MATTHEW: From Tax 2 Text

WORD@WORK MEDITATION

BOOK OF MATTHEW

“From Tax to Text”

In the new & significant year of 2011, we are starting a new series of Marketplace Word@Work meditations from the New Testament. This is in preparation of our first Bible Forum in March on the Book of Matthew.

Matthew, The Man

His given name was “Levi” which means “joined, bond” (Genesis 29:34). When Jesus called him, there was a name change to “Matthew” meaning “Gift of God” (Matt.9:9) for truly it is only the grace of God that allows a social outcast to ascend to the exalted rank of apostleship.

Matthew’s Hometown :

Capernaum of Galilee, City of Great Light was the base of Jesus’ public ministry (Matt. 4:12-16)

Whether it was Matthew’s place of birth or where he grew up, it was his chosen place of work. His tax office was prominently positioned at the city gate. Nevertheless, it was not this “state of the art” office that drew the Master’s attention. It was the state of his heart.

Matthew’s Chosen Career

He bought into the tax collection franchise of King Herod Antipas. It was a hated profession greatly despised by his fellow citizens. Over zealous tax agents often overcharged the people to line up their pockets. One author observed that when Jesus called Matthew, it seemed like an act of insanity. But Jesus saw the potential of a “new” Matthew serving God & people in the marketplace.

So, Matthew embraced a challenging career change & joined the apostolic “firm” of Jesus that took him finally to places like Ethiopia & Macedonia where it is believed to be where he ended his days.

Matthew’s Passion

He was an avid student of the Hebrew Scriptures specializing in the prophecies on the coming of the Messiah.

Matthew’s Turning Point

God’s opportune moment for Matthew came that day when Jesus came by his tax booth and issued him the compelling invitation to join his team. Up to that point, it is not hard to guess that he was becoming increasingly disillusioned with his life & career. Though financially rewarding, the life & job of a tax collector was socially & emotionally fatal. The ugly stigma of a betrayer, traitor, and exploiter had become unbearable.

Was it then that in the dark night of his soul, he turned to the consolation of the scriptures and began to yearn for the promised coming of the Messiah who would liberate His people from the yoke of foreign power and the evils of a corrupt system of which he was also a guilty party! “Oh, that the Messiah would come and liberate us, liberate me!”

Matthew, The Marketplace Minister

Banquet Outreach

Immediately after the call of Jesus, Matthew left his hated tax office. He invited Jesus to his home for a grand dinner. He was not about to keep this momentous event under wraps. His dinner guest list probably included most of the R-rated segment of the Capernaum society – “tax collectors & sinners.” But would Jesus attend? According to one commentator, Jesus’ positive acceptance & attendance at Matthew’s dinner was an act of grace & mercy. Jesus cared more for Matthew as a person than for his own reputation! Did this historic event later influence the conversion of another notorious tax collector, Zacchaeus of Jericho?

Media Outreach

Matthew shifted the focus of his pen from figures to facts. His passion for study, research and writing produced an everlasting print tribute to the outstanding life & work of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Matthew's Gospel has been called "the most important book in the world" (Renan), and "the most successful book ever written" (Goodspeed). (see www.christianity.co.nz/ eye-4.htm)

CLOSING CHALLENGE

In today’s overpowering influence of graphic media, is there place for print media to effect a meaningful impact in today’s marketplace of ideas? The answer is a big ‘YES!” Graphic media is a limited 3-D portal. In contrast, words unbridled is a 4-D experience with a height dimension where our minds stirred & stimulated can soar to lofty vistas & heavenly horizons!

It is interesting that some believe that in the kingdom of God we will travel at the speed of thought not just the speed of light or sound! For 2011, pick up your pen, click on your keyboard and publish the glad tidings of Emmanuel, God is with us!

By Abraham Gan

……read to be wise…write to be precise….

Marketplace Penang Office: 24 Puncak Bukit Mutiara Satu. Hosting Residence: Desa Mas #3-8, Pulau Tikus Email: abrahamgan@hotmail.com Tel: 016-4428080 (AG) 016-4988447(IG)

MARKETPLACE PSALM

Marketplace Penang Update

2011 FEBRUARY

A MARKETPLACE PSALM

Psalm 111 belongs to a group of psalms used by the people of God to celebrate the Passover. In this solemn annual re-enactment of the Birth of the Nation of Israel, the three key acts of God to be remembered gratefully are:

Feeding the Nation (v.5)

Housing the Nation (v.6)

Birthing the Nation (v.9)

These three monumental & unforgettable acts of God are woven into the spiritual DNA of God’s people. These will be the benchmarks for subsequent generations of God’s people from which to draw inspiration and direction.

