Spiritual Advantage with Sam Stone
Your success depends on three elements—Spiritual Advantage, Local Advantage, and Social Advantage. You can build Social Advantage and get a 33% chance to succeed. If you live in an advantageous location, you get another 33% (66% total). If you obtain Spiritual Advantage, you will accumulate a 99% chance of success. Furthermore, evidence shows Spiritual Advantage can overwrite other disadvantages you may have. Therefore, seeking Spiritual Advantage must be your first priority. Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Mat 6:33). Join me to cultivate Spiritual Advantage.
Episodes
49 minutes ago
Cultivate a Fruitful Life by Gracing Forward
49 minutes ago
49 minutes ago
During my college years, I gathered with some friends every Saturday morning at a tea house to enjoy our morning tea and talk. One day, a friend showed up with bandages over his head, arms, and legs. He had a nearly fatal motorcycle accident. He said he wished he had died that very moment because he was sure he would have gone straight to heaven since he had been well-behaved in those days.
He had been attending church regularly, volunteering, and giving to charity. He was sure God would welcome him, saying, “Well done, my son. Welcome to heaven!” My friend was disappointed that he did not die because now he had to keep behaving as if good behavior was challenging for him.
I wasn’t sure if he was joking because we all know that our admission to heaven depends not on our deeds but God’s grace. Thank God! However, my friend’s concern is not baseless because Jesus repeatedly says he wants to see us awake and working when he returns. The Lord said,
“Blessed is that servant whom his master will find at work when he arrives.” (Mt 24:46).
If salvation does not depend on our work but on God’s grace alone, why would he expect to see us working? Shouldn’t we all goof to heaven? Does it mean grace is not free? Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that grace is free but not cheap. He said,
“The word of cheap grace has been the ruin of more Christians than any commandment of works.” ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer
How do we understand grace is free but not cheap? Grace requires gratitude to complete, but how do you thank God, who doesn’t need anything from us? I’ve learned that you thank God by gracing forward.
I have discovered that Grace is like electricity with inflow and outflow to complete a circuit. A lightbulb can not lit up by only the inflow of the electric current. It needs two wires—an inflow and an outflow to complete the energy circuit. We are just like lightbulbs. Grace makes us shine when we grace it forward. Jesus said,
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” (Mat 5:8).
That means the outflow makes the inflow possible. Jesus used several parables to teach this profound mystery, such as The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant. In that parable, a man owed the king a massive amount of money, equivalent to more than a billion dollars of today’s money, which he could not repay in his lifetime, but the king forgave him out of mercy because he bagged him for more time.
However, on his way home, he met a man who owed him a small amount of money. He sent him to prison for not paying back immediately. The king heard about his mercilessness and revoked his grace.
This story reveals that grace is like electricity; the input doesn’t work without an output. If you receive grace and don’t grace it forward, the grace you receive returns to where it came from. Grace is free but not cheap because it requires you to pay it forward to complete the circuit.
It does not mean grace has strings attached, but it’s just how it flows. On the other hand, Jesus said that the servant who is found goofing would be severely punished.
“He will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Mt 24:51).
It sounds scary. I think that’s why my friend was afraid of dying when goofing. He doesn’t want to join the hypocrites. None of us do. The word “hypocrites” comes from the Greek word with a similar pronunciation: ῠ̔ποκρῐτής (hupokritḗs), meaning “stage actor” or “pretender.”
Hypocrites are like weeds that pretend to be like wheat. They look identical until harvest time. When harvest time comes, they stand tall and light because they don’t carry the weight of the grains. They are just pretenders or hypocrites. They don’t grace it forward. They cheapen grace. Jesus said,
“At harvest time, I will tell the reapers, ‘Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” (Mt 13:30).
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent means coming. It’s a season to think about the coming of Christ, particularly the second coming, which will be the harvest time. He will separate the weeds from the wheat, the hypocrites from the real Christians who grace it forward to complete the circuit of power.
When you grace it forward, your life becomes fruitful. So, today, we will explore how to maintain a fruitful state based on this week’s scripture lesson so that we will not appear as weeds or hypocrites when the Lord comes. Let’s begin!
Sunday Oct 06, 2024
A Lawful vs. Loveful Vision of the Scarlet Letter
Sunday Oct 06, 2024
Sunday Oct 06, 2024
Napoleon famously said, “The word impossible is not in my dictionary.” His can-do spirit helped him make incredible achievements in history. In my dictionary, I want to delete the word “unacceptable” because I’ve discovered that acceptance is love in action, and it’s essential to developing our spiritual intelligence or Spiritual Quotient (SQ).
