Limits to Intimacy? 2. Not So, in God!

Perfect interpersonal relationships do not exist.  Wouldn’t you agree?  Yet most of us have an inner desire to find deep, intimate friendships and fulfilling marriages. 

In "Limits to Intimacy?" Part 1, we defined intimacy, we questioned whether there are limits to intimacy in interpersonal relationships, and we outlined five types of intimacy in human relationships. [See Part 1, HERE.]  We also received private communications in which some of you shared important insights on the subject of intimacy.

Our “Blog in a Nutshell” [See on LEFT.] summarizes Part 1 and explains what you will read in Part 2.  As always, we welcome your insights and questions at the “Comment” link below.

Beginning of Intimacy
The word intimate means “inmost, innermost, deepest.”  When applied to human relationships, it describes a warm friendship or close association which may or may not have a romantic component.  In a romantic relationship, erotic love (Gr. eros) is usually present which, as Pastor Timothy Keller describes it, the couple face each other and blissfully share in mutual adoration as if nothing else existed.  In contrast, “friendship love” (Gr. phileo) pictures two people standing side-by-side with their eyes focused on admiring another object, person, sport, hobby, shared belief, or cause.  According to Keller, friendship love develops in those special moments when one person learns that another person shares the same interest or value as if to realize, “You enjoy it, too?" or, “You believe it, too?”

God created humans to be relational beings.  We find meaning, purpose and fulfillment by forming and maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships.  These relationships are most certain to endure and thrive when we invite God to be at the center.  Contrary to the other religions of the world, Judeo-Christian theology reveals that the LORD God, Jehovah, has made a way for humans to establish a loving friendship with Him.  Yes, “friendship with Almighty God!"  As we grow in the intimacy of fellowship in our obedient walk with Jesus Christ, we find ourselves loving what He loves and doing what He would do.  Because of our shared values, we find ourselves joyfully saying to our Savior, “You, too?” 

God Invites Intimacy
Still, many people view Jehovah God just like any other god-- distant, impersonal, and uncaring.  Why should they seek a friendship with a God they do not trust?  How can they be sure God is not a “cosmic killjoy?”  Isn’t God so “altogether other” and “all-powerful” compared to us?  How could there be any joy or fun in a relationship with a distant God who claims to be “holy” and “almighty?”  The answer lies in another attribute of God’s character and nature:  God has revealed himself as "Love" (Gr. agape) which He expresses as unconditional, sacrificial, and benevolent behavior toward us in both His character and actions (John 3 :16).

The Scriptures reveal that God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were still (rebellious) sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5: 8).  Greater love has no one than this that one lay down his life for his friend (John 15: 13).  When we realize we are rebels against a loving God, we yield to God’s loving pursuit, and His Spirit indwells us to produce the fruit of Love, Joy, Peace, and more (John 15: 1-10; Galatians 5: 22-23).  If we abide in Christ, we can share the testimony of John:  For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5: 3).  When we gladly obey God as an expression of our love and desire for friendship with Jesus, He responds:  You are My friends if you do what I command you (John 15: 14).  

But still, many remain skeptical.  Some will accept that “God is love,” but ask how can one become an intimate friend with a God knowing that He also occupies a position of sovereign power over us?  God is our powerful Creator (Genesis 1-2) and we are “the created.”  How then is our friendship with God any different than employee to employer?  After all, we can be close friends with our bosses at work but these friendships are ultimately conditioned upon our job performance.  Can we be any more intimate with God than this?  Again, the answer lies in the nature of God.

Triune Godhead:  Eternal Intimacy
It is it true that God is love.  It is God’s abundant, overflowing love that causes Him to be an eternally relational Being.  He is One God in three Persons: Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit, all three in a perfect, loving, purposeful, relationship as One.  It is from within this pre-existing, loving relationship in the Godhead that God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness… (Genesis 1: 26).  

Pastor Timothy Keller has taught that although God is our Almighty Creator and Ruler, He pursues intimacy with humankind not primarily with His Power as Creator but rather, with His unfailing Love.  From the very beginning of creation, God’s relationship to His creation was not about His Power, but about His Love which had been emanating as a fragrance from the eternal, loving relationships within the Godhead from eternity past. [Hear Tim Keller’s message, "Praying in the Psalms," HERE.]  

Broken Intimacy with God
Adam and Eve were created in the image of God to enjoy perfect love and intimacy with God. He instituted marriage to be an intimate relationship between the man and woman, a relationship in which they could come to know each other deeply and without fear, shame, or any other reservation.  This is intimacy without limits!  However, they were deceived by Satan, ate the forbidden fruit, and immediately became estranged from each other and from God (Genesis 3).

Before the Fall, the man and the woman had been “naked and unashamed” with nothing to hide.  But their sin caused them to hide themselves from each other and from God.  Perfect intimacy between them and with God was destroyed.  So, God sacrificed an animal to create skin coverings them (Genesis 3: 21).  This shedding of blood foreshadowed the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s perfect Lamb sent to take away the sin of the world and to restore broken relationships.

