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| Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Seeking The Holy City This is part of the Spotlight article, City Harvest Church : The Cultural Mandate & the Arts.Within this article : A. Seeking the Holy City by Rev Dr Kong Hee B. A brief description of the Cultural Mandate and its impact on the arts C. An interview with Sandy Yeo, Drama Director of City Harvest Church D. An interview with KC Gan, songwriter and Creative Director of City Harvest Church E. A link to a past interview with Ryan, Director of O School ********* By Rev. Dr. Kong Hee This is an article that appeared in Harvest Times, January - March 2009, Issue 36. For years, I have built my life and ministry on the two beams of the cross: the "vertical" beam of loving God wholeheartedly, and the "horizontal" beam of loving people fervently. As we keep growing the church, I've come to realize that one can't keep serving the cause of Christ and His kingdom without interfering with the culture of the world. As such, over the years I have developed an interest on the subject of "Christ and Culture." How do we as Christians properly relate to culture? Because what we believe about theology affects the way we do ministry, how we interpret the Word of God here is critical. As I seek to be faithful to the calling of God upon my life and ministry, there are a number of Bible passages that have really helped me formulate my worldview, namely, Isaiah 60, Revelation 21 and Hebrews 13. HEAVEN IS A CITY In Isaiah 60, Isaiah caught a glimpse of heaven, a prophetic vision of a glorious city not built by human effort but by God: "... they shall call you The City of the Lord" (60:14). This is definitely a heavenly city of another dispensation when "the sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory" (60:19). Without a doubt, this is a vision of a future event that "the Lord will hasten ... in its time" (60:22). Interestingly, at the end of the Bible, in Revelation 21, John the apostle also received a similar revelation. Like Isaiah, he had the same glimpses of a holy city that is to come. This is the city that the heroes of faith of all times have been seeking after. It has been the hope and desire of every generation. The likes of Abel, Noah, Abraham and Sarah have "all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Heb. 11:13). They were all seeking a better homeland (11:14). "They desire a better, that is, heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them" (11:15, NASB). Notice how emphatically the Bible describes heaven as a holy city. Unfortunately, to most Christians, heaven is more often thought of as a spiritual, ethereal, ghostly realm where the soul of the dead goes to in order to be with God. After all, when believers die, aren't they "absent from the body" and "present with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8)? What we tend to forget is that this is only a temporary state as departed believers await the resurrection of the dead. The final goal of every Christian is to be raised up in new life with a resurrected body, to fulfill our true destinies as followers of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, that life in an eternal, resurrected body is to be lived out in a holy, heavenly city. In Revelation 21, the apostle John calls this holy city, "the New Jerusalem" (21:2). This is the eternal city that Abraham himself had been waiting for, a "city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Heb. 11:10). A CITY OF REDEMPTION Like many cities in which we have lived and worked in our lifetime, this holy city is not all that unfamiliar to us. Isaiah describes it as a bustling center of commerce. There are camels carrying gold and incense into it (60:6). There are ships from Tarshish, bearing silver and gold, sailing into its harbor (60:9). There in the city are the cedars of Lebanon, which were very costly timber of the ancient world (60:13). This is all very interesting. Life in heaven seems to go on as it does right now. In Bible times, camels, ships and cedar wood were often symbols of economic power, wealth and prestige, as well as everything pagan, worldly and immoral. So how do they end up eventually in heaven? After all, isn't God going to destroy the wicked and their works? As the most expensive wood in antiquity, the cedars of Lebanon are symbols of pride and arrogance. Isaiah prophesied that God is going to judge "all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up" (Is. 2:12-13). As very large vessels capable of carrying heavy loads over long distances, the ships of Tarshish were easily symbolic of the might and greed of ancient-day powers (2:16-17). Make no mistake about it; the day of the Lord will come upon all the ships of Tarshish. Psalm 48 confirms that by saying that God will "break the ships of Tarshish" (48:7). Yet, many of those things that will be judged in Isaiah 2 show up again in Isaiah 60 as valuable instruments of service to God in eternity! Was Isaiah confused? Why does he seem to be contradicting himself? If those elements of pride and greed are to be judged, how do they still end up in a holy place such as heaven? The answers to these questions are very important because they explain how God deals with the "stuff" of pagan culture, and how we should view them in our lives. First and foremost, let us be clear of this one thing: when God judges in Isaiah, is it destructive judgment or constructive judgment? When He sends fire, is it the fire of annihilation, to give the wicked what they deserve? Or is it the fire of purification, to redeem what has been broken down and damaged by sin? When God breaks the ships of Tarshish, is it like the breaking of a vase, or more like the breaking or taming of a