Paul and Peter Mixed up?

I just realised that having had my research focusing on the Apostle Paul for the past few years has, in some ways, conditioned me to think in certain pattern.

I was preparing for my sermon tomorrow, and the text that I would be preaching from is taken from 1 Peter 4:7-11. While scripting my sermon, I kept using the phrase, "Paul says" instead of "Peter says..." several times. It became so naturally for me to say, "Paul argues..."; "Paul suggests..."; and "Paul exhorts..." when it should rightly be "Peter argues...Peter suggests...Peter exhorts..."

My goodness....is this a good or bad sign?

Theologian Kwame Bediako Dies

I have just received news that African theologian Kwame Bediako passed away this week. Kwame was a key player in the African theology movement.

Chris Wright, International Director of the Langham Partnership International (John Stott Ministries in the US), has written a tribute to Bediako that is posted on the Zondervan blog. The tribute also features a recent video clip of Bediako preaching at Zondervan's chapel in May 2008 on the topic of "Understanding the unity of the Church." There is also a link to the Africa Bible Commentary, for which Bediako was one of the three theological advisers.

Back from Banting: Part 2

As mentioned in my earlier post, I was in Banting last weekend, teaching in the Banting Chinese Methodist Church. I thought that it would also be good for me to test out my new mobile phone by taking some shots (I lost my mobile phone last year while preaching in a church - I left my phone on the pew while I was preaching, and it was gone after the sermon! And it took me more than 6 months to get my new phone.)

I was very encouraged by the ministry of Banting Chinese Methodist Church. It has a very strong children ministry, with an average attendance of more than 200 children every week. Considering that the church has an average adult congregation of 130, the strength of the children ministry is very impressive indeed. The church reaches out to the neighbourhood by carrying out Sunday schools in 3 different locations in the neighbouring villages. This has become an important outreach where a large number of the children come from families who are not believers.

One of the classes from the Sunday School having a good time

Another area that strikes me is the balanced number of different age groups in the congregation. This church has a fairly good number of youths and young adults in addition to those in the 30s, 40s, and 50s and above. In Malaysia, as a result of the large migration to large urban centres, it is difficult to see vibrant youth and young adult ministries in some of the secondary towns in the various states in Malaysia. But not in Banting. With a strong children ministry, and the balanced number of different age groups in the congregation, I am very confident of the tremendous potential of the church, and I pray for the continuous growth and ministry of this church in the locality. May you be a shining beacon for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

After from church ministry, the Pastor-in-charge took me around Banting. It was a great afternoon to go away and to visit some of the highlights of Banting. I took some shots of the newly opened Impiana Resort at Morib Beach. I think I am very impressed with both the resort and my new mobile camera....

A very tiring, but fulfilling weekend indeed.

Back From Banting: Part 1

In my last post, I mentioned about my struggles in preparing for my sermon that I was to preach at the Banting Chinese Methodist Church yesterday. Perhaps it is a good thing that I did not manage to read Steven's comments on the Rites for Speakers without a Sermon in my previous post before I left for Banting, else I might just do what he suggested.

Thanks to all who encouraged and prayed for me.

I had a good time over the weekend in Banting. I was invited to do a series of teaching in the Chinese Methodist Church, a bilingual church in the heart of the town of Banting. The topic that was given for me was Biblical Sacrifices and Offerings.

I must confess I was a bit apprehensive at the beginning, as I would be dealing with an area that is beyond my specialisation - Old Testament. (This makes me wonder whether specialisation in theological education is a good thing after all...anyway, this is another topic for a another post for another time....)

But as I reflected on this topic, this is not really an OT topic. It is as much an NT topic as well. In order for one to adequately deal with such a topic, it requires sufficient knowledge spanning both the testaments (hmmm...perhaps like what Tony Siew said, one would need to have a good grasp of OT first before embarking on NT Studies....).

As such, I decided to structure my 3 teaching sessions over the weekend based on the theme of "Jesus: The Lamb of God."

