It's been so long since I last posted here. It would be a lie to say that nothing has been going on that was worthy of posting, because so much has happened, so much has changed, I'm still recovering from it all! There have been times since my last post when I've completely lost sight of the passion and the calling that I have - sometimes for long periods of time, and I really suffered for that. The proverb is true; "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18 KJV). Paul urges us to fix our eyes on Jesus - how important it is, amidst anything else, to not lose sight of your reason for living, and the passions that you have.
I've been reading Celebration of Discipline (Richard Foster), and have been really challenged to press deeper in to God in prayer and in worship. As I've been reminded of my passions, and been given renewed energy to pursue them, I've also been reminded that I can do nothing by myself, and that anything and everything I seek to do for God needs to be totally grounded in prayer and worship. John Wesley says, "God does nothing except in answer to prayer".
I know that I am called to be a parent to Ashley, a partner to Hazel, and a pastor to all those who I come across; be that in Peckham or anywhere else. I know that in all things I'm called to bless, encourage, and share laughter with everyone that I meet. And, ultimately, I know that I am called to share Jesus with the hurting and the broken. All of these have many challenges associated - but scripture tells us that God is enough, and that He will supply all of our needs. And prayer is the backbone to that, and I feel challenged now more than ever to be interceding for Hazel, for Ashley, and for the people of Peckham.
I've had some beautiful moments with Ashley recently where I've been really touched and have seen God in him clearly...but it's also made me more aware of the spiritual responsibility that parents have for their children - it's up to us to be constantly praying for him as he grows, and ensuring that he is raised in a way that glorifys God. And he won't take what we tell him about God seriously unless he sees it in our lives.
I'm challenged when I look through the Bible and see people gathering for worship, expecting and knowing God's presence. When Moses entered the Tabernacle he knew he was entering the presence of God, he wasn't surprised one week when He felt God move. Reading Acts, we see the most amazing things happening in the early church...but it is normal to people, they expect it, such is the level of expectation and their knowledge of who God is. Let us raise our expectations!!
Bit of a disjointed post, but now I've got back to blogging I'll write in more detail soon as I press deeper into these things!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Dying flowers and life in its fullness
The other week a kid was shot dead in a shop down the road from where I live. It's a shop I walk past pretty much every day on my way to work and on my way to church. As you've probably seen on the news, kids killing eachother is nothing new in this area and so this one hardly sticks out much - there's been others since then. It's made slightly more poignant by the fact that the kids who shot him were aiming for someone else and this guy was nothing to do with any gang or anything, he was in the shop with his parents queueing to pay. But even that has hardly turned any heads - nobody seems bothered by the tragic scenes that are being played out daily.
I went to the place the day after he was shot and there were flowers and cards outside, mourning the death of another young person. But going past there again recently got me thinking...the flowers were starting to die, the bits of paper had got wet in the rain and were smudged and coming off the wall and it was all beginning to look a bit sad. It made me realise - in a couple of days this shooting will be completely forgotten, along with all of the others. Who's Ryan Bravo? 25 young people have been killed in London so far this year - who can remember any of their names? Guys in gangs who think it's cool to die...what did their death achieve? Last week I saw a gang of 180 young people all together, who were later stopped by police and 151 were arrested for possession of weapons. Then in separate incidents on saturday night (I'm involved with an organisation called Street Pastors who hit the streets of Peckham on friday and saturday nights, 10pm-2am) I had encounters with people who unashamedly carry guns and are prepared to use them. Here life means nothing. People mean nothing.
Is this what the writer of Genesis means when he says "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27)
Is this what Jesus meant when He said "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Luke 12:4-7)
Each year there's a big push for the Alpha course, where they put adverts in cinema's and on the backs of buses all over London and in taxis and on TV etc. The theme of the adverts this year is asking people "If God did exist, what question would you ask him?" One of the responses currently making its way all over London on the back of the 176 bus is "Is this it?"
I think creation is searching for more. Those flowers outside the shop show that people are trying to engage with the bigger questions of the purpose of life and yet they don't know how - they just know that what is happening shouldn't be...that we're made for something more than merciless killings.
"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." (Romans 8:19-22)
Check out the first line of that passage...creation is waiting to see something different, some glimmer of hope...and it's us that needs to show it! God has given me such a strong passion to live out hope and build community in this place and my prayer is that wherever God's people step out, others would see in them how life is meant to be. My girlfriend and I have made a choice to get to know the people we see who live on the estates - and already we can see fruit from that. It really doesn't take much, just allow people to see the Kingdom of God lived out in our lives. Paul writes "in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1Peter 3:15). And they will ask, believe me, because creation is waiting!
Jesus said "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). Be the one to show people what that means!
My passion is to see the people of Peckham and the surrounding areas see that in Jesus there is life, there is forgiveness, there is acceptance, there is belonging, there is family, there is hope, there is joy, there is responsibility and there is a whole lot of excitement and adventure thrown in there too. It strikes me that those things are what people are killing eachother for, they're looking for those things but in the wrong places. JESUS DIED, YOU DON'T HAVE TO!!
I'm reminded that we're in a battle, but I get so much hope from Revelation 17:14 "They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers." COME ON!!
I went to the place the day after he was shot and there were flowers and cards outside, mourning the death of another young person. But going past there again recently got me thinking...the flowers were starting to die, the bits of paper had got wet in the rain and were smudged and coming off the wall and it was all beginning to look a bit sad. It made me realise - in a couple of days this shooting will be completely forgotten, along with all of the others. Who's Ryan Bravo? 25 young people have been killed in London so far this year - who can remember any of their names? Guys in gangs who think it's cool to die...what did their death achieve? Last week I saw a gang of 180 young people all together, who were later stopped by police and 151 were arrested for possession of weapons. Then in separate incidents on saturday night (I'm involved with an organisation called Street Pastors who hit the streets of Peckham on friday and saturday nights, 10pm-2am) I had encounters with people who unashamedly carry guns and are prepared to use them. Here life means nothing. People mean nothing.
