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Anniversary 2012
AdvisorsRev. Wilson Suwanto
Daniel Loe
EditorsRachel AtmadjaKenny GozaliMerissa Halim
Hubert KusdonoJocelyn Lee-Tindage
Hendry Wijaya
DesignersBuddy Chung
Harold DoryumuEva Leony
Fransisca SugiantoVincent Yobeanto
Cover PageBuddy Chung
PrintingSemiwati Oei
Production of GII Azusa
539 N. Sunset Ave.Azusa, CA 91702
Telp: (626) 812-0326http://lax.gii-usa.org
The heart of this edition lies in understanding the delight
that takes place in surveying the Promises of God. We study how
the omnipotent God dispenses and fulfi lls His promises. We exam-
ine the signifi cance of the Beatitudes to discover what these di-
vine promises reveal about the character of the promise-Giver. The
promises of God rest in His faithful character; it is not dependent
on the strength of our obedience or the measure of our faith. The
worth and weight of a promise is revealed by the character of the
Giver of the promise. As we examine the Promises of God, we must
be diligent about viewing each promise within the context in which
it was given. Viewing a particular promise passage in isolation often
causes misunderstandings that led us to apply God’s promises er-
roneously.
The giving of a promise usually comes with the act of waiting. It is
not in our nature to enjoy the act of waiting; and yet God often
makes us wait to see the fulfi llment of His promises. Waiting has its
purpose in testing our faithfulness and developing Godly character.
But as character-building as the act of waiting is; it has also driven
countless men and women into weariness, bitterness, and anger at
what they view as God’s failure to fulfi ll His promises or God’s idle-
ness. Many men of God sinned because they could no longer wait
upon the Lord. Whether it is pride in taking matters into our own
hands or turning away from the Lord; the heart of the disobedience
comes from doubting the faithfulness of God. In this edition, we
also seek to understand the proper attitude when waiting upon the
Lord. Often, believers misintepret waiting on the Lord as idleness.
What many have failed to understand is that actively waiting upon
the Lord is, in itself, a form of action.
Anniversary 2012 1
Editorial ]
Contributors Janice Atmadja
Rev. Kristianto HoseaChristal SetiawanGamas SugiartoEv. Julia Suwanto
Rev. Wilson SuwantoJocelyn Lee-Tindage
Rocky Tindage2012 VBS Kids and Helpers
A promise is also intended to inspire hope. After an exhaustive study
of all the promises in the Bible and the writings of scholars who
have studied them; noted theologian Dr. Herbert Lockyer found
that above all, God’s Promises were never intended to “corrupt the
believer with false hope.” Once God gives a promise, He is legally
bound to honor it as He can neither perjure Himself nor deny His
faithful nature. Many Christians go no further than to take comfort
in the promises of God. But His promises were not meant to merely
soothe our fears and worries by lifting our gaze to the marvelous
future He has promised. God’s promises are intended for believers
to claim. God’s promises are intended to stir us into action by turn-
ing our delight in His Promises into obedience.
2 Anniversary 2012 Anniversary 2012 3
Jadilah Ranting yang Berbuah
Ucapan Berbahagia
Janji Tuhan
Undivided
God-Centered Marriage Life
Testimony: Romans 8
How to Get a Job in Four Easy Steps
Book Review: Parenting by God's Promises
VBS 2012 Survey
Setiap Langkah adalah Anugerah
Caricature
5
15
28
44
48
54
60
62
64
66
68
FeaturingBeatitudes
The Promises of God
Menantikan Janji Tuhan dengan Setia
092036
Contents ]
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Agape Magazine or GII
Azusa?
Please email it to
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4 Anniversary 2012
hendaklah kita dengan penuh hati bersyukur kepada Tuhan karena Di-alah yang membangun dan meme-lihara GII Azusa sampai hari ini dan seterusnya. Selama dua puluh sembilan tahun, Tuhan dengan se-tia memimpin hidup kita. Apa yang harus kita lakukan untukNya? Dan bagaimana kita membalas segala anugrah dan kebaikan-Nya kepada kita? Hendaklah kita menjadi ranting
yang berbuah untuk Dia. “Akulah pokok
anggur yang benar dan BapaKulah pen-
Menjelang HUT ke-29 GII Azusa, gusahanya. Setiap ranting padaKu yang
tidak berbuah, dipotongNya dan setiap
ranting yang berbuah, dibersihkanNya,
supaya ia lebih banyak berbuah.” (Yo-
hanes 15:1-2)
1. Tuhan adalah pokok ang-gur yang benar
Tuhan Yesus melukiskan tentang Diri-
Nya seperti pokok anggur yang benar
yaitu seperti pokok anggur yang hidup.
Karena Tuhan kita telah mati di atas
Jadilah Ranting yang Berbuah (Yohanes 15:1-2)Rev. Kristianto Hosea
Anniversary 2012 5
kayu salib dan, di hari ketiga, Dia bangkit
dari kematian, Tuhan kita adalah Tuhan
yang bangkit dan hidup sampai selama-
lamanya. Dialah pokok anggur yang hid-
up sampai selama-lamanya. Dan apakah
kehendak Tuhan terhadap kita yang mi-
lik-Nya?
2. Tuhan ingin kita menjadi ranting yang berbuah
Hidup kita di-
lukiskan seperti
ranting pokok
anggur. Dan apak-
ah kehendakNya
terhadap kita
sebagai ranting-
rantingNya?
A. Dia tidak ingin kita menjadi
ranting yang tidak berbuah.
“Setiap ranting padaKu yang tidak ber-
buah, dipotongNya.” (Yohanes 15:2)
Bagaimana Tuhan terhadap ranting yang
tidak berbuah itu? Kata Tuhan Yesus
kepada kita bahwa setiap ranting yang
tidak berbuah akan dipotongNya yaitu
bahwa hidup kita di dunia ini seperti
ranting yang tidak berbuah akan dipo-
tongNya.
B. Dan apakah akibatnya rant-
ing yang tidak berbuah itu?
“Barangsiapa tidak tinggal di dalam Aku,
ia dibuang ke luar seperti ranting dan
menjadi kering,
kemudian dikum-
pulkan orang dan
dicampakkan ke
dalam api lalu
dibakar.” (Yo-
hanes 15:6) Ji-
kalau hidup kita
seperti ranting
tidak berbuah di dalam dunia ini yaitu
hidup kita tidak berguna di dalam dunia
ini, kita akan seperti sampah demikian
dibakar.
C. Dia ingin kita menjadi ranting
yang berbuah.
Apa yang harus kita lakukan untukNya? Dan bagaimana kita membalas segala anugrah dan kebaikan-Nya kepada kita?
6 Anniversary 2012
“… dan setiap ranting yang berbuah,
dibersihkanNya.” (Yohanes 15:2) Tuhan
ingin kita hidup di dalam dunia seperti
ranting yang berbuah yaitu Tuhan in-
gin hidup kita sangat berguna di dalam
dunia ini. Menjadi berkat untuk orang-
orang berdosa di dalam dunia ini se-
hingga mereka boleh berdamai dengan
Tuhan Allah. “Kamu adalah garam dunia.”
(Matius 5:13) Dan mereka yang hidup
di dalam kegelapan dan menuju kebina-
saan akan berubah hidup mereka masuk
ke dalam terang
Tuhan dan mem-
peroleh hidup
yang kekal. “Kamu
adalah terang
dunia.” (Matius
5:14)
D. Dan Dia ingin hidup kita lebih
berbuah untuk Tuhan.
“… supaya ia lebih banyak berbuah.”
(Yohanes 15:2) Tuhan ingin kita berbuah
makin banyak di dalam dunia ini yaitu
supaya makin banyak orang-orang yang
berdosa di dalam dunia ini memperoleh
keselamatan yang datang dari Tuhan.
“Akulah pokok anggur dan kamulah
ranting-rantingnya. Barangsiapa tinggal
di dalam Aku dan Aku di dalam dia, ia
berbuah banyak, sebab di luar Aku kamu
tidak dapat berbuat apa-apa.” (Yohanes
15:5)
Akhir kata, biarlah setiap kita berdoa
kepada Tuhan di dalam HUT GII Azusa
ke-29 ini. Kita ingin makin berbuah lebih
banyak untuk Tu-
han. Dan biarlah
nama Tuhan tetap
d i p e r m u l i a k a n
sampai selama-
lamanya. “Dalam
hal inilah BapaKu
d i p e r m u l i a k a n ,
yaitu jika kamu berbuah banyak dan
dengan demikian kamu adalah murid-
muridKu.” (Yohanes 15:8)
Hendaklah kita menjadi ranting yang berbuah untuk Dia.
Anniversary 2012 7
As we are near the 29th Anniversary of I.E.C.
Azusa, let us whole-heartedly give thanks to
the Lord. He has built and continually nour-
ished our church for twenty nine years; what
can we do to show our gratitude for His
grace and kindness? Let us become branches
that bear fruit for Him.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the
vinedresser. Every branch in me that does
not bear fruit he takes away, and every
branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it
may bear more fruit.”
John 15:1-2
The Lord is the True Vine. Jesus portrays
Himself as the True Vine that is living and ac-
tive. He died on the cross and rose again on
the third day; He is the True Vine that is eter-
nal. The Lord desires for us to be branches
that bear fruits. Our lives are illustrated as
branches from the True Vine.
What does the Lord desire for His branch-
es?
Be FruitfulBy: Rev. Kristianto Hosea
The Lord not desire unfruitful branches
(John 15:2). Jesus warned that all unfruitful
branches will be cut off from the True Vine.
Unproductive branches are useless and will
be only fi t for burning. Jesus wants our lives
to be like the branches that bears fruit; for
our lives to be useful for others. We are to
be a blessing to non-Christians in this world
so that they may learn that Jesus is the only
way for peace between God and man. In
Matthew 5:13; we are called to be the salt
and light of the earth. The Lord desires for
our lives to bear fruit in the sense that we
become beacons of lights through which sin-
ful people may be saved through hearing
the Gospel and believing in the Lord.
[RA]
I am the True Vine, and my Father is the Vinedresser
8 Anniversary 2012
BeatitudesBy Anonymous
Anniversary 2012 9
Instead Jesus started with the Beatitudes.
The Beatitudes, according to Wikipedia and
many other sources are a set of teachings
that appear in the gospels of Matthew
and Luke. They are eight in all and they
specifi cally talk about the blessed state and
the divine promise or reward if we adhere to
this state. Taken from Matthew 5, they are1:
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven. (5:3)
Blessed are those who mourn: for they will
be comforted. (5:4)
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit
the earth. (5:5)
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst
for righteousness: for they will be satisfi ed.
(5:6)
Blessed are the merciful: for they will be
shown mercy. (5:7)
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall
see God. (5:8)
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall
be called children of God. (5:9)
Blessed are those who are persecuted for
the sake of righteousness: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. (5:10)
Secondly, the term beatitude comes from
the Latin word of beatitude is beatus which
To some, the Beatitudes are the tenets of
the Christian life, and to others, they are a
form of political thought. Jesus' teachings
on the mount are considered by believers
as the core and model of how those who
follow Christ should live. Those, who are
not Christian, also see these teachings as a
model to be a “good” person and to “live
rightly” without acknowledging the Giver
and the Creator. The Beatitudes, as it is called,
has been thought and read for generations
including myself. The issue is that how well we
understand these teachings. My assumption
would be that many of us, including myself,
take it at face value and never really analyzed
them to fully understand what they mean. I
will fi rst give a brief overview of Beatitudes
then delve into the context of the text in
Matthew 5. I intend to focus on the fi rst two
Beatitudes and try to unpack their meanings
so that we can fully understand what they
mean and, hopefully, apply them in our lives.
To begin, after Jesus was tempted by the
accuser, He came from the wilderness, called
the twelve disciples, and began His ministry
with these eight profound sayings. The Jewish
establishment probably was expecting a
different kind of Messiah, a rebel who would
lead the fi ght against the Roman oppression.
10 Anniversary 2012
means happy, fortunate of blissful, hence the
word blessed. Being blessed is being in an
"emotional state represented by the word
happy”. It includes a spiritual well-being,
having the approval of God thus a happier
destiny. (RC Sproul 1367) In a sense, Christ
is sharing the conditions in order to be
happy or experience joy. John MacArthur,
a pastor, theologian, and author, defi nes it
as "the divinely bestowed well-being that
belongs to the faithful”. They are a set of
teachings that direct the life of the faithful.
Lastly, the Beatitudes also provide peace
in the midst of trials. St Augustine calls it
a perfect standard of the Christian life and
that they guide the life of those who are
willing to live by them in order that they may
be compared to one building upon a rock.
One can refer to the passage in Matthew
7:24 further expounding on the Sermon
of the Mount. We can therefore conclude
that the Beatitudes are not just sayings
but also have a deeper meaning to it; they
guide our lives. And by fully understanding
what they are and being completely guided
by them will guarantee divine happiness.
