Errors of Hyper-Calvinism

Over and against these four important convictions, I want to briefly respond to four teachings that I have encountered in traditional reformed churches, usually in their zeal to combat Arminianism. By trying to avoid the dangers of Arminianism, which lacks in the appreciation of God’s Sovereignty (His full control over everything that happens), these views fall into the opposite error in failing to recognize that humans have responsibility (and therefore the possibility) to make their own choices. 

1 “Faith and sanctification are not the actions of regenerated people. Since they are gifts of God, they cannot be the work of humans.”

I have had to argue against this teaching in churches of various traditional reformed churches. I believe this to be wrong, for throughout Scripture God’s Sovereign rule does not remove or reduce human responsibility. When faith and sanctification are lacking, the fault lies with humans, yet where they do exist the credit goes to God.

It is true that humans, without the work of the Holy Spirit, refuse to acknowledge their state of spiritual death and refuse to seek and follow God. Yet, through the work of the Spirit many are changed so that they begin to see who they are in light of God’s holiness and consequently embrace the Gospel.

In our science book, in the chapter on magnetism, the problem was stated: If you have two similar bars of metal, and one is a magnet, while the other is just a bar of iron, how can you tell which one is the magnet?*

This gave me the following (limited) illustration. Picture God as powerful magnet, and the human as a simple bar of iron. By itself the iron would not attract the magnet. Yet, you observe that they in fact attract each other. How is it possible? The domain theory states that the magnet produces a magnetic field. Under the influence of this field the particles inside the iron begin to line up with the magnet, so that it begins to act like a weak magnet. Transformed in this way, the iron bar now is able to respond to the magnet’s attraction by attracting the magnet.

Left to our own human nature, we would neither seek God nor would we want His presence in our lives. Yet, when we come under the impact of the powerful work of His Word and Spirit we begin to change. We are quickened: a spiritual life begins to grow in us so that we begin to seek God and to yearn for His presence.

2 “All those who are baptized (in a genuine church), have received irresistible grace. God’s promises in baptism are unconditional.”

This was taught by our pastor when I was accused of heresy.  In fear of Arminianism, even a theology professor insisted that God’s promises in baptism are unconditional (for the infants of believers).  Yet, the sacraments are for the (true) believers; by faith we must appropriate God’s gifts; otherwise we will not (in the end) benefit from them. Rather, for those who despise God’s promises, the covenant becomes a curse. Irresistible grace is true when we consider God’s work in “the elect”, who were foreordained for salvation.

In Egypt, all of Israel received God’s promise of dwelling in a “and of milk and honey”, yet most of them refused to follow God in trust and obedience; many wanted to return to Egypt.

3 “All gracious gifts of God and work of the Holy Spirit are only promised and given to the elect.”

I have had to argue against this teaching when I met with people from, or influenced by, the Protestant reformed churches.  Yet, where the Bible teaches us about people “always resisting the Holy Spirit” and “the sin against the Holy Spirit”, it shows us that certain workings of God’s Spirit have been and are actually resisted, and therefore such workings are not restricted to the elect.

If God’s grace (I am not writing “saving grace”!) is only for the elect, then there are no promises for all who hear the Gospel, and the “Gospel” is only “Good News” for those who happen to be elect.

4  “How we live as Christians has no bearing on our salvation.”

Again, in our home church this actually was a prevalent view until I challenged it. Our pastor even published an article in which he rejected John McArthur’s explanation that true faith always results in a transformed heart, resulting in good works. In this article he agreed with Zane Hodge, who claimed that since “We are only saved by grace, through faith”, the lifestyle of the “Christian” (read: baptized church member) is of no real consequence for his salvation. Some church members loved to ‘prove their point by referring to the passage, “We may be unfaithful, but God will always remain faithful.”  

Yet, the churches have always insisted that a godless lifestyle without repentance and fruit of godliness proves that there was no true faith or saving grace.  God’s faithfulness not only implies salvation for the true believer, who produces fruit of faith, but also in bringing judgment on those without true faith, who fail to produce the fruit of faith!

When we were young, we lived under the impression that we were already believers; we just needed to prove this by pursuing a life of obedience to our parents, our Christian teachers, and the elders in the church.

If we were serious in these efforts, then God would smile upon us and lovingly forgive us the sins that still remained in us.

Only much later did my wife and I realize that this was not in accordance to Paul’s teaching. Rather, when we have a heartfelt desire to please God out of pure thankfulness for his amazing grace, this is evidence that He has graciously forgiven our sins and has given us His Spirit to dwell in us as a foretaste for eternal life, lived for His glory!  Earlier, we could not recognize how self-serving we still were or how inconceivably great His love for us is that, while we were yet sinners, He gave up his Son to take our punishment.

The Myth of the Non-Transformed Christian Life: A Review of Issues

The Myth of the Non-Transformed Christian Life

A Review of Issues

I like to start with a number of statements, formulated in response to misunderstandings or unbalanced teachings, which I have encountered during our years in Canada.

1 There exist so-called “Nominal Christians”. 

Such people refer to themselves as Christians, while that name or label does not match the state of their (unregenerate) hearts.  Although they claim to be followers of Jesus, they continue to foster idols, while God and Jesus are relegated to the margins of their lives or merely used to ease their conscience or to boost their status in their circle of family and friends. 

Most churches have recognized that not everyone who is ‘in the church’ (as regular attendants, as baptized or even as confessing members) is necessarily ‘of the church’ (by true faith grafted into the Body of Christ or the church of all times and places). There will be hypocrites (“actors”), who pretend to be disciples of Christ.

In Jesus’ Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13) we learn about people, who at first accept the Gospel, yet they never produce good fruit. In the end it is obvious that they were not truly saved. Yet, when they initially embraced the Gospel, they would have been seen as believers.

John writes in his first letter (2: 19) that certain enemies of Christ had come out of the church. Although at first they looked like Christians, they did not remain in the faith. As true Christians will persevere and produce fruit, their turning their backs to Christ betrays that they never were “of the church”.

Paul warns Timothy (2 Tim. 3: 5) about people in the church, who maintain an outward form of godliness while they lack the powerful presence of the Spirit.

Hebrews 10: 29 warns us that there will be judgment for those, after hearing the Good News, continue to live in sin.

2 In the church there can be a danger of false assurance and useless faith

James warns us that there is a kind of ‘faith’ that does not lead to salvation. 

If faith is merely an intellectual agreement with certain doctrines or a feeling of certainty that “despite of us being wretched sinners” our sins are forgiven by Christ- it is useless faith. When our thoughts and lives are not radically transformed by the realization of God’s amazing grace manifested in Christ’s suffering and death for our sakes, then there cannot be true faith.

Hebrews 4: 2 talks about people who heard the Good News, but who did not benefit from its promises and blessings as the Word was not combined with a response in faith.

The Lord Jesus already warned his audience that many would call upon his name in vain (Matthew 7: 21 - 23).

Hebrews 10 gives us a strong warning about those who have come to know the Gospel only to reject it. Those who know the truth, yet wilfully reject it, will be damned.

3 There are two distinct ways in which the Bible uses the term “sinner”.

It makes me nervous when I am in a church where people love the mantra, “We are all sinners”, or even “We are all totally depraved”.  To be sure, the Bible clearly shows us how in the fall of our ancestors human nature has been corrupted so that nobody seeks God to serve Him. Also, even the most good and pious person could not please God and satisfy His demands, for even such “good behaviour” has (strong) elements of self-interest.  In that sense all people are sinners, from the prostitute to the preacher.  

Yet, the Bible also shows us another reality. For the Kingdom of God is taking shape, even in the world today. There are now also people who no longer seek to pamper and protect their idols, since their hearts have been transformed by the love of God (in Christ’s sacrifice) and the power of His (indwelling) Spirit. Although such people will still commit sins, as they will not and cannot keep God at the centre of their lives all the time, yet they must consider themselves no longer as sinners (dominated by sin), but as saints (dominated by the Spirit).

