The Recap of Last Week's Retreat

As Promised, here is an excerpt of the lesson learned from the retreat at Zephyr Point. For the sake of time, I am writing it in outline format:

Discipleship and being close to God- Jeremiah 24:14-15
-The choice is mine to serve God.
-It comes from a Christlike heart
Psalm 18:30-35-God will make me great.

Evangelism
Philemon 1:6-In what ways am I sharing my faith in Christ?
Matthew 9:35-Do I have compassion for the lost?

Discipling (relationships within the Lord's church).
Proverbs 12:1-Not accepting correction=stupidity!
Hebrews 10:23-25-Spurring others on
Proverbs 19:20-listening to advice leads to wisdom (see also Proverbs 15:2)
Genesis 4:9-10-Am I my brother's (or sister's) keeper?

Afterward, I came to a conclusion that, without being close to God, the latter two will not be as effective. That is a lot I need to think about even a week later.

Back from haitus

To those who came by my blog lately, it has been inactive due to several projects for school and maintaining  my other Web site (http://www.saccampusoutreach.org), so I apologize for any inconvenience.

However, later this week, I will share about my church's retreat held this past weekend (Nov. 21-23) in Zephyr Point, Nevada.  It was definitely a time to build my faith and build memories.  The highlight was a class on building my faith, which involves growing close to God, evangelism, and discipling and fellowship.

Stay tuned...

Without Restraint

"I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." -Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 NIV

The above passage was used in a Bible study conducted at UC Davis on Thursday. As my group gathered around, we were asked, "If we had no restrauint, what would we do?" I jokingly replied that I would run up and down the street in traffic and act foolish.

The point of this discussion and what the Scripture refered to was that everything is meaningless apart from God. After all we achieve and the crazy, zany things we do in life, the only thing that matters is that we have a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.

Be on Guard!

"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." - Luke 12:35-40 NIV

The above passage is a mouthful, but it is thought provoking. Jesus tells His followers to be on guard and be watchful at all times. After all, God expects us to do His work at all times because we never know when He will return.

Recently, at Sacramento City College, I along with other students passed out surveys to generate possible topics for Bible studies. An overwhelming amount of students responded. However, when I added them to an e-mail list, several addresses bounced back! Rather than get discouraged, I had to continue to maintain this list to let everyone else who expressed interest about upcoming events through our Campus Ministry. If I stop the work for the sake of discouragement, it will displease God.

So, be on guard and continue to do God's work and submit to his will.

Parable of the Sower-Which Seed are You?

"Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times." Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." -Mark 4:1-9 NIV

The Parable of the Sower reveals a lot about how people can respond to the gospel. On a recent visit to Sacramento City College, a group of us from the Sacramento Metro Church of Christ went around the campus while the students prepare for the upcoming school year. For those who were interested, we discussed this very passage. One gentleman was a bit quiet, but another individual was curious about what our group is all about. Once I talked to that person, she seemed eager to know more about this passage.

The seeds of the gospel were planted and will continue to be planted at City College. However, there will always be four different reactions: path (distractions), rock (hindrance), Thorns (slow growth), and soil (deep roots). Who knows how those two individuals responded that day, but I can tell you that they will react in one of those four. The last of the four however indicates the real response that Jesus is looking for for those who claim to follow Him.

So, if you read the above passage of Scripture, which seed are you? Do you wish to be the fourth seed that flourishes?

Saved for Works

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. 1For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
-Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV

It is a Bible fact that were are saved by grace, that is through the blood of Jesus Christ. many people look at verses eight and nine and somehow downplay verse ten. While our actions alone is insufficent for salvation, our acceptance of Christ through faith, repentance ,and baptism compells us to do good works to serve Him.

On a recent retreat in Valley Springs, CA, I challenged the participants to not forsake meeting together as a body (Heb. 10:24-25). I set a precedent with ephesians 2:8-10. While seemingly unrelated, our good works such as going to church is an expression of grattitude for what Jesus Christe done for us at the cross. In fact, if we claim to follow Jesus, we must do everything possible to serve Him and immitate Him (I John 2:6).

Grace saves us through the power of the cross. We express our gratitude to him by our good works to serve Him and draw people to Him.

Awkward Circumstances

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." -I Thessalonians 5:16-18


The above passage of Scripture is what I recited on a recent worship service. I was aked to speak and welcolme my congregation, and I wanted to find an appropriate passage to set the tone. However, I was a bit nervous because I am rarely asked to speak at any major function of the church. Due to challenges in my speech, I wanted to make sure I got my point across and make sure that the congregation feel welcolmed.

The above passage also exposed my insecurities. Many commerntend that I did a good job; I felt that I rambled and stuttered. I assumed that since it was a rare occasion for me to speak, they were only cheering me up (FYI, I do not like people to compliment me for the sake of making me feel better, but rather for doing what is right). However, it is through the power of the Holy Spirit that allowed me to even speak that Sunday morning, for which I am grateful.

Whenever you are in a situation that may seem unconfotable, allow God to work through it. While I didn't see my opening speech it as a total success, the Spirit did work in my life.

Welcolme to my new teaching blog!

Welcolme to Wierd Theology! Do not let the name fool you. In the past, I have sent e-mails to the Sacramento Metro Church of Christ's Campus Ministry on what I have been learning from the Scriptures. Due to a busy schedule over the last few months, they were sporadic. After much prayer, I decided to convert the e-mails into a blog.

This is much more than a teaching tool. In addition, this will be used as a sermon/devotional recap for thiose who are unable to listen to the messages from my congregation. In a way, it can also be an evangelistic tool for those onlookers who seek the truth from God's Word.

My approach to Scripture draws insight from not only what I learn from church, but what i observe in the world arround me, particularly in popular culture. It is an unusual insight about what I learn from my own faith in Christ.

I hope that you can learn and grow from this site and will be encouraged to examine Scripture in moore depth and for seekers to learn abnout having a relationship with Jesus Christ.