To experience the divine happiness or
the promise that follow these states is to
understand what these means. Since Christ
called me by His grace and mercy, I have read
this text so many times, but I do not believe
I understood them fully. I just read them and
moved on to the next. I tried to live by them
but in my own understanding and strength.
Many believers also share this sentiment
in the sense that we read it at face value
and sometime interpret it without further
study. What does it mean to be poor in
spirit? What kind of poverty is Christ talking
about? And, why is it a happy statement,
especially in the world we live in where
being poor is not an ideal state and looked
down upon? This section hopes to search
into that, and by the power of the Holy
Spirit helps us get a better understanding
of what it means to be poor in spirit.
First, Jesus opened His sermon on the
mount with these words "Blessed are the
poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven." (Matthew 5:3) My theory is that,
this may mean that materially one has to be
poor. Jesus stressed in Matthew 19:24, Mark
10, and in Luke 18:25 that it was hard for
the rich man to enter into the kingdom of
heaven. This was after His encounter with
the rich man who wanted to know what
good thing he must do to inherit eternal life.
So, is this true? Tod Lindberg of the Hoover
Anniversary 2012 11
Institution at Stanford University agrees.
He claims that, "We begin with the poor
in spirit. It is an ambiguous phrase, but one
that evokes a sense of those incapable of
taking care of themselves at all: the dejected,
the demoralized, those in whom the spark
has gone out. They have given up, resigning
themselves to their lonely place at the
bottom, beyond reach of all others."2 So then
Jesus' saying has a political motive? To be poor
is to be without anything. This is for the poor
and the downtrodden, the oppressed and
the demoralized. What I think Mr. Linberg
and many others may be missing is the "in
spirit" aspect of it. To be poor can be defi ned
as broke, destitute, or bankrupt. Thus to be
poor in spirit means we are bankrupt, empty
in spirit. Being empty spiritually means we
need to be fi lled, and that is where the grace
and mercy of Christ comes. Happy are those
who are bankrupt in spirit, bankrupt to the
point where we realize how much we need
Christ and realizing that it is only by grace
that He saves us. The meaning of material
poverty or wealth has no connection with
it. We can be poor and still be arrogant,
proud, and self-centered. It means we must
get rid of our self-suffi ciency, pride, and self-
righteousness, and instead, we must be fi lled
with a deep humility of recognizing one’s
spiritual bankruptcy. It means we realize
our own sinfulness and the need to put
our faith and trust in Jesus. We need to be
a broken vessel before Him. Psalm 51:17
says, "My sacrifi ce, O God, is a broken spirit
a broken and contrite heart you, God, will
not despise.” One example is the parable of
the tax collector and publican in Luke 18:9-
14. The publican recognized that he was a
sinner, depraved, bankrupt in every way,
and needing mercy, forgiveness, and grace.
He was poor in spirit and was ready to be
fi lled. It produces humility.
Second, the poor in spirit "are those who
are conscious of their own sin and know
in their hearts that they are completely
unworthy of the grace that a most Holy
and loving God pours through them."3 They
acknowledged and came to understand that
their righteousness is as fi lthy rags before
Him (Isaiah 64:6). In a sense, our own works
cannot save us; nothing “good” can redeem
us from sin. It is only by faith in God and
dependence on Him (Ephesians 2:8, Romans
9:30, 31). One commentator puts it this
way, "It is to be humble and lowly, it is to
acknowledge that God is great, and we are
mean; that He is holy and we are sinful; that
He is all and we are nothing."4 In conclusion,
12 Anniversary 2012
it does not mean that we throw away what
God has given us materially. Material things
have no connection with being poor in spirit.
It is simply understanding how we need Him
every hour and need to depend on Him above
all else because we are spiritually bankrupt.
And, it leads us into the result that it is we
must be fi lled. Filled with what? The Spirit of
the living God who strengthens and sustains
us by His grace and, most importantly, by the
promise of eternal life: the kingdom of heaven.
So we have an understanding of what it
means to be poor in Spirit. Jesus said in His
second statement, “Blessed are those who
mourn for they shall be comforted." Well,
when one hears this off the bat, one may ask,
how is it possible to mourn and be happy
at the same time? It does not make sense
logically. How is it that you are blessed?
Society tells us that we always have to be
happy all the time, not "sadness" in that
sense of the word. I read this earlier, and
again like the fi rst one, did not really get it.
So the questions are: would be how do we
read this and how do you understand this?
First, to mourn is to weep for or over
something. It could be a loss of something or
someone, a regret, or an experience of some
pain or some sort. In general, to mourn is not
a pleasant experience. However, Christ says
that happy is the one who does this. So, what
does it mean to be mournful in this context?
To mourn in this sense is to mourn over
our sin. Godly sorrow produces repentance
that is leading to salvation without regret.5
2 Corinthians 7:10 says, "For Godly sorrow
worth repentance unto salvation not to be
repented of: but the sorrow of the world
worth death." So, as the Spirit leads us to
realize our sin, we mourn and realize how
much we have sinned against a holy God
and deserved His wrath as expected, we are
comforted. We are comforted because He
forgives us and gives us rest. (Matthew 11:28)
If we ponder and contemplate our present
state after the fall, we can only mourn our
present sinful condition. The more we know
Him and understand the cost, we mourn and
feel broken, contrite, and humbled. It is in that
state that we are lifted up and comforted. St.
Augustine, in his commentary on the Sermon
on the Mount, explains this point this way:
It is sorrow arousing from the loss of things
held dear; but those that are converted to
God lose things which they are accustomed
to embrace as dear in this world: For they
do not rejoice in the things which they
Anniversary 2012 13
righteousness, woodworks, or religiosity
will bring us salvation or merit or favor
with God. The Beatitudes most importantly
brings the believer to acknowledge our
spiritual bankruptcy and the price that
He paid to cleare our debts. They teach
us of our need to depend on Christ and
to be faithful in Him. That only by faith in
Christ and Christ alone we can be saved.
Sources:
1. "The Eight Beatitudes of Jesus". July 6th
2011. (http://www.jesuschristsavior.net/
Beatitudes.html)
2. Lindberg, Tod. "What The Beatitudes
Teach." Hoover Institution. July 30 2007
(http://www.hoover.org/publications/policy-
review/article/6127)
3. Wells, Robert. Home Page "Beatitudes
- Their Signifi cance and Meaning" July
4th 2011. (http://robertwells.tripod.com/
Beatitudes.html)
4. Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry's
Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan
Publishing House.
5. MacArthur, John. The MacArthur Bible
Commentary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Inc.
6. Bridges, Jerry. Transforming Grace:
Living Confi dently In God's Unfailing Love.
Colorado: Navpress
formerly rejoiced; and until the love of
eternal things be in them, they are wounded
by some measure of grief. Therefore they
will be comforted by the Holy Spirit who on
this accord is called the Comforter in order
that while losing the temporal joy, they
may enjoy to the full that which is eternal.
As we grieve over our sin, the Lord comforts
through the Holy Spirit as promised. Like the
prodigal son, we are welcomed with warmth
and rest when we deserved punishment.
This produces hope and an unspeakable
joy to the believer. Thus, it is necessary
that we continually mourn and come to
repentance that we might receive mercy
and grace. These states are not separate
entities. They are connected in every way.
As we are emptied, we are broken and
mourn our discretion. God calls these
states blessed or happy because it brings
everything under His authority, the authority
that His glory will be shown. For that, we
are rewarded, and these rewards could be
in the future or in our temporal present
state. Blessed because we are constantly
depending on Him. By that we fi nd rest,
comfort, and experience the promises that
He has bestowed on us through His word.
In conclusion, no form of works or self-
14 Anniversary 2012
Indonesian Translation
Kotbah di bukit merupakan pusat kehidupan orang Kristen tetapi juga merupakan
pikiran politik buat beberapa orang. Ajaran Tuhan di bukit dianggap orang Kristen sebagai
inti dan model untuk berkehidupan di dunia ini. Untuk orang tidak percaya ajaran ini
juga merupakan model untuk menjadi orang “baik” dan hidup dengan “benar” tanpa
menyadari Pemberinya. Mungkin kebanyakan dari kita hanya mengerti dari permukaan
saja tentang ajaran Tuhan di bukit. Oleh sebab itu artikel ini akan mengupas lebih
dalam apa yang diajarkan Tuhan di dalam kotbah di bukit, terutama dua ajaran pertama.
Ucapan Berbahagia
Anniversary 2012 15
Setelah Yesus dicobai oleh Setan di padang
gurun dan memanggil kedua belas murid,
Dia memulai pelayanan dengan delapan
ajaran di bukit. Orang-orang Yahudi mungkin
mengharapkan kedatangan nabi yang
berbeda yaitu nabi yang dapat memimpin
mereka untuk menghadapi orang-orang
Romawi, tetapi Yesus memulai dengan ajaran
di bukit. Ada delapan ucapan berbahagia
yang diajarkan Tuhan sebagai hadiah jika kita
berada di keadaan tertentu. Matius 5 berkata:
“Berbahagialah orang yang miskin di hadapan
Allah, karena merekalah yang empunya
Kerajaan Sorga.” (5:3)
“Berbahagialah orang yang berdukacita,
karena mereka akan dihibur.” (5:4)
“Berbahagialah orang yang lemah lembut,
karena mereka akan memiliki bumi.” (5:5)
“Berbahagialah orang yang lapar dan haus
akan kebenaran, karena mereka akan
dipuaskan.” (5:6)
“Berbahagialah orang yang murah hatinya,
karena merekan akan beroleh kemurahan.”
(5:7)
“Berbahagialah orang yang suci hatinya,
karena mereka akan melihat Allah.” (5:8)
“Berbahagialah orang yang membawa damai,
karena mereka akan disebut anak-anak
Allah.” (5:9)
“Berbahagialah orang yang membawa damai,
karena mereka akan disebut anak-anak
Allah.” (5:10)
Ucapan berbahagia menujukan
seseorang mempunyai keadaan rohani yang
sehat. Supaya mempunyai kerohaniaan yang
sehat, seseorang harus mendapatkan rasa
penerimaan dari Tuhan sehingga mereka
mempunyai pengharapan yang bahagia. John
MacArthur, seorang pendeta dan penulis
mengartikannya sebagai “keadaan sehat ilahi
yang diberikan untuk orang-orang percaya”.
Kedelapan ucapan berbahagia merupakan
ajaran Tuhan untuk mengarahkan kehidupan
orang-orang Kristen. Ucapan berbahagia
ini juga dapat memberikan ketenangan di
tengah-tengah pencobaan. Santo Agustinus
mengartikan ucapan berbahagia sebagai
model sempurna untuk kehidupan orang
Kristen dan bisa mengarahkan mereka yang
bersedia untuk hidup di dalamnnya. Maka
dari itu ucapan berbahagia di dalam ajaran
Yesus di bukit bukan merupakan suatu
ucapan saja karena mereka mempunyai arti
yang lebih dalam. Kedelapan ajaran ini dapat
mengarahkan kehidupan kita di dunia ini dan
dapat memberikan kita kebahagiaan ilahi.
Berbahagialah Orang yang Miskin
Rohani
16 Anniversary 2012
Untuk mengalami kebahagiaan ilahi
dan janji Tuhan, kita harus terlebih dahulu
memahami arti ajaran Yesus. Tetapi sejak
Tuhan memberikan anugrah keselamatan-
Nya kepadaku, aku masih belum bisa
mengerti seluruh arti Matius 5. Aku mencoba
untuk hidup di dalamnya tetapi berdasarkan
pengertian dan kekuatanku. Banyak orang
percaya yang mengalami hal yang sama; kita
hanya mengerti dari permukaan saja dan
mengartikannya tanpa mendalaminya dahulu.
Apa artinya lemah rohani? Lapar dan haus
apa yang Tuhan maksudkan? Kenapa kondisi
berbahagia yang dikatakan disini, dimana
miskin merupakan kondisi tidak ideal di dunia
yang berdosa ini? Artikel ini mencoba untuk
mengali arti sebenarnya dari lemah rohani.
Yesus membuka kotbah-Nya dengan
“Berbahagialah orang yang miskin di hadapan
Allah, karena merekalah yang empunya
Kerajaan Sorga.” (Matius 5:3) Menurut aku,
ini berarti seseorang harus miskin secara
material. Yesus menegaskan di Matius 19:24,
Markus 10, dan Lukas 18:25 bahwa sulit
sekali untuk orang kaya masuk ke dalam
kerajaan surga. Ini dikatakan-Nya sehabis
pertemuan-Nya dengan orang kaya yang
ingin mengetahui hal baik apa yang harus
dilakukannya untuk mendapat hidup kekal.
