2014.10.26_The Sign Performed in the Wilderness

 The Golden Rule

Twenty or so years ago, I spent some time living in the United States of America. There, the society kept on demanding to see my credit card. For someone who had moved to the US unexpectedly, there was no way that I had a credit card because credit cards were not widely used in our country at the time. Everyone in the US has to have a social security number. Otherwise, they need a credit card at least. Since I didn’t have either one, it was a challenge to get anything done wherever I went. Nothing ever went smoothly whether it was applying for a driver’s license, a bank account, renting an apartment, visiting a doctor, or purchasing a flight ticket. Often times, the people in charge gave a suspicious glance at me who had neither a social security number nor a credit card, and they declined my requests after making a phone call somewhere.

A social security number is a system put in place for the country or state to manage people’s personal information. Credit cards are measures that show how much a particular person can be trusted within the US economy and the degree of his contribution to the stimulation of the economy. As one who had neither of them, the US society wasn’t going to welcome me. They were demanding a proof of credit saying, “Since this country is providing you with many benefits and support, give us proof that you are also doing your part for this country. After we confirm that the mutual obligations between you and the society are being kept, we will accept you as a member of society.” It was only going to be very hard living in a society where one’s every move is being monitored without any proof that one will be of any good to the country.

The US is a country that puts a strong emphasis on the people’s love, loyalty and service towards the country. That is how it came to control the world’s economy as the most powerful country, even with a relatively low population. There is the philosophy that the people should render service for the country and to achieve that, there are practical educational programs for the public implemented.

When it comes to elite universities, they do not select students with top grades but those that contribute to the society even if their grades might be slightly low. That is because there is the underlying idea that such people should be the future leaders of the country. Despite the benefits the country offers to the people, if the people each do not have the desire to contribute to the society or take any real action, the individuals’ freedom and happiness will automatically be subject to restriction and surveillance. Furthermore, it is difficult for anyone that brings threat and destruction to social security to live within the society. It’s frequently seen in movies where villains swagger down the streets carrying guns and going on a rampage. However, that is only in extreme cases. In reality, the country doesn’t tolerate such people.

There is something called ‘The Golden Rule.’ This is exactly as the Scripture says, “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them” (Matt 7:12). In this world, it is wicked to enjoy the benefit of others while not returning the favor. A person who does such evil will not be loved by other people. Also, people would not think well of the benefits he enjoys. Whoever likes to only receive from his neighbors, colleagues, or even brothers and sisters, but never returns the kindness will not be considered favorably. There is no exception between parents and children. Parents are mostly giving to their children. But if their child comes one day and says, “Thank you for loving me. It must have been difficult raising me. Mom. Dad. You’re the best!” the parents would feel that all of their hard work has paid off.

Giving Thanks for God’s Grace

God sacrificed and gave what is most dear to Him. That left a pain in His heart that could never be erased. It would’ve been extremely difficult for the Father to make the decision to give away the Son in His bosom. The Son’s determination to come to the lowest place to shed His blood for others would’ve become a lasting scar to the Father. However, we have eternally benefited from it. During the short time we are on the earth, God wants us to live a life of thanksgiving towards God for the grace He bestowed. He wants His sacrifice to be recognized as righteousness in the church, and the news of it spread further so that many more souls can be saved.

The essence of our faith is to respond to God with thanksgiving for His grace given. John 3:18 says, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” Whoever ignores God’s grace, intentionally forgets or does not give thanks about it, already stands condemned with no room for reconsideration.

Giving thanks for God’s grace should not be missing from the worship either. John 4:23 says, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” It is an inconceivable thing for man who is stained with sin to see God’s benevolent face. Adam and Eve even hid from God out of fear after they had sinned. Yet we come before God every Lord’s Day and dare request, “God, show Your face! We want to kiss Your hand!” What great courage is this? We can do this because we have received the grace God bestowed through His patience. What God sees is not whether we have a formality that befits a godly worship, but rather a thanksgiving that the recipient of His grace ought to have. God accepts our worship when there is harmony between what He has given from Heaven and our response to that on the earth. Therefore, there must be offerings given in worship just as it has been ever since the time of sacrifices.