I began my first session on Saturday evening (April 26) by considering the declaration of John the Baptist: Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:26). Then I moved on to consider Jesus, the Lamb who redeems us from slavery (1 Peter 1:18-19). In this session, I demonstrated that the idea of Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away sins and as the Lamb who redeems us is rooted in the OT sacrificial system, and how Jesus is the final fulfillment of the OT sacrifices for sins. The emphasis in the first session is what Jesus has done for us as individuals.

In the Sunday (April 27) sermon, I spoke from Romans 12:1-2 on the topic: "Can a Sacrifice be Living?" giving emphasis that our appropriate response to God's bountiful mercies for us is to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to the Lord. I paid special attention to the notion of living sacrifices, and not, dying sacrifices. The emphasis in the sermon is how we should respond as individuals to the mercies of God.

Then on the final session on Sunday evening, I turned our attention to Jesus, the Passover Lamb that has been sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7). I made some parallels how the early church perceived Jesus to be the Passover Lamb with reference to the first Passover celebrated by the Israelites in Exodus 12, and how the institution of the Lord's Supper has taken a new meaning for us today by considering some of the background and problems in the Corinthians church (1 Corinthians 11:17-34). The emphasis in this final session is how, as a church, the body of Christ, we are to respond to God's mercies.

Despite my struggles in preparing for the sermon and the sessions, I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed spending my time with the church. I hope that they too, would have found the sessions beneficial for their spiritual growth.

Lord, have mercy....

Still No Sermon....

It's Friday midnight, and I am still struggling with my sermon for this Sunday. Somehow, I just don't seem to be able to pull the sermon together.

I am feeling a bit desperate now. As I will be preaching in a bilingual service, I will need to forward my sermon script to the church before daybreak so that the person who will be interpreting for me would have sufficient time to prepare himself.

In times like this, I feel like doing what the following cartoon depicts....

Good Friday Service at PJGH

Good Friday has just passed. I had a tiring day preparing for the sermon that I had just preached in the Good Friday Evening Service at Petaling Jaya Gospel Hall. The sermon was an expansion of a devotional article I wrote for Asian Reflections 2008. I find that preparing for a sermon always turns out to be a spiritual exercise for me. This Good Friday's sermon was not an exception - it was a good reminder for me too.

Petaling Jaya Gospel Hall, Jalan Gasing

Text: John 18:15-27
Title: Do We Hear the Rooster Crow?

“…and at that moment a rooster began to crow.” (John 18:27)

The story of Peter’s denial is carefully crafted in the Fourth Gospel. Jesus’ interrogation by the High Priest (18:19-24) is sandwiched between the two accounts of Peter’s denial of Jesus (19:15-18; 25-27). This structure highlights the bold response of Jesus by contrasting Peter’s cowardly denial. Jesus’ bold response, sets in the context of his impending crucifixion and death, demonstrates the cost of courage while Peter’s denial illustrates the emptiness of his earlier boasting (13:37-38. Cf. Mark 14: 29-31; Matt 26:33-35; Luke 22:33-34). Jesus affirms his own identity in defence of his disciples (cf. 18:8) while Peter denies his own identity as Jesus’ disciples in defence of himself. Jesus confronts his interrogators denying nothing, and Peter falters, denying everything.

Peter probably did not realise his own human failures in denying his master three times – at least not until he heard the rooster crow. “And at that moment the rooster crow” (18:27) signifies a defining moment for Peter. He suddenly realised who he really was and discovered something he knew that he should not do.

How many of us have never done something we knew we should never do? Or perhaps we have been justifying ourselves in doing those things we know are contrary to God’s holy scriptures, moral values, character and integrity? Remember, we can also be like Peter as we are drawn step by step into deeper compromise of our faith until our confession is nothing but a continuous denial of our Lord. In times like this, by the grace and mercy of God, we need to hear the rooster crow. We need those defining moments in our lives to remind us how far fallen we have been from our walk with the Lord and how we need to refresh and renew ourselves once again in our service for God.

Remember, Peter’s denials and failures do not place him in the realm of beyond redemption, for we see later in John 21, Peter is restored and recommissioned by the Lord. But the most important thing is this: Do we hear the rooster crow?

He Came, He Spoke, He Left

"He came, he spoke, he left." That's the three line novel Alex Tang has for me.

