His supremacy and His church.

"He (referring to Christ) is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which He speaks and acts, by which He fills everything with His presence." - Ephesians 1:22-23 (MSG)

The church is not a human institution, made up of men and their traditions passed down from their founder. The church is a living organism, made up of men all across time professing faith in Christ, thus the Body of Christ.

The history of the church, therefore, is not a narrative of the rise and fall of varying 'dynasties' tracing a common lineage to Jesus Christ the Founder. Instead, the history of the church is an ongoing narrative between His First and Second Coming. A narrative in which believers filled with His Holy Spirit live and carry out His will in a world that does not want His will to be done. The progress of this narrative can be charted, but its direction ultimately belongs to Jesus Christ.

The ubiquity of the church itself is not a human tradition either, but a principal directive set forth by Jesus Christ Himself in what is commonly referred to as the Great Commission. A part of it reads like this, "...go and make disciples of all nations...", thereby requiring that the church be found in every location where men reside, since nations are made of men, and not land.

The work of the church is also enshrined in the same Great Commission, stating that the making of disciples be the primary occupation of all church members. The imperative words "go" and "make" define the Great Commission as a command, an instruction. The Great Commission itself includes additional (though not optional) descriptors of the work - "baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you". It is interesting how at the end of this Great Commission Christ states how He is with the church always, even till "the end of the age". In essence, He states that He is not absent from this work, but facilitates it by His presence.

Thus, the greatness of the church is not built on its political clout or capital, though these are reasonable things which we tend to possess by virtue of the church being made up of people from all walks of life. But all walks of life mean exactly that, we will have the rich, the poor, the celebrated, the unwanted, the outcasts, and lastly, not forgetting the common man. The greatness of the church is found in its adherence to the Truth, who also happens to be the Founder, who spoke of Himself as "the Way, the Truth and the Life."

In the same vein, the culture of the church cannot be like the world in how it continually searches for meaning in activity. Instead, we have the truth found in the person of Christ, who instructs us in His teaching that meaning in life does not come from groping in the dark, but by 'abiding in Him', so that He may 'abide in us'. Fruitfulness, then, comes not by working to find something meaningful to do, but by remaining secure in Him and doing whatever is available in that God-ordained 'space'. Furthermore, the church must remain relevant to the world it is called to reach without relinquishing its roots in the person of Christ, who is the living Word of God. In other words, the church is a pipe or vessel, bringing freshwater from the aquifer who is Christ, without changing His essence. We are not to be electrical transformers, attempting to step down His power to a more tolerable voltage.

What then is the church? Once again, it is the Body of Christ, by which "He fills everything with His presence". In other words, we are His vessels, designed to pour out who He is into every aspect of earthly life. Till Kingdom come, but that is another topic for another time.

Comfort vs Comforter.

The following is a preface about why I've been MIA, so skip it if it's a waste of time to you.

It's been a while since I made any entries in here. I have been too busy.

Too busy trying to fit in. Too busy trying to juggle. Too busy trying to make everything fit into a limited timeline. I had to cut corners, but in the stress of everything, I cut the parts of my life that represented the 'full and abundant' life that my Savior wanted me to take part in - His life. I guess I missed out. Honestly, for 'recreation', I just took the equivalent of 'painkillers' in the form of video gaming and YouTube surfing. Brain-numbing, that is all.

But I haven't died, and thus the war for my affection continues. I would like to make a resolution to return to this station. And so this marks a soft reset of my writing days, older and hopefully wiser. 

For what it's worth to others, I have received a dose of bad news this week. I didn't make the cut on something considered routine and ordinary for teachers in my position and bracket. The only thing that surfaced as the news was broken to me was really this: "Did I miss out on God's plan to bring me forward to where He has called me?"

I mean, I embarked on this teaching career because of a clarion call from the Lord. No, I have not lost faith in His call, but I am questioning if my present predicament has been due to my lackadaisical approach to the whole matter. Yet, in reflection, am I really willing to abandon the other things I hold dear? One expendable thing remains though: my expectations of comfort.

I think I have become soft. Soft on myself, soft in dying to myself and my selfish desires. The life that the Lord called me to is one of action and waiting on Him, but I have looked for comfort instead. Subtly, with the influx of income, I started to settle for more material comforts. Nothing wrong with this...till I realized that I stopped looking for the Comforter. It was no longer about Him directing me and leading me, but myself finding the easiest way. I stopped working as hard, and I do suppose that this is how I ended up with this dose of bad news.

I feel like I have messed up His plans, but I take solace now in what Scripture states about His faithfulness - "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Yes, I believe I have messed up, because I settled for comfort rather than the Comforter. I should have remained focused and give up on expectations of comfort, other than what the Lord blesses me with. At least though, I know His grace has been poured out in the manner with which the news was broken to me. For this, I choose to be thankful instead of being upset that I "didn't get what should have been mine."

