For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).
♫Cause in a sky, cause in a sky full of stars, I think I saw yoooooou OOOU♫... ♫Cause you get lighter the more it gets dark♫...
That's basically been the #1 song that's been going
through my mind lately since I bought Coldplay's new album,Ghost Stories a couple
weeks ago.
I honestly don’t think it’s one of Coldplay’s greatest
albums, but “A Sky Full of Stars” is cool, catchy, and techy enough for me to
really enjoy it (especially at 2:48 when it goes like: tatatatatoom BAMBAMBAM
BABADABADAM), and I also really like the concept Chris writes about of his girl
being like a “sky full of stars,” who gets “lighter the more it gets dark.”
That’s cool because Philippians 2:15 says, in relation
to working out one’s own salvation in fear and trembling (or in other words producing
the works that are the natural overflow of it), that by doing them without
grumbling or arguing – then we will shine among a warped and crooked generation like stars in the sky.
That’s pretty awesome, because about stars – it’s like Chris Martin says – they just get lighter
the more it gets dark.
Stars are always there, they’re always present in the
sky, but it’s when it gets dark that we actually see them. So too, I think that
in our service towards Christ, there’s a lot of times that what we’re doing for
Him won’t even be noticed by most people, but as we continue to do it, and as
we do it with a good attitude – well, everything around us, all the sin and
corruption and malarkey in this world, it will all just pale by comparison.
Especially as we bring the gospel to more and more un-reached areas, the good
work of the Lord will just stand out in starker and starker contrast to
everything else.
Are our lives really different from the world around
us? Are we honestly making a difference? Are we really shining like stars in
the sky? The truth of the matter is that we are the light of the world. A
city on a hill cannot be hidden, and neither do people light a lamp and put it
under a bowl. In the same way, let’s let our light shine before others, that
they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven! (Matt. 5:14-16).
Picture of airplane 9M-MRO taken by a plane enthusiast
So whatever happened to Flight 370, no one knows.
And if you're looking for answers, none of the steps that have been taken to find the plane have led to any answers.
Every path has just left us chasing after.
Was it a freak accident? Was it a terrorist attack? Is it a conspiracy?
Somehow we just have to know. I mean we're willing to spend a quarter billion dollars just to find some sort of clue. Anything would be nice.
It's that feeling of losing 239 people who for many are friends and family members and not knowing how to move on. Of being frozen in time, and not knowing how to grieve because there's nothing on which to place the grief... On an accident which would result in sorrow? on a terrorist attack which would result in anger? or on a failure to follow correct safety procedures by mechanics, pilots, and/or air controllers which would result in a demand for compensation?
Either way, I would imagine that the pain of uncertainty is unbearable for those who are close to the friends or family members of those who were on the plane.
And then what happens if say a year or two goes by and then something turns up? What then? Something that you finally learn to leave unknown you all of a sudden have the chance of figuring out but maybe then you'd rather not. You'd rather not because what do you do with the answer? You just open up that wound again and the 3 questions you had to begin with now all of a sudden turn into 10?
I'm not saying that that's the right attitude, but I guess that even for me there's a couple things I've decided that I'd rather not figure out; and I think that the primary reason for that is because if I did - either way I can't do anything about the answer.
And I suspect that many of the disciples, especially Thomas, had some of the same issues going through their minds after Jesus died... And then when Thomas heard that he had risen - well what then? He was just supposed to take someone else's word for that and go on with his life without hearing from Jesus personally?
I think that Thomas needed to know for sure because perhaps he understood some of the implications involved in how he would have to live the rest of his life, if in fact Jesus was alive.
Remember that he was the one who said, ¨Let us also go that we may die with him¨ (John 11:16), when referring to the idea of going back to Judea with Jesus after Lazarus died.
Here we see a man that was ready to give everything to follow Jesus, and I suppose that Thomas knew it was possible for Jesus to rise again (because he saw Jesus raise Lazarus), but he needed that certainty to let him know that he had, just to know what to do next and to have the inspiration to do it.
