A Christian is an alien, a stranger here on earth. The main reason Jesus died is that you may go to heaven, not to heal your marriage, or to heal your body, or to make you a lot of money. It is true there are fringe benefits of being a Christian. God gives us a lot of good things along the way; he supplies our every need. He has a plan for our lives and his way will bring us to happiness more quickly than our way of doing things.
All's well ends well - RT. Kendall. pg. 37
Recent Posts
31 March, 2010
30 March, 2010
Suffering is better
Suffering is better than not knowing God. We may not be able to solve the suffering but we can use it, so don't waste our suffering.
29 March, 2010
Matahari tidak pernah terbit dari Timur
Kita memulai hari dengan Matahari terbit dari sebelah Timur,
dan kita menutup hari dengan Matahari terbenam ke sebelah Barat.
Pada kenyataannya Matahari tidak pernah terbit,
itu hanyalah fenomena yang kita lihat.
Seringkali kita hanya dapat melihat masalah melalui kacamata manusia dan tidak pernah melihat dari kacamata Allah. Tanpa Iman, manusia tidak akan pernah melihat masalah melalui kacamata Allah. AT.
dan kita menutup hari dengan Matahari terbenam ke sebelah Barat.
Pada kenyataannya Matahari tidak pernah terbit,
itu hanyalah fenomena yang kita lihat.
Seringkali kita hanya dapat melihat masalah melalui kacamata manusia dan tidak pernah melihat dari kacamata Allah. Tanpa Iman, manusia tidak akan pernah melihat masalah melalui kacamata Allah. AT.
27 March, 2010
Misguided in Battle against lust
In our losing battle against lust we're often misguided in three key areas. We've had...
- the wrong standard for holiness,
- the wrong source of power to change,
- and the wrong motive for fighting our sin.
Pg. 23 - Sex is not the problem (lust is) ~ Joshua Harris
26 March, 2010
Akhirnya sampai juga...
Setelah 1 minggu berlalu akhirnya buku-buku yang saya pesan dari bookdepository.co.uk telah sampai, aneh sekali, pesan 1 kali, tapi dikirimnya satu-satu, mungkin hemat biaya kirim karena tipis-tipis bukunya. Maklum gratis ongkos kirim :). Berikut buku-bukunya:
Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is) - Joshua Harris
The Prodigal God - Timothy J. Keller
Rethinking Retirement - John Piper
DOn't Waste Your Life - John Piper
A Sweet and Bitter Providence - John Piper
Be Still, My Soul - Nancy Guthrie
Knowing God Study Guide - JI Packer
When I am afraid - Edward T. Welch
Tinggal 1 yang belum sampai.
Worldliness - C.J. Mahaney
Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is) - Joshua Harris
The Prodigal God - Timothy J. Keller
Rethinking Retirement - John Piper
DOn't Waste Your Life - John Piper
A Sweet and Bitter Providence - John Piper
Be Still, My Soul - Nancy Guthrie
Knowing God Study Guide - JI Packer
When I am afraid - Edward T. Welch
Tinggal 1 yang belum sampai.
Worldliness - C.J. Mahaney
25 March, 2010
Sekali seumur hidup
Slogan ini sering dikatakan oleh tukang foto pernikahan, tukang video pernikahan, konsumsi, tukang bikin kue dan yang lain sebagainya, ketika seseorang menikah, maka inilah yang dikatakan - "Pakai yang ini, yang terbaik karena sekali seumur hidup" -- Hmm... apakah memang benar atau hanya pembenaran diri untuk menciptakan pesta pernikahan yang sempurna, yang seringkali karena kita sudah melihat adanya satu standard, misalnya teman kita menikah wah..maka kita tidak mau kalau dengan berusaha lebih wah. Kemudian melalui kesempatan inilah marketing dari semua yang ikut ambil bagian dalam sebuah pernikahan, untuk menjual produk mereka yang terbaik dan termahal dengan alasan "sekali seumur hidup".
Kadang kita tidak adil terhadap diri sendiri, bagaimana dengan seorang asing yang duduk di sebelah kita ketika kita berada di dalam pesawat, bukankah orang tersebut juga mungkin "sekali seumur hidup" duduk di sebelah Anda, tapi kita tidak mau menginjili dia. Misalnya juga kita sekali seumur hidup bertemu dengan dia, namun kenapa kita tidak baik terhadap mereka, sehingga ada satu kesempatan memberitakan injil kepada mereka. Bukankah kita ini tidak adil terhadap diri kita sendiri?
Kalau kita menjalani satu hari sekali seumur hidup, kenapa kita tidak pernah mau melakukan yang terbaik? Misalnya hanya satu kali dalam seumur hidup kita akan mengalami tanggal 25 Maret 2010. Bahkan hal itu bukan hanya 'mungkin' tapi 'pasti' kita tidak akan mengalami hari tersebut dalam hidup kita. Tapi sudahkah kita mempergunakannya secara baik. Hmm..Satu refleksi yang harus kita renungkan bersama-sama.
Jadi kalau ada slogan "Sekali Seumur Hidup" -- ini hanyalah cliche untuk tujuan marketing bagi mereka untuk mendapatkan uang sebanyak-banyaknya, sedangkan dari pihak yang memakai produk mereka hanyalah untuk pembenaran diri, kesempatan untuk menciptakan yang terbaik -- seolah-olah kesempatan itu tidak akan pernah datang lagi.
Kadang kita tidak adil terhadap diri sendiri, bagaimana dengan seorang asing yang duduk di sebelah kita ketika kita berada di dalam pesawat, bukankah orang tersebut juga mungkin "sekali seumur hidup" duduk di sebelah Anda, tapi kita tidak mau menginjili dia. Misalnya juga kita sekali seumur hidup bertemu dengan dia, namun kenapa kita tidak baik terhadap mereka, sehingga ada satu kesempatan memberitakan injil kepada mereka. Bukankah kita ini tidak adil terhadap diri kita sendiri?
Kalau kita menjalani satu hari sekali seumur hidup, kenapa kita tidak pernah mau melakukan yang terbaik? Misalnya hanya satu kali dalam seumur hidup kita akan mengalami tanggal 25 Maret 2010. Bahkan hal itu bukan hanya 'mungkin' tapi 'pasti' kita tidak akan mengalami hari tersebut dalam hidup kita. Tapi sudahkah kita mempergunakannya secara baik. Hmm..Satu refleksi yang harus kita renungkan bersama-sama.
Jadi kalau ada slogan "Sekali Seumur Hidup" -- ini hanyalah cliche untuk tujuan marketing bagi mereka untuk mendapatkan uang sebanyak-banyaknya, sedangkan dari pihak yang memakai produk mereka hanyalah untuk pembenaran diri, kesempatan untuk menciptakan yang terbaik -- seolah-olah kesempatan itu tidak akan pernah datang lagi.
23 March, 2010
Charles Weigle's life
It is not difficult to sing when all is going well. But often God gives a special song to one of His hurting children during the night times of their lives. Believers find new joys in their nights of sorrow and despair, and they discover a greater closeness with their Lord during times of deep need. The Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation while on the barren island of Patmos; John Bunyan completed the classic Pilgrim's Progress while in the Bedford jail; Beethoven composesed his incredible 9th Symphony while totally deaf; and Fanny Crosby once remarked, "If I had not lost my sight, I could never have written all the hymns God gave me."
