Am I dare enough to ask?

My Sunday Scripture 2010.5.2.

7 If you know me, you will know my Father too. From this moment you know him and have seen him.

8 Philip said, 'Lord, show us the Father and then we shall be satisfied.' Jesus said to him,

9 'Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? 'Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father, so how can you say, "Show us the Father"?

10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? What I say to you I do not speak of my own accord: it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his works.

11 You must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe it on the evidence of these works.

12 In all truth I tell you, whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, and will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father.

13 Whatever you ask in my name I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

John 14:7-14


My Reading Notes,

The line was addressed to Philip in the Bible, but, it seems that it could be addressed to us all.

In Luke 11:9, Jesus had expressed similar meaning: "Ask, and it will be given to you."

And this is one of the very important part in our faith. Am I dare enough to ask anything from Him? As he had said also: "whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself". That means, if I am brave enough to carry the cross, I am also brave enough to ask.

And if I am brave enough to ask, the Holy Spirit will sure to come, helping me to fight for the things I had asked, and success itself is a sure outcome.

In the whole of our human history, all those who had fight with a pure motive were all successful. The world is moving onward with the help of the successful.

The meaning of FOOD

My Sunday Scripture 2010.4.25.

Jesus said: «My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one."
(John 10:27-30.)

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My Reading Notes:
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I had discussed with my students sometimes ago, that what is the meaning of FOOD.
We had found that all food are composed of life, the bodies of other life. We eat plants, and animals. They are all food. And in due course, we will render our body as food for others. We are one in such a meaning, though it is somewhat external.

And once Jesus asked his disciples to eat his flesh and blood.

Now I can understand, this is a highly symbolic meaning that we are one, with the Lord above, and with every other on the planet. Thus we had achieved eternal life.

To Love is To Serve

My Sunday Scripture 2010.4.18

Later on, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples. It was by the Sea of Tiberias, and it happened like this:

Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two more of his disciples were together.

Simon Peter said, 'I'm going fishing.' They replied, 'We'll come with you.' They went out and got into the boat but caught nothing that night.

When it was already light, there stood Jesus on the shore, though the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus.

Jesus called out, 'Haven't you caught anything, friends?' And when they answered, 'No,'

he said, 'Throw the net out to starboard and you'll find something.' So they threw the net out and could not haul it in because of the quantity of fish.

The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, 'It is the Lord.' At these words, 'It is the Lord,' Simon Peter tied his outer garment round him (for he had nothing on) and jumped into the water.

The other disciples came on in the boat, towing the net with the fish; they were only about a hundred yards from land.

As soon as they came ashore they saw that there was some bread there and a charcoal fire with fish cooking on it.

Jesus said, 'Bring some of the fish you have just caught.'

Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore, full of big fish, one hundred and fifty-three of them; and in spite of there being so many the net was not broken.

Jesus said to them, 'Come and have breakfast.' None of the disciples was bold enough to ask, 'Who are you?'. They knew quite well it was the Lord.

Jesus then stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish.

This was the third time that Jesus revealed himself to the disciples after rising from the dead.

When they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?' He answered, 'Yes, Lord, you know I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my lambs.'

A second time he said to him, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' He replied, 'Yes, Lord, you know I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Look after my sheep.'

Then he said to him a third time, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' Peter was hurt that he asked him a third time, 'Do you love me?' and said, 'Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep.

In all truth I tell you, when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go.'

In these words he indicated the kind of death by which Peter would give glory to God. After this he said, 'Follow me.'

John 21:1-19

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My Reading Notes:
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What had Jesus told Peter three times? To feed my lambs, to look after my sheep, to feed my sheep.

This is the most important order from God Himself. If we are to love God, we must obey this order.

How could I "feed" and "Look after" my people?

In Luke 11:9-13, He had taught us a really important method, that is, to ask the help from God, to seek the answers from God. And God will send us the Holy Spirit, we will know how to do and what to do.

Yes, to love God is to serve the people. And to serve the people, is loving God. Lets get things done. Thus a true Christian must walk outside to do something.

We are evolving internally

My Sunday Scripture 2010.4.11.


Reading 1

The apostles worked many signs and miracles among the people. One in heart, they all used to meet in the Portico of Solomon.

No one else dared to join them, but the people were loud in their praise

and the numbers of men and women who came to believe in the Lord increased steadily. Many signs and wonders were worked among the people at the hands of the apostles

so that the sick were even taken out into the streets and laid on beds and sleeping-mats in the hope that at least the shadow of Peter might fall across some of them as he went past.

People even came crowding in from the towns round about Jerusalem, bringing with them their sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and all of them were cured.

(Acts 5:12-16)


Gospel

In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, 'Peace be with you,'

and, after saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord,

and he said to them again, 'Peace be with you. 'As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.'

After saying this he breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit.

If you forgive any one's sins, they are forgiven; if you retain any one's sins, they are retained.

Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

So the other disciples said to him, 'We have seen the Lord,' but he answered, 'Unless I can see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.'

Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. 'Peace be with you,' he said.

Then he spoke to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving any more but believe.'

Thomas replied, 'My Lord and my God!'

Jesus said to him: You believe because you can see me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.

There were many other signs that Jesus worked in the sight of the disciples, but they are not recorded in this book.

These are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you may have life through his name.

(John 20:19-31)


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My Reading Notes:
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I had always found it wonderful to see how the apostles acted in their time. People came from all the places, to hope for a healing from them. Even Peter's shadow, could have such healing power. They didn't even need hospitals.

And this is my question. Why is it that this miracles not seen today? And I must correct myself: Miracles are still here with us, but not in the form of the ancient world any more.

What is the meaning of the line? "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

In the evolution of mankind, one very important aspect is that we are evolving internally. The mind is powerful. And we are making progress on it. We ought to use our mind more then physical feelings. I think it personally that is the reason of why the apostles today do not perform miracles like Saint Peter.

Now I would come to the point about "believing". One kind of believing never need thinking and acting. The other believing needs to think, and more importantly,
to act. Thus a true Christian tends always be also a saint. He can act according to what he thinks.

Is it true?

My Sunday Scripture 2010.4.4


It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb

and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. 'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,' she said, 'and we don't know where they have put him.'

So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb.

They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first;

he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in.

Simon Peter, following him, also came up, went into the tomb, saw the linen cloths lying on the ground

and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself.

Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed.

Till this moment they had still not understood the scripture, that he must rise from the dead


John 20:1-9



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My Reading Notes:
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Yes, this is the question one must ask, and must answer to one's honest self.
Even though the answer might be wrong someway, but, as Jesus had once told us:
"Seek, and ye shall find." Sooner or later, we would find it out.

And this question is related. It is related to the following:

1. Is there a creator?

2. Is the creator a mighty one?

3. Is it a need to send his son to do something for us on earth?

4. What had His son done to help us?

And all my answers to the above are positive. Especially the 4th question, it is so urgent we need his teaching on our planet. Every thing conceivable are so badly needed to change. We need love. And the love had been brought to us through Jesus Christ.

And so, yes, it is true. It is true that God had sent us his son to save us. And His son had raised from the dead, leaving us the Holy Spirit, whom we could plead for at any moment.