations sometimes

2011-07-21T00:10:00.003-04:00

Social constructs

2011-07-17T00:37:00.000-04:00

Dude, when there's music playing in public, I don't understand what's with people stepping out-of-beat when they're walking past. Really? Nothing in you demands to step in-time with the percussion? Are you deaf???

The difference between Joel Osteen and Jesus

2011-07-15T09:40:00.001-04:00

Healing seldom comes out of a change in situation, but rather through a situation.

"F is for friends who do stuff together"

2011-07-13T08:15:00.001-04:00

I can be a better friend. Things to think about:

~~“I’m an empty vessel ready for you to pour your love and affirmation and curiosity into me.”~~Ask questions about other people.
~~"My opinion holds more weight than your opinion. And I'll share all my opinions."~~ Silence beats belittling my neighbor. Less criticism, more empathy.
~~"It's not worth the effort to invest in people that won't invest back."~~ Do not withhold blessing from someone when given the opportunity to bless them.
~~"Being loud, stupid, and politically incorrect is funny."~~ Not following cultural norms of politeness is sin. Oh snap.

Stifling

2011-07-12T00:24:00.000-04:00

Hey, to the mom that scolded her son for asking too many questions after church:

Please answer the questions and love your child the way Jesus loves you.

We don't need another kid growing up into a Rob Bell.

Gospel in the OT

2011-07-08T15:24:00.001-04:00

Scripture taken simply as an instruction manual would probably be one of the most discouraging self-help books this side of the resurrection. All of scripture will point you to Christ and his love for you :)

From an interview with Dane Ortland:

Where is the gospel in Proverbs (or James)?

There is no magic formula to ‘find’ the gospel in Proverbs. Rather, if we read Proverbs as wise words from a father who loves his children too much to let them ruin their lives through ignorant folly, we will receive it as God means us to, and be strengthened in a way that is grace-flavored.

And remember, from a macro-perspective, Jesus is the ultimate wise man. Paul said that Jesus "became for us wisdom" (1 Cor. 1:30). Jesus is the wise man, and we fools, united to him by faith, share in that wisdom.

Where is the gospel in Leviticus?

All over the place. Leviticus is an elaborate accounting of the sacrificial system that God mercifully instituted for Israel, to atone for their sins. It is virtually impossible to plunk down into a random place in Leviticus and not see God’s gracious provision of a way out for filthy people.

And Jesus himself brought that entire sacrificial system to fulfillment. The New Testament tells us Jesus was not only the priest who offered the sacrifice, he was also the sacrifice itself, the lamb—and he was even the temple in which the priest offered the sacrifice. As we read Leviticus as Christians, then, we can be ever mindful of what all those bloody sacrifices were anticipating.

Where is the gospel in Ecclesiastes?

Ecclesiastes insists that the good things of life—food, work, sex, wealth, honor—cannot serve as the ultimate things in life, and that if we make this mistake (as Solomon did) we will come to the end of life exhausted, frustrated, and disillusioned. Only God satisfies.

Jesus really had it all, even more than Solomon. He had unbounded wealth and honor in heaven. He had everything Solomon chased after. To an infinite degree. And he emptied himself and gave it all up and came to earth and suffered and died. Why? So that you and I, wayward sinners, can have real wealth, real riches, real honor, in the new earth, forever.

The answer really is, as we say in BYG, God'sRedemptivePlan.

To my accountability partners:

2011-07-07T09:22:00.001-04:00

Evan Chen, you write mad long texts deeeeeeeeeeeemmmmmm!!!!!!

Dustin Shung, watch this video.

:) <3

Witty NYC public transportation advertisements

2011-07-02T22:58:00.000-04:00

NYC traffic is not a nightmare. Nightmares are shorter.

Broadway is not all that broad.

Gospel = past, present, and future amazingness

2011-07-01T07:21:00.001-04:00

Malachi 1:1-5

The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.

“I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob's brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.” If Edom says, “We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins,” the Lordof hosts says, “They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called ‘the wicked country,’ and ‘the people with whom the Lord is angry forever.’” Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, “Great is the Lord beyond the border of Israel!”

1 Corinthians 15:1-2

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

God will probably admit with us that things aren't perfect now. At the present we struggle to be spiritually pure and we suffer much in light of the sin within us and around us. But that struggle is indicative of something greater at work: daily resurrection power.

