GLDI Week 2: Biblical Truth and Worldview

The second week of GLDI is focused on a lot of discipline and intention-based practices of Christian faith. The bulk of the lectures discussed how to best read the Bible, these lessons of which are not included on this blog for simplicity's sake (maybe to be added later?). A couple valuable lessons I have included as listed:

Biblical Worldview
Apologetics
Abortion and Homosexuality

Abortion and Homosexuality

These are sensitive topics… but a good reminder of Christian values.

Abortion

Many of faith (and not of faith) know that Christians are pro-life, but why? It is because a baby from the point of conception is considered to have life. Life is God-given, and man is made in the image of God. Where do we have the right to take away the life? And even without the fundamental belief that abortion equates murder, here is one fundamental idea to fancy: abortion v. murder of a child is just a matter of change in location.

As a 5 year-old child has the right to the provision, love and care from his/her parents, and parents have no right to kill their 5 year-old, what makes the case different for an unborn baby except for change in location (inside v. outside the womb) and a passage of time?

Homosexuality

One key point is that Christians are not (all) homophobic. Some may be, but there are non-Christians who are homophobic too, it is subjective to each individual and not characteristic of one group of people.

Another key point is that Christians are not anti-gay. God does not hate homosexuals and neither should His people. All life comes from God; He does not hate His creation. Christians are not against homosexuals, it is homosexual behavior that is not approved or accepted. Bear in mind that adultery (pre-marital sexual activity) is against Christian values, and therefore sexual activity outside of marriage, whether heterosexual or homosexual, are viewed as equally wrong. There is no hierarchy for sin. James 2:10: “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.”

As children of God, we are called to love all people.

Biblical Worldview

Intro: The foundations of Christian faith as found in Colossians 1.

Biblical foundation of integration: Colossians 1

1. Man is created in "the image of the invisible God, and in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell"
2. "All things were made by him and for him and through him."
3. "He is the head of the church, his body, firstborn from the dead (resurrection)" and "reconsiled all things to himself, whether on heaven or earth, making peace by his blood on the cross (crucifixion)"

Kingdom Integration, the ultimate conclusion of Colossians 1

1. The God of creation is the God of redemption and is the incarnate Christ our King
   There is no divide between the material and the spiritual -- God created the material and also is the incarnate Christ, our spiritual redeemer!
2. Christ is immediate King over all of the created order
   He rules directly over us, there is no need for any mediation. We also need to stop looking at the things of this world as if they were so separate from our God, either He is far from those things or that those things are far from Him. It's not true, all things are His.
3. Christ is the only and ultimate redeemer of all that will be redeemed
4. It is within this story that we find the meaning of our lives.

The main question for the life of a believer: is everything used by and for Jesus? Does your ____ look like you worship Jesus?

Kingdom Integration defined: The task of theological integration is the enthroning of Christ as King in every sphere of human endeavor and every aspect of the created order.

Apologetics

Apologetics: the defense for Christian faith; the art of persuasion to commend Christian faith in its relevance to life, not just its rationality. Apologetics is only powerful when reinforced by a life which reflects the character of Christ. Apologetics is Proclamational, Dialogical, and Incarnational. Proclamational = proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. Dialogical = it is a dialogue between 2+ people, not a lecture! Incarnational = the believer as a living reflection of the character of Jesus.

An example of a common argument a nonbeliever would assert is as follows:

• God is all powerful.
• God is all good.
• An all-powerful and good God would vanquish evil.
• Evil exists.
• Therefore, God does not exist.

A sample response, as God is founder of logic and encourages reasoning is as such (we call this the Free Will Defense):

• A world with moral good is better than a world without moral good.
• Agents with morally significant free will are needed for there to be moral good.
• God cannot create moral agents who never go wrong – or else there would be no such thing as morality (how can good exist without evil, or evil to exist without good?)
• Therefore, God cannot create a world with moral good without the possibility of moral evil.

So then, is God responsible for the evils of His creation since He brought us to life? No, He is no more responsible as is a father of the actions of his own son.

Apologetics takes practice… and keep in mind, it is not meant for conversion. In most cases, no amount of logical arguments can solely cause a nonbeliever to turn to Christ – so don’t forget our purpose and calling to love our neighbors as ourselves!

Some steps to take in this type of discussion:

1. Clarify assumptions the asker holds. “What do you mean by evil? What do you mean by God?” We must have a clear understanding of these things, or the conversation could go in circles and communication would not be effective.
2. Question their conclusions. “How did you come up with the idea that God and evil cannot exist?
3. Provide an answer! As best you can, as God’s grace is upon you.
4. Reverse roles, it’s a good opportunity to also question their beliefs as well and know their perspective.

