Over The Head?

TITLE: OVER THE HEAD?
SCRIPTURE: Acts 17:11-12
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date:  February 25th, 2015

"Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men." (Acts 17:11-12)

One common phrase I have heard over the years is the phrase, "over my head." Usually applied to situations in which the message cannot be understood, or too difficult for normal comprehension. Whether it is a professor at a University who used complex words to describe normal situations, or a pastor preaching something that is too difficult for the layperson to grasp, whenever there is a disconnect between the communicator and the recipient, these three words said it all: "Over the Head."

The next step is usually this: Forget it. Move on. Next item on the agenda. Maybe, lunch.

I really hope that will not be the end of the matter. I hope people would take time to ponder about whatever little they have heard. I hope they would ask around to see if anyone attending the same sermon or talk would have learned something. For to find ways to understand is the spirit of the Bereans at work.

1) Four Modern gods of Education

How to Read the Bible? (Part 2)

TITLE: HOW TO READ THE BIBLE? (PART 2)
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 119:25-29
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: February 18th, 2015

"My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Thy Word. I have told of my ways, and Thou hast answered me. Teach me Thy statutes. Make me understand the way of Thy precepts, so I will meditate on Thy wonders. My soul weeps because of grief; Strengthen me according to Thy Word. Remove the false way from me, and graciously grant me Thy law." (Ps 119:27-29)

Last week, I began this series of articles on how to read the Bible, with a look at modern media usage as well as how people tend to browse/scan works rather than actual reading of it. Compared with hard copies, research has shown that people's level of comprehension and understanding deteriorates upon switching to a digital platform. This week, I want to begin with reading proper, assuming that you the reader has decided on the best possible platform you will use for good, undistracted, and focused Bible reading. If you have chosen paper, good for you. If you prefer digital, at least, know the limitations, ok?

This week, I want to talk about reading the Bible for the busy person on the run. Before I begin, let me offer some preliminaries.

A) Some Preliminaries

First, select a reading plan. For those of us who are really "on the ball" or highly motivated to read a lot, you can start with either a one to three years plan. There are pretty good Bible reading plans if you just do a search on the Internet. The ESV one is quite good. The two-year plan from TGC is also good. If you prefer to take it slow, choose the three-year reading plan. The one from Moody is rather good. Alternatively, if you follow the lectionary, you can adopt the Years A, B, C plans which helps you read through the Bible in three years. In the Revised Common Lectionary, there are verses each day from both the Old and New Testaments. Here is one way in which you can use both digital and paper together in unison. Use the digital medium to store your Bible reading plan. Then read the paper version.

1. For example, if you are using the lectionary, set your digital browser's HOME page to the RCL page here. 
2. Keeping this digital page open, flip to the passages on your printed Bible.
3. Read.

Second, choose a time and place. We live in a very distracted world. One of the most distracting things is the myth of multitasking. Granted, women "multitasked" better than men generally, it is still better for the soul to be singularly focused on letting the Word have priority over our time. It usually takes a while for the soul to be quietened down and ready for intentional Bible reading. I know of a colleague who would spend time each morning in his parked car, just reading and praying for an uninterrupted period of time. It could be as short as 10 minutes or longer. I recommend at least 15 minutes.

Third, read. If you are following a plan, take the time to read slowly. Do not rush. Initially you will feel a little strange. You will be tempted to check your phones or social media updates. Don't yield to the temptation. Let the phone chill while you focus on being still.

In spiritual formation, learning to read Bible passages slowly and with patience is crucial. We do not read the word to mine information. We read in a manner to let the Word mind us. This calls for biblical meditation. According to the Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, "lectio divina" is defined as "Meditative reading of Scripture that leads to prayer." Others have also called it meditative reading. The key point is such reading enables us to focus on God rather than on the needs of men. It enables us to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. It allows us to let the Word be the Word and let us be under the Word. Eugene Peterson expresses it well:

"It means not only reading the text but also meditating on the text, praying the text, and living the text."

