The Point - a church of the Nazarene

It was a pleasant surprise to meet my good old friends at the worship. I did not expect to see them in the church. The parents of our god-son are mission workers in China, and a brother whom we discipled in college fellowship at Cumberland many years ago. He has a beautiful family right now. Praise the Lord!

It was an unique experience to preach at a Vietnamese Chinese Congregation in South San Jose. It is one of the 7 congregations of The Point - a church of the Nazarene. Thank God for using this congregation to reach many Cantonese speaking people in this valley. This church is indeed a church of all nations; they have members of 22 ethnic groups.

Devotional 170709

Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. Thank God for giving us the resources to make life more comfortable and beautiful. We have the luxury in life that many people in this world do not have. We live in a world of choices. We can choose the kind of food or diet plan we prefer. We have luxury to choose the kind of car, house, clothes, shoes, hairstyle and furniture that we like. But in reality, many people do not share the same privilege in this world. Yes, the word “privilege” dawn on me while I was driving to work. Driving is a privilege that comes with responsibility; we must obey traffic laws. If we don’t our privilege of driving will be removed from us. In the same token, life is a privilege that comes with a responsibility we receive from God; we are to obey the principles that He spells out in the Bible. Otherwise, this privilege of life we enjoy so far will eventually be removed from us.

"When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power" (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).

Paul was a scholar and an orator of the first rank; he is not speaking out of hopeless humility; but saying that he would veil the power of God if, when he preached the gospel, he impressed people with his "excellency of speech." Belief in Jesus is a miracle produced only by the effectiveness of Redemption, not by impressiveness of speech, not by wooing and winning, but by the sheer unaided power of God. The creative power of the Redemption comes through the preaching of the Gospel, but never because of the personality of the preacher. The real fasting of the preacher is not from food, but rather from eloquence, from impressiveness and exquisite articulation, from everything that might hinder the gospel of God being presented. The preacher is there as the representative of God - "as though God did beseech you by us." He is there to present the Gospel of God. If it is only because of my preaching that people desire to be better, they will never get anywhere near Jesus Christ. Anything that flatters me in my preaching of the Gospel will end in making me a traitor to Jesus; I prevent the creative power of His Redemption from doing its work.

Our Lord Jesus said, “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (John 12:31-32). Our calling as followers of Christ is to lift up the name of our Lord Jesus, so that all men will be drawn to Him but not to us. We have a tendency as human being to draw people’s attention to ourselves to entertain our pride or self-centeredness. We feel good when people want to listen to our teaching or preaching. But when people focus their attention on us, they would have missed the real source of transformation and redemption in Christ. The line is so thin that we preacher can easily stumble by our own ego without we even aware of it. Have mercy on us O Lord! Constantly remind us of our sinful nature lest we would stumble others in our service to you. We have nothing to boast because ability and power, if we have any, are gifts from above. They are given to us for the purpose to lift up the name of Christ and His cross.

May God strengthen your walk with Him today! May your life continue to shine for Him, and the good deeds of your life will bring glory to our Heavenly Father!

Love you by His goodness,
Lawrence

Devotional 160709

Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. I have a slow start this morning so that I can spend more time to meditate on God’s word at home. It is to my advantage to focus my energy on God then let my mind wandering uncontrollably; it will waste my time and energy on negative, fleshy or ungodly thoughts that will go against the knowledge of God. Once I warm up my wandering mind by submitting to God’s Word, I find my mind to be productive in the rest of my day. Indeed, our beautiful mind is too wonderful to be wasted…

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him" (Matthew 7:11)? Jesus is laying down rules of conduct for those who have His Spirit. By the simple argument of these verses He urges us to keep our minds filled with the notion of God's control behind everything, which means that the disciple must maintain an attitude of perfect trust and an eagerness to ask and to seek.

Focus your mind with the idea that God is there. If once the mind is focused along that line, then when you are in difficulties it is as easy as breathing to remember - Why, my Father knows all about it! It is not an effort; it comes naturally when perplexities press. Before, you used to go to this person and that, but now the notion of the Divine control is forming so powerfully in you that you go to God about it. Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct for those who have His Spirit, and it works on this principle - God is my Father, He loves me, I shall never think of anything He will forget, why should I worry?

There are times, says Jesus, when God cannot lift the darkness from you, but trust Him. God will appear like an unkind friend, but He is not; He will appear like an unnatural Father, but He is not; He will appear like an unjust judge, but He is not. Keep the notion of the mind of God behind all things strong and growing. Nothing happens in any particular unless God's will is behind it; therefore you can rest in perfect confidence in Him. Prayer is not only asking, but an attitude of mind which produces the atmosphere in which asking is perfectly natural. "Ask, and it shall be given to you."