Revelations from His Word #1

I find that many Christians are content with their salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. There came a time when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and then our life resumed normal. We may not have any outward evidence of their faith, and this is often accepted as "ok" since we have eternal life. Romans 10:9-10

...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Here it states that it is not just from silent faith that we are saved, we must also use our mouths to accept salvation. One may argue: as Christians, most of us have said the sinner's prayer in which we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior with our tongue... So technically we're saved just by claiming His name once, at least according to this passage. Let's revisit this idea in 1 Corinthians 10:16, 26:

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?... For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. -1 Corinthians 10:16, 26-27

As Christians, we are called to proclaim His name until He comes. I would think that the so-called "unworthy manner" of eating the bread or drinking the cup of the Lord is the silent faith that yields no fruit. Fruit, comes in three forms: witness, service and devotion.

• Witness - to share the gospel and testimonies
• Service - to serve in the ministry of the Lord (whether in church, vocation, mission, etc)
• Devotion - drawing near to God in QT, enjoying His love, presence and teachings

All these fruits come from the heart that is in a relationship with Christ and loves Christ, and therefore the bearing of these fruits will never be tiresome. Imagine how much effort you put into pursuing the love of your life... Nothing is ever too much if you really love that person. As you draw closer to God, He slowly changes your heart to be as such, and the fruit you yield through faith will increase in size, shape and number.

GLDI Week 1: Personal Transformation and Vision

The first week of GLDI was centered around our personal relationships with God and the transforming power that comes from the understanding of His love. This week was very powerful, emotional and challenged the way I viewed Christian faith. It redefined the way I walk with God and established a better foundation upon which my walk has been building on ever since. The list of lessons, in order, is produced below:

Running the Race with Endurance
Transformation
The Love of the Father
The Love of the Father Part 2: Older Brother Syndrome
Sin, My Deepest Problem, the World's Deepest Problem
Untitled Sermon (Christian Life)
Restore Us, O Lord
Vision
God's Great Mercy
Understanding the Importance of Spiritual Disciplines
Daily Office

It's best to read in the order presented by this list, but feel free to hop.
God Bless!

Daily Office

Intro: A way to get in more QTs with God! The shortest lesson we've had yet. The importance: we are busy, but we cannot be too busy that we forsake Quality Time with God, not just Quiet Time. For all we know, most of us give him the last 5 minutes of our "day" before we stay quiet till sunrise... So, at any time during the day, follow these steps:

1. Stopping - take a moment to pause. Stop anywhere from 2 minutes to 20 minutes multiple times during the day and allow yourself to slow down.
2. Centering - "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him." (Psalm 37:7) and "Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)
• Be attentive and open
• Sit still
• Sit straight
• Breathe slowly, deeply and naturally
• Close your eyes or lower them to the ground
• Pray
3. Silence - silence and solitude go together here. Solitude = absent from people and things so that we may attend to God. Silence = quieting inner and outer voices so that we may attend to God.
4. Scripture - this is so important! Read for a couple minutes as we should try to read as much as we can. "A proverb a day keeps the devil away..."

Conclusion: Get some QT with God, many times a day, and you will reap results.

Understanding the Importance of the Spiritual Disciplines

The Christian life can often be characterized as a difficult and dutiful chore rather than an intimate and wonderful relationship with God. This can be the case due to the daily demands and fast pace of life. This can lead to a chaotic and frenzied lifestyle. Because of this, discipline in general is absolutely essential in order to guarantee not only survival but also success. But the need goes beyond just that of physical discipline. It would be absolutely necessary that every believer also practice spiritual discipline.

A spiritual discipline is a practice of devotion in response to God's grace in order to strengthen one's spiritual life. It can be described as a rhythm that enables a Christian to experience the fullness of the grace of God for greater strength, joy and endurance. The spiritual disciplines are gifts from God that enable us to know Him better. In other words, they serve as the means to greater knowledge and relationship with God.

The scripture encourages us to be involved in these kinds of practices. The Apostle Paul encourages Timothy to "train yourself to be godly. For physical training has some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:7b-8, NIV). This command of God is seen as necessary in order for a believer to grow and thrive in their Christian life.

So what are the actual spiritual disciplines? Dallas Willard, Christian philosopher and teacher, highlights two categories of spiritual disciplines in his book The Spirit of the Disciplines. Here is a listing of the spiritual disciplines [2 types]:

Disciplines of Abstinence	Disciplines of Engagement
Solitude	Study
Silence	Worship
Fasting	Celebration
Frugality	Service
Chastity	Prayer
Secrecy	Fellowship
Sacrifice	Confession/Submission

(Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Discipleship, p. 158)            also: Journaling

The first category is that of the "Disciplines of Abstinence." These disciplines entail practices in which the person abstains from something that they would normally engage in their daily life. For example, fasting is a common discipline of abstinence in which the person would not eat for an extended period of time in order to depend more on God and His Spirit for sustenance. Another discipline of abstinence would be silence in which the person would isolate himself from noise in order to live a quieter life and to hear God more clearly.

