Tuesday, September 30, 2008
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I Got Hurt at Work
So yesterday morning I was on a standard Lot Utilization Shift for Special Events Parking and Transportation at UCI. On this shift one person drives a cart and the other person counts empty parking stalls and logs the number and the time of day on some paper. Toward the end of the shift, I happened to be maneuvering in my seat, just for comfort's sake. During that exact moment, my driver made a U-turn. Not a crazy fast one, but just a medium one. However, because I usually use my legs as leverage, but was moving in my seat, I had no more leverage. Therefore, I flew out of the golf cart. I hit the area right above my right eye on the asphalt and then rolled and banged the back of my head on the asphalt.
I was very dazed. I couldn't get up for about 20 seconds. Actually, I couldn't even move immediately after the fall. My whole body was tingly, but slowly, I started regaining control. Then I just got up and we got back into the cart to continue the shift. Shortly after we started to drive again, I felt the back of my head just to make sure I wasn't bleeding. But I was. So we went to go get myself washed up. We went back to the office and reported the accident and then I went to class. (It's a two hour class, I can't miss those.)
After class, I just wanted to make sure that I was okay because my neck was hurting, and I think it is normal for people who's heads are bleeding after falling to get it checked out by a professional. So my workers compensation came in and I got paid to go see a doctor. The doctor took forever, but when he came and checked on me, I was fine (just as I had thought).
My neck is still hurting a lot though. Sleeping was very painful last night. The doctor said I probably strained it when I fell. So yeah. I just wanted to inform everyone of this little incident so that you might have an opportunity to praise God for His extra grace and maintenance of my well-being. And if you don't care about me, than this can be an opportunity for you to love God by starting to care about me
.
Evidence of Grace: Jesus, concerned friends, that I'm fine, that my driver and I didn't get in trouble (or at least not yet), 1Peter 5:7, Philippians 4:6-7; 2Corinthians 12:9-10, pad see ew.GGE
Thursday, September 25, 2008
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Summer's Done, School's Begun.
This summer was pretty stinking awesome. I got work experience. I got ministry experience. I got to run. I got to read. I got to relax. I got to see people grow in Christ. I got to see people love and appreciate Christ. I got to learn some theology. I got to see Garnet twice and take her around the Bay. It was a pretty good summer. 2008 Summer = Volunteering at Hospital (Interning*); h2o retreat; h2o meetings; small group leading; praise leading; preaching; reading; 24; basketball; phone with the girl; dota; eating a buttload; running with the bonz; learning about ministry; camp liftl; chilling with old friend; bliss.
Hopefully this last year of college will be awesome as well. Currently, I'm sitting here in my parking booth just glad that the heat is over with. My classes will be chill this quarter. Hopefully I can make good use of my time by serving the Lord by serving the church by remembering the Savior who became a Suffering Servant for me and on my behalf.
Evidence of Grace: Jesus, Yash = cure for my dehydration, that it's not hotter than it is, a job.
Monday, September 22, 2008
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Another Reason that Calvinism Makes More Sense than Alternative Views about the Sovereignty of God
Stolen from my friend's blog (http://joshhlim.wordpress.com) where he quoted from Warfield.
"When Erasmus even distantly approached it [God's action being suspended on man's will] and spoke of “securing” the grace of God by “some little thing” retained to human powers, Luther told him flatly that he was outpelagianizing Pelagius. Man does not “secure” the grace of God: the grace of God “secures” the activities of man–in every sphere and in every detail, of these activities. It is nothing less than degrading to God to suppose Him thus subject to the control of man and unable to move except as man permits Him to do so, or to produce any effects except as He is turned into the channels of their working at man’s option."
- Benjamin B. Warfield, Perfectionism: Volume II (Grand Rapid, MI: Baker Books), 610.
A word about the history of Andrew Ong.
When I was in high school and I learned about the Protestant Reformation and some Church History, my heroes were Pelagius and Erasmus because they held that man was capable of choosing God. I despised Luther and Calvin because they taught a God who unconditionally elected His children.
