Contextualizing Christ

Why are you here?

Why am I here?

I think that's been a question that I've been asking these last few days.

! I've been asking the Lord, why did you bring us here to do what we need to do?

And what is it that we need to do?

Thank you.

He wants to stay in Asia, because probably that's where the best food is.

But then the Holy Spirit says, no, you have to go here.

Don't go here. Don't go here. You must go here.

And we're beneficiaries of that, because eventually it went to Europe.

Then it went to carry on to the West.

And I've always been really envious of that, because I, too, want to be told by God, exactly where do you need me to go?

Right? Don't we want that?

When you hear that voice saying, okay, go to this street corner, find the person who's wearing a red T-shirt, and tell them this secret word, and they will convert, and they will accept Jesus and live eternal life in heaven.

And I wish he would close doors for me.

Sometimes he doesn't close doors for me, and I keep going through doors, and I don't even know if they're the right one.

And on Friday, Christine and I had the most interesting experience.

Friday afternoon, we got news that my uncle was on his last few hours.

And a dear uncle, because he's probably, I'm not going to be here if his family weren't around us.

And my cousins called me, and they said, James, we don't know anything about the faith.

We don't know anything about the Bible.

What do we need to do?

What can we pray?

Thank you.

I'm going to try not to.

What can we do to pray for him so he's more comfortable?

They know who we are.

They know that we came to Hong Kong to serve God.

They don't know God.

But then they kept saying, but don't come.

We know that you're very busy.

Don't come.

We know you have work to do.

And I was like, screw that.

So anyway, I said, I'll try and come as soon as I can.

They don't know Jesus.

I'm like, Lord, if there's something that you can do with them, then please, I'll go.

So they're in China.

So they're in Guangzhou.

So I said, let's go.

I'll go.

Of course, I look online, trip.com.

The tickets are all sold out already.

I think it's just a busy week in Hong Kong.

So I said, OK, well, I can't get up then.

And then I sat down on the bed.

I was like, is that it?

Because the doctor said there's only a few more hours.

I said, Lord, if you want me to go and share the gospel with them, just tell me and I will go.

I'll walk up there.

I'll figure it out.

I sat down and couldn't find the tickets.

And then I was just reminded of my auntie, whose husband this is, who's just outside of our parents.

It's probably one of the most nearest and dearest to us.

I remember when our dad passed away at 17 in England.

This auntie had never even been to Japan.

I called her when I was 17.

I said, Dad's gone.

And she was like, I'm on my way.

And I remember she just flew to England.

And I sat on my bed on Friday.

And I was like, she did that for me.

I must go.

So I was like, forget it.

I'm going to go to West Calhoun Station.

So I went to West Calhoun Station, tried to get a ticket.

They said, no, it's sold out.

I said, well, I don't even need to sit.

I can just stand.

I'll just hang on the train.

Just let me hang on the train.

They said no.

And then I had to go home.

And I was like, I think that's how it feels.

You want to do something.

You feel that this is the right place to go.

And then God says no.

Anyway, I told Christina, I don't know.

I think that might be it.

I don't think I can go and pray for my uncle anymore.

And then she, who actually, funnily enough,

she was planning to go to Shenzhen herself with a group of ladies.

And she got turned away at the border because her visa ran out.

And that was completely our fault.

That was our neglect.

So she had to come back down.

So in the same evening, both of us were turned away from China.

And she just said, I think he'll still be around tomorrow.

The doctor said 3 p.m. Friday was when he was going to go.

I said, well, Lord, if you want me to share anything, something,

then can you keep him alive till tomorrow?

And, of course, in the evening, once we found out I couldn't go,

my auntie called me and said, yeah,

they're actually going to switch off the machine now.

And I said, well, okay.

I'm still coming tomorrow morning, and I know he's still going to be there.

And she was like, well, okay, let's just see.

I wake up in the morning, and actually, he is still around.

And so I go straight up.

By this point, he can't actually hear me.

But I'm just praying for him.

I'm just praying for him.

I'm reading John 14 over him.

I'm just doing everything I possibly can.

Do I think, just to be aware, this is,

I don't know if this is a good ending.

But I want you to know I'm trying.

I want you to try to share the gospel.

Because I was like, actually, it's not going to be me who converts him.

Only God.

Only the Holy Spirit.

But I have to do my part.

So, God, I'll try and knock on every door

and see if you will open it.

So I got there, and of course, part of me is like,

actually, I'm not going to even just think about him.

I'm going to think about my auntie.

I'm going to think about my cousins.

Because they're like, oh, I've been trying to pray for him.

I've been trying to get him to say the words.

I believe.

That's all.

But sadly, because it's China,

they've already set up the funeral arrangements.

There's not going to be a Christian one.

And she's like, oh, what's going to happen to him?

