CHRISTMAS 2011 Advisors Rev. Wilson Suwanto Daniel Loe Editors Rachel Atmadja Kenny Gozali Merissa Halim Hubert Kusdono Jocelyn Lee-Tindage Hendry Wijaya Designers Buddy Chung Harold Doryumu Eva Leony Michael Matunry Fransisca Sugianto Vincent Yobeanto Cover Page Buddy Chung Printing Semiwati Oei E-mail [email protected]Production of GII Azusa 539 N. Sunset Ave. Azusa, CA 91702 Telp: (626) 812-0326 http://lax.gii-usa.org Hope cannot be defined as a thing in itself. One cannot say that one has hope without identifying in whom or what one has hoped in. To hope is to put our trust and confidence in something or someone. Hope must have an object. Biblical hope cannot be defined outside of the object on which that hope is placed in: Jesus Christ, who is the object of our hope for salvation. In this edition, we study what it means to have Christ as the object of our hope and what happens when we place our hope on something other than Christ. We live in a world that puts confidence in material things. With so much emphasis on what is seen, it becomes increasing- ly difficult to place our hope on what is unseen. When trials and tribulations come, most of us are prone to take matters into our own hands without consulting the Lord. We put our confidence in ourselves or in material things like money rather than putting our confidence in Christ’s abilities. Before we know it, we have set one foot on Christ and one foot on the World. Slowly but surely, we lose warmth in our relationship with Christ and become practi- tioners of lukewarm Christianity. The dangerousness of lukewarm Christianity cannot be overstated. A Christian’s fading enthusiasm for God and His Word is a reflection of the strength of his or her confidence in Christ, the hope of our salvation. To lose fire for the Lord is to lose confidence in Christ’s love, ability, and identity. Placing our hope in something or someone other than Christ is also an act of idolatry. What happened to the Church of Laodicea in Revelations 3 illustrates how idolatry can cloud one’s judgment and self-perception and cause spiritual blindness. The Church of Laodicea placed their hope in their material riches and believed that they are rich; however the Lord declared them to be spiritually “wretched, pitiable, (and) poor” in reality (Revela- tions 3:17).The Church of Laodicea thought that their eyes can see when they were actually spiritually blind (Revelations 3:17). The Lord exhorted the Church of Laodicea to be zealous and to repent Christmas 2011 1 Editorial ]
Hope cannot be defi ned as a thing in itself. One cannot say that one has hope without identifying in whom or what one has hoped in. To hope is to put our trust and confi dence in something or someone. Hope must have an object. Biblical hope cannot be defi ned outside of the object on which that hope is placed in: Jesus Christ, who is the object of our hope for salvation. In this edition, we study what it means to have Christ as the object of our hope and what happens when we place our hope on something other than Christ. We live in a world that puts confi dence in material things. With so much emphasis on what is seen, it becomes increasing-ly diffi cult to place our hope on what is unseen. When trials and tribulations come, most of us are prone to take matters into our own hands without consulting the Lord. We put our confi dence in ourselves or in material things like money rather than putting our confi dence in Christ’s abilities. Before we know it, we have set one foot on Christ and one foot on the World. Slowly but surely, we lose warmth in our relationship with Christ and become practi-tioners of lukewarm Christianity. The dangerousness of lukewarm Christianity cannot be overstated. A Christian’s fading enthusiasm for God and His Word is a refl ection of the strength of his or her confi dence in Christ, the hope of our salvation. To lose fi re for the Lord is to lose confi dence in Christ’s love, ability, and identity. Placing our hope in something or someone other than Christ is also an act of idolatry. What happened to the Church of Laodicea in Revelations 3 illustrates how idolatry can cloud one’s judgment and self-perception and cause spiritual blindness. The Church of Laodicea placed their hope in their material riches and believed that they are rich; however the Lord declared them to be spiritually “wretched, pitiable, (and) poor” in reality (Revela-tions 3:17). The Church of Laodicea thought that their eyes can see when they were actually spiritually blind (Revelations 3:17). The Lord exhorted the Church of Laodicea to be zealous and to repent
Christmas 2011 1
Editorial ]
Contributors Janice AtmadjaTjandra Afandi
Lany KiatkwankulMarie Kusdono
Andrew KusnohadiAnna Marhero
Rev. Wilson SuwantoPdt. Dr. Stephen Tong
David WangsaThe Babies' Parents
IEC Members
from lukewarm Christianity (Revelation 3:18). He counseled Laodi-cea to discard their reliance on themselves and material riches and instead look to the real hope that is found in Christ. In Romans 1, Paul unabashedly declares the futility of an idolatrous heart. He declared idolatrous people to be “foolish and darkened,” that “although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him” (Romans 1:21a). A person who does not hope in the Lord lives under the illusion that he can control the direction of his life. Centuries later, the modern church still struggles with the problem of lukewarm Christianity. We are no longer on fi re for the Lord as the early Christians in the past were. Our waning inter-est in the study of the Word is an alarming indication that we no longer place a premium on God and His Promises. We fi nd security in material things from money to technology. Regretfully, we treat the Lord as a last resort when all other hope is gone. Let us repent and regain warmth for Christ. In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul exhorted the Thessalonians to “put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8). We must let go of the illusion that we can hope in anything or anyone other than Christ. Let us regain warmth in our relationship with the Lord as we celebrate the Birth of our Hope for Salvation My hope is built on nothing lessThan Jesus’ blood and righteousness.I dare not trust the sweetest frame,But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.On Christ the solid Rock I stand,All other ground is sinking sand;All other ground is sinking sand. -from ‘My Hope is Built on Nothing Less’ by Edward Mote
2 Christmas 2011
Regards,
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Indonesian Evangelical Church, Los Angeles
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Senior Pastor: Rev. Kristianto HoseaAssociate Pastor: Rev. Wilson Suwanto
“Pray and Let God Worry” adalah salah satu ucapan dari Martin Luther yang sangat bermakna. Kata worry dapat digunakan dalam dua konteks yang cukup berbeda.
Pergumulan untuk memecahkan persoa-
lan yang tengah dihadapi. Pergumulan un-
tuk mencari jalan keluar. Pergumulan untuk
mencari jawaban. Lepas dari konteks yang
manapun, kedua-duanya mengandung makna
ketidaktahuan atau ketidakpastian.
Kalau kita bicara soal worry yang leb-
ih condong kepada "kekuatiran", maka
cukup banyak topik yang kita bisa
utarakan terutama jika anda hidup di
Amerika Serikat akhir-akhir ini. Resesi eko-
nomi yang sedang melanda dunia saat ini
Christmas 2011 5
mendorong kadar kekuatiran yang biasa
menjadi luar biasa. Hal ini bisa menyebab-
kan penderitaan yang menyeluruh atas
suatu bangsa atau negara. Mari kita tengok
kondisi kekuatiran yang mendorong pend-
eritaan di sekitar kita.
Sebagai sarjana yang baru lulus atau
seorang pencari kerja kita kuatir apakah
kita akan mendapatkan pekerjaan yang kita
inginkan ataupun kita butuhkan pada saat
angka pengangguran mencapai 9.2% dari
total lapangan pekerjaan. Bukan saja para
pengusaha mengurangi jumlah karyawan,
sebagian mereka juga menutup lowongan
(hiring-freeze) sehingga jumlah perusahaan
yang masih mencari karyawan berkurang
sedangkan jumlah pencari kerja bertam-
bah. Akibatnya peluang kita mendapatkan
pekerjaan makin mengecil. Saingan pun
bertambah. Indeks kekuatiran kita pun
meningkat. Hidup pun jadi menderita.
Sebagai usahawan kita kuatir apakah usaha
kita akan dapat bertahan sampai resesi
berakhir. Segala upaya kita lakukan untuk
mengatur cash-fl ow perusahaan. Gonta-
ganti perusahaan asuransi kesehatan untuk
menghemat biaya. Mengurangi pengeluar-
an-pengeluaran yang tidak perlu. Sampai-
sampai memotong gaji karyawan agar ti-
dak perlu mengurangi jumlah pekerja lagi.
Bahkan perusahaan-perusahaan besar
yang sudah mapan di arena bisnis tiba-tiba
hilang dari peredaran. Perusahaan saingan
kita menurunkan tawaran tender mereka
(dimana kita juga ikut bersaing) sampai ke
tingkat "tidak untung pun tidak apa asal
menang tender” demi mendapat proyek
tersebut agar memperpanjang peluang
hidup perusahaan mereka. Lalu perusa-
haan kita ini bagaimana? Berapa lama lagi
usaha kita ini dapat berjalan dalam kondisi
seperti ini. Kekuatiran meningkat. Akibat-
nya kesehatan kita menurun. Hidup kita
pun menderita.
Sebagai karyawan kita kuatir apakah pe-
kerjaan kita aman. Pada saat kita melihat
produktivitas perusahaan tempat kita
bekerja menurun dalam arti tidak ada
pesanan-pesanan baru sedangkan proyek-
proyek yang sedang berjalan hampir ram-
pung semuanya, kita mulai mereka-reka
dan menyusun daftar orang-orang di dalam
perusahaan yang kita anggap expendable,
6 Christmas 2011
yang kewajibannya dapat digandakan atau
dialihkan kepada pekerja lain. Cepat atau
lambat akan tiba saatnya untuk menempat-
kan diri kita di daftar tersebut. Kita juga
kuatir berapa lama lagikah majikan kita ma-
sih mampu menjalankan usahanya sehingga
kita tidak perlu kehilangan pekerjaan. Ma-
kin lama makin besar peluang kita untuk
kehilangan pekerjaan. Kita makin kuatir.
Kita makin stress. Penderitaan yang terus
mendera.
Sebagai orang tua kita kuatir tentang masa
depan keluarga kita terutama anak cucu
kita. Kita kuatir apakah kita akan terus
mampu untuk merawat, memberi makan,
mendidik dan mengasihi mereka hari demi
hari. Kita kuatir apakah suatu hari kelak
kita akan kehilangan tempat berteduh kita
kalau kondisi ekonomi tidak juga membaik.
Bagaimana kalau sampai hal itu terjadi? Di
mana kita akan tinggal? Siapa yang akan
menolong kita? Bagaimana dengan studi
mereka? Dari mana kita dapat membiayai
mereka sampai selesai perguruan tinggi?
Bagaimana dengan hutang Amerika Serikat
yang saat ini sebesar 14 triliun dollar. Bera-
pa besar jadinya tahun depan? Berapa be-
sar hutang negara mereka pada saat mer-
eka beranjak dewasa dan siap terjun ke
masyarakat? Bagaimana dengan kehidupan
sosial mereka di tengah-tengah masyara-
kat yang sangat liberal yang makin men-
jauh dari Allah. Makin kita pikirkan makin
kita kuatir. Makin pusing. Kita tidak ingin
hidup mereka menderita karena polah
dari generasi sebelum mereka.
Masih banyak lagi yang dapat kita sebutkan
satu per satu, namun, sebagai orang-orang
percaya yang mengenal Allah yang hidup
kita perlu tahu apa yang Allah Firmankan
tentang kekuatiran. Kalau kita boleh jujur,
acapkali kekuatiran itu disebabkan oleh
dua hal yang berlangsung bersamaan:
1. Sangat kenal akan ketidakmampuan kita
2. Tidak kenal akan kemampuan Allah
Segala pertanyaan yang kita kemukakan
di atas berasal dari ketidakmampuan
kita untuk menemukan jawaban mer-
Worry are caused by:
1) Knowing our inability to answer
the uncertainty of the future
2) Not-knowing God’s ability.
Christmas 2011 7
eka. Pada saat kita bertanya “Apakah kita
akan kehilangan tempat tinggal kita kalau
kondisi ekonomi ini tidak juga membaik?”
saat itu juga kita menyatakan ketidak-
mampuan kita untuk menjawabnya. Kita
tidak tahu apa yang akan terjadi beberapa
detik di muka kita. Mungkin kita pernah
mengalami hal yang mirip dengan ilustrasi
ini: “Aku tadi sedang jalan di depan rumah.
Tiba-tiba dari bawah mobil muncul seekor
kucing yang lari sangat cepat karena dike-
jar anjing tetangga. Karena kejadiannya
sangat mendadak kaki kanan yang sedang
melangkah terantuk kucing tersebut. Aki-
batnya aku terjatuh, kaki kiriku terkilir,
dan sikuku terluka.” Bila kita tahu apa
yang akan terjadi satu detik sebelum kuc-
ing tersebut lari memotong langkah kita,
pasti kita akan menahan langkah kita dan
menghindari kecelakaan tersebut. Faktan-
ya, kita tidak tahu dan akibatnya kita jatuh
dan luka. Dengan pemikiran yang sama,
kita juga tidak tahu apakah ekonomi akan
membaik atau memburuk beberapa bu-
lan di depan. Lebih jauh lagi kita juga tidak
tahu apakah kita akan kehilangan tempat
tinggal kita terlepas dari apakah kondisi
ekonomi membaik atau tidak di masa yang
akan datang. Jadi kekuatiran kita akan hal-
hal yang di depan tersebut hanya menjadi
beban dalam kehidupan kita. Beban yang
“mencuri” sukacita kita. Beban yang meng-
hambat kehidupan kita. Beban yang mem-
buat hidup ini menderita.
Bila demikian halnya, apa yang dapat kita
lakukan agar kita tidak perlu kuatir akan
hal-hal yang tidak kita ketahui akan atau-
pun tidak akan terjadi di masa depan kita?
Di sinilah “Pray and Let God Worry” me-
miliki makna yang sangat penting bagi kita.
Matius 6:25-34 mencatat perkataan Tuhan
Yesus yang khusus membahas tentang
kekuatiran. Inti dari bagian alkitab ini ialah
"…Janganlah kuatir akan hidupmu, akan apa
yang hendak kamu makan atau minum, dan
janganlah kuatir pula akan tubuhmu, akan
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not
worry about your life, what you
will eat or drink; or about your
body, what you will wear ... 27
Can any one of you by worrying
add a single hour to your life? ... 34 Therefore do not worry about
tomorrow ..." (Matthew 6:25-34)
8 Christmas 2011
apa yang hendak kamu pakai…. Siapakah
di antara kamu yang karena kekuatirannya
dapat menambahkan sehasta saja pada ja-
lan hidupnya?.... Sebab itu janganlah kamu
kuatir akan hari besok,…”
Martin Luther melandaskan ucapannya
“Pray and Let God Worry” atas janji Al-
lah melalui fi rman tersebut di atas. Seperti
Luther kita sepatutnya mempercayai janji
Allah tersebut dengan sikap yang sama.
