If I may be real

I was incredibly moved by the personal concern my physician showed me today, how he was more interested in my emotional well-being the past year than my physical health. He says it's all related. He wasn't rushing to determine what drug I should be put on. I appreciate having that come from a doctor.

On the way to seminary..

Messing around with speed traps at Westminster with @eslchen

Why did the chicken cross the road?

• Greg Boyd: It’s a possibility that the chicken crossed the road.
• Rick Warren: The chicken was purpose driven.
• Mark Driscoll: The chicken crossed because of the rooster’s leadership.
• Pelagius: Because the chicken was able to.
• John Piper: God decreed the event to maximize his glory.
• Irenaeus: The glory of God is the chicken fully alive.
• C.S. Lewis: If a chicken finds itself with a desire that nothing on this side can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that it was created for the other side.
• Billy Graham: The chicken was surrendering all.
• Pluralist: The chicken took one of many equally valid roads.
• Universalist: All chickens cross the road.
• Annihilationist: The chicken was hit by a car and ceased to exist.
• Fred Phelps: God hates chickens.
• Martin Luther: The chicken was leaving Rome.
• Tim LaHaye: The chicken didn’t want to be left behind.
• Harold Camping: Don’t count your chickens until they’ve hatched.
• James White: I reject chicken centered eisegesis.
• John Wesley: The chicken’s heart was strangely warmed.
• Thomas: I won’t believe the chicken crossed unless I see it with my own eyes.
• Philip: The chicken teleported to the other side.
• Rob Bell: The chicken. Crossed the road. To get. Cool glasses.
• Joel Osteen: The chicken crossed the road to maximize his personal fulfillment so that he could be all that God created him to be.
• Creflo Dollar: God told the chicken that if he clucked, “That land across the road is mine!,” he could claim it. He crossed the road to take possession.
• Roger Olson: The chicken recognizes no clear evangelical boundaries.
• Peter: What chicken? What road? Never knew a chicken!! (rooster crows)
• Ezekiel: God revived those chicken bones and then they crossed the road.
• Paul: The chicken went to sleep and fell out the window only to be able to cross the road
• TD Jakes: A manifestation of the Chicken crossed the road for his blessings.
• Jim Wallis: The poor chicken was fleeing fundamentalists.
• Gary Demar: The chicken was fleeing the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. That’s it.
• Jim Wallis: The chicken is an organizer for Occupy Barnyard.
• Emergent: For this chicken, its not the destination that’s important. Its the journey itself.
• Christian Pacifist: This is clearly an act of barnyard aggression that is condemned in the Sermon on the Mount.
• N.T. Wright: This act of the chicken, which would be unthinkable in British barnyards, reeks of that American individualism that is destructive to community.
• Al Mohler: When a chicken begins to think theologically, he has no other alternative but to come over to the Calvinist side.
• Freud: This whole exercise is obviously driven by chicken envy

Confusing verses in John, Pt.III

Pilate is schizo.

euangelion

Or “gospel” in Greek. I thank the lord that the good news is consistently preached at my church in Philly not only in its narrow sense - the saving death and resurrection of Jesus in whom a sinner is freed from the condemnation of sin and finds eternal life with God - but also in a broader scope. Allow me to elucidate what I think to be efficacious gospel preaching.

1. Paul uses the gospel narrowly in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 and 1 Timothy 1:11-16. A sermon might try to engender trust for God, either in his sovereignty or his goodness, in some vague sense, or it might even exhort obedience to his commandants. How vain this is without the news of the New Testament covenant promises of Christ! Remember how God the spirit does nothing but glorify Christ (John 16:14)? Any trust or obedience that stems outside the security of “it is finished” is tenuous at best, at worst a deceptive form of self-righteousness.
2. Paul uses the gospel broadly for God’s general purposes in this world; 2 Timothy 1:8-10 and pretty much the whole letter of Titus conveyed the comprehensive fruits of gospel living. This gets across the message of a previous post. The gospel has always had an aspect of obedience (1 Peter 4:6-7, Romans 1:5, 10:16, 16:26, 2 Thessalonians 1:8) along with faith (Acts 15:7, Ephesians 1:13). That’s because it’s the only appropriate motivation for sanctification (Mark 8:35, 10:29, 2 Corinthians 9:13, Ephesians 6:15, Philippians 1:27), as stated before. In addition, the kingdom and its benefits are ushered in through the gospel (Matthew 4:23, 9:35, 24:14).