On this earth, those who don’t believe in Jesus can still be prosperous. There are some people who see this and even doubt the existence of God. However, making such a rash judgment may become the crossroads leading them to fall away from faith. God gives the sun to both the wicked and the righteous, and likewise sends down the rain to both the righteous and the unrighteous (Matt 5:45). There is no one in the world who have not benefited from this general grace. God gives grace unconditionally to all mankind through nature. Hence there is no need to be perplexed to see the wicked (unbelievers) being well and prosperous.

However, denying God’s grace is another case. It is unbelief if one has received God’s grace but doesn’t acknowledge it. But above all, one is already condemned if he denies Jesus (John 3:18). It is only a matter of time for the condemned person to receive punishment. Thus even unbelievers can succeed in this world through general grace. But unless that leads them to faith, they will come to face a day when no excuses can be made before God (Rom 1:17).

In short, believers are distinguished from unbelievers in that they acknowledge and give thanks for the general grace God has given. While every man must work and sweat in order to make a living, believers acknowledge that all is made possible because God has given the sun and the rain and thus give thanks to God unlike unbelievers. Even a self-claimed believer who does not give thanks to God for what He has given, would be counted as one who has fallen, who is no different to an unbeliever.

There are some people who want to keep a certain distance from church life for the reason that they would have to give up their money and time and be unable to freely enjoy the pleasures of the world if they receive God’s word. Instead of opening their hearts to receive in God’s word, they are purposely rejecting the inspiration from God. With regards to such tendency of man, Jesus said, “And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them’” (Matt 13:14-15).

Some people consider the giving of offerings as an act coming from an outdated way of thinking and ignorance. As those who filter and listen only to the words that don’t impose a burden on them, they treat people that give much offering as being unwise and even ridicule them. It is not as if God is unaware of their wicked heart. Hence, the longer people hold onto such heart, they keep losing their chances of being recognized by God.

After Jesus healed the leper, He told him, “Go and present your offering to the priest” (Matt 8:4). By this He wasn’t implying, ‘don’t you think it is a common courtesy now that you are healed?’ Instead He was saying, ‘obey the Law which says to give offering. You should acknowledge that you have received grace by doing so.’ God trained the Israelites through the Law so that they would give thanks for His grace even by force. Though not by force, Jesus also emphatically commanded to give thanks for grace.

When those who have received grace express their gratefulness before God, they establish a relationship of trust with Him. This is faith. Giving thanks through offerings began from a long time ago, and the life of thanksgiving as a community started from Israel with the church in the wilderness. Since then, regardless of the generation, people that belong to God have never ceased to give thanks. During that process, countless people have fallen away like branches pruned off a tree, and there were only a small group of people left when Jesus came to the earth. They were the Jews. With Jerusalem at their center, they closed ranks and gave offerings zealously. Jesus certainly recognized such deeds of theirs. And that has continued on to the church of Christ, even us in the present.

There is a sin which can be forgiven and then there is sin which cannot be forgiven. The Bible says that it is of no use to exhort someone to repent as there is no potential of reform when it comes to the latter sin (1 John 5:16). There is surely no believer who would say that God’s grace is worthless. Yet if one doesn’t give thanks after having received grace, how is that different to discarding God’s grace intentionally?

Some people regard their attendance at church as a kind of insurance. This is, in a sense, an attempt to persuade God. They seem to think that if they regularly come to the worship place, God will be so happy about it. Of course, God doesn’t discriminate and welcomes anyone that comes to the worship place longing for salvation. However, it is another matter if someone who has already received grace does not give service out of thanksgiving nor have fruits of faith. While those that come longing for salvation will not have any rewards, the Lord promised that there will be given special treatment to those who serve out of thanksgiving. The eyes of the ungrateful cannot see the numerous teachings about offerings written in the Bible. They would instead ask, ‘where in the Bible does it say that?’

Build a Relationship of Trust Consistently

People do not always have peaceful times throughout their lives. Everyone encounters two or three major crisis in their lifetime. In such times, those whose trust-relationship with God is obstructed cannot receive God’s help. Once saints have beheld God’s face through worship, they are blessed by the pastor saying, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all!” In order that the communion of the Holy Spirit is not hindered, we need not only to receive the grace of Jesus Christ and God’s love, but also give thanks for them.

