#but he also as an example withheld SO MUCH from luke that it's like my guy

[codycodybobody]

late night/early morning thought is that there are many things i dislike about fanon obi wan, but the biggest thing people seem to miss is that uh. he's a kind of a jerk.

[phykios]

Review: "We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium"; "I Plunge to my Death"; "A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers"

Hey y'all! I'm back. It took a while to write this review, and not just because I had a busy holiday season. The more I tried to consider episodes 3 and 4, the more I realized that a lot of my critiques of them were things I had already touched on in the last two–poor exposition, bad lighting, rushed plot, etc–and so it felt a little redundant to say the same thing all over again. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on how annoying you find me), episode 5 was such a cut above over the rest of the season, I finally have new things to say! With that in mind, the format of this review will be a little different, as I will compare the episodes side by side, rather than consider each one individually. 

For a brief, brief recap, the three episodes follow fairly similar plot beats: the trio travels a little, meets a mythological being that tries to mess with their heads, then they all try to sacrifice themselves for the good of the quest before figuring out an alternate way to win. This isn’t a criticism, by the way–the book chapters have similar formats, and repetitive framing is a great way of demonstrating character growth. And of course, there’s no better way to spruce up a travel montage with a little lore dump. 

What makes for effective exposition? It’s a delicate balancing act between making sure that the information you need to get across gets to the viewer, but not letting them know that you’ve done it. “Show, don’t tell” is the most common expository technique, and for good reason–information is better retained and more effective when it’s not delivered to you like someone reading off cue cards. And it’s most effective when it’s withheld until just the right moment. PJO TV is not… great at this. It’s mostly little things, one-off little lines, like Luke saying “I’m the best swordsman” or “Annabeth is the smartest,” but there are some more egregious examples, mostly with Chiron explaining the world to Percy. This, I get, and it’s not like Riordan did it that much more elegantly in the books. But I’m more annoyed about Luke info-dumping than anybody else.  

I was re-reading The Lightning Thief for several reasons, and one of the things about Luke is that he keeps things very close to the chest. It’s partly to conceal his villainy, but it also makes sense from a psychological standpoint, hiding his emotions not only to keep everyone from finding out the truth about him, but also to recruit kids for the upcoming war. Luke only opens up about what happened to him and Thalia once: at the very end of the book, just before he tries to kill Percy. It’s a powerful moment–the specter of Thalia haunts Percy throughout the book, the ideal of a hero he’s afraid he’ll never be able to measure up to, and we find out that she’s been haunting Luke as well, but for very different reasons. (She haunts the TV show as well, which I like very much–I just hope it pays off!) We are shown hints of his darker side earlier, but withholding the heel turn until now, and pairing it with the first time we see him actually talk about himself, is part of what makes this scene so good and so heinous at the same time. The first time we get glimpses of Luke’s true self, his motivations and what drives him, is the same moment where he crosses the line. And in the meantime, TV!Luke just lets it all hang out. 

Consider: 

Before camp, I was on the road. Me and a forbidden kid I met along the way. Her name was Thalia… A long time ago, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades agreed their children were becoming too powerful, so they made a pact not to father any more. And it held for a long time, until Zeus broke that pact. Until Thalia. A forbidden kid attracts trouble. Monsters everywhere, it's just a constant battle to stay alive. One day, we, uh, find this little girl hiding in an alley. Annabeth. We were worried about taking her in, exposing her to all that danger. Then we saw her fight. Thalia didn't make it. But Annabeth and me... we did. And we've been family ever since… Annabeth is the strongest warrior in camp. The only way left to prove herself is to go on a quest. [S1E2, “I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom”]

Why is he saying all this? Is it for Percy’s benefit, or the audience’s? What does this reveal about Luke’s character? What about this monologue reveals what Luke actually thinks about the pact, or Thalia’s death, or even Annabeth? We’re told he sees her like family, but what does he do to show us? 

For contrast, here’s Ares’ lore dump a few episodes later:

You're new to the family, young one, so let me fill you in on how we work. See, years before I was born, my grandpa Kronos ate my aunts and uncles. Yeah. Then my dad made him puke them back up, then chopped him into a million pieces and chucked 'em into a bottomless pit, so that kinda set the tone right outta the gate. Olympians fight. We betray. We backstab. We will push anyone down a flight of stairs to get ahead. And that's why I love my family so much. My dad knows he's not getting this bolt back with quests or goose chases. He knows there's a war coming. And in reality, I think he's okay with that. I think he feels it's just time for a war, so we're gonna have a war. Isn't that great? [S1E5, “A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers”]

What does this reveal about Ares’ character? That he loves violence, and that the threat of war is exciting. That he doesn’t exactly hold his family in high regard. That this is something that is central to who the gods are. All of this is supported by Adam Copeland’s performance, which is flippant, funny, and immature. The details work in concert to show us who Ares is and what he wants, all without ever having him say it out loud. 

