Following Christ by Joseph M. Stowell – Part 5

Incredible Impact

Early Christians knew little else but that they were followers. There were no electric guitars or dazzling experiences. Their Christian journey was just following – following that often cost them family, career, and even their lives. Yet their impact was incredible, and it wasn’t because they were persons of power and influence. In the early generations of the church, as it is today, most of the followers of Christ were just common folk, not the well-connected elite with access to the power brokers and shakers and movers. Their power and influence would be wielded in a far more strategic venue: the hearts and minds of a watching world. As persecution mounted against them from the political and religious establishments, they were unintimidated and unmoved as followers of Christ. Some died in the arena as fodder for hungry lions; others were covered in pitch and were set of fire as human torches to light the streets of Rome. The reality of a Christ worth living for – dying for if necessary – stirred the curiosity of their world.

The lifestyle of these followers was so dramatically and productively different from the people around them. They loved and cared for one another. They cared for their enemies, even the worst of them. they were selfless, sharing with each other and those in need. Politically and economically disenfranchised, they had hope and trust in a transcendent  reality that left them strong in the face of poverty and persecution.

Polycarp, a bishop in the Asian City of Smyrna, faced certain death when, during the public games in February A.D. 155, the large excited crowds began to rally against him. “Away with the atheists!” they shouted, “Let Polycarp be searched for!” His whereabouts betrayed by a tortured young girl, the police came for him. Yet not even the police captain wished to see him die. On the brief journey back to the city, the captain pleaded with the old man, “What harm is it to say, ‘Caesar is Lord’ and to offer sacrifice and to be saved?”

When Polycarp was brought to the arena, the proconsul gave him the choice of death or cursing the name of Christ and making sacrifice to Caesar. The bishop’s response was that of a fully devoted follower: “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” Threatened with burning, Polycarp then helped put things in perspective for his enemies: “You threaten me with the fire that burns for a time, and is quickly quenched, for you do not know the fire which awaits the wicked in the judgement to come and in everlasting punishment.” In spite of the appeals of his persecutors, he remained immovable and was bound to the stake and set afire.

In life, Polycarp’s greatest pursuit had been Christ, even to the point of death. As the flames rose around him, he prayed his final prayer: “I bless Thee that Thou hast granted unto me this day and hour, that I may share, among the number of the martyrs, in the cup of Thy Christ, for the resurrection to eternal life.”

When asked why they were different, these early Christians testified that they were followers of the man called Christ, who gave them something so wonderful that they would never consider an alternative. Their impact was so powerful that in the fourth century the emperor Constantine recanted of his opposition and embraced Christianity, declaring it the official religion of the Roman Empire.

From that time on, the entire Western culture was shaped and formed for centuries by the power of fully devoted followers. Until just recently, our laws, art, literature, music, and mores all bore the imprint of the foundation that these followers laid.

Their legacy calls to us.

Yet, as we embark on our journey as followers of Christ, we inevitably feel insecure and vulnerable, naked and out of control. Following is always filled with a sense of uncertainty. Even so, getting to know Him as He really is proves that He is eminently worth following.

Follower come to know Him as One to whom we can trustingly submit. We find that any risk in the process of following Christ is well worth the reward. Over the last two thousand years millions have followed Him, and no one has ever ultimately been disappointed.

Following Christ by Joseph M. Stowell – Part 4

A Passionate Pursuit

When Christ Said, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19), He sued a specific word that underscores that followers are to embrace Him as the essence of their existence. The word literally means to “come after”. Following is a directional thing. It is to position Christ as our singular, passionate pursuit in all things. With every thought, choice, and response to life, fully devoted followers move towards proximity and intimacy with Christ.