To be successful or live a good life, we need IQ, EQ, and SQ. Your SQ (Spiritual Quotient) is measured by your ability to love and accept people.
First, we must learn the difference between approval and acceptance. For example, my children may do things I disapprove of, but I must accept them because I love them. Approval is based on law, but acceptance is based on love. Approval is based on the head, but acceptance is based on the heart. That sounds simple enough but not easy to practice.
Jesus wants us to love even our enemies. Many people confuse loving our enemies with approving their actions. No, Jesus wants us to “accept” our enemies without “approving” their behaviors. Otherwise, we could end up demonizing people and justifying violence.
We all have encountered people doing things that we disapprove of. Sometimes, it’s just a minor issue, so we can easily forgive and forget about it, but there are times when people may go above and beyond our tolerance threshold, and we say, “It’s unacceptable.”
In such cases, we muddle the line between approval and acceptance because our strong emotion overrides our ability to see the person apart from their behavior. Jesus wants us to love the person despite their behavior. I know it’s a tall order.
Some people have a lower tolerance threshold than others. They are quick to stick a Scarlet Letter on someone they disapprove of.
Talking about the Scarlet Letter, I am sure most of you have read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s American Classic, “The Scarlet Letter,” or have watched one of the movie adaptations. The story reveals that everyone wears a Scarlet Letter—outwardly or inwardly, legally or secretly—even the holiest man in town has a secret Scarlet Letter beneath his clothes.
The story reveals human nature, keeps us humble, and warns us against hypocrisy. Understanding this human nature would allow us to separate approval from acceptance.
To effectively resolve human conflicts, we must first accept one another. But most people got it backward. They don’t accept others until they approve of their behaviors. Acceptance must be unconditional because that’s what “agape love” is about, the kind of love Jesus taught.
Jesus has shown us the ultimate acceptance on the cross by forgiving and seeing humans as redeemable. He expects us to love one another the way he loves us. That’s a huge challenge, but when you can widen the gap between approval and acceptance, you are on the way to spiritual maturity, as Jesus expected.
Based on this week’s scripture lesson, we will explore Jesus’ teaching on what’s lawful and loveful and how to read the Scarlet Letter A differently. Along the way, we will discover how to raise our SQ—Spiritual Quotient—to live a joyful, meaningful, and fruitful life. Let’s begin!
Sunday Sep 29, 2024
How to Be Magnanimous and Thrive
Sunday Sep 29, 2024
Sunday Sep 29, 2024
During a TV interview, a reporter asked Bill Gates, saying, “Mr. Gates, Microsoft products have been illegally copied and distributed in China. How are you going to deal with that problem?”
That was over twenty years ago when the software was convenient to duplicate. In those days, most people in China couldn’t afford to buy Microsoft, so they bought cheap, illegal copies from the black market.
I was curious about his answer, but to my surprise, Bill Gates replied magnanimously, “China is still developing. If they steal technology, I’d rather have them steal mine than others.” He seemed confident that Microsoft would survive the theft and turn the thieves into customers.
Today, his magnanimity pays off. After decades of using bootleg copies, the Chinese have fallen in love with Microsoft and prefer to buy it as they can now afford it. Today, Bill Gates has captured a market four times larger than the United States because of his magnanimity.
Conversely, many good software products have disappeared because of their pettiness. Even if you have the best product or the greatest idea in the world, your attitude can become a stumbling block to your progress.
The dictionary defines magnanimity as “having a noble spirit and being generous and kind, especially towards someone who has wronged you.” It came from the Latin root words “magna,” meaning great or big, and “animus,” soul. So magnanimity means “great soul.”
In the Fruit of the Spirit, the Greek term ἀγαθωσύνη (agathōsynē) is translated as “generosity” in NRSV and “goodness” or “nobility” in others. I discovered the best translation of this word is “magnanimity” because it covers all three meanings—generosity, goodness, and nobility.
Why is magnanimity important? It elevates your life. It prevents you from the pettiness that hinders your success. Dr. Steven R. Covey calls it “scarcity mentality” instead of “abundance mentality.” Magnanimity is an abundance mentality that attracts abundance.
Based on this week’s scripture lesson, we will explore how Jesus taught us to cultivate magnanimity to become salt of the earth rather than a stumbling block to the souls. Let’s begin!