Charles Weigle's song, "No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus", was the product of one of the darkest periods of his life. Weigle spent most of his life as an itinerant evangelist and gospel songwriter. One day after returning home from an evangelistic crusade, he found a note left by his wife of many years. The note said she had had enough of an evangelist's life. She was leaving him. Weigle later said that he became so despondent during the next several years that there were times when he contemplated suicide. There was the terrible despair that no one really cared for him anymore. Gradually his spiritual faith was restored, and he once again became active in the Christian ministry. Soon he felt compelled to write a song that would be a summary of his past tragic experience. From a heart that had been broken came these choice words that God gave to comfort Charles Weigle:
I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus
Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true;
I would tell you how He changed my life completely--
He did something that no other friend could do.
All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me;
All my heart was full of misery and woe;
Jesus placed His strong and loving arms around me,
And He led me in the way I ought to go.
Every day He comes to me with new assurance,
More and more I understand His words of love;
But I'll never know just why He came to save me,
Till some day I see His blessed face above.
CHORUS:
No one ever cared for me like Jesus;
There's no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me--
O how much He cared for me!
Taken from http://our.homewithgod.com/ewerluvd/hymndevotionals/6_26.htm
Charles Weigle's song, "No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus", was the product of one of the darkest periods of his life. Weigle spent most of his life as an itinerant evangelist and gospel songwriter. One day after returning home from an evangelistic crusade, he found a note left by his wife of many years. The note said she had had enough of an evangelist's life. She was leaving him. Weigle later said that he became so despondent during the next several years that there were times when he contemplated suicide. There was the terrible despair that no one really cared for him anymore. Gradually his spiritual faith was restored, and he once again became active in the Christian ministry. Soon he felt compelled to write a song that would be a summary of his past tragic experience. From a heart that had been broken came these choice words that God gave to comfort Charles Weigle:
I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus
Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true;
I would tell you how He changed my life completely--
He did something that no other friend could do.
All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me;
All my heart was full of misery and woe;
Jesus placed His strong and loving arms around me,
And He led me in the way I ought to go.
Every day He comes to me with new assurance,
More and more I understand His words of love;
But I'll never know just why He came to save me,
Till some day I see His blessed face above.
CHORUS:
No one ever cared for me like Jesus;
There's no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me--
O how much He cared for me!
Taken from http://our.homewithgod.com/ewerluvd/hymndevotionals/6_26.htm
Music - Statement of Faith
Kita harus menyanyikan apa yang kita percayai
dan kita harus mempercayai apa yang kita nyanyikan
dan kita harus mempercayai apa yang kita nyanyikan
Simplicity Is Possible and Good
From desiringgod.og
I Timohy 6:8: "If we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content." Christians can be and ought to be content with the simple necessities of life. I'll mention three reasons why simplicity is possible and good. First, because when you have God near you and for you, you don't need extra money or extra things to give you peace and security. Hebrews 13:5, 6 says,
Keep your life free from the love of money. Be content with what you have. For he has said, "I will never fail you nor forsake you." Hence we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?"
No matter which way the market is moving, God is always better than gold. Therefore, by God's help we can be content with the simple necessities of life.
Second, we can be content with the necessities of life because the deepest, most satisfying delights God gives us through creation are free gifts from nature and loving relationships with people. After your basic needs are met, money begins to diminish your capacity for these pleasures rather than increase them. Buying things contributes absolutely nothing to the heart's capacity for joy. There is a deep difference between the temporary thrill of a new toy and a homecoming hug from a devoted friend. Who do you think has the deepest most satisfying joy in life, the man who pays $100 for a fortieth floor suite downtown and spends his evening in the half-lit, smoke filled lounge impressing strange women with ten dollar cocktails, or the man who chooses the Motel 6 by a vacant lot of sunflowers and spends his evening watching the sunset and writing a love letter to his wife?
Third, we should be content with the simple necessities of life because we could invest the extra that we make for what really counts. Three billion people today are outside Jesus Christ. Two-thirds of those do not have a viable Christian witness in their culture. If they are to hear—and Christ commands that they hear—cross-cultural missionaries will have to be sent and paid for. All the wealth needed to send this new army of good news ambassadors is in the American church. If we, like Paul, are content with the simple necessities of life, thousands of dollars at Bethlehem and millions of dollars in the Baptist General Conference and hundreds of millions of dollars in the Protestant church would be released to take the gospel to the frontiers. And the revolution of joy and freedom it would cause at home would be the best local witness imaginable. The biblical call is that you can and ought to be content with the simple necessities of life. Therefore, don't try to get rich.
I Timohy 6:8: "If we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content." Christians can be and ought to be content with the simple necessities of life. I'll mention three reasons why simplicity is possible and good. First, because when you have God near you and for you, you don't need extra money or extra things to give you peace and security. Hebrews 13:5, 6 says,
Keep your life free from the love of money. Be content with what you have. For he has said, "I will never fail you nor forsake you." Hence we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?"
No matter which way the market is moving, God is always better than gold. Therefore, by God's help we can be content with the simple necessities of life.
Second, we can be content with the necessities of life because the deepest, most satisfying delights God gives us through creation are free gifts from nature and loving relationships with people. After your basic needs are met, money begins to diminish your capacity for these pleasures rather than increase them. Buying things contributes absolutely nothing to the heart's capacity for joy. There is a deep difference between the temporary thrill of a new toy and a homecoming hug from a devoted friend. Who do you think has the deepest most satisfying joy in life, the man who pays $100 for a fortieth floor suite downtown and spends his evening in the half-lit, smoke filled lounge impressing strange women with ten dollar cocktails, or the man who chooses the Motel 6 by a vacant lot of sunflowers and spends his evening watching the sunset and writing a love letter to his wife?
Third, we should be content with the simple necessities of life because we could invest the extra that we make for what really counts. Three billion people today are outside Jesus Christ. Two-thirds of those do not have a viable Christian witness in their culture. If they are to hear—and Christ commands that they hear—cross-cultural missionaries will have to be sent and paid for. All the wealth needed to send this new army of good news ambassadors is in the American church. If we, like Paul, are content with the simple necessities of life, thousands of dollars at Bethlehem and millions of dollars in the Baptist General Conference and hundreds of millions of dollars in the Protestant church would be released to take the gospel to the frontiers. And the revolution of joy and freedom it would cause at home would be the best local witness imaginable. The biblical call is that you can and ought to be content with the simple necessities of life. Therefore, don't try to get rich.
22 March, 2010
Where is God?
"Where is God? This is one of the most disquieting symptoms. When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him...you will be, or so it feels - welcomed with open arms. But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence.......You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more emphatic the silence becomes." CS Lewis (in the midst of deep grief after his wife's death from cancer)
21 March, 2010
Musik Gereja Membosankan
Kita hidup di jaman post-modern di mana pemikiran mengenai lagu-lagu yang dinyanyikan khususnya di gereja Injili, Reformed, Baptist dan yang lainnya yang masih memakai Himne adalah sangat membosankan. Kita bisa berkata "Sangat membosankan". Mengapa bisa terjadi kata-kata seperti ini, apakah memang benar musiknya yang salah dan harus berevolusi menjadi musik yang lebih bisa didengar oleh kuping ini.
Dalam hidup kita selalu mendengarkan musik, namun kecenderungan di jaman sekarang di manapun yang kita dengar entah itu di cafe, tempat-tempat umum adalah jenis-jenis musik seperti RnB, Rap, Metal, Pop, slow rock, Jazz dan yang lainnya -- sehingga kuping kita ini mau tidak mau sudah terpengaruh dengan satu kebiasaan mendengar lagu-lagu dengan style tertentu. Ketika kita di gereja kita mau juga menyanyikan lagu-lagu rohani yang berirama seperti itu, kalau tidak akan terdengar sangat membosankan. "IT'S SO BORING!!!", sebenarnya yang boring itu kita atau lagunya?
