Does God hate RP? (Or Catholics, homosexuals, adulterers...)

Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines three days ago with the strongest winds in recorded history.

Someone claimed that Haiyan was God's punishment "for their tolerance of homosexuality, prostitution, Catholicism and other sins". So a student of mine (who I know is in a Catholic organization) asked this on Facebook:

 

Appropriately enough, yesterday our Bible group talked about the book of Revelation chapters 2-3, where Jesus was calling to seven churches. To Thyatira He said this:

I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.

Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’
(Revelation 2:19-25)

Below is my reply to him. Please feel free to share your own thoughts, insights and beliefs. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the Philippines!

=================================

Hi ***** ...

First off: let's check the facts. (In this case, we're talking about God so we base our answers from the Bible and from personal experience.)

1. Did God really list those things as sin?

2. How does God view sin?

3. Does God punish sin?

4. Is God good, just, and merciful?


My answer to the four questions is Yes.

Unfortunately, the blogger here does NOT present a biblically accurate view of God.

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:6-8)

"Should we call down fire from heaven?" the disciples asked Jesus, after a town rejected them. Jesus turned and rebuked them. (Luke 9:54-55)

"Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?" (Ezekiel 18:23, 33:11)

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:17)


Thank God that He not only loves us Filipinos, He also gave Jesus as the atonement for our sins and He gave us the Holy Spirit for the power to live sin-free and fully!

BUT we have to admit the issues and areas that we do not obey God. 

His main commandments are to love Him and love each other (Matthew 22:36-40). For the details, we have guides like the Ten Commandments which starts off with:

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

“You shall have no other gods before me.

"You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."

(Deuteronomy 5:6-10)

Sorry ***** but the Catholic Church ignores these commands and even promotes idol making / bowing down / worshipping not just God but angels and people who are NOT God. The people we call saints --- Peter, Paul, John --- they were told and they tell people to not worship them. Some Catholics tell me they just "revere" and "venerate" Mary. But look at the Rosary --- for every one time we say "Glory to God", we "Hail Mary" ten times. So who is really glorified?

I sometimes write about that in my blog, like in here. (For more, you can just search "Catholic" or click the label "religions".)

Truly, God loves you, me, homosexuals, prostitutes, adulterers, Catholics... And God disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6) so that we would grow more in Him (2 Peter 3:18). We have to admit where we are NOT right with Him, ask and receive His help to change us, and glorify Him and enjoy Him more fully as we now walk in *closer* fellowship with Him.


Last comment: Looks like that blogger is just out to mock Christians. (See his other posts.) But this is still a good way to start meaningful discussions :) 


================================= 


Postscript 1. As for homosexuality, here's a recent post.
 
Postscript 2. On the Filipino spirit:
 

http://instagram.com/p/ge9qPpS-VW/ 

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas. All glory to God.

I can't change ---> The point exactly

I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
   --- "Same Love" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, ft. Mary Lambert
(More lyrics from the song appear in purple italics below)


So goes the chorus from a beautifully haunting song, which is also a strongly-worded crusade on one of today's most controversial issues: homosexuality.

This seems like the next revolution, after the abolition of slavery, women's liberation, and the civil rights movement for African Americans. But in today's issue, the bad guys are (again?) the Christians: 


It's the same hate that's caused wars from religion
Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment
The same fight that led people to walk-outs and sit-ins
It's human rights for everybody, there is no difference!
Live on and be yourself
When I was at church they taught me something else 


I love your Christ,
but I dislike your Christianity.
   - Mahatma Gandhi


How many people have been rejected, oppressed, even killed in the name of Jesus? It is so grievous to see the hate in action perpetrated by the followers of "God is Love". (Here's a healthy reminder.) These days, it's Christians vs. Homosexuals.


When everyone else is more comfortable remaining voiceless
Rather than fighting for humans that have had their rights stolen
I might not be the same, but that's not important
No freedom till we're equal, damn right I support it


Damn right I support that too: freedom and human rights for everyone.

I've often thought of what I would have done in William Wilberforce's time, when he fought for the freedom of slaves because of his faith in Jesus Christ. I could have easily ignored Wilberforce, saw a culture built on slaves as a blessing, and even cite the Bible ("submit to your masters") as a stand for slavery. Of course, centuries later, we thank Wilberforce, King, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and other freedom fighters who did what they did because Jesus did what He did. 


Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
   --- Martin Luther King, Jr.