Tahu akan ketidakmampuan kita men-
gadapi penderitaan hidup ini. Kemudian,
membawanya di dalam doa kita kepada
Allah, dan akhirnya percaya bahwa Allah
akan memberikan jalan keluar pada wak-
tunya. “Let God Worry” bermakna “Allah
yang menyelesaikan persoalan kita” atau
“Allah yang akan memberi jalan keluar.”
Kita perlu perhatikan bahwa ada dua
hal yang tersirat di dalam ucapan Luther
tersebut. Berdoa, dan berserah kepada
Allah (jangan kuatir lagi).
Berdoa (Pray). Seringkali pada saat hidup
kita mencapai titik kekuatiran atau pend-
eritaan tertentu kita mulai mencari per-
tolongan. Sebagai orang-orang percaya,
kita tahu bahwa pertolongan kita datang-
nya dari Allah yang menciptakan langit
dan bumi. Banyak orang yang menyatakan
bahwa penderitaan membawa mereka
lebih dekat kepada Allah. Mereka lebih
sering datang ke gereja. Kalau dulunya
pergi ke gereja itu hanya kalau ada kes-
empatan, maka sekarang di dalam kesem-
pitan mereka menemukan banyak waktu
untuk datang ke gereja. Mereka juga lebih
banyak meluangkan waktu untuk memba-
ca Alkitab. Tetapi kunci utama yang harus
dilakukan adalah membawa kekuatiran
kita di dalam doa kepada Allah. Dengan
berdoa kita mengikut sertakan Allah di
dalam pergumulan kita. Dengan berdoa
kita merendahkan diri kita di hadapan Al-
lah, mengakui ketidakmampuan kita dan
memohon pertolongan tangan Allah yang
maha kuasa. Seperti seorang Bapak yang
tengah memperhatikan anak-Nya yang
berusaha menyusun beberapa kubus kayu
untuk membentuk sebuah bangun. Allah
akan memperhatikan kita anak-anakNya
When we pray, we humble ourselves
before God, admitting our incompe-
tency - Pray.
Christmas 2011 9
By Reverend Wilson Suwanto
10 Christmas 2011
Our souls cannot be idle. If we feel disinterested
about certain things, then we will feel excited
about other things. When people are not
interested in Christ, they are actually excited about
other things, like worldly pursuit and others. In
short, it is impossible to be excited about Christ
and sin at the same time. Such possibility simply
does not exist.
Somebody might say, “But I know somebody who
is active in the church ministry, and at the same
time, is active in cheating others in his business. In
fact, he gives much money to the church.” Well, he
seems active and excited about the things of God,
but in actuality, he is not interested at all. In other
words, outwardly speaking, he looks active, but
inwardly, he is indifferent about Christ. Honestly
speaking, he does not care about God. When it
looks like that he cares about the church, he sees
some selfi sh gains in doing so.
Christmas 2011 11
The above example is the prime example of lukewarmness.
He is neither hot nor cold. He leads a double life, and he
believes that he can be passionate about God and the world
at the same time. A lukewarm person is someone who does
not care about God, or who is indifferent about the things of
God. He is called a “lukewarm” Christian because he looks and
acts like a Christian. He goes to the church regularly, he sings
Christian hymns, he is baptized in the church, and so forth.
Jesus Christ rebukes the church in Laodicea not because they
do not go to the church anymore. In fact, the Laodiceans are
proud of their church that they feel that they lack nothing
(Revelation 3:17). Apparently, the church is going through the
motion. It is business as usual, Sunday after Sunday. They retain
the form of the Christianity, but they lose the essence. In a
way, they have lost their fi rst love (compare Revelation 2:4).
WHAT CAUSES LUKEWARMNESS?
Lukewarmness is caused by divided loyalty.
The lukewarm Christian believes that he can serve
both God and the world. He knows that he needs God, but
he fi nds the world attractive. He believes that his devotion
to God is unaffected by his worldly pursuit. This is where he
1
12 Christmas 2011
gets it wrong. His desire for the things of
this world will dampen his fi re for the Lord.
His love of the world will reduce the space
of his love for God.
God desires a wholehearted
devotion as it is clear from Jesus’ word: “You
shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
mind” (Matthew 22:37).
The antithesis between the love for
God and the love for the world is clearly
written by the Apostle John, “Do not love the
world or the things in the world. If anyone
loves the world, the love of the Father is not
in him” (1 John 2:15). They are like water and
fi re. They neutralize instead of complementing
each other.
God also makes it clear that He is a
jealous God in the sense that He demands our
full devotion, and He deserves it anyway. He
loves us to the fullest extent with everything
He has, including giving up His only Son for our
salvation.
Lukewarmness is caused by
idolatry
Related to cause #1 above, idols entice our
heart and drag it farther from God. The
fi rst idols do is distracting us from God and
His love, and this causes divided loyalty as
2
Christmas 2011 13
described in #1, but they do not stop
there. They continue to distract us with
more worldly things and promises that
we are drifting away from God. We can
say that lukewarmness is a slow and
gradual process instead of an overnight
phenomenon. The attractiveness of those
idols like greed, lust, covetousness, and so
forth makes us remember God less, and
they continue to overwhelm us until we
forget God and His love for us. At this
point, the process of becoming lukewarm
achieves its objective, namely that person
ignores God altogether.
Thankfully, God does not allow His
children to continue in that lukewarm state.
God allows emptiness, meaninglessness,
and despair to trouble the conscience of
a lukewarm Christian. That is how God
rebukes and revives the person, just like
Jesus came to the church in Laodicea with
His strong rebuke about their condition.
Lukewarmness is caused by
complacency
Success is often more dangerous than
failure. Many people remember God when
they fail, but very few Christians remember
God when they succeed in something. When
we fail, we realize how imperfect and fallible
we are. That humble recognition helps us
acknowledge God and His grace. When
we succeed, we are often tempted to fi nd
3
14 Christmas 2011
the formula of our success and to fi nd it within us. We hope to
reproduce the success and teach others how to reproduce it. We
lose sight of the most important factor in our “success,” that is
God’s grace.
What is even more dangerous about success is that what
we often call “success” is actually failure in God’s eyes. Think
about the church in Laodicea. They think that they are successful
because of their wealth, stable ministry, and their city’s fame. While
these things are not bad in themselves, making them indicators
of success is very bad, and in fact, sinful. The church in Laodicea
feels that they do not need anything else. They are satisfi ed with
their condition, and they feel successful. We call this mentality
“complacency.”
Complacency is a form of spiritual pride because the
person believes that he has reached the climax of something.
He believes that he does not to learn anything else, or there is
nothing better for him out there.
The Bible tells us that we live in a fallen world. Nothing
in this world is perfect, and that includes our spiritual growth. We
should never stop growing. We should never think that we have
reached a certain level of spiritual maturity that we do not need
to pursue further knowledge of God. Complacency is an attitude
Complacency
Christmas 2011 15
of self-suffi ciency, and it shuts itself from further growth, repentance,
and God himself. Instead of a spiritual maturity, complacency is a
spiritual decline. It fails to look to the future where Christ will come
back, and we will be made perfect just like Christ. It fails to look
forward to the better city, not built by human hands but by God himself.
WHAT ARE THE DANGERS
OF LUKEWARMNESS?
It blinds us to our spiritual condition before God
Jesus calls the church of Laodicea “blind” (v. 17).
Lukewarmness blinds us to the true condition of our spiritual life.
We think that we are okay, and we do not need anything. We do
not need to grow in our walk with God. We believe that we have
reached the peak of our spiritual journey, and nothing else needs
to be done. This is very dangerous. It deludes us into thinking that
we are okay with God, and that whatever we do will be approved
by God. It replaces the true God with the idols of our creation.
The church in Laodicea thinks that they are fi ne before the Lord,
False Hope1
16 Christmas 2011
but Jesus rebukes them as being poor, naked,
and blind. Jesus’ evaluation of the church
is 180 degrees different from the church’s
self-evaluation. Lukewarmness truly blinds
us to God’s point of view.
It gives us false hope
Since the church in Laodicea
feels that it is self-suffi cient, it resists any
reformation, change, or further growth.
Their only hope is to maintain their present
spiritual condition. They are satisfi ed with
that. The problem is that spiritual condition
is not a static thing. It either moves forward
or backward. It cannot stay still. Stagnancy
is decline. When the church does not grow,
it does not stay where it is; it is moving
backward. To think that we can remain
where we are and not decline is to believe
in false hope. Jesus tells the Laodiceans
that they are naked, poor, and blind. False
evaluation leads to false hope.
It deprives us of the true hope
The worst thing that lukewarmness can do
is to deprive us of the real hope that Christ
offers. The lukewarm church believes that
it has arrived at the heavenly city. What a
sad outlook! God promises us a better
city made by His hand, but we prefer this
mediocre city made by our own hands.
God says that the best is yet to come, but
we prefer the “good enough” reality. The
problem is that the things of this world will
pass away, and those who put their hope
in the present world will lose hope. If they
do not look forward to the new Jerusalem,
what is left after the passing of this world?
Nothing. They deprive themselves of the
true and real hope that God offers. They
believe that they have their best life now
already.
All believers look forward to the
future where Christ’s great kingdom will
come to earth, the perfect creation, and
the eternal bliss. Our idea of “best” is
nothing compared to God’s idea of best.
What He will provide for us far exceeds
our expectation, imagination, and in fact,
experience. What we never see, hear
2
3 Christmas 2011 17
or touch, those things will be provided
by God in the new heaven and earth.
Lukewarmness is very dangerous because
it robs Christians of the hope that belongs
to them in Christ.
Having identifi ed the causes and
dangers of lukewarmness, let us proceed
with the remedies.
What are the remedies to
spiritual lukewarmness?
Humble recognition and
confession
First, we need to recognize and confess
our spiritual pride and complacency, and
ask God to forgive us. Lukewarmness
numbs our conscience, but recognition
of our own sins and pride remove that
numbness, and reawaken our conscience
to the fact that we are unworthy sinners
who stand in the presence of the holy God.
We cannot and will not be indifferent and
lukewarm to the things of God because we
realize that we are in spiritual crisis and
trouble. This recognition will drive us to
Christ for forgiveness.
The cross of Christ
The shame and grief that comes
from our lukewarm attitude should drive
us back to the cross. How can we be
indifferent and ungrateful for what Christ
did for us on the cross? How can we be
untouched and cold to Jesus’ suffering and
death for our sake? Romans 5:8 reminds
that while we were still sinners, Christ
has died for us. In other words, while
our conscience was dead and unable
to respond to God, Christ has suffered
and died for us. While we did not know
Him at all, He has done everything to
earn our salvation. Beside contrition and
repentance, our hearts are fi lled with
thanksgiving and joy for the cross. This
will rekindle the fi re that has disappeared
in the cloud of lukewarmness.
First love for God
1
2
318 Christmas 2011
When we look back to the fi rst moment when we believed, we can recognize how far we
have moved from our fi rst love for God. When we fi rst encountered Jesus through the
Gospel, our hearts were on fi re for the Lord. Lukewarmness has dampened that fi re. Hidden
idols have extinguished that fi re. God’s word speaks to us and revives our conscience, and
we remember the cross. This is how we regain the fi re for the Lord that we once had in
the past. We will not be complacent, and we will never forget again how God loves us. In
fact, whenever we lose the fi rst love again, we know right away that hidden idols are on the
attack, and divided loyalty is preparing its way, and complacency starts to kick in. Flee to
Christ, and remember that we have been united with Christ. He loved us, and He saved us
with His blood. He continues to pray for us as our High Priest in heaven. This should keep
us humble, awake, grateful, and always on fi re for Him. [MH]
Tidaklah mungkin seorang manusia mempunyai
hati yang tunduk kepada Tuhan dan dosa pada
saat yang bersamaan. Memang kita mungkin
pernah melihat seorang yang aktif di dalam
gereja dan aktif juga berbuat curang di dalam
business dia. Walaupun uang itu akan diberikan
untuk gereja, dia hanya terlihat aktif bekerja
untuk Tuhan padahal dia sama sekali tidak
tertarik akan Tuhan. Kebayakan orang yang
demikian aktif di dalam gereja karena melihat
adanya keuntungan bagi dirinya sendiri.
Orang-orang seperti ini dikatakan di dalam
Alkitab sebagai orang-orang yang suam-suam
kuku (tidak panas atau dingin). Mereka telah
berhasil membohongi dirinya sendiri untuk
berpikir bahwa mereka bisa dekat kepada
Tuhan dan dunia pada saat yang bersamaan.
Tuhan Yesus menghardik jemaat di Laodikia
dan menyebut mereka jemaat suam-suam
Indonesian Translation
Bahayanya Suam-Suam Kuku
Christmas 2011 19
kuku karena mereka telah kehilangan kasih
yang mula-mula. Mereka menyamakan gereja
seperti tempat kerja, yaitu untuk mencari
keuntungan.
Apa penyebab suam-suam kuku?
Kesetiaan yang tidak penuh
atau terbagi
Mereka percaya kalau mereka bisa melayani
Tuhan dan dunia pada saat yang bersamaan.
Mereka ini merupakan orang-orang naïf
karena mereka tidak menyadari bahwa kita
mulai memperkecil tempat di dalam hati
untuk Tuhan dan mengisinya dengan hal-hal
dunia, ketika hati mulai diberikan kepada dunia.
“Jawab Yesus kepadanya, ‘Kasihilah Tuhan,
Allahmu, dengan segenap hatimu dan segenap
jiwamu dan dengan segenap akal budimu’”
(Matius 22:37).
Berhala
Berhubungan dengan hal diatas,
berhala akan mengisihi hati kita dan
menjauhkan kita dari Tuhan perlahan-lahan.
Suam-suam kuku adalah suatu proses yang
memerlukan waktu, bukan sekejap mata.
Ketertarikan berhala seperti tamak dan napsu
daging akan membuat manusia melupakan
Tuhan dan melupakan kasih Tuhan untuk kita
orang yang berdosa.
Kecukupan
Seringkali sukses lebih berbahaya
daripada kegagalan. Manusia lebih gampang
mengingat Tuhan ketika mereka gagal daripada
sewaktu mereka berhasil meraih sesuatu.
Kita gampang sekali melupakan bahwa
keberhasilan kita pun merupakan anugrah
dari Tuhan. Jadi apa yang kita sebut “sukses”
belum berarti sukses di mata Tuhan seperti
jemaat di Laodikia. Jemaat di Laodikia merasa
kalau mereka tidak memerlukan apa-apa
lagi, termaksud Tuhan, karena mereka telah
berhasil memiliki semua kekayaan dunia.
Apa bahaya suam-suam kuku?
