Matthew 22:34-40 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with

all
your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.”

Have you ever wondered what happened to the dinosaurs? How did those giant lizards
become extinct? And did the Bible ever mention anything about them? Have you ever
asked these questions before? I suspect quite a number of you have.

I came to know Christ as a 15 year old student in secondary school. That’s not too long
ago. As a curious new believer, I began asking how the Genesis account of creation in
seven days explains those interesting dinosaurs you’d find watching Jurassic Park or
National Geographic. So hoping to get some answers, one fine day I picked up the
courage to ask my science teacher who is also a Christian. I asked him: “Why did God
create dinosaurs? Why did He let all of them die? Were the dinosaurs safe inside Noah’s
ark? Did the flood drown all of them?” He gave me “one kind” of look and then asked me
another question in return. He said: “Tell me. Does God answer your prayers?”

I was a bit shocked at first. “Er… Don’t blame me la… I didn’t pray for the extinction of
dinosaurs”! Maybe he sensed that I was confused, so he went on, “Aiya… If God has
answered your prayers, why do you need to ask so many things?” So if you have an
experience that God is real in your heart, why bother thinking so much?

From that day on, I found out that for many Christians an intellectual understanding of
what we believe and why you believe is not important as long as you have an experiential
feeling in your heart! The heart is what you used in a relationship with God but the brain
is what you used while studying science, computers, economics and history in school.
There is a separation of the heart for spiritual stuffs and the mind for secular stuffs like
dinosaurs. When that happens, no wonder our faith has so little impact on how we do our
work or studies in the world. And no wonder our ‘daily activities’ outside the church has
very little to do with God or the gospel.

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But the Bible seems to say: “Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world but be
transformed by the renewal of your minds”. It doesn’t say “Be transformed by the
removal of your minds”! So we don’t need to remove our brains or commit mental
suicide in order to be a Christian. In fact, renewing our mind with God’s truth and
kingdom values is crucial to our spiritual growth. Last month. I was working in Vietnam
and met an American lady who works for a research program to find a cure for cancer. As
we talked, she told me that she envies her Christian friends for their faith because it’s
easy for them but it’s hard for her to believe because as a scientist, she’s trained to think
critically and ask questions first. So I encouraged her, “Sometimes people ask questions
not because of unbelief, but because they are serious about the truth”. Then I
recommended her a book by a famous Christian scientist and hope it’s helpful to her.

In the passage we read just now, Jesus calls us (his disciples) to love the Lord our God
with all our heart, all our strength, with all our soul and with all our mind. This is the
great and first commandment that sums up the entire law. True Christian spirituality
involves our whole being - heart, head and hand. Our feeling, thinking and doing are all
involved.

If we do not love God with all our heart, what happens? Our spiritual life will be all head
knowledge but there is no real passion, desire or joy in it. We merely analyze God but we
don’t worship Him. And if we do not love God with all our strength, then no practical
fruit comes out of our beliefs. It’s NATO “No Action Talk Only”. Next Sunday Pastor
Caleb will preach on the Great Commandment of Jesus in more detail so…

Today I just want to zoom in on loving God with all our mind and ask 3 questions:
- Now, what happens if we do not love the Lord our God with “all our mind”?
- What are some practical benefits of developing a Christian mind?
- If this is important and practical, what can we do as disciples of Jesus to follow after
God’s thoughts? To disciple our minds to love God…

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So I hope to suggest why the role of the mind is so crucial to our discipleship, how a
renewed Christian mind can be intensely practical (not just theoretical) and how we can
go about loving God with “all our mind” as a church.

