Conversation with David Park

David Park: do you preach mostly for chinese congregations or a variety?
Peter Ong: mostly for asian american but I have been known to preach at other conferences
David Park: i see. there are truly integrated asian american congregations in your area then?
Peter Ong: I have seen one so far but that is something that I am committed in developing. i was part of forming a youth ministry in a church where the immigrant and ABC youth was truly integrated
David Park: so would you say that you have more exposure in chinese american circles?
Peter Ong: yes, but recently connected with korean american circles
David Park: do you ever feel as though it is difficult with crossing over into other culture’s churches?
Peter Ong: I think it is a matter of being missional towards a culture and celebrating that
Peter Ong: I remember this moment when this 8 year old girl told me that God is Chinese
Peter Ong: I asked her how did she come up with that
Peter Ong: she said I am made in God’s image and I am chinese so God is chinese
Peter Ong: then I asked her what about samantha? (samantha is black)
Peter Ong: she looked at me… and said… God is brown
Peter Ong: I liked that. not theologically mind blowing but there is something to be said about cultural expressions (or the heart language) of a people group and to enter it with a sense of wonder and discovery of how they express the gospel in their culture then it is not so hard to negotiate that…
David Park: and you haven’t found that difficult to do even among other asian churches?
Peter Ong: not particularly, because I really believe that God appoints people of authority and we are to submit and respect them. I haven’t met too many leaders who are “evil” but mostly misunderstood
David Park: i would agree with you there. and it does take people like yourself to be bridges within the community
Peter Ong: i really have strong convictions about leaders. i think a lot of American born pastors have undermined their ministries by not honoring that not being strategic about their ministries within a cultural context
David Park: wow, please feel free to expand. what are some good ways to be strategic?
Peter Ong: being missional…
Peter Ong: doing things the “chinese” way, I think there is a confucian element to our culture that is not biblical and that is something one has to be careful about
David Park: what confucian elements do you mean?
Peter Ong: prestige, academic achievements, money, morality versus graces, being moral, conservative mindsets, keeping the old… but I think that if we see things in their lens and helping to work under that understanding there are ways of negotiating
Peter Ong: i am an ARC so my chinese wasn’t that great when i started ministry, but I took time to learn so that I can speak to my senior pastor in chinese because i should respect him and the culture and i aligned myself with leadership who I could communicate better with so they can be advocates
Peter Ong: and I am being honest. I had trouble with some of the way they did things but I honored them as long as I trusted that the leadership had God’s glory in the big picture…. that is critical….i trusted my pastor completely but I didn’t think he did things along the way that were ethical or even biblical but it was very chinese so I accepted it and in two years, he gave me more support and more resources because I submitted and made alliances with key people who loved God and loved he church
David Park: i think what you’ve shown is a powerful display of patience and of reaching back to the older generation
Peter Ong: I think that it was important for healing
David Park: that’s really powerful. in what ways would you say the chinese culture has strengthened your faith?
Peter Ong: I think my faith has strengthened my chinese culture. I understand so much about the chinese thinking so that I can minister in that community and to my kid’s family
Peter Ong: parents was desperate to find someone who can minister to their kids and to listen to them…
David Park: i would agree with you that many in the 2nd generation are not as patient and have tendencies to undermine the 1st generation churches. but you know, that’s not only a chinese american phenomenon, it’s occurring in many churches where they are seeking faith not only in terms of their own culture, but in the middle of the larger, American, post-church, postmodern culture as well
Peter Ong: well, I think that for that instance it is fine to move on and with the blessing of the church to plant that church but the next movement is going to be the emerging immigrant church that will require a newly defined postmodern matrix
David Park: do tell~
Peter Ong: because the world is changing very quickly
Peter Ong: america is seeing more and more immigrants come; we can’t ignore them
Peter Ong: and start to pioneer a new vision for church
Peter Ong: i think we need a global perspective when we think of the modern church we can’t just focus on the postmodern matrix as we know it but rather be prepared to engage in a diversity of ministry perspectives that will require a missional mindset but the mission is not OUT there but coming to us
David Park: i agree.
Peter Ong: so we have to prepare and celebrate that “chinese” side
Peter Ong: but I also feel for the post church crowd who have no connection with their culture. I think we are beginning to do that in NYC to look at this new emerging immigrant community that is going to be there always no matter what you do
David Park: but would you say that we have or are equipping leaders to engage in that?
Peter Ong: I am excited to see the next generation of Asian American leaders and I see them so engaging and open and loving God and loving the church…. and there is a heart to return to orthodoxy… while being innovative forward thinking….
David Park: yes, we must strike a good balance there like you mentioned earlier, we must be strategic about this
Peter Ong: and intentional…
David Park: and prayerful

Advent Reflection

Zechariah 6:12-13 (New International Version)
“Tell him this is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the LORD. It is he who will build the temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.'”



