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| For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for
salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
(Romans 1:16, ESV)
Tension...
It's been quite a while since I last wrote in this blog. Heck, I don't even know if people use xanga anymore. The world has moved beyond this community to other sites, I presume. I myself have caught on to the craze that is podcasts. It all started when a friend told me about this wacko nut called Dave Ramsey. I searched for where I could find his radio show for free, and that's when I discovered podcasts.
Now I know all of you young-whipper snappers are a bit more savier than myself when it comes to the technology bit. It took me a while to catch on, but for those who still don't know (and I've had to convince some friends of this) whatever your thoughts about apple, iTunes and podcasting is ingenious. Furthermore iTunes university is pure gold. Okay, that shameless plug aside. When I came to Japan, though I quickly came to be involved in a body of believers here, most places I went to were considerably lacking in sermon content. (Judge this however you may like). So, I eventually found sermons online--for free (at least for me).
I promise you, I'm not listening to heretical teachings by obscure pastor One-eyed Joe or anything like that. Actually, I've listened to many sermons from one Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church, Seattle, and John Piper of Bethlehem baptist church. Not to these only, but also a C.H. Spurgeon and others. Anyways, being introduced to these preachers by different recommendations and in different situations, I've gradually been introduced to what has been labeled "Reformed Theology". Which is funny, because in my AP European History class in high school, the era of study that most interested me was the Protestant Reformation. It's where we who would call ourselves Evangelical Christians (regardless of denomination) get our roots. There are many various changes I would say I've been going through. I could try to explain them all. Coming to grips with the doctrine of predestination definitely, for one, was rather a painful experience. But I'm not here to argue this point. The most important reality God has shown me this year and a half is what exactly the Gospel is. And it is because He's shown me in my own life what the work of the Gospel is, and what Jesus has done, that I want to all the more share it with those around me. I'm very much for the work of evangelization. In fact, it's with this last statement that I have my current challenge.
Not with whether or not to share the Gospel itself. I want to share the gospel. This much is clear, we must share the gospel, and make disciples of all nations. My question is rather about the argument of cultural relevance (or what some would call contextualization). I know to some degree, we have to contextualize the message in the culture in which we find ourselves. I'm in Japan, so it would help to know the language (for one) and the culture. Paul definitely was familiar with Hellenist culture when he quoted the poet Aratus at the school of Athens. Jesus spoke in parables to the Jews (which is commonly argued was used a lot in Jewish culture; however, I don't know how effective exactly Jesus was in using his parables to communicate the message because the Scripture also says at certain points that he did so to fulfill the prophecy that "they would have eyes, but never see; ears, but never perceiving"--something along these lines). Ultimately, we have God accomodating us by becoming human flesh. The incarnation. So if anything, the argument for contextualizing the gospel message within one's culture finds validity in the Incarnation. I'm not arguing against contextualization.
What I'm asking myself is, how much do I contextualize? How much popular culture do I really have to know to be able to speak the gospel to those around me? A few days ago, I went to hold up placards in the downtown area Sendai with the gospel message (yup, seriously?!) I wanted to go and serve my friends who do this all the time, and with the limited Japanese I have at the moment I still want to preach the gospel. Do I think in terms of it's effectiveness that it was necessarily well-received? Probably not...primarily due to lack of a more humble approach to contextualization, however I do not limit what God can do. So I consider the cultural context of Japan and how much I need to know about culture.
So on this opposite end of the spectrum, there's the "cultural relevance" argument. That the church needs to be culturally relevant. You have the "Emergent" churches striving for this ideal, but sometimes the message simply gets boiled down to a social gospel. "God wants us to help our fellow-man. Let's take care of the poor, the widowed, the orphaned, etc." [NOTE: These commands are found in Scripture, to be sure, but in context, God's commands to Israel to do so can be seen as a result of the mercy He'd shown them as a nation, choosing them from among all the nations, and mightily delivering them (the weakest people on the face of the planet at the time) from the hands of the Egyptians (by human standard: the mightiest nation at the time); so accordingly, God wanted them to show mercy as well, as they had been recipients of mercy. Such can be viewed as an example of how the Gospel should profoundly transform us, as we too are recipients of the grace and mercy of God] . But to have a concern for the physical, and emotional well-being of our brother without regard for the Jesus he may not know is man-centered. We should demonstrate the mercy God has shown us in the gospel through such mercy ministries, but we should not do so at the expense of neglecting to TELL of the mercy God has shown us in the Gospel--in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The answer to man's problem brought on by his condition of sin is not another program. It's the transforming power of the love of JESUS, IN THE GOSPEL.