The right wing conservatives think it's a decision
And you can be cured with some treatment and religion
Man-made rewiring of a predisposition
Playing God, aw nah here we go
America the brave still fears what we don't know
And God loves all his children, is somehow forgotten
But we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago 


One says homosexuality is a choice; another says it's hard-wired. One says it's immoral; another says it's no big deal. How can we reach a resolution when our starting definitions are already conflicting?

We can start with mutual respect, and a willingness to listen to the other side of the issue. (As a firm believer of "One Truth" and the goodness of every person, I believe we can reach a resolution.)

Like the song says, yes, the Same Love is available to all of us (God loves all His children). But it's the Same Truth that convicts us all (we are all sinners who deserve hell) and it's the Same Power that can save us (to bring us back towards Him).

When it comes to marriage, the full realization of Jesus as the Heavenly Bridegroom and His Church as His Bride would only make sense with the union of a man and a woman. The anatomy and psychology of the human male and female would attest to this. Jesus is always the Initiator and the Giver; the Church is always the Responder and the Recipient. 

So, now what? 

As a Christian, I need to regularly check if I am practicing what I am preaching: If God is really Love, does it show in my life? Does it show in my relationships to everyone: Christians and non-Christians, homosexuals and heterosexuals and bisexuals?

As a Christian, I will also uphold the original Biblical definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

BUT... Also because I am a Christian, I will:
   - value the dignity of every person;
   - uphold everyone's rights; and
   - respect other points of view.


I disapprove of what you say,
but I will defend to the death your right to say it. 
   - Evelyn Beatrice Hall


And a certificate on paper isn't gonna solve it all
But it's a damn good place to start
No law is gonna change us
We have to change us
Whatever God you believe in
We come from the same one
Strip away the fear
Underneath it's all the same love


"I can't change." 
That's the point exactly. 
It is God who can change us.
If we wanted to. 

=========================================

Full disclosure: 
I am a sinner. I sin in desiring people I am not married to. This is lust and adultery, even if it's "only" in my thoughts, even if it's heterosexual. Sin is sin. God already loved me in my sins, but He also loved me enough to rescue me from them.

Even though homosexuality was not really an issue for me, I know of people who have acknowledged this issue before God, and have been truly and completely changed. They now honor their Creator as they live according to the gender He ordained for them.

The Fundies of Love

Yes, this is funny :)

http://themetapicture.com/heres-an-idea-2/

Christians (currently aka Fundies or Fundamentals) have been known to hate, hurt and even kill in the name of God. If we are strict about God's commands (including those on idolatry and homosexuality) --- we should remember that these boil down to (1) loving God and (2) loving your neighbor.
 
If we speak the truth about what pleases God and what disgusts Him... do we speak it in love for the hearers' sake? Or do we speak it in love for ourselves, in disgust of "others", and overall self-righteousness?

If we talk about God's judgment at the end of days, do we also talk about the Son that sets us free?

If we bombard people with accounts of hell, do we also give them glimpses of heaven?


There is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1) Sometimes, we share the "Good News" by focusing on the "Bad News" --- that one is a wretched sinner. Guess what: the sinner probably already knows the problem. Why not focus on the solution: talk more about God Himself?


Love does not mean tolerating or condoning the evil actions of the beloved. But true love goes the extra mile to help the loved one. Jesus left heaven to restore us. If we are already saved, what have we been doing?

The God of my future

"My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me."


My friend says, "The concept of a future husband is not biblical." I disagree. My whole life is oriented toward the plans that God has for me --- plans, to the best that I understand them. (Indeed, I should be anchored on God, not on the plans! But the point is I trust God, in what He has revealed, and in how I respond.) Thankfully I've never stopped being friends with the person who said that. God speaks (and we move) in different ways.

I don't know if God tells every person who to marry, what job to take, what country to live in... I can only speak for myself. He revealed many things many times, in that still small voice. And those revelations have only drawn me closer to Him.

I can also say that:
- it's not my will (I've gone through issues that I'd rather not have);
- nor self-delusion (well, let circumstances back my words up),
- nor my own knowledge (I usually see the wisdom of the Leader after I obeyed).
(Not that I'm required to justify how I live my life to other people --- it's not their business.)

Indeed, what is biblical? ==> The fact that God is acting on our behalf, and making it known to us! Is not the Bible a compilation of revelations about the past, present and future?