This is a habit of a contemplatively lifestyle; you always maintain an inner connection with the Holy Spirit in your mind. Contemplation is meditation or reflection on the Word of God. The more you feed your mind with the Word of God, the more you can apply the Word of God in whatever situation you encounter in your daily life. Contemplation is not day dreaming, fantasizing or free flow of thought. It is a deliberate act of focusing on God and His attributes through meditating on His Words. When you constantly reflect your life in the light of God’s Word, your inner reaction on circumstances, attitude toward things and people, decision making process, value judgments and conception of plans for your future will all be guided by His Words. This kind of contemplative lifestyle will change the way you pray, you think, you listen, you speak; therefore it will directly affect your relationship with God and with people in general. You are becoming a Godly or Christ-centered person.

There is no short-cut in approaching this goal. It takes constant effort or relentless pursuit in building this contemplative lifestyle. But the good news is you are not alone. Our Lord Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to be our enabler. He is always there to provide us with the strength once we decide to embark the journey toward this goal. It was like the way God divide the Red Sea for Moses. God did not cause the miracle to happen until Moses deliberately acted out of obedience. Dear Holy Spirit, give us the eagerness to develop this kind of Godly lifestyle, and the strength to obey! Amen.

Love you with His passion,
Lawrence

Devotional 150709

Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. I like the warm sunny weather in Burlingame (Daly City is still foggy right now). Praise God for giving me an enjoyable trip to visit my daughter and son-in-law last weekend. If you visited my blog, you will see some pictures I posted there. Thank you for your prayer for our journey. We were stopped by a brush fire on Los Angel’s mountain on our way back. We were glad the highway was still opened at that time, even though the traffic was sluggish. It took us more than 45 minutes to pass through the smoky site. Yesterday, I was fully engaged with meetings and preaching at Chinatown campus of Cumberland Presbyterian Chinese Church until 3 pm. Thus, I did not have time to send you my devotional.

"I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome" (Romans 1:14-15). Paul was overwhelmed with the sense of his indebtedness to Jesus Christ, and he spent himself to express it. The great inspiration in Paul's life was his view of Jesus Christ as his spiritual creditor. Do I feel that sense of indebtedness to Christ in regard to every unsaved soul? The spiritual honor of my life as a saint is to fulfill my debt to Christ in relation to them. Every bit of my life that is of value I owe to the Redemption of Jesus Christ; am I doing anything to enable Him to bring His Redemption into actual manifestation in other lives? I can only do it as the Spirit of God works in me this sense of indebtedness.

I am not to be a superior person among men, but a bond-slave of the Lord Jesus. "Ye are not your own." Paul sold himself to Jesus Christ. He says - I am a debtor to everyone on the face of the earth because of the Gospel of Jesus; I am free to be an absolute slave only. That is the characteristic of the life when once this point of spiritual honor is realized. Quit praying about yourself and be spent for others as the bond-slave of Jesus. That is the meaning of being made broken bread and poured out wine in reality.

This obligation to share the gospel is not out of fear of judgment but a loving respond to our Savior. As we draw close to the Lord and appreciate the blessing to be His own, we do whatever that will please Him the most. You are liar if you said you love a person but do not do what you can in pleasing him or her. This obligation to share the gospel is a willful decision derived from a thankful heart. You are chosen to be His own not for no reason. You are chosen so that those who are within your daily contact will be blessed.

During our staff prayer meeting this morning, we read about Paul’s conversion experience in Acts 22. What caught my eyes was how Paul described the life of Ananias, “A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there” (Acts 22:12). Ananias was a devout Christian whose life was highly respected by all people in his daily contact or circle of influence. The Bible did not say much about this brother, except one thing that changed church history; he obeyed the guidance of the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of an “anti-Christ” Paul, who later changed the entire course of church history. Before the calling to do the historical task for Christ, Ananias committed to lead a devout life that earned the respect of all people around him. He lived out what he believed or the teaching of the Word. Ananias was a genuine seeker of Truth and a practitioner of Christian values. O Holy Spirit, help me to do the same for your honor.

Love you in His name,
Lawrence

Visit my daughter and son-in-law

We thank God for journey's mercy as we were stucked by a brush fire at LA mountain on our way home. The highway later was closed because of the fire...

Outdoor worship at Calvary Chapel

We enjoyed a day at Universal Studios and a visit to the museum. The women posted infront of a sculture called "three laughing women." And Horatio posted infront of a sculture of "flying men."

Great to see my daughter and son-in-law last weekend. Along with Janet's family and aunty Polly, we had a wonderful time. We ate a lot and tried many new resturants in Irvine. Our diet plan has to start all over again...

