Monday, January 27, 1997
RELIGION:
Reverence of the Lord not compatible with self-centered
philosophyBy Michael Tseng
Over the years I’ve read various articles written by people
either trying to discredit or defend the Christian faith. On Jan.
16, another one of these articles appeared; it was titled
"Questioning Religious Devotion." Chieh Chieng, who wrote the
article, was very honest, real and pragmatic. That’s why the
article really stirred me up internally. I myself submitted my life
to Christ when I was a high school senior. And as I read Chieng’s
article, I began to see things from his perspective and began to
understand why he would ask the questions that he did.
Nowadays, there are many misconceptions surrounding
Christianity. I think there are two main reasons for this: One is
the ignorance and false assumptions made by some of the
non-Christians; and the other is simply the fact that some
Christians are not living out their faith. For example, why is it
that when good things happen, we hear Christians readily using
religious phrases such as "Oh, God is so good" or "Praise the Lord,
for he is good to me." But when bad things happen to them, they are
silent about the presence of God? Isn’t it easy to blindly
attribute to God all the good things that happen to us? But what
about when bad things happen? Does God all of a sudden
disappear?
Of all the characters in the Old Testament of the Bible, Job
probably suffered the most, physically, emotionally and
spiritually. Yet, it was he who wrote, "Shall we accept good from
God, and not trouble?" Of all the characters (other than Jesus) in
the New Testament of the Bible, the Apostle Paul was probably
persecuted the most. And it was he who wrote: "For it has been
granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but
also to suffer for him." Jesus said to his disciples, "In this
world you will have trouble." Some very interesting verses. The
Bible is very clear on the fact that being a Christian does not
mean that life is all sugar-coated and without trouble. So what
ought to be the Christian’s response in times of disappointment,
trials and persecution? The Bible says, "Consider it pure joy
whenever you face trials of many kinds." How in the world is that
possible? Is that some sort of sadistic statement? No, because the
Bible says that only by trials are we able to become "mature and
complete," that "suffering produces perseverance," and
"perseverance produces character."
God is in the business of refining us, to make us stronger, to
make us men and women of true noble character. And sometimes the
process is painful. And I’ll be the first to admit, at times I feel
like I’d rather settle for mediocrity than to go through all that
struggle and defeat in order to be a more developed person. Or I
feel like I want the results without having to go through the
process.
I must agree with Chieng  we Christians have a lot to
learn. I find it hard, often, to thank God for the bad things
because I fail to see the bigger picture. What I (and a lot of
other Christians) need to do is to stop pitying myself when things
don’t go our way, and start thanking God for considering us worthy
enough to be disciplined and be brought through trials in order to
refine us and mature us.
Another issue brought up by Chieng was that Christianity is
impractical in today’s society; that if we hold on to the Christian
concept of seeking "rewards in heaven," then we should all drop our
classes, go to some monastery in some obscure corner of the world
and meditate on spiritual matters. But that’s not at all what
seeking "rewards in heaven" is all about.
The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, saying, "command them not to
be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, but to put hope in God
… to do good, to be generous and willing to share. In this way,
they will store up treasure in heaven." For the Christian,
"treasure in heaven" does not mean isolation in a secluded place,
but rather it means putting hope in God, being generous with
possessions, and being willing and ready to share the love of
Christ with everyone, without exception. I believe that
Christianity is practical enough to keep up in this day and age.
The Christian is called to "give to the one who asks you," to "use
whatever gifts you have received from God to serve others" and to
"work hard with your hands." In fact, there are many verses in the
Proverbs that warn against being lazy and idle.
Would this society not be a better place if we all held on to
these values and lived by them? So the Christian can live a
God-centered life and at the same time study hard for the Medical
College Admission Test, work hard to get into a good law school, or
find a practical career instead of moving to the forest and just
meditating on spiritual things. God wants Christians to represent
Him in every vocation and workplace. Jesus taught his disciples to
pray: "Our father in heaven … thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on earth …" If God’s kingdom is to come, and if God’s will is to
be done on earth, then the Christian should be actively involved in
improving the conditions of the society.
Again, I’ll be the first to admit I often focus more on my own
needs than on the needs of others around me. But that’s because I’m
losing focus on Jesus and forgetting the fact that he lived to
serve others, to reach out to the social outcasts, and to love. I
cannot think of a time in history when emulating Jesus’ example
would be "impractical."
Some Christians, myself included, have to get over the selfish
tendency to believe Jesus only on our own terms and for our own
benefits. To truthfully believe in God is not to use him in order
to accomplish what we want. I have seen people, some of them real
close friends of mine, who wanted to give Christianity a "try." But
when their prayers aren’t answered the way they want, when they
don’t find a job, when they don’t start getting better grades in
school, or when they aren’t able to get together with that special
someone they are pursuing, they give up and say Christianity is
just not for them. Christianity will inevitably fail if the focus
is on our own needs, because that is not true Christianity!
True Christianity has its focus not on the self but on Jesus
Christ. And true faith in Christ is this: It is in giving, that we
receive; it is in humbling ourselves, that we are lifted up by God;
it is in dying to ourselves, that we truly find life in Christ; it
is in losing sight of ourselves, that we truly see God.
I have to admit, often I am not a very good example and witness
for Jesus Christ. I should be praising God even when things don’t
go my way. I should be making more of an effort to bring harmony
among all Christians of all ethnicities. I should be more
hard-working and more giving of my possessions. I should be less
self-centered in my relationship with Jesus. But Jesus is not
through with me yet! When I yielded my life to Christ, I did not
become perfect instantly; it is a process. The spirit of Christ in
me has made some positive and at times, painful, changes in my
life. And I do trust that he  who began a good work in me,
will carry it on to completion.
I want to plead with those who are reading this article, not to
let my (and other Christians’) faults and shortcomings nullify the
truth of God in their eyes. The truth of Christianity lies not in
the Christians, but in Jesus Christ. A lot of misconceptions
surrounding Christianity form when people make accusations based on
false assumptions.
Please, look to Jesus Christ  look to the Bible Â
before you make any accusations against Christianity. You can
accuse the Christians of disobedience, but you cannot accuse Christ
of not teaching the truth.
How I desperately pray that the disobedience of the Christians
would not hinder others from coming to know Jesus. But I know it
does! Even though many of the questions and doubts that Chieng
raised in his article are the results of misconceptions, ignorance
and false assumptions on his part, I cannot deny the fact that
Christians, like myself, have also made contributions to some of
his doubts.
Fellow Christians, we need to get our acts together! The world
is watching, and we are not painting a very accurate picture of
Christianity. Let us unreservedly yield our lives to Jesus Christ
so that the world may see in us his truth, his glory and his
love.