Is this what the writer of Genesis means when he says "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27)
Is this what Jesus meant when He said "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Luke 12:4-7)
Each year there's a big push for the Alpha course, where they put adverts in cinema's and on the backs of buses all over London and in taxis and on TV etc. The theme of the adverts this year is asking people "If God did exist, what question would you ask him?" One of the responses currently making its way all over London on the back of the 176 bus is "Is this it?"
I think creation is searching for more. Those flowers outside the shop show that people are trying to engage with the bigger questions of the purpose of life and yet they don't know how - they just know that what is happening shouldn't be...that we're made for something more than merciless killings.
"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." (Romans 8:19-22)
Check out the first line of that passage...creation is waiting to see something different, some glimmer of hope...and it's us that needs to show it! God has given me such a strong passion to live out hope and build community in this place and my prayer is that wherever God's people step out, others would see in them how life is meant to be. My girlfriend and I have made a choice to get to know the people we see who live on the estates - and already we can see fruit from that. It really doesn't take much, just allow people to see the Kingdom of God lived out in our lives. Paul writes "in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1Peter 3:15). And they will ask, believe me, because creation is waiting!
Jesus said "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). Be the one to show people what that means!
My passion is to see the people of Peckham and the surrounding areas see that in Jesus there is life, there is forgiveness, there is acceptance, there is belonging, there is family, there is hope, there is joy, there is responsibility and there is a whole lot of excitement and adventure thrown in there too. It strikes me that those things are what people are killing eachother for, they're looking for those things but in the wrong places. JESUS DIED, YOU DON'T HAVE TO!!
I'm reminded that we're in a battle, but I get so much hope from Revelation 17:14 "They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers." COME ON!!
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Thoughts from Nehemiah
God is good! Recent times have been a massive struggle - you know those times when one thing comes after another and then when you think nothing else can go wrong and it can't get any worse it does, repeatedly? Well that's where I've been for a while. But over the last month or so things have been looking up in a big way - no details just yet, but God has been faithful and is doing something good!
A while ago, while I was struggling with different stuff I read some passages from Nehemiah that really spoke to me. Looking back over it now, with hindsight, gives further meaning to it. Isn't it funny how when we get through a hard period and look back we see it from a totally different perspective, since we're able to see the journey God has brought us on during that time. So let me try and write those thoughts down - in the order that they come to me, so they're not organised at all! Hananai and his mates went to see Nehemiah soon after the Jewish exile to chat about those who had gone through it and survived. They said:
"They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Then I said: "O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you..."" (Nehemiah 1:3-6)
First point - how are we left when we've been through a battle? Yes, we may have made it through to the other side, but chances are that we've been damaged and need to be restored - by waiting on the Lord (Isaiah 40:31).
If we take the wall (reported by Hananai as being broken down) to be a symbol of protection, we see that after any period of attack, our defences can be weakened. Nehemiah's immediate response on realising this is to pray and seek God - and look at the way he begins his prayer. He doesn't pray "God, what on earth have You done, sort this mess out now", he praises God for who He is, regardless of the situation he finds himself in. Then he goes on to confess and repent of his sins and those of others. That challenged me - how do I approach God in circumstances like this? Too often, I don't go about it like that!
My next observation came later in the story, as Nehemiah went to see the king (he was his cupbearer). The king asked Nehemiah why he was sad (it says he had never been sad in the king's presence before), so Nehemiah explained that he was sad because the city he has known and that represents such a big part of him (his fathers are buried there) is destroyed, including it's defences...
"The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."" (Nehemiah 2:4-5)
How often do we find ourselves in situations where people confront us with questions that we don't know how to answer or we don't feel comfortable giving an answer for whatever reason? Nehemiah was afraid of answering the king. But the key lies in the throwaway line in the verse above...he prayed to the God of heaven, then he was able to answer the king. Paul writes "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone" (Colossians 4:6). If we focus our attentions on the God of heaven and on living in His ways then we need not fear when it comes to answering those who stand before us.
The final passage that challenged me (on a number of fronts) begins in the next chapter, as they begin to repair the damaged wall. A quick read of Nehemiah 3:1-27 shows different people repairing different sections of the wall...all through that passage we read "next to him...", and the passage lists those who were working on each section in order. Then in verse 28 we read "...the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house". This strikes me again on a point that I've written about so many times before, about the responsibility of the individual in any community or church. It's easy to view the church as a whole without realising that it can only ever be the sum of its parts, and that each of us must carry out our responsibilities. In this case, it meant that each person was responsible for looking after his little section of the wall. If any one of those people had neglected that responsibility then the defences would be incomplete and the whole community would be in danger. I think last time I wrote about it in the context of consecration, how we each need to prepare ourselves individually before we can stand as the body of Christ, but it applies anywhere - anything given in a group context must first be applied individually.
"But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem's walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat" (Nehemiah 4:7-9)
As we build our defences and close up the gaps where the enemy has previously been able to get in to attack us, then we will meet opposition. We need to be praying, and constantly be on guard to meet that threat (see Ephesians 6:10-18). But we're promised the victory if we keep focussed on God. Jesus said "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you" (Luke 10:19).
As we look through chapter 4 we see some principles that help when it comes to guarding ourself and building our defences...