Paul Hiebert, professor of missions at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, envisions biblical Christianity as a paradigm with Christ at the center. He notes that authentic followers are in the process of moving closer to Christ. Each decision moves the arrow closer to the One we are pursuing. Hiebert notes that some who have been moving towards Christ becomes distracted by some seduction, turn their arrows around, and with wrong choices grow increasingly distant from Christ. And what of us who have decided that we are close enough and simply  go into orbit around Christ? This holding pattern is particularly comfortable when we note that others are orbiting farther away than we are. But to be a follower means that Christ is the all-consuming center of our experience toward whom we are moving.

Unfortunately, Hiebert notes, we have often viewed Christianity as open space defined by boundaries of rules, traditions, and doctrine. As long as we stay in the space without climbing over the walls that define Christianity, we assume we are good Christians. And while it is true that authentic Christianity has well-defined boundaries, authentic Christians do more than compliantly fill space. Christianity is more than a random racquetball experience of bouncing off walls as we are propelled through sanctified air by often conflicting influences that try to direct our Christianity experience.

Christianity is Christ at the center, with followers converging steadily toward Him within the context of legitimate biblical boundaries.

Life is like a galaxy. There is always something at the center that defines and directs everything else that moves around it.  As the sun is to our solar system, so the Son should be to our existence. He is the center point that brings light, life, meaning, purpose, and direction to all we do. As the center, He defines and establishes our view of every possession and pursuit.

For many Christians, Christ is relegated to one of the tracks circling whatever it is that we have substituted  for Him in the center. Whether it’s our career, our plans and dreams, money, friends, self, or a dozen other things. Christ-followers refuse to have anything in the center but Him. Our lives spiral ever closer to Him in tracks of intimacy and fellowship. The closer we get to Him as the center of our universe, the more of Him we reflect. The closer we track, the more of His justice, love, truth, patience, humility, and power is evident in our daily routine.

While true followers acknowledge Christ as the strategic center, most of us stop short of that. We are quite satisfied to relate to Him; accept His liberation from hell; praise Him; find comfort, solace, and joy in Him; and be intrigued by Him. But few are bent toward following Him unconditionally. And that makes all the difference in the world – in our own little world and the larger world around us.

~to be continued~

Following Christ – Joseph M. Stowell Part 3

Accepting the Challenge

It is not that we have not heard that intriguing call , “Follow Me.” It is not even that we do not believe in and admire the One who calls. Our struggle is that it is just plain difficult to be a follower. In a world consumed by leadership, independence, and self-led living, it is so tough to find volunteers who will even admit that they want to be followers. We get and give the impression that followers are limp, vulnerable, weak, controlled by others, and lacking in initiative.

Growing up hasn’t changed our perception of the difference between leading and following – only now it’s not a game, and the stakes are high. All of life and its outcomes rise and fall on whether or not we will choose to be the leader of our own destiny or a follower of someone wiser and better fit to lead. Unfortunately, when it comes to the life choices that matter most, we resist yielding control. We don’t want to give the impression that we are unable to figure out life for ourselves. Like men who refuse to stop and ask directions when they are lost, we fear that others will think we aren’t wise and strong.

Or perhaps it’s just our “want-tos” that lead us astray.

In the face of our resistance to being vulnerable, Christ calls us to come after Him. He calls us to count ourselves singularly, wholly, and without compromise fully devoted followers of Him – not as a part-time expression of, or add-on to, our Christianity, but as the all-consuming center point of our existence. Yet this tension between the call of Christ and our resistance to following puts the experience and expression of authentic Christianity in jeopardy.

Christianity is Christ

The struggles that put followership in jeopardy are not uncommon. Yet at the core of it all, it is not a struggle with rules and regulations. The issue is something far more significant, more compelling. Following Christ is a relationship that drives and defines all we are and do. In fact, that’s what I (author) love about followership. It’s not a project. It’s a Person. It’s a relationship to a Person who perfectly loves and cares for us and who is wise beyond comparison – a Person who has done so much for His followers that they look for ways to please and obey Him.

