The curse of gorse

Gen 3:16 To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you."
Gen 3:17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.
Gen 3:18 "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field;
Gen 3:19 By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."

Whenever I visit my dad at his lifestyle section, we take a walk through his back yard. It's a fantastic place in the hills with New Zealand native bush at the bottom. As we walk through the yard, my dad bends down and picks out a thistle in the grass. He shows me how he always has to go around pulling them out. Often he has to spend hundreds of dollars on spray to kill them, and then they just eventually grow back.

Next door, the neighbor owns a bigger section. He is cursed with gorse - a nasty sprawny nettle with razor sharp spikes over it's entirety which bears yellow flowers. What a curse this is. Every farmer knows it. They spend so much time, energy, and money trying to get rid of the stuff. No animal eats it (except a really really hungry goat), and no spray kills it completely. When you hack it down with a tractor, it leaves nasty stumps. Then you go around and paint poison on every stump (there are often hundreds). Next season you realize that gorse seeds spread to the rest of your land - seeds that can't be burned or poisoned. New gorse starts sprouting up everywhere, and it's back to the expensive spray. It's almost impossible to get rid of - it takes constant work season after season, just to get a clear field.

When we work in jobs, there's just stuff we hate doing. No matter what job you work, there is always stuff you just don't wanna do. Isn't it always hard to make ends-meet when you're a student? What do you do when there's a recession and your company goes bankrupt or you get made redundant?

Don't mothers experience great pain in childbirth, have c-sections, and sometimes die? What is a doctor to say when a mother loses her baby? What comfort can anyone offer her? And why amidst this trouble do people still choose to have 42 million abortions each year?

Why is it simply so hard to save money? Why are men often seen as domineering, or why do they shy away instead like little boys?

Why is the most popular villain in fairy tales portrayed as a fierce woman?

If only we had obeyed God. Since the fall of man, this has never been an easy life. And it never will. But praise the Lord he offers us hope all the way through until the end, when he will re-create life with perfect jobs for us and no suffering, toil, tears, or pain. Christ will return for us, and he will set us free from this world and our present selves. This is the hope we have, and this is the hope we stand for.

Is doubting and struggling with God wrong or abnormal?

Struggling with God is a sure sign that we truly have faith. If we never struggle, our faith will never grow.

http://www.keepbelieving.com/sermon/2007-11-07-If-I-Believe-Why-Do-I-Doubt/

The Great Commission in-depth

I've been studying the so-called Great Commission. Many believers quote the last couple of verses in the book of Matthew as a consistent reference that we should take the initiative and share our faith. But does this verse in Matthew teach that? And was this really Jesus' last words?

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

The full commission
The "Great Commission" is actually paralleled in three of the gospel accounts: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Here is a juxtaposition of the risen Jesus' "Great Commission" from the three gospels after he took his disciples up a mountain. This is not necessarily a 100% accurate ordering, but it does give us a good picture of what the full commission was by combining all the text. I've provided the verses so that you can look them up separately in your bible.

Mk 16:15 (pt 1). AND HE SAID (TO) THEM,

Mt 28:19 (pt 1), ref Mk 16:15 (pt 2). GO YE

Mt 28:19 (pt 2). THEREFORE,

Mk 16:15 (pt 3). INTO ALL THE WORLD,

Mt 28:19 (pt 3). AND TEACH

Mk 16:15 (pt 4). AND PREACH THE GOSPEL (or Good News)

Lk 24:47 (pt 1). AND THAT REPENTANCE AND (FORGIVENESS) OF SINS (or repentance leading to forgiveness of sins-JNT) SHOULD BE PREACHED IN HIS
NAME AMONG (or to) (people from)

Mt 28:19 (pt 4), ref Lk 24:47 (pt 2). ALL NATIONS,

Mk 16:15 (pt 5). TO EVERY CREATURE (or all creation).

Lk 24:47 (pt 3). BEGINNING AT JERUSALEM.

Mt 28:19 (pt 5). BAPTIZING (or immersing) THEM IN THE NAME (or reality) OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY GHOST (or Spirit):

Mk 16:16. HE THAT (BELIEVES) (or trusts) AND IS BAPTIZED (or immersed) SHALL BE SAVED (or he who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved-
NASB); BUT HE (WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE) (or does not trust) SHALL BE DAMNED (or condemned).

Mt 28:20 (pt 1). (And) TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE (or obey) ALL THINGS (EVERYTHING) I HAVE COMMANDED YOU:

Lk 24:48. AND (YOU) ARE WITNESSES OF THESE THINGS.