B) Meditative Reading For People on the Run

Rather than to provide meditation examples for people with lots of time, I want to consider the way meditative reading can be done for busy people. We cannot run away from a busy life. As long as we are connected and contactable, it is not easy to escape the reaches of the world. Who on earth is not busy? Surely, Jesus himself was busy. He had so many people to heal, so many teachings to share, and so many miraculous works to do. Moreover, he had twelve disciples to spend time with. If there is any one person who needed a break more than anyone of us, it had to be Jesus. One thing is for sure. Jesus did not wait for free time to come. He carved out time to be with God. He made time. He kept to his time.

Jesus' ministry was powered by God's Word. We note how quick He was able to support His actions with the backing of Holy Scriptures. We see how Jesus was able to resist the world and to make sure the world did not interfere with his plans.

"And when day came, He departed and went to a lonely place; and the multitudes were searching for Him, and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from going away from them.

But He said to them, 'I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.'"

Jesus is one person who is busy but remembers His priorities. If it is the work of God, surely it is more important to receive instructions and convictions first from God. Without the clear instructions from God, what then should He preach? Without the empowering of the Holy Spirit, how then should He work? Without the sensitivity to the timing of God, how then would He know when to move forth and when to retreat? Spiritual discernment is borne out of meditative reading.

Psalm 119 is a classic psalm that is dedicated to meditative reading on the Word. It is the A-Z of how one loves the Word of God. Eight verses are dedicated to each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. With 22 alphabets, there is a total of 176 verses in all. Some commentators have even subdivided the entire Psalm into five parts, which parallels with the Pentateuch. For me, each time I look at Ps 119, I cannot help but be amazed at how the Psalm evokes inner responses.

Ps 119:25 reminds me of my true nature. That I am mortal. That my flesh is bound for the dust. The day will come when I would have to say goodbye to this world. Death will come if not sooner, then later. We need revival to things that are out of this plain world. We need to be reminded of the promise of God toward eternity. We need God's Word to point us forward, to revive us inward, and to encourage us onward. Ps 119:26 is surprising, as it is about the psalmist's confession followed by an acknowledgement from God. How wonderful it is to know that God answers even as we confesses. How does God communicate with us? Primarily through the Word. If that is God's primary channel, should we not spend more time in the Word? If our hearts long for God, we need to be generous with our time to read. Like a fish that is out of water, we long for the living waters of Word after a day out in the desert plains.

C) Three Suggestions for Meditative Reading

Many of us have good intentions and great plans to serve God. That is good. What is necessary is to be able to let the Word of God lead and empower us. Reading the Bible well does not mean we need to be experts in theology. It simply means we let the love for the Word guide us. It is this love that would find ways for us to improve on our reading. There are three ways I can suggest for a better reading of the Word.

1) Memorization

People on the run can be too tired at the end of the day to even bother to read. They may be too anxious to begin the day at the morning rush. Whatever available time slot, they can only read a small portion of Scripture. That's ok. Just read what you can. It's better to read and remember one verse than to read a passage and forget whatever you have read. I believe memory verses will serve us very well. In keeping the Word of God in our hearts, we can let the Spirit teach us through the day.

2) Repetition

Another way to develop meditative reading for people on the run is to read the same verses/passages over and over again. Maybe, for a certain week, just keep reading the same passage. Repetition increases familiarity. Familiarity enables us to detect nuances of the verses. With repetition, we not only develop a familiarity with the Word, we can improve our memorization skills too.

3) Slowly

One of the tendencies of a busy person on the run is the desire for efficiency and speed. Do more things in less time. Accomplish double the things with half the resources. Faster, bigger, better, are all symptoms of such a lifestyle. When it comes to meditative reading, short and slow is best.