For all of its clumsiness, though, I actually really like Grover’s little monologue about the nature of questing as we follow the kids into New York City in episode 3. It has a very Fellowship of the Ring vibe (which I’m pretty sure is deliberate) which fits on a meta-level too, with Percy Jackson in conversation with epic stories of the past.

But you know what wasn’t in conversation with the past? The shortest Medusa battle ever recorded. 

I’m being a little hyperbolic for comedy’s sake, but genuinely I hated the Medusa fight. Not the Medusa backstory–sidestepping the sexual assault in a middle-grade book was the correct choice, and it’s not like a post-#MeToo Medusa is a shocking or novel idea–but not only should the fight have been at least twice as long, it was missing a full fourth of the mythological ingredients. The mythical Perseus has four gifts: the sword, the mirror shield, the helm of invisibility, and the winged sandals. The book reinterprets the shield as a glass ball. And the show doesn’t use it at all. Is this a nitpicky critique? Maybe. But some of Percy Jackson��s strongest moments are the reinterpretation of mythological scenes, and for those to work, you should incorporate the key details. 

Also, again, cannot stress this enough, it was way too short. At least the Echidna fight scene had some blocking involved. And acting. 

Speaking of acting, I will say that it’s very consistently well done. I think the kids are more than holding their own against the adults, and they walk the line between playing maturity and still being young very well, which is a very difficult thing to do. In fact, rarely is the acting ever a problem. Because, once again, it’s the writing that makes it fall short. 

Let’s do another comparison: Percy sending off Medusa’s head and Percy and Annabeth with Hephaestus’ chair. One is from the books, and one is new. Both are given the appropriate amount of weight in the episode’s runtime. Both are well-acted, well-blocked, well-scored. But the new scene feels out of place to me. Part of the problem is that, being a scene lifted from the books, Percy sending off Medusa’s head feels earned and supported by the material of the last few episodes. He’s pissed at his dad for ignoring him, and pissed that the gods are forcing him to do all this nonsense for reasons he only barely understands. Of course he’s going to foist a magical WMD on them. 

But the chair scene doesn’t have that prior support. Consider: 

Eat or be eaten. Power and glory and nothing else matters. Ares is that way, Zeus is that way, my mother is that way. He isn't that way. He's better than that. Maybe I was that way once. But I don't wanna be that way anymore. I won't be like all of you. I just won't. [S1E5, “A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers”]

In a vacuum, this would be a great scene. Walker’s fear is palpable and real, and Leah delivers a heartfelt performance in anguish at her friend’s supposed fate. That’s all well and good, except that these characters have known each other for… what, three days? A week? And for all her talk of glory, Annabeth dispensed with that idea pretty much right out the gate, as she killed a Fury rather than hand Percy over to Alecto. She tries to sacrifice herself for the quest all the time. What power and glory is she seeking? 

This is an excellent scene that unfortunately doesn’t belong in this season. This scene, as my dear @frenchswissborder pointed out, does not belong after the Thrill Ride of Love (before the Zoo Truck scene as well!) but instead feels like it should be in the Battle of the Labyrinth’s Mt. St Helen confession scene. Putting it there at least would build on three years of friendship, rather than a handful of days of not annoying each other. 

I don’t mind new scenes. I want new scenes. If I wanted a one-to-one adaptation, I’d just read the books again. But the new scenes have to matter. They have to bring something new to the table. Let me put it this way: when The Lightning Thief musical said, “Fuck it, Cerberus is a DJ,” it was both leaning into its own medium as musical theater and riffing on the idea of the underworld being under a recording studio. When PJO TV says, “Fuck it, exposition time,” it feels like they’re reading off Mythomagic card stats. 

What makes an adaptation great, in my opinion, is how well it speaks to the subtext of the original work. The musical is excellent at this, in particular how it uses the conventions of musical theater to highlight the parallels between Percy and Luke by giving them variations on the same “I Want” song. Where PJO TV shines is how it speaks to the subtext of abusive adults. Abuse of children is sadly not always so obvious, and I like how the Mist lets Alecto, Echidna, and Ares act pretty much with impunity. They are predators, and they are able to move without fear of detection. This even applies to Medusa, too, having her pretend to offer Percy a way out, when she really is only interested in herself and her needs. 

But, as the show tends to do, this only causes the story to kneecap itself by neutering Gabe as an abusive figure. I understand why it is this way, as book Sally, for all her kind and loving nature, wasn’t exactly written with a backbone. Part of this, I assume, is just that The Lightning Thief was published in 2005, and that a) the conversation around intimate partner abuse simply was not in the mainstream, and b) Riordan just got better at female characters over time. So the trade-off is that by making Sally a more formidable, dynamic character in the show, they had to dial down Gabe’s uglier, abusive nature–which is going to be really awkward in a few episodes when Sally kills him just for the crime of being annoying. 

Stray thoughts: 

Just taking a moment here to say that I think the set design has been really gorgeous so far. Shout out in particular to the attic in the Big House!

I’m only just noticing this now, but the trunk of Thalia’s pine tree looks like there’s a human in there–bent knee, arms outstretched, head bowed–and I think that’s awesome. 