Lagu-lagu kontemporer yang sepertinya 'rohani' pun mulai diadaptasi oleh gereja, tanpa menseleksi dengan ketat baik dari segi nada, irama, teologianya dan prinsip-prinsip pengajaran yang terkandung dari lagu tersebut. Lagu-lagu kontemporer akhirnya diciptakan banyak dan cepat karena adanya unsur komersial. Dan gereja sebagai konsumen tidak terlalu mau ambil pusing dalam hal ini, asalkan bisa memakai lagu tersebut supaya orang-orang muda bisa lebih banyak datang ke gereja, mengapa tidak? Sama seperti ketika kita makan, kita tidak lagi memperdulikan apakah makanan tersebut itu dapat membahayakan kesehatan kita atau tidak, asalkan enak.
Bukannya saya menentang lagu-lagu kontemporer, namun kita benar-benar harus selektif jangan hanya karena musiknya bagus dan enak didengar berarti itu benar, atau lirik-liriknya gampang dihapal dan gampang dicerna itu bagus dan dipakai. Jaman post-modern ini mempengaruhi manusia, dengan sikap seperti ini "Selama saya merasa nyaman, maka hal itu adalah kebenaran" -- jadi yang menentukan kebenaran adalah diri kita sendiri. Marilah kita sama-sama belajar untuk tidak menyerupai dunia ini yang semakin hari semakin mengalami penurunan, salah satunya adalah dalam hal musik.
Artikel ini saya tulis, karena terinspirasi melalui seminar "The Value of Hymn" yang saya harap bisa memberikan berkat bagi kita semua.
Dalam hidup kita selalu mendengarkan musik, namun kecenderungan di jaman sekarang di manapun yang kita dengar entah itu di cafe, tempat-tempat umum adalah jenis-jenis musik seperti RnB, Rap, Metal, Pop, slow rock, Jazz dan yang lainnya -- sehingga kuping kita ini mau tidak mau sudah terpengaruh dengan satu kebiasaan mendengar lagu-lagu dengan style tertentu. Ketika kita di gereja kita mau juga menyanyikan lagu-lagu rohani yang berirama seperti itu, kalau tidak akan terdengar sangat membosankan. "IT'S SO BORING!!!", sebenarnya yang boring itu kita atau lagunya?
Lagu-lagu kontemporer yang sepertinya 'rohani' pun mulai diadaptasi oleh gereja, tanpa menseleksi dengan ketat baik dari segi nada, irama, teologianya dan prinsip-prinsip pengajaran yang terkandung dari lagu tersebut. Lagu-lagu kontemporer akhirnya diciptakan banyak dan cepat karena adanya unsur komersial. Dan gereja sebagai konsumen tidak terlalu mau ambil pusing dalam hal ini, asalkan bisa memakai lagu tersebut supaya orang-orang muda bisa lebih banyak datang ke gereja, mengapa tidak? Sama seperti ketika kita makan, kita tidak lagi memperdulikan apakah makanan tersebut itu dapat membahayakan kesehatan kita atau tidak, asalkan enak.
Bukannya saya menentang lagu-lagu kontemporer, namun kita benar-benar harus selektif jangan hanya karena musiknya bagus dan enak didengar berarti itu benar, atau lirik-liriknya gampang dihapal dan gampang dicerna itu bagus dan dipakai. Jaman post-modern ini mempengaruhi manusia, dengan sikap seperti ini "Selama saya merasa nyaman, maka hal itu adalah kebenaran" -- jadi yang menentukan kebenaran adalah diri kita sendiri. Marilah kita sama-sama belajar untuk tidak menyerupai dunia ini yang semakin hari semakin mengalami penurunan, salah satunya adalah dalam hal musik.
Artikel ini saya tulis, karena terinspirasi melalui seminar "The Value of Hymn" yang saya harap bisa memberikan berkat bagi kita semua.
Should a church be seeker sensitive?
This article from gotquestions.org
In recent years a new movement within the evangelical church has come into vogue commonly referred to as "seeker sensitive." Generally, this movement has seen a great deal of growth. Many “seeker” churches are now mega-churches with well-known pastors who are riding a wave of popularity in the evangelical world. The seeker sensitive movement claims millions of conversions, commands vast resources, continues to gain popularity, and seems to be attracting millions of un-churched people into its fold.
So, what is this movement all about? Where does it come from? And, more importantly, is it biblical? Basically, the seeker-sensitive church tries to reach out to the unsaved person by making the church experience as comfortable, inviting, and non-threatening to him as possible. The hope is that the person will believe in the gospel. The idea behind the concept is to get as many unsaved people through the door as possible, and the church leadership are willing to use nearly any means to accomplish that goal. Theatrics and musical entertainment are the norm in the church service to keep the unsaved person from getting bored as he does with traditional churches. State of the art technology in lighting and sound are common components of the seeker-sensitive churches, especially the larger ones.
Expertly run nurseries, day care, adult day care, community programs such as ESL (English as a Second Language), and much more are common fixtures in the larger seeker churches. Short sermons (typically 20 minutes at most) are usually focused on self-improvement. Supporters of this movement will tell you that the single reason behind all the expense, state of the art tech gear, and theatrics is to reach the unsaved with the gospel; however, rarely are sin, hell, or repentance spoken of, and Jesus Christ as the exclusive way to heaven is rarely mentioned. Such doctrines are considered “divisive.”
The seeker-sensitive church movement has pioneered a new method for founding churches involving demographics studies and community surveys that ask the unsaved what they want in a church. This is a kind of “if you build it they will come” mentality. The reasoning is that if you give the unsaved better entertainment than they can receive elsewhere, or “do church” in a non-threatening way, then they will come, and hopefully, they will accept the gospel. The mindset is to hook the un-churched person with great entertainment, give him a message he can digest, and provide second-to-none services. The focus of the seeker church then is not Christ-centered, but man-centered. The main purpose of the seeker church’s existence is to give people what they want or meet their felt needs.
Further, the seeker-friendly gospel presentation is based on the idea that if you will believe in Jesus, He will make your life better. Relationships with your wife or husband, coworkers, children, etc., will be better. The message the seeker church sometimes passes on to the unsaved person is that God is a great cosmic genie, and if you stroke Him the right way, you will get what you want. In other words, if you profess to believe in Jesus, God will give you a better life, better relationships and purpose in life. So, for all intents and purposes, the seeker-sensitive movement is a type of system based on giving unbelievers whatever they want. What too often happens in such a system is that people make a profession of faith, but when the circumstances of their lives don’t immediately change for their material good, they forsake Christ, believing He has failed them.
How are people responding to the “seeker” movement? Many people have responded and begun attending seeker-sensitive churches. Many people, indeed, have come to faith in Christ as a result of a seeker-sensitive church. But the bigger question is, “What does God have to say about all this?” Is it possible for a movement to be successful from a human perspective, but be unacceptable to God?
The basic premise in the seeker-sensitive movement is that there are many people out there who are seeking God and want to know Him, but the concept of the traditional church scares them away from faith in Christ. But is it true that people are truly seeking God? Actually, Scripture teaches the exact opposite! The apostle Paul tells us that “there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God” (Romans 3:11). This means there is no such thing as an unbeliever who is truly seeking for God on his own. Furthermore, man is dead in his sin (Ephesians 2:1), and he can’t seek God because he doesn’t recognize his need for Him, which is why Paul says that there is no one who understands. Romans 1:20-23 teaches us that all unbelievers reject the true God. They then go on to form a god that is what they want (a god in their image or the image of something else). This is a god they can tame and control. Romans 1:18-20 says they knowingly suppress what they know about God through His creation and that they are subject to God’s wrath, another doctrine studiously avoided by the seeker churches.