Mt 28:20 (pt 2). AND, (SURELY) (or remember), I AM (or will be) WITH YOU ALWAYS, (yes), EVEN (TO) THE (very) END OF THE WORLD (or age).

Lk 24:49.
AND BEHOLD, I AM SENDING FORTH THE PROMISE OF MY FATHER UPON YOU; BUT YOU ARE TO STAY IN THE CITY UNTIL YOU ARE CLOTHED WITH POWER FROM ON HIGH.

Then there's also luke's summary of the last 40 days of the risen Christ (Acts 1:1-9):

In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of my Father, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"

He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

Luke clarified how the apostles were to wait until the Holy Spirit had been given to them, which must be the "Power from on high" he wrote about in Luke 24:49. This was probably emphasised in Luke's second letter because he wanted to show in the rest of this book how the Holy Spirit came upon people both in Jerusalem (Acts 2:4), Judea & Samaria (Acts 8:14-15), and the end of the earth (?). He also knew the importance of having the Holy Spirit, and mentions on numerous occasions how the early church were filled (directed and empowered) with the Spirit. Acts was a period of transition for the work of the Holy Spirit since Pentecost (Acts 2), and we now receive and can't lose Him when we believe the gospel (Eph 1:13,14). We must also be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:17-19).

So why the difference between the gospels?
Each gospel account differs in content, but not in purpose. The purpose is that everyone would hear the good news, and disciples from every nation would be made. The focus of Matthew's account is on making disciples. He wanted to focus on seeing all the teachings that were recorded of Jesus passed on to others in all nations.

The primary verb in Matthew's account is "go". The tense here implies "as you go, make disciples". This is perhaps best illustrated by the example of Jesus' disciples after the stoning of Stephen:

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. (Acts 8:4)

While the main verb is "go", the other verbs in the sentence re-enforce that main idea. They enhance and explain the idea. Thus, teaching and baptising people are words that describe how we are to make disciples.

While Matthew focused on multiplication, the Lord uses Mark to focus on what the preachers and listeners are to do. The apostles are to preach the good news to all creation, and the hearers are to believe and be baptised to save their souls. Note that "whoever does not believe will be condemned", not "whoever does not believe and get baptised will be condemned" - this is not works-based salvation. Also, to preach means to proclaim, like a herald bringing good news from his king.

God emphasises the progressive and continuous nature in Luke's account:

"This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things." (Luke 24:46-48)

We cannot just preach grace and forgiveness, but we must also preach that people everywhere must repent. Paul gives us a good example when addressing the Greek philosophers:

"Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead." (Acts 17:30,31)

Was the great commission "Jesus' last words"?
These words were spoken 33.5 years into Jesus' life, and were Jesus' last conversation with his disciples. Luke 24:51 shows us that Jesus blessed his disciples just before he ascended into heaven, so the commission itself was not strictly Jesus' last words, but the commission was the last words before Jesus' ascension that God inspired men to write down.

Is the great commission for us today?
Some have said that the great commission was only for the time of Christ (for example, the Berean Bible Society), and that the disciples themselves did likely fulfill it by making disciples from every nations while they were alive, as shown in acts (remember this commission is to preach the gospel to all nations, not necessarily to every person). While the disciples may have fulfilled it, or while it may very well be fulfilled today in terms of reaching the nations, we are still commanded to make disciples today:

"Make disciples of all nations" is the first command. Then we are told to "teach them to observe all that I (Jesus) have commanded you (the disciples)". Well, one thing Jesus just commanded them was to make disciples of all nations. Thus, the apostles would have made disciples by the power of the Holy Spirit, and taught those disciples to make disciples. Those disciples were then asked to teach everything to others who would teach others also (2 Tim 2:2). And so on, and here we are, disciples of Christ because of the work of Christ in his disciples 2000 years ago. Let's make disciples who make disciples and reach the world!

Ryan's daily prayer

This is a prayer that I read every now and again (I say daily but realistically it's biweekly). It's not like a formula or anything, but it helps me to remember aspects of God that I want to thank him for, and reflections of God that I want to be in my life. For example, we can't be both pursuing comfort in life and suffering for Christ, but indeed we are called to suffer (1 Peter 4：1）. However, SO　often I am tempted to flee suffering and sacrifice, and set my desires on the comforts and pleasures this world offers instead of keeping my armor on.


Lord, help me to embrace suffering and not pursue comfort in this life. Give me a heart that is willing to endure through life and death for you. Make me strong in the midst of spiritual battles that I can’t see.

