I think God grieves because He has to send His beloved creation, His beloved people to hell if they do not choose Him, if they do not choose Christ and it kills God that He can not be with His beloved b/c they (we) are sinful and He is holy.

I think Paul’s anguish and sorrow because Paul desires for his brothers, his own race, the people of Israel to be saved, to not perish but to have eternal life.

I admire Paul, where he is so sorrowful and in so much anguish for the lost that he is willing to be cut off from Christ for them so that the lost may be found.

i’ve also been lately been processing and journeying through what it means for me to relate to God’s family as an asian-american and be able to live my life in a way that models christ-like truth and grace to others (especially other asian-americans!)

i think that it is imperative that we understand and help other people understand where we’ve come from, and how our past affects who we are and where we’re going. this means, at least partly, that it is necessary to dive into cultural discussions with one another in order to keep the Godly, and run away from the sin that comes with our culture.

but how do we do this? how do we help people learn to desire redemption if they aren’t aware of their depravity? to me, that’s one of the foundations that need to be in place if everything else is to come…

i think i rambled, haha. hope that made sense! and yes, you can do video comments! isn’t that cool?!

Sometimes i think the idea of discipleship can be cryptic: so you follow someone around and do as they do? or even limited: you meet for an hour or two a week and hope for the best.

It seems like he’s saying that God’s design is that we need each other to truly grow – even in the knowledge of God. Without community, even if I could live a sinless life I’d forget that i am fully loved. i forget that i find myself when i give myself away. i forget that i need to encourage others and i forget that i need to be encouraged. I think that’s why Paul exhorts believers to “not give up meeting with one another, as some have done” (hebrews 10:24) – not out of routine, but out of necessity. through joy and through conflict.

as he says:
“My motivation for discipleship was to receive praise, worth, significance.

I was a disciple lacking authenticity and community, motivated by a mixture of genuine love and lust for praise… Disciple had become more of a verb than a noun. Less about a community centered on Christ and more about an activity centered on what I know.”

I think as i continue to reach out to asian american students, i’m reminded that largely, they already have a leg up on understanding community. we’re already drawn to each other as a part of how we form our identity. but since we’re fallen, and we live in a very individualistic nation, we’re often still heavily concerned with what others think of us. this traps and paralyzes us: i have this tremendous need to be known and loved, but i hide who i really am and pretend that i am strong and sufficient in myself.

but i would also add that the traditional understanding of hierarchy makes grace and truth very difficult. we need to hear truth from everyone, not just our Leaders. we need to receive grace from everyone for the wrongs that we’ve done and have yet to do, not just those we deem worthy.

as usual im overlong. but thanks again for this! questions? confusion? it’d be so great if this online forum could be used to supplement the conversations that are already taking place.
steph

ps. wow, you can add video comments?!

Here’s a question:
How would you rank how much Epic overall needs the gospel (of grace) everyday? Or would you say for most people the gospel was a one-time thing needed for salvation?