A simple test is to use a concordance or website like biblegateway.com and to search for all occurrences of the term “sinner”. You will quickly realize that the term is most often used for the ungodly people, who do not care about God and His Word. Typically, they are self-seeking people, who worship created things or themselves.  Psalm 1, for instance, distinguishes righteous people from the sinners. Yet, there are also passages that warn us that all people sin and have sinned; therefore nobody can perfectly love God and follow His rules for life. Therefore, in that sense, we are all sinners.

I have met preachers, who love to emphasize Paul’s exclamation in Romans 7, “O, wretched sinner that I am”, yet they fail to keep this passage in its proper perspective between Romans 6 (“We are no longer slaves to sin.”) and Romans 8 (“If God’s Spirit lives in you, you are no longer controlled by your sinful nature.”)  

If we ignore or reject the reality of our remaining sinfulness, we have not (yet) recognized the holiness of God. If we give the impression that we are still sinners like before, then we either deny the gift of rebirth or we refuse to walk with the Spirit, or indeed we have not (yet) been born again!

4 Christians are not “just” forgiven sinners!

Sure, all people go against the will of God, and in that sense we are all sinners. Sure, those who know and follow Christ may know their sins to be forgiven by His sacrifice. Yet, there is more! Christians have also received Christ’s Spirit to live and work in them so that they are transformed and renewed in accordance with His will!

I have heard preachers argue that (primarily or only) our status has been changed in God’s record books. While we ought not to, we could continue to live as sinners, while through Christ’s sacrifice God views and accepts us as righteous.

Peter writes (I paraphrase 1 Peter 4: 4) that the readers’ old friends are surprised to see that those who were recently converted no longer care to join them in the things they used to enjoy together. They no longer seek their joy in getting drunk and feeling good by pursuing fun; they have now experienced the joy of doing the will of God, which provides true and lasting pleasure!

The Heidelberg Catechism teaches that all people are unable to do anything good (that is: that will honour and please God) unless they are regenerated, transformed by the Spirit of God. All true believers are (have been) so regenerated; therefore we cannot continue to argue (nor use it as an excuse) that we are all totally depraved and incapable of doing good and at the same time argue that all of us (in the church) are believers!

Faith and Works

The relationship of (true) faith and (good) works has been a theme for extensive discussion throughout church history.  Reformed churches may think that these issues have long been resolved with the writing of their confessions, but in my personal battles and in the impact of a popular re-interpretation of St. Paul, the same issues have surfaced again.  Recently they have entered reformed circles through men like Steve Schlissel and John Baruch.  Tom Wright is a strong proponent, too. Apparently, Wright has gained great popularity in the more conservative reformed churches in The Netherlands.  Yet, it seems that only a few elders in these churches are aware of his teachings on this point or why we should be concerned about it.

Therefore I want to return to my blogspot “Praying for Rain” to add a few more posts. The first must deal with “The Myth of the Non-transformed Christian Life”. This gives a review of concerns, which I have mostly mentioned in earlier posts.  Next, I will deal with the issue of “The New Perspective of Paul and Justification.” This will require several, perhaps four, posts.

Report from China (7) A Time to say Good Bye!

The last months for us in China were a time of many blessings. Even though we had experienced some pressure, on Pentecost morning we went to the swimming pool to baptize and formally bring six friends into the Household of Faith.  After some thought and prayer the steering group had agreed to proceed with the scheduled ceremony, even though the public pool was almost across the street from the place where our neighbor had been forced to leave the day before.

Two of those baptized were H and E. H is a grade one student and daughter of our deacon. Her family had recently come through terrible hardships, but her mother (M) had remained strong in Christ, and she had diligently taught her daughter concerning the Gospel. After the baptism of baby Anna, M asked us about baptism for H, so we had ‘a little talk’ with her. I was so happy to hear her calm and sincere answers to the questions, and we had no doubt that it was right to have her baptized.  Her close friend E, daughter of D and H, is about one year older. Although she used to be fairly mischievous and apparently disinterested, over the last couple of years we saw how she also matured and grew in her relationship with Christ. We were thankful that several Sisters had taken on responsibility to build a good Sunday school program, and we see these baptisms also as a fruit of this ministry.

It was a wonderful celebration, and after the worship service we enjoyed an amazing dinner with the whole fellowship.  As no new troubles were experienced, our friends began to relax about potential troubles. So, the steering group suggested we attend (and teach) more regularly during the remaining weeks. We gladly did so. During the weeks of our absence, I had continued to write the Sunday messages. I would send them to Brother Paul and our evangelist, and they would then teach the message in English and in Mandarin Chinese.

For several reasons Marioka and I had decided to leave China by way of container ship. Unfortunately, sailing schedules are more liable to change (than schedules for airlines), so two months before the planned departure date, we had to switch to another vessel, which would leave Shanghai two weeks earlier.  So, all activities had to be accelerated: packing up books and clothes in boxes to be sent to Holland. Cleaning out our apartment and classrooms, and organizing many things to make sure that everything would work out on time.

The last week in Guangzhou was a time without a break. It included farewell dinners with colleagues and with our fellowship. Perhaps the most memorable of these was the potluck celebration during the last Sunday night at the house (ground floor apartment) of our evangelist.

In the morning service we had installed two more deacons for the service of the fellowship. Over the years, Brothers D and T had shown diligence and commitment, and during the previous months (while we were withdrawing), they had immediately increased their involvement in service. So, it was a blessing to have their calling confirmed for the strengthening of the work. Although we had always been hesitant and cautious to have women elders or pastors, we reminded them that we had confidence in the gifts of our evangelist and in her understanding of the Scriptures, so if the steering group would –at some point- reach a consensus on this point, we would not be opposed to her teaching, even in the Sunday services. (The male deacons do not nearly have the same level of spiritual maturity and biblical insight.)

During the evening celebration, we were presented with a commemorative book with photos from our last five years with the Vineyard congregation. Brother D had also been busy and created a DVD with pictures and video clips of our years together, including brief “Good bye & Thank you” comments from all regular attendees.  Finally, the steering group decided to have two of them “see us off” in Shanghai, and they had arranged airline tickets and hotel bookings for this. So, we had one more farewell near the bus station before we would take the airport shuttle bus. A few more Sisters joined us to the airport (from where we would fly to Shanghai), and then we were on our first leg of our journey back to Canada. It was a privilege to have our evangelist and Sister H join us for the next few days in Shanghai, until –after another delay of a couple of days- we got picked up by a van to head to Shanghai harbor.  Early the next day we sailed to Busan, Korea, and from there across the Bering Sea to Prince Rupert, Canada.  The sailing time was twelve days, and we arrived at Canada’s west coast while they had perfect weather. After one day in town, we flew via Vancouver to Ontario.  

Praise the Lord.

Report from China (6) The Catholic Connection

Before our China years we had little close connection with any Roman Catholics. We did –at times- have R.C. neighbors and colleagues, but when it came to church or faith, there typically was no communication or sense of unity. Both, they and we, ‘knew’ that we belonged to the true church, and is seemed that nothing could shake each other’s denominational commitment.

While we were teaching in China, we did have some Christian colleagues, from a variety of church backgrounds. Some years there were two or three of them who would regularly join our group in Sunday worship. At one time there was a group of serious young women from Mennonite background, but they preferred to do weekly Bible study meetings with each other. For a lot of young colleagues (even if they had been faithful in attending worship ‘at home’) the temptations were too great, and so they spent the weekends with their friends traveling or visiting Hong Kong.

Then there was N. During the first few years, at our first location, she was quite regular, although often she was too busy. At that time she seemed to have an eating disorder, and she was always dressed in black. She was from R.C. background and she loved Jesus, but she was quite skeptical about the Old Testament. During the last couple of years she returned, even though it involved more travel since our meetings were now in a different location. Sister N became a very faithful attendant, and she had changed in obvious ways. She was clearly happier than before, and she was never dressed in black. She seemed quite agreeable with all the teaching, although she never participated in the Communion.

