My Journal

I find myself along with Nadia to really love this Grace Community Church. The pastor is really into the word of God, and the bonus is, he follows the reformed line. I think having 3 consistent Bible study a week (Thursday study, Sunday School, Sunday Sermon) is unusually blessed. It's not common in U.S. In fact, it is probably not as common anywhere in the world today as it was back in John Calvin's time (multiple times everyday!).

Other churches have failed in various crucial ways. Though if I must, I would still hold that there is some hope in certain churches. Rev. Lin's CCCNY by Central Park is not really, but sort of Reformed, only if she tries to associate herself/the church with some famous reformed preachers, so a cheap kind of imitation. But nonetheless, because of the imitation of the right kind, I believe God is blessing them still. Rev. Murphy's Messiah's Reformed Fellowship seemed to be reformed and there are more delving into God's words than CCCNY, in fact, I find that most Chinese churches in America are less into the word of God and theology than the American churches, at first I would think it has to do with language, that Chinese churches leaders don't speak English well in America, but then I realized it maybe something more devastating, that they believed they have struggled enough and have finally immigrated into "heaven", so all work is done, there is no need to seek anymore. But Murphy's church do show some kind of factions and struggle between making themselves a private exclusive club (like that of the OPC - where if you are not a church member you cannot partake Holy Communion - though not enforced) and evangelism. But they were quick to kick people out who's not their members, so after twice being kicked out of their online google group, I gave up trying to get back in, all I wanted was to make sure that they don't cancel the Bible Study when I sacrifice my time and effort just to attend, but I guess joining the tribe is more important for them. The other crucial thing is Murphy's preaching one time, when he tried to justify certain lies, but I assume he was going through something, given his character, not surprising. Overall, I would still recommend CCCNY or Messiah's Reformed Fellowship in New York City. These are the two only ones I can trust doing God's bidding or close to it. So if they are bad, then the image of New York Church is not so great. There are other churches note mentioning, but they are not reformed, just into evangelizing, which is foundational, so if one doesn't like CCCNY, one could try Flushing's Faith Bible Church, but be aware of the poor theology practiced there. As for Redeemer, since Tim Keller stepped down, I don't know how to rate it, very unreliable, even with Michael Keller, the son, leading the Lincoln Center branch. When pastors come and go so often, something fishy is going on. The messages in the sermons were not impressive either. By impressive, I mean displaying the living word of God. And in NJ, we sort of gave up Grace OPC in Westfield, seeing that they held too tightly to fundamentalist ideals (proclaiming virtual service is unbiblical) during Covid-19. The pastor kept saying "I love you" in email format but two families have declared strongly against it. I don't mind revisiting them, but now that we've found a slightly further (30 mins) Grace PCA in Bridgewater, we are going to stick to this, for I choose God's word over any formality or flattery or human care, which were made idols against God by many of these churches.

This has been touched long ago in history and the common answer has to do with having witnesses.

What I will add to this, after having to deal with this on FB, is that God authored the Bible not by mere dictation or direct divine scribing because communications and relationships are more than words and writings. Such is His creation and how He relates Himself to His creatures.

This came up in last Thursday's Bible study on James 5:1-6.

It is also the first time I realized this is the first pastor whose father attends church Bible study, actively. Later I also learned that the parents also attended the church service, not sure how often, but it was impressive enough.

The pastor's father responded to the above with disagreement, because there were good honest people making those Lamborghinis and they deserved the money. The rebuttal to that was that he would rather spend time with the frugal kind who give aide to the poor.

I was thinking of asking "So what if this frugal person you like to hang out with, also owns a lamborghini?"

Then on a Sunday later when the topic was brought up again in Revelations regarding the Laodicean church, I figured out a better response:

It depends on the motive. And it is really not a cryptic yes and no answer. Sometimes it's yes, sometimes it's no. Saying Christians are not allowed to buy Rolex or Hermes bags, is like saying Christian men are not allowed to marry beauty pageants or supermodels. Or churches should not have chandelier.

Jesus has even taught us on the wise use of God's blessings, to multiply God's gifts, otherwise, even what you have already will be taken away from you.

