Saturday, December 16, 2006

NT Wright on 1 Corinthians 2:6-13

Wright summarised this part of the Bible with these two paragraphs. I couldn't agree with him more.

1. There is a wealth of knowledge and life-enhancing understanding waiting for us to explore. Christianity is not simply a set of beliefs and a rule-book for life, such as anyone could master in a weekend. It is as many-sided as the world itself, full of beauty and mystery and power, and as terrifying and wonderful as God himself. There is always much, much more to learn, to relish, to delight in.

2. The Christian message from the very beginning challenged the world of power, including social and political power, with the message of God's superior kingdom unveiled in Jesus' death and resurrection. Paul doesn't want the Corinthians to imagine that he is talking simply about a religious experience that won't have anything to do with the real life of politics and government... Let us not settle for a gospel which allows the world's power-games to proceed without challenge.

Obligation? Love?

This year, I tried to encourage my fellowship committee members to have a good spiritual life with God in order to serve Him well. You need to love God in order to serve Him.

Today, I spent like 3 hours preparing for praise leading tomorrow in the children's service... And honestly, I feel this to be more like an obligation than love for God.

Without love, can I do this? It's certainly a boring thing, preparing powerpoints and what I'm going to say... preparing the music...

I can't help but recall what my fav writer Diana Gabaldon wrote in Drums of Autumn when Roger was trying to decide whether to stay because Brianna was pregnant and the baby might not be his, because she was raped.

"Obligation? Love? How in hell could you have love without obligation?"

Thursday, December 07, 2006

I've just started reading 1 Corinthians today. As usual of all Paul's epistles, it started with something about Jesus.

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

1Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

2To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge— 6because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. 7Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

Wright reflected upon the passage and wrote, "It doesn't take long in someone's company... before you discover what's really exciting them, what is at the centre of their waking thoughts... One name keeps coming up, over and over again."

For Paul, just in the first 9 verses, the name of Jesus appeared 8 times...

How many times does Jesus appear in your thought every day?

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Sick

I'm so sick, I can't concentrate to read the Bible...

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Advent

An advent calender that can help preparing you for Christmas... It's very beautiful, with meditations every day!!

Click here.

Friday, December 01, 2006