THOUGHT: "Serious meditation as the goldsmith with his metal, he heats it and beats it, turns it on this side and then on that, fashions it on both that he might frame it to his mind. Meditation is hammering of a truth or point propounded." (Thomas Hooker)

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Copyright by SabbathWalk. This devotional is sent to you free of charge. If you feel blessed or ministered to by SabbathWalk weekly devotionals, feel free to forward to friends, or to invite them to subscribe online at http://blog.sabbathwalk.org . You can also send me an email at cyap@sabbathwalk.org for comments or inquiries. Note that views expressed are personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of any person(s) or organization(s).

How to Read the Bible? (Part 1)

TITLE: HOW TO READ THE BIBLE? (PART 1)
SCRIPTURE: James 1:22-25
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: February 12th, 2015

22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. (James 1:22-25)

KEY POINT: Before we can read the Bible well, we need to ensure we are in a place where distractions are minimized. Plus, there is a difference between scanning/browsing versus actual reading of the Bible. Knowing the difference will help us read our Bibles better.

VivoCity Singapore

I was at VivoCity the other day checking out the sprawling shopping mall. People told me that it is considered "old," especially when compared to many of the newer malls and shopping plazas all over the city. For me, everything looked new simply because it was my first time there. I felt like a stranger in a country I grew up in. There were plenty of food selections from restaurants to hawker fare, all within a comfortable air-conditioned environment. From retail stores to multiple supermarkets, the whole place was packed with people. I tried to look for a bookshop. There was none to be found. I checked the Internet and the two listed on the web were long gone. Instead of bookshops, there were plenty of stores selling electronic wares, especially cell phones and accessories. It is a global phenomenon that as more people take to eBooks, less people buy real hard copies. Selling books is no longer a viable business for many. The same goes for our traditional Bibles. With the easy availability of eBibles on the Android and Apple stores, it is far easier to download bibles into our phones and take them with us everywhere we go, than to go look for a bookshop, at least at VivoCity. For the modern truth is this. More people are taking their cellphones with Bibles loaded on them and leaving their printed bibles at home. On transit, it is easy to find people with their attention glued to their hand-held devices than to find someone reading an actual book. Even in churches, I see more and more people looking at bright screens in a Church sanctuary.

This week, I ponder at the issue of Bible reading. I believe that there is a difference between reading the printed Word and the electronic version. When we know the difference, we can make an informed choice about what medium to use when reading our Bibles.

Choices

TITLE: CHOICES
SCRIPTURE: John 7:17
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: February 8th, 2015

"If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own." (John 7:17)

Last week was an emotional moment. Having prepared fervently so many years for my son to be enlisted, I was totally unprepared for the emotions flooding me on the actual enlistment day. Oftentimes mixed, the overriding mood was one of pride. Pride that my son has willingly submitted to the mandatory duty of military service imposed on each and every male citizen of this island country. Compared to armed forces in the West, the Singapore government does not give young males a choice when it comes to enlistment. By law, every male citizen has to serve. Period.

Honestly, if given a choice, I would rather not have two years taken away from my son like that. Very few parents would like their sons to be exposed to military situations. There is no such thing as no risk. Conscription is not something people take kindly to, especially in Western-style democracy and free society. In fact, when he goes on National Service, it seems like my entire family is doing an indirect form of National Service. My job gets interrupted. Our family gets separated. Everyone's lifestyle gets affected in some way, some more, others less. The only thing for us is to pray and to support our son as much as possible. Like many parents, we too are concerned about safety matters. With tough training regimen and demanding physical exercises, the handling of live firearms, plus occasional stories of accidents happening inside the camp, only the nightly phone calls back home bring some forms of relief. During this time, it is much easier to simply bury ourselves in work. Such a strategy lets busyness become a lid to check emotions. I took some time to reflect upon the whole week. A key point: Choices affect us more than we think.

Upgrading to What Ends?

