Showing posts with label Just A Thought. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Just A Thought. Show all posts

Sunday, June 7, 2009

perpuluhan

[diambil dari milis Metamorphe]

Question:
Dear rekan-2 terkasih,
Saya sedang mempelajari dan mendalami kembali topik mengenai Persembahan Persepuluhan. Karena hal ini diajarkan oleh orang-tua saya dan saya praktekkan
sampai hari ini. Saya bertumbuh dan berasal dari gereja Injili/Presbyterian .

Namun.., belakangan saya agak "terganggu" dengan pandangan yang mengatakan bahwa dalam pandangan teologi Reformed dan gereja-2 Presbyterian, Persembahan Persepuluhan bukanlah prinsip yang dianut.

Adakah rekan-2 yang bisa membantu mengklarifikasi, apakah dalam view Teologi Reformed, Persepuluhan masih dianjurkan atau tidak?
Sebelumnya terima-kasih untuk bantuan rekan-2.

Yang sedang belajar kembali,
G.G.
= = = = =


Answer:

Dear Sdr. Gabriel, beloved netters in Christ,
Tampaknya memang ada perbedaan dalam pemikiran orang2 yang menganut pandangan Theologi Reformed.

Kecenderungan dari Luther adalah bahwa orang yang sudah menerima dan percaya Injil akan ditanamkan dari dalam hatinya roh yang baru, dan inilah yang menjadi dasar baginya untuk mengerti apa yang benar apa yang salah, apa yang dikehendaki Tuhan. Luther sangat kritis dengan bentuk2 taurat baru (karena itu dianggap berpotensi mengancam doktrin sola fide).

Sementara Zwingli, selama masa pelayanannya di Zürich, di dalam khotbahnya pernah mengritik praktek perpuluhan yang dilakukan secara rutin oleh para petani (mewakili kaum yang sederhana) dan diserahkan ke biara2. Ini berkait dengan kritiknya kepada para biarawan yang hidup seperti kurang kerjaan dan hidup bersenang-senang. Kritik ini ditanggapi positif terutama oleh pejabat2 di kota Zürich (ini bisa menjadi bahan diskusi yang menarik karena di sini kita menyaksikan bahwa kritik Zwingli sangat kontekstual, maksudnya berkait dengan banyak aspek yang perlu diperhatikan) .

Calvin, melihat kesulitan dalam theologi Luther yang cenderung berhenti pada penggunaan hukum Taurat yang berfungsi 'hanya' menyadarkan orang akan ketidakberdayaannya untuk taat dan karena itu dengan rendah hati mengharapkan sepenuhnya pengampunan dalam Injil Kristus.
Bagi Calvin, orang kristen pun tidak lepas dari hukum. Setelah percaya kepada Injil, orang kristen dikembalikan kepada hukum Taurat, namun tentunya bukan untuk mendapatkan keselamatan (keselamatan hanya karena anugerah) melainkan dalam spirit menaati hukum bukan sebagai budak, melainkan sebagai anak yg taat kepada BapaNya di dalam roh kasih karunia.


Nah, sekarang yang menjadi persoalan adalah: hukum Taurat yang mana yang masih berlaku bagi orang kristen dan yang mana yang hanya diterapkan bagi orang Yahudi? Yang mana yang dihapuskan setelah kedatangan Kristus, yang mana yang tetap berlaku?

Dalam kerangka theologi Calvin yang sangat menekankan the third (educational) use of the law (yaitu hukum bagi orang percaya setelah menerima Injil, dan bukan hanya sebelum seperti diajarkan oleh Luther) tidak sulit untuk menerima pandangan bahwa perpuluhan bagi Calvin tetap berlaku bagi orang percaya.
Meskipun dalam his commentary on Mt 23:23 (bisa dibaca di http://www.ccel. org/ccel/ calvin/calcom33. ii.xii.html) ada kalimat seperti "they ought rather to have begun with the principal points; for tithes were only a kind of appendage", dari kalimat selanjutnya jelas bahwa bagi Calvin perpuluhan termasuk perintah Allah (meskipun secara urutannya adalah lebih belakang dan bukan yang paling utama):
"Christ therefore affirms that he has no intention to lessen the authority even of the smallest commandments, though he recommends and demands due order in keeping the Law. It is therefore our duty to preserve entire the whole Law, which cannot be violated in any part without contempt for its Author; for He who has forbidden us to commit adultery, and to kill, and to steal, has likewise condemned all impure desire. Hence we conclude that all the commandments are so interwoven with each other, that we have no right to detach one of them from the rest." (Comm. on Matt. 23:23)

