What difference does it make?

Philip Yancey, while writing his book Reaching for the invisible God, asked his friends this question: If a seeking person came to you and asked how your life as a Christian differs from his or hers as a moral non-Christian, what would you say? I've been thinking about what my answer would be.
I wonder if people see anything more to me than a decent guy who goes to church on Sundays. Shouldn't there be be more to a follower of Christ than that, I ask myself. And if there is, shouldn't it be apparent to everybody?

If I understand my faith correctly, I think the biggest difference being a Christian makes in my life is how I love others. Jesus said to his disciples, Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognise that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” (John 13:34-35). 

Christian love is radically different from any other love. Our natural love is always dependant on who the recipient is. We love people either because they are related to us or because they poses the qualities we admire; beauty, intelligence, courage, friendliness, integrity, social status etc. Christian love is unconditional. The message of the gospel is pretty simple, we had no desirable qualities that God should love us and yet he did. Go and do likewise, Jesus said, while explaining the parable of the Good Samaritan. 

Loving people who have nothing to offer in return is hard. It means caring for people who might not appreciate the time, effort, money or self sacrifice you made for them. It means loving the unlovables. Followers of Christ love like that. But sadly, most people do not find the 'church people' that loving these days. In conversations with my non-Christians friends, I often hear about how judgemental, unforgiving and hypocritical the church is. Most also claim to be living more 'moral' lives than the alleged 'Christians'. It grieves my heart to admit they are right to some extent. Often, the church does not seem to follow it's central teaching; love God and love others. 

However, there are plenty to Christians, that live out that message everyday. Consider the guy I heard about last week. One of South Korea's top surgeons, he leaves his six figure salary and comfortable life and goes to a remote village in northern China, where he's been running a hospital for the poor for the last 15 years. It takes more than a sense of philanthropy to do that. He could have sent money for a hospital and doctors if he wanted to. But somehow Christian love demands sacrifice, it's a giving of your life to others that makes love so powerful. 

I recently watched a little know film titled 'Noble' based on the life of Christina Noble, a children's rights campaigner and charity worker who has changed the lives of thousands of street children in Vietnam through her work. Christina had a difficult life herself. Born in Ireland in the mid 40s, Christina was sent to live in an orphanage at age ten, gang-raped while living on the streets, her son forcibly adopted, and a victim of domestic abuse. Yet despite all these hardships, this woman went on to fulfil her vision of caring for the abused street children of Vietnam. 

What compels these people to do what they do? I believe it's the message of the gospel. Loved people, love people. And most importantly, they love the people that ordinary 'moral' people don't love. The ones that have nothing to offer. That's called grace. That's what Christianity is all about. And that is what makes all the difference.  

Overcoming Lust and Pornography Addiction

One of the best teaching I've ever listened to, this is a must watch guys:


"Man School: Porn and Lust vs. Pursuit of a Wife", by Matt Popovits, Campus Pastor, CrossPoint Westgreen. 1/23/2011 from crosspt media on Vimeo.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky on God's Love

Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-1881) is among the greatest men of letters Russia has ever produced and arguably, one of the greatest novelists of all time. He was also a devout Christian. He regarded the parable of the Prodigal Son as 'the most perfect gem in any literature' and wove it into most of his own novels, reminding the world of what the Gospel of Grace is all about.

I have recently started reading his final novel, The Brothers Karamazov regarded by many as his greatest work. Right in the beginning of the book, is this little scene that really moved me.

As the story goes, three brothers and their father go to see a renowned priest, who is the head of the monastery near their town, to seek his advice about a family matter. The holy man, Father Zossima, is regarded as a saint by the people and they come from all over the country to seek his advice and blessing. As the old man is very sick and ill, he does not have the strength to minister everyday, and pilgrims wait days for him to come out and bless them. The story describes one such eventful day when the Father goes out to listen to and pray for the people that have been eagerly waiting to see him. Among the crowd, is this woman. I'll let Dostoyevsky tell the rest:

'But the elder had already noticed in the crowd two glowing eyes fixed upon him. An exhausted, consumptive-looking, though young peasant woman was gazing at him in silence. Her eyes besought him, but she seemed afraid to approach.