There was also Sister A, an older Irish lady, also from R.C. background. She had been in a small evangelical prayer group and worked fairly closely with Marioka, and prior to her hip operation she used to go to the city on Sundays for worship at the cathedral. Marioka had suggested to her to join us in worship, but Sister A required (and appreciated) a little stronger encouragement to do so. So, this last year, A regularly came to attend our meetings.  She was already fairly critical about certain things in the R.C. tradition, so she had little problems to adjust to our worship and the teaching. She often remarked how the teaching and fellowship helped her to live closer to Christ.

Last, but not least, there was our new (elementary) art teacher, Ms. T.  She was a young woman from R.C. tradition, who recently had come to know Christ as her Lord and Savior. Although the catholic traditions felt friendly familiar to her, she was fairly critical about some of the teaching, and she loved to worship with us.

All of these three ladies were present the day we were visited by the police. After this event it took some time for everybody to reconsider the alternatives and priorities. First I continued to prepare the messages, and while our Chinese friends would meet at their new address, we would meet with other foreigners in our home. So, here we were: having worship with three Catholic sisters!

In the teaching, I would not seek to stress the differences in teachings in various church directions. Yet, when it was appropriate for the topic, I did not hesitate to explain the differences between Reformed-Presbyterian, Baptist, Pentecostal and Roman Catholic teachings. So, we dealt with topics such as gifts of the Spirit, like speaking in tongues, the practice of infant baptism, the meaning of the Lord Supper, and the use of the crucifix. I always made a point to try to give a fair and balanced explanation of the different views before listing possible concerns about each side. Then I would explain our point of view. In my teaching, I typically followed the teaching of The Gospel Coalition (as expressed by Tim Keller, Don Carson, and John Piper), yet our church looked like a ‘Charismatic Reformed Baptist church with some Lutheran tendencies’.

Naturally, not all teachers from R.C. background were interested in weekly worship or in active evangelism. Regular readers of our updates know that for almost seven years we have worked with Mary’s students in a nearby Chinese high school.  In the first years Brother Andrew, who taught at the same school, assisted us; in the recent years some colleagues would come with us. The last year, our ‘Catholic Sisters’ A and T worked with us in this ministry.

A few years ago yet, we tried to keep this work ‘under the radar’. The school principal, Mr. Li, had warned me years before not to get involved with local church work, and he had labeled me ‘a religious fanatic’. Mary’s department head, however, loved the work that we were doing. He was convinced that it would benefit the students’ English skills, and he was excited that we did it ‘Pro Deo’!

Last Fall, however, there was a change. Finally, this school had found a way to offer a program through which they could grant Canadian high school diplomas. And they would do so in close cooperation with a Catholic School Board in Southern Ontario!  To boost their English program, they had to hire a number of Ontario teachers. So, suddenly Mr. Li thought it a wonderful idea that students would read the Bible in the English language!

Sister Mary, the coordinating teacher for our program, had great hopes to get the cooperation of the new Catholic teachers from Ontario. Together with them, we could perhaps expand the program to include all senior classes! Although she made several attempts, the new teachers always were too busy or too tired to get involved at all. Mary was disappointed and surprised how Christian teachers could have so little interest to bring the Good News to the Chinese young people who had never heard it.

Things are always changing, especially in China. Only a few months ago Mary told us that the whole school program was going to change, and –as a result- it might be impossible to continue the Bible reading program (that she had first started as an extra-curricular activity seven-and-a-half years ago, after she was just baptized. Yet, she was already creatively looking at new formats to continue with the work. May the Lord continue to keep her, to guide her, and to use her for the Kingdom.

As the Spirit had connected us with Catholics, there was an interesting extension, even during our journey ‘home’. Here we are on our way from China to Canada: on a German container ship, chartered by a Korean company, with a crew that is mostly of (Philippine) Catholic background. The Chief Engineer is Polish, also from Catholic background, and he liked our idea to host a worship service on Sunday afternoon. So, a few days ago we gathered in the officers’ mess. Outside a few officers on duty (on the bridge and engine room), almost everybody came to our meeting. We had been busy selecting songs (lyrics and music in mp-3 format), preparing the message (on The Prodigal Son), and working out the logistics. Near the end of the service I briefly explained the (real) meaning of the Lord’s Supper and the conditions for participation; most of them gladly participated. It was a wonderful time together, and this time of worship was certainly one of the highlights of the 12-day journey across the Pacific!

Report from China (5) To Love your Neighbor

During our eight years in China, there were so many rapid changes in our area. The number of metro lines tripled, so did the number of cars, the number of tall buildings, and the attendance in the churches!  During the same time, our housing situation often changed as well; in eight years we moved five times! When we started out during the first few months, we only had a small apartment with one bedroom. In this humble dwelling we started out with Sunday night Bible studies, first with four people; later with six or seven.  Half a year later, we were able to rent a 3-bedroom apartment. Then, for several years we actually had two apartments: one in the community where we started out (which we used as weekend cottage and for Sunday services), the other was a new luxury apartment, provided by our new employer (a Canadian international school.)  During the last three years we had the privilege to live in a townhouse. In this house we had the luxury of a third floor with two bedrooms and a washroom that was essentially available for any guests. 

Across the narrow street lived an older couple that was involved in the ‘recycling business’. It was interesting to see them always busy with organizing cardboard and Styrofoam, with drying seeds or meat, with bottles and cans and the occasional piece of discarded furniture.  The first year they also used an empty house right beside ours. It looked kind of messy, but at least it was quiet next door. After about a year, however, the place was cleaned a bit, and people started to stop and take a look at it. Apparently it was on the market for purchase or to rent.

After several weeks and about a dozen visitors, a young woman came to check it out. When she stood in front of our place, she seemed to be fascinated looking through our window. Soon we discovered that she signed a lease to rent the place. She was a Christian woman, who had noticed a picture of a cross in our living room. This led her to the conviction that God wanted her to choose this place to live.

Ms. L had quite a job ahead of her; the house was dirty and run down. She had a 7-year old son, and another young woman often came over to help her. We discovered that L was in the ‘Christian home-schooling business’, promoting the use of a certain brand of American curriculum.  Since we had quite a bit of home-schooling experience, we were first quite excited having her as neighbor.  Also, I felt sorry for her; fixing up the house seemed such a big task. So, for the first two weeks or so I tried to be of some assistance. First I helped with some plastering, filling holes and cracks in the walls before she would paint them. Then, I helped her to install most of the ceiling lights that she had ordered through Taobao. (Taobao is a Chinese online market place, which has the reputation of being cheap (through stiff competition and tax avoidance) and cheapish. (It is not uncommon to see brand-name articles advertised; when you order the product you find out they’re fake or of an inferior brand.)

Over time, it became a challenge for us to love our neighbor, Sister L.  After a few weeks, already, we noticed how hard it was to have a rational discussion with her on almost any topic. She insisted that she, as well as her young boy were evangelists or pastors, yet she seemed to be quite lonely. When I suggested she use or include some other materials in her teaching, her face would harden. Invariably, she would inform us that she was following God’s specific directions, so many or most things she did were non-negotiable. Whenever she had another idea about what she would do or what the future would bring, she would have a specific instruction from God. I never discovered her actual method of receiving such ‘revelations’, but I kept challenging her about these things, which at times would result in alienation. As her English communication skills were not so great, we sometimes used church friends to communicate to her. Yet, when they would lose their patience, L would invariably blame our friends for their ‘hostile communication’.  After such an event, she would ignore us for some weeks, and her son would refuse to acknowledge our greetings. She had attended our worship services a couple of times, but she found it hard to fit in with our Chinese friends, and her junior associate-evangelist found it impossible to sit quietly through the worship meeting. She was a lonely woman, who would maintain her role as ‘pastor’ by referring to her virtual flock that would read or reply to her website on Christian homeschooling. 

Yet, L was desperately in need of support and companionship. During times of good relationships, she would –almost desperately- seek our attention, and Marioka would get quite irritated by her demanding attitude. L, however, insisted, for God had told her that eventually we would cooperate with her in her Good Work. At one time, she had started to videotape lessons for the home-schooling, and she expected us to spend hundreds of hours to speak in the lessons that she had selected.