Against this historic backdrop, Psalm 111 paints a 4- D image of God at Work. For me this is an exciting Marketplace Psalm which portrays God’s Work Culture or God’s Style of Working.

SOME GLOBAL STYLES OF WORKING

The Japanese believe in “kaizen” with its focus on continuous change and improving for the better. A major aspect of work culture in the US emphasises similarly on exhaustive & exhausting research and development. The Protestant work ethic is akin to the work ethos of many Asian cultures by promoting hard work & patience. The present day Jewish work philosophy is “chutzpah” or the characteristic of daring & risk taking. For us, our nation claims the slogan, “Malaysia Boleh!”

GREAT WORKS BY A GREAT GOD

God’s works are “great” (v.2) in the sense of their vastness & variety with exceeding height and length. Together, these divine acts are like a loud shout of highest praise to Him our Lord and God!

(re: Strong’s Concordance)

FULLNESS OF GOD

The Revised Standard Version of Psalm 111 gives us an easy-to-remember list of the key qualities of God’s Work Culture:

“Wonderful” (v.4) – Stunning, marvellous, awesome!

“Mindful” (v.5) – Compassionate, considerate, in touch with the needs of the grassroots

“Powerful” (v.6) – For us & not against us in giving us citizenship in His kingdom

“Faithful” (v.7,8)) – Delivering more than He promised

“Merciful” (v.9) – Forgiving our wretched past and freeing us to a glorious future

FULL OF HONOR & MAJESTY

For us, verse 3 sums it up: “Full of honor and majesty is His work, and His righteousness endures forever.”

Picture God’s Trophy Room stacked full, right up to heavenly heights with awards & accolades for flawless excellence & artistry. The angelic “paparazzi” are bursting their pages and screens with superlatives of grandeur and magnificence.

RIGHTEOUSNESS

The works of God dazzle in glorious & majestic splendour because it is not tarnished by hints & tints of corruption & abuse. He is the ultimate “Teflon” professional. You can never find a scandal that will stick and smear His reputation for “Holy is His name!” (v.9). The underlying enduring quality of every act of God is motivated & executed rightly, faithfully & justly (vv.7&8).

To Him belongs eternal praise! (v.10)

Understanding Workplace Ministry

UNDERSTANDING THE MINISTRY IN THE WORKPLACE
Rev Wong Fong Yang
City Discipleship Presbyterian Church

There is this movement of the Holy Spirit in the world today to awaken the giant within the Church. The movement is about seeing the workplace as the ministry of God. Ministry is not confined to the four walls of the church building when Christians go there on Saturday or Sunday. Ministry is not about 'full-time' ministry carried out by 'full-time' workers. There is ministry in the church and there is also ministry in the marketplace. We do church work in the church but we also do the work of the church in the marketplace. This has nothing to do with nuances or word play. It has to do with sound theology of ministry.

Dick Halverson rightly puts it this way: "There is a distinction between church work and the work of the church. Church work is what you do for the organized institution of the church. The work of the church is what is done between Sundays when the church is scattered all over the metropolitan area where it is located - in homes, schools, offices, on construction sites, in marketplaces."

Majority of the Christians are in the '9 to 5' window working in the marketplace, my hunch is that many are oblivious of the fact that their works there are ministry that God has called them into. Most Christians see their work simply as a career. Few view it as a ministry.

It is a known fact that pastors may know how to equip their members for church ministry but I wonder how many know how to equip them for marketplace ministry.

We commission Sunday school teachers publicly for teaching children in the church but we don't do that to those Christian teachers who are teaching in the schools, colleges or universities out there. Our practice revealed the deficiency of the theology of workplace.

During the reformation in 17th century, theologians had debunked the faulty theology of work. In those days, Christians viewed work in the church as sacred and work in the market square as secular. That is why Christians put 'full time' workers on a high pedestal. It is as if that 'full-time' work in the church as a higher calling while the rest are second class Christians. It is true that church work is sacred, so as work at homes and in the marketplace. Nothing is secular. The residual of the reformers' understanding of work is again brought to the surface.

What are Christians called to do in the workplace? Is it to do evangelism?

Is God's mission in the workplace to be defined as witnessing for Christ?

What is really workplace ministry?

Is it about transforming the marketplace with biblical values? Is showing compassion to the needy in the society through Christians in the marketplace as ministry?

Is doing a job with competency and excellence as a ministry unto Jesus?

Is carrying out social justice and speaking for the voiceless in the workplace a ministry equivalent to leading a worship service in the church?

Endtime Workstyle

END-TIME WORKSTYLE

A Reflection on Matthew 24 & 25

These are perilous days abounding with political & natural upheavals around the globe. According to the prediction of Jesus, peoples, tribes & nations will be fighting one another whether for right or might. Natural calamities will escalate in frequency and magnitude.

