Blog Entry dated 25/01/2008 9:58

DON’T PANIC... TRUST
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 41:41-46

This is an excellent opportunity to shift the scene for a moment and look at all this from the perspective of the guy who's out working in the fields, moving stones for one of those interminable, ever-ongoing pyramid projects. He knows nothing at all about what's just happened in the dungeon and throne room. All he knows is that some young upstart, some foreigner, has maneuvered his way into Pharaoh's good graces. And he is being told, "Bow your knee to this man!"

"Oh, man, look at that!" whispers the workman. "Who does he think he is? Who did he bribe to get all this? He must know somebody. That's the way it is up there in the court."

Given that same situation, we'd probably think the same thing. Back in the Vietnam era, we often heard the phrase, "Never trust anyone over thirty." Today, given the large segment of aging populace, we are more likely to hear, "Never trust anyone under thirty."

But what we can't see from our limited perspective is what God has been doing on the inside. That worker in the field doesn't know---doesn't have the slightest idea---what has gone on before in Joseph's life, nor is he even aware of his years in the dungeon. He doesn't know about Joseph's faithfulness when nobody else was around.

Joseph has been appointed, chosen, selected, prepared, and refined into gold by Almighty God. That's how he has come to wear the ring. That's how he has come to get the robe, the necklace, and the chariot. That's why others are saying, "Bow the knee." Joseph himself isn't saying that; others are.

I wonder what Joseph was thinking at that moment. I believe he was saying to himself over and over, "Praise be to God." I think he was tallying up all the things God had taught him in the past thirty years, things God also wants to teach us.

During the waiting period, trust God without panic. Count on Him to handle the cupbearers of your life, the people who forget you, the people who break their promises. It's God's job to deal with the cupbearers of your past. It's your job to be the kind of servant He has designed you to be. Be faithful during the waiting periods of life. God will not forget you or forsake you.

Reprinted by permission. Day by Day, Charles Swindoll, July 2005, Thomas Nelson, inc., Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved. Purchase "Day by Day" here.

Blog Entry dated 16/01/2008 18:18

Stepping Out
by Tim Archer

  It's called rappelling. It's the means by which you walk down a near-vertical surface with the aid of a rope around your body. I was fifteen when I did it. I don't think I'll do it again.

Let me state up front that I have some fear of heights. Not like the lady I knew in Argentina that couldn't stand up when she was on the ninth floor of an apartment building. But if I'm in a situation where I can picture myself falling, I definitely experience heightened anxiety.

My rappelling episode started off with me having to walk off the top of a cliff. Backwards. Slowly but surely I made my way down the rock face, with an ever-growing appreciation of the power of prayer. About halfway down, I saw one of the staff members from the camp that I was participating in; he was perched on a nearby ledge. "You need to go to your left," he told me. "That's easy for you to say," I thought to myself. I was near a protrusion; going to my left meant stepping out in space for a moment or two. Going to my right kept my feet on the solid face of the mountain. You guessed it: I went to my right. Later, when I was about fifteen feet from the bottom, I ran out of rope. By not following the staff member's instructions, I had gotten the rope snagged on a rock and could no longer reach my destination.

We have to go beyond what we can see and touch.

The ending to the story is less than dramatic; within five minutes or so, the rope was freed and I was able to get down. But I often think back to that moment of decision, when I had to choose between the uncertainty of stepping out in space and the safety of what I could see and feel. It helps me to sympathize with people who face that same decision in their spiritual lives. How much easier it would be if we could take God to the laboratory, place Him under a microscope and prove His existence once and for all. How comforting it would be to have an undeniable certificate of authenticity from God showing that the Bible is true in every way. How convenient it would be if faith were not required, if we could operate only on what we can see and feel. But it's not that way; to find God we have to step out in faith.

Let me, like that camp staffer years ago, encourage you to step out in space. Go beyond what our senses perceive and step out in faith. I and many others can tell you that God is there, that He is real and He is waiting for you. Take a chance, reach out and find Him; don't wait until you reach the end of your rope!

Is That All There Is?

