Summer

Hello friends! Welcome back to my blog!

Let me tell you a little bit about my summer so far.  I am in a new place this summer, due to an internship I took with the Indian Health Services (IHS).  While my technical title is a JRCOSTEP, which is run and funded by the Commisioned Corps of Engineers, I work mostly with IHS.  I have been stationed in Casa Grande, Arizona, which is halfway between Phoenix and Tucson, in the middle of the Sonoran Desert.  I just finished my first week of work, and it seems like it is going to be a good summer!

IHS exists to provide infrastructure and medical services to Native Americans.  The bulk of IHS’s work consists of running hospitals and medical clinics; therefore many of those I have met are medical and pharmacy students.  However, basic infrastructure such as running water, roads, and sewer systems are needed for hospitals as well as homes, which is provided by the Environmental Health and Engineering division of IHS, which is where I am working.  My work is focused in the Tohono-O'odham reservation, which extends from Casa Grande all the way to the Mexican border and beyond.  In fact, part of the reservation, which has its own government, extends into Mexico; native Americans can cross the border as they please.  I will provide more info about what I do as soon as I really get involved in some projects.

I will leave you with some photos of my location!  The desert is a harsh environment, but a really beautiful one.  This area of Arizona is very much stereotypical of the southwest.  The tall Saguaro cacti are everywhere, and urban mountains are common.  I am enjoying it!

My Baptism

Hey!! It's been a while since I have written a blog; way too long, actually. But after getting baptized a few weeks ago, I realized it was time to give an update. This was an exciting Sunday for me! I got to share with many friends and family, and I will share it with many more of you now. Baptism has much significance for me and others, as I have learned in the weeks after getting baptized, and in the time I spent learning about baptism beforehand. It's an act of obedience that is beneficial for us when we understand the deep meaning behind this imperative tradition.

So why did I decide to get baptized? I have believed in Jesus and been a Christian for as long as I can remember; my parents have taught these things to me. I have had important moments in my life where God spoke to me, or I repented of something, but I can't point to a particular time as a 'salvation moment', and one of those moments did not prompt my baptism. Rather, my decision was one that grew over a number of years.

I was sprinkle-baptized when I was an infant, of which I have no recollection, and had not really thought about baptism in depth until 3-4 years ago.  It was then that I witnessed my first baptism by immersion at my grandparents' church in Michigan. This sparked my inquiry about baptism. I began to wonder why certain Christians practiced this differently. I think its important to know why we do things, why we do things the way we do them, and why we think the way we do (alliteration lovers: you're welcome). So over a long span of time, I fleshed out what I believed and thought about baptism.

The basic mode of baptism didn't take too long to figure out, as the word baptism itself means 'to immerse' in something. So baptism by immersion was immediately evident to be the correct mode of baptism. In addition to the mode, occasion of baptism is also important. In Acts, whenever one became a Christian, they were almost immediately baptized. This happens in Acts 2, 8, and 16. It was a personal decision and a public proclamation of faith for the one being baptized, as well as an expression of obedience to Jesus' command for those doing the baptizing. For many, it meant publicly showing your change of mind and heart in becoming a Christian.  For others like me, who have grown up in church and do not have a specific time of salvation to point to, baptism helps to learn to proclaim our faith and be unashamed of the gospel. This was huge for me. Sometimes, out in the world, I tend to be quiet about my faith and even ashamed sometimes of being different than others. However, I know that this is wrong and I need to get over this fear, and my baptism helped to drill this truth into me.

The word and idea of baptism has several nuances. Besides the physical act of water baptism- being immersed in water- the Bible uses baptism in reference to Christ, the Spirit of God, and fire. The word baptism used with Christ and the Spirit of God infer why one is baptized when he becomes a Christian, publicly identifying with Christ. When we become a Christian, we are immersed in God's spirit and in the life of Christ. This new life in Christ is referenced by Paul throughout his letters. Our new life in the Spirit and Christ is a unifying theme of Paul's letter in describing how we should live. 

Romans 6 explains how baptism also symbolizes Jesus' death and resurrection. As we go under the water, we are mirroring Jesus' death, which in turn is analogous of our death to sin. When Jesus died on the cross, he took away our sins so that we would be free from the punishment of sin (and be free of the baptism by fire that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 3:11).  In other words, we are dead to sin; it is as if sin does not exist.  Therefore, sin is dead to us, and baptism symbolizes the death of the old man.  The second part of baptism, rising out of the water, symbolizes our new life in Christ.  We are a new creation in Christ, the old has gone away and the new has come! Baptism should help us to remember the following sweeping theme especially evident in Paul's letters: Christ gives us a new life in the spirit, and delivers us from our old life in the flesh.

Personally, I can not say enough how important this is for my growth. Daily I NEED to die to my old self and make myself alive to God. This is so freaking hard to do!! If I remind myself continually of this through Bible study and prayer, growth happens. If I do not, my actions become increasingly selfish and contrary to God. I hope you can sense my urgency. It's important. Extremely so.

