My family is my church

My family is my church

These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live…

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandment that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. - Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Children, obey your parents in the LORD, for this is right - Ephesian 6:1

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the LORD - Colossians 3:20

According to the book Deep Ministry in a Shallow World: Not-So-Secret Findings about Youth Ministry, church starts at home. 

The Bible overemphasizes the role of parents to teach and involve in their children spiritual growth. Youth Workers would not success if they ignore the parents. Youth Worker (both at church and non-church) and parents should work together for the holistic growth of the children. 

Someone didn't brush his teeth 😱

I was looking through my Google Drive and saw a note entry on Sept 8, 2016. It was about my son who did not brush his teeth in the morning, although I reminded him so many times. I yelled at him, but realized I was just like him, surely not about the brushing teeth problem, but about failing to follow the laws of God. Thanks Jesus for His mercy and grace, else things would be bad 😨😨😨
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Sept 8, 2016

Sáng nay tôi dẫn con đi học, hai bố con trò chuyện và trong lúc đợi xe bus, tôi phát hiện thằng bé này chưa đánh răng buổi sáng!

Tôi rầy nó vì sáng khi kêu nó dậy, tôi đã kêu nó đánh răng. Tuy nhiên, nó muốn ăn sáng xong mới đánh răng, cho nên nó đã không làm theo. Nhiều lúc nó cũng skip đánh răng buổi tối, và nhiều khi tôi không để ý hoặc bận chuyện gì nên cũng quên nhắc nó. Nó biết không đánh răng thì không tốt, sẽ bị hư răng và stinky mouth, nhưng vì làm biếng, và đôi lúc quên, nên nó cứ tiếp tục skip.

Nghĩ lại, đôi lúc chúng ta cũng như đứa trẻ không muốn đánh răng. Chúng ta biết luật pháp của Chúa là tốt lành cho đời sống mình. Chúa Ngài dựng chúng ta từ trong lòng mẹ, Ngài có những dự định tốt lành cho chúng ta nếu chúng ta lắng nghe Ngài và làm theo lời răng của Ngài. Nhưng chúng ta thường hay phạm tội, và cứ lập đi lập lại tội lỗi của chúng ta.

Nếu con tôi chăm đánh răng, flossing, thì răng nó sẽ tốt, không bị hư bị sâu. Khi nó lớn lên sẽ có hàm răng chắc, và kể cả về già răng vẫn còn nguyên để ăn uống. Đó là thế giới hoàn hảo nếu nó luôn làm theo. Tuy nhiên, thực tế thì không vậy, vì sự ăn uống, bất tiện, lười biếng, nó không đánh răng, giữ cho răng miệng sạch sẽ, nên nó bị sâu răng, phải đi trám răng. Lớn lên nếu tiếp tục thì sẽ bị sâu nặng, phải lấy tuỷ. Lớn lên sẽ không còn cái răng nào và phải mang răng giả. Răng giả vẫn có thể giúp nó ăn uống, nhưng thật sự bất tiện và đôi lúc rất đau đớn. Đó là giá phải trả cho sự lười biếng không đánh răng lúc còn nhỏ.

Chúng ta, khi phạm tội, chúng ta đi xa khỏi dự định mà Chúa dành cho chúng ta. Chúa vẫn sẽ giúp chúng ta để thích ứng theo con rẽ mới mà vì phạm tội chúng ta đi vào. Sâu răng vẫn có thể làm răng giả. Con đường mới của chúng ta vẫn cho chúng ta sống và có thể thành công, nhưng mục đích ban đầu mà Chúa đã định sẵn đã bị chệch hướng vì sự không vâng phục của chúng ta.

Hỡi những bạn còn trẻ, hãy vâng theo lời Chúa, để con đường của mình sẽ đúng với mục đích mà Chúa dành cho chúng ta. "

--

Daniel Lam

Offer your best

Cain and Abel brought offering to God

Genesis 4:3-5

In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.

Subject: Why did God not accept Cain’s offering but accept Abel’s?

Complement: God did not accept Cain’s offering because he did not honor God with the first fruit.

The verse starts, “in the course of time,” apparently, there were sometimes had passed since Cain and Abel started their occupations. Cain brought the offering of the fruit of the ground to God. The Bible says it was just “the fruit of the ground” and doesn’t say the first fruit of the ground. On the order hand, Abel brought the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. The Bible doesn’t state the quantity of fruits brought by Cain. Would it be worth more or less than the offering of Abel? We don’t know, but I don’t think it matter. It is not the size of offering, but the matter of the heart.

