The Basin Grace

Jerusalem, .... Passover feast when crowded with visitors, students enter one by one each took place around the table. On the wall hung a towel on the floor and no pitcher and basin. Anyone among the disciples to offer to perform the task, but no one stood.
A few minutes later, Jesus stood up and took off his outer garments.

He circled the towel at his waist as usual made a servant, took a basin and knelt in front of one of his disciples. He opened one of the straps of sandals and slowly lift your foot and put it in a basin, water it with water and washing. One by one, one washed the dusty feet of Jesus, he worked his disciples to follow a row in the table.
At the time of Jesus washing the feet is a task that is served to the lowest servant. Each group has its own rule structure of the environment as well as domestic workers is no exception. And a waitress at the bottom of the stairs is considered most suitable to his knees with a towel and basin.

In this case different is that holding a towel and a basin is the King of the universe.
The hands that formed the stars now wash dirt. The fingers that form the mountains are now massaging the toes. And he to whom all nations shall bow will now bow in front of his disciples. Jesus knew what would happen to his hands in the crucifixion. Within twenty-four hour hands pierced by nails and it will die, he certainly knows the future of legs in this wash.

Twenty-four feet is not going to spend the next day following in the footsteps of their teacher, defended the intent purpose of Jesus. We will not get in the Bible that proclaim "Jesus washed all the feet except the feet of Judas." It's time for Jesus certainly very touching when he lifted his leg traitor and washed in a basin ... in a few hours Judas' feet, in the clear by the generosity of the One who will betray him, and will stand in the yard Caiaphas.
How many of us are already in the foot washing by Jesus in His ministry? we often experience serious problems, a difficult economy, a prolonged illness as though there was no more hope, shattered families and many more challenges that started to make us doubt the ability of Him, and we begin to calculate how much capacity us to change this road, this life change, even change the world, not shrink from self-esteem, faith, trust, obedience only sold a few pieces of silver which can not be taken off.

Do we ever realize that he was still our clean?
We're in the clear of any sin by the blood of Jesus, our Savior to his knees and looked at the actions of our most heinous in our lives, He is merciful to reach us and say, "I can clean you up if you want" and from the basin grace His mercy He scooped him with his hands and wash away our sins.

Let us therefore to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:22).

Garam dan Terang Dunia....

“Kamu adalah garam dunia. Jika garam itu menjadi tawar, dengan apakah ia diasinkan? tidak ada lagi gunanya selain dibuang dan diinjak orang. Kamu adalah terang dunia. Kota yang terletak diatas gunung tidak mungkin tersembunyi. Lagi pula orang tidak menyalakan pelita lalu meletakkannya dibawah gantang, melainkan diatas kaki dian sehingga menerangi semua orang di dalam rumah itu. Demikianlah hendaknya terangmu bercahaya di depan orang, supaya mereka melihat perbuatanmu yang baik dan memuliakan Bapak-mu disorga”...(Mat 5:13-16).

Semua dari kita, tahu apa itu garam dan terang. Barangkali tidak ada satu rumah tangga di dunia ini yang tidak mengenal dan memanfaatkannya. Demikian pula Yesus. Ia tahu benar kegunaan praktis garam dan terang.
Melalui kegunaan-kegunaan garam dan terang inilah Yesus menggambarkan pengaruh yang diharapkan-Nya akan diperankan para murid dalam masyarakat. Jumlah mereka masih sangat kecil namun mereka harus menjadi garam dan terang bagi seluruh bumi. Apa sebenarnya maksud-Nya?
Ada empat kebenaran yang begitu menonjol yang harus kita catat;

Pertama, orang Kristen berbeda secara asasi dari non Kristen. Kedua metafora itu mempertentangkan kedua masyarakat itu. Dunia ini gelap, demikianlah dinyatakan Yesus secara tidak langsung, tapi kamulah yang harus menjadi terangnya. Dunia sedang membusuk tapi kamulah yang harus menjadi garamnya, dan melindunginya dari kebusukan. Dengan kata lain, beda mereka dari masyarakat sekitarnya harus demikian tuntas seperti beda air dari minyak yang tak kunjung larut menjadi satu; Yesus mengatakan bahwa beda mereka harus seperti beda antara terang dan kegelapan, dan antara garam dan kebusukan. Ini merupakan tema akbar dalam seluruh Alkitab. Allah mengangkat dari dunia suatu umat bagi diri-Nya dan panggilan untuk umat ini adalah menjadi KUDUS artinya untuk ‘menjadi lain dari yang lain’. Jadilah kudus, sebab Aku ini kudus.

