My Own RZIM Story

Back in the day when internet was slow and costly, and reading materials were scarce, I used my surfing hours to search for Christian freebies offered on the web. Because my theology back then was awfully bad, most of my subscriptions were to the publications of awfully bad teachers of the "Prosperity Gospel"/"Word of Faith"/"Name-it-Claim-it"/"Blab-it-Grab-it"/"Positive Confession" movement. But sometimes by God's providence, I stumble upon some good materials. I don't know how in the world did I find Ravi Zacharias because I had no idea who he was.

The old issues of Just Thinking (RZIM's tri-annual communique) was printed on ordinary white paper with a simple layout. It was not flamboyant in appearance unlike the glossy pages of the false teachers' magazines. But it was definitely not lacking in substance. It featured not only essays by Ravi, but also by other RZIM writers like Michael Ramsden, Stuart McAllister, Danielle DuRant, Amy Orr-Ewing, Paul Chamberlain and Joe Boot. They introduced me to concepts too big for me then like "postmodernism" and "relativism". Well, they're still too big for me now but not as much as when I was younger. I would like to acknowledge Ravi's contribution to my spiritual development. I praise the Lord for the man and his ministry.

They're All Intimidated (Psalm 114)

From the free stock photos of Pixabay 

Psalm 114

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

1 When Israel came out of Egypt—

the house of Jacob from a people

who spoke a foreign language—

2 Judah became his sanctuary,

Israel, his dominion.

3 The sea looked and fled;

the Jordan turned back.

4 The mountains skipped like rams,

the hills, like lambs.

5 Why was it, sea, that you fled?

Jordan, that you turned back?

6 Mountains, that you skipped like rams?

Hills, like lambs?

7 Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord,

at the presence of the God of Jacob,

8 who turned the rock into a pool,

the flint into a spring.

The Weaklings Made Special

"If God is for us, who can be against us?"; that's the question asked by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:31. It demands no answer for the answer is obvious. If God is on our side, there is no power or force that can prevail against us. In fact, God employs all these to work in favor of those who love God and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

Before Israel's birth as a nation, they were perceived as weaklings for they were just slaves in Egypt. But to the surprise of the ancient world, they scored a decisive victory over one of the superpowers of that time.

Psalm 114 begins by calling to mind that very event in their history. The psalmist views the Exodus as a turning point. Not only did the nation secured their liberation and independence, they also became YHWH's sanctuary and dominion (verse 2).

To be YHWH's sanctuary means being a sacred place which is set apart for God's presence and to be his dominion means being a nation ruled by God for Israel was supposed to be a theocracy (1 Samuel 8:5-7). God made Israel his “own possession out of all the peoples” although the whole earth is his. He set them apart as a special, a “kingdom of priests” and a “holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6). He who is enthroned above chose to dwell among his people. The nation of weak slaves became special, not because of anything meritorious in them but because God has chosen them to be the object of his special love. It was sheer grace.

We do not belong to that nation. But you know what? In the New Testament, the Apostle Peter wrote something about the church that is so similar to this. And this should excite everyone who belongs to the church of the redeemed:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10 CSB)

The Stable Structures Moved!

In the next stanza (verses 3-6), the psalmist as a true poet employed personifications and imageries depicting how some of the most fixed of geographical features namely the sea, the river, and the mountains were all disturbed and moved during some of the events in Israel's history.

• The sea is told to have looked, and after seeing what he saw, it fled. This points back to how the Red Sea was divided into two to give way to God's people. (Exodus 14)
• The Jordan River is described as turning back. This is the event narrated in Joshua 3; the priest were carrying the ark of the covenant and as soon as their feet reached Jordan, the waters flowing downstream were cut off
• The mountains and hills also were pictured as skipping like animals. I don't know exactly what historical event is this but I know one mountain that was moved like this. In Exodus 19, Moses and the people met with God and Mt. Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke; there was thunder and lightning and the mountain shook violently. It was a frightening sight (Exodus 20:18-19)

God's Intimidating Presence

The last two verses of this stanza (5 & 6) asked what is the reason behind these? When the sea looked, what did he saw that he fled? What did Jordan saw that he turned back? What caused the mountains and hills to skip like rams? The answer seems to be so obvious for us now. But let us make it explicit, just as the psalmist had made it explicit even when it sounds obvious already. The reason is in verse 7: they trembled because of the presence of the God of Jacob.

There was nothing inherently intimidating in Israel as nation; they were just weak slaves remember? But with God on their side, who can be against them? Now it's not just the sea, rivers, and mountains that must tremble before the Lord. The whole earth and everything in it are commanded to tremble (see verse 7): the forces of nature, kings and kingdoms, politicians and criminals, things visible and invisible can't inflict harm on a people on whom God dwells. This people is loved by God that he turns even the driest of dry things into pools and springs if that is what is needed for their survival and nourishment. (see verse 8)

Just as the Moses-led struggle of Israel against Egypt was a turning point in their history, a new testament believer's inclusion in Christ by faith and repentance is also a turning point. Not many of us were of noble birth (1 Cor. 1:26). Most of us were less than ordinary. We don't belong to the high and mighty of the society. But by our inclusion in Christ, we were counted among God's blessed people. The same intimidating presence that moved the seas, the rivers, the mountains, and the earth is among us. He is Emmanuel, God is with us– so we could have an impact in the world (Acts 4:13; Acts 17:6).