The idea of monsters sensing a demigod’s weakness and responding to that is so good, and I’m taking it. 

Earlier versions of this review had a long and annoying rant about Medusa’s origins, so allow me to tl;dr: there is no original Medusa myth. Ovid’s Medusa myth in Metamorphoses comes about 800 years after Hesiod’s Theogony, which comes after Homer’s Iliad. It’s not a question of Ovid against Hesiod against Homer, it’s a question of these authors plus thousands of pieces of pottery depicting hundreds of variations on the Medusa myth, and we cannot definitively say which one is the source of the myth. That said, I don’t dislike a #MeToo Medusa, I just mostly hate the discourse around it.

It’s nice to see some architecture nerd Annabeth, but between the way the show glosses over it, and the lack of crippling arachnophobia, her character is being reduced too much to “prideful” for my tastes. It’s not that Annabeth isn’t prideful, obviously, it’s just that she has more dimension to her than the show is currently presenting. 

Annabeth and Grover throwing water on Percy like a beached whale is very funny, but it did make me realize that they haven’t introduced nectar/ambrosia in the show. Maybe they’re saving it for the finale? 

Ares calling them all cousins makes me extremely happy. This was something that Riordan did in the early books, but he kind of petered off, presumably so as not to imply weird pseudo-incestuous things once Percabeth started, but I always loved it.

I’m saving the Percy and Annabeth relationship breakdown until after the season, but it is coming! (But I am sad that “seaweed brain” came out of nowhere :( we just rolled right over it!)

The lighting is really bad, especially in the dark, and I am learning to live with it, but I am not happy about it. 

Aryan is the breakout actor of the trio, in my opinion. Playing awkward is so, so easy to overdo, but he brings a sincerity and a quickwittedness to Grover that I absolutely adore–he’s a sweet kid, and he’s clearly scared, but he knows when to summon his courage and do the brave thing for him and his friends. 

Also here are some screencaps that I like. They don’t have anything to do with the review, I just think they’re neat :3 (IDs/thots in the alt)

[fear-god-shun-evil]

Hello, brothers and sisters! I have a question to discuss with you. All along, I have actively abandoned and spent and worked hard for the Lord. I have preached the gospel of the Lord for more than ten years, during which I often gave sermons and helped brothers and sisters, and never missed a single gathering. Because of this, my brothers and sisters all approve of my work and service, praising me as one who loves the Lord and is of one heart with Him. I myself also feel that my service is after the Lord’s heart. But now I feel dark and parched in my spirit and that I become more and more distant from the Lord, unable to feel His presence or the work of the Holy Spirit in my work and preaching. I am very confused: Considering my spending and work for the Lord, I should have His guidance and blessings. Then why can’t I feel those things anymore? Why do I no longer have the presence of the Lord? Is my service of this kind not in line with His will? I can’t figure this out. Give me a hand, please.

Posted by Xiaoyang

Sister Dingdang:

Hi, Sister Xiaoyang. After reading your post, I think your ways of serving God are right. As to your problem, I think it may result from your bad condition. Don’t think too much. As long as we normally read the Bible, attend services, preach the gospel, and help brothers and sisters, then that’s serving God. There’s no need to worry.

Drifting snow:

I agree with you, Sister Dingdang. I think we are serving God as long as we read the Bible, attend gatherings, preach the gospel and give sermons to assist the brothers and sisters. To serve God, many brothers and sisters around me have given up their families and jobs, and even their marriage. They work and preach all over the place training evangelists, and some of them even send their children to the seminary. Many brothers and sisters look up to them, praising them as the faithful servants of the Lord. Could it be that their service isn’t after God’s heart?

The fruit in fall:

I don’t think so. Although many brothers and sisters do serve God like that, it doesn’t mean such service is in accordance with God’s will. Because the Lord never said working hard for Him was in line with His will. For example, generation after generation of the Pharisees served God in the temple and traveled far and wide to preach the gospel. Outwardly, they had abandoned and spent a lot and worked hard for God, and should have been after God’s heart, but the Lord Jesus said to them, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22-23). Why were these who served the Lord rebuked, and even were condemned and cursed by the Lord? There’s truth to be sought within it. I think in our service to God, we should pay much attention to seeking the truth, praying to God and pondering what His will is. Only thus can we serve the Lord’s will.

Xiaoyang:

After hearing what you said, I feel serving God is not a simple matter. Then how can we serve the Lord’s will?

Seeking the light:

Hello, brothers and sisters! I’ve just read this post. The question you are discussing is indeed important. It reminds me of a book I read, which mentions what it means to serve God and how we can serve God’s will. Thank God! I have some new insights from the book and want to share with you.

The fruit in fall:

Great! We’ve been discussing the question for a long while, but didn’t get the answer. I can’t wait to hear your sharing.

