2008 - Indonesian Evangelical Church, USA

Transcription

25
2
5tthh Anniversary
ry Edition
Editio
d
Editors Note
T
wenty-five years old is an age that most would deem as the time
when one officially reaches “adulthood”. But are we truly “adult” in our
thinking and our faith? Or is it just a number signaling how old the walls
of this church are? The Church is an institution initiated by God Himself
to fulfill our needs as Christian people for fellowship and companionship
through our time on earth. With full realization of this, the special anniversary issue themed “God, The World, and I” is created with a goal to
educate Christians on cultivating Godly relationships with not only other
Christians (fellow congregation members), but also our non-Christian
friends, our family, and our future spouses. Humans are social creatures
and we are relational beings. Like us, our faith is not a solo pursuit. Perhaps
this may be the most important reason why God ordained the Church to
be built, to be the closest physical resemblance to Heaven and to act as a
source of strength and hope until His Second Coming.
In this issue, we introduce a new permanent section called “Christians
around the World” to encourage awareness of God’s hands in every nation worldwide. Our first article will feature China’s growing Christian
ministry. We also have other new interesting articles shedding light on
current popular youth culture Youtube featured under our Youth Section
called “What’s More Interesting than Youtube” to help us older folks catch
up with today’s technological age! These new articles encourage awareness of what is going on in our world today and how we must be aware
of them to deal with them in a manner pleasing our Lord. We also feature
many new articles such as: “Relating Women with Men” and a “Diagnosis
on Gossip” that may spark new thought and discussion.
With the coming of age, we of Agape would like to do all we can to equip
you and publish writings that will encourage, educate, and equip us for
Godly-living. We encourage involvement of the congregation through
comments and contributions. For questions or comments, feel free to
contact us through the information below.
We wish you a Happy Birthday Azusa, and may God bless you!
Agape team
Email: AgapeGII@yahoogroups.com
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Agape » Anniversary 2008
AGAPE
Silver Anniversary 2008
Advisors:
Daniel Loe
Ev. Wilson Suwanto
Editors:
Janice Atmadja
Merissa Halim
Linda Lukminto
Debbie Wang
Linda Yusuf
Layout:
Harold Doryumu
Eva Leony
Irma Prasetyo
Alvin Sugianto
Vincent Yobeanto
Buddy Yusuf
Contributors:
Yesaya Adidjaja
Bina Kusnohadi
Rev. Saumiman Saud
Ev. Dedy Sutendi
Ev. Wilson Suwanto
Maggie Tewuh
Printing:
Semiwati Oei
Production of IEC Azusa:
539 N. Sunset Ave.
Azusa, CA 91702
Phone: (626) 812-0326
http://www.gii-usa.org
6
Reverends’ Thank-You
Reve
Th k Y
11
D Untuk
Doa
U t k Gerejaku
G
12
God, the
th
he World, and I
27
Con
Congratulation
g
Reverend Wilson Suwanto
28
Sp
Spiritual
pi
Disciplines as the Journey...
34
What is Sin?
W
Wh
36
SStop Dating the Church
St
38
Personal Relationship with the Church...
P
Pe
44
A Diagnosis of Gossip
46
Relating Women With Men
R
Re
50
Graduates 2008
G
Gr
52
Love
I Lo
o Jesus But I Don’t Read the Bible
56
Help
Helping
pin Our Children to Build a Personal...
61
Recipe: Cajun
C
Chicken Pasta & Creme Brulee
62
3
C
California
lif i 4 Sale
S
70
Christians in China
Chris
74
Christians’ Attitude Toward Non-Christians
Chris
78
William Carey, Father of Modern Missions
Willia
86
Now and Then (The Interview)
88
What’s More Interesting on The Internet Than Youtube&Facebook
What
08
8
and Fun Facts about IEC Loss Angeles
1983
- This is when the Indonesian Evangelical Church (Gereja Injili Indonesia) first came into existence. However, the birth of this church took much planning and much praying. Reverend Kristianto Hosea,
came to the United States in June 1979 from Indonesia after going to Malang Seminary, to attend school at
Azusa Pacific University where he obtained his Bachelors of Arts degree, Master of Arts degree in Religion,
and a Masters of Arts degree in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling at Azusa Pacific University. From his
youth, Reverend Hosea knew he was called to be pastor in a church, but the question was where he would
do so. Originally, Rev. Hosea was asked to go to New Jersey to help Dr. Reverend Moses Yang and his church,
replacing Rev. Hasan Sutanto. However, Pastor Hosea decided his only options would be to stay here in Los
Angeles or go back to Indonesia to pastor a church.
In January 1983, while praying late at night, he received a phone call around midnight (3A.M. eastern time)
from Reverend Dr. Moses Yang, the founder and president of the Christian Evangelical Mission (presently
called EMSI—Evangelical Mission Seminary International) stationed in New Jersey, saying that if it is the will
of God, they could try to start a new church here in Los Angeles. Rev. Dr. Moses Yang then came to Los Angeles to survey the area and see the potential. He approved, and in March 1983, the first Bible study started
in the Recreation Building of Azusa Pacific University with 10 people. On the second Sunday of September,
the Indonesian Evangelical Church had its first official Sunday service. The Indonesian Evangelical Church
started out with 29 adults and 3 children, where the Sunday school met outside on the grass. From the very
first Sunday the church started, congregations enjoy lunch after service, with chicken curry (kare ayam) being
the first meal ever served; hence this lunch tradition has been going on ever since.
2008- With the growing number of our congregations and the Sunday school kids, we felt so blessed that
God has given an opportunity to expand our church building and set the perfect time for us to purchase the
house next to our building; which was bought with an affordable price. The house was remodeled and is
used to hold Sunday school services. In May 2008, the building was dedicated for its use.
The unique and fun thing about our church is that we are so full of traditions and food! Our traditions have
been kept since the previous generations until now. Such traditions are Father’s and Mother’s Day Celebrations, Christmas Caroling, Christmas Drama, Sunday School Christmas Drama, Cantatas (Easter, Anniversary,
and Christmas), Cooking Competitions, Retreat, even we keep the traditions of celebrating the church “Generals’ 80th Birthdays.” Along with these events, food is always served. Food! Food! Food! It is the fellowship
that makes us bond with each other and feel more like one big family. In every event, we won’t miss out on
food. Likely, we’ve always had, as a tradition, a ‘four legged turkey’ aka barbeque pork (babi panggang) for
every Thanksgiving Sunday service.
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1983 T
Th
hhee First Fellowshipp
at APU
U Recreation Buildingg
19991 First Building
Dedication
2008 New Building
Dediccattio
on
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Agape
Agap
Ag
ape » Anniversary
Anni
An
nive
versa
vers
rrssar
ary 2008
20
2
00
08
8
T H E N & NOW
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983 First Deacons
2008 Deacons
D
2008 Sundayy School VBS
19985 Sunday School
1983 First Lunch
1988 Roast Pork
6
T y
hank
ou
In
celebrating the 25th anniversary of our
church, what thoughts should we have and what
actions should we do?
There are three things that are of the utmost importance that we must do, which are:
1.
Give thanks for the hand of God.
IEC Azusa was built by the hand of God who is allpowerful. The hand of God built the church through
prayer- prayer that is unrelenting and a faith that is
genuine.
The birth of IEC Azusa was according to the will and
plan of God Himself. That is why we must, with all of
our hearts praise Him. If not through the will of God,
the growth of our church is certainly not possible.
Psalm 127:1 said;
“If not for God who built our house, futile it is the
efforts of the person who built it.”
Because of that must we never stop praising Him
who has blessed us with IEC Azusa who are truly unworthy of receiving it.
2.
Give thanks to Him for His protection and
guidance
IEC Azusa has now reached 25 years in establishment. In those 25 years, IEC Azusa remained under the watchful
eye and protection of the Lord
Himself. Eventhough we’ve never
thought that in 25 years we will
have experienced many obstacles
similar to a hardhitting typhoon
and rain. Even so God never left
us or abandoned us. Instead, He
guarded His church. In what ways
has God kept IEC Azusa?
For 25 years, God nurtured IEC
Azusa like the apple of His own eye
just like what Psalms 17:8 said:
“ Keep us like the apple of your
eye and hide me under Your wings.”
Because of this, let us ceaselessly, with a genuine
heart, praise Him.
3.
Give thanks to Himl for His Blessings.
For 25 years IEC Azusa was blessed by God with both
physical and mental health. There were many brothers and sisters that returned to Indonesia bringing
blessings- both physical and eternal blessings. Once
again we must give God the glory for all the blessings
we received in our lives.
Ephisians 1:3 said:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms
with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
In the end, we truly are thankful to the Lord because
he built IEC Azusa with His mighty hand, and His own
eyes are the one that guards and protects us along
with blessing us with all kinds of Heavenly blessings.
Let us always praise Him who according to the Word
of God written in 1 Thessalonians 5:18:
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will
for you in Christ Jesus.”
Rev. K. Hosea’s Family (Then)
7
Rev. K. Hosea & Wife (Now)
Didalam
d l
rangka
k merayakan
k Hut GII Azusa yang ke
k 25
tahun ini, hal apakah yang sangat penting yang harus
kita pikirkan dan kita perbuat?
Ada tiga hal yang sangat penting yang harus kita
lakukan, yaitu;
I.
Bersyukur atas Tangan Tuhan.
GII Azusa didirikan oleh Tangan Tuhan yang berkuasa.
Tangan Tuhan mendirikan gereja Azusa melalui doa –
doa yang tekun dan iman yang sungguh – sungguh.
Lahirnya GII Azusa adalah atas kehendak dan rencana
Tuhan sendiri. Oleh sebab itu haruslah kita dengan
sepenuh hati dan haruslah sangat bersyukur sekali
kepada Nya. Jikalau bukan kehendak Tuhan dan rencanaNya, tidaklah mungkin akan lahir GII Azusa.
Mazmur 127:1 mengatakan;
“Jikalau bukan Tuhan yang membangun rumah, sia –
sia lah usaha orang yang membangunnya.”
Karena itu haruslah kita tanpa henti bersyukur kepada Tuhan yang telah mengaruniakan GII Azusa
kepada kita, yang sebenarnya tidak berlayak untuk
menerimanya.
Bersyukur atas Mata Tuhan.
II.
GII Azusa saat ini telah mencapai usia 25 tahun. Selama dua puluh lima tahun ini GII Azusa tetap di jaga
dan di lindungi oleh Tuhan sendiri. Meskipun tidak
8
kita
kki pungkiri bahwa selama dua puluh
lima
lim tahun ini kita mengalami banyak
tantangan,
seperti angin taufan dan hutta
jan
jja deras yang datang dan menimpa kita.
Akan
Ak tetapi Tuhan tidak pernah meningA
galkan
atau membiarkannya, sebaliknya
ga
g
Dia
Dia ttetap melindungi dan menjaga gereja
cara Tuhan memelij Nya.
ya. Bagaimakah
B
Ba
hara
Azusa?
haara GII Azus
h
zusa
Selama
SSe
elama dua puluh
pulu
uluh lima tahun Tuhan telah
Azusa bak Biji MataNlah memelihara GIII Az
A
ya
yang di kutip dari
ya sendiri. seperti apaa ya
Mazmur
mengatakan;
M
17:8 yang mengata
ata
“Peliharakanlah
““P
Peliharakanlah aku seperti biji mata, dan
sembunyikan
naungan
sse
embunyikan lah aku dalam n
sayapMu.
ssaayapMu.”
Oleh
Oleh sebab itu haruslah kita setiap
p hari
bersyukur
Tuhan dengan setulus hati.
b
k kepada
k
III.
Bersyukur atas Berkat Tuhan.
Selama 25 tahun GII Azusa telah di berkati oleh Tuhan dengan berkat jasmani dan berkat kekal yang
berkelimpahan. Banyak saudara – saudari kita yang
telah kembali ke Indonesia dengan membawa berkat
– berkat jasmani dan berkat – berkat yang kekal. Karena itu sekali lagi sepatutnyalah kita selalu bersyukur
dengan tidak putus – putus atas berkat – berkatNya
yang telah kita terima didalam kehidupan kita.
Efesus 1:3 mengatakan;
“Terpujilah Allah dan Bapa Tuhan kita Yesus Kristus
yang dalam Kristus telah mengaruniakan kita segala
berkat rohani didalam Surga.”
Akhir kata, kita sungguh – sungguh sangat bersyu
bersyuukur kepada Tuhan karena dia mendirikan GII Azus
Azusa,
us
dengan TanganNya yang berkuasa, dan Mata Tuh
Tuhan
Tu
sendiri yang telah dan tetap menjaga kita, serta
rta dengan segala Berkat Surgawi yang telah di berikan
keberi
eri
pada kita. Biarlah kita harus selalu menguca
mengucapkan
syuuca
kur menurut Firman Tuhan yang tercantu
tercantum
ntu didalam I
Tesalonika 5 : 18;
“Mengucap syukurlah dalam segala
sega
ega hal, sebab itulah
yang di kehendaki Allah dida
didalam
Kristus Yesus bagi
idal
kamu.”
T y
hank
ou
IEC-LA’s 25th Anniversary
First of all, on behalf of Evangelical Christian Mission Synod of the West Coast, I would like to say Happy 25th Anniversary to Indonesian Evangelical Church Los Angeles; and congratulations to Ev. Wilson
Suwanto for being inaugurated as a pastor in IEC Los Angeles.
Looking back and reminiscing what God has done in this church, there are a couple of things we
should be thankful for:
1. Praise God the All-loving and Almighty who has led and blessed IEC Los Angeles through struggles servicing for a quarter of a century long! Even though journey of serving during these 25
years is not easy and it is full of challenge and difficulty; however, God’s blessing and protection
has always accompanied this church.
2. Praise God, because He has started a noble task through Rev. Moses Yang, Rev. Kristanto Hosea
and colleagues who share the same struggles to build His church in this place and He continue to
complete His work until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).
3. Praise God, because IEC Los Angeles started from 10 people and grow into hundreds of congregations; from renting the building of Azusa Pacific University to having its own building; from the
first generation develops to the second generation; and started with service in only one language
(in Indonesian) and grows into having services in three languages (in Indonesian, English, and
Mandarin). This is all a gift from God!
4. Praise God, watching the first generation that pioneered this church is still faithfully serving to this
day. And the second generation has risen to continue and develop service in this church. Besides
those, God provides servants who are of one mind and helping each other endure burden to extend the work of God.
In order to celebrate this 25th anniversary, we are really longing to count one by one God’s overflowing blessing that has been poured in this church, however, with our definite vocabulary, it’s impossible for us to express and describe all of it. Accordingly, we can only quote Apostle Paul from the
scripture Rome 11:36 which concludes “for Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be
the glory forever! Amen.”
Rev. Stephen Hosea
President of the ECM Synod of the West Coast
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HUT ke 25 GII-LA
Pertama-tama, atas nama Sinode Misi Kristen Injili di Pantai Barat America saya mengucapkan Selamat Ulang
Tahun ke 25 kepada Gereja Injili Indonesia Los Angeles dan Selamat kepada Ev. Wilson Suwanto yang dilantik
menjadi pendeta GII Los Angeles.
Melihat dan mengenang kembali apa yang Allah lakukan didalam gereja ini, ada beberapa hal yang patut kita
bersyukur:
1. Puji syukur kepada Allah yg Maha kasih dan Maha kuasa yg telah memimpin dan
memberkati GII Los Angeles melewati perjuangan pelayanan selama seperempat abad
lamanya! Memang, perjalanan pelayanan selama 25 tahun ini tidak mudah dan penuh
dengan tantangan dan kesulitan, namun berkat dan pemeliharaan Allah senantiasa
menyertai gereja ini.
2. Puji syukur kepada Allah, karena Ia yang memulai pekerjaan yang baik melalui Pdt.
Moses Yang, Pdt. Kristianto Hosea dan rekan-rekan seperjuangan untuk membangun
gerejaNya di tempat ini dan Ia tetap meneruskan pekerjaaanNya sampai pada hari
kedatangan AnakNya. (Filipi 1:6)
3. Puji syukur kepada Allah, karena GII Los Angeles dimulai dari 10 orang bertumbuh
menjadi ratusan orang; dimulai dengan menyewa gedung Azusa Pacific University
sampai memiliki gedung gereja sendiri; dimulai dari generasi pertama berkembang ke
generasi yg kedua; dan dimulai dengan kebaktian dalam satu bahasa (bahasa Indonesia)
bertumbuh menjadi kebaktian dalam tiga bahasa (bahasa Indonesia, English dan
Mandarin). Ini semuanya adalah anugrah Allah!
4. Puji syukur kepada Allah, melihat generasi yang pertama yg merintis gereja ini masih
tetap setia melayani sampai pada hari ini. Dan generasi yang kedua sudah bangkit
untuk meneruskan dan menggembangkan pelayanan di gereja ini. Di samping itu pula,
Allah menyediakan hamba-hamba Tuhan yg bersehati dan bahu membahu memikul
beban bersama untuk meluaskan pekerjaan Allah.
Dalam rangka merayakan HUT ke 25 ini, kita sangat rindu dapat menghitung satu persatu rahmat Allah yg
melimpah yg telah dicurahkan didalam gereja ini, namun dengan kata-kata kita yang terbatas tidak mungkin
untuk kita mengucapkan dan melukiskan seluruhnya. Oleh sebab itu, kita hanya dapat memakai ucapan Rasul Paulus dalam Kitab Roma 11:36 menyimpulkan bahwa “segala sesuatu adalah dari Dia, dan oleh Dia, dan
kepada Dia: Bagi Dialah kemuliaan sampai selama-lamanya!”
Pdt. Stephen Hosea
President of ECM of the West Coast
10
T y
hank
ou
Walking Together on the Blessed Path
By Rev. Moses Yang
Founder of EMSI
On
September 12, 1983, Indonesian Evangelical Church in Los Angeles was established.
During the past twenty five years, God has led and blessed our sister church. Thank the Lord that during
all these years, pastors, coworkers, brothers and sisters have been working together in harmony. Much
of God’s work has been successful and made possible by all the loving brothers’ and sisters’ prayers, efforts, and perseverance in the ministry.
I would like to give this verse as an encouragement: “Can two walk together, except they be
agreed” (Amos 3:3) My hope is that we can continue to support one another and walk the spiritual
journey together. May God help us to strive wholeheartedly toward the following five goals: church
establishment, discipleship, gospel outreach, loyal devotion to EMSI’s ministries, and unity in the Lord.
In the future years, my prayer is that we can continue to work together in harmony for the cause
of the gospel, share the same mission burden, and ultimately walk together along God’s prepared path
of blessings for us!
Berjalan Bersama di Jalan Berkat
Oleh Rev. Moses Yang
Founder of EMSI
Pada
September 12, 1983, didirikanlah Gereja Injili Indonesia di Los Angeles. Selama dua puluh lima
tahun, Tuhan telah memimpin dan memberkati cabang gereja kita ini. Terima kasih kepada Tuhan karena
selama ini pendeta-pendata, teman-teman sekerja, dan juga saurdara-saudari telah bekerja bersama dengan
harmonis. Banyak perkerjaan Tuhan yang telah berhasil dan boleh terjadi oleh karena doa-doa, upaya, dan
ketekunan di dalam pelayanan saudara-saudari yang terkasih.
Saya ingin memberikan ayat ini sebagai kata-kata dorongan. “Berjalankah dua orang bersama-sama, jika mereka belum berjanji?” (Amos 3:3) Harapan saya adalah kita bisa terus saling membantu satu dengan yang lain
dan berjalan bersama di perjalanan rohani. Kiranya Tuhan membantu kita untuk berusaha keras dengan setulusnya ke arah lima gol berikut ini: pendirian gereja, pemuridan, penjangkauan Firman keluar, pengabdian
yang setia kepada ministri EMSI, dan kesatuan di dalam Tuhan.
Di masa yang mendatang, doa saya adalah kita bisa terus bekerja sama dengan harmonis untuk penginjilan,
berbagi beban misi, dan juga berjalan bersama di jalan berkat yang telah disediakan Tuhan untuk kita!
11
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Ag
A
Agape
ga
ap
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An
nni
n ve
verssar
aryy 2008
2008
20
08
Ya Tuhan
Tak terasa sudah
Dua puluh lima tahun tanpa lelah
Kau sudah menggembalakan
gerejaMu
Ya Tuhan
Tak terasa sudah
Masa remaja bak angin senja
Menerbangkan kami kepintu
kedewasaan
Ya Tuhan
Tolong kami
Tolong gerejaMu
Untuk tidak melupakan bimbinganMu
Tuntunan Tangan KasihMu
Pengajaran FirmanMu
Ya Tuhan
Tolong kami
Tolong jemaatMu
Untuk tidak merasa kami sudah
cukup dewasa
Sehingga kami melepaskan
tuntunanMu
Ingin berjalan sendiri
Ya Tuhan
Ajar kami
Berikan kami hikmat Surgawi
Berikan kami selalu hati seorang
murid
Untuk selalu bercermin pada
FirmanMu
Ya Tuhan
Ajar kami
Berikan kami hati seorang anak
Yang selalu merindukan bimbinganMu
Dan selalu mau bersandar padaMu
Selalu tidak mau jauh dariMu
Disetiap jalan hidup kami
12
Ya Tuhan
Kuatkan kami
Untuk berani menaiki tangga
kedewasaan
Yang penuh tanggung jawab dan
pengorbanan
Untuk memuliakan Injil Tuhan
Mengobarkan Api penginjilan
Memberitakan Kabar Keselamatan
Bukan hanya dengan perkataan
Tapi juga dengan perbuatan
Karena kami ini adalah Cermin–
Cermin kehidupan
Dari semua Firman Tuhan
Yang telah Kau limpahkan
Selama kami dalam penggemblengan Firman
Dan pertumbuhan di dalam
anugerah dan berkat Tuhan
Ya Tuhan
Doa kami
Jangan biarkan kami
Menjadi orang yang lupa diri
Dan tak tahu berterima kasih
Jangan biarkan kami menyia–nyiakan
Masa hidup kami ini
Dengan perbuatan yang tak
berpadanan dengan FirmanMu
Yang telah kami terima selama
hidup kami ini
Jangan biarkan kami
Mempermalukan namaMu
Jangan biarkan kami menodai
KesucianMu
Jangan biarkan kami mendukakan
Roh SuciMU
Jangan biarkan kami membuat
By Daniel Loe
dunia ini menjadi semakin suram
Jangan biarkan kami memadamkan
suluh-suluh Keselamatan yang telah
Kau kobarkan
Dengan darah–darah martyr–
martyrMu
Ya Tuhan
Doa kami
Berikan kami kesempatan
membuat Pelita Keselamatan ini
semakin berkobar
Biarkan kami menjadi obor–obor
yang hidup
Yang jelas terlihat oleh dunia yang
telah tersesat di dalam kegelapan
Biarkan kami menjadi tangan–tangan yang terulur
Yang menarik mereka yang terbenam di dalam lautan kenajisan dan
kenistaan
Biarkan hidup kami ini,
Biarkan gerejaMu ini,
Biarkan jemaatMu ini,
Menyenangkan HatiMu
Dengan mengorbankan hidup
kami ini
Sekali lagi
Pada abad ini
Menjadi sarana Keselamatan
Bagi dunia yang telah berlumuran
oleh noda dan dosa ini
God, the World, and I
By AGAPE
At this spiritual age, we want to learn how to surrender our lives to God all the time and
not exclusive to hard times. As young adults at this age, there are many temptations and
challenges coming from the world that sometimes hinders us from seeking God’s ways. But,
all these temptations and challenges can be an opportunity for us to learn about God. We will
also look at the contrast between worldly and Godly thinking and see how our church will
stand as our dwelling place from the world. In addition, at this spiritual age, we should also
learn on how to stop looking at life from the world’s perspective. For our model of spiritual
maturity, we want to look at Job, in the Book of Job, whom was known as the most prosperous
and the greatest man in his region before a great tragedy struck him (Job 1). Some of us would
also wonder if we personally are in the right position of spiritual maturity or if we are lagging
behind than we should be. As we go along the article, we can check on some of the points to
see if we have understood and done them; as we know, knowledge without action is futile.
Surrendering Our Lives to Him---Letting in the Book of Job, whom God referred as the most
Ourselves to have a Taste of God
righteous man and faithful servant (Job 1:8), lost
everything he had: his children, servants, properties,
There might be some people claiming themselves fame, and health--the emotional, financial, and physical
to be Christians, and yet they boast that they never destructions that Satan caused in accord with God’s
suffered or faced hard times in their lives because will (Job 1-2). So, why does God allow this tragedy to
they have been so faithful and right in God’s eyes. happen to Greg or Job? Many of us know the answer
On the other side, we might question their beliefs right away that God wants to discipline and test our
because that’s not what Christianity teaches.As some faith. So, how can
of us know, Harvest senior pastor, Greg Laurie had these such sufferings
just in mourn for the death of his eldest son due be used to discipline
to a car accident. Greg admitted that losing a child us? The Sunday after
was the worst thing a parent could go through. For the tragedy in Greg’s
a pastor who has been so faithful to God, brought family, a guest speaker
many lives to God, and even carried out many funeral to the Sunday service
services, in worldly view, God is not being fair. But, we by the name of Don
as Christians know that hard times are essential in McClure, jokingly said
our lives to seek God’s way. Similar to Greg’s situation, that we Christians
13
had to learn everything twice--setting an example of
this he went on, “Sometimes we say to God: God
help me understand the power of resurrection. Then,
you go to Bible study, pull up your lecture notes, and
then you come back to God saying ‘This is great God.
I’ve learned it now.’ But God says, ‘No, My child. You
haven’t learned it.’ And, you argued with God, ‘Yes, I
have learned it.’ Then, He repeated, ‘No, you haven’t
My child. You’ve just learned the theory. You haven’t
even had the taste of it.’” This illustration teaches us
that there are many things that we know of God only
by theory, but we actually have never experienced it
in our lives. Perhaps, we can give a sharing and say to
other people about how awesome God’s love is, but
we never feel suffered in our lives.Through sufferings,
God’s love is overflowed over us (and we will come
back to this topic later). Similar to this, we have a
limited understanding about surrendering our lives
to God. If we face a little problem that’s easy to be
solved by our own, we tend to not look for God
and surrender, and if we face a very big problem and
we have no idea of how to solve the problem, then
it’s time for us to look for God. Isn’t this what we
have been doing all the while? If our lives are going
smoothly, we tend to not seek God’s way and forget
to surrender ourselves to Him. We tend to wait until
we are struck with great problems, then we realized
that we need to seek God’s way and surrender. At
the end of Job’s book, he admitted that he only heard
about God but didn’t know Him personally until
then,
“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,
But now my eye sees You.”
(Job 42:5; NKJV)
Here, Job, who previously knew God only by
knowledge,
nowledge, was able to know God personally through
the sufferings in his life. And, let’s take a moment here
to look at Job’s sufferings more deeply. Job actually
lost everything he had previously: his children, wealth,
fame, and even his health. So, basically at this point, he
was left alone (actually, his wife was still alive, but she
was not supporting his faith). So now, imagine Job at
this point alone spiritually and physically. Imagine him
sitting alone on the ground along the streets with boils
filled from his head to toe as the Book of Job says,“So
Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and
struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot
to the crown of his head. And he took for himself a
14
potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in
the midst of the ashes.” (Job 2:7-8) Sitting alone with
no more dependability to walk through his worst
situations, Job could only surrender supernaturally
to a higher power (God) that he had never had a
sense before--letting himself to have a taste of God.
Hopefully at this point of spiritual age, we as the
children of God are letting ourselves to experience
God personally as we continue to surrender our lives
to God at all time.
Thinking Godly positive---Thinking outside
the World.
The world or other religions teach that if we suffer
it’s because god is punishing us because of our sins. In
an attempt to give comfort to Job, who at that point
was looking for an answer to his tragedy, his closest
friends admonished him into confessing some of his
(non-existent) sins--they kept repeating, in many
chapters of the Book of Job, that Job’s sufferings were
the result of wickedness in his life (one example: Job
22:4-11). The fact is that his friends were wrong, Job’s
hands were cleaned, and he shunned evil (Job 1:1, 8).
Job’s friends were thinking like the world, so God
rebuked them, “… that the LORD said to Eliphaz the
Temanite, ‘My wrath is aroused against you and your
two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is
right, as My servant Job has.’” (Job 42:7; NKJV) It is
shown here that worldly thought is trying to deceit
us from the truth, especially when we are looking for
answers and solutions to our problems. As Christians,
we should also take a note that there are two kinds
of sufferings. The first kind is the kind of sufferings
caused by the consequences of our sin. And, the
second kind is Job’s kind of suffering. We need to pay
close attention to the cause of our sufferings, whether
it was from our sin or not, because Satan will use all
his wicked ways to fail us in times of sufferings. He
might try to make us to become abounded by our
sins or he might try to deceit us from the truth
about God as in Job’s kind of suffering. To overcome
our sufferings/hard times, it is easier if we know the
original cause of it; but, we have to be honest here
with ourselves and with God. The next thing we can
do as we are trying to overcome our sufferings is
thinking Godly positive, but many of you will ask,
“What does it mean to think Godly positive in these
situations?” Let’s take a look at the next paragraph.
We want to look at hard times from a positive point
of view--that sufferings and hard times are a good
opportunity that God has given us. Job’s suffering
was an opportunity for him to learn about God’s
sovereignty. Through sufferings, Job was able to learn
that death is not the end of everything (Job 19:2527), to discover that God would rescue him (Job
14:13-17), and to know that God is wonderful (Job
26:5-14). (Taken from unknown source) We too, if
we are experiencing sufferings in our lives, want to
take them as an opportunity to learn about God’s
sovereignty. We also want to take our problems
as an opportunity to grow spiritually, mentally, and
morally. If we learn that our suffering is caused by
our own sin, then we need to be responsible for it
as we know every sin has its consequences. With
overcoming the consequences, we can learn how to
grow in terms of our moral and mental issues. From
the embarrassment, shame, and disappointments of
our sin, we would not want to fall into that sin again,
would we? But, if we eventually fall again into the
same sin, then we haven’t really repented of our sin
and learn from it. On the other hand, if we are at
Job’s position, our faith is then being tested.We need
to draw ourselves close to God and be patient to see
what God’s plan for us. Really, patient is the essence
here. Off course, it’s easy for us now to look at Job’s
suffering because we already know the happy ending
of the story--God blessed him twice than what he
possessed before (Job 42:10). But, does Job know
the answers of why he suffered at that moment? No,
he has no clue at all, and in fact, he felt like God was
not giving Him an answer,
“But if I go to the east, he is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find him.
When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.”
(Job 23:8-9; NIV).
15
Job was implying that he didn’t feel God’s presence,
even though he is trying his best to look for Him.
Sometimes, in our hard times, we feel like Job, we pray
and pray then we read the Scriptures or we did everything we can to find some answers from God, but
we just feel like God is not present to give us some
answers. But, what if God says the answer is ‘Wait’
or ‘Be patient’! Even though he didn’t find God’s answers, Job remained faithful to Him as his faith was
being tested. Job continued on with verse 10,
“But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside.
I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than
my daily bread.”
(Job 23:10-12; NIV)
Isn’t it wonderful to see how faithful and optimistic
Job was in his hard times! Job was being optimistic-he was able to think the best possibility out of the
worst of his situations (that he would become as
pure as gold if it were true God was testing him).
Job, who can be roughly said as a previously rich, famous man that became a poor man, a ‘nobody,’ and an
ill person, can be positive about his problems. What
about us? Are we still grumpy at a little problem we
are facing now? Or, are we becoming indifferent to
God because of the heavy burdens to our problems?
Why don’t we look at the bright side like Job did?
In addition, we also want to take our sufferings as
another opportunity to experience God’s grandeur
love. In the case of the first kind of sufferings, we can
know how expensive Jesus’ cross is by realizing our
sinful nature, and yet, God was able to pay it all with
His grandeur love! In the case of the second kind of
sufferings, we can see that God already has the solution to our problems and is trying to prepare us for
a bigger blessing as long as we are ready to receive it.
It is ironic to say but true that through suffering we
can know that God loves us dearly. Every good parent hopes their children to grow up and be ready as
the children are given more things to be responsible
for. Would we still consider of giving our kid a motor
bike for his present even though we know that he is
clumsy? No, he would get himself into an auto accident if we do! God, our heavenly Father is like this
good parent; He wants us to grow up and be prepared as we are entrusted with more of His blessings.
These are why God allows sufferings in this world
because they are good opportunities that God has
given us. It is usually only the good times that we can
refer as an opportunity. But now, we can also refer
the bad times as an opportunity. So, get the idea of
thinking Godly positive?!
At this spiritual age, we want to stop looking at life
from the world’s point of view. Instead, we want to be
able to look at it from God’s point of view--thinking
outside the world. From the world’s perspective, we
are the world’s possession, and therefore, we ought
to possess things in this world.And, we as the children
of God, sometimes are tempted to possess things in
this world, too. So, what happen if we possess much
of the things in the world and think that they are so
much worthy? We are then fulfilling our lives with
too much of false hope. Sometimes, we Christians
wonder why God allows the most precious someone or something taken away from us or allows us
to be in the most moments that we don’t want to
deal with. Even Job, the most righteous man couldn’t
avoid the temptation to possess things in the world,
he moaned with disappointments when all of his possessions vanished,
“For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me,
And what I dreaded has happened to me.”
(Job 3:25; NKJV)
As we may know, burnt offerings in those days were
sins, and
used to purify and cleanse sinners from their sins
this is what Job was doing regularly. As a father, Job
loved his children so much, and he was trying to overly
Job’s number one fear is that his children will be taken
away from him,
“And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on
his appointed day, and would send and invite their three
sisters to eat and drink with them. So it was, when the
days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send
and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning
and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them
all. For Job said, ‘It may be that my sons have sinned and
cursed God in their hearts.’Thus Job did regularly.”
(Job 1:4-5; NKJV)
16
protect his children. With the false knowledge about
God, Job diligently offered burnt offerings to God to
prevent his children from being taken away in case they
had sinned against God. He doesn’t know all the while
Satan was causing his sufferings, and he was roaming
into the world and noting Job’s behavior (Job 1:7-8).
For those who watched the latest Batman movie The
Dark Knight or know the heroic superhero named
Batman, there was one scene toward the end of the
movie where the bad guy named Joker captured the
police commissioner’s or Gordon’s family members
that were being tied up. Joker initiated to make the
one, whom Gordon loved most, to be his hostage.
To test this, Joker started off with Gordon’s wife by
putting her life in danger while watching his reaction
to it. Joker with his knife pressing on her neck was
able to get a quick respond from Gordon, who was
trying to protect his wife by negotiating with Joker.
Joker, who then moved his knife toward Gordon’s
daughter, now found Gordon negotiating with more
options as the substitutes for his daughter. When the
turn came to his son, Gordon cried louder to stop
what Joker was doing. By Gordon’s strong reaction to
the danger of his son, Joker finally found the perfect
hostage, Gordon’s son. Likely, Satan can tell if we
adore someone or something too much. And, God
knew already if we put too much of our love into the
things in the world, when we eventually someday lose
them, we would put the blame on God and becoming
indifferent to Him because of our disappointments.
