Last Sunday in 2017

Standard

Ending this year properly with Sunday sermon today at Gereja Kemah Tabernakel. Summing up Pak Handoyo Santoso’s sermon and basically this will prep us up for 2018:

1. Be amazing/create amazement in your circle/for your audience – in the name or for the glory of our God, Jesus Christ. As He did:

Mark 1:27

The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him

2. The way you start your life or anything in your life, and the way you go through it will decide the outcome/the end of it. Start with Jesus Christ and go through it with Him.

3. If you read the words of God (that is the Bible) there are so many promises, waiting to be fulfilled (or already being fulfilled in your life), but remember that in it also exist the rule/the way of living life according to Him.

4. In this parable of the sower (Matthew 13), Pak Handoyo highlighted this part

But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

The question: if it fell to THE GOOD SOIL, why not everyone receive hundred percent of the yield? The answer: because some people only listen/read, yet doesn’t understand. Some people understand, yet doesn’t do. Some people listen, understand, and do His words day in day out and thus receiving 100%

5. And even despite all God’s blessing and us doing right in God’s eyes. Be wary (but not scared) of the evil. As the verse goes:

Luke 4:13

When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

God bless you all!

God is here for us, sinners

Standard

Continuing from my previous post, I will write in excerpts of today’s Christmas sermon by Pak Pendeta Handoyo Santoso from Gereja Kemah Tabernakel.

Pak Handoyo repeated previous verse again:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

And he strengthen it with Matthew 1:23

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel — which means, God with us.

How beautiful this verse is — God is saying that from now on, from this day, from Christmas, YOU are NOT ALONE. You are with Me, your creator, your Father, your Guide. If you choose to accept Me.

And Pak Handoyo continued to read from Matthew 1, where Jesus’ family tree/genealogy is written. From Abraham, to Jacob, to Judah. This might seem to be a “historical verse” to normal eyes.

But Pak Handoyo told us that on this list, there are sinner, not just one but more than a few. Jacob has sinned for he deceived his father and brother. Judah, also sinned by sleeping with a prostitute which no other than his own daughter-in-law, Tamar, and Perez was their son.

God has came for us, sinners, no matter how deep or how bad our sin is. He has came, and it is a new beginning for us. And we should celebrate this beginning, not just the festivities.

The Meaning of Christmas

Standard

For most of my life, Christmas is a period of festivities and as a child back then, it was enjoyable purely since it’s a holiday and I don’t have to do assignments or learn for an exam.

As I grew older and start going to the church, I start asking questions regarding of why are we celebrating God’s birth over and over again.

Over the past few years, I have taken the Christmas day or week leading towards the new year as a way to re-connect (If I feel like I was disconnected) or to rejuvenate/re-fill my faith as I go toward a new year.

Today’s verse is simple yet powerful (Isaiah 6:9):

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The first word might mean nothing; a child is born. But the second one, to us a son IS GIVEN. God was born in flesh, and was given to us all — IF we want to receive Him. IF we want to receive His advices.

I can’t wait for tomorrow’s service as I get deeper in preparation for 2018, another year where God will make miracles in my life. Amen.

Achievement in 2017

Standard

As the year comes to close (Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!) especially on my 25th (quarter life crisis, anyone?) – I’m spending this long weekend reviewing 2017 especially on a personal level.

And so when @arisetyo tweeted “What achievement from 2017 that you are proud?” – most people would probably guess my answer will be related to my work/company: Talenta. Yet, despite that, I instinctively replied:

I got into a (long distance) relationship sometimes around September 2016. She’s Korean, lives in Seoul, speak little to no English.

I have been preaching to most of my friends that long distance relationship wouldn’t work. I mean, even couple who live close by would fight all the time, how would a relationship survive hours of flights away, nevermind culture differences, and whatnots.

Yet, here I am, 15 months into the relationship, and I couldn’t be more happier with who I am with. No matter how tiring it is to fly 7 hours for both me and her. No matter how big our fight is when we meet. She’s the right match for me and I feel super comfortable with her, whenever I’m with her I feel at home.

Thank You God, for letting me meet her and to help us stay committed in this relationship under your blessing. Also, she’s the one who got me back on track in Jesus and after all this years, I finally gave a tithe because of what she said “Your money, is not yours, it is God’s”

 

 

Parents Knowledge and Future Childrens

Standard

Just had this thought and I think posting it will do me good as a future parents. Or maybe some of you might be thinking of this too.

When I was little, everything that my parents said is basically like God’s commands. I rarely say no to them. At the same time, everything they explain about this world became my primary source of knowledge.

As the time passes, obviously I started school and I have my second source of knowledge. But still, if I had my doubts, I would go to my parents and ask them which is true and which is false. Whatever their answer is, I would believe them with all my heart. Because, parents is always right, right?

Lately, I realized that this isn’t always true. I also realized that parents can limit a child’s knowledge or even imagination. This is somewhat sad or unfair to think about as the child’s brain is just like a sponge which is at its very best absorbing tons of knowledge at this age, but parents might be a filter or even be a stumbling block.

Internet liberates children from this block, I would imagine starting from those who was born in the 80s. This can only get accelerated in the future and parents’ responsibility as the source of knowledge might dilutes to none as a kid would assert to Google just like their parents can.

With Elon Musk developing Neuralink (must read), future of parenting might not be the source of knowledge but instead a judgement of a knowledge. Children in the future might learn a lot more things in 5-10 years than their grandparents did in their whole lifetime.

This is scary, but it might be awesome for human kind. What do you think?