Tsun Am I

the importance of language in chinese preaching

2011-04-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

some people have asked me whether i can preach in mandarin. (i have done it twice). these are the things that i think about to answer the question:

while my language skill has improved (after all, i speak mandarin every day to my wife), there a few things that i can't do;

* my theological education has been received in english (implication; i tend to exegete the bible in english)

what's wrong with that, you may ask? it means that my sermon preparation is done in english, and i structure main ideas, and translate it into chinese

the problem with that is that i dont' interact with the language as well (some problems in the chinese is that the logic is not as clear because conjucntions are less well set out(well, at least to my febble mind).

hence for example, i present a prefectly cogent argument from a passage in romans, while what is required is an interaction with the chinese language.

why is that important?

chinese people really do have a respect for the beauty of their langauge (a lot of preachers introduces their sermons with a chinese poem), and interact with the language closely.

You can see the implication of this in terms of some people's reaction to a clearer translation to the chinese bible replacing the union version, e.g. New chinese version

some people would still prefer the union (just like some ppl hold onto the KJV), because of them holding onto the langauge (which is a core value for them)

hence while i can speak to the chinese people, i wonder whether i can preach truly to their hearts

(besdies language, there are many more factors , like how chiense prefer to talk around the issue into order for the listener to infer the core issue as against teh english way of expositing and directly speaking at in issue, with the potential to cause offence (e.g. lose face)... ) but that's for another day...

how does the one child policy affect children's ministry

2011-04-03T18:54:00.000-07:00

i have observed that at some mainland chinese ministries, that the one child policy (as well as the extended family structure) can have a negative impact on ministry.

a bit of background:

* in some families, 6 adults (4 grannies, 2 parents) focuses their energy to raise one child, thus raising the status of child to the top of their priorities

* in most churches in sydney , i guess the main engine room for children's ministry would be mothers that have children.

* in a typical mandarin speaking church, there will be lots of grandparents that have migrated as part of family relocation to sydney. Given their age and background, it is obvious that for some people, some of the views will be different to what a Australian based/Christian worldview. (at this point, i need to reiterate, i am NOT criticizing old people. Some of the older Chinese Christians i have met suffered unimaginably for the gospel and their experiences and perserverance is worthy of our respect).

* in some more informal settings for children's ministry, grandparents asks to be involved, due to a mixture of boredom, concern for their kids, and other reasons.

* this is complicated by the fact that the chinese view of of the extended family (v nuclear family)

* old people are respected in the Chinese (and many tradations), hence it's hard to give them advice on how to run things (like Christian children ministry).

What's the results of the above explosive mix?

there is a potential of children's ministry in some mainland chinese majority churches where ministry decisions are influenced by older people, with a chinese view of having the child at the centre of attention and the apex the pyramid of priorities.

i.e. child > parents

this is very different from the God ordained order of creation

God> man (i.e. parents) > child

it is this that i struggle with as my wife is now pregnant. Namely, whether it is possible to join a Chinese ministry that has a healthy sunday school. At present, i can't see it happening, hence i am staying at an english speaking chiense church.

waiting v wisdom

2011-04-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

bumped into andrew hong again and he encouraged me (again) to blog on various things.

here's a summary of a lot of cultural insights that maybe worthwhile to a lot of people.

1. the theology of 'waiting'

1.1 background to thought

i have been exposed to this in various forms in the past weeks:

* during a meeting, when asked a committee member whether a decision should be made (i try to achieve consensus). he wanted to wait and pray about it.

* some people recommend the form of guidance is pray and wait.

* there has been a big church wide decision that requires vote casting. i wonder how many of those that cast votes

1.2 theological background

* there are various people that advocate waiting as a spiritual thing to do. Although there are also western manifestations of this, there is also a chinese strand of thought that is derived from Watchman Nee, with an example of this in 'The Spiritual Man, p.620'
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=R8y9mWsz5PwC&pg=PA620&lpg=PA620&dq=watchman+nee+waiting&source=bl&ots=oHadE4bntL&sig=p5E4cv9qvWTKLVvj-Mu2rBesFSc&hl=en&ei=xiKZTaPVJ4XCcY_h-ZMH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

( i am sure andrew has a much more well argued and well researched view on this point, but i'll have to trawl through his teasure trove of blogs!).