The gospel gives historical assurance of God's love on the cross -> breathtaking anticipation of eternal basking in his love.

It be crazy encouragement mang.

So yea, that end-of-the-world thing..

2011-06-29T00:59:00.001-04:00

I don't know whether to smh or curb-stomp that Harold Camping guy. On some level, he's certainly made it harder to witness to people. He's given legitimate ammunition for my dad to scold me on large checking account funds going to seemingly seedy Christian organizations, which to him are all akin to Camping's agenda.

On the other hand, Camping's publicity raised questions in my sister's head, making it possible to talk about Biblical teaching on Jesus' return to my sister. Which means, basically, my sister got to know more about the Bible. いいよ!

Saving you the trouble of buying books...

2011-06-26T23:12:00.001-04:00

Sike, go frequent the bookstore and read.

These days, doctrine is often derided by the people who view it as divisive and unnecessary to living the Christian life. Some people pride themselves on not being concerned with the specifics of what they believe about salvation, sin, the work of the Spirit, and other doctrinal issues. A friend who attended a large conference for youth workers told me that the host started the event by walking onstage declaring, 'It's not about doctrine! It's about Jesus!'

I consider this a sad and misleading statement. We don't have to choose between caring about doctrine and loving Jesus. The two pursuits are not opposed to each other. In fact, they are inseparable! We can only grow in our love for our Savior as we learn more of who He is and what He has accomplished for us. A concern for truth doesn't take us away from a deeper relationship with Him. It leads us closer to Him, in greater worship, adoration, and obedience.

Joshua Harris, Stop Dating the Church

—

You must still be tried on this earth and tested in many things.

Consolation will sometimes be given you, but the fullness of it will not be granted.

Take courage, then, and be valiant in doing things that are repugnant to nature as well as in suffering them.

You must put on the new self, and be changed into another self.

Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

—

Jesus could have told the man, 'I am the glory of God in human form. Purify your heart, confess all your sins, get rid of all your doubts and your double-mindedness. Once you have surrendered to me totally and can come before me with a pure heart, then you can ask for the healing you need.'

But Jesus doesn't say that - not at all. The boy's father says, 'I'm not faithful, I am riddled with doubts, and I cannot muster the strength necessary to meet my moral and spiritual challenges. But help me.' That's saving faith - faith in Jesus instead of in oneself... You must admit that you are not righteous, and that you need help. When you can say that, you are approaching God to worship.

Tim Keller, King's Cross

—

Another saying of Jesus, and a most disturbing one, was put in the form of a question. "How can ye believe, which receive honor of another, and seek not the honor that come from God only?" (John 5:44) If I understand this correctly, Christ taught here the alarming doctrine that the desire for honor among men made belief impossible. Is this sin at the root of religious unbelief?

I believe it may be. The whole course of the life is upset by failure to put God where he belongs. We exalt ourselves instead of God and the curse follows.

A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

Holy = boring

2011-06-22T00:54:00.001-04:00

Something I've been doting on for awhile...

The more sanctified I'm becoming, the more boring I am. Compared to who I was before.

Lord, if I could write my own version of 1 Corinthians 3:19, help me to confess that what the world deems as "exciting" is "boring" to you, and vice versa. In a world where we all sell out to satan and our flesh, open my eyes to see the indieness and hipster appeal in being as violently meek as Christ.

14

2011-06-20T00:43:00.001-04:00

is the number of guy friends that got dumped by girls over this past year.

For my dudes, cling hard to the supremacy of God. What's the first thing you think of when you wake up? It better be: "It cost Jesus getting dumped by the Father to save me."

Use the time to live for his interests and nothing else (1 Corinthians 7:32-35). Love you all, let's talk sometime.

Jesus, why???

2011-06-15T23:41:00.000-04:00

The more I see you, the more I really am able to love this very ungodly coworker of mine.

My flesh hates the fact that I'm growing attached and caring for this person's needs. Your spirit rejoices and feeds on Christ's redemptive truth. That is, you saved me in my ungodliness and you desire to save her too.

And that's all I need to know.

The most discouraging people

2011-06-14T15:53:00.001-04:00

are the ones who promise greater commitment to God in your face then proceed to fall off the face of the planet spiritually and, more often than not, socially. Reaching out to these people is a draining process and wreaks havoc on other relationships you are trying to sustain. Monergism never felt so barren.

And yet, I’m this discouraging person.