God’s invisible attributes are clearly seen in creation, but unbelievers take that clear knowledge and revelation God has graciously provided and flatly reject it. This leads to Paul’s statement in Romans 1:20 that they are “without excuse.” What man finds when he seeks on his own is nothing more than a god of his own creation. Man does not seek for God; it is God who seeks for man. Jesus said that plainly in John 15:16, and John 6:44. The idea of thousands or even millions of unbelievers really searching for the true God is an utterly unbiblical notion. Thus, this movement is based on an unbiblical concept of the nature of the unsaved person, which is spiritually dead. A spiritually dead person does not seek God, nor can he. Therefore, there is no such thing as a seeking unbeliever. He does not understand the things of God until he is made alive by the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:14).
Until the Father draws him (John 6:44) and the Spirit awakens the heart so he can believe and receive the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8), an unsaved person cannot believe. Salvation is completely the act of God whereby He draws and empowers the dead sinner with what is necessary to believe (John 6:37, 39-40). What part do we play in the salvation of others? God has commanded that we are the instrumentality through which the gospel is proclaimed. We share the gospel, but it is not our responsibility to make people believe, or even to try to be persuasive or manipulate them into believing. God has given us the message of the gospel; we are to share it with gentleness and reverence, but we are to share it, offensive parts and all. Nobody believes the gospel because a speaker is persuasive. People believe because of the work of God in their hearts.
God has not been vague on what His church is to be like. He didn’t leave us guessing. He has given us direction on how men are to lead His church (Acts 6:1-6, 14:23; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Ephesians 4:11), the ordinances of the church (1 Corinthians 11; Matthew 28:19), and the worship in the church—it is to be on the “Lord’s Day” (Acts 20:7), and is to consist of preaching and teaching, prayer, fellowship (Acts 2:42) and the taking of an offering (Colossians 3:16). Here the seeker movement has missed the mark completely with its man-centered focus. When an unsaved person enters church, should our goal be to make him feel as comfortable as possible? When it comes to issues like our kindness, speaking respectfully, or even physical comfort, all who enter the church should be treated well. But the unsaved person should never feel ‘at home’ in church, which is the body of Christ. The preaching and teaching of truth should make him feel very uncomfortable as he, hopefully, realizes the state of his soul, comes to know the existence of hell, and recognizes his need for the Savior. This discomfort is what brings people to Christ, and those who attempt to circumvent discomfort are not being loving. In fact, just the opposite is true. If we love someone, we want him to know the truth about sin, death, and salvation so we can help him avoid an eternity in hell. According to Paul, when an unbeliever enters the church and the Word of God is preached expositionally (taught directly from the Scriptures), he will be convicted and called into account for his sin. The secrets of his heart are disclosed as he confesses and repents of his sin; this leads him to humble himself and worship the God who has provided the sacrifice for his salvation.
If we apply the standards of the seeker-sensitive movement to evaluate Jesus’ ministry, we get some interesting results. Jesus was preaching to thousands, and in that sermon He clearly offends nearly all of those who hear Him. They desert Him, and “from this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (John 6:66). The Greek words in this verse mean they left and never came back. Jesus warned us that, far from healing our relationships with others, Christians will experience rifts in their closest relationships because of Him (Matthew 10:34-37). It is true that once we are saved life is better because we are reconciled to God and have a right relationship with Him. This provides the deepest peace that can be known. However, the rest of our lives will almost certainly be more difficult than before. God has said that we will experience persecution (Matthew 10:25), the rest of the world will look upon us as fools (1 Corinthians 1:18, 23), and we may even experience deep divisions in our own families all because of Christ (Luke 12:53). Jesus never intended for us to be popular with unbelievers, saying instead that He came to bring not peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34).
The basic philosophy, theology, purpose, and end of the seeker-sensitive movement are entirely man-centered. However, some would say that regardless of the purpose, motive, and outcome of the movement being wrong, we can’t argue with the principle of getting the unsaved through the doors to hear the gospel. Certainly any exposure we can give the unsaved to the gospel is a great thing. However, the seeker-sensitive movement sometimes doesn’t have the real gospel. Rather, it is a shell of the truth; it is hollow and void of the truths of sin, hell, and the holiness of God.
How is the rest of the body of Christ to respond to the seeker-sensitive movement? We are to “contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). We are to be all the more vigilant to model our churches after the instruction of Scripture. Eventually this movement, like all others which have come and gone over the years, will run its course and fizzle out. The seeker movement is large and well accepted, but it will eventually give way to the next fad, and in some ways that has already happened with the Emerging Church movement. Oddities within the church come and go, but the biblical church, like her Lord, endures forever.
In recent years a new movement within the evangelical church has come into vogue commonly referred to as "seeker sensitive." Generally, this movement has seen a great deal of growth. Many “seeker” churches are now mega-churches with well-known pastors who are riding a wave of popularity in the evangelical world. The seeker sensitive movement claims millions of conversions, commands vast resources, continues to gain popularity, and seems to be attracting millions of un-churched people into its fold.
So, what is this movement all about? Where does it come from? And, more importantly, is it biblical? Basically, the seeker-sensitive church tries to reach out to the unsaved person by making the church experience as comfortable, inviting, and non-threatening to him as possible. The hope is that the person will believe in the gospel. The idea behind the concept is to get as many unsaved people through the door as possible, and the church leadership are willing to use nearly any means to accomplish that goal. Theatrics and musical entertainment are the norm in the church service to keep the unsaved person from getting bored as he does with traditional churches. State of the art technology in lighting and sound are common components of the seeker-sensitive churches, especially the larger ones.
Expertly run nurseries, day care, adult day care, community programs such as ESL (English as a Second Language), and much more are common fixtures in the larger seeker churches. Short sermons (typically 20 minutes at most) are usually focused on self-improvement. Supporters of this movement will tell you that the single reason behind all the expense, state of the art tech gear, and theatrics is to reach the unsaved with the gospel; however, rarely are sin, hell, or repentance spoken of, and Jesus Christ as the exclusive way to heaven is rarely mentioned. Such doctrines are considered “divisive.”
The seeker-sensitive church movement has pioneered a new method for founding churches involving demographics studies and community surveys that ask the unsaved what they want in a church. This is a kind of “if you build it they will come” mentality. The reasoning is that if you give the unsaved better entertainment than they can receive elsewhere, or “do church” in a non-threatening way, then they will come, and hopefully, they will accept the gospel. The mindset is to hook the un-churched person with great entertainment, give him a message he can digest, and provide second-to-none services. The focus of the seeker church then is not Christ-centered, but man-centered. The main purpose of the seeker church’s existence is to give people what they want or meet their felt needs.
Further, the seeker-friendly gospel presentation is based on the idea that if you will believe in Jesus, He will make your life better. Relationships with your wife or husband, coworkers, children, etc., will be better. The message the seeker church sometimes passes on to the unsaved person is that God is a great cosmic genie, and if you stroke Him the right way, you will get what you want. In other words, if you profess to believe in Jesus, God will give you a better life, better relationships and purpose in life. So, for all intents and purposes, the seeker-sensitive movement is a type of system based on giving unbelievers whatever they want. What too often happens in such a system is that people make a profession of faith, but when the circumstances of their lives don’t immediately change for their material good, they forsake Christ, believing He has failed them.