Alex posted an interesting entry on composing three lines novel. So I commented that for a talkative person like me, "it would be very difficult to do a 3 lines novel...but perhaps I should try it once for my sermon." And in reply, this is what I got from Alex: "He came, he spoke, he left."

Hmmm....I have to think hard since I normally complain about sermons that are over 45 minutes in length. For me, a good length sermon should preferably not exceed 35 minutes (well, I know some may dispute this. Some prefer a longer sermon, some shorter).

Perhaps a three lines sermon would be a nice change....I know for sure that my colleague in charge of AV will be very pleased with this.

He came
He spoke
He left....

And so the pastor of the church said, "And we will never invite him back to our pulpit again."

STM Chapel: "I Am Not The Christ"

In response to my earlier post on "Strange Fire on Defiled Altar" and the Rabbi's post on "The Higher You Go, The Harder You Fall," I thought that it might be good for me to blog about the sharing I gave in last week's STM Tuesday Chapel. It was the final week of the semester where I had the privilege to share with the STM community, particularly the graduating students, for the last time this year. I think we have much to learn from John the Baptist.

--------------

STM Tuesday Chapel - Sermon Transcript
October 2, 2007
Topic: I Am Not the Christ
Text: John 1:19-28; 3:22-30

If you have been following our Rabbi’s blog, you might be interested in his recent post titled “The Higher You Go, The Harder You Fall.” Rabbi's post highlights the rise and fall of many prominent Pentecostal preachers in recent months. This kind of news is hardly anything new. Over the years, the Christian church has witnessed numerous scandals of prominent preachers. These scandals range from sexual abuse, sexual immorality to financial mismanagement.

I have always pondered as to why there could be so many scandals in the Christian Church. After all, aren't we supposed to the salt and light of the world? Whatever happened to this calling of ours? Instead, our very behaviour informs the world that we are in fact no different from them. Somehow, I always suspect that many of these ministers/preachers caught in these scandals think that they can get away even when their scandals are exposed. Perhaps they think that their sins will not be discovered. Perhaps they think that the church would exercise more grace in the event that their embarrassments are revealed. But above all, I strongly suspect that these people think they are invincible, above the law, and perhaps they are next to God. As such, they have all the authority to do whatever their fleshly desires lead them. After all, who dares to touch the Lord's anointed?

But before we point our finger at others, let us admit that none of us is ever exempted from these scandals. Let us not make the mistake that we too are free from the temptation of the flesh, the lure of power and authority, and the quest for fame, fortune and success. If are not careful, we can fall into any one of these traps - be it sexual immorality or financial misappropriation. This is where our reflection takes us to John the Baptist.

In our first reading earlier on, we see that John is a popular figure (John 1:19-28). As a result of his popularity, the religious leaders from Jerusalem send a delegation to investigate John. This results in a series of Q & As. The first question the delegation asks is this: “Who are you?”

John answers, “I am not the Christ.”

Then comes the next question, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?"

He said, "I am not."

"Are you the Prophet?"

He answered, "No."

This delegation is now getting anxious and concerned. They are not getting anything from John. He is not the Messiah, he is not Elijah, and he is not the Prophet. Who, then, is he? And so they press John, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, `Make straight the way for the Lord.' "

Here we see a man who virtually refuses to dwell on himself. His clearly understands that his ministry is to magnify the coming Messiah, the Christ. He knows he cannot do so by talking about himself. He can only repeatedly said, “I am not the Christ.”

I really like this confession. This is the earliest Christian confession. And in many ways, I think this confession is better than the Heidelberg Catechism, the Apostle Creed, or Nicene Creed. And let me also suggest that this is perhaps the most important confession that we as ministers and future ministers of the gospel need to believe in firmly and strongly. Let us take to heart the confession of John the Baptist: “I am not the Christ. He must increase, and I must decrease.”

Let me also go further to suggest that this is one confession that will also protect us in our ministry so that we will not fall into the trap of sexual immorality, financial mismanagement and the temptation to compromise the truth of the gospel in our quest for fame, fortune and success. Let us be reminded that we are not the Christ. Jesus is the one that will build the church, not us. Jesus is the one that will be magnified, not us. Let us be reminded that we cannot draw people to ourselves – we have to point others away from us so that we can point them to Christ. This is where we can learn from John.

