By: Rev. Arnel Tan
“Meanwhile , the priests who were carrying the Ark of the LORD’S Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by. They waited until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground.” Joshua 3:17 NLT
When we read the account of Israel crossing the Jordan let us resist the temptation to personalize it too much. Remember there’s context and a macro view of this passage. I suggest we get the big picture so we can find our proper place in the story. What’s the big picture? The big picture is the PEOPLE OF GOD obeying God and the POWER OF GOD is seen to fulfill the PURPOSE OF GOD.
Before you and I make Jordan as our personal river and crossing it our personal goal, let us not forget that a NATION crossed it no personalities. I think the first temptation that Israel should resist and the first lesson Israel should learn is that crossing Jordan is crossing individualism and from there discover that they are becoming a PEOPLE that obeys God. Their distinction as a nation is not their courage and ability to cross that dark and deep river, it’s the POWER OF GOD displayed as they cross.
The farther we are from our selfish conclave the clearer we see the purpose of God and closer we are to Him. Detached from our own little jordans we se the big picture of God’s purpose, we become more attracted to His glory and to be more desperate for His power. Then we begin to find our delight in God Himself than the miracles He displayed. Crossing Jordan is not just crossing a river it is seeing God’s power, longing for His presence and becoming willing to be led by others. Crossing Jordan is crossing our self driven efforts into becoming a GOD EMPOWERED PEOPLE!
Yes we have our personal river and God can be our personal God but in serving God we see the community of God’s people beyond our self. By faith we see God’s big purpose bigger than ourselves. Like Joshua we become part of the big crowd following the leading of the Priest carrying the Ark Of Covenant. Like the Priest we become willing to wait in the middle until the whole nation crossed over.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Crossing The Jordan - Part 2
Have you seen a choir director that facing the audience? Whether you are a famous choir director you have to turn back and sometimes they are not even seen. It’s not just crossing the river its about crossing selfishness into a life that is willing to be led by God.
Crossing The Jordan - Part 1
If you take a look at our songs today in our modern songs or the hymns, there are themes that are alarming it talks about me, God loves me, and the emphasis is not God but me. As a result we become me people.
Friday, January 21, 2011
REHAB'S LIE OR RAHAB'S FAITH?
By: Rev. Arnel Tan
“No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.”
Joshua 2:11 NLT
The story of Rahab is a story of redemption and grace. The focus of which is her remarkable faith in a God that she barely knew. Her information about God was not as much as the Israelites. All her life she had been worshipping the false god of Jericho. Yet, when she heard about the God of Israel, she responded in fear and faith. It was her faith in God that counted her as righteous. It was her faith in God that gave her a space in the hall of faith; also, it was her faith that put her name in the genealogy of the Savior!
Many readers find the story of Rahab as an excuse for lying… using this text as a defense that lies are allowable. This should not be so! White lies and alibis are not pleasing to the Lord. Rahab lived a life of falsehood and by nature, like all of us, a liar and a sinner. Lying to her was so natural… faith in God was not. Her faith in God did not come naturally as she would lie or lie with many men. God must first introduce Himself so she can respond in faith. After she responded to God in faith, though the tendency to lie was still there, her LIFESTYLE of lying ended when she placed her faith in God.
How do you deal with life? Is lying a routine? Is lying, to men, treated as no big deal? Lies need more lies to stand. Paul reminded the church in Ephesus that lying must stop (Eph.4:25) because we are now in the truth. Lying is still a big deal with God. He wants us to repent from this instead of being defensive. God also desires that we learn to walk by faith and live in love and truth. How then can we be victorious over our lying tendencies? In faith, let us draw close to the TRUTH so the truth can influence us to live by the truth.
Without faith we continue to live in a lie. By faith in Christ we now say goodbye to our former lifestyle of lying. When we lie, we find it so disturbing that we don’t delay repentance. The moment we lie, we volunteer ourselves to be imprisoned by it. When we finally decide to trust God… to live in truth, we experience a new sense of liberty inside. In some cases many people, though in prison, choose to tell the truth… testifying to a new sense of freedom and release felt inside. Many continue to live a lifestyle of lying to stay out of prison but are actually inside a virtual prison of guilt. Faith led to Rahab’s freedom and forgiveness… not a lie.
“No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.”
Joshua 2:11 NLT
The story of Rahab is a story of redemption and grace. The focus of which is her remarkable faith in a God that she barely knew. Her information about God was not as much as the Israelites. All her life she had been worshipping the false god of Jericho. Yet, when she heard about the God of Israel, she responded in fear and faith. It was her faith in God that counted her as righteous. It was her faith in God that gave her a space in the hall of faith; also, it was her faith that put her name in the genealogy of the Savior!
