Category Archives: Gospel Dispensation

“PREACHING” THE GOSPEL – YOU’RE ANSWERABLE, BY KIANG P LEE

Greetings once more friends! There is a great disservice being done to the work of the Gospel in the world today. And a greater disservice for not informing believers their role in the matter of the Gospel’s work. Let me elaborate.

We have this mistaken belief that the Gospel can only be “preached” through television, social media, outdoor crusades, radio, churches, and church programs, and what-have-you.This has been the great shortcoming in modern Christianity in the “preaching” of the Gospel. The gathering of believers in a “church” setting in the first century, which was really ‘house churches,’ was not for preaching the Gospel. The Gospel was already known to believers who gathered in house churches. They came together to “break bread.” What does that term mean? It simply means sharing a meal. In today’s terminology we may call it a potluck. The phrase was also used to describe partaking of the Lord’s Supper. Whether that was the case or not, the essential meaning is sharing of common meals. (Acts 20:11) And, as is usual in such gathering, the converts would have shared their experiences and testimony of the Lord’s work in their lives. They retold stories of the move of the Spirit in the work of the Gospel. It was a place to come together and receive encouragement and be fortified in the Lord’s work as they leave for their homes and journeys.

Crucifixion of Jesus (Wiki Commons)

The preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was focused on non-believers as Matthew 28 clearly shows. (Matt.28:18-20) History shows that in about two to three centuries the whole Roman Empire had adopted Christianity, so much so that even the Emperor was a convert himself. The open persecution had stopped. But how did that happen – there were no television, social media, great outdoor crusades, radio, or any decisive programs to speak of. In fact, the exact opposite was happening – Christians were being persecuted for their faith and many faced martyrdom. They congregate underground to avoid tremendous and severe persecution. Despite such opposition, the work of the Gospel grew and expanded. Essentially, it was the work led by the Spirit, as is shown amply in the New Testament, beginning at Pentecost.

Recall the story of Pentecost in the book of Acts. Three thousand were converted that day in the move of the Spirit through Peter’s testimony. But that was not all Herald (Spirit) did, He worked in the 3000+ and they became the prime carriers of the Gospel message to the Roman world. Wherever they went, they spread the sweet aroma of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. Like an unstoppable tsunami, the message was taken across the empire, so much so that it was said, “These that have turned the world upside down.” (Act 17:6) Yes, their influence profoundly impacted the empire that the world was beginning to witness a sea change in the religious order of the day. They did what no television or radio network could have done. Or for that matter, any other programs. All 3000+ on Pentecost, and the multitude that came to Christ thereafter, were living, walking, talking, Gospel of Jesus Christ. The work of the Gospel was not centralized in the lives of the twelve apostles, it was impossible for them to do on their own, and they knew this. They knew it had to be the work of the Holy Spirit. The work was decentralized in the believers as the Spirit led them. Paul explains, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)”  (Rom.8:9,11) 

Humans – Natural Attractants Like Rivers

What we see here is how people’s gifts are brought to bear to make the Gospel known in their unique way as the Spirit moved in them. The circumstances and environment may have changed from the first and second centuries, but the method remain constant – people and their respective gifts endure as platforms for the Gospel dispensation. Likewise, the Spirit is using our hearts and our gifts to share the Gospel with the people of our valleys. People are natural attractants because of the uniqueness of their personalities and gifts given them by the Creator. Their gifts and their destiny are like rivers with life-sustaining “living waters.” (John 7:38-39) Humans naturally gravitate to rivers because of its life-giving waters. We do not see rivers flow to people, rather, people flock to rivers for sustenance and life. This is the same way people’s gifts work – a river is the metaphor for a person’s gift and is an attractant to people. Each human has a gift from God which attracts a person to him or her.

