February 17

Sunday

In the year 2002, a television series took the American young people into idol competition – the American Idols series.  I still remember even at work, my colleagues were talking about the competition everyday, speculating who would be the next American Idol. 

What is an idol from a Biblical perspective?  Exodus verses 4 and 5 give us a definition of an idol: It is a representation of a form of god that we made, which we worship, serve and love. When someone treats an object as an idol, he worships it, serves it and loves it.  Jehovah is the only true God.  He will not stand idle without taking action if He sees His children worship idols.  Worshipping an idol means giving the honor that is solely due to Jehovah over to the false god; it means putting our emotion and desire, which should have been only for God, on something or someone less worthy of our praise and of our love. This causes God to be jealous.

Worship

Worshipping the Jealous God

Read:

Exodus 20:4-6

The exact phrase “jealous God” has appeared at least 6 times in the Old Testament. When it appears, it is mostly in the context of warning Israelites not to worship and serve other gods.  God is very serious about our spiritual purity before Him.  In the Decalogue, this commandment, “You shall not make for yourself an idol … ” is the most descriptive commandment among the ten.  It has a warning part, as well as a blessing part; not only do we have the command itself, but we also know the consequence of disobeying it.

Today, Christians probably would not knowingly make for themselves a physical image representing God.  But do we have idols in our heart that we put our trust in more than the trust we have in God?  Our tradition taught us about Chinese horoscope and astrology system. Before we became Christians, we might have practiced, trusted and worshiped those idols in the system; we believed those fortune-telling signs, the 12 animals and the five elements.  For example, this year is the year of the Rat, the equivalent to Fire?  Do these mean anything spiritually to you?  If they do, especially if you believe and continue to live in reference to them, you need to take notice – you are in the area of making idols for yourselves.

“For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers … but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”  Let’s set our goal to worship the only true God and to love Him and keep His commandments.

February 18

Monday

In Paul’s epistle to the church in Ephesus, he pointed out that when the early church was established, God blessed them and “gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,” (Eph 4:11)  Every Christian member has an essential function that cannot be omitted.  We need to honor each other, keeping in mind that each has been given a unique role, so that we may support and encourage each other.  God put each one of us in a specific fellowship according to His will and purpose, so that each member may fully manifest his/her God-given gifts in serving and building up each other, whether in the capacity of small group leader, or as a member of a committee or larger group, each has his/her unique role and responsibility. Most importantly, every Christian needs to discover his/her gift so that he/she can fully develop and utilize it to contribute to the growth the church.  Do you know where your gift or talent lies?

Fellowship

Fulfilling Each One’s Role

Read:

1 Corinthians 12:14-18

February 19

Tuesday

The Lord has been faithful to Raleigh Chinese Christian Church. We have been blessed by His faithfulness.  Some questions that are worth considering are, “Am I faithful?” or “Are we faithful?” Do you know what it is that our Lord has commissioned you to accomplish in your short life here on earth?

During one visit back in Singapore, I met several people whom I had not seen for many years.  One of my cousins is a bank manager who has been with his bank for 28 years!  Another relative has been with another bank for close to 30 years.  During a class reunion with three of my elementary school buddies, I discovered that one of them has been teaching for the

Discipleship and Faithfulness

Read:

Galatians 5:22-23

2 Thess. 1:1-4

last 25 years!  This longevity of service is rather rare today.  It does tell us something about the character of the individual we are dealing with.  I know for a fact that at least one of the three individuals above is a born-again believer.  Her job is only a means to the greater end of pleasing our Father.  She was retrenched by her bank and now devotes her remaining days to serving with her husband who is a full-time elder in a local church.  My school teacher friend is a Roman Catholic who is not sure of his salvation.  I had the pleasure of sharing the Gospel with him.  As I thought about his faithfulness to his job, I can’t help but wonder about the kind of believers we would be if only we would invest as much time and energy into our faith as he is investing into his teaching.  Think about what 28 or 30 years of faithful service to God (instead of just to your company) would produce in us.  Would you be searching for more opportunities to serve or would you simply “retire” and drop out of the Christian “race”?