During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.” -Hebrews 5:7-10

Advent reflection: Arriving

For we affirm His divinity so joined and united with His humanity that each retains its distinctive nature unimpaired, and yet those two natures constitute one Christ- JOHN CALVIN

As the snow falls down outside and the evidence of winter approaches, my soul is stilled by the wonder of advent…the arriving…the intersection of the divine unto the earth. For the son of God came into this world as a wonderful child. The whole of history hinges on this arrival. The promise, the hope, the mediator and the destination on a small village, inside a manger…with two reluctant parents, awestruck shepherds and animals…among hay and manure, the wonderful Lamb of God came…

Upon his arrival I am moved by the singular devotion of Christ to mediate fallen man to a holy God in the form of person;a person with a name.

Emmanuel. Yeshua.

I wonder sometimes how it would change us if we were there with the odor of animals, leaning next to the shepherds and beholding this little Yeshua as he pierced the silence with a cry. This body of flesh had taken form and what was eternal and boundless was confined in this wrinkled baby and wrapped in ragged cloths.

I wonder how we would be changed if we understood the depths He traveled. We would begin to see the distance He traveled? In the midst of our misguided sense of worship and pilgrimage we spend most of our time in our personal agendas or creating our ministries and forget the beauty of this child and how we don’t adore the God who walked away from His heavenly throne to be present here…

To be here with us and to save us. Emmanuel. Yeshua.

In Hebrews, the writer gives an amazing picture of Jesus and his office as a King/Priest.

Louis Berkhof writes that whereas a prophet represents God before men, a priest represents man before God. I will focus on the priesthood…in this entry…

Wayne Grudem gives this further description of the priestly office: "In the Old Testament, the priests were appointed by God to offer sacrifices. They also offered prayers and praise to God on behalf of the people. In so doing they `sanctified' the people or made them acceptable to come into God's presence, albeit in a limited way during the Old Testament period. In the New Testament Jesus becomes our high priest."

There is a hint of it predicts that Christ would be our priest (Psalm 110:4), and the priest in the Old Testament was a first source of the echo of Christ's priesthood.

The book of Hebrews contains teaching on Christ's priesthood, calling Jesus "the Apostle and High Priest of our confession" (3:1) and our "great high priest" (4:14). As scholars have underscored this when they present Christ acts as our priest in two ways, the first way during His humiliation (as a sacrifice), the second way during His exaltation (as a mediator).

In the days of the Israelites, the priests had the special office of approaching God, and of speaking and acting in behalf of the people. In Hebrews 5, it teaches us that a priest is taken from among men to be their representative, is appointed by God, is active before God in the interests of men, and offers gifts and sacrifices for sins. He also makes intercession for the people.

The priestly work of Christ was, first of all, to be a sacrifice for sin. On that fateful Passover dinner, the man, the Lamb of God had to proceed towards the will of the Father. He became the Priest and the atonement. As part of the Passover meal, there is no Lamb but rather the wine and the bread…Second, he was also the Priest as presenting the sacrifice with the shedding of blood.

Atonement

Matt Perman says, “He presents His sacrifice to God, on the ground of it claims all spiritual blessings for His people, defends them against the charges of Satan, the law, and conscience, secures forgiveness for everything justly charged against them, and sanctifies their worship and service through the operation of the Holy Spirit. This intercessory work is limited in character; it has reference only to the elect, but includes all the elect, whether they are already believers or still live in unbelief, John 17:9, 20.”

My prayer is that as we meditate through advent, that we remember these approaching days towards advent of this birth. I am reminded that with every arrival there is a departure, and as He left everything so that we can eat at the dinner table with Him for eternity…He became mortal so we can conquer death along with Him and it all started with this troubling scene of this child…this child who will reconcile us as priest…