A while ago, while I was struggling with different stuff I read some passages from Nehemiah that really spoke to me. Looking back over it now, with hindsight, gives further meaning to it. Isn't it funny how when we get through a hard period and look back we see it from a totally different perspective, since we're able to see the journey God has brought us on during that time. So let me try and write those thoughts down - in the order that they come to me, so they're not organised at all! Hananai and his mates went to see Nehemiah soon after the Jewish exile to chat about those who had gone through it and survived. They said:
"They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Then I said: "O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you..."" (Nehemiah 1:3-6)
First point - how are we left when we've been through a battle? Yes, we may have made it through to the other side, but chances are that we've been damaged and need to be restored - by waiting on the Lord (Isaiah 40:31).
If we take the wall (reported by Hananai as being broken down) to be a symbol of protection, we see that after any period of attack, our defences can be weakened. Nehemiah's immediate response on realising this is to pray and seek God - and look at the way he begins his prayer. He doesn't pray "God, what on earth have You done, sort this mess out now", he praises God for who He is, regardless of the situation he finds himself in. Then he goes on to confess and repent of his sins and those of others. That challenged me - how do I approach God in circumstances like this? Too often, I don't go about it like that!
My next observation came later in the story, as Nehemiah went to see the king (he was his cupbearer). The king asked Nehemiah why he was sad (it says he had never been sad in the king's presence before), so Nehemiah explained that he was sad because the city he has known and that represents such a big part of him (his fathers are buried there) is destroyed, including it's defences...
"The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."" (Nehemiah 2:4-5)
How often do we find ourselves in situations where people confront us with questions that we don't know how to answer or we don't feel comfortable giving an answer for whatever reason? Nehemiah was afraid of answering the king. But the key lies in the throwaway line in the verse above...he prayed to the God of heaven, then he was able to answer the king. Paul writes "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone" (Colossians 4:6). If we focus our attentions on the God of heaven and on living in His ways then we need not fear when it comes to answering those who stand before us.
The final passage that challenged me (on a number of fronts) begins in the next chapter, as they begin to repair the damaged wall. A quick read of Nehemiah 3:1-27 shows different people repairing different sections of the wall...all through that passage we read "next to him...", and the passage lists those who were working on each section in order. Then in verse 28 we read "...the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house". This strikes me again on a point that I've written about so many times before, about the responsibility of the individual in any community or church. It's easy to view the church as a whole without realising that it can only ever be the sum of its parts, and that each of us must carry out our responsibilities. In this case, it meant that each person was responsible for looking after his little section of the wall. If any one of those people had neglected that responsibility then the defences would be incomplete and the whole community would be in danger. I think last time I wrote about it in the context of consecration, how we each need to prepare ourselves individually before we can stand as the body of Christ, but it applies anywhere - anything given in a group context must first be applied individually.
"But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem's walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat" (Nehemiah 4:7-9)
As we build our defences and close up the gaps where the enemy has previously been able to get in to attack us, then we will meet opposition. We need to be praying, and constantly be on guard to meet that threat (see Ephesians 6:10-18). But we're promised the victory if we keep focussed on God. Jesus said "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you" (Luke 10:19).
As we look through chapter 4 we see some principles that help when it comes to guarding ourself and building our defences...
1. Protect our weakest points. "Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them with families, with their swords, spears and bows" (v13). I've learnt recently that we need to know our weak spots. We need to be aware of the areas where the enemy attacks us and where we are weak. I know the areas in my life that fall short of what God expects, and I know the ways that the enemy so often tries to bring me down. When we know what it is, we need to pay particular attention to guarding that area of our lives, praying into it and taking physical steps to close up the gap. I find it particularly interesting that the verse mentions family - it is so clear to see how the enemy is attacking the family unit in our society...even if nothing else is a weak spot for us as individuals (which I don't believe for a minute), then surely this is a call for us to be upholding and defending the role of families.
2. Know whose strength we stand in. "After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes."" (v14).
3. Support and cover eachother. "From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armour. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah" (v16). How important it is to be watching out for eachother as we go about our work, praying for eachother and supporting one another in good and bad times - rejoicing with those who rejoice, weeping with those who weep.
4. Come together. "The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from eachother along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!" (v19-20). I really see value in a church spending time together regularly to build eachother up, to be strengthened and refreshed and equipped, and also to stand and fight together. Paul writes "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:24-25)
5. Be constantly ready and on guard. "Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water" (v23). Are there certain times of the day when we let our guard down and are easily distracted or tempted? Are there certain places we go?
Apologies for the random garbled thoughts that probably don't make much sense or fit together at all. Going on into chapter 5, I can see another post about JUSTICE on its way!!
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Lessons
It feels like ages since I've had anything to write about. To be honest I've not been in the mood to write about how good God is...that is the most shameful thing, and it's really hit me how selfish we can be. I guess it's a generational thing, we live in an age where we expect everything to work out how we want it to, as if that's our right, and if it doesn't then we sulk or assume that God isn't "on our side". I'm the worst culprit for this, and when things don't go well (most of the time!) I really struggle.
Recently it has felt like my whole world has been falling apart. As soon as I think nothing else can go wrong it does, etc...you know what it's like. Since the stuff God had been challenging me about before (see previous post) about praising Him through whatever we face, I felt really determined this time to cling to God for dear life through recent trials. It started well, but over time disaster after disaster started to loosen my grip, and once again I found myself at breaking point. And when I'm there faith and trust go out the window and I get really angry and worried and everything else that is really horrible and not God. One night as I was stressing about being stressed, I found this verse in Ezra...
"Then, at the evening sacrifice, I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the LORD my God and prayed..." (Ezra 9:5)
It really hit me. DAVE! Get out of yourself, who are you without God? Rely on Him. I'm humbled when I see people who are suffering in a big way, yet are still have an overwhelming sense of peace and faith in the Almighty.