Seeking the light:

Thank the Lord! Then let me talk a little bit about my understanding. We all think that if we abandon everything and work hard, then we are serving the Lord. But if we reflect on ourselves, we’ll find lots of wrong intentions in our service. For example, some people pursue fame and status, and other’s high regard, willing to accept any hardship as long as they can gain the approval of brothers and sisters. Some pursue to rise above others and to be a pastor or a co-worker; once losing status and livelihood, they would complain against and even betray God. Some pursue to gain grace and blessings from God, without which they would lose faith to follow and work for the Lord. Since we work just for our own desires instead of loving and satisfying the Lord, how can our such service be in line with God’s will?

Xiaoyang:

You’re right! From your fellowship, I realize that I also have my own intentions in working for the Lord. When brothers and sisters praised me as a faithful servant of the Lord because I communicated well and had compassion for them, I felt happy in secret, having energy to work; but when they pointed out my problems, though accepting them outwardly, I was conflicted in my heart without energy to work. Was I not working for my own fame and status? Whether I had energy to work or not, all I did was for my own interest. I am in no way loving the Lord or being considerate toward His will.

Seeking the light:

Right. Then let’s see the requirements of the Lord. The Lord Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38). “he that loves me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21). As can be seen from the words of the Lord, the most important thing in believing in the Lord is to seek to obey Him and love Him more than everything else. We should care for God’s will in our work, frequently reflecting on whether or not our actions conform to His will, take God’s burden as our own, and dedicate everything we have to satisfy Him without considering our own gains and losses. Take Peter for example. He expended his entire life for the Lord, during which he didn’t seek to be looked up by others through work, but sought to love and satisfy the Lord; he sought the Lord’s will in all matters, obeying all the arrangements of Him; at last, he was willingly crucified upside down for the Lord’s sake, bearing a strong and resounding witness to Him. Is his obedience until death and his love for God to the utmost not what we should pursue? This is the first aspect of serving God. The second aspect is that we must learn to seek the truth to know God’s will so that we can closely keep up with the pace of the Holy Spirit’s work.

The fruit in fall:

Alas! When it comes to the work of the Holy Spirit, I can’t help thinking of the desolation of today’s churches. Most of the brothers and sisters have lost previous love and faith, attending meetings perfunctorily; I also often felt great emptiness in my heart though running around outwardly. I had no new light when reading the Bible and had nothing worthy to preach, failing to water and supply brothers and sisters. Besides, in my daily life, I couldn’t practice the Lord’s words to honor Him, nor could I understand His will when encountering things. It was as if I had lost the Lord’s presence. In light of such a situation, I couldn’t help but think of the end of the Age of Law, when the temple was getting bleak and later became a den of thieves because of the shift of the work of the Holy Spirit. Have the churches of today also lost the work of the Holy Spirit?

Seeking the light:

I think your guess is right. It’s possibly because the work of the Holy Spirit has shifted that the churches of today become bleak and desolate. Just as the Bible says, “And also I have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain on one city, and caused it not to rain on another city: one piece was rained on, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered” (Amos 4:7). Now is the last days, the critical time when the Lord appears and works. Maybe the Lord has already appeared to speak and work somewhere. So we must listen for God’s voice and seek His footsteps so as to keep up with and gain the work of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Bible says, “For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened” (Luke 11:10). Only by letting go of our notions and praying to God earnestly to seek His will can we gain His enlightenment and guidance and then keep up with His footsteps.

Sister Dingdang:

Is that all?

Seeking the light:

Third, we must learn to handle problems of brothers and sisters with God’s words to exalt God and testify to Him, bringing His chosen people into His presence.

Drifting snow:

This is very simple. We often help the brothers and sisters solve their problems.

Seeking the light:

Although we help them with love, we tend to speak letters and doctrines based on our experience of work instead of using God’s words to solve their problems. Even though sometimes we solved their problems, it was just because of the enlightenment and illumination by the Holy Spirit, not our true stature. For example, when brothers and sisters were in a bad state, we didn’t pay attention to communing God’s will, nor did we help them through our own practical experience like how we revealed corruption when encountering difficulties, how we misunderstood and complained against God, and how God helped us solve our problems through His words. Instead, we, just like the Pharisees, only talked about how we suffered and paid a price for God and how much of God’s grace we had enjoyed to exalt and testify to ourselves. As a result, they all look up to us, admire us, and obey our orders. Aren’t we leading them into the presence of us and taking the place of God in their hearts? Aren’t we competing with God for their souls? Isn’t such service resisting God and cursed by Him? I once saw a passage of words in a book, “Service in line with the will of God requires that in all things and with regard to all issues we should exalt God, testify to God, commune God’s will, commune God’s requests, and allow others to act in accordance with God’s word. We should not make people act in accordance to the principles, rules and sayings of man. Your communion should enable people to come before God and obey His will, act according to God’s word and, ultimately, come to know God and obey Him. Those who serve God must act like this, because only in this way can you serve God’s will. Those words are the maxim that people who work as a leader or a worker should adhere to. In dealing with every problem or in preaching and fellowshiping, you should certainly speak words of exalting God and testifying to God, and commune God’s will and His requirements of people more. You should not speak your own words, or speak doctrines and rules to restrict people. It is what God entrusts workers with to lead people to come into the presence of God, to gain the truth, to obey and worship God. If workers can’t be considerate of God’s will, if workers can’t lead people to return before Him and to know Him according to the requirements of God, then you disappoint God’s will and are a person who resists and betrays God.” From these words, we know if we want to serve God’s will, we must exalt and testify to God in all matters, handle the practical problems of brothers and sisters with God’s words, and communicate God’s will to them, so that they can act according to God’s requirements, come before God, and have a true understanding of God. This is the real service to God.

