Discipleship Letters 53-54

Discipleship Letter 53                                                Sept. 20, 2009

“For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speeches and high-sounding ideas, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power” (1 Cor. 1:17).

Paul’s mission is to preach the Good News to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15). But Paul’s Good News is not a churchless Gospel. He talks about the Good News at a specific space and time; he applies the Good News into the church, in this case, the church at Corinth.

The church at Corinth, as you know, is far from perfect. It is torn into pieces by division, sexual immorality, and arrogance. Paul addresses church problems (1:10-6:20) with the wonderful wisdom of God—the crucified Christ.

Paul’s theology is cross-focused and church-centered. The transcendent Christ is inseparable from a particular church. Whenever we segregate the two, that is not Paul’s theology, or New Testament teaching, in general.

It is our task to bridge the two. This little church is the place where we learn to do integration. Without this local church, there won’t be any solid integrative work. 

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Discipleship Letter 54                                                Sept. 27, 2009

“Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path” (Ps. 119:105).

We need a light so that we do not fall into holes at night. God’s Word can be our light to reveal false values and philosophies. It shows us wrong paths. It helps us stay on right paths. Studying God’s Word is to open up oneself, be adjusted, and corrected by His revelation.

If we digest God’s Word, we will find that our faith grows stronger. We need to feed ourselves with His Word. That is our spiritual food. The way we eat food to feed our bodies physically should be the exact same way to feed our souls spiritually.

God said to Ezekiel, “Eat this book.” Ezekiel obeyed, and said, ‘When I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey’” (3:3). We gain wisdom and moral discernment from God’s Word that sweetens our lives.

“Your decrees are wonderful. No wonder I obey them!” (Ps. 119:129)

“God’s Word is wonderful” is just a mere statement until we spend time to read, study, and meditate. What distinguishes an average Christian and a strong Christian is not his/her charisma, but his/her desire to know and obey God’s wonderful decrees.