All of these practices actually allow for greater engagement with God.
The second category of spiritual disciplines is known as the disciplines of engagement. These disciplines include practices such as worship, study, service, prayer and fellowship. All of these disciplines are meant to empower the believer so that he can live more powerfully and intimately with God. While the disciplines of engagement could easily become duty, they are actually meant to be a product of devotion that occurs during its practice. So all of the disciplines serve both as the means and the ends of the entire process.

There is one final exhortation concerning the nature of spiritual disciplines. While they are meant to be quality times spent with God, it is also important to realize that there is a quantitative side to spiritual disciplines as well. In other words, there needs to be good amounts of time engaged in spiritual disciplines in order for there to be relationship established with God. Quality time then will emerge from quantity time spent practicing the spiritual disciplines. This in turn will lead to a deeper and more vibrant relationship with God. Please try all of the spiritual disciplines a few times each and see how they lead to a more dynamic spiritual walk with God!

***This blog post is reproduced from contents in the handout created by Pastor Ben Shin***

God's Great Mercy

Intro: The books of Timothy discuss how to be great Men and Women of God. In just one verse of 1 Timothy 1, we can see the heart of a true Man of God.

12 I thank him who has given me strength. Christ Jesus our Lord, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service..

Biblical Dissection (read carefully):

• "I thank him..." = If I've done anything good, it is because of his grace (see third point)
• "...given me strength." = REAL POWER, not lip-service! Timothy moves and fulfills the will of God through the strength given him by God.
• Strength like dynamite, the power to impact people with the love of God.
• DO, and do not just pray. Heal. Feed. Help.
• "...he considered me faithful..." -- To be faithful v. To be considered faithful
• Jesus considers us faithful and beautiful, even when we don't think so (and even when we aren't...)
• What is Jesus saying when he considers us faithful, even when we are unfaithful?
• Imagine this with a new employee being given huge responsibilities, and he messes up. What does it mean for his boss to still consider him faithful?
• Jesus says: "I am willing to take your loss," "I love you," and "I trust you with another chance."
• When we understand truly who we are and understand truly our sins, that is when we understand God's grace. Because we know we don't deserve it. We want to take consequences like the younger brother did, but God won't give punishment.
• Therefore, I'm ok because the KING considers me faithful
• We have security in this!
• "...appointing me to His service." -- The things He calls us to do fits us perfectly, they have been custom-made. You may not think it, but God knows better than you do. We must think to ourselves, I WAS MADE FOR THIS. 

Additional Notes:

• Religious people v. Gospel-driven people
• Religious people: bring self-righteousness and constantly ask "Is this enough?"
• Gospel-driven people: come humbly to the Lord knowing our sins but in confidence with the blood of Jesus to life holy hands in worship to Him
• Want a broken heart?
• Discipline your flesh. Withhold things from your flesh, do not make this body so comfortable. This is not our home!
• Ask to be filled by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit detracts focus from yourself and places it on the Kingdom.

Vision

I. My Identity (Who are you?)

1. Children of God (John 1:12)
2. Heir to God (Romans 8:17)
3. Christ's Ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20)
4. A proud American!

II. What is Vision?: The revelation of God's will and His plan and His desire upon His children (Acts 2:17, Romans 12:2)

1. Vision belongs to the children of God (if you do not know God, how can he communicate with you His vision for you?
2. Vision must be Biblical and historical
3. Vision is something you cannot make by yourself, nor for yourself. It is God-given.

III. Personal Ambition v. Vision

Personal Ambition	Vision
Self-originated	God-originated
Self-centered	God-centered
Self-motivated	God-motivated
For self-glory when fulfilled	For God's glory when fulfilled

Therefore, surrender your ambitions! Offer your body as a living sacrifice for growing the next generation.

Conclusion:

• A vision without a task makes a visionary.
• A task without a vision is drudgery (why do you do what you do?)
• A vision with a task makes a missionary -- because you have a mission! 

IV. Ways to Receive Visions

1. Dreams
2. Direct spoken words from God
3. Study and meditation of the Bible
4. Sermons, messages and epistles of God's annointed
5. Visions
6. Fasting and prayer
7. Historical events, environment and surroundings
8. Praise and worship service
9. Repentance and transformation

V. The purposes of Visions are Always:

1. Beyond my personal interests/ambitions
2. Building and edifying other people
3. Expanding God's kingdom
4. Abundantly/Exceedingly reproducing and multiplying fruits
5. Glorifying God
6. Enjoying God together immensely

Additional Notes:

• In pursuing the God-given vision and you face crisis, the first thing to do is PRAY. Don't look for sources of blame. Remember that God's vision is never forsaken, He will revive it.
• Claim your nation, it is God's belonging anyways, bring it all back to Him.
• No revival without repentance, no repentance without awakening. #JAMA
• We have to be our best, always on the offense in spiritual warfare!

