My Testimony

Dear brothers and sisters, friends and family,

I am forever grateful that you can share this moment with me today. It wasn’t until recently that I realised the significance of this day. In many ways I would liken my baptism to marriage. Baptism of course isn’t necessary for salvation. Baptism is just a public proclamation of my faith in my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, yet it is so much more. The Bible analogises many times in the Old Testament the relationship between God and his people Israel as a marriage, where the people are his bride (Jer. 3, Eze. 16, Hos 1-3). In the New Testament the apostle Paul speaks of the profound mystery: Christ and his church as his bride (Eph. 5). I do not have to marry my girlfriend for her and others to know that I love her. I do not have to be baptised for there to be a loving relationship between myself and God. But just as there are so many reasons to marry, there are so many reasons to become baptised. And so you see, this day could possibly be even more important than my marriage, because today is my marriage to Jesus. And now I would like to share my vows.

For sixteen years, I was oblivious to everything and anything to do with God. All I knew about God was that he was this big supernatural guy who lived in heaven. Heaven was a good place with angels, and hell was a bad place with the devil. Jesus was this important guy to do with Christians. I even remember once at school, when they asked us what B.C. stood for. I had no clue, so I asked Mum. “Bicentenary?” she said.

In high school, I met my best friend Brian. He said he was a Christian, so he was this good, conservative guy, right? In year 7, he said his mission was that by the end of year 12, he would convert his friends. My mission was that by the end of year 12 I would corrupt him. I don’t know how God did it, but that guy is sneaky, crept up on me real good. Brian had been talking about Christian stuff like RICE and other evangelistic events. I went to a few, and started learning a little bit more about who Jesus was and what he did. It was not until RICE Big Day Out in 2007 that the message of the gospel really hit me. For the rest of the week, my thoughts surrounded this decision I was to make. I had turned away from God and I was a broken, absolutely sinful person. Jesus had died on the cross so that I could be forgiven for all of my sins – all I had to do was accept it. But how could I? I didn’t deserve any of this. I am the worst person I could possibly be and now Jesus is just going to give me this thing I don’t deserve? It was the biggest decision of my life, and I actually prayed, not knowing if I was heard. I was once again convicted of Jesus’ love for me at the rally a week later. It was that night that I took the big step – the big leap of faith, and put my life at Jesus’ feet. Shortly after, I joined the youth group REEF at CMC. It was here where I studied Simply Christianity and was first exposed to what church really was. It was here where I grew in my knowledge of who Jesus was and who God was and how I could live my life with Jesus as my Lord. However, I lived far from church, and placed too much of a burden on my parents who would pick me up late every Friday night. Soon after, I had learned a lot of the fundamentals of Christianity, and was quickly accepted into the church family at REEF. But after a while, the late Friday night treks became too much for my parents and I couldn’t go to REEF anymore. It was so unloving of me. I used to wait until it was the afternoon before I told my parents that I was going to youth group, so I forced them to pick me up, instead of asking their permission. In the midst of my new knowledge of Jesus and what it meant for my life, I was becoming a stumbling block for my family.

A year after my turn to Jesus, I was still growing in my faith, I had a great foundation of trustworthy, loving friends at church even though I couldn’t get to see them. Eventually, I decided to start going to the Sunday services at Cabramatta Anglican Church. I also visited the youth group there and even brought a couple of friends along sometimes. But soon after that, the HSC year began. I began to use my study as an excuse for not going to church, and wasted my time on worldly passions. In a matter of months, I had dug a hole so deep that only God could pull me out. In my pain, I remembered God, and realised how broken a person I was and how much I needed him. Through the miraculous turning around of this ordeal, God revealed to me how much I had turned away from him and how little things in this world matter. From that moment on, I re-devoted my life to God and began to put him at the centre of my life. After the HSC finished, I returned to CAC Sunday services and went back to REEF. Ever since then, I have really dedicated my life to live for the glory of God, learning more about him every day and growing in my love for him. This is the story of how Jesus has turned my life right side up. To my church family, I thank God so much for your support: your rebuking, your encouragement and your fellowship. To my parents: I know that I have not been the best son, and I do not live up to God’s standards as a son. I apologise for my selfishness and not having the courage to speak to you about Jesus as often as I should. To my friends and my family: I thank you so much once again for coming to share this special day with me. I really want to challenge you to live the examined life, and to find out more about Jesus. I would love it if you’ll come and talk to me or ask any questions that you might have about anything.

science & faith

Here's one that not many people like to discuss. This may be one stumbling block for many Christians and also those who are considering the impact of the gospel on their lives.