Membutakan kondisi spiritual
Tuhan Yesus menyebut gereja
Laodikita “buta” (Wahyu 2:17). Suam-suam
kuku akan membuat kita buta melihat keadaan
1
12
3
20 Christmas 2011
rohani kita sesungguhnya. Kita berpikir bahwa
kita baik dan kita tidak memerlukan apa-apa
lagi. Bahkan kita bisa berpikir apa pun yang kita
lakukan adalah baik di mata Tuhan dan ini akan
membuat kita menganti Tuhan dengan berhala
yang kita ciptakan.
Salah pengharapan
Karena gereja Laodikia menganggap
kalau mereka berkecukupan dan baik, maka
mereka menolak perubahan dan pertumbuhan.
Sama halnya dengan kita ketika kita telah
menjadi suam-suam kuku, maka kita akan
menolak sindiran dan pertumbuhan rohani.
Ketika kita berhenti maka kehidupan rohani
kita akan mulai mundur karena pertumbuhan
rohani bukan hal yang statis. Ia hanya tahu
maju atau mundur saja.
Kehilangan harapan
Hal yang terburuk yang dapat
dihasilnya dari suam-suam kuku adalah
kehilangan harapan kepada janji Tuhan.
Orang-orang yang suam-suam kuku percaya
bahwa mereka telah sampai kepada kota
sorgawi karena mereka telah berasa “cukup”
sekarang. Mereka melupakan bahwa dunia
yang sekarang ini hanyalah sebentar dan tidak
untuk selamanya. Mereka melupakan akan janji
Tuhan tentang Yerusalem yang baru.
Bagaimana kita berpaling dari
suam-suam kuku?
Sadar dan pengakuan
Kita harus bisa menyadari dan
mengakui akan kesombongan rohani dan
perasaan cukup kita dan meminta Tuhan untuk
mengampuni kita. Suam-suam kuku akan
membuat hati kita menjadi kebal dan tidak
mendengar, tetapi kesadaran akan dosa kita
akan memekakan hati nurani kita.
Salib Tuhan
Malu dan sedih yang kita dapatkan
dari suam-suam kuku akan membawa kita
kembali kepada salib Kristus. Bagaimana
kita bisa melupakan anugrah yang diberikan
Tuhan kepada kita orang yang berdosa? Ketika
kita menyadari akan hal ini maka hati kita
seharusnya menjadi rendah hati dan penuh
rasa terimah kasih. Hal ini akan menyalakan
12
2
3
Christmas 2011 21
api di dalam diri kita kepada Tuhan dan
menghilangkan kondisi yang suam-suam kuku.
Kasih yang semula
Ketika kita mengingat kejadian
sewaktu kita pertama kali percaya, kita akan
menyadari seberapa jauh kita telah hilang dari
kasih yang semula. Suam-suam kuku telah
memudarkan api yang membakar di dalam
diri kita, dan berhala telah mematikan api
itu. Tetapi Tuhan berbicara kepada kita dan
membangkitkan hati nurani kita sehingga kita
mengingat akan salib Tuhan. Ini merupakan
cara kita untuk menyalakan api kita kembali
dan membuat kita tidak melupakan kasih
Tuhan kepada kita. [HW]
3di dalam setiap pergumulan kita dengan
mata kasih-Nya. Ia ingin kita menyatakan
bahwa kita tidak sanggup lagi dan minta
pertolongannya. Masalahnya, sering kali
kita sebagain anak-anakNya terus beru-
paya meskipun tidak pernah menemukan
jalan keluarnya. Lebih buruk lagi situasinya
bila kita mengambil jalan pintas agar bisa
meninggalkan (lepas dari) pergumulan
tersebut tanpa pernah meminta perto-
longan Allah Bapa kita terlebih dahulu.
Sebagai contoh adalah berita-berita yang
kita pernah dengar di televisi atau radio
dimana seorang ayah tega menghabisi hid-
up istri dan anak-anaknya dan kemudian
hidupnya sendiri karena beban penderi-
taan akibat resesi ekonomi yang dianggap
tidak ada jalan penyelesaian lain. Di dalam
Tuhan selalu ada pengharapan. Berdoalah.
Akuilah ketidakmampuan kita dan mohon
pertolongan Bapa kita yang di surga.
Berserah agar Allah yang menyelesaikan
persoalan kita (Let God Worry). Langkah
berikut yang perlu diambil setelah ber-
doa ialah menyerahkan pergumulan kita
Pray and Let God Worry
22 Christmas 2011
sepenuhnya ke tangan Tuhan. Hal ini berarti
kita betul-betul menyerahkan kekuatiran
kita kepada Allah karena kita percaya Al-
lah akan membuka jalan keluar untuk kita.
Tidak lagi kita mempunya kuatir yang ber-
lebihan (stress berat) karena kita Let God
worry.
Sebagai ilustrasi kita sering mendengar
cerita tentang seorang petani yang kele-
lahan berjalan berkilo-kilometer sambil
memikul hasil bumi yang akan dibawanya
ke pasar untuk dijual. Pada saat kelelahan-
nya hampir mencapai puncaknya seorang
pengemudi truk yang iba hati melihat sang
petani yang kelelahan tersebut berhenti
dan menawarkan si petani untuk naik me-
numpang ke atas truknya sampai tiba di
tempat tujuan si petani. Tentu saja tawaran
tersebut diterima dengan sangat senang
hati oleh si petani. Maka nailah ia ke bak
belakang truk tersebut. Setengah perjalan-
an si pengemudi mendengar seruan dari si
petani yang memintanya untuk berhenti se-
bentar agar ia bisa beristirahat. Maka her-
anlah si pengemudi akan hal tersebut lalu ia
The next step is to surrender to God for He will take care of our problems - Let God worry.
melihat ke belakang melalui kaca spionnya.
Yang dilihatnya membuatnya menggeleng-
gelengkan kepala karena bingung. Si petani
berdiri di bak truknya sambil terus memikul
beban hasil bumi yang akan dibawanya ke
pasar.
Kita mudah untuk menertawakan perbua-
tan si petani di dalam cerita di atas, tetapi,
bila kita tengok kebelakang mungkin kita
perlu mengakui bahwa kita sering melaku-
kan hal yang sama. Bukannya kita menyerh-
kan beban pergumulan kita sepenuhnya ke
tangan Tuhan, kita tetap kuatir akan hal yang
telah kita bawa di dalam doa kita kepada Tu-
han. Kita mohon campur tangan Tuhan tapi
kita tetap ingin penyelesaiannya menurut
skenario kita. Berserahlah sepenuhnya ke-
pada Allah. Percayakan sepenuhnya kepada
Allah untuk memilih jalan penyelesaian yang
terbaik untuk kita. Let God worry.
Sebagai penutup ingatlah akan dua hal ini
pada saat kita merasa kuatir, penderitaan
kita tidak tertahankan lagi, tidak ada hara-
pan lagi untuk hari depan kita: 1. Berdoalah.
2. Biarkan Allah bekerja untuk menyele-
saikan kekuatiranmu. [MH]
Christmas 2011 23
HOPEIN THE
MIDSTOF
CRISIS
PENGHARAPAN DI TENGAH KRISIS
By: Pdt. Dr. Stephen Tong
(Ibrani 11:13-16)
24 Christmas 2011
Mengapa demikian? Karena "tanpa iman,
tak seorang pun bisa diperkenan oleh Allah"
artinya: dengan iman kita datang ke hadapan
Tuhan. Iman adalah mengakhiri peperangan,
pergumulan pribadi lalu bersandar pada kes-
elamatan yang Allah sediakan di dalam Kris-
tus. Iman berarti tidak lagi mencoba mem-
perkenan hati Tuhan dengan jasa kita, iman
berarti kita tidak datang ke hadapan Tuhan
dengan kelakuan kita, iman berarti kita ber-
sandar pada keselamatan yang telah dige-
napkan oleh Tuhan Yesus. Maka iman adalah
dasar yang paling penting dalam kekristenan.
Iman jugalah yang membedakan kekriste-
nan dari agama-agama lain. "Tanpa iman tak
seorang pun bisa diperkenan Tuhan" melalui
iman kita menang atas dunia ini.
Pengharapan berasal dari iman kita
kepada kesetiaan Tuhan. Dengan kata lain,
kesetiaan Tuhan adalah dasar dari penghara-
pan kita, dan janji Allah yang didasarkan atas
kesetiaan-Nya adalah jaminan bagi penghara-
pan kita. Karena iman kita menang atas du-
nia ini, karena pengharapan kita dimampukan
untuk mengarahkan pandangan kita pada du-
nia yang lain. Maka setelah kita beriman, kita
segera masuk pada tahap pengharapan. Yang
kita harapkan bukanlah dunia yang nampak
ini, karena dunia yang nampak sementara ad-
anya, sedangkan dunia yang kekal adalah dunia
yang tidak nampak. Apakah yang membawa
Bagian ke-I
IMAN DAN PENGHARAPAN
Christmas 2011 25
SEORANG YANG TIDAK DIBELENGGU
HIDUP MASA ORANG
MENGUTAMAKAN ADALAH PENGANUT
kita menemukan dunia yang tidak nampak?
Pengharapanlah. Jadi, iman menghasilkan
pengharapan dan pengharapan membawa kita
mengarah pada kekekalan. Dengan demikian,
iman memampukan kita menang atas du-
nia ini dan pengharapan memampukan kita
melintasi dunia ini melihat akan dunia yang
ada di sana, itulah yang membuat kita tidak
terlalu mengutamakan dunia yang nampak
ini. Iman dan pengharapan memampukan kita
melalui hidup rohani yang melampaui hidup
di dunia ini. Baru setelah itu timbul hal yang
ketiga: kasih. Setelah kita mempunyai iman,
kita mampu menang atas dunia ini. Setelah
kita memperoleh pengharapan, kita mampu
melihat dunia yang ada di atas dunia ini den-
gan jelas. Setelah kita memiliki kasih, kita
mampu menoleh ke belakang untuk memu-
lihkan dunia ini. Puji Tuhan, tidak ada satu
agama pun yang sanggup mengungkapkan
unsur rohani yang lebih jelas daripada apa
yang diungkapkan oleh Alkitab. Belum per-
nah ada satu fi lsafat yang mengajarkan kepa-
da kita tentang intisari hidup rohani yang be-
gitu limpah. Siapakah orang Kristen? Orang
Kristen adalah orang yang beriman kepada
Allah. Siapakah orang Kristen?
Orang Kristen adalah orang yang
memandang kehendak Allah dari tempat
yang jauh. Siapakah orang Kristen? Orang
Kristen adalah orang yang menikmati kasih
Allah dan membagi-bagikannya kepada orang
lain. Iman
a d a l a h
s u a t u
p e n -
e r o b o -
san dan
p e l a m -
p a u a n
d a n
p e n g -
harapan memampukan kita melampaui sik-
saan waktu, melampaui proses penderitaan.
Orang yang hidupnya lancar merasa waktu
berlalu dengan begitu cepat, tapi orang yang
sedang menderita merasa waktu adalah
penyiksa yang kejam. Tatkala kita mampu
melampaui siksaan waktu, barulah kita me-
nikmati substansi kekekalan.
Allah menganugerahkan penghara-
pan kepada kita, maka orang Kristen yang
26 Christmas 2011
BERPENGHARAPAN OLEH KENYATAAN SEKARANG. YANG HANYA REALITA MASA KINI MATERILISME.
adalah orang yang berpengharapan. Paulus
berkata, kita bukanlah orang-orang yang ti-
dak mempunyai pengharapan. Itu sebabnya,
tatkala orang kafi r kehilangan anggota ke-
luarga atau orang yang paling mereka kasih
akan menangis begitu rupa, karena mereka
tidak mempunyai pengharapan. Tapi kata
Paulus, kamu bukanlah orang-orang yang
seperti itu, mengapa kamu bersedih seperti
layaknya orang-orang yang tidak berpeng-
harapan? Tidakkah kamu tahu, bahwa kita
adalah orang-orang yang berpengharapan?
Allah mengambil orang-orang yang kita ka-
sihi adalah lebih dahulu membawa mereka
ke tempat yang kekal, yang bahagia, saat itu,
mereka berhenti dari segala pergumulan
hidup untuk menikmati sukacita di dalam
ribaan Allah yang kekal. Sebab itu, bagi orang
Kristen, baik hidup atau mati, baik hidup yang
sekarang atau pun hidup yang akan datang,
baik yang nampak ataupun yang tidak nam-
pak, kita sudah menang. Karena tak seorang
pun sanggup memisahkan kita dari kasih Al-
lah, kasih yang berada di dalam keselamatan
Yesus Kristus. Dengan demikian, orang Kris-
ten adalah orang yang berpengharapan.
hidupnya dekat den-
gan Allah waktu menai-
kkan puji-puji lupa akan ber-
lalunya waktu, karena dia sedang menikmati
kekekalan. Yang dimaksud tentu bukan sema-
cam pelarian, karena faktanya orang Kristen
yang sudah beriman masih tetap hidup di
dalam du-
nia yang
real, tapi
dia pun
m a m p u
m e l a l u i
h i d u p
r o h a n i
s e c a r a
nyata. Se-
bab itu, orang Kristen bukan lari dari realita
melainkan melampaui realita dan kemudian
mengubah realita. Seorang yang berpeng-
harapan tidak dibelenggu oleh kenyataan
hidup masa sekarang, karena dia mampu
melihat dua realita: adanya masa kini dan ad-
anya otoritas kekekalan. Orang yang hanya
mengutamakan realita masa kini adalah pen-
ganut materilisme, tapi orang yang mampu
memandang akan adanya otoritas kekekalan
Christmas 2011 27
Istilah iman di dalam Bahasa Yunaninya
disebut pistos, di dalam bahasa Latinnya
disebut fi de. Apa artinya? Yang setia, yang
sejati, yang bisa diandalkan. Kalau seorang
berkata "Aku beriman" "apa yang kui-
mani?", "Allah yang setia, yang sejati, yang
bisa diandalkan". Karena Allah itu sejati,
Allah itu setia, Allah itu bisa diandalkan,
sebab itu aku percaya kepada-Nya. Kalau
Allah berdusta, kalau Allah mengatakan
sesuatu yang hampa, tidak berarti, bu-
kankah imanku kepada-Nya sia-sia adan-
ya? Tapi sebaliknya, karena fi rman Allah
adalah sejati, maka bila aku tidak mena-
ruh imanku pada fi rman-Nya, bukankah
itu berarti aku bodoh adanya? Sebab itu,
Allah yang sejati dan fi rman yang sejati
adalah dasar di mana kita membangun
iman yang sejati. Itu membuktikan istilah
iman dan fi rman yang terdapat di dalam Al-
kitab mempunyai kaitan satu dengan yang
lain. Puji Tuhan!