Gospel in disguise

2011-06-12T01:54:00.000-04:00

My dad told me today that he’s very proud of me and that I’m a very good son. I’m actually not a very good son. Still blown away.

Two other gospel-esque quotes that have stuck with me, delivered from one friend to another in times of emotional vulnerability:

“It’s OK to be inadequate.”
“Even if I found out something terrible about you, I’ll still be your friend.”

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

2011-06-05T22:55:00.001-04:00

Preaching the gospel is easy

2011-05-27T10:40:00.001-04:00

in English.

Because my Chinese is so bad, I've probably had to establish 8 different theological distinctives (relative to the Westminster Catechism) in order to deliver the gospel. That's like 5 new denominations. I really hope God doesn't bring this up (1 Timothy 6:20).

Among these are:

"Half of your heart wants to do bad things. Half of your heart wants to listen to God."
"Jesus will save you from superficial Buddha worship and college entrance exams."
"I now obey my parents because Jesus likes this."
"Being Christian is not intelligent vs. ignorant. Or Eastern vs. Western. It is true vs. false."

HK cultural notes

2011-05-18T11:59:00.000-04:00

For the expats.

A cute boy and/or cute girl got your eye? They are most likely taken. Everyone here with a decently symmetrical face is in a relationship. Things are looking grim if you're over 25 and haven't fathered/mothered a child yet.
If you want to make it as a ~~street~~ performer, you will not recieve any claps. Just saying.
See that red streak down your neck and back? Those are from bed ticks. RAAAAAAAAAGGGGGEEEEEE.

At a restaurant, you WILL sit next to a complete stranger. No empty spot is left untaken!
Have a government department in need of a symbol? How about a cute animal mascot? Doesn't even have to be real. Just cute.

Nothing's open til 10:30. But when things are open, be sure to get the nice old man downstairs to break the lock the TSA forgot to undo.

Best game: try complimenting someone - shirt, shoes, whatever - and watch what they'll do. People here do not know how to take compliments and will probably run away.
If you do manage to start a conversation with someone, don't expect a goodbye at the end.

I'm on overseas missions!

2011-05-18T11:56:00.000-04:00

LOL I might as well be.

At my maternal grandma's house, I found a couple of interesting books. "有一位關心人的造物主嗎?" "帶來永生的知識?" "和平安全:怎樣才能獲致?" As I was decoding these titles I was playing songs like Starfield's "Great in all the earth" and "I will go," so I felt like a wannabe of the the first overseas missionaries lololol.

Given we were at a Buddhist temple today, the conversation went as followed:

婆婆: "你妈说你喜欢基督教."
歪歪: "...不懂."
婆婆: "你洗了礼吗?"
歪歪: "对."
婆婆: "所以你是基督徒!"
歪歪: "对...可是我还有罪恶.每个人都是罪人.觉得你也是吗？"
婆婆: "毋啊！要吃粥呢？"

Mannnnn.

I can survive here

2011-05-16T20:13:00.002-04:00

Because everything is subtitled in English!

Kids in school uniforms = lolz.
HK subways go 20 levels underground.
Grandma's a badass.

Railroad built by tiny Cantonese children. Very happy about this.

Weather makes me feel like Kakashi taking on Zabuza in the mist.

NY 2 Shanghai

2011-05-16T20:04:00.001-04:00

Anyone listen to Drunken Tiger?

Went over the freakin' ice caps (so yea, Dawei, the outside of the window did look like this). New venture idea: pit stops on the arctic so passengers each collect a polar bear cub.

Because Jesus is hilarious, I sat next to some missionaries from southern Mizzorra. Corey, the guy next to me, gave himself away when he whipped out John Piper's Think. We talked about everything from the Desiring God conference to competing to see who will make CCTV first as a result of open-air preaching.

Buses and trains all got WiFi.

Can't believe I'm here!

Woops.

2011-05-02T22:53:00.000-04:00

Someone is on the fence about Christianity and comes to me to get their questions answered. I answer as best as I can.

How do I not feel guilty if after that conversation they stop coming out to events?

Am I at fault?

Rebuke is awesome.

2011-05-02T22:47:00.000-04:00

Was told yesterday that I had a bad relationship with God.

Was told today that I was a hypocrite.

