Value of freedom

The world at the moment is seeking freedom. The cry for freedom is loudly spoken in this world. But to what result would the consequences be?

The demand for freedom, total autonomy of oneself would result in, ironically, an isolation of oneself. If one truly seeks after freedom and found it, he will find himself to be very lonely. This is the sickness of modern man. Modern man seeks everything to be judged by his mind, by his authority, by his standard, by his will. If all be granted, he will enjoy all his wishes to the expense of being alone.

Seldom people understand this. Many finds life is too complicated, so many rules, laws that prohibit himself/herself to express his own way of life. One would seeks freedom apart from his/her parents guidance/cage. 

The test of maturity is the test of freedom. To be matured involves making many important decisions by your own freedom. If the dependency is no longer needed and independency what we sought after, freedom would be very cruel beast that tore apart the master.

God in his will is free. But his freedom is limited in relating towards one another. God the Father loves God the Son freely, but not without an relation. He who frees the most is who loves the most. Love is a bind in an healthy relationship, in which freedom born in the commitment. 

Seek to love God and you'll be truly free. Seek freedom and you'll find isolation. 

Seek further to be free from relating to others, the more others will be hell to you. (quote Sartre: Hell is other people). But the more real of hell would be when your existence truly alone with yourself and there is no other voice, no communication, no word, no other life, just silence....

That's the value of freedom.

Thanks be to God for the fellowship with the Son through the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

F1 driver and Chess player

What is the similarity and differences between an F1 driver and a chess player?

Both need to have their minds faster than their action. Their thinking have to be ahead of them. For an F1 driver is more towards an existential momentarily response of quickness. But to a chess player, his/her mind should be more developed a few steps ahead of his board condition. 

a chess player can always adopt and then abandon a strategy to move ahead to achieve his goal, whereas an F1 driver has only one way to reach his goal, that is to be the fastest.

One can easily identified the christian's life as an F1 driver, Paul illustrate this with an athlete who run to get a crown. A runner's lost of concentration may cost him the glory (symbolized by crown or medal in modern olympic). But an F1 driver's lost of concentration may cost him his life.

What about a chess player? the battle of the mind poured in the actions of little figurines on board. How does a christian life viewed from the game of the board?

My interpretation is this: man is not the chess player; God is. we are the little figurines on board.

The battle is not against the other figurines (or flesh and blood) but against another chess player, against the powers, the world forces of this darkness, the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  - It's truly amazing of Paul's insight on the spiritual war.

What is the duty of the figurines? We are to be fully submitted to our master. The goal is to have the victory, to have all the knees bow down and every tounge confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. In such a purpose, what if God as the chess player ordered us to fight in the frontline and as part of His strategy decided to sacrifice us? Of course, we are granted a freedom. But if our freedom is not submitted to God, then, who is our real master? There's no problem between a chess player and his unliving soldiers on top of a board. He has the full control. 

But it's totally a different situation in a real life world. God has the full control; no doubt about it. But without our obedience, He can easily removed us and raise another soldier to accomplish His mission. 

Oh, Christian soldier, let's live up to our God. Live up to Him who not only created us, but also died for us and have lived for us that we no longer lived for us but truly for Him only. Be faithful until death.

Greedy fellow....

I was inspired to do some digging after watching the CEO paychecks on TV. It reminds me of the objection Peter Drucker's had ever since in the 80's of the pay CEO should receive in comparison towards an average worker. The ratio is staggering, as you can see in the chart below. The number had shoot up from 70s to 275 in 20 years. Drucker's acceptable proportion was only lies within the twenties. 

Our economic system is corrupted, the market is corrupted, and we are corrupted people. God have mercy on us. 

http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/sep2008/ca20080912_186533.htm

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26963309/

What is the role of sin in education?

The fairest child, who has entered life this year and become the sunbeam of a family, is not, as his mother perhaps fondly calls him, a little "angel" or a little "innocent," but a little "sinner." Alas! As that infant boy or girl lies smiling and crowing in its cradle, that little creature carries in its heart the seeds of every kind of wickedness! Only watch it carefully, as it grows in stature and its mind develops, and you will soon detect in it an incessant tendency to that which is bad, and a backwardness to that which is good. You will see in it the buds and germs of deceit, evil temper, selfishness, self–will, obstinacy, greediness, envy, jealousy, passion, which, if indulged and let alone, will shoot up with painful rapidity. Who taught the child these things? Where did he learn them? The Bible alone can answer these questions! Of all the foolish things that parents say about their children there is none worse than the common saying: "My son has a good heart at the bottom. He is not what he ought to be, but he has fallen into bad hands. Public schools are bad places. The tutors neglect the boys. Yet he has a good heart at the bottom." The truth, unhappily, is diametrically the other way. The first cause of all sin lies in the natural corruption of the boy’s own heart, and not in public schools.

Taken from the book of 'Holiness', chapter 'Sin'.

Does 'sin' ever being considered in the learning culture of educational institution? or education is simply 'bringing out the best' of one's potential? Our present learning instution lives in a denial of the story of the Fall. When sin is not considered, teachers always tend to be puzzled as why the reality of teaching is so much different from the ideal he/she had. Even worse than that, the danger lurking in a not preconceived defect will always in the end violate what is being taught academically. To simply develop one's mental capacity without considering one's sinful nature is an inadequate education. This error has led to the fall of modern rationalism. However, how has the education world changed in its pedagogical methodology? Not very much, sadly. Rather, it may have become one of the modernisation monster that robs one's significants individuality in trade of a profit minded end. Such is the sad fact of our time. Will there be changes? Only when sin is considered. Only when confession is made. Only when it is rightly dealt in life.

Cathedral of Messiah

The new church of GRII -pusat was dedicated to the Lord on 20th September 2008.  It was named Cathedral of Messiah.

see link for the image:

http://www.daylife.com/photo/02oGbvB2eH0zc

I was struck by the sharing of Rev. Stephen Tong when he said, earlier in the morning he asked the Lord, whether He is willing to use this building for His work. It was almost unimagineable for me to think that after all these hardworks, time, money, efforts poured in by Rev. Tong himself and all the church members in order to build this church and in the end the church would not be pleasing to God. 

His sharing correcting my understanding of a ministry or service before the Lord. It is not us to decide whether what we do is good or bad. God always have the final judgment. We are meant to give our very best to the Lord. But our very best may not be good enough for Him. This would have a propelling effect in our doing before God. If we think we've done our best and cannot do any better, we will be stuck in that stage and difficult to have a good progress later on. But if we continually strive our best to the very last of our breath, we know we could only done so little in a vast and might work of God.

I remembered, the sharing from the life of Joshua. Towards the end of his life, he was not told to remember the past glory of his achievements but rather to look at the great promised land which are yet to be conquered by the Israelites. In Jakarta there are 1.2 million Christians. To have a church with a capacity of 6500 is truly considerably small. Thanks to God for the sharing of Rev. Tong that helps to put things in perspective.

The Alpha

This blog is started with fear and trembling, aware of the writer's inadequacy, yet compelled to minister in the capacity and talent given, not to boast of this self but rather to be a blessing to those who may read the writings in this blog. Three categories of life comes into the blogger's understanding of life: 

1. The Natural aspect 
   
2. The Cultural aspect 
3. The Theological aspect 

None of this aspect stand on its own, each is distinct and yet influencing the others. Hence, the blogger seeks to explore further and contribute for a richer development, not merely intellectual but of life in its fullness whose origin and fulfillment came from God who implanted the seed in man's heart. 

Blessed be to God, The Creator, Redemeer and Fulfiller of life.

Audy Santoso