Dignity Redeemed 尊严得赎金研习会 - Ordinary Parents, Extraordinary Father (3/4)

Plenary 4 : Ordinary Parents, Extraordinary Father

Four Paradigm Shifts

a) I am not the cause

·         Self-blaming, spouse-blaming, church blames parents

b) I am not the cure

·         In the parable of the prodigal son, the father waited patiently and persistently for the son’s return

c) Our children are not my own

·         We are steward of all God’s given, including our children

·         Therefore release and surrender to God

·         Not let our children become idols of us

·         For example: God wanted to test Abraham because like many parents, children are like their idols

·         Lay down your children to God

·         Matt 10:37

·         Our main goal is not to point our son to success or turn from their sin/rebellion

·         But to point them to completely surrender to God.

d) Love is not enabling

·         Many parents avoid consequences of our children

·         Enabling: the result of it is that children will not be able to take responsibility because children will not be aware and don’t see the need to change

·         Many parents fear to confront children face-to-face

·         No matter sin is big or small, children need to face the consequences

·         Allow God to use consequences to fix the life of our children

·         THE REAL PROBLEM

·         Rebellion is refusing to completely surrendering to God Jesus cross and fully submit to  God’s authority

·         Instead giving in to the temptation of our flesh

·         It is not a behavior issue, behavior is only a symptom

·         The real problem is unwilling to surrender/submit

·         The goal of Christian parents is not to have godly children but godly parents.

Reflect Jesus

a) Through our brokenness

·         Parents: we are not as bad as our children, like Pharisees where we don’t see our own pride

·         Psalm 51:17, Isaiah 42:3

·         Parents are just as broken with our own sins: HUMILITY

·         If we want our children to change, we have to change in our own lives

b) Through our daily devotion

·         Can our children see Christ in us?

·         Is our relationship with God real and vibrant?

·         Are we different today from yesterday?

·         Do our children see we love God with all our heart, soul and mind?

·         Do our children know we pray and study the Bible and live out our lives when others are not even watching us?

·         Do our children see our excitement and joy when speaking about God?

·         When was the last time our children see us share the gospel to others?

Pray for, pray with, pray over our children

Parents as living Bible in lives

 

c) Through our marriage

·         Good marriage reflect the perfect relationship between Christ and church

·         Do our children think that it’s like heaven or run away?

·         If we do not love, respect and honor our spouse, how can we expect our children to do so?

·         Children should see home as heaven

·         Dad’s job is to fear the lord and to live according to God’s way

d) Through our grateful hearts

·         Hymn: Turn your eyes upon Jesus

·         Count every blessing, one by one

·         Not to focus on the hopelessness instead I count God’s blessings

Source: Dignity Redeemed 尊严得赎金研习会by L & AY, 13 & 14 March 2015

Dignity Redeemed 尊严得赎金研习会 - Homosexuality: Texts & Hermeneutics (2/4)

Plenary (2) : Homosexuality: Texts & Hermeneutics

We want to win people to Christ not to beat/fight people to Christ

Hermeneutics

a) Traditional View of Sexuality

b) Revisionist View of Sexuality

For example: my son is homosexual and myself is also homosexual. What’s wrong with that?

If God’s word is Truth, all other truths will agree with it including reason & science

Experience helps us to understand God’s words, not to overturn God’s words

Texts

a) Genesis 19 - Sodom

·         Revisionist View

o   Sin of gang rape

o   Sin of inhospitality

Ezek 16:49 “arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned”; Matt 10: 14-15

“To know” means “to get acquainted” not “to have sex” Gen 19: 5

·         Traditional View

o   Gang rape and homosexuality

o   Inhospitality and homosexuality

Ezek 16:50 “They were haughty and did an abomination before me.”; from Lev 18: 22; 20: 13

Yada’ is translated “to know sexually” – context: Lot’s daughters didn’t “know a man”

For example: Adam “to know Eve”. The context points to pregnant and gave birth.

Gen 19 – The main purpose is not to prove homosexuality is sin. Sodom was already condemned before Gen 19. We cannot say that Sodom was destroyed because of just gay sex but because Sodom was guilty of many sins.

b) Leviticus 18: 22; 20:13

·         Revisionist View

o   Only refers to pagan temple male prostitutes

§  Gay sex in temple is no ok. Gay sex is ok

§  Abomination = impurity (eagles, lobsters), uncleanness

o   Holiness Code doesn’t apply to us

§  Sex with menstruating woman (18:18; 20:18), mate diff animals (19:19), mixing seed/fabric (19:19), cutting side burns (19:27), tattoos (19:28)

·         Traditional View

o   Pagan temple male prostitutes

§  Inconsistent with context of Lev 18-20

“As long as you love one another, it is okay. As if love is the standard. So sacrifice children and adultery is okay, as long as you love one another!”

o   To’evah refers to immorality  

§  Different word used (sheqetz) eagle, lobster

o   Bad analogies – severity of penalty

Mixing seeds	Crops not good
Mixing fabrics	Thrown off your garment
Eat lobster	Unclean till evening
Gay sex	Death!

Lev 18:20 – “it” is abomination. Our sin, the behavior. Love us but hate our sin.

c) David and Jonathan

·         Revisionist View

o   David and Jonathan were lovers

§  “love…more wonderful than that of women” 2 Sam 1:26

§  “Jonathan became one in spirit with David” 1 Sam 18:1

§  “Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David” 1 Sam 18:4

§  “They kissed each other and wept together” 1 Sam 20:41

·         Traditional View

o   The love of two men doesn’t have to be sexual (God’s love is most wonderful. Does this mean it’s sexual?)

o   One in spirit/soul, not flesh (1 Sam 18:1)

o   Never mentioned they had sex

o   David issue was women not men & David and Jonathan had wives

d) Slavery

·         Revisionist View

o   Bible condones slavery is wrong. Bible’s wrong on homosexuality as well.

·         Traditional View

o   Never condoned modern slavery

o   Modern slavery NOT = Ancient slavery

o   Bible is critical of slavery trade (Exod. 21:16)

e) Jesus’ Testimony

·         Revisionist View

o   Jesus was silent about homosexuality

·         Traditional View

o   Silent about bestiality, incest, etc.

o   Homosexuality universally condemned (Jesus would’ve corrected this universal misunderstanding, like Sabbath)

o   Reaffirm biblical sexuality (Mark 10:6-9)

o   High view of sexual purity, lust=adultery

f) Romans 1: 26-27

·         Revisionist View (“unnatural” para fusin)

o   Acting opposite to one’s orientation

·         Traditional View

o   Rom 1: 18-32 similar to Genesis 1-3

o   Male (arsen) and female (thelys)

o   Plato, Philo and Josepus

g) 1 Cor 6:9-10, 1 Tim 1:9-10

·         Revisionist View

o   Arsenokoitai = pedophilia

·         Traditional View

o   Arsenokoitai is from Lev 20:13, Male (arsen) + bed (koite)

o   Pedophilia = paiderastes

Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:11)

Source: Dignity Redeemed 尊严得赎金研习会by Dr CY, 13 & 14 March 2015