A friend had said to me earlier in the week "if you can worry you can pray"...I'm a champion worrier, but until I share those worries with God instead of dwelling on them then nothing will change.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you." (John 15:5-7)
I recently spent a lot of time looking at these verses, and thinking about how we need to be rooting ourselves in God regardless of what is going on around us. I was particularly struck by the "if you remain in me and my words remain in you"...through everything recently I've been clinging to the words of scripture - be it promises of hope or warnings to let go of everything that isn't of God and to root myself in Him. When Jesus was in the desert being tempted by the devil, it was with words from scripture that He silenced the accuser.
"If you make the Most High your dwelling—even the LORD, who is my refuge-then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him." (Psalm 91:9-15)
Not a very deep post this time, there's a big one on the horizon though so don't get too excited.
Recently it has felt like my whole world has been falling apart. As soon as I think nothing else can go wrong it does, etc...you know what it's like. Since the stuff God had been challenging me about before (see previous post) about praising Him through whatever we face, I felt really determined this time to cling to God for dear life through recent trials. It started well, but over time disaster after disaster started to loosen my grip, and once again I found myself at breaking point. And when I'm there faith and trust go out the window and I get really angry and worried and everything else that is really horrible and not God. One night as I was stressing about being stressed, I found this verse in Ezra...
"Then, at the evening sacrifice, I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the LORD my God and prayed..." (Ezra 9:5)
It really hit me. DAVE! Get out of yourself, who are you without God? Rely on Him. I'm humbled when I see people who are suffering in a big way, yet are still have an overwhelming sense of peace and faith in the Almighty.
A friend had said to me earlier in the week "if you can worry you can pray"...I'm a champion worrier, but until I share those worries with God instead of dwelling on them then nothing will change.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you." (John 15:5-7)
I recently spent a lot of time looking at these verses, and thinking about how we need to be rooting ourselves in God regardless of what is going on around us. I was particularly struck by the "if you remain in me and my words remain in you"...through everything recently I've been clinging to the words of scripture - be it promises of hope or warnings to let go of everything that isn't of God and to root myself in Him. When Jesus was in the desert being tempted by the devil, it was with words from scripture that He silenced the accuser.
"If you make the Most High your dwelling—even the LORD, who is my refuge-then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him." (Psalm 91:9-15)
Not a very deep post this time, there's a big one on the horizon though so don't get too excited.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Lessons of the year
Hmmm, I've been trying to sum up the "achievements" of 2007, as you do. And it's been really hard, hence why I'm writing it now. It was a really heavy year - lots of highs, lots of lows. But through it all, God has been God and has taught me so much. I've written about a lot of that as it came up over the year, but looking back today there are a couple of general things that stick out.
Since the start of the year, one passage from Habakkuk has hit me a few times - "Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted. The Lord 's Answer: "Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told"." (Habakkuk 1:3-5)
At the start of the year the only bit that stuck out to me was God's promise that He would do something great. As the year has gone on and I've seen and been involved in different situations that have really opened my eyes to the injustice that is going on, I've understood the context in which the promise was made, and it excites me even more. But often when I've seen these things, or when I've been struggling, my first thought hasn't been of God's promises to deliver, or of God's faithfullness. They've been negative thoughts, doubting thoughts, angry thoughts, etc. As I've been thinking about that recently and reading Habakkuk again I found this passage at the end:
"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Saviour. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights" (Habakkuk 3:17-19).
Through recent trials I've really learnt the need to be worshipping God and bringing Him the praise that is due to His name despite our circumstances. Yes that is hard, yes that goes against our natural instincts sometimes, but God is still God even when we don't see the bigger picture. As I've started to learn that and have decided to hand over all my struggles to God and worship Him as I am, I've noticed Him take me as I am and use me in those places to minister to and stand alongside other people in those situations whilst also delivering me from them (the situations not the people!)
Scripture assures us that in all things (Romans 8:28) God is able to work our situations for His glory. And I've come to realise that that doesn't just mean He rescues us from them, but that He uses the experiences that we gain there for His glory. Whatever is in your past, know that God can use that to equip you to serve Him today. And whatever happens now, know that God can use that to equip you and strengthen you for future tasks. I found a good quote, that the chief end of Man is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever. Whatever our situations, whatever our struggles, whether there are grapes on the vine or not, God is still God and is worthy of praise. And when we worship we are transformed...thats one for the next blog!
The second thing that God has really opened my eyes to recently is justice - or the lack thereof, hence why I have come to notice the first part of the passage I mentioned earlier. There have been situations that I have been involved in where I have become really angry at the lack of response from the Church to these issues that are so blatantly obvious.
There are the problems we see on the television where entire nations are starving to death or dying of AIDS or walking for days to collect water due to poverty, whilst here footballers are changing hands from £30million. Delerious wrote this song...
40 million babies lost to Gods great orphanage,
It’s a modern day genocide and a modern day disgrace
If this is a human right then why aren’t we free?
The only freedom we have is in a man nailed to a tree.
100 million faces, staring at the sky,
Wondering if this HIV will ever pass us by.
The devil stole the rain and hope trickles down the plug,
But still my Chinese take away could pay for someone’s drugs.
Our God reigns, Our God reigns,
Forever your kingdom reigns.
The west has found a gun and it’s loaded with ‘unsure’
Nip and tuck if you have the bucks in a race to find a cure.
Psalm one hundred and thirty nine is the conscience to our selfish crime,
God didn’t screw up when he made you,
He’s a father who loves to parade you.
Yes he reigns, yes you reign, yes you reign,
For there is only one true God,
But we’ve lost the reins on this world,
Forgive us all, forgive us please,
As we fight for this broken world on our knees.