Cain did not honor God with his first fruit, and Abel honored God with his firstborn of the flock. Do we honor God with our first fruit or firstborn of the flock? When we get our check, do we think of God first? God or mammon? Also, give with honor and not with duty. If you give offering out of duty, but your heart doesn’t desire to give, then it is actually meaningless.

First-person narrative: The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

First person narrative on Matthew 18 - The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

Ever since I've learned about the first-person narrative, I really enjoy it. 

Characters:

pastor D is the unmerciful servant

Grace Justice is the merciful master

literary agent is the other servant 

You can check out the earlier blog for "Peter the little liar"

*btw this is a made-up story, but it portrays the theology message in there. 

Báo Lửa Linh

Who is Jesus Christ?

Who is Jesus Christ?

by: Daniel Lam

It is essential that Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully human for His work on the cross to be sufficient for human salvation. This paper will argue that Jesus’ is fully divine and fully human and discuss how these attributes limit or enhance each other. It will also address Jesus' role in human redemption and his impact on my life.

The divinity of Jesus is supported throughout Scripture. John opens his Gospel to proclaim Jesus is God: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. [MF1] 1:1). In Greek, the verse “the Word was God” is written as “θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.” [MF2] If we translate word for word, it would be rendered “God was the Word.” By placing θεὸς first, John wants to emphasize the Word “as divine and distinguished.”[1] The Word [MF3] is not only God, but through the Word, all things were made (Jn. 1:2). Paul affirms Jesus is the Creator and the Sustainer of the universe (Col. 1:16-17).  Jesus is the necessary because only “by him all things were created” (Col. 1:16). He is the begotten Son before the ages. He has the knowledge and power to create all things.  Erickson points out that, therefore, deity is necessary, eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, and incorporeal.[2] This Word, however, is distinct from the Father, he is Jesus, the Son of God. The Nicene Creed describes Jesus as “the only-begotten Son of God”[MF4]  and the Chalcedonian [MF5] Creed describes as “begotten of the Father before the ages.” However, He is the same as the Father, “true God of true God” (Nicene Creed) and “of one substance with the Father” (Chalcedon Creed).

The divinity [MF6] of Jesus is not only seen through his presence at the beginning and his creative works, but in his life and ministry. An Old Testament prophecy about Jesus, says: “For to us a child is born…he will be called …Mighty God…” (Isa. 9:6). The words “Mighty God” that Isaiah used communicates that Jesus is God and not a merely human messiah. [3] Therefore, Jesus was a mighty God even during his time on Earth.. Furthermore, we see examples of when Jesus takes actions that only God can do. For example, in Mark 2:5, Jesus said to the paralytic man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Only God has the authority to forgive sins. Therefore, Jesus has to be God in order to forgive sin. Jesus shows that the man's sins were forgiven through healing the paralytic man. Jesus is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and has the authority to forgive sin. The resurrection is a confirmation that Jesus is indeed God as he claimed to be,”[4] “the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6, NKJV).

Jesus’ human attributes are also emphasized in the Scriptures. John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” Paul affirms that Jesus “manifest in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16[MF7] , KJV). When the Scriptures talk about Christ taking on flesh, it means becoming human.[5] The Nicene Creed says Jesus “was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man.” The Chalcedonian Creed says Jesus is “perfect in manhood.” Although Jesus’ conception was a miracle, His birth was a normal human delivery. He has a typical genealogy in both Matthew 1 and Luke 3. [MF8] Jesus did not have an unlimited physical strength. He was made human in every way (Heb. 2:17). He was hungry after forty day fasting in the dessert (Matt. 4:2). He was thirsty on the cross (Jn. 19:28). He was fatigue from the journey to Samaria (Jn. 4:6).[6] Luke 2:52 says, “He grew in wisdom.” Jesus was not born knowing all, but he gained his wisdom and knowledge through learning and observation.