I said, I don't know.

That's out of my control.

I'm here just to obey.

I'm here just to follow, to do whatever I can.

So it doesn't feel nice.

And that's where the story ends.

And the reason why I'm a mess this morning

is because he passed this morning.

But I hope that my failure is an encouragement to you.

That there is a news that needs to be shared.

The question is, are we willing to hear?

Are we willing to obey?

Are we willing to follow?

Each of us has people in our lives

who need to know the love of Jesus,

need to know the good news of Jesus,

need to know that Jesus is the only one that can do it.

And maybe the Spirit is speaking to us and saying,

well, sometimes it's going to work.

Sometimes I'm going to close the door.

Sometimes you won't even get a ticket to get on the train.

But you do what the Lord asks you to.

And that's all you can do.

That's why I loved Acts 16.

So I guess when I was praying,

I've always been praying,

God, can you give me an Acts 16 experience?

And I guess he did.

He closed doors for me.

And it's at that point, then I go, well, okay.

How am I reacting to this?

Because how I react will tell me where I'm at.

How I react will tell me

whether I really do care about sharing the good news

or whether actually I'm still just doing it

just for my own comfort.

When you follow the Spirit,

as Gabe shared so well last week,

it's not about comfort.

It's not even about your own pleasure

and your own luxuries

or even your own impact for the kingdom.

It's for him.

How do you know it's the Holy Spirit?

Well, if the Holy Spirit is pointing you to share Jesus,

if he's pointing you to Jesus,

that's the Holy Spirit.

John 16a, when it says,

the Holy Spirit will come

and convict the world of sin and righteousness.

Would we be a people

who are willing to follow his Spirit

and that is actually it?

What if the Spirit was our only strategy?

I was talking to Caleb the other day.

We've been talking a lot about the Holy Spirit

because we're in the book of Acts

and you see how the church was born.

And it's all about,

it's Holy Spirit, would you follow?

Would you lead me?

I'll follow you anywhere.

Just tell me where to go.

Tell me what to do.

Tell me what to say.

Because I can't bring people to you myself.

I never have.

Well, I didn't come to you myself.

You came to me.

Last week, workend, we went around

because we were at a conference

to talk about stewardship and generosity

and how Christians should use their wealth.

And I was just so inspired by this one person.

I won't say the company,

but he's a big, big, big tech company in China.

The first name that comes to mind

is probably the one, that's the one.

And he's the chief strategy officer

who's a Christian.

And as he was sharing,

he was like, actually,

I'd be very open about my faith up there.

And he told me about one of the daily practices

and habits that he has,

which is every day before I go to work

as the chief strategy officer of this company,

but as a personal follower of Jesus Christ,

I say, Lord, I need your help.

Tell me where to go.

And every time he goes into a meeting,

every time he goes into a big strategy meeting,

he goes, God, what do you want me to say?

What do you want me to do?

I was just blown away.

I mean, for him, he said it so casually,

but I'm like, we are so engrossed in this world

in the way that we go about things.

We always need to have a plan.

We always need to have a strategy,

a three-year plan, a five-year plan,

a 10-year plan of what we need to do

to succeed, to bring impact.

And yet I have sitting inside in front of me,

a chief strategy officer

of one of the biggest companies in the world

saying, I'm reliant on the Holy Spirit.

That's it.

I was so inspired by him saying that.

It just hammers home the point once and again.

It's about what God is doing,

and we simply follow.

I've been inspired, actually, by some stories here.

Kelly shared with us a couple of weeks back

about just her being able to share the gospel

with people around her.

And in our group, Steph, I think I saw her somewhere,

she said the same thing.

She managed to speak to just people.

Can we just go to work?

Can we go to our next family dinner and go,

Holy Spirit, can you just do whatever you want to do?

And can you show me who I need to talk to

and what I need to say?

Can we be people that are so in tune with that,

to asking him to lead us?

Because I think that's all that's necessary.

And once we get there,

we do have to then learn how to speak to these people,

because you can't speak to everyone in the same way

because everyone is different.

That's why Paul here is the chosen instrument by God

because actually he contextualized so well.

One of my favorite passages in the scriptures

is 1 Corinthians 9,

where it says, well, it's actually the final part

is actually I discipline my body,

training it to do what it should,

lest after preaching to others,

I myself might be disqualified.

That's why I hold myself to this book

to such a high level,

because I'm saying I can't preach here

if I'm not following this,

because I might preach to you,

but if I'm not doing it,

if I'm not disciplined,

then I myself might be disqualified.

But that chapter is majestic

because earlier in the chapter,

Paul says this,

hey, to the Jews, I'm a Jew.

To the Greeks, I'm a Greek.

I become all things to all people

in order to save some.