I wrote a five page paper in opposition to the doctrines of grace. My personal experience told me that Total Depravity was incorrect. My pride, elementary knowledge of Scripture, and stubbornness kept me from accepting Unconditional Election. My church teachings and the one and only Bible verse that I could recite (John 3:16) told me that Jesus MUST have died for everyone therefore Limited Atonement was incorrect. The experience of seeing many loved ones resist and reject the gospel made me believe that God's grace was in fact resistible and that Irresistible Grace was divine rape. And though I did believe (in a contradictory manner) that "once saved always saved", my personal experience and small view of the gospel of Christ told me that sanctification was another option; something available after accepting Christ.
Oh how the times have changed.
A song that I can only sing in certain churches, but that I long to hear at every church.
My Lord I did not Choose YouMy Lord, I did not choose You,
For that could never be;
My heart would still refuse You,
Had You not chosen me.
You took the sin that stained me,
You cleansed me, made me new;
Of old You have ordained me,
That I should live in You.Unless Your grace had called me
And taught my op’ning mind,
The world would have enthralled me,
To heav’nly glories blind.
My heart knows none above You;
For Your rich grace I thirst;
I know that if I love You,
You must have loved me first.-Josiah Conder (1836)
you can listen to the contemporary version here: (just scroll down and find the song "My Lord I did not Choose You")
http://www.myspace.com/matthewsmithmusic
Evidence of Grace: Jesus, Doctrines of Grace, Forgiveness, Patience, powerful preaching, oh-jing-uh bukkm, peanut crackers, korean grapes, 7up, ipod shuffle, 3.2miles, confused girlfriend, Light Yogurt, blueberries, Josiah Conder, seeing the Leong's at Berean, the hope of chicken nachos.GGE
Sunday, September 21, 2008
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The Offensive, Attractive Cross (stolen from DesiringGod Blog)
Mark Driscoll writes,
The curious paradox of the atoning death of a bloody Jesus rising above the plane of human history with a mocking crown of thorns is that he is offensive in an attractive way. It is the utter horror of the cross that cuts through the chatter, noise, and nonsense of our day to rivet our attention, shut our mouths, and compel us to listen to an impassioned dying man who is crying out for the forgiveness of our sins and to ask why he suffered. Tragically, if we lose the offense of the cross, we also lose the attraction of the cross so that no one is compelled to look at Jesus. Therefore, Jesus does not need a marketing firm or a makeover as much as a prophet to preach the horror of the cross unashamedly. (Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches, 33, emphasis added)
a post about the end of the summer and my being back in irvine to come...
Sunday, September 14, 2008
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Matthew 4:18-22
18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20At once they left their nets and followed him.21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
5. The Methodology of a Fisher of Men
Now it'd be odd not to discuss the analogy of fishing that Jesus uses when He says that He will make these dudes 'fishers of men'. What are some parallels that we ought to see and apply?
I've never gone fishing, so my insight is limited, but there are a couple things that I would like to propose about this analogy.
First, I think that, in general, the closer one is to a fish, the easier it is to catch it. 1Corinthians 9:19-23 says, "19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To 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. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."
The idea here is immersion. Fishermen don't invent contraptions where they can fish from miles and miles away from the water. No, they go to the water, some go into the water. They get up close and personal. Likewise, as fishers of men, we ought to immerse ourselves into the lives and cultures of nonbelievers. This does not mean to compromise truth, but to get onto a personal level with the unregenerate.
Second, a fisherman always has the right equipment to catch fish. A fisherman goes out with bait, a rod or net, a boat, maybe some sunscreen and a hat. Similarly yet more simply, a fisher of men must go out and be equipped with a single tool; the gospel. Romans 1:16-17 says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'"
So many churches these days are using tools other than the gospel. The result may be larger churches, but a more realistic result is a lot of deceived professing Christians on their way to hell. The GOSPEL is the power of salvation for all who believe. Not programs or multimedia or food or support ministries or prosperity teaching. So a fisher of men must be equipped with and saturated by the gospel; the good news that says that we are more sinful than we could ever imagine, yet more loved in Christ than we could ever know.