In Philippians 2: 7-8, the Apostle Paul describes the sacrificial path of suffering that Jesus walked for us on His way to the Cross:  Jesus… emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  How would Christ the Son of God have walked this path of unspeakable suffering and death were it not for His continual, intimate communion with His Father in Heaven?  It would have been impossible!  If we desire to build intimate friendships and marriages, what better relationship is there to study than the perfect one between God the Father and God His incarnated Son whose character and behavior we are to emulate?   

Intimacy of God the Father and Son
Intimate relationships between people as image-bearers of God are ultimately made possible by the sacrificial love and redemption purchased by Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3: 18).  The Gospel of John, Chapter 17, includes the “High Priestly Prayer of Christ.”  This precious Scripture invites us to “listen in on” the prayer of Jesus Christ to His Father only a few hours before He went to the Cross to die for sinners.  Jesus became the sacrificial Lamb and fulfilled all that the Jewish priestly sacrificial system had foreshadowed for many centuries before.  

A careful study of Jesus’s “High Priestly Prayer” reveals several qualities and attributes that are an integral part of the perfect and holy intimacy of the Triune Godhead.  Here are three that are essential for any intimate human relationship:
(a)  Prayer, in solitude where possible, and with loved ones
(b)  Love (mutual, unconditional, agape) for God and for one another
(c)  Knowing God personally and yielding to His will
Before reading further, we suggest that you take a pause and carefully read John 17.  As you read, notice how the three qualities that build intimacy are evident in Jesus’s prayer.

Through Prayer
In John 17: 1, we read the first words of Jesus’s intimate prayer to His Father in Heaven:  Father, the hour has come, glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee…  There is no more perfect intimacy than that which is between God the Father and Christ, His Son.  And, there’s no more necessary gift of God to His redeemed children at Christ’s expense than the ability to pray with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ; and, if married, to pray with our spouses.  Jesus paid the price to make possible intimate human relationships built upon the discipline of prayer.

Back to the hours before His crucifixion, Jesus was already aware of the weight of His responsibility to bear the sin of the world.  He had nowhere to turn but to His Father.  Jesus’s first words, Father, the hour has come, remind us that the Father and the Son had shared an endearing relationship all the way from eternity past.  Jesus then asks that the Father sustain and glorify Him as God’s Lamb as He is about to offer Himself in the sacrifice of His life.

Through Mutual Love
We should also note that the “High Priestly Prayer” (John 17) contains several elements that express the shared love and authority within the Triune Godhead and the overflowing love for mankind that spills from the Godhead.  These elements include the following:

(a) Submission to His Father:  For their sakes I sanctify Myself [set Myself apart for this purpose], that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth (John 17: 19).  Jesus expresses commitment to His redemptive mission:  To glorify His Father by yielding Himself as a “servant steward” under His Father’s authority.   As such, Jesus becomes God’s “Love Gift” made possible by His suffering and death as a sinless Lamb-- even death on a Cross (John 17: 1-2, 4; Philippians 2: 5-8).  

(b) Intimate relationship with God:  This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17: 3).  The Apostle Paul expressed his desire to know God intimately while rejecting things he once valued.  He wanted to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death… (Philippians 3: 10).

(c) Intercession on behalf of His Own:  Jesus interceded before the Father’s throne on behalf of His disciples, and He still intercedes for us and for those who will believe in Him in the future (John 17: 5-26).

(d) Prays for Church Unity:  …that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me (John 17: 21).  Jesus prays that His church, birthed out of His death and resurrection, will powerfully witness to the world that His followers live in loving unity with each other because they live in intimate love and unity with the Father, Son, and Spirit. (John 17: 21) (John 17: 20-23). Francis Schaeffer has claimed that the unity among Christians within the Body of Christ is the greatest testimony and apologetic for the authenticity of the Christian faith². 

Prayer in Solitude
It is likely that Jesus prayed His “High Priestly Prayer” in some form during many occasions when he would slip away to a place of solitude (e.g. Matthew 14: 23; Mark 1: 35; Luke 5: 16; 6: 12).  Jesus not only modeled prayers for us in form and content, but He also modeled the practice of finding places of solitude where distractions are minimized.  Jesus in His humanity was applying God’s command in Psalm 46: 10, Be still and know that I am God…  [For more Scriptures about Jesus praying, click HERE.]

Chuck Swindoll wrote¹, "We are commanded to stop (literally)... rest. relax, let go, and make time for Him.  The scene is one of stillness and quietness, listening and waiting before Him.  Such foreign experiences in these busy times!  Nevertheless, knowing God deeply and intimately requires such discipline.  Silence is indispensable if we hope to add depth to our spiritual life."

On one occasion, Jesus’s disciples found Him praying alone and were so inspired that they asked Him to teach them to pray (Luke 11: 1).  We ought to be encouraged that God not only commands us to pray (1 Thessalonians 5: 17) but through Christ our Advocate (1 John 2: 1), He always lives to make intercession… for us (Hebrews 7: 25; Romans 8: 27).  What’s more, the Holy Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8: 26).

Invitation to Intimacy with God
If you are a Christ-follower, we hope your experience of rereading and meditating on John 17, preferably in a quiet place where God’s Spirit can speak to you, will bring you into an awareness of the awesome power of the intimate love and purity of holiness that exists when we bow before the throne of the Triune God.  Think of it!  Jesus our Advocate with the Father is praying on our behalf, saying: …as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, [I Your Son, now pray] that _(insert your name)__ also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me (John 17: 21).  Jesus, in His High Priestly role, continually intercedes for us, deeply desiring that we come as we are and receive His gift of salvation followed by daily fellowship and spiritual renewal (Matthew 11: 28-31; John 15: 1-5).