Many of us know about Billy Graham… he’s a great evangelist who has probably
preached the gospel to more people than anyone else through radio and TV broadcasts
and mass evangelistic rallies. Almost 30 years ago, the Billy Graham Centre was
launched with a mission to help churches to evangelize. At the dedication service, they
invited a Lebanese Christian named Charles Malik to deliver a very challenging message.
He said: “I must be frank with you: the greatest danger facing American Evangelical
Christianity is the danger of anti-intellectualism. The mind as to its greatest and
deepest reaches is not cared for enough… The problem is not only to win souls but
to save minds. If you win the whole world and lose the mind of the world, you will
soon discover you have not won the world. Indeed it may turn out you have actually
lost the world.” In other words, he’s saying, even if the whole world become Christian in
name but their thinking is still captured by worldly patterns, then it may turn out that we
have actually lost the world. If he is right and I think he is about a very common neglect
to care for the life of the mind not only in America but also in Malaysia, then perhaps it is
appropriate for us as a church to spend a bit more time exploring how we may love God
with ‘all our mind’. So that’s one reason to devote a whole sermon on this aspect of
obeying the Great Commandment. Not because the other areas are not important, but
because there is such widespread neglect for such a crucial need today.

So what happens if we do not love the Lord our God with “all our mind”?

Nowadays, information about anything under the sun is just a Google search away. We
cannot totally isolate ourselves or our loved ones from ideas… even dangerous ideas or
deceptive philosophies out there in the market.

And if we do not submit our thinking to God’s truth, then obviously our minds will be
easily influenced by worldly ways of life. We may still call ourselves Christians but we

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absorb notions about wealth, about sex and about success from MTV, popular movies or
Youtube without even knowing it. Our thinking will be shaped by the patterns of the
world, all those big words like hedonism that says (Life is short. Grab all the fun you can
get), or consumerism (I shop till I drop because my social status depends on what I buy)
or pragmatism (Whatever. As long as it works, I don’t care how you do it), and all sorts
of other ‘ism or philosophies about life.

If we do not care for our mind, we may also run around with lots of programs and
activities (giving an appearance of vibrant spiritual life) but we don’t stop and reflect
“Why are we doing this? Is this biblical? We may do things right but are we doing the
right things?” Or we may also run the danger of emotionalism – that means, having lots
of misguided passion, having lots of zeal but without wisdom. Sad but true, I’ve come
across some sincere but seriously misguided people who slither on the floor like snakes,
roar like lions, bark like dogs during so-called “anointing meetings” because they
mistakenly believed that is what God wanted them to do.

Last but not least, if we do not know what we believe and why we believe, then our
evangelism or our witness of the gospel will suffer. We will lack boldness because we are
afraid of the questions people may ask. When I have lunch with some colleagues, we
usually talk about work, the economy, Malaysian politics or family stuffs. And there’s a
guy who is very shy and has no opinion when it comes to topics like these. But if the
conversation suddenly turns to football, then his eyes will light up and he cannot stop
talking. Why? Because he knows a lot about football and he can offer expert opinions on
anything relating to football like Shebby Singh. So he’s not shy or quiet anymore. It’s the
same when it comes to sharing the gospel. That’s why 1 Peter 3:15 says: “Be prepared to
give an answer to everyone who asks you for a reason for the hope you have in Christ.”
This command to be ready with a reason or defence for frequently-asked questions from
sceptics and seekers is not given to an elite group of scholars or intellectuals. No, it’s for
the whole church. Be prepared. Be equipped with answers. Then boldness kicks in.

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But if it is so important to love God with our mind, why do many Christians often
downplay the role of the mind when it comes to spiritual things? When it comes to
secular knowledge, we say “Ah Chai: Stop your computer games, study harder, memorize
these facts and pass all your exams”. We encourage them to devote much time to read
books and use their minds. But when it comes to theological knowledge, we say “Who
needs theology? Aiya, don’t think so much la... Just have more faith. Read books ah?
Where got time? Busy la…” This common suspicion towards the role of the mind in our
spiritual life may sometimes be caused by misunderstanding certain Bible passages. For
example: “What’s the use of reason since Jesus says we should have faith like a child?
(Matthew 8:13) Didn’t the apostle Paul say Knowledge puffs up our pride (1 Corinthians
8:1) so we should stop pursuing knowledge?”