How are people responding to the “seeker” movement? Many people have responded and begun attending seeker-sensitive churches. Many people, indeed, have come to faith in Christ as a result of a seeker-sensitive church. But the bigger question is, “What does God have to say about all this?” Is it possible for a movement to be successful from a human perspective, but be unacceptable to God?
The basic premise in the seeker-sensitive movement is that there are many people out there who are seeking God and want to know Him, but the concept of the traditional church scares them away from faith in Christ. But is it true that people are truly seeking God? Actually, Scripture teaches the exact opposite! The apostle Paul tells us that “there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God” (Romans 3:11). This means there is no such thing as an unbeliever who is truly seeking for God on his own. Furthermore, man is dead in his sin (Ephesians 2:1), and he can’t seek God because he doesn’t recognize his need for Him, which is why Paul says that there is no one who understands. Romans 1:20-23 teaches us that all unbelievers reject the true God. They then go on to form a god that is what they want (a god in their image or the image of something else). This is a god they can tame and control. Romans 1:18-20 says they knowingly suppress what they know about God through His creation and that they are subject to God’s wrath, another doctrine studiously avoided by the seeker churches.
God’s invisible attributes are clearly seen in creation, but unbelievers take that clear knowledge and revelation God has graciously provided and flatly reject it. This leads to Paul’s statement in Romans 1:20 that they are “without excuse.” What man finds when he seeks on his own is nothing more than a god of his own creation. Man does not seek for God; it is God who seeks for man. Jesus said that plainly in John 15:16, and John 6:44. The idea of thousands or even millions of unbelievers really searching for the true God is an utterly unbiblical notion. Thus, this movement is based on an unbiblical concept of the nature of the unsaved person, which is spiritually dead. A spiritually dead person does not seek God, nor can he. Therefore, there is no such thing as a seeking unbeliever. He does not understand the things of God until he is made alive by the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:14).
Until the Father draws him (John 6:44) and the Spirit awakens the heart so he can believe and receive the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8), an unsaved person cannot believe. Salvation is completely the act of God whereby He draws and empowers the dead sinner with what is necessary to believe (John 6:37, 39-40). What part do we play in the salvation of others? God has commanded that we are the instrumentality through which the gospel is proclaimed. We share the gospel, but it is not our responsibility to make people believe, or even to try to be persuasive or manipulate them into believing. God has given us the message of the gospel; we are to share it with gentleness and reverence, but we are to share it, offensive parts and all. Nobody believes the gospel because a speaker is persuasive. People believe because of the work of God in their hearts.
God has not been vague on what His church is to be like. He didn’t leave us guessing. He has given us direction on how men are to lead His church (Acts 6:1-6, 14:23; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Ephesians 4:11), the ordinances of the church (1 Corinthians 11; Matthew 28:19), and the worship in the church—it is to be on the “Lord’s Day” (Acts 20:7), and is to consist of preaching and teaching, prayer, fellowship (Acts 2:42) and the taking of an offering (Colossians 3:16). Here the seeker movement has missed the mark completely with its man-centered focus. When an unsaved person enters church, should our goal be to make him feel as comfortable as possible? When it comes to issues like our kindness, speaking respectfully, or even physical comfort, all who enter the church should be treated well. But the unsaved person should never feel ‘at home’ in church, which is the body of Christ. The preaching and teaching of truth should make him feel very uncomfortable as he, hopefully, realizes the state of his soul, comes to know the existence of hell, and recognizes his need for the Savior. This discomfort is what brings people to Christ, and those who attempt to circumvent discomfort are not being loving. In fact, just the opposite is true. If we love someone, we want him to know the truth about sin, death, and salvation so we can help him avoid an eternity in hell. According to Paul, when an unbeliever enters the church and the Word of God is preached expositionally (taught directly from the Scriptures), he will be convicted and called into account for his sin. The secrets of his heart are disclosed as he confesses and repents of his sin; this leads him to humble himself and worship the God who has provided the sacrifice for his salvation.
If we apply the standards of the seeker-sensitive movement to evaluate Jesus’ ministry, we get some interesting results. Jesus was preaching to thousands, and in that sermon He clearly offends nearly all of those who hear Him. They desert Him, and “from this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (John 6:66). The Greek words in this verse mean they left and never came back. Jesus warned us that, far from healing our relationships with others, Christians will experience rifts in their closest relationships because of Him (Matthew 10:34-37). It is true that once we are saved life is better because we are reconciled to God and have a right relationship with Him. This provides the deepest peace that can be known. However, the rest of our lives will almost certainly be more difficult than before. God has said that we will experience persecution (Matthew 10:25), the rest of the world will look upon us as fools (1 Corinthians 1:18, 23), and we may even experience deep divisions in our own families all because of Christ (Luke 12:53). Jesus never intended for us to be popular with unbelievers, saying instead that He came to bring not peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34).
The basic philosophy, theology, purpose, and end of the seeker-sensitive movement are entirely man-centered. However, some would say that regardless of the purpose, motive, and outcome of the movement being wrong, we can’t argue with the principle of getting the unsaved through the doors to hear the gospel. Certainly any exposure we can give the unsaved to the gospel is a great thing. However, the seeker-sensitive movement sometimes doesn’t have the real gospel. Rather, it is a shell of the truth; it is hollow and void of the truths of sin, hell, and the holiness of God.
How is the rest of the body of Christ to respond to the seeker-sensitive movement? We are to “contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). We are to be all the more vigilant to model our churches after the instruction of Scripture. Eventually this movement, like all others which have come and gone over the years, will run its course and fizzle out. The seeker movement is large and well accepted, but it will eventually give way to the next fad, and in some ways that has already happened with the Emerging Church movement. Oddities within the church come and go, but the biblical church, like her Lord, endures forever.
20 March, 2010
Inconsistency in Facing a Problem
"I would rather die than to face that problem...but I'm afraid to die" - So it's better for me to run from that problem and not die - this is an inconsistency in facing a problem. Post modernism taught us as long I feel comfortable, that is the truth, I don't have to suffer with the problem.
19 March, 2010
Jangan menikah dengan orang yang sempurna
Jangan menikah dengan orang yang sempurna karena jika kita menikah dengan dia maka dia akan menjadi tidak sempurna. Menikahlah dengan orang yang tidak sempurna dan berusahalah bersama-sama menuju kesempurnaan itu.
Jadikan saya domba yang hilang dan yang ditemukan
Lukas 15:1-7
1 Para pemungut cukai dan orang-orang berdosa biasanya datang kepada Yesus untuk mendengarkan Dia. 2 Maka bersungut-sungutlah orang-orang Farisi dan ahli-ahli Taurat, katanya: "Ia menerima orang-orang berdosa dan makan bersama-sama dengan mereka." 3 Lalu Ia mengatakan perumpamaan ini kepada mereka: 4 "Siapakah di antara kamu yang mempunyai seratus ekor domba, dan jikalau ia kehilangan seekor di antaranya, tidak meninggalkan yang sembilan puluh sembilan ekor di padang gurun dan pergi mencari yang sesat itu sampai ia menemukannya? 5 Dan kalau ia telah menemukannya, ia meletakkannya di atas bahunya dengan gembira, 6 dan setibanya di rumah ia memanggil sahabat-sahabat dan tetangga-tetangganya serta berkata kepada mereka: Bersukacitalah bersama-sama dengan aku, sebab dombaku yang hilang itu telah kutemukan. 7 Aku berkata kepadamu: Demikian juga akan ada sukacita di sorga karena satu orang berdosa yang bertobat, lebih dari pada sukacita karena sembilan puluh sembilan orang benar yang tidak memerlukan pertobatan."