Well, that command of what to do next was ultimately to go and preach throughout the whole world the things that Jesus had taught the disciples, and to baptize those who would came to faith in him in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19-20).
What we know of Thomas is that he actually did follow through with that. He went all the way to India in his obedience to fulfill the Great Commission, and I think that the diligence he had in doing so stemmed from the certainty he had of seeing Jesus and touching him in his side.
For me personally, I know that I´ve never seen Jesus face to face, but I still believe that he has risen from the dead and so that belief pushes me forward in my drive to make Him known.
I´m not like those who are left in oblivion without knowing the truth of what happened to their loved ones on flight 370. I´m like one of those who Jesus said was blessed because I have believed without having seen (John 20:29)... I´m not like one of those that shrinks back only to be destroyed, but rather I´m like one of those with the kind of confidence that will be richly rewarded. A confidence stemming from faith in the resurrected Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God (Hebrews 10:35-39).
skit we performed in the San Jose youth group back in 2010
Let's get real for a second.
Fact #1 - there is such a thing as right and wrong.
Fact #2 - we're all inconsistent in our lives in one way or another.
Fact #3 - judging is REALLY risky business.
Fact #4 - churches should be concerned with morality.
I fully believe that everything I just said in the above list is completely true, but with reference to fact #4, I find the question of how? to be super complex.
On the one hand, I explained in my last entry that we shouldn't teach "cheap grace"; and on the other hand, I know that if I'm trying to reach non-Christian young adults, or if I've already started a church with new believers who have somewhat "morally complicated lives"... well - let's just say that things can, and will probably (and actually most definitely) at some point get a little gnarly (or in most cases really gnarly).
So for starters, let me just say that there are two huge differences that need to be taken into account in this discussion: 1 - how we perceive and approach anyone outside the church, and 2 - how we work with and tenderly correct anyone within the church.
I honestly don't believe that it's worthwhile to tell everyone outside the church who is in sin that they need to change, or to try and make them understand that what they are doing is wrong, or to somehow disassociate ourselves with them because of their incorrect lifestyle. Rather, what we need to emphasize is that we've all failed and have been crippled by sin, and that because of it, life is really messed-up, but there's a remedy, and it has come in the person of Jesus Christ who actually really loves sinners, and with whom he not only associated with, but also found his whole life purpose in giving us the opportunity to be forgiven through his death, no matter what.
That's the main point that needs to be talked about with our friends (and even enemies) that aren't part of the church... or in other words, who aren't Christians.
Agreed?
I really hope so, because the idea of judging people who aren't in the faith, and telling them that who they are is wrong (or telling other Christian friends to stay away from them because they're wrong) - I don't know man - I mean doing so is liable to turn us into something like arrogant, irrelevant, judgmental, hypocrites (even though I do understand the danger in being 100% tolerant of everything, and becoming desensitized towards sin, as well as being overpowered by it).
But, what about for those who are a part of the church but are blatantly living in sin?
Well, let me give you a real-life, unfiltered, really-complicated situation:
The first guy I ever baptized in my life is a guy named Elkin.
I met Elkin while he was living with his girlfriend with whom he has a daughter, and sure enough - after hanging out with him for a while and studying the Bible together - he decided to put his trust in Christ.
I baptized him, because I view baptism as the symbol of salvation - that in Jesus we have died to our selves and been buried with Christ in his death and resurrected through him in his life... I didn't baptize him to say that he is morally perfect in every sense, and that he has his whole life together - but it is to say that he has been justified (legally declared perfect or righteous in God's sight because of Christ, irrespective of his good works or even his recurrent tendency towards sin), and that he's now a new creation.
That's what I was saying when I baptized him (or better said that's what he was saying as he got baptized), and yet here's the catch: now after 4 years have passed (and as he's matured, and grown in his knowledge of Christ, and brought other members of his extended family to the Lord); still, he has not officially gotten married to his girlfriend either by state or church standards (even though they do live together and their relationship has been flourishing a lot).
