Endurance

Just started running again. First time since High School days, aside from a run or two through the last few years. Man do I need to run more to get back to how well I could run before. Can still only do 5k; hardly. People who do endurance stuff will know this again, but it’s good to see it again in light of running for me.

The moment you think about how much longer, how tired you are, or how hard it will be to finish running your goal, it’ll become even harder. You have to focus on the goal and can’t think about the difficulty. Even when I am physically able to run more, it is my mind that stops me from doing it.

The Wonder of the Cross

O precious sight, my Savior stands,
Dying for me with outstretched hands.
O precious sight, I love to gaze,
Remembering salvation’s day,
Remembering salvation’s day.
Though my eyes linger on this scene,
May passing time and years not steal
The power with which it impacts me,
The freshness of its mystery,
The freshness of its mystery.

May I never lose the wonder,
The wonder of the cross.
May I see it like the first time
Standing as a sinner lost,
Undone by mercy and left speechless,
Watching wide eyed at the cost.
May I never lose the wonder,
The wonder of the cross.

Behold the God-man crucified,
The perfect sinless sacrifice.
As blood ran down those nails and wood,
History was split in two, yes,
History was split in two.
Behold the empty wooden tree,
His body gone, alive and free.
We sing with everlasting joy,
For sin and death have been destroyed, yes,
Sin and death have been destroyed.

Of First Importance

NOTE: This is my article for Insight Fall 2011. You can find the whole compilation of articles here.

---

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you – unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
1 Corinthians 15:1-5

One of the things that God has been revealing to me is the importance of Gospel-Centeredness.

So what do I mean by Gospel-Centeredness? It’s to focus on the Gospel: the work of Christ on the cross and what He’s done.

It’s to say that the Gospel is the foundation of the Christian faith. It is the Gospel in which we stand, and which we continue to be saved through (in Paul’s words, 1 Corinthians 15:1-2). The Gospel is the central foundation of our hope in God. It shows God’s love for us, and empowers us to live holy lives.

A year ago, I thought I knew the Gospel completely, and it was all good. But God struck me that I didn’t. And I still don’t know the Gospel fully, and need constant reminder of it fully to this day. That’s why in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul reminds the church of what the gospel is. Why? First, we forget the gospel and what it means for us all the time. We need to constantly remind and preach to ourselves God’s Grace for us in the Gospel. Second, Paul categorizes the Gospel as “first importance”. FIRST IMPORTANCE. The Gospel is of utmost importance to a Christian. Before I get into why, what is the Gospel?

What is the Gospel?

What is the Gospel? In short, the Gospel is the good news of the righteous God justifying sinners who are deserving of His wrath. We, who are sinners, and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), were saved by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on the cross. So we are saved by the grace of God, as we put our faith in Christ; not by our own works (Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 2:16).

Now what does this mean for us who believe? What are the implications of the Gospel for Christians?

First, I want to state what the Gospel is not.

The Gospel is NOT JUST for us to go to heaven.

Yes, I said it. Jesus didn’t die on the cross just so that we could go to heaven and not go to hell.

It is so much more than that.

And for the longest time, I was only looking at the tip of the iceberg that is the Gospel.

The Beauty of the Gospel

There are three main points on what the Gospel does for us that I want to bring up:

1. Through Christ, God has forgiven us of all our sins: past, present, and future.

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:13-14

If you’ve been to church, I’m pretty sure we’ve all heard this. But I highly doubt that we’ve taken this and believed it with all our being; even if you’re a Christian.

An example of this for me would be when I do something wrong or when I don’t do something that I know I should be doing, I would feel guilt. Guilt is fine, but only if it doesn’t lead you to despair and in the process further you from God. We know that in Christ, God has forgiven us already! So the guilt that we get (which we SHOULD get), we should use to motivate us back to God, and to look at Christ!

It’s a human instinct to want to “make up” for what we do wrong, or “payback” God for the wrong we do to Him. It’s hard for us to really believe that God would really just forgive us. But we need to pray and believe in the power of what Christ has done for us on the Cross. Christianity is not what we do for God, but what He has done for us. Our hope is in Christ, and not ourselves; and O what a hope it is!

What if we keep committing the same sins, how can I not feel despairingly guilty, even though I know that Christ has forgiven me? How could God forgive me anyways? First, we need to ask God for faith in His Love for us. Romans 5:8 says that God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. This also brings me to my second point.