Mengapa iman bisa menghasil-
kan pengharapan? Kalau iman kita sudah
dibangun di atas kesetiaan dan kesejatian
Allah, yang berjanji pasti akan menggenapi
semua yang tertulis di dalam fi rman-Nya,
itu artinya kita berpengharapan. Allah bu-
kan hanya Allah yang setia dan sejati, Dia
juga merupakan Allah yang berfi rman ke-
pada manusia. Alkitab lebih dari 6.000 kali
menuliskan: Allah berfi rman, Allah berfi r-
man, Tuhan berfi rman, artinya Allah kita
adalah Allah yang berfi rman dan tak satu
kalimat pun yang Allah ucapkan tidak
disertai dengan kuasa. Allah kita adalah
Allah yang memberikan janji-Nya kepada
kita. "Tuhan, siapakah nama-Mu?" jawab-
Nya, nama-Ku Yahwe. Apa arti Yahwe? Al-
lah yang ada sejak dulu dan yang akan
ada sampai selama-lamanya itu mem-
berikan janji-Nya kepada manusia. Apa
yang dimaksudkan dengan janji? Dia telah
menetapkan rencana-Nya bagi kita, lalu
memberitahunya kepada kita dan menja-
min pasti akan menggenapinya.
Bagian ke-II
ASAL MULA PENGHARAPAN
28 Christmas 2011
Allah memberikan janji-Nya kepada kita:
Aku akan berbuat ini, berbuat itu. Istilah
yang dipakai untuk janji:
A. Testament, sesuatu yang ber-
hubungan dengan testimony.
B. Covenant, dengan nyawanya
memberi jaminan bahwa apa yang di-
katakan itu benar adanya.
C. Promise, gabungan dari dua isti-
lah Latin: pre (yang kemudian berubah
menjadi pro) dan mission (yang kemudi-
an berubah menjadi mise), gabungan dari
pre dan mission itu kemudian berubah
menjadi Promise. Mempunyai arti yang
sangat dalam: sebelum Allah meletakkan
misinya ke atas bahumu, Dia terlebih da-
hulu memberitahukan sesuatu kepadamu;
before the mission is given to you, God had
told you something previously. Sebab itu, se-
belum seorang menerima misi dia sudah ter-
lebih dahulu menerima janji Allah.
Ada sebagian orang Kristen yang
seumur hidupnya tidak pernah melakukan
apa-apa bagi Tuhan, ada sebagian orang Kris-
ten sudah memberi sedikit bagi pekerjaan
Tuhan, ada juga orang-orang penting di dalam
sejarah gereja, sebelum terjadi sesuatu sudah
terlebih dahulu menemukan janji Allah dan
mereka melakukan pekerjaan Tuhan dengan
penuh keberanian. Mengapa? Karena mere-
ka yakin, Allah yang mereka percaya adalah
Allah yang memberikan pengharapan ke-
pada manusia, Allah yang berfi rman dan
memberikan janji-Nya kepada manusia.
Maka sebelum Allah menyerahkan tugas
kepada mereka, Dia sudah terlebih dahu-
lu memberikan janji-Nya kepada mereka.
Jadi seorang yang mempunyai visi adalah
seorang yang mengemban pre mission,
seorang yang akan, melaksanakan misi itu
dengan berani. Dengan cara seperti itu-
lah pekerjaan Tuhan digenapkan.
Allah menjadikan segala sesuatu
dari tidak ada menjadi ada, Allah mem-
bangkitkan orang dari kematian, peruba-
han itu bukanlah perubahan yang dibahas
oleh teori Evolusi -- terus berkembang
-- melainkan perubahan yang terjadi secara
mendadak, yang dilakukan oleh Allah sendiri.
Hanya perubahan mendadak yang dicatat di
dalam fi rman Allah adalah kemajuan yang
sejati: sesuatu yang tadinya tidak ada men-
jadi ada, orang mati dibangkitkan adalah
pekerjaan Tuhan yang mendadak, yang ber beda dengan pekerjaan-pekerjaan lain.
Christmas 2011 29
Puji Tuhan! Karena Dia adalah Allah yang
memberikan janji, itu sebabnya, berpegang
pada janji Allah membuat pengharapan kita
terjamin.
Ini merupakan satu hal yang sulit dipahami,
tetapi begitulah ajaran yang Alkitab beri-
kan kepada kita: penderitaan mendatangkan
ketekunan, ketekunan mendatangkan tahan
uji, dan tahan uji mendatangkan penghara-
pan. Di sini kita temukan empat langkah:
penderitaan, ketekunan, tahan uji, peng-
harapan. (Baca Roma 5:2-3).
Mengapa penderitaan bisa meng-
hasilkan ketekunan? Karena manusia
yang, tidak pernah menderita ingin serba
terburu-buru. Ada hal-hal tertentu meski
kita tidak sabar lagi menantikannya tetap
harus menanti. Contohnya: mungkinkah
kalau kau berkata kepada isterimu, sudah
sejak lama saya ingin punya anak, sekarang
saya sudah menikah, bulan depan kau ha-
rus melahirkan seorang anak. Tentu tidak
mungkin, bukan? Kau harus menunggu dia
hamil. Kalau isterimu baru hamil satu bu-
lan mungkinkah bulan depan dia melahir-
kan anak? Tidak mungkin. Kau harus sabar
menunggu sampai sembilan bulan. Bagaima-
na tergesa-gesa pun tidak ada gunanya, ha-
rus menanti dengan tekun. Apakah nilai dari
penderitaan? Allah menginginkan kita belajar
bersabar. Adakah semua kesabaran bernilai?
Saya membagi ketekunan ke dalam dua kat-
egori:
1. Untuk hal yang membutuhkan
ketekunan, janganlah kau lakukan dengan
tergesa-gesa.
2. Untuk hal yang tidak penting, kau ti-
dak perlu bertekun.
Contohnya: ketika saya akan berkhotbah
di Hong Kong, kau berkata, pak Tong,
jangan naik pesawat, naik kapal laut saja,
biar bapak belajar bersabar. Maka kalau
saya harus berkhotbah 2 jam pada tgl
2 April, saya perlu menghabiskan enam
hari di kapal laut untuk menuju ke sana,
dan setelah selesai khotbah, memerlukan
enam hari lagi untuk kembali. Kesabaran
seperti itu adalah kesabaran yang tidak
ada artinya. Apalagi tiket pesawat juga ti-
dak lebih mahal dari tiket kapal, selain itu,
dua belas hari perjalanan itu sebenarnya
bisa saya pakai untuk melakukan banyak
hal. Meskipun demikian, kesabaran yang be-
30 Christmas 2011
rarti, khususnya kesabaran yang dibutuhkan
dalam prinsip pertumbuhan, tidak boleh
tidak kita miliki. Waktu kau menyaksikan
seorang Kristen yang baik sekali rohanin-
ya: kata-katanya selalu membangun orang,
lalu kau berkata, saya ingin menjadi sep-
erti dia dalam waktu dua hari. Itu tidak
mungkin. Tahukah kau bahwa Allah per-
nah memberinya pengalaman menderita
selama 20 tahun, selama itulah kerohani-
annya bertumbuh perlahan-lahan sampai
menjadi begitu berlimpah, jiwanya men-
jadi begitu mantap, pemikirannya men-
jadi begitu teliti. Sebab itu, ada kesabaran
yang tidak kita butuhkan namun ada juga
kesabaran yang tidak boleh tidak kita mi-
liki. Kita perlu membedakan: kesabaran
mana yang bernilai.
Kesabaran-kesabaran yang berni-
lai selalu mempunyai hubungan yang positif
dengan penderitaan, apa sebabnya? Karena
kesusahan membuat seseorang tahan men-
derita, memupuk kekuatan batinnya menjadi
semakin kuat. Bagaimana bentuk huruf ke-
susahan di dalam bahasa Mandarin? Seren-
tetan perkara menusuk hati kita, sebab itu,
kita perlu belajar bersabar dalam kesusahan
bukan? Bagaikan bentuk huruf kesabaran di
dalam bahasa Mandarinnya? Menusukkan
belati yang tajam di jantung. Tentu saja, apa
yang baru saya ungkapkan adalah menga-
nalisa huruf Mandarin bukan menelaah Al-
kitab, karena Alkitab yang asli bukan ditulis
dalam bahasa Mandarin. Namun di dalam
pemikiran orang Tionghoa terdapat kon-
sep ini: seorang yang sabar kekuatan-
nya besar sekali. Keberanian orang yang
memukul orang belum bisa dibilang be-
sar, karena keberanian orang yang dipu-
kul tapi masih bisa menahan diri lebih
besar dari padanya.
Dari manakah datangnya penghara-
pan? Kesusahan mendatangkan keteku-
nan, setelah bisa tekun satu kali, dua kali,
tiga kali, lambat laun bisa tahan uji. Masih
ingatkah anda saat menantikan kelahiran
anak pertamamu begitu tegang? Ketika
anak pertama mimisan serasa dunia ham-
pir kiamat, telpon ke sana ke mari, mencari
dokter, membuka kamus, menanyakan kepa-
da tetangga, apa yang bisa saya lakukan? Tapi
ketika anak keduamu mengalami hal yang
sama, kau akan berkata dengan santai, tidak
apa-apa, sebentar lagi darah akan berhenti
dengan sendiri. Ketika anak yang ketiga men-
galami hal yang sama, kau tidak menghirau-
kannya. Ketika anak yang keempat mengalami
hal yang sama, kau hanya berkata, sana, minta
Christmas 2011 31
tolong kepada kakakmu. Ketika anakmu yang
kelima mengalami hal yang sama, kau bahkan
memukul meja sambil berkata, kalau mau
mimisan di luar saja, jangan di dalam kamar,
coba lihat, karpetnya menjadi kotor. Menga-
pa begitu? Karena kau sudah terbiasa meng-
hadapi hal itu. Orang yang sudah banyak
mengalami kesusahan, meski kesusahan lain
menimpa dirinya, dia juga tidak ambil pusing.
Sebab itu, orang yang belum pernah men-
galami kesusahan, waktu kesusahan datang
dia menjadi begitu tegang. Tapi orang yang
sudah sering mengalami kesusahan, meski
menghadapi kesusahan yang besar sekali-
pun masih tampak tenang luar biasa.
Kesusahan mendatangkan keteku-
nan, ketekunan mendatangkan tahan uji,
tahan uji mendatangkan pengharapan.
Dari manakah datangnya pengharapan?
Dari iman. Dari manakah datangnya peng-
harapan? Janji Allah. Dari manakah datang-
nya pengharapan? Kesusahan. Puji Tuhan!
Setelah seorang mempunyai pengharapan,
kuasa apa yang dia miliki? Orang yang ber-
pengharapan adalah orang yang aktif, yang
kuat. Di dunia ini ada dua macam manusia:
ada yang belajar berani melalui penderi-
taan yang dialaminya, ada juga yang setelah
mengalami begitu banyak penderitaan malah
menjadi penakut. Pernahkah kau tahu ada se-
bagian orang yang semakin tua semakin ta-
kut ini, takut itu: takut kalau-kalau ada orang
jahat atau pencuri datang, sebab itu, pintunya
harus dipasangi tujuh, delapan buah kunci
baru berani tidur, sebagai akibatnya: dia tidak
berani melakukan apa-apa. Di dunia ini hanya
ada dua jenis manusia:
1. Melakukan apa pun pasti ada kesuli-
tan, jadi sebaiknya tidak melakukan apa-apa.
2. Kesulitan apa pun terjadi pasti ada
jalan keluarnya.
Mana yang lebih baik? Yang kedua.
Permisi tanya: anda termasuk yang mana?
Yang ketiga. Apa itu yang ketiga? Tidak
peduli kedua-duanya. Sesungguhnya, di
dunia ini hanya ada dua jenis konsep:
1. Harus membuahkan hasil -- ke-
sulitan apa pun menghadang, saya tetap
mengerjakannya.
2. Perlu mengamankan diri -- kalau
bertemu kesulitan, saya pasti akan ber-
henti.
Pengharapan menghasilkan kuasa yang be-
gitu besar, yang membuat kita mampu un-
tuk maju terus.
32 Christmas 2011
Dunia ini bukan rumah kita yang kekal, se-
bab itu, tidak seharusnya kita mencurahkan
semua pikiran, semangat dan kekuatan kita
hanya bagi dunia ini saja, kita perlu menga-
dakan persiapan bagi hari depan. Mentalitas
seperti ini hanya mungkin kau miliki, apa-
bila kau sungguh menyadari dirimu adalah
seorang musafi r. Kita mempunyai peng-
harapan yang kekal. Itu sebabnya kita perlu
membangun sistem konsep nilai yang kekal,
juga perlu menghasilkan buah-buah yang bisa
tinggal tetap sampai selama-lamanya. Pemiki-
ran seperti itu yang mampu menyatukan
pengharapan dan pelayanan kita.
Setelah memperoleh pengharapan hidup kita
menjadi lebih sempurna. (Baca 2 Korintus
1:8-11). Bagian fi rman Tuhan ini memberi-
tahu kita, pengharapan bukan hanya mem-
buat kita menyadari keberadaan kita di dunia
hanyalah seorang musafi r, pengharapan juga
membuat kita menyadari bahwa kita tidak
bisa bersandar pada diri sendiri melainkan
harus bersandar pada Allah yang membang-
kitkan orang dari kematian. Di bagian fi rman
Tuhan inilah Paulus mengemukakan keadaan-
nya ketika berada di Asia, katanya, kalian
semua tahu, kami menghadapi kesulitan, kami
ditindas begitu rupa, kekuatan kami tidak
mampu menanggulanginya, bahkan penghara-
pan untuk hidup pun sudah tidak ada lagi,
kami sudah tidak mempunyai pengharapan,
apa jadinya?
Di dalam keadaan seperti itulah dia
mendapatkan satu pengalaman: meskipun
hatiku sudah memastikan: aku pasti mati.
Tak jelas apa sebabnya, kita sering mengait-
kan susah dengan kematian: susah setengah
mati (bahasa Mandarin: susah sampai mati).
Waktu kita mengalami kesusahan juga con-
dong mengatakan, mati aku. Kalau sudah
mati, mana bisa komentar? Meskipun kau
berseru 'mati aku', kau masih hidup bukan?
HASIL DARI PENGHARAPAN
Bagian ke-III
Christmas 2011 33
Paulus pun mempunyai pengalaman seperti
itu: hatiku sudah memastikan, aku pasti mati.
Adakah dia mati? Tidak. Mengapa? Karena
dia masih punya pengharapan. Pengharapan
membuatnya tidak bersandar dirinya sendi-
ri, hanya bersandar kepada Allah yang mem-
bangkitkan orang dari kematian.