But from a brief read of his writings and my limited understanding, some concluded waiting seems to be the spiritual thing to do when making a decision

it may have to do with a dualistic view that regards anything of the flesh, including the mind, as carnal, and hence unfit to make spiritual decisions.

1.3 what do i think of it?

I believe that waiting can be good, but it cannot be in the place of using a Christ transformed mind in using our wisdom in making decisions (Romans 12:1-2). Christ does not condemn creation but rather redeems it (cf Col 1:15-23, Romans 8). Hence it is important to reject dualistic views and train people to have a ever transformed mind to make decisions in accordance to the revealed will of God in the bible and also train people to make decisions according to the doctrines formed from his revelation.

1.4 a small excursis

andrew recommends that i should publish a book on my views, but as a carnal man, i should pray about it and wait :)...

% CDP first pref in NSW election

2011-03-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

More Xns in North shore/the Shire? Results show otherwise. % of first pref for CDP in auburn (5.0), bankstown (4.1), blacktown (6.0), campbelltown (4.8), canterbury (3.7), East Hills (4.1), fairfield (5.4), Granville (5.6), Kogarah (5.5), lakemba (4.4), liverpool (6.9), menai (52), mount druitt (8.8), penrith (5.9), riverstone (4.1), rockdale (4.3), smithfield (7.9), toongabbie (4.6), is higher than Davidson (2.1), cronulla (3.5), Hornsby (3.1), Kuringgai (2.1), lane cove (2.6), manly (1.6), miranda (3.6), north shore (1.7), pittwater (2.2), wakehurst (2.9), willoughby (2.2)

He gave his life, what more can he give?!

2010-09-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

This is a hymn that i grew up with:

O how He loves you and me
O how He loves you and me
He gave his life, what more can he give?
O how He loves you
O how He loves me
O how He loves you and me

When i was young i thought it was a beautiful song.

after i while i realise that the theology is somewhat questionable.

The phrasing of the question "He gave his life, what more can he give?" suggest an answer in the negative.

But we can see that in the bible, that it does not answer the question in this way:

Romans 5:9-10

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

Romans 8:32-34

32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Notice that Paul argues that because of Jesus death, we can have HOPE in better things. All too often we don't operate in hope, hence our Christain life malfunctions. I reckon that guy in shawshank redemption has a better idea of Christian life than most Christians (although his hope is based on his own efforts). At time i reckon we are quite pathetic when we hope so little in the sure promises of God.

this - the importance of tursting in God's future provision - is the very point that Piper argues in the book future grace.

My thoughts on the election

2010-08-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

It's been a sad few years for Australian politics. Men of conviction (e.g. Rudd and Turnbull) had been deposed, instead replaced by puppet heads devoid of personaility (Kenneally, Gillard, Abbott).

Maxine McKew rightly assessed the sentiments (at least for her Bennalong electorate), namely indeed it is a strategic mistake. In her Chinese dominated electorate, the betrayal (the exact opposite of the virtue of loyalty esteemed by the Chinese) by the labor party in deposing a PM with fluent Mandarin has cost them the electorate, predicatbly.

However, she is also right in expressing the lack of policy and conviction expressed by either party, and the lack of hope or excitement in her electorate (which is also true of my feeling).

We have not been given any policies of note, and instead have been given just character assinations repeated over and over (i remember watching the train-wreck Ad - THREE TIMES - during ONE commercial break.)

Neither party in their speeches has said anything of note. (well, abbott has once again made a fool of himself , attacking Gillard and labor instead of doing anything positive to form government).