If I am alive to God and dead to sin, reminding myself daily of these truths, I will become closer to my brothers and sisters in Christ. The Bible uses the word baptism to describe our joining into the family of God in 1 Corinthians 12:13. When we become a Christian, we are baptized, or immersed into Christ and his body. Then we can have close friendship with each other in a new Spirit-led life of love.

I will conclude my thoughts about baptism with this: in a sense, we do need to be baptized (spiritually, not physically) to be saved, but looking at it this way is not the right way. We need to repent and believe (these are two sides of the same coin) to be saved. When we repent and believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are immediately baptized by the Spirit of God into Christ and His family.  After we become Christians, hopefully our desire is to follow the Lord's commands and be baptized in water. We do this because of baptism's spiritual meaning: die to sin and be alive in Christ.

After I learned and studied all these things, according to my conscience, I knew I should get baptized. An Ethiopian eunuch says it this way: "What is to prevent me from being baptized?" When I mentioned it to my family, my brother wanted to be baptized as well! So on July 7th, both my brother and I were baptized. We also had some friends and family there, some of which came to our house for lunch afterwards. For all those that came, thank you for sharing that day with me.

Peace out.

The Gospel of John, Day 20: ch. 3, vv. 16-21

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 

<sup>Jesus was sent to save us.  However, if we do not believe in him, we are condemned, even though Jesus did not to condemn.  This is a little confusing, but the next passage tells us why we are condemned if we don't believe in Jesus.

19</sup> This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

We love darkness, but Jesus is the light.  John taught this in the first chapter.  Everything we do is done in the sight of God, and if we love the dark we do not realize that and we fear the exposure of our deeds.  However, if we are open and honest with God, we will come into the light and live by truth.

The Gospel of John, Day 19: ch. 3, vv. 9-15

⁹ “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?

At this point in Jesus' ministry, there are already people who have been born again.  I think this is the earthly thing that Jesus is talking about.  You can see the changed lives.  You can see lives renewed into God's kingdom.  Jesus also talks about heavenly things.

¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

Now Jesus speaks of the heavenly things.  Only Jesus has been to heaven, he came from heaven!!  We have eternal, that is unearthly and heavenly, life if we believe in Him.

The Gospel of John, Day 18: ch. 3, vv. 4-8

4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[c] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

If we are going to be with God in His Kingdom, His Holy Spirit has to give birth to our spirit. He has to make our spirit for LOVE come back alive again. Oh, and if we have this spirit of love for God and others, we may not know where we are going of where life will take us.  However, if we do not have the Holy Spirit, we know where life will take us: down a destructive road devoid of love.

The Gospel of John, Day 17: ch. 3, vv. 1-3

3:1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[a]”

In order to see God's kingdom of peace and righteousness, we need to be born again and see others born again. No law or program will make this world a better place by itself, but people with a newborn heart of love will go where no law or program could ever take them. We need new hearts.

#politicsarenottheanswerbutJesusis

The Gospel of John, Day 16: ch. 2, vv. 18-25

18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”

19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.[d] 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

The greatest sign of Jesus' authority is his resurrection. It is for this simple reason that many believed. Is there historical evidence for this miraculous event? I think so, and this is the greatest and simplest reason for hope. So much more than creation/evolution debates and other highly intellectual debates. Oh, and the other thing this hope comes with: Jesus' full authority in our lives.

The Gospel of John, Day 15: ch. 2, vv. 13-17

13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”[c]

The money-changers at the temple were using a place devoted to God for their own selfish benefits and purposes. Are you using the title of Christian or using church simply to benefit yourself or increase your reputation? If so, don't be surprised if the tables turn on you.

The Gospel of John, Day 14: ch. 2, vv. 5-12

5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b]

7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

The primary people who experience Jesus' first miracle of turning water into wine are the servants. Hmmm, imagine that, the greatest are the servants, does that sound familiar? This is also found in Matthew 23:11. The servant's are the ones that experience Jesus in the most powerful way.

The Gospel of John, Day 13: ch. 2, vv. 1-4

2:1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

4 “Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

Know one knows Jesus' timing, not even his own mother. So we shouldn't expect to either.

Live the right way, the way of faith and trust. It's pretty important: Hebrews 10:38, Romans 1:17, Habakkuk 2:4.

The Gospel of John, Day 12: ch. 1, vv. 44-51

44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

50 Jesus said, “You believe[h] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[i] you[j] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’[k] the Son of Man.”

Nothing big really stuck out to me in these verses, except Jesus' response to Nathaniel. When insulted in berse 46 he doesn't insult back but blesses.  Check out 1 Peter 3:9-12 for more.