He had warned us in His Tenth Commandments to
avoid any idol and to put Him first in everything. In
his book’s ‘No-Nonsense Dating,’ Ronn Elmore says,
“Love isn’t about meeting a need. All your needs are
fulfilled in your relationship with the living God. So
if God is supplying all your needs, then everything
else must be a want. You need food. You need air. You
need salvation. But you want a companion.You want a
relationship.You want someone on this planet to know
you and love you in spite of what they know about
you.” Elmore reminds that even in relationships, God
should be put first, then he continued, “So, here’s the
big difference between want and need: If I recognize
that I don’t need you, then I’m free to love you in a
responsible way…Making an idol of another human
is a sin. Make Jesus the Lover of your soul and you’ll
be free to love another human being in a way that
will set you both free from any hint of idol worship.”
Elmore is saying that relationships and love are free
but must still be done in a responsible way. By this, he
is implying that we don’t own our relationships nor
do we own the people we love because God owns
them. Therefore, we don’t want to be the world’s
possessions and be obsessed with the things in the
world. Instead, we should always remind ourselves
that we are God’s possessions, and that we want to
be obsessed only with God.
Improving
Character.
Our
Inner
Beauty---Godly
Our outer values are temporary while our inner
values are eternal. For example, wealth, look, fame,
and health are dispersible as they can vanish slowly
with time. On the other hand, our Godly characters
such as righteousness, holiness, kindness, honesty, and
loving will be planted in us eternally. The world, like
the owner (Satan), is so deceitful into making us think
that investing on the things that can seen such us our
outer values are
more important
than investing on
the things that’s
invisible
inside
us such us our
inner values. Many
Christians today
are spending so
much of their
time to invest
on wealth and
fame, while they
don’t have the
time to have a
regular devotional
time with God
or they don’t
have the time to
get involve in the church activities. Or that, many
Christians today are spending so much of their time
and money to invest on their outer look, especially
for the ladies. They try to make themselves look
more trendy and beautiful on the outside, while they
don’t know how to maintain a good family or a good
relationship because they never have enough time to
read the Bible or family/relationship base Christians
books. But if we take a moment to think about this,
are these outer values are really worth the cost of
17
our time and money as we are living our lives as
Christians? If for example we face a situation like Job,
our properties, fame, children, and health vanished
due to some reasons, and what more left on us is--we
can say it roughly is our inner values. But what’s the
worth of our inner value that now it can support our
lives? Let’s look at Job, whose inner value is pure and
dependable. Satan thought Job’s wealth and fame was
the reason that he was righteous and faithful to God,
“So Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘Does Job
fear God for nothing?... You have blessed the work
of his hands, and his possessions have increased in
the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch
all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your
face!’ ” (Job 1:9-11; NKJV) Satan was wrong about
Job. Job surely was in mourn, but he did not sin nor
insult God (Job 1:20-22; 2:9-10). How is this possible
for someone who was struck with great sufferings?
It’s because Job had been bringing up his Godly
characters as he truly is--he had a pure and true inner
beauty. It turned out that Job’s inner values paid so
much to his sufferings and hard times. It helped him
to face his problems more easy by preventing himself
to create more troubles. He did not sin against God
or create some disputes with his wife or his neighbor/
relatives. Maybe at this point, it is still hard for us to
see the importance of our inner values, so then we
want to explore more of Job’s Godly characters using
an inverted figure of Job. Now imagine this, what if
Job’s character was now being inverted? If Job were
not a peacemaker, righteous, honest, and nice man
but rather a troublemaker, grumpy, and harsh man.
In that case, we could imagine Job easily became so
angry at God and cursed Him--which meant he had
just committed an unforgettable sin and also meant
that he were not ready for God’s leading. We could
also imagine Job creating some disputes with his
neighbors/relatives (maybe in today’s term his church
friends) as he became cynical to them or imagine Job
creating some disputes with his wife and left her (in
today’s term divorce her), but Job did none of this
things. At the end, Job received many helps from his
relatives, and not to mention he was blessed with the
most beautiful daughters (Job 42:11,15). Imagine if he
had divorced his wife!! So then, what about us? How
much is our inner value worth? Are we still cynical to
the people around us when we are facing problems
or hard times? Or, are we still thinking to leave out
our responsibility as a parent, spouse, church activist,
or perhaps as a congregation when problems or hard
times come in the relationship? We should bear the
hard times and problems. But, it will be easier for
us to walk through the hard times if we have inner
values, such as patient, perseverance, etc. If we think
we need to build our inner values, we can get started
as of now.We can start by reading the Bible diligently,
having regular devotional time, reading Christian
based books, and having more quality time with our
family and Christians friends. And, if we don’t like
reading books, as an alternative, we can get involved
with the websites that post some broadcasted Bible
study or more of ongoing Christians issues (For
more information on the websites, see ‘What’s More
Interesting on the Internet than YouTube’ page).
Making the Church Our Dwelling Place---Keep
ing a Good Relationship with the Flocks and
the Shepherd.
cannot afford it anymore? Would we keep going to
plunge ourselves into the world of competitions for
the sake of making ourselves look more beautiful or
more famous? No, we would be in debt, which if we do,
it will create problems for us later in the future! And,
notice this--there’s always someone better than us!
There’s always someone prettier or more handsome
than us, there’s always someone richer than us, and
there’s always someone more famous than us! Like
a sheep, we easily get astray from our path/focus.
Therefore, we want to keep ourselves close to the
flocks and to the shepherd as we are walking together
on the same path with encouraging and influencing
each other with (healthy) positive things. Some of us
may say there’s no difference between the people at
church and the people outside church. We want to
look twice before we said it again. Look again closely.
As Christians, we at least know about unconditional
love and are abided by the tenth commandments. But
if some of us still insist that there’s no difference,
then we should look at ourselves. Have we become
involved with the church and with God? Have we had
a close relationship with them? If we are not, then it’s
not too late to get involved with the church’s people
and its activity. And, see for ourselves the difference
between the people inside and the people outside
church.
Many of us feel relieved when the weekend comes.
For five days, we have been out dealing with the
pressure and craziness from the world, and finally, on
As we have seen from the paragraphs above, we are the weekend, we are able to come to our dwelling
being reminded that the world is full of deceit. As we place, the church--it’s not referring to the building but
have seen from Job’s trials, the world can make us to the fellowship with the people. Therefore, won’t
feeling down and dissatisfied, and now we want to see we desire to have a church with a good environment
the effect of the world that can also make us feeling and be able to worship God freely? We all have
pressured. Nowadays, competitions are everywhere noticed about this one fact about our church, IEC
as people are trying to be better and even the best Azusa, is that it’s a big family where its children come
in terms of outer values. The world is full of many from a diversity of region of Indonesia and ethnic
tiring and pressuring competitions of style, wealth, groups. And that, how we talk, how we express our
fame, and so on. The pressure from the competition ideas, how we show our affection, how we joke, and
itself usually becomes a temptation for us. If we are even how we value certain things are different. But
not better than our worldly friends, we are usually sadly, these differences within us sometimes create
tempted to spend more time on improving ourselves some misinterpretation that can lead to a little
until we are like them. It tempts us into buying the dispute among us.What we want to do to avoid such
newest luxury car, it tempts us into buying the newest misinterpretations is that we should and many of us
fashion trend, and it even tempts us into getting plastic have done it to love them unconditionally, but what
surgeries--usually ladies are more prone to the latter we sometimes leave out in this unconditional love is
two examples. But, what if we come at the point we RESPECT and ACCEPTANCE. Can we love
18
someone but not respecting and accepting them as
they are? Can we love our disable kid but we are
giving him/her away? Not really!! If this is what we
have been doing to our church friends then we need
to introspect ourselves. And, ask ourselves this: is
it really unconditional love or routinely done love
that we have been showing them all the while? If
our answer ‘yes, it is indeed unconditional love,’ and
can we answer this now: can we accept and respect
these church people who have a way of saying
things that seem so harsh with a quick sound pitch,
or those church people who value others’ opinion
better than their own before making a decision that
makes us became impatient about it, or these church
people who express their ideas after first thinking
of it maturely, or those church people who give the
minimal according to their expenses as a way to
show their love or kindness, or these church people
who utter jokes that attack on our weaknesses
without intention? And maybe, at these point, some
of us would still not be convinced to accept and
respect these people since we ‘suspect’ we know
their ‘bad’ intentions or for whatever reasons, we
would say, “But, what I suspect of them is true that
they are not as sincere or as mature or as this or
that because I’ve known the real them from my past
experiences or knowledge.” But, it doesn’t mean that
we could judge them and influence ourselves with
negative things about them. If we continue thinking
and reacting this same way as ever before, isn’t it the
same as we are not encouraging ourselves and them
to grow up? We should as Christians continually and
as always be nourished and grow to be Christ-like.
In addition to this, we want to start looking at our
listeners before we are saying or joking about things
in case we are attacking on their weakness. Taking
one or two more seconds to think concerning our
listeners is better than a lifetime remembering the
offense that we say. Moreover, if we encounter things
from our church friends that bother our feelings,
we should learn to not talk behind their back as
this will give a big negative impact on the listeners,
whom will eventually judge these persons based on
our negative perspectives. In a case like this, why
don’t we learn to just leave it all up to God? Or, why
don’t we just pray for them, encourage them, give
them a gentle comfort, or better yet, be their real
friends who understand their real thoughts, worry/
fear, and background? Just remember, God creates
19
human beings with different types of personalities-we won’t find someone exactly like us--and this is the
beauty of God’s creation is when Christians are living
in harmony. Just like He created a man and a woman,
two totally different individuals but when they come
together in harmony, nothing can beat that!
As we are getting older, we have our own perception
of things around us. Similarly, as we are nourished
under the Word of God and under the experience
that God has given us, we might think that we have
learned enough. However, it is still important to
RESPECT our Pastors as they are our shepherds in
this world. We want to listen more to their opinions,
concerns, and instructions as they are trying to give
the best for us. Keeping a good relationship with
our church friends and pastors give us hope and the
strength when we come back to face the world on
the next five days of the week. As a closing statement,
it is also very important for us to keep praying for
our pastors and fellow Christians as we are walking
hand in hand with them.
May this become a blessing to the congregation as we
are entering the maturity age of 25th years of age!
Happy 25th Birthday,
IEC Azusa!!
God, the World, and I
Oleh AGAPE
Di umur rohani ini, kita mau belajar untuk menyerahkan hidup kita kepada Tuhan setiap saat
dan bukan esklusif kepada saat-saat yang susah. Sebagai pemuda rohani di umur ini, banyak
godaan dan tantangan dari dunia yang terkadang menghalangi kita untuk melihat jalan Tuhan.
Tetapi, semua godaan dan tantangan ini bisa menjadi hal yang baik kalau kita melihatnya
dengan pandangan yang positif yang akan kita lihat nanti---sebagai petunjuk kita bisa melihat
mereka sebagai suatu kesempatan untuk belajar. Kita juga akan melihat perbedaan antara
pemikiran dunia dan surgawi dan melihat bertapa pentingnya gereja berdiri sebagai tempat
perlindungan kita dari dunia ini. Sebagai tambahan, di umur rohani ini, kita juga harus belajar
untuk melihat hidup dari sudut pandang Tuhan. Sebagai contoh kedewasaan rohani, kita ingin
melihat kepada Ayub, yang mana dikenal sebagai orang terkaya dan terhebat di daerahnya
sebelum dia tertimpa tragedi yang amat besar (Ayub 1). Beberapa dari kita juga akan bertanya
secara pribadi jikalau kita sudah berada di posisi kedewasaan rohani atau sedang terbelakang.
Sewaktu kita membaca artikel ini, kita bisa memeriksa diri kita kalau kita sudah memahami
dan melakukannya; seperti yang kita ketahui pengetahuan tanpa perbuatan adalah sia-sia.
Menyerahkan Hidup Kita kepada Tuhan--- yang begitu setia kepada Tuhan, yang telah membawa
Merasakan Kehadiran Tuhan secara Pribadi.
banyak jiwa kepada keselamatan, dan membawakan
banyak upacara pemakaman, di mata dunia, Tuhan itu
Memang ada orang yang mengaku dirinya Kristen, tidak adil. Seperti situasi Greg, kalau kita membaca
dan membanggakan dirinya kalau mereka tidak Buku Ayub, seseorang yang Tuhan sebut sebagai orang
pernah mengalami penderitaan karena Tuhan yang paling saleh dan
selalu memberkati mereka. Di lain pihak, kita akan jujur serta hambaNya
menanyakan imam kepercayaan mereka karena kita yang setia (Ayub 1:8),
tahu bahwah Kristen tidak mengajarkan seperti itu. kehilangan semua yand
Seperti beberapa dari kita sudah ketahui, pendeta dia miliki:anak-anaknya,
senior dari gereja Harvest, Greg Laurie baru-baru b u d a k - b u d a k n y a ,
kekayaannya,
ini berduka cita karena kematian anak laki-laki yang harta
dan
sulung karena kecelakaan mobil. Greg mengakui bahwa kemasyuran,
kehilangan seorang anak adalah pengalaman yang juga kesehatannya--sangat buruk seseorang ayah bisa alami. Bagi pendeta kehancuran secara
20
emosi, finansil, dan fisik yang disebabkan oleh
Iblis (dengan seijin dari Tuhan). Jadi, kenapa Tuhan
membiarkan tragedi ini menimpa Greg atau Ayub?
(Ayub 1:1,8). Hari minggu setelah kemalangan yang
menimpa keluarga Greg, pembicara tamu kepada
jemaat Harvest yang bernama Don McClure, dengan
bercanda berkata bahwa kita ini sebagai orang
Kristen selalu belajar semua hal dua kali---dengan
contoh dia melanjutkan, “Seringkali kita berkata
kepada Tuhan: Tuhan ajarilah hamba-Mu ini untuk
mengerti the power of resurrection (kekuasaan
dari kebangkitan Yesus). Lalu, kamu pergi belajar
mendalami Alkitab, mencari artinya di catatan-catatan,
dan kamu kembali kepada Tuhan dengan berkata, ‘Ini
sangatlah baik Tuhan, saya telah mengerti sekarang.’
Tetapi Tuhan berkata, ‘Belum, anakKu. Kamu belum
mengertinya.’ Dan, kamu membantah, ‘Sudah! Saya
sudah mengerti.’ Lalu, Dia mengulangi perkataannya,
‘Tidak anakKu, kamu belum mengerti. Yang baru saja
kamu pelajari adalah theorinya. Kamu belum pernah
merasakannnya sekalipun.’” Ilustrasi ini mengajarkan
kita kepada banyak hal-hal tentang Tuhan yang yang
kita ketahui melalui pemahaman saja tetapi kita
tidak pernah merasakannya sendiri. Kita mungkin
bisa memberikan sharing dan berkata kepada orang
lain tentang bertapa besarnya kasih Tuhan tetapi
kita sendiri belum pernah merasakan penderitaan.
Karena melalui penderitaan, kasih Tuhan tercurahan
kepada kita (dan kita akan kembali lagi ke topic ini
nanti). Serupa dengan ini, pengetahuan tentang hal
berserah dihidup kita terbatas. Kalau kita mempunyai
masalah kecil dan yang bisa kita selesaikan sendiri, kita
cenderung untuk tidak mencari Tuhan dan berserah,
dan kalau kita mempunyai masalah yang sangat besar
yang kita sama sekali tidak tahu jalan keluarnya,
kita baru mencari Tuhan dan berserah. Bukankan
begitu? Diakhir Bukunya, Ayub mengakui bahwa dia
hanya pernah mendengar tentang Tuhan, tetapi tidak
mengetahui Dia secara pribadi,
“Hanya dari kata orang saja aku mendengar tentang
Engkau,
tetapi sekarang mataku sendiri memandang Engkau.”
(Ayub, 42:5)
Disini, Ayub, yang dulunya mengenal Tuhan hanya
dengan sepengetahuannya belaka, sekarang bisa
mengenal Tuhan secara pribadi melalui penderitaan di
hidupnya. Dan, marilah kita mengambil waktu sesaat
untuk melihat penderitaan Ayub lebih dalam. Ayub
21
sebenarnya kehilangan semua milik kepunyaannya:
anak-anaknya, kekayaannya, kemasyurannya, dan
juga kesehatannya. Jadi sebenarnya di saat ini, Ayub
ditinggalkan seorang sendiri (sebenarnnya, istri
Ayub masih hidup, tetapi dia tidak mendukung imam
kepercayaannya). Jadi bayangkan Ayub di saat ini
sedang sendirian dalam rohani dan badani. Bayangkan
dia sedang duduk sendirian di tengah jalan dengan
barah yang memenuhi sekujur tubuhnya dari atas
kepala sampai kaki seperti yang buku Ayub katakan,
“Kemudian Iblis pergi dari hadapan TUHAN, lalu
ditimpanya Ayub dengan barah yang busuk dari
telapak kakinya sampai ke batu kepalanya. Lalu Ayub
mengambil sekeping beling untuk menggaruk-garuk
badannya, sambil duduk di tengah-tengah abu.” (Ayub
2:7-8) Dengan tidak ada lagi yang bisa diandalkan untuk
menghadapi situasinya yang sangat buruk, Ayub hanya
bisa berserah secara supernatural kepada kekusaan
yang lebih tinggi yang dia belum pernah rasakan
sebelumnya---merasakan Tuhan dengan dirinya sendiri.
Terkadang, kita sama seperti Ayub menunggu sampai
hari-hari yang sangat susah datang ke dalam hidup kita,
baru kita mau menyerahkan hidup kita kepada Tuhan.
Dengan penuh harapan di umur rohani ini, kita sebagai
anak-anak Tuhan bisa terus menyerahkan hidup kita
kepada Tuhan setiap saat, bukan esklusif di hari-hari
yang susah.
Berpikir secara positif---Berpikir diluar Dunia.
Dunia atau agama-agama lain mengajarkan kalau
kita mengalami penderitaan itu karena Tuhan sedang
menghukum kita oleh karena dosa-dosa kita. Dalam
usaha mereka untuk menghibur Ayub, yang pada
waktu itu sedang mencari jawaban atas tragedinya,
teman-teman terdekatnya menegur dia untuk
mengaku akan segala dosa-dosanya (yang tidak benar
kenyataanya)---mereka mengulangi perkataan mereka
di beberapa bagian di Buku Ayub, bahwa penderitaan
Ayub dikarenakan oleh kejahatan di dalam hidupnya
(salah satu contoh: Ayub 22:4-11). Kebenerannya
adalah teman-teman Ayub salah, tangan Ayub bersih
dan tidak bercela, dan dia menjauhi kejahatan (Ayub
1:1, 8). Teman-teman Ayub berpikir seperti dunia,
lalu Tuhan menegur mereka dengan keras, “… maka
firman Tuhan kepada Elifas, orang Teman: ‘MurkaKu menyala terhadap engkau dan terhadap kedua
sahabatmu, karena kamu tidak bekata benar tentang
Aku seperti hamba-Ku Ayub.’” (Ayub 42:7) Disini kita
bisa melihat bahwa pandangan dan pemikiran dunia
bisa menjatuhkan dan mengecewakan kita, terutama
ketika kita sedang mencari jawaban dan jalan keluar
kepada masalah-masalah kita. Sebagai Kristen,
kita tahu bahwa Iblis-lah penyebab penderitaan
sementaraTuhan mempunyai kekuatan untuk
membiarkan itu terjadi (menurut kehendakNya),
tetapi kita juga harus mengetahui kalau ada dua jenis
penderitaan. Jenis penderitaan yang pertama adalah
ketika penderitaan itu datang karena akibat dari dosa
kita sendiri. Dan, jenis penderitaan yang kedua adalah
penderitaan yang Ayub alami. Kita perlu benar-benar
memperhatikan kepada alasan atas penderitaan kita,
apakah itu datang dari akibat dosa kita atau bukan
karena Iblis akan menggunakan semua caranya yang
licik untuk membuat kita jatuh di waktu penderitaan
kita. Dia mungkin akan mencoba membuat kita
terikat kepada dosa-dosa kita atau dia mungkin akan
mencoba untuk menipu kita untuk menjauhi Tuhan
seperti di waktu Ayub. Untuk mengatasi penderitaan/
kesusahan-kesusahan kita, lebih gampang jika kita
mengetahui penyebabnya dahulu; tetapi, kita harus
jujur disini kepada diri kita sendiri dan kepada Tuhan.
Hal selanjutnya yang harus kita lakukan sewaktu
mengatasi penderitaan kita adalah berpikir secara
Godly positif, tetapi banyak dari kita akan bertanya,
“Apakah yang dimaksud dengan berpikir secara
Godly positif di dalam situasi ini?” Mari kita lihat
kepada paragraph selanjutnya.
Banyak dari kita sudah mengetahui bahwa Tuhan
mengijinkan penderitaan untuk membentuk dan
mendisiplin kita, dan kita juga mau melihat penderitaan dari sisi positif yang lain. Kita mau melihat penderitaan kita sebagai suatu kesempatan yang baik yang
Tuhan telah berikan untuk kita. Penderitaan Ayub
adalah sebuah kesempatan untuk dia belajar tentang
kedaulatan Tuhan. Melalui penderitaan, Ayub dapat
belajar bahwa kematian bukanlah akhir dari segalanya (Ayub 19:25-27), menemukan bahwa Tuhan akan
22
menyelamatkan dia (Ayub 14:13-17), dan mengetahui
bahwa Tuhan sangat hebat (Ayub 26:5-14). (Diambil
dari unknown source) Kita juga mau seperti Ayub,
menganggap penderitaan kita sebagai kesempatan
untuk mempelajari kedaulatan Tuhan. Kita juga mau
menganggap penderitaan kita sebagai suatu kesempatan untuk bertumbuh secara rohani, batin (mental),
dan moral. Kalau kita mengetahui penderitaan itu
datang dari akibat dosa kita, kita perlu bertanggung
jawab seperti yang kita ketahui setiap dosa ada akibatnya. Dengan mengatasi akibat dosa, kita bisa belajar
untuk bertumbuh di dalam isu-isu moral dan mental.
Dari kemaluan dan kekecewaan akibat dosa kita, kita
tidak ingin jatuh kepada dosa itu lagi, maukah kita?
Tetapi, jika kita akhirnya jatuh lagi kepada dosa yang
sama, maka kita belum benar-benar mengaku dosa
kita dan belajar darinya. Di sisi yang lain, kalau kita
berada di posisi Ayub, iman kepercayaan kita sedang
dicobai. Kita perlu mendekatkan diri kepada Tuhan
dan bersabar untuk melihat rencana Tuhan untuk
kita. Sungguh, kesabaraan adalah terpenting dalam
hal ini. Tentu saja, itu mudah untuk melihat masalah
Ayub sekarang karena kita sudah mengetahui akhir
yang bahagia daripada cerita ini---Tuhan memberkati
dia dua kali lipat daripada sebelumnya (Ayub 42:10).
Tetapi, tahukah Ayub akan jawaban kepada kesulitan
dia di waktu itu? Tidak, dia tidak ada gambaran sama
sekali, dan malahan dia merasa sepertinya Tuhan tidak
memberikan dia jawaban,
“Sesungguhnya, kalau aka berjalan ke timur,
Ia tidak di sana;
atau ke barat, tidak kudapati Dia;
di utara kucari Dia, Ia tidak tampak,
aku berpaling ke selatan, aku tidak melihat Dia.”
(Ayub 23:8-9)
b menyatakan secara tidak langsung kalau dia tidak
Ayub
merasakan kehadiran Tuhan, walaupun dia berusaha
keras untuk mencariNya. Terkadang, di waktu susah,
kita merasa seperti Ayub, kita berdoa dan berdoa lalu
membaca Alkitab atau kita berusaha sebisa mungkin
untuk mendapatkan jawaban dari Tuhan, tetapi kita
hanya merasa Tuhan tidak hadir untuk memberikan
jawaban. Tetapi, bagaimana kalau Tuhan menjawab
‘tunggu’ atau ‘bersabarlah’! Walaupun Ayub tidak menemuka jawaban Tuhan, namun Ayub tetap setia kepadaNya sewaktu imam kepercayaannya dicobai. Ayub
melanjutkan perkataannya dengan ayat ke 10,
“Karena Ia tahu jalan hidupku;
seandainya Ia menguji aku, aku akan
timbul seperti emas,
Kakiku tetap mengikuti jejak-Nya.
aku menuruti jalan-Nya dan tidak menyimpang.
Perintah dari bibir-Nya tidak kulanggar,
dalam sanubariku kusimpan ucapan mulut-Nya.”
(Ayub 23:10-12)
Bertapa indahnya melihat Ayub yang begitu setia
dan optimis di waktu penderitaannya! Ayub yang
optimis bisa berpikir kepada hal yang sangat baik
dari penderitaan dia yaitu dia akan timbul seperti
emas jika benar Tuhan sedang menguji dia. Ayub,
yang secara terang bilang bisa dikatakan sebagai
orang yang dulunya terkaya dan termasyur yang
menjadi orang yang miskin, yang tidak dikenal, dan
yang sakit, bisa berpikiran positif tentang masalahnya.
Bagaimana dengan kita? Apakah kita masih kesal
dengan masalah kecil yang kita hadapi sekarang?
Atau, masihkan kita menjadi acuh tak acuh kepada
Tuhan karena beratnya beban dari masalah yang kita
tanggung sekarang? Mengapakah kita tidak melihat
kepada sisi cemerlangnya seperti Ayub? Sebagai
tambahan, kita juga mau menganggap penderitaan
kita suatu kesempatan untuk merasakan kebesaran
akan kasih Tuhan. Di dalam kasus penderitaan jenis
yang pertama, kita bisa mengetahui bertapa mahalnya
salib Tuhan Yesus dengan menyadari nature dari pada
dosa kita, dan lagi, Tuhan bisa membayarnya dengan
lunas melalui kebesaran kasihNya. Di dalam kasus
penderitaan yang kedua, kita bisa melihat bahwa Tuhan
sudah mempersiapkan solusi kepada masalah kita dan
sedang mempersiapkan kita untuk berkat yang lebih
besar selama kita siap untuk menerimanya. Sangat
ironis untuk dikatakan, tetapi benar bahwa melalui
penderitaan kita bisa mengetahui bahwa Tuhan sangat
mengasihi kita. Setiap orang tua yang baik selalu ingin
anak-anaknya betumbuh dan menjadi siap sewaktu
anak-anaknya diberikan lebih banyak hal-hal untuk di
tanggung jawabkan. Akankah kita memberikan anak
kita sepeda motor untuk hari jadinya walaupun kita
tahu bahwa dia bukanlah seorang yang berwaspada?
Tidak, dia akan terlibat kecelakaan lalu lintas kalau
kita berikan! Tuhan, Allah Bapa kita seperti orang
tua yang baik ini; Dia mau kita bertumbuh dan
menjadi siap untuk dipercayakan dengan berkat yang
lebih. Semuanya ini adalah alasannya kenapa Tuhan
23
mengijinkan
m
penderitaan di dunia ini karena itu adalah
kesempatan
ke
baik yang Tuhan berikan untuk kita.
Bi
Biasanya
hanya waktu-waktu yang baik yang bisa kita
an
anggap
sebagai kesempatan. Tetapi sekarang, kita juga
bi menganggap waktu-waktu yang susah sebagai
bisa
ke
kesempatan.
Jadi, sudahkah kita mengerti bagaimana
berpikiran Godly positif?!
be
Di
D umur rohani yang sekarang ini, kita mau berhenti
m
melihat
hidup dari pandangan dunia. Sebaliknya, kita
m menjadi bisa melihatnya dari pandangan Tuhanmau
--berpikir diluar dunia. Dari pandangan dunia, kita
adalah milik kepunyaan dunia, maka dari itu, kita juga
seharusnya memiliki hal-hal yang berada di dunia ini.
Maka,apa yang terjadi jikalau kita mem-possess/memiliki
kebanyakan dari hal-hal di dunia ini dengan berpikiran
bertapa berharganya mereka? Maka kita memenuhi
hidup kita dengan banyak pengharapan-pengharapan
yang salah. Kadangkala, kita sebagai Kristen bertanya
kenapa Tuhan membiarkan seseorang atau sesuatu
yang sangat kita hargai diambil atau membiarkan kita
berada di suatu situasi yang sangat ingin kita luputkan.
Bahkan Ayub, orang yang paling saleh dan benar, tidak
luput dari godaan untuk memiliki hal-hal di dunia ini,
dia mengeluh dengan kekecewaan ketika semua milik
kepunyaannya lenyap,
“Karena yang kutakutkan, itulah yang menimpa aku,
dan yang kucemaskan itulah yang mendatangi aku.”
(Ayub 3:25)
Dan lagi, ketakutan Ayub yang paling besar adalah
jikalau anak-anaknya diambil daripadanya,
“Anak-anaknya yang lelaki biasa mengadakan pesta
dirumah mereka masing-masing menurut giliran dan
ketiga saudara perempuan mereka diundang untuk
makan dan minum bersama-sama mereka. setiap kali,
apabila hari-hari pesta telah berlalu, Ayub memanggi
mereka, dan menguduskan mereka; keesokan harinya,
pagi-pagi, bangunlah Ayub, lalu mempersembahkan
korban bakaran sebanyak jumlah mereka sekalian, sebab
pikirnya: ‘Mungkin anak-anakku sudah berbuat dosa
dan telah mengutuki Allah di dalam hati.’ Demikianlah
dilakukan Ayub senantiasa.”
(Ayub 1:4-5)
Seperti yang kita ketahui, korban bakaran di jaman
Ayub digunakan untuk menyucikan dan membersihkan
manusia dari pada dosa-dosa mereka, dan ini
dilakukan Ayub senantiasa. Sebagai ayah, Ayub sangat
mencintai anak-anaknya, dan dia terlalu berusaha
menjaga anak-anaknya. Dengan pengetahuan yang
salah tentang Tuhan, Ayub rajin mempersembahkan
korban bakaran kepada Tuhan untuk menghindari
anak-anaknya diambil kalau-kalau mereka telah
berdosa kepada Tuhan. Ayub tidak tahu selama ini
Iblis-lah penyebab penderitaan dia, dan dia (Iblis)
menjelajah di dunia dan memperhatikan kebiasaan
Ayub (Ayub 1:7-8). Untuk yang sudah melihat film
Batman yang paling baru The Dark Knight atau yang
tahu figur pahlawan yang bernama Batman, ada satu
scene diakhir film ini dimana si penjahat bernama
Joker berhasil menangkap anggota keluarga daripada
si polisi bernama Gordon dan keadaan mereka sedang
terikat. Joker ingin mengambil salah satu dari anggota
keluarga Gordon untuk menjadi tahanannya, dan
dia hanya ingin menahan orang yang paling di cintai
Gordon. Untuk menguji ini, Joker memulai dengan istri
dari si Gordon dengan menaruh hidup istrinya dalam
bahaya sewaktu Joker memperhatikan reaksi dari
Gordon. Joker dengan menekankan senjata pisaunya
ke leher istrinya mendapatkan reaksi yang cepat
dari Gordon, yang sedang berusaha menyelamatkan
nyawa istrinya dengan bernegosiasi dengan Joker.
Joker, yang memindahkan senjatanya kearah anak
perempuan Gordon, sekarang mendapatkan Gordon
bernegosiasi dengan lebih banyak pilihan sebagai
ganti anak perempuannya. Ketika gilirannya datang
kepada anak laki-lakinya, Gordon berteriak dengan
kuat untuk memberhentikan kelakuan Joker. Dengan
reaksi Gordon yang sangat kuat kepada bahaya
nyawa anak laki-lakinya, Joker akhirnya menemukan
tawanan yang tepat, anak laki-laki Gordon. Seperti
ini, Iblis bisa melihat kalau kita memuja seseorang
atau sesuatu berlebihan. Dan, Tuhan juga sudah
mengetahuinya jikalau kita menaruh hati kita yang
berlebihan kepada hal-hal di dunia, ketika akhirnya
kita kehilangan mereka, kita akan menaruh kesalahan
kepada Tuhan dan menjadi acuh tak acuh kepadaNya
karena kekecewaan kita. Dia telah memperingati
kita di kesepuluh hukum-Nya untuk menjauhi halhal yang berhala dan menjadikan Dia yang pertama
disegala hal. Di dalam bukunya ‘No-Nonsense Dating,’
Ronn Elmore berkata, “Cinta bukanlah halnya untuk
memenuhi keperluan. Semua keperluan anda dipenuhi
24
dengan hubungan kita dengan Tuhan yang hidup. Jadi
kalau Tuhan sedang membekali kita dengan segala yang
kita perlu, lalu hal-hal yang lain menjadi keinginan.Anda
perlu makanan.Anda perlu udara.Anda perlu salvation.
Tetapi Anda menginginkan seorang pendamping.
Anda menginginkan hubungan. Anda menginginkan
seseorang di planet ini yang bisa anda kenal dan cintai
tidak peduli apa yang mereka ketahui tentang anda.”
Elmore memperingatkan bahkan di dalam hubungan
manusia, Tuhan harus menjadi yang pertama, lalu dia
melanjutkan, “Jadi, inilah perbedaan yang besar antara
ingin dan perlu: Kalau saya menyadari bahwa saya tidak
memerlukan anda, maka saya bebas untuk mencintai
anda dengan cara yang bertanggung jawab…Membuat
seseorang menjadi idola kita adalah dosa. Jadikanlah
Yesus cinta sejati anda maka anda akan menjadi bebas
untuk mencintai manusia lain dengan cara yang benar
yaitu yang membuat kalian bebas dari isyarat pemujaan
idola.” Elmore mengatakan bahwa hubungan dan cinta
adalah free tetapi harus tetap dilakukan dengan cara
yang bertanggung jawab. Secara tidak langsung, dia
menyatakan bahwa kita harus menghindari dari hal
mem-possess orang yang kita cintai karena Tuhanlah
pemiliki mereka. Maka dari itu, kita tidak mau dipossess oleh dunia dan ter-obsessi dengan hal-hal di
dunia. Sebaliknya, kita harus selalu mengingatkan diri
kita sendiri bahwa kita adalah milik kepunyaan Tuhan,
dan bahwa kita mau ter-obsessi hanya kepada Tuhan.
Tingkatkan Nilai Diri Kita---Godly Karakter.
Nilai diluar kita (outer values) adalah sementara, dan
nilai didalam diri kita (inner values) adalah selamanya.
Sebagai contoh, kekayaan, kecantikan, dan kesehatan
adalah hal-hal yang bisa lenyap, dan kita tidak akan
membawa hal-hal ini ke Surga ketika waktu kita
dipanggil oleh Tuhan. Di lain pihak, Godly karakter
kita seperti kesalehan, kesucian, kebaikan, kejujuran,
dan kasih dapat tertanam di diri kita selamanya. Dunia
ini, seperti pemiliknya (Iblis), sangat menipu kita untuk
berpikiran bahwa menginvestasikan diri kita kepada
hal-hal yang dapat kelihatan seperti outer values
lebih penting daripada hal-hal yang didalam seseorang
inner values. Banyak orang Kristen sekarang yang
mengeluarkan banyak waktu untuk menginvestasikan
diri mereka untuk kekayaan dan kemasyuran,
sementara mereka tidak mempunyai waktu untuk
menjalankan renungan harian dengan regular atau
mereka tidak mempunyai waktu untuk melibatkan
diri di aktiviti gereja.