If you are not a Christ-follower, or even if you are by your professed faith in Him, have you ever thought what you will do when you stand before the throne of God Almighty?  Moses, in fear and reverence, removed his sandals (Exodus 3: 5).  Isaiah said, “Woe, …I am a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6: 1-5); and the Apostle John, upon encountering the glorified Christ, fell to the ground at His feet, being overwhelmed by the holy majesty of the Lamb of God (Revelation 1: 17).  

Yet, along with the fierce holiness and majesty of a just God is His gracious invitation to us sinners to come boldly into His presence because we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One [Jesus Christ] who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need (Hebrews 4: 15-16).

How Will You Respond to God’s Invitation to Intimate Relationship?  It is clear from the Bible that those who encountered the holiness of God Almighty wasted no time in responding in reverent fear and humble worship.  We have already noted that Moses, Isaiah, and the Apostle John all recognized their unworthiness.  Luke 3: 3 speaks of a “baptism of repentance,” meaning that our response ought to be a humble willingness to turn from our old ways of thought and action, our sin being buried as symbolized by our being submerged in baptism; and reborn to a new beginning.  Along with our spiritual “rebirth” is a baptism into the Body of Christ in which we can abide in intimate fellowship with the Triune God as partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1: 4).  How will you respond to God’s invitation?  We urge you to come before God’s throne and His Word to respond according to the conviction of His Spirit and Word.  The simple outline of “Steps to Peace with God” (Click HERE.) provides helpful Scripture and a prayer.

A Christ-follower’s Prayer:  Father in Heaven, thank you that we can call you “Father” because Your Son, Jesus obediently left Heaven’s glory and took upon Himself all the sin and sorrows of the world, bearing them on His Cross, dying there, and raising to new life which opened the way for us to be saved by faith in Him.  Thank you, Father, Son, and Spirit for opening your eternal intimacy to spill out Your love through the blood of Christ so that you, Holy God, can invite us into intimate relationship with you as partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by evil desire (2 Peter 1: 4).  Personally, I pray that you will continue to work in me through Your Word and through those who challenge me. Help me to lay aside the entanglements and the sin that so easily besets me and interferes with developing a more intimate relationship with my wife, family, and friends.  Amen.

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Looking Ahead to Part 3:  In Part 1 and Part 2, we have discussed the nature of intimacy in human relationships and between us and God.  It is clear from Scripture that God is holy and powerful, but He is also gracious, loving, and relational.  Indeed, God has given His Son to redeem us so that we might share in loving intimacy with Him.
In Part 3, we will discuss how God's omniscience as expressed in His intimate knowledge of each one of us is intended to show us how much He loves and values us personally.  God's intimate knowledge of us also becomes the basis for the Joy we can have when we yield to His pursuit and become pursuers of Him as our Father and Friend.  Watch for Part 3, in February.

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Footnotes:
¹ Charles Swindoll. 1996.  Intimacy with the Almighty, Word Publishing.

 ² Curtis Heffelfinger. 2018. The Peace Making Church, Baker Books. p. 107.

Christmas Greetings to Family & Friends - 2024

God Came to Us
Merry Christmas, dear family and friends.  Once again, we are caught up in the celebration of Christmas.  Christmas is celebrated in many ways around the world, but Advent comes with only one message:  Emmanuel—“God with us.”  God came in the Person of Jesus Christ.  It is because of the Advent of Christ that we can be encouraged this Christmas—because He came to be with us.  Now it’s our turn to come to Him.

The hymn, “O Come All Ye Faithful,” invites us to come joyfully, sing to the LORD, and tell of His glory much like the unnamed psalmist did in Psalm 96 (emphasis added):

Sing to the LORD a new song;
    Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
    Proclaim good tidings of His salvation
    from day to day.
Tell of His glory among the nations,
    His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.
                                 - Psalm 96: 1-3

It is with this spirit of praise and thankfulness to God for His greatest Gift-- the Way of salvation through His Son Jesus, that our letter comes to you.  We have no intention to boast of family accomplishments; but rather, to inform you about our family and encourage you in the process.

Come and Be with Us
It was a highlight for us this year when our son Brad and daughter Mindy, and their loved ones each said, “Come be with us.”  In February, Brad and Raquel invited us to share a condo with them in Naples for several days.  It was a welcome break from the Ohio winter to enjoy some warm-weather activities with them. We were also privileged to spend a couple of weeks with Abby's sister Donna and her husband, Larry, in Winter Haven.  

Brad, Raquel, and their partners are now in the 20th year of their faith-based ministry to children, the Little Leaders Company.  They are marking this milestone with the launch of a series of colorful “Backyard Adventure” books that complement their faith-based video series.  The video series focuses on teaching character qualities and basic skills like learning the animals.  From our experience introducing the videos and books to the 2-year-olds we teach at our church, these resources are well suited for parents looking for meaningful ways to teach their children. [[Click HERE for website.]

