Ordination Paper
Jeffrey Pau Do Lian
1. Spiritual
Journey/Christian Experience and a Call to Ministry
I was born and brought
up in a Christian family in Tedim Town, Northern Chin state of Myanmar. My
parents were the fruits of the American Baptist Missionaries,
the fruit of Reverend Joseph Herbert Cope mission works which begun in Tedim in
1906. In spite of growing up in an
animist community, my parents became Christian in their childhood. In those
times the animists in Tedim conceived that Christians were believers of a foreign
religion. However, Christian faith flourished in our community within a short
period of time and now 99% of the population claim to be Christian in Chin
State.
Thank God I had
a devout and faithful father who led family devotion and prayer every night
before bedtime, which is so important in my Christian faith. As I grew up in such
a way that my godly father, whose instruction always integrated with the word
of God so that his encouragement played an important role in my Christian life.
Three time visit to church worship services in a week is normal for the Christian
tradition in Chin state. Maintaining good morality and attending worship
services became our Christian identity and traditional practices. After I did
my primary education, I came to realize that I am a Christian by birth but
never examined the real meaning of my Christian life. I was curious what makes
a person a Christian and what is the difference at the end.
The Reverend
Joseph Herbert Cope (ABCUSA) invented the writing of our language in the Roman
alphabet basis. It is with this writing form that the Zomi people were able to
read and write in their own dialect. In other words, Cope introduced the Gospel
of Christ and the writing in our dialect. As a young man, my ultimate aim was to
get money for attending musical school and become a guitarist for my
professional career. Either to go to musical or theological schools required a financial
support. Therefore, I decided to make money and went to Jade Quarry with the
hope to get enough money for music school. In contrast, when I arrived to the
Jade Quarry the first thing I saw were drug addicts, gamblers, drunkards, and
prostitutes. My father´s instructions, not to drink, gamble and avoid
prostitution, were always in my mind. I thank God who protected me from such
behaviors. I worked so hard to save money for my schools, but in contrast all
the money I had saved was used for the treatment of my severe malaria. I was
admitted to a private clinic and the physicians treated me for a week. However,
I went home after the physician could not cure me.
Another
physician had treated me for seven months at home but failed to cure my
disease. While lying down on my bed, I begun to question myself “I obey my
parents and God as much as I can. Will my soul get saved if I die with malaria
today?” Then, I grabbed the Holy Bible on my desk, as I wanted to know the
answer for my questions. It was through the reading of Romans 3:23 “For
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” And 6:23 “For
the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord.” I clearly understood that none of my
good deeds or obedience to my parents can bring me to eternal life. It is only through
the redemptive work of Jesus and His victory over the death that will save me
from eternal hell. I knelt down and confessed my sinful nature before God. Then
I challenged God; if you heal me from malaria I will go to Bible School and
serve you for my whole life. It was in November 1994 while the physician who
had treated me for months stopped coming, I was completely healed by the power
of God. As a result, I went to Nazareth Bible College in Manipur state, India
in 1995.
The principal of
Nazareth Bible College called me and counseled with me for water baptism; I was
among the many students that received water baptism at the Lanva River, which
flows through the beautiful Churachandpur city in 1996. As an undergraduate
school the Nazareth Bible College rigorously trains its students in academics,
spirituality, and Christian morality.
In the course of
time, my faith in Christ began to grow through the instruction at home and
schools. And in June 1996 during the summer break, I had three days fasting and
praying in the prayer mountain nearby our school. Although I knew God called me
to His ministry, the search for spiritual discernment was more intense than before
for I wanted to know Him more than ever. While my spiritual life was
developing, spiritual discernment for my ministry also became obvious in a
certain way. In the course of learning His words, He shaped me in a way He
wanted me to be and my future was determined by His divine plans.
I think God
allows temptation in Christian life so that His Almighty power will prevail in
the process of the temptation and our spiritual life is refined through those
experiences.
In 1982 my
brother failed in his high school examination that eventually led him to become
a vendor in N.E India. He did not come back home till I had graduated with a
B.D in India in 2000. My father and I were discussing about where I should have
my ministry. In the meantime, I came across Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:
and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in
Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” I told my father that
according to the scripture, Jesus started his ministry at Jerusalem, which is His
hometown. I reflected the scripture and told my father that my ministry should
start at our home. So he agreed with me to start my ministry at home and I went
to India to look for my brother who left home for 20 years.