Kedua, orang Kristen harus masuk kedalam masyarakat non Kristen. Kendati orang Kristen berbeda secara moral dan spiritual dari orang non kristen, namun secara sosial mereka tidak boleh memisahkan diri dari masyarakat sekitarnya. Sebaliknya terang mereka harus menyinari kegelapan itu dan garam mereka harus meresap kedalam daging yang membusuk itu. Demikian pula orang kristen tidak boleh menyendiri lepas dari masyarakat atau membentuk masyarakat-masyarakat ekslusif yang tidak dapat bersentuhan dengan masyarakat lainnya karena adanya tembok, jabatan, derajat, ataupun berkat, dan kelimpahan. Sebab kalau demikian bagaimana ia dapat mempengaruhi masyarakat? Orang kristen harus terjun kedalam masyarakat, terlibat secara keseluruhan dalam kehidupannya. Mereka harus membiarkan terangnya bersinar agar perbuatan baik mereka kelihatan kepada orang.

Ketiga, orang Kristen dapat mempengaruhi masyarakat non Kristen. Mengapa dalam masyarakat non kristen, orang kristen tidak punya pengaruh yang jauh lebih besar bagi kebaikan masyarakat? Data statistik tentang kekristenan didunia ini sangat mengagumkan, memiliki jumlah laskar Kristus yang sangat besar. Tapi mengapa jumlah laskar Kristen yang besar ini tidak lebih berhasil dalam usahanya memukul mundur kuasa-kuasa kejahatan? Ternyata terletak pada toleransi pelunakkan ajaran-Nya yang ekstrim dan mengebiri Injil-Nya yang radikal itu.
Dimanakah kualitas kemuridan mereka dalam mempertahankan tolok ukur Kristus tanpa kompromi? Dan dimanakah ketangguhan strategy mereka menyiapkan kader-kader yang mampu, menempati kedudukan-kedudukan yang ditinjau dari segi pengaruh sangat strategis baik dalam pemerintahan maupun dalam masyarakat demi kemuliaan Kristus.

Keempat, orang Kristen harus bisa mempertahankan jati diri, keyakinan kristiani mereka. Jika garam tidak mempertahankan keasinannya, maka garam itu menjadi tak berguna sama sekali. Jika terang itu tidak mempertahankan cahayanya, ia akan kehilangan efektifasnya. Sebagai pengikut Kristus harus memenuhi dua persyaratan, di satu pihak kita harus memasuki masyarakat non Kristen, dan menyatu dengan kehidupan dunia. Di pihak lain sambil berbuat demikian kita harus berjaga-jaga jangan sampai terpengaruhi oleh dunia.

Keyakinan, nilai, tolok ukur dan gaya hidup kristiani harus dapat di pertahankan. Kita di panggil-Nya untuk suatu kebenaran yang datangnya dari hati yang lebih besar, suatu kasih yang lebih luas yang mencakup bahkan mereka yang memusuhi kita, suatu kesalehan yang lebih mendalam seperti kesalehan kanak-kanak yang datang kepada Bapaknya dan suatu ambisi yang lebih mulia mengutamakan Kerajaan Allah dan kebenaran-Nya di atas segala-galanya. Apabila kita memilih dan mengikuti jalan-Nya, maka garam kita akan tetap asin, terang kita akan bercahaya, kita akan menjadi saksi dan hamba-Nya yang efektif, dan pengaruh yang menyehatkan dan menyegarkan akan membias dari diri kita keseluruh masyarakat disekitar kita.

Salt and Light of the World

"You are the salt of the earth. If the salt has become tasteless, how it be salted? no more useless than thrown away and trampled people. You are the light of the world. The town is situated on the mountain can not be hidden. After all people do not turn on a lamp and put it under the bushel, but on the lamp stand so that enlightens all men in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see the good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven "..( Matthew 5:13-16).

All of us, know what it is salt and light. Probably no single household in this world who do not recognize and exploit it. Similarly, Jesus. He knew very well the practical usefulness of salt and light.
Through the use of salt and light-utility that Jesus describes His influence is expected to be played by the students in the community. Their numbers are still very small, but they must be salt and light to the whole earth. What exactly is his purpose?
There are four truths that is so prominent that we must note;

First, the fundamental Christians different from non-Christian. Both metaphor that it opposes the two communities. This world is dark, so Jesus is not stated directly, but you will have to be explained. The world is rotting but you will have to be salts, and protecting it from decay. In other words, they are different from the surrounding community should be so thoroughly as different from water-soluble oil that would not go into one, Jesus said that those differences should be like the difference between light and darkness, and between salt and decay. This is a grand theme in the entire Bible. God made the world a people for Himself and calls to this congregation is to be HOLY means to 'be different from the others'. Be holy, for I am holy.