In March, Mindy, Steve, and family invited us to enjoy their time-share with them in Myrtle Beach and to celebrate Abby’s and Della Rose’s birthdays.  On the road trip down, we enjoyed meaningful conversation with granddaughter Kiara and her husband, John.  The trip was a welcome break for Mindy who works for WellBe Senior Medical as a clinical educator of nurse practitioners locally and out of state.  Our granddaughter, Della Rose, and her friend, Lily, were also with us and enjoyed their break from school—and we enjoyed them.

We look forward to being together as family again this Christmas, especially to see grandson Caleb and his wife, Soni, whose schedules often prevent them from joining us from their home in the Pittsburgh area.  Caleb is a truckdriver for Papa John’s Pizza and supplies fresh dough and accessories to stores around the tri-state area and beyond.  Soni works in the medical health services.

We Can Come to Him
Each year we are becoming more aware of our age.  But we still enjoy walking together, relaxing in our sunroom or deck, gardening and landscaping, and playing games or watching old movies when the weather is cold.  One of us enjoys reading and writing more than the other.

In addition to our home, we enjoy being with our family and with our church family.  Regarding our church, we are privileged to attend and co-lead our small group which meets weekly in our home.  We pray for each other and encourage one another as we seek to apply the teaching/preaching each Sunday from God’s Word by our pastor, Zach Swift.  Our small group recently enjoyed a night of caroling.  In order to keep ourselves young (or make us feel old?) Abby and I have been teaching the 2-year-olds one Sunday each month as part of our church’s Christian education program.  John also co-leads a mid-week, Scripture-fed prayer fellowship with a brother in Christ, Brad Will.

In summary, the past year was like the quiet waters of a stream flowing through a gentle landscape, but then becoming turbulent as it passes down steep valleys.  In March, Abby’s sister Donna passed from this Earth into God’s presence after nearly a year of bravely battling cancer.  [Read more HERE.]  Thankfully, in April, our turbulent waters were calmed by the announcement from granddaughter Kiara and her husband John that they have the prospect of being parents in January, 2025.  Elizabeth Maetta regularly makes herself known to her mommy and we are looking forward to meeting our first great-grandchild.

As Summer turned toward Autumn, our dear friend and brother in Christ, Rex Young, slipped away into Heaven on his 75th birthday after courageously bearing with a six-year bout of cancer.  [Read more HERE.]  We were reminded of the promise of Psalm 23: 2b and v. 4 (paraphrased): “You lead us beside the still waters…  Even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you are with us LORD, and your rod and staff, they comfort us.”

Many of you who read our Christmas letter can relate to both the quiet and the turbulent waters.  But, we can find comfort in remembering that Christmas is the story of God taking on human flesh in the Person of Jesus and dwelling among us.  He came not to condemn us, but to bear our sins and our sorrows (Isaiah 53: 4), and to lift us up through His Spirit that we might be saved (John 3: 16-17).

We thank each of you who have stayed connected with us in some way in 2024 through various communications or by your invitations or visits.  We invite you to leave a greeting using the "Comments" link below.

Have a blessed Christmas and New Year,

God’s Love In Action from the Solid Rock

In our previous blog, “Thanksgiving for Multiethnicity – Part 2” [See HERE.], we featured Lapman and Ching Ching Lun and family who are demonstrating an obedient response to God’s Great Commission to go and “make disciples of all the nations.”  One of Ching Ching’s journal entries describes the ministry of Bileg Solid Rock Mission in Kampong Thom, Cambodia [See HERE].  Her description perfectly captures a local Body of Christ when it is on mission.

Love of Christ in Action
Today, we got to witness how village outreach and feeding centers change the lives of the local community.  In addition to their own Sunday morning service, every Sunday afternoon, the staff (along with the orphans at the home) from Bileg Solid Rock Missions would travel to multiple villages to preach the Gospel.  By modeling and practicing this together, these young people saw the importance of sharing the Gospel and living on purpose.

After the program, the kids that come to the feeding center all received a warm meal.  These kids came from poor villages, and many of their parents had to find work in a different city, or even in neighboring Thailand or Vietnam.  They came hungry of course, but the most important thing is that they are also spiritually hungry.  These same kids would be registered for the program and followed through and mentored all the way through school until they become adults! 

Pastor Yean Rith grew up in this village, and went to MANNA Worldwide’s feeding center as a young boy.  His family was poor, and the feeding center gave him food, but more importantly, they taught him about God.  He got saved, and years later, came back to serve his own village.  This is just a beautiful example of God’s amazing grace!!   
[From:  Ching Ching Lun, 12-15-24 in Kampong Thom, Cambodia]

Bileg Solid Rock Missions
At the heart of Jesus’s teaching both by His example and His Word in Scripture are His Great Commandment (Matthew 22: 35-40) and His Great Commission (Matthew 28: 18b-20).

A lawyer asked Jesus, “Which is the great commandment in the law?”  Jesus replied (emphasis added):

“ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’  “This is the great and foremost commandment. “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’  “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 22: 35-40

As the Risen Christ was preparing to ascend into Heaven, he spoke to His followers, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  -- Matthew 28: 18b-20

The Vision of Bileg Solid Rock Mission is to carry out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission in Cambodia through various humanitarian services that will result in the improvement of the quality of life of the people in the areas of health, education and culture.