I remember the football game I wanted so badly. At a time when computers were unknown in homes, it was "computerized." My favorite football player appeared on the box, assuring me that it was so realistic that pros could train with it. I knew the game would be wonderful.
I dreamed about that football game, of the fun I would have playing it. I imagined myself passing wonderful hours with this realistic simulation. Finally, after months of longing and pleading, I got the game I wanted. Excitedly I took it out of the box and discovered that I'd been misled. There was nothing computerized about this game, except in the loosest sense of the word. There were two moving sticks with a light attached to them; the light would illuminate different numbers according to how the sticks were moved. That was the extent of the "computerization" of this "realistic" game. I was left looking at the game thinking, "Is that all there is to it?"
I'd like to say that was the only time in my life that I experienced that feeling, but it wouldn't be true. In fact, I've lived through the same thing time and again. I see something and come to want it, dreaming about it, anticipating the satisfaction I'll feel when I finally get it. Then I obtain the object of my desire and find myself thinking, "Is that all there is to it?"
If we're not careful, we go through our whole lives thinking "Is that all there is? Isn't there anything more?" We hear the promises, the sales pitches, the call of endless temptations: buy this and you'll be happy; start a relationship with this person and all your dreams will come true; get that dream job and live happily ever after. Then we get home and discover that we've just bought two sticks connected to a light. "Is that all there is?"
Over and over, the question arises: "Is that all there is?"In the book of Genesis, a man named Jacob describes his life as follows: "The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life" (Genesis 47:9). 130 years, and Jacob calls them "few and evil." I can almost hear him say, "Is that all there is to it?"
Only God can meet our deepest needs, only He can satisfy that longing we have. When we receive His gifts, we'll never say, "Is that all there is?" When He gives us the gift of salvation, when He pours out His grace in our lives, we'll never be left looking for more. God keeps His promises. His gifts have no equal. No one can satisfy our longings like the living God.
I'd like to share with you more about what God has to offer to us. Just write me at tim@hopeforlife.org. Or visit our blog at www.hopeforlife.org/blog. I promise that when you understand what God has to give, you won't be looking for more.

Quit Trying to be a Christian

Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. (Luke 13:24 NIV)

“Being a good Christian is so hard for me. I keep messing up so I might as well quit trying.” Have you ever heard someone, maybe yourself, say those words? Maybe your Christian life has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, highs and lows, getting on the wagon only to fall off again. If you are unsatisfied with the results of your Christian walk up until this point, I have two words of advice for you.

“QUIT TRYING.”

Yes, you read that correctly. It’s no typo. I am encouraging you to QUIT TRYING to be a good Christian. Albert Einstein once said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results,” which means that if you are unsatisfied with your Christian walk and would like some different results you have two options: Embrace insanity or take a different approach toward Christianity.

If you choose the latter option, continue reading.

That different approach to simply trying can be found in Luke 6:40 (NIV), “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” Simply put, if we want to be like Jesus we need to be fully trained, much like His original disciples were. They trained by spending a lot of time with Him, listening and talking to Him, and doing the same things He did.

Paul reinforces the need for training in 1 Cor 9:25, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” Paul compared Christians to runners in a race who knew that strict training and discipline were required if they expected to compete. Here is a fictional story I like to use to illustrate this point.

John was a nice, but not particularly athletic man who decided he needed a challenge, so he announced to his wife Mary one evening that he was going to compete in a triathlon, a race involving swimming, running and bicycling. His loving wife said, “Honey, that’s terrific. I am so proud of you. I don’t mean to burst your bubble, but you eat a box of Twinkies a day, you can’t swim and by the way, have you forgotten that your foot is still in a cast from that unfortunate incident at the skating rink?” John had a choice to make. He could try to compete in the triathlon in his current condition, or he could train for the event in the coming months.

In order for John to have any hope of finishing the competition, he would need to learn new skills, train his body, bring discipline to his lifestyle, and even get some things healed. Trying to compete would not be enough; John would need to train for this event.

We Christians are in a race that will take our entire lives to reach the finish line. If it takes months to prepare for a triathlon that lasts one day, how can we expect to finish our lifelong race without training? Follow the advice in 1 Timothy 4:7 (NIV), “Train yourself to be godly” and don’t be one of those Jesus spoke of in Luke 13:24 that “will try to enter, and will not be able to.”

Todd Dawalt - Bible Teacher

4 SEHAT 5 SEMPURNA” – MURID atau PENGIKUT?

Oleh Ps Dr Marganti Sihite

Matius 5: 48 berkata ”Karena itu haruslah kamu sempurna, sama seperti Bapamu yang di sorga adalah sempurna.".