Haven’t felt this loved in awhile :D

Assumptions

2011-04-23T22:58:00.003-04:00

I hate christians.
self-righteous, self-serving.
unloving, uncaring.
jains, buddhists, democrats
follow jesus better than
christians.

wouldn’t you say so?
why be a
christian?

my life’s ok without god i guess.

my life as a
constant liar, exaggerator, and complainer
to get people to sympathize with me,
abuser of my sister
hitting her to the point where her forehead bleeds,
curser of my parents
running away multiple times and
dropping f-bombs so the whole neighborhood can hear,
bitter loner even after
getting invited to cool parties
acquiring 1000+ “friends” and
having any girl i liked like me back.

i guess i could live with that.
actually.
no.
it could be better.
i’m f—-ed up.
i deserve punishment.
but you’re telling me that means hell.
i’m pretty f—-ed if that’s true.

jesus helps, you say?
he’s inside of me?
he wants what’s best for me?
he’s the reason i’m even alive?
he loves me?
he forgives me?
what do i have to do?
nothing?
just say sorry and believe?

hm.
ok.

Cross-ation mania!

2011-04-19T23:48:00.001-04:00

The cross gives mediation, condemnation, propitiation, imputation, expiation, sanctification, justification, and reconciliation to the nations.

I’m sure the Apostle Paul is smh @all the words we’ve come up with to describe God’s love.

Is there power in your Ephesians 2:8?

2011-04-19T01:34:00.001-04:00

Half-gospel: Jesus paid for all our sins. We’re now at a zero-sum balance. Enter: confusion, humiliation, and hopelessness from consistent, ever-present sin.

Full-gospel: Jesus paid for all our sins. But he didn’t just pay for sins then ditch us. He dwells in us. We are right with God because he sees Jesus in us. Our account balance is not $0.00. We’re rich. In fact, we’re baller (Ephesians 3:16-19).

We were once unable to not sin.

But now we are able to resist sin.

ISN’T THAT INSANE?

Milk the power of the spirit for all its worth! Lest realize you weren’t really saved at all (Hebrews 10:26).

Which gospel will you preach?

Spirit-lead

2011-04-16T11:07:00.001-04:00

Holy week’s coming up. I’m praying a couple things for the Spirit to execute, as He has faithfully been doing since days of old.

Giving order and peace over messiness (Genesis 1:2)
Vision for what He wants to done in my life and others (Genesis 41:38)
Skill to finish ridiculous projects (Exodus 31:3)
Power to kill the enemy of sin (Judges 3:10)
My tongue to faithfully pronounce His words (1 Samuel 19:20)
Reach out to people for outreach event (Micah 3:8)
Cleansing for my soul in the case of inevitable sin (Ezekiel 36:25-29)

Jesus - the de-motivational speaker

2011-04-05T14:47:00.004-04:00

How do you cheer up a Christian who's not happy? Do you do some spiritual life-coaching for sin management? Practical advice in hopes it will deliver them from pain?

Ever thought of saying, "Come to the cross and die"? Any other spiritual pick-me-up is reduced to glorifying a specific person or event, whether it be the sin or recovery.

Peter didn't like it when Jesus was talking about gloomy stuff, because being associated with a crucified criminal isn't very motivating. Jesus says to "Get behind me, Satan!" God treats his glory very seriously, and it isn't accomplished by having a positive attitude but by death and resurrection. Not "you can do it!" but "God has done it!"

Obviously people will initially resist the message, and you the messenger. That's the sound of oneself beginning to loosen their hold on sin, its minimizing and excuses for it. That's called redemption.

A look into the text messages of Joseph Choi

2011-03-30T18:21:00.003-04:00

[11:51:00AM]There are korean people all over the cafeteria…and some of them have hi-tops on, think i’m gonna be sick…

[12:14:43PM]I’ve never seen so many blond/red haired asian men in one room, if a single one is a bboy i will never speak speak another word of korean again…

[1:40:13PM]Affirmative alpha raccoon leader will update on proceedings asapwee

[1:56:44PM]Dang man, when trains are this late, i start thinking about my feelings and how lonely i am, and how i long for human companionship and how i’m misunderstood

[2:27:28PM]Have boarded train to philly racoon leader, house men spotted feeding off the purity of young male, swat team notified

[11:10:43PM]Duuude, njtransit is retarded…i’m stuck at the scariest train stop i’ve ever seen

[11:17:36PM]I’m literally scared for my life, could you try to find out when the next train to trenton is from north philadelphia?