During the second year, God had told her that He would give her a good Christian husband, so that her son would have a father. When she informed us about this, I gave her a copy of “The Marriage Preparation Course” in the hope that she might learn some skills in communication and cooperation.  The course made her even more enthusiastic, and she started working on an extensive website on how she envisioned what her future husband would look like, and all the commitments that she had with God. Until they would be engaged, she would only meet him in the presence of a chaperone, until ‘pastor Aize’ could marry them. I did agree to edit her English manuscript, but we grew quite concerned about our potential roll as chaperones. She expected that I would provide a glowing reference about her, so I tried to explain again our concerns about her communication / cooperation skills. Also, I suggested she should not call me ‘pastor Aize’ if she continued to refuse to join the flock.  Unfortunately, however, she could or would not understand our concerns. After I had another Sister translate our written concerns, L was once more embittered about the callous attitude of our translator. Nevertheless, for a while there was peace again (or cold war?), and no further demands were made on our services.

Although, at times it was hard for us to really love our neighbor, we never doubted her faith in Christ.  I also admired her great boldness in how she shared the Gospel as she advertised her ‘business’. Several times she distributed colorful flyers through the community, probably evangelistic and especially encouraging Christian parents to consider homeschooling (with the curriculum she marketed) as ‘the best alternative’ to secular education. 

It was a week before Pentecost. I was at home for lunch, so I could get a quick bite to eat and a power nap.  After I got up from the table I noticed two men and a young woman standing in front of our house. They seemed to be waiting for somebody. Immediately, I sensed that they were government representatives. About an hour later I was back at school, in the middle of my remedial Math class with a small group of students. My cell phone rang; it was our neighbor. She sounded quite upset. The government officers had been waiting for her. First they criticized her about the small wooden cross that was attached to her garden gate. Then they called the police station. Soon, another ten officers arrived, who walked through her house, commenting on everything that referred to Christ and Christianity. They took her to the police station, where she was told to leave the house within a week. After school, we met with her and prayed with her.

Every day a police officer came to her house to make sure she was getting ready to move out. We helped her with some empty boxes and packing tape, and after two days she had found another apartment in another district. Five days after the confrontation she hired some guys to help her move. It had not always been easy, but we were sad to see her leave, especially in this way. But L was full of courage, and she was ready to continue her work in her new community.  PtL!

Report from China (4) The Discipleship Course

For several years we felt the need to organize a discipleship course. Every year some people were baptized, but aside from the regular teaching in Sunday worship and Bible study there was no ‘course for beginning Christians’. Marioka regularly mentioned this as a need that had to be addressed. Although I readily agreed with her, I was afraid I did not have the time or energy to take this on myself and at the time we did not think any others who could do it.

Diligent readers will know that we tried to do our best in our daily teaching jobs (at the international school). I wanted to be effective as a teacher and so I offered retests for students who would come at lunchtime for extra help and practice. Then we had our weekly Bible study evenings, which we diligently kept, even if attendance at times was fairly low. During most of the school year we also had our biweekly visits to Mary’s class (at a local Chinese high school), where we would teach and practice English reading and pronunciation while we would study and explain the Gospels.

The last two years we had made weekly power points for the worship meetings. Although most of these were later made by cutting & pasting from existing files, it always took quite a few hours to craft a presentation that was clear, informative, and artistically pleasing.  It was fun to find suitable backgrounds and illustrations, but it also took a lot of time. So, most of the Friday nights and Saturdays were used to prepare the message, the liturgy, and the actual presentation.

Sunday morning we would usually be busy with “the church” for four or five hours, including preparation before the meeting and lunch with various groups afterwards. The second half of the Sunday constituted our time of rest.

About two years ago we had a family join our group, where husband and wife were quite mature and obviously spending considerable time studying the Scriptures. They asked us to be baptized, for they had first been baptized in the Mormon “church”.  As we do not view this as a church of Jesus Christ, as He is revealed to us in His Word, we had no problem doing this. Because of their knowledge and commitment, we asked this family S to consider teaching a (Chinese) discipleship course on Sunday afternoons. They accepted, and for a couple of months they did so, until they felt called to leave us in order to assist in the start of another church plant north of the city (about 90 minutes travel with public transit).

After family S had left, Sister G (one of our deacons) had taken over teaching the course. Although we had never appointed her as teacher, we felt we had no alternatives, so we accepted the situation. A year later the first course was finished, and there was a break before the second part would commence. At that time we had just started the “Blackaby course” on “Experiencing God”. I would do some of the teaching with our evangelist translating. The second part of the evening we would split into groups (if there was enough attendance) and a ‘core group member’ would lead the group discussions in Chinese. One night, while Brother T was leading, Sister G (our deacon) made a strong statement, which showed that she had not understood my teaching.  When Brother T gently tried to correct her, she snapped back that T should not be in leadership because of his personal pride. It was this event that made us doubt whether it would be wise to have her teach the next discipleship course.  The issue was ‘resolved’ some weeks later when Sister G left us after the “Facebook Confrontation.”

Again, it seemed obvious that we should have a discipleship course. Also, it was clear that we did not yet have any leaders to take on this responsibility. So, I finally agreed to take it over. Soon we would lead a discipleship course, on Sunday nights. As the material used so far had been in Chinese, however, I had to find suitable lesson material and a suitable translator.

Several of us had noticed that Sister H (D’s wife) was pretty good in English. She is a friendly and quiet woman, and she would not readily volunteer her insights. When we asked her to consider helping out in the new discipleship course –after some time of deliberation-, she decided to give it her best. Together with Sister M (our remaining deacon), she worked at it very diligently. The first two meetings, she was nervous, and I often had to repeat myself before I got a translation. The third time, H was early. She told us she had come much earlier to pray to God to help her in the work. From that day on, she was more confident and the translation went much smoother.

For our lesson material, I first went to the website of (Timothy Keller’s) Redeemer Church of New York. For preaching, his sermons had provided me with much inspiration, and in extra busy times, I would rely quite heavily on his messages. (This was always properly communicated in our meetings, and we also wrote a letter to Redeemer Church with appreciation for their indirect support.)  Yet, for the discipleship course they had no suitable material for our kind of cultural setting and audience.

I then discovered that a group of American (Reformed & Presbyterian) churches had published a set of material available online. Unfortunately, for non-member churches there was a cost involved in accessing the material. Since I was unable to test it for suitability, I was reluctant to make the payment or to ask our church for money. After two requests, I was granted free access for our work in China. After some hours of preparation, however, I found the material too weak in substance, with too much time wasted on daily life stories from a typical American context. When I read the suggestion to use some (natural) object, like a seashell, to help us focus in our prayers, my mind was made up: REJECTED!

Finally, just a week before our announced starting date, I found the kind of material that I was looking for. “Lion of Judah” is a baptistic church in Florida that focuses on ministry to the Latino population. Their first booklets for discipleship seemed to be clear, to the point, and with many Bible references. So, ‘at the last minute’ we adopted this material, and for the second meeting we spent some time to do the sorting and the binding of our ‘textbooks’. First we were a bit disappointed that about half of the recent converts did not (regularly) attend the meetings. Sister H (the translator) started to invite some of her friends, and a few other regular visitors, who were serious seekers, joined the study evenings. After about a month we had the police visit, so then we moved the meetings to our house. This made the atmosphere more intimate, and we were amazed most Sunday nights, how our new friends were obviously excited to learn all about the Gospel and the Word of God. 

Several times earlier Marioka and I had experienced this kind of situation. I would just share the Gospel and respond to questions, and you can clearly see the Spirit at work.  The first time God used me in this way, I was so excited, I declared, “This is my greatest joy; to see Christians and seekers gripped by the simple teaching of the Gospel truth, so that they are cut to the heart and transformed in their lives. 