Xiaoyang:

You couldn’t be more right. Take me as an example. Having no reality of the truth, when giving sermons to brothers and sisters, I either talked about how I worked hard for the Lord or preached theories of theology and biblical studies. After hearing my fellowship, they, unable to discern, even thought of me as the person who truly served the Lord and loved Him. Before, I felt cheerful inside when hearing this and thought I had the reality of the truth. But now, I realize that I not only failed to use God’s words to solve their problems, but unwittingly brought them into the presence of myself. Wasn’t my work resisting God? Am I not an evil servant?

The fruit in fall:

Right. From now on, we shouldn’t work the way we did before. Instead, we must learn to solve problems with truth, leading people into the presence of God.

Seeking the light:

Yes. That we can come to understand the truth of serving God is the fruit of reflecting on and knowing ourselves, which is very important. So, the last aspect of serving God is frequently quieting our hearts before God to reflect on and know ourselves, and promptly correcting any mistakes we discover to ensure that God’s will is carried out without obstruction. If we just work outwardly yet fail to examine our shortcomings and deviations in our work, we wouldn’t know whether we serve God according to His will and demands. Only when we quiet our hearts and reflect on ourselves can we clearly see through the problems that exist within us, seek the truth to act according to the principles, and serve in line with God’s will. This is also one aspect for us to practice.

Xiaoyang:

Your fellowship is so clear. In the past, we just paid attention to outward dedication, but never thought about whether our work was after God’s heart or how we could serve God’s will. Through your fellowship, I understand there are several aspects of service to God. First, we must seek to love and obey God and be considerate of His will, instead of just paying attention to our outer appearance. Second, we must seek the truth to understand God’s will so that we can keep up with the pace of the Holy Spirit’s work. Third, we must learn to exalt and testify to God in our work, handling every problem of brothers and sisters with truth to bring them into the presence of God, so that they can understand His will, know His disposition and act according to His words. Finally, we must quiet our hearts before God at any time to examine the problems that exist within us and seek the truth to solve them. Only in this way can we gradually get rid of our corrupt disposition, become cleansed and changed, and serve in line with God’s will. Thank the Lord for His guidance. I’ll share what I gained today with the brothers and sisters who have the same confusion.

Seeking the light:

Thank the Lord! This is all the guidance of the Lord. All the glory be to the Lord!

Recommend: What is true church life?

[love-god-forever]

How to Serve in Harmony With God’s Will

By Xiaoyang

Hello, brothers and sisters! I have a question to discuss with you. All along, I have actively abandoned and spent and worked hard for the Lord. I have preached the gospel of the Lord for more than ten years, during which I often gave sermons and helped brothers and sisters, and never missed a single gathering. Because of this, my brothers and sisters praised me as one who loves the Lord and is of one heart with Him.

 I myself also feel that my service is after the Lord’s heart. But now I feel dark and parched in my spirit and that I am becoming more and more distant from the Lord, unable to feel His presence or the work of the Holy Spirit in my work and preaching. I am very confused. Considering my spending and work for the Lord, I should have His guidance and blessings. Then why can’t I feel those things anymore? Why do I no longer have the presence of the Lord? Is my service not in line with His will? I can’t figure this out. Please, help me out.

Posted by Xiaoyang

Zhang Xunguang:

With regard to this question, I want to share some of my opinions. Although many of us are serving the Lord, is our service based on any of God’s words? Did the Lord Jesus say that we will be after God’s heart if we work hard for Him? Let’s look back to the Pharisees that served God in the temple and traveled far and wide to preach the gospel. Outwardly, they had abandoned and spent a lot and worked hard for God, and should have been after God’s heart, but the Lord Jesus said, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22-23). Why are these who serve the Lord rebuked, and are even condemned and cursed by the Lord? There’s truth to be sought in this. In our service to God, we should pay much more attention to seeking the truth, praying to God and pondering what His will is. Only thus can we serve the Lord’s will.

We all think that if we abandon everything and work hard, then we are serving the Lord. But if we reflect on ourselves, we’ll find a lot of wrong intentions in our service. For example, some people pursue fame and status, and other’s high regard, willing to accept any hardship as long as they can gain the approval of brothers and sisters. Some pursue to rise above others and to be a pastor or a co-worker; once losing status and livelihood, they would complain against and even betray God. Some pursue to gain grace and blessings from God, without which they would lose faith to follow and work for the Lord. Since we work just for our own desires instead of loving and satisfying the Lord, how can our service be in line with God’s will?

