vine of success

With the study we have this week which is about changes in Christianity by the time of the Council of Nicea, AD 325.  I’ve learned that the change was due to the fact that there were surrounding issues within the church that needed to be resolved.  So the solution was to gather all bishops so that these issues may be resolved once and for all.  However as a result, wrong change has happened.  And I’ve learned that these were because of mixed growth of false Christians and real Christians.  The pagan persecution also has contributed to these changes.  So also with the influence of other religions and cultures plus the pride among church leaders that somehow caused conflicts within the church.  With these observations, the church is somehow like a rice field. The sower just scattered rice grains yet at harvest, there were weeds and thorns that grew over time. As the church grows, Satan also tries to break the church. When a wrong decision is made, that will eventually lead to bad results.

Our decisions really affect the future. What I’m doing now, will in return, give its appropriate outcome.  Back then, I used to decide on things without thinking first its consequences. However now that I have learned from that attitude I still get bad results.   In a sense, that when I’m making decision, I don’t seek what the Bible really says.  On whatever we do, we should see to it that it’s in line with the Scripture as our sole standard.

Being prayerful is indeed a very good attitude of a Christian.   I’m not that prayerful.  I tend to work with my own without seeking God, that’s why I usually fail.  But I think our relationship with God matters.  Prayer is one way to stay connected to God.

            

Constantine: Man of Faith or Fraud

The movie was about the man in the name of Constantine, who rises up to conquer Rome through the promotion of Christianity.  I have learned that when a person is really eager to achieve his goal in his life, he will do anything, even compromising his own principles and standards just for the sake of accomplishing his desired outcome. Constantine though is not that not recognized as a Christian (I mean, there’s no accurate evidence or record of his faith).  He sided on Christianity for the sake of controlling the entire Rome. Another thing is that when a person is very much convinced of what he believes, he would really be very much consumed by it even to the point of giving his life for it. Well, the unique thing about Christians is that whatever we do, it’s not for ourselves but for God’s glory. Of course, we see to it that it’s done in a good way. In the movie, I see a bad side of Christianity during those times.  As I see it, the church is like a vine, which clings onto a tree and slowly killing the tree. The adviser of Constantine was a Christian.  And though his motive is to the free exercise of faith, his dealings and methods, those, I do not agree. It’s because, he is feeding Constantine principles about God that compromise what really the Bible is teaching. Say for instance, when he says that Constantine is the future. I don’t agree with that because it’s Christ himself who is the future. We may tend to twist the Scripture based on what we really want to happen. But the Scripture is true and unbreakable. It will give what is right and just.

I sometimes do things even if it’s not good just to achieve my goal. And the movie portrays that indeed we can achieve our goal with it but it has consequences.  Christianity grows bigger and bigger. However it was contaminated with false Christians. And that is not good. It has brought bad changes to Christian faith and doctrine. I should always see what my motives are, why I’m doing what I’m doing. A lot of times I tend to be so selfish. I forget to seek God first. In my life it should be that God must be first.

I have observed that constant meditation of God’s word really is a food for our spirit. What I mean is that without the Word of God in our lives, there’s no one to guide us. I should indeed be faithful in meditating on God’s word, not just simply reading it.

The Sailing Life

The study was about the challenges faced by the church. As we have interacted with the topic, I have realized the problem faced by the church was not only from the outside of her, but rather also from the inside. Church and Christianity should in a sense be united and solid because our foundation is Jesus Christ Himself. However, in course of history, a lot of problems arose within the church circle. There was misunderstanding and opposite views mainly about doctrines within the church. Other Christians have different view on a certain doctrine that contradicts with others e.g. the doctrine of evil and the person of Jesus. Another thing I have realized is that, the damage done by the conflict inside the church has brought great impact to Christianity. What I mean is that, because of these conflicts the church started to divide because of different views of each Christians plus the pressure outside brought by the persecution, the church was somehow dispersed. Yet, God has His way to preserve His people. He has His way that the truth be the truth.

With the study, I have viewed the church as a kind of boat crossing a big stormy ocean. The pressure outside is very strong, thus the church also should be very strong.  But not only pressures outside are problems, so also the pressures inside if ever, (e.g. with the engine of the boat) will sink the boat.  However, that would not happen, because the Captain of the boat is Jesus Himself. No matter how the world would try to ruin the church, it will never be destroyed.

In my life, Christ should indeed be the Lord. The Lordship of Jesus Christ is not something easy because it requires all of me. However, rest assured if I am with Him, all will be fine no matter how painful situations maybe. So, in the coming years, by His strength and wisdom I will always choose to seek serving God.