It's been said before that science and religion aren't contradictory, they go hand in hand, one natural, and one supernatural. I remember being told this in my first biology lecture at uni: "Here we don't discriminate against any religion; science and religion may co-exist." But can it? They say this, yet none of my lecturers for one second doubted the theory of evolution (as an example). So are they just being politically correct, or is there an actual basis for what they are saying?

Famous astrophysicist and cosmologist Carl Sagan summed up science to its most basic foundations.

"Science is not perfect. It is only a tool. But it is by far the best tool we have, self correcting, ongoing, applicable to everything.

It has two rules:

1) There are no sacred truths; all assumptions must be critically examined; arguments from authority are worthless.

2) Whatever is inconsistent with the facts must be discarded or revised."

You would agree most of the public do not study or understand the nature of science at this level. It is sad, therefore, that scientists in the public light tend to misinform us about the nature of their work. The most famous and renowned scientists in the world continually claim to "disprove" or to "prove". In its basest form, science cannot prove or disprove, it is only a tool used to gather evidence for or against hypotheses, and further on, theories.

So how would you attempt to "disprove" God? I've heard people do it by logic. I daresay flawed logic. Most people have not carefully studied the Bible and learned enough about God to understand Him fully. Even the strongest Christians cannot imagine understanding God to the full extent. I've heard people do it mathematically. I'm not sure how, but I'm pretty sure the God of this world isn't bottled down into a mathematical formula. Just as we are unpredictable with our emotions, the God who's image we are made in also has emotions, and this essence cannot be tied down to a mathematical formula. Whatever way we try to "disprove" God is a futile attempt.

For it is written:

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

1 Corinthians 1:19-21

So if what all the atheists are saying is false, why do they have so much to say about it? Why don't the Christians just step in, we know that we have evidence, and we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are right. Well the answer is humility. As still sinful humans, our judgment can be rash, it can be easily manipulated. We must not engage in arguments of any kind for this was not the way of Jesus. Even when Jesus rebuked what the pharisees were saying, he had the right - he was God. It is foolishness to fall into the trap of arguing, because arguing is futile. The reason we believed in the first place is because the Lord revealed it to us with his Word and his Spirit.

The god of this age has blinded the mind of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2 Corinthians 4:4

You see I have not attempted to argue the claims of evolution (again, as an example) because I know that it is futile, and I know that I cannot be sure that I have the discipline to do so in absolute, complete lovingness. One thing I am sure of: God will only reveal himself through his Word and his Holy Spirit. However, whenever someone does ask me for evidence for creation, I will point to Jesus. Jesus is the centre of all hope, all truth and all love. There is more evidence for Jesus and his ministry than there is for evolution or any other claim made by this world. And everyday that we keep fighting the good fight, we continue to be witnesses to his ministry.

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This post is named after a song by The Script

holy, holy , holy

So I haven't blogged in a few months, but here's a quick one before I start my assignment I should've started a few days ago. (edit: I ended up finishing the assignment first =P)

Soap-boxing. Done it before? Seen it before? Even heard of it before?

In a nut shell, soap-boxing is standing up on top of some form of rectangular cuboid, seemingly making you taller and hence grab more attention (because of course that's how you grab people's attention -- grow a couple inches). THEN -- here's the tricky part -- while you balance on this for the next three minutes or so, you give your testimony. Am I supposed to sell something, like promote Shamwow or something? I hear you say. Well, not exactly. Apparently, you're supposed to give your testimony about none other than Jesus! and what he's done for you

So, this week we spent some time preparing our testimonies. Questions like: What was your life like before being a Christian? How did God save you? What was your life like after becoming a Christian?

One question that really triggered my thought was: What does it mean for you to be a Christian? And so I was reminded of a thought I had during some reflection time at Mid-Year Conference (MYC). How would you sum up the Christian life? My one word was Holy.

In Colossians, Paul encourages the church at Colossae to live holy lives as Christians and as one united Church. So I do thank Paul (and God) for giving me this idea of how to live as a Christian, showing me what it means to be a Christian.

It is helpful to remember the very meaning of holy. I remember being told that being holy means to be "set apart". So here's how I think the word "holy" applies in three cases.

1. Holy In The World

As Christians, we are not lost in this world. We have a purpose, and our purpose is set towards heaven. We must be set apart from this world and all its temptations and engulfment by sin. We must not place our efforts on worldly things alone, knowing everything we do in this world is to the glory of our Father in heaven. We are IN this world, but not OF this world.