Thank you for your wounds, taken for me; they are your glorious trophies and honour.
Thank you for your sacrificial love; who am I that you gave your life for me? Thank you that you are faithful because your word says you are. Thank you for showing me new mercies and kindness each morning. Thank you for your generosity.

Thank you for your justice that will come. Thank you for your discipline and your correction. Thank you for your continually refining work within in, perfecting me for your glory.

Thank you for your absolute holiness.

Thank you for your Spirit, revealing your infinite love and empowering me to witness. I ask you to search the depths of my heart and reveal what’s in me that is not pleasing to you so that I can confess it. Thank you that by doing so you are faithful and just to forgive me.

Fill me, lead me, and empower me with your Spirit. Help me to take every opportunity I can for the gospel. May everything I do glorify your name, and may your presence always be with me. May I be found blameless in you when you come again in wrath and vengeance. Amen.

How does Satan speak to us?

Do you have any "negative self talk"? What do you say to yourself when no one else is listening?

On occasion I catch myself in a quiet place, or first thing in the morning, or late at night thinking thoughts like "you're useless", "you're wrong", "you don't deserve to be a Christian", "you're an idiot", "you're so weak", "you won't make it", and so on. Have you ever noticed anything like this in your own mind? There is a war waging there. A very real war.

But did you notice, the lies so often come in the 3rd person. Do I always refer to myself in the 3rd person? No. Why then do these thoughts or voices in my head talk to me as though someone else is saying them to me? Because they are. These are the voices of the devil talking to us. Trying to tempt us to despair. Trying to take us out of the fight and would us. To throw us off track. To convince us that "of course God is not real". To kill us.

Not only does God speak to us, but there are daemons whispering to us throughout the day. We MUST NOT BELIEVE HIS LIES. What scares me the most is that so often I hear Satan's voice in my mind louder than the voice of God. I need to saturate my mind more with scriptures.

Am I talking rubbish? Who are you believing? Satan's main target is us Christians:

Rev 12:17 So the dragon [Satan] was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

All we need to do is resist the devil, and he will flee from us. If we listen to him and invite him to come closer; if we choose to obey him, then we will reap destruction and death and be very wounded in battle. But if we resist him by rebuking his lies with specific scriptures like Jesus did, then he will not harm us. This lifetime is war, the next is paradise. Who's side are you on?

First day of tune-in

Today was the first day of B-semester 2009. I felt pretty sick - I had a chest infection all weekend and rested pretty well, but when I woke up Monday morning I faced a tough choice. I lay in bed almost in despair that although I wanted to be on campus serving Christ, I felt terrible and wanted to sleep. Strange thoughts came into my mind, thoughts of giving up my work on campus although I know I'm making a difference, and even wanting to leave the God I love, the one who has been forever faithful to me.

It was just one of those mornings I guess. I started praying that Christ would return today, and almost expected it, but then remembered the bible teaches that He will return at an hour when no one thinks he will. So I dragged myself out of bed, telling Satan to leave me by the authority I have in Christ. Warfare like this is pretty normal. It was a reminder to me once again not to live by my feelings which sometimes drive me to an attitude I do not desire to have, but instead to NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER give up when things get hard.

I could have talked myself out of it, told my boss I'm not coming in today, and been lonely and depressed at home. But instead, fighting the good fight by the grace of God, I ended up having such an encouraging day on campus seeing students get serving on the tables everywhere as well.

I remember thinking when I was at uni today that although I felt sick, although I forgot that I drove my own car, and although I was being rejected by the many stone faces reflecting hardened hearts, and although I was laughed at and given the cold shoulder by Muslims who have been taught to make us out to be the least and most despised and hated of all men, I remembered the joy of knowing Jesus as my Saviour, and realised there wasn't anywhere else I would rather be than on campus serving him with my family by reaching out to others in love. Thanks for your grace guys. Let's continue tomorrow :)

Chinese language update in the war

So learning Chinese is going pretty well. It's a lot easier to pick up new words now. I've been chatting to people online using livemocha which is a pretty sweet free language learning tool. Things are going pretty well, I can have simple conversations, and share about God's love for people as the reason I'm learning.

It was just my birthday; I'm 23 now. I have a renewed passion after our mid-year conference to fight. Fight for the faith. Fight for peace and joy. Fight for love and intimacy. Fight for the good news of Jesus Christ. Fight in the midst of suffering. Fight FOR people. Fight against the Devil and his legion of daemons. Fight against sin. Fight against the power of my flesh and the influence of this world. Fight against lies. Stand firm in the truth and fight. The Lord give us strength.

Here's an awesome video about God's grace:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pxBay2r2SI#

Our inheritance is love. God bless.