[4:45:59PM]Dude, there’s a couple holding hands in front of me, now i feel so lonely T_T

"You Are In Danger"

2011-03-28T14:45:00.003-04:00

You can't get any more clear than that.

Christ the creator

2011-03-23T14:51:00.001-04:00

The Savior hanging on the cross also upholds the cross on which which he hangs (Colossians 1:16-20).

Let that sink in.

Now worship.

common grace

2011-03-20T14:44:00.003-04:00

When I look back as to how I first became Christian - “Christian” not in the sense of enacting a legitimate repentant lifestyle, but at least the beginnings of a faith journey - I am encouraged by Scripture attesting to its validity. Simply put, I was struck by my ugliness after hearing the Law, then struck by his kindness and blessings throughout my life (Acts 14:17) and could not help but give praise to God (Romans 2:4).

And isn’t this how a lot of people start out? This is why God does not extinguish the entire earth now in its incredible corruption! He delays wrath, shows grace and pleads for people to come to him!!

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live (Ezekiel 33:11)

God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

irony

2011-03-19T00:57:00.000-04:00

If you think members of Christ’s church are really boring, the problem is probably you and not them.

Conviction that the spirit struck me with today. Been spending time with more nonchristians lately in trying to get more excited about things; then I read James 4:4.

Note: not saying don’t be friends with nonchristians - I pray neo-Calvinistically that Christians would stop being in a bubble!!!

cage stage

2011-03-17T13:11:00.006-04:00

| noun | demonstrating wild and possibly deranged excitement over the seventeenth century pronouncements of the Synod of the Canons of Dordt in the Netherlands. These pronouncements are often referred to as the five points of Calvinism and, once a person becomes convinced that these five points are true, he or she enters the dreaded “cage stage.” The novice Calvinist is considered “armed and dangerous” during this period, which has been known to extend to six months, but in more serious cases can last up to ten years or longer.

Symptoms include: high fever that results in delirious incoherence of thought and speech; vomiting spasms brought on when anyone mentions “free will” or “asking Jesus into their heart” or the dreaded philosophy of Jacob Arminius; restlessness, especially during church services, when the sufferer goes more than an hour without hearing the TULIP’s five bells ringing in their ears; and diahrrea of the mouth, where uncontrollable spasms of verbal nonsense put everyone within earshot at risk.

The recommended treatment is complete isolation, restriction of movement and speech, until the symptoms pass. Unfortunately, this treatment is rarely sought by the afflicted person, so family and friends are often left to suffer silently. The only person who can reach the cage stage victim is a more experienced Calvinist, because the victim’s state of mind does not permit trust in any others. Please DO NOT attempt intervention without consulting an expert.

now the trick is not becoming cage-staged in anti-cage-staging.

Doubt is different than unbelief

2011-03-13T21:15:00.002-04:00

This fact blew my mind, and it was a treat to hear it from CJ Mahaney this morning.

What is the difference? Unbelief is complete defiance and rejection of the fundamental relationship between someone and their savior, Jesus, whereas doubt is uncertainty in God’s purposes or promises. It is sinful and serious, but not a betrayal of the faith.

Thus, Jude 22-23 calls us to reach out to those brothers and sisters hurting and doubting God’s goodness, instead of reproaching them outright. CJ Mahaney put on quite a spectacle when delivering the gospel, emphatically exhorting how recieving mercy leads us to be merciful. Very reformed.

So the question becomes “How can I help?” instead of “How could you??” Listed below are some different forms of doubt surfacing as a result of externals (from Os Guinness’ God in the Dark):

Doubt from ingratitude
Doubt from a faulty view of God
Doubt from weak foundations
Doubt from lack of commitment
Doubt from a lack of growth
Doubt from unruly emotions
Doubt from hidden conflicts

I’ve recently been struggling with doubt when I look at my lack of growth and passion this semester, which I owe to the fact of certain project-intensive classes. However, this is of course a heart issue. Now I remember the Lord loves (v.1) and keeps (v.24) me…and I no longer have to hide my doubts from the community, but rather, desperately seek prayer for them.

Charles Spurgeon had a quote saying that doubt testifies to the presence of belief, akin to when Driscoll comforted his audience when talking about election and affirming that “if you’re worried whether you’re elect or not, that probably means you’re part of the elect.” I’m not sure if these guys are depicting God’s grace rightfully or not, but I’ll give God the benefit of the doubt.