One day, some of John’s disciples came to him and said, "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan--the one you testified about--well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him." (John 3:22-30). Well, after Jesus begins his ministry, many of John’s disciples abandon him and decide to follow Jesus. Those who are loyal to John begin to lodge their protest: "Master, don’t you care that you are loosing ground – your grassroots are switching camp."

John responds, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, `I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less."

What an answer. What a beautiful reply from John the Baptist. Here is a man who knows the purpose of his ministry and mission in life - to point others away from him so that he could point them to Christ. It does not matter if his followers decide to switch camp to follow after Jesus. After all, that is his purpose - to point others to the coming Messiah. Let us also learn that our ministry is not to draw people to us. Instead, our ministry is to point others to the soon coming King.

Allow me to close with this illustration in which I will dramatise a little bit the image that John uses in his reply to his disciples. Some of you know it very well, but some of you will probably have to use your imagination a little bit. In every wedding, if you are the best man, you know you are the best man for the job when you know that you are not the groom, but just a best man. Just imagine that in this particular wedding where you are the best man. Here you are, standing in front of the sanctuary with the groom. The anxiously awaited moment has arrived, and the bride is now marching in towards the front of the sanctuary. All eyes are now on the beautiful bride, and the groom is getting all excited. In fact, he’s getting a little nervous. He could feel his heart palpitating, and his palms are getting all sweaty. And his eyes are all on his bride. But as she marches closer, the groom suddenly realises that something is just now right – just as he fixes his gaze on her, he realises that her eyes are just off centre. She is looking not toward him but elsewhere, to the best man that stands beside him. As he turns to look at the best man, he notices that the best man is playing eyes signal with her and the bride is responding to the best man. Now if you were the groom how would you have felt?

Friends, if we want to man and woman that God uses and one that remains faithful to him, don’t we dare to compete with the affection of the bride. Don’t we dare to be playing eyes with the bride and to cause her to fall in love with us. Don’t rob the attention of the bride to ourselves. Remember, friends, when the bride comes in, this is the hour for the bridegroom, and this is precisely where we fade away.

And this is the very confession of John: “I am not the Christ, he must increase and I must decrease.”

May this be so in our lives.

Postscript to My Sermon: What Story Are You Telling?

A number of friends have asked me about my sermon that I preached last Sunday (see my earlier post, My Sermon: What Story Are You Telling?). Thanks to all who encouraged me.

It's difficult for me to share about my sermon. But based on the feedback and comments received, I think the congregation was blessed by the sketch. It seems to me that having the sketch in the middle of the sermon did create an impact - because it was totally unexpected and it surprised everyone. As a result, the main message of the sermon was powerfully communicated.

The sketch went very well. Both Ruth and Ewe Jin did a fantastic job. Both of them have recorded their reflections on the sketch. Do read what Ruth and Ewe Jin have to say about their experience. The script for the sketch can also be found in Ruth's blog.

I hope that on Sunday, June 10 2007, the church has a different, refreshing, and meaningful worship experience.

p.s. - oh yes, I did receive one more comment - my sermon is getting shorter and shorter....! Hmmm..wonder whether is this good or bad?

My Sermon: What Story Are You Telling?

How does a theologian/biblical scholar preach a Sunday sermon? How does he/she prepare for a sermon? What about sentence diagram? Do we need to quote Greek text, or provide our translation if we disagree with the translation of the pew Bible? These are some of the questions I have been repeatedly asked. In addition, I think it was one of my students who also asked me whether textual criticism should be included in a sermon.

I've decided that perhaps I'd share some of my joy and struggles in preparing for my sermon this coming Sunday, June 10, 2007.

I must confess that for me, preaching does not come easily, and it is something that I struggle with everytime I have to preach, and it is usually accompanied by sleepless nights. Unlike those who have the gift of communication who could preach without notes, this is one area I lack; and to overcome this, I found that the best way for me is to script out my sermon in its entirety - this way I will not be caught in a situation where I could be lost for words. Not to mention, I know for sure how long my sermon is going to take because we could easily get carried away in our sermon and we forget how fast time flies when we speak.