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."

Colossians 3:2-3

2. Holy With The Body

We've all come to the Cross by the work of God through His people (except maybe Paul), and so we know for a fact that we are not alone in this world. Most of us have a family of believers at hand, but for even for those who don't we are all still regarded as one Body in Christ. And so what must we do?

REEF (Rebuke, Encourage and Extol in Fellowship)

We must keep each other accountable, but be careful with judgment. We must uphold one another so that we may not fall away (Hebrews 12). We must give glory and praise to our God. And all this is done in unity, as one body in Christ.

"God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honour to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, then every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it."

1 Corinthians 12:24b-26

3. Holy With Christ

One thing that sets us all apart from the most pitiable of people, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, is that our hope lies in a living God! And so since we are set apart from the world, and we are set apart with our fellow Christians, where does our citizenship lie?

God's divine plan was to put to death our mortal bodies and raise us up. And so whilst we live in this age, our citizenship lies in heaven, with our Lord who was also raised up before us to become the Messiah, the King of all creation to whom every knee shall bow.

"For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."

Romans 8:29

NB: For those a little confused with the above verse and a similar claim in Colossians 1:15, this website is useful in answering any doubts (oh man, Avudai is rubbing off on me).

http://www.biblebb.com/files/macqa/1301-A-6.htm

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This post is named after the song by Chris Tomlin

be happy

Sometimes the weight of the world is too much, and everything just piles onto your shoulders, and then you're walking and your knees buckle and your entire body just collapses.

Sometimes all that can make you happy, or just less sad, is just sitting there, head on the table, blasting out a good old song and just immersing yourself in it.

You could be sad for many reasons. Depression can hit people just like that, it is a diagnosed problem -- there might not be any reason for it, it just happens. There is no one cure, sometimes you'll feel alright, sometimes you just want to stop feeling. Now most of us don't suffer from depression, but we still feel...

Why is it that you're sad? Is it stress from work? Is it because of other people? Is it because you feel your life has no meaning, you're stumbling blindly in the darkness, grabbing hold onto anything you can feel? Is it because you're so caught up in your own iniquity and you're weighed down from all that guilt?

It's different for everyone, and everyone feels it. I know I've felt most of these feelings. But you know what? I've come through, and you will too. One day, its just going to feel good. Simple. I feel better. There's always something to feel good for, your heart just has to find its way back.

So stress, other people, lost, guilt? Pick one. For me, I feel it's all under control. God has a plan for me and I've just got to keep standing back up just so I can get ready to keep on walking. He knows what you're feeling, He felt it all himself. How much more can He help you now since He's felt all of your pain and suffering? He knows the best way to help you.

Last night I went to bed tired and weary and beat down. Sometimes you just want to cry yourself to sleep because it feels better. How much more pain do you feel when the tears don't come? This morning, I woke up with one thought in my head. I'm going to be happy today, because those people out there need it. They need to know that I can feel happy because God is on my side. And you know what? I felt happy today. I didn't drown what happened, I just drowned the bad feelings. It worked.

Begin each day as if it were on purpose. Because it is.

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This post is named after the song by Mary J. Blige

behind closed doors

Sometimes I wonder if what happens behind closed doors is more or less the same for everyone... but I guess we won't know until we close our own doors.

I've been watching one of my favourite TV shows One Tree Hill, and I've noticed every single one of its episodes have been named after songs. Even the Pilot show was itself named One Tree Hill after the song by U2. So I've been inspired, and from here on, my blogs will be named after songs. I may not be as knowledgeable in music as some of the production team behind the show, but I guess most of the stories there are to be told are just old ones being re-told.

my fears.

Following my previous post, we should all realise that there is nothing to fear; Jesus' death atoned for every single sin of humanity and whoever turns to God will be seen blameless because God put us before himself and promised to forget all our sins, because this is the very meaning of forgiveness: to never bring up the past and never use it against us.

Here's what I did: I came to the Cross battered, broken, yes... but through all that, sin still engulfed my heart and I was self-righteous. I said to Jesus, I don't want your sacrifice, I don't deserve it. No, I didn't deserve it, but that wasn't the real reason I didn't accept His sacrifice. The real reason was because I was self-righteous -- I told myself I will accept all the punishment because I can't forgive myself. My own forgiveness was more important to me than God's forgiveness, as if I hurt myself and humanity more than I hurt Him. And so if we lose all in this world, we can still rejoice in our greatest reconciliation, forgiveness from the One we hurt most.