Dulu ketika membaca perumpamaan ini saya selalu beranggapan bahwa saya adalah termasuk dalam 99 domba karena saya sudah ditemukan ataupun karena saya sudah dibenarkan, namun setelah membaca buku "A Tale of Two Sons" - John Macarthur kemudian meneliti lebih jauh lagi, saya lebih baik memilih untuk menjadi domba yang hilang dan yang ditemukan,menjadi orang berdosa, bukan menjadi tapi saya adalah orang berdosa yang memerlukan pertobatan. Apakah 99 orang benar yang dimaksudkan oleh Yesus benar-benar orang yang benar atau orang-orang yang menganggap dirinya benar?
Jelas maksud Yesus 99 orang tidak memerlukan pertobatan bukan berarti mereka sudah benar, dan tidak perlu bertobat, namun cerita ini sebagai introduksi mengenai ahli Taurat dan orang Farisi di mana mereka selalu membenarkan diri mereka. Sebelum perumpamaan ini diceritakan, Yesus diejek karena berkumpul dengan berdosa, kemudian atas dasar itulah Yesus menceritakan 3 perumpamaan Domba yang Hilang, Keping yang Hilang, dan akhirnya ditutup oleh perumpamaan Anak yang hilang.
99 domba tidak memerlukan pertobatan, demikian anak yang sulung tidak diberitahu apakah dia bertobat atau tidak, jadi perumpamaan ini adalah panggilan dan seruan untuk bertobat bagi kita semua orang-orang berdosa, kita adalah domba yang hilang, kita adalah kepingan yang hilang, kita semua adalah anak yang hilang.
Call to prayer
Tuhan buat saya domba yang hilang ditemukan
Tuhan buat saya kepingan yang hilang ditemukan
Tuhan buat saya anak yang hilang ditemukan
Tuhan buat saya yang 'mati' ini menjadi 'hidup'
1 Para pemungut cukai dan orang-orang berdosa biasanya datang kepada Yesus untuk mendengarkan Dia. 2 Maka bersungut-sungutlah orang-orang Farisi dan ahli-ahli Taurat, katanya: "Ia menerima orang-orang berdosa dan makan bersama-sama dengan mereka." 3 Lalu Ia mengatakan perumpamaan ini kepada mereka: 4 "Siapakah di antara kamu yang mempunyai seratus ekor domba, dan jikalau ia kehilangan seekor di antaranya, tidak meninggalkan yang sembilan puluh sembilan ekor di padang gurun dan pergi mencari yang sesat itu sampai ia menemukannya? 5 Dan kalau ia telah menemukannya, ia meletakkannya di atas bahunya dengan gembira, 6 dan setibanya di rumah ia memanggil sahabat-sahabat dan tetangga-tetangganya serta berkata kepada mereka: Bersukacitalah bersama-sama dengan aku, sebab dombaku yang hilang itu telah kutemukan. 7 Aku berkata kepadamu: Demikian juga akan ada sukacita di sorga karena satu orang berdosa yang bertobat, lebih dari pada sukacita karena sembilan puluh sembilan orang benar yang tidak memerlukan pertobatan."
Dulu ketika membaca perumpamaan ini saya selalu beranggapan bahwa saya adalah termasuk dalam 99 domba karena saya sudah ditemukan ataupun karena saya sudah dibenarkan, namun setelah membaca buku "A Tale of Two Sons" - John Macarthur kemudian meneliti lebih jauh lagi, saya lebih baik memilih untuk menjadi domba yang hilang dan yang ditemukan,
Jelas maksud Yesus 99 orang tidak memerlukan pertobatan bukan berarti mereka sudah benar, dan tidak perlu bertobat, namun cerita ini sebagai introduksi mengenai ahli Taurat dan orang Farisi di mana mereka selalu membenarkan diri mereka. Sebelum perumpamaan ini diceritakan, Yesus diejek karena berkumpul dengan berdosa, kemudian atas dasar itulah Yesus menceritakan 3 perumpamaan Domba yang Hilang, Keping yang Hilang, dan akhirnya ditutup oleh perumpamaan Anak yang hilang.
99 domba tidak memerlukan pertobatan, demikian anak yang sulung tidak diberitahu apakah dia bertobat atau tidak, jadi perumpamaan ini adalah panggilan dan seruan untuk bertobat bagi kita semua orang-orang berdosa, kita adalah domba yang hilang, kita adalah kepingan yang hilang, kita semua adalah anak yang hilang.
Call to prayer
Tuhan buat saya domba yang hilang ditemukan
Tuhan buat saya kepingan yang hilang ditemukan
Tuhan buat saya anak yang hilang ditemukan
Tuhan buat saya yang 'mati' ini menjadi 'hidup'
15 March, 2010
14 March, 2010
13 March, 2010
Missions and Masturbation
Masturbation is the experience of sexual orgasm produced by self-stimulation. Virtually every man and almost as many women have tried it. It is a regular practice of most single men.
One of the major forces preventing young people from obeying the call of God into vocational Christian service is defeat in the area of lust. A teenager hears a challenging call to throw himself into the cause of world evangelization. He feels the promptings of the Holy Spirit. He tastes the thrill of following the King of kings into battle. But he does not obey because he is masturbating regularly. He feels guilty. He can hardly imagine witnessing to a pretty girl about the eternal plight of her soul, because he has so habitually looked at girls naked in his imagination. So he feels unworthy and unable to obey the call of God. Masturbation becomes the enemy of missions.
Is masturbation wrong? Let me address the issue mainly for men. I cannot imagine sexual orgasm in the loins without sexual image in the mind. I know there are nocturnal emissions, which I regard as innocent and helpful, but I doubt that they are ever orgasmic apart from a sexual dream that supplies the necessary image in the mind. Evidently God has constituted the connection between sexual orgasm and sexual thought in such a way that the force and pleasure of orgasm is dependent on the thought or images in our minds.
Therefore in order to masturbate, it is necessary to get vivid and exciting thoughts or images into the mind. This can be done by pure imagination or by pictures or movies or stories or real persons. These images always involve women as sexual objects. I use the word “object” because in order for a women to be a true sexual “subject” in our imagination she must in reality be one with whom we are experiencing what we are imagining. This is not the case with masturbation.
So I vote no on masturbation. There may be other reasons why it is wrong. For now I rest my vote on the inevitable sexual images which accompany masturbation and which turn women into sexual objects. The sexual thoughts that enable masturbation do not help any man to treat women with greater respect. Therefore masturbation produces real and legitimate guilt and stands in the way of obedience.
Three encouragements to single men:
1. You are not alone in the battle.
2. Periodic failure in this area no more disqualifies you from ministry than periodic failures of impatience (which is also a sin).
3. Pursue the expulsive power of a new affection. I walked by a whole section of “photography” books at the Walker Art Center last Thursday empowered by the better pleasure of feeling Christ conquer the temptation to look.
For the sake of your power,
Pastor John
One of the major forces preventing young people from obeying the call of God into vocational Christian service is defeat in the area of lust. A teenager hears a challenging call to throw himself into the cause of world evangelization. He feels the promptings of the Holy Spirit. He tastes the thrill of following the King of kings into battle. But he does not obey because he is masturbating regularly. He feels guilty. He can hardly imagine witnessing to a pretty girl about the eternal plight of her soul, because he has so habitually looked at girls naked in his imagination. So he feels unworthy and unable to obey the call of God. Masturbation becomes the enemy of missions.