Third, a good fisherman is a patient one. Like I said earlier, fish don't just come right up to you. You don't catch tons and tons at a time. It's usually a long process.
Fourth, and related to the second point, a good CHRISTIAN fishermen knows that at the end of the day it is not his performance or bait or anything other than God's divine providence that leads to the fish being caught. In the same way, no matter how good our theology, doctrine, or apologetics may be, God's sovereign grace is the ultimate cause of a person coming to know Him through Christ. John 6:44 says, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day."
Fifth, a fisherman must fish for a reason. People who fish have only two reasons. They fish for pleasure or necessity or maybe both. Some people fish because they enjoy catching fish. Others fish as a duty to their family, so that they can bring home food or money. Likewise, a fisher of men fishes because he rejoices with God in a Luke 15:7 manner when a sinner comes to repentance. And although a fisher of men ought to fish for pleasure, he also must approach it as a duty or an occupation. Being a fisher of men is a full-time job and one that we must do well for our Master in Heaven.
Lastly, a fisherman always remembers his initial experience of fishing. The moment when he got sucked in and it became a large part of his life. In this same way we must remember Christ, the Ultimate Fisher of Men, who fished for and caught us that we might fish other men for His glory.
I'm done now. I wish I was this clear when I actually gave this message, but it's gravy. Bottom line is, Christ calls us to be fisher of men. By His grace some of us become fishers of men. Fishers of men are disciples. There is a cost to discipleship. Jesus paid the cost for us. We can become fishers of men (disciples) because He paid the cost. Therefore we fish for men as fishermen fish for fish.
Evidence of Grace: Jesus, Markus Ong's exposition of Genesis 3, the opportunity to lead praise several times this summer, an awesome summer of ministry, an awesome summer of learning, an awesome last summer of my life (assuming I get a job immediately after I graduate), the second verse of "I Stand in Awe", Garnet and her mom visiting, Mark Sata CJina Esther Sharon visiting, money.GGE
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
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Matthew 4:18-22
18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20At once they left their nets and followed him.21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
4. The Cost to Being a Fisher of Men Born by the Ultimate Fisher of Men
We've discussed Jesus' authoritative call to be fishers of men. We've seen that the identity of a fisher of men is equivalent with that of a disciple of Christ. We've also seen that there is a cost that must be born by any disciple of Christ. However, we know that no one can perfectly bear such a cost. Therefore, no one can be a disciple and no one can then be a fisher of men.
To be a fisher of men one must hate his/her parents, spouse, and children. Luke 14:26: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple." No one could do this...except Jesus.
We see this 'hatred' for family (love less or in comparison to love for Christ) in Matthew 12:46-50. "46While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47Someone told him, 'Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you. 48He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?' 49Pointing to his disciples, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers. 50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.'"
And this wasn't a one way operation. Not only is the cost of a discipleship one that results in subordinating family to the glory of God, but it can many times be a cost that results in one's own family forsaking him/her. Not only did Christ Himself 'hate' his family, He Himself experienced being forsaken by a family member; His heavenly Father. We know from Matthew 27:46 that Jesus cried, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" So we see Jesus 'hating' his earthly family and we see Jesus being forsaken by His heavenly Father.
To be a fisher of men one must also deny himself. Jesus denied Himself, enduring the shame of the cross and praying "Yet not as I will, but as You will" in Matthew 25. To be a fisher of men one must take up his/her own cross. Jesus literally took up a cross that belonged to us, but that only He could carry and sufficiently die upon. To be a fisher of men one must also lose his/her life for the God's glory. Jesus "gave up his spirit" and died on the cross(Matthew 27). Christ, the Ultimate Fisher of Men, paid the cost of discipleship on our behalf.
As the disciples drop their nets, leave their boats, and leave their father, we see them giving up their livelihood, their comforts, their identities, and their families. We get a glimpse of costly discipleship. However, it is only when we see what Christ gave up that will we be able to understand what it means to be a committed follower. The truth is, apart from the regenerating work of the Spirit, none of us want to be fishers of men.