That relentless mindset of going,

I will adapt myself to whatever it is,

whatever language you need to speak,

whatever culture you understand,

I want to bend myself to you

so that you would understand the gospel.

And even then,

I become all things to all people

in order to save some.

We see here today,

as we look at this scripture passage,

that Paul is exercising

that stretching muscle to the full.

You see him talking to Jews in one way,

and you see him talking to Greeks in another.

My prayer as we leave here later

is you'll be inspired to go,

actually, what's my context?

What's the language I need to speak

to these colleagues,

to these friends,

to my family members

in a way that they will understand,

but that the name of Jesus

still pierces through

into their hearts?

So with that,

can I invite you to stand?

And we're going to read

the word of the Lord together.

Sorry, Aaron,

I wasn't organized enough

to ask someone to read.

Would you mind reading for us?

Sorry, the passage is a little bit long,

but as I,

but you guys,

you guys,

I know that you guys can do it.

Acts chapter 17,

Acts 17 · chapter mention

this is the word of the Lord.

The whole chapter.

Why don't we do,

why don't we just do 16 to,

I think.

Acts chapter 17,

Acts 17:16–34

verse 16 to 34.

Now,

while Paul was waiting

for them at Athens,

his spirit was provoked within him,

and he saw that the city

was full of idols.

So he reasoned in the synagogue

with the Jews

and the devout persons

and in the marketplace

every day with those

who happened to be there.

Some of the Epicurean

and Stoic philosophers

also conversed with him,

and some said,

what does this babbler wish to say?

Others said,

he seems to be a preacher

of foreign divinities,

because he was preaching

Jesus and the resurrection.

And they took him

and brought him

to the Arapagus,

saying,

may we know

what this new teaching is

that you are presenting,

for you bring

some strange things

to our ears.

We wish to know,

therefore,

what these things mean.

Now all the Athenians

and the foreigners

who lived there

would spend their time

in nothing except telling

or hearing something new.

So Paul,

standing in the midst

of the Arapagus,

said,

men of Athens,

I perceive that in every way

you are very religious.

For as I passed along

and observed the objects

of your worship,

I found also an altar

with this inscription,

to the unknown God.

What therefore you worship

as unknown,

this I proclaim to you.

The God who made the world

and everything in it,

being Lord of heaven and earth,

does not live in temples

made by man,

nor is he served

by human hands

as though he needed anything,

since he himself

gives to all mankind life

and breath and everything.

And he made from one man

every nation of mankind

to live on all the face

of the earth,

having determined

allotted periods

and the boundaries

of their dwelling place,

that they should seek God

and perhaps feel their way

toward him and find him.

Yet he is actually not far

from each one of us,

for in him we live

and move

and have our being,

as even some of your own poets

have said,

for we are indeed his offspring.

Being then God's offspring,

we ought not to think

that the divine being

is like gold

or silver

or stone,

an image formed

by the art

and imagination of man.

The times of ignorance

God overlooked,

but now he commands

all people everywhere

to repent

because he has fixed a day

on which he will judge

the world in righteousness

by a man whom he has appointed.

And of this,

he has given assurance

to all

by raising him from the dead.

Now when they heard

of the resurrection

of the dead,

some mocked,

but others said,

we will hear you again

about this.

So Paul went out

from their midst,

but some men joined him

and believed,

among whom also were

Dionysus

and Arab Haggai

and a woman named Damaris

and others with them.

This is the word

of the Lord.

Praise be to God.

Thank you, Aaron.

Please take a seat.

So,

Paul starts to make

this journey

to Athens,

the cultural center,

the cultural capital,

not of Greece,

but of the world.

This is Athens,

not at its prime prime

because the Romans

had already taken over,

but this is in terms

of cultural influence.

They were still

the most important city

in the world right now.

And it's really funny.

Silent Timothy,

they are going to join him soon,

but Paul goes there

first himself.

And we're actually going

to just jump a little bit.

It was actually

the before part

in Thessalonica.

Paul does the same thing

as he does in every city

that he goes to.

He goes straight to the Jews.

He goes straight to the synagogue.

And he speaks to them

in a very interesting way.

At the beginning,

chapter 17,

verse 2,

1 and 2 and 3,

you can see he goes

straight,

1,

first S,

he goes straight

to the synagogue.

Same thing that he does

every time.

He goes to the synagogue

and then actually

he spends three weeks there

because he spends

three separate Sabbaths there.

So he spends three weeks

on the Sabbath

in the synagogue

talking to the Jews

and opening up

the scriptures.

So he's opening up

the scriptures.

So that's one way

of him contextualizing

because he knows

what they believe.

He knows that they are

waiting for the Messiah.

So all his job is to do

is open up this book,

well,

half of this book,

the Old Testament,

and he's saying,

hey,

do you realize who it is?