P had very little exposure to Christianity when she joined the group, but after just three months it was obvious that she understood the Gospel and committed to follow her Savior.  Her testimonies showed us how the Spirit was powerfully at work in her and in her family.  J was another young woman, who had been searching. She had visited our services before, with her husband A and her friend S. A was at first perhaps a little apprehensive; interestingly he was the son of a Turkish immigrant in France. Yet, he too was convicted by the Spirit, so we were very excited to see that all three of them wanting to be baptized. We had a special service on Pentecost with a visit to the swimming pool before and a fantastic dinner-celebration afterward! PtL!

Report from China (3) The Baptism of Baby Anna

Our friends T and J came to us through Sister Shelley. She had been a friend of this couple for some years when she suggested they should visit our bilingual services. For a while already T & J had been convinced of the Gospel truth, so after a while of worshipping with us, they agreed to get baptized. Just at that time J was pregnant, but things did not look good.  We mobilized the congregation in prayer, but in the end she gave birth to a child already dead.

I was afraid they would be so disappointed that God had not given what we had so earnestly asked for, that they would turn away. Yet, T and J were strengthened in their mutual love and in their faith in God. For this we were thankful, and we praised Him.

Two years ago we hosted the (Alpha) Marriage Preparation Course. This material was available in the Christian bookstores and online at low prices, and we were encouraged to photocopy the participants’ booklets for our use.  It was a very good experience for bonding families and congregation. Several participants told us later that the course had been a real blessing in their relationships.  After the first run, we decided to repeat the course, this time inviting members of other churches and their friends. This time, we asked T and J to do part of the teaching. Although our evangelist felt that they were not mature enough in faith, I suggested that it would be very important to involve such a couple in the teaching. I felt it would be much more powerful, for instance, to have this Chinese couple encourage the participants to hug their partners twice a day than if we were to say such things!  I had hoped that T and J could teach the course the following year, but by that time other things demanded our attention.

I guess it was last year in the summer that we learned that J was pregnant again. Throughout her pregnancy we prayed, and –thank God- all went well!  In the end of March, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl!  The second day we went to visit them in the hospital. As we left, three ladies were waiting at the nurses’ station to go in after us. Sister J greeted us loudly and came towards us, but I noticed how (our former deacon) Sister G turned away, apparently to study something on the nurses’ counter. I left J to Marioka and walked up to G. As I placed my hand on her shoulder, she looked up.  I spoke to her with sincerity and warmth, “It’s good to see you again, G!”

During our seven-and-a-half year of ministry, I have only three times spent significant time on the topic of infant baptism. Our regular audience knew that Marioka and I had been baptized as babies, and we were not afraid to talk about it. Yet, as none of our Family seemed to be familiar with this practice, I was careful not to push it or to demand the introduction of it. The few times I discussed it in some detail, I was careful to mention the main arguments in favor as well as against, pointing out the possible misunderstandings for accepting and rejecting it.

Although several babies had been born in our congregation, we never had any request for their baptism.  After a birth, I always made sure to point out that, as the parents belong to the Good Shepherd, so do their little lambs!  And I would urge the parents to teach the children to know and to love Jesus.

I was delighted when T and J informed me that they would like to have their baby baptized. Our Chinese co-workers had no objections, so, about three weeks after her birth, we were privileged to baptized little Anna! After the service we all got into cars and went to Sister J’s restaurant for a wonderful meal and celebration!  SDG!

Report from China (2): The Pressure is On!

It was about three weeks before the Chinese New Year’s holidays. We were going to start a new preaching series; this time on the letter of James. Several years earlier we had covered this letter in our Bible study group, but the membership had changed quite a bit, and I was convinced that –enriched by Timothy Keller’s insights- it would be good to have the whole congregation involved in a kind of discipleship course, as James’ letter offers great advice on practical Christian living.

So, as usual, we had spent the whole Saturday on preparing the service. I prepared the message, “Don’t be surprised when you face troubles and temptations!”  Marioka selected the songs and the readings, and then I spent a few more hours crafting a power point presentation with the liturgy, including songs and readings, selecting the children’s song, and writing a series of slides to summarize the message.

This had been our routine for over two years, but on January 25, 2015 everything changed.

That Sunday morning, as usual, I packed the heavy laptop, my sermon notes, and a few other things. Just before we left our house to ride our bicycles to the meeting place, I remembered to bring my passport. “You never know, I might need it today!”  As a foreigner you have to carry passport, visa, and residence permit with you at all times. On average perhaps once a year we had been stopped by special police, usually at the bus station, where they would demand anybody who did not look Chinese to present their papers.

We were about ten minutes into the sermon, when the doorbell rang. I was not alarmed, for it happened quite regularly that visitors came late- even half an hour or more.  Soon, however, it was clear that something was different.  The word “police” was whispered. Right away I had to think about the neighbors. Over the past few weeks we noticed how at the next-door apartment, the balcony doors were open as the neighbors seemed to enjoy the “fresh air”.  As we had lost our piano player, we liked to sing some praise songs with musical accompaniment of music tracks, and typically this would be fairly loud. Our friends had always enjoyed the singing!  Already I had wondered if we, perhaps, had gotten new neighbors, and if they could accept the Sunday morning music next door. The police might want to leave us in peace, but one complaint from neighbors would be enough to warrant their involvement, and then the law books would be opened!

One of the officers came inside to look into the room. He must have heard a foreigner, speaking English. Looking in, he noticed the presence of several foreigners: three Roman Catholic teachers joined us in the worship, and then there were the two of us.  Brother D went outside to talk with the officers, trying to convince them of our innocence, but the law was recited to him: (1) You may not rent a building for religious services*, and (2) Foreigners were not allowed to be involved in the teaching of religious services.  He returned inside to tell me that we had been instructed to immediately stop the meeting. Encouraged by God’s Word and Spirit I was reluctant to stop the message, but I did not want to bring trouble to our colleagues, so I gave him my passport and papers. One more time he returned, and so Marioka gave her passport too. Then the officers left, and we could continue our meeting. Some of us had been praying, but I had felt at peace and continued preaching, “Don’t be surprised, my brothers and sisters…”

*(I think, the law states that you may not rent out space to be used for religious services.)

A few days later we had a meeting with the unofficial core group. Brother D explained how the previous Sunday he had tried to pacify the officers with his answers. Oh, we just started a few months ago. It’s really English class, but we do discuss religious topics… ) Over the next weeks I tried to coach them in this way: ‘It may be wise at times to withhold some information or at least not to volunteer giving all kinds of facts, if it helps to protect each other. Nevertheless, it is essential that we do not twist the truth, for we must rely on God to guide and protect us, not on our skills of manipulation. Learn from the early church, as described in Acts, and trust in God!’

Upon our recommendation, we made the following arrangements. From then on we (as church planters and coordinators) would have an advisory role only; the actual decisions should be made by a steering group, consisting of two committed families, our evangelist and deacon.  Brother D was appointed as their chairman.  Although formally the evangelist had our trust and approval for teaching, upon their request I would continue to provide sermons, which they could expand on and translate.  For the coming three Sunday mornings we would meet at a local restaurant. (The owner was a Roman Catholic brother, who loved to help us without any payment.)  During that time, they should pray and work to find a new location for our meetings. We would only visit them once a month, perhaps at the end of the meeting for communion. On Wednesday nights we had our “Blackaby course”, where we would study the book “Experiencing God.” Our evangelist had suggested we study this book, as she had done at her (registered) church. Although we had assisted in the teaching and organization, from now on she would lead it by herself. This would allow us to focus on the Sunday message and the Sunday night discipleship course.

Brother D was invited by the local police department for an interview about our meetings. The officers first warned him not to get involved with foreigners; they should not be trusted. Then, they asked him how much money we had received, but D told them we had never asked for or received any money for our work. D insisted that ‘these foreigners’ had been very good and helpful all the time. The officers informed him that they were under instruction from the district office (which had received instructions from Beijing) to close all unregistered churches in town.  Then D was asked how we had paid for the apartment rent. The officers thought it quite strange when our Brother told them that we had an ‘offering box’; voluntarily people would put money in it to pay for regular expenses and to support a local foster home.  D was then urged that we stop meeting at this place; if we would refuse to do so, the apartment owner could lose her right to sell it. So we made arrangements to terminate our lease with Sister M, the owner, who lived in America.