I guess where I'm kinda questioning is when we're talking about the message itself, and "tailoring". How much tailoring, if any, should we do to the Gospel? I'm sure we gotta update language a bit, and where concepts are hard to understand, we should be happy to explain them and use illustrations to help. There should be some consideration with our audience.
But more importantly there needs to be respect for God and His word. Our minds should be radically informed by the word of God, and with this we can look at and speak to our culture. Not from a sense of moral superiority. Not trying to curse the darkness, "but lovingly, and humbly" declaring truth. What is happening in some cases is the opposite [I refuse to use the "too much of the church", or "the problem with the church" expression, as its a sweeping generalization, and negates the fact that God always has a remnant (Elijah syndrom)], we are allowing our minds to be radically informed by the culture, and through that interpreting the word of God. This is dangerous. What's more, we are emphasizing certain parts, while downplaying others; rather than preach the whole counsel of God. Now I know Paul made mention of the fact that he adopted the mindset of various people groups when he was ministering to them so that He could win them to Christ; but Paul wasn't "making a pitch" if you will like he was selling a product. He wasn't tailoring the message to meet the needs of his audience. As can be seen in his epistles, especially Colossian, and Galatians, Paul vigorously defended the Gospel against those who would try to add to it. What I'm concerned about is that we try to be cutting-edge and tailor the message so much so that it ceases to be the message. WE must meet the needs of the people.
But the power of the Gospel does not lie with our methodologies. As the Scripture says, it is the power of God for salvation. Notice that Paul didn't say, my presentation gives it its power; it's transforming power lies within itself. Because the Holy Spirit quickens our hearts to hear and receive the Gospel. He does the work. And WE never meet the needs of the people. When we understand the Gospel, and the human condition, we understand that it already meets people's needs. My other concern with trying too culturally relevant, is spending inordinate amounts of time reflecting on culture rather than the truth of God's word. Its God's through His word by the power of the Holy Spirit, the author of Scripture) who transforms lives. Have we lost so much faith in the word of God, that we have to tinker with it making it appealing?
I'll end with a small illustration that a friend of mine used. Using a pitcher of grape juice, she said that the grape juice represents God, and the ice cubes represent all of our methods and how we try to present him. What happens is if we fill the pitcher to the brim with ice cubes is that there's not a lot of grape juice that fills in the cracks. Too much of us, not a lot of God. But that doesn't transform lives. I would use the same illustration, with the grape juice being the Gospel expressed scripturally, and the ice cubes being our methods. We must love people enough to explain the truth lovingly and humbly to them, but we must tell them the truth...the WHOLE truth, and nothing but the truth. RESPECT THE GRAPEJUICE!
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| Proving Ground...
I've heard it said that to grow His men, God often takes them to the backsides of deserts. Such is definitely the case with Moses in the land of Midian, and Jesus did a stint in the wilderness shortly after his ministerial inauguration. Moses prematurely attempted to deliver his people, killed an Egyptian, and then ran away to Midian to live in relative obscurity for 40 years. Jesus' time in the wilderness was 40 days. But even before that, there was the roughly 18 years of Jesus' life without record in Scripture (from the temple episode at age 12 found in Luke 2:41-52 to the age of 30, where he's baptized in the Jordan and starts his earthly ministry).
