Power for the Juggling Act

As Christians, we sometimes feel that sharing Christ's truth and love is tiresome and challenging. We have to take care of our earnings while doing familial and church responsibilities. Paul, the first Christian missionary to non-Jews experienced the same thing. Despite of political and religious attacks, he kept on sharing his faith everywhere he went. His juggling act required much selflessness. In the following passage, he did not utter a word on how tired he was on his journey and about people's indifference toward him. He did not say how fearful he was for his life for the cause of the gospel -- but God knew, for He saw everything. What did God promise a person whose heart was set on him? Let's take a look at this story.


Word Meanings
Corinth – a city in Greece
synagogue – a place where the Jews prayed and talked about their faith together
Judaism – the common and acceptable faith for the Jews; they believed only the first five books of the Old Testament; followers of this faith was the majority block that dictate Jewish politics and culture; their leaders put Christ to death and they denied His resurrection and deity; they perceive God as Israel’s keeper and that they should worship Him through observing a set of laws alone
the law – the first five books of the Old Testament which Judaists believe in
Christianity – the faith of Paul and Christ’s other apostles and disciples; this faith establishes that there is no other way to belong to God’s family than having faith in Jesus Christ
worshipers of God – Christians; they believe that Jesus is the Savior that the God promised in the time of Adam, Abraham, Moses and David; they accept that Jesus raised from the dead, and that He is indeed the Son of God, and their Master and Lord


Acts 18:1-21

1 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.[a] 6 But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."
7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized.
9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city." 11 So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court. 13 "This man," they charged, "is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law."
14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. 15 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things." 16 So he had them ejected from the court. 17 Then they all turned on Sosthenes the synagogue ruler and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern whatever.

18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, "I will come back if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus.

What does the Bible say about God?
1. He makes ways for His beloved to have friends. (verses 1-3, 18)
2. He sustains His beloved by providing jobs for them. (vv. s 2-3)
3. He encourages Christians who have work to not forget sharing the gospel. (v. 4)
4. He gives Christians the courage, power and inspiration to give his best in sharing the faith. (vv. 5-8)
5. He clearly brings up a Christian’s heart issues and comforts him right away. (vv. 9-11)

What does the Bible say about people?
1. They are often comfortable with who they are and what they believe in, and are often ready to strongly fight for that faith, no matter how wrong it is. (vv. 6, 12-17)
2. People’s actions are deeply rooted from their belief-system that’s why conflicts happen. Not all people have the same faith, therefore not all have the same God.
3. Christians were persecuted for their faith but all they can do is to not hold any grudge against people who hate them and continue with God’s work.

Related link: What kind of faith God wants from me?
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+4:23-25&version=NIV


Questions to Ponder
1. What do I think about Christianity? How does it differ from other faith?
2. Is the object of my faith correct? Am I ready to strongly fight for it and not give up until the end?
3. What kind of faith is acceptable to God? (Read John 4:24 for the answer.)

Chat with God

Dear God,

You are awesome! Even we don’t utter a word, You know what’s going on. You see the exact fears, questions and pains that we keep. Bless our hearts. Make them beat only for You so that we won’t stop sharing this Christian faith with others. It is worth fighting for. For Your Son Jesus Christ has showed us real love in the cross.

The power that we have when we are beset with challenges for the cause of this faith is insurmountable for it comes from You. It’s indeed hard to balance our work and ministry but You are the source of our strength. This juggling act is possible because of You.

You are our driving force, our warm embrace, our secret keeper, our ever loving Savior. You deserve our time and effort and most importantly – our praise!  Thank you for everything. Inspire us to love you more and more each day.

In Jesus’ most powerful name we pray, Amen.

“Talking to Intelligent People About Christ”

The seat of wisdom of every person is his mind. His belief dictates his actions. His mind-set was formed by what his culture and experience taught him. But what if a man hears that God is the real source of wisdom – the kind of ‘wisdom’ that is infallible, pure and absolutely true? How would he react? Read on a story the Athenians encounter with Paul, the Apostle of Jesus Christ. What points can we learn from a conversation that happened around AD 33?