So that's really awkward because 1: he's a poor role model to young believers; 2: he's a bad testimony to unbelieving outsiders; and 3: he's a bad example to his daughter who may be inclined to think that a lifelong commitment before God, the state, and your friends and family members towards the person you love and desire to live with, is unnecessary.
And that's not all right.
It's not all right, and so the church needs to do something about it.
At the same time though, it's clear that his involvement in the church has benefited him, his family, and other members of the church significantly (including myself), and by 1: forcing him to get married we run the risk of embittering him and having him do something against his will; by 2: judging him all the time and incessantly talking about the issue could make us seem more interested in him signing a paper and going through with an official ceremony than in seeing him grow deeper in love with his girlfriend and daughter; and by 3: dismissing him from the church we are effectively handing him over to the devil who is extremely powerful, and could very well even go so far as to physically take his life away from him (1 Cor. 5:5).
So that's some pretty serious stuff, isn't it?
What's ironic is that many other people who I know from San Jose that at one point were actively involved in the church there, have voluntarily handed themselves over to the devil in a sense, when they arbitrarily decided to leave the church out of their own volition... that reality should sadden us so much, and we should lovingly aim to do all that we can to get them back.
And what's tough in Elkin's case, is that I honestly think that the most Biblically logical way to deal with the situation, is to tell him that he can't come to our meetings until he repents, thereby showing him the supreme importance of needing to be serious about this issue, while fervently praying for him to follow through with the act - and to once again find restoration among us once he has (2 Cor. 2:6-8).
But even better than that, is that I think we should hope and do everything we can to encourage them to separate by mutual consent for a time (1 Cor. 7:5), while still letting them be active within the church, and hoping that in the mean time they would be compelled to officially get married.
Obviously, the way we go about this, and the way we talk about it has to be extremely tactful and loving and sensitive, but I honestly don't think that just having more patience will solve the issue... Even though everything inside of me wishes that I and the elders from the church in San Jose wouldn't have to do this - I think it's time that we be a little more radical about the issue; and hope that God in his infinite grace will work the situation out for his glory.
...And so there's an example of really complicated religion.
However, in going about it (and in relation to EVERY form of judgement), I find Jon Foreman's words concerning religion really apt, so as to keep us in check, when he says the following in his song, "The World You Want" from his Fading West album:
Believe it or not, according to the British weekly newspaper The Economist, in 2012, Colombia was said to have the lowest percentage of marriages in the world
Reading my last entry, some might think that I'm getting kind of soft with all this talk about sensitivity, and teaching a message that can be easily digested in the initial stages of hearing the gospel... Even worse, I kind of focused on aspects of "new birth", and "drinking milk", and "being a baby"; but I fear that along with these concepts, perhaps I was sharing an incomplete gospel, by not talking about death.
Cause see, along with receiving new life, one of the main prerequisites for it, is death itself (Luke 9:23; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 2:20, 3:3;)... but that's usually something we'd rather not talk about. New life is exciting, death is hard. New life is refreshing, death is discouraging. New life is something we anticipate, death is something we dread.
But either way you look at it, death is inevitable. Just like every seed dies before it grows (1 Cor. 15:36), so also, everyone one of us is heading towards death before we are resurrected... in a sense, life is kind of like learning how to die.
And spiritually speaking, death is indispensable. In fact, if anyone wants to be born of the Spirit, that person must necessarily put to death the misdeeds of the body (Romans 8:13). We have to die to ourselves in order to live for Christ. Jesus isn't going to share our allegiance to him with our allegiance to the world or to our flesh... In order for us to truly follow him, all else must die (Matt. 10:38, 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23, 14:27). With Christ it's all or nothing.
Now, what's tricky about all of this is that when we think of salvation, the main concept that comes into play is grace (and rightly so), but as profound theologian and authentic Christian Dietrich Bonhoeffer has said, "The only man who has the right to say that he is justified by grace alone is the man who has left all to follow Christ" (The Cost of Discipleship p. 55).