The text that I have chosen is Mark 5:1-20 on the narrative the healing of the demon-possessed man in the region of Gerasenes.

Of course with the help of BibleWorks, it makes the task of reading the Greek text a great joy! Several key elements in this narrative strike me:

1. This account signifies a turning point in Mark's gospel. Here, Jesus is now entering into a gentile territory.
2. The irony is that Jesus' ministry thus far up to Mark 4 has been met with conflict and rejection, although some welcome him (cf. the five conflict stories in mark 2:1-3:6); and it is in a gentile territory that a gentile is healed of his condition, and becomes the first evangelist to the gentiles.
3. In 5:3-5, all the verbs are in imperfect tense in describing the conditions of the demoniac man. This highlights the continuous pathetic circumstances surrounding the man, and the imperfect provides a very vivid picture of the situation the man is in.
4. In 5:6, the verbs change to aorist tense, describing the actions of the demoniac man in approaching Jesus
5. In 5:7, the verb is in present tense in describing the actions of the demoniac man crying out to Jesus
6. From 5:9-20, there is a constant change in the tenses - from imperfect to present and back to imperfect, and then aorist, imperfect, present and aorist. This is interesting. Why does the evangelist continue to switch the tenses? I suspect that this is to provide a very dramatic and vivid narrative of the event, highlighting emphasis, and at the same time contrasting the varied responses to the event of the healing of the demoniac man.
7. There are two versions of the eyewitness accounts recorded in this account on how the people reacted to Jesus' acts of healing and exorcism - the account of the pig farmers (5:14-16) and the account of the demoniac man (5:20)
8. Each of these eyewitness accounts results in opposing response to Jesus. Based on the account of the pig farmers, the people reject Jesus. However, based on the story of the healed demoniac man, people welcome Jesus (cf. the response of the people in Decapolis in 7:31-37 - could this be due to the testimony of the healed demoniac man as recorded in 5:20 that prepared for the subsequent visit of Jesus to the area?)

The are many other insights that I could list, but I thought for my sermon, I would focus on the BIG IDEA (a concept of preaching learned from my "sifu" - Haddon Robbinson) of the differing eyewitness accounts that result in opposing response to Jesus. To help me make the emphasis of this point, I turn to my good old friends to help me come out with a sketch - Chris, Ruth, and Ewe Jin. Chris will write the script, Ruth will play the role of Mrs Pig Farmer, and Ewe Jin Mr Demoniac. Both Ruth and Ewe Jin will tell stories of their encounter with Jesus - one focuses on her loss, the other his gain; one focuses on the negative and the other positive. But both have one thing in common - something are GONE in their lives - the pigs for Mrs Pig Farmer; and the chains for Mr Demoniac.

We have decided that the sketch will come on in the middle of the sermon - to give the congregation an unexpected "interruption" - after I give the historical background of the narrative. Then after the sketch, I will draw the sermon to a close with practical applications and implications for Christian living and discipleship - what story are we telling in our witness for Christ in a pluralistic context? Do our testimony, demonstrated through both our word and deed, result in people rejecting or accepting Jesus? Are we telling the story of how much the Lord has done for us, and how he has had mercy on us? (5:19)

As a seminary lecturer, my concern is not only faithful exegesis of the text, but also relevant application of the text in our contemporary setting. I am reminded that if I strive to be the best exegete of the text and yet fail to bring out its contemporary significance to the congregation, I fail as a preacher and teacher of the scripture. If I can be a very eloquent and persuasive preacher and yet fail to subject my life to the authority of the Bible, I not only a hypocrite but also one that brings dishonour to the One whom I am proclaiming. As such, every preaching engagement is a humbling process. It is a struggle. It comes with sleepless nights. But yet I can trust that every word of the Lord that is faithfully proclaimed will not return to him void. This is my prayer, hope, and joy.

So, now it's time for me to script out my sermon. Pray for me, and also for Chris, Ruth and Ewe Jin for the sketch.