lovingAWE

August 24, 2010
GraceJesusWorship
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Jesus tells us that “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24 NIV). Now this isn’t a suggestion that Jesus makes, but more of a non-negotiable declaration. If we are to be worshipping in the presence of God, we must be filled with His Spirit and Truth. I’ve often heard this statement, “The only way to approach a holy God is to do it His way” which is true. Now if the Father desires true worshippers, who will worship Him in Spirit and Truth (John 4:23), who are we to deny the Creator and Giver of life by worshipping Him in our own way. Do you think that He will accept our worship? Probably not. I mean that’s why there are so many religions in the world because people are deciding for themselves who, how and why they worship. But, Jesus is adamant about Him being the only way to the Father (John 14:6). It’s interesting that Jesus says “the Father” and not God. Because Jesus isn’t inviting us into some objectively impersonal notion here, but rather a subjectively intimate familial relationship.

What I find interesting in today’s churches (without getting too ecclesial) are the two extremes of friendship with God and reverence for God. On the one hand, there are churches that solely emphasize that through Jesus people are now friends with God, while on the other hand, there are churches that only emphasize having reverence for God. Both are true, but what my heart longs to see a great blending of the two. To see the people of God in a vibrantly deep and intimate familial relationship with the Father while they stand in awe of His majestic glory. After talking this over with some friends over lunch yesterday, we concluded that it’s through our friendship with God that should draw us into a deeper and more vibrant worship of God in which we experience a greater depth and magnitude of His majesty, beauty and glory. But, something is getting lost in the translation.

I can only imagine what it would be like to be in the throne room of God. What comes to mind is Ezekiel 1 where the heavens open and Ezekiel sees visions of God. Without going into the details of the vision (I recommend reading through the chapter yourself), what seems to stand out is the sheer magnificence of God and the glory that radiates from Him which moves Ezekiel uncontrollably facedown (Ezekiel 1:28). All this is pretty amazing, but it’s the next verses that have drawn my attention: the Lord says to Ezekiel, “‘Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.’ As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me” (Ezekiel 2:1, 2 NIV). The only way that Ezekiel was able to stand in the presence of God was by His Word (command) and Spirit.

Through Jesus, believers today do have the Spirit of God living within them (1 Corinthians 6:19) and are hopefully filling themselves with the Word of God. So, we are able to stand in the presence of God. And as the writer of Hebrews tells us because Jesus is our High Priest, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 NIV). Maybe what needs to happen is more of God’s people need to be meditating on the the throne of grace where Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, sits (Revelation 5). I believe the more we envision this, the greater we will see Jesus not only as our beloved Savior and Friend, but also as the Lord of Lords and King of Kings (Revelation 19:16).

LIFEdancer

August 20, 2010
journeyPoetry
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LIFE DANCER

by Gerald T. Ching

 

Somewhere there is a crying child

hungry for the attention of its mother, longing

for a breast to suckle on. Ricocheting

from corner to corner

the cries reverberate off bare walls.

 

Between these gut wrenching sobs

the mother’s reassuring soul sails in on a cool breeze

helping to ease the hollowness of insecurity

as her name gets etched onto the naked walls of a young heart.

 

In the coming days, travelling through ethereal fields

the soul of each beloved loved one

finds its place on this wall of security –

lessening the ache.

 

As the days pass into months

and then years, the walls of this heart grow with the child.

Names upon names are written daily, some

tarnish instantaneously, while others linger

for years – aging within the soul. Solid

in the many passing years

are the first names that built this foundation.

 

Written on the walls of my heart

are the names of all the wandering souls

that have graced my own life. Brushing away

at the tarnish of ages past reveals

the older souls that have past on into sweet oblivion,

their essence still lingering.

 

Left in the wake of this awakening,

a hollowness is revealed. Before my eyes

the younger years of my life flash in revelation

grounding me in my hour of desperation

grasping at my last lifeline –

breathless.

closER

August 19, 2010
GospelGraceJesus
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Today, I’ve been meditating on what it means for God to be the Creator and Giver of life (Genesis 2:7), who literally dwells within me (1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Timothy1:14) . The reason being is that lately I’ve been struggling something fierce with my flesh (Romans 7:15). I’ve come to the conclusion that all my flesh desires is to satisfy itself whether it be through greed, lust, gluttony, comfort or laziness (to name some of the usual suspects). But, just today God gave me this revelation: that He is closer to me than even my own flesh. Hearing these words has electrified my spirit and begun filling me with great hope. If I truly am a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) which I am, then it makes perfect sense that because of this I am no longer a slave to sin, but a slave to righteousness (Romans 6:18). This means that the righteousness of Christ is closer to me than the sinfulness of my flesh, right?