Atau, banyak orang
Kristen hari ini yang
mengeluarkan banyak
uang mereka untuk
investasi
kepada
penampilan mereka,
terutama bagi para
perempuan. Mereka
mencoba
untuk
membuat diri mereka
kelihatan lebih trendi
dan cantik dari luar.
sementara
mereka
tidak tahu bagaimana
menjaga
hubungan
keluarga dengan baik karena mereka tidak mempunyai
waktu untuk membaca Alkitab atau buku-buku Kristen
yang lain yang bisa mengajarkan berhubungan dengan
baik.Tetapi bila kita mengambil sejenak untuk berpikir,
apakah nilai-nilai diluar begitu berharga untuk waktu
dan uang kita sewaktu kita hidup sebagai Kristen?
Misalnya saja kita menghadapi situasi seperti Ayub,
kekayaan, harta-benda, kemasyuran kita, anak-anak,
dan kesehatan kita lenyap disebabkan suatu alasan,
dan yang tertinggal didalam diri kita adalah---kita bisa
mengatakannya terang bilang adalah nilai-nilai diri kita.
Lihatlah kepada Ayub yang mempunyai nilai diri yang
suci dan bisa diandalkan. Iblis mengira bahwa kekayaan
dan kemasyuran Ayub-lah yang menjadi alasan kenapa
dia begitu saleh dan setia kepada Tuhan, “Lalu jawab
Iblis kepada Tuhan: ‘Apakah dengantidak medapat apaapa Ayub akan takut akan Allah? Bukankah Engkau
yang membuat pagar sekeliling dia dan rumahnya serta
segala yang dimilikinya? Apa yang dikerjakannya telah
Kauberkati dan apa yang dimilikinya makin bertambah
di negeri itu.Tetapi ulurkanlah tangan-Mu dan jamahlah
segala yang dipunyainya, ia pasti mengutuki Engkau
dihadapan-Mu.’” (Ayub 1:9-11) Tetapi tentu saja, Iblis
salah tentang Ayub.Ayub tentu saja berduka cita, tetapi
dia tidak berdosa dan menghujat Tuhan (Ayub 1:2022; 2:9-10). Bagaimana mungkin bisa untuk seseorang
yang terpukul oleh penderitaan yang begitu besar? Ini
karena Ayub selama ini dengan tulus telah membawa
dirinya dengan Godly karakter---Ayub memiliki inner
beauty yang begitu suci dan sejati. Pada akhirnya, nilai
diri Ayub-lah yang membayar kepada penderitaannya
dan kesusahan-kesusahannya. Nilai diri Ayub ini-lah
yang membantu dia untuk menghadapi masalah25
masalahnya menjadi lebih mudah dengan mencegahnya
untuk membuat masalah-masalah baru. Dia tidak
berdosa ataupun membuat masalah dengan istirnya
atau tetangganya/sanak keluarganya. Mungkin saat ini,
masih sulit buat kita untuk melihat pentingnya nilai
diri kita, maka kita mau melihat Godly karakter Ayub
lebih dalam lagi dengan menggunakan pembalikan
figur Ayub. Bayangkan, apa yang akan terjadi jikalau
karakter Ayub sekarang diputar balik? Jikalau Ayub
bukanlah seseorang pendamai, saleh, jujur, dan
baik, tetapi sebaliknya Ayub adalah seseorang yang
pembuat masalah, pemarah, dan kasar. Di dalam kasus
ini, kita bisa membayangkan Ayub gampang menjadi
marah kepada Tuhan dan menghujat Dia---yang
artinya Ayub telah melakukan dosa yang sangat buruk
dan juga dia telah menyatakan ketidak-siapan dirinya
akan pimpinan Tuhan. Kita juga bisa dengan gampang
membayangkan Ayub membuat masalah kepada istri
dan tetangganya/sanak familinya (atau dalam istilah
jaman sekarang adalah teman-teman gerejanya) saat
dia menjadi sinis kepada mereka atau membayangkan
Ayub yang membuat masalah dengan istrinya dan
pada akhirnya dapat meninggalkannya (dalam istilah
jaman sekarang menceraikan istrinya), tetapi Ayub
tidak melakukan satupun dari hal ini. Pada akhirnya,
Ayub menerima banyak pertolongan dari sanak
saudara dan kenalannya, dan tanpa mengatakan dia
diberkati dengan anak-anak perempuan yang sangat
cantik (Ayub 42:11,15). Bayangkan kalau dia akhirnya
menceraikan istrinya!! Bagaimana dengan kita sendiri?
Berapakah harga nilai diri kita? Apakah kita masih
sinis kepada orang-orang disekitar kita ketika kita
menghadapi masalah dan kesusahan? Atau masikah kita
berencana untuk meninggalkan tanggung jawab kita
sebagai orang tua, suami-istri, aktivis gereja, ataupun
sebagai jemaat gereja ketika kita banyak masalah? Kita
seharusnya bertahan dalam kesusahan kita dengan
inner value kita, seperti kesabaran dan ketekunan.
Kalau kita merasa kita perlu membangun nilai diri kita,
kita bisa memulai dari sekarang. Kita bisa memulai
dengan membaca Alkitab dengan tekun, menjalankan
renungan harian dengan regular, membaca buku-buku
Kristen, dan mempunyai lebih banyak waktu yang
berharga dengan keluarga dan teman Kristiani kita.
Kalau kita tidak suka membaca, ada beberapa website
yang menyediakan pemutaran video tentang Bible
study atau isu-isu kekristenan (untuk keterangan
lebih lanjut bisa disimak di halaman ‘What’s More
Interesting on the Internet than Youtube’).
Membuat Gereja sebagai Tempat Berteduh
Kita---Menjaga Relasi yang Baik dengan
Kawanan-Kawanan and Gembalanya.
Seperti yang telah kita lihat di paragraf-paragraf di
atas, kita diingatkan kembali bahwa dunia ini penuh
dengan tipu muslihat. Seperti halnya Ayub, dunia bisa
membuat kita menjatuhkan dan mengecewakan kita,
dan sekarang kita ingin melihat dampak dari dunia yang
juga bisa membuat kita merasa tertekan. Sekarang
ini, kompetisi ada dimana-mana karena orang-orang
mencoba menjadi lebih baik dan lebih lagi menjadi
yang terbaik dalam perihal (outer values) nilai luar.
Dunia ini penuh dengan banyak kompetisi-kompetisi
yang melelahkan, seperti kompetisi style, kekayaan,
kemasyuran, dan masih banyak lagi. Tekanan dari
kompetisi itu sendiri biasanya menjadi godaan untuk
kita. Jikalau kita tidak lebih baik dari teman duniawi
kita, kita biasanya tergoda untuk menghabiskan lebih
banyak waktu untuk memperbaiki diri sampai kita
menjadi seperti mereka. Ini menggoda kita untuk
membeli mobil luxury terbaru, ini menggoda kita
untuk membeli fashion trend yang terbaru, dan ini
bahkan menggoda kita untuk menjalankan operasi
plastik demi kecantikan---biasanya perempuan yang
lebih cenderung melakukan kedua contoh yang
terakhir. Tetapi, apakah yang akan terjadi jikalau kita
mencapai titik dimana kita tidak bisa mengeluarkan
biaya lebih untuk hal-hal seperti ini? Akankan kita
tetap melanjutkannya hanya untuk membuat diri kita
menjadi kelihatan lebih cantik atau lebih terkenal?
Tidak, kalau ini terjadi akan menjadi masalah kita nanti
di masa mendatang! Dan, perhatikan ini---selalu saja
ada orang yang lebih baik daripada kita! Selalu saja ada
orang yang lebih cantik atau tampan dari kita, selalu
saja ada orang yang lebih kaya dari kita, dan selalu saja
ada orang yang lebih terkenal dari pada kita! Seperti
domba, kita mudah menyimpang dari jalan kita yang
26
sebenarnya. Maka dari itu, bertapa pentingnya untuk
menjaga diri kita dekat kepada kawanan dan gembala
kita sewaktu kita berjalan bersama dengan mereka
dengan mendukung dan mempengaruhi satu dengan
yang lain dengan hal-hal yang sehat dan positif.
Beberapa dari kita akan berkata tidak ada bedanya
antara orang-orang gereja dengan orang-orang di luar
gereja. Kita mau lihat untuk kedua kalinya sebelum
kita mengulangin apa yang kita katakan itu. Lihatlah
lagi dengan teliti! Sebagai Kristen, setidaknya kita
mengenal cinta tanpa bersyarat dan kita mengenal
kesepuluh hukum Tuhan. Tetapi jikalau beberapa dari
kita tetap berikeras kalau tidak ada perbedaannya,maka
kita perlu melihat kepada diri kita sendiri. Apakah kita
sudah terlibat dengan gereja ini dan dengan Tuhan?
Apakah kita mempunyai hubungan yang dekat dengan
kedua hal ini? Kalau kita belum, maka belumlah juga
terlambat untuk menjadi terlibat dengan orang-orang
gereja dan acara-acaranya. Dan, lihatlah dengan mata
kita sendiri perbedaan antara orang-orang di gereja
dan orang-orang di luar gereja.
Banyak dari kita merasakan lega ketika akhir pekan
tiba. Selama lima hari, kita telah menjadi capai
berurusan dengan tekanan dan kekacauan dari dunia,
dan akhirnya, di hari pekan, kita bisa datang ke tempat
perlindungan kita, gereja kita---ini tidak menyatakan
kepada bangunan tetapi kepada perhimpunan
dengan orang-orangnya. Maka dari itu, tidakkah kita
menginginkan gereja yang mempunyai lingkungan yang
baik dan membuat kita bisa memuji Tuhan dengan
bebas? Kita semua telah memperhatikan satu fakta
tentang gereja kita ini, GII Azusa, yaitu gereja yang bisa
dikatakan sebagai keluarga besar dimana anak-anaknya
terdiri dari orang-orang Indonesia yang berasal dari
berbagai macam daerah/provinsi dan selain itu juga
ada suku lainnya. Dan, cara kita berbicara, cara kita
mengekspresikan ide kita, cara kita memperlihatkan
kasih, cara kita bercanda, dan juga cara kita menghargai
hal-hal tertentu berbeda. Tetapi sangat menyedihkan,
terkadang perbedaan-perbedaan ini membuat kita
salah mengartikan maksud mereka yang kadang juga
mengantar kepada keributan kecil diantara kita. Yang
mau kita lakukan untuk menghindari salah pengertian
ini adalah kita harus dan banyak dari kita sudah
melakukannya yaitu mengasihi mereka dengan tidak
bersyarat (unconditional love). Tetapi, kadang ada dua
hal yang penting yang kita abaikan dari unconditional
love ini yaitu RESPECT (hormat) dan ACCEPTANCE
(menerima mereka apa adanya). Bisakah kita
mencintai seseorang tetapi tidak menghormati dan
menerima mereka apa adanya? Bisakah kita mencintai
anak kita yang cacat tetapi sebenarnya kita berencana
memberikannya kepada orang lain? Tidak demikian!!
Jikalau ini yang sedang kita lakukan kepada temanteman sesama gereja kita maka kita perlu mengkoreksi
diri. Dan, bertanya kepada diri kita sendiri: apakah ini
benar-benar mengasihi mereka tanpa bersyarat atau
karena kebiasaan kita saja kita dapat menunjukan kasih
kepada teman sesama kita selama ini? Jiikalau kita dapat
menjawa ‘iya, ini sebenarnya kasih tanpa bersyarat,’
dan dapatkan kita menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan
berikut ini: bisakah kita menerima dan menghormati
teman-teman gereja kita yang mempunyai kebisaan
untuk berbicara dengan nada yang cepat dan lantang
yang terkadang kelihataan kasar, atau teman-teman
gereja kita yang menghargai pendapat orang lain
melebihi pendapatnya sendiri sebelum membuat
sebuah decision yang terkadang membuat kita
tidak bersabar, atau teman-teman gereja kita yang
mempunyai kebiasaan mengekspresikan pendapatnya
setelah memikirkannya matang-matang, atau temanteman gereja kita yang mempunyai kebiasaan memberi
seminimal mungkin seiring dengan pengeluaraannya
ketika mereka menunjukan kasih dan kebaikannya,
atau teman-teman gereja kita yang mengucapkan
gurauannya yang menyerang kelemahan kita tanpa
disengaja? Dan mungkin, di saat ini, beberapa dari kita
belum diyakinkan untuk menerima dan menghormati
orang-orang ini sejak kita ‘menduga’ kita sudah
mengetahui tujuan mereka yang ‘buruk’ atau karena
alasan yang lainnya, kita berkata,“Tetapi yang saya lihat
dari mereka benar karena mereka tidak setulus dan
sedewasa atau karena ini atau karena itu dan karena
saya telah mengenal mereka dari pengalaman dan
pengetahuan saya yang dulu.” Tetapi, itu tidak berarti
kita bisa menghakimi mereka dan mempengaruhi diri
kita dengan keburukan mereka. Kalau kita berpikiran
dan bereaksi kepada mereka dengan seperti ini terus,
bukankah ini sama dengan tidak mendorong diri kita
dan mereka untuk bertumbuh? Kita seharusnya sebagai
Kristen terus menerus dan selalu dipupuk untuk
bertumbuh menjadi lebih seperti Tuhan kita. Sebagai
tambahan, kita juga mau mulai memperhatikan kepada
pendengar kita sebelum kita mengatakan sesuatu atau
bercanda supaya kita dapat berjaga-jaga untuk tidak
menyerang kelemahan mereka. Mengambil satu atau
dua detik untuk memikirkan pendengar kita lebih baik
27
dari pada seumur hidup mengingat kata-kata pahit yang
kita katakan. Lebih dari itu, jikalau kita menghadapi halhal dari teman gereja kita yang menyinggung perasaan
kita, kita seharunya belajar untuk tidak membicarakan
mereka dibelakang karena ini akan memberikan
pengaruh negatif yang besar bagi teman kita yang
mendengarnya, yang akan pada akhirnya menghakimi
orang-orang ini berdasarkan padangan negatif
kita. Di dalam hal seperti ini, kenapakah kita tidak
belajar untuk meninggalkannya kepada Tuhan? Atau,
kenapakah kita tidak berdoa untuk mereka, memberi
dorongan mereka, memberikan mereka penghiburan,
atau lebih baik lagi, jika kita menjadi teman baik
mereka yang mengerti jalan pikiran, kekhawatiran, dan
latar belakang mereka? Ingatlah Tuhan menciptakan
manusia dengan personaliti yang bermacam-macam--kita tidak mungkin mendapat seseorang yang mirip
sekali dengan kita---dan inilah indahnya ciptaan Tuhan
ketika orang Kristen hidup bersama dengan harmonis.
Seperti halnya Dia menciptakan lelaki dan perempuan,
dua individu yang sangat bertolak belakang tetapi
ketika mereka akhinya hidup dengan harmonis, tidak
ada yang bisa mengalahkan ini!
Sewaktu kita bertumbuh dewasa, kita mempunyai
tanggapan sendiri tentang segala hal. Serupa dengan
ini, sewaktu kita dipupuk dengan Firman Tuhan dan
dengan pengalaman yang Tuhan telah berikan, kita
mungkin akan berpikiran kalau kita sudah cukup
mengetahui.Tetapi, sangatlah penting untuk senantiasa
MENGHORMATI pendeta-pendeta kita karena
mereka adalah gembala kita di dunia ini. Kita ingin lebih
mendengarkan pendapat, perhatian, dan pengajaran
mereka sewaktu mereka mencoba memberikan yang
terbaik untuk kita. Menjaga hubungan yang baik dengan
teman-teman gereja kita dan pendeta-pendeta kita
memberikan kita harapan dan kekuatan ketika kita
kembali lagi untuk menghadapi dunia sepanjang lima
hari yang mendatang. Sebagai kata penutup, sangatlah
penting bagi kita untuk senantiasa selalu berdoa
untuk pendeta-pendeta dan teman-teman Kristiani
kita sewaktu kita berjalan bersama dengan mereka.
Kiranya ini menjadi berkat untuk jemaat sewaktu kita
sewaktu memasuki umur kedewasaan yang kedua
puluh lima!
Congratulation
Reverend Wilson Suwanto
E Wilson Suwanto along with his wife, Julia
Ev.
Ev
SSu
Suwanto, have started serving at IEC-LA as our
yyo
youth pastor, since January 2002. Before serviin
ing at IEC-LA, Ev. Wilson has served the Lord
aat Reformed Evangelical Theological Seminary
iin Jakarta, Indonesia as the university instructor.
FFo
For almost two years, he taught the New Testta
tament, history and philosophy of Christianity,
G
Greek and Hebrew languages, and methods of
rre
research. Later when asked by one of the deacco
cons to serve at IEC-LA for the year of 2002, he
aac
accepted the invitation. He was glad that God
lle
led him to serve in this church because he was
aab
able to function according to the talent that God
hha
has given him. He was able to see God’s leadRev. Suwanto Family 2008
iing in every step of the way. Through these past
years, God has helped him to pass through every obstacle in his ministry, from inside as well from outside. By
this, he knows that this is not his personal predetermination, but instead it was God’s will. If something is the will
of God, no one can fail it. This is the conviction of his faith, and this is what God promises to His children.
Ev. Wilson got his Bachelor Degree in Theology at Reformed Evangelical Theological Seminary of Jakarta, attending the university from 1994 to 1999. In January 2003, while kept serving as the youth pastor here at IEC-LA,
he continued his theology study at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena and graduated in June 2006 with an
M.A. degree in Theology and Biblical Studies. The reason that he chose this major was the possibility it offers at
further study.
While diligently serving and caring for the congregation at IEC-LA with his wife actively serving in the Sunday
School, the family was blessed with two children. The boys are called Joel and John. On September 21, 2008, the
day of our church 25th anniversary celebration, the ceremony of the ordination of Ev. Wilson Suwanto
ssed as a pastor.
is also held. From that day on, he is to be addressed
Reverend Wilson’s vision for being a pastor is
to spread the whole truth about God, remain
faithful to His Word, and equip the congregation with the right attitude and Biblical knowledge according to the Bible. As a shepherd of
God, a pastor has to be Christ-centered because this is the basis of God’s calling.
Reverend Wilson’s hope for our church is that
we will always be reformed, to think of and pray
for the Kingdom of Heaven in terms of spreading God’s work to every nation, and let Christ
be God above the church and in every aspect
of our life. He also hopes for the congregation
learns to love God’s Words, be thirst of God’ss
Words, and always grow ever more Christ-likee
so that we will have a Christian worldview andd
Biblical
value» system
planted
28 Agape
Anniversary
2008in our hearts.
Spiritual Disciplines as the Journey
in Spiritual Formation
By Ev. Dedy S. Ginta
Disciplines is not a popular termin
our cultures. Quaker writer Richard Foster’s invitation to the “celebration of discipline” is a radical call to a largely undisciplined
and comfort-seeking culture. Our
avoidance of discipline is another
symptom of the pursuit of instant
gratification which characterizes
our culture. Instant fulfillment of
needs and desires allows no time
for the long and rigorous path of
disciplines. Yet it is this path that
brings true and lasting fulfillment,
not the brief and fleeting appearances of fulfillment that disappear
in the next moment.
While the avoidance of
discipline characterizes much of
our culture, the acceptance of disciplines can also be symptomatic
of brokenness. There are those
for whom disciplines become a
rigid structure of life that allows
no room for divine serendipities
or graced interruptions of the
disciplines. There are those for
whom disciplines become such
a fixed order of being and doing
that the possibility of changes in
the pattern become unthinkable.
There are those for whom the
disciplines become the total content of their relationship with
God, and works righteousness
the shape of their spirituality.
We also practice spiritual
discipline ‘with fear and trembling’
because of the strong temptation to pervert the disciplines.We
29
may exercise spiritual disciplines
to attempt to win God’s favor or
to get God to do what we think
ought to be done in our lives. We
may practice the disciplines in the
delusion that we are transforming
ourselves into the image of Christ
by our own efforts. We may engage
in the disciplines to impress others
with the seriousness of our spirituality, or simply to win acceptance
by others.
The very personalized spiritual disciplines to which God calls
us are an integral part of the classical spiritual disciplines of the Christian tradition: prayer, spiritual reading, liturgy. These classical spiritual
disciplines of the body of Christ
form the scaffolding, the structure,
the support network within which
we then exercise the distinctive,
personalized disciplines into which
the Spirit of God leads each of us
as we journey toward wholeness in
Christ.
We tend to think of the
classical spiritual disciplines of the
body of Christ as secondary or
even optional to the “real” spirituality of our own private spiritual
disciplines. But the classical disciplines serve to bring our lives into,
and hold our lives in, God’s environment for wholeness in Christ,
so that the “treatment” of our individual disciplines can be fully effective.
Prayer
The consideration of prayer as a
classical disciplines of the Christian tradition brings us up against
the functional priorities of our culture. We tend to think of prayer
as something we do in order to
produce the results we believe are
needed or, rather, to get God to
produce the results. We are more
interested in knowing what works
and developing the skills that will
ensure that our prayers are effective. As a result, our prayer tends
to be a shopping list of things to
be accomplished, an attempt to
manipulate the symptoms of our
lives without really entering into a
deep, vital, transforming relationship with God in the midst of what
we think we need (usually forgetting that “your Father knows what
you need before you ask him (Matt
6:8) and in the midst of the symptoms of our lives (usually forgetting that “in everything God works
together for good with those who
love him” [Rom 8:28]).
Hearing or listening is a
good metaphor for prayer. The
good pray-er is above all a good
listener. Prayer is dialogue; it is a
personal encounter in love. When
we communicate with someone
we care about, we speak and we
listen. But even our speaking is
responsive: what we say depends
upon what the other person has
said to us. Otherwise we don’t
have real dialogue, but rather two
monologues running along side by
side.
In the past we have catalogued prayer under four headings:
adoration, contrition, thanksgiving,
and supplication (or petition)- easy
to remember because the initial
letters spell “acts.” This is helpful
in that it makes clear that there is
much more to prayer than merely
asking for things (supplication). But
we have seen that we need to go
deeper than “acts” of our own to
get to the real meaning of prayer.
Prayer is essentially a dialogic encounter between God and man;
and since God is Lord, he alone
can initiate the encounter.
Prayer, is a dialogue, an
encounter between two persons.
What man does or says is an integral part of prayer, since even God
cannot speak with us unless we
also speak. Even God cannot enter
into dialogue with a man who is interiorly deaf and mute. The goal of
prayer is the encounter with God
in love.
Spiritual Reading
The classical spiritual discipline
of spiritual reading brings us into
conflict with the informational priorities of our culture. Our age has
been called the information age,
and the advent of personal computers coupled with modems has
served to expand almost infinitely
the amount of information available to us and required for effective performance in the world. Information has become power. The
person or group processing the
best information is in a position
to control their world of activity
and interest.
But this “controlling” aspect of our approach to information becomes a debilitating bondage when we approach spiritual
reading. Spiritual reading is the discipline of openness to encounter
God through the writings of the
mothers and fathers of the church,
beginning with the Scriptures. In
spiritual reading the text becomes
a means of grace through which
we encounter the God who has
spoken us forth into being and
who continues to speak to us to
shape us in the image of Christ for
others. In brief, the text opens us
to God’s control of our lives for
God’s purposes. This is a radical
reversal of the dynamics of an informational enables us to impose
our purposes upon the world of
our activities.
Unfortunately, we have
been trained to be informational readers, not spiritual readers.
When we do informational reading, we exercise almost total and
complete control over the text.
We usually select the material we
are going to read. We read the
text with our own agenda already
in place, knowing in advance what
we expect to receive, what problems we want the text to solve for
us. We read the text as rapidly as
possible, to amass as much information as we can in as little time
as possible.
Spiritual or formational
reading is the exact opposite of informational reading. Spiritual reading is entered into the best, perhaps, when the text is chosen for
us. This way we begin by yielding
control to someone or something
outside of our agenda. This facilitates one of the primary purposes
of spiritual reading- to allow the
text to have control over us and
become a place to encounter with
God. Instead of the text being an
object controlled by us, the text
becomes the subject; we, in turn,
become the “object” addressed by
God through the text.
Instead of coming to the
text with our agenda, we come in
a posture of openness to God’s
agenda. We read attentively, seeking not to cover as much as possible but to plumb the depths of
our being and doing. Rather than
an analytical approach, we take
a contemplative posture that is
open to ambiguity and mystery.
The final goal of spiritual reading
is to be mastered by God for the
fulfillment of God’s purposes in us
and through us.
The Components of Disciplines
There are some other classical
disciplines such as: worship, daily
office, study, fasting and retreat.
Worship, whether corporate or individual is the practice
of regularly seeking to bring the
complete focus of our being upon
God. It is the discipline of returning to the true center of our individual and corporate existence as
God’s people. The pressures of life
and the assaults of the fallen world
constantly blur our focus and tend
to shift us away from our center
in God. Worship is the means by
which we recover over our focus
and return to our center.The quality and consistency of our worship
will determine how well we are
able to live Christ-centered lives
in the world.
Daily Office is regular and
consistent daily behaviors that remind us whose we are and renew
us in our discipleship. These may
be as elaborate and complex as
monastic hours of personal and
corporate prayer or as simple as a
daily time of personal devotion. A
daily office might include such elements as personal quiet time with
30
God (or several such times during
the day-morning, midday, evening
or a combination); prayers before
meals, moments of prayer dispersed through the day at planned
points; gathering with others daily
for worship, prayer, Bible study,
Christian fellowship. Whatever the
form of our daily office, we need
such a discipline if we are to live
our lives in a growing experience
of the wholeness of Christ and
in increasing faithfulness as God’s
persons for others.
Study is essential for the
Christian’s growth toward wholeness in Christ for the sake of others. Without disciplined growth
in our knowledge and experience
of God, ourselves, others and the
world around us, we are handicapped in our growth toward
wholeness in Christ and our ability to be God’s person for others.
The discipline of individual and
corporate study keeps us aware
of our growth needs, alert to the
vital issues of the world around
us and sensitized to what God is
doing to grow us up into Christ
and call us forth to be agents of
grace in the midst of the world’s
issues. With the discipline of study,
however, we must be alert to the
temptation to enter into the discipline as a means to help us exert
greater control over our lives, the
lives of others and the problems
of the world. The liturgy of study,
as with all the elements of liturgy,
is a means of offering ourselves to
God, willing for God to do with us
as God chooses.
Fasting involves far more
than abstaining from food, although
such abstention is certainly called
for in the midst of a gluttonous
and overweight culture. The essence of fasting is the separation
31
of ourselves from something in
order to offer ourselves in greater
measures to God. While what we
fast from may be detrimental to
our life or our relationship with
God, generally the point of fasting
is to separate ourselves temporarily or permanently from something
that is normally a good and proper
part of human life.
Retreat is the discipline of
setting apart a time, individually or
corporately, to step aside from the
normal flow of life and give God
our full and undivided attention.
While the disciplines of prayer,
spiritual reading, worship, daily office, study and fasting all serve as
means to clarify the focus of our
life in Christ and keep us centered
as citizens of God’s new order of
being, we also need special times
in which we allow God to help us
reevaluate the whole structure of
our life in Christ.We need to stand
aside from our discipleship so as
to be able to see more clearly the
direction in which we are going
and the course corrections God
would have us make. It is possible
for the practice of the classical disciplines itself to become a subtle
form of works righteousness in
which we come to think that by
our faithful exercise of the disciplines we are transforming ourselves into the image of Christ.We
need to take times to stand aside
and allow God to show us what
we are doing and what we ought
to be doing.
In conclusion, we must remember that these classical disciplines
of the Christian tradition are the
support structure within which
we offer the very personalized
disciplines through which God will
work to bring our brokenness into
wholeness, our deadness into life
and our bondage into freedom. It
is to the personal disciplines that
we now turn.
References:
Dallas Willard and Jan Johnson,
Renovation of the Heart in Daily
Practice.
M. Robert Mulholland, Invitation
to a Journey.
Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual
Disciplines Handbook.
DisiplinDisiplin
Rohani
sebagai
suatu
Formasi
Perjalanan
Rohani
Oleh: Ev. Dedy S.
Ginta
Disiplin bukanlah suatu istilah
yang populer dalam kebudayaan
kita. Penulis Quaker Richard Foster merujuk “perayaan dari disiplin” sebagai suatu panggilan yang
radikal terhadap suatu kebudayaan
yang tidak mempunyai disiplin dan
yang hanya mencari kenyamanan
saja. Kecenderungan kita untuk
menghindari disiplin merupakan
gejala lain dalam mencari suatu
kepuasan adalah gambaran daripada kebudayaan kita. Pemenuhan
kebutuhan dan kepuasan secara
instant tidak akan membangun
jalan menuju suatu disiplin secara
menyeluruh. Bagaimanapun, ini
adalah suatu jalan yang membawa
kepuasan yang sejati dan tahan
lama, bukan suatu kepuasan yang
timbul hanya untuk waktu singkat
dan sementara yang lalu sirna pada
saat berikutnya.
Di satu pihak, menghindari
disiplin adalah suatu gambaran dari
karakter kebudayaan kita, di pihak
lain penerimaan disiplin bisa juga
merupakan indikasi dari suatu kebobrokan.Ada orang yang oleh karena disiplin mereka, mereka menjadi suatu struktur kehidupan yang
kaku yang tidak membiarkan suatu
ruangan untuk campur tangan Tuhan dimana tangan Tuhan yang
penuh anugerah itu mengacaukan
disiplin tersebut. Ada orang yang
menjalankan disiplin tersebut dengan begitu kakunya dimana tidak
terpikirkan lagi untuk melakukan
kemungkinan-kemungkinan untuk
berubah. Ada juga orang yang karena kedisiplinannya menjadi puas
akan hubungan mereka dengan
Tuhan dan bekerja sebaik-baiknya
untuk kerohanian mereka.
Kita juga melatih disiplin
rohani “dengan rasa takut dan gentar” karena godaan-godaan yang
begitu kuatnya untuk merusak
disiplin itu. Kita mungkin melatih
disiplin rohani dalam usaha kita
untuk mendapatkan kasih Tuhan
atau membuat Tuhan melakukan
apa yang kita inginkan dalam hidup
kita. Kita mungkin melatih disiplin
dalam bayang-bayang dimana kita
menjadikan diri kita ke dalam rupa
Kristus dengan upaya kita sendiri.
Kita mungkin menjalankan disiplin
itu untuk memberikan kesan yang
baik kepada orang lain atas keseriusan kita akan rohani kita atau
hanya untuk diterima oleh yang
lainnya.
Disiplin rohani secara prib-
adi dimana Tuhan memanggil kita
sebagai suatu integrasi dari disiplin
rohani dari tradisi orang Kristen
adalah: doa, buku bacaan rohani,
dan liturgy. Disiplin-disiplin rohani
sebagai tubuh Kristus membentuk
rancangan bangunan, struktur dan
jaringan penunjang dimana kita
melatih keunikan dan disiplin pribadi di dalamnya dimana Roh Tuhan
akan membawa setiap kita berjalan
menuju keutuhan dalam Kristus.
Kita cenderung berpikir
bahwa disiplin rohani secara klasik
sebagai tubuh Kristus adalah hal
yang kurang penting (bukan utama) bahkan sebagai pilihan terhadap “rohani sesungguhnya” dari
disiplin rohani kita secara pribadi.
Disiplin-disiplin klasik tersebut
tujuannya adalah membawa hidup
kita ke dalam lingkungan dalam Tuhan dan keutuhan di dalam Kristus,
sehingga “perlakuan” dari disiplin
pribadi kita bisa berjalan secara
efektif.
Doa
Pertimbangan daripada doa sebagai disiplin klasik daripada tradisi
Kristen membawa kita melawan
prioritas-prioritas fungsional dari
kebudayaan kita. Kita cenderung
berpikir bahwa doa sebagai sesuatu yang kita lakukan untuk
membuahkan hasil-hasil yang kita
perlukan atau lebih membuat Tuhan membuahkan hasil. Kita lebih
tertarik dalam hal mengenal apa
yang dapat berfungsi dan mengembangkan keahlian-keahlian yang dapat memastikan doa-doa kita adalah efektif. Sebagai akibatnya, doa
kita cenderung merupakan suatu
daftar belanjaan dari hal-hal yang
harus kita capai, suatu usaha untuk
memanipulasi gejala-gejala dalam
kehidupan kita tanpa benar-benar
masuk ke dalam suatu hubungan
dengan Tuhan yang dalam, vital,
dan mempunyai kemampuan untuk mengubah daripada apa yang
kita pikir kita perlukan (seringkali
kita lupa bahwa Bapa kita tahu apa
yang terbaik buat kita sebelum
kita minta (Matt 6:8) dan di antara
gejala-gejala dalam hidup kita (biasanya kita lupa bahwa “Allah turut bekerja dalam segala sesuatu
untuk mendatangkan kebaikan
bagi mereka yang mengasihi Dia”
(Roma 8:28).
Mendengarkan atau menyimak adalah perumpamaan yang
bagus untuk doa. Doa yang benar
adalah bukan hanya menjadi seorang pendengar yang baik. Doa
adalah dialog; ini adalah pertemuan
pribadi di dalam kasih. Pada saat kita
berkomunikasi dengan seseorang
yang kita perduli, kita berbicara
dan kita mendengarkan. Walaupun
percakapan kita itu responsive/ada
tanggapan, apa yang kita katakana
tergantung dari apa yang dikatakan
oleh lawan bicara kita. Jika tidak,
kita tidak akan memiliki percakapan yang nyata, hanya merupakan
pembicaraan satu arah (monolog)
yang berjalan beriringan.
Pada waktu yang lalu, kita
mempunyai 4 judul daftar doa: Pengaguman (adoration), Pertobatan
(contrition), Pengucapan Syukur
(thanksgiving), dan Permohonan
(supplication) – gampang untuk diingat karena huruf depan keempat
kata (dalam bahasa Inggris) tersebut jika digabung akan membentuk
“acts”. Ini sangat membantu untuk
mengingat bahwa dalam doa tidak
hanya berisikan permohonan. Kita
telah melihat bahwa kita harus menyimak lebih dalam lagi dari pada
sekedar “acts” untuk mendapatkan
arti doa yang sesungguhnya. Doa
adalah hal yang penting dalam pertemuan yang terjadi pada saat ter32
jadi percakapan antara Tuhan dan
manusia, dimana Tuhan adalah Tuan
dimana hanya Dia sajalah yang dapat memulai pertemuan tersebut.
Doa adalah suatu dialog,
pertemuan antara dua orang. Apa
yang dilakukan atau dikatakan adalah suatu bagian yang terpisahkan
dari doa karena Tuhan tidak dapat
berbicara dengan kita kecuali kita
juga berbicara. Bahkan Tuhan pun
tidak dapat berbicara pada orang
yang di dalamnya bisu dan tuli. Tujuan dari doa adalah pertemuan
dengan Tuhan dalam kasihNya.
Buku Bacaan rohani
Disiplin secara klasik yang
didapat dari bacaan-bacaan rohani
membawa kita pada konflik dengan
prioritas yang bersifat informative
dalam kebudayaan kita. Jaman kita
dikenal dengan jaman informasi
dan penemuan computer ditambah
dengan modemnya menyediakan
informasi yang hampir tidak terbatas untuk kita dimana informasi ini
sangat diperlukan untuk berfungsi
secara efektif di dunia ini. Informasi telah menjadi suatu kekuatan.
Orang atau kelompok yang memproses informasi yang paling mutakhir adalah mereka yang berada
di posisi yang dapat mengontrol
kepentingan dan aktifitas dalam
dunia mereka.