The camp of the faithful will battle the cloud of deception. Today, it is evident that seducing spirits and sensational teachings are polluting and diluting the purity of the saints. A cross-less Christianity is in vogue. Are we surprised that preaching on prosperity and success has replaced the call to repentance, suffering and sacrifice? According to Ray Stedman in his book, What On Earth Is Happening? “We have become addicted to the endless pursuit of new experiences and new pleasures. We have become a people who know the price of everything but the value of nothing.”

Believers will be bullied even to death. Some statistics reveal that more believers have died in our time than in any other century in history (Stedman p.44). As a result, many who profess Christ will fall away whether by pleasure or pressure. In this regard, there is an urgent need to pray for believers in East Malaysia.

FRIGHT? FLIGHT? Or FIGHT?

How should the people of God live and work in these perilous times?

STAND FIRM (Matthew 24:13)

Ephesians 6:13 says to put on the full armour of God that we may stand, withstand and having done all, still to stand! As our friend, Lyle Anderson liked to say: “Keep the flag flying and the heath clean.” Stay & pray. Don’t stray and play. Let us not be surprised when sudden fiery trials visit us. Be strong to endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

TO THE END (Matthew 24:13 & 25:1-13)

How do we persevere to the end? The parable of the10 Virgins points to the oil in their lamps running out. In the Bible, “oil” is often a picture of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 exhorts us to keep on being filled (controlled, led, guided, directed) by the Holy Spirit. We need to keep on replenishing our spiritual resources because we live & work in a marketplace that is hostile to the values and ways of God. The technologies of the Holy Spirit include personal & corporate prayer, fasting, memorization & proclamation of God’s Word, solitude & meditation, group study, fellowship, worship, mercy ministry, evangelism and every possible channel where there is life impartation and spiritual transaction.

KEEP WATCH FOR THE DAY OF THE LORD’S COMING (Matthew 24:42)

The Lord’s return is sure. We are 2000 years closer to this momentous event. This inevitable event must always feature in the scheme of our work and the horizon of our hope. Let us keep the Lord’s Return alive & central in our conversation, praying and planning. It’s amazing that even Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the Minister Mentor of Singapore, practises a meditative chant using the biblical word, “Maranatha” which may be translated “Even so, come Lord”. Read I Cor. 16: 22. Mr Lee revealed this in his latest book that this was on the advice of a Christian friend.

BE READY NOW (Matthew 24:44)

Because there will not be time to get ready when Christ returns or when calamity strikes. On 25^th February, 2011, Pastor Christopher K sent us this text message: “Be prepared for the worst. Each of us must prepare an emergency bag at home with can food, candles, lighters, water, purifying tablets. Keep it where accessible. Who knows when we might need it. Oh, and power bars & candy & toilet rolls. A building may collapse. These will sustain us physically and if need to evacuate…grab it & run. Put your passports in a waterproof bag together with other important documents near this bag & a blanket if needed.”

On 311 (March 11, 2011), an 8.9 super earthquake and accompanying tsunami hit Japan. After the 2004 tsunami, a Christian brother said he had a dream in which he saw another tsunami coming to Penang reaching right up to where Mount Miriam Hospital is. When Jesus returns, or when the next big tragedy happens, are we ready?

BE FAITHFUL & WISE (Matthew 24:45-51)

We are all managers of precious resources – time, strength & energy, opportunities, influence plus our money, wisdom, education and much more. We should not hoard up these priceless possessions. Be a river of blessing. Release the flood gates!

The famous Chinese pastor, Watchman Nee told the story of a Christian farmer who had a nasty neighbour who would not water his own rice fields. Often in the night, he would break their connecting rice bunds to divert water into his own fields that were on the lower level. After much anguish in prayer and counsel from his church elders, the Christian farmer decided to water both their fields. This act of charity shocked the unscrupulous neighbour who subsequently became a follower of Christ.

Make a start somewhere. Dare to give to others especially when it costs you significantly. Reconsider how you are directing your tithes & offerings. Are your gifts to God affecting people, places and situations of genuine need?

FINALLY, SERVING & WORKING AS UNTO THE LORD (Matthew 25:31-46)

Colossians 3:23 states: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” At the Great Judgment of God, caring for the poor and the powerless will receive a special commendation on the basis that such help rendered will be considered as equivalent to serving God the King Himself! Let us not be influenced by the value system of the world into thinking and promoting size, speed, strength, style & sophistication as more important than the small, the slow, the simple, the soft and the silent.

CSR (or corporate social responsibility) Jesus-style may be as simple as a meal for the hungry, a drink for the thirsty, clothing for a stranger, or visiting the sick and those in jail. How about a job or a role for the unemployed, under-employed, the unemployable, those never employed before, or now no longer employed?

Abraham & Irene Gan