I personally would have hoped that either of them woudl have said the following:

'We have clearyl outlined (whatever our policies/action) is during this campaign, and respect the opinion of the public, etc. We will work with whichever indepedent/green and try to head towards this direction, etc, etc)

What saddens me most is that there is that both the upper and lower house may hang in the balance of the greens - one of the most openly anti-Christian policital party. I earnestly pray right now that either party (hopefully the coalition) can form a majority governemtn without involving a minor party.

It is right in 2 Timothy that we pray for a King (i.e. governemnt) that can govern in peace. In my personal opinion, a minority government that bows to the whims of independents and the greens would not achieve that result.

reflection on andrew hong's post

2010-08-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

here are 2 recent post by andrew hong

part 1:

Q. how interested are Asian bible college students in serving in a chinese church? A. http://bit.ly/9MMn4H

part 2:

Q. so what makes asian theological students worried about serving in a chinese church? A: http://bit.ly/bObnNA

and here's a summary from andrew hong's post:

part 1: theological graduates will consider (in order of decreasing desrability)

1) overseas mission
2) parachurch
3) working in non chinese church
4) working in chinese church

part 2:

The (chinese) church's leadership (deacons, elders, wardens) is the most concering factor for theological graduates.

here's my response (it appeared first on andrew hong's wall on FB):

it proves the saying/mentality: the grass is greener on the other side (this is the reflection of reading both your posts). People do like the adventure of o'seas mission and the perceived freedom from structures that one may envisage. but having experienced both sides of the coin, one should realise that accountability is benficial, and in fact, at times overseas mission is a much more difficult situation, with the missionary at times answerable to 4 sets of rules/authorities:

1) the agency's dominant authority (usually N american),
2) local leadership
3) sending leadership
4) ch leadership.

i am writing this not to downplay the importance of mission. (The fame of God amongst the nations, ala Piper cf Ps 67, is a personal driving force). However, i am writing this to show the importance of the right motive in going to mission (or indeed any ministry). Overseas mission will not avoid leadership structures. it exists in all parts of the world. in fact, interpersonal issues are the #1 factor in missionary attrition. as mentioned by the following (excellent) book:

* Too Valuable to Lose: Exploring the Causes and Cures of Missionary Attrition
By William David Taylor

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=S_lOJ5tZdoIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=too+valuable+to+lose+missionary+attrition&source=bl&ots=QCLJS5BcIP&sig=gIXwDIGk15HTGVGbW7weD4vKUnI&hl=en&ei=sahhTO6hA9ivcOnyxK4J&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

i believe the key, as explained in my second entry on AH's wall:

"also, while many ppl are willing to be cross cultural students in a mission environment, usually most ppl fail to do so working in a chinese church."

If interpersonal conflict is a main issue, surely one would do well to do that and treat working in any ministry as a cross cultural environmnet.

one of the best courses i have done @ SMBC (amongst many) is cross cultural communication by Richard Hibbert.

The course teaches one to analyse culture from various aspects (e.g. power distance, etc, etc) and what i have learnt is to ask questions of the culture before passing judgement.

I guess if we use the same set of (tinted/untinted) glasses (as well as, obviously, Christian, grace, love and forbearance) to look at local and overseas ministry, it would solve many of the interpsonal isue problems.

reno blog - finished

2010-08-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

man - it shows how much i blog:

summary of reno:

may - remove everything carpet, wall board, foam ceiling (the last two items combined gave the house the feeling of the house from the castle... yuck!), yucky built in wardrobes, small cupbards (they even have a cupboard built from asbestos!). Also, removing foam ceiling is back breaking work, i have to lift a heavy scraper (5kg+) to do the ceiling. eventually i gave up a little and got someone else to finish scraping the ceiling.

we also removed kitchen & bathroom. On council clean up day, our pile of rubbish was so high that it became a spectacle for all those who drove past on galston road (i distinctly remember one family who all turned to look at our rubbish).

june: lots of shopping - looking for kitchen, bathroom, tiles. then it was tradesmen madness:

1) gyprockers
2) electrician
3) tiler
4) floor board person
5) carpenter

july: as well as wedding prep, we needed to move in/add finishing touches/prepare accomdation (i.e. getting enough quilts/beds/heaters), organize itinerary for relos. it was probably the most stressful month in my life.

june:

Reno blog - week 1

2010-05-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

mon arvo - got house back.
tues -
(day) forwarded all mail, checked rental report to discover some items are missing. Worked out transport logistics so that i can renovate after work.
(b4 work/arvo) Demolished all wardrobes. Starting to remove carpet, and as usual in old houses, discovered lovely timber floor underneath.
(night) - dad came around for measurements - had some bathroom designs
wed - research on building materials, going to ikea, write sermon

Masterchef: seinfeld

2010-04-30T13:34:00.001-07:00

whenever someone cries on masterchef, i really want one of the contestant to say the following (while crying):

Frank: Inchon, Korea, 1950. I was the best cook Uncle Sam ever saw, slinging
hash for the Fighting 103rd. As we marched north, our supply lines were getting
thin. One day a couple of GIs found a crate, inside were six hundred pounds of
prime Texas steer. At least it once was prime. The Use date was three weeks
past, but I was arrogant, I was brash, I thought if I used just the right
spices, cooked it long enough...

Kramer: What happened?

Frank: I went too far. I over seasoned it. Men were keeling over all around
me. I can still hear the retching, the screaming. I sent sixteen of my own men
to the latrines that night. They were just boys.

Kramer: Frank, you were a boy too. And it was war. It was a crazy time for
everyone.

Frank: Tell that to Bobby Colby. All that kid wanted to do was go home. Well
he went home alright, with a crater in his colon the size of a cutlet. Had to
sit him on a cork the eighteen-hour flight home!

Kramer: Frank, now listen to me. Two hundred Jewish singles need you. This is
your chance to make it all right again.

Frank: No. No, I'll never cook again! Never! Now get out of my house!! Get
out. Go.

The Trellis and the Vine... Chinese style

2010-04-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

The teacher/scholar/elder person is respected in Chinese culture

These are all good things (after all, Jesus is a teacher, and the wisdom literature promote the wisdom of scholars, and older people are to be respected, as commanded in the pastoral letters (as well as other places)

However, at times this is skewed in the Chinese culture.

I am sure that a lot of people have read The Trellis and the Vine by col marshall and co

the application of those prinicples (i.e. pastor's role -A) training , not just ministry B) people, not program) is much harder in a chinese culture

I have seen two phenomena in some Chinese churches

1) some regard the pastor with a reverence in such a way they think they cannot do ministry
2) some regard the pastor with such disdain i have seen some people who think that a church is better off without a pastor.

Amongst many things, view 1 neglects the fact that we are a priesthood of believers and view 2 neglects that God does give some people the gift of teaching and equipping.

无欲无求 (no desire)

2010-04-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

Those that are chinese will be familiar with a chinese /buddhist saying " 无欲无求"

Traditional Chinese/Chinese of a buddhist background still believe this.

However the post 80s and esp post 90s are used to be the centre of attention and are given everything they want. (my fiancee has been going to a chinese run play group and it's clear when every family think that their own kid is king then things are a bit chaotic!)

against this background, we are to understand that the Christan view is not to the suppression of desire (cf Col2, Phil 3) but rather to foster a desire in God (cf Psalm 37)

the implications are astounding... the former generation needs to realise that desire is good if placed in God, and the current generation need to realise that only delighting in the lord will give you the desire of your heart.

the offence of the gospel - as a chinese

2010-03-31T11:02:00.000-07:00

one thing about changing from a church where i do a lot to a church where i do very little is that i can reflect.

Read andrew hong's blog about face:

the way i reflect on these issues theologically, in a very brief way, is to do a biblical survey and see whether it is a core gopsel issue.