Restore Us, O Lord

Intro: God's words to Northern Israelites through Amos can be applied to today's America. Amos was a farmer prophet during the reign of Jeroboam II. At this time, things looked fine on the surface as they were a prosperous nation. This is much like America as we seem "fine" on the surface being the superpower, but there is so much going wrong in our culture and society. America's been so blessed with our riches, but we have become comfortable and intoxicated with our goodies. There are three specific areas of corruption addressed in the text that we would best pay heed to. Amos 8:1-10

1 This is what the LORD GOD showed me: behold, a basket of summer fruit. 2 And he said, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A basket of summer fruit." Then the LORD said to me, "The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again pass by them. 3 The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day," declares the LORD GOD. "So many dead bodies!" "They are thrown everywhere!" "Silence!" 4 Here this, you who trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end, 5 saying, "When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances, 6 that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the chaff of wheat?" 7 The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: "Surely I will never forget any of their deeds. 8 Shall not the land tremble on this account, and everyone mourn who dwells in it, and all of it rise like the Nile, and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?" 9 "And on that day," declares the LORD GOD, "I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. 10 I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day.

 Three areas of corruption specifically addressed in the text:

1. Corruption in WORSHIP v.5a

"When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain?"

Though in this day most of us do not wait for new moons nor sell grain, this type of dialogue happens often, either in our heads or as written notes passed between two people. During Sunday service, how many of us start thinking about what we wish to be doing? For example, going out to get lunch, the flavor of the bubble tea drink we plan to order... Even if not to that extent of detail, the question that often comes up during a time set aside for God is typically, "When is this going to be over so I can do something else?" We forget that worship of God must be a priority, for we were made to worship Him. If we were made to worship God, then that begs the conclusion that we function best as worshipers of God our Creator, not worshipers of money, power, fame, etc. And don't things work best when used according to its function or design? Therefore, worship GOD in everything that you do.

Additionally, do you prepare your worship throughout the week? Aside from worshiping Him with our bodies in our actions, words and thoughts, do we prepare ourselves to give up to Him in praise every Sunday? We must also be conscientious in giving Him our best every Sunday when we come to sing to Him. Get enough sleep, be awake and on time for Sunday service. He deserves your best (and only) worship.

2. Corruption in VISION v.5b

"And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances..."

As evidenced in the verses discussed in the previous point, the main goal of these Israelites is to draw profit and in the process take advantage of their customers. Even today it is the wide path to pursue money --take the American Dream, for example, which requires a lot of money to achieve. What narrow path do you take in the name of Jesus Christ? Similarly, what do you relinquish of the secular world in the name of Jesus Christ? Do not pursue things on this earth before serving the Lord your God. To truly serve God means to serve when you are needed, not when you make yourself available after having pursued the things of this earth (i.e. I'll tithe after I get a job; I'll do missions after I get my doctorates degree).
Why isn't our vision to be the pioneers for the kingdom? Yes, it may be difficult to envision the expanse of the kingdom, but who are we to deem the cause hopeless? Open the floodgates and be the father from The Parable of the Prodigal Son, go and seek for the lost sheep, the younger brothers who have squandered the wealth God has given us in wild living!


Are you a faithful citizen to your country? Do you pray for America? Are you going to take responsibility over your country, your little brother, or be one like him? Or do you just claim to be an American when the association benefits you? Though I do not want to refer to us as exact older brothers, we should model what the older brother should have done, which is to go seek out his own little brother.


[Refer to this post to gain context for the previous two paragraphs.]

3. Turning God's BLESSINGS into CURSES v.6

"...that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the chaff of wheat?"

Remember that this entire passage is referring to the privileged rich who had the ability to sell to and take advantage of the poor. Huge points to realize:

God gives us blessings so that we may in turn bless others.
The wealthy, clearly, were blessed with their riches. But they evidently were not using it to bless others -- they were using their blessings to curse themselves through abusing the poor! "...buy[ing] the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals..." This refers to temporary enslavement either due to debt, or just as a way for the poor to get some money. We are rich, we are wealthy... As Americans we have truly been blessed with not just wealth, but also freedom. Think of that combination and realize how much room we have to bless others... We must be transporters of His love. God gave us gifts to bless others with. There is not one person that doesn't have at least one gift, amen? When God made you and gave you gifts -- He did not have only you in mind, He had everyone you will touch in mind. Read that one more time. Where are we lacking in our love for others? Where are we lacking in our hearts for others, and therefore not using our gifts to bless them? And where are we lacking in our service to others? Are you a blessing to others? He's made us to be.

