Sex Sex Sex

Caught your attention didn't I? In Hollywood, sex sells. That's why there's this need to include sex scenes and profanities in most, if not all movies. Having to teach a class of teenagers on this subject was quite a bit of a challenge when you have a twelve year old boy in your class who shooked his head when asked if everyone in class know something about sex. So I had to explain where babies came from. I suppose now they understood that babies were not found in dustbins nor was it the work of a stork in the middle of a rainy night.

I really enjoy teaching in small but interactive groups, especially teens and college students. In this particular class, I start by asking where babies come from. I asked which came first; the egg or the chicken. So kids are smarter nowadays with the internet age (or should I say more informative). Their answer were quick and resounding … chicken. I asked why they thought so? Without missing a beat, they said God made chicken first (I think I was the one to tell them so in one of my Sunday sermons). So I asked them to pretend for a while that they are not Christians and to answer the question based on logic. Now, what was the response? Silence. Ahh... I got them. The answer of course is still the same. The chicken came first cos you need a chicken brood (sitting on the egg) in order for the egg to hatch. From here the lesson began and I got their attention. Maybe it's not me. Maybe it's the topic that got their attention. Anyway, couple of things I taught in this particular class based on the Fall of man in the Garden of Eden. After all the preliminaries and context, sex begins first with...

1. The mind.
2. The conversation.
3. The sight.
4. The touch.
5. The crossing of the line.

What I was doing was to help them establish a boundary as to what they think they can or cannot allow when it comes to matters regarding sex. So that's their homework they have to submit by Sunday as they consult with their parents.

I had loads of fun teaching this subject. In today's context (with the influence of the internet, Hollywood and especially the Korean movie industry) I see the youth letting down their guard not knowing they are hurting themselves and others. I think church is a safe place for youth to have dialogues on issues and the subject of sex being one of them. How else are they going to get the right and proper information? From Hollywood? From their peers who are just as uninformed? God's word is truth. And if the church don't teach it, how will they know?

According to God's word, in the last days many shall fall away and turn to ungodliness. One of the main reason is because of the the church. In the book of Revelation, there's this church called the “harlot of Revelation”. It has the form of a godliness but denying its power. It's a place of entertainment, a brand and it's consumer based. In order to thrive, the church must cater to the demands of the consumers, the church goers. Here's where the compromise and the thinning out of the church begin (and it began since centuries ago). Church is a gift from God. It's an extended family. But never lose sight of what church truly is. Let me remind us today that church is still a place of prayer, of worship, of upholding one another and especially a place where the Word is being taught. On these we must not compromise or side lined with programs. Our youth need help and guidance. Let the Word of God be a "lamp unto their feet and a light to their path". My exhortation today ... parents, get serious and get real. Your children will come under your influence not for always. There'll come a time when they will be on their own to discover their own paths. Whatever influence you have on them now, set the example yourselves. If you reckon church as important and you actually walk the talk, they will develop the same culture. But if church is secondary and everything else comes first, someday you will have to pay a price for this. After all, we do reap what we sow. This age we are living in is rather scary. Ungodliness abounds. Morality erodes alarmingly as time passes. Our safety is in God and in His church. Let us all take heed. God bless.

Mind Over Matter

Definition: “The use of willpower to overcome physical problems”. 

I was very much fascinated with this concept whilst I was a teenager. I read I can do anything if I set my mind on it. I felt invincible! I felt like I can do anything and the sky is the limit. Then I became a Christian and that concept was further reinforced with the word “faith”. With faith, I was told I can move mountains! I am not going to refute this because Jesus Himself taught it. But clearly for so many, it wasn't quite true. Not because it wasn't true. Just that there is a reality to this that many could not grasp; that is “mind over matter” is of the mind while faith is of the heart. What one believe with the mind and what one believe with the heart are two different thing. Faith, not wishful thinking, is that which calls those things that be not as though they were. Faith brings into reality that which we can only hope and dream of. Mind over matter on the other hand is just us trying to convince ourselves that all things are possible.

Our mind processes information it gathers, forms a concept that leads to a belief. From here the will kicks in. Depending on the tenacity of the willpower, one can train the mind to overcome physical problems. You 'll be amazed what one can achieve when the will is iron strong. But the will can be challenged. Disappointments, discouragement, pain, these can add a blow to the willpower and cause many to throw in the towel. But there's help. What the mind cannot do for the willpower, the heart can.

Our hearts is the very core of us. Jesus said what's in our heart will be displayed in our outward. For example, our mouth. If our heart is filled with anger, negative words spill out of our mouth. And if our hearts are filled with love and joy, our mouth will utter life, i.e. encouraging words, words that heals and not kill. The will to do right or to do wrong lies within the heart. That's the core. The mind is always seeking to influence the heart for ultimately, the will power react to the heart more than it does the mind. And so we look into motive. Why do a man do what he did? But the heart of man, who can influence? Let me illustrate the power of the gospel.

