Woah, is this the longest break in blogging for me? I’ve been meaning to post entries cuz quite a lot of things have happened in the past few weeks. Not just
happened, but things to make me ponder quite a bit.
In retrospect, it’s quite amazing how various events in my life in the past weeks were all connected in the sense that I learnt one major thing through it – how people can warp the gospel so much, it makes my heart grieve.
For one, I visited a big church in city that was so blatantly prosperity-gospel-driven, I was really quite shocked. There before my eyes, I felt like I was seeing a visualization of the verse
“for the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear". (2 timothy 4:3)I also heard of views of Christians who are so focused on the goodness of God, they forget that goodness can include discipline, and goodness doesn’t mean you take advantage of it. It was painful and saddening to hear of how people can take God’s grace so much for granted, and utter prayers in a manner that reflect their perception of God as a mere wish-granting genie-in-a-bottle. But if prosperity gospel churches can be teaching such warped things, then why should I be so surprised I guess…
Ill fruits tend to be more apparent as well – gossip, hypocrisy, malice, idolatry of material things, discontentment.
My heart is heavy and grieves to see all these. Always, I would think to myself - how terrible this must all look to non-christians who see these and think that Christianity is just another religion, there are black sheep and there are good ones. Just like any religion.
But I was brought back to the cross...
When I was a younger Christian, I was asked once by an acquaintance, why should I believe in your God? Being the enthusiastic new Christian who was very involved in all the ra-ra youth-y events of church which gave me heaps of friends and self-confidence, I answered heartily straightaway “Because you will become a better person!” and went on to explain the pre-post-Christianity change that I thought I saw in myself. So my naïve perception of Christianity was.
If that were to be so – if people would become Christians
only because of what they saw in other Christians – then how would 'black-sheep Christians' fit into the picture? If I believed in my God
only because of other humans… things would crumble at some point, just because of the sheer fallibility of grossly imperfect human beings.
No. Back to the cross. I've come to realise that that is
solely what my faith stands on. Look to the cross if you are thinking of Christianity, or if you are a Christian and are sometimes stumbled by the actions of fellow Christians. Look to the cross when you see the black sheep. But… look to the cross when you see sterling examples of good Christians living out their faith too. Because now I wouldn’t say ‘because you will become a better person’, but ‘
because I am a sinner, and I need God’s grace'.
That is why it's not that being a Christian makes one good, and that is why it is not that 'black sheep Christians' should simply be cast out and ostracised and that's that. It is that we recognise the need for
grace.
Good Friday and Easter has come and gone. It was surreal for me to comprehend how big Easter is as an event/holiday in Aust. In a nutshell, it's become one big chocolate festival. (u won't believe the AMOUNT and variety of choc eggs and bunnies sold, seriously). I was reminded of the song Once Again:-
Jesus Christ, I think upon Your sacrifice
You became nothing, poured out to death
Many times I've wondered at Your gift of life
And I'm in that place once again
I'm in that place once again
And once again I look upon the cross where You died
I'm humbled by Your mercy and I'm broken inside
Once again I thank You
Once again I pour out my life
Now You are exalted to the highest place
King of the heavens, where one day I'll bow
But for now, I marvel at Your saving grace
And I'm full of praise once again
I'm full of praise once again
Thank You for the cross
Thank You for the cross
Thank You for the cross, my FriendYes... I am humbled, and overwhelmed with thanksgiving and gratitude. I just have to return to the cross to know this.
My response to my major lesson then is this - I have been burdened to pray like mad (thanx charmy for always encouraging me simply with these 3 words) abt this prosperity gospel issue! This will be here to remind myself of this commitment to pray. Like mad.