Tujuan akhir Tuhan Allah Bapa terhadap setiap anak2NYA adalah untuk membuat mereka menjadi sempurna didalam setiap aspek kehidupan mereka. Kenapa? Karena Bapa Sorgawai kita sempurna dan Dia ingin anak2NYA juga sempurna. Kata sempurna itu adalah kata yang mempunyai nilai yang tinggi.

Judul artikel yang saya tulis ini sudah tidak asing lagi bagi masyarakat Indonesia pada umumnya dan perlu diketahui bahwa terminologi “4Sehat 5 Sempurna” ini sungguh unik dan hanya ada dan dipakai di Indonesia saja. Memang orang Indonesia itu paling jagoan kalau yang berurusan dengan ide kata-kata.
Tahun 1970an saat-saat masa transisi dari pemerintahan orde lama ke orde baru, masyarakat Indonesia pada waktu itu dilanda dengan masalah gizi buruk atau kurang gizi. Pada waktu itu Prof. Purwo Soedarmo, Bapak Ilmu Gizi Indonesia, membuat sebuah pernyataan yang sekarang menjadi populer yaitu ”4 Sehat 5 Sempurna”. Beliau mengatakan untuk sehat secara jasmani, manusia itu memerlukan 4 hal setiap hari yaitu: Makanan pokok (Nasi), Sumber protein (Daging), Sayur Mayur, Buah2an dan kalau manusia itu ingin sempurna harus ditambah dengan susu.

Didalam kehidupan kerohanian, kita juga perlu adanya 4 sehat 5 sempurna Kita dipanggil bukan hanya untuk menjadi pengikut Kristus tetapi kita dipanggil menjadi murid Kristus yang sejati. Sewaktu Tuhan Yesus memilih ke 12 muridNYA, satupun diantara murid2 tersebut tidak ada yang sempurna didalam hidupnya, tetapi mereka semua diubah dan diproses luar dalamnya menjadi murid yang sempurna. Tuhan Yesus memilih 12 orang menjadi muridNYA dan mengubah dunia melalui mereka. Seorang Murid adalah seorang yang sangat spesial dimata Tuhan. Selama 3 ½ tahun Tuhan Yesus memberikan hidupNYA kepada murid2NYA. Dia mengajarkan mereka Pengajaran2 Khusus yang sangat praktis dan sederhana agar mereka bisa hidup sesuai dengan nilai-nilai Kerajaan Allah. Kepada murid2NYA Dia memberitahukan Rahasia Kerajaan Allah. Ini adalah hal yang sangat istimewa dimana mereka bisa mengetahui segala rahasia Kerajaan Allah. Sebelum Tuhan Yesus kembali ke Surga, Dia memberikan Kuasa Sorgawi kepada setiap murid2NYA agar mereka bisa pergi dan menjadikan semua bangsa2 muridNYA. Hanya seorang murid yang punya persyaratan untuk bisa menjadikan bangsa2 muridNYA. Saya katakan kepada jemaat Tuhan dan kepada orang2 yang saya muridkan bahwa selain memiliki Alkitab mereka juga harus memiliki Pasport. Kalau mereka belum memiliki pasport maka mereka belum layak disebut sebagai murid Kristus. Kita tidak bisa pergi ke bangsa2 dengan menggunakan KTP atau Kartu Keluarga kita. Pasport adalah persyaratan utama agar kita bisa masuk ke sebuah negara.

Setelah perjalanan misi ke Papua tahun 2006 dengan tim City Blessing, Tuhan berbicara kepada saya untuk membawa 12 orang papua, memuridkan dan menyekolahkan mereka di perguruan tinggi di Jakarta, supaya setelah selesai mereka bisa kembali ke tanah papua dan menjadi pemimpin yang takut akan Tuhan didaerah mereka. Saat ini saya baru memiliki 2 orang papua untuk dimuridkan yang sekarang ada tinggal di rumah saya dan sekolah di perguruan tinggi ilmu komputer. Saya percaya Tuhan akan memberikan yang 10 orang lagi di tahun 2007 ini. Nama kedua orang ini adalah Delius dan Lentius (Seperti terlihat didalam foto).

