Grace and Culture

A must read! Why Grace Is Hard for Me as an Asian American Here are some quotes. 'A gift given means a gift must be repaid…. Many Asian-American Christians operate under the assumption that God’s gift toward them must be reciprocated, so as to not be trapped in God’s debt…. My family’s social dynamics, both American and Chinese, generally reflected principles found in Confucian-influenced world views…. “If we were to characterize in one word the Chinese way of life for the last two thousand years, the word could be Confucian.”… Regardless of how right it may feel to one’s Christian faith, trying to repay God for his grace kills faith…. If you want to honor his grace in Christ, see how he has undertaken your infinite debt. No payment needs to be made. Only a life waiting to be lived full tilt the praise of his glorious grace.'

Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

Another thought provoking article. Why I've Stopped Saying ‘Church Growth’ – And What I Say Instead | Pivot | A Blog by Karl Vaters

Another article. Anne Lamott writes,“Earth is Forgiveness School. You might as well start at the dinner table…" Fighting with My Husband and the Work of Shalom | CT Women | ChristianityToday.com

Incredible Perspective on the 2016 Election

Please listen to Ernie Johnson's Incredible Perspective on the 2016 Election. This is it's context. Shaq, Chuck, Kenny And Ernie Talk About Trump Winning The Election.

1 Timothy 2:1-3, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior…"

Things that still bother me. A poll [PRRI/Brookings]: Q: Can elected officials behave ethically and fulfill their public duties even if they have committed immoral acts in their personal life? In 2011 30% of self-identified white evangelicals said yes. In 2016 72% said yes. Why this big gap. Another poll [Washington Post/ABC News]: 44% of self-identified white evangelicals think Trump has strong moral character. However, 49% think Trump does not. Are Christians in America losing our "center" concerning morality in America?

Global Evangelical Leaders: Trump’s Win Will Harm the Church’s Witness | Gleanings | ChristianityToday.com, 

No, the Majority of American Evangelicals Did Not Vote for Trump

11 Barack Obama Quotes About Michelle, Because We All Need Something To Believe In

You should pray for Donald Trump no matter how you voted - The Washington Post

After Trump….

"We believe the most important political statement we make each week is not announcing to whom we’ve given our support (politically) but proclaiming the King who has given us his very life." Read more: After Trump, Should Evangelical Christians Part Ways? | Christianity Today

Mark Galli quotes Dietrich Bonhoeffer from his book Life Together: “Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than they love the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community, even though their personal intentions may be ever so honest, earnest and sacrificial. God hates this wishful dreaming because it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious. Those who dream of this idolized community demand that it be fulfilled by God, by others and by themselves. They enter the community of Christians with their demands set up by their own law, and judge one another and God accordingly.”

Also another Bonhoeffer quote, “It is not we who build. Christ builds the church. Whoever is mindful to build the church is surely well on the way to destroying it, for he will build a temple to idols without wishing or knowing it. We must confess he builds. We must proclaim, he builds. We must pray to him, and he will build.”

Don't be afraid….

"Worry is not believing God will get it right, and bitterness is believing God got it wrong." Tim Keller  Don’t Fear the Future - YouTube. Roundtable video with Tim Keller, Russell Moore and Collin Hansen. Praying Our Fears – Timothy Keller [Sermon] - YouTube Luke 12:32, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom."

Why I Forgave the Man I Once Plotted to Kill | Christianity Today

Ministry in a Multi-faith Society Means Confrontation | Christianity Today

The Gospel for Daily Life: Martin Luther—Biblical Counselor | Biblical Counseling Coalition Quotes from Martin Luther in this article. “Consequently one ought to be disposed to say, ‘It is true. I have sinned. But I will not despair on this account." "You say that the sins which we commit every day offend God, and therefore we are not saints. To this I reply: Mother love is stronger than the filth and scabbiness on a child, and so the love of God toward us is stronger than the dirt that clings to us. Accordingly, although we are sinners, we do not lose our filial relation on account of our filthiness, nor do we fall from grace on account of our sin."

The Awakening….

"When the crisis hit the Episcopal Church in 2003, The Falls Church responded by planting a church among the poor in Washington, D.C. When The Falls Church left the Episcopal Church in 2006 and was sued, they responded by . . . planting another church. Millions of dollars were drained away in litigation before they received a first-round victory in court. Their response . . . was to plant two more churches. Then the positive ruling was reversed on appeal and they were sent back for another trial. They responded by planting another church. This time they lost at trial and they were forced out of their buildings this spring. Their response—you guessed it—has been to prepare to plant another church this summer."

Read all: It Happened to George Washington’s Church

"Awake you that sleeps, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light." Ephesians 5:14

The Awakening of Washington's Church: J.B. Simmons: 9781530686919: Amazon.com: Books

Check these videos out….

A must see movie directed by Mel Gibson on the courage of Desmond  Doss. Hacksaw Ridge: Official Trailer . Here's the award winning  documentary on Desmond Doss - The Conscientious Objector - YouTube

Here's a message by Tim Keller on How to Cultivate Friendship with God “Through prayer we receive friendship with God.” Tim Keller

Here are John Piper's thoughts on St. Augustine. 
The Swan Is Not Silent | Desiring God 

“If you should ask me what are the ways of God, I would tell you that the first is humility, the second is humility, and the third is humility. Not that there are no other precepts to give, but if humility does not precede all that we do, our efforts our meaningless.” St. Augustine

Christianity in Iran, in the U.S.A.

Christianity in Iran and their government. 5 Ways Persecution in Iran Has Backfired A few years ago, an interrogator admitted to an imprisoned pastor, “We know we cannot stop the church. We can only try to slow it down.”

Christianity in the U.S.A. and Trump. 
・Civility in the public square - Redeemer Report, 
・Speak Truth to Trump | Christianity Today, 
・Evangelical magazines decry Trump: ‘Someone who violates all that is sacred to us’ - The Washington Post 
・Max Lucado's Hope for This Election Season, by The Calling
・Refusing to Play the Game, Profaning the Idol of Presidential Politics | The Exchange | A Blog by Ed Stetzer

Some questions. Shouldn't Christians be willing to say NO to Trump and lose the present battle of the 2016 election in order to win the war of our witness for years to come? And who really is our KIng, Christ or Cesar? Is Christianity healthier in in Iran or the U.S.A.?

Acts 5:29-32, Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”