Relevance? Honestly, being here in Japan is such a blessing, because I know this is where God would have me at this time. I believe that He has called me here, and my desire is to stay here as long as I can. With that said, I find myself in a country where there aren't a lot of churches (or Christians for that matter). I'm tremendously blessed because the people for whom I work are Christian, but compared to where I've come from, the community is considerably smaller.
Perhaps this bit of culture shock comes, not because I'm in a different country per se, but because I came from a conservative private Christian university. Wanna have a discussion about the things of God? Sure, you need only walk down the hall a few steps. And in the city of Tulsarusalem, you could throw a stone and hit a church. Communities of believers everywhere, which is in stark contrast to Japan. You may say "But wait...you've been to Japan a few times, you know about these issues". True, but being in Japan on a short-term mission versus living here long term brings this reality home. So, I actually have to 'DEPEND ON THE SPIRIT"! Cherish the thought! Here, where there is not much else, the reality of the Holy Spirit's ministry in illuminating the Word of God to my finite human mind becomes crucial.
True judgment of myself takes place here in the desert, where I don't have the luxury of comparing my spirituality to others, thereby thinking myself okay (which is definitely pride). C.H. Spurgeon said, "When we mix with dwarves, we think ourselves giants." And if I judge myself according to human standards of what a clean-cut Christian should look like, aren't I missing the point enitrely? No....no, conversely, I'm discovering I'm a pretty bad (as in bad, not good) person, and with utmost reticence, I consider where I'd be without Jesus. Thank the Lord for His patience, which brought me to repentence, and that only because He had grace enough to draw me by his Spirit. So I fight to understand Scripture clearly, so as to understand the character of this God Who's done all of this for me; I fight to keep balance in my life; I fight to overcome the evil inside of me...not me, but Christ, He fights to conquer the rebellion of my heart. And you know what? I'm cheering for Him. May He be victorious!
Life in the Desert...
The Journeyman
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| The Long Road Home... From Egypt lately come where death and darkness reign To seek our new, our better home where we our rest shall gain. There sin and sorrow cease, and every conflict spoils There we shall dwell in endless peace and never hunger more. We soon shall join the throng. Their pleasures we shall share, and sing the everlasting song of all the ransomed there. There in celestial strains, enraptured myriads sing Where love in every bossom reigns, for God Himself is King. These words aren't my own. They are borrowed from the lyrics of an old hymn, recently rearranged by DC*B. (Yes, you will continue to hear of them in my entries to come). However, they best express my thoughts of pilgrimage. Quite a few entries back, I delved into the concept of stranger, attempting to give explanation for why this journal has its title. To recap, all I will say is that a stranger is someone of foreign citizenship. As disciples we are citizens of a different kingdom, i.e. in the world but not of it, and a struggle of mine is not to lose sight of this fact. On such a note, let me move to the second title of this journeyman's journal. That of pilgrim. None of the definitions I find in the dictionary (currently resting on my lap) are adequate to express my notions of the pilgrim. But Hebrews 11:13, found smack-dab in the Faith Hall of Fame, discusses how all of the old testament saints listed in the verses leading hitherto, died while still living in faith. They did not see the promises of God fulfilled in their day, but saw them in their minds' eye. They were strangers on this earth, and verse 15 states that these type of people were looking for a heavenly country. A stranger is simply someone of foreign citizenship, but a pilgrim...that is something more. A pilgrim is one in search of a destination. We often ascribe the word pilgrimage a religious connotation, for those who make treks to some holy site. But upon his addressing pharaoh, the patriarch, Jakob, commented that the years of his pilgrimage were 130. His life...a pilgrimage. It is said, by the infamous "they" that "Life is a journey". All too often, with this quote, emphasis is placed on the process (which isn't bad). But if we dumb this down to some live in the moment, if it feels good do it-mentality, we're missing the entire point. No journey is without its destination, so while we're living to the hilt of every moment, never forget that we do so with the destination in mind. Our destination--Christ. Why Christ? Think of Abram, who was told by God to leave his country and his kindred to travel to a destination which he did not know. Yet, he lived by faith. If