WWYD - Homeless Scenario

One of the most important ways anyone can connect is based on their own personal experience. This phrase captures the essence of compassion: "If you have never been there, you don't know what it's like." ABCNews put together a small cast of actors, one a Good Samaritan, one a homeless man, one a bartender, and many acting as 'customers' in a high heeled bar breakfast joint, and to film some common reactions by customers and people, when a homeless man walks into the bar asking for a sandwich with $20 given by a good samaritan. What then would you do? This video is nearly 9 minutes long but is well worth a watch. The last scene is a moving scene. Don't miss it.

It is a well-made video of how the homeless are treated, and the condescending attitudes so prevalent in society, especially toward the homeless.

 

Jesus has said:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,f you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:31-40, ESV)

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Midweek Meditation >> "Battling Temptations Part 2"

Continuing the prayer of William Barclay with regards to fighting the wiles and temptations of the evil that can grow from within and without.

"O God, our Father, help us to resist the temptations which come to us from outside.

• Help us to say No to every voice which invites us to leave your way.
• Help us to resist every seduction which makes sin more attractive.
• Help us to walk through the world, and yet to keep our garments unspotted from the world.

Help us to be wise enough never to play with fire; never to flirt with temptation; never recklessly to put ourselves into a situation in which it is easy to go wrong; never unthinkingly to develop habits which provide an opportunity for sin.

Grant unto us that grace which will give us the strength and the purity ever to overcome evil and to do the right; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

[William Barclay, A Barclay Prayer Book, Lousville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1990, p35]

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BookPastor >> "Adventuring Through the Bible"

For this week, I recommend Ray Stedman's book not only because it gives us a great survey of each book of the Bible, it makes one desires to read the Bible more. This review was first published at the Panorama of a Book Saint on November 29th, 2012 here.

conrade 

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TITLE: Adventuring Through the Bible: A Comprehensive Guide to the Entire Bible
AUTHOR: Ray C. Stedman
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers, 2012, new enhanced edition, (941 pages).

I have always been a fan of this book. Since its publication of the first edition, this book has been one of my prized references whenever I do any Bible survey classes or teaching curriculum.This new edition presents more publisher initiatives like:

• new Bible reading plans;
• additional timelines of major Bible events;
• Topical lists for study;
• Discussion guides
• Personal application questions
• Maps, images, and many more.

It is essentially an updated look of the original edition without changing much of the late Stedman's content. Part One brings together the series of sermons Stedman had given in the years 1963-1964. It shows readers the goal of the Bible. The purpose is knowing God, our life's purpose, and faith through the good news. From Genesis to Revelation, Stedman leads readers through a panorama of the Old Testament and New Testament, with stories and examples from contemporary life to highlight the relevance to our world. The conviction is that God has spoken in the past as well as in the New Testament present. God is always speaking. The question is, are we listening?

Part Two encourages readers to take the five steps to maturity using the first five books of the Old Testament, or commonly known as the Pentateuch. Genesis represents the beginning of faith, after the fatal act of disobedience by Adam and Eve at the Garden of Eden. The essence of Genesis is that man can do nothing without God. Man need God more than the other way round. Exodus represents God's attempt to deliver Israel from slavery. The redemption theme is strong. Leviticus focuses on purity and wholeness, where the laws, the rituals, and the disciplines, are meant to help, not harm the people. Numbers points the reader to see the victory amid the disciplines and the setbacks faced. Deuteronomy wraps up the chronology of the entire redemption plan, with the law the strongest evidence yet of God's love.

Part Three covers the history of Israel and its neighbours through Joshua, Judges, Ruth, l and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, nehemiah, and Esther. One motivation to read and learn from the horrible events, the historical tragedies and sad events, is to make sure that readers do not repeat the mistakes made. It is also to give thanks to God for being the consistent rescuer despite the rebellion of the people.