Apakah ini benar? Tod Linberg dari Hoover
Institution menyetujui hal ini. Tod berkata
“kita memulai dengan miskin rohani.” Untuk
dapat diselamatkan, manusia harus berada
di situasi dimana ia tidak bisa lagi mengurus
dirinya sendiri: sedih, putus asa, dan dimana
semua semangat sudah hilang. Mereka sudah
menyerah dan menyendiri di tempat yang
jauh dan dalam dimana tidak ada seorang pun
yang dapat membantu. Apakah ini arti miskin
yang dimaksud Tuhan? Miskin rohani berarti
kita memerlukan Tuhan, anugrah keselamatan,
dan pengampunannya. Miskin sampai kita
menyadari bertapa kita memerlukan Tuhan
dan menyadari bahwa hanya anugrah yang
dapat menyelamatkan kita. Ini berarti miskin
disini tidak mempunyai hubungan dengan
kemiskinan materi. Kita bisa miskin dan
tetap sombong dan mengutamakan diri
sendiri. Ini berarti kita harus menghilangkan
kesombongan dan diri sendiri sehingga
kita bisa dipenuhi dengan kerendahan
terhadap kemiskinan rohani. Kita harus
menjadi bejana yang hancur dihadapan-Nya.
Mazmur 51:17 berkata, “Ya Tuhan, bukalah
bibirku, supaya mulutku memberitakan puji-
pujian kepada-Mu.” Satu contoh ialah cerita
pemungut cukai di Lukas 18:9-14. Penulisnya
menyadari bahwa dia adalah pendosa dan
bangkrut dan memerlukan pengampunan
dan anugrah. Dia miskin rohani dan siap
Anniversary 2012 17
dipenuhi. Ini menghasilkan kerendahan diri.
Miskin rohani adalah orang-orang
yang merasakan bahwa dirinya adalah
manusia berdosa dan tahu bahwa mereka
tidak pantas untuk mendapatkan anugrah
yang dicurahkan oleh Tuhan kepada mereka.
“Demikianlah kami sekalian seperti seorang
najis dan segala kesalehan kami seperti kain
kotor.” (Yesaya 64:6a) Ini berarti kerja keras
dan kebaikan yang kita lakukan tidak bisa
menyelamatkan kita. Hanya melalui iman
kepada Tuhan dan bergantung kepada-Nya
(Efesus 2:8, Roma 9:30,31). Ada seorang
berkata, “Dengan merendahkan diri maka
kita dapat menyadari bahwa Tuhan itu
agung. Dia adalah kudus dan kita adalah
berdosa. Dia adalah segalanya dan kita tidak
mempunyai apa-apa.” Hal ini dikatakan
bukan berarti kita membuang semua
pemberian materi dari Tuhan. Barang-barang
materi tidak mempunyai hubungan dengan
miskin rohani. Tetapi menyadari bahwa kita
membutuhkan Dia setiap saat dan perlu
bergantung kepada-Nya karena kita miskin
secara rohani. Dengan begitu maka kita
akan diisi dengan Roh Kudus yang akan
menguatkan dan memelihara kita dengan
anugrah-Nya; dan tentu saja memperoleh
janji hidup kekal di kerajaan surga.
Berbahagialah Orang yang
Berdukacita
Supaya kita mempunyai pengertian
tentang miskin rohani. Yesus berkata
di janjinya yang kedua, “Berbahagialah
orang yang berdukacita, karena mereka
akan dihibur.” Ketika baru mendengar ini,
seseorang mungkin bertanya “bagaimana bisa
sedih dan bersukacita pada saat bersamaan?”
Hal ini sangat tidak masuk diakal. Dunia ini
mengatakan bahwa kita harus bersukacita
setiap saat dan bukan bersedih. Jadi
bagaimana kita sebagai orang Kristen
seharusnya membaca dan mengerti hal ini?
Bersedih berarti menangisi sesuatu.
Ini mungkin disebabkan karena kehilangan
sesuatu atau seseorang, penyesalan, atau
kesakitan. Apa pun alasannya sedih bukan
merupakan pengalaman yang menyenangkan.
Tetapi Tuhan berkata untuk bersukacita untuk
orang yang demikian. Jadi apa yang dimaksud
sedih disini? Bersedih yang dimaksudkan
adalah bersedih untuk dosa kita. Sedih yang
ilahi akan mendatangkan pertobatan yang akan
memimpin kita menuju keselamatan. 2 Korintus
7:10 berkata, “Sebab dukacita menurut
kehendak Allah menghasilkan pertobatan yang
membawa keselamatan dan yang tidak akan
disesalkan, tetapi dukacita yang dari dunia ini
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menghasilkan kematian.” Jadi Roh Kudus
memimpin kita untuk menyadari dosa kita
sehingga kita sedih dan menyadari bahwa
kita pantas untuk mendapatkan amarah
Tuhan, dan kita akan dihibur. Kita akan
dihibur karena Dia memaafkan kita dan
memberikan kita kelegaan. (Matius 11:28)
Jika kita merenungkan keadaan kita setelah
jatuh kedalam dosa, kita hanya bisa bersedih.
Semakin banyak kita mengetahui tentang
Dia dan upah yang harus dibayar, kita akan
bersedih, menyesal, dan direndahkan. Di dalam
kondisi inilah kita akan diangkat dan dihibur.
Santo Agustinus menjelaskan
kalimat kedua dari kotbah di bukit begini:
Kesedihan datang dari kehilangan hal yang kita
anggap penting. Tetapi orang yang bertobat
akan kehilangan hal yang dianggap penting oleh
dunia karena mereka tidak akan bersukacita di
dalam hal yang sama seperti dulu. Dan sampai
mereka mendapatkan cinta yang sempurna,
mereka akan disakiti oleh perasaan penyesalan.
Jadi mereka akan dihibur oleh Roh Kudus yang
disebut sebagai Penghibur sehingga walaupun
mereka kehilangan kesenangan semu, mereka
akan mendapatkan kesenangan yang kekal.
Ketika kita menyesali dosa kita,
Tuhan memberikan penghiburan melalui
Roh Kudus sesuai dengan janji-Nya. Seperti
perumpamaan anak yang hilang, kita akan
disambut dengan kehangatan dan kelegaaan
walaupun kita pantas untuk dihukum. Hal
ini mengdatangkan harapan dan sukacita
yang besar untuk orang-orang percaya. Jadi
seharusnyalah kita terus bersedih dan bertobat
sehingga kita mendapatkan pengampunan.
Jadi sedih dan sukacita bukanlah situasi yang
berbeda. Mereka mempunyai hubungan yang
erat. Di dalam situasi kosong, hancur, dan
sedih yang manusia rasakan terhadap dosa
yang mereka perbuat, Tuhan menyebutkan
untuk berbahagia karena di dalam situasi
itulah Tuhan akan berkuasa dan bekerja.
Bersukacita dan bersengang karena kita akan
terus bergantung kepada-Nya sehingga kita
mendapatkan ketenangan dan penghiburan
sesuai dengan janji yang telah Dia ucapkan.
Untuk mengakhiri, tidak ada
pekerjaan, kerajinan, dan sifat beragama
yang akan mendatangkan keselamatan
atau upah dengan Tuhan. Kotbah yesus
di bukit tentang kebahagiaan membawa
orang percaya untuk menyadari kemiskinan
rohani dan upah yang telah Dia tebus untuk
menebus dosa kita. Kedelapan ajaran Yesus
mengajarkan kita untuk selalu bergantung
dan beriman kepada Dia. Dan hanya
iman yang di dalam Dia dan hanya Dialah
yang mampu menyelamatkan kita. [HW]
Anniversary 2012 19
One of the things that I fi nd most
intriguing is the amount of God’s
promises found the Bible. Thus
far, no one is able to count the exact amount
of promises there are in the Bible. Some say
that there are 3000, 7000, or even 8000.
Typically, we are wary of those who make
too many promises; but that is not the case
with God’s Promises. Why does God make
many promises in His Word? Because we
need promises. A promise gives us assurance
and a sense of security. Man has a tendency
to live in fear of the future and wonders
what happens tomorrow. But when the Lord
promises; it is sure to come in the future.
This gives us assurance and peace so that we
no longer fear for tomorrow.
Let us discuss the origin of fear for a
moment. Fear is originally caused by
sin. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden
fruit and fell into sin. After they fell into
sin; they felt fear and shame. They hid
themselves from God and when God came;
He condemned them for their sins and justly
sentenced them to punishments. But God
20 Anniversary 2012
did not only give Adam and Eve punishments;
he also gave them a promise. In Genesis 3:
15, the Lord said,
“I will put enmity between you (the devil) and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (ESV)
This promise is unconditional in
nature; God did not say that an
action is needed in man’s part in
order to bring about the fulfi llment of this
promise. This promise is God’s grace for
the sinful human race where one day, He
will send a Savior to save the human race
from sin. Sinful human beings do not deserve
salvation; but God in His Goodness gave
man this promise. Through this promise, we
are able to study the characteristics of God’s
Promises in the Bible.
1God’s Promises are born of His Grace and Mercy
God did not have to promise us
anything. It was us who have
sinned and rebelled against His
Commandments in the fi rst place. In fact it
is safer for God not to promise us anything
because we will always sin and disobey His
Word. We ourselves do not dare to give
promises to people who are egotistical,
selfi sh, and evil. But God dared to give a
promise to us who are sinful and evil because
God is full of grace. Although we are not
deserving of His promises; He gave them to
us anyways. The promise legally binds God
to fulfi ll it. This is the grace of God: rather
than punishing men for their sins, He gave
them a promise for salvation instead.
Anniversary 2012 21
2God’s promises rest on His Faithfulness and Holiness
Titus 1:2 says, “in hope of eternal
life, which God, who never lies,
promises before the ages began.”
God is holy and he can not lie. God is
so faithful in character that anything He
promises, He will fulfi ll. 1 John 1: 9 tells us,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness.” The Lord is faithful and
He will fulfi ll His promise to forgive all who
confess their sins in His presence.
The promise of salvation is not conditional upon the faithfulness of man. In other words; God’s
promises are unconditional and are based on the grace and faithfulness of God.
When God promised salvation
to Adam and Eve after their
fall into sin; He did not give
them a single condition that they must fulfi ll
in order for His promise for salvation to be
fulfi lled. Just as it was with Adam and Eve; so it
was with Abraham when God promised that
out of him will come many nations (Genesis
12: 1-3, 15: 18-21). Once again there were no
conditions set by God for Abraham to meet
in order for God’s promise to be fulfi lled (1
Chronicles 17: 11-14, 2 Chronicles 6: 16).
Before Abraham and David; God also gave
a promise to Noah (Genesis 9: 8-17) that
22 Anniversary 2012
He will never destroy the earth with fl ood
again; no matter how evil the deeds of man
become.
It is clear that whatever man does will
never nullify or unbound God’s promises
for them. Jesus gave unconditional
promises for believers in the Bible. The
term ‘promise’ is closely related to the term
‘covenant.’ A covenant is defi ned as a formal
agreement between two or more persons. To
the Lord; to enter into a promise with man
is to bind Himself into a formal agreement
with man. This is a sacrifi ce on the
Lord’s part; but why did He choose
to do it? God is sovereign; He
does not have to bind Himself
in a legal agreement with
man. Man has a long track record of being
unfaithful; reneging on God’s covenants. But
God never once reneged on His promises
to man. God never forgets nor reneges on
His promises. This shows God’s faithful and
merciful character. He binds himself into an
agreement to man not because He needs
the promises; but because we need the
promises.
We need assurance and certainty.
Because the promises were
given in the spirit of grace;
God’s promises for Christians are often
Anniversary 2012 23
referred to as the Covenant of Grace.
This Covenant of Grace states that
God promises eternal life for those
who believe in Jesus Christ. This promise is
unconditional; independent of any actions
done by man for its fulfi llment.
There are some who argue that the act
of believing in God is the condition
for receiving the promised eternal
life. But believing is not an action. Believing is
receiving what God has promised. In order
to believe in God’s promises; we must have
faith. Having faith is not an action because
to have faith is to receive what God has
promised through Jesus Christ. God Himself
is the one who gave us faith. There are no
actions required on the part of man in order
to receive this God-given faith.
Exodus 19:5 says that, “Now therefore,
if you will indeed obey my voice and
keep my covenant, you shall be my
treasured possession among all peoples,
for all the earth is mine.” Does this verse
indicate that God’s promise will only be
fulfi lled if the Israelites obey His Voice and
stay faithful to the covenant? We know that
Israel failed to be faithful to the covenant
and was exiled from the Promised Land as
a result. Is this incident proof that there are
conditional promises? In actuality that is not
the case. The Nation of Israel had disobeyed
God’s Commandments for so long; and yet
God did not exile them until 567 SM when
King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem.
Therefore, even in a promise that sounds
“conditional,” the grace and mercy of God
still abounds. Although the Israelites were
exiled from the Promised Land of Israel; it
served to remind them that the Promised
Land is actually Heaven; not the land of
Palestine. In other words; God did not take
the Promised Land away from them forever.
The promises in Moses’ time that appeared
“conditional” is intended to remind us that
man is only saved by grace alone; not good
works or obedience to the Law.