Do you realize

he's actually come?

Do you realize

there's actually 300 prophecies

in the Old Testament

who are pointing

to the person of Jesus?

The fact that he would

be born to a virgin.

The fact that he would

be born in Bethlehem.

The fact that he would

be a descendant of David.

The fact that he would

be pierced

and that is how he would die.

The fact that he will

then rise again.

Do you realize

all these 300 prophecies

are about him?

It is him.

That's his message

to the Jews.

And it's one that,

well,

they would have understood

to a level

because they would have

known the scriptures.

They just didn't know

who it was.

So he was simply

just kind of

pulling open the curtain

and saying,

this is it.

Follow him.

And of course,

some believe

and then others

set a mob

and actually go and

try and beat these people

out of the city

and that's what they do.

Jason,

who hosts them,

also gets into trouble.

He ends up having

to pay them money

so they can go

so you can see there.

And then afterwards,

they go to another place

and from there in Berea,

they do the same thing.

They go to the Jews.

They open up the scriptures.

This group of Jews

are better.

They actually open up

the Bible with them

and go,

okay,

well,

this is verse 11.

They receive the word

from all eagerness,

examining the scriptures

daily to see

if these things were so.

So basically,

they say,

oh,

okay,

all right,

that makes sense.

Okay,

I guess that is,

I guess Jesus

couldn't have chosen

that he would be born

to a virgin.

He couldn't have chosen

to be born in Bethlehem.

Who got to choose

where they were born?

No one.

So they're like,

oh,

okay,

this starts to make sense.

Again,

so some Jews responded,

but then another group

left every time.

Honestly,

that's what they gave me

the courage this time

as I was going up

to my,

who,

of course,

very deeply loved

by my family,

but I was like,

I don't know

if they will actually

receive this message well.

And it happened

to the very last moment

in bed

when my family

was saying,

oh,

he's going to be

with your dad.

And then he's like,

oh,

how can I not

go to the temple?

So good.

So good.

So good.

Your uncle's going to go

and be with your dad.

It'll be fine.

He's such a good,

he was such a good person.

In that moment,

for me just to go,

oh,

I actually don't think

he will.

Because he needs to

recognize that he needs

Jesus.

Can you imagine

if it was just,

oh,

if it's a good person

that gets to go?

If you're just nice

and if you were kind,

then that's enough.

For me to be able

just to go,

no,

I think the only way

he's going to get there

is if he recognizes

he needs Jesus.

Of course,

the easier thing

at that point

to say,

yeah,

of course,

he's going to a better place.

He was good.

Everyone speaks highly of him.

But that's not the message,

is it?

That's not the Christian message.

The Christian message

isn't if you are good enough

and kind enough,

you will go to heaven.

That's not the message.

We don't need a cross for that.

We don't need Jesus for that.

The Christian message

is someone who's willing

to say,

I need a savior.

And that savior

is Jesus.

It's funny because

time and time again

in this book of Acts,

the Christians had a chance.

Actually,

the Romans were like,

look,

stop talking about

the resurrection.

Just keep Jesus

as a nice man,

a good man,

a prophet even,

who spoke on behalf of God.

Keep him there,

but don't talk about

the resurrection

and we'll let you continue.

And then the Christian's like,

no,

that's the only thing

we hang our hat on.

That Jesus is the son of God

that he died

and now he rose again.

And I wouldn't need

to die for that.

You might want to allow me

to live by just compromising

my message,

but that's the only thing

that matters.

That he put death to death.

Do we have the courage

to actually stand up

and go,

wait,

there's something wrong here.

Of course,

Paul time and time again

seems to just be relentless,

focused on what his message was.

And so then he gets kicked out

of another town

and another town

and by verse 16,

he finally goes to Athens.

While he's in Athens,

he's waiting for Timothy and Silas.

So we're now in verse 16

if you're following along.

While he's walking around

and waiting for them.

So he's probably waiting,

maybe grabbing some food,

walking around the city,

seeing,

and then this line comes.

His spirit was provoked

within him

as he saw that the city

was full of idols.

Provoked,

the word there is distressed.

The word there is sudden,

violent emotion.

He walks around in Athens

and sees the different temples

and sees the different statues

and he has this sudden moment

of emotion

that is violent

and distressed

and devastated.

Why?

Because he looks

and he sees

this whole city,

this cultural capital

of the world

is worshipping anything

but God.

It's filled

with idols.

So again,

he does the thing

that he always does

and goes straight

to the synagogue

and then he speaks

with the Jews.

Like guys,

come on.

This is it.

Hey,

I know the scriptures

better than you.

I promise you,

I've met him

and now I'll go through

every passage of scripture

with you

but Jesus is him.

But he doesn't just

stop there this time.