While in the wisdom literature, it does emphasize the importance of peace, the timing of wise words, the gospel at times does bring offense the division, and the idea of peace and wisdom is presumed only on the gospel.

reflection on the book of numbers during my sleep

2010-03-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

Sorry, LONG time no post.

Just reflected on the book of numbers in my sleep (from the Bible, not one of those geeky things i do when a draw a whole list of numbers on the train)...

summary: Israel went 'camping', not in the gaming sense, where they sit there and wait and kill (in the computer gaming sense -well, there's a sense of that - instead of going to canaan they killed a whole heap of animals... but this is to sacrifice to God), and also not in the recreational sense, but to worship God.

But when they set out, they grumbled.

This reflects well on us. all as Christians. i am planning to get married, and plan to renovate the house i bought... with interest rate rises, etc, and just the whole thing about how ridiculously much wedding costs, i have been unfocused and grumbling.

i should reflect more on one of my favourite hymns, 'Glorious thing of Thee has spoken', with one verse based on the book of numbners:

"Round each habitation hov'ring,
See the cloud and fire appear!
For a glory and a cov'ring,
Showing that the Lord is near;
Thus deriving, from their banner,
Light by night, and shade by day:
Safe they feed upon the manna
Which He gives them when they pray."

God leads with his presence both for his provision and his direction, with just enough sustenence for a life of worship.

Seeing with out heart

2009-01-10T13:05:00.000-08:00

I'll start writing up my chairing spots...

starting from today.. even though i am not officially chairing at church.

"I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints..." Eph 1:16-18

When people look around the world, the things that i keep hearing is "financial crisis, unemployment, etc".

The typical response i hear from Christians is "wealth perishes, God is in control, trust in him" and other typical cliched responses.

Having gone to stuff like SCAAA retreat and hearing andre hong's preaching on affections. (you can have a sample of it here:

http://andrewhongnsw.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!EEB36B88C6BA62C4!2680.entry

(sorry, should have hyper linked, but can't be bothered at 8am in the morning)

i believe that the those cliched responses does not encourage people to see past the problems

it's good at this point to see how the Apostle Paul writes.

Notice in v18 he says " having the eyes of your hearts enlightened".

the heart is the place where deep thought occurs. (it's like when you mull over something and something is 'gnawing at the stomach'.. well.. sort of like that kind of feeling')

the important thing is, in order to see the world properly, it requires the eyes of our heart enlightened. (Paul in fact assumes it)

The answer to our current crises is not to give cliches answers and try to patch the problem, but it is to change the way we see and more importantly, what we use to see.

we need to see from our heart, and gut, and that gut needs to be informed by the gospel

Gen Y, Politics, Culture, Rhetoric, and Implications for Preaching

2008-11-07T10:15:00.000-08:00

Haven't blogged for ages.

Had a 20.5 hour day yesterday, even though the body is weak, the mind is still active.

These are some of the things that i have thought about:

1) Does the Ascent of the Gen Ys mean the death of Preaching?

Gen Ys and post 80s has been teh subject of many studies.

One of the more interesting one is to see the similarities and contrasts between them in America and China:

http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/2/7/1/8/3/p271830_index.html

The typical picture of older people on Gen Ys are that they are apathetic unmotivated hedonist that are Tech Savvy, bombarded with information and looking for instant gratification.

Obviously Gen Ys don't see themselves that way.

At times though one wonders what is the place of preaching to this generation. There is an information overload.. Does preaching still work?

2) Politics and the rise of the new poet and new heroes?

I have observed politics for a while, and it seems that with the new generation comes new emphases. I'll try to succinctly draw on some interesting political phenomena.