All the promises of God are born of
His Grace and are unconditional in
nature. We are saved only by grace
alone. We became children of God through
God’s grace. As children, we inherit all the
promises of God in Christ (2 Corinthians
1: 20). For instance, God promises to fulfi ll
all of our needs, to protect us, and to care
for us until the end. It is true that there are
24 Anniversary 2012
times when we feel that God’s promises
have not been fulfi lled. Or we have not seen
the fulfi llment of His promise in the sense
that we believe it should be fulfi lled. At those
times, we must remember two things:
1. God fulfi lls His promises in His time, not our time.2. God fulfi lls His promise in His sense, not our sense.
There are many Biblical characters
that never received the fulfi llment
of the promise in their lifetimes.
Jesus promised Abraham a bountiful land
and offspring as numerous as the sand
on the seashore and stars in the sky. But
Abraham was still sojourning like a stranger
in a foreign land at the time of his death.
Does this mean that God reneged on His
promise? Does this proof God unfaithful?
Hebrews 11:3 says, “These all died in
faith, not having received the things
promised, but having seen
them and greeted them from
afar, and having acknowledged
that they were strangers and
exiles on the earth.”
Whatever God promises to
believers in this world; we
must always remember that
all those promises will be fulfi lled when
Jesus Christ comes for the second time.
We are wanderers and strangers on this
earth until then in the sense that we are
looking forward to the true Promised Land
that is Heaven. God’s promises are already
partially fulfi lled; but we must still await
its full fulfi llment at the second coming of
Christ. The Lord is faithful, and He will give
us the strength to faithfully await the full
fulfi llment of His Promises. Knowing that
God’s promises are unconditional gives us
a sense of security because the fulfi llment
is not dependent on the state of our lives
before God. Even though we are unfaithful,
He will remain faithful because He “cannot
deny himself (2 Tim 3:13).”
Anniversary 2012 25
How should Christians respond
towards God’s Promises that are
unconditional and beautiful?
1. He learns faithfulness
Because God is faithful in keeping
His promises; we must also learn to
be faithful. In the bond of marriage,
the faithfulness of one will encourage the
faithfulness of another. God’s faithfulness
ought to inspire us to be faithful.
2. He learns to trust
God promised; but He does not
reveal when the fulfi llment will
take place. By doing this He is
teaching us to fully trust in His Word. God
is holy and true; he can not lie. We learn to
trust in God’s Word and to hide His Word in
our hearts; strengthening our trust in Him.
3. He learns to live a holy life
1 John 3: 3 says, “And everyone who
thus hopes in him purifi es himself
as he is pure.” When we await
the fulfi llment of His promises; we learn
to prepare ourselves. Because God who
promised is holy; we learn to follow His lead
to live a holy life. The world teaches us that
it is unnecessary to wait. In learning to wait
on His promises; we learn to live like Christ;
not like the world.
4. He learns patience and perseverance
Waiting on God’s promises
is different from regular
waiting. Waiting on God’s
promises yields Godly character in
ourselves; characters such as patience and
perseverance. Many prayed once; did not
see a result of the prayer, and quit praying.
26 Anniversary 2012
Waiting on God’s promises gives us the
strength to be patient and persevering in
prayer. We learn not to insist that everything
must happen now or instantly.
5. He learns humility
Because God’s ways is above our ways
and God’s timing is not our timing;
we learn to always be humble. God
knows what is best for us and for His Glory.
By learning to submit to God’s ways and
God’s timing; we learn humility. We are not
God or masters of the universe. We are
always reminded that we are all creations
that receive the kindness of God.
In Hebrews 10: 23, Christians
are urged to “hold fast the
confession of our hope
without wavering, for he who
promised is faithful.” We must read the Word
of God and personally discover His promises.
Study His promises by holding on to them in
your heart and uttering it in your prayers to
God. You will fi nd that God’s promises give
us strength to face this life until we meet the
Lord. With God’s promises, we can face any
situation in this life. [RA]
Anniversary 2012 27
Satu hal yang selalu menarik bagi saya
adalah begitu banyaknya janji-janji
Tuhan di dalam Alkitab. Tidak ada orang
yang sanggup menghitungnya dengan persis.
Ada yang berkata 3000, 7000, bahkan 8000.
Biasanya kita berhati-hati dengan mereka
yang terlalu banyak mengucapkan janji, tetapi
tidak demikian dengan Tuhan. Mengapa
Tuhan membuat begitu banyak janji di dalam
fi rmanNya? Karena kita memerlukan janji;
janji itu memberikan jaminan dan rasa aman.
Manusia cenderung hidup dalam ketakutan
tentang masa depan (apa yang akan terjadi
esok). Tetapi ketika Tuhan menjanjikan
sesuatu yang pasti di masa yang akan datang,
kita bisa merasa tenang dan damai. Kita tidak
takut akan hari esok.
Ketakutan itu pada awalnya
disebabkan oleh dosa. Adam dan
Hawa memakan buah yang dilarang
Tuhan sehingga mereka jatuh dalam dosa.
Setelah berdosa, mereka merasa takut dan
malu. Maka mereka menyembunyikan diri
dari Tuhan. Tuhan datang dan menjatuhkan
hukuman atas dosa mereka. Tetapi Tuhan
28 Anniversary 2012
tidak hanya memberikan hukuman; Tuhan
juga memberikan janji kepada mereka di
dalam Kejadian 3:15 yang berkata,
“Aku akan mengadakan permusuhan antara engkau dan perempuan ini, antara keturunanmu dan keturunannya; keturunannya akan meremukkan kepalamu, dan engkau akan meremukkan tumitnya."
Janji ini tidak bersyarat (unconditional).
Tuhan tidak berkata bahwa manusia
harus berbuat sesuatu agar janji ini
dapat terlaksana. Janji ini adalah anugerah
Tuhan bagi manusia berdosa dimana suatu
hari Dia akan mengutus Juruselamat untuk
menyelamatkan mereka dari dosa. Manusia
berdosa tidak layak diselamatkan, tetapi
Tuhan bermurah hati dengan memberikan
janji ini. Melalui janji ini, kita bisa belajar
tentang sifat atau karakteristik janji Allah di
dalam Alkitab.
1Janji Tuhan lahir dari anugerah dan belas kasihanNya.
Tuhan tidak harus berjanji apapun
kepada kita. Kita telah berdosa dan
melanggar perintahNya. Lebih aman
bagi Tuhan kalau Dia tidak mengucapkan
janji apapun kepada manusia sebab kita akan
terus berdosa dan melanggar fi rmanNya.
Kita juga tidak berani berjanji kepada orang
yang egois, serakah, dan berniat jahat. Tetapi
Tuhan berani berjanji kepada kita yang penuh
dengan berbagai dosa dan kejahatan.
Ini disebabkan karena Tuhan penuh
dengan anugerah. Sekalipun kita tidak
layak, Ia mengucapkan janji itu, dan janji
itu mengikat Tuhan dan mewajibkan Tuhan
menepatinya. Inilah kemurahan Tuhan;
bukannya memberikan penghukuman bagi
manusia berdosa, Ia malah memberikan janji
keselamatan.
Anniversary 2012 29
2Janji Tuhan ditopang oleh kesetiaan dan kekudusanNya
Titus 1:2 berkata, “Dan berdasarkan
pengharapan akan hidup yang kekal
yang sebelum permulaan zaman
sudah dijanjikan oleh Allah yang tidak
berdusta.” Tuhan itu kudus dan Ia tidak bisa
berdusta. Dan Allah itu setia sehingga apa
yang Ia janjikan akan Ia tepati. 1 Yohanes
1:9 mengatakan, “Jika kita mengaku dosa
kita, maka Ia adalah setia dan adil, sehingga
Ia akan mengampuni segala dosa kita dan
menyucikan kita dari segala kejahatan.” Tuhan
setia dan Ia akan menepati janjiNya untuk
mengampuni setiap orang yang mengaku
dosa di hadapanNya.
Karena berdasarkan pada anugerah dan kesetiaan Tuhan, janji-janji
Tuhan tidak tergantung kepada ketaatan manusia. Dengan kata lain, janji Tuhan tidak bersyarat atau unconditional.
Tuhan berjanji kepada Adam dan
Hawa setelah mereka jatuh ke dalam
dosa. Tidak ada syarat apapun yang
disebutkan di dalam janjiNya. Demikian juga,
Tuhan berjanji akan memberikan Abraham
dan keturunannya sebuah negeri (Kej. 12:1-
3; 15:18-21). Tidak ada syarat apapun yang
disebutkan di dalam janji-janji ini. Demikian
pula kepada Daud dan keturunannya (1
Taw. 17:11-14; 2 Taw. 6:16). Jauh sebelum
Abraham dan Daud, Tuhan juga memberikan
janji kepada Nuh (Kej. 9:8-17) bahwa Ia tidak
akan menghancurkan bumi dengan air bah
lagi, betapapun jahatnya perbuatan manusia.
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Jelas bahwa apapun yang manusia lakukan
tidak bisa menggagalkan janji Allah bagi
mereka. Tuhan memberikan janji-janji
yang tidak bersyarat ini kepada orang-orang
percaya di dalam Alkitab. Itu sebabnya istilah
‘janji’ (promise) ada hubungan dengan istilah
‘perjanjian’ (covenant). Tuhan mengadakan
perjanjian dengan manusia berarti Tuhan
masuk dalam ikatan persetujuan dengan
manusia. Ini merupakan pengorbanan
dari pihak Tuhan. Mengapa? Tuhan adalah
Tuhan yang bebas, Ia tidak harus mengikat
diriNya dalam perjanjian dengan manusia.
Manusia sering tidak setia dan melanggar
perjanjian Tuhan, tetapi Tuhan tidak pernah
melanggar perjanjianNya dengan
manusia. Tuhan tidak pernah
melupakan atau mengingkari
janjiNya. Ini menunjukkan
kerendahan hati Tuhan. Ia
mengikat diriNya dalam perjanjian dengan
manusia bukan karena Ia perlu, tetapi karena
kita memerlukan janji. Kita perlu jaminan dan
kepastian.
Karena ini bersifat anugerah,
perjanjian Tuhan dengan orang
percaya juga sering dikenal dengan
istilah Perjanjian Anugerah (Covenant of
Grace). Perjanjian anugerah ini menyatakan
bahwa Allah menjanjikan hidup kekal bagi
mereka yang percaya kepada Yesus Kristus.
Perjanjian ini bersifat tanpa syarat sebab
tidak menuntut perbuatan apapun dari pihak
manusia.
Anniversary 2012 31
Ada yang bertanya, “Bukankah
perjanjian ini menuntut manusia
untuk percaya, dan kalau tidak
percaya, tidak akan beroleh hidup kekal yang
dijanjikan?” Percaya bukanlah perbuatan.
Percaya adalah menerima apa yang Allah
janjikan. Percaya kepada janji Allah berarti
beriman. Iman bukanlah perbuatan. Iman
adalah menerima apa yang Allah janjikan
melalui Kristus. Dan Tuhan itu sendiri juga
dengan memberikan iman. Tidak ada syarat
atau jasa apapun dari pihak manusia.
Bagaimana dengan Keluaran 19:5 yang
mengatakan, “Jadi sekarang, jika kamu
sungguh-sungguh mendengarkan
fi rman-Ku dan berpegang pada perjanjian-Ku,
maka kamu akan menjadi harta kesayangan-
Ku sendiri dari antara segala bangsa, sebab
Akulah yang empunya seluruh bumi”?
Bukankah janji Tuhan akan terlaksana kalau
bangsa Israel memenuhi syaratnya, yaitu:
sungguh-sungguh mendengarkan fi rman dan
berpegang pada perjanjian Tuhan? Israel gagal
untuk taat dan akhirnya dibuang dari tanah
perjanjian. Bukankah ini membuktikan bahwa
ada perjanjian yang bersyarat? Sebenarnya
tidak demikian. Bangsa Israel sudah
melanggar perintah Tuhan begitu lamanya,
namun Tuhan tidak membuang mereka
sampai tahun 567 SM ketika Nebukadnezar
menghancurkan Yerusalem. Jadi bahkan
dalam perjanjian yang kedengarannya
“conditional” (bersyarat), ada anugerah dan
kemurahan Tuhan. Ketika akhirnya Israel
dibuang ke Babel dan kehilangan tanah
perjanjian, itu hanya mengingatkan mereka
bahwa tanah perjanjian sebenarnya adalah
surga, bukan Palestina. Dan perjanjian zaman
Musa yang nampak “bersyarat” ini bertujuan
mengingatkan bahwa manusia hanya
diselamatkan oleh anugerah, bukan karena
melakukan hukum Taurat.
Dengan kata lain, seluruh perjanjian
Tuhan lahir dari anugerahNya dan
tidak bersyarat. Kita diselamatkan
hanya oleh anugerah. Kita menjadi anak-
anak Tuhan hanya oleh anugerah. Sebagai
anak, kita merwarisi seluruh janji Tuhan di
dalam Kristus (2 Kor. 1:20). Tuhan berjanji
akan mencukupkan segala kebutuhan kita,
melindungi kita, dan memelihara iman kita
sampai akhir, dan sebagainya.
