The Preparation

Last night, Sok Yeng approached me to ask several questions of Financing, a small portion of her course requirement. As engineering students, we are required to understand how financing works and support our line of work. With what little finance and economy knowledge that I have, I did my best to explain debt and tax to her.

The discussion continued beyond her subject as she became more curious as we proceed. Joanna was quietly listening to my explanations on stock market, share trading, foreign currency exchange, interest rates and  currency creation process. I explained to them how people make gain their wealth by gathering them from people who are willing to lose them, how the government controls inflation rate, how banks creates currency that are just numbers. Joanna lost me somewhere along the way because there were some economical terms that are pretty hard to understand.

The discussion ended with Scripture verses that put the commandments of God into the picture, which helped us to see the greatness of our God. Knowing all these, Sok Yeng exclaimed:" But even if we know this, my mom often tells me: What difference can one person do?"

~~~

That was a very genuine response: What can one person do? What kind of difference can we make if we are one person willing to change, yet huge majority of others still live in the system? What good can I do, if I still need to system for my daily life and survival?

I agree. No, we cannot make a difference. We are just a small amount of people, what change can we possibly bring?

Here's the deal: Christ did not exactly come to change the world; He came to prepare us for a new one.

“For behold, I create new heavens
     and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
     or come into mind.

I will rejoice in Jerusalem
     and be glad in my people;
no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
     and the cry of distress.
No more shall there be in it
     an infant who lives but a few days,
     or an old man who does not fill out his days,
for the young man shall die a hundred years old,
     and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.
They shall build houses and inhabit them;
     they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another inhabit;
     they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
     and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labor in vain
     or bear children for calamity,
for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord,
     and their descendants with them.

Isaiah 65:17, 19-23

This is a prophecy of Isaiah concerning the new heaven and new earth that is coming. It's amazing that even 3000 years ago, Isaiah foresaw economical and social problems that are so prominent today: Build and another inhabit, plant and another eat, labor in vain, and bear children for calamity.

In the final prophecy of the Bible, it was revealed to John the same new heaven and earth that Isaiah saw about 1000 years apart from each other:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

Revelation 21:1-7

God has always been talking about making a new one. The hope of Christians were never making the best out of this old place; in fact, the very hope that we had been holding onto, is the coming of a new kingdom of eternity.

Jesus did not come to change the world, somehow the world is changed by Him. Many things that happened today would not be possible without this very important person existing on Earth in the first place. Yet, it was not His intention. He came to prepare the humankind that He loves dearly for the new kingdom that He is going to bring. He came to prepare the hearts, spirits and souls of the chosen one as citizens of this new Kingdom.

=) However, that doesn't mean we are not obligated to do anything about this world. The world is like a training ground for us. As God prepares us for His Kingdom, take this wonderful world as a Dojo where God teaches you how to be His citizen in the worst time ever, so that we can be His citizen in the best place ever!

So, when we feel powerless to change the world, try understanding that God wants to change your heart first! The change the world part comes later.