And then there are the issues right on our doorstep. Prostitution, young girls forced to sell themselves to sick and perverted men. It's sick and wrong, yet it is allowed to happen. People with nowhere to live. People held captive by alcohol, drugs, pornography, eating habits. Children leaving school unable to read and write. All of these and so many more are happening right under our noses, and all are things that I have come across in a big way recently. And what makes me really angry is that much of the time the Church is either too busy having fun on a sunday morning to notice the real issues facing its people, or it wraps itself in cotton wool and red tape which prevents it from doing what it was called to do. I ranted enough about that in a previous post, "What's in a name?" and stand by every word I said there so it's pointless saying it all again.
"I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!" (Amos 5:21-24)
It would be wrong of me to completely slate the Church for not doing anything, because in a lot of cases it is doing all it can. But it has really hit me that if our lives, the choices we make, the things we do and say - if they don't match up to the words that we sing so enthusiastically in Church then there's big problem. Worship and justice are inseperable. As we worship we press into God and seek to discover what is on His heart. As we look to Christ we are transformed into His likeness (2Cor 3:17-18) - and central to God's character is a heart and a passion for justice, for the last, the lost and the least. Bring it on!
Since the start of the year, one passage from Habakkuk has hit me a few times - "Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted. The Lord 's Answer: "Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told"." (Habakkuk 1:3-5)
At the start of the year the only bit that stuck out to me was God's promise that He would do something great. As the year has gone on and I've seen and been involved in different situations that have really opened my eyes to the injustice that is going on, I've understood the context in which the promise was made, and it excites me even more. But often when I've seen these things, or when I've been struggling, my first thought hasn't been of God's promises to deliver, or of God's faithfullness. They've been negative thoughts, doubting thoughts, angry thoughts, etc. As I've been thinking about that recently and reading Habakkuk again I found this passage at the end:
"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Saviour. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights" (Habakkuk 3:17-19).
Through recent trials I've really learnt the need to be worshipping God and bringing Him the praise that is due to His name despite our circumstances. Yes that is hard, yes that goes against our natural instincts sometimes, but God is still God even when we don't see the bigger picture. As I've started to learn that and have decided to hand over all my struggles to God and worship Him as I am, I've noticed Him take me as I am and use me in those places to minister to and stand alongside other people in those situations whilst also delivering me from them (the situations not the people!)
Scripture assures us that in all things (Romans 8:28) God is able to work our situations for His glory. And I've come to realise that that doesn't just mean He rescues us from them, but that He uses the experiences that we gain there for His glory. Whatever is in your past, know that God can use that to equip you to serve Him today. And whatever happens now, know that God can use that to equip you and strengthen you for future tasks. I found a good quote, that the chief end of Man is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever. Whatever our situations, whatever our struggles, whether there are grapes on the vine or not, God is still God and is worthy of praise. And when we worship we are transformed...thats one for the next blog!
The second thing that God has really opened my eyes to recently is justice - or the lack thereof, hence why I have come to notice the first part of the passage I mentioned earlier. There have been situations that I have been involved in where I have become really angry at the lack of response from the Church to these issues that are so blatantly obvious.
There are the problems we see on the television where entire nations are starving to death or dying of AIDS or walking for days to collect water due to poverty, whilst here footballers are changing hands from £30million. Delerious wrote this song...
40 million babies lost to Gods great orphanage,
It’s a modern day genocide and a modern day disgrace
If this is a human right then why aren’t we free?
The only freedom we have is in a man nailed to a tree.
100 million faces, staring at the sky,
Wondering if this HIV will ever pass us by.
The devil stole the rain and hope trickles down the plug,
But still my Chinese take away could pay for someone’s drugs.
Our God reigns, Our God reigns,
Forever your kingdom reigns.
The west has found a gun and it’s loaded with ‘unsure’
Nip and tuck if you have the bucks in a race to find a cure.
Psalm one hundred and thirty nine is the conscience to our selfish crime,
God didn’t screw up when he made you,
He’s a father who loves to parade you.
Yes he reigns, yes you reign, yes you reign,
For there is only one true God,
But we’ve lost the reins on this world,
Forgive us all, forgive us please,
As we fight for this broken world on our knees.
And then there are the issues right on our doorstep. Prostitution, young girls forced to sell themselves to sick and perverted men. It's sick and wrong, yet it is allowed to happen. People with nowhere to live. People held captive by alcohol, drugs, pornography, eating habits. Children leaving school unable to read and write. All of these and so many more are happening right under our noses, and all are things that I have come across in a big way recently. And what makes me really angry is that much of the time the Church is either too busy having fun on a sunday morning to notice the real issues facing its people, or it wraps itself in cotton wool and red tape which prevents it from doing what it was called to do. I ranted enough about that in a previous post, "What's in a name?" and stand by every word I said there so it's pointless saying it all again.
"I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!" (Amos 5:21-24)
It would be wrong of me to completely slate the Church for not doing anything, because in a lot of cases it is doing all it can. But it has really hit me that if our lives, the choices we make, the things we do and say - if they don't match up to the words that we sing so enthusiastically in Church then there's big problem. Worship and justice are inseperable. As we worship we press into God and seek to discover what is on His heart. As we look to Christ we are transformed into His likeness (2Cor 3:17-18) - and central to God's character is a heart and a passion for justice, for the last, the lost and the least. Bring it on!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
What's in a name part 2 - aka What's in my name?
I said last time that there would be more, and there is. But a couple of factors have changed the focus slightly from the Church as a whole to us as individuals. Both of these things have really challenged me recently so I make no apologies if this turns in to two blogs in one!