Memang ada kalanya kita merasa
bahwa janji Tuhan belum
ditepati, atau kita belum melihat
penggenapan janji Tuhan. Dalam keadaan
demikian, kita harus mengingat dua hal:
32 Anniversary 2012
1.Tuhan menepati janji menurut waktuNya, bukan waktu kita.2.Tuhan menepati janjiNya menurut caraNya, bukan cara kita
Banyak tokoh iman di dalam Alkitab
tidak menerima apa yang dijanjikan
dalam masa hidup mereka. Tuhan
menjanjikan Abraham tanah dan keturunan
seperti pasir di laut dan bintang di langit,
tetapi ketika ia mati, ia tidak melihat banyak
keturunan, dan ia masih pengembara di
tanah asing. Apakah berarti Tuhan ingkar
janji? Apakah berarti Tuhan tidak setia? Ibrani
11:13 berkata,
“Dalam iman mereka semua ini telah mati sebagai orang-orang yang tidak memperoleh apa yang dijanjikan itu, tetapi yang hanya dari jauh melihatnya dan melambai-lambai kepadanya dan yang mengakui, bahwa mereka adalah orang asing dan pendatang di bumi ini.”
Apapun janji Tuhan
bagi orang
percaya di dunia
ini, kita harus selalu ingat
bahwa semua janji itu akan mencapai puncak
ketika Tuhan Yesus datang kedua kali. Kita
adalah pendatang dan orang asing di dunia
ini. Kita sama-sama masih menantikan tanah
air kita yang sejati, yaitu: sorga. Janji Tuhan
sudah digenapi sebagian, tetapi kita masih
menantikan penggenapan seluruhnya pada
kedatangan Yesus kedua kali. Tuhan itu setia,
dan Ia memberikan kita kekuatan untuk
setia menantikan penggenapan janjiNya.
Mengingat janji Tuhan yang tidak bersyarat,
kita merasa aman sebab penggenapan janji
itu tidak tergantung kepada situasi hidup kita.
Sekalipun kita tidak setia, Tuhan tetap setia
sebab Ia tidak dapat menyangkal diriNya (2
Tim. 2:13).
Apa respon seorang Kristen terhadap
janji Tuhan yang tidak bersyarat dan
demikian indah ini?
Anniversary 2012 33
1. Ia belajar setia.
Karena Tuhan itu setia, dan janji-
janjiNya setia adanya, kita juga
perlu belajar untuk setia. Seperti
dua orang yang mengingatkan diri dalam
ikatan pernikahan, kesetiaan satu pihak akan
mendorong kesetiaan pihak lainnya. Kesetiaan
Tuhan mendorong dan memberikan inspirasi
agar kita juga setia.
2. Ia belajar percaya.
Tuhan berjanji, tetapi Ia tidak
memberitahukan waktu
penggenapanNya. Dengan demikian
Ia mengajar kita untuk percaya penuh akan
perkataanNya. Tuhan kudus dan benar
adanya. Ia tidak bisa berdusta. Kita belajar
percaya pada fi rman Tuhan, dan menyimpan
perkataanNya di hati kita. Ini menjadi
pegangan kita sehingga kita tidak menjadi
ragu-ragu atau tidak percaya.
3. Ia belajar hidup kudus.
1 Yohanes 3:3 berkata, “Setiap orang
yang menaruh pengharapan itu
kepada-Nya, menyucikan diri sama
seperti Dia yang adalah suci.” Ketika kita
menantikan penggenapan janji Tuhan, kita
belajar mempersiapkan diri kita. Karena
Tuhan yang berjanji adalah kudus, kita belajar
mengikuti teladanNya. Dunia mengajar kita
untuk tidak usah menunggu, dan menuntut
segala sesuatu datang secara instant. Dengan
belajar menantikan janji Tuhan, kita belajar
hidup berbeda dari dunia ini, dan lebih serupa
dengan Tuhan.
4. Ia belajar sabar dan bertekun
Menantikan janji Tuhan bukan
sekedar menantikan sesuatu.
Proses menantikan ini
menghasilkan karakter di dalam diri kita,
yaitu: kesabaran dan ketekunan. Banyak orang
34 Anniversary 2012
sekali berdoa, lalu tidak melihat hasilnya,
kemudian berhenti berdoa. Menantikan janji
Tuhan memberi kekuatan kepada kita untuk
sabar dan bertekun dalam doa. Kita tidak
menuntut segala sesuatu harus sekarang juga
atau instan.
5. Ia belajar rendah hati
Karena jalan Tuhan di atas jalan kita,
dan waktu Tuhan bukanlah waktu
kita, kita belajar untuk senantiasa
rendah hati. Tuhan tahu yang terbaik bagi
kita dan bagi kemuliaan namaNya. Dengan
belajar tunduk kepada waktu dan jalan
Tuhan, kita belajar rendah hati. Kita selalu
diingatkan bahwa kita adlaah ciptaan
yang menerima belas kasihan
Tuhan. Kita bukan Tuhan ataupun
Penguasa alam semesta.
Ibrani 10:23 berkata, “Marilah kita
teguh berpegang pada pengakuan
tentang pengharapan kita, sebab Ia, yang
menjanjikannya, setia.” Bacalah fi rman Tuhan,
temukan janjiNya, pegang janji tersebut, dan
nyatakan dalam doa-doa kita kepada Tuhan.
Janji Tuhan memberikan kita kekuatan untuk
melewati kehidupan ini sampai kita bertemu
dengan Tuhan. Dengan janji Tuhan, kita
sanggup menanggung segala perkara.
Anniversary 2012 35
1 2 3 4 5 6
36 Anniversary 2012
Menunggu atau menanti bukanlah
hal yang mudah bagi banyak orang.
Sebagai contoh, kita tidak suka
kalau lalu lintas macet. Kita merasa kemacetan
itu sebagai pembuangan waktu. Demikian juga,
kita tidak suka antrian yang panjang kalau
berbelanja. Kita tidak mau buang waktu dan
tenaga untuk menunggu.
Tetapi menunggu adalah pekerjaan yang
penting. Seorang wanita harus menunggu
sembilan bulan supaya anaknya dapat lahir
ke dalam dunia. Seorang petani harus
menunggu agar tanamannya berbuah pada
waktunya. Kita tidak bisa menghindari
7 8 9 10 11 12
Anniversary 2012 37
1 2 3 4 5 6 pekerjaan menunggu dalam hidup ini.
Tuhan juga mau kita belajar menunggu,
itu sebabnya Ia memberikan janji-janjiNya
dan tidak langsung menggenapinya. Untuk
sesuatu yang berharga, kita rela menunggu.
Kadang-kadang kita mengeluh kalau harus
menunggu sesuatu yang kita anggap tidak
berharga. Tetapi janji-janji Tuhan itu sangat
berharga. Mazmur 119:103 berkata, “Betapa
manisnya janji-Mu itu bagi langit-langitku,
lebih dari pada madu bagi mulutku.”
Menantikan janji Tuhan adalah pekerjaan
yang sangat indah sebab janji Tuhan itu sangat
manis dan berharga. Menantikan janji Tuhan
bukan berarti diam dan tidak melakukan apa-
apa sampai janji itu digenapi. Kalau demikian,
orang Kristen menjadi orang yang pasif.
Sebelum Yesus naik ke sorga, Ia
memerintahkan murid-muridNya untuk
menantikan janji Bapa (Kisah Para Rasul
1:4). Dan Yesus tidak memberitahukan
berapa lama mereka harus menunggu.
Kita tahu bahwa mereka menunggu
selama sepuluh hari sampai Roh Kudus
akhirnya turun pada hari Pentakosta.
Tetapi waktu Yesus memerintahkan
mereka menunggu janji Bapa akan Roh
Kudus, mereka tidak diberitahu waktunya.
Yesus hanya berkata ,”Tidak lama lagi.”
Setelah Yesus menyuruh murid-muridNya
menunggu, apa respon mereka? Mereka
bertanya, “Tuhan, maukah Engkau pada masa
ini memulihkan kerajaan bagi Israel?" (Kis.
1:6). Mereka tidak sabar, dan mereka ingin
tahu waktu Tuhan. Tetapi Yesus menegaskan
kepada mereka, “Engkau tidak perlu
mengetahui masa dan waktu, yang ditetapkan
Bapa sendiri menurut kuasaNya” (Kis. 1:7).
38 Anniversary 2012
Waktu Tuhan bukanlah urusan kita, yang pasti
janji Tuhan itu akan digenapi sebab Tuhan itu
setia dan maha-kuasa. Ia rela menggenapi
janjiNya, dan Ia sanggup menggenapi janjiNya.
Sering kita ingin tahu waktu Tuhan supaya
kita bermalas-malas sampai waktu itu datang.
Ambil contoh seorang anak raja yang sudah
tahu bahwa ia akan menggantikan ayahnya
sebagai raja tahun depan. Ia tidak perlu susah-
susah sebab ia tahu bahwa tahun depan ia pasti
menjadi raja. Tuhan tidak mau kita menjadi
orang Kristen yang malas seperti demikian.
Mengapa Tuhan tidak memberitahukan
waktu penggenapan janjiNya kepada kita?
Apa yang terjadi kalau Tuhan memberitahu
tanggal dan jam kita meninggal? Pasti kita
tidak bisa hidup dengan tenang, dan kita akan
menjadi orang-orang yang tidak ada semangat
dan pengharapan. Itu sebabnya Tuhan tidak
memberitahukan waktuNya supaya kita
belajar berharap dan menantikan Dia.
Yesus pernah menceritakan perumpamaan
tentang hamba-hamba yang setia. Tuannya
pergi jauh dan mempercayakan kepada
mereka talenta untuk dikembangkan. Dan,
Tuannya tidak pernah memberitahu kapan
ia akan datang kembali. Namun hamba-
hamba itu dengan setia mengerjakan
talenta yang tuannya berikan. Suatu
hari, tuannya tiba-tiba kembali, dan ia
mendapati hamba-hamba itu tetap setia
mengerjakan talentanya. Tuan itu akan
memberikan upah kepada hamba yang setia.
Ketika seorang anak minta sebuah mainan,
orang-tuanya berkata, “Tunggu sampai
7 8 9 10 11 12
Anniversary 2012 39
1 2 3 4 5 6 hari ulang tahunmu bulan depan.” Orang-
tua anak itu bisa memberikan mainan itu
langsung, tetapi mereka ingin mengajar anak
itu agar sabar. Demikian juga, Tuhan ingin
mengajar kita sabar dengan cara menunggu
janjiNya. Itu sebabnya Yesus menyuruh
murid-muridNya menunggu di Yerusalem
sampai Roh Kudus diberikan pada hari
Pentakosta. Itu sebabnya Simeon menunggu
sampai hari tua sebelum ia bisa melihat
bayi Yesus. Itu sebabnya Hannah menunggu
sekian lama sebelum Tuhan memberikan
anak kepadanya. Tuhan melatih anak-
anakNya untuk sabar menantikan Dia, karena
kesabaran mengajarkan orang menjadi tekun.
Apa yang harus kita lakukan sementara kita menantikan janji Tuhan?1. Berdoa2. Membaca fi rman3. Melayani Tuhan
Dengan ketiga hal ini, sementara kita
menantikan Tuhan, kita bertumbuh dewasa
dalam kerohanian kita. Kita lebih mengenal
dan mengasihi Tuhan. Kita lebih rendah
40 Anniversary 2012
hati. Kita lebih sabar. Kita lebih berserah.
Kita lebih melayani. Kita lebih mencintai
Firman Tuhan. Kita lebih tekun berdoa.
Ketika kita tidak sabar menantikan janji
Tuhan, kita akan mengambil jalan pintas atau
shortcut. Apa akibatnya? Kita kehilangan apa
yang kita nantikan. Ambil contoh seorang
yang ingin mendapatkan gelar dari sekolah
tetapi tidak sabar bersekolah. Ia mengambil
jalan pintas dengan membeli gelar, dan
menyatakan kepada semua orang bahwa ia
mempunyai gelar pendidikan. Apa yang dia
dapatkan? Gelar pendidikan (palsu). Apa
yang ia kehilangan? Pendidikan. Shortcut
tidak menghasilkan apa-apa. Shortcut
tidak lain adalah menipu diri sendiri.
Mengambil jalan pintas juga berarti tidak
percaya kepada Tuhan. Kita ingat bagaimana
Yakub menggunakan caranya sendiri untuk
mengambil hak kesulungan yang Tuhan
berikan kepadanya. Ia tidak sabar menunggu,
dan ia mengambil dengan caranya sendiri.
Apa akibatnya? Ia hidup dalam ketakutan
terhadap Esau. Demikian juga dengan
Abraham yang mengikuti nasihat istrinya
dan mempunyai anak melalui hambanya yang
bernama Hagar. Apa akibatnya? Ishmael, anak
Abraham dan Hagar, menjadi batu sandungan
untuk Ishak dan keturunannya. Banyak orang
mengambil jalan pintas mengira bahwa
mereka memperoleh sesuatu. Mereka
tidak memperoleh apa-apa. Bahkan, mereka
kehilangan banyak hal atau segala-galanya.
