故天将降大任于是人也，必先苦其心志，劳其筋骨，饿其体肤，空乏其身，行拂乱其所为，所以动心忍性，曾益其所不能。 (Mengzhi) 孟子
From my experience, I really don't like carpeted floor. Too much dust. If I am lazy to vacuum, I would rather use that time for some thing more profitable. I would rather sweep the floor, a more healthy excercise. Moreover, I could have partial carpeted area for the sake of comfort.[@more@]
Those who shouldn't leave, leave; Those who should leave, stay.[@more@]
Marriage should be honored by all.
And the part where the marriage bed to be kept pure just doesn't quite seem to be taken seriously by many christians, married and singles alike.
Joe Beam needs to take serving God more seriously.
After long time of struggles, I've come to some notes about the charismatic movements. Besides emphasizing on secondary matters, superficial idolatry, using Biblical terms to mean something else...They like to find a way to bring in their "risky" or "perverted" philosophical ideas vaguely, so that when accused, they could pretend to turn those ideas off innocently, the smarter ones would keep arguing and eventually, say "I answer to God alone, what I do I am responsible before God".
I...I...I...as if one can add this to the Bible. The Bible never teaches us about "God, I do this, I do that, I do it therefore it is your will because I do it for you" when our christian attitude is mingled with matters of the world, desires, self-pride, equality, we could risk depriving the very salvation we thought we'd gain.
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Due to comments attack...upgrading from
Plog version 1.0.1 to LifeType 1.1
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Plog was changed to LifeType due to copyright issue with Amazon. Name has changed, but not much for the codes.
However, LifeType has one of the worst documented site. Hence, one would have to waste his time searching for basic answers, despite some elegant designs and inovations. The time wasted is just not worth it for someone who just wants to post journals on his own server.
I realized when I found something of interest, mainly literature, I would be so joyful that I would stall...filling my time with something else...and then eventually, never quite get to keep that interest.
Psychologically, this is perhaps a form of escape from the labor of working on the subject with a very good excuse of "celebration", assuming the labor will be done after the "celebration", or to wait for a better and more suitable time to use. Consequently, the subliminal timeout notion is ignored with an unconscious motive.
So, I must not be tempted by this again.
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One's self-esteem is very important. It is how one values himself. Not proud, not over humble.
Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
我凭著所赐我的恩对你们各人说：不要看自己过於所当看的，要照著神所分给各人信心的大小，看得合乎中道。
When we do not think at all, we're not humble, we're actually being rebellious against God. When one think of himself more highly...it is a sin too.
Hence, it has to be just right, according to the measure of our individual faith. Some are smarter than others, some are more capable of certain things, some are stronger, but I should value myself not according to others' selves, but my own, individual self.
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This entry is intended to give light from the Truth. The Truth shall set us free.
Audio archive can be downloaded HERE.
The term extremist would be preferable among other accusations.
Summary:
1. Rev. Chi claimed according to the Bible, only vine (grape) fruit juice and unleavened bread can be used.
First of all, the Bible never says one must use unleavened bread or wine or vine fruit. Consequently, if
the formal was so, it would be very hard for some people in certain places and
certain time to be able to fully appreciate the true meaning of Holy
Communion. Therefore, without understanding of the true purpose of the
Lord's Supper, Rev. Chi had given a sermon that's full of bondage and
promoting the risk of self destruction (2nd Peter 3:16). What a pity.
2. (At Audio Recording time: 13:27) Rev. Chi used the verse
1Corinthians 11:27 to explain the word "理" from "不按理" to further his
first point.
The original Greek word is ἀναξίως (anaxiōs),
means unworthily, as King James version translated. However Rev. Chi
has superficially misunderstood the word "理" as rule, regulation, forms
of things, (a more proper word for the wrong definition would be "礼".
Without any knowledge of the true meaning of the word, he bravely
explained the word with the wrong definition in order to fit his own
opinion.
3. (At Audio Recording time: 14:22) Treating the
bread and cup as actual body of Christ. (Audio Recording time 18:00)
Rev. Chi tried to use 1Corinthians 11:29 to further his point.
The Catholics have similar notion, transubstantiation,
John Calvin has called it blasphemy, because of Christ only need to die
once. The word in 1Corinthians 11:29 is "discern". Rev. Chi's intention
is similar but hoping different effect. His intention is to expect a
great outcry from the crowds, a very pentacostal style way of
"repentence". Why would I say this, every Holy communion he has
repeatedly tempted the Lord by following the popular form of asking
those who are touched or want to repent to come forward. None has ever
come. One would say, he doesn't give up, good. But one has already
failed to see this is testing God because a church is also to be
witness to all, including to non-believers, hence, when the message is
not clear, asking questions without giving answers, no responses, and
still keep this going, this will give non-believers and others an
opportunity to mock God. This is not allowed. One who stands on the
pulpit must be very sensitive at these sort of things. However, Rev.
Chi would keep doing this because of one misunderstanding...he valued
superficial effect more than true faith, quality. So, when a church is
not as actively "repenting" as those other examples he's seen, this
church is still not saved but awaiting to be saved.
There are
many more problems in the perversed message, such as contradictions,
hypocritical statements, lies, etc. But I have pointed out the main ones.
The
Holy Communion is not a time to focus on our sins and repent, nor the type of bread/wine used but a time for the
remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we keep saying that the Holy Communion is a time to focus on our sins, we would one day believe that it is okay for Christians to sin because we have a habit of repenting everytime during Holy Communion and this church would become a church that keeps on repenting, not able to be holy. Holy Communion is for Christians, the truly repented ones, not for non-christians. We must however, examine ourselves every second, every day, to be holy, and not to wait for the Holy Communion to
do so. And there's no such thing as emphasizing our holiness MORE
during this ceremony. Do we emphasize it any less in other times? This
is another example of superficial "faith".
So, the final
question: What do we do with pastors like that? Do we fire him? My
response would be "No". However, by holding true to Biblical doctrine,
we can reject such person's perversed teaching, reject following him
and beware of such person. Boldly correct false teachings is done in
public, but knowing the time and place, for example, we shouldn't turn
the sanctuary into a quarrelling or fighting place, it is God's holy
place, everyone including non-believers should be able to see that, one
must be wise at such thing even before it happens. But in situations where correction would
greatly profit everyone, it is right to boldly correct in public. As
Paul did Peter.
To this question, I would base my answer on:
Mathew 23:1-3 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his
disciples, saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but
do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
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Due to recent attack, I've taken DMZ off of the server. Either some hackers are having too much time, or that the new viruses/worms/trojans have really caused others' computers to attack servers on a non-manual scale.
I have also set a local static IP to my server. This way I won't have to correct the IP everytime it reboots when crashes.
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On a Saturday night about two weeks ago, I attended a dinner hosted by a mission group. There a pastor gave a speech where in order to emphasize the responsibility of the great commission on every christian, he described pastors as frogs so when church members bring in newcomers, the pastor (aka frog) would trap them. Frogs sit and wait for their prey.
If this is so, I wonder, was Jesus like a frog too? How about Paul? Peter? Stephen?
Mat 23:4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
Just a little reminder to those who wish to become like a frog.
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