A person has a gift which can be helpful to someone. It is an attractant to people and they naturally go to that person and ask for his or her gift which one lacks. We see this happening all the time. We go to a person with the gift of plumbing because he can help us fix our plumbing problems. We go to a motor mechanic who has the gift of fixing cars to help us fix our car problems. I go to a teacher for knowledge in a particular area of life I wish to advance myself. Everybody is searching for something in life, and there is someone God has given the gift to fill that void. The Spirit will orchestrate a meeting of minds so the gift is made the platform upon which the Gospel can be made known. This is how God intended for relationships to be built with those in your valley and community. Your gift is the platform for the Gospel, not to place yourself on a open market for goods and service to sell to the highest bidder. Just as the goal of every business is make a profit monetarily, so the core aim of God’s spiritual business is also to make a profit – spiritually! In man’s business, profit is defined by money. In God’s business, profit is defined by Love and the fruits of Love! When we keep the Gospel as priority in our lives, God will bless us materially as well, but this is not true in man’s business when we keep money as our primary aim. (Matt.6:33)

We Have Corrupted Ourselves

But here is the Christian’s conundrum, we have turned our gifts into a product for commerce. Jesus did say we cannot serve two masters – God and money! Either we will hate one and love the other. (Matt.6:24) We have turned our gifts into ATM machines for a materialistic life. We have a repugnant term we give those who have corrupted and debased themselves by selling their gifts for monetary gain. Jesus asked a poignant question in regard to life and gifts, “What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?” (Luk.9:25, The Message) We have converted our gifts for a mint to print money, and for the exchange of goods and services; when rightly, the true purpose gifts are conferred upon humans is to glorify the Maker, from whose treasure trove gifts are bequeathed upon humans. This is the biggest difference between the first century believers with us today. We must return to the model laid down by the Spirit. We are not doomed, all is not lost, for Paul speaks of how this situation is remedied.

“As To The Lord”

Paul said, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Col.3:23-24,17; Eph.6:7) In other words, don’t sell your gifts for money, it is for a greater purpose and for a greater inheritance that’s beyond any material thing you can ever want. Paul said it this way, “What no eye has seen, what no ears has heard, and what no human mind has conceived – the things God has prepared for those who Love Him.” (1 Cor.2:9) Modern churches have turned people’s gifts into a money mint to fund ministries, churches, programs, and many other projects. They are oblivious to the fact that the Gospel dispensation is primarily the work of the Spirit. And He chooses the method for its dispensation. We have not been taught to use our gifts to the Lord first. That is to say, to use it as a platform to make the Gospel known to people who come to us as rivers with “living waters” (Holy Spirit), not for goods and services, and the exchange of money, primarily. Again we turn to Paul for inner focus, “It’s God we are answerable to – all the way from life to death and everything in between – not each other. That’s why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.” (Rom.14:7-9, The Message)   

The Correct Paradigm

Can you imagine how far the Gospel message can go if this was the paradigm that’s utilized to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. This is the Trinitarian way of taking the Gospel to the world for it involves the Father, Son, and Spirit. Jesus said, “As You sent Me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify Myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.” (John 17:16-21) What we see here, is the blueprint presented in a nutshell, on how the Gospel is to be taken to the whole world, for all time. When we live the “Triune Life” in the Spirit, we enter into the miraculous movement of the most powerful Being in the universe to do His will and purpose. Why do we think any other way would be more effective – be it television, radio, or any method we think. I’m not saying radio and television and other methods are wrong and should not be used. They have their place, no doubt. Am I saying money is not needed, no. All I’m saying there is a Trinitarian blueprint. As a matter of priority, the effectiveness of centralized focus compared to the decentralized Triune method of the Spirit, is institutionally deficient and will be found wanting. There is no better way than to spread the Gospel through human relationships, for that is based upon the relationship of the Father, Son, and the Spirit.- the Trinitarian way!

…To Build a Sanctuary

Why has God chosen this decentralized way in the Spirit? Because the use of gifts is intended for more than one purpose and activity – it is not only for the spreading of the Gospel, but in the midst of the work of God, the Spirit is preparing a people for God’s dwelling. So, the Gospel has a two-pronged interface. Peter said, “Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you will serve as holy priests (“bridge builder”) offering Christ-approved lives up to God.” (1Pet.1:5) The work of the erecting the sanctuary – how we fit into God’s overall familial structure – is known to no one except the Spirit who does the will of the Father and the Son. (John 16:12-15) No religion or church can erect this sanctuary except God’s own hands. He has not divulged nor devolved this responsibility to man. It is Christ’s responsibility. (1 Cor.15:20-28; Rev.21:1-5) And the Spirit remakes us into the image of Christ through the work of God (Gospel). (Rom.8;29) So the work of the Gospel through the Spirit has a two-fold purpose – it makes the Gospel known while erecting a sanctuary for God’s dwelling. (Rev.21) We cannot sit idly in church and expect religion – those in charge of church institutions – to do the “preaching” of the Gospel for you. How can we share the work of the Spirit’s move in our lives like the first century ‘house church’ gathering did, if we are not out there doing the bidding of the Spirit with our gifts? You are to take ownership of “preaching” the Gospel, and as we’ll see, you will be answerable.