None of us want to pay the costs of discipleship. None of us have a desire to fish for souls. The disciples themselves were ordinary fishermen. They fished for income, for security, for money, and maybe even for entertainment. We as Christians behave in many ways to achieve these same goals. We 'fish' for a good job, for extra leisure, and for personal pleasure. None of these things are bad in and of themselves, but the bottom line is that a lot of times we are happy with them apart from Christ and His glory. We are so happy that we are unwilling to pay the cost of discipleship. We rather fish for material things than for souls that worship God for His redemptive work.
That's why Jesus had to come. He came and He paid the cost in the most perfect way. By the work of the Spirit, when we behold the cost that Jesus bore on our behalf, He becomes beautiful to us. The cost of discipleship no longer becomes a burden and no longer seems like a cost. Rather, we see the cost of discipleship as having been fulfilled BY Jesus, and as a means of appreciation to Him. When we behold the gospel, which says that Christ paid the cost on our behalf, we are enabled by the Spirit to live lives bearing the 'cost' of discipleship; but ONLY after we have beheld the work of Christ.
To be fishers of men we must understand that it is synonmous with being disciples. To be disciples, we must understand that it is costly. To view the cost as worth it, we must understand that Christ is worth it. To understand that Christ is worth it, we must understand that He paid the cost on our behalf.
<to be continued>
5. The Methodology of a Fisher of Men
Evidence of Grace: Jesus, minigolf, blenzers, popeyeizer, red robin, fizzix, time, mission blvd, 24. GGE
Monday, September 08, 2008
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Matthew 4:18-22
18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20At once they left their nets and followed him.21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
3. The Cost to Being a Fisher of Men
In verse 20 it says: "At once they left their nets and followed him." Verse 22 says: "...immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." These two verses reveal what Andrew, Simon, James, and John left and what they left for (to follow Jesus).
Now we have just finished discussing the sameness between fishers of men and disciples of Christ. We have also discussed what it means to be a disciple of Christ. By observing Matthew 10 and Matthew 16 we have seen the cost that being a disciple entails. This is a cost that we see Andrew, Simon, James, and John paying to a certain extent here in Matthew 4.
Andrew and Simon left their nets. It wasn't just large patterned rope that they were leaving. They were leaving their occupations. Imagine if your dad, or the primary breadwinner in your family came home and told you that he/she quit his/her high paying job to follow some homeless guy from the ghetto who was a 'self-proclaimed' king. You'd think he/she was crazy for leaving his job. What Andrew and Simon did was crazy to the exact same extent. They were leaving their source of income, their stability, their social status, their comfort zones, everything that their lives and families' lives depended on.
Likewise, James and John left their boat and their FATHER. They left their occupations, income, stability, social status, comfort just like Andrew and Simon, but here we see that they also left their father. Today, it happens all the time. Kids run away from home, and do well for themselves. Kids start their own lives apart from their families, but in Jewish culture, your family was your life. In Jewish culture, you had no identity apart from your family. There's was not the individualistic culture that we live in today. If you are not a part of your family unit, you are nothing. You have no family line linking you to Israel and then the promises of God. You have no inheritance. You have no worth. That's what James and John left.
So we see in these four men signs of discipleship. We see them abandoning very large things to follow Christ in a very MatthewTen-like manner. They do see Christ as worth following (to a certain extent). They certainly see that He is worth giving up their nets, boat, and father for. However, we know from the rest of the gospel of Matthew that these same disciples still were unable to give up EVERYTHING for the sake of Christ. It might seem that they bore a great cost by following Christ, but we all know what happened at Gethsemane, thus their discipleship up to this point in Matthew is not confirmed.
If these guys - guys who for all time will be known as Jesus' disciples - did not pass the test because denial in the Garden, how can anyone pass the test? If they couldn't completely bear the cost of following Jesus who can? We all make mistakes. We all slip up. No one is perfect, so does that mean no one can be a disciple of Christ? Does that then mean that no one can go to heaven? Or should we just look at the cost of discipleship as a general and relative standard? Because for sure no one could meet the standard that Jesus set.