Jesus had the same emotions as we do as well. For example, in the Lazarus’ story, [MF9] we see that, although he knew Lazarus was dead (John 11:14), and he knew he would raise Lazarus from death (John 11:11), he experienced sorrow and remorse when talking to Martha and Mary. He “was deeply moved in spirit and trouble” (Jn. 11:33), he wept, and again at the tomb, he was “once more deeply moved” [MF10] (v.38)[7]. Erickson describes this event as “one of Jesus’ most human reactions.”[8]

Jesus’ apostles recognized Him as human. The apostle John called those who taught Jesus did not come to the flesh as “false prophet”(1 Jn. 4:1-2). In Roman 1:3,[MF11]  the apostle Paul introduces Jesus as a descendant of David in his human nature. In every way, Jesus was fully human. Erickson says, “If Jesus was not human, than surely no one ever has been.”[9]

In Jesus, there are two natures: fully God and fully Man. The Chalcedonian Creed says, “Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood…to be acknowledged in two natures.” Although he was incarnated to be human, Jesus did not stop being God. Horton says, “Rather, he gave up the independent exercise of the divine attributes. He was still fully Deity in His very being, but He fulfilled what seems to have been a condition of the Incarnation, that his human limitations were real, not artificial”[10] The human and divine attributes united in Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ fully divine attributes enhances His human ones. In John 6:38, Jesus said, “For I have come down from heaven” (NIV). Jesus knew what heaven would be like and how it would be for the believer. John 14:2, Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms”. In Matthew 25, Jesus told the parable of the Ten Virgins, the Talents and the Sheep and the Goats, to tell His disciples that heaven is a place of joy and reward.

In another way, Jesus’ human attributes limit His divine ones. [MF12]  In Philippians 2:6-7, Paul said Jesus was “being in very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” Jesus emptied Himself and became a human being like us. The act of emptying himself made him to be more human.[11] Jesus did not know everything thing. When talking about the Second coming, Jesus said he did not know the time (Mk 13:32).[MF13] 

Jesus’ role in human redemption is in three “offices”: [MF14] prophet, priest and king.[12] First is the office of prophet. Jesus is the Prophet who Moses prophesized in Deuteronomy 18 (Acts 3:22-23). As a prophet, Jesus talked about the Kingdom of God, basic truth about the Father, human soul and ethical teaching.[13] Also because of His due natures, Jesus knows about the future, He was not a fortuneteller. Second office is Priest. The author of Hebrews says Jesus has a permanent priesthood because He lives forever (Heb 7: 24). A priest is a mediator between God and human. A priest gives sacrifice of atonement for human’s sin according to Moses’ laws (Lev.7:7). He offered a final lasting sacrifice for human sins once and for all (Heb. 10:10). The third office is King. The author of Hebrews talks about Jesus as King and His throne will be last forever (Heb. 1:8). Although, Jesus’ believers still follow the rules the earthly kings, they will serve their eternal King, Jesus for eternity. Jesus’ office as prophet, priest and king is not only fulfilling the prophecies, but give Jesus’ believers peace and hope. It is great to know that there is an eternal priest to pray on their behalf, and a loving King will rule them forever in love.

I came from a Buddhist background. When I was still practicing Buddhism, it was very vague to me. I followed because my family followed, and I felt like I had to work hard to earn the blessing from the Buddha. When I got to know Jesus Christ, the most attractive thing to me was His love. It is still hard to comprehend that how great His love is. He came and died on the cross for my sin. Now, when I know Him more, His teaching shows me how to be in relationship with the God. And as my priest, He is praying for me day and night. He also gives me great hope because He will be my loving King forever. The amazing thing is He has done all of this for me before I even knew of Him.

In conclusion, Jesus is both fully human and fully God. [MF15] Though always God, Jesus voluntarily gave up His power to become one with humanity. At the same time, he was also able to take actions that other humans could not because Jesus' divinity enhanced his capabilities. This dual nature empowered him to fulfill the prophecies of him as prophet, priest and king. His fully divine and fully human nature made him a perfect sacrifice to connect God and humanity.

References

Davis Jefferson John. Basic Bible Texts. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.

Erickson J. Millard. The Word Became Flesh. Grand Rapids, IL: Baker Book House, 1991.

Erickson J. Millard. Christian Theology – Third Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013.

Horton M. Stanle. Systematic Theology. Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 2007.

---

[1] Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology – Third Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013. 629 .

[2] Millard J. Erickson, The Word Became Flesh. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1991. 554-556.

[3] John Jefferson Davis, Basic Bible Texts. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984. 69.

[4] Erickson, 633.

[5] Erickson, 649.

[6] Ibid, 645.

[7] Erickson, 647

[8] Ibid,647

[9] Ibid, 650

[10] Stanley M. Horton, Systematic Theology. Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 2007. 317

[11] Ibid, 670

[12] Ibid, 697

[13] Ibid, 701

---

Peter The Little Liar - Children story