He goes into a place

called the Agora

which is the marketplace.

He doesn't stay

in the synagogue.

He doesn't stay there.

He goes out

into the marketplace

and he speaks there

and that's when he meets

a group of interesting people.

Verse 18,

some of the Epicurean

and Stoic philosophers

also converse with him.

The Epicurean

and Stoic philosophers,

let's just maybe

a modern equivalent.

The Epicureans

were the ones,

you'd call them

the hedonists,

the ones who just

live for pleasure,

maximize pleasure,

avoid pain,

live life to the best now

and so they're trying

to just molt

their whole lifestyle

around this philosophy

is just enjoy

as much as you can now.

So that was them.

Next to them

were the Stoics

who were a different group.

They would be like

equivalent to the

modern determinists

who say,

who actually just want

to seek control.

They believe

that actually when

you do this,

this will happen.

When you do this,

this will happen.

They are much more traditional,

much more strict

in the way

they live their lives

and so you have

these two different

camps of people

in this agora,

in this marketplace

and it's fascinating.

Paul comes to them,

engages with these philosophers.

Remember,

the Greek philosophers

were just,

they were used to debating,

used to discussing

these things

and Paul comes

and he says one thing,

verse 18,

he was preaching Jesus

and the resurrection.

Armed with nothing

but the fact

that who Jesus was,

what he did,

that he died

and then he rose again.

And so they go,

who is this guy?

What does this babbler

wish to say?

It looks like he's preaching

about a foreign god.

And so then they took him

to this place,

verse 19,

Areopagus,

which is basically

a court of law.

if anyone has been to London,

it's probably like,

a little bit like

the speaker's corner

where people can actually

debate philosophies

and argue

and discuss all these things.

The only difference

is this court

actually had even more authority.

Speaker's Corner in London

just has a bunch of tourists

who are hearing people argue.

But this Areopagus

is where actually

the greatest minds

all get together

and exchange ideas

and discuss and debate.

They say,

we would like to hear more

about this God.

We're going to take you there

and we're going to have you

speak to us there.

And so,

verse 22,

Paul preaches

one of the most powerful

contextualized sermons

that he's done so far.

Remember,

up until this point,

he's talking to the Jews.

He's saying,

he's talking about

the Old Testament,

he's talking about

the prophecies

and he's pointing them

to Jesus,

talking about the Messiah.

Here,

you can see his sermon

completely changes.

Completely changes

and it's almost

word feeding again

but we'll do it

bit by bit.

Men of Athens,

I perceive that

in every way

you are very religious.

For as I passed along

and observed the objects

of your worship,

I found also an altar

with this inscription

to the unknown God.

What's the first thing

he does?

When he gets to Athens

and he's waiting

for his bros,

he's going on a walk,

he's going on a prayer walk

and looking around

then he gets very distressed

at seeing all these statues

and all these temples

and idols

and now he's finally

given a place

to address this

and so they give him

a space to speak

and he says,

men of Athens,

I can see that actually

you are very religious.

You have gods

around everywhere.

Again,

the cultural center

of the world here

had a god for everything.

Aries,

the god of war

and thunder.

You had the god

of fertility,

you had the god

of agriculture,

you had,

think of a god,

you name it,

they've got it.

It's just like Taobao.

So you have everything

is right here.

And then he says

this one thing.

He says,

but I noticed

there was one statue

that I want to talk about.

I'm going to use that

as my entry point

for my sermon

to contextualize

so you understand

who this Jesus is.

I see that you have

an inscription for one statue

which you just called

the unknown god.

You don't even know

who that god is.

Well,

why is that god,

why is that statue

there in the first place?

Because they had

so many gods.

The one thing

that they wanted

to make sure

is that they would

appease and satisfy

every god.

So they didn't want

any god to have FOMO

and so they just

put a god there

and said,

okay,

well,

everyone else,

if we missed your name,

apologies,

we worship you.

It's kind of why

that god is there.

And so he used that

as his entry point

and said,

hey,

I want to talk to you

about that god.

You don't know that god

but can I introduce you

to him

because he knows you.

Isn't that clever?

Isn't that a clever way

to introduce himself

into this context

to talk to these people?

I remember as a,

I think I would have been

maybe 20 years old

when the Da Vinci Code

came out

and I've shared

this story sometimes.

I was just,

okay,

so I grew up

in a university time

where apologetics

was a real,

like,

real hot topic.

It was really fun

to debate and argue

and discuss about apologetics.

I think that's kind of

lessened a little bit

because people care

less what you think

and care whether

just whether you care.

And so I remember

using the Da Vinci Code.

It was just my way

to talk.

I mean,

I guess I don't have

any more friends

from university anymore

but maybe I'll reflect

on that.

But I remember

going to my friends

and saying,

hey,

have you watched

the Da Vinci Code?