One Centralized, The Other Decentralized

The work of the Gospel in the first century was not centralized in the 12 apostles, but decentralized in the converts beginning with the 3000+ on Pentecost following the blueprint in John 17 we saw earlier. A centralized model is not the way God has chosen to do His work. We say we give our money so the church can take the Gospel – let me be clear about one thing. God does not need money to get His work done. Jesus told the Jews, “And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.” (Matt.3:9) God could utilize anything to get His work done following His blueprint. We don’t have to follow the old tradition as ‘gospel truth’ and only way. One is a centralized form of getting things done in a religious setting, and the other is a decentralized way in the Spirit’s power, through and in the gifts of the people interacting with others through the Spirit’s lead. 

Using Your Gifts as Platform for Making Christ Known (Photo: Wiki Commons)

Let me repeat, it pales into insignificance what man can do in any modern centralized setting. So, wherever you are, do something for the Lord today – invert the paradigm and use your gifts for the Lord first. We live in a world where just about everything is commercialized and traded. Don’t let that happen to you as far as your true self in Christ. Do not look to the centralize method through man’s doing, instead take ownership of the Gospel in the Spirit’s power, and let Him use your gift as the platform to make the Gospel known to all in your valley and community. You have the Spirit flowing in you as “living waters,” and you are the riverbed He flows through. (John 7:38-39) God has set a steadfast destiny for you like the course of the river’s flow. You cannot communicate the Gospel other than where God has called you to share and convey His word. The Bible says a person can do “only what is given to him from heaven.” (John 3:27) Your gift is your God-given validation on how you are to live your life on earth, and His sanction to reach the people you have been predestined to share the Gospel. Jesus said that when we put His business (Gospel work) first, He promises His blessings will follow into our lives. (Matt.6:33)

The Parable About “Gifts”

In the parable of the ‘bags of gold,’ Jesus shows clearly individuals are answerable for “preaching” the Gospel, not institutions or ‘churches.’ (Matt.25:14-30) He gave and entrusted each with gifts (bags of gold) to his servants, not to religious institution. (see my post, dated 08/26/14, “Bags of Gold”) They were to trade and bring back a profit for the master. The faithful servants had made one hundred percent profit based upon the gifts they were given. The commodity that was traded was the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But to the servant who did nothing with his gift, he was called out to account for his actions. He said he was afraid and went and buried his gift instead of trading with it. What does this mean, where did he bury his bag of gold (gift)? Look, there is no doubt he had used his gift during his life.There is no human who is without gifts with which to find meaning and purpose in his or her life. This is the Creator’s blessing to each and every human.There is only one way to look at this: you either use it for the benefit of the master’s business, or you use it for your own self-centered objective. So, burying your talent symbolically means to put it to death. Its demise results from not being utilized for its intended purpose. It refers to a person who buried his gift (bag of gold) in himself for his self-centered ambition and selfish gain. He has turned his gift into a commodity for goods and services to be traded for material gains. Gifts are for one purpose, and one purpose only – to glorify God and His purpose for our lives. Is it wrong to be materially prosperous? No, but there’s an authentic way to it, as John said, “Dear friend, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” (3 John 1:2)  We become enriched materially with our gifts as a consequence of doing God’s work, not for our selfish objectives. Jesus said, “God will give them (material stuff) to you if you give Him first place in your life and live as He wants you to.” (Matt.6:33) Such blessings from the Lord don’t come with all the heartaches, worries, and stress common to man. When our lives are misdirected, we will not find His true purpose for our destiny. The Bible tells us this about God’s blessings on His people, material and otherwise, “The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and He adds no sorrow with it.” (Pro.10:22) His blessing is true prosperity which brings abundance with joy and contentment.