To take this a step further, I believe that the life that we are living here on earth will be completely paled in comparison to the eternal life all believers in Jesus get to look forward to. I mean can you even imagine what it will be like to be literally standing before the throne of God? The amount of glory and life that must radiate from God must be simply awesome. I mean He is the very Creator and Giver of life, the one and only true Living God. Everything that God does has eternal ramifications. He holds all of life in the palm of His hands. When He speaks life or death happens. And it is this same fully alive almighty God, who literally dwells within us and is actively breathing more life and glory into us day by day as He recreates us into the image and likeness of His Son, Jesus, through His Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). What an amazing truth! When I really sit down and think about this, it blows my mind. The very notion of this can’t help but to create awe and splendor towards God within me.

So this is my prayer: “Help us Lord to recognize the wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us and the amazing truth that You are closer to us than even our own flesh, that it is Your righteousness that now defines us, rather than the sinfulness of our flesh. In Jesus Name, Amen.”

birthRIGHT of love

August 18, 2010
GospelJesusLove
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God is continually transforming us into the likeness of Jesus (Romans 8:29). What this means for us is that God is continually stretching us to love as Him. A prophetic image that the Lord gave me for this was of new wine being poured into a heart shaped wineskin which symbolizes God pouring His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Now the more that God’s love marinates within our hearts, the more it expands our capacity to love. His love literally stretching our hearts just as new wine stretches wineskins as it ages and matures. The longer and more fully we embrace the Father’s love, the more His love will stretch us to love as Him. I am completely convinced that the Father’s love changes everything because His love is fully alive and moves us to live more abundantly which for me means being set free to love completely.

Genuine love is a God given birthright that too many people fail to claim. I mean we live in a pornographic culture where people pawn their God given birthright of genuine love in exchange for something that is perverted, shallow and selfish. God is love (1 John 4:8) and so He designed us to love. But, sin has perverted the way that we love. Now, here’s the good news of the Gospel for those who choose to believe: Jesus has restored us back into fellowship with God which means the Father’s love now lives within us by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Jesus has redeemed our perverted love back into genuine love. But, we need to choose to reclaim our God given birthright to this love which means letting go of our old way of loving and choosing to learn this new way of love.

After coming to faith in Jesus, one of the very first things that God revealed to me was that I really didn’t know what it meant to love. In that moment, Holy Spirit moved me to begin praying this very simple prayer: “Jesus, teach me to love.” I remember praying this prayer every day for years. Today, I am close to being 10 years in the Lord and I still pray this simple prayer, maybe not daily as I used to, but at least once a week I am confronted with how much more I need to learn about loving people unconditionally. What I’ve come to realize is that it’s God’s love that transforms my love to be more like his true love (I blogged more on this here: TRUE ✞= ♥ LOVE). Again, it’s Jesus who has redeemed our perverted love back into His genuine love.

A Scripture verse that I find great comfort in is 1 John 4:19 which says, “We love because God first loved us.” I find comfort in this because this means that I don’t have to generate this genuine love on my own, but just need to lean more and more into God’s perfect love (1 John 4:18). The more I press into God’s love the more His love will fuel my love both for Him and for others. So this is my prayer: “Jesus, teach us to love. Help us to follow your lead in loving the Father and loving others. Father, pour more of Your love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom You’ve given us. And Holy Spirit help us to rest in the Father’s love. In Jesus Name, Amen.

“You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:3 NIV).

transFORMation II

August 16, 2010
GospelJesus
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When Jesus tells us that we will do the things He did as well as even greater things (John 14:12) – what this says to me is that we are being transformed to do the supernatural good work of the Kingdom. Earlier, when Jesus preaches the sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) He specifically says to “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 NIV). What this says to me is that the way we love and serve people around us declares to them the goodness and kindness of God, Who is not distant and indifferent, but is committed to the world and active in the lives of people. Again, from my understanding of what the Scriptures say, the only way a person can truly make an eternal impact in this world is when they are filled with God’s Word and Spirit, walking in Holy Spirit power, gifts and exhibiting His fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22, 23).  

