The danger when hearing a message such as this is to focus on behavior and not regard the motivation for the behavior. Paul tells us to submit to authority but he begins with the more important thing – the why.
Very recently, I was talking with a friend who recounted his own experience of the fake tsunami scare that happened in Cebu City last February 2012. I think everyone will remember this incident that we now look back to as the “Chona Mae scare of 2012”. Many of us will remember it now as a funny incident. But I think we can learn important lessons from this.
He was driving along Jones Avenue going towards Colon when suddenly he saw hundreds of people rushing past him. He said they all looked very scared and many of them were shouting and pounding on his car window. They were urging people to start running for higher ground. They believed a tsunami has formed, and sea water was already surging nearby. My friend abandoned his car there in the middle of Jones and started running with the crowd.
Eventually, my friend got hold of an AM radio and from there he heard the mayor of the city telling people to calm down. There was no tsunami. My friend of course believed the city mayor, and started going back to get his car. But he did more than that, he started telling people everywhere the truth.
Our behavior is dictated by our belief. If you believe a surging tsunami is behind you, you will run. You will drop everything and run. And when your belief is founded on the truth, you will behave according to the truth. When you truly believe, you will behave accordingly.
Our series in Romans establishes first and foremost the foundations of our Christian belief before it emphasizes what are the things that we need to obey as we live out that faith.
Cebuanos have a beautiful word that highlights the relationship of truth, faith and obedience. Our word for truth is “kamatuoran”. So if a Cebuano asks you if something is true, he will ask “Tinuuod ni?”. Then he will likely add – “pag-sure oy.”
Our word for faith or belief is “pagtuo”. When a Cebuano wants to know what you believe in, he will ask “Unsay imong tinuohan?” Or unsa imong “pagtuo”.
Our word for faith or belief is “pagtuo”. When a Cebuano wants to know what you believe in, he will ask “Unsay imong tinuohan?” Or unsa imong “pagtuo”.
Our word for obey is basically the verb form of this word – “patuo”. If you have been raised by a Cebuano mother like I was, you would have heard this shouted at you many times “Patuo ba!”. Obey. Or its more dramatic variation, “Di ka patuo?”. Sometimes delivered with a tsinelas on hand.
So, to the Cebuano mind, truth, faith and obedience are intertwined and comes from the same root. If God is real, you put your faith in God, and you obey God. “Kung tinuod ang Ginoo, mutoo ka niya ug mu patuo ka niya.”
I think Jesus says it better:
John 14:23-24The Lord has taken me through a crisis of obedience this year on the issue of submitting to government authority. If I am going to be honest, I – like some of you – struggled with the past election results. I will be lying to you if I say that the teaching of submission came easy. But God has been kind and patient with me.
Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
During the campaign months leading up to the election, my wife Vanessa and I have decided to go all out for our support of one candidate. Along the way, we made many friends and took it as an opportunity to share our faith. But when the election results came, it was not the results we wanted. It didn’t help that election day was also my birthday. So yeah, happy birthday to me.
In the end, we decided to meet together with all the campaign volunteers in our area. We made a party of it. There was grilling and tons of ice cream. That’s what you eat when you’re sad - ice cream. As a kid, ice cream is always a treat so no one eats ice cream sad.
Then I was asked to speak.
I shared the one truth I know: God loves the Philippines. That whether or not we choose to obey His will for our nation, He is able to turn things around for the good. So we will trust Him, and we will continue to stand for the truth and persist on the kind of Philippines we want our nation to be. We will obey God and respect the will of the Filipino people whom God loves.
All of us struggle with submission to authority – if you do not struggle with this government authority, chances are you struggled with the one before that, or the one before that, or the one before that, or the one…
We struggle when we do not agree with them. But there is something that happens when we resist authority and insist on what we want. The authority can be your parent, or your husband, or your boss or government leaders. The matter eats you up. It occupies your mind, consumes your time and constantly puts you at a state of never-ending complaints and criticism. It subjugates you under the hold of the authority you are trying to resist. You only need to open your Facebook to see what I mean by this. (Also, please don’t @ me.)
In a very real sense, resisting authority only subjugates you. The words of Paul in Romans 13:2 is true: You bring condemnation to yourself.
On the contrary, submission frees you to become the man and woman that God wants you to be. It frees you from having to deal with things beyond your control and gives you an opportunity to trust God. In the end, each time you submit, you are submitting to God. You are saying that even though you do not understand, or you do not agree, you are letting go of the temptation to resist and instead trust that God will work through the situation.
Meanwhile, what are we as Christians to do? Is there anything at all that we can do as citizens of this country that we love? We all want to get to a place where our country can truly change. How does a Christian take responsibility for nation-building?
I have thought about this question many times. And let me tell a story that will hopefully illustrate my point.