Tetapi aspek “mengontrol”
daripada perolehan informasi ini
menjadi suatu ikatan yang lemah
pada saat kita berbicara mengenai bacaan-bacaan rohani. Bacaanbacaan rohani merupakan suatu
disiplin dari keterbukaan dalam
pertemuan dengan Tuhan melalui
tulisan-tulisan dari para bapak dan
ibu dari gereja kita yang dimulai
dari Alkitab. Dalam pembacaan
tulisan rohani, kalimat dari bacaan
tersebut mengandung arti yang
33
mempunyai anugerah dimana kita
dapat bertemu dengan Tuhan yang
terus menerus berbicara kepada
kita untuk membentuk kita ke dalam rupa Kristus agar bermanfaat
bagi sesama kita. Secara garis besar,
kalimat dalam bacaan rohani membuka diri kita kepada kuasa Tuhan
dalam hidup kita untuk mencapai
tujuan Tuhan. Ini adalah pernyataan
yang radikal yang berlawanan dengan informasi sekuler yang kita dapatkan untuk mencapai tujuan kita
di dunia ini.
Sayangnya, kita telah terlatih sebagai pembaca informative,
bukan pembaca rohani. Pada saat
kita membaca bacaan yang bersifat informative, kita melakukan
control kita secara hampir keseluruhan dan lengkap yang kita dapatkan dari kalimat dalam bacaan
tersebut. Kita biasanya memilih
terlebih dahulu materi yang akan
kita baca. Kita membaca kalimatkalimat dalam bacaan itu dengan
membawa agenda kita sendiri, tahu
terlebih dahulu apa yang akan kita
terima, jawaban apa yang akan kita
dapatkan dari bacaan tersebut
atas persoalan yang kita hadapi.
Kita membacanya dengan secepat
mungkin, mengumpulkan sebanyak
mungkin informasi dalam waktu
yang sesingkat-singkatnya.
Bacaan-bacaan Rohani atau
Non Informatif adalah bertolak
belakang dengan Bacaan Informatif.
Bacaan Rohani akan sangat efektif
apabila kita menemukan kalimat
dalam bacaan tersebut telah dipilih
secara khusus untuk kita. Dengan
cara ini kita mulai menyerahkan
control kita kepada orang atau
kuasa yang lain di luar agenda kita.
Fasilitas ini adalah tujuan utama
dari membaca buku-buku rohani –
untuk membiarkan kalimat dalam
buku tersebut mengontrol kita
dan menjadi suatu sarana untuk
berhubungan dengan Tuhan. Kalimat-kalimat dalam buku rohani itu
akan menjadi subyek yang mengontrol kita dan bukan obyek yang
dikontrol oleh kita; kita sebaliknya
merupakan obyek yang ditetapkan
oleh Tuhan melalui kalimat-kalimat
dalam bacaan tersebut.
Pada saat kita membaca
buku-bukr rohani, kita tidak membawa agenda kita, melainkan kita
datang ke dalam agenda Tuhan
dengan sikap terbuka. Kita menyimak pada saat kita membaca, mencari informasi sebanyak-banyaknya
bukan untuk mendapat input sebanyak mungkin melainkan untuk
menyelidiki titik terendah dari keberadaan dan kelakuan kita. Kita
mengambil sikap dan pendekatan
yang instropektif dimana terdapat
ketidakpastian dan misteri dan bukannya pendekatan secara analitis.
Tujuan akhir dari membaca bukubuku rohani adalah disempurnakan
oleh Tuhan sebagai alatNya untuk
mencapai tujuan Tuhan melalui
kita.
Unsur-unsur dari disiplin
Ada beberapa disiplin klasik lainnya yaitu: penyembahan, kebiasaan
sehari-hari, belajar, berpuasa dan
retreat.
Penyembahan,baik secara bersamasama maupun pribadi adalah latihan untuk mencari secara teratur
yang membawa diri kita untuk benar-benar fokus di hadapan Tuhan.
Ini adalah disiplin yang membawa
diri kita kembali kepada pusat dari
keberadaan diri kita secara pribadi
atau pun kolektif sebagai anak-anak
Tuhan.Tekanan hidup dan serangan
dari dunia yang telah jatuh ini se-
cara konstan mengaburkan fokus
kita dan cenderung membawa kita
jauh dari fokus kita kepada Tuhan.
Penyembahan ditujukan agar kita
dapat memulihkan dan mengembalikan fokus kita pada Tuhan. Kualitas dan n dari penyembahan kita
akan menentukan bagaimana kita
dapat hidup dimana Kristus adalah
pusat dari kehidupan kita.
Kebiasaan sehari-hari, adalah tingkah laku secara teratur dan
konsisten yang mengingatkan kita
kembali siapakah kita dan memperbaharui kita dalam disiplin kita.
Ini mungkin akan sedetail, sekompleks doa secara pribadi maupun
kolektif ataupun sesederhana saat
teduh pribadi kita dengan Tuhan.
Kebiasaan sehari-hari dapat meliputi elemen-elemen seperti saat
teduh kita dengan Tuhan secara
pribadi (atau beberapa kali dalam
sehari, di pagi hari, siang hari, malam
hari ataupun kombinasi dari waktu-waktu tersebut); doa sebelum
makan, doa khusus yang terpisah
dalam acara-acara tertentu yang
telah direncanakan, persekutuan
dengan sesama anak Tuhan dalam
doa, penyembahan dan pendalaman alkitab. Apapun bentuk dari
kebiasaan hidup kita sehari-hari,
kita memerlukan suatu disiplin jika
kita ingin hidup dalam pengalaman
yang bertumbuh dalam keutuhan
Kristus dan menambah iman dan
kesetian kita sebagai anak-anak Tuhan untuk sesama kita.
Belajar, adalah sangat penting bagi pertumbuhan orang Kristen dalam keutuhan Kristus untuk
kebaikan sesama kita. Tanpa disiplin, pertumbuhan di dalam pengetahuan dan pengalaman akan Tuhan, diri kita sendiri, orang lain dan
dunia sekitar kita, akan membuat
kita merasa pincang dalam pertumbuhan kita menuju keutuhan
akan Kristus dan peran kita sebagai
anak Tuhan bagi orang lain. Disiplin
dari belajar secara pribadi dan kelompok membuat kita menyadari
akan kebutuhan akan pertumbuhan kita, waspada akan masalahmasalah penting di dunia ini dan
peka terhadap pekerjaan Tuhan
untuk membuat kita bertumbuh
dalam Kristus dan memanggil kita
untuk menjadi wakil Tuhan dalam anugrahNya di tengah-tengah
dunia dan masalah yang terdapat
di dalamnya. Dengan disiplin dalam
study, bagaimanapun kita harus
waspada terhadap godaan dalam
menerapkan disiplin sebagai suatu
alat untuk melatih kita dalam pengontrolan hidup kita, hidup orang
lain dan masalah-masalah dalam
dunia ini. Liturgy dari belajar dengan semua bagian-bagian dalam liturgy merupakan suatu alat untuk
mempersembahkan diri kita kepada Tuhan, rela membiarkan Tuhan
melakukan apapun pada diri kita
sesuai dengan pilihan Tuhan.
Berpuasa,
mempunyai
makna yang lebih jauh dari sekedar menjauhkan diri dari makanan,
walaupun hal ini sangat dibutuhkan
dalam masyarakat yang mengalami
masalah berat badan, over weight
ini. Arti penting dari berpuasa adalah memisahkan diri kita dari sesuatu untuk mempersembahkan
diri kita kepada Tuhan. Hati-hati
dengan apa yang kita puasakan karena hal ini bisa merusak/berbahaya
bag hidup kita atau hubungan kita
dengan Tuhan. Pada umumnya inti
dari berpuasa adalah memisahkan
diri kita untuk sementara atau selamanya dari sesuatu yang biasanya
baik dan selayaknya dalam hidup
manusia.
Retreat, adalah disiplin
yang ditetapkan dalam memisahkan waktu baik secara individual
ataupun secara kelompok, yaitu
untuk menarik diri dari alur normal kehidupan dan memberikan
Tuhan perhatian kita secara penuh
dan tidak terpecah. Pada saat disiplin dari doa, bacaan buku rohani,
penyembahan, kebiasaan seharihari, belajar dan berpuasa dilakukan dengan tujuan untuk mengklarifikasikan focus hidup kita
dalam Kristus dan membuatkan
kita terpusat sebagai warga negara
Tuhan yang baru, kita juga memerlukan waktu khusus dimana kita
membiarkan Tuhan untuk membantu kita mengevaluasi struktur
kehidupan kita secara keseluruhan
dalam Kristus. Kita harus keluar
dari hidup kita sebagai murid untuk melihat arah hidup kita secara
lebih jelas dan koreksi-koreksi dari
yang Tuhan mau kita lakukan dalam
hidup kita. Ini mungkin adalah sebagai bentuk latihan bagi disiplindisiplin secara klasik sendiri sebagai suatu bentuk yang tersamar
dari pekerjaan-pekerjaan yang
benar dimana akan membuat kita
berpikir oleh karena kita kesetiaan
kita dalam melatih disiplin-disiplin
tersebut, kita merubah diri kita ke
dalam citra dan gambar Kristus.
Kita perlu mengambil waktu untuk menarik diri dan membiarkan
Tuhan menunjukkan kita apa yang
sedang kita kerjakan dan apa yang
seharusnya kita kerjakan.
Kesimpulannya, kita harus mengingat bahwa disiplin-disiplin secara
klasik dari tradisi Kekristenan ini
adalah struktur penyanggah dimana kita menawarkan disiplin secara
pribadi dimana Tuhan akan bekerja
untuk merubah kita yang tidak utuh
menjadi utuh kembali, kita yang
telah mati menjadi hidup kembali,
kita yang terikat menjadi bebas. Ini
adalah disiplin pribadi kita .
34
What Is Sin?
By: Ev. Wilson Suwanto
In today’s generation, the term
“sin” is rarely heard. It’s like the
term sin will be an insult to the
person who’s done wrongdoings. Most of the time, instead,
we hear the term “weakness,”
“shortcoming,” “psychological
disorder,” or even “personality
defect.” Whatever the term is, this
generation tries to eliminate the
element of responsibility from
mankind. If sin is a psychological
disorder or personality defect, the
blame is not at the person because he is born like that; therefore, he is freed from punishment
and responsibility.
violation to God’s laws.
When a person lies to his fellow,
he isn’t only harming his fellow,
but he also has sinned against the
Holy God who says, “Thou shalt
not bear false witness against thy
neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). Sin
should always be seen in relation to God. Paul says that if we
become a stumbling block to our
fellow Christians who are weak
morally, we have sinned against
Christ who has given them salvation. “But when ye so against the
brethren, and wound their weak
conscience, ye sin against Christ”
(1 Corinthians 8:12).
The Bible explicitly says that no
one can escape from his resposibility. It says, “For we must all
appear before the judgment seat
of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body,
according to that he hath done,
whether it be good or bad” (2
Corinthians 5:10, KJV). It means
that no one can escape from the
day of judgement. Everyone will
be asked for their resposibility in
front of the Holy God.
Sin involves three aspects: mind,
action, and nature. In the aspect
of mind, we have sinned when
we just start having a desire for
Sin is a disobedience to God’s
commandments. That means God
has given mankind rules to follow, and a violation to His rules is
considered as sin. The Bible says,
“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners
...” (Rome 5:19). Sin is not just a
violation to government’s laws
or man’s laws, instead, it is also a
35
something or someone that is not
ours -- God’s tenth commandment. In the aspect of action, sin
reveals itself in the form of action
that destroys the work of God,
the life of our fellow, or even
sometimes ourselves. By nature,
everyone has sinned ever since
they were born. “Behold, I was
shapen in iniquity; and in sin did
my mother coceive me” (Psalm
51:5).
Acknowledging and confessing
our sins to God is a very important step. Only with repenting of
our sins, we can appreciate God’s
grace that He has given us. Only
with this, we can appreciate the
heavy burden He carried when
He was on that cross.
Apa Itu Dosa?
By: Ev. Wilson Suwanto
Tuhan yang berkata, “Jangan berdusta” (Kel. 20:16). Dosa harus
senantiasa dilihat dalam relasi
dengan Tuhan. Paulus berkata
bahwa kalau kita menjadi batu
sandungan kepada saudara seiman
yang lemah, kita telah berdosa
kepada Kristus yang menebus
jiwa mereka. “Jika engkau secara demikian berdosa terhadap
saudara-saudaramu dan melukai
hati nurani mereka yang lemah,
engkau pada hakekatnya berdosa
terhadap Kristus” (1 Korintus
8:12).
Zaman sekarang, istilah
“dosa” jarang terdengar di tempat-tempat umum. Seolah-olah,
istilah dosa ini akan menyinggung
hati orang yang mendengarnya.
Kita lebih sering mendengar
istilah “kelemahan,” atau “masalah
psikologi.” Bahkan ada yang
menggunakan istilah “cacat kepribadian.” Apapun istilahnya, zaman
ini berusaha membuang elemen
tanggung-jawab dari manusia.
Kalau itu berupa penyakit psikologis atau cacat kepribadian, itu
bukan salah orang itu. Memang ia
terlahir demikian, jadi tidak perlu
dihukum atau dituntut tanggungjawab.
Alkitab menegaskan bahwa
tidak ada seorang pun yang bisa
lari dari tanggung-jawab kepada
Tuhan. Alkitab berkata, “Sebab
kita semua harus menghadap
takhta pengadilan Kristus, supaya
setiap orang memperoleh apa
36
yang patut diterimanya, sesuai
dengan yang dilakukannya dalam
hidupnya ini, baik ataupun jahat ”
(2 Kor. 5:10). Artinya, tidak ada
seorangpun yang bisa melarikan
diri dari hari penghakiman. Setiap
orang akan dituntut pertanggungjawaban oleh Tuhan.
Dosa adalah pelanggaran
terhadap hukum Tuhan. Artinya,
Tuhan telah memberikan hukum
untuk ditaati. Pelanggaran terhadap hukum itu adalah dosa. “Jadi
sama seperti oleh ketidaktaatan
satu orang semua orang telah
menjadi orang berdosa ...” (Roma
5:19). Dosa bukan sekedar melanggar hukum negara atau hukum
manusia, melainkan pelanggaran
terhadap hukum Tuhan sendiri.
Ketika seseorang berbohong kepada sesamanya, ia bukan
sekedar merugikan sesamanya
itu, melainkan ia berdosa kepada
Dosa melibatkan tiga
aspek: hati/pikiran, perbuatan,
dan kodrat/natur. Dalam aspek
pikiran, kita berdosa ketika kita
baru menginginkan sesuatu atau
seseorang yang bukan milik kita -perintah Tuhan yang ke-10. Dalam
aspek perbuatan, dosa menyatakan diri dalam bentuk perbuatan
yang menghancurkan pekerjaan
Tuhan atau hidup sesama kita,
bahkan diri sendiri. Dalam kodrat,
setiap orang lahir di bawah kuasa
dosa. “Dalam kesalahan aku diperanakkan, dalam dosa aku dikandung ibuku” (Mazmur 51:5).
Mengakui fakta dosa
dan mengakui dosa-dosa kita
di hadapan Tuhan adalah langkah yang sangat penting. Hanya
dengan penyesalan yang dalam
akan dosa-dosa kita, kita dapat
menghargai anugerah keselamatan
yang diberikan Tuhan kepada kita.
Hanya dengan demikian, kita bisa
menghargai beratnya penderitaan
Tuhan di atas salib.
Stop Dating The Church
Book Author: Joshua Harris
Introduction: Janice Atmadja
Book Summary & Review by Donald Kim
Happy Birthday Azusa! In honor of the church’s our church. Let us not harden our hearts. Let us fall
anniversary, I felt it most appropriate to do a book
review on Joshua Harris’, enlightening book on the
Christian relationship with the Church called Stop
Dating the Church. His book is not only relevant to
our exploration of the Christians’ relationship with
the outside world. It encourages all of us, new and
“old” Christians alike, to renew our dedication to the
most visible and tangible representative of heaven on
earth, the Body of Christ—the Church. In this book,
Joshua Harris put a special emphasis on the local
church instead of the universal Church. Oftentimes
in the midst of world-missionary fervor, we forget
about the growth of our very own local church. Harris asserts that we must take a firm stand in God’s
commandment for us to be an active and contributing member of the local church. And we must do
it willingly, not only as professed Christians, but as
his adopted children, inheritors of His Kingdom. He
wants us to commit ourselves to the Body of Christ.
Let’s face it Christians on denial, (I was one myself),
we need support. We need the Church, the gathering
of a body of Believers, to help us maintain this fight
for joy and, most importantly, contentment in Him
and Him alone.
Do we even truly know the meaning of “church” and
why God so emphasized for us to fellowship with
other believers? Why is it not okay for us to grow by
ourselves? Surely, God would help you grow without
depending on other people…Didn’t God say that He
alone is enough? These questions oftentimes come
to many Christians who are wraught with confusion
and disillusionment about the meaning and purpose
of the Church resulting in a lack of love for His Body
(the Church). This book will help you sort out those
confusions. To help me, Mr. Donald Kim from Fort
Worth, Texas (creator of http://donaldkim.wordpress.com/), has graciously allowed Agape to print his
summary of the book. So let us stop merely “dating”
37
in love with the body of Christ just as Jesus did when
He called the church His beautiful Bride in white. Let
us commit!
The brief summary below will give you a glimpse of
the book. There are much detail omitted in the summary like references to specific Bible verses that Harris quotes to further emphasize his biblical teachings,
but this will leave you thirsting for more.
“Stop Dating the Church: Fall in Love with
the Church of God”A Book Review by Donald Kim
Joshua Harris, in the past, has been writing on relationships, particularly those of single dating relationships. In I Kissed Dating Goodbye, he presents
the case that single people should not be involved in
“directionless relationships that were romantic and
physical.” In this book, his message is similar but in
a different context—the local church. His message
is simple: “stop treating the local church frivolously with no intentions of moving forward towards a
commitment.” The characteristics of church-daters:
me-centered and critical.
In chapter one, Harris is keen to identify the reasons that have made a real and honest commitment
to the church impossible: 1) We treat the church with
a consumer mentality.We want the “best product for
the price of Sunday morning.” 2) We are disillusioned
with the church.
In chapter two, Harris puts the church in perspective, viz. heavenly perspective, through an exposition
of Eph 5:25-32. The interesting observation that Harris makes about this passage is the dynamic relationship between the husband and wife, which correlates
In chapter four, Harris offers seven points for
joining a church:
1.
You join.
2.
You make the church a priority.
3.
You try to make your pastor’s job a joy.
4.
You find ways to serve.
5.
You give.
6.
You connect with people.
7.
You share your passion.
In chapter five are ten questions for choosing the
with Christ and the church.This is the profound mystery found in God’s undying pursuit of the church.
As explained in Eph 3:9-11, the heavenly rulers look
down in awe of this magnificent display of glory.
In chapter three is the explanation for why we
need the church. Spurgeon puts it simply: “not joining
the church is disobedience.” There are three ordinances that a church is called to keep: baptism, Lord’s
Supper, and discipline. The church is called to grow
together as a community with its identification of
these ordinances. John Piper’s take: “Sanctification is
a community project.” Mark Dever’s one-liner: “If you
are not a member of the church your regularly attend, you may well be going to hell.” Dever’s point is
not that everyone should be on a church roster, but
rather his purpose to emphasize the local church as
the place where our life in Christ is lived out.
Harris makes his point clear: “Only when you and I
reject self-centeredness, prideful independence, and a
critical spirit can the beauty of the local church come
into focus.”
“right” church:
1. Is this a church where God’s Word is faithfully
taught?
2. Is this a church where sound doctrine matters?
3. Is this a church in which the gospel is cherished
and clearly proclaimed?
4. Is this a church committed to reaching nonChristians with the gospel?
5. Is this a church whose leaders are characterized
by humility and integrity?
6. Is this a church where people strive to live by
God’s Word?
7. Is this a church where I can find and cultivate
godly relationships?
8. Is this a church where members are challenged
to serve?
9. Is this a church that is willing to kick me out?
10. Is this a church I’m willing to join “as is” with
enthusiasm and faith in God?
The last two chapters provide some concrete steps
for getting out of the trappings of cynicism towards
a healthy relationship with a local church.
Overall, Harris’ insights are provocative to spur
any Christian disenchanted with the local body to
reconsider the implications of committing to the
church in a new and profound way.
A Book Review by Donald Kim
38
by: Rev. Saumiman Saud*
*The writer is an alumni of Seminari Alkitab Asia Tenggara
(SAAT), Malang. Currently, he is serving in IEC Seattle. He
can be reached through email in saumiman@gmail.com or
through his personal website: Http://www.saumimansaud.
org. This article is written in honor of the Silver Anniversary of
IEC Los Angeles
understanding and a true Christian fellowship, such programs will be meaningless. Such fellowship programs
become merely a time to hang out and hear the latest
gossip. Our Bible clearly emphasizes what it takes and
how it should be to have a good fellowship.
A
1. Harmony is created through
mutual love
healthy church is a church whose parishioners have a good relationship with the Lord.
To keep that essential tight bond with one
another, the congregation of Christ must
faithfully fellowship, pray, and read His Word.
There is no shortcut to it. Such a relationship is a process
that must progress with each passing day. Our relationship with others in the body of Christ is a similar process.
If our relationship with God is not doing well, then our
relationship with others will not be satisfactory either.
Therefore, the key to harmony and peace with others lies
in our relationship with God personally.
Our personal relationships with others in church
are very different from our relationships with people in
the secular world. Truthfully, the secular world also offers
us a chance to cultivate a “good” relationship, but the
difference is that such friendships are established under secular common sense rules: If we treat others well,
then they will treat us well in return. Christianity actually
teaches something more that simple reciprocity. If others harm us, we must still treat them well; we must return
evil with good, with the unconditional love that the Lord
Jesus has shown for us.
Our hectic work schedules or long distances between the congregations’ houses can affect our personal
relationships with other church members. As a result,
the fellowship in church becomes distant, and many of
the members do not know one another. Meanwhile, the
active members of the church are often only the ones
who live close to the church and whose job is not too
demanding or tiring. This is why recently churches have
initiated small group fellowships or regional fellowships,
in order to overcome the distance problem.
While it is tempting for a church to make all of their programs simply for the purpose of strengthening bonding
within the church, without an attempt to build a spiritual
39
Mutual love in this case does not mean mere sympathy
or sweet words; mutual love must be followed by “action” as stated by John the apostle in John 3:18: “Dear
children, let us not love with words or tongue but with
actions and in truth.” (NIV)
Love comes from people who are truly willing to
give their heart to others. It is not enough to accept this
merely as a concept. Pragmatically, when we see others
in need, we should spontaneously help them, whether
be it a moral support or monetary support. Actions, rather than simply emotions of mutual love are the marks of
true followers of Christ.
mutual service
A famous philosopher could write grandiose words, filling thick books which give endless advice on how to
raise your child without ever having raised one himself.
Words and actions do not always go together. We respect Christ because he is the ideal example of both. He
humbles Himself like a servant as He tells others to do
the same, wearing the clothes of a servant and washing
the feet of His disciples. “I have set you an example that
you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:15; NIV)
Let us look at the Apostle Paul’s emphasis in Philippians 2:6-7: “6Who, being in very nature God, did not
consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of
a servant, being made in human likeness.” Verse 6 emphasizes that Jesus is “in very nature God.” In Greek, the
aforementioned quote was actually preceded by “to be”
(thus translated ‘being’ in the likeness of God). The word
used was ‘hyparchon’ (to continuously be), not ‘on’ (being). In other words, Christ has always been in the likeness of God. Even with such a high status, Christ has become a servant to His disciples.
It would be ideal if a true mutual service could
take place in church when no one ever said: “That’s not
my problem,” “I’m not the deacon,” “That’s the pastor’s
job,” “I’m not getting paid,” etc. True servitude comes
from our love for others. If mutual service is not accompanied by love, then the church is simply a worldly social
organization.
helping each other
The Lord does not want us to be selfish and individualistic, and this is why we should not ignore the tasks of
God, which include testifying, having fellowship, and
serving (Marturia, Koinonia, and Diakonia). Helping one
another is certainly one of them as well. But what can
we do to encourage others to reach out? If a church has
love, and the members know they can depend upon one
another, then they will not be shy or afraid to share their
burdens and problems so that others can help and pray
for them.
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you
will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2; NIV) To carry
one another’s burdens and provide help when needed is
very important for people to create a healthy, balanced
church. The knowledge that you are not alone, that others are praying for your happiness, allows one to endure
hardship more easily. Christian life becomes lighter, and
Christ’s love reproduces itself when those who have
been helped are inspired to help others.
forgiveness
“Even church is a place where we can
encounter unpleasant events.”
The acts of forgiveness and being forgiven are supposed
to be routine at church. However, we are not perfect. This
imperfection can give us long-life conflicts. Conflict often
happens between two close people. This is why betrayal
can hurt so much. An old proverb says that it is our loved
ones that can hurt us the most, not our enemies.
Even church is a place where we can encounter
unpleasant events. This happens not because Jesus is
punishing us for our sins by making others be unkind to
us, but because His children are often immature and do
not act like Christ. In the words of Ephesians 4:31-32, it
says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling
and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind
and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other,
just as in Christ God forgave you.” (NIV)
5. Harmony is created through prayer
The concept of the Christian faith can be seen through
how disciplined one is in prayer. However, it is strange
that in many churches, the prayer group is the smallest commission and the least expanding one at church,
even though everyone knows that the power of prayer is
great. Our Christian life is full of challenges; therefore, we
need strength from the Lord. We can gain the strength
through prayer. “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16b; NIV) I often find church
members who confide and ask to be prayed for, while
they themselves never attended the prayer meetings. If
we realize that prayer is very important and powerful,
why are we still depending on others to pray for us? Why
won’t we personally come and pray to God as well?
It is not easy to live in a foreign country, especially if our family is not with us. There are many things we
are unable to share with people other than our families
while others might find it difficult to understand us. Even
when members of a family get together, they may be too
busy to listen to each other’s problems. We must not let
a similar problem happen in our church because then
many people may become deeply stressed out and depressed without anyone realizing it. Praying to the Lord
proves to be the sole effective key to piercing through
the problem.
40
James 5:16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to
each other and pray for each other so that you may be
healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and
effective.” (NIV) As children of God, we need to set aside
some time to pray for each other, because the challenges and problems in life will never cease. Every day, we are
faced with new difficulties, tempting us to sin.
counseling and teaching one another
To learn from others in church is very important, but this
will not be effective unless Christians already know the
Word of God well. Romans 5:14 says, “I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct
one another.”(NIV) Here, “full of goodness” means that
what we have learned can be used in turn to instruct and
help others. Such advice is one form of the Word of God.
You are not asked to become a spy, or a policeman, intentionally searching for and recording each other’s sins. Do not assume that you know everything after
learning a little about the Word of God. This is not constructive criticism, but merely criticism. If you are given a
chance to give advice to others, let your advice be full of
grace, to build that person, not to trodden him down.
Children of God need to reflect themselves and
ask for God’s wisdom before giving advice to others. In
addition, God’s children must be humble when given advice from others. Do not judge yourself or your opinion
to be better than others. If today you look innocent, it
may be because your secrets have not been revealed yet,
or you have not been tempted as fully as others. It is crucial to counsel one another without adopting a position
of superiority.
mutual comforting
Encouraging one another is not an easy task because
every one of us has a very different walk of life. When
we are happy, rich, healthy, it is easy to comfort those in
need, but they may feel we cannot appreciate their situation. When we are having problems ourselves, it is difficult to comfort others because we are focused on our
own challenges. Paul emphasizes giving comfort to others, especially in his pastoral letters, such as the ones he
wrote to the Thessalonians and Philippians, even though
Paul himself was in jail at the time.
Paul instructs the people, “Therefore, encourage
41
each other with these words” (I Thessalonians 4:18; NIV)
Indeed, often we may say many unkind things without
thinking. This is why we must be careful with our words.
We have to think about whether what we will say will
bring blessings to others or not. If we wish to have a
good relationship with others, then our words must be
encouraging and comforting. People will not be as ready
to listen to someone who has been unkind to them in
the past. Children of God are tired of being oppressed by
the secular world with its stresses. Fellowship should be a
refuge from this, a place where their faith can be strengthened, not where they will encounter yet another stressful
situation.
Despite all of our effort, there can be no perfect
church in this world because no Christian can be perfect. If today you hear of a perfect church in L.A., avoid
it. Why? If the church is indeed perfect, your presence in
that church will make that church imperfect.
For twenty-five years, even with all her shortcomings, the Indonesian Evangelical Church in L.A. has stood
strong. We must be grateful to the Lord, because He has
been willing to use His imperfect children to do perfect
service. God’s blessings for us have not stopped till this
day. I’m sure that everything is due to this harmonious
relationship we have striven for. Therefore, let us hold
hands, uphold and keep what is good, and cast away
what is bad, so that we can step forward into a church
full of hope. Amen.
(Washington, Lynnwood, May 2008)
oleh: Rev. Saumiman Saud*
*Penulis adalah alumni Seminari Alkitab Asia Tenggara (SAAT), Malang. Saat ini, beliau melayani di Gereja Injili Indonesia Seattle. Beliau
dapat dihubungi via email saumiman@gmail.com atau kunjungi website pribadinya di http:///www.saumimansaud.org. Artikel ini ditulis
dalam rangka HUT-25 Gereja Injili Indonesia Los Angeles
G
ereja yang sehat adalah gereja yang jemaatnya memiliki relasi yang baik dengan
Tuhan. Untuk menjalin ikatan yang erat itu
maka jemaat Tuhan harus senantiasa bersekutu, berdoa, dan membaca firman-Nya.
Tidak ada jalan pintas untuk menciptakan relasi baik ini,
perlu adanya suatu proses, dan itu berlangsung setiap
hari. Demikian juga relasi kita secara pribadi sebagai
anggota tubuh Kristus dengan gereja dalam arti tubuh
Kristus atau persekutuan orang-orang di dalamnya. Jika
relasi kita dengan Tuhan tidak beres, maka hubungan
kita dengan sesama pasti tidak beres juga. Jadi sebenarnya kunci utama supaya kita dapat menjalin hubungan yang harmonis dengan sesama terletak pada bagaimana hubungan kita dengan Tuhan secara pribadi.
Relasi pribadi di gereja dengan jemaat berbeda
dengan relasi kita dengan sesama di dunia sekuler. Dunia sekuler sebenarnya juga menawarkan relasi yang baik,
namun perbedaannya terletak pada syarat-syarat secara
manusiawi. Jika relasi kita baik dengan orang lain, sudah
pasti secara normal orang lain juga baik dengan kita.
Kekristenan justru mengajarkannya berbeda. Walaupun
orang lain itu relasinya tidak menunjukkan gelagat kebaikan terhadap kita, namun kita tetap saja harus membalasnya dengan kebaikan. Inilah yang bisanya disebut
dengan kasih tanpa syarat (unconditional love), seperti
yang telah Tuhan Yesus kerjakan buat kita.
Kesibukan kerja di sana-sini atau rumah yang
berjauhan sangat mempengaruhi relasi pribadi seseorang dengan jemaat di gereja. Akibatnya, persekutuan
sesama jemaat menjadi renggang, bahkan ada yang
tidak saling kenal walaupun satu gereja. Sementara itu,
yang aktif hanya mereka yang memang rumahnya dekat
dengan gereja dan pekerjaannya tidak begitu sibuk bila
akhir pekan. Itu sebabnya belakangan ini di gereja-gereja muncul persekutuan dalam bentuk kelompok-kelompok kecil atau persekutuan wilayah, tujuannya agar mereka yang tidak terjangkau dalam kelompok besar dapat
dipantau melalui kelompok kecil ini.
42
Memang gereja dapat saja membuat segala program untuk mempererat relasi sesama anggota jemaat,
namun tanpa dibarengi pemahaman dan pengenalan
akan makna persekutuan Kristen yang benar, maka tidak
jelas pula apa artinya persekutuan itu. Akibatnya persekutuan dianggap sebagai ajang gossip, makan-makan,
dan ngobrol yang tidak menentu tujuannya. Alkitab kita
sangat jelas sekali menekankan tentang apa saja yang
seharusnya dilakukan dalam sebuah persekutuan itu sehingga tercipta relasi yang indah dan harmonis.
1. Relasi harmonis tercipta melalui saling
mengasihi
Mengasihi yang dimaksud di sini bukan sekadar rasa
simpati atau kata-kata manis di bibir saja namun kasih
itu harus diwujudkan di dalam “perbuatan” atau “tindakan” seperti yang dinasihati oleh Yohanes, “Anak-anakku,
marilah kita mengasihi bukan dengan perkataan atau
dengan lidah, tetapi dengan perbuatan dan dalam kebenaran.” (1 Yohanes 3:18)
Tindakan mengasihi akan terwujud apabila seseorang dengan rela memberikan hati dan perhatiannya
kepada orang lain. Tidak cukup hanya di situ, tindakan
praktisnya adalah bila kita melihat saudara kita membutuhkan maka kita secara spontan membantunya berupa
moril dan materil. Wujud nyata saling mengasihi yang
demikian merupakan tanda bahwa orang-orang percaya
benar-benar adalah pengikut Kristus yang sejati.
2. Relasi harmonis tercipta melalui saling melayani
Seorang ahli filsafat yang terkenal dapat saja menulis
dengan kata-kata muluk melalui buku yang tebal tentang tips bagaimana mendidik anak walaupun ia sendiri tidak pernah mengurus anak-anaknya; perkataannya
dan perbuatannya tidak sejalan. Tidak dapat dipungkiri
lagi bahwa hanya Tuhan Yesus adalah satu-satunya teladan kita dalam pelayanan. Ia merendahkan diri-Nya sama
seperti seorang hamba dengan suka-rela menanggalkan
jubah kebesaran-Nya dan mengenakan pakaian seorang
hamba, dan Ia juga rela membasuh kaki murid-muridNya. Ia berkata, “Sebab Aku telah memberikan suatu
teladan kepada kamu, supaya kamu juga berbuat sama
seperti yang telah Kuperbuat kepadamu.” (Yohanes 13:15)
Coba lihat penekanan rasul Paulus dalam Filipi
2:6-7, “6Yang walaupun dalam rupa Allah, tidak menganggap kesetaraan dengan Allah itu sebagai milik yang
harus dipertahankan, 7melainkan telah mengosongkan
diri-Nya sendiri, dan mengambil rupa seorang hamba,
dan menjadi sama dengan manusia.” Ayat 6 menekankan bahwa Yesus “dalam rupa Allah” yang di dalam bahasa
Yunaninya didahului dengan kata “berada” (jadi terjemahannya berada dalam rupa Allah); kata yang dipakai adalah “hyparchon” (terus menerus berada) dan bukan kata
“on” (sedang berada). Maksudnya adalah Kristus senantiasa telah di dalam rupa Allah dengan pengertian sampai sekarang masih tetap demikian. Nah, Kristus yang
demikian pernah mempraktekkan diri seperti seorang
hamba yang melayani murid-murid-Nya sendiri.
Bila saling melayani terwujud di dalam gereja betapa indah sekali. Kita tidak akan pernah mendengar lagi
orang-orang yang berkata: “Itu bukan urusanku,” “Saya
bukan majelis,” “Itu tugas pendeta,” “Saya tidak di gaji,”
dan sebagainya. Pelayanan yang sesungguhnya adalah
akibat dari kita meresponi kasih. Jika saling melayani itu
tidak disertai dengan kasih maka gereja tidak ada bedanya dengan lembaga sosial.
