Against the frailty of human life, the Bible asserts that “the word of our God stands forever.”  This eternal, imperishable word has become flesh, and has been preached to us, and we are called to bring these “good tidings” to others ourselves, as preachers.  Note these themes in today’s text, and make personal applications from parts of the text that speak to you.

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”  [Isaiah 40:8]

As I think about things that seem to “last forever,” that purport to have nearly eternal characteristics, namely great civilizations, empires, powerful kings and kingdoms of their day that no one during that time would ever imagined their downfall, history has really shown itself the reverse.  Great civilizations have fallen, empires such as the Roman, Persian, Babylonian empires have crumbled, history has shown that there is nothing of this world that even the greatest men have created, that truly last, that “stand forever.”  As we commemorated in 2011 the ten year anniversary of 9/11, never in my lifetime would I have imagined the landmark twin towers of the World Trade Center crumble to pieces as it did that fateful day.  History tells us that nothing stands forever, but the Bible asserts that the word of God, the word that became flesh for all mankind, the salvation power of Jesus Christ and his death on the cross, lasts forever.

“All men are like grass… the grass withers and the flowers fall.” [1 Peter 1:24]

The Word of God shows how frail human life is, how men are like grass, how short and temporary life is, how foolish it is to think that life is somehow secure, that it is a guarantee that I will even live my life at an old age.  There is nothing certain, nothing secure, and so to receive another year, 2012, is truly a gift from God.  I did not will my life to existence nor can I will another year of life for myself.  It was given to me.  And so, knowing that life is frail and that I cannot guarantee even one day of life for myself or my loved ones, what is the best usage of my life?  Is it to amass as much as possible in as little time as possible?  Is it to gain world renown fame?  Money?  Power?  No, such things don’t last forever.  The best usage of my life would to invest in the things that DO.

You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!”  [Isaiah 40:9]

As a Christian, I possess something that does last forever.  I have been given something that no man can ever take away, confiscate, or steal.  It’s the gospel.  Salvation.  Eternal life.  And that is why, it is “good tidings” worth shouting out.   At the Winter High School retreat, James inspired the Christian students to believe, that when you meet or befriend a non-Christian student, you ought to think, “It’s that person’s lucky day because I have an opportunity to share the gospel with him/her.”  Good tidings.  Good news.  At my workplace, at any opportunity (while life is short and uncertain), at my place of service (Interhigh church), with any neighbors and community, I possess the central calling to point people to Christ.

“Here is your God!” [Isaiah 40:9]

In a society, in a place, in a culture where the strong pull to live the selfish American “dream” of being ultimately isolated from one another in order to live a “comfortable” life is the norm, I cannot and should not insist on my own personal comforts at the expense of God’s kingdom, His agenda, and the salvation of others.  Sobering enough, there is a correlation between my living a selfish life and suffering for the salvation of others.

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 how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” [Romans 10:14-15]

As I think about my own salvation and those who brought such good news to me, as I go back to my freshman year in college when I was young, ready to “conquer to the world” and/or thought that I had the whole world ahead of me, I’m thankful for the very people who instructed me on the uncertainty of life, on what I could (and couldn’t) bank my life upon, on what it meant to live a gospel-centered life.  I’m thankful for the very people who didn’t give into the calling to live an ultimately inwardly-focused, that such people responded to the calling to preach the good news!  I have one life to live and what better way to live it than for things that last!  Such things are the gospel (word of God) and people.   I’m thankful to God that He has given me another year to preach this good news to others, to not live a selfish life of ultimately hoarding onto my time and money, but to share this confession of faith, that has forever changed my life, I have made with my mouth that “Jesus is Lord.”  As 2011 marked an amazing year of God’s generosity and faithfulness to us as a church, as our church had the incredible privilege of experiencing well over two hundred salvations, it’s my prayer and personal commitment to not “slow down,” but to advance God’s kingdom for the things that last.

