Posts by Alvin Lin (Page 4)
Good Friday Home Communion Fellowship
Tomorrow, we will not meet at LifeWay Church for a traditional in-person Good Friday service. Rather, we will meet in very small gatherings at homes throughout our city for a more intimate Good Friday Home Communion Fellowship. Kindly select a host from this list, call to let them know ahead you would like to join them in their home, take down the exact home address, and ask what time you shall arrive. Actual fellowship begins at 7 p.m. on Friday,…
Foot Washing Service
This Sunday, March 28, starting at 6 p.m., we are having a Foot Washing Service at LifeWay Church. According to John 13, many years ago one day, Jesus got up from the dinner table, took a towel, and began to wash the feet of his disciples, a job performed only by the lowliest house servants in the 1st century. But it was no problem at all for Jesus, the disciples’ Teacher and Lord. He did it so they too may…
The Most Important Shepherd
Did you know that the process of sheep giving birth is called lambing? Did you know that sheep have rectangular pupils? Did you know there are over 1000 breeds of sheep? Did you know sheep have excellent memory, and they can recognize up to 50 other faces—sheep faces, that is. Did you know sheep do not have teeth in their upper front jaw? Did you know all these things because you grew up on a farm? Have you sheared sheep…
Biblical Discernment
Discernment is a good word. Everyone admires it. Everyone desires to have it, and have more and more of it. Can one learn to have it? Where does one go to get it? But before we go further, may I ask you what is it? What is discernment? How would you answer? The dictionary says the meaning of discernment is “discrimination; acuteness of judgment and understanding.” Some say discernment is the ability to distinguish between, and recognize the moral implications…
Why Does a Church Membership Matter?
I was talking with Heather this week about how, when Christians think of church membership, many think it is necessary mainly because it gives them the right to vote on church matters. In most churches as in LifeWay, only ballots of members can be counted as legitimate. Church membership is necessary also for those who aspire to hold official church leadership positions. From this, many conclude that church membership is necessary mostly for organizational reasons. Other than that, Christians usually…
Speaking of Humility (Part 2)
Read Part 1 How will we know if we have true humility? How can we tell whether or not we are doing this right? We can tell a lot if we are heading in the right direction by looking at the results. If we are doing this right, having humility produces contentment, teachability, and godliness in us. CONTENTMENT Having humility means we won’t feel the need to draw attention to ourselves. It cancels our pride. It is okay with us…
Speaking of Humility (Part 1)
Do you have a friend whom you would call a humble person? Why do you think this way? If I asked you how would you define humility, what would you say? Sometimes, I feel it is easier to begin to define humility by saying what it is not. Humility is not thinking too highly of ourselves. Paul wrote, “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he…
Yet, with Gentleness and Reverence
“Always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.” Even though 1 Peter 3:15 was not one of the first Bible verses I came to know after I became a Christian, it was one of the first Bible verses I came to know not long after I became a Christian. Peter exhorts Christians, any Christian, to have their “response” ready at all times. For the past…
One Day in Cana
Have you been invited to a Jewish wedding before? Even though I used to live in New York and I have many Jewish friends and colleagues, unfortunately, I have never been to a Jewish wedding before, and so what I know about Jewish weddings comes from what I know from the movies. I know that the groom wears a skullcap, or yarmulke, to cover his head. I know that everyone shouts “Mazel Tov!” a lot. Lastly, I know that the…
From Fishermen of Fish to Fishermen of Men
Do you know what are walking, swimming and camping? They are the top three most popular recreations in our country, in that order. If you got that right, then do you know what came in 4th place? The correct answer is fishing. Even though fishing did not make it into the top three most popular recreations in our country, it is more popular than cycling, bowling, golf, skiing, even jogging. As a matter of fact, fishing is more popular than…
A Most Special Relationship Under Scrutiny
Back in September, Billy launched a comprehensive five-year Sunday morning teaching plan. For the next five years, he has committed himself to teach us how to read the Bible for ourselves, and to catch the deeper theologies of our God. At the end of five years, it is his hope that each one of us at LifeWay would mature in our ability to take what we read in the Bible to direct how we think and do, no matter what…
A Conversation About Having Faith in God
If I were to ask you to define what is having faith in God, what would you say? If you were to make a new friend while shopping at Fred Meyer, and you were to say to him you are a Christian, how would you explain that to him? The Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” What goes on…
Biblical Hope