Bagi saya pribadi, memang benar bahwa perkataan Yesus dalam Mat 23:23 itu bukan perintah melainkan deskripsi, namun di sisi yang lain kita juga bisa berargumen bahwa dengan deskripsi itu Yesus juga tidak mengatakan bahwa perpuluhan tidak perlu lagi dan sudah digantikan oleh "keadilan, belas kasihan dan kesetiaan". Justru kita bisa mengerti bahwa perpuluhan adalah satu penyataan atau ekspresi iman yang sederhana bahwa di hadapan Tuhan orang yg melakukan hal ini belajar untuk menjalankan kesetiaan seperti diperintahkan oleh Firman Tuhan.

Sekarang ada satu perspektif lagi yang bagi saya juga penting untuk diperhatikan yaitu bukan dalam persoalan theological correctness, tapi dari sisi motivasi. Apa motivasi kita ketika kita percaya bahwa perpuluhan tidak perlu lagi bagi orang kristen dan hanya berlaku bagi orang Yahudi di Perjanjian Lama? Jangan2 theologi di sini sudah demikian corrupted sehingga menjadi sarana yang sudah diperalat untuk mendukung keegoisan pribadi.

Atas nama "Theologi Reformed saya tidak memberikan perpuluhan!" atau bahkan "atas nama Alkitab (yang tidak memerintahkan saya untuk memberikan perpuluhan) saya tidak memberi perpuluhan!"

Bagi saya, orang kristen seperti ini ironis dan mendukakan Tuhan. Perenungan saya sederhana saja (terlepas dari perdebatan Luther, Zwingli atau Calvin di atas): jika orang di jaman Perjanjian Lama saja tahu menghargai anugerah Tuhan dengan mengembalikan kepada Tuhan sebagian (kecil!) apa yang mereka miliki, masakan kita yang hidup dalam jaman post Perjanjian Baru lebih tidak mengerti apa itu anugerah? Sulit bagi kita untuk mencerna pengertian theologi anugerah (seperti yang sangat jelas dinyatakan dalam Perjanjian Baru) yang tidak berkait dengan hidup yang memberi (termasuk memberi dalam keuangan, bukan hanya tenaga, bakat dan waktu).

Bagi saya pribadi, angka 10% memang tidak mutlak, maksudnya boleh 20%, 30% etc (tapi kalau 1% ya kita sebaiknya merenungkan lagi apa yang Yesus lakukan bagi kita di kayu salib :). God bless us all.

Love and pray,
Billy Kristanto
= http://www.grii. de =
=================================================================================

Monday, May 4, 2009

the meaning of being forgiven

a week ago..

- - - - - - - - - -
b: did u come to lab yesterday?
e: yes. i came in the morning, then i went to church, then went back and study until 2300 hours. why?
b: wahh.. you still need to go to church in this exam time? you should ask your God to forgive you for not going to church
e: [just smiling]
- - - - - - - - - -

well.. dear my friend,
i think i could understand why you said that, even though i (somehow) could not believe i heard that.

in fact,
i went to church because i was happy doing that.
i went to church because it was a thankful and willingness act that you might not understand it (yet).
i went to church not because it should be the best time to 'ask for help' (even it is valid indeed) for the next day's exam.

im not being a hypocrite.
you should know that it is very difficult indeed doing that.
sometimes movies, games, internet -and even studying- they look like to be the winner.
but i did learn over and over again, there's nothing can beat the joyful of going to church.

and that is the meaning of being forgiven..
==================================================================================

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

1st of april

i tried to dig something about the origin of 'april mop':
version 1:
The most convincing historical evidence suggests that April Fool’s Day originated in France in 1582, under King Charles IX. With the reform of the old Julian calendar by Pope Gregory XIII, the King ordered that the new year festivities associated with the vernal equinox be moved to January first according to the new Gregorian calendar. The vernal equinox celebrations started 25 March and lasted for a week, culminating in great dinners, parties and gift giving on 1 April. Many French men resisted the change and continued their annual ‘Pagan’ revelry on 1 April. They were mocked and ridiculed for persisting in their old ways, receiving fictitious invitations to non-existing parties.

another version:
An English newspaper article published on April 13th, 1789 said that the day had its origins when he sent the raven off too early, before the waters had receded. He did this on the first day of the Hebrew month that corresponds with April.

but, what i scare most is people don't bother listening to you on that day (even you're telling the truth). here's a example of it:
The April 1, 1946 Aleutian Island earthquake tsunami that killed 165 people in Hawaii and Alaska resulted in the creation of a tsunami warning system (specifically the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre), established in 1949 for Pacific Ocean countries. The tsunami in question is known in Hawaii as the "April Fools' Day Tsunami" due to people drowning because of the assumptions that the warnings were an April Fools' prank.


and also it's written:

"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour."