Mereka adalah murid2 Kristus yang sudah bertobat, terlibat didalam pelayanan gereja lokal kami dan sungguh2 ingin mencapai pendidikan yang tertinggi yang bisa mereka capai. Saya hanya mau taat dengan apa yang Tuhan suruh saya lakukan. Walaupun costnya tinggi tetapi kalau Tuhan yang suruh, saya hanya mau taat. Tugas kita hanya menanam dan menyiram tetapi Tuhan Allah yang memberikan pertumbuhan. Kita sekarang tidak tahu apa yang terjadi di hari-hari mendatang. Tetapi kalau kita mau taat dan setia memuridkan orang2 yang Tuhan beri, siapa tahu suatu saat orang2 ini akan menjadi Billy Graham2 atau President2 atau Gubernur2 atau Konglomerat2 untuk Tuhan. Moto saya dalam menggembalakan adalah DISCIPLE THE FAITHFUL, PASTOR THE UNFAITHFUL

Saya percaya bahwa untuk sehat secara rohani setiap murid Kristus harus memiliki 4 hal yaitu:
1. Waktu DOA pribadi dengan Tuhan,
2. Merenungkan FIRMAN TUHAN bukan hanya membacanya,
3. Menjadi SAKSI Kristus didunia ini.
4. Hidup oleh IMAN bukan oleh penglihatan
5. dan kalau setiap murid Kristus ingin sempurna dalam hidupnya maka dia harus tertanam di sebuah GEREJA LOKAL dimana Tuhan tempatkan. Karena melalui GerejaNYA akan keluar pengajaran2 untuk memiliki hidup yang saleh dimana karakter dan integritas seorang murid Kristus dibentuk menjadi sempurna seperti Bapa Sorgawi.

”Tetapi jika yang sempurna tiba, maka yang tidak sempurna itu akan lenyap.” I Kor 13:10

SIKAP YANG BENAR

By Bp Budi Krismunando

Suatu ketika ada seorang pemimpin agama (di luar Kristen) datang kepada Ps Paul Tan di hotel di Jakarta dan mengatakan bahwa Tuhan Yesus datang kepadanya dan mengajar langsung ke telinganya. Dan hal seperti ini bukan untuk kali ini saja terjadi, tetapi sudah banyak kali terjadi, dimana Yesus berbicara langsung kepada pemimpin-pemimpin agama (di luar Kristen). Apa arti dari semua ini? Ini menandakan bahwa Tuhan Yesus sudah tidak sabar untuk menuai jiwa besar-besaran di Indonesia sampai-sampai Dia harus turun tangan sendiri untuk berbicara langsung. Tapi yang jadi pertanyaan bagi kita sebagai Gereja adalah: Apakah kita siap jika tuaian besar terjadi?
Melihat apa yang terjadi di bangsa Indonesia sekarang sangat jelas terlihat bahwa akan terjadi kesulitan yang besar di bangsa ini. Tapi di dalam kesulitan yang besar ini anak-anak Tuhan justru akan bangkit. Dan hal itu sudah menjadi ciri khas kekristenan. Di Alkitab selalu diceritakan bahwa di tengah kesulitan besar yang dialami, umat Tuhan selalu bangkit.

Semuanya itu Kukatakan kepadamu, supaya kamu beroleh damai sejahtera dalam Aku. Dalam dunia kamu menderita penganiayaan (in this world there will be trouble / kesusahan), tetapi kuatkanlah hatimu, Aku telah mengalahkan dunia." Yohanes 16:33

Dikatakan di ayat di atas bahwa akan ada kesusahan. Ada dua macam kesusahan. Ada kesusahan yang akan membawa kepada kebaikan, ada kesusahan yang akan membawa kepada keburukan. Yang mana yang akan kita pilih? Apa reaksi kita saat kita mengalami kesusahan? Apakah kita akan bersikap negatif (kesal, marah-marah, dll.) atau justru akan bertindak positif (menjadi tenang, berdoa, sabar, dll.)? Jika kita bersikap negatif, kita menjadi sama dengan dunia ini. Justru kita harus menjadi beda dengan dunia bahkan kita harus bisa mempengaruhi dunia. Dalam kesusahan kita harus bisa tetap tersenyum dan bisa menguatkan (encourage) yang lain. Apa yang bisa membuat kita bersukacita di saat kesusahan? Ada 2 hal. Yang pertama adalah Kuasa Yesus. Yang kedua adalah karena kita memilih untuk tidak ditindas oleh kesuahan/masalah. Dan untuk melakukan ini memang tidak mudah, karena kita sedang melawan arus. Tetapi akhirnya akan membawa kita kepada kebaikan.