Let’s Rededicate Ourselves in Our Gifts and Purpose

So, let us rethink this matter about our gifts and talents as it relates to our participation in the work of the Gospel. As we approach the time and season when we are going to be inundated by our consumer culture, let’s rededicate our lives for the Master’s purpose. For the Bible clearly tells us that our personal gifts are what He has “given out of His wealth and treasure.” (Matt.25:14-15) So, gifts, talents, calling, purpose, and destinies, are blessings He has given humans out of His treasure-trove. Peter reminds us, “Be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Pet.3:15) Doing what Peter says cannot happen unless the Gospel is at the forefront of our minds and marches with our heart-beat.The Gospel will see to it that our examples will speak for itself and will be a light that goes before us. Let’s give ourselves as instruments in the Spirit’s hands in the work of the Gospel. Remember, you have the ‘bag of gold,’ what are you going to do with it? – you’re answerable!

Wrought iron cross on Blassenstein mountain (Lower Austria), with fog over Erlauf valley and Danube (Wiki Commons)

Blessing:

Until we meet again in my next post, may the blessing of the God who ceaselessly expresses Himself in His dependable Triune Love, be with you today and give you strength for authentic creative “Triune Living” as a Bula man-river.*

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write me in the space provided below, or email me on bulamanriver@gmail.com.

Kiang                                                                                                                                                                  (Your Servant in Christ) 

* The “Bulamanriver” is the metaphor describing the union of man with the Love of the Triune God flowing in humans, making possible the “Triune Life” – the source of the miraculous life in man. Man is the “riverbed” and the Spirit is the “living waters” that cover him and flows to all in his valley (destiny). (John 7:37-39)

All scriptures are taken from the NIV Version 2011, unless stated otherwise.

NOTE: All information from this website is copyrighted. Any use of its content should be acknowledged by citing the website, address, date of acquisition and information pertinent to original authorship.

THE GOSPLE ABOUT JESUS CHRIST, BY KIANG P LEE

Greetings again friends! What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the message to mankind from God the Father who gave His Son out of His unfathomable Love to save man from his sins. It is His desire to make good His promise to unify mankind as His children for all eternity through His Son Jesus as our atonement. (Gen.1:26-27) John tells us, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1John 2:2) He sacrificed His Son to make our eternal glorification with Him possible. (John 3:16) As a token to His promise He also promises to give us a friend in the Holy Spirit to be with us throughout our earthly life and to be there in the future resurrection to raise us from the dead.(Rom.8:11) His one desire is we will find nothing but a life of pure eternal joy in His presence. (Psa.67)

Our Father’s words to us is, “Fight the good fight. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…” (1Tim.6:12). We are called to immortality made possible because Jesus as the second Person of the Trinity, came down to earth and who took our humanity in Himself to save us from the corruption and death in our sinful nature. He gave His life, so that we might gain eternal life through Him. That is what the Gospel message of Jesus Christ is about. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” (Gal.3:13). The law demanded our lives, but “by the grace of God He was given to taste death for every man.” (Heb.2:9) Peter says, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (1 Pet.3:18) 

Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus (Wiki Commons)

The purpose of the gifts we have been bequeathed is to share and make known this wonderful Gospel to all. (Matt.28:18-20) But before we can share this wonderful message of man’s salvation with others, it has to begin with us. It has to be real to us before we can make it real to others. Nothing can be shared genuinely to others unless unless it is real to us first. Jesus said, “Whoever is ashamed of Me and my Words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luk.9:26) If we are embarrassed about our association with Him as His followers, our faith is not genuine. If the eternity He has prepared for us is not real to us, then certainly we cannot share it with others. He goes on, “Whoever acknowledges Me (and the Gospel) before others, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” (Matt.10:32-33, emphasis added). Jesus asked, “What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life (in Jesus)” (Matt.16:26, Holman CSB, emphasis added) Life is far more than spending it on our fleshly indulgence. Jesus said life is more than about food, and our body is more than about the clothes we wear. (Luk.12:23) In other words, we can get so caught up in the transient things of life that we are blinded to the reality just beneath it. He said to look beyond the veneer of the material, and into the reality God presents to us in His Son.  

What could be more foolish than denying our very Creator? Certainly, He ought to be ashamed of us because of our depraved and corrupt humanity. Paul was inspired to write, “But God demonstrates His own Love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom.5:8) Yes, despite our corrupt spiritual condition, He emptied Himself to become one of us, and to die in our place so we may share His place in glory. The Bible goes on, “Therefore, God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledges that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phi.2:9-11)

The Gospel is about the Person of Jesus, as the Son of God, who superimposes His redemptive self over all of humanity, and under His liberating shadow we exist today, and enter the rest of our eternity with the Father in Him.