Stumbling block

2011-03-10T09:31:00.000-05:00

On one hand you do super-practical things like work on projects for third-world countries and secure a job for the summer. On the other, you do useless things like pray, read Bible, and dance.

I don’t get it, there’s no middle ground with you.

- Mom

Mercy triumphs over judgment, because mercy comes through judgment.

2011-03-08T23:49:00.001-05:00

Agree or disagree?

Context is James 2:13. I think the original quote refers judgment in the first clause as wrath, and in the second it refers to Calvary. Semantics.

I like books that are secretly calvinist

2011-03-07T00:12:00.002-05:00

In our frenetic free-for-all in nabbing as many books as possible, Moses suggested A Vision for Missions by Tom Wells for reading. Like me, a first glance at the cover causes one to think, "You serious? This looks so cheesy."

In actuality, this book is startling me in its theological richness (and practicality!) Each page screams to me soli Deo gloria. Two theses are presented for the heart of a missionary (read: Christian) -

God is worthy to be known and proclaimed for who he is. This is the motive and message of missions.
Those who know the most about God are the most responsible and best equipped to tell of Him.

William Carey's emphasis on prayer before doing anything also spoke to me as our fellowship is preparing for our outreach event at the end of the month.

This shows us what sort of workers are needed. Those who know the most about God...A first qualification is belief in prayer. If our attitude is, 'Let us get to work at once!', we are suspect. The man who knows the greatness and glory of God cannot say that first.
....
You can do more than pray after you have prayed; but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed!

There is a correlation between knowing God and submitting to His sovereignty. A more sovereign God = more powerful prayers!

Misconceptions about community

2011-03-05T15:38:00.003-05:00

Community is not:

a place where people must know everything about me
@misguided attempts at deep friendships in MRHS
finally accomplished when there's a potluck
@many a college fellowship event
a place to lose your mind
@Bethel youth group
an avenue to control people's lives (Matthew 11:9)
@small group leading
optional (Proverbs 18:1)
@people overwhelmed by other events during school

In the past couple days, Dr. Eric Mason shared many interesting truths on gospel community as it relates to urban ministry, and these misconceptions have all struck a chord with me on some level. By thinking these things, I reduce the extent of transformational gospel love and grace.

God's grace by forming His community effectively shatters the dreams and ambitions of the individual members. No longer do we juggle our lives and community separately, but only for its edification do we execute any decision in our lives.

The cherished promise? Christ will enable his church to be a well-oiled Voltron machine (Romans 12:5, Revelation 3:21).

Spiritual growth

2011-03-04T13:00:00.001-05:00

Currently reading through a book titled The Life You’ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg. Before being alarmed at how dangerously self-help the title sounds, the scriptural basis is founded on the fallen nature of man and how our deep spiritual need and desire is to be connected again to God.

Ok? Now that that’s out of the way, I would like to share some convictions. I was encouraged by the author affirming that spiritual growth is not measured by commitment to spiritual disciplines, but in the end, measured by increased love in God and people (which then should dictate the former).

Good probing questions, aka heart-gauges:

Am I spiritually inauthentic? (Matthew 23:25)
Am I becoming judgmental/exclusive/proud? (Matthew 23:6)
Am I becoming less approachable? (Matthew 23:7)
Am I growing weary of pursuing spiritual growth? (Matthew 23:4)

With all the trappings of Rick Warren pragmatism, the thing I would add to this work is an emphasis on Christ sufficiency. If you have the book, I’m the dude on p.184-185.

As Ortberg writes, preserving my spiritual life is the same as preserving my life. Read: spiritual as an adjective relates to the Spirit and nothing else (no mysticism or abstract higher thinking), so yes, I should always check if I am [S]piritual in that I am always submissive to Christ (John 16:14, Romans 8:9).

fabric softener for the heart

2011-02-14T11:47:00.000-05:00

Along Spruce St, I see homeless people with roses.

not selling them, just carrying them around. that means a) someone randomly decided to give them a rose, or b) they are planning to give a rose to someone.

either case makes my heart sing.

Why preach the gospel?

2011-02-12T14:00:00.003-05:00

So conversations don’t end up like the following:

A: How are you doing spiritually?
B: *pause* Not well.
A: Wsup?
B: Not really doing QTs and praying to God. Been busy.
A: Ok. I’ll pray for you.
B: Yea cool thanks. Wanna see my new iPhone app?

