Make God the center of your life missions.

Instead of human wisdom, Paul wanted to know only one thing.

At the beginning of Paul’s epistle to the church in Corinth, he begins his greeting by emphasising his calling by the Lord Jesus Christ as an apostle, urging the believers to recognise that we all share this calling. He seeks to remind us that our faith is not centred on the self but rather collective, rooted in Jesus Christ.  He swiftly addresses the fact that the Corinthians were rife with division and pride. They boasted allegiance to various leaders, such as Paul, Apollos, Cephas, and Christ. Paul questions them: “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptised in the name of Paul?” Their strife and division reflect man’s tendency to prioritise personal differences and grievances over the unifying truth of the gospel. Therefore, Paul’s rejection of sectarianism reminds them, and us, to rise above rivalries and centre our faith on Jesus Christ alone. Paul goes on to speak about the power and wisdom of God. He says, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.” (1 Cor 1: 18). The world and its wisdom may dismiss the idea that salvation is attained through Jesus’ dying on the cross. Although it is perceived as a weakness, Paul argues that this perceived weakness, in light of man’s wisdom, is God’s power. This paradox shows us that God’s wisdom often contradicts our human logic, and it challenges us to reflect on how much we trust the Lord. How much do we trust in Jesus Christ when His will and plan for us seem to go against our plans or what we envision them to be? The cross truly dismantles this pride for “the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1st Cor 1: 25). Lastly, Paul speaks about God using the foolish and weak to shame the wise and strong. Very often in our lives, God uses what seems small and insignificant to accomplish His purpose. In John 6:9, a young boy offers his small lunch, which seems insignificant and impossible, yet the Lord Jesus uses it to feed over 5000. God’s strength and wisdom shine through what man considers foolish and weak.  In a world that exalts pride and division, Paul urges us to be united and humble and to rely on the Lord Jesus. May all glory be given to the Lord.

Greetings are ways to channel God’s blessing to those that are worthy. Once after church service, I casually asked an elderly member sitting next to me how she had been. I had no idea my asking would elicit a lengthy and personal account of a surgery that she recently went through. It was gory and detailed. She then showed me photos of what the doctor had removed. For a second, I was bewildered. I wasn’t prepared for someone to share something so personal. But I also felt glad that I asked. Had I not asked, she would have been wandering around church the whole Sabbath, all pent up.  I knew I couldn’t help much, but I listened. Why do Christians greet one another? Paul’s greetings are often called ‘greetings of grace and peace’. Romans 16 marks the end of Paul’s letter to members of the church in Rome. If we go through Paul’s letters, we see him always begins his letters with greetings of grace and peace and concludes with blessings of grace, peace, mercy, and the abidance of Lord’s presence. He would greet, even if the purpose of the letters were to severely admonish the church.  We often greet by saying ‘peace’ to one another. Peace, or ‘Shalom’ in the Hebrew language, means more than a lack of obstacles or just smooth sailing in life. It means the full abidance of God that preserves the spirit, the soul, and the body (1 Thes 5:23), leading to a state of comprehensive wellbeing.  Without greeting, it is difficult to begin showing concerns for others. In Philippians 2:4 and 5, Paul admonishes, “ Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” We should certainly quietly mind our own business and not to be nosy (1 Thessalonica 4:11). Yet we need to show concerns for others just as Christ did. Greetings help us to begin to understand the state of others.  What happens when we greet? Two possibilities. The other party may respond or may not. Either way, we get to learn something about their current state of being. In the former, the needs and concerns of the other party are made explicit to us. In the latter, silence could mean that the other party is not yet ready to share, for various reasons. It could be they are too burdened for words at the moment. Or perhaps there is not yet a strong enough rapport established between ourselves and the other person for such sharing to take place. In that case, let it be and leave some time and room for privacy. Whatever the outcomes of our greeting, we bless; the blessing we give will come true. In Numbers 6:22-27, God instructed Moses to instruct the priests to bless His people. At the end of God’s instruction, He promises, “…and I will bless them” (27). In other words, today like the priests in the Old Testament, when we bless, the blessing will be realised. In Matthew 10:12-13 Jesus further explains, “As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.” In other words, if the other party is worthy of our blessing, the blessing will come to them. If not, the blessing will return to the one that blesses.  Ultimately, we want to be a blessing to those around us, even if they are strangers. When God called Abraham, He explained to him, “ I will make you into a great nation and will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen 12: 2 and 3). True enough, we see that promise unfolds, from Genesis until this day and age.  Next time, when meeting someone that we don’t normally talk to at church, ask them, “How have you been?” We may be surprised by the transformative power of greetings.  1 1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; Phil 1:2; Col 1:2; 1 Thes 1:1; 2 Thes 1:2; 1 Tim 1:2; Titus 1:4; Phile 3. 2 .1 Cor 16: 19, 23; 2 Cor 13:14; Gal 6:18; Ephe 6:23, 24; Phil 4:21-23; Col 4:18; 1 Thes 5:28; 2 Thes 3:18; 1 Tim 6:21; 2 Tim 4:21 and 22; Titus 3:15; Phile 25.