Tuhan menjanjikan hari depan yang indah
di bumi dan langit yang baru. Untuk
mencapai itu, Tuhan membimbing kita
lewat proses menantikan janjiNya dengan
sabar. Proses lebih penting daripada hasil.
Hasil ada di tangan Tuhan, tetapi proses
membuktikan karakter seseorang. Tuhan
ingin kita melewati proses menunggu
dengan sabar sehingga boleh kelihatan buah-
buah atau karakter Kristen di setiap kita.
7 8 9 10 11 12
Anniversary 2012 41
1 2 3 4 5 6
Waiting is not an easy task to do because
we do not like to waste time and energy.
However, waiting is a very important task,
and we cannot keep on avoiding it. God
also wants us to learn to wait. This is why
He gave us promises and does not fulfi ll
them immediately. We are usually able to
wait willingly for something precious and
important but will complain for something
unimportant and not precious. However
God’s promises are very precious. Psalm
119:103 said “How sweet are your words to
my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
Waiting on God’s promises does not mean
that we stay still and do nothing until those
promises fulfi lled. Christians are not passive
people. Before Jesus rose to heaven, He told
the disciples to wait on God’s promises (Act
1:4). He told them to wait for God’s promises
for the Holy Spirit. However, when Jesus told
them this, He did not tell how long they have
to wait. He just told them that it will not
be long. We know they waited ten days until
the Holy Spirit fi lled them on Pentecost day.
After Jesus gave them His command, the
disciples asked Him ,“Lord are You at this
time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
(Act 1:6) They were impatient and wanted to
know God’s timing. But Jesus told them, “It is
not for you to know the times or dates the
Father has set by His own authority.” (Act
1:7) God’s timing should not be our concern
and focus. We only need to know and be sure
that God will fulfi ll all His promises as He is
By: Ev. Julia Suwanto
42 Anniversary 2012
faithful and just. He does not want us to be
concerned with timing because He does not
want us to be lazy while waiting. For example,
a prince who knows that he will one day
replace his father to be a king. He does not
need to work hard because he knows that
he will one day become a king. God certainly
does not want us to be lazy like the prince.
1. Teach us to have hope in all situation2. Teach us to be faithful3. Teach us to be patient
1. Pray2. Read His Words3. Serve God
When we do all of these three while we
are waiting on God, our spiritual life will
grow more mature. We will know and
love God more. We will be more humble,
more patient, more surrender, more
serving, love His Word, and pray more.
We will lose what we are waiting for. For
example, a person who wants to get a
degree so he takes a shortcut and gets
a fake certifi cate degree. He will get a
fake certifi cate, and he will not get what’s
important: education. Shortcut does not
give anything. Shortcut is only deceiving
oneself.
God promises a beautiful future with a new
world and sky. To get there, God guides us
through a process of waiting patiently. Process
is more important than the result. Results
are in God’s hand, but process will show a
person’s characteristics. God wants us to go
thru a process of waiting patiently so we will
be fruitful in our Christian character. [HW]
7 8 9 10 11 12
Anniversary 2012 43
kingdom of heaven. However, upon closer examination, we can not view the beatitudes as a cause-and-effect or a formula for receiving a divine promise. If we view the beatitudes in this manner, then we are viewing the work of His grace and His plan of salvation as something we have earned. This is where we fall into error by viewing our salvation as a product of our works. We must not forget that we are saved purely by grace alone, and not by works.
At fi rst glance, Matthew 5 verse 8 seems to convey a cause and effect relationship; if that is the case, which
comes fi rst? Does purity in heart result in the ability to see God? Or must you fi rst see God and then acquire a pure heart? Often times, we see the beatitudes as a promise followed by a divine reward; like a cause and effect clause. For example, to be poor in spirit (to rely on God for spiritual fulfi llment) seems to be a prerequisite for inheriting the
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”Matthew 5: 8
44 Anniversary 2012
are a byproduct of spiritual growth. As we
go through the process of sanctifi cation (to
be set apart for God’s work), our character
approaches that of God’s character. In every
pronouncement of the blessed state of
man (beatitude) found in Matthew 5; each
blessed state (for example poor in spirit,
pure in heart) is always connected to the
pursuit of Godly holiness and being in awe
of the Holiness of God. Christians undergo
sanctifi cation in order to understand the
Holy God. The pursuit of holiness is essential
to a Christian’s walk with God.
By contrast, seeing and knowing God is
impossible for those who are impure
in heart. Impurity in the sense that
one has divided allegiance; that something or
someone is vying with God for the throne
What does it mean then to be
pure in heart? In the context
of Matthew 5 verse 8; to be pure in heart is to be undivided in allegiance. When we are devoted to Jesus
entirely, we are blessed for we exist for one
purpose: to serve the Lord. In Matthew 6,
Jesus spoke of how a heart with a divided
allegiance can not serve God. “No one
can serve two masters,” Jesus warned, “for
either you will hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted to the one and
despise the other (ESV, Mat. 6: 24).”
How is it possible for us to be
purely devoted to Christ and
to serve Him only for the rest
of our lives? The answer is through the
power of the Holy Spirit. The beatitudes
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”Matthew 5: 8
Anniversary 2012 45
in our hearts. We often defi ne purity
as the absence of fi lth; but the Biblical
defi nition of purity goes a step further to
defi ne purity as being of one heart with God.
A divided heart is considered unclean and
impure before God. Those not undergoing
sanctifi cation will have a much more
divided heart; making
it diffi cult to “see” God
and less sensitive to
God’s leading in their
lives. Having divided
allegiances deprive
them of the joy that
comes from God’s
promises. We will never
be truly pure in our
motives and our devotion to God as we are
sinful beings, but those who are pure in heart,
single-minded in their purpose, innocent as
lambs in their motive, and purifi ed in their
desires as to desire God Himself through
the power of the Holy Spirit, can see God
through the revelation of Christ Jesus.
There are many misunderstandings
about the nature of the beatitudes.
According to the world, the blessed
state of man are nothing
to rejoice about. Far
from it, these blessed
states are where men
are most vulnerable
and weak; in the eyes
of the world these
characteristics suggest
naiveté. But being pure
in heart is not a state
of being naïve or simple. The Biblical defi nition of purity in heart is to guard oneself against double-mindedness; it is the recognition of one’s weakness
46 Anniversary 2012
and being a faithful steward to God’s call of being set apart for Him. Purity
in heart is the recognition of the evils of sin
and staying ‘set apart’ amidst temptation.
The only way a man may remain pure in
heart is by “guarding it according to His
Word (Psalm 119:1).”
Being pure in
heart is related
to being poor
in spirit. In Matthew
5 verse 3, the poor
in spirit are given the
promise to inherit the
kingdom of heaven. The
poor in spirit are those
who are aware of the poverty of their spirit
because of their sins (see Psalms 10:25, 34:6,
40:17, 68:10). When one is aware of sin,
one is aware of the Holiness of Christ and
is grieved by their spiritual depravity. When
one is aware of his spiritual depravity, only
then can one know the
full weight of the joy of
the grace of salvation.
For this reason, we are
blessed for undergoing
the sorrowful albeit
blessed states of man
mentioned in Matthew
5. May the humility with
His grace remind us to
look forward to His
promises.
“Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him
as he is.”1 John 3:2
Anniversary 2012 47
Most of us have seen a lot of Disney animation movies where the princess meets her
prince charming; the beauty meets the beast, Fiona meets Shrek, and all of their stories
end in “happily ever after”. Often times, we also have a notion about a nice godly young
couple, who meets with each other, falls in love at the fi rst sight, dates, and then gets
married, is guaranteed to have a nice and rewarding marriage life. Well, let us see the facts
to this claim. About 50% of the fi rst marriages in the United States end in divorce. About
66% of the second marriages in the U.S. end in divorce. About 75% of the third marriages
in the U.S. end up in... well, I think you can fi nish my sentence here. Are Christians a part of
BY Gamas Sugiarto
48 Anniversary 2012
this statistic as well? It would be nice if the
answer is “no”, but in reality, Christians are
not immune to divorce. In this short article,
I want to discuss briefl y about problems
with marriage in the U.S. and share some
principals and scientifi c techniques that can
help us improve our marriage love life. A lot
of the materials in this article is taken from
the works of two well-known authors and
physiologists: Dr. Robert Epstein1 and Dr.
James Dobson2.
1. Problems with marriage in the
U.S. Let us take a look at what seems to
be the problems with marriage in the U.S.
Most of us enter relationships with poor
skills of maintaining the relationships and
have highly unrealistic expectations. We also
tend to pick unsuitable partners, mistakenly
believing that we are in love simply because
we feel the physical attraction and have a
lot of passions and a strong feeling. Often
in marriage, within a mere 18 months, these
passions and the feeling disappear, and we
begin to see our partner with new clarity.
All too often, we react by saying, “Who
Anniversary 2012 49
are you?” or “You’ve changed”. We might
try hard for years after that to keep things
going, especially if children are in the picture.
However, since we start the relationship
with the wrong person and with a lack
of basic tools for resolving confl icts and
communications, most often than not, we
end up like most Hollywood celebrities’
marriages with “irreconcilable differences”
problem.
2. Principals for Strong Marriage
life. Now let us look at some principles
that can help us build and sustain strong
marriage foundations. These two principles
apply assuming that both you and your
spouse are true born again Christians
2.1 Strong Prayer Life
First of all, we need to have a meaningful
prayer life. Prayer is our communication
with the God of the universe who is very
interested in the success of our marriage
life. Prayer of course is very important not
only in our marriage love but in all aspects of
our lives as well. Pray together regularly. You
will have a close relationship with God in a
strong prayer life. And as you build a strong
relationship with God, you and your spouse
will also have a strong spiritual bond.
2.2 Read the Bible
Secondly, we need to read the Bible regularly.
The Bible is the inspired Word of God. The
more you read the Bible, the more you know
the mind of our heavenly Father. Marriage
and parenthood are His ideas, and He tells
us in His Word how to live together in peace
and harmony. Everything from handling
money to sexual attitudes is discussed in the
Holy Scriptures.
2.3 Commitment
Thirdly, we need to have a commitment in
our marriage. Commitment is so critical
to the success of a marriage. There are
occasions when we as husband and wife feel
as though we will never love our partner
again. Emotions and passions dissipate. What
will we do then? Will we throw in the towel
and declare, “I don’t love you anymore.”
Absolutely, the answer is “no”. Just as Pastor
Hosea always says, “Marriage is no refund,
no exchange, and no discount!” Nothing
short of death must be permitted to come
between the two of you. This kind of attitude
is very essential in staying in your marriage
when things get tough.
Commitment is not based on feelings or
emotions, and it is the essential element in
building and growing your love. In India, an
50 Anniversary 2012
estimated 95% of the marriages are arranged,
and although divorce is legal, India has one of
the lowest divorce rates in the world. The
marriages are brokered by either the parents
or the professional matchmakers. Their main
concerns are long-term suitability and family
harmony. The Indian couples usually meet
each other for the very fi rst time in a few
weeks to one month before their wedding
day. Some Indian couples usually describe
their fi rst meeting as “LIKE at the fi rst
sight” instead of “LOVE at the fi rst sight”.
A 1982 study done by psychologists Usha
Gupta and Pushpa Singh of the University
of Rajasthan in Jaipur, India resulted in
the following conclusion: love in arranged
marriages usually started low and gradually
increased. On the other hand, Western-
style love marriage usually started high and
declined fairly rapid. However, in about fi ve
years, the love in the arranged marriages
usually surpassed the love in the Western-
style marriages. And in ten years into the
marriage, the arranged marriage love was
nearly twice as strong as compared to the
regular love marriage. Basically, couples in
India emphasize their marriage heavily on
commitment rather than feelings, emotions,
or physical attraction alone.
3. Love Building Exercises Nothing
is more fulfi lling than being in a successful
love relationship. Yet, we leave our love lives
entirely to chance. Maybe we do not have
to anymore. Dr. Epstein has compiled 8 love
building fun exercises which can increase the
relationship between a man and a woman. In
this article, three of these exercises will be
discussed:
3.1 Two as One
Embracing each other gently, begin to sense
your partner’s breathing and gradually try to
synchronize your breathing with his or hers.
After a few minutes, you might feel that the
two of you have merged.
3.2 Soul Gazing
Standing or sitting about two feet away from
each other, look deeply into each other’s
eyes, trying to look into the very core of
your beings. Do this for about two minutes
and then talk about what you saw. More
than 90 percent of Dr. Epstein’s students in
his course reported using these methods
successfully improved their relationships, and
more than 50 of the 213 students submitted
detailed reports about their experiences.
Nearly all the reports documented increases
in liking, loving, closeness, or attraction by 3
Anniversary 2012 51
to 30 percent in about a month. In a few
cases, ratings tripled.
3.3 Secret Swap
Write down a deep secret and have your
partner do the same. Then trade papers and
talk about what you read. You can continue
this process until you have run out of secrets.
Better yet, save some of your secrets for
another day. This is another exercise which
creates vulnerability when people disclose
secrets to each other. This can increase
intimacy between a husband and a wife.