Second, Christians should enter into non-Christian community. Although Christians are morally and spiritually different from non-Christian people, but socially they may not separate themselves from the surrounding community. Instead they have to shine the light of darkness and salt they have to seep into the rotting flesh. Likewise, Christians should not be separated from society alone or forming exclusive societies that can not be in contact with other communities because of the wall, position, degree, or a blessing, and abundance. Because if so how it can affect the community? Christians should go into the community, involved as a whole in his life. They should let the light shine for their good deeds seem to people.

Third, Christians can affect non-Christian society. Why in the non-Christian community, Christians do not have a much greater influence for the good of society? Statistics on Christianity in this world is amazing, has a number of very large army of Christ. But why a large number of Christian soldiers is no more successful in attempting to beat back the powers of evil? Apparently it lies in tolerance softener his extreme teachings and His gospel castrate radical.
Where is the quality of their discipleship in maintaining benchmarks Christ without compromise? And where are they prepared toughness strategy capable cadres, occupying the position of position in terms of strategic influence both in government and in society for the glory of Christ.

Fourth, Christians should be able to maintain identity, their Christian beliefs. If the salt does not maintain its salt, the salt has become totally useless. If the light does not maintain its light, it will lose its usefulness. As followers of Christ must meet two requirements, on the one hand we have to enter non-Christian society, and integrates with the life of the world. On the other hand while doing so we must be on guard not to be affected by the world. Beliefs, values, benchmarks and Christian lifestyle can be maintained. We at His call for a truth that comes from a bigger heart, a love which includes a broader even those who are hostile to us, a deeper piety such as childhood piety that came to his father and a noble ambition that more emphasis Kingdom of God and His righteousness above all things.

If we choose and follow His way, then we will still be salty salt, our light will shine, we will be witnesses and servants are effective, and the influence of a healthful and refreshing ourselves will be refracted from the whole society around us.

The Servant of God

Begins in our minds, to become a maid or servant necessary mental changes, a change in our attitude. God is always interested in why we do things rather than on what we do. It is more meaningful than the achievement. King Amaziah lost God's favor because "He did what was right in the eyes of God, just not with all my heart." (2 Chronicles 25:2).
The servants think of others more than themselves, the servants prefer the others, not themselves, this is true humility: not thinking of ourselves less, but less thinking about ourselves, they miss out on their own . Paul says: "and let each person pays attention only to its own interests but the interests of others as well." (Philippians 2:4).

When we stop focusing on our own needs, we will become aware of the needs around us. Jesus had emptied Himself, and took the form of a servant, when was the last time we had to empty ourselves for the good of others? We can not be a servant if we full of ourselves, only when we forget ourselves, then we do things which deserve to be remembered.
Many of our ministry is often a self-service, we serve so that others like us, so admired or so that we achieve our own goals, this is manipulation, not ministry. All the time we only think about ourselves about how interesting and outside of our usual. Some people try to use the service as a means of bargaining with God: "I'll do this for thy God, if God did something for me.

Not a true servant who tries to use God for their purposes, but they let God use them for his purposes.
Thinking like a servant or servants is quite difficult because it challenged the fundamental problem of our selfishness, so that humility is a daily struggle that be a lesson that must be repeated many times to remember and we are given the option to decide between meeting our needs or the needs of others, here we can see that self-denial is the core of the service.

We can measure the servant heart in us through the way we respond when others treat us like servants, that is when we accept mediocrity, or when we ordered other people, or when we are treated as one who is not important. The Bible says: "And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain." (Matthew 5:41). Maybe there are people who use us unfairly, please use the opportunity to train our lives as servants of God.
Sometimes the money has the greatest potential to replace God in our lives, more people not serve because materialime rather than because of other things. They said, "After I achieve my financial goals, I will serve God." This is a wrong decision which will forever regret. Because if Jesus is the Master we are and we become His servant, the money will serve us, but when money becomes our master, we will become slaves.
Wealth is not a sin but failed to use it for the glory of God is sin. God uses money to test our faithfulness as a servant, how we manage our money affects how much God can bless our lives.

Not only should we be aware of money as a servant of God, but also the problem of competition among the servants of God, it hardly makes sense but it's a lot happening in the ministry. We all are in a same team, our goal is to make God a priority number one in the life of every person, not the other way that made us number one.
There is no place for petty jealousy among the servants, when Martha complained to Jesus that Mary was not helping working, Martha servant in his heart lost.

True servant did not complain about injustice, and do not have a heart that self-pity, not hate those who did not serve, they only trust in God and keep serving God.
Our job is not the rate of other servants of God. The Bible says, "Who are you, that ye judge the servant of others? Entahkah he stands or he falls, it is his own master. "(Romans 14:4).
God uses us if we start acting and thinking like a servant, because people really happy except those who have learned how to serve God.