The reality we see in Jesus who now lives His life in us by the power of the Spirit is what we share with others. He does not expect us to do this work in our own power. It is impossible for any human to do the work of God. So he gives us help. What was the gift given to the disciples on Pentecost when the work of the church started? It was the Spirit’s power to preach the Gospel with courage, and without fear or favor. The Spirit is the light of God in the life of man. The Spirit is the gift of God in the believer. If God’s gift to man is his calling and destiny, then Herald* the Spirit is the power who animates man’s gift for the purpose of preaching the Gospel. Like Peter’s ability to fish, the Spirit changed his gift to be a fisher of men. Or like Paul’s tent-making skills and turn it into a gift of building churches through Asia.

We are reminded of the commission Jesus gave His followers for all time, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt.28:18-20) It begins in our earthly lives where God has given us gifts to define our individual ‘personhood’ in Christ so we can know and see Him in our personal relationship and destinies. (Rom.12:6; 1 Pet. 4:10) We are given a work to do, and He gives us gifts in the Spirit to do them. That’s how Jesus lived His earthly life, and how He related with His Father, His disciples, and the people. As a boy Jesus told His family, “Didn’t you know I had to be about my Father’s business.” As an adult He never deviated from His mission and calling, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.” (Luk. 2:49; John 4:34) He said, “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working.” (John 5:17)

John Tal Murphree, in his book, The Trinity and Human Personality, informs us, “On our part, relating with God also requires a recognition of our separate individuality from Him and His difference from us. We must accept our status before Him as dependent rather than independent, creature rather than Creator, servant rather than Master, human rather than divine. Such is the moral dimension of the relationship.” (Pg.49)  In other words, I am trying to emphasize we relate with God through the gift of personhood and calling He bequeaths on each of us as His children. The opposite picture of the ‘false self,’ would be independence from Him, where we would assume the mantle of creator rather than created, master than servant, and we would take on the divine prerogative and made it human privilege in deciding our destinies. We were made to be replicated in God’s image, not in our image of the “false self.”

Blessing:

Until we meet again in my next post, may the blessing of the God who ceaselessly expresses Himself in His dependable Triune Love, be with you today and give you strength for authentic creative “Triune Living” as a Bula man-river.*

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write me in the space provided below, or email me on bulamanriver@gmail.com.

Kiang                                                                                                                                                            (Your Servant in Christ) 

*The “Bulamanriver” is the metaphor describing the union of man with the Love of the Triune God flowing in humans, making possible the “Triune Life” – the source of the miraculous life in man. Man is the “riverbed” and the Spirit is the “living waters” that cover him and flows to all in his valley (destiny). (John 7:37-39)

*Herald is the name I have affectionately call the Holy Spirit

NOTE: All information from this website is copyrighted. Any use of its content should be acknowledged by citing the website, address, date of acquisition and information pertinent to original authorship.

PREACHING THE GOSPEL AS A “BULAMANRIVER” – BY KIANG P LEE

Dear Friends Around The World,

Once again, I am optimistic you will find today’s post helpful and gives abiding hope for you, your loved ones, and those close to you. My sincere desire is that it will bring you an energizing joy which only the Spirit can give.

For most people “preaching” the Gospel means television ministries, great outdoor crusades, missionaries, and even efforts by religious institutions whose posture is highly legalistic. However, there is a practice that the “Bulamanriver”* “preaches” the Gospel that is authentic in its biblical form. For the Bula man-river, the Gospel is received and “preached” on a personal rather than an institutional posture and orientation. This is not to say it is the only way, but the principal way.

Let’s be clear what the Gospel is, so we’ll understand what it is we are to “preach.” The heart of the Gospel has to do with the sin-problem of mankind. Therefore, the Gospel is about God giving mankind His beloved Son who came and lived the perfect human life, was crucified as the perfect sacrifice, and became man’s Savior. Jesus became who we are so that we can become what we can never become on our own – to live eternally as God’s children in His Triune presence. The Gospel is about Jesus becoming God’s righteousness in man, thus liberating man from the sin-problem once and for all. Therefore, the Person of Christ is the Gospel, not the ‘good news’ about Him that man frames in his legalistic construct.

