How Christianity Changed the World

How Christianity Change the World

by Alvin J. Schmidt

I bought this book not long ago and decided to read it, as part of an initiative not to watch any TV today. 

And the book is good.

The book “is a survey of the vast, pervasive influence that Christianity has had for two thousand years on much of the world, especially in the West.”

The author quoted three reasons why he wrote the book and I quote:

1. There is a pronounced paucity of information extant and available regarding the influence and impact that Jesus Christ has had on the world for two thousand years. Yet, in a rather nebulous manner many of us “know” that much of our culture, especially in the Western world, bears prominent imprints of Christ’s influence. Much of that influence is still with us even in the ever-growing secular and religiously pluralistic milieu of today.

2. To provide a one-volume resource by which the average reader could learn about the magnanimous influences that Jesus Christ, through his followers, has had for centuries on billions of people and social institutions to this very day. This educational objective is especially important today because Christianity is not only poorly understood, but also maligned, especially by many in the mass media.

3. On the basis of the historical evidence, the author is fully persuaded that had Jesus Christ never walked the dusty paths of ancient Palestine, suffered, died, and risen from the dead, and never assembled around him a small group of disciples who spread out into the pagan world, the West would not have attained its high level of civilization, giving it the many human benefits it enjoys today. One only needs to look to sectors of the world where Christianity has had little or no presence to see the remarkable differences. 

There are so many areas of life in the world that was transformed because of Jesus: “In the ancient world, his teachings elevated brutish standards of morality, halted infanticide, enhanced human life, emancipated women, abolished slavery, inspired charities and relief organizations, created hospitals, established orphanages, and founded schools.”

The author explores the transformation in the following chapters:

1. People Transformed by Jesus Christ

2. The Sanctification of Human Life

3. Christianity Elevates Sexual Morality

4. Women Receives Freedom and Dignity

5. Charity and Compassion: Their Christian Connection

6. Hospitals and Health Care: Their Christian Roots

7. Christianity’s Imprint on Education

8. Labor and Economic Freedom Dignified

9. Science: Its Christian Connection

10. Liberty and Justice for All

11. Slavery Abolished: A Christian Achievement

12. Christianity’s Stamp on Art and Architecture

13. The Sound of Music: Its Christian Resonance

14. Hallmark of Literature: Their Christian Imprint

15. Additional Influence: Holidays, Words, Symbols, and Expressions

I have only read five chapters today but I can see how we have forgotten or not realized how life had been before and if not for the changes that Jesus brought into our world, it would have so different and life would not be so good as we have it now. 

pearlie

Jesus You Are So Good!

This is one of my best loved oldies of a worship song. And Jesus is indeed so good!

pearlie

My 2018 Prayer: to overflow with thankfulness

Pastor Wong Fong Yang preached on the Lordship of Christ from Colossians 2:1-8, with God’s word to chart us off into the new year. 

I like it when he referred to 2:6-7 as a litmus test of life in Christ. 

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

~ Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV)

His message for the new year is that we will continue our lives in Jesus, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith we have been taught all these years, long or short. 

And the litmus test is to ask: am I overflowing with thankfulness or am I always complaining or murmuring?

I pray for a more Spirit-filled 2018, to live my life more fervently in Christ, to stay rooted in him, to continually be built up in him, to be strengthened in my faith in him. And all in all, to overflow with thankfulness in whatever circumstances I am in. 

pearlie 

Mary Did You Know?

We were practicing the song Mary Did You Know for worship service tomorrow and I found this version by Anthem Lights that was very well done. 

Mary Did You Know, Anthem Lights

pearlie

Why do we keep seeking for perfection in life?

Have you ever thought that we always want and expect good things to happen all the time. 

And we want it now. 

Healing, solutions, answers, riches, success, any kind of good things you name it. 

We want it now. We want it more. 

Have you ever thought that as human beings, we are made to have a consciousness and mind of our own, and we have this desire for perfection. We desire all things to be good in our lives. 

Do you know that we were created in perfection? But we are far from perfect. We know it and yet we seek for perfection in our twisted imperfect ways. 

And until and unless we acknowledge our own imperfection, we are doomed to spiral into an endless search for perfection but never finding it. 

And until and unless we recognise Jesus as Lord, we will forsake the very perfection we are looking for. 

The sermon today was based on Colossians 1:15-23 on The Preeminence of Christ. 

It’s an crucial message to learn that when Christ came and removed our imperfection, he substituted it with his perfection through his death on the cross and through his resurrection. 

So what we have is Christ’s perfection and not ours. 

Then why do we still strive for it in our own imperfect ways?

We may not realize it but we may feel that Jesus is not enough. We want more. 

And do we know who he is and what he has accomplished?

Until and unless we do, we will not be able to see life to its complete purpose. 

What is your only comfort in life and death? I am not my own, but in Christ in both body and soul, in life and death.1

pearlie

1 Heidelberg Catechism

Why didn't Jesus calm the waves first before walking on it?