4. Conclusion Keeping solid marriage
love life requires good relationship with
God, hard works, and deliberation. A God-
centered life and a careful look at arranged
marriages (commitment), combined with
the accumulating knowledge in the science
of relationship, have the potential to give us
the real control over our marriage life. The
alternative of leaving marriage love life to
chance makes little sense.
Sources:
1Dr. Epstein can be frequently heard in
Christian Radio stations such as KKLA 99.5
and also seen in Fox News channel television.
His website is http://www.drrobertepstein.
com/.
2Dr. James Dobson is the founder of Focus
on the Family ministry and can be heard
daily at Dr. James Dobson Family Talk
radio broadcasts. His website is http://
drjamesdobson.org.
Indonesian Translation
Masalah Pernikahan di Amerika
Banyak sekali orang yang memasuki
hubungan pernikahan tanpa mengetahui cara
untuk bisa tetap menjaga keeratan hubungan,
dan banyak yang mempunyai ekspetasi-
ekspetasi yang tidak masuk akal. Selain itu
kebanyakan orang berasa cinta hanya karena
tertarik dari segi fi sikal saja. Tentu saja
perasaan cinta seperti itu akan lenyap sekitar
18 bulan setelah pernikahan. Hal-hal inilah
yang membuat orang-orang bercerai dengan
“irreconcilable differences” atau berarti
perbedaan yang tidak dapat diselesaikan.
Cara mendapatkan pernikahan
yang kuat
� Tuhan harus dapat dilibatkan di
dalam pernikahan. Berdoa adalah
cara kita melibatkan Tuhan di dalam
pernikahan. Jika sepasang suami-istri
dapat berdoa bersama maka mereka
52 Anniversary 2012
akan dapat membangun hubungan
rohani dengan Tuhan. Ini juga akan
menghasilkan hubungan suami-istri
yang lebih erat dan dekat.
� Selain berdoa, suami-istri juga harus
sering membaca Alkitab. Alkitab
merupakan salah satu cara Tuhan
mengajarkan cara berkehidupan
sehari-hari termasuk kehidupan
pernikahan. Di dalam Alkitab kita
dapat menemukan cara yang benar
dalam menghadapi berbagai masalah,
mulai dari masalah keuangan sampai
masalah hubungan.
� Komitmen merupakan salah
satu hal terpenting di dalam
hubungan pernikahan. Perasaan
dan ketertarikan fi sikal akan hilang
tetapi komitmen tidak dapat hilang.
Kita dapat melihat pasangan India
untuk contohnya. Di India masih
ada banyak orang yang dijodohkan
oleh orang tua, jadi mereka belum
tentu dapat melihat satu dan yang
lain. Mereka memulai pernikahan
dengan komitmen, dan cinta
merupakan perasaan yang perlahan-
lahan meningkat di dalam hubungan
mereka. Lain halnya dengan di
Amerika dimana pernikahan diawali
dengan cinta, dan perlahan-lahan
perasaan cinta menghilang.
Latihan memperkuat hubungan
� Berpelukan dengan erat dan
merasakan pernapasan satu dengan
yang lain sehingga pernapasan
menjadi satu.
� Berdiri atau duduk berhadapan
sehingga dapat memandang mata
dengan mata. Setelah melihat
selama dua menit kalian dapat
membicarakan apa yang kalian lihat.
� Menulis rahasia kelemahan diri
sendiri di dalam kertas, bertukaran,
dan membaca dengan suara. Ini dapat
meningkatkan rasa kepercayaan
suami-istri. [HW]
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Anniversary 2012 53
Testimony: Romans 8By Christal Setiawan
Saya percaya bahwa Tuhan memegang kendali
atas segala sesuatu. Tuhan terlibat di dalam
setiap langkah kehidupan kita bukan saja pada
waktu kita merasa senang dan berkecukupan,
tetapi juga pada masa-masa yang sukar. Dan
justru melalui saat-saat yang sukar tersebut,
Ia menyatakan keagungan, kepribadian,
pertolonganNya, dan membuat kita semakin
bertumbuh seperti halnya yang terjadi di
dalam kehidupan saya dan keluarga saya.
Pada tanggal 29 Desember 2010,
Tuhan mengaruniakan kami seorang anak
laki-laki, Clement Christopher Setiawan
“Kita tahu sekarang, bahwa Allah turut bekerja dalam segala sesuatu untuk mendatangkan kebaikan bagi mereka yang mengasihi Dia, yaitu bagi mereka yang terpanggil sesuai dengan rencana Allah.” (Roma 8:28)
54 Anniversary 2012
yang lahir dengan sehat dan sempurna.
Kurang lebih dua bulan setelah itu, saya
mendadak mengalami sakit yang sangat
parah yang mengancam nyawa saya dan saya
pun harus dirawat di 5 rumah sakit di 5 kota
yang berbeda selama hampir 5 bulan. Saya
mengalami puluhan prosedur kritis selama
berada di rumah sakit, mulai dari tusukan
jarum untuk test darah dan pemberian
obat-obatan, tusukan infus yang memenuhi
kedua lengan dan tangan saya, bahkan karena
penuh, tusukan infus juga harus diberikan
dari central line dari leher saya. Setelah
itu saya juga mengalami proses intubasi,
tracheostomy, G-tube, dan 5 tusukan selang
chest tubes di kedua paru-paru saya.
Perjalanan panjang saya dari rumah
sakit ke rumah sakit berawal di kota
Coalinga, tempat dimana saya, suami saya
Heri, dan Clement tinggal. Kami pindah dari
Los Angeles ke Coalinga karena pekerjaan
suami saya dan kota tersebut terletak sekitar
tiga jam perjalanan dari kota LA. Pada tanggal
21 Februari, saya menderita sakit panas yang
semakin parah. Saya hampir tidak dapat
bergerak, hampir tidak dapat bangun, bahkan
hampir tidak dapat berjalan dari tempat
tidur. Dengan segera Heri membawa saya
ke ruang gawat darurat terdekat, dan disana
saya berangsur-angsur mulai kehilangan
kesadaran. Dokter berkata bahwa saya harus
dirawat di rumah sakit tersebut dengan
segera karena jumlah sodium didalam tubuh
saya berkurang drastic, dan bila tidak dengan
segera dirawat, saya akan mengalami seizure
dan kerusakan otak. Selama lima hari saya
dirawat di Coalinga Regional Medical Center
tanpa ada yang tahu penyebabnya. Pada
hari yang kelima, mendadak jumlah oksigen
di dalam tubuh saya semakin berkurang.
Karena kondisi ini dapat menyebabkan
kelumpuhan dan kerusakan otak, dokter
kemudian memutuskan untuk mentransfer
saya dengan ambulan ke tempat gawat
darurat yang lebih baik di kota Hanford
yang bernama Adventist Medical Center.
Malam tersebut yaitu tanggal 25
Februari, saya mulai tidak sadarkan diri
setelah mengalami proses intubasi. Proses
ini bertujuan untuk memasukkan jumlah
oksigen yang lebih banyak kedalam paru-paru
saya. Setelah dibius, dokter memasukkan
selang panjang yang menghubungkan
mesin oksigen dan paru-paru saya melalui
mulut dan tenggorokan saya. Keesokan
harinya, saya mengalami krisis besar. Karena
kekurangan oksigen, tubuh saya terus
menerus menggelepar disertai dengan alarm
Anniversary 2012 55
gawat darurat dan mesin vital sign yang terus
menyala dan berbunyi. Dokter dan perawat
kehilangan akal karena mesin oksigen
telah terus menerus memompa sebanyak
100% oksigen tetapi paru-paru saya hanya
dapat menyerap sebanyak 50-60% oksigen.
Tetapi karena Anugerah Tuhan, setelah lima
jam mengalami krisis, tanpa sengaja para
perawat menemukan posisi dimana tubuh
saya dapat menerima
oksigen lebih lancar.
Selama se-
belas hari di kota
Hanford, ke-empat
dokter spesialis yang
ternama di kota ter-
sebut beserta dengan
begitu banyak test
darah dan obat-
obat mahal yang diberikan (termasuk obat
Xigris yang bernilai 24,000 dollar per vial)
tidak juga memberikan kesembuhan. Begitu
banyak test yang saya lalui mulai dari test
Valley Fever, Lupus, H1N1/Swine Flu,
bahkan test HIV, tidak ada satupun yang
positifDokter hanya memutuskan bahwa
saya mengalami pneumonia yang sangat
parah dan Acute Respiratory Distress
Syndrome (ARDS). Situasi saya pada saat itu
semakin mengkhawatirkan dengan tubuh dan
mata yang semakin membengkak, dan kedua
tangan saya yang sempat direstraint berhari-
hari karena tanpa sadar saya berusaha untuk
mencabut selang infus dan pipa intubasi saya.
Setelah para dokter spesialis dan perawat di
kota Hanford menyerah dan pengharapan
untuk sembuh semakin menipis, pada tanggal
8 Maret, saya ditransfer ke kota Visalia,
tepatnya di rumah
sakit yang lebih cang-
gih bernama Kaweah
Delta Medical Center.
Di tempat ini pun
saya mengalami pera-
watan yang lebih baik.
Tetapi pada tanggal 13
Maret, saya mengalami
krisis besar dimana
selain pneumonia dan ARDS, dokter
menemukan penyumbatan di saluran jantung
saya. Setelah itu paru-paru saya collapse
dan saya tidak dapat bernafas. Dokter ahli
pun akhirnya kehilangan akal dan meminta
suami saya Heri untuk memberitahu anggota
keluarga dan teman-teman untuk bertemu
dengan saya terakhir kalinya. Heri pun
kemudian bertemu dengan social worker
dan hospital chaplain. Kedua perawat yang
56 Anniversary 2012
merawat saya melakukan tugasnya dengan
terus menerus menangis. Malam tersebut,
keluarga, saudara-saudara seiman dari GII,
dan kedua Pastor pun datang menjenguk.
Mereka berdoa sepanjang malam dan sempat
memperdengarkan suara Clement lewat
rekaman di telinga saya yang waktu itu tidak
sadar dan di dalam
kondisi yang semakin
menghawat i rkan .
Pagi hari
pun berlalu dan
karena pertolongan
Tuhan, kondisi saya
mendadak stabil
dan dalam tiga
hari ke depan, saya
berhasil ditransfer
dengan helicopter ke
tempat perawatan yang lebih baik di UCLA.
Disinilah kemudian tim dokter berhasil
melakukan bone marrow biopsy dan
menemukan penyebab dari penyakit saya.
Menurut Dokter, saya menderita penyakit
Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis atau
disingkat dengan HLH. Dokter berkata
bahwa penyakit ini mungkin telah ada di
dalam tubuh saya bahkan sejak saya lahir dan
mendadak keluar kemungkinan dikarenakan
oleh proses perubahan hormon selama
sembilan bulan kehamilan, proses operasi
c-section, dan breast feeding selama dua
bulan pertama sehingga daya tahan tubuh
saya semakin menurun. HLH adalah penyakit
dimana tubuh saya memiliki terlalu banyak
jumlah immune system dan cell darah putih
tersebut saling men-
yerang satu sama
lain sehingga tubuh
saya tidak terlindung
dari serangan virus
atau bakteri dari
luar tubuh. Akibat
serangan tersebut,
paru-paru saya pun
menjadi rusak dan
tidak dapat men-
yerap oksigen untuk
disalurkan ke seluruh
tubuh saya. Setelah diketahui penyebabnya, tim
dokter UCLA pun segera memberikan saya
chemotherapy dan steroid untuk mengurangi
jumlah sel darah putih di dalam tubuh saya.
Pergumulan saya waktu itu belum
selesai karena selama berhari-hari saya
mengalami lung collapse sehingga dokter
harus menusukkan chest tubes ke dalam
paru-paru saya untuk mengeluarkan udara
Anniversary 2012 57
dan jumlah air yang berlebihan dari paru-paru
saya agar paru-paru saya bisa mengembang
kembali. Kemudian, supaya pipa intubasi tidak
merusak pita suara saya, dokter membuat
lubang di leher saya agar saya bisa bernafas
(tracheostomy), dan juga dokter membuat
lubang di intestine saya agar tubuh saya dapat
menerima nutrisi (g-tube) langsung dari
lubang tersebut tanpa harus melalui mulut
dan tenggorokan. Pada tanggal 5 April, 5
hari sebelum saya berulang tahun, saya mulai
sadar penuh setelah tertidur sejak tanggal
25 Februari. Pada waktu itu saya tidak dapat
bergerak sama sekali dan hanya bisa bernafas,
bahkan menggerakkan jari sedikit pun saat
itu belum bisa. Saya merayakan ulang tahun
saya di intensive care di UCLA dan untuk
pertama kalinya kembali bertemu dengan
Clement pada tanggal 15 Mei. Akhirnya
pada tanggal 9 Juni, saya berhasil ditransfer
dari UCLA ke Garfi eld Medical Center
dimana saya dengan perlahan mulai belajar
untuk makan, berbicara, menulis, berdiri, dan
berjalan kembali. Pada tanggal 8 Juli, saya
pun diijinkan Tuhan untuk keluar dari rumah
sakit dan kembali tinggal di rumah kami di
El Monte. Melalui prosedur bone marrow
biopsy bulan lalu, dokter menyatakan
bahwa saya telah sembuh dan tidak perlu
menjalani proses stem cell transplant.