Sometimes I lose my way and I still have fears in my life, but when all the dust has settled the vision of the Cross reminds me that all will be well. With faith, we can see the Truth through the barrier made by our sin, but sometimes when we falter we can lose this God-given power of X-ray vision.

I fear passion. Passion burns inside me, but will I want it too badly? What if I lose track of my motives and something good turns into something selfish, for my own glory, for my own pride and reputation? Do I hide what I feel inside me? Will I be self-serving to be more involved? Does being more make me bigger or God bigger? I know I shouldn't be guided by what they think, but what if I'm wrong and they're right?

I fear love. Love is God's greatest gift, but what if we mistake something else for love? Should I avoid it altogether, will it be easier to be alone? Do I fight attraction? Isn't non-physical attraction godly enough? Am I making excuses?

I fear conceit. What if I'm reading into everything wrong? What if I'm so caught up in the way I see things that I've become blind? Am I being naive, have I seen everything from every single perspective? And what if I try to? Will I get caught up in a lie?

Of course these are the ramblings of a sinful madman. God has all the answers, the Cross is the answer.

God will prepare your heart for whatever He has in store for you. Your passion can be lived out as He guards your heart.

Everything has a season. Love will blossom, and He will prepare your heart for that season.

When God promised your salvation, the infallible nature of the covenant stemmed from forgiveness and guidance. In His presence, anything is achievable.

"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declared the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." Jeremiah 31:33

You see, He forgive us, He will help us be better, more godly people, He will be our Comforter, and nothing can ever pluck us from His hand (John 10:28).

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This post is named after the song by Charlie Rich

what it looked like; a painting for you

An image of Jesus' sacrifice, from When God Weeps by Steven Estes and Joni Eareckson. As you read, refuse to let the scene be familiar. Let its reality shock you and break your heart, take it for what it is...

The face that Moses had begged to see -- was forbidden to see -- was slapped bloody (Exodus 33:19-20). The thorns that God had sent to curse the earth's rebellion now twisted around his own brow....
"On your back with you!" One raises a mallet to sink in the spike. But the soldier's heart must continue pumping as he readies the prisoner's wrist. Someone must sustain the soldier's life minute by minute, for no man has this power on his own. Who supplies breath to his lungs? Who gives energy to his cells? Who holds his molecules together? Only by the Son do "all things hold together" (Colossians 1:17). The victim wills that the soldier live on -- he grants the warriors continued existence. The man swings.
As the man swings, the Son recalls how he and the Father first designed the medial nerve of the human forearm -- the sensations it would be capable of. The design proves flawless -- the nerves perform exquisitely. "Up you go!" They lift the cross. God is on display in his underwear and can scarcely breathe.
But these pains are a mere warm-up to his other growing dread. He begins to feel a foreign sensation. Somewhere during this day an unearthly foul odour began to waft, not around his nose, but around his heart. He feels dirty. Human wickedness starts to crawl upon his spotless being -- the living excrement from our souls. The apple of his Father's eye turns brown with rot.
His Father! He must face his Father like this!
From heaven the Father now rouses himself like a lion disturbed, shakes his mane, and roars against the shriveling remnant of a man hanging on a cross. Never has the Son seen the Father look at him so, never felt even the least of his hot breath. But the roar shakes the unseen world and darkens the visible sky The Son does not recognise these eyes.
"Son of Man! Why have you behaved so? You have cheated, lusted, stolen, gossiped -- murdered, envied, hated, lied. You have cursed, robbed, overspent, overeaten -- fornicated, disobeyed, embezzled, and blasphemed. Oh, the duties you have shirked, the children you have abandoned! Who has ever so ignored the poor, so played the coward, so belittled my name? Have you ever held your razor tongue? What a self-righteous, pitiful drunk -- you, who molest young boys, peddle killer drugs, travel in cliques, and mock your parents. Who gave you the boldness to rig elections, foment revolutions, torture animals, and worship demons? Does the list never end! Splitting families, raping virgins, acting smugly, playing the pimp -- buying politicians, practicing exhortation, filming pornography, accepting bribes. You have burned down buildings, perfected terrorist tactics, founded false religions, traded in slaves -- relishing each morsel and bragging about it all! I hate, loathe these things in you! Disgust for everything about you consumes me! Can you not feel my wrath?"
Of course the Son is innocent. He is blamelessness itself. The Father knows this. But the divine pair have an agreement, and the unthinkable must now take place. Jesus will be treated as if personally responsible for every sin ever committed.

