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Week:08, Season:1,
2015
Posted on Saturday by PCT
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The Gospel is not to be taken for granted
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Scripture：《
Mark 1:9-15
》
9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted[a] by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. 14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
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Take it for granted
In Taiwanese society, the two relationships commanding the most respect by ordinary people should be “the doctor-patient relationship” and “the teacher-student relationship.” At the time of the two Dr Landsboroughs (III and IV), who were the lasting models of good medical ethics in Taiwan, people deeply respected the Christian faith. This was because modern medical treatment helped to the lives of the Taiwanese people so much and also, because these British missionaries showed so much love and self-sacrifice in their work for the Taiwanese people. The identity of a teacher is also respected because education changes people through life-long learning and everyone agrees the notion of “being a teacher for a day, means a father-figure for life.”
The early Taiwanese people did not have many opportunities for education but they knew how to express their gratitude. Some of the early Taiwanese doctors and teachers were very notable examples for our present generation in the way they demonstrated their love and dedication to medicine and education in Taiwan. Sadly at the present time, many patients and students take the contribution of doctors and teachers for granted. A tiny mistake made by a teacher can lead to a lawsuit. On the other hand, if doctors and teachers treat feedback from patients and students for granted, they will treat their professions as no more than a money-making tool. All relationships in the world involve obligation and responsibility but there should be more than this, the important mission which motivates this world.
Take your mission
The Gospel seems to contain the same notion in which the truth of the gospel is self-evident but we should never take it for granted. If we look at Jesus’ preaching, it is obvious that the Bible continuously contains this warning. Jesus’ baptism by John presents interesting theological questions as this event itself is self-evident but we should never take it for granted. Since the gospel claimed by John is “to repent and be baptised so to be forgiven,” and Jesus is without sin, why did Jesus need to receive baptism？ If we think about this from another aspect, the answer is obvious; Jesus was baptised not for his sin to be forgiven but for carrying our sin for us. Such an action has means that he was a “scapegoat” ── Jesus received baptism with sinful people so as to carry their sins. This fulfilled the righteousness before the law.
Another self-evident event in the Bible which should not be taken for granted is the temptation of Jesus. If we see Jesus’ life through human eyes, it is like a “puzzle” difficult to explain because it does not seem natural. Since Adam was tempted, mankind have been continuously tested. Some biblical scholars consider that the authors of the Bible intended to mention Adam and Jesus as a meaningful comparison: Adam, the ancestor of man and “the post-modern Adam── Jesus” were both tempted by Satan but the former failed and the latter won his glorious victory. Does Jesus need to be tempted？ It is obvious that as Son of God he still needs to be subject to temptations but why did he still accept them？ This has become a widely discussed theological question.
The kingdom of God is near
In this Bible passage, verse 15 gives us an urgent message, “the time is fulfilled …” (NRSV) The time here refers to a key timing of God’s salvation plan. It tells us that the moment of God’s plan has arrived. The timing shows that the gospel of Christ initiates a deep urge in us to seize the hope of God’s salvation. The time also refers to a crucial moment for mankind be challenged and make the right choice. From a faith perspective, the phrase, the kingdom of God is near, means that the righteousness, authority of God and the obedience of mankind to God’s law will be fulfilled.
“The time has come” and “the time is fulfilled” shows the purpose of “the kingdom of God is near.” The coming of Jesus in this passage is not a natural occurrence but demonstrates the truth of the gospel and should not be taken for granted. Jesus told us that we need to trust in the gospel. Believing in the gospel is showing our faith in Jesus since faith has to be the result of rational thinking, understanding and belief and finally action to acknowledge one’s faith and commitment to God. .
The Gospel is not to be taken for granted
“Not to take something for granted” is a good reminder to us about our attitude to life. After a long day at work and arriving home, a husband should not complain, “Why is the dinner not ready？ I am starving,” thus ignoring the wife’s hard work. A wife should not complain to her husband that his income is insufficient for family expenses and not consider her husband’s hard work is to satisfy the demands of the whole family. If there is only obligation and responsibility left within human relationships, we easily take things for granted and think: it is a husband’s obligation to earn money for his family; it is a wife’s duty to do all the house work; it is a parent’s obligation to raise children and educate them; it is the children’s obligation to take care of their parents’ life in retirement; it is a teacher’s responsibility to educate students; it is a student’s obligation to finish his/her homework; it is a boss’s responsibility to pay his employees; it is an employee’s obligation to work hard for his company…
It is hurtful to others for people to have an attitude of “taking things for granted.” When a child takes everything his parents does for granted, a husband ignores what his wife offers, a boss considers his employee’s hard working as nothing, a church member complains about his pastor, if all of these people take things for granted, this world will be truly cruel. We can probably easily find examples of taking things for granted because this attitude of “it is always other people’s obligation and responsibility but not mine” is deeply rooted in most people’s minds. Such an attitude is harmful for building good friendships with others and accepting things gratefully. If we take our faith for granted, we will lose our respect for God and love for others.
If a Christian takes everything in his faith life for granted, he will lose his faith and blame others.. He might start to consider that “it is not my fault not to do something”; “it is always someone else’s problem”; “I did not believe in God because no one told me about the gospel”; “No one came to visit me while I was sick because my church does not care about me”; “this society is unjust because no one cares.” To sum up, if a Christian takes the grace of God for granted, this is the deepest tragedy of our faith and the grace through Christ’s crucifixion is no longer with that person!
When we do not take grace for granted, our minds will be open and we shall see ourselves and others with new eyes!
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For discussion：
1. When your family, friends and partner take what you did for them for granted, how do you feel？
2. In a relationship, what behaviour may easily be taken for granted？ Try to think of some solution to change people’s attitude.
Please pray for：
1. The relationship with others. May God give you a sensitive mind to cherish others’ kindness. May we think and respond to the love of God often and bear the beautiful fruit of the Holy Spirit to glorify our heavenly father.
2. Those who do not yet believe in Jesus. May we become a bridge of the gospel to them. May we treat them with patience and generosity. May they cherish the opportunity to know the gospel.
Prayer：
Loving God, thank you for enabling many kind people to become our help. Though there are times when we take others’ kindness for granted and we never express our thanks to them, help us to seize the opportunity to see others’ sincere sharing and be grateful. Please help us to remember that the grace of Christ is freely given but has a price in how we should behave! What he has done for us is so precious! In the name of Christ. Amen.
Something you can do：
1. Try to find those who shared their kindness with you before; maybe they are your family, friends, colleagues, or even a stranger. Think of what they did for you and take action to show your thanks.
2. Share your faith journey with your friends. Tell them your joy in Christ and learn to view everything in your life with a joyful heart.
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