But actually, a childlike faith refers to a humble, dependent trust in God. It is the humility
and dependent trust of a helpless child that Jesus praises. He is not encouraging childish
thinking. The apostle Paul wrote, “Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil
be infants, but in your thinking be adults.” (1 Corinthians 14:20) When he wrote that
knowledge puffs up, he is warning us against a proud attitude that show off one’s
spiritual knowledge for self-promotion instead of using it to build up each another. The
real problem he’s getting at is arrogance, not knowledge in itself. So our proper response
is humility and love, not ignorance. There are people who are knowledgeable and yet
humble just as there are people who are proud and know a lot. But it is also possible to be
arrogant and ignorant at the same time. I’m in the consulting line and sometimes people
say of consultants: “Know a bit but pretend to know it all”. Gordon Fee: why must we
choose between ‘fool on fire’ or a ‘scholar on ice’? Lord, help me to be a “scholar on
fire”. Not everyone is called to be a scholar, but we should all be disciples of Jesus whose
minds continually grow in knowledge and hearts continually burn with passion.

Q2: OK, fine but is it practical or not? This business about developing a ‘Christian
mind’ - Isn’t it just theoretical, head knowledge that does not help us live properly?

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When Doctor Wendy and I look at the same skin problem, we “see” radically different
things. She can observe more because with years of study, her mind is filled with relevant
medical concepts that enable her to look for the right things and tell me whether it’s a
basal cell carcinoma or not. Whereas I can stare at the sore all day and not see what she
saw. Believe me, this ability to see is something very practical. It can make a difference
between life and death. Similarly, if your mind is equipped with biblical concepts like
creation, sin and redemption, you are able to look at life and the world and see things that
others don’t even notice. You can see beyond surface appearance in world events, culture
or people and discern truth from error, right from wrong, beauty from ugliness.

Although there is some truth to the perception that scholars always argue over irrelevant
issues, the best theologians actually help us to gain wisdom for life. After all, a good
theory is a very practical thing. When I don’t know the way to KLCC, having a good map
helps me decide whether to turn left or right at this junction or that traffic light. The map
itself is not KLCC but just a theoretical model of the real thing. But if the map is
accurate, it can be very useful. In the same way, an accurate mental map of reality guides
our navigation through difficult decisions in the world.

Because what we believe to be true has a powerful influence over how we should live.
For example, if we view human life as just a biological machine, we won’t be terribly
inclined to treat it with much dignity or respect. But if we see human beings as more than
biology but also a person made in the image of God with infinite worth, it compels us to
treat the people around us with dignity and respect. Sound theology is practical when it
connects to life and flow from the head to the heart and to the hands. True knowledge and
living experience should enrich each other.

And if we are serious about our witness for the gospel in a multi religious society like
Malaysia, we need to intentionally raise up a generation of confident, informed and
winsome ambassadors for Christ. We can preach with all the fervor of a Billy Graham but
win only a beggar here and there if we allow the intellectual atmosphere of our society to
oppose the gospel by sheer logic. The strategy is not retreat and isolate ourselves in a safe

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little corner. But to cultivate a robust Christian worldview that understands
and engages culture. To do that, we need to provide thinking tools that empower our
youths and children, so they will learn how to evaluate what’s true and good on their
own. Newborn babies get a vaccination jab which contain some virus or bacteria so that
their immune system can be developed. Similarly, we can boost up our spiritual immune
system by being informed of what other religious beliefs are first and be equipped to
evaluate them from a biblical perspective.

Today, there is an urgent and serious need for us to explore how the church as a redeemed
community in the world responds to racism, inter-religious harmony, economic
inequality, caring for creation, the spread of infectious diseases, and ethics in medical
technology. Since the gospel is public truth (not just private experiences), we have a
responsibility to speak sensibly in the public square, through the media, in places where
these crucial and practical issues of life are discussed and decided. We cannot address
these burning issues in our Malaysian society without faithfully and diligently applying
our minds to connect God’s word with God’s world.

