From the Pastor's Desk

What's Happening in this World?

My Friend's Story of Distress

I was speaking to an old friend of mine, recently, who lives in the U.S. He shared with me about how he felt so down lately. He mentioned that it was perhaps because of the effects of staying home under lockdown because of the coronavirus, but also because of the recent social unrest. He mentioned that the combination of all the debating, arguing, complaining, looting, and violence has really brought his spirits down and he just felt depressed.

My Own Story of Distress

Of course, there is no doubt that the recent events can cause people to feel all sorts of emotions. Even I, personally, felt the anger, frustration, and helplessness as I watched some of the videos. Not only that, but, recently, I went for a jog and found a guy with a mask lying on the ground. I was not sure what had happened to him. Was he a homeless person sleeping on the doorsteps of an apartment or was he an elderly person who had the coronavirus and collapsed? I was not sure and I did not know what to do, so I called the police to come and investigate. They came and found that the guy was just sleeping. Thank the Lord that the man was okay. The police scolded him a bit about how he was bothering the residence and how he should find some other place to rest. As the man stood up, I observed that he was a younger man who looked like he was on drugs or was mentally ill. In any case, I was glad that he seemed to be okay and it wasn't a case of the coronavirus. I thanked the police and continued my morning jog for about 50 meters and stopped at the traffic light and looked back to see how things were going, but the man that I saw earlier was standing right behind me. It surprised me, and I told him, "I was afraid that you were ill. I'm just glad that you're okay." But he kept staring at me. On top of all this, he had his hand in his bag. “Could there be a knife in there,” I wondered. I decided not to head straight home and, instead, turned left. But as soon as I had turned left, I saw in my peripheral vision that the man started running after me. I quickly ran away and back toward where the police car was which was about to leave the scene. I told them that the man was chasing me and they assured me that they would look into it. When I got home, I was filled with fear. I was living in Taiwan, where it is supposed to be safe! But that idea was shattered (at least emotionally).

My friend in the U.S. who had thought that he could continue his life as normal, working, resting, dating, eating, etc…his idea of normal was shattered with the recent happenings.

The Source of Distress

What is the connecting link? I believe that there are times when we get fooled into thinking that this life is “what it’s all about.” We study, we work, we take care of family, we do all these things with the hope that life would be better or easier for us in the near future. This was what my friend had in mind. For me, it was the idea that Taiwan is safe and that I can live a comfortable, worry-free life here. Even our prayers can be based on this assumption (or lie) that this world is supposed to get better and better…at least for me, right? And when things do not go the way we plan or the way we had hoped, we find ourselves anxious, saddened, disappointed, disillusioned, and/or doubting God. Perhaps the reason is that we have put our hope in the idea that this is our home and this home is where we can build a comfortable, satisfying life. In other words, this world is where I can find true rest, a Sabbath rest. In essence, this way of thinking shows that we have placed our hope in something else rather than in God, and have concluded that we can find a comfortable, satisfying life without Jesus. It is like saying, "I do not need you, Jesus, because I have this life." 

Hebrews 4:8-11 says, "For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience." 

Our Remembrance and Action in Distress

Brothers and sisters of FPC, we may be in Taiwan and the issues on the news may seem distant to some of us, but this an opportunity for all of us to reflect on what God has already told us in His word:

1) This world is a sinful, fallen world. These recent happenings are actually not unprecedented. Disease, racial conflict, and violence have always existed. These events do not have to catch us off-guard. Rather, we can be ready for such events.

2) When we find ourselves disappointed or disillusioned, it is an opportunity to reexamine what is going on in our own hearts. Have I replaced my hope in God with a hope in something else? Have I determined in my heart to try to find my Sabbath rest on this earth? Do I expect heaven to exist on earth before the Lord returns?

3) It is also an opportunity for us to turn back to the Lord and declare, "Jesus, you are my only hope! In you only can I find the rest, the life that I'm looking for."