...Granted, we are saved exclusively by grace through our belief in Christ (Ephesians 2:8), but the question then becomes: "how can we believe in something we don't obey?" How can we live for God if all the while we are living for ourselves? How can we call Christ "Lord" if we don't do what he says? (Luke 6:46).
We can't. Just like we can't expect a house that's built on sand to hold up in the middle of a storm (Matt. 7:26)... [because it won't (just like it would be impossible for us to expect to live our lives in Jesus if we never bother to listen to him or put his words into practice)].
See, that type of "diluted salvation" is what Dietrich coined as cheap grace... "Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, (it's) baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate" (p. 47).
But grace isn't cheap! It's the most valuable thing in the world because it cost God his only son so that we could have it (John 3:16)... How dare we depreciate that sacrifice with a morally flippant lifestyle...
See, right after Bonhoeffer describes cheap grace - in diametrical opposition to it, he articulates the wonderful essence of costly grace in the following paragraphs:
"Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.
"Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.
"Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 'ye were bought at a price,' and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God" (p.47-48).
...Dietrich Bonhoeffer understood this costly grace so much that he considered it well worthwhile to defend it, even with his very life, against the opposition of perhaps the most powerful villain the world has ever seen, namely Adolf Hitler.
Bonhoeffer was martyred on April 9th, 1945 (click here to read about what happened on that very day 3 years later), but in Dietrich's estimation, his physical death was of seemingly very little importance. Dietrich had already died spiritually in Christ a long time before this instance, and his physical death at the hands of the Third Reich by no means implied the end of his life... rather it was just the entrance into a fuller one.
In the movie clip above, it's interesting to notice Bonhoeffer's peace as he walked, quite literally, into his execution...
...And at the beginning of this post I mentioned my fear of promoting some sort of "easy gospel," but actually the gospel of Christ is quite easy indeed... See, because even though Jesus told us to take up our cross and follow him (Matt. 16: 24), he also promised that his yoke is easy and his burden is light (11:30).
...Even though Dietrich had to pick up his cross to follow Jesus all the way up to the gallows, somehow that yoke of doing so was still quite easy and light.
So, even though I've expounded a little more on the implications concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ than what I did in my last entry; I still conclude with the same encouragement:
Taste and see that the Lord is good! (Psalm 34:8)
...Just keep in mind that the ultimate demonstration of his goodness came at a very costly price, and that to truly taste and see it, you do, in fact, have to accept Christ as Lord.
I'm here in Colombia now, and although I have
no promise from anyone that I will be supported financially as I serve the
Lord, I do have the promise from Jesus that all my food and
clothing will be taken care of; as well as the promise that he’ll be with me
always, even to the end of age (Matthew 6:28-33; 28:20).
If you believe that the Lord has empowered me
for his service and would like to take part in the practical outworking of
my ministry's needs and expenses, you can be informed on how to do so by clicking here, or by sending checks to CMML at this address:
CMML, Inc.
P.O. Box 13
Spring Lake, NJ 07762-0013
Just write the check out to CMML with a note that says
it's for Sam Killins; and 100% of all your donation will be transferred to me
personally to be used at my own discretion for various life and ministry purposes.
Christian Missions in Many Lands exists
to facilitate missionaries in their work to the Lord oversees, but they have no
oversight or authority over me as such. The reality is that the Holy Spirit is
the one guiding and empowering me in the decisions that I take as I seek to
make disciples – baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit; and teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded (Acts 1:8;
Matthew 28:18-20).
My elders who have entrusted me to the care of the
Lord (Acts 13:2-3) might occasionally suggest things, highlight certain
principles, or give me well-grounded and Biblical feedback; but then again I
would also enjoy hearing from you!
The idea is that this earth's history has a lot at
stake, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, I would like to be numbered among those who
are turning the whole world upside down for Christ and his gospel (Acts 1:8; 17:6).