When fear blows in the family like a gust of wind and adversities come rushing like storm, people are convinced that God will help them. But what if they are recognized by God as ungrateful ones? Proverbs 1:28 says, “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.” Though people try to be clever and manipulate God, God sternly warned such people.

There are instances where no matter how much we lay our hand on the sick and pray, they are not healed to the point that makes one think that God isn’t helping them. We are basically praying, ‘forgive this person’s sins’, when we lay our hands on them and pray for them to be healed. Yet if they are ungrateful for God’s grace they have already received, what is the point of such prayers? It is sin when one does not know grace. So if we ask for forgiveness for someone who doesn’t know grace, will that prayer be answered?

In many cases, people seek God for matters concerning money. If a person had always been miserly before God, he can hardly expect God to suddenly be pleased with him and come to his help when he is in financial trouble. There are people who zealously give offerings in times of financial hardships. They know that their relationship with God should not be obstructed no matter what happens.

Once it is broken, it may be difficult to restore one’s relationship with God again. When a person who didn’t know God comes to Him for the first time, God welcomes Him with open arms. However, it’s a different matter when someone who knows God turns away from Him, thinking that he can restore his relationship with God any time. It will be difficult for that relationship to be restored so long as God knows that that person could turn away from Him at any moment.

Abraham, the forefather of our faith, offered his only son before he received the precious life, and God gave up His only begotten Son in response to that faith. Those who came to know this did not spare their life out of gratitude towards God’s grace. They endeavored not to lose God’s love even if they had to suffer all their life. Even the members of the early churches in Jerusalem, gave offerings to God with all of their might.

The Lord promised that those who have the faith of giving thanks to God would be glorified in Heaven. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” As the end draws nearer, those whose hopes are set in Heaven have a greater joy despite the suffering they endure on the earth. Their interest is in being victorious on the last day. The reason they offer their lives to God without holding back, is because they believe in the promise of an everlasting reward.

We must give thanks in all circumstances. Though we break our leg, we should be grateful that we didn’t break our backs; even if we fall over and get a bruise, we should be thankful that we didn’t break our leg. When it comes to the gracious favors God has shown us already, we shouldn’t look for the bad but change our point of view and seek reasons for thanksgiving. And this we must do when all is at peace. It might already be too late if we cry out, “Thank you God. Thank you God”, after some problems break out.

Lay It on the Lord’s Hand

There was a time when Jesus taught a crowd of more than five thousand in the deserted hills, and healed their sick. When evening came, there was no place nearby for the people to go and buy food. The Lord told the one who had five loaves of bread and two fish to bring them to Him. He had decided to feed the people Himself. The Lord took the bread, gave thanks and gave it to them, and the people ate it. How is it possible for that many people to eat with just five loaves of bread and two fish? Yet, they gathered twelve basketfuls of leftovers. Likewise, if the Lord is determined to help someone at all times, that person can receive His help in any situation.

The household of saints can receive the Lord’s help in this wilderness world. Thus, there is no reason to feel despondent just because people do not have anything at present. The people had nothing, yet the Lord taught them, healed their sickness and fed them in the wilderness. Just as the Israelites lived in the desert for forty years, we are passing through the world that is like the wilderness. In this arid, barren place, hardships are waiting for us in every place. But if the Lord blesses us, those circumstances can change drastically. When we experience that, we will have great joy and the Lord will be pleased also.

In this world, the saints’ families and the church must close ranks and go together with the Lord. We must not let anyone break this apart. The Bible says countless times, ‘You and your household shall be blessed!’ In order for Israel to understand the principle of relying on God and being blessed, God made them live in the wilderness for forty years. He even drove His own Son into the wilderness. The Lord strongly exhorts us who are passing through this world, the wilderness to receive His help and does not leave us; He is with us by the Holy Spirit.

What we have may be small, yet we must lay them on the Lord’s hand. Though our lives are full of impossibilities, the Lord laughs at those impossibilities. The Lord promised ‘Is there something impossible for you? I will reveal myself to you! I will give my riches to you!’ We must be at rest before God who knows all of our circumstances. Yet we must never forget to give thanks to God. We need to build our trust with God and have sound communion with God. We must have our thanksgiving accepted by God.