With it, the word “gospel” carries a large overhead of implications. But not one is inconsequential, and therefore to preach (and evangelize!) effectively, the narrow and broad essences must be brought to light in accordance with the measure of skill of the message-deliverer.

Confusing verses in John, Pt.II

Chapter 11:

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazaruswas ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died,15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16  So Thomas, called the Twin,said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

One of my favorite narrative passages from the gospels. The climactic miracle before Jesus’ death and resurrection:

• The ESV uses the word “so” to begin verse 6. Less literal translations will have something misleading. Therefore, we see him quite explicitly “permitting” an “evil” because he loves his children, and what’s best for them is more of him and his power. God will use what seem to be defects in the world to accomplish his mission of bringing people to belief. God is not a God that he is man-centered but God-centered. We see the same principle in John 9:3 with the blind man and finally culminating to greatest evil of Jesus’ death sentence.
• I once went to a Charismatic conference where the speaker took a question of God permitting suffering and he (immaturely) replied, “That’s bullsh—. God is good and his will is always to heal people.” Let me point out that this statement is - lightly put - extremely unhelpful and completely unbiblical. We see that God’s concern is not solely our worldly prosperity (healing and physical life can indeed be counted in that category). We need more reformed churches down south and out west, that is all.
• Verse 9: Jesus uses the analogy of limited time left in the day to his waning time left on earth before he was to be crucified - simultaneously referring himself to the light of the world like the literal sun. Compare with the “stumbling” Judas who departed during the darkness of night to betray Jesus (John 13:30).
• Thomas is a cynical troll.

Confusing verses in John, Pt.I

Chapter 10:

33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37  If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

One can extract the following theological truths from the passage:

• The reference is Psalm 82:6, where the judges of God were called elohim (literally “god”) because of their divine function. Jesus is using the analogy to show he is the ultimate judge because his works are directly reflecting the Father’s will. In layman’s terms: “Don’t hate cuz I say I’m the son of God. Check dem credenshals.”
• This shows that any part of the Old Testament has the same authority as the traditional “law” as per the Pentateuch definition. Jesus pins his entire argument on one word in one minor psalm.
• The trinity relationship has each part of the Godhead “in” each other. Not simply “one” (Greek neuter) in purpose but one in essence and fullness of divine nature; aka Christianity is monotheistic. If one more Jehovah’s Witness comes to my door..

Your loneliness is not a mark of your imperfection but rather your perfection

Our loneliness and desire to be understood by others should prompt an “aha!” that yes! We were made to be in community to reflect the perfect community of the trinitarian God - father, son and holy spirit all joyfully pleasing the other in a communal dance.

That means “no” to a solo Christian walk this summer, guys! :) Serve the local kingdom in accordance to your savior’s example and promise to bless you tenfold in return.

This time will be different

Life at home, that is. My father complimented my mom’s cooking in addition to buying me Christian bracelets from China. I honestly don’t recognize this man.

Finding myself easily submissive to chores and commands by my parents. This summer should be alright.

The most common command in the Bible

“Do not be afraid”

cash rules errthang around me

CREAM, git the money, dollar dollar bill yall.

As faith would wane in increased monetary giving, God provides with an incredible tax refund! Thank you Obama. Time to steward.

GET ILL

Photocred: @romantic

First Friday with @ayocurtis @eslchen @sa_mantou @jungminnee !

Isaiah: covenant prosecutor

In the beginning parts of his book, Isaiah accuses especially the leadership on what we might call “permissible sins,” or at least sins beneath the surface that are harder to detect. So I’m getting hit pretty hard on this one.

We have listed hypocrisy, selfishness, self-indulgence, and sarcasm (Isaiah 1:10-15, 5:8, 5:11, 5:19-20). Like any other sin, these sins produce both destructive fruit within the doer and also bring down ruin for anyone under the authority of these leaders. Frightening, yes for I will be held accountable to some, and so my attention is drawn to the special yet disturbing wrath that God has in store for those not keeping their end of the covenant: “These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations; I also will choose harsh treatment for them and bring their fears upon them … The sound of an uproar from the city! A sound from the temple! The sound of the LORD rendering recompense to his enemies!” (Isaiah 66:3-4, 6)

The same spirit of the covenants is not altogether done away with the ushering in of the new one through Christ. Father, I who am prone to wander, I plead that the spirit keep my paths straight and intimately near my shepherding savior!

The first issue of Lamp Post is out today!

Be sure to pick up a copy today and let me know what you think of my article - thanks! :)

To my disciples and my officer

Thank you!