This brings us to my next point.
<to be continued>
4. The Cost to Being a Fisher of Men Born by the Ultimate Fisher of Men
Saturday, September 06, 2008
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Matthew 4:18-22
18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20At once they left their nets and followed him.21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
2. The Identity of a Fisher of Men
The last thing that we observed about the CALL to be a fisher of men was its direction. Jesus directed them to 'come' to Himself. In fact He says, "Deute Opiso", which literal means "follow", "come behind/after". These Greek words are the exact same ones we find in the two places in Matthew where Jesus discusses discipleship (Matthew 10:38; 16:24).
In Matthew 10 Jesus says, "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me(deute opiso) is not worthy of me...And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple."Matthew 16 reads: "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me(deute opiso). '"
The Greek word for 'disciple' is mathetes. Mathetes literally means learner or follower. So from this pattern it is safe to say that being a fisher of men is synonymous with or akin to being a disciple of Christ. THE IDENTITY OF A FISHER OF MEN IS THAT OF BEING A DISCPLE OF CHRIST.
So the question that automatically follows this is: "What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ?" Good question. Let's look more closely to Matthew 10:37-39 and Matthew 16:24-26. "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." And then: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"
From these two passages we can extrapolate that being a disciple means loving Christ more than family. Being a disciple means taking up one's cross and following Jesus. What does it mean to take up one's cross? When the Romans crucified their victims, the carrying of one's own cross showed complete and total submission to Rome; utter humiliation. Likewise we ought to show total submission and humility toward Christ our Head. When Jesus took up His cross, we see the perfect example of sacrifice for the glory of God. Likewise we ought to present our bodies and living sacrifices to God. Some other characterstics of disciples from these passages reveal that being a disciple means losing one's life for the sake of Christ and finding it in Christ. And lastly, being a disciple means understanding that gaining the whole world is inferior to gaining Christ.
(I'm beginning to realize why the youth service kids were getting so worn out by my message....I'm not even half done. But I'm going to keep going to document exactly what I would have liked to say instead of just holding onto my point outline)
Another important aspect to the IDENTITY of a fisher of men is the fisher of men's Maker; not in a CREATOR of the universe sense, but in the sense where Jesus says, "I will make you fishers of men." He doesn't say, "I'll teach you to be fishers of men" or command them "LEARN how to be fishers of men." He draws them to Himself, the ULTIMATE FISHER OF MEN. He fishes for these fishers of men and makes them into what they previously weren't. Any new identity that we have for the glory of God starts in Christ. 2Corinthians 5:7 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
<to be continued>
3. The Cost of Being a Fisher of Men
Evidence of Grace: Jesus, Garnet being done with her MCAT, basketball, 5 games, naps, that my contacts didn't hurt my eyes when I woke up, Romans 14, PingPong teacher, dota, speed uno, cold water, diet pepsi, expensive pork pot pies, being under my calorie limit on September 5, one more week of home.GGE.
Friday, September 05, 2008
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Matthew 4:18-22
18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20At once they left their nets and followed him.21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
1. The Call to be Fishers of Men
When we observe fish, we ought to note that fish don't say "Hey Mr. Fisherman, please come catch me," or "Hey Mr. Fisherman, I'm coming over to your net so you can catch me." Generally, we observe fish that swim away from fishermen and their equipment. They don't want to be caught. They want to be free and to do their own things.
In verse 19, Jesus says: "Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men". So the first thing that we must observe is that Jesus is the one calling to Andrew, Peter, James, and John. We don't see them calling to Jesus asking to be fishers of men. We see Jesus - the TRUE and ULTIMATE Fisher of Men - doing the original fishing in order to make disciples. Jesus Himself, highlights the nature of His own choosing of the disciples in John 15:16. "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name."