Sin is Personal

The sin-problem is personal which began at the behest of Adam’s crushing but nonetheless personal choice in Eden. Therefore, the Gospel’s message is in essence, a personal one. The Gospel is only as effective as the person who takes ownership of the story of the Gospel’s saving grace. God’s righteousness is imputed upon man by Christ who dwells in him on a personal level. Peter said we are “living stones,” that is separate individuals, being built into a spiritual house for a habitation of God. (1Pet.2:5)

Hence, I reiterate the claim of the “Bula man-river as the personal, living, walking, Gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s to say, your life is in itself “preaching” the saving story of Christ’s Gospel. (Gal.2:20) No amount of “preaching” to the masses will replace “preaching” on a personal level which the Spirit does like “living waters” flowing in a believer. (Heb.8:11-12) There can be no more powerful “preaching” of the Gospel than that done personally by the Bulamanriver (you and me) in whom the Triune God lives and walks. Christ and the Spirit, both of whom interpenetrate the “living waters” of the Bulamanriver is the essence of the Gospel “preached.”

How did Jesus, our Example, “preach” the Gospel? He taught the people mostly through parables. Notice that Jesus said He “preached” in parables to ‘hide’ its meaning from the masses. Why? He answers that the secret or mystery of the Gospel (Kingdom) was given to the few (the disciples) on a personal level who have received Jesus as their personal Savior, but not the many whose minds were dull of hearing and lacked the faith to believe in Him. (Matt.13:10-16) The masses came to Jesus for the miracles, not the Gospel of His messiahship. So, we see Jesus “preached” to reach individuals personally, not the masses. Does this mean the Calvinist doctrine that God has chosen to save only some people and not others is valid? That’s a whole different discussion, but the short answer is, no.

The method of telling the story (“preaching”), no matter how elaborate it may be in terms of style, economy, and structure, remains unfruitful if a person does not take ownership of the Gospel story on a personal level. That is what was happening to the masses in Jesus’ time. Jesus said, “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you” (Matt.7:6) This is what the basic construct of the Bulamanriver in as far as preaching the Gospel means to a person who receives Christ personally. He personally treasures and take ownership of the story of God’s unfathomable grace in the Gospel.

File:Brooklyn Museum - Jesus Preaches in a Ship (Jésus prèche dans une barque) - James Tissot - overall.jpg

Jesus Taught in Parables (Wiki Commons)

I said in a previous post that the Bulamanriver provides for us a healthy and practical depiction of man’s relationship within the Triune life of God. It is only through such a relationship of man living as a Bulamanriver that Jesus Himself “preaches” the Gospel in the person – personally. In taking ownership of the Gospel, a person can find joy and confidence in his or her place in the life of God who is Triune. The Bulamanriver understands he or she is a riverbed, hidden and covered in the “living waters” of the Spirit in Christ.(John 7:38-39)  It begins personally in the person’s heart, as the Spirit flows into the valleys and communities the believer has been preordained and charted to have communion.

How do we do this? The Gospel is not just ‘good news’ we frame in our legalistic construct. It is first and foremost about a Person – the Second Person of the Triune Godhead, in whom is hidden all knowledge and wisdom. (Col. 2:3) The Gospel story and our own personal story and destiny are part of and blended into the story of Jesus own life as the Son of God who is our Savior – the very heart of the Gospel. If the person does not take the story of the Gospel and make it his own story, no matter how much “preaching” he hears, the person is still entrenched in his own self-centered story that is right in his own eyes, and he has not changed his story to harmonize with Jesus’ Gospel. In my book, “Bula man-river – The Miracle of Triune Living,” I said this,

“Man also has two gifts: one is the “core gift” of the Spirit, and the second is the “life-gift” of his calling and purpose. His “core gift” makes him a Bula man-river, and his “life-gift” takes him where the “living waters” flow into the valleys. Gifts are the natural outgrowth of freedom, which takes place in a biomeic process in the life of the Bula man-river. It is through the “core gift” of the Spirit that we obtain our personal talents in our “life-gift” and come to know Jesus truly. For it is also through our “life-gift” and purpose that He reaches out to people as He flows through man in the Spirit (Heb. 8:11). Of course, the “life-gift” is not what gives us salvation. Jesus’ “finished work” has already done that. Our dream-life is the reflection of Jesus’ Person (Gospel) and love in us, which puts flesh to our salvation.” (Pg.94, 100)

The end-result of living life as a Bula man-river is the essence of what “preaching” the Gospel of Jesus Christ is about. May God’s love envelope you and give you joy in your spirit.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write me in the space provided below, or email me on bulamanriver@gmail.com.