Many readers find the story of Rahab as an excuse for lying… using this text as a defense that lies are allowable. This should not be so! White lies and alibis are not pleasing to the Lord. Rahab lived a life of falsehood and by nature, like all of us, a liar and a sinner. Lying to her was so natural… faith in God was not. Her faith in God did not come naturally as she would lie or lie with many men. God must first introduce Himself so she can respond in faith. After she responded to God in faith, though the tendency to lie was still there, her LIFESTYLE of lying ended when she placed her faith in God.
How do you deal with life? Is lying a routine? Is lying, to men, treated as no big deal? Lies need more lies to stand. Paul reminded the church in Ephesus that lying must stop (Eph.4:25) because we are now in the truth. Lying is still a big deal with God. He wants us to repent from this instead of being defensive. God also desires that we learn to walk by faith and live in love and truth. How then can we be victorious over our lying tendencies? In faith, let us draw close to the TRUTH so the truth can influence us to live by the truth.
Without faith we continue to live in a lie. By faith in Christ we now say goodbye to our former lifestyle of lying. When we lie, we find it so disturbing that we don’t delay repentance. The moment we lie, we volunteer ourselves to be imprisoned by it. When we finally decide to trust God… to live in truth, we experience a new sense of liberty inside. In some cases many people, though in prison, choose to tell the truth… testifying to a new sense of freedom and release felt inside. Many continue to live a lifestyle of lying to stay out of prison but are actually inside a virtual prison of guilt. Faith led to Rahab’s freedom and forgiveness… not a lie.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Rahab a Woman of Courage and Faith - Part 2
When Rahab place her faith in God her tendency to lie did not stop but her lifestyle of lying stopped. When we face situation that our tendency is to lie and the world we move are all liars. We have to admit that there’s a tension. But in order to address the tension we have to acknowledge that God is our light.
Rahab a Woman of Courage and Faith - Part 1
This day we still continue with the subject of courage and faith but this time we study a life of a woman named Rahab by profession she was a prostituted woman. By all signs of it she doesn’t qualified to be called good she’s a bad girl. However something happened in the life of this bad girl when a good Lord met the bad girl. The bad girl became good.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Living a God Centered Faith - Part 2
Most of us hate changes in life but if you want faith change happens. We don’t know what kind of changes happening in our life but instead of seeing it as bitter by faith it help us see gradually as sweet. What God teaching us in changes in our life?
Living a God Centered Faith - Part 1
Have you ever heard the truth from the Holy Scripture? That without faith it is impossible to please God? The just shall live by faith! If God desires faith and if the just shall live by faith what kind of faith that will please God?
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
A GOD CENTERED FAITH
By: Rev. Arnel Tan
“This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NLT
Joshua’s turn to lead the people of God has come. Ready or not ready Joshua must face the issue. To some degree this was a shock and surprise for Joshua. For him Moses and himself as leaders would be a great team. I think he is much willing to remain an assistant forever, but this is not God’s plan. The order came and as an obedient soldier Joshua must respond to his Commander.
It takes faith to cross Jordan and conquer Cannaan. It takes a God centered faith to comply to a God sized task. The issue of faith comes with almost distinction from the world. God’s requirement of faith is not the same as the world views it. Even many honest followers of God view faith in a worldly point of view rather than God’s view. What then is a God centered faith? A God centered faith looks on God and not on success, looks on God as Sovereign and not on our expectations of what God will do.
This is the kind of faith that honors God and this is the kind of faith that God wants to develop in Joshua’s life as he leads the most stubborn people of all. This is the kind of faith God wants to develop in the lives of his leaders today. A God centered faith melts self centered fears. The inner substance of all our fears aside from the fear of God is self preservation. Image consciousness dominates us rather than obedience to God. A God centered faith gets its strength from the presence of God and its guidance from the word of God.
Living a God centered faith clings only to one promise that God will walk with us. It is only concern winning God glorifying victories by availing of a God supplied courage and grace. It also calms and later on cancels our insatiable desire for self recognition. Honor is for the Lord whom the Lord honors and how He will do it is all up to Him. It is by this kind of faith God wants us to cross our Jordans to conquer God given Canaan and enjoy a God honoring victory.
“This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NLT
Joshua’s turn to lead the people of God has come. Ready or not ready Joshua must face the issue. To some degree this was a shock and surprise for Joshua. For him Moses and himself as leaders would be a great team. I think he is much willing to remain an assistant forever, but this is not God’s plan. The order came and as an obedient soldier Joshua must respond to his Commander.
It takes faith to cross Jordan and conquer Cannaan. It takes a God centered faith to comply to a God sized task. The issue of faith comes with almost distinction from the world. God’s requirement of faith is not the same as the world views it. Even many honest followers of God view faith in a worldly point of view rather than God’s view. What then is a God centered faith? A God centered faith looks on God and not on success, looks on God as Sovereign and not on our expectations of what God will do.