TITLE: UPGRADING TO WHAT ENDS?
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 3:1-2
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: Feb 1st, 2015

"My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity." (Proverbs 3:1-2)

Night View of Marina Bay Sands

It was nice to be back on familiar grounds, somewhat familiar grounds. Having left Singapore for nearly eleven years, I notice the huge changes in the small island country's landscape. Up North, the Woodlands area has become a major Northern hub. Down South, the Marina Bay area has been transformed to a sprawling architectural wonder, with Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay as the popular attractions. Even locals can testify of the great transformation of the old to the current new. If it is a big change for them, what about people like me who had not seen such changes for so many years?

The transit system has been expanded with the Circle Line and the DownTown lines. The North-South and East-West lines have been augmented with additional interchanges and greater connections to the rest of the MRT network. Dhoby Ghaut for example is a major interchange that connects to three different lines! I was surprised to find myself in the middle of Plaza Singapura, which itself had also been transformed. That is not all. Even the streets and roads I was familiar with had been modified to make way for the new infrastructures in the business district. There are more office towers, more shopping centers, more food offerings, and of course, more people. As I traveled on the very efficient transit system, I noticed that most of the people had smartphones and pretty covers. Many had data plans and were constantly connected to the Internet. I watched people more engrossed in their bright screens. Back then, people were mainly texting, staring into blank space, or simply dozing off. Nowadays, people seemed to be always awake, always doing something with their phones, and always streaming or reading something in front of them. If one is a working professional, a student, or someone below the age of 60, chances are, they would be online.

Fake Religion

TITLE: FAKE RELIGION
SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 7:1-8
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date:January 24th, 2015.

1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2“Stand at the gate of the Lord’s house and there proclaim this message: “ ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. 3This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. 4Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” 5If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, 6if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, 7then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever. 8But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless." (Jeremiah 7:1-8)

Key Question: What looks and feels good but is really not good?

This week, I read about the story of a bank in the Eastern part of China that was just opened a year ago with more than 200 customers. Promising 2% interest rates every week, it attracted many small businesses from ZheJiang province to open accounts at this new bank. Called the “Nanjing Mou Village Economic Cooperation Unit,” this bank has a beautifully designed location with fully uniformed bank tellers. There are official letterheads and deposit envelopes with a logo and all. One customer even deposited 200 million RMB with them. But there was one problem. The bank was fake. After one year, no one suspected the problem until one businessman who had deposited $2 million, saw the interest credited to his account and tried to withdraw the money. He couldn’t. He complained. The bank shut down. Police arrested five persons. In total, more than 32 million dollars were swindled out of ordinary people. This is the first time I read about fake financial institution that looks real on the outside but totally fake on the inside. Five people were arrested, but for the 200 customers, many may never recover their hard earned money.

Persevering Saints

TITLE: PERSEVERING SAINTS
SCRIPTURE: Romans 5:1-5
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: January 19th, 2015

"1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." (Romans 5:1-5)

Powerful movie of Enduring Perseverance
Go watch it!

Last week, I watched "Unbroken," a powerful movie based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand which describes the life of the WWII hero, Louis Zamperini.  This man survived storms, scorching heat, hunger and thirst for 47 days on the open seas. Captured by the Japanese at the height of WWII, he endured ridicule and shame. He was tortured and humiliated by his cruel captors. His body was physically broken. Emotionally spent, the easiest thing for him was to give in to the demands of his captors or to simply die. No. Zamperini chose life and endured all things. The Japanese leader, Mutsuhiro "Bird" Watanabe, in the prison camp tried to break Zamperini, but failed to crush the spirit of his prisoner. In fact, Watanabe was instead broken from the inside out. All because Zamperini chooses to persevere regardless of the hardship and torture inflicted upon his flesh. It reminds me of Jesus' words, " Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).

The Heart of Prayer

TITLE: THE HEART OF PRAYER
SCRIPTURE:Philippians 4:6-7
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: January 10th, 2015

With lots of good intention, many people would rally their fellow believers to pray whenever they encounter some life challenges. It could be health related. It could be some major project milestone. It could also be travel concerns or some dangerous situations a loved one is in. Those of us in ministry would be familiar with such a request.