Daud adalah salah satu contoh di Alkitab yang mengalami kesusahan yang besar tetapi membuat keputusan untuk tidak bersikap negatif dalam menghadapi kesusahannya. Di dalam 1 Samuel 30 diceritakan bahwa Daud dan pasukannya baru saja pulang dari peperangan yang melelahkan dengan kemenangan. Tapi apa yang didapati ketika ia pulang adalah bahwa kota mereka telah dibakar dan seluruh istri, anak-anak dan harta mereka dibawa lari oleh musuh. Mereka mengalami kesusahan yang sangat besar.

Ada dua tipe orang melalui cerita di atas:
1. Pasukan Daud.
Dalam menghadapi kesusahan, pasukan Daud dikatakan menjadi marah bahkan berniat untuk membunuh Daud.
2. Daud.
Dalam menghadapi kesusahan, Daud justru menguatkan kepercayaannya kepada Tuhan.

Apa kuncinya sehingga Daud bisa tetap menguatkan dirinya kepada Tuhan? Di dalam kitab Mazmur berkali-kali Daud berkata: ”Pujilah Tuhan hai jiwaku.” Mengapa dia memerintahkan jiwanya untuk memuji Tuhan? Karena dia sedang tidak merasa untuk memuji Tuhan. Tapi Daud tahu bahwa memuji Tuhan adalah hal yang benar untuk dia lakukan pada masa kesusahannya. Jadi dia paksakan jiwanya untuk memuji Tuhan. Itulah kunci untuk kita bisa keluar dari masalah kita. Tidak penting dengan setiap masalah yang terjadi di dalam kehidupan kita. Yang penting adalah, SIKAP KITA dalam menghadapi masalah. Apa yang kita pilih akan membedakan hasilnya nanti.

Apakah akhir dari cerita Daud di atas? Daud bisa mengejar musuhnya dan memperoleh kembali istri dan anak-anak mereka, juga harta mereka. Bahkan mereka memperoleh jarahan yang sangat besar. Itulah hasil dari seseorang yang mengambil sikap yang benar ketika ia mengalami kesulitan/kesusahan. Jalan keluar, kemenangan, sukacita & berkat melimpah!

Your Kingdom Come

by DR. Paul Tan

Would you pause for a moment now? Set aside your business, needs, and challenges. Silence your mind. Then prayerfully and slowly, yes, I mean slowly continue to read the following article – allowing the Holy Spirit to touch you.

Imagine … the King has come, but they did not recognize Him. The scribes and the chief priests religiously prepared for the Passover while the Passover Lamb was passing by them. They were inside praying for Him to come while He passed by outside. The “insiders” missed Him while the “outsiders” marched with Him. The religious people sincerely thought they were so close to God but in reality they were so far. They decided to release Barabbas, who committed murder during the insurrection, and crucified Jesus, the Resurrection. They pardoned the murderer, and murdered the Pardoner. They discharged Barabbas, which means the son of abba (with connotations: arrogance, haughty, pride) and charged the Son of ABBA (who is humble, gentle, and meek). I don’t know about you, but every time I read this story I am annoyed. Why they could not see it? What made them so blind? The Bible says that when Jesus died on the cross “Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom …” (Mt.27:51) There was a veil that caused them not to be able to see the revelation. Now, enough about reading what they did to Jesus; let us allow the Word of God to read what we are doing to Jesus today. We may be doing the same thing and don’t realize it, because there is a veil that is blocking our sight. We may be wearing the veil of comfort zone, the veil of self-consciousness, the veil of ignorance, routinism, pre-conceived ideas, or pride. All of these can rise up as smoke and cause us not to be able to see the real thing clearly. Jesus wants us to go beyond the veil and experience Him first-hand. Our veil might only be one obedience away. Did you know … that Jesus did not go to the temple to sacrifice a lamb for the forgiveness of sins; He was the Lamb of God. He was not trying to show you the way to heaven, He is the Way. More than just knowing about truth, He is the Truth. He is not looking for life, He died to give us life because He is the Life. Not only did He know the Word, He was the Word made flesh (Jn.1:14). The power of resurrection gives us the best hope in this life and the life to come because we know Jesus is alive. Let us make a declaration and commitment today: "Your Kingdom, Lord, come in our lives today and our kingdom shall go. We give You the liberty to rule and reign as King in our life. We remove any veil that has covered us all this time and receive the fresh revelation of who You are. We want to experience the day of Your visitation. Your will be done in our life. Amen!"

(source: lacityblessing.org)