Is masturbation wrong? Let me address the issue mainly for men. I cannot imagine sexual orgasm in the loins without sexual image in the mind. I know there are nocturnal emissions, which I regard as innocent and helpful, but I doubt that they are ever orgasmic apart from a sexual dream that supplies the necessary image in the mind. Evidently God has constituted the connection between sexual orgasm and sexual thought in such a way that the force and pleasure of orgasm is dependent on the thought or images in our minds.
Therefore in order to masturbate, it is necessary to get vivid and exciting thoughts or images into the mind. This can be done by pure imagination or by pictures or movies or stories or real persons. These images always involve women as sexual objects. I use the word “object” because in order for a women to be a true sexual “subject” in our imagination she must in reality be one with whom we are experiencing what we are imagining. This is not the case with masturbation.
So I vote no on masturbation. There may be other reasons why it is wrong. For now I rest my vote on the inevitable sexual images which accompany masturbation and which turn women into sexual objects. The sexual thoughts that enable masturbation do not help any man to treat women with greater respect. Therefore masturbation produces real and legitimate guilt and stands in the way of obedience.
Three encouragements to single men:
1. You are not alone in the battle.
2. Periodic failure in this area no more disqualifies you from ministry than periodic failures of impatience (which is also a sin).
3. Pursue the expulsive power of a new affection. I walked by a whole section of “photography” books at the Walker Art Center last Thursday empowered by the better pleasure of feeling Christ conquer the temptation to look.
For the sake of your power,
Pastor John
12 March, 2010
11 March, 2010
08 March, 2010
Lebih dari pemenang
Roma 8:37
Tetapi dalam semuanya itu kita lebih dari pada orang-orang yang menang, oleh Dia yang telah mengasihi kita.
Dahulu ayat ini selalu ada mendengung di kuping saya, baik dalam nyanyian maupun dalam perbincangan-perbincangan rohani. Saya selalu menganggap dan membayangkan kalau saya seorang pemenang berarti masalah apapun yang saya alami, saya akan berhasil keluar dari pada masalah tersebut, karena saya adalah seorang pemenang. Misalnya ketika saya menderita, maka karena saya lebih dari seorang pemenang maka saya tidak akan menderita lagi setelah itu. Jika saya miskin, karena saya lebih dari pemenang maka Allah akan memberkati 'berkat' jasmani kepada saya. Ketika orang-orang membenci saya, karena saya lebih pemenang maka Allah akan menghukum orang-orang tersebut. Yah, karena saya adalah lebih dari pemenang.
Benarkah demikian? Setelah sekian lama saya merenungi Roma 8 semakin luluh hati saya melihat kedaulatan Allah terhadap hidup saya yang seperti embun pagi yang dapat hilang tertepa angin kapanpun Dia mau.
Kemenangan ini bukanlah kemenangan atas kehidupan di dunia ini, jelas Paulus sedang membicarakan tentang penderitaan berjuang melawan dosa (Roma 8:1-18), tapi Paulus melanjutkannya bahwa kemuliaan yang akan kita dapatkan melebihi dari segalanya dan kemuliaan itu kita peroleh hanya melalui Kristus Yesus, karena itu ketika kita sudah berada di dalam Kristus tidak ada yang dapat memisahkan kita, baik itu penindasan, kesesakan, penganiayaan, kelaparan, ketelanjangan, bahaya ataupun pedang. Itulah kemenangan tersebut. Walaupun kita mengalami segala hal-hal yang tidak mengenakkan di dunia ini dan mungkin tetap berada dalam hal tersebut, kita tetap lebih dari pemenang, karena kita sudah mendapatkan kemenangan melalui Kristus Yesus (1 Korintus 15:57), yaitu Dia yang mengasihi kita yang menjadi bukti bahwa kita yang dipilih, dan kita yang dipanggil, dan kita yang dibenarkan, dan kita yang dimuliakan satu hari kelak.
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Segala sesuatu mendatangkan kesempurnaan Kristus
Segala sesuatu mendatangkan kebaikan
Tetapi dalam semuanya itu kita lebih dari pada orang-orang yang menang, oleh Dia yang telah mengasihi kita.
Dahulu ayat ini selalu ada mendengung di kuping saya, baik dalam nyanyian maupun dalam perbincangan-perbincangan rohani. Saya selalu menganggap dan membayangkan kalau saya seorang pemenang berarti masalah apapun yang saya alami, saya akan berhasil keluar dari pada masalah tersebut, karena saya adalah seorang pemenang. Misalnya ketika saya menderita, maka karena saya lebih dari seorang pemenang maka saya tidak akan menderita lagi setelah itu. Jika saya miskin, karena saya lebih dari pemenang maka Allah akan memberkati 'berkat' jasmani kepada saya. Ketika orang-orang membenci saya, karena saya lebih pemenang maka Allah akan menghukum orang-orang tersebut. Yah, karena saya adalah lebih dari pemenang.
Benarkah demikian? Setelah sekian lama saya merenungi Roma 8 semakin luluh hati saya melihat kedaulatan Allah terhadap hidup saya yang seperti embun pagi yang dapat hilang tertepa angin kapanpun Dia mau.
Kemenangan ini bukanlah kemenangan atas kehidupan di dunia ini, jelas Paulus sedang membicarakan tentang penderitaan berjuang melawan dosa (Roma 8:1-18), tapi Paulus melanjutkannya bahwa kemuliaan yang akan kita dapatkan melebihi dari segalanya dan kemuliaan itu kita peroleh hanya melalui Kristus Yesus, karena itu ketika kita sudah berada di dalam Kristus tidak ada yang dapat memisahkan kita, baik itu penindasan, kesesakan, penganiayaan, kelaparan, ketelanjangan, bahaya ataupun pedang. Itulah kemenangan tersebut. Walaupun kita mengalami segala hal-hal yang tidak mengenakkan di dunia ini dan mungkin tetap berada dalam hal tersebut, kita tetap lebih dari pemenang, karena kita sudah mendapatkan kemenangan melalui Kristus Yesus (1 Korintus 15:57), yaitu Dia yang mengasihi kita yang menjadi bukti bahwa kita yang dipilih, dan kita yang dipanggil, dan kita yang dibenarkan, dan kita yang dimuliakan satu hari kelak.
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Segala sesuatu mendatangkan kesempurnaan Kristus
Segala sesuatu mendatangkan kebaikan
When you realize you are going to die, you see everything much differently
"Everyone knows they're going to die, but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently...Always be prepared to die....Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.....Everyone knows someone who died - so why is it so hard for us to learn how to die? Because most of us all walk around as if we're sleepwalking. We really don't experience the world fully, because we're half asleep, doing things we automatically think we have to do. However, facing death strips away all that stuff and you focus on the essentials. When you realize you are going to die, you see everything much differently."
Morrie Schwatrz, Tuesdays with Morrie
Morrie Schwatrz, Tuesdays with Morrie
Atheism: Laughable and blasphemous
I've just watched Richard Dawkins on SMH today. He did the talk at Opera House.
It reminds me to post this John Piper's video regarding atheist last week.
It reminds me to post this John Piper's video regarding atheist last week.
Kasihilah Musuhmu
Hari ini saya baru tanya teman saya kalau kita punya musuh yang kita kasihi apa yang harus kita lakukan, apakah kita harus berperan sebagai musuh yang mengasihi atau sebagai teman (pura-pura) yang mengasihi.
Satu paradoks yang pernah dibahas di Alkitab, ketika Tuhan mengajarkan supaya kita mengasihi musuh kita, bagaimanakah mungkin? Bagi manusia sesuatu hal yang mustahil, namun bagi Allah tidak ada yang mustahil.