(DA Carson:) D-D-Do you see? The sheer banality of seeing your relationship with God based on performance (and if your Google calendar allows) instead of His grace.

How do I perform well enough to say I’m doing OK spiritually? What’s my pathetic metric? It’s the equivalent of asking “when is God faithful” because it surely isn’t everlasting!

“I’m not doing well spiritually” is like saying “I am less worthy of blessing in these bad times so I’m just waiting for God to deal me punishment…eventually. For now, I’ll fake guiltiness to church people, pay lip service promises, and God will have sympathy.”

Perverted! This “I’ll try harder” mindset. Success in the Christian life is not up to you! Christ’s infinite merit is the substance of the relationship between you and God. and that is very
very
very
freeing.
Now go and make commitments without burdens hanging over your head if you are indeed free.

And that is the gospel.

Jerry Bridges posed most of these challenges and I’m just letting you guys know.

grace through His life

2011-02-06T08:57:00.000-05:00

Tullian Tchividjian recently made an interesting remark gently reminding followers of Kevin DeYoung that being "Christ-centered" does not mean that the death of Christ is more important than the life of Christ. Without the law fulfilled in His life, what righteousness is there to impute?

I think that's a rebuke for me as well, since I easily and readily cast down Christ-imitators that I judge to have no foundation. In thinking only Christ's death matters, I see how this practically plays out in my life...a lot of self-righteousness & lazy fruit. At the same time, without the cross we're in no position to imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 15:19). I need a balance. I need to live out the entire Gospel, not driven by half of it.

Christ himself is the center of all things!

Tumblr page, net difference = 0

2011-02-05T14:05:00.005-05:00

http://williszhang.tumblr.com/

Tumblr has its charm in using a "feed" interface like Twitter and Facebook. And that's probably the only difference.

I figured out how to import my Blogger posts to Tumblr: download the two PHP scripts from this site and use ZZEE PHP GUI to run the first file. Fill out the forms and then the entries are miraculously imported.

Yue-Kee's-induced insomnia

2011-01-21T04:27:00.005-05:00

Going through a spiritual attack atm so I'm trying to find all sorts of reminders of the gospel. Ed has written a very nice piece just for that. May not in word or deed or prayer I find my rest but in God alone.

Kevin DeYoung also wrote a pretty crazy article on the following:

Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure- not to put it too severely- to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. (2 Corinthians 2:5-7)

Church, can you both discipline and forgive? Without discipline, the church is a bastardized social club. Without forgiveness, the church is lost and does not know Jesus. Let us not impose both no standards and impossible standards.

"The true Christian will not pit grace against truth, love against faithfulness, discipline against forgiveness, unity against purity."

Aint that somethin'?

a hurting Pharisee

2011-01-16T13:59:00.006-05:00

Heavenly Father,

Seriously, why is truth so important to me?

Is it that bad to preach a self-esteem gospel?

Is it that bad to not preach the power of the cross?

Is it that bad to read material cited from the Emergent church?

Is it that bad to sponsor pragmatism as a means for church growth?

Is it that bad to be a teacher and associate with heretics?

Is it that bad to emphasize experience over your word?

Yes, right!?

They speak of your faithfulness to the great congregation but it is not of your standard. Am I referring to a standard of my flesh or your holy standard? Only you know.

O LORD, I go absolutely nuts when I see friends being influenced. Is this righteous anger or envious frustration from not being able to bless others like these "heretics" do?

O LORD, I seek to do your will. It is by the spirit of God that I wish to cast out demons, that I wish bring your truth renown in order for your kingdom to come upon us. But how can I do good if I am evil? Only through you I hope to bear good fruit.

O LORD, I know not which way is yours and which way is destruction. I easily see myself being a creator of this site. Woe to me if it comes to that! Help me not delight in sin but in its defeat. Do not restrain your mercy from me, glorify yourself by stuffing me with your steadfast love. May I see my neighbors as greater than myself.

O LORD, I'm scared. I do not want anymore broken and strained relationships in my efforts to proclaim your truth, but if it is your will may it be done. I do not wish pride to overtake me and I do not wish to be justified through myself. Sin, what an enemy! I know I will give an account for every careless word I speak. Therefore without Christ, I am condemned.

My delight is in you. Your wisdom, your law, your everything. Fill me with more of you!