Many Chinese churches do not tap into the great resources we have in our retired and aging elders.  Look at our North American counterparts. You will find older Christians doing all kinds of volunteer work.  They man soup kitchens, food pantries and second-hand clothing outlets for the needy.  They volunteer in the churches’ nurseries, pre-schools and kindergarten.  The still able-bodied volunteer in relief efforts after natural disasters and join Habitats for Humanity efforts.  One retired brother shared that he would rather volunteer than rust out on a rocking chair on his front porch!  Can we do more with our “Evergreen” folks?  I sure hope so.  Maybe the great example of Caleb might just help you:

Joshua 14:10-12: “Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert.  So here I am today, eighty-five years old!  I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.  Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day.”

Caleb at eighty-five, still wants to do battle.  What about you?  Don’t settle for a cane when you can hold a SWORD.

February 20

Wednesday

When my grandson Landon was about a year old I remember giving him a little toy car to play as he sat in the highchair eating his meal.  He took an instant liking to the toy and his interest in cars peaked when he turned four.  He could name any car on the street.  We played games naming the cars as we drove on the highway.  While he still enjoys his many cars, his interest is now in drawing and writing.  I remember asking him what he would like to be when he grows up.  A race driver!

What is true of little boys and girls is usually true also for organizations and institutions.  Just as individuals seek an identity, so do organizations.  The church and RCCC is no exception.  During the second century of Christian history, the church was trying to answer the question “Who are we?”  It was a time of amalgamation, codification and definition. 

Ministry

The What of Ministry

Read:

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

For RCCC, today, it is almost similar to the second century church in amalgamation, codification and definition but on a smaller scale.  It is a time of praying and seeking to fill our staff needs, establishing guidelines, of defining the work relations of the Joint Board, of the elders and deacons learning to work together and doing the five purposes.  The linchpin in all of this is the pastor-teacher.

Few jobs or callings carry such diverse expectations as pastoral ministry.  The expectations on our pastors are diverse, demanding and absolutely overwhelming.  The pastor must be a jack-of-all-trades, and more.  To help Timothy to negotiate through the myriad of expectations, Paul took the various roles, tasks and responsibilities of a pastor and condensed them into the phrase, “the goal of our instruction” (1 Timothy 1:5 nasb). 

It is clear to the seasoned believer that the responsibility and role of a pastor is to teach and shepherd the sheep with incorporating the Word of God into the lives of the people.  It is also clear to the seasoned believer-minister that our work is to continue the ministry that was started by our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 1:1-2), that is, to bring glory to God, as an expression of love and gratitude to Him, to build up the body of Christ and to give meaning and purpose to our lives.  The value of our own words is limited but the words of God have eternal value.  Let us all minister and serve with these thoughts in mind.

February 21

Thursday

In this mass media age, it is difficult not to be affected by commercials.  A couple of days ago, I was at home on vacation enjoying a basketball game on TV with my children.  After the game was over, we had been bombarded with the same series of commercials countless times.  Some commercials are direct, short and sweet, brainwashing you over and over; some are long and slow, not coming to the point for the longest time, almost like hypnotism; the most ludicrous ones are those that are simply puzzling—you don’t know what product they are promoting even after watching them several times!  Most commercial producers focus on grabbing the viewers’ attention and making a good first impression.  It is no wonder that choosing a “spokesperson” has become a key in building the image of a product.

Evangelism

Messenger of the Gospel

Read:

Luke 24:44-49

Jesus is the beloved only son sent by God.  Of course He has a deep understanding of human beings.  Please read Luke 24:44-49 and see how the resurrected Christ has made arrangements for the messengers of His gospel.  He reminded them of His teachings; He pointed out God used the prophets to prophesy; He guaranteed that God’s word will come to pass; He personally dealt with the bottleneck in spiritual understanding; He bestowed the power of understanding God’s revelation; He clearly stated that God’s plan will be carried out; Christ is the main character and the salvation plan entails the suffering, death and resurrection of the main character; the fact that Jesus rose from the dead is the crucial evidence that He is the Lord of life; man’s role and mission are clearly designated; the content of the message is man’s repentance and God’s forgiveness; the way is to depend on Christ; strategies for spreading the gospel all over the world are given; disciples must have personal experience before they go and witness to the world; Christ will give them the Holy Spirit according to the Father’s plan; disciples must wait for the presence of the Holy Spirit and work with Him; then they must complete their mission with the Holy Spirit’s help, etc, etc.

However, are we willing to accept Jesus’ arrangements today?  Are we glad to be the messengers of His gospel?  Do we have any other more worthy life or more meaningful role to consider?