Gold of my soul.

O God, Thou art the gold in mine soul.

Without Thee, mine soul hast nary a rest.

Thou shalt be my Reward forevermore.

Justice, Thy throne's foundation,

And Mercy, Thy great delight.

May they be mine too.

Philippians 4:4-9, in my own words.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Fight for joy all the time, every day, in every waking moment. Don't find joy in things, but in the Lord. His joy fills you better than any earthly thing, so fight for joy in the Lord.

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. 

Show people you are fighting for this joy in the Lord through your lifestyle. You are not fighting them, but you are fighting joylessness. Be generous, be kind, be loving; let everyone see and taste of the amazing transformation the Lord has brought about in you.

The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The Lord is not far away. He is right here with you, every moment of the day. Since He is right here, pray. Pray for your needs, and for others' needs. Be thankful to God in advance! This is the Creator you are praying to, and He already knows all your needs before you pray! Your praying points others to Him, so be specific and dare to pray audaciously! God will honor your faith by exchanging your anxiety for His peace, which will anchor you in the storms of life. You will be able to stand firm and unshaken, though you may be in dire straits.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 

So, think positively! Your optimism is not founded on wavering hopes in man-made things or fortuitous chance, but on the Man who loved and died for you. If His Word were not true, then all is lost. But He is God, and His Word is true. Fill your mind with His Word, all His promises made to you and all who believe. Do this daily, arm yourself with the right words for each circumstance so that when they come, you will be ready.

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Haven't you an example in me? Do what I do, and I am sure that God will show up in your life too!

Postscript: At the time of writing this, I am at my first-ever Week 10 of Term 3 as a primary school educator. While this may not make much sense to you, I am marking the time for my future self to remember how much anxiety and fearfulness I faced. I don't want to live like that any longer, because it is joyless. I refuse to live joylessly. So before you judge my paraphrasing, please be considerate for my struggle.

Retooling the shed.

It's the 18th of June today. It's not a significant occasion by any measurement, but to borrow an age-old adage, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, no?

Today marks the fifth year since I started this blog, this repository of wandering thoughts, odd ideas and focused conversations of my mind. I plan to keep it that way. I've asked a few friends for their thoughts on keeping this blog, and opinions differed. Some were encouraging, others clarifying, but none decisive. Ultimately, it came down to me and the Lord for the matter. 

So what was the original aim? I take you back to the first post made here. The war within isn't some metaphor for good and evil. Neither is it a battle of wits, though wits find some employ in the daily skirmishes. This blog is my personal story, a testament of how my Savior saves me on a day-to-day basis. But I am a rational person, fraught with emotions I must learn to navigate safely if I want to reach the next port of call. And so I have this, a journal of some sorts, and sounding board for me to work out my emotions through a faculty of reason redeemed by Christ.

If it is still unclear, the war within is a war for my affection. Notice I use the singular here, for I have only one to offer. Either I give it to God, or some other thing. For while I like to think I am a rational man, I find in myself a maelstrom of emotions to overcome. Wit and intellect have proven poor companions for this journey of life, for they too are subject to the whims of the heart. This blog is me, trying to reconcile one unlovable man with an all-loving God, trying to document the 'full and abundant life' that the Savior promises in John 10:10, trying to outwit the 'thief, who comes only to steal, kill and destroy'. This, dear reader, is what I have to offer.

Finally, I must state that while I will no longer neglect this station, I cannot be certain of my frequency of posts. I am beginning my journey as a primary school educator come July, and I will be busy learning the ropes, and adapting to new things. I will, however, make it a point to post at least once a month. Cheers!

Postscript: If you are on the same journey as I am, you will one day find me insufficient for your deep frustrations, friend. In that day, I urge you to look to the One who has been my Ebenezer, a sure Rock of help. Look up the Holy Bible, the revealed Word of God, and discover Him for yourself.

Untapped, unspoilt.

The sun is risen; behold its brilliance!

All the land lies before you; untapped potential.

The Son is risen; behold His glory!

All eternity lies before you; unspoiled freedom.

Post-it, #1 Revisited.

Some years back, I gave myself a 'life sentence', and it goes like this:

I will fight weariness, hunger, suffering, disappointment, foolishness and stubborn stupidity, because what I do for God now will be my story for all eternity.

Today, I would like to revisit and recalibrate the 'life sentence'.

I will fight disordered loves, grief, loss, foolishness, weariness, hopelessness, stubborn stupidity and joyless living because what I do in this life attests to my Hope in the next.