The Goal:  To significantly contribute to the delivery of medical and health services, education and livelihood opportunities to the people in the covered communities so that they may become more productive and useful citizens of their country and of the world.

How Will We Respond?
Ching Ching Lun’s account of the ministry of love and compassion at Bileg Solid Rock Missions reveals Christ-followers who are living and serving in obedience to Christ’s "two Great’s” in the Scriptures above.  God’s Great Commission, when carried out in the spirit of God’s Great Commandment, adorns the Gospel of Christ with His love in action.  Sharing the Gospel of salvation brings lives from spiritual darkness into the Light and Eternal Life through faith in Christ.  Sharing God’s love through provision of food, medical and health services, education and livelihood opportunities complements the mission’s evangelism and discipleship in practical ways that help meet the needs of the whole person.

A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another, even as I have loved you,
that you also love one another.
By this all men will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another. – John 13: 34-35

Our Cambodian brethren and the Lun Family provide examples of how members of the Body of Christ ought to respond to Christ's call to love one another as He loves us; and, to go and make disciples of all the nations.  During this Advent season and as we consider goals for the New Year, let us pray for 'God's Spirit to convict and lead us in using our time, talents, and treasures in ways that show the love of Christ. 

Thanksgiving for Multiethnicity -- Part 2: Advent for All

Christmas is celebrated in many different ways among the nations and ethnic cultures of the world.  But the Advent of Jesus Christ proclaims ONE MESSAGE:  God loves the World!  He loves people of every nation, culture, and ethnicity.  And, whoever believes in Him [Jesus Christ] will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3: 16).  The Advent of Christ, conceived by the Spirit and born of virgin Mary, occurred 2,000 years ago in a world of confusion, fear, and uncertainty just like ours today.  Into that world, the angelic host announced the Savior’s birth to lowly shepherds on a hillside outside Bethlehem (emphasis added):

Do not be afraid; for behold, 

I bring you good news
of great joy which will be for all the people;
for today in the city of David there has been born
for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  (Luke 2: 10-11)

The shepherds immediately responded that night with joy and excitement:  Let us go straight to Bethlehem and see… (v. 15b).  And when they had seen the Child, they went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them (v. 20). 

The shepherds’ enthusiasm to spread the news of what they had seen is amplified every Advent season when people of every nation sing the hymn, “Joy to the World” (emphasis added):

“Joyful, all ye nations rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with th’ angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

The message of the Advent of Christ is Good News for all nations, cultures, and ethnicities.   After Jesus’s death and resurrection, He commissioned His followers to go and make disciples of all the nations… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matthew 28: 19-20).  Because of the courage and faith of Jesus’s disciples, the Gospel of Christ has been passed down to us.

Do You Know Your “Spiritual Genealogy?”
Have you ever wondered about your “spiritual genealogy?” Each believer in Christ is linked spiritually to the person or persons who introduced them to the saving grace of God.  Likewise, each of our spiritual parents have their spiritual genealogy extending back to the disciples who saw the Risen Christ and believed (1 John 1: 1-4).  Regardless of our culture or our ethnicity, our spiritual genealogy very likely passes through multiple ethnicities linking back to the Middle East where Christ-followers received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  Their bold witness carried the Gospel of Christ westward into Europe and Africa, and eastward into Asia and the Far East.  

Serving the Nations:  The Lun Family
In this Part 2 of our “Thanksgiving for Multiethnicity” [See Part 1 HERE.], we highlight one family that has taken seriously Christ’s Great Commission to “make disciples of all the nations.”   Currently, Lapman and Ching Ching Lun of Wooster, Ohio are on their most recent missionary journey to share the Gospel and encourage believers in Southeast Asia.  While ministering in the churches, schools, and medical facilities in Cambodia has been an ongoing focus for Lapman and Ching Ching, their short-term mission trips have allowed them to serve in Thailand, Mongolia and Nepal among other Asian nations; and, in Kenya, Africa, several European nations; and, in Cuba and Guatemala among nations in Latin America.

Before we share more about this amazing family, several disclaimers are in order.  First, the Lun family members do not consider themselves “amazing.”  Instead, they consider their international ministry for Christ as merely a humble expression of their gratefulness to God for their salvation and spiritual calling to spread His love to many nations.  Second, our tribute to Lapman, Ching Ching, and family encompasses only what is known to us.  And to us, it is their meek, quiet, and humble offering of service that encourages so many others that makes the Lun family worthy of our tribute.  In this spirit, our prayer is that this blog above all will honor Jesus Christ.

Lapman grew up in the US and dedicated his life to Christ as a high school student.  Ching Ching was saved at the age of 13 in Hong Kong.  In 1993, the two met in Maryland during Lapman’s fellowship training in oncology and hematology.  Ching Ching had finished her master’s degree at University of Pittsburgh and was awarded an internship working in the Washington DC area.  Her pastor in Pittsburgh recommended that she attend Chinese Bible Church of Maryland in Rockville, and it is there she met Lapman.  They both grew in Christ under the ministry of Pastor Jonathan Liu who later joined them in marriage.