These are the leaders that has risen to/given power (and my opinion of some of the traits that appeal in particular to Gen Y):

America - Obama, the charismatic poet
Australia - Rudd, an eloquent visionary
China - Wen Jia Bao - A man of action (esp seen in the Yunnan Earthquake). (Though i don't know enough about chinese politics or politics in general to assess him or others that closely) Look at his fan club:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/-Wen-Jia-bao/13823116911?sid=079b77cf8f1af487900477e4d694eeac&refurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fs.php%3Fref%3Dsearch%26init%3Dq%26q%3Dwen%2Bjia%2Bbao%26sid%3D079b77cf8f1af487900477e4d694eeac&ref=s

The Gen Y's turn out for the American Election is surprisingly high. When inspired by a poet and a vision, Gen Ys do great things and are motivated. What does it mean for Christian ministers?

3) Implications for ministry

a) Preaching is not dead, in fact, it's needed more than ever.

Given the rise of Charismatic men of action and eloquence, Gen Ys and many others are more than ever inspired by words.

b) A new Portrayal of Jesus?

There is a picture of Jesus that we don't look at much. Graeme Goldsworthy in Gospel and Wisdom sees Wisdom fulfilled in Jesus (Duh, it's Goldsworthy book, i suppose it can't go anywhere else!). But Jesus is seen as a wise man, a sage.

The Charismatic hiddenness of Jesus teaching (and its wisdom) that motivates the crowd is a good piece of rhetoric, motivating the crowd, giving the poor hope and the nation of Israel a new hero and Messiah. Obviously we need to bridge the hermeneutical gap between the gospel times and now given that we are not the nation of Israel, etc.. But having said that, is this the portrayal of Jesus (amongst many others) required of this generation?

Qn: can you think about what Gen Ys want (felt needs) and what area of the gospel relates to that?

Benediction - Jude

2008-10-20T17:41:00.000-07:00

Another mysterious tradition (other than HC) is the bendiction. why have it at all.

from looking at jude we can learn about about the bendiction:

1) context of Jude:

warn against false teachers
the importance of contending for the gospel
need to encourage weak/ snatch the perishing.

Implication: If we realise the context and danger of the situation - it will be natural to ask God for blessing, and the right type of blessing - not just for posperity, but preservation and power to live for and contend for the gospel.

b) Why does Jude end with v24-25

this Prayer of Benediction asks God for the power to contend for the gospel.

c) Basis of benediction

God’s salvation is not only justification. It’s preservation. We often think that we are given a task (e.g. Matthew 28:18-20) then we need to do it. He is able to keep us from falling. and power to last... and contend.

d) Attitude in praying.

Most church services end with a benedction.

at times i just stand up and do a strectch before going to lunch.

but if we are asking God to bless us to face the world, there should be a humle, revenant, but exceeding joy.

e) Insights for benediction passages.

it's interesting that Numbers 6:23-27 (context - Israel encamped about to conquer land) and jude 24-25 (contending for the gospel) both are in fighting contexts. THis has implications of what we ask God to bless us for. (cf a) )

hope this gets you thinking...

Wothy manner in the Holy Communion

2008-09-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

In our church, there is a tradition to refeclt deeply about our sin when we conduct the Holy Communion. (cf 1 Cor 11). I think though for us now the context is different and we should observe the HC differently.

Let us look at various aspects and its implications

1) Corinthian Context:
People are treating this as a free feed and is ignoring Jesus death, hence Paul rebukes them for their behaviour

2) Incomplete application
since they are sinful in their behabiour -> we should consider our sins a lot.

3) right applicaiton
obviously one should examine oneself whether they are observing HC in a manner worhty of the Lord.
But I aruge that the right manne is:
a) think about our sin
b) think that Jesus has paid for our sin (Christianity that focusses our sin instead of the saving magnificence of Christ usual produce a guilt driven debtor response to the gospel. A Christ focus reflect help us priase God and proclaim his wonder)
c) Think about his return
d) celebrate community - love feast.