Part Four introduces the wisdom books. Calling it a "music to live by," it goes through five poetical books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. Relationships are not things that can be solved. Sometimes, they need to be expressed through lament, through music, through singing, through poetry. It is the "heart cry of humanity." Above all, the gist is that no matter what, humans can call out to God in purely ordinary human expressions.

Part Five is the part on the prophetical books. Called the "promises of God," it gives readers a fresh lens to see the major and minor prophets from the eyes of promise. The greatest promise of all, is of course the coming of the Messiah, of Jesus. What is remarkable is that despite the bleak events that Israel had suffered, the exiles, the persecutions, and the endless losing battles, there is a promise of hope in one Saviour.

Part Six begins the survey of the New Testament. It takes a look at the Apocrypha, the gospels and Acts, to show us the person of Jesus Christ. The conviction is that the focus person in both the Old and the New Testament is Jesus Christ. The reason why the Apocrypha has been excluded from the Protestant canon is because it does not fit into the overall theme of the Bible.

Part Seven details the letters of Paul, how the Church is encouraged to hang on to the faith amid the persecutions and the false teachers. The purpose of divine revelation is essentially the transformation of human lives. Stedman affirms Paul's epistles as letters that not only bring together the theological themes of the Bible, but it leads Christians to experience the grace of God in Jesus Christ personally, and with one another in the Christian community.

Part Eight is about "keeping the faith," through Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, the letters of John and Jude. Here is when the going gets tough, faith keeps the faithful going. It is a time to encourage the people to be living stones for God, to put faith into action, to live authentically, to stand up for the faith, and to be counted for God.

Part Nine is specially reserved for Revelation. It too brings together the beginning as well as the end, showing readers again that God has revealed Jesus, and will continue to reveal as the end times approach. 



My Thoughts

As with the title of the book, this is about "adventuring" through the ancient Bible, about the Living Word made even more alive in our modern contexts.  Clearly written, coupled with lots of diagrams, illustrations, summary boxes, it encourages readers to want to read the Bible more. One of the strong points in this book is the frequent summaries of different Bible contexts, movemenets, timelines, cultural nuances, and stories. It gives readers additional tools to use when it comes to analyze, to study, and to apply the Word of God. It is useful as a teaching tool to guide new believers and eager students to understand the overall focus of the Bible. Sometimes, it is hard to tell which part of the book is written by Ray Stedman, which by Elaine his wife, or by unnamed individual(s) in the publishing house. For example, since Ray died in 1992, there is no way he had written about the story of 9/11 in the book. Books of this nature can also suffer from reductionistic tendencies. This is the inherent weakness in any attempt to summarize anything.

That said, if this book can drive one to study the Bible more for themselves, it would have worth the price of the book. Stedman says it well. The Bible is an adventure of faith. That is why, adventuring through the Bible is an apt title that will stick. I thank the Lord for this servant, who has given the Christian world a valuable asset to use, in the study of the Bible. With this book in hand, there is no way Bible study can be boring.


Rating: 5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me free by Discovery House Publishers and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

Choose Wisely

As the Chinese New Year season approaches, it is good to start taking stock again what is most important. This little story is simple, but points to a need to learn to choose wisely in life. As I think of Matthew 6:33, it is even more applicable. When we choose Christ, Christ will give everything we need.

Click here or below.


conrade

Top Most and Least Bible-Minded Cities in America

This article on ChristianityToday caught my attention today. It is a Top Ten listing of the most "Bible-Minded" cities as well as the least "Bible-Minded" cities. According to Barna statistics, 96 of the largest cities in America are considered in the survey. It generally confirms what is nowadays common knowledge. New England states are secular and least Bible minded. Bible belt states remain strongly Bible-minded. Many states comprise a mixture. According to David Kinnaman, President of Barna, the study reveals the growing diversity of beliefs from city to city. The interpretation of data is also very subjective. For example, the different levels of interpreting "Bible-mindedness" also affects the final results. The way to use the statistics is to look at "tipping points." Say if 20% of the population is the tipping point. It will lead to a positive "Bible-mindedness" to the rest of the city. If less, it will lead to a negative "Bible-mindedness." Bible-mindedness can also be described in terms of ease and casual use of biblical terms in everyday usage. The more "Bible-minded," the more readily acceptable in social conversations. This does not mean that all Bible conversations are attempts at proselytizing. It is basically just the level of acceptance of Bible lingo for that city.