And they said,

yeah,

yeah.

And of course,

during that time,

people were actually,

I think Dan Brown's right.

I was like,

Dan Brown's just

a fictional writer.

What's he right about?

Well,

I think there might

be something.

I think Jesus got married

and did this

and this and this

and this.

I was like,

that's a lot of faith

that you need to have

to believe what Dan Brown said.

But I remember

that was my entry point.

I was like,

have you read it?

Have you watched the movie?

Tom Hanks is pretty good

in the movie.

Well,

actually,

by the way,

are you actually religious?

I go to church.

I don't believe that

because that's written

by a human.

But I believe this book,

which is written by God.

It was just a great season

for me in learning

how to defend the faith,

how to talk about

these things.

Culturally now,

I think we're in

a different place.

And I want us to think

about your context.

My question at the very beginning,

why are you here

and why has God placed

the people that are around you?

What do they need to hear?

So anyway,

he finds this unknown God

and he says,

let me tell you

about this God.

And he doubles down.

He says,

my God is bigger than yours.

My God,

he goes,

he says,

let's see,

the God who made the world.

So you have a God

that kind of made reproduction.

You've got his God

who makes the kind of

all these other things

that you worship.

Can I just say,

my God just made all of it.

The God who made the world

and everything in it,

being Lord and heaven and earth,

does not live in temples

made by man

like your ones do,

nor is he served

by human hands

as though he needed anything

since he himself

gives to all mankind

life and breath

and everything.

He's like,

your gods,

your gods demand

everything from you

but give out very little to you.

Your gods want you

to serve them

with a promise

of something

but it doesn't really happen.

My God created everything,

gives you everything,

doesn't even need you

to serve him

because actually

what you will serve him with

came from him anyway.

It's kind of like

a parent and a baby child.

My God is different

to yours.

I want to pause here

and just segue a little bit

and ask you,

if you walk around

the city of Hong Kong,

what are the idols

that you see?

What are the idols

that you see

in Hong Kong?

Maybe I'll make it

a little bit more awkward

just to buy me some time

to gather my thoughts.

Can you talk to the person

next to you

and share the first idol

that comes to mind

that you see

as you imagine

walking where you're walking?

What is the idol

that you see in Hong Kong?

30 seconds, go.

Another 15 seconds.

If the other person

hasn't said one yet,

then make them say one.

All right,

that's all we got.

That's all we got.

Looking around,

Dr. Arrow.

Avoiding eye contact

with me, Dr. Arrow.

Arrow's in my life group

and I've learned

to love him so much

and he also hates speaking

to anyone, actually.

What's an idol

that Janice brought up,

shared?

Money.

Of course,

that's the one

that rules all of Hong Kong,

right?

Especially if you walk

through Central and Admiralty.

Of course, again,

money itself is not

the problem, right?

What's the problem?

The love of money

is the rule of all evil.

If anyone wants

to talk about that,

Roger's the person

to talk about that with,

okay?

He's dedicated

his life

towards this topic.

Money.

Jesus talked

most about money

because he realized

this whole,

that it has on us.

When we turn

a good thing

into God,

that good thing

turns into a bad thing.

When we turn

a good thing

into God,

that good thing

turns into a bad thing,

right?

Money is huge.

Well, it's the thing

apparently

that makes the world

go around

and you see this everywhere.

I mean,

the Chinese culture

may be what struggles

the most of all

with gambling.

Money,

when we talk about money,

everything is,

did we pay too much

for this?

How do we get this

the cheapest

as we possibly can?

Right?

We're nodding

and we're like,

that's just a righteous pursuit.

That's why we all

go to Shenzhen.

Money.

But how much

of that money

is a poverty mindset?

How much

of that money

is just rooted

in this mindset

that actually

I don't have enough?

How much of this

is just in a mindset

of just,

oh my goodness,

I need to keep saving more

for that rainy day.

I was convicted

by Paul

maybe a while ago.

Paul has this running joke

with me

because he knows

one of my idols

is the refusal

to pay for parking.

Like,

it just,

it just,

it ruins my whole day,

it ruins my life

because I'm just thinking,

how do I,

how much money

do I need to spend

so that I can

redeem free parking?

And I'll spend

up to $1,000

so I can avoid

paying the $30 parking.

I am that person.

And one time,

Paul walking with me

as we were doing

this journey,

I think he probably

doesn't even remember this,

but he says many

nasty things to me,

but this one he said,

he was like,

are you poor?

Are we poor?

I was like,

well,

I don't,

no,

no,

but parking!

It's,

I,

well,

because it's

cleaning detergents.

Have you met my wife?

Like,

it's cleaning detergents,

it's tissue,

it's household things.