3. Relasi harmonis tercipta melalui saling menanggung beban
Tuhan tidak menginginkan kita hidup egois atau menyendiri, oleh sebab itu tugas gereja yang sangat penting adalah bersaksi, bersekutu, dan melayani (Marturia,
Koinonia dan Diakonia) tidak boleh diabaikan. Menanggung beban merupakan salah satu wujudnya. Namun,
apa saja yang dapat dilakukan? Jika gereja memiliki
kasih dan saling melayani, maka anggota jemaatnya
tidak sungkan untuk menceritakan pergumulan yang dialaminya untuk didoakan dan untuk ditolong karena ia
tahu jelas kasusnya tidak bakal diangkat menjadi ajang
gossip.
“Hendaklah kalian saling membantu menanggung beban orang, supaya dengan demikian kalian
mentaati perintah Kristus.” (Galatia 6:2, BIS ) Saling menanggung beban itu penting supaya tercipta keseimbangan di dalam jemaat Tuhan, termasuk kerohanian
mereka. Dengan membagikan beban pergumulan,
problema, atau persoalan kepada orang lain baik untuk
di doakan atau ditolong, maka seorang jemaat itu tidak
perlu menanggung sendiri masalahnya. Kehidupan
kekristenanpun terasa lebih nikmat dan awet. Dengan
demikian, yang disebut suka-cita dalam Kristus itu boleh
43
terwujud.
mengampuni
Mengampuni dan diampuni adalah hal yang seharusnya terlihat dalam sebuah gereja. Manusia itu tidak
sempurna namun jangan gara-gara ketidaksempurnaan
ini sehingga tercipta musuh seumur hidup. Konflik itu
biasanya terjadi karena kita sudah akrab, dan hasilnya
sangat menyakitkan. Ada pepatah mengatakan bahwa
hal yang paling menyakitkan kita adalah tatkala orangorang yang kita kasihi itu menyakiti kita.
Gereja merupakan satu-satunya tempat yang
sangat rentan terjadi hal-hal yang menyakitkan. Semua
itu terjadi bukan karena Tuhan Yesus tidak mengasih kita,
tetapi karena tindakan anak-anak Tuhan yang belum dewasa dan yang sikapnya tidak meneladani Kristus. Efesus 4:31 mencatat, “Hilangkanlah segala perasaan sakit
hati, dendam, dan marah. Jangan lagi berteriak-teriak
dan memaki-maki. Jangan lagi ada perasaan benci atau
perasaan lain semacam itu. Sebaliknya, hendaklah kalian
baik hati dan berbelaskasihan seorang terhadap yang
lain, dan saling mengampuni sama seperti Allah pun
mengampuni kalian melalui Kristus.”
mendoakan
Konsep iman kepercayaan Kristen akan terlihat melalui
seberapa tekunnya seseorang berdoa. Namun heran
sekali, ada banyak gereja - komisi yang paling sulit bertambah anggotanya adalah komisi doa; padahal semua
orang tahu doa itu memilki kuasa yang dahsyat. Jalan
kehidupan kekristenan kita senantiasa menghadapi tantangan, itu sebabnya diperlukan kekuatan dari Tuhan.
Satu-satunya cara adalah melalui doa. “Doa orang benar, bila dengan yakin didoakan sangat besar kuasanya.”
(Yakobus 5:16b) Saya sering menemukan jemaat Tuhan
yang menitip masalahnya untuk di doakan sementara
dia sendiri tidak datang dalam persekutuan doa tersebut. Jika kita sadar bahwa doa itu penting dan berkuasa,
masihkah kita menitipnya pada orang lain? Mengapa
kita tidak mau melibatkan diri secara pribadi berdoa?
Hidup di negeri perantauan tidak gampang,
apalagi sanak saudara jauh dari sisi kita. Banyak hal yang
merupakan persoalan hidup ini kadang sulit diceritakan
kepada orang lain karena sangat sulit ditemukan mereka yang mau memahami, peduli, dan mengerti keadaan
kita. Kesibukan dalam keluarga dan pekerjaan masingmasing sudah cukup, maka persoalan lain sebisanya
dihindari. Jika keadaaan itu muncul di gereja tentu bahaya
sekali sebab akan terjadi seseorang itu bergumul dan
stress sendiri tanpa diketahui dan pertolongan orang
lain. Berdoa pada Tuhan adalah kunci rahasia pemecahan masalah yang paling jitu.
“Sebab itu, hendaklah kalian saling mengakui
kesalahan dan saling mendoakan, supaya kalian disembuhkan. Doa orang yang menuruti kemauan Allah, mempunyai kuasa yang besar.” (Yakobus 5:16) Oleh sebab itu,
kita sebagai anak Tuhan perlu mengambil waktu saling
mendoakan sebab tantangan dan godaan itu berlangsung setiap hari dan selalu mengancam serta hendak
menjatuhkan kita.
6. Relasi harmonis tercipta melalui saling menasihati
Belajar satu dengan yang lain di dalam gerreja itu sangat penting sekali namun semua ini tidak dapat dilaksanakan jika orang-orang percaya tidak dibekali firman
Tuhan. “Saudara-saudaraku! Saya yakin bahwa ada banyak sekali hal yang baik padamu. Kalian pun mengetahui
segala-galanya dan dapat mengajar satu sama lain juga.”
(Roma 15:14) Kata “banyak sekali hal yang baik padamu”
itu berarti apa yang sudah kita terima dan pelajari tersebut dapat dipakai untuk menolong orang lain melalui
nasihat kita; jadi nasihat yang diberikan itu berupa firman Tuhan.
Anda tidak diminta menjadi mata-mata atau polisi yang sengaja mencari dan mencatat kesalahan orang
lain. Janganlah karena pernah belajar sedikit firman
Tuhan lalu menganggap telah mengetahui segalanya.
Anda bukannya memberi nasihat, tetapi jadi mengkritik
dan memprotes sana-sini. Namun, jika memang anda
diberi kesempatan untuk memberi nasihat, berilah nasihat dengan penuh kasih yang artinya bukan untuk menjatuhkan orang tersebut tetapi justru membuat orang
itu bertambah sukses dan berhasil dalam kehidupan
kekeristenannya.
Anak-anak Tuhan perlu bercermin diri dan minta
hikmat dari Tuhan sebelum menasihati orang lain, sebaliknya anak-anak Tuhan harus rendah hati apabila menerima nasihat itu. Ingatlah bahwa anda tidak lebih baik
dari orang lain, jika hari ini anda belum terlihat bersalah,
kemungkinan kesalahan anda belum terungkap. Oleh
karena itu, sejak dini saling menasihati untuk menguatkan satu dengan yang lain sangat diperlukan oleh anakanak Tuhan.
menghiburkan
44
Saling memberikan penghiburan bukan suatu hal yang
mudah, soalnya kita sebagai manusia memiliki hidup
yang berliku-liku. Tatkala kita senang, bahagia, kaya, sehat, mungkin kita dapat dengan gampang menghibur
orang lain namun apa yang terjadi tatkala kita juga berada pada posisi yang sulit. Rasul Paulus selalu menekankan masalah memberikan penghiburan ini, terutama di
dalam surat-surat pastoralnya, misalnya surat Tesalonika
dan Filipi; padahal kondisi Paulus sewaktu menulis surat
itu berada di dalam penjara.
Paulus mengatakan, “hiburkanlah seorang akan
yang lain dengan perkataan-perkataan ini.” (1 Tesalonika
4:18) Memang perkataan yang keluar dari mulut kita kadang sangat berbahaya; oleh sebab itu, setiap perkataan
kita perlu dipikirkan matang-matang. Apakah perkataan
kita menjadi berkat atau malah menjatuhkan iman seseorang? Bila kita hendak memiliki relasi yang harmonis
maka kata-kata yang keluar dari mulut kita semestinya
yang menguatkan dan menghiburkan. Anak-anak Tuhan
sudah begitu capek dan lelah serta tertekan di dunia
sekuler dengan segala pekerjaan, sekolah, dan kehidupan, maka di dalam persekutuan umat Tuhan mereka
memerperlukan sesuatu yang menguatkan iman kepercayaan mereka bukan yang menambahkan tekanan kepada diri mereka.
Di dunia ini, tidak ada gereja yang sempurna
karena anak-anak Tuhan memang tidak ada yang sempurna. Jika hari ini anda mendengar berita bahwa di Los
Angeles ada gereja yang sempurna, maka anda dianjurkan supaya tidak berbakti di sana? Tentu anda bertanya
mengapa? Karena kehadiran anda akan membuat gereja itu menjadi tidak sempurna; karena anda sendiri tidak
sempurna.
Duapuluh lima tahun cikal bakal Gereja Injili Indonesia Los Angeles berdiri, dengan segala kelebihan
dan kekurangan yang ada. Kita patut bersyukur kepada
Tuhan karena Dia mau memakai anak-anak-Nya yang
tidak sempurna ini untuk mengerjakan suatu tugas pelayanan yang sempurna sehingga berkat-berkat Tuhan
hingga hari ini tidak pernah habis. Saya yakin semua ini
dapat berjalan karena adanya relasi yang harmonis ini.
Oleh sebab itu, marilah kita bergandengan tangan bersama, tingkatkan, dan pertahankan segala yang baik.
Buanglah hal-hal yang tidak berguna supaya kita melangkah ke depan - menuju kepada gereja yang penuh
harapan. Amin.
(Lynnwood, Washington; Mei 2008)
“For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart…every careless word that people speak,
they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified,
and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:34b-37; NASB).
Gossip...
A Diagnosis of Gossip in the Church
By Margaret Tewuh
S
ome people say that they just like to talk about
others or gossip and cannot control their tongues.
Actually, the tongue is control by the nerve impulse
in the brain and is activated by the thought process.
Therefore, normal individuals with no neural disease can control their tongues. It is just the matter
of whether they want to control it or not. NO MORE
EXCUSES. They have to be admitted immediately for
treatment.
History of leading to admission:
These are females and males patients being admitted to the Indonesian Evangelical Church at 10:30 AM
on September 9, 1983. They complained about the
pastors, boring church programs, boring music, uncontrollable impulses of talking and clapping hands
during sermons, long sermons, and also complained
about other church members gossiping about them.
Their needs are not being met.
Diagnosis:
• Ineffective emotional coping due to a disturbed
thought process.
• High risk of committing a crime of destroying a
church member’s reputation due to an uncontrollable tongue as evidenced by gossiping.
• High risk of bringing a division to the church
due to unsatisfied needs and an uncontrollable
tongue.
•
•
•
•
High risk of causing a decrease in church attendance due to hurting other people’s feeling as
evidenced by gossiping.
Ineffective Christians by inability to be witnesses
to Jesus Christ as evidenced by gossiping.
High risk of being farther away from God due to
no personal growth as evidence of gossiping.
High risk of an environmental toxic due to the
spreading of infectious rumors as evidenced by
gossiping.
Goal:
Stop gossiping by the end of this year.
Interventions:
• Start helping other church member to meet their
needs through action, not just talk.
• Take a balance diet by reading the Bible and praying daily.
• Find one’s purpose in life.
• Do creative activities or hobbies.
• Do breathing exercise by singing praises to God
daily.
• Do physical exercises to strengthen the mind and
the body.
Evaluation:
When the goal is met, patients are spreading the
GOSPEL instead of GOSSIP.
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29;NIV).
45
...pissoG
Diagnosa Gossip di Gereja
Oleh Margaret Tewuh
“Karena yang diucapkan mulut meluap dari hati… Setiap kata sia-sia yang diucapkan orang harus
dipertanggungjawabkannya pada hari penghakiman. Karena menurut ucapanmu engkau akan
dibernarkan, dan menurut ucapanmu pula engkau akan dihukum” (Matius 12:34b-37)
B
eberapa orang berkata bahwa mereka hanya
suka membicarakan tentang orang lain atau bergosip dan tidak bisa mengendalikan lidah mereka.
Sebenarnya, lidah itu dikendalikan oleh rangsangan
saraf dalam otak dan diaktifkan oleh proses pikiran.
Oleh sebab itu, individu yang normal tanpa penyakit saraf bisa mengendalikan lidah mereka. Ini hanya
masalah apakah mereka mau mengendalikan diri
sendiri atau tidak. TIDAK ADA ALASAN LAGI. Mereka
harus segera dibawa untuk perawatan.
Sejarah pendaftaran:
Ini adalah pasien perempuan dan laki-laki didaftarkan ke Gereja Injili Indonesia jam 10:30 pagi tanggal 9 September 1983. Mereka mengeluh tentang
pendeta, acara gereja yang membosankan, music
yang membosankan, dorongan yang tak terkendali
untuk berbicara dan bertepuk tangan saat khotbah,
khotbah yang panjang, dan mereka juga mengeluh
tentang anggota gereja yang lain bergosip tentang
mereka. Kebutuhan mereka tidak terpenuhi.
Diagnosa:
• Mengatasi emosi secara tidak efektif yang disebabkan oleh proses pikiran yang terganggu.
• Resiko tinggi atas melakukan tindakan kejahatan
berupakan penghinaan reputasi anggota gereja
yang lain yang diakibatkan dari lidah yang tak
terkendali berhubungan dengan bergosip.
• Resiko tinggi atas membawa pemisahan dalam
gereja diakibatkan oleh kebutuhan yang tidak
dipenuhi dan lidah tidak terkendali.
•
•
•
•
Resiko tinggi atas meyebabkan penurunan dalam jumlah kehadiran gereja diakibatkan oleh
menyakiti perasaan orang lain berhubungan
dengan bergosip.
Orang Kristen yang tidak berguna diakibatkan
oleh ketidakmampuan menjadi saksi bagi Yesus
Kristus terbukti dengan bergosip.
Resiko tinggi menjadi lebih jauh dari Tuhan tanpa
pertumbuhan pribadi sebagai akibat bergosip.
Resiko tinggi akan racun yang disebabkan oleh
penyebaran infeksi rumor yang menjangkit di
lingkungan terbukti dengan bergosip.
Tujuan:
Berhenti bergosip pada akhir tahun ini.
Campur tangan:
• Mulai membantu sesama anggota gereja memenuhi kebutuhan masing-masing melalui tindakan, bukan hanya dengan perkataan.
• Jaga keseimbangan pola makan dengan membaca Alkitab dan berdoa sehari-hari.
• Temukan tujuan dalam hidup.
• Cari aktivitas yang kreatif atau hobi.
• Lakukan latihan pernafasan dengan menyanyikan pujian kepada Tuhan sehari-hari
• Lakukan olahraga jasmani untuk memperkuat
batin dan tubuh.
Evaluasi:
Ketika tujuan sudah tercapai, pasien menyebarkan
INJIL bukan GOSSIP.
“Janganlah ada perkataan kotor keluar dari mulutmu, tetapi pakailah perkataan yang baik untuk membangun, di mana perlu, supaya mereka yang mendengarkannya, beroleh kasih karunia.” (Efesus 4:29)
46
Relationships, Relationships…
Relating Women With Men
By Janice Atmadja
1992 Song Dedication
on the 9th Anniversary
HAlthough this article is perhaps
more aimed towards the youth
and the women population, this
article remains to be helpful and
suitable for everyone, especially
when dealing with questions regarding the nature of the opposite
sex and how that influences our
choices in whom we date and who
we enter into courtship with.
HThis article is based on a summary of a Women’s Tea Time event
held by my pastor’s wife from
San Diego Harvest Church, the
church that I call home while I am
in San Diego. Mrs. Dahlia Warda is
a woman after God’s own heart
and the story of the romance between her and my pastor, Pastor
Jeff Warda, has always touched my
heart and encouraged me to wait
for my own perfect romance. Yes,
this may sound “cheesy”, but it’s
true that God intended the best
for us, especially in our romantic
life. All we need to do is be patient
47
and trust in Him to provide, while
preparing ourselves to be women
after God’s own heart above all
else, even our own desires for a
life-partner.
HMrs. Dahlia Warda is the mother
of Daniel Warda and wife to Pastor Jeff Warda who has served as
a shepherd in Harvest Church for
five years now. She has spoken in
numerous women retreats about
the subject of Godly relationships
and has counseled the women of
Harvest alongside Pastor Jeff to allow us to be the growing ministry
we are today.
HHarvest Church San Diego is a
unified body of believers, who are
committed to the biblical mandates of worship, study, service,
fellowship and evangelism, to the
end that Jesus Christ will be exalted and God will be glorified.
HThere have been many books
written on the “evils” of dating.
There are also plenty of books
that advice us how to have a godly
relationship with a potential future
spouse. This leads me to the following questions. Considering all
these books on how to “relate”,
is there then a special way that
we must also relate to men as
friends, the step that infamously
comes before “dating”? Are there
things we should do as women to
help our men overcome temptations and lead them to the way of
God? What should we understand
about them to help us relate to
them the way God wants us to
relate to them? Are relationships
even as complicated as everyone
says? Or is everything really much
simpler than I thought? I invite
you to explore these questions
with me and answer them yourself
with the help of God.
How did God Intend
for Men and Women to
Relate to Each Other?
HIn the beginning of time, when
God made the earth and us perfectly in His image, the relationship
between Adam and Eve was perfect. Eve was made from Adam’s
rib to be his equal and to be his
helper. However, because of sin,
the relationship between men and
women became that of an adver-http://www.harvestsd.com/ sarial relationship, a relationship
driven by the search for power.
harvest.html Genesis 3:16 said of Eve, “Your de
1994 Funny Skit
sire will be for your husband and
he will rule over you.” Men and
women relate as enemies after the fall. It becomes a fight to
make one dependent on the other.
Men and women equally manipulate the other to get what they
want, and the fight arises in full
view today.
HEspecially for women, we are
surrounded by dependency on
men because this relationship we
have with men, a relationship between enemies, makes us use and
look for power from the one who
has more power as God had intended, the men.
HGirls and women, these instances will prove to be our downfall
when we seek a relationship with
men:
• When we have the strongest
physical attraction to them
-Ideally, Dahlia said, our attraction level to men from 1-10
(10 being the highest), should
be a 3-5 for us to have a clear
head and a God-centered relationship. Of course, this point
is disputable and is different
for everyone.
• When we are the least ourselves and have an adversarial
48
ing about what others think about
the man you choose. This requires
us to pay attention to what makes
us attracted to him and even put
our own preconceived preferences
aside. Focus on what we like about
him, (because oftentimes God
does not bring us our physically
“ideal” man of our dreams to be
our life-partners) and ignore what
the rest of the world has to say. It
is only important to God and you
what you think about him.
Question: So how do we break
this enmity? How do we break
attitude with them
the tradition of adversarial reHWhen a man is just physically lationships?
attracted to you, he is one to be
afraid of. They are in what Dahlia HThis becomes a journey of
called, the “take mode” which trusting the Lord with our hearts.
gives you: “the hibby-jiibbies”, and We must change our approaches
the hibby-jibbies are right! What on relationships from that of a sincan we do in this case? Run away ful nature to one in the nature of
in the other direction! Girls, God.
a true Christian man looking to
build a true God-centered rela- Philosophies of Dating
tionship with you will be attracted
for the Christian Womto your spiritual qualities above all
else. A Christian man will provide an.
for all your needs, not what you
want, but what you NEED. Money Dating, for the Christian woman, is
doesn’t make anybody happy. That the sorting out process to single
is a well-known fact that is not out which man you should enter
well accepted. So…how do we into courtship with. Dating is the
process of sorting, while courtship
find him?
H The answer- Give up the con- is the “dance” and the procession
cern of what others will think with the goal of marriage in mind
of your man. This is actually Make no mistake though. Datharder than we think; especially ing is also done with the goal of
when being done in a world full of marriage under God. An “okay” in
expectations that confuses even dating does not mean you are alus. I’m not saying for us to make a lowed to negligently date “around”
choice between defending, adher- to pick and choose the criteria for
ing, or giving up the labeled “tra- the guy you want to have a courtditional” roles of men and women ship with. Before you date anyone,
many often associate with a bad there are philosophies of dating
connotation. I am simply asking that you should really take into
you to do what it says: stop think- heart and consider as a Christian
woman. We
must also look for qualities of our
date (before we go out with him),
that enhances the goal of God for
your lives so without saying, the
man must, first and foremost, be a
man after God’s own heart.
To do before we begin
dating:
1. Read This Idea Below:
Contentment and happiness depends on God, not men.This, ladies,
is a very very very important point
to understand, internalize, and live
by. As women, we don’t have to
emasculate men for them to provide for you. It is by nature that
they love to protect, to give, and to
guide you. Surrender to that role.
It does not mean at all minimizing
the value of yourself. Simply give
up emasculating men and expecting them to live by your interpretation of what is “manly” or what
is not, what is “desirable” or what
is not. Stop interpreting everything
they do from your point of view
as a woman. It is hard to accept
(and I know this) that we women
do think and interpret actions differently than men. This is not at all
bad! God created us this way, to
think many things at once, to be almost scatter-brained, for a reason.
He made us gentler for a reason.
Do not conform to the world’s
ideas of masculine/feminine duality
or the concept of the “modern”
woman vs. the modern man. Think
only of God’s commandment and
His approval of your relationship.
Women, do not take everything
personally. These are words of advice from Dahlia.
Have a set criteria
2.
as : a believer, a man who loves the example, things that you definitely
must have or cannot stand in a
Lord.
man. For example: faithfulness, selfHHave these four subqualities motivated, and self-controlled.
added to your non-negotiable as HRelationships are the expresthey are fruits of the perseverance sion of who you are as a believer.
in the character of a true God- An authentic, sincere relationship
in which you are yourself allows
pursuing man:
for an open and honest interaci.
Trustworthy
The definition of partnership is tion that is both transparent to the
persons on the same side of the outside world and God-glorifying.
team, with equal shares in the HThis is where dating and court“risk”. We can’t create a partnership differs and why courtship is
ship if we do not trust him. When better than mere secular “dating”.
we trust someone, that person In dating both men and women
must undoubtedly have integrity make an effort of continuing the
and reliability. So the important relationship and there is a standard
question becomes: Do you trust of politeness. In courtship, there
is still that standard of politeness
him?
but less obstacles to put aside the
ii.
Strength
Not physical, but spiritual strength! desire to merely please the other
This is important as the man will person as you are both in it for a
be the leader, both in your home long-term goal, marriage.
and in your spiritual life. Does he
has strength in spirit?
iii.
Integrity
This is the quality that’ll make you
feel SAFE. Integrity is the sign that
a man knows himself and abides by
it. Strength and integrity come together. One sign of integrity is him
owning up to what he did wrong.
This is why, women, it is so important for us to be who we really
are around them so that he may
understand you and see what you
need.
iv.
Confidence,
Positive
confidence (not arrogance!)
in himself and in his abilities
Last, but not least. All four qualities
are stems from a man who walks
with God. Looking for these four
qualities should aid in your determining the true man of God.
of who we want to be in a HIn addition to the four qualities
listed above, it is helpful to add
relationship with.
Know your “non-negotiable” such another three of your own. For
49
Stop strategizing!
Express who you are!
3.
Stop getting ready resources before prior engagement to the enemy. Instead, make your true selves
be known!
HI understand that this is a lifechanging concept, but read them
all:
1. Stop reacting to what you
think someone else wants.
2. Stop being careful and concealing things.
3. Stop adapting your conduct to
please other people.
If the man should not like who you
are and leaves, he is actually doing
you a favor. Be a person who is being reacted to instead of the other
way around. Start expressing!
4. This final step relates to your
authenticity to relationships.
Know the answer to these
questions.
a. What are you really up to?
2007 Valentine’s Night
(What do you want from this relationship?)
b. Where do you want the
relationship to end up at?
c. What are your deal-breakers in your relationship? Don’t
wait to say the deal-breaker
until you can manipulate the
relationship. Relationships sink
from the holes that were in
them from the very beginning.
HAs Christian women, among our
list of “should-be-discussed” dealbreakers should be the following:
1. If he is not a Christian
2. If you disagree on whether
to have children or not. Even
disagreeing on the number of
children may be a potential important deal-breaker.
3. Lifestyle choices
4. When to get married
For men, there is a concept called
“ready for marriage” that we as
women do not understand because women are driven towards
marriage. Yes, that’s right women,
you saw it correctly. We are created this way and driven towards
marriage.
HSo what should we think about
after the deal-breakers, and the
50
qualities, and etc…..
1. What are you willing to provide in a relationship?
2. What are you hoping to provide in a relationship?
3. What do you want to receive?
HDiscuss these questions openly
with your potential boyfriend or
girlfriend. Determine the answers
to these questions BEFORE you
start ANY relationship. These are
things that are true and important to you and who you are. This
is why answering these questions
are important.
HSometimes it is necessary to tell
him from the very beginning to not
waste your time. Don’t waste your
time, and don’t waste your heart.
This is where he should shine as a
leader in the relationship, by bringing up this conversation! However,
if he does not bring it up, YOU
SHOULD BRING IT UP!
HBe clear in the relationship
from the very beginning and end
the relationship immediately as
soon as you know that this man
is not for you. We women have
this strange idea that if we are not
authentic, we won’t be hurt.This is
UNNECESSARY LONGSUFFER-
ING HURT that will not allow you
to have ANY REAL relationship.
Everything wonderful that happened between men and women
is because someone was vulnerable. Authenticity without risk is
not possible, and so, with this final
message, a prayer of strength and
God’s guidance as well as wisdom
is the last, but not least, absolutely
necessary action before you take
that next step into dating and
courtship.
HWe thank you for your attention on this very special edition
on various relationships of the
Christian, and article especially contributed for this: Relating
Women With Men. I pray that this
has been helpful and should you
have further questions regarding
the article or anything else, please
feel free to contact me, and I will
forward your questions to Mrs.
Dahlia Warda.
Janice Atmadja
(909) 896-1181
wuoyaochien@msn.com
Chapel
HSanta Fe Christian School
838 Academy Dr.
Solana beach, CA 92075
Church office
H531 Stevens Ave. West Suite B
Solana Beach, CA 92075
858-523-9768
telephone 858-523-9763
email Pastor Jeff Warda at
Hjeffw382@yahoo.com
Graduates on a Roll
Class of 2008
As our church grows and gets older, so does its congregations. Several youth of IEC are also growing up as they
enter a new chapter in their lives…. COLLEGE!!! These
college-bound youths are willing to share with the rest of
us what they are looking forward to in college.
David Soendjojo
College: UC Berkeley
Major: Chemical Engineering
Experience you gain from high
school: never give up
Experience you want to gain from
college: I don’t know…
Things I’ll have most difficulty with
in college: being away from home
Favorite Quote: Common sense is
not so common.
Shout out: your face
51
Mabel Tjioe
College: Pasadena City College
Major: Accounting
school: High school is boring
college: straight A’s
in college: staying up late to do
homework
Favorite Quote: aim for the moon
because if you fail to aim for it, you
will fall down to one of the stars
Shout out: I owe you love.
Jennifer Tjong
College: UCSD
Major:Visual Arts
school: don’t plan, let God plan for
you
college: God’s faithfulness and
more of mine
in college: probably not helping
people
Favorite Quote: I like walking in
the rain, because no one knows
I’m crying
Shout out: I love you, Mom and
Dad!!
Debbie Wang
Tesia Trisnadi
Rachel Jao
College: UCSD
Major: Bio/Chemistry
school: Life isn’t easy and sometimes when you feel like giving up,
you shouldn’t; just trust in God
in your problem, cause God will
make a way.
college: I want to meet new people
and experience different aspects of
college. I want to experience freedom of doing things on my own.
in college: not being used to living
by myself and being in a new environment.
Favorite Quote: proverbs 3:5-6
Shout out: to my family, thanks for
supporting me through everything.
I love you so much
College: Mt. SAC, transfer to APU
Major: Nursing
school: Don’t change to fit in with
other people and keep your mouth
shut no matter what
college: to become more responsible and be more mature
in college: not being friends with
everyone
Favorite Quote: do not worry
about anything, but pray about everything
Shout out: Thank you Mom and
Dad, for helping me with everything that I’ve been through… Yes,
thanks Andrew.
College: UCR
Major: Psychology
Experience you gained from high
school: God will never fail you.
college: Being more independent
and responsible.
Things you’ll have most difficulty
with in college: Living without my
parents' home-cooked meal and
getting enough sleep.
Favorite Quote: If you judge people,
you have no time to love them.
Shout Out: Good luck for those
who are taking SATs and APs in
the future.
52
I Love Jesus
but I Don’t Read the Bible
By Isaiah Adidjaja
W
ho is the first President of the United States?
If you’re a product of American education system you
will know the answer is George Washington. What
is the value of x in the following equation: 2x + 10
= 20? Probably all high school students would know
that x = 5. Now, for the million dollar question, what
is the interpretation of John 3:16? If your answer
begins with the phrase ‘I think’, there is a likelihood
that you’re not 100 percent sure of the answer.
The Bible says “All scripture is inspired by
God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, for training in righteousness; so that the
man of God may be adequate, equipped for every
good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). If the word of God
has this transforming power to change a person’s life,
how many of us take time to really study God’s word?
All of us, whether we are in school or have finished
school, young or old, still study about something.
If you are in school, you may be studying Calculus,
Chemistry, Physics, or English literature. If you have
finished school, you may be studying how to assemble
the cabinet that you just bought from IKEA, how to
play the latest video game, or how to cook a certain
dish. The fact is we continuously learn new things in
our lives. The question remains: is learning to read
the Bible, for all it is worth, one of them?
Some of you might say that the Bible is so hard
to understand. You might have attended a Bible study
where you tried to learn a passage and ended up with
people in the group giving different answers. Rather
than learning something, you left with confusion and
53
more questions. Bible study is not a study of others’
opinion of the Bible but rather is a study of one true
interpretation that God wants His children to know
so our lives can be transformed by that knowledge.
Bible study will last your entire lifetime. It does not
end when you finish all 66 books in the Bible. The
Bible is so rich in truth because of who the Author
is. You will understand its richness when you begin
studying.
Interpretation vs. Application
Many times when we study the Bible we are confused
between interpretation and application. For example,
let’s take Matthew 28:18-20,
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying,“All authority
has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore
and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and
lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The interpretation of this passage is that Jesus was
declaring His authority or Lordship over heaven
and earth, the assurance that His disciples needed
because their faith had been shaken when Jesus was
captured and crucified. There was also fear of the
chief priests and the Jews, people of authority who had
conspired to kill Jesus. Jesus’ resurrection validated
His authority. The disciples could rest assured that
Jesus indeed has authority over heaven and earth as
Jesus commissioned them for a very dangerous task.
The command was to go and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe
all that He has commanded them. The disciples
would be persecuted, rejected, even killed because
of this command. As One with authority, Jesus gave
them a promise that He is always with them, even to
the end of the age.
The application of this passage is different for each
different individual. As we study our Bible, we should
always ask for the Holy Spirit to illumine our hearts
to teach us the truth about Himself that He wants us
to learn so we can apply it in our lives. Upon reading
this passage the Holy Spirit might be speaking to a
person to go to China on a mission trip. Another
might be a call to full time ministry, or some might be
a reminder to start spreading the good news to their
friends. The interpretation is one but the applications
vary.
But it’s so hard…
Reading the Bible requires
effort
because
God
communicates to us through
His word in the Bible.
Any good communication
always requires effort. I
have a three year old and a
two year old niece. When I
communicate to my three year old niece, I have to
use her vocabulary for her to understand me and I
have to learn her words to understand her. My three
year old niece used the word “awi” for pain. I didn’t
know what it meant until I saw her hurt her little
finger and started yelling “awi.” I cannot use the word
“awi” for the word pain to my friends. If I do so, they
wouldn’t understand me and think that I’m a lunatic.
My two year old niece is the same. She uses musical
tunes that she learned to communicate her answer.
Every time I ask her what colors found in the rainbow,
she would answer by singing a jingle. Because she is
still learning to properly pronounce words I couldn’t
54
quite understand what she said
but knowing the jingle helps me
understand her answer.
Reading the Bible for all
it is worth requires our time and
effort as we study God’s word
so we can understand what He
is trying to communicate to us.
Studying the Bible is not done
once a week at Bible study but
it is an everyday lifestyle that
you develop by disciplining
yourself as you seek to know
the marvelous Creator who
loves you so much. One study is
learning the different literary styles in the Bible. We
wouldn’t read a mystery novel in the same light as
reading a biography. The same can be said about the
Bible. We read the Psalms differently than we would
read the two books of Kings. The book of Psalms
is poetic compared to the historical narrative in the
books of Kings. Understanding the literary style
helps us to understand the intent of the book that we
are reading. The Bible contains metaphors, similes,
figures of speech, and other literary forms just as we
use metaphors, similes, figures of speech, and other
literary forms in our communication. Jesus Himself
spoke in parables and used different metaphors in His
teaching. When Jesus says, “I am the true vine” (John
15:1), we are not to think that He is a grape plant.
Rather, He is using a metaphor that His disciples could
relate as He is teaching them about the relationship
between them and God and by being Jesus’ disciples
they ought to bear fruits for God.
Context, context, context
Have you ever been misunderstood
because what you said was taken
out of context and it created
a negative effect on you? If you
read a newspaper headline that says,
“Isaiah broke the window to take some
prestigious trophies from the cabinet.”
It would be silly to conclude that I’m a thief
without reading the entire story to learn
what really went on, unless if you have some
grudges toward me. If the story explains that there
was a fire in an elderly woman’s home and the elderly
woman asked me if I could go back and take some of
the trophies that belonged to her late husband then I
would look like a hero rather than a thief for breaking
the window to take the trophies for her. Context
is important in any form of communication including
reading the Bible. You would not want to start reading
a book in the middle or start watching a movie with
35 minutes left. You would want to start from the
beginning so you can understand the context of the
book or the movie. One of my professors used to
remind us to never read a Bible verse. We should
memorize Bible verses but knowing a verse by itself
without knowing the entire passage that explains the
verse will probably not enhance your spiritual growth
because you miss out on the true intention that God
is trying to communicate through that verse. Here
is a good example of a verse that is often taken out
of context:
From its context, verse 20 is not talking about two or
three people gathered together for a church service.
The context is spiritual discipline within the body
of Christ. Jesus is appealing to the Old Testament
mandate for two or three witnesses to confirm a
testimony (Deut. 19:15). Therefore, the two or three
who gather in His name (not for a church service)
to rebuke a sinning brother/sister are approved
by God (v. 20). It is never easy to bring a sinning
member in the church before the entire congregation
to excommunicate him/her from the fellowship after
failed attempts to rebuke him/her privately. However,
God’s promise of His presence ensures that He
approves the action taken.
