Revealing Himself Plainly

Revealing Himself Plainly

Jesus often spoke in parables to the multitudes, the Pharisees and His disciples. Parables bring division to the groups, because only those who genuinely seek Him will find out the truths in the parables.

His disciples always had the opportunities to dig deeper into the parables by communion with Jesus. It was part of their privilege as they had intimacy with Him.

Nearing the fulfillment of Jesus' assignment on earth, He made an important point.

“I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father." - John 16:25

'The hour is coming' has been used a couple of times to indicate the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. The way He speaks is going to change when the Holy Spirit comes (John 16:26-27).

This means that unlike what we were taught, Jesus didn't receive parables from the Father and then shared the parables with the people. He received plainly from the Father (through the Holy Spirit) and turned it into parables for the people.

In John 16, He told His disciples that He would stop speaking in parables (figures of speech) about the Father. The Holy Spirit would speak plainly about Him.

In other words, the mystery of the Kingdom is no longer going to be a mystery when the Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples. This is why Paul said that "we have the mind of Christ" to understand the depths and the thoughts of God through the Spirit of God (1 Cor 2:10-16).

You receive what you believe. If you think that God's voice continues to come in parables, you will receive the parables. If you think that the Father is able to speak plainly through the Holy Spirit, you receive what is clear and simple.

Technology for Kids

My son is 9 and in a few months' time, he will be 10. He knows very little about using an iPad and digital technology. My wife has asked if we should let him learn some coding/digital technology since almost every kid is exposed to it.

I shared my heart and the reason why we are homeschooling him. Because we do not plan to go with the flow. We have often been going against the tide, not that we purposely want to do so, but I guess God has given that assignment to us to will and to do according to His good pleasure.

Just last week, my niece-in-law said, "Uncle Wilson, you are living life on the edge." Though she was referring to something else, it was a good reminder of a quote that I learnt in YWAM which I haven't forgotten. It says, "If you are not living on the edge, you are just taking up space."

The nation that we have grown up with has provided us with so much comfort, that we have edged the Holy Spirit out. Is He really our True Comforter? He is most 'manifested' when we step into uncomfortable situations.

Recently, I passed my son an old iPad for him to do his Koobits. He was extremely delighted. But he didn't know how to use it. He didn't know how to download a photo and use it as wallpaper. Call me crazy, but I actually take delight in that ignorance. For I know his potential, and I know the strength of this new generation of kids. It's way easier for them to learn technology than to unlearn it.

While the iPad is given to him, there are restrictions. 

- No game is allowed to be downloaded 

- No social media is permitted. He can watch Youtube when one parent is present with him.

- He can only use the iPad with permission for the purpose of researching for information

- With the increase of his self-control and focus comes the increase of the usage of iPad

Why do we (as parents) make ourselves so miserable when we could have just thrown him the tablet and set ourselves free? Because responsibility comes with a price to pay.

One of my friends asked me, "How long are you going to protect him?"

I replied, "Until he is ready."

He responded, "How do you know when he is ready?"

I said, "I won't know until he is ready."

We often want tangible measures as Singaporeans. But there are alot of things that cannot be measured, especially when it comes to personality and character. I trust the Holy Spirit to guide us as we lean on Him, the true Father.

We love that our son is truly engaged socially with people of all ages when he meets them. A child who is so engaged with technology (at early age) will be disengaged when it comes to real-life conversations. I encountered so many of them. And this is one of the reasons why we make the tough decision to do what we do. #homeschooling