Credit: American Bible Society (larger view)

It is interesting to note the term being used, "Bible-minded" rather than to say 'evangelical,' 'Christian,' 'Protestant,' etc. It is less restrictive in terms of profession of faith, and more reflective of how well-known the Bible is in each city. One does not need to be a Christian in order to know parts of the Bible, or Bible stories. Atheists do know parts of the Bible as well. As long as there is a "Bible-minded" situation, it means at least three advantages:

1. There is a shared story
2. There is an opportunity to build on what people already know
3. There is no pressure to force anyone to believe or not believe. After all, whether one knows the Bible or not, is not proselytizing. It is simply Bible knowledge.

Statistics can be fun to look at. It is also intriguing. Safe to say, we need to remember that all statistics are a snapshot in time, influenced by both the population size, as well as the process in collecting the data. Then there is the interpretation. For me, statistics like these are nice to know, but do not diminish the need to share the gospel more widely. It simply gives an indication of what kinds of strategies we can adopt. 

conrade

Midweek Meditation >> "Battling Temptations Part 1"

This prayer by William Barclay is a good one with regards to fighting the wiles and temptations of the evil that can grow from within and without.

"O God, our Father, help us to resist the temptations which continually attack us.
Help us to resist the temptations which come from within and from our own natures:

• The temptation to laziness and to too much love of ease and comfort;
• The temptation to pride and self-conceit and to think of ourselves more highly than we ought;
• The temptation to put things off until it is too late ever to do them; and to refuse to face the unpleasant things, until it is too late to do anything about them: Help us to resist these, O God.
• The temptation to despair, and to lose heart and hope;
• The temptation to lower our standards and to accept things as they are;
• The temptation to resignedly content with life as it is and ourselves as we are: Help us to resist these, O God.
• The temptation to let passion and desire have their way;
• The temptation to trade eternal happiness for the fleeting thrill of some seductive moment;
• The temptation to moodiness, to irritability, to bad temper;
• The temptation to criticism, to fault-finding, to thinking the worst of others: Help us to resist these, O God. "

[William Barclay, A Barclay Prayer Book, Lousville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1990, p34-35]
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Remembering Dr Graham Staines

How does one react when religious extremists kill a husband and two boys in a fire? In Eastern India, on the night of January 22nd, 1999, Hindu extremists set fire to a station wagon where Dr Graham Staines and his two boys, Philip and Timothy, aged 10 and 6 were sleeping. All three died leaving behind Gladys Staines and her daughter, Esther. Working with leprosy patients, the Australian family had been accused of forcefully converting Hindus to be Christians. The tragedy happened in Orissa, known as a place with great anti-Christian sentiments and persecution.

Photo of the Staines family.   Source: NewsCore

For thirty years, the family worked with in a remote village in Orissa. They treated patients. They reached out in love. They let their lives display the love of God through their skills. Think about it. Thirty years. That is a long time. How can anyone forcibly make people convert and take thirty years to do that? As far as I know, anything that requires force has an element of speedy achievement of results. But 30 years? How can the Staines family be forcing people to convert? It boggles my mind.

There is a high price to pay when it comes to mission work. That is why not many of us are in missions. Far too often, Churches pay lip service to the Great Commission or the mission work. They prefer to take the stance to let others do it. They prefer to remain in their comfort zone. They prefer to keep their one talent buried, thinking that they are doing God a favour by preserving their talent safe. We know the rest of the story. In case you are not familiar, read Matthew 25:14-30.

This week is also Missions Fest week in Vancouver. I'll write more tomorrow. For now, let us take a pause to remember Graham Staines, Philip, and Timothy, and give thanks to God for their sacrificial service and example.

conrade