I was reading Matthew 14 and something struck me when I read this popular passage about Jesus walking on water. 

Matthew 14:24-33 (NLT)

Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. 

In their fear, they cried out, "It's a ghost!" 

But Jesus spoke to them at once. "Don't be afraid," he said. "Take courage. I am here!" 

Then Peter called to him, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water." 

"Yes, come," Jesus said. 

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink.

"Save me, Lord!" he shouted. 

Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. 

"You have so little faith," Jesus said. "Why did you doubt me?" 

When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the disciples worshiped him. 

"You really are the Son of God!" they exclaimed.

I never thought of it before but it suddenly dawned on me why didn't Jesus still the waves first before walking on water towards to disciples on the tossing boat? It may not be a full storm yet since Jesus and the disciples were having a conversion, albeit a frantic one on the disciples's side. 

An obvious answer will be to say that he wanted to teach the disciples a lesson and show them he is the Son of God. He has already calmed a storm before (Matt 8:23-27), and now on top of that walking on water would show more how the world is really in his hands.

But I thought maybe Jesus also has a fun streak in him. Hey, a storm? Wouldn't walking through it be fun too? 

Wouldn't it be like our version of a roller coaster, whizzing up and down, twirling and curling in loops in the safety of the carriage and laws of physics? 

Later in the evening, I led a short devotion at the beginning of our Grace Notes practice from Jack Coleman's Crescendos and Diminuendos, Meditations for Musicians and Music Lovers. I have chosen the chapter on legato for the devotion. 

Legato is to play music or sing a song in a smooth, sustained, and connected manner without any perceptible interruption between the notes. And if applied to life, we all want a smooth sailing life with minimum problems or issues, basically no storms in our lives. 

But wouldn't you think that would be a very boring life to live, as much as a full length of music in legato would be a boring piece to listen to, and actually quite difficult to play or sing and still make it interesting. 

We need to have some storms in our lives, some ups and downs. Sure, it will be difficult but don't forget, Jesus walks with us in it and we will in the safety of the carriage and the laws of physics. 

pearlie

Christ is enough for me

I know I have blogged before on how I disagree with some of the lyrics of Hillsongs's Christ is Enough. I may have changed my mind but whatever it is, I needed the song today. 

I had to remind myself that Jesus is all I need and that I can definitely depend on him, one hundred percent. 

pearlie

Can God die? What does it mean for God to die?

In reading and meditating on the portion of Scriptures on Good Friday--the betrayal and arrest of Jesus, the Jewish trials, denial of Peter, the Roman trials, the crucifixion and the death of Jesus--I suddenly began to wonder and ask a question I realized I haven't asked before.

Can God die? 

Jesus is God and he died. I am not sure if that really answers the question. Let's say it does, but it then begs the next question. 

What does it mean for God to die?

I googled for any answers but could not find anyone that provides a good or satisfying one. This article by Veronica Neffinger, Crosswalk seems the best, but even then, she does not fully answer the question. 

She says, "This is a question that can easily get into the deep waters of theology," and I wonder why haven't it been picked up by the scholars. Maybe it's me who have not come across them, and so if you do know of any good books on this, please let me know.

Some explained that Jesus is both divine and human, and it was the human side of him who died. But I agree with the article that said, "Sproul reminds us that this would be a 'mutation within the very being of God.' The doctrine of the Trinity tells us that three separate and distinct persons make up the Godhead, and yet these persons are one." Sproul further explains it here. 

So I think it boils down to what Jesus cried out to the Father when he was on the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matt 27:46, Mark 15:34). 

Death is not becoming non-existent. Death, even to us mere human, is the experience of a separation. Where we are at this separation stage is still yet to be known. In that case, Jesus is experiencing a separation from the Father, while still maintaining his relationship with him in the Trinitarian Godhead. 

Jesus took the separation that will indeed be ours if we die without him. But now that Jesus has taken the separation in our place, we are reconciled and are in abode with the Father for eternity, for all time.

But of course, like Sproul suggested, that may even be the wrong question to ask.

Is it?

The article aptly concludes with a quote from Greg Laurie, "This message is so deep and profound that you could spend the rest of your life studying it and still not grasp its full significance. Yet it is so simple that even a child can understand it.  Still, many people do not understand the significance of what took place on that Roman cross 2,000 years ago.  Jesus died so that we might live."

Amen.

pearlie

Psalm 118: a fitting psalm before the darkest hours

I have been following Köstenberger's Final Days of Jesus since Monday and I was at the Maundy Thursday section today:

1. The preparation for the Passover

2. The Final Passover

3. The Last Supper and Jesus’s Cleansing of His Community 

4. The Farewell Discourse Begins 

5. The Farewell Discourse Continues 

6. Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denials 

7. Jesus Issues Final Practical Commands 

8. The Garden of Gethsemane

I learnt that at the closing of the Last Supper, "the last meal that Jesus would eat with his disciples, the last meal that Jesus would eat in his pre-glorified body, and the final Passover meal of the old covenant", "Jesus and the disciples sing a hymn together and then depart toward the Mount of Olives. Jews traditionally sang Psalms 113–118 during the Passover celebration, culminating in Psalm 118, so it is very likely that this was the final hymn sung by Jesus and his disciples before leaving the upper room and walking to the garden of Gethsemane."