Additionally, what blessings have we in our lives that we've turned into curses? Remember that good things turned into ultimate things = sin, ultimately a curse. Consider our privileged access to the internet. How much time do we spend on the internet? And on what sites? How honoring to God are we in using this "blessing," or has it become a curse?

Conclusion: Our job includes 3 things only

1. Face one direction (to Jesus)
2. Never turn back
3. Don't have our own plans (v.5-6)

As we worship God with all our heart, mind and strength, also do not let comparisons of those around us keep us from worshiping God. He created each and every one of us, what an insult it would be for us to judge ourselves unworthy to give Him our best.

And when God calls, He'll call in a language that we understand v.1-2. Amos was a farmer, and God used analogies of summer fruit for Amos to understand! So when God calls, our job is to obey and trust He will provide the rest -- because He will. Remember that we are not marked by our qualifications, but rather obedience. He will anoint and provide, so just obey. Do not stop yourself by what you think you can or cannot do.

Reflection Questions:

1. In what areas in my life do I lack obedience?
2. Is worship a first and foremost priority in your life? If not, does that explain the spiritual confusion and inconsistencies in your life?
3. How can I be an instrument of worship in my work, church and family?
4. Meditate upon your current vision (future hope) for life and consider how Christ and/or others-centered it is.
5. Consider the blessings and gifts you have in Christ. Have any of them turned into a poison due to your self-centeredness? Consider what can be done practically to utilize them for God's glory and service unto others.

Untitled Sermon (Christian Life)

Intro: The only one page of notes with no given title... But it still has many good points. All are listed below, cheers!

• God may not come through the way you expect Him to, but He'll always come through.
• If you find yourself not learning, it's because you think you're already there. But if you don't learn, then you don't grow... So save yourself and be humbled, try to learn continually, even if you think you've heard the same message before. God may reveal something new to you.
• Being a great leader is not going after the great positions, it is benefiting those you serve.
• Be faithful and make the small things great for God. Don't just wait for great things to come to you.
• You may be divinely hidden like David! Called to do great things after many years of labor, David was still faithful to his small task.
• Remain PURE in totality, even in heart.
• Physical, mental, moral purity.
• Moral courage v. moral knowledge
• do you live out the morals you know about?
• Have INTEGRITY
• Does the end always justify the means? (no...)
• Integrity = simple, sound, complete, upright perfection
• Watch the small areas.
• PIRATING IS NOT OK.
• purge out the things that are displeasing to God! (includes illegally obtained music)
• INTIMACY/FELLOWSHIP are important!
• PRAYER | WORSHIP | FELLOWSHIP | THE WORD
• Lower yourself = lower pride and dignity to honor others and God -- be willing to kiss the feet of others.
• Worship empties every bit of pride and gives glory to God. He deserves so much more than we give Him -- so worship whether or not you "feel" like it.
• Don't let circumstance dictate your worship, let your worship dictate your circumstance.
• Allow the Holy Spirit to have monopoly over your life and giftings
• PERSEVERING FAITH is true faith!
• Don't avoid hardship, fight through it.
• We are already victorious, but He wants to build us stronger.
• He gives you vision and lets it fade, and then pulls you up.
• He tests your faith
• You don't know God's plans, but rest assured that He has plans for you.

Sin, My Deepest Problem, the World's Deepest Problem

Intro: You cannot understand God's love for you until you understand your sin. This lecture was one of the most convicting messages I've ever received, and it's truly helped me get one step closer to loving God by understanding how much He loves me. A book to read: Not the Way It's Supposed to Be by Cornelius Plantiga. Here we are looking at The Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32 as discussed previously in The Love of the Father and Older Brother Syndrome.

Everyone knows this world isn't the way it's supposed to be. Believer or non-believer, there is something deeply rooted in all of us that realize there is something wrong with this world. And it is on this basis that we can connect best with non-believers as Christians. Understand sin rightly, do not use sin as a way to point fingers and place yourself above others.

What is sin?
Sin isn't breaking the rules, it's exalting something/someone above God.
Yes, there are rules (The Ten Commandments) that, if broken, would be considered sinful, but consider what it means to break those rules. For example: "You shall not commit adultery." By committing adultery you are exalting one, two, or three (or more) things above God: (1) that person who you wanted to show your love to, and/or (2) to prove that you have the skills/attractiveness to get someone in bed with you, and/or (3) that your desires are more important than God's desires. So, in essence, sin is just exalting something/someone above God. We all do this! To what extent do we do this in our everyday lives? For example, choosing to spend 30 minutes on Facebook picture surfing instead of 30 minutes in prayer.

