From the Desk of Pastor Peter

I have been reading through the Book of Proverbs, lately, and I have come across quite a number of proverbs concerning kings and rulers. One such verse that I found recently said, "If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked." (Proverbs 29:12, KJV)

Let us break this down a bit. First of all, the Book of Proverbs is to be read not as a collection of promises or sayings that are always true, but rather as wisdom which usually is true but not all the time. There are exceptions. Secondly, “a ruler” can be understood as anyone in a position of authority, not just the ones at the very top. Thirdly, servants (or “officials,” as in the ESV and NIV translations) are those who are under the authority of the ruler. So, let us change the wording of this verse a bit to make it more modern: "If a leader listens to lies, all his followers are wicked."

This caught my eye because it points to the importance of leadership and the importance of who you follow. A leader may be entertaining lies that come from another person or lies that come from within. When lies come and the leader listens, the leader has the potential to sin, which then leads him to command those under him to follow him in his sin. Again, this is a proverb. This is not a statement that is always true. It is possible for people to not follow their leaders. But in the usual case of someone following their leader, even if out of ignorance, the follower may be subject to guilt because of the leader.

Leadership is a weighty position, and it is important to follow the Lord. However, I will be the first to admit that I am a sinner. I make mistakes and I have sinful thoughts and actions. As the leader of our church, everyone in our congregation has the potential of guilt because of me.

Thanks be to God that the church is not established upon my righteousness. Jesus Christ is our leader, not me. And because of this, we can be confident that as long as we follow Christ, even if we fail, that Christ has covered our sins and will lead us forward in the right path.

In this season of nominating leadership for our church, let us think about who would be great leaders not because of experience or leadership gifts, but because of their hope in the Lord.

5 Questions with...Ruby Hsieh

1. How did you first get involved with Friendship Presbyterian? Many years ago, I became a Christian in Miami, Florida. After I left my work there and moved to Paris, I began to learn French, and wanted to know more about how the Bible has influenced Europe. Since I am the first Christian in my family, I never stopped praying for my relatives to be saved. Through these prayers, the Lord led me back to Taiwan, to help my two nieces became Christian. When I came back from Paris and was facing the challenge of living with family, some of whom were sick, as well as my own culture shock, a friend of mine in the FPC Mandarin section brought me to the church. It is great to have a community group here for helping one another. 

2. What do you do Monday through Saturday? I take care of family, volunteer at an orphanage, help with Chinese-language bible study, and translate from English into Chinese. Currently, I have stopped the translation work because the American pastor whom I was helping has moved back to the U.S. But I am also involved with another Chinese Bible study.  

3. What is something people might be surprised to know about you? I can be very quiet sometimes. 

4. What do you find most challenging about being a Christian today? The biggest challenge for me, when facing some form of persecution for my beliefs, is to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus. He was crucified in weakness and endured the cross without defending himself with words. He simply said "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." This is not easy! But, it is the only way to be set free... 

5. What is one of your favorite books of the Bible? My favorite book of the Bible is Revelation. Because Jesus is coming soon! He will reward according to what we have done. There is a new heaven and a new earth. Rev. 21:3-5 tells us he is making everything new! Amen.

5 Questions with...Vivien Shum

1. How did you first get involved with Friendship Presbyterian? My husband Steve and I were living in my home country of Singapore when Steve’s job brought us to Taipei in 2014. We searched for a bilingual church, thinking it would be a great way for us to learn Mandarin (my first language is English). We were attending a bilingual church nearby when we discovered FPC. We fell in love with the preaching, the music, and the friendly people and have been attending FPC ever since. I became a member two years ago.  

2. What do you do Monday through Saturday? I keep busy with a small private consulting service where I advise high school students on how to apply to U.S. colleges. I also attend BSF and participate in a separate Bible study that consists of a small group of ladies whom I met through BSF. I used to attend Linda Ludwig’s Fabulous Females of Friendship community group as well. On Saturdays, my husband and I like to go and visit small towns and scenic places around Taiwan. 

3. What is something people might be surprised to know about you? I also volunteer with an organization called UWC Taiwan. Not many people in Taiwan have heard of UWC which stands for United World College, It is a movement which was founded 57 years ago, at the height of the Cold War. Its collection of 17 not-for-profit colleges around the world has a mission of making education a force to unite people, nations, and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. The Taiwan national committee selects outstanding Taiwanese students to continue their grade 11 & 12 education in any one of the 17 UWC colleges (IB curriculum), providing them with full or partial scholarships, which are provided by the UWC Foundation and private donors.   

4. What do you find most challenging about being a Christian today? Living according to God’s Word in a secular world. Living a fully God-centered life is challenging. The Christian life demands change, and it is difficult to change ourselves. It often means turning from things that come easiest, following the accepted norms in today's society, things that satisfy our natural urges, and our need for control. We often struggle to freely choose to say no to our urges and impulses and surrender to God's road map for us. 

5. What is one of your favorite books of the Bible? The Book of Revelation. It is the final book of the 66 books that make up the Bible. When I studied Revelation the first time, I was struck by the vivid and extravagant imagery the Apostle John recorded, its message of a believer's hope, God's promises of the defeat of evil, and God's full deliverance of His people. Revelation speaks of the bright future awaiting God's children. The hope of heaven puts into perspective our daily life in this world.