wild horse? Ships of Tarshish. When you compare Scripture with Scripture, the answer is abundantly clear: the judgment here is meant to subdue, not destroy. Ultimately, the ships of Tarshish will be redeemed for service in the eternal, holy city. But they must first be stripped of their pride and rebellion, and God's judgment is meant to destroy this pagan-ness. Once this is done, they will be redeemed and used again to become vessels of service for the Lord in the holy city. Cedars of Lebanon. The same is true for the trees of Lebanon: Isaiah 10:34 says that when God judges, He "will cut down" all the forests of Lebanon. However, He cuts down the trees only in order to reshape them. Once they are redeemed, they are to be used for the glory of God. By the time we come to Isaiah 60, these camels, ships and trees are no longer items of pagan worship or pride: The camels now "proclaim the praises of the Lord" (60:6). "The rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you" as acceptable sacrifices on God's altar (60:7). Nebaioth is the firstborn descendant of Ishmael. The rams of Nebaioth denote elements of worship used by the Middle Eastern Arabs. Can it be possible that certain elements of today's pagan worship will be redeemed for God's service in eternity? I believe so! The ships of Tarshish will bring silver and gold for "the name of the Lord your God" (60:9). Now redeemed, the trees of Lebanon will "beautify the place of My sanctuary" (60:13). In other words, all the items of pagan pride, worship and culture are now used to serve the purpose of God in His eternal kingdom. As Christians, we often mistakenly presume that when "heaven" comes, all worldly, pagan objects will be destroyed. But God is not a destroyer; He is a Redeemer. His purpose is never the destruction of society, or its creative cultural expressions - even if today they are symbols of pride and rebellion, pagan and immoral lifestyles. To Isaiah, when elements of popular culture can't be embraced in their present forms, they can still be redeemed for God's service. When he prophesies of cedars of Lebanon being "brought low", or the ships of Tarshish being "broken", Isaiah is not talking about destruction but transformation; conversion instead of condemnation. Indeed in the end times, the elements of popular worldly culture won't be destroyed; rather they will be converted for God's redemptive purposes. This is a consistent theme throughout the Bible. Acts 3 talks about how Jesus Christ will delay His second coming "until the times of restoration of all things" (3:21). The wealth of pagan nations will be healed and restored, and brought into the eternal, holy city for God's service (Is. 60:11). When we understand that God's distaste for anything idolatrous or immoral doesn't lead to its automatic eradication, we must then imitate His attitude. Our dislike for anything sinful and pagan in our contemporary culture must stir us up to redeem them - even if they may appear demonic in their present form. If I don't like what I see happening in the realm of business, instead of condemning it, I must seek to redeem it for God's glory. If I don't like what I watch in the movies, instead of denouncing them, I must seek to convert them for God's glory. If I don't like what I hear in pop music, instead of the wholesale rejection of it, I must seek to transform it for God's glory. That is God's attitude and worldview toward fallen human culture. A CITY OF CREATIVITY Because Elohim God is a creative God, heaven is a highly colourful, progressive and creative place. Although the Bible begins in Genesis with a simple garden, it ends in Revelation with a very highly sophisticated, advanced city. When the apostle John saw the heavenly city in Revelation 21, he named it the "New Jerusalem". What he saw was a beautiful place where "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away" (21:4). He heard the desire of the One who sat on the throne: "Behold, I make all things new" (21:5). In the original Greek, the making of all things new is not neos (brand-new) but kainos, which means to renew, restore and redeem. That is exactly the heart's cry of Jesus Christ: to see, in the last days, the "restoration of all things" pertaining to life - marriage, career, culture, church ministry, etc.- back to their original God-intended purpose. For too long, sheltered, low-level, conservative Christianity has portrayed to the world a God that is somehow anti-creative. On the contrary, God is totally for creativity. He values creativity. He longs to see great creativity expressed among His people. In that New Jerusalem, John saw the kings and the nations of the earth bringing their "glory and honor" into the holy city (21:24, 26). In the original Greek text, this "glory and honor" refers to all developments and progresses that are of great value to the world. That means all achievements in the fields of science, arts, music, sports, fashion, etc., all developments and progresses in every field of human endeavor and culture, will be carried over into eternity- without the negative influence of sin, greed, pride and rebellion. Notice that they are the products of kings and nations, all human-related stuff! In other words, everything that you do in this lifetime - your job, inventions, ministry - is not going to be wasted. God loves the creativity brought forth by His people. He wants you to be innovative, progressive and expressive in your daily life because He wants to bring those creative expressions into heaven when eternity comes. A CITY OF LIGHT The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. "The Lamb is its light" (Rev. 21:23). The New Jerusalem is a city of dazzling light. Its light is so attractive and magnetic that people and objects are "drawn" there by the sheer force of its glory. This should not surprise us because Jesus is the light of the world. This light is meant not only to dispel the darkness of sin in our soul. It also dispels the darkness of every pain, brokenness and social injustice in the world. It is this light that transforms an entire society. It is this light that is drawing nations and kings into heaven (21:24-26). It reveals a God who loves and cares so much for all. Both John and Isaiah saw the dazzling light in the future holy city. However, from his vantage point, Isaiah saw the light emanating not just from the Lamb of God but also from the people of God. Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising (Is. 60:1-3). How does God expect our light to radiate from us? Just two chapters before, Isaiah says, "If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday" (Is. 58:10, RSV). Similarly, Jesus makes it crystal clear in the Sermon on the Mount that it is by the good humanitarian works that we do in our society (kosmos) that will make us shine for God in the midst of the world (Matt. 5:16). One chapter after Isaiah 60 is the introduction of Jesus' own ministry: The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound (Is. 61:1). When we engage our society by serving the needy and broken, the hurt and wounded, the glory of God radiates through us within that society God has planted us in. When we bring hope to the hopeless and peace to the restless, we make the kingdom of God relevant and attractive for the unchurched. A CITY TO "SEEK" AFTER Understanding the concept of heaven as the holy city has huge implications on how we ought to live in the here and now. The Christian life is not something passive, where one simply waits for the rapture to take place or heaven to come. Hebrews 11 states unequivocally that we are to actively seek after heaven. In John Bunyan's classic, The Pilgrim's Progress, the main character was a man by the name of Christian. He was on a journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial (Heavenly!) City. The life of Christian is a pilgrimage seeking "the city which is to come" (Heb. 13:14). Similarly, we must allow the vision of our heavenly city to shape our walk with the Lord. How does one seek the city? What kind of attitude should we hold on to in life? Looking at the immediate context of this Scripture, in verses 11 and 12, the writer of Hebrews draws a parallel between a ritual of the Old Testament and the death of Jesus: For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp" (Heb. 13:11). On the Day of Atonement, the high priest of old would carry the blood of animals into the Holy of Holies. But the flesh and bones of the animal were of no use to the temple. They were carried "outside the camp" to be burned. In the same way, Jesus' death took place "outside the gate" of the temple: Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate (Heb. 13:12). The writer of Hebrews is using the parallel drawn here to illustrate only one point: just as the Old Testament animals were rejected and thrown out of the temple, Jesus the Lamb of God was viewed as irrelevant to the religious system of His day. He too was rejected by the temple. Hebrews then challenges us in verse 13: Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach (Heb. 13:13). As Christians, we must follow the One who was despised and rejected by His religious contemporaries. We must not be afraid to join Him in His rejected status, following Him "outside the camp," bearing abuses for Him. It is at this point that the theme of the holy city is introduced: For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come (Heb. 13:14). Our journey to heaven is one of actively "seeking" the future holy city. The way we seek is not by isolating ourselves, becoming passive and indifferent to the pain and heartaches in our world. The way we seek is to be like Jesus - suffering and identifying with the unclean, abused and rejected, whom we find mostly outside the comfort zone of the church. And like Jesus, when we touch the unclean, we must expect criticisms and rejections from the religious establishment. But as we pour ourselves out for the hungry and afflicted, bringing healing to the sinful and broken, the hurt and wounded, serving them and redeeming their talents and gifts for God's glory, our light within radiates ever brighter and with increasing brilliance. It is to this light that hardened sinners (Gentiles) and worldly leaders (kings) are attracted and drawn to. I do not subscribe to the naive theology of Triumphalism. As long as we remain imperfect, we will never create a perfect world in our lifetime. Perfection happens only in eternity when heaven comes. But as we wait for it, we mustn't become passive. We must shake away a religious brand of low-level Christianity that is isolated, sheltered, shallow, naive, constantly angry, critical, judgmental and condemning of the unchurched. Instead, we should actively engage the culture of the lost outside the four walls of the church. Doing the latter requires embracing Christian living of the highest level. To engage society effectively, one has to become educated, street smart, worldly wise, sophisticated and creative, yet all the while not losing one's spiritual consecration and discipline. If you can do that successfully, you will become agents of redemption and reconciliation. You will become the ambassador of Christ to a broken-down world. You are then seeking the holy city which is to come! HT This article was first published in Harvest Times issue 36. Reprinted by permission from Harvest Times, City Harvest Church, Singapore. All rights reserved. Log on to harvesttimes.com.sg for more information.
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