Lastly, if the mind is crucial and practical to our spiritual life and witness, how then
shall we recover and develop a Christian mind in ourselves and in others? (Q3)

Here are some simple suggestions which are by no means exhaustive:

• Our mind needs to be fed. You are what you eat. If you eat junk food, your body
will be weak or sick. You are what you read also. If you read healthy, solid books,
your mind will also develop strong mental muscles. There is no short cut. Let’s
start small: Have we read the whole Bible at least once? LT Jeyachandran: If we
don’t even know what’s inside this book, why do we believe it is God’s word?
• Memorizing bible verses and facts alone doesn’t mean that we have developed a
Christian mindset. Our minds need exercise. We need re-imagine creatively and
critically how to integrate and apply the biblical teachings of creation, sin, and
redemption to life issues we face daily in the marketplace as a lawyer, artist,
businessperson, teacher, healthcare workers etc. Advertisement: The church

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 library has invested in many interesting helpful resources to equip us to do just
that. Start with your own interests and passions.
• If you are a student, do you think Christianly about the subjects you learn in
school or college? I once met a student in church who was studying psychology at
HELP Institute. So I encouraged her: “Wow, that’s an interesting field. There are
many areas in which psychology overlap to what the Bible teaches about the soul.
Some of the faculty members at HELP like Dr Goh Chee Leong are also
committed Christians”. What she told me next broke my heart: “You know what,
most Christians would frown when they hear that I’m doing psychology and you
are one of very few people who actually encouraged to pursue it”. I know there
are some theories in psychology that may be incompatible with the Christian
faith. But in every discipline, including law, economics, arts and science, you’d
find some theories which do not fit well with our beliefs. If we discourage people
from studying and run away then who’s going to get in there and do better
psychology, better economics and better science from a biblical outlook? Speak to
the pastors and see how you may discern what is true, beautiful and right
expressed in these disciplines of your research. They could well be your “fulltime
ministry” in future.
• Volunteer to join or lead evangelism groups like Alpha or Christianity Explored
where small groups are trained in the art of giving a reason for our faith in Christ.
So you learn to handle frequently asked questions from seekers with humility,
confidence and knowledge. When you are stumped once, just say “I don’t know
but I’d find out for you” – then go home and do your homework, ask around and
get back to them. That way, all of us learn to grow in our journey of faith.

Can you imagine what the transformation of our spirituality and witness in society looks
like when our minds are regularly renewed with such practices?

It is a lifelong project that requires lots of energy and time, but the effort will be worth
your while. And you’ll never know just when a curious young believer may approach you
with questions like “Why did God create the dinosaurs?” You know what, recently, a

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student in MMU asked me about the dinosaurs and how they fit in Genesis. Ask and you
shall be asked in return. Do you know how I answered him? Basically I said it depends
on how you look at the dinosaur fossils and how you understand the book of Genesis. I
gave him a few possible Christian answers to that question, some pros and cons in each
theory. But in the end, the Bible is not meant to be a biological textbook to tell us
everything about dinosaurs. Genesis tells us who created the universe and why everything
is created, but its main purpose is not to tell us specifically how it all came about. Then
one female student chipped in: “If God didn’t create dinosaurs, we won’t have any
petroleum today! Our cars depend on fossil fuel ma...” And I thought “Ya hor… Have
you ever thought of becoming a theologian?” The point is this: Loving God with “all our
mind” does not mean that we can understand absolutely everything about God and His
ways. Because God is God, and we are finite creatures, there will always be mystery. And
some of our questions will only be answered when we meet God one day. That should not
be an excuse for us to be lazy in our thinking, but it is a needed reminder that there is a
limit to our ability to reason and sometimes, all we can do is save up our questions for
heaven… To ask God when we finally meet Him face to face…

Let us pray.