Some might think that's a pretty presumptive thing
to think I can do, but I
trust that as I go, the Lord will work mightily on my behalf
as well as provide for all my needs. He's done so in the past, so why won't he
do it again?
Being a little outnumbered with girls in my family, I'm really excited about the birth of my second nephew Lukas Josiah Pineda.
But the other thing that I wish I could see more of is people being born again with eternal life (John 3).
And it's kind of interesting because one of the couples that I most got to share the gospel with in Illinois, have recently discovered that they are going to have a child themselves.
Emily got pregnant a couple months back, and I was the second person they told this to. Emily has said that it's been a really tough process for her body to adjust, and I can tell that at times she feels really wiped-out since she barely has any strength from the few foods that she can eat without regurgitating.
Similarly, I think that the process of receiving New Life is pretty intense.
There are huge adjustments of things you have to leave behind in all of a sudden entering into a brand new relationship with God... I mean the Holy Spirit is literally going to start living inside you! and so he's not going to automatically accept every sinful thing you once did. He'll want to regurgitate a lot of stuff that at one point you felt so comfortable with, and you'll have to resort to the pure water of knowing that in Jesus you can have eternal life, not much else (John 4:10; John 7:37-38).
Once you are born by the Spirit, you'll start to get a craving for pure spiritual milk, which is something like a true understanding of God being good, and you'll just want to sip it all up (1 Pet 2:2-3). To the degree that you do, your faith will eventually be strengthened and you'll start craving heavier type doctrines which are like the equivalent of solid food (Heb 5:12).
Stuff like the sovereignty of God or his justice and omnipotence as well as certain aspects about the purpose and practice of the church are a little harder to digest, but they are essential for our nourishment, if we honestly want to grow up in him.
Initially I suggest that anybody who wants to father someone else in being the first to present that person with the gospel (1 Corinthians 4:15)... I suggest that that person concentrate primarily on aspects of encouraging others to "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8), and to explain how Jesus is the bread of life that we need (John 6). If in an "already believing youngster" you would like to play more the role of a tutor for instance, then yeah - get into more of the profound teachings found in Scripture, but just give it in viable/steady doses that the person can consistently get his or her hands on.
Because I mean after all - it's only a matter of time till you're going to be wanting to see your own protégé being entrusted with the responsibility of teaching others also (2 Timothy 2:2).
Notice in the above pictures how Kaleb goes from being bored to eventually touching his little brother's head with the affirmation of his dad.
Jonny and Susie Pineda live in Memphis, TN and are the proud parents of Kaleb, Aliyah, and Lukas (not pictured). Jonny is an incredible musician/songwriter/worship leader as well as a 3D animation artist; and Susie is an amazing stay at home mom.
Some of us
know that, without a doubt, the TV series 'Psych' is
the greatest show of all time.
A few of us may
know that, this Sunday evening the 15th, the long awaited 2 hour monumental
'Psych' musical will be aired on USA at 9/8 Central whaaaaaat?
But practically none of us,
however, know that James Roday (also known as Shawn Spencer), is half
Mexican. WHAT!?!
...Yep. It's a true story, even if you never would
have guessed it.
James David Rodriguez (not to be confused with his
awesome namesake/Colombian soccer super-star mid-fielder James David
Rodriguez Rubio), was born in San Anotnio, TX to a multiracial couple.
The son of Jim Rodriguez (a pure Mexican/Air Force
Veteran/Taco Cabana Regional Manager/ former High School Principal); James Roday
gives off the impression of being a goofy/spontaneous/psychic/white boy in his
murder mystery comedy 'Psych', but really isn't. He's a professionally focused,
and hard working half Mexican actor/screen writer who is living his life's dream; while making millions in the process.
James Roday with his dad and sister
But the fact that he's a racial "miti-miti"
(or in other words a "half and half"), as well as a psychic... these 2 factors made me think of a
correlation between him and one of the most surprisingly anti-stereo-typical
stories in the Bible.