I love what Peter says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:9-12 TNIV). It is only because God has chosen us to be His people, taking us from living in darkness into now living in “His wonderful light” by transforming our lives by His mercy. But, it’s not about speaking and serving in our own strength, but about doing everything in the strength that God gives us (1 Peter 4:11).

I believe that the reason God doesn’t just take people to Heaven right when they get saved is because there is a lot of good work that He has ordained for every follower of Jesus to do here on earth. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV). We are His masterpieces that He is continually transforming as He forms, shapes, gifts, equips and empowers us to do right, love mercy and to walk humbly before Him (Micah 6:8). What God has been impressing on my heart more and more is that when I testify about Him, He WILL show up and confirm my testimony about Him. But, I need to be actively taking God at His Word and stepping out in faith by leaning into the presence and power of Holy Spirit in my life. The way we live our lives reveals what we believe. We are Jesus’ ambassadors here on earth (2 Corinthians 5:20), but the sad reality is that many Christian have really failed at representing Him accurately.

But, if I’ve learned one thing with God, it’s this: “It’s never too late!” I am more more and more convinced that the world is waiting to hear the words of the Gospel of grace and hungry for a demonstration of the supernatural ministry of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). God is looking for more people like Abraham, who will take Him at His Word (Galatians 3:6; Romans 4:3) and step out in faith and begin proclaiming and demonstrating the truth and power of the Gospel. So, this is my prayer: “I pray that Jesus would help each of us to embrace more of the Father’s grace. That Holy Spirit would move our hearts to consciously ask for more of God’s grace to be birthed and released into our lives. And that He would equip, empower and embolden us to be a people who take Him at His Word. So, Jesus we receive Your Word that tell us that we will do what You did, even that we will do even greater things, In Your Name Jesus, Amen.”

“As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:7, 8 NIV).

a new BEginning

August 13, 2010
GospelLovePoetryRedemption
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A NEW BEGINNING

by Gerald T. Ching

 

In the dark of the night

when all my defenses disintegrate on compassionate winds

and my soul rests in peaceful bliss,

I journey in my dreams to a star at the very center of the universe.  

 

As the expanse across the bridge to that distant star shortens

and its glowing brilliance starts to encompass all that my eyes can see,  

I feel all that has held me in fear dissipate

in the loving star shine – penetrating

the thick solid walls that have kept me

in false security for so long a time.

 

My soul that was a gift to me,  

I have fed garbage all my life.

As my pride ruled supreme, my heart

quietly suffered, patiently waiting

letting my mind know on the need to know basis.

 

I have been caught

in the lies of a depraved world. The shadows of my past

finally converging with my present state of affairs,

filling the many gaping holes that riddle my soul,

making me face the consequences of sin.

 

My life passes into a panicked state.

What is going on with me?

 

My soul already knowing the score

screams and kicks in rebellion. My heart

knowing a secret waits for some final transformation

that may never arise, but still waits – hopeful.

With a stoutness, never giving up its dreams,

my heart holds on.

 

When I breathe my last breath, I will know the Truth.

When I cry out in sweet anguish to be taken home,

when my rebellion is made obedient,

when the darkness is overtaken by that brilliant Light –

in that final moment I will know the Truth.

 

But for now

with Beauty soothing the ugliness that was born in me and

that has become me, I am a seeker

left to wander this decaying world, in disarray.

 

Throughout the whole of my life I have been working so hard

to prove to everyone that they were wrong about me. This bitterness

has cost me. My arrogance has come at a price.        

All the blood, sweat and tears that was shed for my cause

was poured out in meaningless rage. Not a day

was added to my life, not a hour

to my future, not a minute, to my cause.

 

In ignorance I pressed on

with pride blazing a path before me.

From the deepest and darkest places of wickedness that resides

within me, I struggle towards obedience

searching for freedom.

 

Shadow boxing in this prison

my heart, soul, and mind fight this transformation

while an all consuming jealous fire swirls purposefully, full of love

through all I am. Within this fire, this trueness,

my defenses are not needed and

no walls of solitude stand.