2. In Christ, we are a new creation and are empowered to live holy lives.

Being a Christian doesn’t just mean that when we sin, God will forgive us and that’s it. We aren’t left on our own to try to live better lives. I’ve been stuck before asking myself all the time questions like: “Why am I not reading my Bible more?”, “Shouldn’t I be more loving?”, etc etc. Following Christ doesn’t mean that I have to try to live up to the high standard of God on my own. We’d be doomed if that was true. No, in Christ we are a new creation!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

We are a new creation!

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

1 Corinthians 15:10

It is the grace of God that works in us!

… work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Philippians 2:12-13

God is the one who works in you to work for Him!

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:6

God Himself will FINISH the good work He started in you.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Christ is the perfecter of our faith (not us)!

It’s not easy to follow Christ. But praise God that we can have faith that He will be with us every step of the way, and that it is by His strength and grace that we can live lives that are pleasing to Him and worthy of the gospel. Through grace we are justified, and it is also through grace that we are sanctified!

So whenever you start to feel despair over your sin – and we will definitely see more and more of how wretched we are as we see more of God! – remember that it is God Himself who is moulding and forming you in the image of Christ! You don’t need to rely on yourself to bring change, because God Himself will! [1]

My flesh and my heart my fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:26

3. The Gospel confirms all the promises that God has for us.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.

Romans 8:28-33

So people always say that we shouldn’t have to worry because God is sovereign and then they quote Romans 8:28.

I love Romans 8:28. But the verses afterwards are pretty juicy as well!

In v.29-30, we see that God is the agent of change throughout. He’s the One who is conforming us into the image of Christ! It is He that justifies us and He that will glorify us. Let’s stop relying on ourselves when we seek to be better, and trust in His work! God has promised to change our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh (Deuteronomy 30:6, Ezekiel 11:19-20). Christ confirms that promise!

V.31-33 are as meaty. They are God confirming that all the promises mentioned in the previous verses will come to fruition. If God gave up His own Son for us, then why will He not graciously give us all things? This is HUGE. The greatest act of love that Christ could have done for us, is give Himself up. And He did! Which means that we can be all the more sure that He will fulfill all the promises He has for us!

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him [Christ]. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. [2]
2 Corinthians 1:20

So whenever we start finding anxiety in our lives, let us look to Christ and remember that God is FAITHFUL even when we are not. (2 Timothy 2:13)

Centrality of The Gospel

You can start to see why I say that the Gospel is so central in the life of a Christian.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Romans 1:16

The gospel is how we are saved and we grow and are renewed through it. Through it, God changes us to see Him as the ultimate of delights (Psalm 16:11). Tim Keller says that “all our problems come from a failure to apply the gospel” [3]. How broad of a statement that is, and yet I agree with it wholeheartedly!

The applications that come out of what the Gospel does for us are extensive. Tim Keller talks in much detail about these applications here: http://www.redeemer2.com/resources/papers/centrality.pdf.
Definitely check it out!

In the end, the gospel says that what we were unable to do ourselves (obeying God’s commandments), Christ has done for us on the Cross. This tears away any pride or confidence that we have in our own flesh. It is God’s power to save us. We see God’s love for us and the gospel shows us that He is more worthy than anything this world has to offer us. We get the ultimate of delights to worship, the Creator of the universe. And God gets all the glory. This is why we worship God and serve Him; not religion or duty, but because of His love for us displayed on the Cross in the gospel. Soli Deo Gloria.

---

[1] I just want to note that it is important to know the seriousness of our sin. I am not saying that we can just overlook our sin. But there’s a difference between wallowing in sin, and motivating yourself to continue to strive to live for God.

[2] That’s why we say “In Jesus’ name, Amen!” at the end of every prayer by the way. We know that in Christ, we will be given what we ask!

[3] http://www.redeemer2.com/resources/papers/centrality.pdf This article really goes into more detail on what it means to apply the gospel to our lives. I’d encourage you to take a look at it!

Being more Intentional

I would say I was not active at all last term in meeting and talking to people at CCF. So I didn’t really get to know many frosh. It was partly a deliberate decision on my part, but I definitely want to be intentional in doing it this term.

Part of it, is that sometimes after CCF, with the organization and sometimes anxiety towards the night (yes, gotta pray for more faith in God, as well as remember the purpose of fellowship and relying on God), I feel like I rather just go home for more quietness. I guess I also have a preference to medium-sized groups of people (especially after a Friday Night); feels easier to talk to people in that setting.