Puji Tuhan! Maka seorang yang ber-
pengharapan akan memutar arah hidupnya:
kalau dulu dia bersandar pada dirinya, pada
kepandaiannya sendiri, pada pengetahuan-
nya, pada pengalamannya, pada talentanya,
tapi sekarang dia menyadari, semua itu ti-
dak dapat disandari, maka dia berbalik arah
dan berkata, Tuhan, aku hanya bersandar
kepada-Mu. Karena Engkaulah Allah yang
membangkitkan orang dari kematian.
Paulus berkata, karena kami mempun-
yai pengharapan, maka kami menantikan
datangnya hari itu dengan sukacita, meskip-
up kami berada di dalam kesusahan kami
tetap bersukacita.
Mana mungkin orang yang sedang
menderita bisa bersukacita? Ada dua orang
wanita yang sama-sama menggendong
anak: yang seorang menggendong anaknya
sendiri, yang lain menggendong anak maji-
kannya. Berat badan anak yang digendong
ibunya 6 kg; berat badan anak yang digen-
dong pembantu hanya 5 kg. Mana yang lebih
berat: anak yang mempunyai berat badan 6
kg atau anak yang mempunyai berat badan
5 kg? Tentu yang berat badannya 6 kg bu-
kan? Namun mana yang merasa lebih berat?
Yang menggendong anak 5 kg. Bagaimana
mungkin? Karena yang dia gendong adalah
anak majikannya bukan anaknya sendiri,
maka kalau dia nakal bisa saja dicubitnya,
kalau ibunya tidak melihat, bisa saja dipu-
kulnya. Tetapi si ibu yang menjaga anaknya
sendiri, meski dilihat orang atau tidak dili-
hat orang, dia akan terus menerus menge-
lus-elus kepala anaknya sambil berkata, kau
anak manis, cepat besar ya! Mengapa bisa
begitu berbeda? Karena si ibu mempunyai
pengharapan: meski lelah menggendongnya
dia adalah anakku. Sedangkan si pembantu
tidak mempunyai pengharapan seperti itu,
dia justru berpikir untuk apa saya berharap
dia bertumbuh besar.
Saya menggendongnya setengah
mati, setiap bulan hanya diberi Rp. 200.000.
Maka kalau ibunya tidak di rumah, letakkan
saja di tempat tidur, biarkan dia menangis
setengah hari, tidak usah dipedulikan. Bila
dia mendengar ketukan pintu, tahu majikan-
nya pulang, dia segera menggendong anak
itu sambil mengatakan, sayang, sayang, sam-
34 Christmas 2011
bil membukakan pintu. Dia mengerjakan
pekerjaannya tanpa sukacita, karena dia
tidak mempunyai pengharapan atas anak
itu. Kalian yang sudah menjadi orang tua
tentu memahami apa yang saya katakan ini.
Setiap kali memandangi anakmu, kau tidak
lagi mengeluh dirimu sudah tua, karena anak
yang masih kecil, yang ganteng itu adalah
wakilmu, meskipun harus menjadi tua pun
kau rela. Tetapi bila kau tidak mempunyai
anak, setiap kali bercermin dan menemu-
kan dirimu semakin hari semakin tua, kau
merasa tidak rela. Waktu kau melihat anak-
mu mempunyai anak dan kau menggendong
cucumu, kau akan tertawa dengan begitu
senang. Meski terasa berat kau tetap mau
menggendongnya, semakin berat semakin
merasa senang, "Lihat, cucuku begitu besar."
Apa yang menyebabkan semua itu? Peng-
harapan. Orang yang mempunyai penghara-
pan, meski berada di dalam penderitaan ma-
sih tetap mempunyai sukacita.
Seorang yang berharap kepada Tuhan akan
menantikan kedatangan Kristus yang kedua
kali. Orang yang menantikan kedatangan Kris-
tus tentu akan memelihara kesucian dirinya.
Semua ini saling kait mengait. Mana ada
orang yang sambil menantikan kedatangan
Kristus sambil berbuat dosa dengan sengaja?
Hari kedatangan Kristus sudah
dekat, aku akan memelihara bajuku yang
putih, supaya pada waktu aku menyam-
but Dia di tengah-tengah kemuliaan, tidak
terdapat cacat cela. Saat pengantin wanita
menantikan kedatangan pengantin pria, dia
tentu mengenakan gaun pengantin yang
putih. 10 Menit lagi pengantin pria akan
datang, dilihatnya ada anak yang sedang
main layang-layang, mungkinkah dia ikut
main layang-layang dulu sampai pengantin
prianya datang? Tidak mungkin. Karena 10
menit lagi pengantin pria akan datang, maka
harus memelihara kebersihan gaunnya be-
gitu rupa, tidak akan membiarkan barang
setetes tinta menodai gaunnya, juga tidak
akan membiarkan debu melekat di tu-
buhnya. Dia akan menyucikan diri sambil
menantikan kedatangan pengantin prianya.
Demikian juga setiap orang yang menaruh
pengharapan pada Tuhan pasti akan meme-
lihara kesucian dirinya. Adakah hidupmu
tidak suci? Karena kau tidak mempunyai
pengharapan. Adakah kau sungguh mempu-
nyai pengharapan? Maka kau harus melalui
hidup yang kudus. (Baca 1 Yoh. 3:2-3). Ki-
ranya Tuhan memberkati kita, agar kita yang
mempunyai pengharapan ini berani melaku-
kan pekerjaan Tuhan, melalui hidup yang ku-
dus, sambil menantikan kedatangan Kristus
yang kedua. [HW]
Christmas 2011 35
In 1 Corinthians 13:13, Paul wrote that
there are three things that remain, namely
faith, hope, and love, and the greatest is love.
Why are these three equally important? Be-
cause faith, hope, and love form the foun-
dation of our Christian life. Faith is impor-
tant because it ends our inner battle against
self-suffi ciency. It is turning to the salvation
that the Lord provided in Christ Jesus. Faith
means that we no longer strive for God’s fa-
vor by standing on human strength or merit.
Faith means totally relying on the salvation
that has been fulfi lled in Christ Jesus. The
importance of faith can not be overstated
as “…without faith, it is impossible to please
Him (Hebrews 11:6).” It is faith that gives us
victory over this world.
Hope comes from our faith in God’s
faithfulness. In other words, the faithfulness
of God is the basis our hope. The promises
of God, which are based on the faithfulness
of God, are the guarantee of our hope. When
we believe, we no longer hope in the world
that is seen because what is seen is only
temporary. Our faith overcomes the world
because hope enables us to fi x our eyes to a
world that is unseen and eternal. Faith gives
birth to hope and hope brings our eyes to
look to what is eternal. Focusing on eternity
allows us to worry less about the present
world. Faith and hope enable us to over-
come the world. After faith and hope comes
love. After we receive faith, we are able to be
victorious over the world. After we receive
hope, we are able to see this present world
clearly in its temporariness. After we receive
love, we are able to look back and alleviate
the suffering of this present world. Faith en-
ables us to overcome the torture infl icted
by time through the process of suffering.
God grants hope to Christians. A
Christian that is close to God loses track
HOPE IN THE MIDST OF CRISISBy Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong
English Translation
Hebrews 11:13-16
36 Christmas 2011
of time when worshipping God because he
is enjoying a taste of eternity with God. It
is not an escapist experience as Christians
who have developed faith in God still have to
live in this physical world; but they are able
to live by the Spirit. A Christian does not run
from reality but transcends reality and then
changes reality. Someone with hope is not
imprisoned by the reality of this life because
he is able to see a second reality: the ex-
istence of this present but temporal world
and the existence of eternity. The person
who focuses on the reality of this present
world is materialistic; but the person who
focuses on the reality of eternity is one who
has hope. The Apostle Paul said that we are
not without hope. When unbelievers lose
their loved ones to death, they grieve be-
cause they have no hope beyond this life. But
for Christians, we do not cry out of despair
when death comes to claim our loved ones
because we know that God has called them
to an eternal home where they can joyfully
live in the presence of God. Because of that,
whether dead or alive, whether living in the
present temporary world or in the future
eternal world, whether what is seen or is
unseen, we are already victorious because
nothing can separate us from the love of God.
The Word of God is the foundation of our
faith, and faith enables us to put our hope in
God’s eternal plans. The word faith is pistos
in Greek and fi de in Latin. It means ‘what is
faithful, what is true, what is reliable.” When
someone says that “I have faith,” who does
that person have faith in? The God who is
faithful, true, and reliable. If God speaks lies
and makes empty claims, would not our faith
in Him be futile? But the Word of God is
true; so if we do not put our faith in His
Word, we would be foolish. How can faith
yield hope? If our faith is built upon the faith-
fulness and trueness of God; the One who
promises is faithful and will fulfi ll His Word.
That is what it means to have hope. Our
God is a God who speaks and every word
that He spoke is fi lled with power and “will
not come back empty.”
God gave his promises to us; here are the
phrases used to denote 'promise' :
Christmas 2011 37
a) Testament – something that is relat-
ed to testimony.
b) Covenant – using one’s life to give a
guarantee that what is said is true and will
come to pass.
c) Promise – A combination of two
Latin words: pre (subsequently changed to
be pro) and mission (subsequently changed
to be mise). The Latin words pre and mise
combines form the word ‘promise.’ Before
the mission is given to you, God had told you
something previously. Because of that, before
someone receives his mission, he will fi rst
receive God’s promise.
Before God gives a task to his fol-
lowers; He will fi rst give His promises to
them. Because of God’s promises, His ser-
vants are able to undergo His missions
bravely. The Word of God records a series
of drastic, not subtle changes: God takes
something that does not exist and makes it
exist; he raises the dead to life. These drastic
changes refl ect true hope in the promises of
God.
“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering produces endurance,
and endurance produces character, and
character produces hope” (Romans 5:2-4).
Why does suffering produce en-
durance? Because without suffering we will
not learn to wait; our tendency is to desire
instant gratifi cation. Endurance is positively
correlated with suffering. The more a per-
son suffers, the higher his or her ability to
endure is. Suffering brings endurance. One
has to become accustomed to suffering that
one no longer frets when suffering comes.
This world is not our eternal home; as
such it is fi tting that we should not focus
most of our thoughts and efforts solely on
this earthly life. This mentality is only pos-
sible if one has the mindset that one is only
a pilgrim on earth. We need to develop an
eternal mindset; producing fruits that last to
eternity.
38 Christmas 2011
Hope makes us realize that we can not rely
on ourselves, but only on the God who rais-
es us from the dead. In 2 Corinthians 1:8-
11; Paul recounted the gravity of his affl ic-
tions in Asia. “We were so utterly burdened
beyond our strength,” Paul wrote, “that we
despaired of life itself (2 Cor. 1:8b).” Paul
felt as if he had received a death sentence;
but hope enables him “to rely not on our-
selves but on God who raises the dead (2
Cor. 1:9b).”
Paul has said that although he is suffering, he
experiences joy. How can a suffering person
experience joy? Take for example the case of
two women. The fi rst woman carries her in-
fant son who weighs 15 pounds. The second
woman carries her master’s infant son who
weighs 12 pounds. Obviously the 15-pound
infant is heavier; but the woman carrying
her master’s 12-pound infant feels that her
burden is emotionally, not physically heavier.
The fi rst woman who is carrying her baby
son does not mind the heaviness of her son
because she has hope in the baby who is her
fl esh and blood. The second woman regards
her master’s baby son as a burden because
she has no hope in the baby who is not hers.
A person who hopes in the Lord will look
forward to the Second Coming of Christ.
A person who is anticipating the coming of
Christ will carefully attend to the holiness of
his life before God. No true Christian waits
on the coming of Christ while sinning on
purpose. The true Christian’s mindset is that
“The Lord is coming soon, I will take care
that my garments stay white and clean so
that I may be found without blemish when I
welcome Him.” Likewise, a bride waiting for
her bridegroom will take care that her dress
be spotless so when the bridegroom comes;
he will fi nd her without blemish. If you real-
ize that you are living an unholy life, then you
are without hope. In other words, if you have
hope, you must live a holy life.
May the Lord bless us so that we who have
hope dare to do God’s work through living
a holy life while waiting for Christ’s Second
Coming. [RA]
Edited from Transcribed Sermon:Tong, Pdt. Dr. Stephen. Momentum 38 Desember 1998. LRII. Pg. 25-35. <http://lead.sabda.org/01/jun/2006/kepemimpinan_pengharapan_di_ten-gah_krisis>
Christmas 2011 39
40 Christmas 2011
Albert Halim : 2nd coming of Jesus because life is a pain.Opa Kiatt : peace on earth.David Liu : want to drive.Andrew Kusnohadi : Everything.
Justin Lee : X-BoxEdwin : world peace.Harld Doryumu : college student will be guided togerther studying the Word of
God. And complete the works of Norman McLaren (animator).Stuart Kusdono : to be the best chess player.Brently Macamay : iPad
Sarah Lam : a dog.Joseph Wangsa : a puppy.Joel Suwanto & Steven Tjandra : Beyblade
Herwi Trisnadi : go to Indo and spend time with family and parents.Pastor Wilson : see Jesus. To be with my extended family in Indonesia and celebrate
Christmas togerther.Ester Dharmosetio : a calm mind, no stress.Ivan Gani : vacation.Harry Kawilarang : health for family.Tante Mona : to sing everday for the Lord.Valerie Wijaya : iPhone.
Randy Tindage : Jesus to come.
1.
2.3.
4.5.6.
7.
8.
9.
10.11.12.
13.14.
15.
16.17.
18.
19.20.
by: Kenny Gozali and Hubert Kusdono
Christmas 2011 41
“Go to Indo and spend time with family and parents. “
“2nd coming of Jesus because life is a pain.”
Herwi Trisnadi
Albert Halim
Steven Tjandra“Beyblade”
Edwin“World peace.”
Brently Macamay“ iPad ”
42 Christmas 2011
David Liu“ Want to drive. “
Tante Mona“ To sing everyday for the Lord.”
Pastor Wilson“See Jesus. To be with my extended
family in Indonesia and celebrate Christmas together.”
Valerie Wijaya“ iPhone “
Christmas 2011 43
Have you ever had a problem and
wanted to fi x it? I have. My problem is stut-
tering. About 3 million people in the U.S.
have this problem. I have had this problem
since 1st grade. Many people think that this
is just a small problem. But it’s a lot more
trouble than that.
What is stuttering? Stuttering is to
speak in such a way that the rhythm is inter-
rupted by repetitions or sounds or syllables,
sometimes accompanied by contortions of
the face and body. Has this complication af-
fected me? Of course, but I try not to let
this get in the way of schooling or any other
activities. But it has. For example, in school,
when the teacher asks me to read part of
the book we are reading, I cannot read the
paragraph smoothly. Even though this is a
major problem in my life, I know that this is
a part of God’s plan for me. Jeremiah 29:11
says, “ ‘For I know the thoughts that I think
toward you’, says the Lord, ‘thoughts of
peace and not of evil, to give you a future
and a hope.’” (NKJV) Another verse is Psalm
71:5: “For you are my hope, O Lord God; You
are my trust from my youth.” (NKJV) These
verses give me hope because even though
I am young, God still cares for me and will
guide me through my whole life.