Cambodia: Nation in Ashes
Meanwhile, the decade of the 1990’s saw the decline of the Khmer Rouge, a Communist government which had oppressively ruled in Cambodia since the Vietnam War of the 1970’s.  During those years, the Communist rebel known as Pol Pot had taken control of Cambodia.  In his attempt to create a classless communist society, Pol Pot eliminated the educated people, urbanites, “ethnic Vietnamese, civil servants and religious leaders.” Pol Pot is responsible for the deaths of 2 to 3 million people due to “starvation, execution, disease or overwork.” [Read more HERE and HERE.] 

Today, Cambodian survivors and their descendants are still chilled by the memory of Pol Pot’s “Cambodian Genocide” as a dark shadow upon their nation. Cambodia lost a whole generation of educated people and those who survived were left without nutrition, medical services and education.  However, the resulting pain and hopelessness created a massive hunger for the Gospel.  Thankfully, the God of all comfort was moving in the hearts of his children to respond by providing practical expertise to meet basic needs for improved quality of  physical life while also responding to Cambodian spiritual hunger through biblical evangelism and discipleship.  It is this God who eventually inspired and led Lapman and Ching Ching to serve the Cambodian people through their many short-term trips to minister to them spiritually, emotionally, and medically.  

Maturing in the Lun Family
Meanwhile, Lapman continued his career as an oncologist at Cleveland Clinic and Ching Ching responded to what she considered as the greatest calling in her life--i.e. loving and serving her husband and their children as a stay-at-home mom.  Now, she says, "I need to remember to thank God every day for giving us our family --and the fact that we ARE indeed, living in Harmony (the Chinese meaning of the name, "Lun"), all serving Christ in our own surroundings/ministries.”

We were blessed to meet Lapman, Ching Ching over a decade ago when they along with their three children attended West Hill Baptist Church.  It was especially memorable to recall Wednesday evenings when the Lun family attended the weekly prayer fellowship.  Alongside their parents, the children eagerly participated with their open Bibles and warm smiles.  Now, over a decade later, the three children, Jonathan (27), Jeremy (24), and Abby (22), have all attained academic excellence at Cedarville University and are preparing for service in the field of medicine.

Jonathan has finished medical school at The Ohio State University (OSU) and is now matched into Mayo Clinic's pediatric residency program in Rochester, Minnesota.  After traveling with Samaritan's Purse to Tenwek Hospital last year where he saw the dire need of children with heart valve disease, Jonathan decided to pursue a fellowship in pediatric cardiology with plans to serve on the mission field.

Currently, Jeremy is in his second year of medical school at OSU.  He married Nicole, a neonatal nurse whom he met at Cedarville University. Nicole’s parents are serving on the mission field in Hungary and her grandpa served in Liberia as a surgeon for many years.  Lord willing, when Jeremy finishes his training, the couple hopes to serve on the mission field as medical missionaries.  Jeremy is pursuing internal medicine and pediatrics so he can see a wide age range of patients in the field.

Abigail is now a senior at Cedarville University, majoring in Biology, and will be applying for medical school next year.  This past year God has really spoken to her about her career.  Even though she had thought God might lead her along a different path from her brothers, Abby finally decided to pursue medical school as well.  She has been travelling with her parents to Asia to visit orphanages for years.   Abby’s heart is in Cambodia and Thailand where she hopes to serve when she finishes her training.

According to Ching Ching, all three of her children and the Lun family owe a great debt of gratitude to Dr. Melissa Burns, a Cedarville professor (See above photo).   Ching Ching elaborated as follows: “[Dr. Burns] has mentored all my kids, not just academically, but even more spiritually, into the persons that they are today.  All three of them can attest to her impact on them (and of course, coincidentally, they were all in the pre-meds program).”  She adds, “By the time they graduate, Dr. Burns becomes their lifelong friend.”

This Christmas, we thank God for the Advent of His Son and His gift of salvation-- Good News for all  people and for all nations.  And we also thank God for the Lun family and their calling to bring the message of New Life in Christ to the nations, especially Cambodia that was once reduced to ruins, ashes, and death.  Through the Lun's and other ministries of God's grace like theirs which serve the "whole person" in body, mind, and spirit, a new generation is sprouting from the ashes and ruins.

Lun's Advent Ministry in Cambodia
As we conclude this blog, Lapman and Ching Ching are still in Cambodia.  If you'd like a more personal exposure to their ministry and that of their partners, please use the links below.  Two links provide video recordings of Cambodian children and youth, respectively, expressing their vibrant faith.  The third link includes an account from Ching Ching's journal for December 15 as she and Lapman are serving with Bileg Solid Rock Missions. 

Cambodian Children singing:                     Click HERE.
Cambodian youth singing:                          Click HERE.
The Lun's at Bileg Solid Rock Missions:    Click HERE.

We close with the lovely poem, “Beauty for Ashes” and the Scripture from Isaiah 61 that spoke prophetically of the mission of Jesus Christ to all the nations, words that Jesus the Messiah read in the synagogue in Nazareth, 700 years later.  [CLICK on text box to enlarge.]

Thanksgiving for Multiethnicity – Part 1: Our Family's Blessing

Thanksgiving season invites us to remember our blessings and give thanks to the “Giver of every good and perfect gift that comes down from above” (James 1: 17).  This Thanksgiving, we are remembering how God has gifted us, and so enriched us with a great diversity within our family and friends. 