One of my
father´s business clients bewitched him while he was a trader in Mandalay and Tedim,
and since then he cannot travel due to physical weaknesses. I was the only one
who could travel and search for my brother who disappeared for 20 years in
India. Long story short, I found him in Mizoram state after two weeks of searching.
I brought him home and my parents were so happy for their son who was once lost
was found. However, it was the bitterest experience I ever had as my brother
drove us out of our house and we had to go with no certain destiny. This
incident followed the death of my beloved father and I had to take care of my
mother and sisters.
One week before
I was recruited to be a lecturer at Acts Bible College in Yangon, there was a
five-day seminar conducted by a pastor from South India. Since I had one week off
before the fall semester resumed, I attended the seminar. At the last service
of the seminar the pastor wanted us to bless the person who was sitting next to
each other in the service. In Burmese culture, a man cannot lay hands on a
woman whether for prayer or other purposes. So the pastor asked us to lay hands
on one another and pray because it was the last day of the seminar. There was a
young woman next to me but I did not dare to lay hands on her and pray because
we did not know each other. Finally, the pastor saw us and said, “your cultures
may not allow you to do this but I request you to bless one another in Jesus
name,” so we did as he said. The next week where I was suppose to be a
lecturer, in Acts Bible College, I saw the woman (Nyome) whom I prayed for in
the seminar. She was a new staff for the orphanage ministry on the same campus
where I was. After two years, we were married. My wife is very supportive of me
stands with me. God blessed us with a lovely eight-year-old boy. My wife worked for several International NGOs
for the past ten years in helping in eliminating poverty, water supplies,
sanitation, hygiene and livelihood projects. She enjoys these development
projects for our communities. On the one hand the call of God for ministry is
challenging, but on the other hand, God´s miraculous healing upon me, and the
support I have received from my parents, and my wife are affirmation of His
divine call.
2. Scripture--Authority—Revelation
I
believe that the Bible is not only a revelation from God, but also the infallible
record of His revelation. I believe that the Bible is the inspired living Word
of God whereby Jesus is the final authority (Acts 2:36, Philippians 2:9-11) and
the Bible has power and authority to change the mind of human beings (Hebrew
4:12).
I believe
that the books of both Old and New Testaments are authentic and genuine in
themselves but imperfect human understanding can conclude incomplete
interpretation. The guidance of the Holy Spirit is essential though each
believer has freedom interpreting of the scripture. I believe that there are
two types of revelation in which God has revealed Himself to humanity.
Psalms
19:1-4; God is revealed in His handiwork and also special revelation.
3. God and
Trinity
I believe in One
Holy God who exists in Trinity. He appeared in three persons—the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit—but in one essence. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not
the Spirit, and the Spirit is not the Father. Yet, God is not comprised of
“parts” or lesser components.
I believe that
the Son is eternally begotten of the Father—True God and that the Holy Spirit
proceeds from the Father and the Son. The three persons of the Holy Trinity
have existed as such from eternity past, self-sufficient, unchanging, and
unchangeable—One Perfect God. I believe that God is eternal, immortal, all-powerful
(omnipotent) all knowing (omniscience) and everywhere present (omnipresent).
4. Christ
I believe that
God the Father freely gave His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, as a
propitiation for human’s sins, and He would be the one Mediator between God and
people. He did this because He loves us and we were lost like sheep without a
shepherd.
I believe that
Jesus Christ is truly God Almighty, perfect and uncreated. Even though He is
God Most High, He willingly emptied Himself of glory and took the form of human
body becoming in all ways like us, yet without sin (Hebrews 4: 15, I Peter 2:
22). This was necessary because only another human could bear the punishment
for the sin of humankind. His coming was foretold in the prophecies of the Old
Testament. He is the culmination of the office of prophet, priest, and king. I
believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the
Virgin Mary Luke 1:35. He was not changed into a human; rather, He took to
Himself full and undiminished humanity. While not giving up His divine
attributes, He embraced the limits of humanity for the duration of His mission in
redeeming humankind. Christ is fully God and fully Man, having two distinct
natures that co-exist in mystery with no contradiction. These natures are
inseparably joined in one person, without division, confusion, or
separation. I believe that while on
earth, Jesus was approved by the Father and anointed with the Holy Spirit for
ministry. He inaugurated His kingdom on earth and as the Suffering Servant,
taught by word and example how we should live.