This blog is called "Teci's Testimony". Here I'm supposed to tell of how great, how good, and how amazing God is. Indeed He is great, He is good, He is amazing --- in my past, in my present, and in my future.

Some people advise not to speak about the "revelation" (in whatever area that is) until it already happened. But by then, what's the point? Isn't that silence a show of unbelief? ("I'll say it only when I'm sure, and I'll be sure only when it happens, *if* it happens...") And how would that convince others that "I am God, who speaks before it comes to pass, that you may know that I am He"?


There is a God, the God of Heaven and Earth,
I know because He made Himself known to me.
He redeemed my past
He is lighting my present
He knows my future
(and sometimes lets me in on it)

True, I don't have to say *everything*. For example, in matters of the heart, men are called to initiate and women are called to respond. Suffice it to say that God speaks to us for our welfare, and God speaks through us for the welfare of others.

In the future, I'll be able to say more
about what the God of my future has always known.
:)

Fighting a battle that isn't really ours

People have different beliefs. How far will we go to defend them? When do we submit to authority, and when do we continue fighting?

Here are two perspectives from the article: Transsexual coed tells UP prof: I am not a ‘he’. (Thanks to Cyril Sadia and Michiko Alcanzare for the heads up. :) )

"She also told me that she cannot separate being a Christian from who she was as a teacher. She then continued that she believed that homosexuality was a sin, and it was due to this reason that she cannot allow herself to address and accept me as female...
"My pronouns are MY pronouns. I don't care who your God is, but I will not let you take my gender identity away from me."
- Hender Gercio, transsexual student, "Stop Transphobia/Homophobia in UP Diliman!"

"While it is true that Ma’am Nikki [Del Corro] is the authority figure in the classroom, she has never used her authority to influence the class or Hender herself. Her own address of Hender as il did not stop the rest of the class from referring to Hender as elle and, again, neither did she try to...
"Language and speech have immense power. For Hender, not being addressed as elle is the denial of her identity, her sense of self, the sacredness of her belief, whereas for Ma’am Nikki [Del Corro] words that she chooses, the words that come out of her mouth, this same address of Hender as elle, is a violation of her own sense of self as an evangelical Christian, which puts above all else the authority of the bible.
"If we don’t understand either of these beliefs, if we think one or the other is ultimately wrong, we attempt to inform each other. Failing conversion on either side, we agree to disagree."
- Gercio's classmates, “On Mutual Respect"

The other main character in this issue, professor Dominique del Corro, chooses to remain silent for now as Gercio is still her student this semester. I think she shows much wisdom in tackling a very controversial issue: balancing her personal beliefs, academic authority, and respect for her fellowmen. Even her silence right now shows considerable tact. May we all do the same.

I can relate to this issue on so many levels: as a former UP Diliman teacher, as an undergraduate in the same campus, and yes, as someone who was previously confused but now relies on the Bible's teaching regarding gender and sexuality.

As Christians, we hold on to Jesus as the Only Way, Truth and Life. How does that apply to homosexuality? What about all other issues? How do we point out "sin" while obeying the command to "Love one another"?

"Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not." - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

Such issues need to be addressed. Either we are for God or against Him. The good news is, following God does not mean fighting everyone else. We Christians are fighting for our fellowman, by fighting beliefs that run contrary to God's revealed Word. Even better news:

"But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." - Jesus, John 14:26

It's not our battle, not our war. The enemy is not the people we are sharing to, either.

Christians, we have a King --- let's use His weapons: the sword of the Spirit (the word of God, the gospel of Peace), the breastplate of Faith and Love, the helmet of Hope of Salvation. (1 Thessalonians 5:8, Ephesians 6:10-17)

Besides, the outcome of the war is already known. The only question is, "Whose side are we on?"

Christians and male prostitutes

THE MEN OF BOYSTOWN
A glimpse into the world of male prostitution.

by Jeremy Schneider
posted 11/30/2007 08:17AM
Christianity Today

what about women's rights?

ah, yes. women's rights. (it's always about the women for this here woman...)

please do read this :)

http://littlesorrel.blogspot.com/2007/03/womens-rights.html

Man, the Leader 3: To Be a Man

before giving the book "For Men Only" to my dad, i just had to read it first. not all of it, just about "The Man and His Marriage" (but of course!!!). so here goes =)

from the book: "For Men Only"*
the section: "The Man and His Marriage"
the article: "Man, The Leader"
by David W. Augsburger (radio speaker, 'The Mennonite Hour')


To be a man
Is to possess the strength to love another,
Not the need to dominate over others.