In Christ's name, amen.

Jesus doesn't love everybody the same way

2011-01-15T01:51:00.001-05:00

Title taken from a Desiring God sermon clip.

If you went to OIL, then you got a hold of Dr. Carson's Scandalous. In it he argues against the notion that God was so favorable, so loving to the world that if only people weren't sinful they could enjoy fellowship with Him. He argues against Jesus' work merely serving as a cancellation of sin, which implies an impersonal wrath poured on people. But of course, His wrath is very personal for He is a jealous God and all sin wholly goes against Him.

These issues are all very interesting, with my friend Ed wishing the following questions to be answered by Dr. Carson: Could you clarify how God loves sinners apart from Christ? Does He love them when He sends them to hell? The questions never got to the panel.

So in light of Dr. Carson's book and some references my friend Sam pointed me to, I do think there is a satisfying answer within Reformed theology.

First, God definitely hates sin but He also hates sinners, the ones apart from Christ. He hated Esau (Malachi 1:3). Or shall we say He sovereignly did not choose Esau to join in fellowship with Him? The word hate and love seem to come at odds with love's divine embodiment (1 John 4:8). However, it is clear that God hates the reprobate and endures their eternal disobedience (Psalm 139:22, Romans 9:22). To the most Holy, endure is an appropriate word.
God doesn't need to love anyone. The characteristic of love is not dependent on loving us. Triune community. So we all deserve His wrath (Amos 3:2, Romans 3:23). Done.
God graciously shows love through His elect. God only loves His elect (read Ephesians...). Jesus only intercedes for the elect (John 17:9). This glorifies Him by highlighting the magnitude of grace to those saved solely by grace.

Maybe it's just more correct to make the title of this entry "Jesus doesn't love everybody." This makes me want to evangelize hard. And repent just as fervently. May these be the reactions to all who remind themselves of these truths.

Le blog de Willis: Une tragé-comé-drame épique

Calvinists need more friends..

Free Veritas Forum event tonight!

Stuff Bboys...Wished Girls Said

God chooses solidarity of feelings

Mill halo, finallyyy

Jesus can be a hardbutt

"Willis, the friendly Christian hipster"

Clockwise barrels and babymills

Swipes, mills to headspin

We love God for what he says about himself

A mark of sanctification

Just had a dream within a dream

2011

why pursue truth anyways

Corporate World 101!

Osama bin Laden and Kim Jong Il

Games Willis Play, #1

Games Willis Play, #2

Insecure about praying

from the confessions of our faith

I suck at loving people

Open invitation to Jeff Lee's memorial worship service tonight @7PM, Bodek Lounge

"Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less"

How I can become more gospel-centered

Remixed Calvinism

What church should I attend?

describes my conversion to a t

hard truth

How do you *really* ask for filling of the Spirit? Read the Bible.

Même en rêve

Discipleship season

One hand rollback, pop up, 2 babymills

Moralism produces immorality

4AM trip to Atlantic City

Be sure to watch yesterday’s clip before this one.

Apart From Jesus, Gandhi's In Hell

"Those religious people"

Been one of the most spiritually blessing weeks in recent memory, so therefore

My walk with Jesus is like a coupled oscillator

"They can't"

Optimizing humility

Westminster Catechism Rap by Voice feat. Dr. DA Carson

The Law is more useful than Romans 8:3 makes it out to be

John Calvin is the man

To my peeps who don't understand the Bible

Middle-aged black ladies

So blessed like wow!!

Christians have funny conversations sometimes

Social constructs

The difference between Joel Osteen and Jesus

"F is for friends who do stuff together"

Stifling

Gospel in the OT

To my accountability partners:

Witty NYC public transportation advertisements

Gospel = past, present, and future amazingness

So yea, that end-of-the-world thing..

Saving you the trouble of buying books...

Holy = boring

14

Jesus, why???

The most discouraging people

Gospel in disguise

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

Preaching the gospel is easy

HK cultural notes

I'm on overseas missions!

I can survive here

NY 2 Shanghai

Woops.

Rebuke is awesome.

Assumptions

Cross-ation mania!

Is there power in your Ephesians 2:8?

Spirit-lead

Jesus - the de-motivational speaker

A look into the text messages of Joseph Choi

"You Are In Danger"

Christ the creator

How do you really ask for filling of the Spirit? Read the Bible.