. . . . . . . .

so, tell me..
do you think,
are we 'allowed' to tell a lie on 1st of april?
i, my self, would say, NO !

to tell a lie is a lie..
and to tell a lie on purpose, that counts to double lies :D
and besides, i dont think it's funny either way when you're adding, "it's a joke!!!"
=================================================================================

Friday, January 23, 2009

hellloo friend..

i sent a few of 'hellos' to some old friends..
do you know what did their reply ?

1 didnt reply my message..
*i remember (s)he said, "be in touch, will you!!"*

1 replied my message, nicely..
*i posted it here*

1 didnt acknowledge my 'add as a friend' invitation
*maybe (s)he read a 'an enemy has invited you' message*

1 replied, in such a almost-obsolete time
*i know (s)he is a everyday-i-check-my-inbox person*

1 didnt reply my message..
*but (s)he then went to see me, instead*

so, which category a friend is?
=================================================================================

Thursday, January 8, 2009

i'll do it

huah..

if it had to be a 'normal' way..
i'll do it..

if it had to be a 'long' way..
i'll do it..

coz it might be YOUR way..
that i just didn't realize it (yet)..

=================================================================================

Monday, November 24, 2008

pintar vs bodoh

yesterday, there was a sentence spoken out from my pastor,

"Orang pintar melihat perbedaan.. Orang bodoh melihat persamaan.. !!"

JRENKKKK!! DEGGGGG!!!

so.. what do you see ?=================================================================================

Thursday, October 30, 2008

on praying

on reading the verse..
“..for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought..”
*was it the reason not to pray?*


and this verse..
"..and when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. for they think that they will be heard for their many words.."
*how many words, actually, do we need?*


my pastor once said..
“when someone asks you to pray together,
in the first 1-2mins,
you pray with him..

between 2-5mins,
you pray for him..

more than 5mins,
you pray against him..”
*haha*


so, do you think it’s difficult to pray?
how should we pray then?

Monday, October 6, 2008

still friends

i made a quite lot of conversations today, hoho..it’s quite surprising knowing that –after today was over- i did talk with a lot and various of people today.. *lemme have a count.. ouchh.. at least 12!! *

in my opinion, when you talked with your friends, somehow you should try to act as ‘neutral’ as you could. i mean.. let the conversations flow and hopefully you could have a nice bonding, or maybe, get along with your friends.

but i found out..
there are friends which still are not comfortable to talk to.
*you get to know that after having 10 or more lines with them.. and cant wait to ‘having lunch/dinner’? haha*

there are friends which still are very nice to talk to.
*and one of mine is getting married.. congrats to you!! thanks for inviting me !*

there are friends.. well.. you somehow just keep still talking to them for formality sake?
*coz we might need their help someday? or because they were/are part of your life?*

and there are ‘friends’ which just pop up when they think you could help them.
*are they still called friends?*

thanks for being my friend, friends !

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

720

this noon, there was a message on my messenger,

[free translation]
"do you know the newest mobile phone operator, _ _ _ _ ? it offers Rp. 600/min for making calls to other operators; Rp. 60/min to same operator; and Rp. 60/sms to any operators. but it is under satan's management! coz when the numbers joined together, it forms 666"

and then i shocked a while (apparently, last night i heard the same thought about it), thinking what answer should i reply. yes, i need to! because i had bought its service the day before *haha*

well, not that reason for sure. let me propose mine.

first,
600 plus 60 plus 60 forms 720.. not 666! *that's why i love math*
(yes you can reason "just join the first digit of each number", but i prefer think on my way)

second,
if they do mean a really 'beautiful' 666 , they should to change the price to Rp. 6/sms. *wow.. great.. i'd love to*
(600, 60, 6 <-- it's trully beautiful, ain't it?)

last,
a simple quotation, "..and you will have knowledge of what is true, and that will make you free.." * Halleluya !!! *

Friday, March 28, 2008

do you ?

i know who’s my friend
i know who’s not my enemy
i know who’s not my friend
i know who’s my enemy

do you ?

 

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