Notes on The Parable of the Prodigal Son
Many view the younger brother as the "worse" brother. He was greedy, openly sought after his fathers wealth and completely squandered it. He was a disgusting sinner. Upon awakening to his sin, was he experiencing self-pity or being sorry, or both? We don't truly know, but contrast this to the older brother as discussed below.

Is the older brother (OB) any better than the younger brother (YB)? No. He was equally greedy, wanting what the father would give him and therefore got angry when the father accepted the younger son back into the family. If we were to sum up the father's estate to a value of $100, then rightfully each brother would have gotten $50. Upon the younger brother taking and leaving with $50, the older brother had no part in the story -- we can imagine he was content knowing that he'd be the sole heir to the $50 that was and will be rightfully his, assuming his little brother would not come back. But when the little brother comes back and the father welcomes him with a fattened calf and restores him as a son, why do you think the older brother was so angry? He wanted the entire $50 that would have been in his name, but now that the little brother is back, the left over $50 now must be split in two for equal inheritance for the two sons. The older brother knew all along what would have belonged to him and therefore stayed beside his father and was "good." And when his riches were reduced, see how angry he became?

Both brothers rejected the father's authority -- YB by being bad, OB by being good.
Which is more dangerous? Rejecting the father's authority by being good. This is because it's harder for good people to recognize their need for Jesus! And therefore, we must be aware of our own subtle rejection of God's righteousness when replacing it with our own righteousness. This is sin.

Older Brother Symptoms:

• We get angry when life doesn't go the way we think it should v.28a.
• Story (not Biblical): Jesus tells His disciples to each pick up a rock before they depart on their journey. Peter picks up a little pebble in order to make his journey easier. Upon reaching the foot of a mountain, Jesus turns each disciples' rock into bread. Peter, having picked up a pebble, had little to eat. Before leaving to climb the mountain, Jesus tells them to pick up a rock once again and Peter picks up the biggest rock he could find. When reaching the top of the mountain, Jesus had them discard the rocks and Peter was angry. Who was Peter carrying the rock for, himself or Jesus?
• Obedience feels like a duty and is fear-driven, it lacks love and joy v.19.
• Suffer from a sense of superiority in terms of morality v.30
• Feel insecure and relish when justice has been served

Key Takeaways

• Do not let our goodness keep us from God.
• Doing good things may cause us to think God owes us something -- but remember, He's already given us more than we deserve. We do good things for Him, not so we can earn something from Him.
• Pride in our goodness creates barriers between us and God.

Therefore, sin boldly -- if you're going to sin. Do not sin in subtleties, for this is where the devil gets the strongest foothold in our lives. And watch out for good, enjoyable things in our lives subtly become ultimate things in our lives -- this is also sin as God should be the only ultimate thing in our lives! Relevant topic: our significant others.

Additional Notes on Sin

• Sin is trying to find your identity apart from Him (i.e. when good things become ultimate things)
• Wanting to be a good ____, to do things well is a good desire -- that is, until it controls you and cause you to compromise.
• Watch for desiring: approval, acceptance, financial security, accomplishments, love
• Sin is blinding. Idolatry keeps you from truth
• Jesus is #1 in your life symptoms:
• You don't take yourself so seriously because your accomplishments aren't the focus -- it is what He does through you.
• Identity apart from God is unstable
• It's NEVER stable, even if it seems so. If you take away the cornerstone of your identity, what are you? Jesus' love never changes. He should be your cornerstone.

Notes on the Father

• The father was the seeker of his son! The focus is never what we do for God, but what He did for us.
• Follow God's visions, don't be afraid to fail because it was founded on Him anyways. He will be the reason for success, and His will will be the cause for failure.
• "I can do all things in Jesus Christ" means we can go through anything (sufferings, failures, etc), not really accomplish everything
• Our Father responds vertically by grace and truth, and horizontally by exposing our sins, refining us and showing us how foolish we are.
• The older brother, who thinks he's better than the younger brother (analogous to Pharisees to tax collectors), should have been the one to seek out his younger brother and bring him to Christ. But Jesus comes as the true older brother to save the younger brother!

So what happens to the older brother? We can only guess.

The Love of the Father Part 2: Older Brother Syndrome

Intro: When reading the Parable of the Prodigal Son (As discussed in The Love of the Father and Service/Transformation), many will draw most of their attention to the story of the younger son and become content with knowing the redemptive persona of our great Father in Heaven. The second half of the story, which concerns the older son, often gets overlooked along with it's vital implications. Realize that this story concerning the older brother does not have a happy ending, and we do not know what happens to him. Luke 15:25-32

25 Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, 'Your brother has come and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.' 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but he answered his father, 'Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him! 31 And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost and is found.'