The Father watches as his heart's treasure, the mirror image of himself, sinks drowning into raw, liquid sin. Jehovah's stored rage against humankind from every century explodes in a single direction.

"Father! Father! Why have you forsaken me?!"

But heaven stops its ears. The Son stares up at the One who cannot, who will not, reach down or reply.

The Trinity had planned it. The Son endured it. The Spirit enabled him. The Father rejected the Son whom he loved. Jesus, the God-man from Nazareth, perished. The Father accepted his sacrifice for sin and was satisfied. The Rescue was accomplished.

the solid line

Bestselling author Joshua Harris writes in his book Boy Meets Girl:

"We need the yellow lines on a road even though they can't stop a car from swerving into the wrong lane and having a head-on collision. Though the lines are unable to stop a driver who wants to ignore them, they do help drivers who want to avoid danger."

So if life was a journey (bear with me here =p), then there is clearly a line separating a sinful life and a godly life. Here in Australia, we have dotted lines and solid lines. Dotted lines allow a driver to cross it sometimes, according to his or her own judgment on whether it is safe or not. Solid lines, you can never cross. With sin and God, there is a clearly marked solid line. There is no grey area with sin, there's black and white. And as Josh says, they are not physical barriers that can stop someone from driving head on into imminent death, the solid line is there to help drivers who want to avoid danger.

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For those of you who know me very well, you know that I am constantly thinking, I think too much sometimes. My brain likes to jump back and forth into the red zone of your x1000 revs/min odometer.

I don't know what it means for a Christian to be blogging and hopefully I can get to that thought by the end of this, but here are some reasons I think I started to write:

1. I like to write, I don't know how good I am at it, but I like to write. Back when I was free to do pretty much whatever I wanted in higher level English, it was my favourite subject. Of course, during Year 12 I hated English but I like to say I hated HSCEnglish. One word - HSCEnglish.

2. It's a way to filter all my thoughts. I shared one of my thoughts to a friend the other day and got the understated reply "you're random". Just today, I was bombarded with o.O faces. Also, a downside to your brain running at high speed is that some of your thoughts aren't so... wholesome. And that's part of the battle with sin, but nonetheless, there are a lot of things I'm ashamed of and I'd rather take the time to dwell on some of the more wholesome.

3. My brain runs at high speeds, but unlike some people I find difficult to understand (and sometimes I point it out at their own expense =p), my mouth doesn't keep up. I don't happen to talk a lot because I don't feel secure about speaking for fear of tactlessness or sending the wrong message or just in general being outspoken. Instead I retreat to my little corner and watch and observe as people live out their own lives.

4. I struggle with being a good witness. I'm, as Pastor Dale said last Sunday service, not a gifted evangelist. I don't have the right words to say when put on the spot, and I don't have the right timing. But as I have been praying about it I think God, on His own terms, has lead me here. A lot of my friends are not Christians, and I don't know how to bring up salvation in everyday conversation. A lot of people don't want to talk about it, and I guess although the best way is to discuss issues so important as this, some people just feel more comfortable listening, or reading, than to be so directly involved in such a tabooed issue as spirituality. I trust that since God has lead me to this place, here and now, that He has prepared me to be faithful in the Way and the Truth and draw those willing.

Romans 10:14

How then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

And so if you're reading this and thinking it's religious babble, its not. I am not religious. My prayer is only that I may share my thoughts with you, and among these thoughts, that I am willing to share those that bear witness to my Lord and Saviour.

I want to conclude with something I recently read about opposition leader Tony Abbott. He said 'Politicians are going to be judged by everything they say, but sometimes in the heat of discussion, you go a little bit further than you would if it was an absolutely, uh, calm, considered, prepared, scripted remark. Which is one of the reasons why the, the the statements that need to be taken as absolutely as, as gospel truth is those carefully prepared, scripted remarks.' (Note he likes to stutter a lot)

It reminds me of a saying back in cadets that probably derived from the Australian Army itself: "Do as I say, not as I do," leaders would joke. Obviously, we're taught that this is not the case, and we must also lead by example. For my Christian brothers and sisters, we should be a beacon in this world, but our light comes from Jesus. We must strive to be more like Christ in order that we may please Him, and so that we may show by example, to those who seek Jesus through us, the preachers of Romans 10:14.