I looked up Dr. Tong's response on this:

In his Q&A series of 家庭·生活·其它 (I posted Q#39 here because it's relevant to today's issues as well, though off topic):

    38、基督徒不忠心会怎么样？当我为自己买较贵的衣服时，就支责备自己浪费钱，穿着太随便又觉得不荣耀神。

    不忠是相对的，不是绝的，不必太计较这件事，有的人穿得太好看，你不要责备他不属灵，有的人穿得不好看，也不必因为这样就说他属灵。耶稣基督不仅穿里衣，也穿外袍，施洗约翰却只穿骆驼毛的衣服，然而神说过他们谁比较属灵吗？没有。

    施洗约翰穿骆驼毛的衣服，吃蝗虫野蜜，有的传道人就学施洗约翰，穿得特别不好，吃得特别不好他以为这样就特别属灵，这个没有道理。有些传道人，从来不答应别人请他吃饭。而耶稣基督呢？西门请他，他去；撒该请他，他也去。这些吃的穿的，都是次要的问题。绝对的是信仰，相对的是形式。信仰的事上不能忘，相对的事上不必争，不必每一个人都一样。

    动机是很要紧的，如果一个人买好衣服为了方便，另一个人故意穿不好的衣服，弄得破破烂烂，为了让人家能多奉献给他，那么这不能说，穿不好衣服比穿好的衣服更属灵。

    基督徒的服饰没有一定的规矩，这要看你的动机是什么。如果你没有钱，还要买贵重华丽的衣服，而不肯将心思，金钱放在神的工作上，那就不大好。基督徒能吸引人，不是看他们钻研的服饰如何，而是因为他们有圣徒的体统。什么叫做圣徒的体统呢？就是有道德的原则，我们穿衣服不是为要引起异性的注意，所以不要穿太薄或太窄的衣服。这不但会令自己伤风，而且有僵风化，这是第一个原则。第二个原则是不要赶时髦。我们应当注重心意理更新变化，而不是服装更新变化。

    39、基督徒妇女因为家庭经济而堕胎，是否犯罪？如果是罪，是什么罪？在审判时是否不能进天国？

    基督徒不可堕胎。因为胎儿自受孕起就是生命，长成后就是一个人你堕胎和杀人差不多，不同的是你看不见它，你杀人，对方有理智，意志，情感，所以他会反抗。但是胎儿在母胎中未见你把它杀掉，求主赦免你，经济困难，你可以节育，但是你节育的办法不是等有孕后才想办法堕掉，乃是还没有成胎之前你就应当用一些不会伤害身体的方法来避孕。如果你经济不好，已经成胎了，那么你生下来还可能送给那些没有孩子的人抚养，所以你还是不要堕胎。已经堕胎的求主赦免你，在审判的时候，如果你已真正的悔改，那么审判的时候与罪无关，基督已担当了你的罪；但是如果你已经得救了还这么做，你要求主赦免你，求主保守你在以后的日子更谨慎，过圣洁爱主的生活。你说：政府并没有认为堕落胎犯法，我告诉你，有一些事情虽然不犯法，但是却仍是犯罪，有一些事情虽然犯法但是不犯罪。不一定犯罪的事情都犯法，也不一定犯法的事情都犯罪。例如，埃及的法老王命令，凡希伯来人生的孩子都要丢在河里面，杀死他。这是法令。摩西的父母亲有没有把摩西丢掉，没有！他们犯法却不犯罪，所以像这一类，犯法而不犯罪的事情，我们可以做。你能带一本圣经到大陆去给基督徒，虽然你犯法也不要怕，你没有犯罪，明白吗？所以犯法不一定等于犯罪，照样犯罪也不一定犯法。今天许多国家准许同性恋，有些国家准许堕胎，但是这些虽然不犯国家的法律，却仍是犯罪。天国近了，你们要悔改，让那超人法律的法律，超人国度的国度，超人政治的政治，就是神的道，神的义，神的国，神的话，放在我们心中并遵行。

To sum it up, John the Baptist though more frugal than Jesus, was no better spiritual than Jesus. So it all comes down to the motive.

On unconverted ministries: When a person is truly saved, there is at least some sign of desire to love studying God's word. It is not a once upon a time kind of thing, not "I used to love it" kind of thing. One would feel guilty about the above. This proves many members in churches today are not saved. Their worship is a committive one, not a faithful one; their fellowship is a social one, not a family one; their proclamation of faith is an insurance one, not a rejoicing one. And their leaders/pastors are blind.

There is a notion that long distance relationship won't last. Because we do not see each other for an extended time, we do not know how each have changed so that we could acclimate in relationship accordingly. But God is not so, for He does not change. So relationship with God, even though God is invisible, and God is not tangible, and we cannot speak to God as we speak to man, we build our relationship with God through the Son, who is unchanging because He is God, who took human nature to be with us.