The first is a battle that I've been fighting for a while now, since my pastor told me to work out who I am as an individual. Identity is such a powerful thing, and placing it in the wrong things is dangerous...but all too easy.
"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm" (Psalm 20:7-8)
The Bible is full of stuff about how people put their hope and their faith and their trust in other things besides God, and that is what shapes their identity. I fall in to that category, and it has been a real struggle trying to discover who I am in Christ because I’ve always allowed myself to be shaped by other people and circumstances. Over time, as I’ve been knocked back and rejected by the people that matter most to me, and have failed at the things that matter to me, I’ve been brought to my knees like those in the passage above who place their identity in the wrong things. Recently, as I’ve been working through this with a friend, I’ve been discovering that in fact I am what God says about me, not what the world says about me. Learning to apply that, and to live in the victory of those truths, is going to be a long journey.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20)
The second is a conviction that I've had for a shorter time, but nevertheless it’s been a real awakening. My church has recently been working to a new vision based on 2 Corinthians 4, treasure in jars of clay, and seeking to break away the clay that is masking the treasure in this community and in us as individuals. I was struck recently by the thought that if we're to be effective in this corporate task then each of us will need to play our individual part in that (with compassion, sacrifice and desperation as mentioned in my last post). I believe it's time for The Salvation Army to live up to its name. William Booth purposefully stated that we are not just a Christian mission but an ARMY. We're called to take a stand for what is right. We're called to fight for justice and for salvation. And the only way that we will ever be effective corporately is if we're effective individually. I’m reminded of a quote from a military officer in the First World War, who said (roughly) that if a war is to be won it will not be won by the generals but by the privates. Likewise, if this war is to be won, it needs each of us to take our stand, united and upright.
One thing I constantly pray at the moment is that I would be a worthy role model for the young people that I work with, and a worthy representative of God’s Kingdom to the people who I come into contact with each day. I can’t change things in the world by myself, but I can change myself – and unless I do that and constantly measure myself by the standards given by God and not the world, all attempts at anything on a corporate level will be fruitless.
Carrying this point a bit further, let me elaborate on the “Desperate” section of my last post. I was writing about the need for us to be solely dependant on God if anything is to happen. As I’ve been praying about this, one passage has really stuck out to me that really illustrates what I’ve been thinking about – and it uses better words than “desperate”!
“After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.” (Acts 16:23-26)
After being beaten and thrown into captivity, Paul and Silas’ first and natural response is prayer and worship – and they weren’t ashamed to be seen doing so either, the other prisoners were listening to them. We really need to be people who reflect that – who are stirred to pray and press deeper in worship, despite what is going on around us or indeed what is happening to us. That’s something I need to learn. And we need to be doing so in full view of the world. The key word in this passage, I believe, is “suddenly”. Paul and Silas were praying and singing, and “at once” they were set free, and everybody’s chains fell off…not just theirs, but the chains of those who witnessed their prayer and worship.
“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13)
I’ve heard it asked recently why we’re not seeing revival and transformation on the scale that the early church saw…and, much more recently, on the scale seen in the early days of The Salvation Army. I believe that a lot of it comes down to our lack of prayer, worship and subsequent expectation. I sense that if we (as a church and as individuals) are wanting to see clay broken away, or chains falling off, whatever you want to call it, central to that needs to be a passion for prayer and an urge to press deeper in worship. When we do that, expect the “suddenly”!!
The first is a battle that I've been fighting for a while now, since my pastor told me to work out who I am as an individual. Identity is such a powerful thing, and placing it in the wrong things is dangerous...but all too easy.
"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm" (Psalm 20:7-8)
The Bible is full of stuff about how people put their hope and their faith and their trust in other things besides God, and that is what shapes their identity. I fall in to that category, and it has been a real struggle trying to discover who I am in Christ because I’ve always allowed myself to be shaped by other people and circumstances. Over time, as I’ve been knocked back and rejected by the people that matter most to me, and have failed at the things that matter to me, I’ve been brought to my knees like those in the passage above who place their identity in the wrong things. Recently, as I’ve been working through this with a friend, I’ve been discovering that in fact I am what God says about me, not what the world says about me. Learning to apply that, and to live in the victory of those truths, is going to be a long journey.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20)
The second is a conviction that I've had for a shorter time, but nevertheless it’s been a real awakening. My church has recently been working to a new vision based on 2 Corinthians 4, treasure in jars of clay, and seeking to break away the clay that is masking the treasure in this community and in us as individuals. I was struck recently by the thought that if we're to be effective in this corporate task then each of us will need to play our individual part in that (with compassion, sacrifice and desperation as mentioned in my last post). I believe it's time for The Salvation Army to live up to its name. William Booth purposefully stated that we are not just a Christian mission but an ARMY. We're called to take a stand for what is right. We're called to fight for justice and for salvation. And the only way that we will ever be effective corporately is if we're effective individually. I’m reminded of a quote from a military officer in the First World War, who said (roughly) that if a war is to be won it will not be won by the generals but by the privates. Likewise, if this war is to be won, it needs each of us to take our stand, united and upright.
One thing I constantly pray at the moment is that I would be a worthy role model for the young people that I work with, and a worthy representative of God’s Kingdom to the people who I come into contact with each day. I can’t change things in the world by myself, but I can change myself – and unless I do that and constantly measure myself by the standards given by God and not the world, all attempts at anything on a corporate level will be fruitless.
Carrying this point a bit further, let me elaborate on the “Desperate” section of my last post. I was writing about the need for us to be solely dependant on God if anything is to happen. As I’ve been praying about this, one passage has really stuck out to me that really illustrates what I’ve been thinking about – and it uses better words than “desperate”!