I'm like,

if I'm going to spend

the money anyway,

I might as well spend money

to give me free parking.

Can I get an amen

from anyone?

Amen.

With that said,

my goodness is an idol.

And sometimes I'm like,

just pay.

Just get it over with.

Kelly knows,

Kelly shares in this with me.

We go to the great food hall

and scrounge for receipts

so we could collect enough

to get free parking.

Man,

I'm too vulnerable today.

You guys are just judging me.

Money,

okay,

I want to deflect

and move on to somewhere else.

Janine and Ellen,

what's the idol that you see?

Status.

Hmm?

Status.

Status.

Status.

If you keep peeling back status,

if you keep peeling back,

okay,

it's status,

it's recognition,

it's power,

it's just worth.

It's,

do I contribute to my tribe?

There's just this issue of,

just,

are we worthy?

And we have a,

just,

mankind just walking around

this world just going,

I am not worthy,

I am not enough,

I don't know who I am.

And so I'll grab

anything I can hold on to,

any badge I can wear,

so that others will look at me

and honor me.

Status.

Huge idol.

As I've shared before,

Keller says,

the idol is the one

that you say,

if I can just have that,

I will be so happy.

If I can just get that promotion,

then I,

my life will be complete.

And we get there

and we realize

it is still not complete.

Status.

One last one.

I'm looking at this area

over here.

Uncle Paul.

Materialism.

Materialism.

Materialism,

when you,

when you walk around

and you see

that that other person

has that,

when you walk in the MTR

and you see all the adverts

of the things

that you don't have,

but you realize

that you really need to have.

And so you have to go

and get it.

And maybe in a city

like Hong Kong

where we are just

so packed in together,

we get to see

and compare constantly

about what others have

and what we do not have.

Another idol I would say

is just,

and it's not just Hong Kong,

it's just in the world,

just secularism in general,

where we have this thought

that actually,

we are actually self-sufficient.

We just need to

obtain success.

We need to get as much

status,

money,

power,

as we possibly can

and there we will be satisfied.

And when you worship

secularism,

when you worship self,

actually those

who worship self,

the followers of self

are exhausted.

They're deflated.

Because whether you succeed

or not,

you still lose

because you realize

there's no satisfaction here.

The one that may be

even more dangerous,

I think,

for secularism

maybe specifically

in our,

in this room right now

is the idol of syncretism.

What is syncretism?

Syncretism is when

we integrate our faith

with our work.

When we think,

oh,

I need to worship God,

I need to follow God

to be a good person.

Oh,

and then he blesses me

and then he'll give me

a good job.

And when he gives me

a good job,

then I'll get the gym

membership that I need.

So then I'll start

having the body

that I want to have.

And when God blesses me

with the body

I want to have,

then he will give me

the spouse

that I want to have.

And when he blesses me

with the spouse

I want to have,

and then we'll have babies

that have my same body.

And they will succeed.

And then they

will get into

Bramer Hill Primary School.

And from Bramer Hill

Primary School,

they will then head

to St. Paul's Co-Ed.

And from St. Paul's Co-Ed,

they will then head

to Harvard.

Harvard.

And when they get

to Harvard,

that's when the money

making comes

because then they get

to go to McKinsey.

And when they go

to McKinsey,

oh, God has blessed

us so much.

My kid is now

at McKinsey

with the body,

with the wife,

with the children

who will also

head to McKinsey.

We laugh,

but I think

it's a nervous laugh

because you and I

both know

that's one of the

biggest gods in Hong Kong.

That's one of the

biggest gods

in the church.

When we think

God is here

to give us

what we need

and what we want,

sorry,

not what we need.

We only need bread

but we get more than that.

We want more than that.

And then we get upset

when we don't get it.

And that's when

you will know.

That's when I know

that's become my God

and how I react

to losing that.

Right?

See,

when you look at these,

actually,

there's this passage

in 2 Kings

that I must share

with you.

2 Kings,

2 Kings 17:33

chapter 17,

verse 33.

So they feared

the Lord

but also served

their own gods.

Ouch.

So they feared

the Lord

but also served

their own gods.

Is that you?

Long pause

for dramatic effect

and introspection.

Is that you?

That you fear

the Lord

but you serve

your other gods?

Gabs is nodding.

I agree.

It's you.

It's me.

Because we say

that we follow Jesus

but we actually

follow him

and all these

other things.

Right?

All these other things.

We follow Jesus

on Sunday morning

between 11 to 12.30.

Jesus isn't here

just to improve

our lives.

Jesus,

when he calls people,

he's saying,

you're fishers,

you're fishermen,

I want to make you

fishers of men.

You're good with money,

I'm going to completely

change your perspective

on money

so you can use money

for my kingdom,

for my glory.