 

The compassion that oversees all in this gift of love

shines Its brilliance that warms the core of my exposed

heart and soul, lighting the way. Sorting

and filtering the negativity

that shatters me to my knees in brokenness.

Within this light love reigns above all

hand and hand with hope, in faith –  together.

 

This Radiance overpowers the hatefulness that surrounds me

as I walk through life, finally

setting me free. Giving me the strength to look

into another’s eyes with unashamed love.  

I have been humbled

to honesty mingle amongst all of you,

full of love and compassion – truly set free.

 

first name Holy, last name Spirit

August 12, 2010
Spirit
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Leaning into the presence of God in your life means leaning in and on Holy Spirit. Some of you may be wondering why I say Holy Spirit rather than the Holy Spirit. The reason behind this is that Holy Spirit and I are very close friends, so I call Him by His Name: first name Holy, last name Spirit. I get that this may seem strange to some people, but Holy Spirit is more than just a Power, He is a Person with whom all followers of Jesus are in relationship. Too often, the message preached is of Holy Spirit, the intangible Power, rather than Holy Spirit, the Person, which only further complicates the notion of being in relationship with Him. Sure there are times in which I may say “the” Holy Spirit, but I do this more to emphasize His uniqueness and prominence (which maybe more preachers need to explain). It would be like introducing someone really, really important: “And now ladies and gentlemen, I present to you ‘the one and only’ Holy Spirit.” But, when I’m alone with Him, I just call Him by His Name, Holy Spirit. 

Now I understand that there are Scripture passages that describe Holy Spirit as an ethereal Power (I’ve often heard Him described as wind or electricity which is hermeneutically reasonable). But, when our understanding of Him starts from a place of thinghood, rather than personhood, this only further distances people from grasping the relational reality. Now hear me on this, my heart is not about arguing for one (Person) at the exclusion of the other (Power) because Scripturally there are both descriptions. My heart here is to help people embrace the relational intimacy and depth that is possible and is waiting for them with Holy Spirit which has a better chance of happening when people begin from the place of personhood. Jesus told us Holy Spirit will teach us all things and will remind us of everything He has said to us (John 14:26) and will also guide us into all truth and will tell us what is yet to come (John 16:13). There is an emphasis on the relational intimacy we as believer have with Holy Spirit who lives within us (1 Corinthians 6:19) and who is in constant communication with us and with God (Romans 8:16, 26; Galatians 4:6). So, when you pray I want to encourage you to address the third Person of the Trinity by His Name: first name Holy, last name Spirit.

transFORMation I

August 11, 2010
JesusRedemption
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Do you know that God is working miracles in your life each and every single day? In my last blog “EXodus” I talked about the miracle of being a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). To further expand on this, I also believe that on top of the initial miracle spark of new life that gets breathed into us when our spirit gets eternally fused with Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11), God from that moment on continues to faithfully transforms us into the image of Christ through His Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). What this says to me is that God will continue to miraculously transform me day by day, until I am completely remade (recreated if you will) into the image of Christ.

What is a miracle? To me, every transformed life is a miracle that reveals not only the evidence of God’s grace, love, mercy and power, but also His nearness and concern for His creation. Now the natural inclination is to see only the whole completed process as a miracle, but I think we need to recognize that every part of the work of God (no matter how minor we may think it is in comparison to the whole) that recreates us more into the likeness of Christ is also a miracle. I believe that the people of God (myself included) need to start recognizing this and start giving God the glory that is due Him. Just as partial healings are still miracles, so must every transformational increment be seen as the same.

To use more illustrative language, when God turned darkness into light during creation (Genesis 1:3) most people would categorize that as a miracle. Well, that’s exactly what He does with us: He takes the darkness that’s within us (Luke 11:35) and miraculously transforms it into light. I mean that’s the language of redemption, isn’t it? “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ”(2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV). I believe the more we begin to see ourselves from God’s perspective, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8 NIV), the more we will recognize the miracle of daily transformation.

I believe the more we recognize and give God the praise and glory that He deserves as He faithfully transforms us into the likeness of His Son, Jesus, the more this will increase our awareness of His presence in our lives. We must never forget that no matter what: God will continue to do the good work of transformation within us until this work is completed (Philippians 1:6). So, praise God today for the miracle of your transformed life and lean even more into the daily miracles that He promises to work in and through your life.

“Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father” (John 14:11-13 NIV). Thank You Jesus!