Motive for Ministry, Bonhoffer and Implcation for Chinese

2008-09-14T17:56:00.001-07:00

There are several views that are widely held in the Sydney Evangelical Circles (and a few other places) about the motives for ministry:

* Servanthood
* Entrusted with the gospel

How do these views interact with the (mainland) Chinese views?

there are classics that are widely available in China - including the works of Bonhoffer. (It's a bargain! Cost of discipleship is sold at about $60 AUD (in aus), and less than 20 RMB in China.)
It has been available for a while. ( how i deduced that: the publisher is Chinese, the cover is very plain, and the cost is very low)

It makes me think: why is this work so popular, and what are the implications for ministry? (both the Chinese view of Ministry, and how we minister to Chinese?)

If you read books like Back to Jerusalem, I have no doubt that you'll be inspired by the miracles, dedication, sacrifice and passion of the Chinese.

Some random thoughts i have as a result of these observations:

1) To what extent is the passion of ministry derived from

a) Cultural norms and values (e.g. collectivism, high power distance) - you can see that china ranks very high in the world in the above attributes:

http://www.clearlycultural.com/geert-hofstede-cultural-dimensions/power-distance-index/
http://www.clearlycultural.com/geert-hofstede-cultural-dimensions/individualism/

b) Political /historical factors (e.g. a call for sacrifice for the country is countered by a sacrifice for the gospel)?

2) How much do books form Bonhoffer and the like inform/echo/reflect their theology of ministry?

given the cultural factors mentioned above, one can see why sacrifice (whether from Bonhoffer's writings, or Jesus example of suffering) is a great source of motivating for ppl

3) What can we learn from the (older) Chinese Christians in this area?

We can learn from their understanding of servanthood and discipleship. They are willing to give up all for Christ. We are very unwilling to do that by comparison. THey really do know what it means ot tkae up the cross, and suffer for the gospel, and see the Lordship and example of suffering of Christ very importantly.

4) What area(s) of theology is difficient in the Chinese Christians' understanding of suffering?

From my (limited) understanding, the teaching of eschatology, or indeed, anything about the future (The end Times, Heaven and Hell, BT/Revelation) is limited. This will be a problem for the later generation that are move inidivudalistic/spoilt

5) How does this create a cultural clash for ministry to younger Chinese?

From all the above factors combined, this will be a challenge. In some countries persecution is still a factor, so people ar sharpened in their faith.

In australia, i think we need to be motivated both by the carrot and stick

stick : Lordship of Christ, suffering example
carrot: the Glory of God, the saving power of the gospel both for us and the hearers.

How to form good habits from QT

2008-09-14T17:52:00.000-07:00

I have recently added a facebook app abnout my personality:

http://apps.new.facebook.com/mypersonality/index.php?who=757100787

And the outstanding result is my % (or lack thereof) of conscientiousness.

At the same time, i have been thinking about why and how many of us find it hard to take our QT into our daily lives.

the main reason is that we don't reflect on it.

I have thought of a weird method to help us apply our QT. Try to punch holes in this theory.

method:

1) do your normal QT,
2) at the end of the week, look thru what you learnt, summarise all the passages, and pick out a pair of verbs, something that God has done, and something that i do:
3) set your mind on doing it for 1-4 weeks

for example:

Through my QT and the time at Engage conference, i have reflected upon these verses:

Ps 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.

John 10:11 The good shepherd (Jesus) lays down his life for the sheep.
John 21:15 Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

Jude 3 3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints

How does this affect me?

Since God hears prayers, I wait (actively) (Trust a lazy butt like me to choose 'waiting' as something that i have to do :) )
Since Jesus die for his sheep, I fight to feed the sheep (esp. since there's no pastor/older model at church)
Since the truth is entrusted, I contend.

2. Reason and Implications:

I think this is effective since
a) it still helps us to have good bible reading practices. (reading, understanding, summarising, )
b) it makes application concrete
c) habits form when you keep doing it for a month (e.g. AA asks people to quite drinking for a month)
d) Verbs about what we do increases application in our actions and motives, and verbs about what God has done increases our affection for HIm.

What you do guys think? does it work for you?

if you want to try this out, you can post a few pairs of verbs here to encourage each other.