Category Archives: Bible

Worship Time: TBS Update

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Last night’s bible study was on wealth. We looked at how Proverbs points us to be better stewards of the resources God has given us.

One question that really made me think was how was my wife and I leaving a legacy for my children’s children.

Proverbs 13:22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.

My family has a relative long history in America compared to recent immigrants. My great grandfather was the first to come to the U.S., then my grandfather who was born in China, then my dad also born in China came to the U.S. when he was around 10 years old. Which makes me somewhere between a fourth and a second generation American.

But what was interesting was thinking about what kind of heritage my great-grandfather and following left us. American citizenship, financial weath, etc. Some of our group members recognized what a blessing it was to have older generation leave inheritance for younger generation. In what ways could we improve for the benefit of the next generation?

Though most of the discussion focused on wealth and the type of lifestyle, etc. We barely scratched the surface on this idea of leaving an inheritance, a heritage, or a legacy. What kind of legacy do you want to leave future generations? How can you improve on what your parents laid down for you, and with the opportunities that you have?

I think I was really humbled when I recounted my families history from China to America. Wealth is more than just finances, it is a lifestyle, it is how you use it to bless others and those around you, it is what you decide for yourself when you have an ocean of choices. Your wealth can be a tool for you to use to worship God or it can be an idol that we worship.

How are you treating your education, your savings, your talents? Are you using it to its full potential for the glory of God or are you sitting on it and wasting the potential fruits or do you glory in it and make it your god? Looking at my own life, I know I have wasted more than my share of fruit. I need to repent and look to Jesus to honor him with what he has given me.

Luke 12:48 Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

You have been given much in Christ Jesus, and much will be required of you. Do not waste your life.

PLAN

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So after reading Proverbs, I think having a PLAN is our top priority.

I’ve created this acronym: PRAYER, LEARNING, ACCOUNTABILITY, NURTURE.

We’ll focus on these aspects and continue to build up spiritually our walk with God, our walk with family, our walk with friends/church, our walk with work/mission in life.

What ways have you planned for this new year?

Continue to grow in these 5 CORE disciplines:
Prayer, Scripture, Fellowship, Serving (missions), Giving.

Not just compartmentalize, but have these core disciplines flowing through us as a natural part of our every day lives.

As a start: M’Cheyne reading plan for ONE YEAR.

And P2R – let me know if you’re interested in joining in this year of fun!

Time to Worship: Questions Edition

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My wife and I had an interesting time with a sister in Christ.  It was one of those teen agnst mixed with identity with Christian growth sprinkled in with family drama.  But one thing that I am realizing is that as sons and daughters of Christ we are a long way off from what/where God desires us to be and at the same time we are exactly where God desires us to be.

Many of the teens at church struggle with this and as we talked with them and struggle to understand them, we realize we are in a similar place.  All the expectations, especially with who we think we are, who others think we are, and who God says we are… become somewhat jumbled… especially in the youth, but sometimes in the adult as well.

Time and time again, we are called to do things that we know we personally can’t and if we could, it turns out pretty mediocre.  So we get down on ourselves thinking, we suck or get embarrassed because “what will other people say?” or I must look like a fool in front of that “expert”.  But in reality, God calls us to be obedient.  He calls us to step out in faith and to believe.  God has enabled us to do certain things in life… whether big or small, God is able to turn 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed 5,000.  He is able to use the remaining oil of the poor widow and let it pay off her debts.

 ”Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.” 2 KINGS 4:7

God is able to use even the smallest amount of faith to move mountains.  For once we trust God, no matter how small we think the situation, because God is BIG, it becomes a BIG situation.  I see this over and over again.  With teenagers, with singles, with married couples, with seniors, with elders.  We are called to faith because God has given us faith, we are called to obedience because the Holy Spirit has enabled us to do His will.  No matter how hard or how little we think it is, for God all things are possible and He desires our hearts to be conformed to his image. 

So my prayer is for this sister in Christ, for myself, for my family… for the church to trust in the Lord.

 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
   and do not lean on your own understanding.
6In all your ways acknowledge him,
   and he will make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
    fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.

Time to Worship (November)

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As October ends, we continue in a pretty solid pattern. We have bible reading with the family around 9PM. Just about everyone is ready for bed and it is a good time to settle down. The occasional out day and bible study nights will push this later, but usually around nine and ten has been optimal for us to get ready for bed.