The Gospel of John, Day 11: ch. 1, vv. 40-43

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

Three things are happening in this passage:

1. People are following Jesus
2. People are telling about Jesus
3. Jesus is calling people to follow him

This is appropriate to the season we are in now: Christmas. As we celebrate the first coming of Jesus, these three things should be happening. Am I doing this in my life? What distracts me from these basic things? Is this what I am living for?

Think about these things as you have a merry Christmas!!

The Gospel of John, Day 10: ch. 1, vv. 35-39

35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

I think there is an emphasis on concrete experience. Jesus invites the disciples to come and see where he is going and what he is doing. The disciples experience Jesus in person. We can experience his love, grace, action, and transformation in our lives also.

The first two disciples followed Jesus after John pointed out Jesus to them. No questions, conditions, or reservations. They didn't even know where Jesus was taking them, they just went. Should we be surprised if we don't know where He is taking us? Just follow. No one knows the future or the best way to get there. But He does.

The Gospel of John, Day 9: ch. 1, vv. 32-34

32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

At the baptism of Jesus, the dove descends on him as a sign of the spirit of God coming down to rest upon him. This also accomplishes God's purpose for John's ministry of baptism: so that Jesus might be revealed to Israel (31). Since Jesus has the spirit of God remaining in him, he baptizes us not with water, but with the holy spirit. Water baptism is a physical sign that Christians are told to practice for many different reasons. However, I do not believe it is a requirement of salvation. Yet baptism of the holy spirit is something that all believers are given when they follow Jesus. What exactly the holy spirit gives us is expounded upon later in John 14-16.

Check out Mark 1:7 also for more about John's baptism and Jesus' baptism.  This is a tricky subject, but I think it is important.

The Gospel of John, Day 8: ch. 1, vv. 29-31

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

John repeats what he said before.  Jesus was before and after John so he has surpassed John.  Jesus is the lamb of God, so he can take away the sins o the whole world.  The whole reason why John was baptizing was so that Jesus might be revealed, might be magnified to Israel.

All John does is talk about Jesus. He baptizes and preaches to talk about Jesus and how he has surpassed and is greater than John. He even baptizes just to get people's attention so that he can talk about Jesus. One of the first Jesus freaks. And an example of what our life's purpose should be.

The Gospel of John, Day 7: ch. 1, vv. 24-28

24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

Baptism seems to be a very important thing to the Pharisees. This was different than the traditional ritual cleansing that was performed by the Jews, so it was a notable practice done by John.

26 “I baptize with[e] water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Even though baptism is mentioned several times, we get the sense that it is not the most important thing. Jesus is greater than all this, even John the great prophet is unworthy to even untie this man's sandals.  Christ is worth more than anything.

Summary-John continues to baptize at the Jordan River. The pharisees have lots of questions about that (as do I). However, John keeps pointing back to the greatness of Jesus, the one to come after him. We are unworthy of Jesus' presence also. Yet we can come to him, because of the truth and grace that He brought us.

The Gospel of John, Day 6: ch. 1, vv. 19-23

19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders[c] in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”

The Jewish leaders are antithetical to Jesus; they ask John if he is the Messiah, but he freely admits that he is not.  John has humility, yet he also has boldness.

21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

He answered, “No.”

22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

These leaders really want an answer.  There seems to be a hidden agenda for the pharisees.

23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

John uses the words of Isaiah to tell who he is.  This is a bold statement, but a humble statement.  He is in essence challenging these leaders and telling them to make a path for the Lord. It is a great comeback.  John is asked loaded questions, so he returns with a loaded answer. Like the Pharisees, we need to make a straight path for the Lord in our own lives.

The Gospel of John, Day 5: ch. 1, vv. 16-18

Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and  is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. (John 1:16-18 NIV)

GRACE, GRACE, AND MORE GRACE!!!  Truth is, his grace is enough. His grace is enough to be free from accusation and the accuser.  His grace is enough to be freed from regrets and mistakes.  His grace is enough to be able to come to God in repentance.  His grace is enough to live as God intended and to be saved.  This Grace comes from Jesus, who makes known the Father and his love.

The Gospel of John, Day 4: ch. 1, vv. 14-15

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

By coming to earth, Jesus became something we can see with our own eyes, we perceive the glory of the father.  He lived among us, and gave us grace and truth.  The truth about who we are and who he is is scary, we love darkness, but Jesus also came with grace, so that we can be united to him and abide with him. That alone is glorious.

15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”)

John saw the glory of Jesus with his own eyes.  Jesus was greater than John.  Jesus existed before John.

The Gospel of John, Day 3: ch. 1, vv. 9-13

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

Jesus gives light to all of us.  Everyone.  However, those in darkness the light, they do not receive it.  As the darkness can not overcome or understand the light, those in darkness didn't receive or recognize Christ.  Darkness blinds our eyes from seeing the light.

12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

If we receive Jesus as he is, that is we believe in Him, we are born again as a child of God.  This is totally different that natural birth, it is only something that can be wrought by God.