This is the story about Jesus talking with a
marginalized Samaritan woman at a well somewhere in-between Judea and Galilee (John 4), and the reason why
Shawn Spencer makes me think of this story is because (like a Samaritan), he's
kind of like a "half breed" too, and just like Jesus who knows everything - Shawn Spencer tries to act like a psychic himself.
That may be a really crazy correlation to come up with, but I honestly came up with it, and I think that's probably just because the
other day in our mid-week Hispanic Bible Study, Ben Jimenez expounded on John
chapter 4, and with my anticipation of 'Psych the Musical', I think somewhere
along the way, my mind just put both of these intriguing multi-racial story
lines together.
Ben Explaining John 4
While Ben explained to the hodgepodge group of racially confused American residents like Carmelo, Emily, Gonzalo, Raymond,
himself and I*, that Samaritans were the socially unacceptable half-breeds that
Jews generally avoided; he also described Jesus - the
unconventional/anti-prejudiced/loving Messiah who seemed to intentionally
arrange a meeting with this fascinating young lady (should I also say attractive?), who probably had more than a
couple reasons for which she was discriminated against (v. 18).
*Hodgepodge of racially confused American residents (with exception of Allison, the girl in the middle, who I'm pretty sure knows where she comes from).
And somewhere in the middle of this digressing conversation, Jesus
psychically (or sovereignly, rather) knows that this woman had previously
been married 5 times and is currently living with a man to whom she wasn't. Regardless,Jesus engages with this woman in one of the most significant
conversations found in the whole New Testament.
...And trying to connect this story back to 'Psych' again haha, I can
just picture Jesus in verse 17 and 18 when the woman tells him she has no
husband, responding with something like, "I've heard it both ways", when
he replies:
"You are
right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five
husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true" (NIV).
But the main thing about this passage that I think
the Samaritan woman was so impressed by is that Jesus truly knew who she was (v. 29)...
and that his knowledge of her did not alter his unconditional acceptance of,
and outlandish respect, towards her... That despite her frowned upon
history and heritage - Jesus valued her and dignified her in a way that I'm
sure no one ever had.
So what about you? How many licentious women have
you shared the gospel with?
How many racially "complicated" people have
you recently sat down to drink a bottle of beer or a glass of pop with?
It would be one thing if I were talking about James
Roday or Dulé Hill who are both super cool racial minority super-stars... but what
about the ones that live in your own home town that you kind-of disregard?
...In the picture below there are 3 different
guys that came to our Bible Study on Wednesday night that each represent 3 different
levels of "political legitimacy"; and I want to ask you: Which of them
deserves to get to know Jesus the most? Ricardo (the boy standing in the red
jacket who is a half Mexican but born in the States?); Gonzalo (the
improperly documented and some would say "illegal" Mexican who works
downtown?); or Giovanni (the cute
little boy standing in the gray jacket who is the son of Gonzalo, but who was also born in the US?).
If you answered that the 2 kids deserve to get to know Jesus more than Gonzalo does, then
you make me sick... And if you answered that they all equally deserve to get to know Jesus all across the board - than I like you a lot more, but you're still
wrong.
However, if your answer is that none of them (or
any of us!) deserve to get to know Jesus at all; but only because of Jesus' friendship and love towards all mankind that was made evident on the cross (John 15:13), then we can all confidently and unabashedly approach God through Christ's mediation (Hebrews 4:14-16; 7:25-26)... If that's your answer - that none of us, no matter who, or where, or with what... none of us deserve to get to know Jesus at all; but only (and I mean only), because of his wonderful grace that he poured out on every one of us at the cross... then we are all free to do so... If that's your answer - that it's by grace alone that we are saved through faith (Ephesians 2:4-9), then you're dead on... You're completely dead on, and I congratulate you for your unbiased understanding of the only true gospel of Christ; the only one with such great implications for all mankind.
And whether or not James Roday even cares that he's semi-Latino, I really don't know; but at least I think it's pretty cool.
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