EXodus

August 10, 2010
GospelTruth
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When reading the Old Testament, I seem to always run into verses that talk about the Exodus of the Isrealites, when God supernaturally freed His people from slavery in Egypt. There are so many places where God specifically tells the Israelites to remember the Exodus and to make sure they tell their children and chidren’s chidren about what He has done: remembering the Exodus was foundational to the Israelites’ faith. God even tells Moses before the Exodus that the main reason for all of His actions is so that the Israelites will always remember that they are His people and He is their God (Exodus 6:7). A good exercise in literally seeing this is to do a search of the exact phrase “out of Egypt.” It’s amazing just how many times it is mentioned both by God and His people.

In translating this for us today, I believe that every single believer has had an “Exodus” moment, a time when God supernaturally freed them from being enslaved to sin. Objectively speaking, coming to faith means accepting the free gift of salvation that God provided through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, who took the full measure of God’s wrath onto Himself, on the cross for sin: this event is foundational to the Christian faith. Just as the Israelites were told to remember the Exodus, so we today are to remember our own “Exodus” because it is a reminder to us that through Jesus, God becomes our Father and we become His children. If that’s not enough, God literally works a miracle within every person who comes to faith in Jesus: they become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). In that moment, a person’s spirit becomes eternally fused to Holy Spirit where a believer is no longer controlled by their sinful nature, but is now controlled by Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9).

Subjectively speaking, this new reality will uniquely impact each believer because sin has a way of manifesting itself in all kinds of differing ways in a person’s life. For me this meant an “Exodus” from drug addiction. For you it may mean an “Exodus” from something else (lying, workaholism, pornography, bitterness, anger, emotional trauma, physical illness, greed, self-abuse, an eating disorder, a critical spirit, etc). It’s very important that we not only remember the objective “Exodus” of our salvation but also the subjective “Exodus” that is the specific freedom that God has given us through our faith in Jesus. There is not a day that goes by that I am not grateful to God for my supernatural “Exodus” from drug addiction. Whenever I think about it, my faith is strengthened. That’s why God made such a big deal out of having the Israelites continually reminding themselves and each other of the Exodus because it generated faith by reminding them that they will always be God’s chosen people and that He will always be their God, so too us.

When’s the last time you reminded yourself or told someone about the supernatural “Exodus” of your salvation?

loveLIFE

August 9, 2010
Love
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“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35 NIV).

Highlights from “LOVING EACH OTHER” by Leo Buscaglia

There is nothing greater in life than loving another and being loved in return.

-A loving relationship is not defined by time, but rather by quality of caring. At its best, it is a healthy mutual exchange of thoughts, feelings and experience. It is home for one’s soul – a place to be ourselves and explore our deepest, inner yearnings, hopes, fears, joys. It is an environment within which we can relax and are comforted.

-A loving relationship is one in which both parties feel so loved, so accepted and so safe that they can share their innermost feelings, dreams, failures, successes, without reservations. It is a give and take, two-way reciprocal interaction rooted in mutual respect and cloaked with dignity, where tears and smiles are of equal importance and one that continually nurtures and supports growth.

-A loving relationship is one in which individuals trust each other enough to become vulnerable, secure that the other person won’t take advantage.

-A loving relationship is one in which one can be open and honest with one another without the fear of being judged. It’s being secure in the knowledge that you are each other’s best friend and no matter what happens you will stand by one another.

-A loving relationship is one in which you accept the other person at the moment as a whole and receive that same acceptance.

-A loving relationship is one in which there is a mutual caring about the growth and progress of each, where possessiveness gives way to offering the other to be his or her own person, where selfishness gives way to selfless giving, sharing and caring – Where the lines of communication are kept open, where the good in each is maximized, the bad minimized.

-A loving relationship is one in which the loved one is free to be him/herself to laugh with me, but never at me; to cry with me, but never because of me; to love life, to love him/herself, to love being loved, such a relationship is based upon freedom and can never grow in a jealous heart.

-A loving relationship is one in which each one sees the beloved not as an extension of self but as a unique, forever becoming, beautiful individual – A situation in which the persons can bring their own special I to each other, a blending of selves without the fear of loss of self.

-A loving relationship is a wanting to celebrate, communicate, and know another’s heart and soul.

 “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart” (Proverbs 3:3 TNIV).