Another big problem with stutter-
ing is that people just don’t know how it
feels like and start making fun of people with
this problem. I have been made fun of many
times. And only my family knows about this.
So now in school I never raise my hand even
if I know the correct answer. And I never say
anything that I know I cannot say. I also pray
Andrew KusnohadiGrade 8
No. It’s A Lot More.
Just Stuttering?Agape Writing Contest Winner
44 Christmas 2011
that the teacher never calls on me and that
the teacher never assigns oral presentations.
But when I had to do oral presentations I
sometimes was able to say it smoothly. Now
my stuttering problem has gotten better, but
is still a complication in life.
Stuttering can hold me back in life,
but I try not to let that happen. A few exam-
ples of people who have had stuttering but
were still successful are Bill Walton, Winston
Churchill, Reverend Charles Swindoll, Mari-
lyn Monroe, and even King George VI. This
just shows that people like them don’t let
their problems get in the way of their hopes
and dreams. I still have this problem in my
life but I don’t let it get in the way too often.
Now I’m taking drum lessons and TaeKwon-
Do, participating in NJB, attempting to get
straight A’s in Chaparral Middle School, and
have been the song-leader for the Sunday
School since last year. God has shown hope
in my life not only for these reasons but also
because I know God has great plans for me.
He always has and always will make a way for
me. But it’s not only just for me, but also for
you, too. [JT]
Christmas 2011 45
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P e n g a n t a r
Salah satu bagian Alkitab yang banyak dikenal oleh kalangan luas—baik orang Kristen maupun non-Kristen—adalah Khotbah di Bukit. Rangkaian khotbah ini penuh dengan intisari iman Kristiani, yang disampaikan oleh Tuhan Yesus sendiri di awal pelayananNya kepada banyak orang yang mengikutiNya waktu itu. Begitu mendasarnya khotbah ini terhadap hidup manusia, dan begitu “pas”-nya dengan ideal etika dan moral manusiawi, sampai-sampai Mohandas K. Gandhi, seorang pemimpin besar India awal abad ke-20, berani berpendapat bahwa kunci menyelesaikan masalah-masalah dunia adalah ajaran dalam Khotbah di Bukit. Bila anda ada waktu, silahkan baca dan renungkan sejenak Matius 5-7. Melalui perikop ini, Tuhan Yesus mengajar kita akan hubungan yang benar: antara diri dengan Tuhan, diri dengan sendiri, dan diri dengan sesama. Di sana dijelaskan akan bagaimana kita sebagai anak-anak Tuhan harus punya integritas iman Kristen yang
sejati: menjalankan ibadah kita untuk Tuhan dan bukan untuk dilihat manusia, mengerjakan kasih yang sejati terhadap sesama dan bukan untuk keuntungan diri kita sediri, menghidupi hari demi hari bersandar kepada Tuhan lebih sungguh, dan secara aktif menjalankan Firman Tuhan dalam setiap langkah kita membangun hidup yang berkenan di hadapanNya. Setelah anda selesai membaca Khotbah di Bukit ini, adakah perasaan takjub sama seperti pendengar saat itu? Adakah hati yang bertobat dan direndahkan? Mampukan anda berkata “Ya, Tuhan, fi rmanMu sungguh benar”? Terlebih lagi, beranikah anda melangkah untuk melaksanakannya?
Pe n d e n g a r a t a u Pe l a k s a n a ?
Coba baca lagi seluruh Khotbah di Bukit itu. Sadarkah anda akan banyaknya kata-kata kerja (“action words”) di sana? Lebih jelas lagi, coba perhatikan apa yang dikatakan Tuhan Yesus di ujung
464646 Christmas 2011
khotbahNya:"Setiap orang yang mendengar perkataan-Ku ini dan melakukannya, ia sama dengan orang yang bijaksana, yang mendirikan rumahnya di atas batu. Kemudian turunlah hujan dan datanglah banjir, lalu angin melanda rumah itu, tetapi rumah itu tidak rubuh sebab didirikan di atas batu. Tetapi setiap orang yang mendengar perkataan-Ku ini dan tidak melakukannya, ia sama dengan orang yang bodoh, yang mendirikan rumahnya di atas pasir. Kemudian turunlah hujan dan datanglah banjir, lalu angin melanda rumah itu, sehingga rubuhlah rumah itu dan hebatlah kerusakannya." (Matius 7:24-27)
Dengan kata lain, Khotbah di Bukit diajarkan bukan untuk didengar dan disimpan saja. Tujuan Khotbah di Bukit diajarkan adalah untuk dipraktekkan! Memang kita butuh mendengar, dan alangkah bagusnya kalau kita bisa mengingat fi rman yang kita dengar. Namun seperti yang Tuhan Yesus katakan, bila kita hanya mendengar namun tidak melakukan fi rman, apa bedanya dengan kita membangun rumah di atas pasir?
Dengan kata lain, kita membangun kehidupan kita dengan sia-sia! Bila kita pikir lebih jauh lagi, puaskah anak Tuhan dengan hanya mendengar fi rmanNya? Tidakkah orang Kristen sejati akan rindu menjalankan kehendakNya? Bila anda tidak melihat pentingnya menjadi pelaku fi rman, alangkah berbahanyanya konstruksi hidup anda. Semua itu akan rubuh dan porak poranda! Lukas 6:47-49 memperjelas perumpamaan Tuhan Yesus ini:“Setiap orang yang datang kepada-Ku dan mendengarkan perkataan-Ku serta melakukannya—Aku akan menyatakan kepadamu dengan siapa ia dapat disamakan—; ia sama dengan seorang yang mendirikan rumah: Orang itu menggali dalam-dalam dan meletakkan dasarnya di atas batu. Ketika datang air bah dan banjir melanda rumah itu, rumah itu tidak dapat digoyahkan, karena rumah itu kokoh dibangun. Akan tetapi barangsiapa mendengar perkataan-Ku, tetapi tidak melakukannya, ia sama dengan seorang yang mendirikan rumah di atas tanah tanpa dasar. Ketika banjir melandanya, rumah itu segera rubuh dan hebatlah kerusakannya."
4747 Christmas 2011 47
Sadarkah anda apa yang diungkapkan di sini? Mendengar fi rman tanpa melakukannya adalah sama dengan mendirikan hidup Kristen kita tanpa fondasi. Tidak perlu kita menjadi lulusan Teknik Sipil untuk mengerti akan hal ini; semua orang yang berakal sehat pasti akan setuju bahwa rumah yang didirikan tanpa dasar tidak akan berdiri teguh. Rumah itu akan hancur total dari atas sampai bawah! Bila rumah itu adalah hidup anda: maukah anda bangun rumah anda rapuh seperti ini? Memang kelihatan enak membangun hidup tanpa “banyak pikiran” seperti ini: Jadi orang Kristen ga papa, ke gereja dengerin khotbah oke-oke aja, asal jangan berlebihan deh! Setelah kebaktian selesai ya sudah... khotbahnya diinget silahkan, tapi jangan gaya-gaya mau dipraktekkan dah! Hidup setiap hari dinikmati, cari uang, berusaha jadi orang terkenal, ga usah sok munafi k lah! Kalo mau dianggep orang Kristen yang baik, ya kasih sumbangan sana, ikut kerja bakti, tolongin orang kalo ada yang butuh. Bila anda setuju dan salah satu penganut “trend” ini, maaf—anda bagaikan orang bodoh yang membangun rumah di atas pasir itu! Saat kesusahan melanda dan pencobaan datang, dan Iblis menggoda anda, dan penghakiman Tuhan di ambang pintu, semua yang anda bangun selama ini, termasuk amal ibadah anda,
adalah sia-sia belaka! Satu-satunya cara untuk bisa keluar sebagai pemenang hanya satu: memiliki hidup yang berdasar kokoh di atas fi rman, yang dibangun dengan melakukan fi rman. Itulah hidup orang yang bijaksana.
R e k o n s t r u k s i I n t e r n a l
Tidak mudah menjadi pelaku fi rman. Seperti yang ditulis di injil Lukas, itu sama seperti pembangun rumah yang harus menggali dalam-dalam hanya untuk meletakkan fondasi rumah di atas batu. Itu baru meletakkan fondasi—dia masih harus membangun di atas fondasi tersebut. Hidup yang dibangun di atas fondasi batu yang kokoh: itulah kehidupan Kristen yang sejati, yang hanya bisa dicapai dengan menjadi pelaku fi rman. Mari kita introspeksi sejenak. Hidup kita setelah sekian tahun ini bagaikan rumah yang telah kita bangun dengan susah payah. Adakah dasar yang kokoh di rumah itu? Ataukah hidup kita dibangun di atas ajaran-ajaran duniawi yang tidak benar? “Aku”-kah yang menjadi penopang rumah kita, atau Tuhan? Adakah hati yang mengasihi sebagai pintu rumah, dan mulut yang menginjili sebagai jendelanya? Doa, pengajaran, dan pelayanankah yang menjadi dinding dan atap pelindung hidup kita?
484848 Christmas 2011
Bila anda menjawab ‘tidak’ akan semua hal di atas, inilah saat untuk merombak total rumah anda. Jangan sayangkan apa pun, karena semua bakal hancur saat banjir melanda. Dengan kerendahan hati, akui Yesus sebagai Tuhan yang memerintah hidupmu. Bertobatlah dari cara-cara kehidupan duniawi, dan berjalanlah dalam kebenaran. Isilah hidupmu dengan doa, dan berpeganglah kepada kebenaran fi rmanNya. Kerjakanlah keselamatanMu. Jadilah pelaku fi rman! Jangan memasalahkan hal ini mudah atau tidak mudah—ini adalah suatu keharusan bila kita mau selamat. Mau tidak mau, kita harus bongkar semua yang sudah kita bangun, meletakkan dasar yang benar, dan membangun kembali rumah kita sedikit demi sedikit di atas dasar ini. Inilah yang disebut Rekonstruksi Intenal: perombakan di dalam hidup kita.
K o n k l u s i d a n R e f l e k s i
Khotbah di Bukit adalah khotbah yang radikal. Khotbah ini memisahkan pendengar ke dalam dua kelompok: orang-orang bijak yang mendengar dan melakukan, dan orang-orang bodoh yang merasa cukup dengan mendengar saja. Termasuk kelompok yang manakah kita? Bila kita merasa cukup hanya mendengar
saja, benarkah kita ini anak Tuhan?
BIla kita ingin menjadi kelompok orang yang bijak yang melakukan fi rman, hendaklah kita senantiasa ingat pula bahwa hidup yang bisa berdiri kokoh adalah hidup yang dibangun di atas dasar yang kuat. Untuk itu dibutuhkan renovasi total dan rekonstruksi menyeluruh di dalam kehidupan kita, dan “... bangunlah dirimu sendiri di atas dasar imanmu yang paling suci dan berdoalah dalam Roh Kudus.” (Yudas 1:20). Adakah Kristus sebagai landasan yang teguh yang menopang kuat kehidupan kita? Adakah kita menyatakan Kristus di dalam segala aspek hidup kita? Adakah kita menjalankan fi rmanNya dan melakukan kehendakNya?
Sebagai penutup, mari kita mundur selangkah dari perumpamaan ini dan membaca Matius 7:21-23 dan Lukas 6:46. Bukan orang yang berseru Tuhan! Tuhan! yang akan masuk Kerajaan Sorga. Bukan orang yang melayani luar biasa yang akan diterima Tuhan. Ia tidak melihat perbuatan yang kelihatan—Ia melihat jauh ke dalam hati kita: adakah kita melakukan kehendakNya? Hanya dengan dasar inilah kita akan diterimaNya. [MH]
4949 Christmas 2011 49
E n g l i s h T r a n s l a t i o n
The Sermon of the Mount (Matthew 5 to 7) chronicles Jesus Christ’s teachings on how we are to conduct proper relationships with God, ourselves, and others. Jesus called Christians to have integrity in our relationship and worship of God; that our acts of worship is solely for God and not for the eyes of men. The Sermon of the Mount forces Christians to evaluate whether we have been building our lives according to Jesus’ teachings. Jesus’ point is that in order to build our lives on His teaching, we must become the doers of His Word. It was signifi cant that Jesus chose to conclude the Sermon on the Mount with the parable of the wise and foolish builders. In this parable, Jesus likened the doer of His Word to a wise builder who built his house on a solid stone foundation. The listener (not doer) of the
Word was likened to a foolish builder who built his house on sand. One day “the rain fell, and the fl oods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house (that was built on sand), and it fell, and great was the fall of it (Matthew 7: 27).” There is a word of warning here. Jesus intended His teachings to become the foundation that we build our lives and relationships upon. In order to do so, we cannot be mere listeners of the Word. Jesus warned that to be a mere a listener of the Word is the same as building one’s house on sand. Although the house may look sturdy from the outside, a storm will expose the inherent problems of the house: its weak (and almost non-existent) foundation. No matter how much time, money, and effort are exerted towards the house, in the end they were all futile because the storm of life will wash the house away in the end. The only foundation able to withstand the storms of life is the Christ the Rock Himself.
505050 Christmas 2011
Our lives and relationships must be built on Christ, and the only way to do so is to become doers of His Word. Let us inspect our ‘house.’ Is it build on the solid teachings of Christ or is it built on the false teachings of the World? Is it ‘I’ who hold the house up or is it Christ? Is there an open door of love for others or an open window that shares the gospel to others? If Christ is not your foundation, then it is time to reconstruct your house. Do not be saddened when you must discard many old ‘items’ in your ‘house’ during the reconstruction process. If you do not reconstruct your ‘house’ on the solid rock foundation that is Christ, the storm will come and destroy everything and leave you with nothing. The Sermon on the Mount was as radical then as it is now. It separates the listeners from the doers of the Word. It separates the wise builders from the foolish builders. Let us turn to the true Foundation to build our lives upon. [RA]
“Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is
in heaven.” Matthew 7: 21
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525252 Christmas 2011
Setting the Context for the Christian Pilgrimage: Our Destination and Purpose
........................................................................................................................ Christians today are modern-day pil-grims. Those who have been chosen by God and accepted into the grace and fellowship of our Lord Jesus Christ, are on a lifelong pilgrimage to the new heaven and new earth; a place where the glory of the Lord provides light and our occupation day to day will only be to praise the Lord for who He is. For the Christian, our destination and pur-pose for which we undertake this jour-ney lie outside the domain of earthly understanding. What is the Christian pilgrimage? To answer this let’s start with what it is not:
1. Unlike other pilgrimages, the Chris-tian’s journey is not to an earthly “holy” place as it is in Islam for our promised place is a heavenly city.