The situation looked very bad. Yet, it seemed like another confirmation that our work in China was coming to an end. Nevertheless, we were concerned how our friends could continue.  After a few weeks, however, we could see the bright side of the problem. Until then our friends refused to take on new responsibilities in anticipation of our departure, but now they had little choice. The steering group took their task very seriously, and everyone took on a responsibility in the work. Brother T and his wife focused on prayer ministry, brother D. made the power points, while his wife (Sister H) selected the songs for the services.  Meanwhile, Brother Paul (from Canada) took over the English reading, while our evangelist became the worship coordinator and continued doing the Chinese translation of the message.  We realized that God had used the government interference to work for the good of Vineyard Fellowship. Praise to God for building his Church!

Report from China (1) On Discipline

As we become aware that we all too often still cling to (little) idols in our lives, it becomes more difficult to exercise church discipline. As our Lord warned us, “It’s far easier to see the splinter in another’s eye than the log in our own!”  Personally, culturally, and as a church denomination, we tend to create our own particular set of criteria for ‘Christian living’, thereby becoming ‘judges with evil thoughts’.  We especially came to realize this when we were put and kept under discipline on the charge of heresy. 

In China, we had a strong awareness of cultural differences. Even though the main idols were the same as “at home”, yet Christians seemed to operate with a somewhat different set of criteria. Also, our gatherings seemed to have a great diversity of people regarding their spiritual state. A few regulars had been Christian believers for ten years or more, while many others had more recently converted. Then there were serious seekers as well as curious types, and finally we had one young woman, who was determined not to accept the Gospel. Since we had no official membership, it seemed difficult -if not plain wrong- to set strict criteria for all to adhere to. Although we always had a clear warning for attending the Communion, and although we tried to have a serious examination before administering baptism, real church discipline was mostly restricted to the preaching. Personal confrontation about lifestyle practices happened more informally by our Chinese partners and only formally with us where it involved leaders appointed in the church.

While trying to be considerate of cultural differences, I always endeavored not to water down the apostolic teaching, also where it relates to godly living. Nevertheless, I believe we have to be careful not to create a culture of peer pressure where certain dos and don’ts are (formally or informally) enforced. So easily this results in a subculture that is driven by wrong motivations. What good is it if people follow a prescribed lifestyle in order to win or keep the approval of their family or friends or church community? For good or for bad, we should not be ‘pleasers of men’ but rather to seek out how to please God in genuine personal thankfulness for his amazing grace!

Early 2014 we already told our Chinese co-workers that we would leave the ministry in the summer of 2015. During the fall and winter of last year it finally dawned on the group that big changes were on the way. At that time we had -besides ourselves (as church planting couple and coordinators)- three female co-workers: one evangelist and two deacons. Earlier we had a male elder, but he left us with his wife when we had to ask some serious questions regarding attitudes and lifestyle.

During the winter, the question on everybody’s mind was: ‘What will happen when we lose the planters and our teaching pastor?’  Over time I had the sense that the preaching did not get through to some of the regular attenders. Behind the surface of nice and friendly folk, there was at time, for instance, a strong yearning among the single and divorced women to find a foreign partner. In this yearning, as I once suggested in the sermon, there seemed to be more desire to be sexy than to be godly. When it became clear how this idolatry was promoted in a certain group of friends, I became quite sad and disappointed. I sensed that God was telling us, “Look, if we are willing to be transformed by God’s Word and Spirit, and get rid of our idols in our lives, then God will bless this congregation, even when the leaders leave. On the other hand, if we refuse to do this, and we cling to our idols, our church will become weaker, and soon it will fall apart.”

Even when I made it clear that this ought to be a matter of real concern, one of the deacons, Sister G, seemed unresponsive to the preaching. When I, almost accidentally, found her Facebook page, I was deeply grieved. Apparently, the only Christian she had invited as a ‘friend’ was an American brother, who had contact with a lot of foreigners (due to his job in the local entertainment industry). Besides him and his Chinese wife, there was a long list of foreigners, almost all guys and most of them quite obviously not Christians.

After a number of weeks the time was finally right to confront Sister G on this issue. After our Sunday meeting, I stopped her for a chat. Only Marioka and our evangelist were present when I talked to her.  For a few minutes she maintained that her Facebook page was inactive and she no longer cared about maintaining it. When I made some suggestions to stop it and to start a new life, she flew into a rage: it was none of our business what she did in her private life. I warned her that we could not have a church leader, who would privately follow worldly desires. Sister G walked out on us and never returned to any of our meetings.

Although it’s always saddening when people seem to harden themselves and walk away, soon afterwards, we actually felt the church was strengthened and renewed. It also produced another –perhaps unforeseen- blessing. The deacon who had left had on several occasions pushed her personal position in a leadership discussion. For instance, when our Chinese co-workers had an open discussion about switching to a more clear and contemporary Chinese Bible translation, this deacon had vetoed the discussion. Without further listening to others, she insisted we should continue with the old translation. At that time I had decided not to pursue this issue. I would rather continue using an older translation than risking a split among the leadership.  Later we realized that her departure helped to build a stronger leadership that would not so easily be challenged by unnecessary conflicts.

Soli Deo Gloria

Continental Transition: Status Update

The last half year have been extra hectic, as we were wrapping up our eight year stay in China.

Regarding the series on "practical theology", I really wanted to tackle the topics of "The New Perspective on Paul". Yet, the related topics were too diverse, time was too short, and the available resources (in China) insufficient. Time permitting, I like to work on that in the nearby future.

Next month we plan to move to The Netherlands.
We like to be of assistance for my aging parents, and I got a senior Math teaching job.
It will take some time to understand and assess the current options for our church affiliation there.
Also, we hope to be involved in (English language?) ministry...

Since I have just written a short series of stories from our last half year in China, I will post them here.
If you want to reply, you can e-mail me at: aize.smit@gmail.com

God bless you!

Anticipating the Harvest (Palm Sunday, 2015)

Reading One:                         John 3: 31 - 4: 16      Revelation at the well, Sychar @ Samaria

John the Baptizer has just given his testimony about the Son, who was sent to earth by the Heavenly Father. Through Him, God gives the Spirit without limit. Whoever believes in Christ will receive life, while those who reject Him will remain in the wrath of God.

It was not until this year that I realized how the evangelist John has as one major theme: the coming Spirit and the associated world-wide expansion of the Kingdom. No wonder that this Gospel also includes an extensive account of Jesus’ teaching on the Holy Spirit (chapters 14-16).  As we will see in a few examples, John recognizes how Jesus Himself keeps looking beyond the cross to the great harvest from all tribes and nations.

Perhaps John’s choice of words (highlighted in bold print above) at the end of chapter 3 may serve as his introduction to Jesus’ ministry to the Samaritans as recorded in chapter 4.

After a long walk, Jesus sits down at Jacob’s Well in Samaria while his students are going into town to buy some food.  Although Jesus is thirsty and hungry, He is actually more concerned with the spiritual hunger and thirst of the people here, even though they are Samaritans.  (Remember that the Samaritans had been moved into the Jewish land during the exile, and that they were taught from the Torah, the teachings of Moses.  Yet, the Jews hated them for sharing the Promised Land, and had no respect for their limited knowledge and understanding of the Law of God.)

So, when one of the local women comes to the well, Jesus approaches her and asks her for a drink.  He uses this opportunity to share with her and her people the Good News. The Messiah has come, even to Samaria, to bring life.  The promise of the Holy Spirit (the ‘Living Water’) is no longer just for Abraham’s offspring; it is also for Samaritans and other Gentiles!  The times are changing- soon Jerusalem will no longer be the centre of true worship as the Gospel spreads to all the nations!

Reading Two:             John 7: 25-44                        Revelation at the Shelterfest, Jerusalem

Jerusalem:      Already Jesus seems to be “the talk of the town”.  Throughout John’s account, we hear this question, “Who is this man?” While the Samaritans at Sychar had accepted Jesus’ claim that He was the Messiah, the Jews at Jerusalem continue to have discussions and debates on this question.  The religious leaders are trying hard to dismiss the suggestion that Jesus is the Christ (Christ = Messiah), using pressure tactics to prevent the people to follow Him. 