You're good at caring

and hospitality

and you work

in the hotel business,

great.

you're going to do it

for my glory.

Not everyone needs

to turn into

a missionary

and a pastor

and a monk.

Everyone just needs

to do whatever

Jesus has made you

to be

so you can do

what he's calling

you to do.

That's it.

What is your idol?

You see,

when we actually

have a faith,

there's something else

that's happened

in our culture

which is

your faith

is your own.

I can't really

meddle and deal

and ask you

too much

about your faith

because otherwise

I'll hit a nerve

and you'll get insecure

and then you don't

want to talk about it

and so you keep

that faith private

but the problem here

is you cannot

really keep your faith

with Jesus private.

It has to seep into,

overflow into

your public life

and so you can

think about your

colleagues,

you can think about

your friends

who know you

and if they're

asked about you,

they're like,

yeah,

I think that person

is a Christian.

I think they

go to church

on Sunday.

Going to church

on Sunday

is the lowest bar.

It is the lowest bar

but how we live

the rest of our lives,

the prayer is that

they can think of you

and go,

okay,

well,

I think that person

goes to church

on Sundays

and maybe at that point

it's okay for them

to think that

and go,

well,

actually,

and that really

helps him

when I watch him

dealing with his boss

and I'm like,

that's different.

That's a different

kind of way.

Maybe it's something

to do with church

and then we can go,

actually,

well,

it's really something

to do with Christ.

See,

these people,

I think we didn't

actually read it

in Acts

but when he was

getting,

when he was in Berea,

oh,

in Thessalonica,

sorry,

they accused this

of the Christians

in chapter 17

verse 6.

And when they

could not find them,

they dragged Jason

and some of the brothers

before the city

authorities shouting,

these men

who have turned

the world upside down

have come here also.

Praise the Lord

that they would be

described as people

who turn the world

upside down.

When most of the time,

when most of the time,

you and I

are so adamant

and so terrified

that we try

and live in a way

where we conform

to the patterns

of this world

and so we stay

and do whatever

everyone else does

and then we wonder

why we can't discern

the good and perfect

will of God.

Romans 12,

where he says that

in view of God's mercy,

live your life

in this way.

Don't be conformed

to the patterns

of this world

because if you

can actually

go against it,

your mind will be renewed

and then you will

know my will.

And so here's a simple

equation,

here's a simple question,

if you're wondering

what God's will

is for your life

and you're wondering

why can't I hear

God's will,

maybe the next question

respectfully,

politely would be,

well actually,

are you still conforming

to the patterns

of this world?

Because if you are,

then you won't hear

the will of God.

The whole point is

when you stand up,

turn around the other way,

repent is what that

word really is,

and then you'll start

hearing the will of God.

What about you

looks different?

John Stott says this,

Paul was,

his spirit was provoked.

Sometimes we look at Paul

and we go,

well we can't do

what you did,

we can't speak

the way you did,

we can't do what you did,

we can't have the impact

that you did.

You see,

the only reason Paul

had all these things

was because he felt

the way he did.

Does that make sense?

How many of us

walk around

the temples of Hong Kong,

whether it's money,

status, power,

or actual idols?

You see,

it's interesting,

at least with the Greeks,

they were very overt

about what they worshipped.

We keep our idols

very hidden,

right?

You can't actually see

our idols until you

really think about it,

because otherwise

they just look like

shiny buildings.

But the reason why

Paul got to do

what he did,

was because

of the way he felt.

He was provoked.

He's like,

this isn't right,

when so often

we wander through

the city and

well,

whatever.

Hong Kong,

we have this problem.

As I mentioned

a couple of weeks ago,

John Calvin said,

the human heart

is an idol factory.

We keep

creating them.

We can't help it.

The only solution

is that we would turn

to the only one

who is real.

Exodus 20,

when he says,

you shall have

no other gods

before me.

Nowhere in my vicinity.

They can't even

be anywhere close.

I have to be

the only one,

not just the number one.

Why?

Because God

is a jealous God.

Actually,

Paul,

his feeling there

is provoked feelings

of jealousy,

which is actually,

I wish they would

only just have this,

only just have God,

but they keep

just flirting

and cheating on him

with all these

other gods.

Not because he,

not because he just

wants us to himself

because he's

self-centered

and selfish,

but he's like,

I'm the only one

who is willing

to give you everything.

All the other ones,

they demand everything,

but they don't give you

anything.

They will corrupt you,

they will consume you,

even the good things.

But the real God,

instead of corrupting

and consuming,

he will complete.

That's the only solution

that we would go

to him.

He was provoked.

Paul was heartbroken

when he saw this.

I recently came across

the stat that actually

90% of Asia

is not Christian.

90% of Hong Kong

is not 95% actually,

I think it's for Hong Kong.

I'll let it sit

just for a second.