Luke 4:23 is where this phrase is from. It asks whoever (in this case Jesus himself) trying to help others to first rid of defect within oneself. In other word, a paradigm where an imperfect body cannot possibly help those who are also imperfect. And of course, I beg to differ.
It has been some time since the scandal of my church broke out. And it perfectly illustrates how we can never have nice things in this world. There are only two possible outcomes. One, my dear pastor is declared guilty of misappropriating funds. At this point of time, we can say that power corrupts and therefore, our innocence is just that little bit more broken. Two, he is declared guilt free which in a way, is a scarier result. It means that when we do have something nice, we then need to use twice the effort to defend people from holding grudges about our success. It means that we need to defend against everyone who tries to pick fault within us. Worse, such opposition may come from inside. All it takes is just a simple thought: there must be something wrong because he is more successful than I. No nice things!
Arguably, this ordeal may not be a bad thing for my church. Through these years, many started to view going to my church as something hip. It is of course good to save people through a change in view. And many became fervent Christians during this journey. Many didn't make this transformation. As we turn unpopular, they are usually the ones who leave. Difficulty shed away the unnecessary and strengthens the core.
During this event, many has also begin to question the ability of positive influence when the leadership itself comes into question. "Physician, cure thyself" they said. Yet who dares to proclaim perfect? Nobody. Does that mean nobody is illegible to help others? Isn't someone who has experienced imperfection and overcame it the perfect candidate for guiding others' through it as well? The best guide is one who has been through the route he is walking on after all.
Just some thought about this whole church issue.
And of course, Dr. Who!
And some photographs, stocked up during the semester. First, a fantastic performance by 雷阳!
It has been some time since the scandal of my church broke out. And it perfectly illustrates how we can never have nice things in this world. There are only two possible outcomes. One, my dear pastor is declared guilty of misappropriating funds. At this point of time, we can say that power corrupts and therefore, our innocence is just that little bit more broken. Two, he is declared guilt free which in a way, is a scarier result. It means that when we do have something nice, we then need to use twice the effort to defend people from holding grudges about our success. It means that we need to defend against everyone who tries to pick fault within us. Worse, such opposition may come from inside. All it takes is just a simple thought: there must be something wrong because he is more successful than I. No nice things!
Arguably, this ordeal may not be a bad thing for my church. Through these years, many started to view going to my church as something hip. It is of course good to save people through a change in view. And many became fervent Christians during this journey. Many didn't make this transformation. As we turn unpopular, they are usually the ones who leave. Difficulty shed away the unnecessary and strengthens the core.
During this event, many has also begin to question the ability of positive influence when the leadership itself comes into question. "Physician, cure thyself" they said. Yet who dares to proclaim perfect? Nobody. Does that mean nobody is illegible to help others? Isn't someone who has experienced imperfection and overcame it the perfect candidate for guiding others' through it as well? The best guide is one who has been through the route he is walking on after all.
Just some thought about this whole church issue.
And of course, Dr. Who!
And some photographs, stocked up during the semester. First, a fantastic performance by 雷阳!