If we take a look at Psalm 118, you can imagine how and what Jesus would have drawn from it as he prepares for the dark hours ahead: his steadfast love endures forever...out of my distress I called on the LORD...I will not fear...it's better to take refuge in the Lord...all nations surround me...I was pushed hard...glad songs of salvation...I shall not die, but I shall live...the stone that the builders rejected 

has become the cornerstone. 

What a fitting psalm to be sung at this time of such heaviness.  

Psalm 118:1-29 ESV

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; 

for his steadfast love endures forever! 

Let Israel say, 

"His steadfast love endures forever."

Let the house of Aaron say, 

"His steadfast love endures forever." 

Let those who fear the LORD say, 

"His steadfast love endures forever." 

Out of my distress I called on the LORD; 

the LORD answered me and set me free. 

The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. 

What can man do to me? 

The LORD is on my side as my helper; 

I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. 

It is better to take refuge in the LORD 

than to trust in man. 

It is better to take refuge in the LORD 

than to trust in princes. 

All nations surrounded me; 

in the name of the LORD I cut them off! 

They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; 

in the name of the LORD I cut them off! 

They surrounded me like bees; 

they went out like a fire among thorns; 

in the name of the LORD I cut them off! 

I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, 

but the LORD helped me. 

The LORD is my strength and my song;

he has become my salvation. 

Glad songs of salvation 

are in the tents of the righteous: 

"The right hand of the LORD does valiantly, 

the right hand of the LORD exalts, 

the right hand of the LORD does valiantly!" 

I shall not die, but I shall live, 

and recount the deeds of the LORD. 

The LORD has disciplined me severely, 

but he has not given me over to death. 

Open to me the gates of righteousness, 

that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD. 

This is the gate of the LORD; 

the righteous shall enter through it. 

I thank you that you have answered me 

and have become my salvation. 

The stone that the builders rejected 

has become the cornerstone. 

This is the LORD's doing; 

it is marvelous in our eyes. 

This is the day that the LORD has made; 

let us rejoice and be glad in it. 

Save us, we pray, O LORD! 

O LORD, we pray, give us success! 

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! 

We bless you from the house of the LORD. 

The LORD is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. 

Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, 

up to the horns of the altar! 

You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; 

you are my God; I will extol you. 

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; 

for his steadfast love endures forever!

pearlie 

The Most Important Week of the Most Important Person Who Ever Lived

The church I am attending now does not observe Lent and I forgot that it is Palm Sunday today. This makes me miss the more traditional churches I have attended before. 

Therefore, it is good that I received an email from Crossway: A Day-by-Day Guide to the Holy Week. It is to be followed along with Andreas J. Köstenberger's book. 

The Final Days of Jesus: The Most Important Week of the Most Important Person Who Ever Lived

by Andreas J. Köstenberger and Justin Taylor

I have not read it yet, and it will be good to stall what I am reading right now and spent the week reading this in meditation on the final days of Jesus, the most important week of the most important person who ever lived. 

As I began to read the Scripture passages, read the first chapters of the book and watched the video, we found that Jesus entered Jerusalem amidst people with high hopes and expectations. They wanted a political king to free them from the Roman Empire. 

It was a very volatile situation. The people wanted a revolution, the Jewish leaders most probably wanted things to remain status-quo with the Romans, and the Romans were keeping a close eye to all that is happening to ensure things don't go out of hand. 

But with all of that, Jesus has an entirely different and unexpected agenda in mind. 

What began as a small celebration of the beginning of the week, will turn to chaos, but will then in turn become the grandest celebration of mankind of all times. 

pearlie

With the barest of words and emotions

 

The sermon this morning was from John 19:17-42, the passage about the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. Pastor said that it unusual that after spending so many verses telling us what happened to Jesus who was before the Jews and Roman authorities after his arrest, the passage here on the crucifixion seem anti-climatic with the barest of words and descriptions.

But I find that most remarkable. With just a short passage, the apostle John gave us the most important facts about the crucifixion of Christ. With the economy of words, every sentence and verse, are packed and deep with theological truths. You can practically spend your whole life just studying each and every of these 21 verses in John, let alone the other parallel passages in Matthew, Mark and Luke.

When I watched movie adaptations of Jesus's crucifixion, I always thought it interesting that the Gospels did away with the emotions, feelings, and sensations of the event. 

With just two words in Greek, John wrote, αὐτὸν ἐσταύρωσαν, they crucified him. 

Was it not important how Jesus reacted, what he thought, and how he felt on the cross? Or was it something so painful and so unimaginable that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John chose not to describe it?

I don't know but I believe that even with the barest of words and emotions, they are so important and theologically packed that it is what I need to know and believe in: that Jesus died for me, so I may live.

pearlie