Spiritual Transformation
It is important to remember time and time again that
“For where two or three have gathered together in My
as you read and study the Bible to ask the Holy Spirit
name, I am there in their midst” (Matthew 18:20)
to illumine your heart so your life can be transformed
by the truth that is being revealed to you. Having
We probably have heard this verse being used in a
head knowledge is useless without being able to
worship service, Bible study, or prayer meeting where
apply that knowledge in your life. Just knowing the
only a few people showed up and the Pastor used this
Bible without experiencing the transforming power
verse to comfort the few people that came because all
of God would be meaningless as you deepen your
it takes is two or three individuals to gather together
relationship with Him.
to have Jesus in their midst. Although, there are other
verses that are better suited for this situation, this is
If you love God, why wouldn’t you want to spend
not one of them. The context of this verse begins
more time reading God’s word to know more about
in verse 15 and let’s read the entire context of this
Him who can transform your life? Why wouldn’t you
verse:
want to know more about God who loves you and
has a plan for you life? If you love somebody, wouldn’t
“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private;
you want to spend time to know more about that
if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he
person? Do you love God enough to want to know
does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so
Him more?
that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES
EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. If he refuses to listen
to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen
even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a
tax collector. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth
shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose
on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Again I say
to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything
that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father
who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered
together in My name, I am there in their midst.” (Matthew
18:15-20)
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2003 Choir on
20th Anniversary
1986 Choir
1993
3 Ch
Choir
h i on
10th Anniversary
Church Choir
2008
1985
Mother’s Day
1999
Father’s Day
1986
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An
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Father’s
ther’s Day
Here is a fact
hard to accept:
“YOUNG TEENS OFTEN DON’T FEEL
THE NECESSITY TO STUDY THE BIBLE BY
THEMSELVES IN THEIR OWN QUIET TIME.
WE HAVEN’T SEEN OUR TEENS TAKE MUCH
INITIATIVE UNTIL THEY REACH HIGHSCHOOL AGE.”
Helping Our
Children
to Build a Personal Relationship with
Christ
T
in This ‘Crazy-Mixed-Up World’
Summarized by Jan
Janice Atmadja | Article contribution by Mrs. Bina Kusnohadi
he desire for personal Bible study comes when
d.The Scriptures are God’s Word and serve as my
they are more independent and are able to see the
daily guide.
need to develop their relationship with God; so
e. Nothing is more thrilling than fulfilling God’s
helping our teen to realize that becomes a task we
command in my life.
should undertake as Christian parents. It is important
f. I will pass on a godly legacy to the next
to begin this when they are young, as they absorb
generation.
more when they are younger. If it is too late, then 2. Participation in the life of a church is a must.
there are still ways parents can involve themselves 3. Setting standards for appropriate clothes for
in their children’s life as to direct them as much as
church is important because the church is an
possible to the light of Christ.
opportunity to participate in a formal time of
worship.
A couple key-points to emphasize with growing
teens:
Help your teen accomplish these mindsets
1. Help your child develop these convictions as they beginning with developing a Christian mindset
grow and experience the outside world:
in school and life!
a. Jesus Christ must be my Savior and Lord
b. Regular prayer must be a crucial part of my According to Dennis and Barbara Rainey, writers of
daily life
“Helping Your Child Develop a Growing Relationship
c. I must be the same person in private that I am with Christ”, there are two roles that children play at
in public.
school as: a mission-field or a missionary. Mission57
field teenagers are those seeking approval from their
peers, while the missionary teen reaches out to his
peers.We as parents may become fellow missionaries
with our child by starting a ministry in schools or
involving yourself in the high school Christian club
of Campus Crusade. Another way of having activities
with your child is to go to a youth conference together
for example the “Something’s Happening USA” youth
congress organized by a Christian organization
focused on teens called the Student Venture.You may
also go on a short-term mission with your child to
enable them to learn both the joy and the sacrifices
of being a missionary.
So then…why is it important for us as parents
to involve ourselves with our kids?
1. Kids take their cues from us.
2. We must be living examples of faithful individuals
throughout the day, the week, and throughout
our lives because they best learn from their
environment.
To respond to the Bible stories, other than seeing
their parents be the example of living Christianity,
children need options in which to express their
knowledge and understanding. We, as parents must
be wary and utilize that to engage them in Christian
living. Children, especially in elementary grades, ask
important questions especially the why question. We
should not reply to them with superficial or simple
answers. Instead, saying I don’t know sometimes
might be wise and is fine. As the Scriptures said in
1Corinthians 1:25 -“The foolishness of God is wiser
than the wisest man.” For example, if a child asks
why Pharaoh allowed Joseph to be imprisoned or
his brothers to sell him to Egypt, this then becomes
an opportunity for us to talk about how God has
a plan for every life. God moves in a child as He
does in ‘grown-ups’. “Teachers and parents can help
by providing an example of what it means to be a
Christian, by explaining the plan of salvation, by
listening to your children, and by watching for the
time when the Holy Spirit moves.” (McComas)
Childhood is a critical time, and God uses
What actions can we take to help direct them children in His own ways.We don’t have to wait
to Christ?
for them to ‘mature’ before talking to them
1. By referencing the Bible and having conversations about God. It is crucial for us as parents to
about the Lord. (The younger the child learns, the involve ourselves with our children and invest
more they absorb)
them in Christ now.
2. Reading them the Bible. A recommendation
from Allie McComas, author of “God Loves Me!
Children’s Spiritual Growth Depends on Parents: A word about our sources:
Egermeier’s Bible Story Book”
3. Encourage children to ask questions and discuss Dennis and Barbara Rainey are co-founders of Family
devotionals and personal experiences during Life, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ whose
mission it is to effectively develop godly marriages and
dinner time or in daily conversations.
families who change the world one home at a time.
From christianbook.com- Dennis & Barbara Rainey
How must we prepare to share the Word with
our kids?
“God Loves Me! Children’s Spiritual Growth Depends
We must be in the Word and study it for ourselves on Parents” by Alice McComas. Alice McComas is a
so that we may teach them. Sharing our firsthand fun-loving, Christian wife and mother of three. This
knowledge of Him with our kids is another great way former school teacher enjoys writing articles highfor children to be able to comprehend things of the lighting the humor that can be found in everyday life.
spirit as Jesus said in Luke 18:17- “Anyone who will She has been writing poetry and children fiction for
not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will nineteen years and recently finished her first young
adult novel.
never enter it.”
“Spiritual Growth in Children” from LifeWay Chris“Telling is not the same as teaching.”
tian Resources established by the Southern Baptist
Providing an example is absolutely necessary to Convention in 1981 to assist churches and believers
provide the best environment for children to learn. to evangelize the world about Christ.
58
Membantu anak kita dalam membangun hubungan kepribadian
dengan Kristus di dunia yang kacau ini
Ringkasan dari Janice Atmadja | Kontribusi artikel dari Ibu Bina Kusnohadi
Ini adalah satu fakta yang sulit untuk diterima:
“ANAK REMAJA SERING TIDAK MELIHAT PERLUNYA BELAJAR ALKITAB SENDIRI DI SAAT TEDUH. KITA TIDAK
MELIHAT REMAJA KITA MENGAMBIL INISIATIF SAMPAI MEREKA MENCAPAI UMUR SMA.”
K
emauan untuk belajar Alkitab sendiri datang
ketika mereka merasa lebih mandiri dan bisa melihat
kebutuhan untuk membangun hubungan mereka
dengan Tuhan; dengan demikian membantu remaja
kita menyadari hal ini adalah satu tugas yang kita harus
lakukan sebagai orang tua Kristen. Memulai proses ini
penting semenjak mereka masih muda karena akan
lebih mudah bagi mereka untuk menangkap sesuatu
dalam hidupnya. Jikalau agak terlambat, masih ada jalan
bagi orang tua untuk dapat melibatkan diri sebanyak
mungkin dalam mengarahkan hidup mereka ke cahaya
Kristus.
Beberapa inti untuk ditekankan kepada remaja
dalam masa pertumbuhannya:
1. Bantulah anak anda memperkembangkan
pendiriannya di bawah ini selama mereka
bertumbuh dan mengalami dunia luar :
a. Jesus Kristus adalah penyelamat dan Tuhan saya
b. Doa secara regular adalah bagian penting dalam
kehidupan saya sehari-hari
c.Saya harus menjadi orang yang mempunyai
pribadi yang sama sewaktu di rumah dan di
masyarakat.
d. Alkitab adalah kata-kata Tuhan dan merupakan
pegangan hidup saya.
e. Tidak ada hal yang lebih memuaskan daripada
memenuhi perintah Allah dalam hidup saya.
f. Saya akan mewarisi kesalehan kepada generasi
selanjutnya.
2. Partisipasi dalam kehidupan gereja adalah
kewajiban.
59
3. Membuat standar untuk pakaian yang pantas
dipakai ke gereja merupakan kepentingan, karena
gereja adalah kesempatan untuk berpartisipasi
dalam ibadah yang formal.
Bantu anak anda mencapai angan-angan ini
dimulai dengan membangun Kekristenan
dalam hidup dan sekolah!
Menurut Dennis dan Barbara Rainey, penulis buku
“Helping Your Child Develop a Growing Relationship
with Christ”, ada dua peran yand anakanak mainkan di sekolah: sebagai lapangan
misi atau sebagai utusan Injil. Lapangan
misi adalah remaja yang mengikuti
cara kawan-kawannya, sementara
utusan Injil menginjili kawankawannya. Kita sebagai orang tua
bisa menjadi penginjil bersama anak
kita dengan memulai pelayanan
di sekolah atau melibatkan diri
kita dalam klub Kristen sekolah
di Campus Crusade. Cara lain
untuk beraktivitas dengan anak
kita adalah untuk pergi ke seminar
remaja, contohnya congress pemuda “Something’s
Happening USA” yang diselenggarakan oleh organisasi
Kristen yang berfokus kepada remaja dalam Student
Venture. Anda juga bisa pergi ke misi sementara
bersama anak untuk memungkinkan mereka belajar
sukacita dan pengorbanan dalam penginjilan.
Kemudian… mengapa ini penting bagi kita
sebagai orangtua
bersama anak?
diri manusia.” Contohnya, jika seorang anak menanyakan
mengapa Firaun memperbolehkan Yusuf untuk
dipenjarakan atau dijual oleh saudara-saudaranya ke
1. Anak meniru bimbingan orangtua.
Mesir; ini adalah kesempatan untuk kita membicarakan
2. Kita harus menjadi contoh pribadi beriman tentang bagaimana Tuhan mempunyai rencana dalam
sepajang hari, minggu, dan selama hidup kita karena setiap kehidupan. Tuhan bekerja di dalam anak kecil
mereka belajar terbaik dari lingkungan mereka.
seperti di dalam orang dewasa. “Guru dan orang tua
dapat membantu dengan memberikan contoh tentang
Apa yang bisa kita lakukan untuk membantu arti menjadi orang Kristen, dengan menjelaskan
mengarahkan mereka ke Kristus?
rencana keselamatan, mendengarkan pendapat anak1. Melalui refrensi Alkitab dan pembicaraan tentang anak, dan mengamati di waktunya Roh Kudus bekerja.”
Tuhan. (Semakin muda mereka belajar, semakin (McComas)
banyak mereka tahu)
2. MembacakanAlkitab kepada mereka.Rekomendasi Masa kecil adalah masa yang genting, danTuhan
dari Allie McComas, pengarang buku “God Loves menggunakan anak-anak dengan caraNya
Me! Children’s Spiritual Growth Depends on sendiri. Kita tidak perlu menunggu mereka
Parents: Egermeier’s Bible Story Book”
‘bertumbuh’ untuk berbicara kepada mereka
3. Mendorong anak untuk menanyakan dan tentang Tuhan. Ini sangat penting bagi orang
membicarakan renungan dan pengalaman pribadi tua untuk melibatkan diri dengan anak kita
saat makan malam atau percakapan sehari-hari.
dan menanam mereka dalam Kristus mulai
sekarang.
Bagaimanakah
seharusnya
cara
kita
menyiapkan Firman dengan anak?
Kita harus belajar dan mengerti Firman Tuhan supaya
kita bisa mengajarkan mereka. Berbagi pengetahuan
kita tentang Tuhan bersama anak merupakan salah
satu cara untuk anak supaya mereka bisa memahami
hal-hal rohani seperti apa yang Tuhan Yesus katakan Sumber:
dalam Lukas 18:17- “Sesungguhnya barangsiapa tidak
menyambut kerajaan Allah seperti seorang anak kecil, Dennis dan Barbara Rainey adalah pendiri Family Life,
ia tidak akan masuk ke dalamnya.”
pelayanan dalam Campus Crusade for Christ yang
mempunyai misi untuk membangun secara efektif
“Memberitahu tidak sama dengan mengajar.” pernikahan dan keluarga Kristen yang merubah dunia
Orang tua perlu memberikan contoh untuk mulai dari satu rumah per satu.
menyediakan anak untuk belajar di lingkungan terbaik. Dari christianbook.com – Dennis & Barbara Rainey
Untuk menanggapi cerita-cerita Alkitab, selain melihat
orangtua mereka menjadi contoh hidup kekristenan, “God Loves Me! Children’s Spiritual Growth Depends
anak-anak perlu kebebasan untuk mengungkapkan on Parents” oleh Alice McComas. Alice McComas
pengetahuan dan pengertian mereka. Kita sebagai adalah seorang istri Kristen dan ibu dari tiga anak.
orang tua harus waspada dan menggunakan Mantan guru sekolah ini menikmati menulis artikel
kewaspadaan kita untuk mengikut sertakan mereka yang menyoroti humor dalam kehidupan sehari-hari.
dalam kehidupan Kristen. Anak-anak, terutama kelas Beliau telah mengarang puisi dan fiksi anak-anak
sekolah dasar, sering menanyakan pertanyan penting, selama 19 tahun dan baru saja menyelesaikan novel
khususnya pertanyaan “mengapa.” Kita sebaiknya pemuda yang pertama.
tidak menjawab pertanyaan mereka dengan jawaban
yang sulit atau sederhana. Menjawab dengan “tidak “Spiritual Growth in Children” dari LifeWay Christian
tahu” terkadang merupakan jawaban bijak dan lebih Resources didirikan oleh Southern Baptist Convention
baik. Seperti dalam Firman 1 Korintus 1:25 - “Sebab tahun 1981 untuk membantu gereja-gereja dan orangyang bodoh dari Allah lebih besar hikmatnya dari pada orang percaya menginjil dunia tentang Kristus.
60
untuk
melibatkan
1994 Cooking
Competition
2008 Cooking Competition
61
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08
Recipe
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Elegantly Easy Creme Brulee
SERVE
: 4 people
PREP TIME : 20 Min
COOK TIME : 20 Min
TOTAL TIME: 40 Min
SERVE: 4-6 people
INGREDIENTS
• 1/2 pound linguine pasta
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 red bell pepper, sliced
• 2 green bell pepper, sliced
• 8 fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2 green onion, chopped
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until
al dente; drain.
2. Place the chicken and the Cajun seasoning in a
plastic bag. Shake to coat. In a large skillet over
medium heat, saute the chicken in butter or margarine until almost tender (5 to 7 minutes).
3. Add the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, mushrooms and green onion. Saute and stir for 2 to 3
minutes. Reduce heat.
4. Add the cream, basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic
powder and ground black pepper. Heat through.
Add the cooked linguine, toss and heat through.
Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.
INGREDIENTS
• 8 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar (for the caramelized
tops)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 300ºF.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is
thick and pale yellow.
3. Add cream and vanilla, and continue to whisk until well blended.
4. Strain into a large bowl, skimming off any foam
or bubbles.
5. Divide mixture among 4-6 ramekins or custard
cups.
6. Place ramekins in a water bath (large pan filled
with 1 or 2 inches of hot water)
7. Bake until set around the edges, but still loose in
the center, about 50 to 60 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and leave in the water bath
until cooled.
9. Remove cups from water bath and chill for at
least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.
10. When ready to serve, sprinkle about 2 teaspoons
of sugar over each custard. For best results, use a
small, hand-held torch to melt sugar. If you don’t
have a torch, place under the broiler until sugar
melts. Re-chill custards for a few minutes before
serving.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cajun-Chicken-Pasta/
http://www.cremebrulee.com/creme.htm
Detail.aspx
62
Perekonomian di California semakin memburuk. Bisnis real estate sudah hampir sepuluh tahun jatuh. Banyak rumah–rumah yang ditinggalkan oleh para pemiliknya ataupun yang ditelantarkan oleh bank dan pemerintah oleh karena daerah yang tidak bagus sehingga kalau bank atau pemerintah mendandani rumah
itu tetap saja setelah satu atau dua tahun tetap tidak ada pembelinya maka rumah itu akan menjadi kumuh
kembali. Sehingga realtor, banker, atau pemerintah cuma akan membuang uang, tenaga, dan waktu.
Kemanakah penduduk California ini? Dimanakah Hollywood? Dimanakah julukan Los Angeles sebagai surga
makanan ataupun San Franscisco sebagai tempat yang
paling cool dan indah di California selama ini?
Sejak tahun 2006, California sudah mulai menunjukan
gejala–gejala bahwa masa jaya Los Angeles dan San
Francisco mulai menurun dan pudar. Begitu juga dengan dunia perfilman atau hiburan sudah mulai keropos
sejak tahun Millenium dimulai apalagi sejak ada DVD,
VCD dan CD bajakan yang harganya cuma sekitar satu
atau dua dollar dan mudah dijangkau di Downtown,
Chinatown, atau di persimpangan jalan besar. Semua
bajakan–bajakan ini merajalela di pasaran, dan pemerintah tidak mengambil tindakkan apa–apa. Belum lagi
semua Union, seperti SAG, AFTRA, Equty, dan semua
bentuk Union yang lain berkali–kali mengadakan aksi
mogok menuntut bayaran yang lebih tinggi. Sehingga
ini membuat pada mulanya bisnis perfilman tersenda–
sendat. Sehingga rakyat menjadi terbiasa nonton DVD
yang lama atau film–film asing yang memberikan udara
dan atmosphere yang lebih segar daripada cuma made
in Hollywood yang cuma berkisar pada drug abuse,
gangsters, atau korupsi di bidang pemerintahan. Penonton sudah jenuh dengan semua aneka ragam film
yang ujung–ujungnya cuma berkisar seputar masalah
duniawi yang tidak benar. Tidak heran banyak producer–producer yang berputar haluan untuk melakukan
bisnis yang lain. Sehingga pada akhirnya ke-glamour-an
Hollywood telah pudar hancur. Walk of Fame sepanjang
63
Hollywood Blvd. telah hancur berlubang-lubang, dan
semua nama-nama bintang film besar yang tercetak di
sepanjang jalan Hollywood Blvd tsb. dicungkil oleh para
gelandangan dan gangster. Batu–batu granite di sepanjang Hollywood Blvd. tersebut banyak yang berpindah
kerumah–rumah rakyat untuk menjadi lantai di rumah
mereka karena mereka tidak mempunyai uang untuk
membangun rumah mereka yang hancur atau retak
karena gempa bumi yang sering pula terjadi di California akhir–akhir ini. Hollywood cuma tinggal nama
saja, dan malahan yang saat ini sedang menanjak dan
naik daun adalah Bollywood alias Bombaywood. Yang
mana film–film mereka banyak disukai karena di dalam
film mereka banyak diajarkan cara–cara Yoga yang bisa
diterapkan langsung di dalam kehidupan manusia pada
masa kini untuk menenangkan pikiran dari anxiety
modern yang telah melanda dunia.
Sejak Iran, North Korea, dan China berlomba–lombah
menciptakan senjata nuklir dan dengan diam–diam
melakukan percobaan di dalam tanah atau di dasar
lautan maka sampah–sampah nuklir itu akhirnya mengkotori seluruh dunia dan menumpuk di United States
dan California khususnya. (karena pembuangan sisa
bahan-–bahan kimia dari factory–factory yang ada, plus
gubernur setempat pun sudah gampang disogok dengan jutaan dollar untuk membiarkan sampah–sampah
liar ini dibuang ke lautan dan danau di sepanjang
California) Tidak heran kalau segala macam penyakit
baru mulai berjangkitan dimana para dokter dan ahli
medis tidak dapat menemukan penangkalnya. Jangan
kata penyakit yang ditimbulkan akibat senjata nuklir ini,
penyakit Aids yang sudah puluhan tahun digumuli oleh
para ahli-ahli kesehatan pun masih belum didapatkan
obat yang benar-benar jitu. Banyak rakyat yang meninggal dengan terlantar di rumah–rumah sakit yang
dijubeli dengan orang–orang yang sakit, para homeless, dan para illegal immigrant yang tidak mempunyai
asuransi kesehatan.
Gambaran yang menakutkan mulai tercipta di Amerika,
di California khususnya. Ini membuat para penduduk
setempat sadar dan mulai urbanisasi ke Midwest atau
East Coast, dimana udaranya lebih bersih sehingga
masih banyak oksigen–oksigen yang bergantungan di
udara yang bisa dihirup dengan cuma–cuma oleh manusia tanpa harus membayar dengan harga yang mahal
kalau sudah diolah ke dalam tabung yang dijual oleh
rumah sakit.
Pihak Asuransi banyak yang pailit sehingga semua
bentuk claims akan banyak makan waktu, bahkan bisa
berlarut–larut karena terlalu banyak orang yang sakit
karena musibah ataupun kecelakaan sehingga perusahan Asuransi hampir tidak bisa mendapatkan untung
yang bisa mencukupi budget dan salary untuk karywan
mereka karena terlalu banyak claims. Disamping itu,
tidak sedikit clients yang quit karena mereka jobless.
Washington DC juga sudah kepusingan dengan
masalah–masalah antar negara, PBB yang sekarang
sudah tidak ada wibawanya lagi. Mereka tidak bisa
berbuat apa–apa lagi ketika Iran, North Korea, dan
China dengan terang–terangan melipat gandakan
Nuclear Mass Weapon. President United States pusing
bernegosiasi dengan pihak Afganistan dan Pakistan
yang menyandera Army dan tentara yang bertugas
disana. Negara sedang dalam keadaan deficit, ressesi,
dan inflasi yang jauh lebih parah dibandingkan pada
jaman Franklin D. Rosevelt, Presiden yang sebelumnya
kedapatan bunuh diri karena tidak dapat meng-handle
tanggung-jawab dan tekanan yang bertubi–tubi dari
dalam dan luar negeri sehingga dengan mata gelap
President menghabiskan nyawanya dengan memasang
bomb di mobilnya sendiri. Sewaktu hal ini terjadi pihak
Senat berusaha menutup–nutupi suicide ini dengan
mengatakan bahwa President menjadi korban terrorist.
Walaupun telah kedapatan a little note dari President
buat keluarganya, tetapi tetap saja pihak CIA mengatakan
bahwa President menjadi korban pembunuhan para terrorist.
Masalah–masalah inilah yang telah membuat President
yang bertugas ini mengabaikan himbauan dari Gubernur California untuk meminta kiriman uang dan suntikan–suntikan yang tidak sedikit untuk membangun
California kembali.
Masalah politik sekarang bukanlah masalah yang kebenarannya 50/50 menjadi dugaan para rakyat seperti
masa–masa sebelum millenium. Pada masa sekarang
inilah, rakyat hampir mengetahui semua gerak–gerik
dan tindakan yang akan diambil oleh pemerintah.
Sehingga masalah pengabaian pembangunan kembali
California inilah yang telah membuat orang berbondong-bondong berurbanisasi ke EastCoast dan Midwest. Bahkan, orang–orang kaya banyak yang berimmigrasi ke Eropa Timur karena disana mereka merasa lebih
aman. Memang di Eropa timur banyak negara–negara
Komunis dan sarangnya para Terrorist, tapi dengan
tinggal diantara mereka itulah mereka menjadi bebas
dari ancaman dan terhindar dari kepingan–kepingan
sampah nuklir yang sewaktu–waktu bisa menghantam
Amerika.
Hari ini begitu tiba di kantornya, Gubernur California
memanggil semua Staffnya untuk mengadakan rapat
darurat. Pagi ini, ketika gubernur bangun tidur secara
tiba-tiba, timbul ide di benaknya. Ide yang sangat
bagus, yang bisa dipakai sebagai ujung tombak untuk
menyerang President dan House Representatives.
Semua Staff Gubernur ini sebenarnya mangkel dan
marah pada atasan mereka ini. Mereka semua sudah
jemu kerja di kantor kegubernuran ini, tetapi mereka
tidak berani berhenti bekerja karena mereka tahu
bahwa mereka tidak akan bisa berbuat apa–apa kalau
mereka quit pekerjaan mereka ini dan sudah pasti tidak
akan ada lowongan kerja diluar, kecuali menjadi drug
dealer atau pindah ke tempat lain atau ke luar negeri.
“Begini saudara-saudara...,” Gubernur membuka ra64
pat darurat ini. Lalu dengan jelas dan tegas, gubernur
mengatakan bahwa dia membutuhkan dukungan yang
seratus persen dari semua orang yang bekerja di kantor
Gubernur di Sacramento tsb. Ternyata, Gubernur akan
memberikan ULTIMATUM kepada Washington D.C. dan
H.R. bahwa kalau pusat tidak segera ambil tindakan
untuk membantu California ini, maka mereka berkeputusan bahwa mereka akan menyatakan lepas dari pusat
dan mereka ingin membangun Negara sendiri. Tindakan itu akan diambil oleh semua orang yang masih
tinggal di California ini, selanjutnya gubernur mengatakan sebelum California ini benar-benar di-abandon
oleh dunia dan menjadi tanah kosong, maka Gubernur
mengusulkan untuk menjual California ini kepada
negara manapun yang mampu membayar harga yang
ditawarkan. Semua orang kaget sewaktu gubernur
mencetuskan ide ini, dan banyak suara menggerutu
dan keluhan dilontarkan kepada gubernur. Tetapi
gebernur menenangkan mereka dengan mengatakan
bahwa dia bukan menjual California selamanya, akan
tetapi dia hanya ingin menyewakan California ini untuk
menjadi negara Coloni dari siapa pun yang bersedia
“mengcolonize” California ini, seperti halnya dahulu
China, menjual Hongkong kepada negara Inggris untuk
menjadikan Hongkong Koloni Inggris. “Lihat..., nyatanya
setelah beratus tahun menjadi koloni Inggris, Hongkong menjadi maju dan terkenal…”
“Sekarang kita lagi butuh uang dan pusat dengan
jelas–jelas tidak peduli kepada kita yang tinggal di
California ini, mau kalian punah bersama–sama dengan
tanah California ini kalau kita sudah tidak mempunyai
uang untuk melakukan apapun, apalagi membangun
kejayaan California seperti dulu lagi... Hah, kalian cuma
bermimpi.. doang kalau tidak ada budget sama sekali...”
Akhirnya setelah dijelaskan panjang lebar, semua sepakat dengan usul gubernur.
Gubernur langsung mengirim fax ke Oval building
tepatnya ke meja President langsung dan meminta
President untuk segera menelpon ke Sacramento. Di
Washington D.C., President juga mengadakan rapat
darurat menunjukan fax dari California, lalu President
dengan speaker phone langsung menelpon ke Sacramento. “Apa yang kau lakukan...bung, apa kau mau
65
menciptakan perang saudara kembali...pusat bukannya
tidak ingin membantu California, kami juga sudah tidak
mempunyai dana cadangan untuk membangun California. Kami tidak mau apa yang dialami oleh California
akan dialami oleh states yang lain kalau kami memaksakan menyediakan dana untuk California.”
“Benar bapak President, kami mengerti kalau negara
mencetak uang tanpa alasan buat California akan terjadi deflasi, akan tetapi usulku adalah untuk mendapatkan uang dari luar...itulah satu–satunya cara yang akan
menyelamatkan California bahkan mungkin seluruh
United States.”
President diam sebentar, hati kecilnya menyetujui usul
gubernur California, bahkan dia mengutuk dirinya
sendiri kenapa dia tidak bisa berpikir kesana, kenapa
otaknya di bekukan dengan urusan–urusan yang tidak
ada jalan keluarnya ini.“Akan tetapi...apa kata Gubernur
State yang lain kalau kami menuruti usulmu…dan apa
kata dunia nanti…kalau hal ini benar terjadi?”
“Bapak President, siapakah dunia itu? PBB kah? Eropahkah? Lihatlah pada masa ini siapakah yang peduli
dengan apa yang dilakukan oleh negara lain? Semua
negara–negara besar sibuk dengan senjata nuklir mereka. Negara–negara Arab sibuk dengan minyak mereka
dan urusan terrorist mereka....yang penting sekarang ini
selamatkan dahulu California sebelum California menjadi bahan tertawaan para musuh–musuh Amerika...”
President diam, semua yang ada di conference room
diam. Lalu setelah kesenjangan terjadi sejenak, President berkata, “…baik besok aku akan terbang ke Sacramento. Kita akan membicarakan hal ini lebih detail
lagi dan sekarang aku dan House Representatives akan
mengadakan rapat lagi.”
Hubungan via telepon di putuskan, semua bernafas
lega. Lalu masing-masing kantor sibuk rapat kembali.
President dan H.R. dengan serius membahas masalah
ini, demikian juga dengan Sacramento. Setelah mereka
pada dasarnya menyetujui usul yang bagus ini, kini
mereka dihadapkan kepada masalah siapa yang mau
membeli California? Atau kepada siapakah mereka har-
us menjual atau menyewakan California ini? Dan, untuk
berapa lamakah California ini dijual atau disewakan?
Jam 10 pagi, President dan beberapa kaki tangannya
sudah mendarat di Sacramento. Kedatangan yang
mendadak ini telah membuat para wartawan dan stasiun TV memberikan headline “Another Breaking News
from California.” Para Security Negara melarang para
wartawan ini untuk meliput lebih lanjut. Mereka akan
diberitahu pada waktunya, demikian kata Juru bicara
negara.
Rapat kali ini antara gubernur dan staff tingkat atas
serta rombongan dari pusat saja. Mereka langsung
ke permasalahnya, yaitu kepada siapa mereka akan
menjual California dan untuk berapa lama mereka
akan menyewakan California? Lalu satu–persatu mereka memasang list dari negara–negara yang saat ini
mempunyai ekonomi yang stabil dan mantap, ternyata
mereka cuma mempunyai beberapa pilihan saja yaitu
calon pembeli California yang memenuhi syarat cuma
China, Arab (termasuk Iran), dan satu negara Komunis
yang kuat.
Mereka mulai meneliti untung dan rugi kalau mereka
menyewakan California kepada China. “kalau pembelinya China,…California tidak mungkin menjadi semakin
maju…dan culture kita akan berubah total, disamping
itu kalian tahu sendiri, orang Chinese itu tidak bisa ditebak…dan yang paling membahayakan adalah mereka
itu licik dan licin…lalu kalau dijual kepada orang Komunis…ini akan lebih parah lagi…komunis kan mempunyai paham semua harta milik negara, meskipun kita
bisa bikin perjanjian tapi kalau mereka sudah masuk
“Aku yakin
begitu Chinese ini menjejakan kaki
mereka disini, maka semua bisnis di
California ini akan hidup
kembali.”
kesini…bisa–bisa bukan kita mendapatkan untung
malah kita yang akan disedot oleh mereka. Kalian bisa
lihatlah kalau nge-deal dengan komunis dari permulaan saja sudah ketahuan mereka itu tidak bisa dipercaya. Lalu negara Arab,…mereka ini kadang–kala tidak
realistik, moody kalau aku boleh katakan…plus mereka
itu kebanyakan “Terrorist.”
Gubernur California menyangkal semua pandangan
negative dari kepala negara. “Apa yang bapak President
katakan mungkin ada benarnya…tapi kita belum melihat dari segi positive-nya…sekarang coba kita lihat…
kalau pembelinya Chinese, mereka ini orang pintar,
jenius, mereka nomor satu didalam menciptakan bisnis,
mulai dari tidak ada sampai menjadi berlimpah–limpah.
Nah, orang–orang yang seperti inilah yang dibutuhkan
untuk membangun California kembali. Aku yakin begitu
Chinese ini menjejakan kaki mereka disini, maka semua
bisnis di California ini akan hidup kembali. Bisnis yang
mereka lakukan akan mengalir ke states yang lainnya,
dan itu akan memberikan suntikan tambahan buat kita
juga. Disamping itu orang–orang Chinese ini berpenampilan sopan dan rapi apalagi kaum wanitanya, bukankah hal ini akan membuat California menjadi Classic
dan anggun dengan hadirnya wanita–wanita cantik
berbadan langsing, bermata sipit, dan berkulit kuning
langsat seperti gadis–gadis Chinese ini. Akan jauh bedanya bila dibandingkan dengan gadis–gadis Amerika
yang kebanyakan overweight ini.”
“Sekarang kalau pembelinya orang Arab… aku tidak
pungkiri kalau mereka ini banyak duitnya, tetapi benar
seperti kata bapak President, bahwa mereka kebanyakan terrorist, akan tetapi… kalau mereka mengkolonize
California…kita justru akan menjadi aman…hidup
berdampingan dengan mereka, mereka akan menanamkan bisnis mereka di sini, keluarga mereka disini…jadi
kalau kita tinggal berdampingan dengan terrorist itu
sendiri siapakah yang akan mengancam dan men-teror
kita? Siapa tahu dengan langkah ini kita justru akan
menciptakan kedamaian dunia… Nah, kalau pembelinya Komunis dari Eropa Timur, memang aku sangsikan
California akan lebih baik ditangan mereka, malah aku
kuatir bisa–bisa California dijadikan camp pengasingan
bahkan dijadikan tempat pembuangan tahanan–tahanan mereka.”
66
“Kurang ajar…” President United States ini ngedumel
dalam hati dan iri dengan kecerdasan gubernur California ini. Dan, yang membuat President ini semakin
marah adalah dia harus menyetujui lagi pandangan
Gubernur yang kelihatannya bisa menjadi calon president yang akan datang. “Semprulll ini orang,” katanya
lagi dalam hati. Padahal dia mulai berpikir kalau benar
California sukses di sewakan, dia akan menyewakan
lagi Wyoming yang seperti tempat jin buang anak dan
jarang immigrant mau tinggal di sana. Kalau dia bisa
menjadi president pada pemilu mendatang, dia sudah
merencanakan bisa dapat uang sampingan dari hasil
‘leasing’ states-states berikutnya. Tapi “Aaahhh” president mendesah di dalam hatinya, “Kelihatannya Gubernur California ini bisa–bisa diminta mencalonkan diri
buat pemilu yang akan datang…Aaah nasib-nasib.....
padahal aku sudah merencanakan pensiun di Swiss
atau di Lexemburg…”
“Bagaimana bapak President dengan komentar saya…”
gubernur California bertanya kepada President yang
sedang bengong–bengong memikirkan nasibnya yang
lagi apes menurutnya. “Ooooh…yeah…yeah…aku
setuju dengan pandanganmu. Tentang calon pembeli
California ini…benarkan Gentlemen?” President United
67
States ini meminta persetujuan dari anggota staff yang
hadir bersama dengannya di rapat itu.
Semua staff dari DC menyetujui President.
“Nah, sudah jelas calon pembeli California ini either
Chinese atau Arab. Sekarang hasil meeting ini akan
aku bawa ke pusat dan kami akan mengadakan rapat
gabungan para congress mengenai masalah ini. Karena
masih banyak langkah yang harus kita pikirkan dan kita
ambil dan belum tentu juga di setujui oleh congress
atau HR, meskipun aku bisa mem-veto-nya. Nah, aku
ingin bertanya kepadamu gubernur California, apa kau
ada ide…bagaimana caranya menawarkan kepada
kedua calon pembeli ini secara halus tanpa mempermalukan negara kita ini?”
“Wah untuk hal itu belum saya pikirkan tuh bapak
President…”
“Yah sudah pasti kau belum bisa memikirkan hal ini
karena ini bukan levelmu atau ini belum levelmu…”
(dalam hati President ini tertawa...’rasain lu’…elu kira
elu aja yang bisa punya ide cemerlang). “Cukup sudah
dengan idemu yang bagus itu kini biarkanlah aku dan
staffku akan memecahkan masalah ini. Sekaligus aku
ingin memberitahukan kau bahwa selama kami sedang
“Lebih baik daripada kalau
dibocori oleh orang lain
dengan
kata yang lebih
menyakitkan.”