we are to live by faith, that will mean following the will of God, even when we're not sure of physical "destination", even when our heads can't wrap around how things will work out. If our destination is Christ, we can truly live to the hilt of every moment, with our destination in mind. He is our life, our abundant life, the Bread of Life, come down from heaven. He is our heaven, here on earth; which for me, is kind of a paradigm shift. This pilgrimage that I am on, is not simply my search for that heavenly country. It is my pilgrimage to become more like Christ. Perhaps I'm misquoting, but I think I can now begin to see just a little bit of what Paul was trying to convey to the Phillippians in chapter 3:8-9. Paul wanted to be found in Christ, not having his own righteousness through the law (which is really no righteousness at all). He wanted to have the righteousness of God, which is by faith, and provided through Christ. Christ was Paul's destination. He should be ours as well. His will should be our own, His glory our boasting, and His kingdom our declaration. Afterall, we are his ambassadors, but that is an entirely different matter... The Journeyman | | |
| Family...   My Mother My Father & Siblings 
My Very Cute Niece   Old Friends... Joanna and Me Alex, Upti, and Me | | |
| Struggles... My apologies to those who've come through this site expecting an update. I've actually attempted on a number of occassions to write an entry worthy of your time, but very little has stuck, and recently, I've had far too little time to write. I've been here for only 2 months as of 3 days ago, and yet it feels as if I've been here forever. I am comfortable with my new coworkers, and we just finished our first week of school. (Japanese schools start in April). This past week was a challenge, but the Lord got me through. As the year picks up, things will get easier. So, Japan is great. I just couldn't figure out what to say about my life here in Japan until today, after I witnessed a unique event at the local neighborhood grocery store. You see, having studied up on Japan and having travelled here a couple of times before, I find it hard to encounter genuinely new experiences. Not so much a "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" attitude. More like a "Been There Done that or at least Read the Book on it". I'm what you'd call your walking commentary on Japan, so when I do experiene something new, I'm really appreciative. It is here that I'd like to introduce you to a little game called JANKEN (pronounced john-ken, with the 'n' in john being really nasally). Back in the States, it is better known as Rock-Paper Scissors. What's unique is not the game itself, but its function. Janken is the great arbiter. If two kids are wrestling for a ball, or choosing who will be the leader of a game, they throw for it. Or if they tie for first place, then they throw for the prize. Actually, having transitioned into elementary ed, this ends up being a very effective tool in the classroom. It is a joy to watch. Now, the game of Janken itself, is not a new experience for me. During my previous two trips here, I witnessed it being played by boys and girls the country-over. In fact, last summer, when I was in Kyushuu, I got to play a game which included Janken. A game which I horribly lost against some 8-year olds. Fast forward to this afternoon. I live in a little neighborhood called Kamiyagari, and I frequent the grocery store there. It's called the Super Maruyoshi. Now I don't go there everyday because I'm so hungry. Japanese refrigerators are actually smaller than US fridges, and it is in the Japanese psyche to just buy all the food you need for the next 2 days. I find this a little odd. But it's not hard to get used to. Normally, I go to the grocer after work. It's never busy, but around the hours of 4-5, it's jam packed. A few days I've gone in this week, it was hard to move through the aisles without bumping into someone. ("Sumimasen" is a very helpful phrase here). So I go in there today and wander toward the back where they always have fresh sushi. They also have fresh fish cuts and you can see the people cut them in the back. Imagine my surprise when I saw a group of adults pumping their fists in the air to the familiar chant of "Sai-sho-gu. Jan-ken-POI!" Immediately, I eased in among them to see what prize was up for grabs. It was a choice cut of the best fish in the house, fresh to the counter. And these adults were playing Paper-Rock-Scissors, deciding who would get the prize. And today is an important day because many people will be enjoying "Hanami" in this area of the country tomorrow. Perhaps these adults were gathering for the choicest meat for their hanami parties. Ultimately, all I could do was laugh to myself. Kids across the country use this game for their major decision making, and here we find adults doing the same thing. I guess some children's games never get old... The Journeyman... | | |
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