Devotional 080709

Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. I am about to depart for Irvine to visit my daughter and son-in-law. Therefore you may not receive devotional from me until Wednesday. I pray that you will draw close to the Lord as you always do. Taking a "devotional break" is as important as taking a lunch break. Don’t underestimate the vitality of building a strong relationship with God just as building a strong relationship with your family or your loved one. It means a lot to you on earth as it is in heaven.

"If serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). Will is the whole man active. I cannot give up my will, I must exercise it. I must will to obey, and I must will to receive God's Spirit. When God gives a vision of truth it is never a question of what He will do, but of what we will do. The Lord has been putting before us all some big propositions, and the best thing to do is to remember what you did when you were touched by God before - the time when you were saved, or first saw Jesus, or realized some truth. It was easy then to yield allegiance to God; recall those moments now as the Spirit of God brings before you some new proposition.

"Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve." It is a deliberate calculation, not something into which you drift easily; and everything else is on hold until you decide. The proposition is between you and God; do not confer with flesh and blood about it. With every new proposition other people get more and more "out of it," that is where the strain comes. God allows the opinion of His saints to matter to you, and yet you are brought more and more out of the certainty that others understand the step you are taking. You have no business to find out where God is leading, the only thing God will explain to you is Himself.

Profess to Him - 'I will be loyal.' Immediately you choose to be loyal to Jesus Christ, you are a witness against yourself. Don't consult other Christians, but profess before Him - I will serve You, Lord. Will to be loyal - and give other people credit for being loyal too.

Satan likes to attack our will. He will start with our mind by giving us some reason to doubt our relationship with God or justify our defiance of His commands. This kind of evil scheme began on day one when Eve saw the forbidden fruit. "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Once Eve accepted this evil justification, she changed her mind and decided to go against God’s will. Satan does not need to do much but to inject a counter proposal to please your flesh or your ego. When you are presented with an option between serving God or mammon, I hope you will choose to remain loyal to Christ.

You don’t want to wait until you face death or in your dying bed before you consider your loyalty to Christ. Some reporters described Michael Jackson’s funeral as a spiritual revival event. I guess it was because there were a lot of spiritual songs being sung by Michael’s friends to create that spiritual atmosphere. But I wondered to myself what Christ really meant to the singers when they sang about the love of Jesus and the glory of Christ. Unfortunately, many Christians will only think about the relationship with God when they face death or in funeral. They missed the opportunities to live for Christ while they are still vibrant and healthy. I pray that Michael’s death will truly remind many people that life is in the hand of God. Let's take advantage of the moment of today to live out our loyalty to our Creator God by doing His will.

Love you as He commands,
Lawrence

Devotional 080709

Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. There is no better title than to be the follower of Christ and the Child of God. It makes the whole world difference when we meditate on our relationship with the Triune God. We don’t need to do anything to prove that we are worthy to be His child. We just need to draw close to Him, and we will hear him whisper to our ears, “You are always my beloved child!”

“Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?” (Luke 2:49) Our Lord's childhood was not immature man-hood; our Lord's childhood is an eternal fact. Am I a holy innocent child of God by identification with my Lord and Savior? Do I look upon life as being in my Father's house? Is the Son of God living in His Father's house in me?

The abiding Reality is God, and His order comes through the moments. Am I always in contact with Reality, or do I only pray when things have gone wrong, when there is a disturbance in the moments of my life? I have to learn to identify myself with my Lord in Holy Communion in ways some of us have not begun to learn as yet. "I must be about My Father's business" - live the moments in My Father's house.

Narrow it down to your individual circumstances - are you so identified with the Lord's life that you are simply a child of God, continually talking to Him and realizing that all things come from His hands? Is the Eternal Child in you living in the Father's house? Are the graces of His ministering life working out through you in your home, in your business, in your domestic circle? Have you been wondering why you are going through the things you are? It is not that you have to go through them; it is because of the relation into which the Son of God has come in His Father's providence in your particular sainthood. Let Him have His way, keep in perfect union with Him.

The sensational life of your Lord is to become your vital simple life; the way He worked and lived among men must be the way He lives in you. Jesus came to demonstrate the kind of life God desires for men to live. It is a life that engages in daily chores or business, but enjoys communion with the Creator God. Paul reminded the early Christians, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men… And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him” (Eph 6:5-7, 9). Paul did not challenge the unfair social system of his time. Instead he focused on how individual Christian should do his daily chores or business, in the light of his or her new relationship with Christ.

God will not change our job or role in society, even when we draw close to Him each day. He promises to deliver us from the bondage of our sins, our self-centeredness or narcissistic mindset, our inferiority complex, our hatred, our worry and our fear. God has promised to give us a new heart, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (Ezekiel 36:26-27). One of the key characteristics of this new heart is the desire to obey the Words of God and to enjoy His presence.

Love you with this new heart from Christ,
Lawrence