Followership would be drudgery and dull if it were nothing but an obligation to fulfill or a list of rules to keep. We don’t find joy and fulfillment in a good marriage because of the institution of marriage, the laws that govern it, or the tax breaks for filing jointly.

If Christianity is dull and boring, if it is a burden and not a blessing, then most likely we are involved in a project, not a Person – a system, not a Saviour, rules rather than relationship.

Followership is not a religious thing, a list of rules, a host of rituals, a philosophy of life, or the best choice among other possible lifestyle. Authentic followers do not live for liturgy or liberation. Following is not a celebration. It is not contemporary or traditional. It is not jubilant dance or compelling drama. It is not preaching. It is not praising. It is not obeying or conforming.

It is Christ, and Christ alone.

All the rest is because of Christ and for Christ.

We are prone to embrace the forms and functions as though they were the essence. But they are only the expression; He is the essence.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote,

Discipleship means adherence to Christ….An abstract Christology, a doctrinal system, a general religious knowledge on the subject of grace or on the forgiveness of sins, render discipleship superfluous…. Christianity without the living Christ is inevitably Christianity without discipleship, and Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.

~to be continued~

Following Christ by Joseph M. Stowell – Part 2

Mirrors in Motion

Fully devoted followers are like mirrors in motion. By the very definition of following, we are called into a deepening intimacy with Christ. This increasingly close proximity to Christ transforms us and results in a clear reflection of His character. As followers we replicate the grace, mercy, love, justice, compassion, truth, and righteousness of Christ our leader. Followers refuse to be satisfied just to be saved and on their way to heaven. For followers, Christianity is a relationship, an adventure, a passionate pursuit of Christ. Followers escape the boredom and drudgery of a system or rituals and regulations and revel in the discovery of this intriguing Person.

As followers we a re liberated from religious traditions and conventions that do not reflect the perspective, character, and conduct of Christ. Although we may hear a multiplicity of voices from both within and outside the church, we listen to only one. It is the voice of Christ, who simply said, “Follow Me.” No conditions. No negotiations. No particulars. No contractual expectations. Just follow. It was the first and last thing Jesus said to Peter (Mark 1:17; John 21:19,22). It is the beginning and the end of what it means to be a Christian. Everything in between is measured by it.

Followers are free – free to be what they were intended to be, free to experience life the way it was meant to be.

Unfortunately, we don’t readily perceive ourselves as followers. When we identify ourselves, it is most often with terms such as “Christian,” “believer,” “brother” or “sister”. To say, “I am a Christian,” focuses our attention on our privileges and entitlements. Or, perhaps it is simply a way to differentiate ourselves from other kinds of people. For some it means little more than not being a Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist. The title itself does little to forge a sense of calling, action of definition of what being a Christian is all about.

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As good and important these identities may be, at some point we have to get beyond these labels to a self-perception that will demand the right stuff of our lifestyle. Identifying ourselves as followers captures the essence of what it means to be a believing Christian. Think of the difference it would make if we answered the questions about who we are by saying, “I am a follower of Christ.” Calling one another “follower” would draw out both encouragement and accountability. Thinking of ourselves as followers keeps our focus on Christ and holds us accountable for how we live.

Yet, in a strange, twisted sort of way, many of us live out our faith in Christ as though He exists to follow us. We come to believe that Christ exists to satisfy our demands. Distorted perceptions of Christianity pose the power of faith and prayer as instruments designed to get Christ to serve our impulses for peace and prosperity. This disguised form of self-serving religion sets Christ up as just one more commodity in life that will enhance and empower our dreams and destinations.

~to be continued~

Following Christ – Joseph M. Stowell Part 1

I’m currently reading this book called ‘Following Christ’ by Joseph M. Stowell. It was a book given to me during my 21st birthday last year, and it took me this long to actually open the book and read it, and let me tell you this: The 1st 6 pages of the book is all – OUCH.

