I thought I had some revelations/thoughts going on like a couple of seconds ago before Steven Furtick's page finished loading on Safari. Now I forgot what it is...
(1 minute later)
I remembered!
Again I am questioning myself on how much can I contribute/impact lives in my remaining time here in Shanghai. I feel incompetent to various things: 1. I have yet to train someone to take over my role of guitarist 2. Huan have yet to be HS baptised I know these things will come back to 'haunt' me.
And as I reflected and thought through, I got this assurance from God that He's doing something, He's having something in mind. I'll just do what I have been doing, He'll show me... God, swee la~!
- Steven Furtick's
The greatest problem of American Christians when it comes to the Bible is not that we are not deep in God’s Word. The problem is that we are not active in God’s Word. We have a lot more revelation than our current level of active application. And revelation without application leads to stagnation.
Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word of God is “living and active.” The Bible was never meant to simply be a source of passive theological epiphanies that we gain as we delve deeper into it. It was meant to be a force that penetrates and delves deep into us and activates action.
I wonder if what we need is to gain a true understanding of what “depth” actually means. Deep teaching and preaching is not when I give my people insights they have never heard of before that will never be seen again when they disappear into vacuum of their minds or a drawer that holds all of their sermon notes. Deep teaching is teaching that enables, equips, and empowers people to live in light of the deep truths they are encountering.
The point of the study of the Bible is not to learn things you’ve never heard of before but to begin living in a way nobody has seen before. And this can only be the result of active engagement with God’s Word, not merely increased depth in God’s Word.
Romans 12:2 (New International Version) 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
You know, in China, it's hard cause in many ways you want to live like a tiong, so that you wont loogie (lose out) This verse has been a constant reminder, even when people comment that "You very effort leh"
Your capacity as a leader, a spouse, a parent, or an employee might be adequate right now, but it will be inadequate momentarily. The needs of those around you will constantly demand you to produce at a higher level. For this reason, we must have a healthy obsession with improving everything we do every time we do it. Not for the sake of pride. But for the sake of those who need us to be at our best and continually improving on our best.
There is a potential danger with this mindset. We can become so busy constantly obsessing over being better that we do not take the time to adequately celebrate and appreciate where we are and how far we’ve come. This danger is real. We must continually be thankful for what God has done in and through us.
I thought I had some revelations/thoughts going on like a couple of seconds ago before Steven Furtick's page finished loading on Safari. Now I forgot what it is...
(1 minute later)
I remembered!
Again I am questioning myself on how much can I contribute/impact lives in my remaining time here in Shanghai. I feel incompetent to various things: 1. I have yet to train someone to take over my role of guitarist 2. Huan have yet to be HS baptised I know these things will come back to 'haunt' me.
And as I reflected and thought through, I got this assurance from God that He's doing something, He's having something in mind. I'll just do what I have been doing, He'll show me... God, swee la~!
- Steven Furtick's
The greatest problem of American Christians when it comes to the Bible is not that we are not deep in God’s Word. The problem is that we are not active in God’s Word. We have a lot more revelation than our current level of active application. And revelation without application leads to stagnation.
Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word of God is “living and active.” The Bible was never meant to simply be a source of passive theological epiphanies that we gain as we delve deeper into it. It was meant to be a force that penetrates and delves deep into us and activates action.
I wonder if what we need is to gain a true understanding of what “depth” actually means. Deep teaching and preaching is not when I give my people insights they have never heard of before that will never be seen again when they disappear into vacuum of their minds or a drawer that holds all of their sermon notes. Deep teaching is teaching that enables, equips, and empowers people to live in light of the deep truths they are encountering.
The point of the study of the Bible is not to learn things you’ve never heard of before but to begin living in a way nobody has seen before. And this can only be the result of active engagement with God’s Word, not merely increased depth in God’s Word.
Romans 12:2 (New International Version) 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
You know, in China, it's hard cause in many ways you want to live like a tiong, so that you wont loogie (lose out) This verse has been a constant reminder, even when people comment that "You very effort leh"
Your capacity as a leader, a spouse, a parent, or an employee might be adequate right now, but it will be inadequate momentarily. The needs of those around you will constantly demand you to produce at a higher level. For this reason, we must have a healthy obsession with improving everything we do every time we do it. Not for the sake of pride. But for the sake of those who need us to be at our best and continually improving on our best.
There is a potential danger with this mindset. We can become so busy constantly obsessing over being better that we do not take the time to adequately celebrate and appreciate where we are and how far we’ve come. This danger is real. We must continually be thankful for what God has done in and through us.