Our readings have been through our family bible and the children’s bible. We have been very blessed with both girls being very attentive to both readings. We are currently in 1 Samuel in our family bible, reading through David’s exploits and seeing the differences between David’s early career and Saul’s kingship, and comparing to later in life. Things get a bit crazy, as always. David is a hero, but he is also human. Sin does not discriminate. Saul struggles. We can see that, he seems to want to please God sometimes, but on his own strength he cannot and fails.

We see the description of the Success and Failures (HEAT) in both of their lives and one responds with THORNS and the other responds by going to the CROSS. It is only at the CROSS do we see FRUIT.

Our sonship class had to do with sharing the Gospel. We have struggled in the past with sharing and continue to see this part of our lives as being a bit weak. I do see however God motivating us or moving us in that direction lately. It has been on my mind to share more directly with people the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is continually reminding me to be faithful in the little things and he will entrust me with more. The parable of the Talents and C. Garriott’s book Work Excellence has been on my mind of late as well.

Finally, the theme of Shalom has continued to be with me since the start of my missions class. Seeking the Shalom (Peace and Prosperity) of the City… seemed to be the start of Redeemer Presbyterian Church’s goal… as we view our time at church and our time at our community, we have felt we never truly sought the Shalom of wherever we have been. This is a holistic shalom. Reconciliation between Man and God, Man and man and Man and self. Shalom is not only peace, but also includes prosperity, blessing… it is a restoring of what is wrong to what is right. I need to see this more, I need to live this more.

Time to Worship (October)

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Continue in our reading of 1 Samuel. This has been slow as we have also been reading through our daughter’s children’s bible. The children’s bible provides more pictures and little less depth, than the Family Bible, but overall the time has been quite good as our daughter is intrigued by the pictures.

Jonah seems to be the favorite, then stories about Jesus, but because of VeggieTales Jonah, she has requested to read Jonah multiple times.

After a visit from a friend who introduced the children’s catechism to E1, we now have three sort of memorized…

Who made you? God
What else did God made? All things
Why did God make you and all things? For his own GLORY!

Time to Worship (Mid August Summary)

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We finished up the book of Ruth and continued with 1 Samuel. During the time of judges we see the corrupting nature of sin as men were being led astray from God. In Ruth we see the same thing happening but also a strand of hope. God in his providence provided a line to redeem his people. The line leading to David through Ruth and Boaz. What a great story… a love story…

God in his providence uses such unknown people from an unknown town struggling with the unknown to gather his people to him. Did Ruth know that her confession to Naomi was epic? How little we disregard the everyday, common parts of life. God is the God of the mundane. It is in the mundane parts of our lives that truly shows whether we believe God is who he says he is. Do we believe Christ? Do we believe the power of the Holy Spirit.

what is comforting is that He is who he is whether or not we believe. He is utterly separate from us that he does not depend on our belief or faith… but the great and mysterious and wonderful thing is that he shares his greatness with us.

We see this with the marriage of ruth and boaz as well as his descendent to David and beyond. In 1 Samuel, we see Hannah crying to God. It is in her misfortune that she dedicates her first born samuel for the work and service of God. Ironically this is also where we see Samuel obey the voice of God and Eli disobey the voice of God. As we read through the first few chapters of Samuel, we are amazed at the hardness of heart, the utter disregard for the things of God of Eli’s sons contrasted with devotion and love and thankfulness of Hannah and Samuel.

We too are assualted everyday… from the HEAT in this fallen world. We too have to respond to the HEAT. We see Eli’s sons respond with THORNS. In their zeal for self, they blaspheme God’s holy temple. But on the other side we see Hannah, tormented by life itself for being barren. But instead of trusting in herself, she turns to the CROSS. She sees that her life and all that is in it must be trusted to God. The mundane parts of her life as well as those very important to her must be trusted to Him who gives life. As a result, she bears great FRUIT. It is not only through her son Samuel but also in her that we see the POWER of God working.

With this we have great hope and great joy. May we look to Christ in all situations.

Time to Worship (July Summary)

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We are currently beginning the book of Ruth in our nightly bible reading. After finishing Judges we were a bit troubled at how different and “ungodly” many of God’s servants were. Maybe a bit of fresh air, but disturbed nonetheless.

Ruth is someone who is a little bit more in our “scope” of who a servant of God should look like. Anyways, we’ll be surely disappointed when there is sexual sin in her life as well :P

As a family, we’ve been pretty busy. We had a weekend retreat up in CT for a friend’s wedding and back in town for my sister’s wedding. I’ve been listening to various seminary classes I downloaded online from iTunesU.