We fear things in nature. We fear the powers that be. We fear the unseen spiritual forces of darkness. We fear natural calamities, stray bullets, diseases, the fragile economy and many other things. But in this song, the things we fear were all commanded to tremble before the Lord. With God on our side, it's not us who are supposed to be afraid, but the the things we fear.

The LORD is my light and my salvation—

whom should I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life—

whom should I dread?

(Psalm 27:1 CSB)

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Random Thoughts on the Christian Use of Social Media

1. Technology is one of the good gifts given by God in the created order.

When we think of the creation, we usually think about things in nature like the sun, moon, stars, planets, mountains, birds, seas, fish, flowers, butterflies, bees, etc. We rarely think of technology as part of creation, but it is! When man takes something out of nature and develops that raw material into something useful, he is actually doing what God has commanded to subdue and have dominion over the things on earth (Gen. 1:28).

Let me quote the study note for Genesis 1:28 in the ESV Study Bible:

“... the idea is that the man and woman are to make the earth’s resources beneficial for themselves, which implies that they would investigate and develop the earth’s resources to make them useful for human beings generally. This command provides a foundation for wise scientific and technological development... ”

Imagine transporting Adam to our time. He would probably be amazed by all the technological advancements all around us: transportation, roads, buildings, clothes, light bulbs, microphone, pen, gas stove-- we could go on and on. And to his amazement, Adam would probably ask, “Where did all these came from?” He would be surprised and delighted to know that his descendants have indeed subdued and exercised dominion over the things on the earth and made them useful for mankind. Things in creation yield good things for us and these good things are to be received with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:4). The different social media platforms available to us are included among these good things.

2. All things from creation and developed out of creation belong to God and is for God.

God is ultimately the owner of all things, and we are just stewards. “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1a; cf. Deut. 10:14). Jesus is the goal of creation. Everything was created for his honor and praise. The Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 1:16, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible... all things were created through him and for him." Therefore, everything on earth including social media and other technologies must be used in a way that glorifies him (1 Corinthians10:31).

3. Beware of the dangers of social media use, particularly of what John calls “the love of the world”.

Though everything God created is good, the entry of sin in the world (Genesis 3) resulted in the corruption in man's use of the good gifts. Music is good but it is undeniable that profanity is present in much of it. Movies are good obscenity and ungodly ideas are found in many of them. There is nothing inherently bad in dancing but much of it is characterized by lewdness. The irresponsible use of natural resources ruins our land and destroys the natural habitat of beautiful creatures already endangered if not already extinct. There's pollution in the air and rivers. Wherever sinful man is, there you find corruption. Social media included.

Be warned about this thing called “love of the world” by the Apostle John (1 John 2:15). He was not referring to the physical material world, but to the system of anti-God ideas, anti-God attitudes and anti-God practices led by Satan (1 John 5:19). The elements of “loving the world” are listed in verse 16:

a. lust of the flesh- these are desires and interests that draw us away from God or at least prevents us from being in fellowship with him. (Gary Burge in The Letters of John, NIV Application Commentary)

b. lust of the eyes- these are sinful cravings activated by what people see (NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible)

c. the pride of life- being puffed up in pride because of one's possessions, achievements, etc.. This is measuring your worth and the worth of others by possessions or accomplishments.

All the above three are in abundance for every single day you browse through the internet in general and your social media news feed in particular. If you love these, the love of the Father is not in you (1 John 2:15). You are not friends with God. You are an enemy of his, because friendship with the world is an enmity against God (James 4:4)

4. Regard social media as a cyber mission field-- a means of reaching the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The church received a commission from her Lord to be his witnesses in Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. While netizens cannot replace real life missionaries, there is no denying that we now have the technology to influence people from all parts of the globe. Youtube is lately a source of excitement for James R. White because his uploaded debates against leading Muslim defenders are getting lots of hits from Indonesia, a predominantly Islamic country here in Southeast Asia.

Presbyterian pastor and seminary professor Kevin DeYoung once tweeted: “We are all natural evangelists for the people and things that we love the most.” We naturally proclaim to others the persons and things that give us joy.

• I have a friend who likes cosplays. Her social media activities confirm it.
• I have a friend who's an advocate of environment protection. Her social media activities proclaim it loud and clear.
• I have a friend who likes to travel. He rarely posts on Facebook but when he does, it is usually about a place he recently visited.
• I have a friend who excels both in technology and theology which are the usual subjects of his posts. But there are moments when he can't keep his feeling in and he can't restrain himself from posting about Jennie and Jisoo of Blackpink.