• Please pray for me, for journey mercies.
• Please pray for my family member who is undergoing some treatment.
• Please pray for the persecuted Christians in country X.
• Please pray for my upcoming job interview.
•  
•  

Maybe, prayer is simply an anxiety reliever. After all, didn't we read in Philippians 4:6 which calls us not be be anxious about anything, but to present all of our requests to God? Indeed, in the spirit of neutralizing our anxieties, we can ask people to pray for us. A closer read tells me something else. Philippians 4 can be interpreted as a personal call to the one reading the letter. It is Paul calling the Philippians not to panic, not to let anxieties and worries overwhelm us. Instead, offer it up to the Lord in prayer. For in prayer, we let the Spirit of God still our hearts and minds, to give us the peace of God that we all need for that moment and beyond.

Maybe, prayer has something to do with a hidden hope. A hope that the journey will be safe; that the family member would have good health results; that the persecution of Christians would stop; that the upcoming job interview would be positive; and so on. This hidden hope is simply wanting to see personal desires fulfilled. More importantly, it is an acknowledgment that we can only do so much, that there are many things not within our own control, that we need help with the fulfilling of our  hopes. Who else can we go to when things appear to be spinning out of control?

Serving with Grace and Gratitude

TITLE: SERVING WITH GRACE AND GRATITUDE

Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: January 2nd, 2015

A Happy New Year 2015 to all my readers and friends.

For the first time since the launch of SabbathWalk, I took a two week recess from my weekly writings. It was not because I didn't have the time or the motivation. Neither was it because of some urgent work to be done. It was simply because I had a longer family vacation, the first real one in years. Since starting pastoral ministry, it has not been easy to take a vacation during the Christmas season. Take last year for example. I had to preach consecutively throughout the Advent. I had to organize various events, coordinate with different people, set forth a theme, and ensure that everyone were able to have a meaningful time of worship during the Christmastide. As for my family, they tagged along sometimes dutifully, but mostly lovingly. Ministry is a strange juggle between family and Church, between private thoughts and public words, between members you know and strangers yet to be known.

The Celebrity Reflection (inaugurated Oct 12th, 2012)

We traveled on the Celebrity Reflection to the Caribbean. For seven days, we walked, played, relaxed, and ate on the magnificent flagship of the cruise company.It was a thing of beauty, an engineering achievement, as well as a floating luxury hotel. With nearly a third of the passengers on board serving the other two-thirds, the large ship can hold a maximum of 3046 people. With a beam 123 feet, a length of 1047 feet, and at least 15 decks, this floating paradise can cruise about 24 knots (about 40 land miles per hour). Being the newest kid on the block, it contained some of the most modern technologies. I was especially impressed by a large stabilizer under the ship which made the ship less susceptible to water turbulence, reducing the level of seasickness among passengers. I could attest to the overall ride being stable and quiet. For the most part, I felt like this was the most stable ship I had ever traveled on. It made me wonder about stabilizers in general.

The Church as Hope-Bearers

TITLE: THE CHURCH AS HOPE-BEARERS
SCRIPTURE: 2 Cor 13:11
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: December 14th, 2015

"Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you." (2 Corinthians 13:11)

I have just finished a book called "Churchless" with mixed feelings about the state of the Western Church. The authors are owners and members of Barna Group, which is a private, non-partisan, and research organization that serves to identify and interpret cultural trends, especially relevant to the Christian community. They begin with some grim news about the increasing number of people who are no longer attending church services. They define the "unchurched" as people who say they are Christians but have not attended a Christian church service in the past six months. With particular interest on those who are Christians but not involved in any Church, they made this conclusion: "Invite a friend to church on Sunday" is no longer an in-thing. This week, I look at three necessary things. We need to understand the current cultural movements. We need to find ways to connect them both in or out of the Church. We need to find ways to show the unchurched that Church is worth it.