4) Finally, it is an opportunity for Christians to respond with truth and love because of what Jesus has accomplished in us. It is an opportunity to share God's truth that the world is a fallen place, but hope does exist in the person of Jesus Christ. It is an opportunity to stand up for life, for justice, and for peace, because this is what Jesus did for us. He gave up his life so that we could live. He gave up his life so that there would be justice for the crimes we committed. He gave up his life, so that there would be peace between God and man for everyone that believes.

(Extra)

Hear from our very own Kevin Fulton on the recent social unrest in the U.S.: http://tiny.cc/178bqz

Comical videos about how bad things have become (warning: brief vulgar language):
https://youtu.be/Ms7capx4Cb8
https://youtu.be/xdyDpP2s-og 

5 Questions with...Tjahjo ("T.J.") Adiprabowo

1. How did you first get involved with Friendship Presbyterian?   I came to Taiwan from Indonesia in September 2017 because I was continuing my doctoral studies at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST) in Taipei. At NTUST, there was a group of Indonesian Christian students who attended the Sunday service at Friendship Presbyterian Church (FPC). On my first Sunday in Taiwan, I was invited by them to attend the Sunday service at FPC. Since then, every Sunday, I go to church at FPC. I feel the theology adopted by FPC is close to the theology adopted by my church in Indonesia, which is a Presbyterian-based Protestant church. (Nevertheless, I have also sometimes been worshiping in another church in Taipei, Grace Baptist Church near NTU).

2. What do you do Monday through Saturday?  From Monday to Saturday, I work on my research at NTUST. My research is about microwave filters that are used to eliminate common mode noise in microwaves so as not to interfere with the performances of other electronic devices. I usually do my daily research in the laboratory in NTUST from around 8:00 a.m. to around 10:00 p.m. with breaks for lunch and dinner. I live in a dormitory in the NTUST campus environment, so it is close to my research laboratory. Usually, after attending Sunday service in FPC, I also continue to do my research in the laboratory in NTUST.

3. What is something people might be surprised to learn about you?  Almost everyone who first met me in Taipei thought I was a Muslim, because it is true that the majority of Indonesian people are Muslim. They were generally surprised to learn that I am a Christian. Their second surprise about me is my age. I just started doctoral studies at retirement age, they thought I was young. Even my professor at NTUST jokingly called me elder brother, because he is younger than me.

4. What do you find most challenging about being a Christian today?  My main challenge as a Christian today is how I can live according to the will of the Lord Jesus. I feel that I often live according to the desires of my own heart. I still worry a lot about my family, about my daughter and my wife who live in Indonesia, who are physically far from me. Still, my life experience is full of God's miracles. One of the miracles that the Lord Jesus gave me is the awareness and belief that the Lord Jesus who is the creator of the universe is very close beside me, within me, and guides me in my daily life in this world (Psalm 139).

5. What is one of your favorite books of the Bible?  One of my favorite books of the Bible is the Psalms because it is full of testimonies and praises to God, as well as the guidelines for living in God. One of the verses in the Psalm that made me very peaceful to live with God as a Christian is Psalm 139: 16 which, in Todays English Version, reads, "You saw me before I was born. The days allotted to me have all been recorded in your book, before any of them ever began. " Before I was born in this world, God had seen me. And whatever will happen in my life in detail is already recorded in the Book of God, before any of it happened. This really strengthens me that whatever happens in my life is already in the plan and the wisdom of the almighty God. I just live my days full of gratitude to God all the time. Yet, this does not mean that I live without my mind, because I am convinced that even this mind of mine is God's creation. And God also uses my mind to lead me to live in His will by inspiring my mind according to His will.

New Members

We always rejoice to welcome new members into the FPC family. Jesus said that his true family was not made up of those he shared blood with, but those who do the will of God (Mark 3:31-35). Please seek out and greet your new brothers and sisters!