The persons and things that dominate your passions shall flow out of your heart and into your timeline (Matthew 12:34-35): family, career, basketball, cars, pets, politics, movies, crushes, even strife and discord. Is the gospel a source of joy to you? Are you passionate about the Lordship of Jesus Christ? If these are true about you, then you would be a natural evangelist for the gospel which is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16).

How does one become an online evangelist? First and foremost, there should be a supernatural transforming work in you to love God and his gospel. Without this, you'll only continue to post about your little hobbies and whatever else is in your heart but never about the wondrous things of God. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and the fingers type.

5. View social media as an extension of your ministry of edification to the brethren.

There is a lot of overlap between this point and the previous one since online evangelism and online edification of believers both involve knowing and telling about the wondrous things of God and his gospel.

There is no substitute for the meeting together of believers for mutual edification (Hebrews 10:24-25). That's why Paul longed to visit the believers at Rome (Romans 1:11-12). But there were times when circumstances beyond his control prevented him from doing so (Romans 1:13). When Paul can't visit, he does the next best thing-- write letters! (1 Timothy 3:14-15). The technology available to the New Testament ministers was pen plus ink (1 John 1:4; 2 John 12; Jude 3). I am convinced that if the technology we have today were available to them, they would have used it as an extension of their shepherding ministry. I am also convinced that we who are given these technologies must use them as a tool in edifying and encouraging other believers.

In 2009, John Piper joined Twitter and he explained in a blog post why he did so. One of his motivations in joining Twitter is to draw people away from sin and draw them near God. He wrote:

It also seems that the book of Proverbs is God’s Twitter compilation for us. So when I think of my life goal, and when I think about how God uses proverbs, I am not inclined to tweet that at 10 AM the cat pulled the curtains down. But I am inclined to tweet: The Lion of Judah will roll up the heavens like a scroll and put the sun out with his brighter glory (128 characters). If God answers my prayer, that tweet might distract someone from pornography and make him look up to something greater.

Like Piper, we should pray that our social media activities would somehow turn the eyes of our brethren away from worthless things (Psalm 119:37) and seek the Lord instead. By this, we fulfill the instruction of Hebrews 3:13 to encourage one another daily so that none of us may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

Also, don't forget to bring joy, honor, and encouragement to those who are nurturing you in the faith. The greatest joy of spiritual parents is when they see their spiritual children walk in the truth (3 John 4; Proverbs 23:15-16). It puts a smile on my face when someone I ministered to in the past show maturity in the faith in how they post and comment on social media. On the other hand, it hurts me when I see people on whom I have invested considerable amounts of time and energy yet show no signs of spiritual life. Worse, some post worthless and abominable things.

6. Consider that in social media, you are building a reputation.
Your reputation is what people think of you overall. It's the common opinion of people about you. The perception of people about you may be flawed but you still have the responsibility to build and guard your reputation. To have a good name (reputation) is more desirable than riches says Prov. 22:1. Aspirants for church leadership must have a good reputation not just inside, but also outside the church says Paul in 1 Tim. 3:7. These are just some of the biblical warrants for a follower of Christ to build and guard his reputation.

So I encourage you to build a reputation as someone who makes sense. How do you do that? By posting stuff that make sense. Type comments that make sense. In that way, you will be seen as a person who makes sense.

Question 1:

How will people perceive you if all your post for the last seven days were pictures of white vans captioned, “Nangunguha ng _____?”

You'll probably be perceived as someone shallow (mababaw). Some amount of humor (which is also a good gift) every now and then in a serious lecture like this could be helpful. But I would be wasting your time if all you'll hear from me in this session are corny jokes. Let us say “YES” to sense of humor, but “NO” to flippancy.

Question 2:

How much weight will people give to your opinions if your comments are marked by jejemons, misspellings, and poor use or even non-use of punctuation marks?

I assume they will not ascribe much weight to what you are saying.

Question 3:

How will people perceive you if you easily fall hoaxes and fake news?

Of course they will perceive you as a gullible person and rightly so.

7. Consider the possibility that your timeline, tweets, blogs, and vlogs will outlive you. Therefore, aim to leave a legacy.

One of the main sources of information for a biographer are handwritten letters and diaries. Such documents are more and more becoming rare. I suspect that the next best sources of information for a biographer or any person interested in the life of a dead person are the social media activities of the departed. I would like the social media companies to prosper and continue earning so that my posts and comments would also be preserved.

Consider leaving a legacy of wisdom and godliness to your grand children and great grand children. Serve the next generations long after your death. The Bible talks about Abel who even though he was long dead still speaks (Hebrews 11:4)-- that is his life recorded in the Bible still bears witness of God's approval of those who live in faith. John Calvin died in 1564, but he still speaks today through his books. Charles Spurgeon died in 1892, but he still speaks today through his writings and transcribed sermons. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones died in 1981, but his voice is still heard today through his taped-recorded sermons and lectures.

I would like my Facebook timeline to speak even when I'm dead. I would like by blog posts to minister to future generations even when all that is left in my grave is my skeleton.You too can speak long after you are dead, if you will be faithful in your use of your timelines, tweets, blogs, and vlogs.

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