Allah sendiri membenci kita sebagai manusia berdosa, namun Dia tetap mengasihi kita sehingga mengaruniakan anakNya yang tunggal untuk menebus dosa kita. Dalam kebencianNya terhadap dosa terdapat kasihNya akan manusia. Bahkan ketika kita sudah ditebus kita tetap melakukan dosa, kita tetap bersalah di hadapan Allah, namun karena adanya sifat paradoks Allah yang berjalan sejajar maka kita diselamatkan bukan karena perbuatan kita, tapi oleh kasih Karunia.
Jadi yang harus saya lakukan adalah - menjadi musuh, karena saya membenci kesalahan yang dilakukan orang tersebut, dan pada saat yang sama menjadi teman yang mengasihi sama seperti Kristus telah mengasihi kita.
Satu paradoks yang pernah dibahas di Alkitab, ketika Tuhan mengajarkan supaya kita mengasihi musuh kita, bagaimanakah mungkin? Bagi manusia sesuatu hal yang mustahil, namun bagi Allah tidak ada yang mustahil.
Allah sendiri membenci kita sebagai manusia berdosa, namun Dia tetap mengasihi kita sehingga mengaruniakan anakNya yang tunggal untuk menebus dosa kita. Dalam kebencianNya terhadap dosa terdapat kasihNya akan manusia. Bahkan ketika kita sudah ditebus kita tetap melakukan dosa, kita tetap bersalah di hadapan Allah, namun karena adanya sifat paradoks Allah yang berjalan sejajar maka kita diselamatkan bukan karena perbuatan kita, tapi oleh kasih Karunia.
Jadi yang harus saya lakukan adalah - menjadi musuh, karena saya membenci kesalahan yang dilakukan orang tersebut, dan pada saat yang sama menjadi teman yang mengasihi sama seperti Kristus telah mengasihi kita.
07 March, 2010
04 March, 2010
Defensive People Are Prideful
Oh, I'm so wicked, everyday it's a warfare - it's a battling against pride in my life,
I'm tend to become defensive and have an unteachable heart. Teach me Lord everyday to become defenseless and have a teachable heart.
I'm tend to become defensive and have an unteachable heart. Teach me Lord everyday to become defenseless and have a teachable heart.
03 March, 2010
Mencintai namun tidak bisa mencintai
Mencintai namun tidak bisa mencintai, ini adalah persoalan yang cukup rumit -- ketika Anda mencintai seseorang dan Anda harus belajar tidak mencintai orang tersebut, menjadi kontradiksi yang sangat bertentangan satu sama lain dalam hati nurani kita.
Persoalannya bukan hanya karena Anda ditolak, namun lebih daripada itu, kita akan terus berjuang untuk tidak memberikan cinta itu terus ada, ini hanyalah satu hal yang mustahil dan sulit.
Demikianlah halnya dengan Tuhan, Tuhan begitu mengasihi kita namun seringkali kita tidak mengasihi Dia, bahkan terus melakukan dosa dengan sadar -- namun hal tersebut tidak pernah membuat Dia berhenti mengasihi kita, walaupun terasa kontradiksi dengan sifatNya, hal ini tidak sulit di hadapanNya karena Dia Allah yang berkuasa.
Siapakah yang dapat melepaskan kita dari persoalan ini, hanya Tuhanlah yang mampu, bukan untuk menghentikan rasa mencintai, namun mencintai dari cara pandang Allah walaupun tetap terdapat kemungkinan kita akan ditolak -- sekali-kali tidak akan luntur cinta kasih Allah dalam hidup kita.
Persoalannya bukan hanya karena Anda ditolak, namun lebih daripada itu, kita akan terus berjuang untuk tidak memberikan cinta itu terus ada, ini hanyalah satu hal yang mustahil dan sulit.
Demikianlah halnya dengan Tuhan, Tuhan begitu mengasihi kita namun seringkali kita tidak mengasihi Dia, bahkan terus melakukan dosa dengan sadar -- namun hal tersebut tidak pernah membuat Dia berhenti mengasihi kita, walaupun terasa kontradiksi dengan sifatNya, hal ini tidak sulit di hadapanNya karena Dia Allah yang berkuasa.
Siapakah yang dapat melepaskan kita dari persoalan ini, hanya Tuhanlah yang mampu, bukan untuk menghentikan rasa mencintai, namun mencintai dari cara pandang Allah walaupun tetap terdapat kemungkinan kita akan ditolak -- sekali-kali tidak akan luntur cinta kasih Allah dalam hidup kita.
01 March, 2010
Grace
Grace will bring a man to heaven without working miracles, but working miracles will never bring a man to heaven without grace. - Matthew Henry Commentary on Matthew 7:21
Dosa yang menguntungkan dan merugikan
Seringkali manusia terjebak dalam hal melakukan dosa, kita kerapkali tidak adil terhadap diri kita dan terhadap orang lain, selama dosa menguntungkan kita, tidak apa-apa dilakukan tanpa menyadari hal tersebut dapat merugikan orang lain. Atau seolah-olah kita melakukan dosa yang menguntungkan diri kita dan menguntungkan orang lain, setidaknya dari cara berpikir kita yang humanis, kita merasa ketika kita melakukan hal tersebut adalah hal yang lumrah karena manusia dianggap yang paling tinggi dalam hal ini.
Padahal kita harus menyadari semua dosa upahnya adalah maut dan menuju kebinasaan, baik kecil maupun besar, menguntungkan atau merugikan, kelihatan atau tidak kelihatan semua essensinya adalah mendatangkan maut, bagaimana kita bisa hidup di dunia ini, di mana kita terus berjuang mengenai dosa, syukur karena Kasih Kristus yang melimpah yang senantiasa menolong hidup kita dan memberikan kebebasan dari dosa tersebut, namun ini bukan berarti membenarkan diri kita untuk melakukan dosa.
Bahkan karena ada jaminan tersebut manusia tetap melakukan dosa karena merasa akan ada pengampunan, jika kita melakukan dosa dan merasa tidak apa-apa kita melakukan dosa karena ada Kristus yang mendamaikan kita tanpa berusaha menjauhi dosa tersebut, ini adalah bukti bahwa kita belum dilahirkan oleh roh dan oleh air.
Marilah sama-sama kita berperang melawan dosa dengan bersandar kepada Tuhan melalui FirmanNya dan kekuatan dari Roh Kudus.
Padahal kita harus menyadari semua dosa upahnya adalah maut dan menuju kebinasaan, baik kecil maupun besar, menguntungkan atau merugikan, kelihatan atau tidak kelihatan semua essensinya adalah mendatangkan maut, bagaimana kita bisa hidup di dunia ini, di mana kita terus berjuang mengenai dosa, syukur karena Kasih Kristus yang melimpah yang senantiasa menolong hidup kita dan memberikan kebebasan dari dosa tersebut, namun ini bukan berarti membenarkan diri kita untuk melakukan dosa.
Bahkan karena ada jaminan tersebut manusia tetap melakukan dosa karena merasa akan ada pengampunan, jika kita melakukan dosa dan merasa tidak apa-apa kita melakukan dosa karena ada Kristus yang mendamaikan kita tanpa berusaha menjauhi dosa tersebut, ini adalah bukti bahwa kita belum dilahirkan oleh roh dan oleh air.
Marilah sama-sama kita berperang melawan dosa dengan bersandar kepada Tuhan melalui FirmanNya dan kekuatan dari Roh Kudus.