I believe that
despite His sinless life Hebrews
4:15, 1 Peter 2:22, and 2 Corinth 5:21, Jesus Christ was unjustly
condemned to death by the secular and religious authorities. He endured
ridicule, betrayal, abandonment, and torture. He was crucified on the cross,
laying down His life for the forgiveness of our sin. In this, He accomplished
salvation once for all. I believe that on the third day, Jesus Christ rose from
the dead. He vanquished the sin and death that entered humanity through Adam,
thus becoming the new head of the human race. Having fulfilled the Law and the
Prophets and having established Himself as the one true Mediator between God
and man I Timothy 2:5, He ascended into Heaven, where He sits at the Father’s
right hand Luke 22:69. He will return someday to judge the living and the dead
and consummate His Kingdom with a new heaven and a new earth.
5. Humanity
I believe that
God formed the first man, Adam, from the dust of the earth and breathed the
breath of life into him. He formed the first woman, Eve, from Adam. Humans are
unique among God’s creatures in that we are made in the image of God. Every
human possesses this image and, without it, would not be human. I believe that
because humans are made in the image of God, we have many God-like capacities.
We are able to
speak, reason, and feel emotions. We possess the capacity for art, music, and
complex abstract thought. These capacities allow us to image God through
relationships with Him, with each other, and with Creation.
I believe that God
created humans in His own image (Genesis 1:27). Humanity was created in the
image of God, which for me means that we are uniquely and intimately related to
and capable of relationship with the Creator. God created male and female. I do
believe that though humans are given the capability to relate with the Creator
because of disobedience to His word, humanity has lost its capability to
fellowship with God without someone who can mediate between the two. Jesus
Christ fully man and fully God is that means of reconciliation.
I believe that,
having created humans, God rested on the seventh day of the creation and handed
them a creative task of developing the Garden of Eden. He gave humankind
dominion over all of creation that they might continue to grow in perfection as
they gained experience. I believe that humans are expected and equipped to
continue flawlessly bearing God’s image forever. I believe that Adam and Eve
were forbidden to eat the fruit from one particular tree, but gave into Satan’s
temptation, willingly perverting their own will. As a result of this first sin,
our relationships with God, each other, and the earth have become broken and
twisted.
I believe that
all humans suffer the results of this first sin, which corrupted all of creation.
Because Adam, as the representative patriarch of humankind, chose to rebel
against God, all of his natural descendants have inherited in themselves the
guilt and sin nature that resulted from this rebellion. We humans tragically
and consistently choose to glorify ourselves instead of our Creator. We lack
the ability, and even the will, to restore ourselves to a right relationship
with God.
I believe that,
although God has decreed everything that has happened and everything that will
happen from eternity past, He is not the creator of evil, nor can He be charged
with the sin of fallen humans. He decrees things in such a way that the blame
rests solely on the wills of the sinful creatures.
6. Salvation
I believe that God decreed salvation
from eternity past according to His divine sovereign purpose and will (Acts
2:22-23; Rev. 17:8). I
believe that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to redeem us from eternal death and
the redemptive work of Jesus Christ not only made salvation possible for the
sinner but actually secured it. I believe that God’s design for the atonement
was for the actual salvation for all mankind. I believe that at the
cross, Christ obtained forgiveness of sin and eternal life for all who will
believe in Him that He might reconcile us and present us as acceptable before
God.
I believe that
God imputes the righteousness of Christ to those who have faith by the Holy
Spirit. In this way, our old self is crucified with Christ and we are
resurrected with Him as new creatures. This faith is the work of the Spirit in
their hearts, usually concurrent with the hearing of the Gospel and reading of
the Word. I believe that sinners are
justified by grace through their faith alone, not by works. Yet, true faith
will always be that which works itself out by love. The Holy Spirit calls us to
repentance unto life and regular confession of our sin.
I believe that
through the ordinances and spiritual disciplines, the believer continues to
increase his or her faith and grow in righteousness. As we confess our sins,
God is faithful and just to forgive us on the basis of Christ’s perfect
sacrifice, by which He became sin for us.
7.
Church
I believe that
the Church universal consists of all people who have been justified freely by
God’s grace in Jesus Christ. The Church is the body of Christ, furthering His
Kingdom on earth by the power of the Holy Spirit. Within the universal Church
are many local congregations of believers who meet together for collective
worship and mutual edification.