In this blog, you will meet a few of our family members and friends whose different backgrounds have enriched our lives while sharing many of our values and hopes.  As you may soon realize, your family is probably also blessed with an ancestry rich in diversity by their geographic origin, ethnicity, culture, nationality, and customs. For our purposes here, we will lump these ways of viewing diversity in the human race under the term ethnicity.

We should note at the outset that Abby and I are blessed with multi-ethnicity in our own ancestral lineage; namely, Native American and Germanic.   Abby’s grandmother, Alva Mae Bright (above) was ¼ Cherokee.  Meanwhile, the name “Silvius” has a Roman origin.  [Listen carefully to Season 1 of The Chosen and you will hear Quintus refer to a centurion named Silvius.]  As the graphic above (Click to enlarge.) explains, because of the divergence of many different Romance languages from the Latin, it is difficult to trace the nationality of a “Silvius.”  [Read more on the name “Silvius” HERE.] How about that?  Isn’t it likely that all of us have some multiethnicity or at least "internationality" in our blood?  [Again, we are lumping these two concepts for simplicity.  Hope no one minds-- "Comment" below if you do.]

Multiethnicity of the First Thanksgiving
Speaking of our family history, we remembered that the gathering on that “first Thanksgiving” in 1621 (and again, in 1623) was also ethnically diverse.  The Pilgrims who survived their treacherous voyage across the Atlantic had faced harsh weather and limited food.  Many of them died, but providentially those who reached Plymouth Rock were saved by the good will of Tisquantum, or “Squanto,” a Native American of the Patuxet tribe of the Wampanoag confederation.  

Squanto and members of his tribe graciously assisted the Pilgrims as an interpreter to establish communication and peace with the Wampanoag’s including its chief, Massasoit.  Then, Squanto and his tribesmen assisted the Pilgrims in hunting game from the forest, obtaining seafood from the Atlantic, and growing corn and other crops.  This marvelous show of God’s providential care was the focus of that first Thanksgiving celebration.  But the backstory which centers on the life of Squanto is even more amazing.

The Pilgrims were amazed to learn that Squanto had been captured by English sailors and taken as a slave to Europe (circa. 1614).  There, he and other captured Native Americans were taught to speak English as preparation for them to be guides for explorers of the North American frontier.  A more complete account of Squanto’s life (See HERE) reveals a second time in which he was captured and transported to Europe; but this time he was purchased from the slave auction block and set free by the brothers of a local monastery.  As a free man, Squanto eventually returned again to his homeland where he became that saving grace to the Pilgrims we noted above.  Governor William Bradford recognized Squanto’s miraculous role and later wrote that he was “a special instrument sent of God for their good.”  [For additional details on the spiritual context of how God worked among the lives of the Pilgrims, see HERE; and a book Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving, by Eric Metaxas, HERE.]

Multiethnicity in Our Family
Just as God’s providential hand had worked on behalf of the Pilgrims even before they arrived at Plymouth Rock, so God made prior provisions for our family that we now are realizing.  Allow us to highlight some significant ethnically diverse relationships of our early family history that facilitated and enabled the unfolding of God’s provisions for us and our children two children in future years.

Abby and I both attended Malone College (now Malone University) where we met, became engaged, and then married after graduation, in 1969.  At Malone, we became friends with students of various ethnicities, especially African Americans and also international students from Africa.  We especially remember Brindell with whom we worshiped, occasionally studied, and enjoyed double dates eventually including the junior-senior banquet.

During the first summer after Bradley’s birth in 1970, we traveled to Kalamazoo, Michigan for graduate level courses in ecology at Western Michigan University.  While we were there, we visited various sites including the sand dunes along Lake Michigan and the Kellogg’s cereal company of Battle Creek.  This was to be the beginning of a significant role of Michigan education, geography, and sports in our family.  

One year later, the three of us moved to Morgantown, WV for my doctoral studies.  There we became friends with international students from several continents.  Two Middle Eastern graduate students, one a Muslim and the other Jewish, invited us to their apartment where they served us their favorite dishes which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Among our neighbors in the trailer court in which we resided during graduate school were Alvaro and Jane, a delightful couple from Brazil, who soon began to love and spoil Bradley.  They introduced us to their Brazilian and Mexican friends and we all went on a day-trip into the mountains of Maryland to enjoy swimming and picnicking.  Later, when we settled in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois for a lectureship in botany at the University of Illinois, Alvaro made a special effort to visit us while he was on campus attending an international conference.  Of course, Alvaro was especially delighted to see Bradley. Our daughter, Melinda was born in Urbana, IL a few months later.

Little did we know that at the same time, a little Brazilian girl named Raquel de Paula was growing up in southern Brazil, daughter of Portuguese and German parents, and would later decide to move to Michigan where our paths would meet as we will describe below.

While at the University of Illinois, I was fortunate to serve with the faculty of the Department of Botany chaired by an Indian-American plant physiologist named Govindjee.   His research on photosynthesis earned Govindjee the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society of Photosynthesis Research, in 2022.  

[Read Govindjee's biography HERE.  And more HERE.]  [If you recall the Calvin-Benson Cycle of photosynthesis, this interview of Andrew Benson by Govindjee may be interesting—HERE.]