Sunday Sep 22, 2024
Descending to Greatness – A Countercultural Path
Sunday Sep 22, 2024
Sunday Sep 22, 2024
When I first came to America, I noticed many governmental organizations are named “services:” The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the US Postal Service (USPS), the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), and others. Conversely, many other countries prefer to use the term “authority” rather than “service.” We do have a few departments that use “authority,” such as the Port Authority.
However, times have changed. If you have dealt with some of those “services,” you don’t feel you are being served. For example, do you feel served when you receive a letter from the IRS? “Wow, I am so glad the IRS sent me a letter. It’s so nice of them! They are so good with math!”
Some departments act like authoritarians and dictators. Some officers are outright rude. A few years ago, I took my father to the immigration office in Newark for an appointment. It was a cold and windy winter morning, but we had to stand outside in line for hours to get in.
My father was over seventy at that time and was not very healthy. I was concerned that he might faint. When we eventually got inside, we saw a vast, warm, empty lobby that could hold ten times the people still lining outside. I thought they kept people out because there was no room to wait inside. It reminded me of dictatorship rather than service.
To American standards, it’s fair to say that those immigrants were treated less than animals because we treat animals much better, but they could do that because those people didn’t have a voice. Power corrupts. Maybe it was just Newark. I tweeted a complaint and was surprised to receive many comments saying they agreed with the situation.
I don’t know if my tweet had any effect at all. The good news is that the immigration service at Newark has improved significantly in recent years, but I am glad I don’t have to go there ever again after becoming a citizen. It was a mockery of the term “service.”
As a nation deeply rooted in Christianity, we practice the “servant leadership” exemplified by Jesus. He said,
“Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” (Mk 9:35).
He set an example by washing the feet of his disciples. Based on this principle, Government officers are supposed to be civil servants. It’s an excellent concept, but unfortunately, it doesn’t prevent power from corrupting them.
We all know that “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” No matter how we name our organization and mission, power can make us forget our service mentality. Authority can be intoxicating. How can we stay humble as we climb the ladder of power?
Sometimes, I am glad I don’t have a job that gives me much power and authority. I don’t know if I could handle it and not be corrupted by it. But we all aim for greatness to make a difference. So, today, let’s explore the secret to attaining greatness without losing your souls based on this week’s scripture lesson. Let’s begin!
Sunday Sep 15, 2024
How to Change the World from the Bottom Up
Sunday Sep 15, 2024
Sunday Sep 15, 2024
I was reluctant to name this message "How to Change the World" because I could imagine many people might think I was bloviating. I know I am nobody and have no qualifications to speak on such a grand topic, but I believe it’s a matter of age. The older we grow, the more cynical we become.
Let us be children for a moment because when we were young, we had all kinds of imagination and ambition to make a difference one day. But as we grew up, we gradually felt those dreams became unattainable.
Maybe that is why Jesus wants us to become like children and rekindle those imaginations and ambitions. So, let us momentarily pause our doubts and cynicism and unleash our childlike creativity to entertain the possibility of changing the world.
Jesus did change the world for good and taught his disciples how to make this world a better place to live. The world has never been the same since the moment he was born and it will never be the same unless we stop extending his great commission. To be a Christian means to be a world-changer.
Even Richard Dawkins, the renowned atheist, recently declared that he is a cultural Christian because he can no longer deny the influence of Christianity on the advancement of human civilization. Wherever Christianity thrives, civilization flourishes. History has proven it, and no reasonable person can deny it.
Of course, some religious people have done some damage in history. It’s nothing new. Even the Son of God was crucified by religious people. However, the atheist would like to cherrypick history to excuse their unbelief.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali recently asked Richard Dawkins, what do atheists contribute to the advancement of human civilization? Nothing! They only know how to tear things down, leaving a void in civilization to decay and allowing evil to thrive.
The question is, what role do you play in this world? Do you still maintain your childhood dream of making this world a better place until your last breath, or have you given up those aspirations?
We all want to improve the world, but the question is how. Having good intentions is not enough because people can make things worse with their good intentions. That’s why we need to know how to change the world “the right way.”
In today’s scripture lesson, Jesus revealed his way to change the world, but his disciples didn’t get it and couldn’t accept his method. Like most people, they believe we change the world from the top down, but his way is from the bottom up.
We are two months away from an important election. Most people’s minds are on changing the nation or the world from the top down by electing the right person. However, WWJD (what would Jesus do)? If you get the message from this passage, you will think about this election differently, and you will know your role in changing the world Jesus’ way. Let’s begin!