Melalui pergumulan yang berat ini,
Tuhan menyatakan diri-Nya dan mengajarkan
saya tentang banyak hal antara lain adalah:
1. Tuhan adalah sumber kekuatan saya dan
keluarga saya. Saya yakin tanpa kekuatan
dari Tuhan, tidak mungkin kami semua
akan tetap setia menjalani semua ini.
2. Tuhan kita adalah Jehovah Jireh yang
mencukupi segala kebutuhan saya dan tidak
pernah lalai dalam memelihara keluarga
kami melalui bantuan orang tua, saudara-
saudari seiman, dan teman-teman kami.
3. Melalui kehidupan suami saya Heri saya
mengalami kasih Tuhan yang Agape, yaitu
kasih yang sempurna, kasih yang tidak
mengharap timbal balik, dan kasih yang
penuh pengorbanan.
4. Saya mengalami belas kasihan Tuhan
melalui dukungan dan doa-doa keluarga,
teman-teman, dan saudara-saudari seiman
di seluruh dunia (Los Angeles, Indonesia,
Singapore, China, German, Canada, dan
Australia). Saya percaya Tuhan mencurahkan
belas kasihanNya melalui doa-doa anak-
anak-Nya, dan Ia sangat bersukacita
58 Anniversary 2012
Dr. R. C. Sproul, the founder and president of Ligonier Ministries, is known for his ability to communicate the deep truths of the Christian faith. He is president of Reformation Bible College, preaches at Saint Andrew’s in Sanford, Florida, and teaches on the daily raido program Renewing Your Mind. He has written more than seventy books, including The Truth of the Cross.
Trust? Hope? Or Something Else?The word faith is heard often these days, but it is given many different meanings. Sometimes it is used in the sense of trust. Other times, it has more to do with hope. Perhaps most often, it is used to mean belief in something apart from rational or empirical support.
“I Trusted CHRIST, Am I Still Saved?”Many people in the church today are plagued by doubts about their salvation. Satan whispers that it is impossible that sinners such as they could be in a state of grace, and some churches compound the problem by teaching that it is possible for believers to lose their salvation.
Library hours are every Sunday 12:30 - 2 PM
For more information, please contact our librarian Janice Atmadja (626-123-4567)
Anniversary 2012 59
In the words of Paul, “May it never be!”
It is tempting to believe that our present
state of misery and struggle is a direct result
of hidden sins, as if God were the god of
“an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”
The reasoning is actually quite simple. If I
do “A” then God will give me “B”, but if I do
“C” then God will give me “D.” Aha! I have
fi gured out how to get God to do what I
want!
As ridiculous as this may sound, we do it so
often and so well that time and time again
we fall into this mindset more often than we
ought, or even worse, we use it as an excuse
for our sins!
Even in retrospect, the temptation lingers.
“God had let this and this happen so that
today I can have this.” We are in such a
hurry to get a handle on our situations and
explain how our defeats are stepping-stones
to victory that we fall right into another
snare. The truth of that matter is,
"For as the heavens are higher than the
earth, so are my ways higher than your ways
In Five Four Easy StepsHow To Get A Job
by Rocky Tindage
60 Anniversary 2012
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
– Isaiah 55:9
I don’t fully know why God allowed me to
remain unemployed for 523 days, lose our
home and sit many days in seeming idleness.
I know I did reap many spiritual fruits such
as trust, hope and patience, and that today
I have fulfi lling job that I believe is the
beginning of my ministry/career in Airport
Administration (basically I work for the
landlord of the airport and the airlines and
concessionaries are our tenants) but to say
in complete confi dence that I understand
God’s plan and path for my life would be
shortsighted and foolish. Part of the reason
is that my story is not over yet! I wasn’t
exactly fond of the latest chapter, but it was
necessary to lead to the next chapter in the
story of my life.
So to my brothers and sisters that are
struggling, remember the next chapter is
just around the corner! May the words
of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ be an
exhortation in your greatest times of need.
“I have said these things to you, that in
me you may have peace. In the world you
will have tribulation. But take heart; I have
overcome the world.” – John 16:33 [END]
melihat pengorbanan mereka dalam
melayani sesama dengan kerendahan hati.
5. Selama mengalami recovery di Garfi eld
Medical Center, saya mengalami pribadi
Tuhan yang begitu sabar. Ia sangat sabar
dalam membentuk karakter saya dan
memilih untuk memproses saya dengan
sabar ketimbang memberikan saya jalan
pintas yang akan berakhir kepada kebinasaan.
6. Tuhan adalah sumber anugerah
kita dan Ia penuh dengan Rahmat
dan Anugerah. Walaupun kita adalah
manusia yang sangat berdosa dan lebih
kecil dari debu dihadapanNya, tetapi Ia
tetap menyembuhkan dan menyelamatkan
saya (Yesaya 42:3). Karena begitu besar Kasih
Allah di dalam kehidupan saya, sehingga Ia
mengaruniakan Anak-Nya, Yesus Kristus
untuk mati di kayu salib menebus dosa-dosa
saya. Saya tidak layak menerima semua ini
tetapi Tuhan mencurahkan anugerah-Nya
kepada saya. Untuk itu selama-lamanya saya
bersyukur atas anugerah-Nya yang begitu
besar.
Testimony: Romans 8
Anniversary 2012 61
I stared at the cover of what I thought
would be the most boring read of my life
since the days of managerial accounting
(which promptly put me to sleep during
many late college nights). The silver title is
elegantly embossed along the coffee brown
spine of the book: Parenting by God’s
Promises by Dr. Joel R. Beeke1. Not only
is the topic of the book irrelevant to me,
but what qualifi cations would I have for
reviewing on a subject to which I was not
privy to experience? Nonetheless, I began
reading (however reluctantly) because it was
assigned. Imagine my surprise to fi nd that
it was not at all what I had expected and I
actually enjoyed reading it.
Rather than opening with anecdotes, child
psychology, child development, or a list of
to-dos, Dr. Beeke begins his book with God’s
covenant with Abram in Genesis 15. He then
spends the next four chapters delving deep
into the theological foundation of God’s
covenant and what it means to Christians,
Book Review Parenting by God's Promises By Jocelyn Lee-Tindage
This book is available in our library
62 Anniversary 2012
especially Christian parents. He encourages
parents with a reminder that it is by God’s
grace alone that sinners (both parents and
their children) are saved, and because He
is a “covenant-keeping God”, we can look
to Him and trust Him who is our strength.
From there, Dr. Beeke continues to discuss
the implication of God’s covenant in raising
children in the faith, the purpose/signifi cance
of infant baptism, and bringing children to
Christ.
From the foundation of Scripture, he moves
on to nine chapters worth of parents’
“offi ce-bearing responsibilities as prophets,
priests, and kings.” He spends two to three
chapters describing each offi ce and how each
offi ce effects the duties and responsibility of
parents. In essence:
• like prophets, parents are to teach
their children the truth;
• like priests, parents are to pray for
and sympathize with their children;
• fi nally, like kings, parents are called
to rule over their children.
As I read, I fi nd myself imagining the household
that Dr. Beeke described – one that is fi lled
with the Truth, with prayer, and with love. A
very idyllic scene lingers in my mind.
But of course, a family in this fallen world is
rarely perfect or idyllic. While the concept
of a perfect family is easy to grasp, the
execution is, well, perhaps more elusive.
Thus, in the fi nal two sections of the book,
Dr. Beeke spends the last eight of his twenty-
two chapters offering practical advice to
parents. He refers parents to the ways of
the Puritans as example of godly parenting;
he gives counsel on issues such as taming
the tongue, learning to listen, handling
sibling relationships and guiding teenagers
through the beginning of their adulthood.
He emphasizes in all of these chapters, that
parents are to model the behavior they wish
to see in their children.
This book is a perfect reminder of the good
ol’ adage: “Do not judge a book by its cover”
(or in my case, by its title). I have learned
much from this book about God’s covenant
from which His mercy and faithfulness is
evident. We can rest assured because He
has promised: “He remembers his covenant
forever, the word that He commanded, for a
thousand generations, the covenant that he
made with Abraham, His sworn promise to
Isaac, which he confi rmed to Jacob, to Israel
as an everlasting covenant.” (Psalm 105:8-10)
Anniversary 2012 63
Name: MeganAge: 7I learned about the words wisdom, my hope, and my delight.My favorite activity was playing all the games. All of them were my favorite.
Name: Timmy Gozali (helper)Age: 15I learned that humans are strangers on Earth. People like us are meant to be alone. As Christians, we must stand fi rm in our faith.My favorite activity was helping preschool with their games and activiy. Also eating food. :-P
Name: Sarah Lam (helper)Age: 12I learned that you need God’s help and wisdom to survive school.My favorite activity was helping with craft.
Name: MelodyAge: 10I learned that God’s word is life, my delight, and true.My favorite activity was game time.
Name: JoelAge: 8I learned that God’s word is life, delight, wisdom, truth and hope.My favorite activity was painting the hands.
VBS 2012 Survey
64 Anniversary 2012
Name: StevenAge: 8I learned that God’s word is life, delight, wisdom, truth, and hope.My favorite activity was painting the hands.
Name: Hubert Kusdono (helper)Age: 16I learned that it is not embarrassing to just be yourself with the little kids. In fact, it’s actually pretty fun to goof off with the kids.My favorite activity was playing games and activities with the kids before lunch.
Name: Jessica Lam Age: 9I learned that God’s words is life, my delight, wisdom, truth and hope.
My favorite activity was the game where we tried to protect our balloon.
Name: Michelle LamAge: 7I learned that God’s word is life, my hope, truth, wisdom, my delight.My favorite activity was painting and draw-ing the bag.
Name: Stuart Kusdono (helper)Age: 13I learned that if you have a non-Christian friend, you must have 7 different prayers for them to help evangelize him/her.My favorite activity was the snack time be-cause the food was good and you could get more (especially the fried dumplings).
Anniversary 2012 65
Setiap LANGKAH ADALAH
Seorang professor diundang untuk
berbicara di sebuah basis militer. Di
sana, ia berjumpa dengan seorang praju-
rit yang tak mungkin dilupakannya, Ralph,
penjemputnya di bandara. Setelah saling
memperkenalkan diri, mereka menuju
tempat pengambilan bagasi. Ketika ber-
jalan keluar, Ralph sering menghilang.
Banyak hal dilakukannya. Ia membantu
seorang wanita tua yang kopornya jatuh
dan terbuka, kemudian mengangkat dua
anak kecil agar mereka dapat melihat
sinterklas. Ia juga menolong orang yang
tersesat dengan menunjukkan arah yang
benar. Setiap kali, ia kembali ke sisi sang
professor dengan senyum lebar meng-
hiasi wajahnya.
“Dari mana anda belajar melakukan
semua hal itu?,” tanya sang professor.
“Melakukan apa?,” tanya Ralph.
“Dari mana anda belajar untuk hidup
seperti itu?,” desak sang professor.
“Oh,” kata Ralph, “selama perang .....
Saya kira, perang telah mengajari saya
banyak hal.” Lalu ia menuturkan kisah
perjalanan tugasnya di Vietnam. Juga
ANUGERAH
66 Anniversary 2012
tentang tugasnya saat membersihkan
ladang ranjau, dan bagaimana ia harus
menyaksikan satu per satu temannya
tewas terkena ledakan ranjau di depan
matanya. “Saya belajar untuk hidup di
antara pijakan setiap langkah.” Katanya,
“Saya tidak pernah tahu, apakah lang-
kah berikutnya adalah pijakan terakhir,
sehingga saya belajar untuk melakukan
segala sesuatu yang sanggup saya laku-
kan tatkala mengangkat dan memijakkan
kaki serta mensyukuri langkah sebelum-
nya. Setiap langkah yang saya ayunkan
merupakan sebuah dunia baru, dan saya
kira sejak saat itulah saya menjalani ke-
hidupan seperti ini. Kelimpahan hidup
tidak ditentukan oleh berapa lama kita
hidup, tetapi sejauh mana kita menjalani
kehidupan yang bermakna bagi orang
lain.”
Nilai manusia tidak ditentukan dengan
bagaimana ia mati, melainkan bagaimana
ia hidup. Kekayaan manusia bukan apa
yang ia peroleh, melainkan apa yang
telah ia berikan.
Selamat menikmati setiap langkah hidup anda dan BER-
SYUKURLAH SETIAP SAAT ....... Banyak orang berpikir
bagaimana mengubah dunia ini. Hanya sedikit yang me-
mikirkan bagaimana mengubah dirinya sendiri..
Sumber: Anonim Anniversary 2012 67
68 Anniversary 2012