Blessing:

Until we meet again in my next post, may the blessing of the God who ceaselessly expresses Himself in His dependable Triune Love, be with you always. May the Spirit enliven you and make all things concerning you possible in Triune Living as a Bulamanriver.*

Kiang                                                                                                                                                                  (Your Servant in Christ) 

* The “Bulamanriver” is the metaphor describing the union of man with the Love of the Triune God flowing in humans, making possible the “Triune Life” – the source of the miraculous life in man. To read the many facets of life of the Bulamanriver, go to my website www.bulamanriver.com where you can order a copy of my Book. Thank you for your support.

All scriptures are taken from the NIV Version 2011, unless stated otherwise

Note: Any information obtained from this website that is used for publication should be acknowledged by citing the website address, date of acquisition and information pertinent to original authorship. For general guidelines regarding web citations see The Guide for Citing Electronic Information

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST THROUGH THE EYES OF THE “BULA MAN-RIVER” – BY KIANG P LEE

My Dear Friends Around The World,

Once again, I affirm the hope you will find today’s post helpful and gives abiding hope for you and your loved ones. My sincere desire is that it will bring you the energizing joy of the Spirit to make your day complete.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ can be explained in many ways as Jesus Himself taught us. He gave colorful illustrations in the form of His parables. Sometimes parables are not immediately understood until it is further explicated, as Jesus explained in the parable of the sower. (Matt.13:1-23) Be that as it may, all roads lead to one illuminated meaning of the Gospel: it is the Good News about what God has done to reach out and save mankind. It is about how the Triune God entered our humanity in Jesus to join man to His Triune existence, which we could never do for ourselves. In this post I will explain the Gospel through the parable of the “Bulamanriver.” Like Jesus, my hope is you will discover some “secrets” (Matt.13:11) of the Gospel you may not have perceived before. Let me explain some terms about the “Bula man-river so we are on the same page.

“Bula”

“Bula” is a Fijian word which means “life.” In the Fiji Islands it is commonly used as a greeting, like ‘hello,’ when you meet someone, although it has lost its literal meaning. It is often used with an adjective, “Vinaka.” So, “Bula Vinaka” literally means to “have a good life.” It is a greeting which comes with a blessing.

Fiji Flag – “Bula” Vinaka is Fijian Greeting Meaning “Good Life to You” (Pic: Wiki Commons)

Man-River

Man-river derives its meaning from Jesus portrayal of the life of a believer, “Whoever believes in Me as the Scriptures has said, rivers of living waters will flow from within them.” By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him would later receive” (John 7:38-39).

“Bula man-river”

“Bula man-river” is a man who is given true life in Christ because of the flow of the “living waters” of the Holy Spirit. Man is the riverbed with the Spirit of the “living waters” flowing in and through him. The Spirit of “living waters” is the flow of God’s love through man. (Rom.5:5) People come to the river to interact with its “waters,” not the riverbed (you). The “living waters,” God’s love, is the attractant the people is drawn to in the “Bula man-river.” The “Bula man-river provides for us a healthy and practical depiction of man’s relationship in the Triune life of God. In this relationship, man’s role is to “hide in Christ” (Col.3:3) for he or she is dead and as a riverbed is buried in the “living waters” of the love of God in the Spirit. (Gal.2:20) People don’t see us, they see Christ living in us, like the “living waters” cover the riverbed.

Rivers are charted waterways. That’s to say, they don’t change course, but flow into prescribed valleys to water and provide life and abundance to all river dwellers. Likewise, the “Bula man-river” has a prescribed destiny, endowed with gifts, with which to “water” the valleys with God’s love he or she has been pre-ordained to flow through.