Paul is not one to sugarcoat and withhold information he has been called to speak. His assertiveness and boldness in repaying God’s grace can be attributed to the fact that he has surrendered almost all regard for himself and thrown himself into the upward race towards the crown of life and righteousness. Unwavering in his daily endeavours after Christ’s example, his central hope is for others to learn from him, and in turn, be testaments of the almightiness of God themselves. Here, one point for our learning and reflection is our single-mindedness, as a church, the body of Christ, in our service, worship, and fellowship. In his writing, Paul consciously and repeatedly uses first-person possessive pronouns, i.e., we, us, our, and addresses the members of the church as a whole using singular pronouns, i.e., you, to highlight the importance of growth as one body.  Much as it is easy to be encouraged and stirred up by Paul’s urging, putting his exhortations into action is sometimes near impossible. As long as this world exists, unbreakable unity within the church remains a perpetual pursuit. Well aware of the imminent challenges that lie in wait, in his parting words, Paul’s deliberate mention of the power of prayer and the Holy Spirit reminds the members that it is only by God’s will that His mission for us can be fulfilled. A church earnestly devoted in prayer and the good of each other is a church that strives and stays together. May God, through His Holy Spirit, continually abound in us and move us to actively do His work, to further the reaches of His kingdom, and to walk worthy of the calling with which we were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

When we truly love someone, we seek to understand their heart, empathise with them, and feel what they feel.  We who love God are called to know His heart. God’s heart is for humanity, having so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son to save them (John 3:16). But even more so, God’s heart is for His beloved people, the holy ones whom He has chosen and redeemed (Colossians 3:12).  One of the things that constitutes loving our Lord is loving His people, and ensuring they do not stumble. This is one of the key ideas of Romans 14. The chapter encourages us not to judge or look down on our brethren who are weak in faith. In its context, “weak in faith” refers to a person whose conscience would rebuke them if they didn’t abide by certain rules and thought they weren’t making God happy (see 1 Corinthians 8:9-12).  During the time that Paul wrote this, there were believers who abstained from certain foods or observed certain days, thinking that doing so would please God (Romans 14:6). By extension, their consciences were pricked when they did not abide by these standards, as we see from the word “unclean” in this verse: “I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.” (Romans 14:14) In our society today, this could be believers abstaining from eating meat, choosing not to watch movies to keep themselves sanctified from worldly influences, or even determining to fast on certain days. Some may also believe that they should only consider a future spouse recommended to them by the church’s Marriage Facilitators.  Our instinctive reactions to someone who holds different standards from us may be that of shock or judgment.  “Huh? You mean you make yourself do that?”  While such a response may be natural, Romans 14:1 reminds us to do what is counterintuitive and welcome the weak. This means not to despise this individual (Romans 14:3), and not to cause him or her to stumble over these matters (Romans 14:13).   In fact, from 1 Corinthians 8, we can see that welcoming someone who is weak includes being sensitive to his conscience. For instance, if we are around believers who do not eat meat, we should be considerate, not compelling them to eat meat or make condescending remarks about their beliefs.  God does not wish for us to despise or judge our brethren because it divides the body of Christ. And so, Romans 14:1 teaches us to stay away from quarrelling over opinions. It’s important to note that these are not rules strictly etched in the Bible, unlike the Ten Commandments or the teachings of salvation. Instead, these are people’s individual standards of practicing their faiths. In our opinionated society, it may be challenging to for us to meekly accept the perspectives of another. For some of us, it’s even a default practice to stand up for our opinions and immediately “correct” someone we think is wrong.  However, these believers who may not practise their faith in the same exact manner like ours answer to God, not you and me.  “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.” (Romans 14:4)  If we make our brethren grieved by what we eat, we are no longer walking in love (Romans 14:15). And God has called us to love both God and our neighbor too (Mark 12:29-31).  At the end of the day, “the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17) There are things that have little relevance to our relationship with God, such as our dietary choices, and then there are spiritual qualities that God delights in—what truly matters.