To be a man
Is to experience the courage to accept another,
Not the compulsion to be an aggressor.

To be a man
Is to keep faith with human values in relationships,
Not to value oneself by position or possessions.

To be a man
Is to be free to give love

And to be free to accept love in return.


* “For Men Only: The Dynamics of Being a Man and Succeeding at It,” edited by J. Allan Peterson, Living Books, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Illinois. 1973.
Article originally from “Cherishable: Love and Marriage,” Herald Press, Scottdale, Pa., 1971.

Man, the Leader 1: What is Leadership?

before giving the book "For Men Only" to my dad, i just had to read it first. not all of it, just about "The Man and His Marriage" (but of course!!!). so here goes =)



from the book: "For Men Only"*
the section: "The Man and His Marriage"
the article: "Man, The Leader"
by David W. Augsburger (radio speaker, 'The Mennonite Hour')

• If leadership is "helping and serving so that both move forward," then it is an action done by either person in a way that liberates both. It may go unnoticed. It happens best when unrecognized. It is accepted most easily when it is unselfconscious, selfless, self-giving, when it is exercised in the Christ-way of giving help.

• Helping another is best defined as giving another the freedom to change, and change voluntarily. This is a creative exercise in leadership. In contrast, authoritarian doctrine prohibits free choice, and inhibits free interchange and the freedom to change.

• Leadership shared in mutual respect can establish a climate of dignity, freedom, and responsibility, creating an atmosphere which is both comforting and stimulating to both --- a Christian atmosphere. In it, each is free to grow toward personal maturity and each is eager to see the shape of Christ forming in the other. [teci: can’t remember if this is a personal note or the author’s, but this brings to mind Galatians 4:19 --- “My little children, again I feel the pain of childbirth for you until you truly become like Christ.”]

But where one seizes power, or both struggle for control, an atmosphere of competition and conflict chokes communication and understanding. Even the unconscious assuming of power by one partner or the other will mold the relationship, perhaps in ways neither desire.

• Leadership is a function which should always be shared.

Authority in one area or another is a responsibility which is mutually designated to one or the other through honest negotiation. It can be renegotiated at any time.

• Life together is life shared. Shared love, shared work, shared opportunities, shared leadership, even shared initiative. Man, the nominal head, may function officially for both in public matters of leadership. Woman, recognized as equal in leadership, leads with, and not against him. Together, they choose to grow.

* “For Men Only: The Dynamics of Being a Man and Succeeding at It,” edited by J. Allan Peterson, Living Books, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Illinois. 1973.
Article originally from “Cherishable: Love and Marriage,” Herald Press, Scottdale, Pa., 1971.

the last stronghold

it's going down.

grabe, how deceitful the enemy's lies can get. what exactly, may i ask, is wrong with speaking the truth? with admitting i am wrong and someone else is right? with admitting i am weak and someone else is strong? with admitting i need help and someone else can help me?

is there freedom in submission? perhaps that's another topic for another day...but there truly is freedom in facing the truth =) freedom from the seemingly endless cycle of ups and downs, of births and deaths --- freedom leading not to nothingness but to fullness of life.

here's a secret =) i really hate --- hated --- seeing "macho" male characters saving damsels in distress. by extension, i hate --- hated --- asking guys for help. (sure, you might say Jesus was a guy. but it took me twenty-odd years to submit to GOD, for crying out loud! how much longer for those y-chromosomed beings He created?)

externally, i was worried that guys might develop this superhero complex, this "Savior" mentality. i was worried that they might "worship" themseleves in the process. well, it might or might not happen to them. but, i now realize that all along i definitely was "worshipping" myself, that it was i who gave myself more than my due.

again, all these lordship/submission issues might sound odd coming from a Christian who asks God for everything from dorm room lights to jeepney rides. but that was a struggle on a different level. on a way different level than dealing with my, er, fellow humans.

i'm reminded of this story/observation about Adolf Hitler. here he was, proclaiming the superiority of the blond-and-blue-eyed Aryan race when he himself looked like the Jews he was exterminating. (at the very least, Hitler was far from being blond and blue-eyed!) naturally i hated his hypocrisy. but now that i realized my hypocrisy as well, i am doubly the hypocrite for looking down on him.

so to all the guys of this world: sorry for being such a hater. so help me God, i shall remember that i, as a feminist, was a sexist too. so help me God, i will respect the authority of my superiors, female or male. but guys, i will not follow you blokes blindly: however with my contributions i also offer my cooperation.

i really love God's timing in the (seemingly) small moments...to be specific, He uses me to "teach" others something i have to learn myself. because just this morning, as i was overcomplicating this quite "simple" issue, my friend asked me about --- of all verses! --- this one:

"the last shall be the first,

the first shall be the last."