Nicodemus came to Jesus at midnight to speak in private. His heart was troubled. Being a religious leader all his life, although his mind was convinced, his heart is just not assured. In short, Jesus told him he had to be born again. It wasn't the mind Jesus was speaking about. It was the heart, the very essence of man. You and I, we are a spirit being. We have a soul (mind and will) and we have a physical body. While physically we cannot be born again, our heart need to be born again. Unless we are born again, how are we ever going to know God? Let alone understand God. That which is born of the flesh is of the flesh, but that which is born of God is of God. When the heart is reconnected to God, when you are born again, your heart literally change. You literally change. You will feel like you are a new creation because you are born again. Now the mind too will be transformed and the will now is more apt to do the right thing. That's what Jesus did for Nicodemus. He changed his heart. The world try to convince us though our minds but when God works, He works through the heart.

So coming back to the subject matter. Jesus said with faith we can move mountains. Faith is of the heart. Mind over matter is of the mind. That's the difference. The strength of the will power is dependent on either the mind or the heart. In order for faith to work, the heart must be the one to influence the will. A man came to Jesus for help. Jesus asked if he would believe. And his answer was, “I believe. Help me my unbelief” (Mk. 9:24). You see, mentally he believed. His mind told him that Jesus can heal. But in reality his heart was struggling to believe. This miracle he was seeking goes beyond mind over matter. What he needed was faith. Faith is when you actually believe with the heart. And how does faith comes? Bible says “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). IF you can somehow get the Word of God into your heart (not just the mind), you will experience the faith of God. And Jesus said faith can move mountains. Positive confession, the power of visualization, I am not saying it's of no value. If it comes from the influence of the heart, it will work. If not, then it's just you trying to convince yourself to believe.

Here's something to think about today. The tendency to sin is always calling at our door. There's this constant struggle to do the right thing and avoid the wrong. King David knew that unless he kept the word of God in his heart, he will not have the will power to overcome temptations. He wrote: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Ps. 110:11). This is not a mind over matter thing. Only a changed heart can make the change. We need to work on the heart more than we do the mind. Our will is dependent on the influence of the mind and of the heart. What we believe with the mind is not the same as when we believe with the heart. We need to get the Word into our heart, our spirit. When the heart is convinced, even the impossible become possible. Learn to differentiate this: mind over matter is of the mind while faith is of the heart. The former can only go so far but the latter, all things are possible to them that believe.

A final note. God's Word warns: “The heart is deceitful above all things and is beyond cure. Who can understand it?I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” (Jer. 17:9-10).

You must be born again. This is a matter of heart, not just the mind.

Dumbo

Most of us grew up with Waltz Disney. One of my favorite cartoon movies is none other than Dumbo. Today, I saw a new remake of it. The narration has changed somewhat but fortunately, the story line remains more or less the same. Dumbo was a baby elephant birthed with unusually over sized ears. Nobody knew that the out- of-placed ears were indeed Dumbo's uniqueness and gift. Dumbo could fly! But elephants were not meant to fly and Dumbo never believed he could fly. Dumbo had a buddy, a mouse, who was convinced Dumbo was no ordinary elephant. He believed Dumbo's ears were designed to fly. In order to convince Dumbo, he handed Dumbo a “magic” feather. It was an ordinary feather but it did the trick. With this “magic” feather, Dumbo believed he could fly. And fly he did! Later in the movie, Dumbo discovered it was not the “magic” feather that gave him the ability to fly. Incredibly he was born with the ability to fly. He just needed some convincing to get started. After all who have ever heard elephant flies!

Well, we are all dumbos if I may say so. Many of us don't even recognize the uniqueness and the gift that's within us. We sell ourselves short and throw pity-parties now and then. We admire others while we loathe ourselves for who we are not, wishing we could be somebody else. If you are feeling like a dumbo today, perhaps you need a "magic" feather? Alas ... there's no such thing as magic feathers. BUT we do need convincing ... a little "mouse" telling us, "Here's this magic feather that can make you fly".

A “little mouse” and “magic feather” we DO have. God's still small voice is always encouraging us to believe, to trust, to hang in there. This still small voice of God has been our guide. As for “magic feather” we have the Word of God. When Jesus left for heaven (and He will return) He did not leave us without help. First of all, He gave us the Holy Spirit. Not just the Holy Spirit but also the WORD. We practically have everything we will ever need to live meaningful and victorious life here until Jesus come. We were made to soar like eagles. There's an eagle within us, YET I see so many going in all different directions looking, seeking and chasing after “magic feathers”. Basically, it's due to fear and greed and many succumbed to ministries and preachers. On this matter, my heart is grieved.

Isaiah 40:31

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint".

God has given us all a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). Not will give but has already given. With this faith, we can move mountains (next week's article). Your life is not fated nor decided by God (Read my previous blog “Life's journey is like ...”). With God, you make your own destiny. God has given us the "ability". Don't go looking for a magic feather. Many preachers will tell you IF you use their "product" (magic feathers if I may say so), God will bless you. That is so not true. God bless us by His WORD. Jesus alone is the answer. In fact we are already blessed in everything when we have received the Holy Spirit. We just didn't think so, let alone believe so. If you are still looking for magic feather, then perhaps it's time once again to watch the movie Dumbo. The morale of the story is ... we are made to fly. If you want to watch Dumbo, go watch the original cartoon version.