Shelterfest:    It is Sukkot, the festival of shelters. People from all over the map have gathered in Jerusalem, where families are camping for the week in simple shelters made from branches and twigs.  They remember the desert journey, after they had been delivered from Egypt on the way to the Promised Land.  Now, they may have comfortable homes, but during this week they remember that their land is under Roman occupation, and although they have returned from exile, the Kingdom has not yet been restored.  Sukkot is the week-long feast at the end of the harvest season. It is a feast of great joy and high expectations. After the worshipers enter the temple building, they hear the reading of the Hallel (Psalms 113 – 118), and near the end they shake their lulavs (the bundle of green they have brought). 

²⁵ (Hoshannah!) Lord, save us!  Lord, grant us success!

²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.
²⁷ The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession

up to the horns of the altar.

²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise you;
    you are my God, and I will exalt you.

²⁹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

And then, after reciting Solomon’s prayer for the winter rains (to bless next year’s harvest), there is the climax of the feast: the pouring of the living water. Jewish leaders have called this event, “the greatest expression of Jewish’ joy!”  One of the priests will go down to the Pool of Siloam to fetch a pitcher of living water. On the last day he will go around the altar seven times (while the lulavs are being shaken and Hoshannahs are shouted), before pouring the water from the golden pitcher into the silver bowl.  At that time the crowd is silent: all eyes are on the priest to see the pouring of the water!

Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

What is the self-revelation that Jesus is making? 

I think we can discern several aspects:

1          Come to me!  It’s not the temple or the priests, which are the way to God!

            I am the temple; I am the priest, for I came to sacrifice myself as Lamb of God.

Soon it will be done with sacrificing lambs at the temple of Jerusalem, for Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, had come to take away the sins of the world.

2          I have come to lead you back to God!  This is one of the two expectations for Messiah: to be a spiritual leader, bringing spiritual reformation.  Many recognized this and replied: “He is the promised Prophet!”

3          In the context of Psalm 118 (the hope of restoration of the Kingdom of God) and the prayer of Solomon (David’s Son: the Prince of Peace), as well as the constant shouts “Hoshannah” (Lord, set us free!), there must have been a high expectation, for the Messiah would be the promised Son of David, the King who would restore the Kingdom!

4          The Messiah would not just be king over Israel, but king over the nations!  Again, Jesus exclaims that anyone may come to Him to receive the water of life.  Again, we can look towards the harvest, the feast of First Fruits, next year’s Pentecost, for –as John explains- Jesus is referring to the Holy Spirit, who will be poured out on all nations!

Reading Three:          John 12: 12-32          The Hour of Glorification has come

This Sunday is Palm Sunday. Churches over the whole world are remembering how Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah and the Promised Son of David. Even the disciples did not fully understand the event, but the anticipation of the Messiah and the not so distant revelation at the temple must have triggered a quick response.

Did they not shout “Hoshannah, Save us Lord” when this prophet from Galilee stood up to introduce Himself as Savior?  Meanwhile the rumor had spread that this man could even raise the dead (Lazarus @ Bethany)!

So, when people hear of Jesus riding into town, they take palm branches to give him a royal welcome!  And, by fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy, Jesus shows again that he has indeed come as the Messiah, to be their Savior-King!

And, what happens at the end of the parade? For many followers, it may have been a disappointment. And this disappointment will have gotten worse during the following week, for he was not the conquering hero that they hoped for, but a servant, who willingly went to his horrid death, as a sheep goes to the slaughter!  His kingdom was not of this world, and His followers were not to use the sword.

And yet, John shows us another perspective!

The Pharisees exclaim that, “The whole world has gone after him!”

And John shows how some Greeks now want to meet with Jesus.

The disciples seem to think it inconvenient, but Jesus gets excited.

It helps him to look beyond this week of suffering and focus on the harvest!

It empowers Him to go on with the way of ultimate suffering and humiliation so that the Kingdom may be built.  Yes, He will be the precious grain that must die so that the whole world may bear a mighty harvest to the glory of God!

Today

Thank God, Jesus came to accept ridicule and shame, torture and murder to see God’s Kingdom restored.

Thank God that God used the Son of Abraham to extend his blessings to all nations, even to us, and that He promised his Holy Spirit to all people groups!

Thank God that we may know that Jesus lives, and that –by His Spirit- he wants to live in us to keep us close to Father-God.

May His Spirit work in all of us and our loved ones to bring many to welcome Jesus into their hearts and accept him as their Savior-King!

May we be prepared to follow Jesus, even –if that might please Him- to serve him through suffering and death!

May we be encouraged to look at Christ and the apostles, who were not afraid to suffer and to die, as they looked beyond the suffering to see His Kingdom come and to share in the glory of our Lord.

May we always remember that we are (called to be) temples of God, called to dedicate our lives to His service, to worship Him in the communion of saints, and to be his witnesses of truth and love in the communities in which we live and work.

May we share in the excitement to see people from all kinds of people groups interested to discover their identity as children of God and their purpose of serving Him and living in His blessed company- forever!

Amen

Sex and Marriage

While I was a teenager my father took me a couple of times into his study to give me some personal guidance about sex.  He basically warned me to use my developing sexuality only in the context of marriage. These must have been the tensest and most awkward talks we ever had, for him probably just as much as for me.  In the end he gave me a booklet to read. It did not explain to me how it all was supposed to work; such books were in the public library. And because these were ‘dirty books’, I was not allowed to visit the public children’s library.

Some twenty five years later, as a married man, I had to teach about the science of human reproduction, first in Christian high school, and later in a public high school. Yet, it was still very awkward for me to talk with my own children about these things, especially about the moral side of it.  Somehow the old stigmas and taboos came back to mind, even while I tried to be relaxed about it. 

Because it was a cultural-religious taboo, there was little or no public discussion on these issues. At the time I was trying to form a biblical perspective on issues in geography and science. So, I wrote some articles on related topics for the magazine “Reformed Perspective”. When I came to the topic of birth control, however, there was some serious hesitation among the editorial committee. It was the first time somebody publicly wrote about the use of condoms.

I am concerned that the silence of the churches and their leaders has not helped to safeguard a culture of sexual purity but rather it allowed much sexual impurity to come in through the back door.  When the young people began to do the things young people do, it was often hushed up as private sin, which the church should not deal with. Some couples, who were not successful in hiding their sinful acts, were paraded as shameful examples of sinful living.  Yet, I wonder now: was it not unfair or even hypocritical to discipline members after they have committed sins if the church did not first give clear public and private guidance and instruction in these matters?  In my upbringing, sexuality was never openly discussed in meetings of church leaders with parents of teenagers or meetings of church leaders with the teenagers themselves.  Sure, it was supposed to be obvious that premarital sex was sinful, but the rationale was rarely explained or discussed.  (I remember about fifteen years ago how I heard a senior pastor preach on Matthew 1, where the only application seemed to be, “See, we ought not to have sex before marriage.”  Although I agreed with the statement, I was appalled by the outrageous reductionism of this amazing chapter!) And because these things are often still not openly discussed, young people in love tend to just look around to see what their friends are doing and other young people in the church are getting away with.  The elders and parents may guess that ‘something wrong is going on’; meanwhile the youth has decided already what is right for them.

While I was student at (a Christian) teachers’ college, I was looking into these issues. Most of the young people in the church seemed to use the church’s teaching to set restrictions in their lives; “the law” tells us which things are unlawful for us.  Meanwhile, evangelical youth were taught to ask, “In what way can I best serve and please my God?”  It seemed to me and others in my church that the Bible’s “Song of Solomon” was not condemning the idea of running off with a lover- ‘to make love’.  In fact, at that time I understood our Bible teacher to agree that the Bible does not forbid premarital sex (as long as they get married afterwards).  One or two years later, when I lived on my own as a Christian school teacher, my family doctor encouraged me to have sex with my girl friend. When I told him I was a Christian, he replied, “There are so many traumas among young people like you.  I am telling you (as medical expert) to relax and enjoy sex.” I was shocked to get immorality as a medical prescription. I don’t think I seriously considered his advice.  That does not mean that there was no sexual desire which I had to struggle with, but I knew that my friends and closest community would frown upon ‘such loose morals and this helped me to resist temptations in this area.