(see Mark 9:35)

ha! =) i immediately felt God talking directly to me =)

as i was texting my friend, sigh, i was telling myself the same things: servant leadership. if Jesus Himself suffered, and accepted His fate, how much more must those who follow Him do as He did? and, i have to admit, i remembered that an opportunity to be humble now leads to an opportunity to be exalted later. (ok, so this last statement can be viewed as (a) selfish and grandstanding, a "fake good deed", or, ideally, as (b) a reassurance that doing what's best and right really is worth it. =) )

when i had Jesus Christ in my life, i can't understand why others won't do the same. why, oh why, can't they admit they can't do everything right, why can't they admit they're not always strong, why can't they admit they need help and just ask for it? how easy it was to forget my own long detours away from God! but, whether or not i was forgetful, i have to understand that they just probably don't know what they're missing. or, perhaps, they have forgotten the goodness of dwelling in God's presence in the midst of all the poor substitutes out there.

admit, admit, admit...i admit i have forgotten, and remember only now, how hard it is to admit my wrongs, weaknesses and needs. should it really make a difference if i admit it to God or to my fellowmen? to a guy?!?!!?! of course not; humility is humility.

and pride, my last stronghold, is going down. let it be so.

=)

on submission

(Here i go again. It’s really a significant issue for me, because i am/was a feminist…)

Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
For to this reason you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
“Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth (Isaiah 53:9)”;
who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness --- by whose stripes you were healed.
-- 1 Peter 2:18-24 =)

(written December 7, 2005)

gender inequality

One of my struggles in the faith until…a few minutes ago? =) (Ah, God, thank You for taking the extra time and effort to tutor me in this! =) )

Wives, likewise, be submissive to your husbands…
…For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands,
as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.
Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel…(1 Peter 3:1, 5-7)

Peter, how can you say such things?! To think you’re my favorite among the twelve!... :( (hmp.)
i used to take sayings like the one above as, to be honest, sexist, bigoted, unfair. i sensed the danger in the possibility that men might twist Scripture --- or to be honest again, i sensed the danger in men explicitly using this Scripture as it is, no need to twist it, it’s all there: Women, be submissive, you are weak. The same way i would feel if --- when --- other nations dismiss the Filipinos as (insert negative trait here). But then again, since Filipinos are at times looked down upon, and Filipino women are at times looked down upon by Filipino men, then a Filipina like me would be…at the bottom?!
Sigh.
Why?
Why, of all places, in Scripture?
:(
…
…
…
Because.
I felt God gently telling me something.
Because it’s true, LORD? Are You saying men aren’t weak?! But they ARE!!! Look at Peter: he became my favorite because of his many fumbles --- fumbles which he eventually overcame with God’s grace…Look at Saul before he became Paul! Look at…aaarrrrggg!!!!

(You might think i'm such a hypocrite, calling God my ‘Lord’ and yet whining like a brat. I’m not even submissive to the Creator of the universe! =) But He knows my heart; He sees my anxious thoughts (Psalm 139:23). =) So please just bear with my whining till i figure this out. =)
If you have questions, doubts, fears, VIOLENT reactions, He’d rather you bring them to Him than to turn away completely. He’d rather you honestly confront Him, for it is His pleasure to reveal His truths to you. Just keep seeking. =)
This has been my struggle, often just at the back of my thoughts but i still consider it important --- i believe in fairness and justice and goodness, and i put my trust in God who is ultimately fair and just and good. And after almost two years, things are becoming clear. Thanks God! So you, i, let’s all just keep seeking. =)
There’s an entire lifetime --- and an eternity --- to realize and understand our unfathomable God. =) )

Back to my (former) struggle.

Because, God had said.
Will I let it be written if it’s not true?