Sunday Sep 08, 2024
The Key to Answered Prayer (Mark 7:24-37)
Sunday Sep 08, 2024
Sunday Sep 08, 2024
There once was a king who sought advice from a sage about how to govern his kingdom so that it would enjoy peace, progress, and prosperity and be free of crimes, violence, and wars. The sage said, to govern your kingdom that way, you must govern yourself first. As the Son of God said,
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Mt 3:66).
The king said, “I know, but the kingdom of God is too far. I don’t have the vehicle to go there.” The sage said, “As a king, if you don’t have the vehicle, who will have it, and who can attain the kingdom of God?” Then the sage added, “The vehicle to the kingdom of God is simple: a humble spirit.” As Jesus said,
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 5:3).
Poor in spirit is an Aramaic idiom for a humble heart. The sage implied that the king couldn’t attain the kingdom of God, not because he didn’t have the means to seek it but because he was full of himself.
This reminds me of another parable.
A professor hiked up to the high mountain to ask the sage to impart his wisdom to him. He introduced himself as one of the most accomplished professors in the country’s best university. The sage asked him to slow down and sit at his tea table and began serving him tea.
The cup became full, but the sage continued pouring tea into it, and it began to overflow and spill onto the table. The professor laughed at the sage’s clumsiness,
“Oh, old man, don’t you see the cup is already full? You can’t fill it anymore.”
“You are right,” the sage replied. “When the cup is full, you can’t fill it with anything. Please come back when your cup is empty.” With that, the sage turned away the professor, implying he was not ready to learn because he was full of himself.
I often wonder how often we approach God and ask God to give us what we want without leaving room for God to provide. The king wants to develop his nation without developing himself. The professor wants more wisdom without humility.
In today’s scripture lesson, Mark recorded two incidents Jesus encountered that revealed the secret to answered prayers. It’s an open secret that everyone knows but fails to put into practice. The secret is humility, but it’s easier said than done. Even the great Benjamin Franking admitted that he failed in this aspect.
Today, we will learn how Jesus answered the prayers of two situations so that we can improve our prayer life as well. So, let’s begin!
Sunday Sep 01, 2024
The Heart of the Matter is the Matter of the Heart
Sunday Sep 01, 2024
Sunday Sep 01, 2024
Many years ago, I met an elderly lady in our neighborhood. People said she was a good Christian and knew the Bible thoroughly. I was impressed. She held a Bible study group in her house, and people came to listen to her teaching.
However, my perception was shaken when I heard about her strained relationship with her in-laws. Given her role as a Bible teacher, I had assumed she was in the right. Yet, when I met her in-laws, I discovered they were devout Christians. I didn’t know who was wrong and who was right, but it disturbed me to see Christians don’t get along with Christians.
One day, someone brought her to our church. Since her church is much farther away in another town, it was much more convenient for her to attend our church. After a communion service, she said we shouldn’t use the normal bread because bread has yeast, which symbolizes sin in the Bible. As Jesus said,
“Watch out—beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” (Mk 8:15b).
Respecting her age and biblical scholarship, we tried to accommodate her by changing the bread to matzo since it’s even simpler to prepare. However, a few months later, she left the church despite our hospitality. Later, I learned she didn’t just couldn’t get along with her in-laws but almost everyone around her.
I was naïve thinking someone who knows the Bible would be the most gracious person. In fact, in the Bible, we see Pharisees who treated the Bible seriously and taught the Bible to others. They were quite difficult to get along. Their heads were filled with biblical knowledge, but their hearts were rotten. They eventually crucified Christ.
Have you ever wondered how a person can be so religious and so vicious? It serves as a warning to all of us. With all the warnings Jesus gave us, why do some Christians still become like Pharisees? It’s a reminder that we, too, can fall into the trap of righteousness without grace. Jesus said,
“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 5:20).
It was a tall order because the Pharisees were strict practitioners of righteousness. The Hebrew term “righteousness” is quite complex because it means fulfilling God’s commandments. But Jesus made it simple with the Great Commandment, covering the Old Testament: Love God and love people—nothing more and nothing less.
In other words, if we don’t have love, nothing matters. Even if we can recite the Bible from cover to cover, we miss the kingdom of heaven. As Paul put it impactfully,
“If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” (1 Co 13:1–3).
Paul was a recovering Pharisee, and he knew what the Pharisees had missed. Their heads were full of biblical laws, but their hearts were short of divine love. As Jesus said, we cannot enter heaven without love.