Following our two years at U. of Illinois, we moved to Maryland for employment as a plant physiologist with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville outside Washington, DC.   As a researcher within the Light and Plant Growth Laboratory where two of my colleagues are noteworthy:  N. Jerry Chatterton was a fellow plant physiologist and bishop within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; and, Takuma Tanada, a Hawaiian-born American, was also conducting 

research, specifically on the effects of red and far-red wavelengths of light and the element boron on photomorphogenesis of plants, particularly the roots.  Mr. Tanada is recognized for the discovery of the “Tanada Effect,” named for the effect of specific light wavelengths on plant roots.  [More HERE.]  In 2011, Tanada was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award in the United States, for his assistance to the U.S. military in World War II.  He died in 2018 at age 98.

Believing that all research and no ministry to others makes John a dull boy, our lives in Maryland were greatly enriched among other family activities by our worship at Belcroft Bible Church.  There, we enjoyed our ministry to the career singles and met Ravi Waldon and Heidi Sweetman.  The two married, raised two sons, and Ravi is now a Principal at Michael Graves Architecture & Design [Click HERE.]

When we became part of the Cedarville College (now Cedarville University) faculty in 1979, it was my honor and blessing to represent the university at the Academic Council of Au Sable Institute for Environmental Studies in northern Michigan.   I was also blessed to lead numerous trips to northern Michigan with my students for field laboratory studies in environmental physiology and ecology. 

Meanwhile, Bradley was completing his high school (Cedarville H.S.), undergraduate (Cedarville University), and graduate education in mechanical engineering (Rensselaer) and settling in Michigan.  There he eventually met and married Raquel de Paula, once the little Brazilian girl we mentioned earlier.  Raquel had grown up and moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan where she was serving as a nanny.  Bradley is Founder and president of The Little Leaders Company [See HERE.] and Raquel is Project and Program Manager for the University of Michigan.

Not long after Brad and Raquel had settled in Ann Arbor, Melinda who had completed her secondary and undergrad college education in the same institutions as Bradley, married Steve Salyers of English descent, and they had three children, Caleb, Kiara, and Della Rose.  We enjoyed many visits to the Salyers home near Temperance, Michigan; and, we were blessed to worship with them at Northpoint Church of the Nazarene, pastored by Steve for eleven years.  At Northpoint, we made friends with many African Americans, Hispanics, and other brethren of European descent.

In 2012, we retired from Cedarville University and moved to Wooster, Ohio where we joined West Hill Baptist Church.  Among the new friends we met at West Hill were members of our missionary family.  Keeping our ethnic focus of this blog, I will note three families who are indigenous missionaries. Aroop and Rebecca Kumar

serve in Bangalore, India; and Daniel and Anna Telfort minister in Port au Prince, Haiti. The Kumar’s and the Telfort’s are husband-wife teams who serve in one or more local churches and teach men who are studying to be shepherding pastors.  They also reach out to individuals and families experiencing great spiritual and physical needs.  The Telfort’s work with Bibles International and Daniel has nearly completed the entire Bible in the Creole language.  

Matt and Daniela Brenner serve with Wycliffe Bible Translators in a mission to bring the Gospel to indigenous people in rural Brazil. Matt grew up near Wooster and married Daniela whose hometown is Garça, Brazil. All five of the Brenner family are "on mission," each in their unique way as anyone would testify who has spent time with them.

In recent years, Steve and Mindy’s son Caleb completed his secondary education and enlisted in the  Army National Guard where

he met Soni, an enlistee of Indian descent from Philadelphia.  Caleb and Soni married in 2019 and reside near Pittsburgh where we have enjoyed several blessed times visiting them. 

In 2022, our older granddaughter, Kiara married her best friend, John Basford, born of German and English parents. They await the arrival of their first child next year.

Marvelous Multiethnicity
So there you have it.  The family account of John and Abby Silvius, a multiethnic couple who have been blessed to meet and enjoy the friendship of a diversity of ethnicities over the years.  And, most blessed of all is that we now are part of a multiethnic family.  We look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving together this year as a family.

Of course, our earthly genealogy, wonderful as it is, has carried the curse of sin reaching all the way back to Adam and Eve.  Sad as it sounds, this fact must be reconnect with by humbly yielding to Christ whose sacrifice of His holy life in our place earned Him the right to say, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father [in Heaven] but through Me. (John 14: 6). 

If you have yielded your life to the saving grace of God through Christ (Ephesians 2: 8-10), regardless of your ethnicity, you will be part of that numberless multitude described in Revelation.  We hope you are! 

The Scripture from Revelation (Right >) and the testimony below, written by a Cedarville University alum and friend of Abby and I, provide a fitting end to this blog:

“I truly believe God is glorified by this diversity of peoples and ways of living. So wonderfully unique, but all bearing His image. All of us are touched by common concerns, many are touched by crisis, but all are offered peace that passes understanding. Truly, it’s a gift.”  - Julie Titus Sanders

Where to Next?
In Part 2 of “Thanksgiving for Multiethnicity,” we will describe the workings of God in an Asian family that ministers to multiple ethnic groups and nationalities around the world.  

Meanwhile, if you have questions about your relationship to Jesus Christ and wonder if you will be part of that “great multitude” described in Revelation 7 (above), why not check out “Steps to Peace with God” [Click HERE.]  We also invite you to respond in “Comments” below, or e-mail us at silviusj@gmail.com