Theology of Ministry (RTS)
Youth Ministry (Covenant Seminary)

These practical theology courses are bit of a change for me as I shift gears from systematic to practical. The actual application has always been what I enjoy doing and as we examine our lives over the past year, we can see areas where we need a lot of work.

Over the next few posts we’ll examine what we need to do, areas we need to focus on, areas we need to change, areas we need to repent of.

Because we are going through “How People Change” series in sunday school, I felt it would be very good for us as a family to examine what areas of our lives when faced with the HEAT of life are THORNY and what areas we need to go to the CROSS in order to bear FRUIT.

Lord help us all.

Sonship

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These past few weeks have been interesting. The theme of sonship seems to be popping up more often now. In a sermon series by Tim Keller on the Prodigal Son, he discusses true sonship. I started listening to a series entitled “Grace in the Church” by Steve brown in which he refers to sonship a lot… how we are living as christians and the prisons and traps we fall into when we forget who we are. Then we are doing a series in our fellowship concerning Jack Miller’s Sonship which is referred to a lot by Steve Brown as well. We have been doing a series in sunday school concerned with how people change… the last chapter asks how we are embracing our “sonship.”

Even as we read Samson in Judges, I see how evident it is in prayer and in people’s lives that when we embrace our identity as son of God through Christ we would act and behave in a way that is in conformity with God and bear fruit. When we forget or embrace some other identity we start losing out on things… even becoming enslaved again to the patterns of this world.

As I examine my own life, I see myself falling in ways due to fear of man, trusting things other than God, my own laziness, my own fears, my own selfishness… all of these things are due in some part my misunderstanding of my standing before God. As a son, I can approach the throne of grace with confidence. I can come to my father and ask whatever I want in Jesus name… I can please my daddy by doing his will… but even if I fail… He will delight in me because of who I am. I’ve been living like a pharisee, I’ve been living like a slave… a servant… a hired hand…

Even when I read and re-read the Luke 15 story, I can see clearly how I approach the father thinking that I can work as a hired hand to pay back all that I owe my father. But the father doesn’t want me to be a hired hand… he wants me to embrace my place as a son… as an hier… as one that has been redeemed by my older brother, Jesus.

Oh how I have lived liked the pharisee for too long.

Luke 15:21″The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22″But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Come to the father… let him embrace you as a son… and embrace him back as his son.

End of June Update

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Been pretty busy with family and friends visiting. We are currently in the book of Judges. After finishing Esther, we decided to go back and read the book of Judges.

Finished reading Samson’s story yesterday and finding a lot of things about God’s servants. Surprising to say the least.

Also listening to Steve Brown‘s lectures on “Grace and the Church” from RTS Virtual on iTunesU. It is a very good lecture. Steve refers to Jack Miller’s Sonship very often and talks about finding grace in Jesus especially in church and other parts of our lives where we do not act like grace exists.

we’ve been praying lately for our church, family and various situations going on in our families. I’m learning grace… for the very first time, again.

Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.

Time to Worship (Week 8 Summary)

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This week went as well as it could. We had a pretty consistent devotion time reading through the book of Esther. Every time I look at some of the verses in Esther I am reminded that God our king chooses some and rejects others. This is out of his glorious grace because if we are left to ourselves we would be lost.

Though we see King Xerxes as the sovereign authority in this book, we know that he is still corrupt and imperfect and pales in comparison to the true King. We as Christians have have been placed in various walks of life, but in the end, we serve one person, one King. This is true in Esther where Mordecai would not kneel to Haman even when his people were at stake.

Mordecai knew the covenant promises of God to his people and that they would not perish. Even Haman’s wife knew that in Esther 6:13-14

His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him—you will surely come to ruin!” 14 While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman away to the banquet Esther had prepared.

It is noted that Esther’s presence excited Xerxes every time she came into his presence even when not called to come. She had favor from the king, in the same respect, our King Jesus delights when we come to him. Though we are so far beneath our king, he has chosen us and called us to be with him at his table. And so we also have favor and attention from the King of the Universe.

It is interesting that even to the end, God’s name was glorified even when his people were in exile and spread throughout the 127 provinces of Persia. I’m reading through Ezekiel and Jeremiah and in those books, we see that God’s name is defamed by the Jews, his own people. There is such a contrast when the Jews follow and obey versus when they don’t follow and obey. God’s name is truly glorified when his people follow the words given to them.