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Submitted by James K. from Gracepoint Berkeley Church

Isaiah 40:6-9

This text asserts that in the grand history of humanity we like grass and the flowers of the field.  Like the seasons, the grass and all the plants of the field will die out in due time.  The sense I get from this text is that indeed each and every person has a limited amount of time in which they are allotted to make an impact on the world they live in.  As verse 9 states, there is an urgency therefore to go up on the “high mountain”, “life up your voice with a shout”, to not be fearful of doing this and to proclaim “Here is your God!”. So often I live with such a sense of now.  I just think about the amount of work I need to do for the given work week.  I think about HOW much work I need to take care of, and in very acute sense I am just thinking about myself and how much I can get by without causing more discomfort and unease in my life.  This kind of thinking ultimately places myself as the most important person in the world and where I need to take care of myself.  This passage is a reminder to me that first, I can’t ever predict how long I will have on this Earth.  And second, that the time is urgent to proclaim the name of God to all the places I go to. Therefore, I need to live with that sense again that I have a very short time on Earth to make an impact.  As I get older, I do think more about the time I have left instead of the time I have looking forward to.  I can waste my time thinking about the things that will ultimately pass and won’t matter in the grand scheme of things.  Or occupy my thoughts and time I spend on the things that will last forever, which are souls and the word of God.

1 Peter 1:22–25

I am struck by the exhortation and command that Peter gives in the midst of the sense of urgency that he brings forth from Isaiah 40.  He doesn’t give commands to therefore do a lot of hard work for God.  He doesn’t exhort the audience to become “better” people, or to follow a set of rules to make sure you go to heaven.  Instead, he commands everyone to love.  Not only to love but to love one another DEEPLY.  Not at a superficial level that only the world does or in a way where I feel comfortable at.  But to spend and give your all being able to love the people that have been placed in your life. For me, I just think it’s easier to just work harder, or to change my behavior in some way, or even to follow a set of rules I can do in order to measure myself against that metric.  I would be more than willing to just put my head down and feel like I am making progress on that front.  But to love just even one person is a totally different thing I am just not used to doing and something I need to always be aware of and to act on.  All the more as I think about this upcoming year, I know that there will be a lot of things to do, busy work, church work, things to occupy my time with.  But I need to prioritize and understand again that in the end, people and loving them trumps them all.  If someone is in need, if someone just needs that word of encouragement, if it means I need to get deeper in their life and involve myself in their issues, this is what I am going to need to do in order to love.  I know that this is how I have been loved and cared for in my own life.

Romans 10:8–17

This is the Gospel message pure and simple. This was the same exact passage I actually had shared with my mother as she was dying.  She had been to church before, had heard the message, but never really responded to God in any way before.  But as she was dying and we knew that time was close before she couldn’t respond anymore to hearing, all I could plead and tell her was to cry out to God, to just confess that Jesus is Lord and to believe in Him.  What could one do but just say that in the midst dying and clinging on to life.  […]  As the New Year is here, I am given this allotted time I have in my life to preach and live out the Gospel in my life.  To love the people God continues to place into my life.  To continue to give it my all to serve and honor God with all my life knowing that this affects the eternity of the people that will hear the Gospel message.

Write a prayer of gratitude toward the fact that the word came to you, and a prayer of commitment to become a proclaimer of the word.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I am thankful again for this reminder of just how precious and amazing your Gospel message is.  Lord, so often I just want to do a lot of things and to try to prove myself to you by how much I can do.  But you remind me again that I am loved and that I am saved simply because of Your great mercy and grace in my life.  There is nothing I can do to earn your salvation.  The time is short that I have been given on this Earth and eternity is long.  Please help me always see that my greatest priority is therefore to love the people You have placed in my life.  Help me always keep the perspective of eternity in my mind as I serve and spend my time this upcoming new year.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Romans 12:3-12