“After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.” (Acts 16:23-26)
After being beaten and thrown into captivity, Paul and Silas’ first and natural response is prayer and worship – and they weren’t ashamed to be seen doing so either, the other prisoners were listening to them. We really need to be people who reflect that – who are stirred to pray and press deeper in worship, despite what is going on around us or indeed what is happening to us. That’s something I need to learn. And we need to be doing so in full view of the world. The key word in this passage, I believe, is “suddenly”. Paul and Silas were praying and singing, and “at once” they were set free, and everybody’s chains fell off…not just theirs, but the chains of those who witnessed their prayer and worship.
“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13)
I’ve heard it asked recently why we’re not seeing revival and transformation on the scale that the early church saw…and, much more recently, on the scale seen in the early days of The Salvation Army. I believe that a lot of it comes down to our lack of prayer, worship and subsequent expectation. I sense that if we (as a church and as individuals) are wanting to see clay broken away, or chains falling off, whatever you want to call it, central to that needs to be a passion for prayer and an urge to press deeper in worship. When we do that, expect the “suddenly”!!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
What's in a name?
Feels like I haven't written anything for ages. I've been gathering my thoughts! Following recent events I've been thinking so much about what the Church (capital C) is called to be.
"on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:18-19)
It has been a really challenging journey as I've thought and prayed about it. And I don't suppose for a minute that the journey has ended, so expect "What's in a name; Part 2" very shortly! But a few of the things that have consistently stuck out to me are:
Compassion
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God" (2Corinthians 1:3-4)
Compassion is what revealed the true mother of the disputed baby (1Kings 3:26). I believe that that same driving, motivating feeling of love and understanding is what should set us apart as Christians in a broken and hurting world.
In the above passage, Paul writes that we recieve comfort from God so that we can pass that comfort on to other people. The Old Testament is full of stories of God's compassion. The Psalms repeatedly make reference to it. Jesus on many occasions is moved "by compassion" to do something, a perfect example being when He healed the leper...
"A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured." (Mark 1:40-42)
In those days, leprosy was serious business (the Greek word refers not just to leprosy but to a variety of diseases which affect the skin). There were strict laws in place regarding what a person with the disease could and couldn't do, and that anybody coming in to contact with such a person would render themselves unclean. But here we see Jesus filled with compassion bypassing all the laws and policies that isolate and devalue the man, reaching out His hand and touching him. No doubt it would have caused uproar among the religious experts and the people who saw the proceedings - the same people who were more worried about the fact that Jesus broke a rule by healing a man on the sabbath than the fact that a man had just been healed in their Synagogue (see Matthew 12:9-14).
Recently I've seen versions of that where people and organisations get so caught up in policies and rules and wrapping themselves in cotton wool to protect themselves that they miss the fact that we are called to a broken and hurting world that is in desperate need of compassion. Jesus did things that broke the law, made people hate him and eventually kill him (after a few failed plots)...but He still did them because He knew what needed doing. I get a really strong sense that we are called to go against the grain sometimes, to do things that seem stupid in the eyes of the world. We're not working in the name of the world, we're working in the name of Jesus and as such we should do things His way and not be ashamed of it. If Jesus hadn't acted with compassion and did the things that He did for the people He did them for, nobody else would have done it. People are in desperate places with desperate needs and desperate hurts that the world, in all it's rules and policies and fears, won't respond to. If the Church won't meet those needs and stand with those people then who will?
Sacrifice
Another thing that I've been reminded of is that it isn't acceptable to offer our working days up to God...Monday 10-5, Tuesday evenings, Friday afternoons and all day Sunday. God demands our life, 24/7. I'm always really humbled by the calling of the first disciples (Matthew 4:18-22) - how as Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, James and John to leave their family business and security and comfort zone to follow Him, each of them dropped what they were doing and followed Him "immediately". Not one of them would have had a clue what lay ahead. The fact that they were merely following in the family trade meant that they had no potential for making a way for themselves so they may have doubted their ability to do what Jesus required of them...but nonetheless they laid down their job, their security, their family commitments etc and made a commitment to the call of Jesus. Jesus makes no attempt to hide the sacrifice involved in being a disciple...
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:57-62)
If we're too busy with our own "personal commitments" to be God's hands and feet at any time then what good are we? Yes, it's a costly call. Yes, James and John's dad might have been a bit put out when they left him. Yes, it does mean sometimes losing a lot of sleep. But I believe that there is no greater joy than that of seeing the love of God expressed in a costly situation.
"I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing" (2Samuel 24:24). Had David built the altar there on a free plot of land using free materials as offered by Araunah it would't have been the sacrifice that God had commanded. If we live lives of conditional ministry that fits within our time restraints and outside commitments, it isn't the sacrifice that God has commanded. When Jesus fed the five thousand, the disciples complained that it was getting late. They were tired and worn out. Right now, as I'm sitting in the office at church writing this, I have to be honest and say that I'm feeling pretty crap. I don't understand a lot of things that are happening at the moment. I'm tired, have had a stressful day and want nothing more than to go home to bed. But I'm struck once again by the fact that despite the disciples' weaknesses, Jesus did amazing things that evening. If the Church won't meet the needs and stand with the people that come at "inconvenient times" then who will?
Desperate
It seems a strange word, and maybe it's not the right word to use. But I sense that we need to be a people who know that we are nothing on our own. There's nothing really that I can say to elaborate on that one.
"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them." (1John 4:4-5)
"'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty" (Zechariah 4:6)
"For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you" (2Chronicles 20:12)
What would it be like to be a people who rely and trust solely in God, regardless of what society says, regardless of how bleak things look from our sheltered perspective? Somebody speaking at church on sunday mentioned the moment when Jesus prayed for the cup of suffering to be taken away from Him...He prays the "yet not my will but Yours" bit, then (a verse I hadn't noticed before)..."an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him" (Luke 22:43).