Word Meanings:
Athens – Greece’s state capital; popular for the birth of philosophical beliefs like Epicureanism and Stoicism
Areopagus – a council in Athens that give foreign lecturers a license to teach their ideas to the public
Epicureans - atomic materialists, viewed reality as an endless chance combining and dispersion of atoms; they could not accept that a dead body can resurrect or brought back to life
Stoics – materialist pantheists, identified the divine as the principle of reason pervading all and, in the form of fate, governing all.
religious - a human character, doing a set of routine to please a certain god or to gain his favor

Reference: Acts 17:16-34

In Athens
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean." 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

24 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'

29 "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 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."

32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject." 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

What the passage says about God:
1. He made everything. (verse 24)
2. He does not live in temples made by human hands. (v. 24)
3. He does not need people’s service, for He is the source of service. (v. 25)
4. He gives all men life and breath and everything else. (v. 25)
5. He made the first man and all men that populate the earth. (v. 26)
6. He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. (v. 26)
7. He desires people to know him. (v. 27)
8. In him we live and move and have our being. (v. 28)
9. He is patient with people’s ignorance about His deity. (v.30)
10. He commands all people to repent to Him. (v. 30)
11. He sets a time when to judge people. (v.31)
12. He enthrones Jesus to be mankind’s ultimate judge. (v.31)

What the passage says about people:
1. People have different ideas about God. Some carved idols and erect temples, some worship him in spirit. (v. 16-18)
2. Not all people have a clear understanding on who God is so their responses are different. (v. 32-34)
3. Not all people who have heard the truths about God and His love for them immediately believe in Him. (v. 32)

Questions to Ponder:
1. Now that I know that God made everything and everyone, how often do I thank Him for what I have?
2. After learning that God desires me to know Him, which of these is my response – ignore Him or seek Him and repent from my sins?
3. As I read that Jesus will judge me one day, am I ready to face him?

Chat with God! ^_^

Dear God,

Now that I know that it’s Your desire for me to know You, so that I would repent and worship You, I am thankful. May I cling unto this truth. You are indeed the great designer of my life. Thank You for Your patience and love for me. You don’t need my service, yet, You are willing to show me the way to have that privilege to be with You.

It is through believing in your Son Jesus Christ, who resurrected from the dead, that could bring me to You. May I remain close to You. May I appreciate every decision that You make. For you determined the times set for me and the exact places where I should live. Situations may get scary at times and challenges may seem too big for me to handle so I would keep on trusting You. In You I live and move and have my being, so I won’t be afraid.

Inspire me with Your truth so that I would be ready and excited to see you one day. In Jesus’ most holy name I pray, Amen.


Related Link:
http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Acts/Witness-Athens

A Burned Out Session with Some Korean Primary Students

Blankly staring across the room
The young ones' eyes are asking,
"Why are there endless talks just like
our piling homework?"
In my heart I say, "Sorry, but your
parents want the class that way.
So together, let's get this done.
It's not yet Friday so fun and rest
won't easily come."

In this room when greetings become
a lifeless routine --
I just want to play catch-and-embrace
with these timid souls...
Our lesson would be counting
the ticking of the clock
while holding the hands of
people that we love.

If only classrooms can easily be a lab
for spelling the word "love",
I would spray paint the room red
and just write on the walls
the biggest word that I haven't heard
for a long time --
"I love you."

What's good with students
are their honesty
They won't try to please you
if they're really burned out.
How I wish at work and in real life
I could behave like that...
But then, how?
If I do, what now?

Malachi

Malachi was part of the first class that I handled in Sunday School. He was three when he became my student. He's a boy who's always ready to converse with anyone at anytime. He would always politely greet me with a warm smile and a perky "Hi!". Of course he brought different toys each Sunday morning and oh how I would sweetly ask him to hand them to me! (It took three Sundays before he learned how to trust me that I would just keep them and return them to him.) He easily got bored in sitting down so whenever I prepared my lessons, I would make sure that there were action songs and play time.

The Sky is Blue, The Clouds are White!

