Hi everyone,
I am sorry for the delayed update on my training experience. It was always on my mind to write an update, but I never got around to actually writing one. So far in the training we are entering week 18 out of 20 weeks of my second term, the midway point of my second term is long gone and I honestly don’t feel that different. As Paul said "… by the grace of God I am what I am…” until I am not (1 Cor 15:10). More than ever before, I have learned this term that I need to be okay with where I am in my Christian life, but not content with where I am.
Oh how sweet it is just to know my Christ! Knowing Him’s the goal of my whole life. Gaining Him supplies me day by day, He’s rich and excellent in every way! I’m fully captured by Him, my All in all! He fills my heart with faith whenever I call. He is spreading, growing organically As I'm dwelling one with Him continually.
Grace
Christians today believe that grace is an unmerited favor from God. It is true that grace is to receive something from God that we do not deserve, something that is free. But, usually, people would relate grace to material or outward blessings. Do we know what grace really is? Or the more precise question would be, do we know who grace is? In John 1:1, we that the “Word was God” and in verse 14, this “Word became flesh…full of grace and reality”. Now in the verse 17 it says, grace and reality CAME through Jesus Christ. Grace was not given but “came” to us, denoting that this grace is a person. It is the Lord Jesus coming to us to be our enjoyment in whatever situation.
Paul in 2 Cor 12, speaks of a thorn that was given to him in the flesh. Like any natural person, Paul’s response is for the Lord to remove the thorn from his flesh. Actually, it says he entreated the Lord three times for the thorn to depart from him. I feel like this is often our natural response to troubling situations. When a thorn comes (both literally or figuratively) into our living, we immediately ask the Lord “why?’, and ask the Lord to remove it from our situation. However, the Lord’s response is beyond what we think. He says, "…My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness…” When we realize what the Lord is doing today with us, we will seek out His grace to have our life full of meaning.
It is by our enjoying his grace, being His open to His operating that He can make us the same as He is in life and nature, but not in the Godhead. For it is God who operates in you both the willing and the working for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13) It doesn’t matter if you are unwilling, you just need to open to Him. He can work through even your complaining. King David said in one of his psalms, "evening and morning and at noontime / I complain and moan, / And He hears my voice" (Psalm 55:17). When you are open to the Lord about your situation, there is an infinite difference to you being pretentious before the Lord. There is no point pretending before God. He knows who you are better than you.
Why do you stand alone? Why are you so withdrawn? Open to Him, be not afraid. The Lord will take care of you. Why do you fear your future Will only be filled with pain.You're in His hands, trust in His plans.He will take care of you.
You're a child in God's economy,Predestinated, chosen, His bride-to-be. How could He not prepare the best for you? Let Him love you. His heart is good toward You.Trust and believe.
He loves you more than you know.
- from the song “trust and believe”
It could be said that every frame of your life comes down to two choices, whether you are open or not to the Lord. The latter half of John 15:5, the Lord says “apart from me you can do nothing”. This literally means that every second, moment of our living that we spend without opening to His operation is nothing in God’s eyes. On the contrary, each minuscule frame in our life, even if it is for a second, if we are honest with Him, that is a life full of meaning to us and the Lord.
Lord, Thy love is the expression of Thy loving self divine, making life so full of meaning, Harmonized with God’s design. Grace of life, how all-sufficient, Is my portion day by day; I’m the object of Thy favorAnd Thy sweetness taste alway.
- from hymn 152 “O how deep and how far-reaching”
Overall, second term has been quite mysterious compared to my first term. My first term the valleys and the mountains were more clearly defined. It has been tough at times, but His grace has been sufficient. There were valleys (lows) and mountains (highs), yet the water (The Spirit) was continuously flowing (Deut 8:7). It would not be fair for me to say that my experience was that of Paul. Nevertheless, I have come to appreciate the verses in 2 Cor 4 that much more this term.
"We are pressed on every side but not constricted; unable to find a way out but not utterly without a way out; Persecuted but not abandoned; cast down but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the putting to death of Jesus that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who are alive are always being delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh."
"For our momentary lightness of affliction works out for us, more and more surpassingly, an eternal weight of glory, Because we do not regard the things which are seen but the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4)
LA campus team (UCLA)
This term, we had a new recruit (Ruth) come from USC to join our six man “living and active group”. Starting from my first term, I have learned to appreciate my team more and more. In the past four months, the Lord has a gained a lot of priceless corporate prayer times from our team. To give a short introduction, from the left we have Rebecca, Patricia, Miguel, Victoria, and Ruth. I cannot thank the Lord enough for placing me on this wonderful team. Each member of our team has such a wonderful portion of Christ (grace) and I hope the Lord will continue to bless each one for the rest of the term.
Our house (2102 GRACE)
Meet our somewhat chaotic but lovely, sweet and precious house. After Avery went to Boston, we had Daniel Kuai join us for this term. As the word says, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is / For brothers to dwell in unity!"
At this point in time, we have three weeks left for this term and do apologize to everyone, for not reaching out as much. Please feel free to contact me whenever, to tell me how you are doing and how I can pray for you. I would love to catch up with everyone back in the north! For prayer burdens, please pray for the covering of all trainee’s tripartite being(1 The 5:23) as we finish the term. That there would be more eternal weight of glory that is added to each one, each moment in the training.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (2 Corinthians 13:14)
Ben