I believe we need to be a people who do everything in prayer (Philippians 4:6-7) and worship...
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:1-2)
As I mentioned at the beginning, this is nowhere near the end of the list. I sense that God has so much more on the horizon for me to learn. If it's going to be anything like the recent events that have taught me the things above then I'm slightly scared! But I'm also slightly tired so I'm going home, and will continue another time. Basically though, if the Church won't, then who will?
"on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:18-19)
It has been a really challenging journey as I've thought and prayed about it. And I don't suppose for a minute that the journey has ended, so expect "What's in a name; Part 2" very shortly! But a few of the things that have consistently stuck out to me are:
Compassion
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God" (2Corinthians 1:3-4)
Compassion is what revealed the true mother of the disputed baby (1Kings 3:26). I believe that that same driving, motivating feeling of love and understanding is what should set us apart as Christians in a broken and hurting world.
In the above passage, Paul writes that we recieve comfort from God so that we can pass that comfort on to other people. The Old Testament is full of stories of God's compassion. The Psalms repeatedly make reference to it. Jesus on many occasions is moved "by compassion" to do something, a perfect example being when He healed the leper...
"A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured." (Mark 1:40-42)
In those days, leprosy was serious business (the Greek word refers not just to leprosy but to a variety of diseases which affect the skin). There were strict laws in place regarding what a person with the disease could and couldn't do, and that anybody coming in to contact with such a person would render themselves unclean. But here we see Jesus filled with compassion bypassing all the laws and policies that isolate and devalue the man, reaching out His hand and touching him. No doubt it would have caused uproar among the religious experts and the people who saw the proceedings - the same people who were more worried about the fact that Jesus broke a rule by healing a man on the sabbath than the fact that a man had just been healed in their Synagogue (see Matthew 12:9-14).
Recently I've seen versions of that where people and organisations get so caught up in policies and rules and wrapping themselves in cotton wool to protect themselves that they miss the fact that we are called to a broken and hurting world that is in desperate need of compassion. Jesus did things that broke the law, made people hate him and eventually kill him (after a few failed plots)...but He still did them because He knew what needed doing. I get a really strong sense that we are called to go against the grain sometimes, to do things that seem stupid in the eyes of the world. We're not working in the name of the world, we're working in the name of Jesus and as such we should do things His way and not be ashamed of it. If Jesus hadn't acted with compassion and did the things that He did for the people He did them for, nobody else would have done it. People are in desperate places with desperate needs and desperate hurts that the world, in all it's rules and policies and fears, won't respond to. If the Church won't meet those needs and stand with those people then who will?
Sacrifice
Another thing that I've been reminded of is that it isn't acceptable to offer our working days up to God...Monday 10-5, Tuesday evenings, Friday afternoons and all day Sunday. God demands our life, 24/7. I'm always really humbled by the calling of the first disciples (Matthew 4:18-22) - how as Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, James and John to leave their family business and security and comfort zone to follow Him, each of them dropped what they were doing and followed Him "immediately". Not one of them would have had a clue what lay ahead. The fact that they were merely following in the family trade meant that they had no potential for making a way for themselves so they may have doubted their ability to do what Jesus required of them...but nonetheless they laid down their job, their security, their family commitments etc and made a commitment to the call of Jesus. Jesus makes no attempt to hide the sacrifice involved in being a disciple...
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:57-62)
If we're too busy with our own "personal commitments" to be God's hands and feet at any time then what good are we? Yes, it's a costly call. Yes, James and John's dad might have been a bit put out when they left him. Yes, it does mean sometimes losing a lot of sleep. But I believe that there is no greater joy than that of seeing the love of God expressed in a costly situation.
"I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing" (2Samuel 24:24). Had David built the altar there on a free plot of land using free materials as offered by Araunah it would't have been the sacrifice that God had commanded. If we live lives of conditional ministry that fits within our time restraints and outside commitments, it isn't the sacrifice that God has commanded. When Jesus fed the five thousand, the disciples complained that it was getting late. They were tired and worn out. Right now, as I'm sitting in the office at church writing this, I have to be honest and say that I'm feeling pretty crap. I don't understand a lot of things that are happening at the moment. I'm tired, have had a stressful day and want nothing more than to go home to bed. But I'm struck once again by the fact that despite the disciples' weaknesses, Jesus did amazing things that evening. If the Church won't meet the needs and stand with the people that come at "inconvenient times" then who will?
Desperate
It seems a strange word, and maybe it's not the right word to use. But I sense that we need to be a people who know that we are nothing on our own. There's nothing really that I can say to elaborate on that one.
"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them." (1John 4:4-5)
"'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty" (Zechariah 4:6)
"For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you" (2Chronicles 20:12)
What would it be like to be a people who rely and trust solely in God, regardless of what society says, regardless of how bleak things look from our sheltered perspective? Somebody speaking at church on sunday mentioned the moment when Jesus prayed for the cup of suffering to be taken away from Him...He prays the "yet not my will but Yours" bit, then (a verse I hadn't noticed before)..."an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him" (Luke 22:43).
I believe we need to be a people who do everything in prayer (Philippians 4:6-7) and worship...
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:1-2)
As I mentioned at the beginning, this is nowhere near the end of the list. I sense that God has so much more on the horizon for me to learn. If it's going to be anything like the recent events that have taught me the things above then I'm slightly scared! But I'm also slightly tired so I'm going home, and will continue another time. Basically though, if the Church won't, then who will?
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