The Ocean

There is a naturally recurring effect in nature which attracts all rivers into one magnetizing center – that central place is the ocean. All rivers naturally find their way to the ocean. The vast ocean is the metaphor for God’s greatness who gathers all “Bula man-rivers” into His Triune Being and existence. And so we see the “living waters” of the Spirit, while He is always unified in His Triune existence with God, simultaneously He is flowing into the riverbed of man. In the process, He is constantly and continuously taking man in one ceaseless flowing movement, through the valleys, and into the ocean of God’s presence, through Christ who took our sinless and now glorified humanity beyond the veil and seated man with Him at the right hand of the Father. Then, in God’s circle of life, it starts all over again, just like a river that ever flows, and renews life and makes life pristine each and every day, to the ocean forever renewing the “Bula man-rivers,” who in turn renews the valleys. (Lamentations 3:23)

File:Garden scene, Daedalus Reef, Red Sea, Egypt.jpeg

Marine Life (Wiki Commons)

This is a beautiful picture of man’s reality as God sees him in His Son. This is the Gospel. This is the Good News. The Spirit is constantly taking believers through the valley of their calling they are ordained to water (love), and into the presence of God through Jesus in a flowing movement that never ceases where Jesus and the Spirit interpenetrating the “living waters” in the “Bula man-river.”

What’s the “secret,” as they say, in how we make this miraculous life our own reality? This parable, like Jesus’ many parables, reflects the reality of God for man. They are not fairy stories or fables. Parables are supposed to make God’s spiritual reality more lucid to our physical minds about them. So, the “Bula man-river is the union of the Triune God in man, and man in the Triune God. How does this take place? How does this come to be in man?

In my book, “Bula man-river, The Miracle of Triune Living,” I explained the parable further by depicting man in his fallen state of being as “Bulu man-river.” “Bulu” is another Fijian word meaning “to bury” as in burying the dead. In the meaning of the parable conveyed here, “Bulu” means the “living dead.” If you have read my book, “Bulu was the name of a river from which my wife and I and two friends were saved by the Lord and His angels from certain death. It was from this miracle that Herald eventually led me to write this book. I said,

“There is a spiritual river flowing in every person’s life. A river is a motif for life and how life is lived. A person can flow in one of the two rivers. One is the river that produces a life of fear, lack, and ultimately death. I call that “Bulu” or death. The other river is one with “living waters” that produce love and abundance. I call this “Bula,” another Fijian word, which means “life.” What the Lord made me to see is that humans are really “Bula” or man-rivers in God. Man is a repository of this spiritual river, hence the term “man-river” (John 7:38, 4:13-14). (Pg.16)

“Living Waters” – Metaphor for Spirit (Pic: Wiki Commons)

The “Flush-Out”

I go on to say, “How does man change from a deadly man-river to a life-giving man-river? How does he transmute from a river of fear, want, self-centeredness, egotism, and death to become a river of life with the “living waters” of the Spirit that will bring love and abundance? It is done through the miracle of the “flush-out” process miracle takes place in every person where the internal river in him/her is changed to the Bula man-river of life. The momentous day in history occurred when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born into the human race. He is God and now He is also man. The birth of Jesus was the greatest miracle event in the story of man. The miracle of the “flush-out” occurs when a person’s faith transmits the cleansing agency of Jesus’ blood. Faith is the conductor of miracles as electricity is in water. The atoning blood of Jesus flushes out the deathly waters of Bulu and replaces it with the Bula “living waters” of the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39, 4:10). The “flush-out” inaugurates in man the life of God in place of death. Man is now the Bula man-river of God. At this moment in time, the life of Jesus and the Spirit, the blood and “living waters,” flow in the Bula man-river – you!”  (Pg.40)

I hope this post has given you encouragement fully recognizing the reality of the Spirit’s life in you, leading you, and inspiring God’s love in your actions and the way you live.

May God’s abundance and love, flow and bless and keep you and your loved ones. And may your life be embraced in the Triune bond of love, as a riverbed with full-flowing “living waters” (Bulamanriver*)

Kiang                                                                                                                                                                  (Your Servant in Christ) 

* The “Bulamanriver” is the metaphor describing the union of man with the Love of the Triune God flowing in humans, making possible the “Triune Life” – the source of the miraculous life in man. To read the many facets of life of the Bula man-river, go to my website www.bulamanriver.com where you can order a copy of my Book. Thank you for your support.

All scriptures are taken from the NIV Version 2011, unless stated otherwise

Note: Any information obtained from this website that is used for publication should be acknowledged by citing the website address, date of acquisition and information pertinent to original authorship. For general guidelines regarding web citations see The Guide for Citing Electronic Information