But, GOD. How unfair is that! Some people are “better” than others?!
=(
*glimpse*
*glimpse*
*glimpse*
Women followers of Jesus being the first to realize that His tomb was empty; Mary Magdalene being the first to talk to the risen Lord.
Women, women SINNERS, welcoming Jesus wholeheartedly wherever He went, while self-righteous proud men refuse to acknowledge their need for a Savior.
One dear pastor telling us, don’t be offended, but usually male drivers refuse to ask directions and would drive around lost for hours. (Maybe this is active imagination on my part and not memory anymore, but you get the point. I do know guys who do this.)
Another dear pastor saying that it’s usually easier for women to get saved because it’s easier for women to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord. It’s harder to get into the core of a man, past his inner defenses and barriers, and the walls he erects to be ‘strong’.
=)
Okay, okay. OKAY. You’re really one of a kind, Lord. You don’t drown us with all the details of life’s truths in one sitting. So we’d have fun digging treasure after treasure, eh?
Shall we go back to Peter? (You’re not off the hook yet, favorite!) i like Peter so much because i can relate to his personality. Very extreme. Easy for him to believe, easy for him to falter, to deny. Er, of course we don’t want to ever deny Jesus, nor do we ever eant to be put into situations where the littleness of our faith is rebuked for everyone to see…BUT I am impulsive, over-the-top, all-out-give-it-your-best-shot. And so was Simon, who Jesus knew had the potential to be a Rock (Peter, Petra, Cephas). (Me too, Lord, i want to be a Rock too…now! now! =) )
i read somewhere that Peter may be at times on the wrong side of the fence (who else can rebuke Jesus? hehehe! i don’t recall satan ever doing that!), but Peter can never be accused of sitting on the fence (lukewarm, not even bothering).
Now to my gender.
Are we women like that? Um, yes…YES! Easily swayed to go to the wrong side of the fence. Let us not forget that satan tempted Eve, not Adam. ( =( )
But God has given me hope --- hasn’t He always? =) --- because this trait in women is also what makes it easier for us to be swayed back to the RIGHT side of the fence. =)
Finally, a balance. =)
A dear guy friend mentioned what he realized: that Adam knew that what Eve was doing was wrong, yet he did nothing to stop her, and even joined her in doing wrong.

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6)

As a young woman growing up, i firmly held that men and women are created equal. As a slightly-less-younger woman growing up in the LORD, i simply hold on to God. He who created man and woman and saw that it was good. He who created man and woman sublimely different from each other --- in body, in psyche.
THIS was what i've been looking for all along. Not equality per se, but balance. Where one person is weak, the other can be strong. You can choose to highlight the weaknesses in yourself and in other people, and stop there, or you can eliminate the weaknesses by tapping on all your strengths.
For myself, God has already come through for this struggle because He has shown me that He did NOT create man and woman to be equal ---but He did what He did so they would complement each other, and NOT because one gender is better than the other.
To man, who is not easily swayed by temptation, God gave the authority to lead:

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…in this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself…Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. (Ephesians 5:22-24, 25, 28, 33)

To woman, who is easily drawn to God’s still small voice, God gave the opportunity to serve with all humility:

Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the Word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives,
when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.
Do not let your adornment be merely outward --- arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel ---
rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. (1 Peter 3:1-4)

Ah, there’s Peter talking again. Now the entire context of what he was saying (finally!) dawned on me. (Note to self: read the entire passage to help understand the entire passage! hehehe…)

But in generalizing the character and traits of men vs. women, am i not being a sexist myself?
i do not want to be TOO specific and generalize and discriminate and so on. But there ARE differences, there ARE weaknesses, men DO tend to have more of some characteristics than women and vice versa. i am only mentioning these general traits with regard to my own stuggle of faith about the genders.
Besides, it was Peter who was saying most of the Scriptures i'm quoting: formerly named Simon, he who was easily drawn to great acts of faith as well as huge blunders in his own relationship with Christ.
In his epistles and preaching later on in his life, he was obviously transformed --- not necessarily because he was male, no necessarily despite his being male. Ultimately it is not your gender but your personal encounter with Jesus Christ that changes you, renews you, restores you to who God originally designed you to be before sin took its toll.
And for all this, i am thankful.
Thankful to a faithful God, who never ceases to reveal His truths to me.
Thankful to a loving God who planned my gender, my circumstances, and my personality for Him to love a unique me --- as He has certainly done for all of us.
Thankful to a wise God who once again demonstrates that there are deep, sublime purposes beyond His actions (and sometimes, purposes beyond His seeming lack of action).
Thankful to a good God because, whether i understand His ways or not, i can trust that they are always for my behalf.
Lastly, thankful to a creative God, who even now gives me the opportunity to share what i have learned even while in the process of learning it. Thank You for the creative insights, the creative revelations, the creative ways of saying what i want and need to say, and for the creative use of blogging and the Net. (Yeah.)
Added with my day job as teacher and my being a student and a researcher, writing all this has taken me an entire day. But that’s nothing compred with the wealth of truth i've suddenly uncovered. Whee. =)
Thank You for that, dear God, and i hope that you, dear reader, would also be blessed with this writing. =)