Xiaoyang:

You’re right! From your fellowship, I realize that I also have my own intentions in working for the Lord. When brothers and sisters praised me as a faithful servant of the Lord because I communicated well and had compassion for them, I secretly felt happy, having energy to work; but when they pointed out my problems, though accepting them outwardly, I was conflicted in my heart without any energy to work. Was I not working for my own fame and status? Whether I had energy to work or not, all that I did was for my own interests. I am in no way loving the Lord or being considerate toward His will.

Zhang Xunguang:

Right. Then let’s see the requirements of the Lord. The Lord Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38). “he that loves me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21). As it can be seen from the words of the Lord, the most important thing in believing in the Lord is to seek to obey Him and love Him more than anything else. We should care for God’s will in our work, frequently reflecting on whether or not our actions conform to His will, take God’s burden as our own, and dedicate everything we have to satisfy Him without considering our own gains and losses. Take Peter for example. He expended his entire life for the Lord, during which he didn’t seek to use his work to be looked up to by others, but sought to love and satisfy the Lord; he sought the Lord’s will in all matters, obeying all the arrangements from Him; at last, he was willingly crucified upside down for the Lord’s sake, bearing a strong and resounding testimony to Him. Is his obedience until death and his love for God to the utmost not something we should also pursue? This is the first aspect of serving God. The second aspect is that we must learn to seek the truth to know God’s will so that we can closely keep up with the pace of the Holy Spirit’s work.

Qiushi:

Alas! When it comes to the work of the Holy Spirit, I can’t help thinking of the desolation of today’s churches. Most of the brothers and sisters have lost their previous love and faith, and are attending meetings perfunctorily. I also often feel great emptiness in my heart though running around outwardly. I have no new light when reading the Bible and have nothing worthy to preach, failing to water and supply brothers and sisters. Besides, in my daily life, I can’t practice the Lord’s words to honor Him, nor can I understand His will when encountering things. It is as if I have lost the Lord’s presence. In light of such a situation, I can’t help but think of the end of the Age of Law, when the temple was getting bleak and later became a den of thieves because of the shift of the work of the Holy Spirit. Have the churches of today also lost the work of the Holy Spirit?

Zhang Xunguang:

I think your guess is right. Just as the Bible says, “And also I have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain on one city, and caused it not to rain on another city: one piece was rained on, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered” (Amos 4:7). Now is the last days—the crucial time when the Lord appears and works. Maybe the Lord has already appeared to speak and work somewhere. So we must listen for God’s voice and seek His footsteps so as to keep up with and gain the work of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Bible says, “For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened” (Luke 11:10). Only by letting go of our notions and praying to God earnestly to seek His will can we gain His enlightenment and guidance and then keep up with His footsteps.

Xiaoyang:

Yeah, you are right. Taking initiative to seek the church with the work of the Holy Spirit and finding God’s footsteps is what someone who serves God should do. Thanks be to the Lord! Is there anything else we have to be mindful of?

Zhang Xungaung:

Third, we must learn to handle the problems of brothers and sisters with God’s words to exalt God and testify to Him, bringing brothers and sisters before Him.

Although we help them with love, we tend to speak letters and doctrines based on our experience of work. However, by doing so we can’t guide brothers and sisters to practice and experience God’s words, neither can we help them understand God’s will when they have problems. For example, when brothers and sisters were in a bad state, we didn’t pay attention to communing God’s will, nor did we help them through our own practical experience, like how we revealed corruption when encountering similar difficulties, how we misunderstood and complained against God, and how God helped us solve our problems through His words. Instead, we, just like the Pharisees, only talked about how we suffered and paid a price for God and how much of God’s grace we had enjoyed to exalt and testify to ourselves. As a result, they all look up to us, admire us, and obey our orders. Aren’t we leading them into the presence of ourselves and taking the place of God in their hearts? Aren’t we competing with God for their souls? Isn’t such service resisting God and cursed by Him? I once saw a passage of words in a book: “Service in line with the will of God requires that in all things and with regard to all issues we should exalt God, testify to God, commune God’s will, commune God’s requests, and allow others to act in accordance with God’s word. We should not make people act in accordance to the principles, rules and sayings of man. Your communion should enable people to come before God and obey His will, act according to God’s word and, ultimately, come to know God and obey Him. Those who serve God must act like this, because only in this way can you serve God’s will. Those words are the maxim that people who work as a leader or a worker should adhere to. In dealing with every problem or in preaching and fellowshiping, you should certainly speak words of exalting God and testifying to God, and commune God’s will and His requirements of people more. You should not speak your own words, or speak doctrines and rules to restrict people. It is what God entrusts workers with to lead people to come into the presence of God, to gain the truth, to obey and worship God. If workers can’t be considerate of God’s will, if workers can’t lead people to return before Him and to know Him according to the requirements of God, then you disappoint God’s will and are a person who resists and betrays God.” From these words, we know if we want to serve God’s will, we must exalt and testify to God in all matters, handle the practical problems of brothers and sisters with God’s words, and communicate God’s will to them, so that they can act according to God’s requirements, come before God, and have a true understanding of God. This is the real service to God.