According to the Chinese zodiac, 2020 is the Year of the Rat. And according to Chinese superstition, the rat symbolizes new beginnings, fertility, wealth and plenty. Once every twelve years, the Year of the Rat promises to bring beneficial situations, opportunities, encounters with special people, and luck. But I don’t suppose I need to tell you 2020 has turned out to be anything but those things. We still have a few weeks left to go, but I think we are…
Darling of Heaven Crucified
By the time our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, the Romans had already been putting people on the cross for a while. But the Romans were hardly the first ones to use crucifixion to punish the hardest criminals. Studies show there were crucifixions dating back to as early as 500 B.C. when King Darius I of Persia crucified 3,000 of his enemies in Babylon. Some may have been even earlier. Even though the Romans did not come up with the…
Surrender is Not About Surrender
His queen is bearing down on my defenseless king. I know it. He knows it. It’s my turn and I have no meaningful options, except to delay the inevitable. So what will I do? Offer a draw? Resign? Never. I logout. I don’t like the word, “surrender,” and I don’t think many of you do, too. The word gives off a message of admitting defeat. After all, isn’t it a battle term? When we sense an imminent defeat, and we…
Fear of the End of Life
Is it strange to you if I were to tell you I openly talk to my family about my own death?—actually, quite regularly. They don’t seem to appreciate it, and I wonder why. Seriously, if someday my doctor were to say to me I could no longer eat as much of my favorite foods as I would like to eat, and if God says okay, I would say to myself it is time for me to go! Are you someone…
Discipline in the Church
Today, I am going to talk about something no one likes to talk about: Discipline. No one likes to receive discipline or to give discipline. We don’t even like to talk about it. What’s even worse than discipline is church discipline. It is very sensitive, and demands wisdom and prayer. But it is also very necessary because God takes sin seriously. Matthew 18 lays out the steps as good as anywhere in the Bible, how to discipline an individual within…
What You And I Can Say About the Bad Things That Happen to Us
Last week marked the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on our nation. Even though the memorial services were smaller in scale and more intimate compared to those of recent years because of the pandemic, they were still the same solemn ceremonies that mark one of the truly darkest days in our nation’s history. For me, 9/11 was the saddest 24 hours I have ever spent in my life, period. Perhaps it is the same for you, too. In…
Why Obey?
Is there anyone here who likes to obey? Anyone? Our family takes turns doing the dishes in our home. One day last week, my daughter told me, “Dad, it’s your turn to wash the dishes.” I finished some more things for work, turned off the lights, went upstairs, and got into bed. If you are like me, you don’t like to obey. Most people don’t like to obey. I consider myself a pretty obedient person for the most part, and…
Growing in Maturity in Relationships
Do you know how many times the word “discipleship” appears in our English Bible? If you guessed zero times, you are correct! While the word “disciple” appears over 250 times, there is no “discipleship,” not one. If you searched for the word “discipleship” in the entire Bible, you would not be successful. But more importantly, what does the word “discipleship” even mean? In the Christian world, everyone uses it, but what are we trying to say? And what does a…
Being Merciful is Hard to Do
In my daily life, when I make a mistake, I face a penalty or punishment. When I am having a bad day, and I say insensitive things, I take out my frustration on my wife or children, I chew my dogs out, I know what is coming for me. It is time to pay. There are consequences for what I have done. I feel ashamed, but at the same time, I am way too prideful to say I am sorry.…
Everyone, Meet Hupomeno
When I think of the word “endure,” I think back to the day my colleagues convinced me to join them in a 5k run through Central Park in New York City. Till this day, I have not forgiven my friends. On what I thought was the last day of my life, I huffed, and I puffed. I almost died. I made sure everyone in the world knew how unhappy I was. After a struggle I never will forget, I finished.…
How is Joy Different from Happiness?
There was one day after I became a follower of Christ, someone at my church told me that happiness was different from joy. He told me that joy is one notch higher than happiness. There is happiness. Then there is more happiness, or joy. Another time I heard someone say that happiness is a feeling that comes and goes, but not joy. Still another said that happiness is worldly, but joy is divine. What about you? What do you think?…
Faith and Suffering
It takes faith to thank God in our sufferings. Did you catch what I just said? It is no problem for us to find God in our blessings, and to thank him for them. But it is not natural for us to thank God in our sufferings. Why are we quick to recognize that God is in the good things that happen to us, but not so much when bad things happen to us? It is easy for me to…
Forgiveness vs. Reconciliation
If I asked you what is the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation, what would you say? The Bible says we are to forgive one another. As a matter of fact, Christ said we are to forgive one another not seven times, but seventy times seven. On the other hand, the Apostle Paul said that God reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. So, is forgiving one another the same as reconciling to one another?…