How can a person have “sober judgment” about himself, and what relationship does this have with the close community described in this passage? – We can have sober judgment about ourselves by receiving objective truth about ourselves which we ourselves are unable to see.  We are blind to many aspects of ourselves because we are simply unaware, and because we are reluctant to squarely face areas that are too unpleasant for us.  These objective truths must come from outside of us, from people who know us well.  This is where we need the close community.  We need people who have plenty of opportunities to observe objective truths about me.  We need people who can see my life over long period of time, observe my way of life, and communicate truth to us.  However, this must be done in the context of loving relationships.  Without it, because of the twistedness in us caused by sin, we can receive difficult truths as attacks on us even when it’s spoken out genuine concern.  We need to be assured that truth is being spoken to us because it really matters for our lives and for our relationships with others.  Also, without being in a close community, people can withhold truth from us.  Sometimes it’s not easy speaking truth to others because there is no guarantee that it will be received well.  In such situations, it would be tempting to withhold the full truth.  We need a close, loving community that cares enough to tell whole truth because it’s essential for close community.

Identify points of contrast between Genesis 4’s description of Cain and his descendants as a picture of life falling apart outside of God, and the picture presented here of the community made possible by the reversal of sin’s ravages.  – In Genesis 4, Cain and his descendants became more and more isolated, living life by self and for self.  It began with Cain’s jealousy and murderous thoughts towards his brother.  Then he became afraid of others that they might treat him the same way he treated his brother.  He physically retreated and isolated himself when he built a city to protect himself.  His descendants sought significance and meaning in life through their own accomplishments.  In such a way of life, any situation where others can potentially make demands on us becomes a threat.  Any time we have to divert resources from ourselves to someone else, we become unsettled.  It’s a life of continuous anxiety.  In the course of such life, even the ‘joy’ that people experience is so isolated and alone, and that is no joy, for it cannot be shared with anyone else.  In the community of faith, where relationships matter a lot, a reversal is possible.  Because we are one body and each member belongs to all the others, we cannot disregard others in our decisions and actions.  The moment we cut off ourselves from others, we see detrimental effects on the health and strength of the body.  If we pursue our own agenda, that’s terribly deflating for others who want to build this community up to what it was supposed to be.  What we do inevitably affects the rest of the body, since we are connected.  In this community, as we allow the needs of others to make demands on us, we can begin to chip away at this isolated life.  We begin to taste the fulfillment of serving others, the joy of being a blessing to them in some way.  We also begin to experience the freedom that comes with releasing the grip on our lives.  However, for me to experience this reversal, I must battle the Cain within me, which says, “Do what you have to do, but save a part of yourself for yourself, pace yourself.” These are words that lead to no benefit for anybody – walls go up around me, and there is no connection with others, no life.   I must uproot the Cain in me by affirming and embracing my role in this community.  I must commit to respond to the needs by making sure I give my fully, as described by these words in verse 8 – generously, diligently, cheerfully.

Submitted by Jeannie Lee, Gracepoint Berkeley:

Romans 12:4-5 (Friday’s DT)

⁴ Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

One of the things that hit me from this week was from Romans 12:4-5, verses I had memorized years ago in Survival Kit 1.  The thing that always challenges me about these verses is the phrase, “each member belongs to all the others.” Each time I read these verses, I have to pause and think about how much am I living these verses out.  We live in a close-knit community and are often praised for how close we are, how we are actively trying to live out the Acts 2 fellowship; our fellowships are named a2f and Koinonia (greek for fellowship). If each member belongs to all the others, that means I belong to my brothers and sisters, including my time, my energy, my house, my children, and that they belong to me, meaning I’d better know what their needs are, and I’d better be owning them. I had to examine myself to see how much I actually take ownership over and also how much I allow others to take ownership over my life, and commit once again to personally own my younger brothers and sisters, not to be afraid of speaking the truth in love, not being afraid to bring up uncomfortable issues if need be, not being afraid to impose myself on them, whether it be for a meal, or to talk, or to impose myself to be a listening ear, to probe more deeply when necessary; there are many ways others can belong to me and I can belong to others.