“Kalau aku tidak peduli kenapa aku dan staffku terbang
dari D.C. ke Sacramento ini…, tidakkah kalian lihat itu
semua?”
membahas masalah ini…kau harus tetap mempertahankan California dan usahakanlah sekeras mungkin
bagaimana caranya kalau bisa California jangan dijual…
dan jangan punya pikiran macam–macam lagi yah
apalagi ingin bikin negara sendiri…mengerti…kah
kau?” President dengan tegas bertanya kepada Gubernur California.
“Berikan kami specific answer bapak President...”
“iya bapak President aku mengerti....”
Di pelataran luar kantor gubernur di Sacramento itu
sudah dipenuhi oleh para wartawan dan crew–crew TV
yang ingin tahu apa yang sebenarnya telah dirapatkan
oleh President dan Gubernur California ini. Sepanjang
sejarah berdirinya America belum pernah terjadi hal
yang mendadak seperti ini. Apakah ini ada hubungan
dengan keamanan California yang semakin lama semakin ditinggalkan oleh rakyat ataupun oleh orang
yang menanam saham.
“Bapak President…apakah kedatanganmu ke Sacramento ini ada hubungan dengan keamanan California
ini atau United States,” seorang wartawan berteriak
bertanya kepada President sewaktu President United
States terlihat keluar dari kantor Gubernur.
“Benarkah…berita–berita angin yang mengatakan
bahwa Iran akan membidikkan senjata Nuklir-nya ke
California ini?” seorang wartawan TV bertanya kepada
President.
“Apakah kalian peduli akan California…atau kalian
cuma haus berita saja hah?” President bertanya balik
kepada para wartawan.
“Kalau bapak President peduli dengan California, kenapa California di-abandon-kan oleh bapak sendiri?”
wartawan tidak kalah sengitnya berbalik menyerang
President.
“Kalau bapak President care dengan California.. apa
buktinya dan tindakkan apa yang bapak mau ambil?”
“Aku akan mengusahakan cara apapun untuk membangun California kembali!”
“Apakah kau mempunyai uang?”
“Loh apa hubungannya jika aku mempunyai uang atau
tidak dengan masa depan California…jangan berbelit–
belit dong bapak President!”
“Jelas ada hubungannya dengan uang…If California for
Sale…do you have enough money to buy it?
Begitu mendengar jawaban itu semua yang hadir
terkejut, Gubernur dan staffnya hampir pingsan ketika
mendengar komentar President, begitu juga dengan
staff dari D.C. yang mengikuti President tidak percaya
dengan apa yang baru saja didengarnya. Setelah berkata demikian President melangkah lebih cepat lagi ke
arah Limo yang akan membawa President ke Air One
yang akan membawa President terbang kembali ke D.C.
Para Wartawan berlari memburu President dan memberondongnya dengan pertanyaan–pertanyaan tentang “California 4 Sale.”
Di dalam Limo, jubir bertanya kepada President kenapa
dia mencetuskan hal itu? President berkata, “Lebih baik
daripada kalau dibocori oleh orang lain dengan kata
yang lebih menyakitkan. I did it in purpose…aku ingin para wartawan itu yang menjadi iklan kita kepada
dunia…sebelum hal penjualan California ini terjadi para
wartawan terus akan berspekulasi tentang penjualan
California ini…sehingga berita ini menjadi berita yang
bisa membuat dunia bahkan mungkin lama-kelamaan
orang tidak peduli akan hal ini. Nah, bila Congress dan
H.R. menyetujui mengenai California 4 Sale ini, dan
transaksi penjualan terjadi, maka hal ini bukanlah hal
yang baru atau yang menggoncangkan dunia. Sehingga dimata dunia, kita tidak kelihatan begitu jatuh atau
miskin.”
68
1999 Christmas Cantata
1995 Easter Cantata
2006 Christmas Drama
20
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Titled ‘Suci Sang Pragawati’
1984 The First Christmas
Drama (Rev. Hosea as usual
openned with an introduction)
2003 Vocal Group
1983 Vocal Group
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08
Christians in China
As some of us know, Christianity is one of the great-
l FFor example,
l
the establishment of short-lived cults.
there was a Chinese cult named Taiping Kingdom
(Taiping means ‘heavenly peace’) lasted from 1850
to 1864. The founder of this cult was a fellow from
Guandong province by the name of Hong Xiuquang
whose idea came from reading missionaries’ tracts
about Jesus Christ and that later claimed of having
a vision that he was the younger brother of Jesus
Christ. And hence, the cult of Taiping Kingdom came
from. Its main purpose of the establishment was to
bring peace to China especially to benefit the peasants by cleansing the corrupt feudal system of the
Qing dynasty.3 This revolutionary movement resulted
in the killing over 20 millions of Chinese. Next is the
most shocking cult movement in the Chinese history
called the cult of Mao founded by Mao Tse-Tung. This
secular religion in china result in the greatest mass
murderer in the historic record of mankind killing 60
millions human beings as listed in the Guinness Book
of World Records.
est growing religions in China these past years. But,
this is not because China has just recently opened its
door to Christian missionaries. In fact, according to
Wilfred Wong, a parliamentary officer for the Jubilee
Campaign, China still feels estranged and threatened
by foreigners or any popular ideology that’s different
than theirs. Actually, since the modern age, Christian
missionaries from Europe and America had started
to plant Christianity seeds in China, but the country
just seemed to bear few fruits.1 And today, in spite
of many restrictions on its religious practice in the
country, we are starting to see that a big harvest is
coming soon in China and from China. Along with
this article, we should also reminded ourselves that
none of our work in God will be in vain although
we feel that the work seems pointless or not bearing
any fruits, as Apostle Paul says, “Therefore, my dear
brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always
give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because
you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” None of these religious sects in China lasted long,
(1 Corinthians 15:58; NIV)
and they ironically did not provide peace within its
Before we go on with the article, let’s start off with an- country and the world, instead they brought wars
swering this question to check our knowledge about and genocides. So, is there a religion that can provide
the Chinese: In general, Americans and Europeans are the Chinese with a source of spiritual fulfillment and
known to be Christians. Arabs are Moslems, and Indi- at the same time is able to create peace within the
country and with the rest of the world. It may be too
ans are Hindus. And, the Chinese are ______?
soon but not too early to say yes--and the possibility
If we have trouble filling in the blank, it may be be- is called Christianity.
cause the answer is blank. As a matter of fact, the
4
Chinese has been the least religious one. We know Three-Self Patriotic Movement and the
5
that Daoism, Chinese Buddhism, and Confucianism House Churches
are more like a rationalistic kind of religions that’s
The Chinese constitution says, “Citizens of the Peolacking a personal relationship with a higher deity.
ple’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of religious
Their worships and prayers are only individualized to
belief,” implying its people are free to worship any
their ancestor spirits.2
religion as they wish. However, up until today, some
However, there are many failed attempts in overcom- Christians are still reporting that their religious pracing the Chinese lack of spiritual fulfillment that led to tice is restricted by the states. According to Wilfred
71
Wong, a parliamentary officer, the reason to the restriction is that China’s new generation leaders is trying to consolidate control of the country as it goes
through rapid social and economic changes, and it
feel threatened by any popular ideology that’s different than their own. In addition, he said, “The perception that China’s Christians have close links with the
West adds to their plight.”
“Citizens of the People’s Republic of
China enjoy freedom of religious belief”
Chinese constitution
believe, but you can’t evangelize. But that is a natural
act for Christians. The Bible commands us to preach
the Gospel.”
Here, we see what the Chinese constitution says and
the reality are different. However, God is still working on China. As we know, there is a great number of
Chinese Christian converts in China, and the number
is still growing. In his book “Jesus in Beijing” (Regnery,
2003), David Aikman estimates the number of practicing Christians in China were over 80 millions and
predicts that within three decades
by 2033 this number will quintuple
to about 400 milllions Christian Chinese.This would make China to have
the largest Christian population in
the world.This would also mean that
the underground Christian house
churches are about to reach its critical mass in spite of the restriction
to evangelize. With this, Aikman is suggesting that
“a Christian view of the world will be the dominant
worldview within China’s political and cultural establishment.” Aikman sees the Christianization in China
as happening concurrently with China’s becoming a
global power, such that it will exercise power as responsibly and benevolently as has the United States.2
The Christian religious practice is restricted with
a movement called Three-Self Patriotic Movement
(TSPM). It was started during Mao Tse Tung time, it
was first intended to bring all Christians dominations
to unite under TSPM control. Until today, TSPM are
still in control of the churches. It is such that the
TSPM decides what buildings can be used for church
services, which pastors can preach and what areas
can be traveled to spread religion. Church activities are restricted to Sunday services. No mid-week
meetings. No Bible studies. No gatherings in private
homes. Religious activities are outlawed outside of
church buildings. No one under 18 may be evangelized or baptized. Members are allowed no contact
with overseas church groups and forbidden to read
foreign Christian literature, listen to foreign Christian However, up to this day, most members of unregtapes or tune in to gospel radio broadcasts. Most of istered churches must meet secretly in abandoned
building, and even caves, their need of prayers, Bibles,
all, the State is the head of the Church.
and training is strongly needed and virtually insatiable.
As a result to this, many Christians chose to abandon And here in America, we can take our part of ChrisTSPM churches and began to meet secretly in their tianization in China by giving a support (financially or
homes and formed what is known as house church- spiritually--praying with a hope that this prediction is
es--unregistered churches.The majority of Christians intended to be God’s will).
in China are in house churches. Despite TSPM rules,
these Christians preach, worship, and evangelize, risk- Chinese Christian Crusade
ing the loss of their jobs and houses, imprisonment,
Take a note of this, folks:The next Christian Crusades
torture, and even death. A testimony from Peter Xu
will be conducted by the Chinese!
Yongze, the founder of a house church during one
of his five jail sentences on account of his Christi- This crusade even has a formal name “The Back to
anity belief: “They hung me up across an iron gate, Jerusalem Movement.” It has been organized by the
then they yanked open the gate and my whole body Chinese Evangelical Protestant leaders with the inlifted until my chest nearly split in two. I hung like tention of sending out a minimum of 100,000 Chinese
that for four hours.” Mr. Xu added, “They say you can Christian missionaries over the next 10-20 years to
72
Wong, a parliamentary officer, the reason to the restriction is that China’s new generation leaders is trying to consolidate control of the country as it goes
through rapid social and economic changes, and it
feel threatened by any popular ideology that’s different than their own. In addition, he said, “The perception that China’s Christians have close links with the
West adds to their plight.”
“Citizens of the People’s Republic of
China enjoy freedom of religious belief”
Chinese constitution
believe, but you can’t evangelize. But that is a natural
act for Christians. The Bible commands us to preach
the Gospel.”
Here, we see what the Chinese constitution says and
the reality are different. However, God is still working on China. As we know, there is a great number of
Chinese Christian converts in China, and the number
is still growing. In his book “Jesus in Beijing” (Regnery,
2003), David Aikman estimates the number of practicing Christians in China were over 80 millions and
predicts that within three decades
by 2033 this number will quintuple
to about 400 milllions Christian Chinese.This would make China to have
the largest Christian population in
the world.This would also mean that
the underground Christian house
churches are about to reach its critical mass in spite of the restriction
to evangelize. With this, Aikman is suggesting that
“a Christian view of the world will be the dominant
worldview within China’s political and cultural establishment.” Aikman sees the Christianization in China
as happening concurrently with China’s becoming a
global power, such that it will exercise power as responsibly and benevolently as has the United States.2
The Christian religious practice is restricted with
a movement called Three-Self Patriotic Movement
(TSPM). It was started during Mao Tse Tung time, it
was first intended to bring all Christians dominations
to unite under TSPM control. Until today, TSPM are
still in control of the churches. It is such that the
TSPM decides what buildings can be used for church
services, which pastors can preach and what areas
can be traveled to spread religion. Church activities are restricted to Sunday services. No mid-week
meetings. No Bible studies. No gatherings in private
homes. Religious activities are outlawed outside of
church buildings. No one under 18 may be evangelized or baptized. Members are allowed no contact
with overseas church groups and forbidden to read
foreign Christian literature, listen to foreign Christian However, up to this day, most members of unregtapes or tune in to gospel radio broadcasts. Most of istered churches must meet secretly in abandoned
building, and even caves, their need of prayers, Bibles,
all, the State is the head of the Church.
and training is strongly needed and virtually insatiable.
As a result to this, many Christians chose to abandon And here in America, we can take our part of ChrisTSPM churches and began to meet secretly in their tianization in China by giving a support (financially or
homes and formed what is known as house church- spiritually--praying with a hope that this prediction is
es--unregistered churches.The majority of Christians intended to be God’s will).
in China are in house churches. Despite TSPM rules,
these Christians preach, worship, and evangelize, risk- Chinese Christian Crusade
ing the loss of their jobs and houses, imprisonment,
Take a note of this, folks:The next Christian Crusades
torture, and even death. A testimony from Peter Xu
will be conducted by the Chinese!
Yongze, the founder of a house church during one
of his five jail sentences on account of his Christi- This crusade even has a formal name “The Back to
anity belief: “They hung me up across an iron gate, Jerusalem Movement.” It has been organized by the
then they yanked open the gate and my whole body Chinese Evangelical Protestant leaders with the inlifted until my chest nearly split in two. I hung like tention of sending out a minimum of 100,000 Chinese
that for four hours.” Mr. Xu added, “They say you can Christian missionaries over the next 10-20 years to
73
God is showing His will in this perfect moment and
that He is able to work even through those unbelievers. “This is a major and exciting opportunity. We are
privileged to be able to support the Church in China
in the publishing of the Bible during the Olympics,”
Although the Olympic Bible contains only the four says James Catford, chief executive of the Bible SoGospels, this is considered a perfect choice because ciety.
this is where the central of the Gospel of the resurrection and the teachings of Jesus Christ lay. The four Let us continue to pray for China as God is workGospels are a symbol and a proclamation that Bible ing to move the hearts of its people. Also, let us be
is not forbidden to revolve in this communist coun- encouraged to help plant the seed of Christianity to
try. We do not need to think far that the Chinese unbelievers anywhere we are and will be because
government has converted. We know how deep the nothing for God’s work will be in vain.
ideology of communism rooted in this country. Some References:
of us might see these acts cynically: the printing of 1 http://www.yutopian.com/religion/
2
the Bible is just a way of “marketing, public relation, Jack Wheeler is Editor of ToThePoint™, a geopolitical analysis
service at (www.tothepointnews.com) http://archive.newsmax.
propaganda” of China for the sake of the success of com/archives/articles/2003/12/8/132707.shtml
2
http://chinaaid.org/persecution/the-underground-church/
the Olympic.
3
society. This action should then put pay to rumors
started by overseas agencies saying the Chinese authorities would not make the Bible available at the
Games.
Whatever the reason is, let us look at the other
dimension that this is not just the greatness of Hu
Jintao as the current China’s leader. Nevertheless,
there’s interference from a higher power that is our
Lord, where in the Olympic on-going event the name
of our Lord, Jesus Christ will be glorified. Presumably,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiping_Rebellion
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3993857.stm
5
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/08/
content_7034886.htm
6
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/article2835638.ece
7
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/olympics/2008-07/07/
content_6822978.htm
8
http://www.cross-written.com/kabar-baik-olympic-bible-136.
html
4
1992 80th Birthday
2008 Mr.Yusran 80th Birthday
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Respect
Christians’ Attitude
Toward Non - Christians
By Ev. Wilson Suwanto
A question that always comes up: If a Christian is
already paid full in price and definetly will go to
heaven, why don’t God just send these believers
to Heaven? Why he or she has to keep living in this
world when there is even a possibility for him or her
to fall into sin? Won’t sin saden God even more?
Why are we still living in this world? Even though
God knows we will be tempeted and eventually fall
into sin, God is not directly sending us to heaven.
And, He has obvious reason and purpose of why
He keeps us living in this world. The answer can
be found in Jesus’ sermon on the mount when He
says:
13
”You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses
its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is
no longer good for anything, except to be thrown
out and trampled by men. 14You are the light of the
world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do
people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead
they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone
in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine
before men, that they may see your good deeds and
praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16).
In other words, we are here in this world it’s not because of a coincidence. We are here in this world
because we are in a mission. Missionary means God
sends us with a reason or a purpose, which is to affect this world with a good influence. Likewise, salt
influences the taste of the food. We are in a mission
to lite the dark world.
basic idea, we’ll know our role or task toward other
people, especially non-Christians.
RESPECT
God commands every believers to respect their parents (Genesis 20:12). Maybe, some of our parents
have not yet receive Christ, and their eyes can be
open once they witness the beautiful testimonies
from their own child if they are filled with respect.
We are not supposed to show respect only to our
parents but also to everyone, including the government. Peter said: “Show proper respect to everyone:
Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor
the king” (1 Peter 2:17).
The terminology of respect (timao) means to give
the proper price or value of something. If this applies to men, respect means to give the proper
value to another person as the image of God. This
task is not always easy. There are some actions from
certain people that should not be honored. However, God calls us to show respect, not to correct the
wrongs. We can respect a person without having to
respect what he has done.
MODEL
“So in everything, do to others what you would
have them do to you...” (Matthew 7:12). In this verse,
Jesus implies that there is a law of justice placed in
this universe. Even non-Christians recognize this
law that is given by the Creator. However, there is a
difference, where Christians are encouraged to be
active in setting good examples to other people.
Christians won’t wait for other people to do good
onto them first, instead they will actively setting
good examples. With this, they fulfill the standard
Therefore, as a Christian, one has to realize that he of God’s law in this world.
or she is on a mission. He/She should not have the
attitude of living just to pass by the days until he This World is like a jungle. Men are competing and
takes his last breath. Also, he should not live to just eliminating each other. When a Christian is followearn money or build a family. Instead, he should live ing the golden rules from God, he is offering anothto carry out God’s mission. With understanding this er alternative to non-Christians. As if, he is saying,
75
Love
“Hi Friend, you do not have to live by following the
law of the jungle. We can start loving and respect- others from sinning against God.
ing each other, istead of destroying or failing each
TRUTH
other.”
There is a non-Christian complaining about his
Christian friend: “My friend says that he is a ChrisLOVE
“And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as your- tian, but he often doesn’t keep his promise. Not
self” (Matthew 22:39). Once again, Jesus reminds only that, he doesn’t even want to apologize.” This
us that man is not supposed to live for himself. He kind of comment makes us speculate ourselves. As
should not love himself only. He ought to love other a Christian, are we living in the truth? The truth is
people as if he has loved himself. The reason: we all broad, but at least, the truth is not a “lie.”
are God’s creation. This is something that cannot be
When non-Christians see that we keep our promises
bargained; therefore, it is called “the law.”
or that we sincerely and humbly apologize for our
Jesus doesn’t command Christians to love one an- failure of keeping the promise, they will realize that
other with non-Christians. A non-Christian has not we live according to the truth. As much as possible,
yet understood God’s love. How can they be claimed we live according to the standard of the truth. And,
to love one another? Therefore, Jesus reminds us: if we fail, we admit our mistake. Why do we have to
If we return the love of those who first loved us, admit our mistakes? It is because we have the stanthen we are no different than nonbelievers. God’s dard of the truth.
love or AGAPE love is different in the sense that it
is an active and unconditional love. If we love oth- Sadly, many Christians live as if there is no standard.
ers like we have loved ourselves, nonbelievers will This becomes a stumbling block to non-Christians.
feel God’s presence in our love. That is what our task They live in lie and inconsistency. Someone who
lives in the truth, although they are not perfect, they
should be.
definitely are trustworthy. The trustworthy character of a Christian will give him the power to proclaim
WISDOM AND SINCERITY
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Christ. Non-Christians would say: “If this Christian is
Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent trustworthy, for sure his proclamation of Jesus is
as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Christians are called to also trustworthy. I will consider his words.” Once we
love others, but this doesn’t mean we let other peo- lost our trustworthiness, it will take us some time to
ple take an advantage of us. Christ reminds us that regain others’ trust. And, it will take some time for us
around us are wolves; however, He clearly states to be useful for the work of God.
that we are sheep. We cannot turn into wolves. As
sheep, we are very weak as compared to wolves. Remember, we are here living in this world because
However, Jesus wants us to learn to be wise like the we are on God’s mission. God sent us equipped with
snakes but not becoming a poison for other people. resources: the attitude of respect, a good model,
On the other hand, Jesus wants us to be as genuine love, wisdom and sincerity, and truth. With these
and pure as a dove but not becoming easy to be equipments, other people will see that Christians
are men who are going to eternity with God. And,
caught.
they do not put their hope to this temporary world.
When non-Christians see there are wisdom and This attitude will have a very strong pull to worldly
sincerity in us, they will know that there’s a balance people who live without direction and future. This
that can only be found inside Christians. They will attitude will open a wide door to evangelism. Let us
learn to understand that Christians are obeying then live according to our call.
Someone, so that they do not dare to inflict a loss
on other people. Not only that, a Christian will not
let him to be taken advantage of. Not because of his
ego or his pride, but because he wants to prevent
Truth
76
Kasih
Sikap Kristen Terhadap
Sesama Manusia
Oleh Ev. Wilson Suwanto
Sebuah pertanyaan yang selalu muncul: kalau orang
Kristen sudah diselamatkan dan pasti masuk surga,
mengapa Tuhan tidak langsung memindahkan orang
percaya ke sorga? Mengapa ia harus hidup dalam
dunia, bahkan bisa jatuh dalam dosa? Bukankah ini
malah menyedihkan hati Tuhan?
Mengapa kita masih ada di dalam dunia ini? Sekalipun
Tuhan tahu kita akan dicobai dan jatuh dalam dosa,
Tuhan tidak langsung memindahkan kita ke sorga.
Dan, Ia mempunyai alasan dan tujuan yang jelas, mengapa Ia masih membiarkan kita hidup dalam dunia.
Jawabannya dapat ditemukan dalam khotbah Yesus
di bukit ketika Ia berkata:
13”Kamu adalah garam dunia. Jika garam itu menjadi
tawar, dengan apakah ia diasinkan? Tidak ada lagi gunanya selain dibuang dan diinjak orang. 14Kamu adalah terang dunia. Kota yang terletak di atas gunung
tidak mungkin tersembunyi. 15Lagipula orang tidak
menyalakan pelita lalu meletakkannya di bawah gantang, melainkan di atas kaki dian sehingga menerangi
semua orang di dalam rumah itu. 16Demikianlah hendaknya terangmu bercahaya di depan orang, supaya
mereka melihat perbuatanmu yang baik dan memuliakan Bapamu yang di sorga” (Matius 5:13-16).
Dengan kata lain, kita hidup dalam dunia bukan karena kebetulan atau sekedar dibiarkan bernafas oleh
Tuhan. Kita ada di dunia karena diutus oleh Tuhan.
Diutus berarti dikirim dengan satu misi atau tujuan,
yaitu: mempengaruhi dunia ini dengan pengaruh
yang baik, seperti garam mempengaruhi rasa makanan. Kita diutus untuk memancarkan terang di dunia
yang gelap.
Itu sebabnya, seorang Kristen harus menyadari
akan pengutusan ini. Ia bukan hidup di dunia sekedar
untuk melewati hari-hari sampai ia menghembuskan
nafas terakhir. Ia bukan hidup sekedar untuk mencari
nafkah atau membangun keluarga. Ia hidup untuk
menjalankan misi dari Tuhan. Dengan dasar penger77
tian inilah, kita bisa menemukan apa peranan atau tugas kita terhadap sesama manusia, khususnya, yang
bukan Kristen.
HORMAT
Tuhan berkata supaya setiap orang percaya menghormati orang-tuanya (Kel. 20:12). Tidak sedikit orang-tua
yang belum percaya kepada Tuhan, dan mereka bisa
melihat kesaksian yang indah dari seorang Kristen
(anaknya sendiri) jika mereka penuh dengan hormat.
Bukan hanya orang-tua, tetapi juga semua orang, bahkan pemerintah sekalipun. Petrus berkata: “Hormatilah semua orang, kasihilah saudara-saudaramu, takutlah akan Allah, hormatilah raja!” (1 Peter 2:17). Alkitab
tidak menyuruh kita hanya menghormati orang Kristen saja, melainkan semua orang.
Istilah hormat (timao) berarti memberikan harga atau
nilai yang sepantasnya bagi sesuatu. Kalau diterapkan kepada manusia, hormat berarti memberikan
nilai yang sepantasnya kepada manusia lain sebagai
gambar dan rupa Allah. Memang hal ini tidak selalu
mudah. Ada tindakan orang-orang tertentu yang
tidak patut dihormati. Namun Tuhan memanggil kita
untuk menunjukkan hormat, bukan membenarkan
perbuatan yang tidak benar. Kita bisa menghormati
seseorang tanpa harus menghormati apa yang ia perbuat.
TELADAN
“Segala sesuatu yang kamu kehendaki supaya orang
perbuat kepadamu, perbuatlah demikian juga kepada mereka...” (Matius 7:12). Dalam ayat ini, Tuhan
Yesus mengatakan secara tidak langsung bahwa ada
hukum keadilan yang ditaruh di alam semesta. Bahkan orang non-Kristen pun mengetahui hukum alam
yang diberikan Sang Pencipta ini. Namun ada sesuatu
yang berbeda dalam hukum ini, dimana orang Kristen
didorong untuk aktif memberikan contoh/teladan
bagi orang-orang lain. Orang Kristen tidak menunggu
orang lain berbuat baik kepada mereka, melainkan
secara aktif memberikan contoh yang baik. Dengan
demikian, ia menghadirkan standard hukum Tuhan di
dalam dunia ini.
Dunia ini adalah seperti hutan rimba. Manusia menjatuhkan dan menyingkirkan sesamanya. Ketika seorang Kristen mengikuti perintah emas dari Tuhan Yesus ini, ia sedang menawarkan alternatif lain kepada
orang-orang non-Kristen. Seolah-olah ia berkata: “Hai
teman, anda tidak harus hidup dengan hukum rimba.
Kita bisa saling mengasihi dan menghormati, tidak
harus mencelakakan dan menjatuhkan.”
KASIH
“Dan hukum yang kedua, yang sama dengan itu, ialah:
Kasihilah sesamamu manusia seperti dirimu sendiri”
(Matius 22:39). Sekali lagi, Yesus mengingatkan kita
bahwa manusia tidak boleh hidup untuk dirinya sendiri. Ia tidak boleh mengasihi hanya dirinya saja. Ia harus
mengasihi orang lain seperti ia telah mengasihi dirinya
sendiri. Alasannya: kita adalah sesama ciptaan Tuhan.
Ini adalah sesuatu yang tidak bisa ditawar-tawar. Karena itu tidak heran ini disebut dengan “hukum.”
Yesus tidak memerintahkan orang Kristen agar
saling mengasihi dengan orang non-Kristen. Seorang
non-Kristen belum mengerti kasih Tuhan. Bagaimana
bisa dituntut mengasihi sesama? Maka Yesus mengingatkan: Kalau kita mengasihi orang yang mengasihi
kita, maka kita tidak ada bedanya dengan orang lain.
Perbedaan kasih Kristen adalah bahwa kasih itu bersifat aktif dan tanpa syarat. Jika kita mengasihi sesama
seperti diri sendiri, orang akan melihat kehadiran Tuhan dalam kasih kita. Inilah tugas kita.
HIKMAT DAN KETULUSAN
“Lihat, Aku mengutus kamu seperti domba ke tengahtengah serigala, sebab itu hendaklah kamu cerdik
seperti ular dan tulus seperti merpati” (Matius 10:16).
Orang Kristen dipanggil untuk mengasihi, tetapi tidak
berarti membiarkan diri diinjak-injak orang lain. Kristus memperingatkan bahwa sekeliling kita adalah
serigala. Namun Ia menegaskan bahwa kita adalah
domba. Kita tidak boleh ikut menjadi serigala. Sebagai domba, memang kita sangat lemah. Namun Yesus
meminta kita belajar berhikmat seperti ular, namun
tidak menjadi racun bagi orang lain. Sebaliknya juga,
Yesus menyuruh kita tulus seperti merpati, namun
tidak mudah terperangkap.
Ketika orang non-Kristen melihat bahwa kita memiliki
hikmat dan ketulusan, mereka tahu ada sesuatu keseimbangan yang hanya bisa ditemukan dalam orangorang yang percaya pada Tuhan. Mereka akan belajar
mengerti bahwa seorang Kristen adalah seorang yang
tunduk pada Seseorang, sehingga ia tidak berani merugikan orang lain. Bukan hanya itu, seorang Kristen
juga tidak mau membiarkan orang lain menginjak-injak haknya. Bukan karena ia egois atau tidak mau rugi,
78
tetapi ia ingin mencegah orang lain berbuat dosa terhadap Tuhan, dan dengan demikian, menumpukkan
penghakiman dan penghukuman Tuhan atas orang
tersebut.
KEBENARAN
Ada orang non-Kristen mengeluh tentang teman yang
Kristen: “Memang ia seorang Kristen, tetapi seringkali
tidak menepati janji. Sesudah itu, tidak minta maaf
lagi.” Komentar demikian membuat kita memeriksa
diri. Apakah sebagai orang Kristen, kita hidup dalam
kebenaran? Kebenaran itu memang luas, tetapi paling
sedikit kebenaran berarti “bukan dusta.”
Ketika orang non-Kristen melihat bahwa kita menepati janji, atau dengan tulus dan rendah hati meminta
maaf jika kita gagal menepati janji, mereka akan sadar
bahwa kita hidup berdasarkan kebenaran. Kita sedapat mungkin hidup menurut standard kebenaran, dan
jika kita gagal, kita mengaku salah. Mengapa mengaku
salah? Sebab kita mempunyai standard kebenaran.
Sayang sekali banyak orang Kristen hidup seolah-olah
tidak ada standard. Ini menjadi batu sandungan untuk
orang non-Kristen. Mereka hidup di dalam dusta dan
inkonsistensi. Seorang yang hidup dalam kebenaran,
memang tidak sempurna, tetapi bisa dipercaya. Sifat
trustworthy seorang Kristen akan memberinya kuasa
untuk berbicara tentang Kristus. Kata orang non-Kristen: “Jika orang Kristen itu trustworthy, tentu kata-katanya tentang Injil juga trustworthy. Saya akan mempertimbangkan kata-katanya.” Sekali kita kehilangan
trustworthiness kita, entah berapa lama bisa memulihkan rasa percaya orang. Dan, entah berapa lama kita
bisa kembali berguna untuk pekerjaan Tuhan.
Ingatlah bahwa kita hidup dan bernafas karena kita
diutus Tuhan ke dalam dunia ini. Tuhan mengutus
kita dengan memberikan perlengkapan, yaitu: sikap
hormat, teladan, kasih, hikmat dan ketulusan, dan kebenaran. Dengan perlengkapan ini, orang lain akan
melihat bahwa orang-orang Kristen adalah umat yang
sedang berjalan menuju kekekalan bersama Tuhan.
Mereka tidak menaruh pengharapan kepada dunia
yang sementara ini. Sikap ini akan memiliki daya tarik
yang sangat kuat bagi orang-orang dunia ini, yang
hidup tanpa arah dan masa depan. Sikap ini membuka
pintu yang lebar bagi penginjilan. Mari kita hidup sepadan dengan panggilan kita.
Kebenaran
WILLIAM CAREY
THE FATHER OF MODERN MISSIONS
Edited from the original writing of Diana Wiring http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com
“E
xpect great things from God; attempt great things for God”
All these, as well as other startling
contrasts, were part of the story
of William Carey, one of the most
amazing people in all history.
...Imagine living the first thirty-two
years of your life without traveling
more than thirty miles—then traveling tens of thousands of miles,
to the other side of the world, to
live the rest of your life!
...Imagine that you had a formal
education only until you were
twelve years old—then being
made a university professor because you were so qualified to
teach the Sanskrit and Bengali
languages!
...Imagine dreaming of swashbuckling adventures as a poor,
land-locked boy—then, as an
adult, clearing the jungle to make
room for a hut, while others fled
because of man-eating tigers!
...Imagine writing a book about
the call of God to Christians of
all times to go throughout the
world to share the Gospel—then
becoming the first Englishman
in modern history to answer that
call!
79
WILL
WILL
WI
LLIA
AM CA
AREEY (A
Aug
ugus
gus
ustt
17,, 17
17
1761
61-- Ju
61
une
e 9
9,, 18
1834
834
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w s a Baapt
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p is
istt miss
miiss
ssiio
iona
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nary
ryy tto
o Indi
Indi
In
diaa
an
nd sp
pen
entt an act
ctiiv
ive fo
ive
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fort
r yy on
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e
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ye
arss se
erv
rviin
ing the
ing
th
he Lo
L rd
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ansl
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Scri
ript
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es
Care
Ca
Care
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retu
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wel
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ean.
n. LLik
ike
ik
e th
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earl
rly
ly di
disc
disc
s iiples
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pl
es,, Ca
Care
Care
reyy ha
had th
had
the
e co
comp
mp
pas
a si
sion
ion
o to
shar
sh
shar
are th
the
he Go
Gosp
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pel to th
the
he wh
whol
hol
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e naation
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d hen
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ce got the
e tit
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athe
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William was born near Northampton, England in 1761 to a poor family of weavers. When William was
six, however, his father was given
the job of clerk at the Church of St.
James the Great. This was an auspicious change because it meant
that not only did the family have
more money and a nicer home,
but William could now attend the
church school. One of the greatest joys to William was that he had
access to many books, which fired
his active imagination about geography, history, and adventure.
In fact, he was given the nickname
“Columbus” because he often pretended to be the great explorer
of the New World! He also loved
to read the newspaper accounts
about the adventures of Captain
ab
Cook1 on the Pacific Ocean, and
Co
eventually, he would utilize the
ev
discoveries Captain Cook had
di
made as he taught others about
m
different islands, continents, and
di
people.
pe
One day, in perusing some books
O
left by his sea-faring uncle, Willef
liam found one about plants that
lia
contained words in a different
co
language.
His father was able to
la
tell
te that the language was Latin,
but
bu he did not understand it himself.
se Yet, there was an old Latin
grammar
on the bookshelf, so he
gr
dusted it off and gave it to William. Within a couple of months,
William could not only read the
book, he could also speak Latin
though he had to hold conversations with himself, as no one else
around spoke the language!
At the age of twelve, students at
the church school had either to go
on for further education or get a
job. As William’s parents could not
afford to send him to study, he had
no choice but to go to work. Since
William loved working with plants
and being outside, he was thrilled
to have the opportunity to work
on a farm as a laborer. However,
he developed an intense, painful
rash from being out in the sun—
not a good sign for a budding gardener! He toughed it out for two
years, but the pain was so intense
that he finally had to quit. Next,
he was formally apprenticed for
seven years to a man who made
shoes in a town eight miles away.
As a fourteen-year-old, he bid his
family goodbye and walked to his
new dwelling and new job.
In this new surrounding, William
learned not only how to make
shoes, but he learned new languages as well. His boss did not
mind if William had a book open
above his workbench as long
as the work was completed in a
timely way, so he pursued the
study of Greek, Hebrew, French,
Italian, and Dutch!
It was not only a time to learn
languages; however, it was also a
time to learn a significant lesson in
honesty concerning money. William was sent to collect payment
from the blacksmith for a pair of
shoes, and since it was Christmas
time, the blacksmith offered the
poor apprentice a gift of money.
