ORLANDO CHINESE CHURCH MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER, 2002
Forgiveness of Sins
(Acts 13:38)A sister has cared for her ailing mother at home for over sixteen years. Now as her own health deteriorates, she had to send the mother to a nursing home. When we went to visit her there, we deeply felt for the elderly residents who appeared lonely and helpless. Then two weeks ago when the brothers met, two were absent: Brother Owen was back in Hong Kong for his father's funeral, whereas Brother David was at home taking care of his wife and the new-born baby. It occurred to me that we live our lives in-between the birth and the death, marching and aging on the way. Young high-school graduates may not understand this. Brother Cai just received his Ph.D. degree in computer science yesterday. It has taken years since he entered the grade school. But, this is not the end, because in his field he has to continue to keep up. Professor Liou said that in semiconductor design the technology moves on week by week, therefore he can never afford a two or three week vacation. The fast pace of modern life seems to push us on toward old age quicker and sooner!
I suppose young children could not appreciate this fear of aging. Every year they look forward to the birthday party. But after thirty or forty years one will not be that enthused about birthday anymore. Life is like lining up for the slide in the playground: At this end you wait for your turn by climbing up one step at a time. Once you reach the top, the rest is a quick slide downward then the whole thing is over! We all experience the decline of physical strength and the loss of memory. Why is this so inevitable? Wouldn't it be nice to remain young, or even to become younger day-by-day? The reality is that we are all getting older everyday.
In 1968 Peggy Fleming dressed in her famous purple and won the Olympic woman's figure skate gold medal. She appeared on ice as a symbol of beauty, youth, health and vigor. During the 1998 competition, she was an invited TV commentator, who announced that, thirty years to the date of her gold medal, she would be having a breast cancer surgery!
In 1964 Tokyo Olympic, Bob Hayes broke the world record and won man's hundred-meter dash at 9.1 seconds. The Japanese emperor personally awarded him the gold medal. Afterwards the Dallas Cowboys acquired him as its wide receiver. Because of his speed they devised new offensive strategies and made Hayes and the team famous. He played in NFL for eleven years and received many honors. But after retirement his liver and kidney gave way to alcohol and drug abuse. His heart problem and prostate cancer made him fat and weak. It is hard to imagine the so-called "Bullet Hayes" has come to this!
Why do we age and fall victim to death? We all wish that the day would never come. Emperor Chin of ancient China looked for the everlasting potion. Shakespeare was afraid of death. Alexander the Great conquered the world at his youth, but on his deathbed he asked for a coffin with two holes on the side. His arms were stretched out to show others that he could not take the conquered world with him.
We dare not look straight at death, for we do not know when we will go nor where to, and we do not know if we shall ever return. Chinese people in general are superstitious about death that they do not write the will or plan the funeral. We do not know why we were born, but are sure that one day we must die. Being so afraid of death, we avoid the subject like a plague, as if in such death will be deterred.
The Bible says that it is appointed for man to die once, and after this the judgment. Yes, we will certainly die. But why? And why sickness and aging? Because of Adam's sin, sin has poisoned every man. It causes us to depart from God, alienated as sinners. Our pride, greed, jealousy, filth, improper words and unjust deeds offend others, but most of all God Himself. The cycle of sin causes us to be separated from God forever, resulting in eternal death: The wage of sin is death! Therefore, since birth we have been marching and approaching the weaker body of our old age. In addition to sickness, there will be pain, sorrow and disappointment along the way, and finally death. If the poison of sin is not taken care of, death is not yet the end, for after this the judgment.
No one likes to hear this bad news. Sin is a hard reality to accept, if we do not have the correct biblical concept for sin. By accepting this bad news one can then be ready for the good news. So what does the Bible say about sin?
Because of this poison called "sin", we age and become sick. With pain we march toward death. If this poison can be removed, youth will stay with us. There is only one way to cleanse of one's sin --- through the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ.
- The Bible says that we are born with a sinful nature. In Psalm 51:5 David stated, "I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me." A newborn baby looks so pure and innocent. But two toddlers in a playpen will fight and grab the toy or candy from one another. They do not need to be taught of this. Strangely enough we are born to be self-centered, more so as our age and our knowledge increase. When a child lied for the first time, his mother can see through it immediately. As the child grows, he becomes more experienced and can deceive the mother easily. All the education of this world cannot change our sinful nature.
- God considers if one has sinned, not how great or small the sin is. We consider that running a red traffic light at night is a small matter compared with counterfeiting a faked certificate. But God looks at us to see if we have sinned. James 2:10 says, "for whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all." It makes no difference in God's sight whether we committed one offense or ten. For example, if we go to the prison, we shall see on the other side of the fence all the prisoners in uniform. We would not be able to tell what crime each committed, but know that they all have offended the law of the government. It is the same way when one day we appear before God. Irrespective how much we sinned, we are all sinners because of our sinful nature.
- God looks at the heart, not on the outside. King David said in Psalm 139:23-24, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." God cares about our inward thoughts, yet we have so many thoughts that cannot be put even before men. Although it is not carried out, God sees through and knows. Men are concerned with the proper speech and action, but God requires a clean mind and heart. Who can deny of his unclean thoughts? Thanks be to God, who enlightens us and leads us to the way everlasting.
Jesus Christ gave up His heavenly position of God's Son to come to this world. He became a man to die for our sins on the cross. He put on Himself our curse so that our sins may be forgiven. Our sins cannot be washed away by doing good or saying a lot of prayers, but only be cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus. He wants us to die with Him and to live with Him in His resurrection. He said, "I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever more." He came to cleanse, to forgive and to give life. Our spirit may thus live before Him in His light, and with His guidance unto everlasting life.
Come to Jesus quickly to resolve this matter of sin. May we come to Him with sincerity, and through His blood be delivered from the wrath of God in judgment, and receive a new life, the eternal life!
Spiritual AIDS
1. Symptoms:
2. Causes:
- Lost the love, faith and hope in God
- Care about nothing
- Lost interest in prayer, people or the Lord
- Avoid the reality, helpless and negative
- Life seems boring
- Full of complaints, tired, bitter
3. Result: So serious that it eventually leads to
- Poor self-image
- Satan took his love for God, so no feeling for God
- Pretense in all things to avoid God
- Lost the desire of healing, and sought no healing
- Church becomes a club and God is just a slogan
- Lost all spiritual functions
- Lack of faith led to leaving church and Christ
4. Incubation Period: Six months to two years
- A total numbness, not even aware of the loss of love for God
- A Christian by name only
- A spiritual dead-end
5. Infection Methods:
6. Cure:
- Satan secretly made captive of one's heart
- Keep everything to oneself
- Becoming negative and passive
- Ignoring the reality of life
- No prayer nor devotion time
7. Scripture Verses: Ephesians 4:25-27, and Revelations 2:4-5
- Ask God for healing
- Ask for divine help to deal with the problem
- Admit own helplessness and talk to a pastor
- Do not give ground to Satan
- Memorize scriptures and proclaim its truth