Prayer Request against Anxiety for the Future

Please pray for me that I may trust in God’s plan for me in the future. Though they may not be what I plan or what I want right now, that I may trust that He has my life in His hands. Give me faith and peace in your providence O Lord.

Brokenness

I think the further you get on your walk with Christ sometimes, the more you realize just how broken you really are. And I think that brokenness is so central to God moulding us and changing us. It is when we are at our utmost brokenness that God uses us and shows his power through our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

We realize how much we need God. And thank you Lord, for He is a relentless, loving God!

“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:3

 

Healing Begins - Tenth Avenue

So you thought you had to keep this up
All the work that you do
So we think that you're good
And you can't believe it's not enough
All the walls you built up
Are just glass on the outside

So let 'em fall down
There's freedom waiting in the sound
When you let your walls fall to the ground
We're here now

This is where the healing begins, oh
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you're broken within
The light meets the dark
The light meets the dark

Afraid to let your secrets out
Everything that you hide
Can come crashing through the door now
But too scared to face all your fear
So you hide but you find
That the shame won't disappear

So let it fall down
There's freedom waiting in the sound
When you let your walls fall to the ground
We're here now
We're here now, oh

This is where the healing begins, oh
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you're broken within
The light meets the dark
The light meets the dark

Sparks will fly as grace collides
With the dark inside of us
So please don't fight
This coming light
Let this blood come cover us
His blood can cover us

This is where the healing begins, oh
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you're broken within
The light meets the dark
The light meets the dark

A Heart Fully Alive

“The glory of God is man fully alive.”
-Saint Irenaeus

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened…” 
Ephesians 1:18

Idols

For the past month or so, after watching a sermon about idols by Mark Driscoll, it’s been pretty obvious for me that I have idols I have in my life.  Of course, as Christians, we probably realize that there’s always something that we seem to put above God. 

I’m thankful that God has shown me what the idols may be, but getting them out is another matter.  I find that when I overcome one idol, another one suddenly comes.  It’ll definitely require a lot of discipline.

“Change won’t happen through ‘trying harder’ but only through encountering the radical grace of God.”
- Tim Keller

Pray that God would reveal Himself, and that I would continue to see Him as more precious than anything else.  That the problem of worshipping other things other than God would not seem appealing.

Serving in CCF Committee

So this Spring term (May-Aug) has been the first term serving on the CCF Committee.  Experience has been good overall. 

It’s a blessing to be able to serve the fellowship as a whole, and be able to be more intimately involved with how the fellowship runs.  Committee meetings have also served as a "mini cell group”; which is good, because I chose not to join a DG this term due to business of serving on Committee as well as doing Outreach.

I’ve also learned some lessons.  I would say that I wasn’t focused enough this term on how I wanted to serve the fellowship and what my purpose was being on Committee.  I felt many times that I was just doing/serving and not motivated on why I was doing what I was doing. For Friday nights, I would either be doing worship or had something I needed to do.  At times, I know I wasn’t worshipping God with my all as I was focused on making sure things would be fine; which is a little ironic. 

So as I serve on Committee for the coming year (2011-12), I definitely want to take some more time before the year starts to gather where God has called me to lead/serve.  I need to continue to seek God’s will onto where my role in the fellowship will be.  I don’t want to get caught up with the “busyness” or the amount of logistics that may need to be accomplished.  I want to have my eyes fixed on Christ, and the mission to which He has called me to.

I’ll be serving as Communications for the coming year.  So as I seek God’s will, and figure out what it would me to be the person who is the “bridge” between Committee and the rest of the fellowship, I would ask for your prayers for wisdom and discipline.

The Cross of Christ

“As to the object of your affections, in an especial manner, let it be the cross of Christ, which has exceeding efficacy towards the disappointment of the whole work of indwelling sin: “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, whereby the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Gal. 6:14). The cross of Christ he [Paul] gloried and rejoiced in; this his heart was set upon; and these were the effects of it—it crucified the world unto him, made it a dead and undesirable thing. The baits and pleasures of sin are taken all of them out of the world. . . . If the heart be filled with the cross of Christ, it casts death and undesirableness upon them all; it leaves no seeming beauty, no appearing pleasure or comeliness, in them. Again, says he, “It crucifies me to the world; makes my heart, my affections, my desires, dead unto any of these things.” It roots up corrupt lusts and affections, leaves no principle to go forth and make provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof. Labor, therefore, to fill your hearts with the cross of Christ . . . that there may be no room for sin.”

-John Owen, On Indwelling Sin in Believers