Somethings to take note of about the heart of the older brother:

1. He was very obedient, but as evidenced in his claim over his father's gifts (v. 29b-30), we can see that his concerns were over what this father would provide, not his father. There is no love from the son to the father.
2. He was self-righteous, believing that in his good works he deserved more than his younger brother. With self-righteousness only came contempt and dissatisfaction when he was not recognized as much as he believed he deserved.

Older Brother Symptoms:

• We get angry when life doesn't go the way we think it should v.28a.
• Story (not Biblical): Jesus tells His disciples to each pick up a rock before they depart on their journey. Peter picks up a little pebble in order to make his journey easier. Upon reaching the foot of a mountain, Jesus turns each disciples' rock into bread. Peter, having picked up a pebble, had little to eat. Before leaving to climb the mountain, Jesus tells them to pick up a rock once again and Peter picks up the biggest rock he could find. When reaching the top of the mountain, Jesus had them discard the rocks and Peter was angry. Who was Peter carrying the rock for, himself or Jesus?
• Obedience feels like a duty and is fear-driven, it lacks love and joy v.19.
• Suffer from a sense of superiority in terms of morality v.30
• Feel insecure and relish when justice has been served

Read on the significance of having Older Brother Symptoms here.

Key points:

• God doesn't owe us anything but judgment.
• Our good performance doesn't mean we deserve more, it's not about getting reward from performance.
• We obey out of love for Him -- NOT to get something from Him. We have already received His grace.
• Without love, all we do and all we are counts for nothing (Corinthians 13:2)
• We must have a relationship with God in order to enjoy His blessings -- because it is when we have a relationship with Christ that we will also be in His favor.
• The minute we think we are better than someone else, we automatically are deemed worse than that person. We can only fully lift others up to Christ when we are humble.

The Love of the Father

Intro: Discovering the love of the Father from His perspective, not ours. Our understanding His love is so important as a Christian, it literally defines how we walk with Him. Our speaker, Pastor Steven Chong made a good point: though our Bibles subtitle this passage as "The Parable of the Prodigal Son," the story is really about The Love of the Father. With this in mind, from the Parable of the Prodigal Son once again Luke 15:11-24:

11 And he said, "There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.' And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his field to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. 

17 But when he came to himself, he said "How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.'" 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate. 

1. The first point to recognize is the rebelliousness of man in  v.12-13. 

And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.' And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.

So often we seek after the material riches that God provides rather than Him, the Creator and Provider Himself. And when He blesses, we will often abuse all that He has given us on selfish living -- did you know He blesses us so that we can bless others?

This rebelliousness can also be very, very subtle. For example, with the time that God has given us, how do we spend each second? Or even with that boy or girl we happened to be blessed to be with? This is how the enemy attacks. We often take subtle steps of rebellion against God by thinking "Just another 10 minutes on Facebook is harmless," or even "Just another kiss is harmless... maybe one more..." and you can see where this is going. We cannot allow ourselves to be inhibited by the thoughts from the enemy that keep us from honoring Him who has blessed us with these "good" things!

2. Remember that sin is not just something bad, but it is a direct offense at God v.21

Sin is absolutely painful for God to witness. It's disgusting in His eyes. And we do it every day. Aside from sin of the flesh (which are the most obvious and easiest to stop), how do you sin with your mind? How do you look at others? Even if not with lust, do you judge? See yourself above others? Feel bitter judgment upon those who mistreat you? God's greatest command is to love Him with all your heart, mind and strength. We all fall short this commandment, and therefore directly offend Him as we continually place other things in greater priority than Him. Remember, we should not place Him as our #1 priority, but strive to make Him our only priority, else we get our priorities mixed up (i.e. compare the amount of time we spend on social media over studies. If time allocation indicates importance of matters, what does your how you spend your time say about your priorities?)

3. God will run after you if you turn to him v.20b

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

 In this illustration, the father, an elderly man, was running towards his dirty, ragged son. In back in the days that Jesus walked this earth, for an elderly man to run was shameful. It required him to expose his ankles and draw many eyes to himself. Draw from this that Jesus took our shame, and forgave us. How great is our God? We must turn to him. If the light of Christ does not touch our shames, we will never be set free.

4. God not only forgives, but fully restores v.22b-24.

'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate.

He gives as if we've never sinned; and He doesn't just forgive, He restores our relationship as His sons and daughters! Recall that the son said "I am no longer worthy to be called your son," and intended to become just a hired hand for his father. But no, the father fully restored his relationship as a son. Because of Jesus, we will never be second-class citizens. Amen.