Not only do we see the divine election of the disciples in verse 19, but we also see the power of the Word of Christ. At my house, we all eat dinner as a family. Every night my mom will call us all to dinner as soon as it is ready. However, it takes more than just one call for us to get to the kitchen table. My dad will usually be sleeping. I'll be playing a game or playing my guitar or reading or something. My brother will be chatting online, and my sister will be doing her homework. There is no power behind my mom's call that can get us to immediately come to the table.
Jesus' call is different. Jesus calls them with an authoritative call. He doesn't say, "If you want to...Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." He doesn't say, "Please come follow me and I will make you fishers of men."
Rather we see Jesus saying, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." We see a direct command; a command that elicits a response "at once" or immediately. There is power in this call. This is the effectual call of Christ by the means of His own authoritative words. Let us never forget the power that lies in the Word(s) of God. Such power can be observed when we see God SPEAKING the universe into existence(Genesis 1:3). Psalm 50:1 says "The Mighty One, God the LORD, SPEAKS and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets"(emphasis added). "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12
One last thing to notice about Jesus' call to be fishers of men its DIRECTION. Jesus doesn't say, "Go be fishers of men. Evangelize and preach and travel." Rather, He says "Come, follow me". He directs them not to the task or action of fishing for men, but to Himself; the Ultimate Fisher of Men. For there is no obedience or service to God apart from Jesus.
<to be continued>
2. The Identity of a Fishers of Men.
Evidence of Grace: Jesus, San Jose, La Victoria, Orange Sauce, Ryan Wong, Alwin Luu, Carlton Chan, Newton Cheung, Curtis Lim, showers. GGE
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
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Matthew 4:18-22
18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20At once they left their nets and followed him.21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Context:
Jesus has just been inaugurated at His baptism (Matt 3). He has just been found blameless after His temptation in the wilderness (Matt 4). And now, John the Baptist - the last Old Covenant prophet - has been put in prison (Matt 4:12). So Jesus is beginning His ministry at the RIGHT TIME; the time where He picks up where the last prophet has left off.
Jesus also begins His ministry in the RIGHT PLACE. We see that He is at the Sea of Galilee (v.18) and we know from Luke 4 that He is in Capernaum. Capernaum is in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali which is the northernmost and furthest region from Jerusalem. Being in the north meant that they never got any good kings because we know that all of the kings of the Northern Kingdom of Israel were bad kings. Being in the northernmost region we also know that they were always the first to be attacked and held in captivity; specifically by the Assyrians. Being the furthest from Jerusalem, they were the furthest from the center of all religious activities. Therefore, the inhabitants of Capernaum were known, not as gentle, religious, or scholarly. No, rather, they were known as impolite, stout soldiers, unscholarly, and generally less religious. Capernaum was the RIGHT PLACE because these people were the most desperately in need of a Savior (not that the rest of Israel didn't need a Savior, but more because of the needy state of the Capernaum inhabitants).
Jesus also begins His ministry with the RIGHT MESSAGE. He proclaims a repentance and the coming of the kingdom (Matt 4:17). 'Repent' - metanoeo - means to change one's mind. He is proclaiming a message that calls people to change their minds. "Change your minds about what true religion is!" "Change your minds about how to have a relationship with God!" "Change your minds about what sin is and what sin isn't!" "Change your minds about how to be saved from your sin!" "Change your mind about your standing before God!" "Change your mind about me, for I am better than all the other things you are chasing after in this life!" He also preaches the coming of the kingdom to highlight the imminence of the end and the urgency of His call to repentance.
And finally we see Jesus beginning His ministry by raising up the RIGHT DISCIPLES. He is building a group that will proclaim this RIGHT MESSAGE at the RIGHT TIME in all the RIGHT PLACES. Does this mean that Jesus, God in the flesh, could not do this on His own? BY NO MEANS! Rather, Jesus decides to glorify Himself and His Father by using imperfect vessels to establish His church.
<to be continued>
Evidence of Grace: Jesus, grace, God's patience, Psalm 51, John Piper on Psalm 51, Hebrews, Numbers 16, no more internship, a supposedly healthy BMI, encouraging friends and family, running, fitday.com, Vern Poythress, Charles Ryrie, Ryan Wong, Jonathan Quen. GGE
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