This is the kind of faith that honors God and this is the kind of faith that God wants to develop in Joshua’s life as he leads the most stubborn people of all. This is the kind of faith God wants to develop in the lives of his leaders today. A God centered faith melts self centered fears. The inner substance of all our fears aside from the fear of God is self preservation. Image consciousness dominates us rather than obedience to God. A God centered faith gets its strength from the presence of God and its guidance from the word of God.
Living a God centered faith clings only to one promise that God will walk with us. It is only concern winning God glorifying victories by availing of a God supplied courage and grace. It also calms and later on cancels our insatiable desire for self recognition. Honor is for the Lord whom the Lord honors and how He will do it is all up to Him. It is by this kind of faith God wants us to cross our Jordans to conquer God given Canaan and enjoy a God honoring victory.
Friday, January 7, 2011
The Way to Love God
By: Rev. Arnel Tan
“”And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God you will live forever.” 1 John 2:17 NLT
Loving God brings more clarity to life than confusion. Honestly, it not so difficult to understand when John says “Stop loving the world” rather it is really difficult to accept that loving God means stop loving the world. No one can boast about loving God for all the while we can only respond to love God for God Himself loved us first! To the Apostle John this is crystal clear. If you love God stop loving the world and if you love the world can’t say you really love God.
Rather than seeing this as a dilemma, see this tension as the way to deliverance. A God designed spot where we can honestly examine our hearts and mind. Here we ask and assess our spiritual condition so we can respond to God’s conviction to repent. The dilemma only reveals that our hearts our divided, deliverance from God comes as a result of God’s intervention in our lives introducing us to walk in a love relationship with Him. How can we love God if we have not believe in Him first? Let us understand that more than obeying a rule it is enjoying a relationship.
How to do we love God? We stop loving this world and we start doing the will of God. Meaning it is our passion and priority and our serious pursuit to please God in everything that we do. Doing the will of God is a relationship we enjoy not a project we fulfill. It springs out of our fellowship with God in prayer and in His word. It is in our intimate walk in prayer that we get to know God and God stirs holy hunger in our hearts that we may seek Him more. Seeking and desiring and doing the will of God is the way we show our love to God.
As we walk close to Him we get so interested to please Him in everything. The will of God is for us to believe in His Son, and the will of God is for us to bow down to the will of Father and rely in the power and strength by the Holy Spirit. More than maintaining an image, doing God’s will is actually reflecting a loving relationship that is enjoyed in the heart.
“”And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God you will live forever.” 1 John 2:17 NLT
Loving God brings more clarity to life than confusion. Honestly, it not so difficult to understand when John says “Stop loving the world” rather it is really difficult to accept that loving God means stop loving the world. No one can boast about loving God for all the while we can only respond to love God for God Himself loved us first! To the Apostle John this is crystal clear. If you love God stop loving the world and if you love the world can’t say you really love God.
Rather than seeing this as a dilemma, see this tension as the way to deliverance. A God designed spot where we can honestly examine our hearts and mind. Here we ask and assess our spiritual condition so we can respond to God’s conviction to repent. The dilemma only reveals that our hearts our divided, deliverance from God comes as a result of God’s intervention in our lives introducing us to walk in a love relationship with Him. How can we love God if we have not believe in Him first? Let us understand that more than obeying a rule it is enjoying a relationship.
How to do we love God? We stop loving this world and we start doing the will of God. Meaning it is our passion and priority and our serious pursuit to please God in everything that we do. Doing the will of God is a relationship we enjoy not a project we fulfill. It springs out of our fellowship with God in prayer and in His word. It is in our intimate walk in prayer that we get to know God and God stirs holy hunger in our hearts that we may seek Him more. Seeking and desiring and doing the will of God is the way we show our love to God.
As we walk close to Him we get so interested to please Him in everything. The will of God is for us to believe in His Son, and the will of God is for us to bow down to the will of Father and rely in the power and strength by the Holy Spirit. More than maintaining an image, doing God’s will is actually reflecting a loving relationship that is enjoyed in the heart.
Monday, January 3, 2011
The Battle of Affection - Part 2
Where is your affection? What consumed your energy is it related to the value of God? Do you know how to say enough, work is done I have to rest for tomorrow is a new day. Do you know how to say Sunday is God’s day and by God’s grace I will be in God’s church to worship. Do you have a discipline and say it is time to pray, it is time to be alone with God. Do you have the hunger and appetite to read God’s Word and kneel down and pray Oh God! I want to know you more.
The Battle of Affection - Part 1
Do not love the world for this is the way to love God. But how can we love God and love not the world? It is not the battle of religion, it is not a battle of intellect, it is the battle of affection. Who controls your heart?
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