Qiushi:

You couldn’t be more right. Take me as an example. Having no reality of the truth, when giving sermons to brothers and sisters, I either talked about how I worked hard for the Lord or preached theories of theology and biblical knowledge. After hearing my fellowship, they thought of me as the person who truly served the Lord and loved Him. Before, I felt cheerful inside when hearing this and thought I had the reality of the truth. But now, I realize that I not only failed to use God’s words to solve their problems, but unwittingly brought them into the presence of myself. Wasn’t my work resisting God? Am I not an evil servant? From now on, we shouldn’t work the way we did before. Instead, we must learn to solve problems with the truth, leading people into the presence of God.

Zhang Xunguang:

Yes. The reason why we can come to understand the truth of serving God is because we reflected on and knew our behaviors, which is very important. So, the last aspect of serving God is frequently quieting our hearts before God to reflect on and know ourselves, and promptly correcting any mistakes we discover so that we can satisfy God. If we just work outwardly yet fail to examine our shortcomings and deviations in our work, we won’t know whether we serve God according to His will and demands. Only when we quiet our hearts and reflect on ourselves can we clearly see through the problems that exist within us, seek the truth to act according to the principles, and serve in line with God’s will. This is also one aspect for us to practice.

Xiaoyang:

Your fellowship is so clear. In the past, we just paid attention to outward dedication, but never thought about whether our work was after God’s heart or how we could serve God’s will. Through your fellowship, I understand there are several aspects of service to God. First, we must seek to love and obey God and be considerate of His will, instead of just paying attention to our outward behavior. Second, we must seek the truth to understand God’s will so that we can keep up with the pace of the Holy Spirit’s work. Third, we must learn to exalt and testify to God in our work, handling every problem of brothers and sisters with the truth to bring them into the presence of God, so that they can understand His will, know His disposition and act according to His words. Finally, we must be able to quiet our hearts before God at any time to examine the problems that exist within us and seek the truth to solve them. Only in this way can we gradually get rid of our corrupt disposition, be cleansed and changed, and serve in line with God’s will. Thank the Lord for His guidance. I’ll fellowship what I gained today with the brothers and sisters who have the same confusion.

Zhang Xunguang:

Thank the Lord! This is all the guidance of the Lord. All the glory be to the Lord!

[pamphletstoinspire]

The Church's Year - INSTRUCTION ON THE FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

At the Introit of the Mass excite in your heart an ardent desire for heaven, with these words:

INTROIT Behold, O God, our protector, and look on the face of thy Christ:, for better is one day, in thy courts above thousands. How lovely are thy taber­nacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. (Ps. LXXXIII.) Glory etc.

COLLECT Keep, We beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy Church with Thy perpetual favor; and because without Thee the weakness of man is ready to fall, may it be withheld by Thy aid from all. things hurtful, and devoted to all things profitable to salvation. Thro'.

EPISTLE (Gal. V. 16-24.) Brethren, Walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh: for the flesh lusteth against ,the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh: for these are contrary one to another: so that you do not the things that you would. But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law.. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are, fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, luxury, idolatry, witchcrafts, enmities, contentions, emulations, wraths, quarrels, dissensions, sects, envies, murders, drunken­ness, revellings, and such like: of the which I foretell to you, as I have foretold to you, that they who do such things shall not obtain the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity, mild­ness, faith, modesty, continency, chastity. Against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified their flesh with the vices and concupiscences.

What is it to walk in the spirit?

It is to obey the inspirations of the Holy Ghost always, and in all things. He who does this, says St. Paul, will not do the evil works of the flesh, which are here enumerated, but he will rather suppress and mortify all sensual desires, in this manner crucify his flesh together with its vices and lusts, and make himself worthy of the fruits of the Holy Ghost, which are also mentioned; he will belong to Christ, and secure for himself eternal happiness. On the contrary, he who lives according to the flesh, that is, gives way to the desires of the flesh, has no hope of salvation.

Is it not strange, that all Christians wish to belong to Christ and become heirs of His kingdom, but are unwilling to crucify the flesh and its lusts, though Christ says to all; If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (Matt XVI. 24.)

ASPIRATION Intercede for me, O St. Paul, that God may give me grace to crucify my flesh with its lusts, that I may have part with thee in Christ:

GOSPEL (Matt. VI. 24-33.) At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will sustain the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon. Therefore I say to you, be not solicitous for your life, what you shall eat, nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than the meat, and the body more than the raiment? Behold the birds of the air; for they neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns, and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not you of much more value than they? And which of you, by taking thought, can add to his stature one cubit? And for raiment, why are you solicitous? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they labor not, neither do they spin; but I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these. Now, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which is to-day, and to morrow is cast into the oven, how much more you, O ye of little faith? Be not solicitous, therefore, saying: What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the heathens seek. For your Father knoweth that .you have need of all these things. Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God and his justice; and all these things shall be added unto you.

What is meant by serving God?

Doing the will of God, or performing faithfully and zealously all that God asks of us according to our age and condition, and for love of Him.