“What is it, my child?”

“Absolve my soul, Father,” she articulated softly, and slowly sank on her knees and bowed down at his feet. “I have sinned, Father. I am afraid of my sin.”

The elder sat down on the lower step. The woman crept closer to him, still on her knees.

“I am a widow these three years,” she began in a half-whisper, with a sort of shudder. “I had a hard life with my husband. He was an old man. He used to beat me cruelly. He lay ill; I thought looking at him, if he were to get well, if he were to get up again, what then? And then the thought came to me—”

“Stay!” said the elder, and he put his ear close to her lips.

The woman went on in a low whisper, so that it was almost impossible to catch anything. She had soon done.

“Three years ago?” asked the elder.

“Three years. At first I didn't think about it, but now I've begun to be ill, and the thought never leaves me.”

“Have you come from far?”

“Over three hundred miles away.”

“Have you told it in confession?”

“I have confessed it. Twice I have confessed it.”

“Have you been admitted to Communion?”

“Yes. I am afraid. I am afraid to die.”

“Fear nothing and never be afraid; and don't fret. If only your penitence fail not, God will forgive all. There is no sin, and there [pg 051] can be no sin on all the earth, which the Lord will not forgive to the truly repentant! Man cannot commit a sin so great as to exhaust the infinite love of God. Can there be a sin which could exceed the love of God? Think only of repentance, continual repentance, but dismiss fear altogether. Believe that God loves you as you cannot conceive; that He loves you with your sin, in your sin. It has been said of old that over one repentant sinner there is more joy in heaven than over ten righteous men. Go, and fear not. Be not bitter against men. Be not angry if you are wronged. Forgive the dead man in your heart what wrong he did you. Be reconciled with him in truth. If you are penitent, you love. And if you love you are of God. All things are atoned for, all things are saved by love. If I, a sinner, even as you are, am tender with you and have pity on you, how much more will God. Love is such a priceless treasure that you can redeem the whole world by it, and expiate not only your own sins but the sins of others.”

He signed her three times with the cross, took from his own neck a little ikon and put it upon her. She bowed down to the earth without speaking. '

What a powerful illustration of God's Love.

The Bus Driver's Sermon

Dear bus driver,
I've been travelling up and down this country long enough to know the rules; you can't go wrong with time. If you are late for anything here i.e bus, train, or even an event, 99% of the time, you'll probably miss it. Today I missed my train; then when I finally caught the next one, I knew I was going to miss the coach I had booked a ticket on for the second leg to of my journey.So as soon as I got off the train, I ran and walked as fast as my legs could carry me to get to the bus station.I still missed the bus, I was devastated. Catching the next one would cost time and money, and a lot of it. I had a non-refundable ticket.
Then I had an idea. I decided to muster the courage to request you to let me board the next coach on my now invalid ticket. You were right when you replied I didn't deserve to go anywhere. I had lost my chance and I had booked a cheap ticket. I don't know what compelled you to let me on that bus.
I dont know what you call it, but for me, that was grace; an undeserved favour.
Maybe you do this everyday, but your little act of kindness today has had a great impact on me. I have been reminded what God's grace is all about.
We all try to follow the rules. We try hard to be good. And yet, even at our best we fall short, we fall, we sin and buses and trains leave without us. Opportunities are lost, we disrupt God's great plans for our lives. Our failures keep mounting. The law condemns us. We don't deserve second chances, especially when God knows all too well that he might have to give a million more before we even begin to get the point.
That's where His grace comes in and his love shines through. It didn't cost us anything, yet it cost him his son. We can't earn it, we can't pay it back. All we can do is to accept it with gratitude.If God had struck me dead the moment I sinned against him, I should have been dead long ago, many times over, in fact. I
thank God everyday for his seemingly endless shower of grace upon me. And dear sir, I want to thank you for dispensing grace today and reminding me of God's great love. Thank you for that sermon,its one of the best I've ever heard. Its impossible to bless others without being blessed yourself in the process; I have been showered by grace, I wish I could learn to shower it on others.