My wife and I like to volunteer and help organize with our DGroup those Couples Retreats that we have here in our church. If you are a married couple and have not yet attended a Couples Retreat, I encourage you to attend. It is going to be one of the most amazing experiences you will ever have with your spouse.
Banne and I were assigned at the registration booth. Couples after couples would come – very sweet like honeymooners. We hand them their forms, and then we assign them to their hotel room. However, there would always be some couples who are not as sweet. You can tell right away. Some would probably come as a last attempt to fix an already broken marriage. Perhaps they have been invited to the retreat, perhaps they have been forced by well-meaning friends and family. They will be hesitant. I remember some would request for separate beds. One time, we got a request for separate rooms.
The most emotional part of the retreat is always the last day. Here you will find couples after years – even decades – of animosity and bitterness will suddenly come together again in forgiveness and love. Banne and I always stay for that part when couples so hopelessly broken make the decision to renew their vows to each other once they come into grips with the profound saving love the Lord is offering each of them.
During one of those times, the Lord made me realize: Isn’t this nation-building? Aren’t we building strong Filipino families this way? Is there a government policy, a piece of legislation, or any big and grand structural reforms that can be more effective than the mighty work of God to change the very hearts of men and women? All of us, we long to see that grand big change that will turn our nation around. But is there a more profound change than the transformation that comes from the saving knowledge of God? I am convinced there is none.
If you are not yet part of a small group, I am inviting you to come and see us at the Welcome Center after this service. There you can take the first step to be part of a group of either single men, or single ladies, or couples. These small groups pray for each other, minister to one another and encourage each other to walk in their Christian faith. It is an opportunity for you to help and witness the stories that God is writing in the lives of many, including your own.
Fifteen minutes before each service, we as a church also come together in a quiet time of prayer.
This is a chance to pray as a church for our government leaders. I invite you to come as we pray for them but also we pray for ourselves. That we spend our time and energy being faithful Christ-committed followers.
To focus on the things within our control, encourage and love those whom God has placed in front of us. To live respectful and prayerful lives with quiet conviction.
The more we pray the more God reveals to us small acts of submission that we can do from where we are. Obeying and following traffic rules is my favorite example. As you know, we are increasingly filling up this place, and so is the parking areas. When we opened the parking ministry last month, I knew it was going to be an interesting test of how well CCFers in Cebu submit to the authority of our volunteer traffic attendees. Will they submit when told not to park in specific areas? Or will they complain?
Well, I am happy to report our church is full of people who will happily submit to the authority of our parking volunteers. As a result, our parking is orderly, and our parking volunteers are happy. We praise God that CCFers follow rules. But in case you don’t obey we have your plate number on our files. (Just kidding. No it’s actually true. Just kidding.)
If each of us is faithful to our being Christians in big and small ways, all of us will see change sweep through this nation like a river. The very vision of the church will come alive:
If you are not yet part of a small group, I am inviting you to come and see us at the Welcome Center after this service. There you can take the first step to be part of a group of either single men, or single ladies, or couples. These small groups pray for each other, minister to one another and encourage each other to walk in their Christian faith. It is an opportunity for you to help and witness the stories that God is writing in the lives of many, including your own.
Fifteen minutes before each service, we as a church also come together in a quiet time of prayer.
This is a chance to pray as a church for our government leaders. I invite you to come as we pray for them but also we pray for ourselves. That we spend our time and energy being faithful Christ-committed followers.
To focus on the things within our control, encourage and love those whom God has placed in front of us. To live respectful and prayerful lives with quiet conviction.
The more we pray the more God reveals to us small acts of submission that we can do from where we are. Obeying and following traffic rules is my favorite example. As you know, we are increasingly filling up this place, and so is the parking areas. When we opened the parking ministry last month, I knew it was going to be an interesting test of how well CCFers in Cebu submit to the authority of our volunteer traffic attendees. Will they submit when told not to park in specific areas? Or will they complain?
Well, I am happy to report our church is full of people who will happily submit to the authority of our parking volunteers. As a result, our parking is orderly, and our parking volunteers are happy. We praise God that CCFers follow rules. But in case you don’t obey we have your plate number on our files. (Just kidding. No it’s actually true. Just kidding.)
If each of us is faithful to our being Christians in big and small ways, all of us will see change sweep through this nation like a river. The very vision of the church will come alive:
Our vision is to see a movement of millions of committed followers of the Lord Jesus Christ meeting in small groups, transforming lives, families, communities, and nations, all for the glory of God.
This is a crisis of obedience. Kung dili ka mupatuo, nituo ba gyud ka sa Ginoo? If you do not obey, do you really have faith?
If today you struggle with submission to government authority, let me encourage you: God loves the Philippines. And He is at work.
The real change we are looking for is the one that comes from God. Jesus was, is and always will be the savior of our nation.
If today you struggle with submission to government authority, let me encourage you: God loves the Philippines. And He is at work.
The real change we are looking for is the one that comes from God. Jesus was, is and always will be the savior of our nation.