Another point that stuck out to me this week was Tuesday’s DT on Matthew and Ephesians.  One of the questions was, “What is the foundation of the church, according to the Matthew and Ephesians passages?” And my answer was, the confession of the saints that Jesus is Savior and Lord, those who gather in the name of Jesus, and the foundation of the apostles and prophets.  The Ephesians 4 passage also ended with, “¹⁶ From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” I thought about each person’s role in the building up of the church, how each part needs to strive to attain to unity in the faith, in the knowledge of the Son of God, and to continually grow, so that the body would be a living vibrant active community of faith.  I see so many people who tragically are stuck in a “little old me” mentality, thinking that, “What can I do anyway,” “I can’t contribute much,” or “I’m not needed,” “No one will even notice if I’m not there,” when it clearly says, each part needs to do its work, and that we are all members of God’s household! And that we are being built together, to achieve unity and to grow together! What an amazing picture! There is no time or room to remain in insecurity or to have a “little old me” complex. We need to be the church that advances upon the gates of Hades! I committed again through these passages and DTs to be someone who helps to hold together the body, and to look for ways to build it up, rather than to be disjointed and remain in unfruitful isolated thoughts.

Summarize the message of these texts regarding a Christian’s life.  What are Christians called to do and not do because of this identity?

As Christians we are called to be separated from the world, to not conform to their ways, not to be yoked together with unbelievers, not to be partners with them and do things in darkness, not to love the world or anything in the world, not to be friends with the world, and not to have our minds on earthly things and thus become enemies of God.  These are all the things these passages tell us not to do.    These texts tell us to live distinct lives from that of the world, to be the salt, the light in order that our difference can attract people of this world.  We are to expose their darkness with our light and show our good deeds so that it can result in the people of this world praising God.  We are to find out what pleases God and live by it.

What question about Christian life does this answer, or what commonly-held misunderstanding about Christian life might this clarify?

These passages bring to mind the phrase “in the world but not of the world”, as that is what I am called to do.  These passages make it very clear that we are called to be so different from the rest of the world as we are put in stark contrast with clear words like “darkness” versus “light”, “wickedness” versus “righteousness”.  And there are sharp words used against those who love the world, such as “adulterous”, “hatred”, “enemy”, etc.  These clear distinctives leave little room for people who say things like we need to be more like the world so that we can reach out to the world, who take verses like 1 Corinthians 9:20 – “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.” – out of context as a justification for living a compromised, secular life.    At the same time I think these passages answer the question of WHY we have to live such different lives and be so “weird” and not do what we consider to be the “norm” by worldly standards.  In this context, it shows us that we’re not to be weird just for the sake of being weird and different, but it’s because there’s a mission behind it all, which is to turn people of the darkness into the same light that we have found, to do good deeds so that it can result in people of this world praising God.   I think a lot of times we have this misconception of Christian life as just full of dos and donts.  And without understanding the heart of it, it can sound like drudgery, who would want to succumb to such restrictions in your life.  But it makes sense in the context of embracing your identity.  When I got married, I embraced my identity as a wife and didn’t think twice about the dos and donts of marriage, how I’m now restricted and there are things that I cannot do as a married person.  Those were minor and irrelevant in the context of my new identity and mission of loving my husband and treasuring this relationship.  In the same way, when I fully embrace my identity as a Christian and embrace God’s mission to bring others into the same light that I have found, I don’t have to think twice about the dos and donts that are entailed in this relationship. They suddenly seem obvious and something that of course I should submit to and not think twice about in the greater plan of bringing others out of the darkness into God’s marvelous light.    In light of all of this, one point for me to reflect on is how different am I from the world?  Am I living a life that is in stark contrast with the “norm” out there – in terms of how I spend my money (for selfish purposes or others), how I spend my time (consumed in media and personal comfort or serving and loving others and being in God’s word), how I view others (consumed with just my nuclear family or increasing my sphere of concern), etc.  In addition, I need to work on fully embracing the great mission that God has given me and let that shape all of my values and direction of my life.

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Submitted by Jacob Chang, Gracepoint Berkeley

Summarize the message of these texts regarding a Christian’s life.  What are Christians called to do and not do because of this identity?