2. The purpose for our pilgrimage is not to attain “enlightenment” or hu-man wisdom as it is in Buddhist religion for the Lord has said that the wisdom
of men is foolishness in the eyes of God, and that understanding comes only through Jesus Christ’s revelation of the Father (Luke 10:22).
3. Our purpose for this pilgrimage is not to attain a divine power, for by the grace of God He already sent us that power to overcome sin by means of the Holy Spirit. Because of the as-cension of Christ, the Spirit has come down to be with us so we are fi lled with all speech and knowledge even now as the Holy Spirit renewed our spirits with power, love, and discipline- (2 Tim 1:6-7). The conquering power of the Holy Spirit has been given to us. His power within each of us and His work in the world is accomplished “not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit.” (Zech. 4:16). We, as believ-ers, already possess anointing from the Holy One allowing us to discern God’s will and His truth with the power and aid of the Spirit (1 John 3:24 & 4:13).
By Janice Atmadja
Christmas 2011 53
4. Our pilgrimage is not for the pur-pose of attaining holiness. We will never be holy whilst we are still in this mortal fl esh. To Him our good works are like fi lthy rags. No one is righteous before Him (Romans) and if we do not believe this then we make Him to be a liar and His truth is not in us (1 John).
The Christian pilgrimage begins and ends with the Cross of Christ. Our journey begins with the already pres-ent state of our Lord. We are not on a journey to fi nd Him. Rather, He has found us. From the very start, we did not “choose” to start the journey; God did. In fact, the journey has begun long ago when He made the promise to Adam and Eve to send a savior to redeem them of their sins. Our fall into sin that happened years ago did not escape the foreknowledge and plan of God. Even Jesus’ life, crucifi x-ion, death, resurrection, and ascension are all part of God’s plan for salvation, which are done for the glory of God to save the chosen ones. The message of the Gospel is not of humans making their way to God; instead it is one of God making His way to us. It is the act of God to save His chosen people. It is the unique message of the Gospel which says explicitly that Jesus Christ has himself come for the very purpose. That is to reach down to save human kind as we are unable to save our-selves through the gift of grace, so no
one may boast. We praise God that He Himself has provided the way through His own son, Jesus Christ.
The Christian Pilgrimage is Daily Repentance. And Daily Repentance brings HOPE.
Is it enough for us to simply agree that Jesus Christ is Lord and that He alone is the way to the Father? No. The mes-sage of the Gospel does not end sim-ply at “agreement”. If that is so, then we are like the seed that fell on the ground, sprang up, but quickly died for there was no “depth of earth” (Matt. 13). Repentance and salvation are not separate and can not be separate. Re-pentance is the act turning away of men from sin to God.
“and saying, ‘The time is fulfi lled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’ ” (Mark 1:15 ESV) “For godly grief produces a re-pentance that leads to salvation with-out regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10 ESV) “What shall we say then? Are we to con-tinue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2 ESV).
Because of Christ, we may glo-rify God even though we are sinful for we are simultaneously justifi ed by faith in the blood of Christ. Because of Christ,
54 Christmas 2011
our repentance has a purpose, which is a God-glorifying purpose. John makes it clear that in our state of sin, our glorifi cation of God is pos-sible through confession, repentance, and gratitude for His gift of salvation. The act of repentance is the turning away from sin towards the grace and mercy that Jesus Christ offers through the cross. Repentance is marked by the grief and sorrow towards sin and any-thing that displeases God. This is what we are to do every day. This is our act of pilgrimage. The Christian repents daily by preaching the Gospel to him-self daily. Our daily repentance is our spiritual act of worship. Repentance is Jesus’ commandment; it is the fi rst thing He utters early on in His ministry. Does that not highlight the importance of repentance? It is in-line with the message John the Bap-tist’s message of repentance. Let us be clear, repentance is not something that happens separately, apart from receiving the Good News; neither is it something that happens only once. Repentance, true repen-tance, happens simultaneously with the receiving of the Good News. When we understand the depravity of our state through the help of the Holy Spirit, we joyously receive news of salvation offered through Jesus Christ alone. If not, the Good News will not be good to us! It is good precisely because it makes our repentance and daily walk
with Jesus a joy, knowing that our good works are as fi lthy rags and because of that the work and Lordship of Jesus Christ is even more affi rmed.
WHY must we repent?
1. Because God is holy
a. God is holy. God abhors sin, and not a day goes by that we do not sin. How-ever, if we confess our sins, He is faith-ful and just to forgive us. (1 John 1:9) This is enough reason for daily repen-tance, but we must not stop there.
b. God is holy. Therefore, He is just. Christ’s gift of salvation is redemption fulfi lling the law, by grace, through faith. The Gospel does not negate law; the gospel and Jesus’ very life fulfi lls and completes it. His justice through the gift of Christ is the mark of His holi-ness and most of all, His love.
c. God demands that we too be holy so we must obey. i. Obedience is a commandment of God. Repentance is the commandment of Jesus. Therefore, we must repent. “If you love me, you will obey what I com-mand.“ (John 14:15 NIV)
2. Repentance is the mark of those born of God. Continuation in sin is not possible for those born of God. Repentance does not bring salvation,
Christmas 2011 55
but repentance is the mark of a per-son who has truly received salvation. If we habitually walk in sin, then we are mocking the holiness of God, we are taking lightly the enslavement of sin, and we are mocking what Jesus did for us. A person can never continually commit sin and still claim to know the Holy God.
“Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning be-cause he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:8-9 ESV)
3. Repentance allows sinful hu-man beings to fellowship with God through Jesus Christ. Mis-sion and evangelism exist so that there is worship on Earth for the one true God and fellowship between the Tri-une God and us. For this very reason, Christ came down to us.
“The life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:2-3 ESV)
a. Through repentance and salvation, we sinful humans may walk with a Holy God through the veil of Jesus Christ. In Christ’s righteousness we hide; we are not made righteous, but in Christ’s righteousness are we declared inno-cent before God.
b. Repentance allows us to know God and being known by Him is our ground of assurance.
4. Daily repentance keeps us away from idols. On this Earth, there is no such thing as comfort zone for the Christian; we are sent out as sheep amongst wolves. If we are always on guard, how then can we be compla-cent? Complacency arises from forget-fulness, forgetfulness leading to doubt. At the root of it all is idolatry. Stray-ing away from Christ means idola-try. It means forgetting to repent which is forgetting the standard of God. When we “stray away”, we replace God’s standards for our own standards of good works assuring ourselves that it is enough. This is a direct mockery of Jesus’ infi nitely more precious sacrifi ce, which is the real, high, cost of our sin.
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:20-21 ESV)
56 Christmas 2011
5. Daily repentance reminds us of where we place our hope. It reminds us to run the race to the end. Repentance is the mark of a Christian who continues to hope in Christ. In our repentance, the realiza-tion of our depravity makes us turn to Christ. Our assurance of salvation comes from Christ, which is the grace of God, alone; but confi rmation of our salvation may be seen in our pursuit of the things that please God.
“By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. “ (1 John 3:19-20 ESV) [MH]
• Tujuan ziarah kita bukanlah un-tuk mendapat penerangan atau kepinta-ran manusia karena pengertian sesung-guhnya hanya bisa didapatkan melalui Tuhan Yesus.• Tuhan ziarah kita bukanlah untuk mendapatkan kekuatan ajaib karena jika kita sudah mendapatkan Roh Kudus ke-tika kita percaya (1 Yohanes 3:24 & 4:13)• Tujan ziarah kita bukanlah un-tuk menjadikan kita suci karena selama kita masih berada di dalam dunia ini kita adalah manusia berdosa dan tidak bisa menjadi suci (1 Yohanes)
Tujuan ziarah kita di dunia ini hanya ada 1 yaitu untuk kemuliaan Tuhan. Ziarah orang Kristen bermula dan berakhir di salib. Kita tidak memilih untuk menjadi penziarah tetapi Tuhan lah yang memilih kita. Kita sudah dipilih dan ditetapkan sebelum dunia dijadikan. Jadi kita tidak dapat membanggakan diri sama sekali karena semua kemuliaan hanyalah untuk-Nya.
Ziarah orang Kristen adalah per-tobatan dan pertobatan akan mendatangkan harapan.
Percaya akan Tuhan Yesus bukanlah tu-juan akhir orang Kristen tetapi meru-pakan permulaan. Setelah kita per-caya maka kita harus ada pertobatan karena keselamatan dan pertobatan tidak dapat dipisahkan. Pertobatan sehari-hari adalah bentuk ibadah kita.
INDONESIAN TRANSLATION
Arti dan Tujuan Perjalanan Orang Kristen
Orang Kristen sekarang bisa disebut penjiarah (pilgrim) jaman baru. Kita bisa disebut penjiarah karena orang Kristen yang sudah mendapatkan anugerah kese-lamatan akan menantikan surga dan bumi yang baru. Kita menantikannya karena itu merupakan tempat tinggal tetap kita ses-ungguhnya. Kalau begitu apakah arti dan tujuan ziarah kita?
• Ziarah kita tidak sama dengan zi-arah agama lain karena tujuan ziarah kita bukanlah ke tempat suci di dalam dunia tetapi ke dalam surga.
Christmas 2011 57
The woman burned with a fever. Before her was the Yellow River, vast and wide. Beside her were one hundred orphans displaced by war. They were starved, tired, but worse, trapped. In the midst of war, all the ships had been called away, leaving a lone English missionary and one hundred war orphans standing on the wrong side of the river. One little girl asked the missionary if God would part the River as He had parted the Red Sea for Moses. The missionary replied, "I am not Moses, Sualan." And so they stood, stranded.
1
The woman was Gladys May Ayl-ward, born on February 24, 1902 in Edmon-ton, London to Mr. Thomas Aylward, a mail-man. She was the oldest of two sisters and a brother. Though her parents brought her to church regularly, she did not realize that
"Hope in Hell's Despair"
God had a claim on her life until she went to a revival meeting at the age of 18. Sud-denly, her eyes were opened as the preacher exhorted the congregation to "giving one's life over to the service of the Lord."2 Ac-cording to her autobiography (Little Woman), she "joined the Young Life Campaign, and in one of their meetings…read an article about China that made a terrifi c impression on [her]. To realize that millions of Chinese had never heard of Jesus Christ was to [her] a staggering thought, and [she] felt we ought to do something about it."3 This seemed to have been the seed of God's purpose for her. Gladys eventually applied to the China Inland Mission and took their courses for preparation at the age of 26. However, at the end of the course, the mission center rejected her application on basis "that her education background was too limited."
a young girl who disliked school, Gladys had dropped out of school at the age of 14 and became a parlor maid, cleaning houses in the city while taking acting classes at night in the hopes of becoming an actress. But God's plans do not always coincide with the plans of man; and God always prevails. In the same way, just because the mission center denied Gladys the chance to go to China, that did not mean God had de-nied her. God's method of sending her was just a bit different, and unexpected, perhaps. After the rejection from the mis-sion center, Gladys accepted a job offer to work as a maid in the home of Dr. and Mrs. Fischer. While that had seemed like a step backwards from Gladys's perspective, God spent the next few years to prepare her for the missionary work He had planned for her and called her to do. With the certainty of God's call for Gladys to go to China, she set out to pre-pare for her trip. She planned to work hard and save up every penny possible that she might be able to travel to China on her own in three years. She was going to China with-out the help of China Inland Mission. How-ever, with God's help, she managed to save enough funds to start her trip in just one year. Then, in God's perfect timing, Glad-ys attended a Primitive Methodist Gathering where she learned that a missionary named Jeannie Lawson was looking for an assistant in order to continue her missionary work in China after her husband's death. Gladys wrote, and was accepted by Mrs. Lawson. Thus, on October 15, 1932, age 30, Gladys began a fi ve-week journey from London
to the city of Yangchen in the province of Shanxi, a little south of Beijing. The train ride across Europe and Sibera was wrought with danger because of the war between Russia and China. At one point, Gladys was detained, but managed to escape via a Japa-nese ship which took her to Kobe. From there, Gladys sailed to Tianjin and eventually made her way to meet Mrs. Lawson. Travel-ing through foreign land, narrowly escaping detention, meeting friendly helpers - one can only say that God was with Gladys every step of a dangerous way. Once in Yangchen, Gladys and Mrs. Lawson needed to fi gure out a way to preach the gospel. The two women opened up an inn, Inn of Eight Happiness. It was ap-propriate since Yangchen was an overnight stop for many mule caravans, and the trav-elers needed a place to stay. After feeding the mule drivers, Mrs. Lawson gathered the travelers for story time. Each night, she told stories of a man named Jesus. After Mrs. Lawson's death shortly following Gladys's arrival, Gladys carried on her work, but soon, God granted her the op-portunity to take the gospel further. During this time in China, the government had is-sued a ban on the tradition of foot-binding. However, many families refused to comply. The government therefore needed a woman whose feet were not bound (as an example) and who was willing to travel. In this man-ner, Gladys was able to take the gospel ev-erywhere she went to inspect feet. When God has a plan, He provides a way. Gladys Aylward, a woman who was considered in capable of learning the Chinese language by China Inland Mission, was now preaching the
Christmas 2011 59
gospel fl uently in Chinese all over the prov-ince of Shanxi. Five years after Gladys's arrival in China, however, what was considered the "Golden Age" for missionaries in Chi-na would come to a drastic end. In 1937, Yangchen was beginning to hear reports of war as the Japanese began their attack of China. The curtains for one of the world's most devastating war in all of history had just lifted. In 1938, the Inn of Eight Happiness was bombed and damaged. She would spend the next two years tending the wounded, fl eeing to the mountains for safety, and tend-ing to the large group of orphans that had collected over the years. One could say that her missionary work took a completely dif-ferent direction than she had perhaps antici-pated. The greatest challenge during that time came in early 1940. By then, Gladys had become a wanted woman of the Japa-nese government, who wished to arrest her for spying. She often spied on the Japanese and gave the Chinese Nationalist forces in-telligence. It was time to fl ee, but Gladys was taking care of over two hundred or-phans at the time. One hundred of those orphans would leave with Gladys's co-worker in ear-ly 1940. Days later, Gladys rounded up the other hundred and began the long moun-tainous trek from Yancheng to Xian where they would be safe. The fi rst few days of the journey was fi lled with excitement, but soon their shoes worn out, feet covered in bloody blisters, food supply depleted, and health
eroded. Gladys was plagued with fever, the children weakened by exhaustion, and all were tormented by hunger and fear. After twelve days of traveling, they fi nally came to the Yellow River, but all the nearby villagers had already escaped, taking the boats with them. So before them was the great divide, behind them were Japanese soldiers. It was no wonder the little girl Sualan thought of the story of Moses and the Israelites before the Red Sea. However, as Gladys had said, she was not Moses, and had no staff to part with river with. "But God is always God," the girl reminded Gladys. And so they prayed. The children prayed and sang. God did not part the Yellow River for them that day, but He did bring a Chi-nese offi cer who had heard the songs of the children. In three trips, all the children and Gladys were transported safely across the Yellow River. From there they journeyed still many days until they reached safety. Gladys was not Moses, the children were not the Israelites, and the Yellow River was not the Red Sea. Between Moses and Gladys spanned three millennia. But despite the change of time and space, God is still God, and He has cared for His people all the same. After Gladys recuperated from a string of illnesses that followed the jour-ney, she continued her missionary work in Chengdu. Then in 1949, she returned home to England. Though she longed to return to China, the place she called home, Commu-nists took over and sealed off China from all foreigners. Consequently, Gladys moved to Taiwan instead, and continued her work -
60 Christmas 2011
opening orphanages, preaching God's word - until her death in 1970. In the eyes of men, Gladys Aylward was perhaps just a parlor maid who was not good enough to enter the mission fi eld. But by the will of God, she made it to China, sur-vived through a treacherous journey, World War II, and carried out the work that God had created her to accomplish. In the end, her life is a testament that no circumstance, time, or men can ever thwart the will of our Almighty God. May it be an encouragement to us all, that in Him, there is always hope in hell's despair. [END] 1 Aylward, Gladys, and Hunter Christine. "Little
Woman." TCCA Taichung Christian Congrega-tion. Trans. Huang Wan-Hsu. TCCA, n.d. Web. 29 Oct 2011. <tcca.iam.tw/books_a_12.htm>.