Do you know the distance between heaven and hell? It’s just about 18” apart—the distance between your head and your heart. It’s upside down, of course. Heaven is where your heart is, and hell is where your head is. Interestingly, all four of these words start with “h.”
This doesn’t mean biblical knowledge is unimportant. It is vital for our lives but must go beyond our heads and flow to our hearts. When the Bible goes to our heads, it becomes knowledge. When it enters our hearts, it becomes wisdom.
Today’s scripture lesson taught us about Jesus’ encounter with the Pharisees, who criticized Jesus’ disciples for breaking the rabbinic law. But Jesus revealed that the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. This story allows us to self-search and evaluate our hearts to see whether our hearts are in the right place according to God’s law. Let’s begin!
Sunday Jul 28, 2024
Tackling Big Problems with a Simple Solution
Sunday Jul 28, 2024
Sunday Jul 28, 2024
I am not fond of SMART goals because they are too mundane and meager. In case you don’t know, a SMART goal means using the word SMART as an acronym to set goals. SMART represents Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
It’s a good starting point, but not for leaders because leaders set problem-solving goals. They identify a problem and try to solve it. Sometimes, a problem can be enormous. In that case, the SMART goal strategy doesn’t apply because it requires you to set “Achievable” goals.
We are in an election cycle now. You don’t hear the candidates talking about their SMART goals. Each of them tries to solve some monumental national or regional problems. Whoever has the best policies and capability to solve the issues will get my vote.
What problem are you trying to solve? Last week, I talked about Bob Peirce, who felt called to solve the massive orphanage problem after the war and founded World Vision. Young and penniless, if Bob Pierce had set a SMART goal, he would have concluded that solving the orphanage problem was not SMART because it was beyond his ability to achieve.
However, Bob Pierce knew, it was achievable by relying on God. Jesus wants us to solve significant problems rather than set SMART goals. In today’s scripture lesson, Jesus tested Philip by asking him how to feed a crowd of five thousand people following them.
When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” (Jn 6:5–6).
According to Mark, Jesus was training his disciples to become apostles. Disciples are followers, but apostles are leaders. (I mentioned this last week.) Jesus was teaching them to be leaders who solve problems. He wanted them to be scholars rather than students.
How would you solve the problem if you were Philip?
Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” (Jn 6:7).
I checked online, and the average monthly wage in the United States is about $5,000. That means even $30,000 worth of food would not be enough to feed them. Philip used the SMART goal, and he knew it was not achievable. They couldn’t afford it.
Jesus doesn’t allow his disciples or apostles to have a limited mindset. Have you ever settled for less because of your limited mindset? I am sure we all do, but Jesus wants to stretch our mental limits and think far outside the box.
What problem is God calling you to solve, and what limitation are you encountering? Time, talent, or treasure? Do you have limited time? Limited talent? Or limited finance? Jesus wants us to think outside of those limits.
Jesus doesn’t want us to set SMART goals. He wants us to set Miracle Goals. That’s what godly leaders do. They make miracles by thinking outside of human limits—not just thinking outside of the limits but acting outside of the limits.
When you think and act outside those limits, you discover that they don’t exist at all and realize that you arbitrarily set those limits. When you have a breakthrough like that, you witness a miracle. Jesus wants us to set Miracle Goals.
In today’s scripture lesson, Jesus fed five thousand people using minimal resources. We will learn from this miracle the profound lessons of discipleship leadership to solve insurmountable problems and to move mountains. Let’s begin!
Your Spiritual Advantage Matters!
Welcome to Spiritual Advantage with Sam Stone. Do you know your success depends on three elements—Spiritual Advantage, Local Advantage, and Social Advantage?
You can learn to build Social Advantage and get a 33% chance to succeed. If you live in an advantageous location, you get another 33% (66% total). If you obtain Spiritual Advantage, you will accumulate a 99% chance of success.
Furthermore, evidence shows Spiritual Advantage can overwrite other disadvantages you may have. Therefore, seeking Spiritual Advantage must be your first priority.
Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Mat 6:33).
I am Rev. Dr. Samuel Stone. If you want to unlock your Spiritual Advantage to maximize your life and leadership, minimize your stress and anxiety, and enjoy a slew of benefits, contact me for a free consultation.
You can reach me by tweeting me @SamuelStone, Instagram @rev.stone, or simply text me at 551-333-1133. Looking forward to talking with you!