I am very grateful that I did not heed my doctor’s advice, for God did not intend me to continue the relationship with my girl friend at that time.  So, when He presented to me the bride of His own choosing, Marioka, I could accept her without a tainted past.  Looking back, it is very clear that God orchestrated this new relationship and had protected my purity for it.  When we agreed to pursue a relationship towards marriage, we promised each other not to have sex until our marriage would be consummated.  So, when a few times our intimacy became too strong, we would remind each other of the agreement we had made. Also, when we went together on a trip to western Canada, we took the necessary precautions, so we each brought and used our own tent.

When the day came that we requested our pastor to marry us, he told us he had to ask whether or not we “had slept together”. We could tell him without reservation that we had not.  As far as I remember this was the first time an elder openly asked us about it.  Later I thought: this was wrong.  If the elders were really serious about godly living among the couples in the church, they should have had a meeting with us early on.  Yet, then I wonder: is it possible for a church to guard the purity of their young people without become legalistic and promoting hypocrisy?

About seven years into our marriage I was at a staff Christmas party where I got as present a copy of Keith Green’s biography (No Compromise).  I read it, and I loved it. It finally gave me an intimate look into the walk and talk of evangelical Christians.  Many things appealed to me. Among other things, I was happily surprised to see that Keith, after he became a Christian, decided to move out of his girlfriend’s apartment. At first she thought it was a crazy idea, but Keith told her that God had put it on his heart to marry before they would sleep together again. This amazed me! Keith -as a newborn Christian- had a clear sense of God’s will in holy living while most young people in our church seemed to challenge their leaders and teachers to prove to them that God forbids premarital sex.  Another seven years later we were attending a (Reformed) Baptist church. Here, the teaching was very clear and public: God condemns unholy living of this kind. The pastor told me that when young people challenged him on this point, he would not argue from biblical proof texts but rely on the work of the Spirit.  “Look, if you really seek to do God’s will (rather on insisting to follow your own desire), then go to three most godly people you know, and ask them for advice. Then, without further protestation, you do what they suggest!”

The sad thing is that, whether you’re in Europe or in North America, most churches seem to be silent on the topic. In other words, they do not give any real guidance or direction to their young people. In many churches it is seen as ‘lost ground’, which could never be regained without losing many members.  And in many or most churches, they love to have revival, but not at the cost of seeing more people leave the church.  A few years ago, we had a young woman in our church (in China), Shelley, who publicly announced that unless and after God would provide her with a godly partner in marriage, she would refrain from any sexual activity. I really admire this young woman; without any public support and against her culture, family, and peer pressure, she is committed to follow Christ in every aspect of her life. A Canadian colleague, who regularly visited our church, shared with us her disappointment that, in her efforts for pure living, churches rarely offered any encouragement or support.  So, I wondered, why can we not have a Promise Keepers movement among Christian young people to offer mutual support for those who want to follow Christ all the way and need our encouragement to do so?

Five years ago, a Philippine church planter here in China talked to me about these issues. This was just after they had lost a leader who had gotten pregnant by an unbelieving boy friend.  When I suggested that the Bible does not give clear instructions on premarital sex, he vehemently disagreed. The Bible clearly condemns ‘porneia’, which means the surrendering of sexual purity outside of marriage.  So, after some time I did some research on the Internet and discovered that all but the most liberal critics agree on the meaning of the term.  How come I never learned this in our churches?

The term ‘porneia’ is one of the key terms to know about the Bible’s standard for sexual morality.  It is usually translated as ‘fornication’, but this is an archaic term; most (young) people would not really know its meaning.  The Bible forbids it, but what is the thing that is forbidden?  Part of the problem is that the term meant different things to different people groups at different times.  I found Kyle Harper’s research paper helpful as a guide.

“Porneia: The Making of a Christian Sexual Norm”, Kyle Harper, JBL 131, no. 2(2011): 363-383.

Originally the term referred to prostitution. In the Greco-Roman world it was used for any non-respectable woman, selling sex to make a living.  In that culture it was seen as something good as it satisfied an existing demand without endangering the respectable women in society. (Some scoffers use this original meaning to suggest that Paul only forbids explicit prostitution by women, selling their sexual services.)

After Jewish prophets frequently spoke (by God’s inspiration) of idolatry as spiritual porneia (Israel as God’s bride giving herself to other gods), Hebrew culture began to broaden the meaning of the term.  Although sex with slaves was still exempted, it now applied to all extra-marital sex, committed by females or by males.  And, during the second-temple-era (From the exile until Paul’s death), the literature shows that the term was further broadened to include sex with slaves.

This is the context in which Paul writes. Therefore it makes sense that he advised those who struggled with sexual desires to get married!  In the surrounding Greco-Roman culture the typical advice would have been, “If you have sexual desires, find yourself a prostitute!”

The sad thing is that today the impression is given that only elderly stuck-in-the-mud conservatives still believe that sex outside marriage is condemned by God. But this is not the case! After we took the Alpha course, I read Nicky Gumbel’s book and I listened to the teaching of Nicky and Sila Lee. These Anglican leaders in contemporary ministry agree that sex before marriage is not according to the will of God!  Timothy Keller, who is very reluctant to defend mere traditions if they would hinder seekers to come and listen to the Gospel, makes no excuses either. He sees that the Bible requires us to live in covenant.  “The main condition of marriage is a binding covenant” and “sex is sacred because it constitutes a covenant renewal ceremony.”* Keller agrees that “porneia refers to any other sex other than sex with your own spouse. In other words, while adultery is always fornication, fornication includes premarital sex as well as extramarital sex or adultery.”  Furthermore, he argues that our sexual lifestyle has a direct relationship on what we believe about God.  Intimacy requires a complete whole-life commitment.  In one of his sermons, Keller reminds us that only in the most recent decennia in the enlightened western world have (some) churches stopped teaching that “God forbids extramarital sex”. Those who continue teaching this should not feel they are living at the margins of the church, for ‘the church of all times and places’ is in full agreement on this point!

What has triggered the radical shift in sexual morality, even in fairly conservative churches?

• Undoubtedly, the constant pressure of the secular entertainment industry played a role.  We have been bombarded by stories and images of extramarital sex, so that the Christian tradition suddenly looks alien and archaic. 
• Also, the public and governments’ views of marriage are shifting from the biblical definition (by including same-sex covenants), so that many may wonder what it really means in today’s world to get married.  Perhaps we should begin to think of marriage primarily as a covenant made before the Lord and our Christian community, and not in the first place as an administrative act before the government. Could we thereby lower the threshold of marriage for young couples while increasing its significance? 
• As mentioned earlier, the reluctance of the churches to build a clear case and set a public standard created the situation that allowed this shift to happen. This suggests: we need a reformation!
• Also, the new hermeneutic will be used to relativize the teachings of Paul.  At first glance we might think that Harper also uses extra-biblical sources to find out what Paul is saying, but in this case there is no redefining of Paul’s terms, but rather a confirmation of what the church has always taught!
• Finally, many or most parents refuse to maintain strict guidelines about ‘living in sin’ if it affects their own children. So, the typical response I get about this issue and the issue of Christian young people living with unbelievers is, “Ah, but you must try to understand the youth today!”  This suggests that we must listen to their emotional arguments to move the God-given boundaries.  Apparently, many see it as more important to maintain the peace with our children than to please our Father-God! 

 I would like to call on the churches return to biblical norms; if we do this, we would probably witness true revival where we can see and experience God’s power in a new and greater way!

*The Gospel and Sex, by Tim Keller

http://www.christ2rculture.com/resources/Ministry-Blog/The-Gospel-and-Sex-by-Tim-Keller.pdf