It was such a joy to William because the shilling he received
would enable him to buy a quill
pen. When he discovered that the
shilling he was given was counterfeit, he made the foolish decision to trade the good shilling he
received as payment for the shoes
for his counterfeit shilling in order
to purchase the pen. William had
not realized that his boss would
send the counterfeit shilling right
back to the blacksmith and demand full payment for the shoes.
This, of course, brought the whole
story to the surface. William was
revealed as the thief, but was mercifully not sent to the magistrate
(which could have easily resulted
in having him shipped to the West
Indies as punishment!). It was one
of the significant events leading
William to his realization that he
was a sinner, in great need of a
Savior. 2
This was the time of the American
Revolution, a time of greatly divided opinion among the people
of England. Most people followed
the lead of King George III in seeing the American colonists as rebels in need of defeat, while many
of the townspeople in William’s
village believed that the need
was for a new king! When King
George III called for a national day
of prayer on February 10, 1779, so
that the entire nation would pray
in the Church of England for the
defeat of the Americans, William
had no mind to obey this directive. Instead, he attended a Dissenter’s3 prayer meeting, which
had an entirely different motive—
they were praying for the revolutionaries to win! This was William’s first taste of the Dissenting
Church, and he grew to love it.
In spite of the financial difficulties of being a mere apprentice,
William decided to marry Dorothy Plackett, a Dissenter, when
he was nineteen. In the second
year of their marriage, he began
preaching part-time at a Dissenting church eight miles away. The
congregation was so poor; they
could not even afford the leather
to replace the shoes William was
wearing out as he walked back
and forth to serve them! Tragically, this all-encompassing poverty was largely responsible for
the death of William’s first-born
daughter, Ann. Even more tragically, Dorothy was plunged into a
deep depression, from which she
never truly recovered.4
Carey’s preaching became well
known throughout the area, and
eventually he was offered a position as a full-time pastor and
schoolmaster. Though it didn’t
pay any better than his shoemaking, it allowed him greater time
for study. To many, Cook’s Journal
was a thrilling story of adventure,
but to Carey it was a revelation of
human need!5 As he taught students geography in the school, he
was more and more aware of the
vast numbers of people around
the world who had never heard
the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and his
heart was increasingly moved by
their plight. This was an unusual
viewpoint for a man of his day. The
majority of ministers in England
believed that Jesus’ command to
go and preach the gospel to every creature was given solely to
the twelve disciples, and that after they died, that commandment
was no longer applicable. However, Carey studied the Scriptures intently, as well as studying Church
history, and he became convinced
that the command to “go” was still
in effect.
As a result of his studies, Carey
wrote a book entitled ‘An enquiry
into the obligations of Christians
to use means for the conversion
of the heathen in which the religious state of the different nations of the world, the success
of former undertakings, and the
practicability of further undertakings are considered.’ Long titles
were more popular in that day,
80
but this was long even by their
standards! This well-researched,
well-written book was the most
comprehensive book on history,
religion, and geography up to that
time. It provided an incredible insight into the needs of unreached
people and practical suggestions
for reaching them.
On May 30, 1792, in the same year
after the enthusiasm of this book
aroused some attention among
Christians, he was invited to
preach at a ministerial gathering.6
Preaching out of Isaiah 54:2-3,
Carey put forth two thoughts
that summed up his ministry and
have since become an incredible
missionary motto, “Expect great
things from God; attempt great
things for God.”7 Step by step,
God led Carey to break through
with His vision. Months later after his sermon, Carey at the age
of thirty-one, on October 2, 1792,
was called to meet with the other
eleven ministers inside a widow’s
home and formed the first English
missionary society, “The Particular
Baptist Society for Propagating
the Gospel to the Heathen” (later
renamed to the “Baptist Missionary Society”). The society then
concerned with practical matters
such as raising funds, as well as
deciding where they would direct
their efforts.8
As the group met and prayed, they
met Dr. John Thomas, who had
just returned from four years as a
doctor for the East India Company
in the Bengal region of India. He
had become a Christian in Calcutta, and he was eager to return as
a missionary to serve the urgent
needs of the people there. At the
moment, he was currently in England raising funds. As he agreed
to represent the missionary soci81
ety, he told them that if a partner
would go with him, they could accomplish far more than one man
alone. Carey knew this was the
moment he had been working
toward for many years. “I will go.”
Despite the difficulties of a young
family, a wife who struggled with
depression, lack of finances, and
the total unknown, Carey was
ready to answer the call to “Go.”
After many trials, including his
wife’s categorical refusal to go
with him (though she changed
her mind just before they got on
the ship!), William Carey sailed to
India. Their adventures there included jumping ship upon arrival
in order to avoid the East India
Company, (who would never give
missionaries permission to work
among the native people), running out of money in Calcutta (Dr.
Thomas had a habit of living high
on the hog, and spent everything
within weeks), being given a plot
of uncleared land in a tiger-infested jungle which was their only
source of food and shelter, a twenty-two day boat trip with a regular
temperature of 120 degrees up an
alligator-infested river and much,
much more. Eventually, however,
several missionary families joined
the Careys in the city of Serampore, where they set up a printing
press to print the Scriptures in the
many languages of India.
At this point in his life, after all his
experiences in language learning,
in preaching, in writing, and in
traveling, the design of God in this
man came to fruition. His remarkable ability to use words, not only
in his own language, but also in
every language he came into contact with. Carey was gifted with
what is called the Linguistic Intelligence—being “word-smart”—
is the ability to work with words.
Because of this intelligence in his
life, Carey was able to quickly learn
Bengali, and with more difficulty,
Sanskrit (the ancient language
used in the religious writings of
India). He labored to translate the
New Testament into Bengali and
Sanskrit, which were then printed
on the mission’s printing press.
Having the Word of God in their
own language made a huge impact on the people of that region:
doors began to open, hearts began to respond and lives began to
change.
After 7 years of missionary with no
native convert, in the year of 1800,
Carey finally baptized the first Hindu Protestant convert—a tremendously significant event, which
caused rioting in the city. He also
translated the Scriptures into 44
languages, produced grammars
and dictionaries for the Indian
people, founded 26 churches and
126 schools, ended the native traditional practice of Sati (Sutee)9,
organized India’s first medical
mission, savings bank, seminary,
Indian girls’ school and ethnic language newspaper!
At the point when the British governor-general of Calcutta, Lord
Wellesley, opened Fort William
College (modeled after Cambridge
and Oxford), he needed someone
to teach English students the languages of the local people. The
one Englishman in the entire region who was qualified to do this
was William Carey. However, when
the position was originally offered
him, Carey thought it was a joke!
Imagine someone who had left
school at the age of twelve teaching on the university level. Lord
Wellesley convinced Carey that
he was the man for the job, and
by the Lord’s grace, another door
for ministry was opened.
Yet through these many accomplishments, William Carey remained humble and gave all glory
and honor where it was due, the
Lord. Saying to a friend shortly before his death, “Mr. Duff, you have
been speaking about Dr. Carey, Dr.
Carey. When I am gone say nothing about Dr. Carey—speak about
Dr. Carey’s Savior.” William Carey
shows one the prime example of
a man of faith, one willing to attempt great things for God and
expecting to see God do a mighty
work.10
Isn’t it amazing what God’s design can produce in and through
a person’s life? William Carey, one
of the world’s most accomplished
linguists, gave the Bible—the
Word of God—to more of the
earth’s inhabitants than any other
man has! Maybe, we do not have
a vision for missionary as great as
William Carey’s, and sometimes,
we feel afraid or embarrassed to
share the Gospel to unbelievers,
but God sees the willingness in
our heart, and He will add unto us
the strength that we need. The Bible says that God sees the heart of
men, “…The LORD does not look
at the things man looks at. Man
looks at the outward appearance,
but the LORD looks at the heart.” (2
Samuel 16:7; NIV) More to this, the
Bible also says that He will give us
the strength if we are truly committed to Him, “For the eyes of the
LORD range throughout the earth
to strengthen those whose hearts
are fully committed to him.” (2
Chronicles 16:9; NIV) With this
said, without having to carry out
missionary to other countries, we
can also be God’s amazing vessel
by having our own missionary at
our very own community, like in
our work place, our school, our
home or dorm, and anywhere
you can think of—many in these
places haven’t even reached and
saved, yet. May God bless each
and every one of us who listens to
His command to “Go”—like William Carey!
On Footers note:
1Captain James Cook was an English explorer, navigator, and cartographer. During Carey’s life time, he made three voyages to the Pacific
Ocean: first voyage (1768-71), second voyage (1772-75), and last voyage (1776-79). He inspired little William to explore the New World. <Wikipedia.com>
2His introduction to Christ was also thanks to another young apprentice to their master by the name of John Warr, who had Christ-like love.
He invited William to attend prayer meetings; William finally converted to Christianity and got baptized in 1783. <”The Father of Modern Missions” by Rit Nosotro; http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/b3careyw.htm>
3Dissenter - one who refuses to accept the doctrines or usages of an established or a national church, especially a Protestant who dissents
from the Church of England. <Dictionary.com>
4Dorothy Plackett Carey was a faithful and devoted wife, but sadly she did not share the passion he had for missions. <http://acmintl.org/
templates/news_view_new.htm?code=acm&id=315>
5Inserted to the original article from “William Carey: Missionary-Evangelist” by Fred Barlow. <http://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/
biocarey.html>
6Carey used his preaching on May 30, 1792 as his pro-missionary sermon. It is also well-known as the Deathless Sermon. <Wikipedia.com>
7Inserted from ”The Father of Modern Missions” by Rit Nosotro. <http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/b3careyw.htm>
8Inserted from <Wikipedia.com>
9Sati was the burning of an Indian widow in the funeral of her husband and was prohibited in 1829 through Carey’s diligent efforts. <”William
Carey: The Father of Modern Missions” by Galen B. Royer; http://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/bcarey3.html>
10Miller, Basil, “William Carey: The Father of Modern Missions,” Minneapolis, Minn.: Bethany House Publishers, 1980.
Recommended Book:
Travel with William Carey: The Missionary to India Who Attempted Great Things for God by Paul Pease. England: Day One Publications, ©2005.
ISBN 1903087767. Biography and travel guide. 128 pages.
82
WILLIAM CAREY
BAPA MISI MODERN
Diedit dari tulisan asli oleh Diana Wiring: http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com
“H
arapkanlah hal yang besar dari Tuhan;
Usahakanlah hal yang besar untuk Tuhan”
…Bayangkan selama tiga puluh dua tahun pertama di dalam
hidupmu tidak pernah berjalan
lebih dari tiga puluh mil—kemudian travel lebih dari sepuluh ribu
mil, kesebelah bumi yang lain,
untuk tinggal disana sampai sisa
hidupmu!
….Bayangkan
jikalau
anda
mendapat pendidikan yang resmi hanya sampai umur dua belas tahun—kemudian dijadikan
dosen universitas karena anda
memenuhi syarat untuk mengajar
bahasa Sanskrit dan Bengali!
…Bayangkan memimpikan petualangan mengarungi lautan sebagai anak laki-laki miskin yang
dikelilingi daratan—kemudian, di
hari dewasamu, membersihkan
hutan belantara untuk membuat
sebuah gubuk, sementara orang
lain melarikan diri karena macan
buas!
…Bayangkan menuliskan sebuah
buku tentang panggilan Tuhan
83
kepada umat Kristen untuk menyebarluaskan injil keselamatan—kemudian menjadi orang
English pertama di sepanjang
sejarah modern untuk menjawab
panggilan itu!
Semua ini, termasuk kejadiankejadian lain yang mengherankan, adalah bagian cerita dari
salah satu orang-orang yang menakjubkan di sepanjang sejarah,
bernama William Carey.
WIL
ILLI
LLIIAM
MC
CAR
AR
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ugu
g st
17, 17
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1761
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1- June
Ju
une 9
9,, 18
1834
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adal
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term
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mur
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su
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erta
tama
ta
ma,, Ca
ma
Care
Care
r y me
memm
mp nyyaii d
pu
dor
oron
or
onga
on
g n hatii u
ga
unt
ntukk
meny
me
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askka
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kan In
kan
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Inji
ke seg
gal
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la
p ju
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ia
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diia
ia
mend
me
ndap
dap
pat jul
uluk
lukan
ukkan “ba
“ba
bapa
p m
pa
mis
isii
is
m de
mo
dern
dern
rn..”
William lahir di suatu desa kecil dekat Northampton, Inggris
tahun 1761 kepada sepasang
suami-istri penenun yang miskin.
Ketika William berumur enam tahun, ayahnya diberikan jabatan
sebagai penjabat gereja di gereja
St. James the Great. Ini merupakan suatu perubahan yang menguntungkan karena ini berarti
bukan hanya keluarganya mempunyai penghasilan tambahan
dan rumah yang lebih baik, tetapi
William juga bisa mengikuti sekolah dari gereja tersebut. Salah
sa
satu kebahagiannya yang amat
sa
sangat untuk William adalah dia
m
mempunyai akses kepada banyak
bu
buku-buku yang bisa mengkorba
bar-korbarkan imaginasinya tenta
tang ilmu pengetahuan seperti
ge
geografi, sejarah, dan petualanga
gan. Sebenarnya, dia dijuluki “Colu
lumbus” karena dia sering beraksi
se
seperti seorang penjelajah Dunia
Baru yg hebat! Dia juga menyukai
Ba
berita koran tentang petualangan
be
Kaptain Cook1 ke Samudra PasKa
ifik,
k dan akhirnya, dia memakai
penemuan dari Kaptain Cook unpe
tuk mengajar orang lain tentang
tu
pulau-pulau, benua-benua, dan
pu
suku-suku yang berbeda.
su
Suatu hari, ketika mengamati
buku-buku yang ditinggalkan
pamannya, William menemukan
sebuah buku tentang tumbuhtumbuhan yang ditulis dalam
suatu bahasa asing. Ayahnya bisa
mengenali bahwa itu adalah bahasa Latin tapi tidak mengertinya. Namun, terdapat tata bahasa
Latin kuno di rak buku, lalu dia
mengebaskan-ngebaskan debu
dan memberikannya kepada William. Dalam waktu beberapa bulan, William bukan hanya bisa
membaca buku itu, tetapi dia juga
bisa berkata-kata di bahasa Latin
walaupun lawan bicaranya adalah dirinya sendiri sebagaimana
orang disekitarnya tidak ada yang
berbicara Latin!
Di saat umur dua belas tahun,
murid-murid di sekolahnya harus
memilih untuk meneruskan sekolah atau mulai bekerja. Karena
orang tua William tidak mampu
membiayainya untuk sekolah
lebih tinggi, dia tidak mempunyai
pilihan lain tetapi untuk bekerja.
Sejak William menyukai tanamantanaman, dia sangat bergembira
mempunyai kesempatan untuk
menjadi buruh di ladang. Tetapi,
dia menemukan bercak-bercak
yang menyakitkan pada kulitnya disebabkan berdiri terlalu
lama dibawah matahari. Walaupun, dia sempat bertahan untuk
dua tahun, tetapi penyakitnya
bertambah parah yang akhirnya
membuat dia terpaksa berhenti.
Kemudian, ayahnya memagangkan dia kepada seorang tukang
sepatu di suatu kota yang jauhnya
delapan mil. Sebagai anak yang
berumur empat belas tahun, dia
harus meninggalkan keluargannya dan berjalan ke tempat tinggal dan pekerjaan yang baru.
Di keadaan sekitar yang baru ini,
William bukan hanya belajar ba-
gaimana untuk membuat sepatu,
tetapi ia juga belajar bahasa-bahasa asing yang baru. Dengan majikan yang tidak keberatan kalau
William bekerja dengan sebuah
buku terbuka selama pekerjaannya selesai dengan tepat waktu,
dia menguasai bahasa Yunani,
Ibrani, Prancis, Itali, dan Belanda!
Ini bukan hanya waktu untuk mempelajari berbagai macam
bahasa; tetapi, juga waktunya untuk mempelajari pelajaran yang
penting mengenai kejujuran dalam hal keuangan. Suatu saat,
William dikirim untuk menagih
bayaran sepasang sepatu kepada
seorang pandai besi, dan waktu
itu adalah hari Natal, si pandai besi
itu menawarkan magang yang
miskin ini sebuah hadiah uang. Itu
merupakan suatu kebahagiaan
yang sangat untuk William karena
dia mengingikan pen bulu angsa.
Ketika dia menyadari uang itu
palsu, dia membuat sebuah keputusan yang bodoh yaitu menukarkan uang asli majikannya dengan
uang palsu itu. William tidak menyangka bahwa majikannya akan
mengirim balik uang palsu itu
dan menagih harga penuh sepatu
itu kepada pandai besi. Akhirnya,
kejadian penukaran uang itu ketahuan. William dianggap sebagai pencuri, tetapi untungnya
dia tidak dikirim ke hakim (yang
mungkin akan membuat dirinya
di kirim ke West Indies/India Barat sebagai hukuman!). Ini adalah
salah satu kejadian yang menuntun Wiliam kepada Tuhan dalam
kesadarannya bahwa dia adalah
seorang bedosa yang memerlukan Juru Selamat.2
Waktu itu adalah revolusi negara
Amerika, waktu dimana juga banyak pendapat yang berbeda-beda diantara orang-orang Inggris.
Kebanyakan orang mengikuti
pimpinan Raja George ke 3 untuk
mengalahkan Amerika si Pemberontak, saat itu juga banyak
penduduk di desa William yang
percaya bahwa mereka memerlukan raja pengganti! Ketika Raja
George ke 3 memanggil seluruh
warga negara Ingriss untuk menjalankan hari doa nasional pada
February 10, 1779, supaya semua
orang Inggris berdoa bersama untuk mengalahkan Amerika, akan
tetapi William tidak mempunyai
pikiran untuk mematuhi pengarahan ini. Sebaliknya, dia mengikuti kebaktian doa orang Dissenter3, yang motivasinya bertolak
belakang—mereka mendoakan
Amerika untuk menang dalam
pertempuran! Ini adalah pertama
kalinya William ikut terlibat dalam
gereja Dissenter, dan dia menjadi
suka dengan kebaktiannya.
Walaupun dalam kesusahan
keuangan karena penghasilannya
hanya sebagai magang, William
memutuskan untuk menikahi
Dorothy Plackett, seorang Dissenter, sewaktu ia berumur sembilan belas tahun. Di tahun kedua
pernikahan mereka, William mulai berkothbah sebagian waktu
di sebuah gereja Dissenter yang
jauhnya delapan mil. Jemaat sangat miskin; mereka tidak sanggup
memberikan kulit untuk menggantikan sepatu William yang
sudah rusak sewaktu dia pulang
dan pergi untuk melayani mereka! Sangat tragis, kemiskinan
sepasang suami-istri muda ini
menyebabkan mereka kehilangan
anak perempuan mereka yang
pertama, Ann. Lebih tragis lagi,
Dorothy jatuh di dalam depresi
yang sangat dalam dimana dia
tidak pernah mendapat kesembuhan yang pulih setelahnya.4
84
Kothbah Carey semakin terkenal
di seluruh daerah sekitar, dan akhirnya dia mendapat tawaran posisi penuh sebagai pendeta dan
guru. Walaupun itu tidak membayar lebih baik daripada membuat
sepatu, tetapi itu memberikan dia
waktu yang lebih banyak untuk
belajar. Untuk kebanyakan orang,
buku harian Kaptain Cook hanya
sebagai cerita petualangan yang
mengejutkan, tetapi untuk Carey
itu merupakan sebuah pengungkapan atas keperluan manusia!5
Sewaktu dia mengajar muridnya
geografi, makin hari dia makin sadar bahwa sejumlah orang di seluruh dunia belum pernah mendengarkan kabar Injil keselamatan
Tuhan Yesus, dan hatinya makin
tergerak oleh keadaan mereka.
Ini adalah pandangan yang luar
biasa bagi seorang pria di jamannya. Mayoritas pendeta-pendeta
di Inggris percaya bahwa perintah Tuhan Yesus untuk pergi dan
menyebarkan injil kepada semua
makluk di bumi hanya diberikan
kepada kedua belas murid, dan
setelah mereka tiada, perintah ini
tidak lagi berlaku. Tetapi, Carey
mempelajari Firman Tuhan dengan seksama dan juga mempelajari sejarah gereja, dan dia menjadi yakin bahwa perintah “pergi”
masih berlaku sampai sekarang.
Alhasil dari belajarnya, Carey
menulis sebuah buku berjudul
‘An enquiry into the obligations
of Christians to use means for
the conversion of the heathen in
which the religious state of the
different nations of the world, the
success of former undertakings,
and the practicability of further
undertakings are considered.’
Panjangnya nama buku membuat buku semakin populer pada
jaman itu, tapi nama buku ini
85
lebih panjang daripada biasanya!
Buku yang termasuk diteliti dan
ditulis dengan baik ini mencangkup banyak hal dalam hal sejarah,
agama, dan geografi sampai pada
waktu itu. Buku ini menyediakan
wawasan yang luar biasa ke dalam keperluan orang-orang yang
belum percaya dan saran-saran
yang praktis untuk menjangkau
mereka.
Pada May 30, 1792, di tahun yang
sama setelah keberhasilan dari
penerbitan buku itu membangkitkan perhatian dari umat Kristen,
dia diundang untuk berkothbah
di antara perkumpulan pendetapendeta.6 Berkothbah dari Yesaya 54:2-3, Carey menaruh dua
pemikiran yang meringkaskan
inti dari pelayanan dia dan sejak
saat itu menjadi sebuah motto
missionari yang luar biasa yaitu:
“Harapkan hal yang besar dari Tuhan; Usahakan hal yang besar untuk Tuhan.”7 Selangkah demi selangkah, Tuhan menyertai Carey
untuk menjalankan kehedak-Nya.
Beberapa bulan setelah ini, Carey,
di umur tiga puluh satu tahun,
pada October 2, 1792, dipanggil
untuk bertemu dengan kesebelas
pendeta yang lain untuk berkumpul di rumah seorang janda, dan
mereka mendirikan sebuah kelompok pengabaran injil orang Inggris yang pertama, “The Particular Baptist Society for Propagating
the Gospel to the Heathen” (yang
nanti namanya diubah menjadi
the “Baptist Missionary Society”).
Kelompok ini mendiskusikan
masalah pratikal seperti dana, kemana mereka akan memulai, dan
sebagainya.8
Ketika perkumpulan itu berkumpul dan berdoa bersama, mereka
bertemu dengan Dr. John Thom-
as, yang baru saja kembali dari
pelayanannya untuk East India
Company selama empat tahun
sebagai dokter di Bengal, India.
Dia juga menjadi Kristen selama
di Calcutta dan berantisipasi untuk kembali kesana kali ini untuk mengkabarkan injil kepada
penduduk asli. Sewaktu itu dia
sedang berada di Inggris untuk
mengumpulkan dana. Sewaktu
dia bersedia untuk pergi, dia berkata alangkah baiknya jikalau
ada seorang yang lain yang akan
pergi bersama dengan dia karena
mereka akan mencangkup lebih
banyak hasil daripada satu orang
sendiri. Carey tahu bahwa ini adalah kesempatan yang sedang dia
usahakan selama bertahun-tahun. “Aku akan pergi.” Walaupun,
kesusahan keluarga muda ini, istri
yang berjuang melawan depresi,
dana yang kurang, dan hal-hal
lain yang tidak bisa dibayangkan,
Carey siap untuk menjawab panggilan untuk “pergi.”
Setelah beberapa kali percobaan,
termasuk istrinya yang menolak
untuk pergi dengan dia (walaupun pada akhirnya dia berubah
pikiran tepat sebelum mereka naik
ke perahu!), William Carey berlayar ke India. Pertulangan mereka
disana mencangkupi loncat dari
kapal laut sesampainya untuk
menghindari East India Company
(yang melarang memberikan ijin
untuk bekerja diantar penduduk
asli), kehabisan uang di Calcutta
(Dr. Thomas mempunyai kebiasaan buruk dengan uang yang
ditangannya dan menghabiskan
semuanya dalam waktu beberapa
minggu), menghadapi keadaan
yang asing ditengah-tengah hutan belantara yang berkumpulan
macan-macan, dua puluh dua
hari berlayar dengan panas 120
degrees di sungai yang dikelilingi
buaya-buaya, dan banyak pengalaman-pengalaman yang lainnya.
Pada akhirnya, beberapa missionari dari Inggris bergabung dengan kelompok Carey ini di kota
Serampore, dimana mereka memasang mesin cetak untuk mencetak Alkitab di berbagai macam
bahasa India.
Di titik hidup dia ini, setelah semua pengalaman-pengalaman
yang dialaminya dalam belajar
bahasa, berkothbah, menulis, dan
berpergian, rancangan Tuhan atas
pria ini mulai menghasilkan buah.
Kemampuannya yang luar biasa
untuk memakai kata-kata, bukan hanya di bahasa dia sendiri,
tetapi juga di setiap bahasa yang
dia ketemui. Karena bakat yang
diberikan kepadanya ini, Carey
bisa mempelajari dengan cepat bahasa Bengali, dan dengan
kesulitan, Sankrit (bahasa kuno
yang dipakai untuk tulisan-tulisan
beragama orang India). Dia bekerja keras untuk menterjemahkan
buku Perjanjian Baru ke bahasa
Bengali dan Sanskrit. Adanya Firman Tuhan dibahasa mereka
sendiri menghasilkan dampak
yang besar kepada orang-orang
disekitar daerah itu: pintu-pintu
mulai terbuka, hati pendudukpenduduk mulai menanggapi,
dan hidup penduduk-penduduk
mulai berubah.
Setelah 7 tahun pengabaran injil tanpa seorang penduduk asli
yang percaya, di tahun 1800,
Carey akhirnya menjalakan baptisan kepada seorang Hindu protestan yang pertama—kejadian
yang besar sekali, yang mana
menyebabkan huru-hara di kota
itu. Dia juga yang menterjemahkan Alkitab ke dalam 44 bahasa,
memproduksi tata bahasa dan
kamus untuk orang-orang India,
mendirikan 26 gereja dan 126
sekolah, mengakhiri tradisi penduduk untuk mempraktekan Sati
(Sutee)9, mengorganisasikan misi
medis India yang pertama, bank
saving, seminari-seminari, sekolah khusus perempuan India dan
koran etnis!
Di titik ini sewaktu gubernur
jendral Inggris di Calcutta, Lord
Wellesley, membuka Fort William
College (dimodel mengikuti Cambridge dan Oxford), dia memerlukan seseorang yang bisa mengajar
murid-murid Inggris bahasa penduduk local. Satu-satunya orang
Inggris diseluruh daerah itu yang
memenuhi syarat untuk tugas
ini adalah William Carey. Tetapi,
sewaktu posisi ini ditawarkan
kepadanya, Carey mengira ini
adalah suatu lelucon! Bayangkan
seseorang yang meninggalkan
sekolah sewaktu dia berumur dua
belas tahun mengajar di tingkat
universitas. Lord Wellesley akhirnya dapat meyakinkan Carey
bahwa dia adalah orang yang
pantas untuk pekerjaan ini, dan
dengan kasih Tuhan, pintu ministri yang lain telah terbuka.
Dengan banyak hasil pekerjaannya yang sukses, William Carey
tetap rendah hati dan mengembalikan semua kemuliaan dan
hormat kepada yang seharusnya,
yaitu Tuhan. Berkatalah ia kepada seorang teman sebelum dia
meninggal. “Mister Duff, apakah
anda sedang bercerita tentang
Dr. Carey, Dr. Carey? Sewaktu saya
pergi sama sekali tidak berkata
apa-apa lagi tentang Dr. Carey—
berceritalah tentang penyelamat
Dr. Carey.” William Carey menunjukan salah satu contoh yang terbaik untuk seorang yang setia,
seseorang yang bersedia untuk
meraih hal yang besar untuk Tuhan
dan berharap untuk melihat Tuhan
melakukan hal yang besar.10
Tidakkah ini menakjubkan melihat
apa yang Tuhan ciptakan bisa lakukan melalui hidup seseorang? William Carey, salah satu ahli bahasa
yang sukses di dunia, memberikan
Alkitab—Firman Tuhan—kepada
penduduk di dunia lebih banyak
dari pada orang lain yang pernah
hidup! Mungkin, kita tidak mempunyai rencana untuk misi sebesar
William Carey, dan kadangkala, kita
merasa takut dan tidak pede untuk
mengabarkan Injil kepada orang
yang belum percaya, tetapi Tuhan
melihat kemauan hati kita, dan Dia
sendiri yang akan menambahkan
apapun kekuatan yang kita perlu.
Alkitab mengatakan bahwa Tuhan
melihat hati kita, “…Bukan yang
dilihat manusia dilihat Allah; manusia melihat apa yang di depan
mata, tetapi TUHAN melihat hati.” (2
Samuel 16:7) Lebih dari itu, Alkitab
juga mengatakan bahwa Tuhan
akan memberikan kita kekuatan
bila kita benar-benar besungguh
hati terhadap Dia, “Karena mata
TUHAN menjelajah seluruh bumi
untuk melimpahkan kekuatan-Nya
kepada mereka yang bersungguh
hati terhadap Dia.” (2 Tawarikh 16:9)
Dengan ini dikatakan, tanpa harus pergi mengabarkan Injil keluar
negeri, kita juga bisa menjadi alat
Tuhan yang menakjubkan dengan
menjalankan misi kita di lingkungan kita sendiri, seperti di tempat
pekerjaan, di sekolah, di rumah atau
di tempat kost, dan dimana saja
kita berada—karena banyak orang
di tempat-tempat ini yang belum
pernah mendengar Injil Tuhan dan
mendapatkan keselamatan. Kiranya
Tuhan memberkati setiap dari kita
yang menanggapi perintah-Nya untuk “Pergi”—seperti William Carey!
86
(The Interview)
L
ooking back to 25 years ago, this church was practically brand new; compared to what our church
was then, significant changes have occurred during the years that passed by. People come and go, but
some of the congregations have been members of our church since it first started 25 years ago; and they
are willing to share their anecdote with the rest of us.
Edgar Kusnohadi
What kind of progress have you seen in this church from then until now?
A big one, from having no building to having one, from having only 20 congregations until 250-ish,
what else…. From only 5 Sunday school kids until it’s a lot like now.
What makes you stay in this church until now?
I stay in this church because it becomes my family. I become very comfortable with this church. I have
been serving here since then and I have no desire to move to anywhere else.
How does this church help you go through your struggles?
We have lots of advice from Rev. Hosea as a spiritual dad and fellowship with others keep us strong
passing through our struggles.
Unforgettable memories:
We get married here and much more memories.
Message for the congregations:
Continue to serve the Lord at our church, make our church better and grow in Christ.
Her wi Tr isnadi
There are more church events for family outing than it used to be. Usually it was only retreats. More
people join activities and youths of age 12 and up take part in ministry, activities, cleaning, etc.
Pastor Hosea and Ci Paula are living examples of good Christian. I can feel God’s love through them.
God’s love is so real in their daily life. I want to experience the same thing like them and follow their steps.
Adult fellowship every Saturday once a month and Friday night prayer meetings; without those 2,
I’ll feel alone and rejected in my struggles.
One time I visited Pastor Hosea in his home. He cooked kwetiau (horfun) for me from scratch and we
ate together with Ci Paula. I think it’s a very special thing to do for a pastor.
Do not exclude yourself from church whenever you are struggling, look for God during your hard times.
Angelia Sidarta
Sunday school has improved. When I started joining Sunday school, there were just 2 kids. We also
started English fellowship.
Because of the family environment that still exists and the Sunday school program
I think it’s the people in this church that help me. To me church is the people in it, not just the building.
I think each year is filled with unforgettable memories from different people and different generation.
If we continue to unite as a family, we will flourish and prevail in Christ.
87
2008 Sunday School
Performance
on Mother’s Day
2007 Sunday School Christmas Performance
1988 5th Anniversary Sunday School Singing
1985 Easter Sunday School Performace
2008
IEC-LA Expecting
gM
Mothers
otth
hers L
Li
Lining
ining u
up
pb
by
yD
DueDate
ueDate
NT
88
88
Agape
A
Ag
gap
ape » Anniversary
Ann
An
niivve
errs
sa
arry 2008
200
20
08
8
Our Church Tradition is amazing right?! We even
have similar picture of the mothers now as we
did back then!!
1995
What is More interesting
on the internet than
&
Do we sometimes forget that God always has His eyes on us, watching us? Or do we sometimes forget the
purpose of our life? These may be why we sometimes, do extra unnecessary things in our daily life.We either
go home from school or work, and the first thing we do is open the computer to see who’s online in our
messenger list. We check our emails, and then, here it comes, we go to YouTube or even worse, Facebook!
Facebook is the largest connected community available. It also comes in many languages: Chinese, Korean,
Japanese, Indonesian, etc. There are too many applications that we don’t even have time to apply to all of
them. Ever wonder why they let us apply? Perhaps, to make them feel like reality. First we apply and then we
are committed to the application. So below, we provide a number of alternatives to avoid things such browsing Facebook for too long. We can try to learn God’s word and apply them to different applications; several
exciting subjects include such examples as creation science, learning God’s word by the books, and watching
positive videos at GodTube.
GodTube (http://www.GodTube.com)
Similar to YouTube, GodTube is a free video sharing website but with positive influences.
Harvest New Beginning Radio (http://www.harvest.org/radio/)
Brought by Greg Laurie
Although the program is named the new beginning radio, it’s not only for new believers. It is also suitable for
Christians who has been years “growing up”. Greg’s topical teaching from the Bible changes weekly. With his
funny and great life stories as implications, he makes the teaching interesting and easy to follow. It is also good
to share the program with your unbelieving friends or relatives. It is broadcasted from Monday to Friday at
KWAVE radio station at 11:00 o’clock. For those who miss this radio program, you can still catch up with
Greg’s teaching at the website above. In Harvest.org, you can find also his Sunday’s sermon.
AIG Creation Science (http://www.answersingenesis.org/) &
Creation Science Evangelism (http://www.Dr.Dino.com)
As the world delves towards atheism, more and more unbelievers are wondering about their origin. Hence
more people believe in the theory of the origin of life (evolution) opposite our Christian belief. This is a very
challenging debate aroused between evolutionists and creationists. This question is especially challenging to
teenagers and young people, who tended to be more exposed to the evolution belief when they are in college. So if we want to learn more on how to answers questions of our belief in creation or possibly counter
their belief in evolution, Ken Ham from AIG association and Kent Hovind, provide a very good video as reference.
(http://the18inchgap.net/)
This website is created by our brothers and sisters in Christ here at IEC Azusa (LA). It provides a support
community for Christians through media. It is also a great introductory site for non-Christians to familiarize
themselves with our church and beliefs. Some features that they may want to check out is the updated blog
that contains the writings of some of our youth church-members, pictures, as well as shortened versions of
sermons or topical messages relevant to the struggles of today’s Christians.
As Christians, we know that we are susceptible to temptation, but we always have a choice. We can always
choose to do things that are beneficial to our Christian faith or the opposite. Moreover, we should know that
knowing God’s word is more important than knowing what’s going on in our network. Perhaps someday we
might be in need of the knowledge to encounter a challenging unbeliever. May this become a blessing to you!
89
w w w.GII-USA.org/AGAPE/PHP

2008 - Indonesian Evangelical Church, USA

Transcription

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