3 Piper, Noel. Faithful Women and their Extraor-dinary God. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2005. 72. eBook.
4 Ibid, p. 72
5 For further reading, refer to Faithful Woman and Their Extraordinary God by Noel Piper and Little Woman by Gladys Aylward and Christine Hunter.
Kenapa kita perlu bertobat?• Karena Tuhan kudus adanya
o Tuhan membenci dosa o Tuhan menebus kita dari dosa o Tuhan mau kita untuk turut ke pada perintah-Nya
• Pertobatan adalah tanda lahir baru. Wa-laupun pertobatan tidak mendatangkan keselamatan tetapi pertobatan merupakan tanda orang yang telah mendapatkan kes-elamatan.
• Pertobatan membuat manusia bisa mem-punyai hubungan dengan Tuhan melalui Ye-sus Kristus.
o Dengan pertobatan kita bisa ber- jalan dengan Tuhan yang kudus. o Dengan pertobatan kita dapat mengenal dan “diketahui” oleh Tu- han.
• Pertobatan sehari-hari menjauhkan kita dari penyembahan berhala. Akar dari semua dosa kita adalah berhala dan manusia yang menjauh dari Tuhan pasti telah menyembah suatu berhala.
• Pertobatan mengingatkan kita dimana kita bisa menaruh harapan kita. Tuhan Yesus merupakan sumber harapan kita karena di dalam Dia saja kita mendapatkan anugerah keselamatan dan hidup yang kekal. [HW]
The Christian Pilgrimage
Christmas 2011 61
It matters not how strait the gate,How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:I am the captain of my soul.
-from ‘Invictus’ by William Ernest Henley
62 Christmas 2011
William Henley’s ‘Invictus’ is well-regarded as a source of
inspiration to many notable figures. The poem has been quoted by fa-mous actors and songwriters. It has inspired Nelson Mandela during his twenty seven years of political imprisonment. It is also the poem that Oklahoma City Bomber, Tim-othy McVeigh recited on a piece of paper on his execution day. Somehow the poem’s message of ‘self-mastery’ appealed to both men although one man is considered a respectable leader and the other a terrorist.
At the heart of ‘Invictus’ is a declara-tion of man’s desire to direct the
course of his life. It is a prideful man’s anthem that sings of independence from his Creator and elevating himself to the status of master of his fate. The Bible speaks of material things that can be-come masters of us. However the most dangerous master that we can have is ourselves because when we elevate ourselves to become captains of our lives out of pride, we claim that it is for
sake of self-preservation. For example, one feels that one simply cannot wait
for God to act and decide to take matters into his own hands without consulting the Lord. Man in his sinful nature sees it as self-preservation, but God sees it as contending for su-premacy against Him.
If we are honest with ourselves, we will find that we like to con-trol the direction of our lives. We take great pains in ensuring
the level of comfort that we are used to having continues for as long
as possible. As long as one is open to God’s leading in his or her life, there is nothing wrong with studying hard for a future in your chosen profession or to save money for rainy days. However when one does not submit to the Lord’s direction and insist having a right to con-trol the trajectory of our lives, then one has wrestled control away from God. When I insist on going my own way and disregard God’s directions for my life; I have robbed God of his position as the true master of my life.
Christmas 2011 63
Regretfully we all have robbed God of his legitimate position as the true
Master of our lives. At times we take tomorrow for granted and make plans without consulting Him first. At times, we expect that God will give us a life that matches our human expectations and desires. At times, we expect and de-mand that God aligns His will with our wills when it is us who should be aligning our wills to His. If we say that we believe in God but yet do not trust Him with determining the direction of our lives, then we are liars and we do not know in whom we have believed in.
In Matthew 6, Jesus spoke with regards to storing up treasures on earth:
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”Matthew 6:24
In many ways, serving money in the end is serving our selves. Money is just a
means of self-preservation in which we find security and false strength that can be used to control the direction of our lives. Just as Jesus explained, to serve two masters is to disobey one of them. Do we declare with our mouths that God is the Captain of our souls and yet conduct our lives as if we are the cap-tains of our souls? Let us choose our Master wisely.
64 Christmas 2011
By: Hubert Kusdono and Kenny Gozali
Christmas comes with gift givings: parents giving gifts to their
children and children giving gifts to their parents as well as to the
other family members, the extended family and friends. This Christmas
we asked a few parents to give advice on what are the thoughtful
Christmas gifts they can offer to their Children. Let’s take a look below.
Christmas 2011 65
spiritual security. Also, especially during the Christmas season, parents should be good friends to their children. They should be listening and attentive parents, encouraging their children’s dreams and telling them how proud they are of them. This Christmas, even with all the hectic and diffi cult times of work, parents need to slow down and spend time with their kids. This is probably one of the best things any child could ask for Christmas. Most importantly, pray for their wisdom, protection, and strength.
Not only should parents give their children spiritual gifts for their children, but children should also give their parents gifts that are not necessarily materialistic. First and foremost, as a Christmas gift that any parent would want, children should obey their parents. They should pursue righteousness and remember Jesus
Christ in all their actions, as well as educate themselves in the Bible’s promises. According to 1 Thessalonians 4:1, children should live a pure life that pleases God. As a gift to their parents, children should apologize to their parents and be willing to change themselves when they have done wrong. Practicing good manners and keeping a good attitude is also something that parents would like from their children. Most importantly, children should not be afraid to open up and communicate
“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord.” – Psalm 127.Each Christmas, children ask their parents for anything they dream of, whether it is a toy car, doll, or new video game system. A wise, thoughtful parent would not only think of materialistic things to buy for their children, but values to instill in their children which will benefi t them throughout their whole life. Implanting spiritual values and pointing their children towards Christ and His faithfulness is a great Christmas present that any parent can give to their child. Because God does not waste children on parents and calls them “gifts,” parents should have a commitment to raise and train their children in Christ. Even if it doesn’t suit to the preference of the child, discipline, without losing temper or embarrassing them in front of their peers, is still a way of teaching a child the rights and wrongs in life. Practicing a sincere respect for the child’s worth as an individual is something that all parents should do for their children, not only during Christmas, but every day. Respecting a child’s worth as an individual includes giving them emotional, physical, and
66 Christmas 2011
with their parents, for this creates a healthy relationship. They should thank their parents for all the sacrifi ces they have made. This Christmas, materialistic items may be nice to give, but a perfect gift that both parents and children could give to each other is the gift of love and compassion. Not only should they spend time with each other, but they should love each other in Christ. [HK]
A wise gift that any parent could give to their children is their time, even in the midst of the struggles, hardships, and stressful times. Even though children may prefer materialistic gifts such as new toys, quality time that is spent will create memories that
will last forever. Gifts such as toys may only satisfy a child for a period of time, whether it may be short or long, but a memory that is made from the special bonding between a parent and child is sure to last a lifetime. Spending family time together may just include anything ranging from going to an elaborate vacation spot to just eating dinner as a family. What is most important is the quality time that parents and their children should spend with each other, regardless of where they are. No matter the location, parents should be sure to give their children a great time and create memories that they will always remember as they grow older. For example, a couple years ago, my husband and I went to the Grand Canyon with our children during the Christmas vacation. Just spending quality time and strengthening our loving bond as a family helped create special memories that my children still remember to this day, even though they were very young at the time. It does not have to be at the Grand Canyon. Watching movies together, going out at night to get dessert, or just having a nice family meal will generate great times and memories that children will enjoy. While Christmas season and summer vacation are great times for parents to spend time with their children, Christmas is especially important and signifi cant because it is a time not only for spending time and having fun, but a time to remember God. As a Christian parent, one should not only make their kids happy but also make sure they grow in Christ. They should spend time with their children and guide them in the Word of God while training them to be good
Christmas 2011 67
Chris t ian fo l lowers in the eyes of the Lord. Family time is a perfect time to i n s t i l l Chr is t ian values and help them spiritually g r o w .
Worldly gifts and toys may make children happy, but the happiness and will never last as long as the joy from all the memories that were created from the great times spent with their parents. As a good Christian parent, one may delight their child by giving them gifts, but what is most important is creating a special bond and healthy relationship in Christ that will last a lifetime. [HK]
The wonderful and awesome Christmas gift everyone loves and needs is the gift of God, “Eternal Life in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6: 23). This gift without doubt is the most wanted, especially for someone who knows and experiences the down fall point of one’s life. This gift is also for friends who almost have everything in life such as electronic items: an I-pod, I-touch, and I-phone and still feeling emptiness in their hearts. The gift of God is the best gift ever. After getting this gift, you need to wrap it with a very special wrapper, the Words of God. In addition,
you might need to drop a bit of decorated items on the top of the wrapper. Those are your love, comfort, care and attention. Guaranteed, the person who receives this gift will love it the most. Another thing that you might give as Christmas gift is a quick grabbed one in many stores, such as a headphone jacket, a fl ash drive, or a Polaroid instant camera. These gifts are unisex items. They temporarily satisfy everyone. Their characteristics are immediate wants, short satisfactions, never enough updates, and fast bored desires. All suggested Christmas gifts are mentioned above, the best one or the better one, you can think of for this year. [KG]
68 Christmas 2011
We as Clement’s parents are very glad and thankful to the Lord, who has given us grace to experience parenthood, even though we do not deserve it. As time goes by, we can really experience that Clement has brought so much blessing in our family. So many times throughout the day, we hear laughter and singing from everybody in the house, including Clement’s grandparents. We see smiley faces around the house. We pray that this translates continuously that even when Clement grows up, he still can be a blessing to others around him because Christ lives in him.
Our hope for Clement:
1) May God reveal more of Himself to Clement. 2) May Clement truly recognize his state of fallenness as a sinful human being, so that he will come to Christ in humility and repentance. 3) We hope that Clement will love God will all of his heart, mind, and soul and love others just as himself. 4) We also hope that God will grant him the fear of the Lord which will produce humility, obedience, and heavenly wisdom which will guide him in all aspects of his life whether throughout his childhood, education, friendship, trials that God allows in his life, career, ministry that God entrusts to him, and his future.
Baby's Full Name:Clement Christopher Setiawan
The Parents:Heri Sebastian Setiawan and Christal Setiawan
Date of Birth:29 December 2010Weight and Height:
7.3 pounds and 19 inchesFuture Occupation:
Anything that God wants him to be.(a.k.a we don’t know yet)
Christmas 2011 69
Baby's Full Name: Charlene Aimee ChungThe Parents: Buddy and Linda Chung
Date of Birth: 18 February 2011 at 2.35PMWeight and Height: 6.3 pounds and 18 inches
Future Occupation: Athlete (said Mommy)or Doctor (said Daddy)
I (Linda) was very scared with the idea of giving birth, so I had been praying to God for the strength and courage. On Friday, February 18th at 9 AM (Home, Alhambra), Buddy was already off to work. I was about to bring Marshie, our dog for a walk when I suddenly heard popping sound. I did not feel any pain but noticed the carpet under me was all wet. I remembered one of my child-birth sessions and thought "Oh, maybe my water just broke... but it might be a false labor." I took a shower to clean myself and then called my doctor to tell her what had happened. The nurse who answered the call insisted that I should have it checked at the hospital. So there, I was driving alone to the hospital and called Buddy saying, "Don't worry, I just need to have it checked." At 10 AM (Methodist Hospital, Arcadia), I was told that I had to stay because I was already 3 cm dilated. At 11 AM, Buddy fi nally arrived at the hospital after making several wrong turns in the neighborhood he was familiar with, just because he was too nervous. I had not felt any pain yet at that moment, so I was thinking, "Wow, this is easy." About an hour later, it was not easy anymore. The contraction started, and I began to experience the pain. Buddy was trying hard to comfort me. All of the things I saw on TV when someone giving birth was happening to me. I was screaming, tossing, and turning. An anesthesiologist came and gave me an injection. Five minutes later, I was calm like a cucumber. Finally, after a few pushes, Charlene was born at 2:35 PM. This is all by God's blessing. It was the greatest feeling in my life. God knew I was terrifi ed, so He made everything quick and unpredictable for me.
Our hope for Charlene:
Is to be a wise woman who fears the Lord.
70 Christmas 2011
Baby's Full Name: Angela Elaine ZhengThe Parents: Jinzhang Zheng and Linda Tjhu
Date of Birth: 02 November 2011Weight and Height: 10.8 pounds and 20 inches
Future Occupation: Dentist
We were really surprised that our baby weighed more than 10 pounds because the doctor predicted only 8 pounds. Our baby who was born overweight had low blood sugar after delivery and had a higher risk for diabetes.We were concerned about her conditions. Finally after a few tests were done, her blood sugar came back to normal, and nothing was wrong with her. We are blessed for our baby girl. Thank God for giving us an adorable, big, and healthy daughter.
Our Hope for Angela:
When we named our baby girl "Angela Elaine," we hope she can be a light and blessing to her surroundings.
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