Other notes:

• The father didn't give the younger son what he wanted, the father gave his son what he needed; not what the son deserved, but what he didn't deserve.
• You cannot uplift a city without transforming the marginalized
• There is no fire without sacrifice
• Be a living sacrifice -- living = moving
• In all things, do them not for man's approval/applause; answer only to Jesus and only see His approval and applause.

Transformation

Intro: This lecture laid out the steps we would to take in order to be transformed, not just changed. Key difference between transformation and change? Transformation is permanent, change is not. Awakening + Confession + Repentance + Revival = Transformation. From Luke 15:11-24, the Parable of the Prodigal Son:

11 And he said, "There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.' And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his field to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

1. Awakening 

17 But when he came to himself, he said "How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 

Here the younger son was awakened to two things: (1) his father's love, and (2) his sin. This is the most important step towards transformation.

2. Confession

18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.'"

This requires humility and open exposure of sins to oneself in order to recognized how depraved we are. Confession does not equate to repentance, however, and does not reflect the heart that God calls us to have in order to forgive our sins. If you can imagine this scene where the son scripts out exactly what he will say to his father, we can just imagine his potential motives. It may or may not have been along the lines of, "I'll go ask my father for forgiveness. As his son, how can he not forgive me? Let me just get some fake tears, rub some extra dirt on my clothes and he must feel compassion for me." There could still be much self-righteousness  To recognize and confess what we've done wrong is one step, which may or may not involve having a repentant heart.

3. Repentance

20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

Repentance is what WE do. With nothing, not even an ounce of pride, we must have the determination to go back to the Father (v.20). From here we get a genuine apology (v.21), verbalized to his father whom the son has sinned against. Here the son openly admits to his father, whom he's sinned against, and this is revealing of his heart. In this scene where the father unexpectedly comes to greet the son with such love, one can only imagine with what tear-filled eyes the son had in directly apologizing to his father. One big-picture takeaway is: when we choose to turn to God our Father, He is already there to embrace us. In repentance we choose to turn to him.

4. Revival

22 But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate.

Revival is what GOD does. Here the robe signifies restoration into the royal priesthood, and the ring signifies sonship. God provides these things (revival) upon our repentance and his forgiveness of our sins! Amen. No one can provide revival but the Father.

Awakening + Confession + Repentance + Revival = Transformation

[5. Proclamation***]

22 But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.

Shoes = anointing for proclamation, to go to the nations and tell the world about how good the Father is! Though this step is not necessary for transformation, it is a key element of what our God calls us to do. After all, He also gives us shoes when He restores. Amen?

Running the Race with Endurance

Intro: Though the original intent of this first lecture of Week 1 is to help us pace ourselves over the 40 days of GLDI, I think the lesson is quite relevant to our walks with God. Our speaker Pastor Ben Shin spoke from Hebrews 12:1-2

1 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, 2 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.

Biblical Dissection:
v. 12:1 Lay aside every weight (encumbrance) and sin that slows us down.Sins obviously keep us from coming to the Father in full, so the point to highlight here is the weight we carry (the encumbrances). Encumbrances are not necessarily negative things (such as sin is inherently a bad thing), but they definitely can slow us down in chasing after God (i.e. texting, Facebook). A question to keep in mind: Do you have mastery over these things, or do they master you? Summed up: Travel Lightly.

v. 12.2 Focus your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. We take no part in shaping our own faith except for listening and obeying Him -- therefore do not let efforts to perfect yourself cause you to stumble and become self-righteous. Just fix your eyes on Jesus. Through hardships, remember that "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame." Do not worry over your own sufferings, just keep looking to Him with faith in his provision and love for you! Remember that in all things, He works for the good of those who love Him.

Take note in the use of "us" in the passage. It implies we do not walk alone, but rather alongside brothers and sisters! Additionally, the "cloud of witnesses" as mentioned in v.1 refers to the Saints as described in Hebrews 11. This illustrates a bleacher of fans in heaven - the Saints - who are watching us in our walk with God and are cheering us on. We are also included in the cloud of witnesses to each other, so we shall be encouraging to our brothers and sisters. Run like Him, to Him, to be with Him, and we are sure to reach the finish line.

GLDI 2012

I've devoted 40 days to a JAMA (Jesus Awakening Movement for America) program called GLDI: Global Leadership Development Institute. From June 23rd to August 3rd I will have experienced countless sermons/lectures that all contribute to transforming me into the Woman of God that He's called me to be. I have many lectures to catch up on in this blog -- but most everything should be on this blog by the end of August! Tagged #GLDI and relevant topic :) I hope to continue blogging here for the remainder of my journey with GOD... He loves me so much more than I deserve.