Announces that live stream of the services will stop starting August. Those who could come to worship at church should come. Otherwise they feel like they can just sit at home doing this. It's not good having a habit of doing service from home without coming to church.
Every time Jesus said "But I say to you..." i.e. Mat 5:39, is the reformed doctrine.
Tong: 30 years ago I asked the question what's the biggest problem in preaching God's word (serving)?
Hussain (interpreter): the example of servitude. Understanding God's word.
Tong: I asked so many people, all different answers. I suggested the biggest problem is: To change the erred principle of others. Rev. 赵天恩 immediately agreed.
This is true especially for the senior Christians. Like this, you cannot do it without offending people. If you don't offend, you cannot revive the church.
The first of a church's revival is the theological doctrinal revival, which is to correct the concept of wrong. Therefore, often times, God does not do great work in an old church, whose members are too stubborn to be changed.
How many are there those who wishing reformation, but find themselves hard to change their old concepts? How many here in GRII does not care about the right doctrine?
Of adultery, divorce, romance, treating enemies, what is murder, until now, the Roman Catholics have completely different understanding. Yet they vindicate themselves saying God give us the right, we do not need to follow any doctrinal systems for they are not important.
Tong brought up a case: If the choice is an either or, whether to save a pregnant mother in a fatal labor's life or the infant's life? Tong surveyed his staffs and the they gave the reformed answer: Save the mother. I think I lost a clip here, perhaps not too important. their explanations were either due to the strong bond of husband and wife or that the wife can still give birth to others, all of which Tong attempted to refute, especially the one that said a mother can give birth to another, but the mother cannot be replaced...the common reason, but Tong replied: But a widower can also remarry, to which their responses were my wife is here, cannot say that LOL. Actually the first staff (Kohen?)'s answer appears to be what Tong wants: That infant is automatically saved but the mother though is saved but still has responsibility before God. So I looked up on the Roman Catholics' view on this and found this article, where the RC stripped a hospital's affiliation to the church for performing abortion despite the fact that the doctors claimed that it was either the mother's life or the child's.
Roman Catholics said that a person who didn't get baptized is not saved. Why not safe the mother, not because despising women nor mother is not important, but because mother already baptized, but not the infant, so must save the infant! So influence of their doctrine!
Christian said save mother first, why? Because the child has no responsibility yet in this world, if he passed, God fetched him. On salvation of infant, reformed doctrine supports the salvation of infant in a Christian home, and maybe, from non-Christian parents. 1. They point to Jesus' words on become like children to enter heaven, 2. In Jonah, God said would I not love these who couldn't distinguish right hand from left (viz. infants). But is it absolute? No. Are infants born sinners? Yes. Will all perish? No, because Romans 2:15???, which says that a man should receive according to that he has done be it good or bad (2 Cor 5:10, Ecc 12:14). So Tong affirms that God does not judge us perish due to the original sin, so likewise infants. (My note: Tong seems more sure of the infant salvation now then the last time I heard him talked about this, in the past he had merely mentioned that he is leaning this way but there's no direct evidence in scripture, but now he still admits no strong evidence but supports the infant salvation view stronger).
Infant salvation = All died as infants are saved.
I think there was a clip being cut here...Now he said Billy Graham supports infant salvation completely. It was as if this is referring to some infant massacre in the news, perhaps that clip's lost.
Oh how I wish I have someone to talk to in GRII about this. No Michael, Don't think I should bother Amos, and David doesn't seem very talkative with me.
(My take on this so far, is I have no problem accepting all this, regarding infant salvation, which Tong also stressed that this is not to be taken as absolute. However, this reasoning for saving the mother does give me pause. Perhaps Kohen's heard Tong answering this before, I don't know. So the mother is given the artificial opportunity to redeem herself? I think I would have quite a few questions to follow up...but it's late now, I'll leave it as the difference between the Reformed and the RC)
Back to topic: Mat 5:38, common sense in the world. Tong experienced this when he tried to help calm a battle by preaching to them in Kuantilama, Papua. He tried preaching God's love for his enemies by sending his Son. But to perhaps to his failure as the battle was not resolved when he had to catch his flight, despite having Pastor Kohen taking his place in preaching else where at the same time to 1000s. He learned a lesson from the back story of the battle: One tribe killed 17 of another while 28 killed vise versa. So they will not stop fighting until 11 more are killed to balance the numbers. The lesson of the 4000 year old vengeful justice of an eye for an eye.
v. 38 also appears in the OT (Exo 21:24), but these two phrases are not Mosaic Law. But people take this as justice over millennia. Jesus mentioned it. Tong appears to said that this is approved, we can take vengeance, this is justice.
Tong almost given up becoming a preacher, due to hard to change people's mind, especially the old folks.
But Jesus gives a different approach: 不要与恶人作对。
The following statements from the Lord is so drastic that no one could ever accept. Who would turn his cheek? Since Adam til now, no one has done that. Absolutely no one. You sure Tong? Yes. Even Jesus himself couldn't do this. So what is this about?
Tong believes this portion of the Bible is the most misunderstood and most disagreed upon.
- Turn another cheek. Jesus didn't do.
- Let him have thy cloke also. This Jesus did - on the cross, perhaps naked.
- Go an extra mile. No example from Jesus nor Bible.
- Give those who ask.
- Turn not away from those who borrow.
Please note: all these 5 things are from the wicked. There's also a progressing in these 5, from forceful action to soft passiveness.
What is this saying? That your enemies are pitiful. Though very wicked, in reality, they are begging you for help. Imagine these as 5 paintings. We can see a Christian's life is more bountiful than these wicked ones. Unfortunately, many Christians like to first consider themselves the one suffering. So we keep praying for God to help us. If this is a habit, how can we pray for our enemies?
He assault because he needs this to go on living, to have self-esteem. He takes because he lacks. He compels others, because he needs power.
In the end, he is actually the poor, the beggar. I don't need him, he needs me.
This is an incredibly deep passage. Tong admit he had never understood this "mercy on enemy" passage until today, despite preaching on it more than 1000 times. What a big change from assaulting you to begging you!
Those who persecute Christians, not because they are powerful, but actually they are in too much need to use power to proof their self-esteem.
Why a husband abuses his wife? He lacks. So wife, he needs more than you, have mercy on him. Dia sedang gila, perlu marah, etc.
Do not resist, our Lord commands...this is a hard one for Christians! To solve others' need first.
Those who ask God for wealth everyday is a big beggar.
To be continue next week...