During my second Sunday with the kids, butterflies flew fast in my stomach! We were having art time, the picture was Jesus' Baptism in the River Jordan. We colored Jesus' body brown, the trees green, the flowers red, the river blue-green and the sun yellow.

Me: Now, color the clouds blue!
Malachi: Teacher, the sky's blue but the clouds are white!
Me: Oh! Ha ha! Yeah... Color the clouds white and the sky blue.
I am so sorry... Teacher's really nervous.
Malachi: What's 'nervous', teacher?

Teacher's Lesson #1: To avoid boredom, make kids move to learn the Bible story.
Teacher's Lesson #2: Do not dig a hole that you couldn't cover! (I groped for more words explaining the meaning of 'nervous'.)


A Fire Drill and The White Bird

To review the story of Noah and the Great Flood, we had a dove clay modeling activity.

Me: Now, what's the bird that Noah sent out of the ark after the crow?
Malachi: Dove!!!!
Me: Very good, Malachi! It's a dove. Now, let's listen to the alarm of the fireman outside. We are going downstairs as a practice. There's no real fire, okay? We will just line up, and walk fast and go out of the building. Just follow Teacher Rose, all right?
Malachi and the boys: Yes, teacher!

(The signal sounded so we lined up and immediately reached the church's garden. The other boys were fascinated by the firemen in uniform and the small fire-engine parked near the garden, but Malachi cried aloud).

Me: Oh, why are you crying?!
Malachi: My bird teacher... I left it in the room... It would surely die. There's fire!
Me: (embracing him tight) No, there's no real fire. This is just a practice. We will get your bird after this practice. We will go back to the room because there's no real fire.
Malachi: (sobbing) But there's a fire truck.
Me: It's just to let us see what firemen use when there's fire. But now, there's no fire... See?
Malachi: (looked around the building) Okay, so we'll get the birds back.
Me: Yes.

Just a thought: A kid's heart is a spring of love and faithfulness. :)

Victoria

She's in Kindergarten. As we go online weeknights, she would give me answers that make me giggle.

How will she offer help

Me: (Showing an old lady who's having a hard time crossing the street, the road's empty.) If you are standing near this old woman, what will you tell her to help her?
Victoria: I will say to her, "Hello... I will buy you eyeglasses."
Me: Oh... why?
Victoria: Because she cannot clearly see. She might be bumped by cars!
Me: But what if she needs to cross the street?
Victoria: She has to wait for me! I have her glasses.

Me: What about if you see mom, who's a bit sick, cleaning your dirty room. How will you help her?
Victoria: Uhmmm.... I don't know. (She hates cleaning.)
Me: Aren't you going to help mom?
Victoria: No.
Me: Really? What will you tell her then?
Victoria: Uhmm... Mom, I will help you if you will help me, too!


Just a thought: It's easier for kids to be really honest!

A Sunday School Teacher's Heart

I have never thought I could be hands-on with kids (and love doing it). I've been so sure that when they are around me, my heart jumps for joy. Little did I know that their tiny hands have that great power to make me a better person.

I did not have a wonderful childhood and many of my friends say that I talk like I am ten years older than my age. I was (and sometimes, still is) impatient with many things. I've been through a lot of rejections, maybe just like all people have, and so trying to succeed in my career became an escape. I hopped from one job to another, and the firsts (especially the perks) in each post thrilled me but only in passing. I spent 9 years playing 'eenie-minee-miny-moo' in the fields of media and education.

In 2005, As I get to know more about Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, He led me to serve through a ministry that is quite familiar. Every Sunday, when I passed by the paper-scented rooms of our church's Sunday School area, something pounded in my heart -- until one Sunday, I was inside one of the rooms, in front of a group of Nursery boys, tongue-tied, with how fast they could run and how nerve-racking it could be when they screamed.

Until now, I can't figure out how my passion for writing could embody who I am and what I want to share with others. Maybe I am still trying to nurture the restless child in me, or pacify her longings. I just have that strong gut feel that talking about people who made me cope with my heartaches can be a better start. I think this is the way to re-collect and save those precious moments and lessons that kids gave me inside and outside the classroom. Enjoy reading. ^^