I believe that,
following the model described in Holy Scripture, such local congregations
should have overseers, deacons, and elders. They should celebrate the
ordinances and exercise discipline. I believe that the church represents the
body of Christ because he promised His disciples to build His church (Matthew
16:18-19) I believe that the church is:
>
the body of Christ Ephesians 1:22-23
>
the house of God I Timothy 3:15
>
the Temple of God Ephesians 2:19-22, I Peter 2:5
As the local
church is the representative of the body of Christ, each church should be
constituted by a regenerate membership and have autonomy however; it doesn’t
mean self sufficiency but seek association with other churches to fulfill
Christ’s commission on this earth until He is coming back.
8. Eschatology
In the discussion
of last things, it is important to remember eternity is always at hand (1 Cor
1:7; Titus 2:13; Jude 21; Rev 22:10). The Bible speaks of two ages, the present
age (Mk 10:30; Titus 2:12) and the age to come (Mat 12:32; Mk 10:30; Heb 6:5),
which is separated and partially encompassed by the “Day” of the Lord.
At the end, the
dead will be resurrected and all will be judged (Rev 20:11-13). The state or place
called Heaven in the New Testament is the final state of the righteous whereby
the final completion of God’s plan concerning the reconciliation of His people
is finished (Rev 21:3). In Heaven, believers will see and know the Divinity
directly (1 Cor 13:9-12), all of the negative thing, which happens in the
current, “evil age” (war, death, tears, etc.) will be over (Rev 20:10; 21:4), and
believers will share in Jesus’ glory (Rom 5:2; 8:30; Col 3:4; 1 Pet 5:4).
The state of the
unrighteous dead is exile to an eternal punishment. This tormented state is
separated from the Divine place (2 Thessalonians 1:8-10), and is described as
eternal (Mt 25:46; Mk 9:48; Rev 20:10). Hell is also described as “eternal
fire” (Mt 25:4), the “second death” (Rev 21:8), “torment” (Rev 14:10-11), and
it is expressed that there will be great weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mt
8:12).
9.Nature of
Ordinances
There are two
ordinances inherent in church life: water baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Baptism was participated in and ordained by Jesus himself (Mk 1:9-13; Matt
28:16-20). Baptism is a symbol of identification with Jesus’ birth, death, and
resurrection (Rom 6:3-4), as well as a public identification with other
believers (1 Corinthians 12:13).
The act of baptism
is expected of all believers who have accepted Jesus as their savior and Lord.
It would have been inconceivable to the writers of the New Testament that one
professing trust in Jesus would not also undertake baptism. It should be noted
baptism is at no point claimed to have the power to redeem. There is no magic
in or above the water; it is the pledge of a good conscience towards God that
is important (1 Pet 3:21). While there may be some legitimate situational
challenges it is generally unacceptable in the eyes of scripture to claim trust
in Jesus and refuse baptism.
Baptism is to be
done by full immersion in the manner of Jesus (Mat 3:16) and in the same manner
used by the early church. Only those who have passed the “age of
accountability” (those who know what sin is and can acknowledge the fact that
they are indeed sinners) may be baptized.
The Lord’s Supper
is an ordinance of the church started by Jesus himself to commemorate and
proclaim his death until he comes again (1 Corinthians 11:26). The cup,
normally the wine represents the shedding of His blood on the cross which
washes away our sin. And the bread is a symbol of His broken body on the cross
in which he suffered for sinners. This ritual acts is symbolic and obedient to
Jesus commandment (Mt 26:26-28).
10.Ministerial
Ethics
I affirmed the
written ethics and even unwritten ethics are essential for the ministerial
setting in order to cultivate a healthy relationship with God, friends,
colleagues whether outside or inside the ministerial atmosphere. As I have read
the Ministerial code of ethics, I am in full agreement to abide by it and even
motivate co-ministers to abide and maintain these ethics.
11.Relations to
ABCUSA
I am proud and
honored to seek ordination under the mandate of American Baptist Churches USA,
thereby committing myself ‘to serve but not to be served’ I respect the
traditions of our denomination.
Though many
members but one body of Christ, I am committed to comply to the vision and
mission of the ABCUSA. Since ABC missionaries have sowed the seed in my Land
and I am one of their fruits, my priority is to continue the mission work in
Myanmar which ABC missionaries started in 1813.
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