Christians are called to be distinct from the culture they live in.  The purpose of this distinction is so that the world will see the distinction and glorify God.  This distinction is not a matter of preference.  A Christian is supposed to have a relationship with the living God and this is incompatible with living for things of this world.  The passages make clear that being a friend of the world is equivalent to being an enemy of God.  Christians are specifically called to find out what pleases God, to test and approve his will, and that goes hand in hand with stepping out of the world, not loving the world, etc.  It’s not a suggestion or recommendation; it’s a statement of fact.  You can’t please God and chase after things of the world at the same time.

What question about Christian life does this answer, or what commonly-held misunderstanding about Christian life might this clarify?

These passages clarify the commonly held misunderstanding that God is interested in giving us worldly success or material blessings, and that these are a sign of his favor.  God specifically tells us not to love the world or anything in the world, and that anyone who does love the world does not have the love of the Father.  Since experiencing God’s love is the best thing for us, it is inconsistent to think that God would want to give us worldly success or material blessings (things of this world), which could hinder us from experiencing his love.  This is a warning I need to remember, especially when I come upon a material blessing, such as a promotion or a raise.  It is not necessarily a blessing and may very well become a curse if it causes my heart to become a little less dependent on God.

Acts 20:22–24

If vs. 24 can be characterized as Apostle Paul’s “statement of purpose” for his life, what is the “statement of purpose” for my life?  Based on the way that I have lived my life, how would I fill in the blanks to the statement: “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may _______________   and complete the _________.”  What steps can I take to make my life conform more to Apostle Paul’s statement of purpose for life?

Apostle Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and everywhere he was going he had warnings of prison and hardships, yet he was not into preserving his life, self-promoting, or shrinking back in any way. Rather, he considered his life worth nothing to him, if only he may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given him – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

I was thinking about how easy it could be for me to think that my statement of purpose is the same as Apostle Paul. I’m out here in Taiwan, serving God, reaching out to students, trying to love the people around me. But if I really paused to think about it, I have to ask myself am I really compelled by the Spirit, moving in the ways God wants me to, even if prison and hardships face ahead? I think often instead I am compelled by my own emotions, my ego, my preferences, my own agendas. When things are familiar and comfortable, when it won’t be too taxing on me physically and emotionally – I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me. In other words, do I really consider my life worth nothing to me? Or is some of me, trying to preserve myself, remain safe, comfortable, self-promote in some way?

The steps that I must take to make my life conform more to Apostle Paul’s statement of purpose for life, is to push forth when the hardships come, push forth even not knowing what will happen to me. I have to fight against every hesitation, the fears that entangle, my own sins. There are people to meet; in fact, the gospel obligates me to everyone. The spiritual battle seems only more and more fierce, but the gospel “is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” As I get older, I have to fight against my body, against notions of wanting to just slow down, of just settling into grooves. In this cold weather, no matter how much I want to crawl under the covers, I have to get up. When I do not want to have a tough conversation or be confrontational and rock the boat, I have to deny myself and do the hard thing. When I am hurt, I have to let go and be gracious. Though prison may not lie ahead, hardships certainly will. To make my life conform more to Apostle Paul’s statement of purpose for life, I must ensure every moment of my life is living FOR Him. It’s because I am learning that I can consider my life worth nothing, but this.

I’m thankful for the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task to testifying to the gospel of His grace. I can consider my life worth nothing to me – just when I think about my own experience of his endless mercy and grace, that he would ennoble my life that was once in such hopeless darkness and despair with such purpose and hope. The reminder of His grace in my life compels me to press on. It’s His spirit, the truth of this gospel, and the love that I have received. And as I press on, I have the undeserved privilege of experiencing His grace touch the lives of others. As I think about the past 3 months here, how we are able to witness 5 salvation decisions here in Hsinchu, I am so amazed how God is so good and His grace so boundless. What an undeserved privilege! This reminds me that I cannot slow down and encourages me to keep pressing on, dying to me and living for Him.  I just marvel that God would use me in this way and give me this task to testifying to the gospel of His grace. Daily, I’m reminded of the obligation I have to others and really pray that I will live out a statement of purpose that conforms more and more to Apostle Paul’s.

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Submitted by Jisup Hong