Once again, another course
is nearing an end, and this exercise of reflecting on what we have learned is a
good practice, lest we miss out valuable lessons that we could have learned
from the course. Personally, I think it is important to not just think through
the lessons, discussions and experiences, but to personalise them in our hearts
– something that I am well aware of, but sometimes fail to put in enough effort
to practise. Ultimately, the goal of reflection should not just be mental
knowledge but a transformed life, and often the chasm between the head and the
heart is often what makes biblical study ineffective.
A major theme which can be seen in all the three epistles
is perhaps the importance of living up the faith which we believe in, both for
the ordinary Christian so that prebelievers will see the attractiveness of the
gospel (the gospel IS attractive, just that prebelievers will not see it if
Christians do not live up to it), and for the Christian leader to set an
example for those they lead and influence. This is, of course, obvious to most,
but the question is how much we often practise this in our own lives? After all,
it is the most obvious things which we often pay the least attention to. I, for
one, must confess that I frequently discover in myself how I have missed out
practising seemingly fundamental principles like love (instead of
self-centredness), patience (instead of impatience), humility (instead of
affirming myself for every little thing which I do well), perseverance (instead
of giving up easily), faith (intead of living by sight), reliance on God (instead
of trusting in my own problem-solving)... I could go on and on. Furthermore,
the pragmatic and efficiency/effectiveness-driven culture of Singapore could
skew the idea of setting an example towards the hard values of discipline and
diligence (which are good principles) to the neglect of more fundamental values
of faith, hope and love. The former, I contend, could also be a mask for
self-sufficiency and pride instead of a desire towards godliness.
A related thought is the damage which wrong teachings and
values could wreck on a community. In the highly educated society of Singapore
(and in correlation the church too), overtly false teachings are unlikely to be
embraced. However, the danger lies in erroneous teachings which bear
resemblance to what the Bible teaches, but either quote it in the wrong context
or emphasise minor doctrines at the expense of major principles. One well-known
example is the prosperity gospel, which is often taught with substantiating
verses from the Bible but shows signs of specious reasoning on closer scrutiny.
The implication for myself is that I need to examine where
in the Bible the teachings and doctrines which I believe in comes from, and to make sure I comprehend
the contexts from where they are quoted, so that I can understand and apply
them correctly in my own life and in what I teach. At the same time, it is
important for me to know the Word of God well generally, and to be sensitive to
the values which come out in normal conversation, in the hope that I might help
to correct wrong values and teachings that are being shared over fellowship.
Timothy is often understood to be relatively young and of
a less assertive personality in view of the regular encouragement from Paul to
stand firm, especially in 2 Timothy. However, a possible reason for Paul’s encourage
could be the degree of opposition which Timothy faced at Ephesus. In spite of
the prevalence of false teachings and opposition, Timothy was encouraged to
stand against it not only through teaching but also through living out the
faith he taught. However, to change opinion by example is often a long-drawn
process, since values are not immediately obvious, but confirmed in the life of
a person only through time. In our “instant” society, we have less patience for
nagging issues that persist in our midst, and the temptation might be to solve
problems with the fastest ways possible. However, since we are dealing with
people, a lack of patience and wisdom could lead to hurts and divisions which
could be irreparable in the community. I personally have much room to grow in
patience and perseverance, both in my personal life and in ministry settings. Perhaps
the greatest value of standing against opposition through life example is the
strong foundation established in the character of the leader.
One problem which the church at Ephesus seems to be
dealing with is legalistic adherence to forms instead of pursuing godliness and
love in response to the grace of God. Legalism is perhaps a common trap for
young believers and new leaders to fall into, since it is always easier to have
a fixed, observable set of rules to follow and to define what spirituality is.
However, such legalistic religiosity contributes little to genuine spiritual growth,
and serves mainly to feed the pride and self-righteousness of the person
practising it. After being a Christian for over a decade, I can still see signs
of this in how I evaluate myself and compare myself with others (the fact that I
even evaluate and compare myself with others shows how deceitful and
pretentious my heart can be, since in trying to evaluate others in spirituality
I show myself to be unspiritual and prideful!).
One last thing I have to comment about the experience in
this module is the sharing of lives while working with my teammates. Though it
is tough to plan meet-ups and discuss through our assignment, it is perhaps the
most memorable time of the module. We met in Jenny’s home, and she exercised
her hospitality by brewing tea for us and preparing food for us. We had our
differences of opinions, but learned to deal with it without getting into
quarrels. We also had a great time in our presentation! My general mindset is
that as a working adult I have little time for such group work, but I am glad
that this is still a valuable part of learning process.