Ouch because the things the author wrote in the book is all so relevant about what a Christian life really should be. The following paragraphs below are taken from his book:

“Gandhi was asked by a closed friend, ‘If you admire Christ so much, why don’t you become a Christian?’ He reportedly replied, ‘When I meet a Christian who is a follower of Christ, I may consider it.’

Mao Tse-tung came to America as a university student, intrigued by Christianity and Western culture. But after encountering several Christians and our brand of Christianity, he became disillusioned and turned his heart towards Marxism. We all know the rest of the story.

It seems to me that this is not what Christ had in mind when He said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Something significant has happened since Christ issued that call nearly two thousand years ago. We have become quite happy to call ourselves Christians with little or no thought of following. As a result, we are paying dearly through a lost of fulfillment, personal satisfaction, and our impact on our world.

It is not that we have denied Christ or even that we have done horrible things. In fact, most of us have mastered the codes of conduct and rituals of our religion. The problem is, we have masqueraded Christ with our own ways. When non-Christians see us, they see more of our distorted portrayal of Christianity than they do a clear reflection of the character and quality of Christ.

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Too often we have graffitied the face of Christ. His image becomes clouded by our prejudices and preferences. Apart from our activities on Sunday and our conformity to external codes of dos and don’ts, the world doesn’t notice much difference between us and people who don’t claim to be Christians. All they see in Christianity is the loss of a day of leisure on the weekend and the denial of common pleasure. Nor does it go unnoticed that many professing Christians manifest as much greed, self-centeredness, materialism, anger, aggressiveness, and sensualism as the average pagan on the street.

Our record on issues that relate to racial prejudice and cross-cultural sensitivity is especially poor. While we rightly lift a prophetic voice against moral ills such as abortion and homosexual behaviour, we are strangely silent on issues that touched the heart of Christ – the poor, oppression and injustice.”

PS: This 'series' will be updated weekly by me, Eugene Goh. However, all credit goes to the author, Joseph M. Stowell for writing this inspiring book. Nothing comes from me.

~to be continued~

Cooking Competition

COOKING COMPETITION

COOKING COMPETITION on 30th JULY(Sat) 3.30 to 6pm
Leaders, pleases assign your members on what to bring and work out a plan before hand ya.

You are provided with - half chicken breast
- 1 tomato
- 1 potato
- 1 carrot
- 1 big onion
- 1 red chilly
- 1 spring onion

* Some basic spices will be provided on a common table (salt, pepper, oil, light soya sauce). If you need more spices other than the above, you've got to bring yourself ya.

** Do get your own portable stove. Go pinjam if dunt have. All utensils will be from you guys. So, get every member of yours to bring something.

Click  Facebook CGBC Vibrant Youth Group  to see which group are you in.

ALL THE BEST!!!!

Remember TEAM WORK STARTS NOW.....

Greatest Love Story

Don't we all just love a nice love story? Romeo and Juliet, a classic for the ages. Titanic, highest-grossing movie of all time (if you account for inflation). Twilight (bleh), a hit among tweens. all these work, why? Because they all are centered around the theme of romance.

One of the most touching lines a person can say to his loved one is "I will die for you". This is best exemplified in the song "Grenade" by Bruno Mars. "I'll catch a grenad for you... I'll jump in front of a train for you.... etc. etc." Sacrifice is part and parcel of true love, dramas have told us as much.

However, how many times do we actually hear such incidents happen in real life? Well yes, Wendi Deng literally leapt to the defence of her husband Rupert Murdoch. But someone giving up his or her life for another? An organ maybe, but not so much a life.

All these just serve to show how much God truly loves us. John 3:16, we quote that verse so many times it is automatic, but do we realise just how significant that verse is? Jesus died on the cross, the worst kind of death possible. For us. Us mere mortals. Think about it.

If God can send His son to die on the cross for us, we can trust that He cares about every other aspect of our lives. Therefore, do not worry, for God will not leave you nor forsake you.