Another question answered, as i take another step closer to God, in walking with God.
Next question please.
=)

POSTSCRIPT: What about God as a “He”? “Father” and “Son”? My friend told me this is just a consequence of translating into English, which has gender-specific terms. i'll like the original text daw. Hmm, i haven’t checked that yet. But i've heard from other sources that God IS sexless, that He (here i go again with “He”!) transcends gender. Makes sense. As always, God, You be the One to make it clear for me. Yeah. =)

(written December 6, 2005)

MATURITY

(written August 29, 2005)


Since grade school until before graduating from college, I think I was pretty much the same inside. I used to think it was because I was so psychologically mature at an early age.

Wenk!

Nope, nuh-uh.

In the relatively short time that I’ve encountered, known, and welcomed Jesus as the center of my soul, SOBRANG tindi at bilis ng maturity rate ko. (Definitely an external cause --- if I can change myself I would have done so long ago, right?) Sabi nga ni Cherry (my former cell leader), ang bilis ng growth ko.

This is not to boast. No part of me is boasting right now. I’m just so AMAZED at what God has done inside me and through me.

The scales have, season by season, been falling away from my eyes.

And, yeah, it’s humbling (ang dami ko palang imperfections, failures, and sins!). Yet, I wouldn’t want it any other way! I wouldn’t want any other me! (Of course I want to be more like Christ with each passing moment, but God has shaped me in a unique set of circumstances that I am pleased to call my life.)

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
(Ephesians 3:1-4)

“I do not mean that I am already as God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal, but I continue trying to reach it and to make it mine. Christ wants me to do that, which is the reason he made me his. Brothers and sisters, I know that I have not yet reached that goal, but there is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above.
“All of us who are spiritually mature should think this way, too. And if there are things you do not agree with, God will make them clear to you. But we should continue following the truth we already have.
“Brothers and sisters, all of you should try to follow my example and to copy those who live the way we showed you. Many people live like enemies of the cross of Christ. I have often told you about them, and it makes me cry to tell you about them now. In the end, they will be destroyed. They do whatever their bodies want, they are proud of their shameful acts, and they think only about earthly things. But our homeland is in heaven, and we are waiting for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. By his power to rule all things, he will change our simple bodies and make them like his own glorious body.
“My dear brothers and sisters, I love you and want to see you. You bring me joy and make me proud of you, so stand strong in the Lord as I have told you.”
(Philippians 3:12-21, 4:1)


“Remind the believers to yield to the authority of rulers and government leaders, to obey them, to be ready to do good, to speak no evil about anyone, to live in peace, and to be gentle and polite to all people.
“In the past we also were foolish. We did not obey, we were wrong, and we were slaves to many things our bodies wanted and enjoyed. We spent our lives doing evil and being jealous. People hated us, and we hated each other. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior was shown, he saved us because of his mercy. It was not because of good deeds we did to be right with him. He saved us through the washing that made us new people through the Holy Spirit. God poured out richly upon us that Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ our Savior. Being right with God by his grace, we could have the hope of receiving the life that never ends.”
(Titus 3:1-7)


“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
“If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
“This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.
“Command and teach these things. Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
“Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
(1 Timothy 4)

“The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not [obvious] cannot be hidden [for long!].”
(1 Timothy 5:24-25)


Now to a subtle shift of the topic… :)

“I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.”
(1 Timothy 2:9-10)

“A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved [or restored] through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.”
(1 Timothy 2:11-15)

Hmmm! Lord, ito na ang next focus of my maturity! (In other words, next subject/theme to grow up in…)

I have to admit that this is a struggle. I have many questions regarding womanhood and *cough, cough* submission. Well, as I read of other people in the Bible, it becomes clear that God would rather have me bring those questions to Him. Confront Him if need be, as opposed to turning away completely.

In the meantime, let me not blaspheme, or present my own views, in an area where I am still in the process of understanding God’s will.

Go go go maturity! :)