Who are the two masters whom we cannot serve alike?

God and Mammon or riches, whereby also, the other goods and pleasures of the world are understood. These we cannot serve at the same time, because they command things diametrically opposed to each other; for instance, God prohibits usury, theft, deceit, &c.; to which the desire for wealth impels us. God commands that we keep holy Sundays and holy days, and devote them to His service; the desire for riches tempts man to omit religious worship and to seek temporal gain; it disturbs him even in church, so that he is only present with his body, but absent in mind with his temporal goods and business.

To whom can riches be useful?

To those who, like the saints, perform works of mercy with them, and thus lay up treasures for themselves in heaven.

Why does Christ call our attention to the birds of the air and the lakes of the field?

To, excite in us confidence in the providence of God, which preserves even the birds and the flowers. Surely, if God feeds the young ravens which cry to Him; (Ps. CXLVI. 9.) if He nourishes the birds which neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns; if He vests the flowers of the field so beautifully, how much more will He care for man whom He has made to His own image and likeness, and adopted as His child, if he only acts as such, keeps His commandments, and always entertains a filial confidence in Him.

Should we, therefore, lay aside all care and never work?

This does not follow from what has been said. Christ condemns only the superfluous cares, which cause man to forget God and to neglect the salvation of his soul. Besides, God has Himself ordered (Gen. III. 17-19.) that man should obtain the fruits of the earth with much labor, that he should earn his bread by the sweat of his brow. St. Paul says: If any man will not work, neither let him eat. (II Thess. III. 10.)

What should preserve us from superfluous cares?

A firm and lively faith, that God can and will help us. That He can is evident, because He is almighty; that His will is certain, because He promises it in so many pas­sages of Holy Writ, and because He is infinitely faithful to all His promises. Christ encourages us to this lively confidence with these, words: All things whatsoever you ask when ye pray, believe that you shall receive and they shall come unto you. Mark XI. 24.) Therefore the apostle also commands us to throw all cares upon the Lord, who provides for us. (I Pet. V. 7.) And why should God not care for us, since He sent us His Son and with Him all; for which reason St. Augustine says: "How can you doubt that God will give you good things, since He vouchsafed to assume evil for you!"

PRAYER O Lord Jesus! give me a firm confidence in Thy Divine Providence, and daily increase it in me, that when in necessity I may confidently believe if I seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, the rest shall be added unto me.

CONSOLATION IN POVERTY

Be not solicitous for your life. (Matt. VI. 25.)

If you were born in poverty, or accidentally, or through your own fault have become poor, be consoled, because God has sent you this poverty for your own good; for good things and evil, life arid death, poverty and riches are, from God. (Ecclus. XI-14.). Therefore receive it from the hand of God without impatience or murmuring, as a means by which He wishes to keep you from forgetting Him, which would, perhaps, happen if He were to bless you with temporal prosperity. Riches are a source of destruction for many. If you have brought poverty upon yourself by a licentious and sinful life, receive it in a spirit of penance as a just and salutary chastisement, and thank God that He gives you an opportunity to do penance for your sins. But if you have become poor through no fault of your own, be consoled by the example of the saints, of whom St. Paul says: they bear the unjust taking away of their goods with joy, because they know that a better and an unchangeable treasure is in store for them in heaven. (Hebr, X. 34.) But you should particularly take courage from the example of Christ who, being rich, became poor for us, (II Cor. VIII. 9.) and had not a place whereon to lay His head. (Matt. VIII. 20.)

In your distress say with job: The Lord gave and the Lord bath taken away: as it pleased the Lord, so it is done: blessed be the name of the Lord. Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither. (Job. I. 21.) Fear not my son, says Tobias, we lead indeed a poor life, but we shall have many good things if we fear God, and depart from all sins, and do that which is good. (Tob. IV. 23.) To serve God and to be content with few things always brings rich reward, if not in this, at least in the next life. Therefore Christ promised the kingdom of heaven to the poor in spirit, that is, not only to the humble, busy also to the poor who imitate Christ in all patience and resignation. Follow, therefore, the poor Jesus, follow His poor mother, by imitating their example, and you will possess the kingdom of heaven.

INSTRUCTION CONCERNING USURY

You cannot serve God and Mammon. (Matt. VI. 24.)

Usury is to demand more than legal interest from our neighbor, to whom we have lent something, or who is otherwise indebted to us. Those are also commonly called usurers, who, in times of want, hoard up necessary food, such as grain, flour, &c., and only sell it at an exorbitant price; or who buy up all such articles to sell them to the needy for enormous prices. This is a grievous sin, and usurers are threatened with eternal death, for Christ ex­pressly prohibits lending with usury. (Luke VI. 34, 35.)

Usurers are the real leeches of the poor, whom they rob of their sweat and blood, and since they transgress the natural law, but still more the divine, which commands us to love our neighbor, and be merciful to the needy, they will surely not possess the kingdom of heaven. Would to God, the hard-hearted sinner might consider this, and take to heart the words of Christ: What doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul (Matt. XVI. 26.)