So, What IS The Point of Bible College?

The following article in the February Evangelical Time by John D Brand is making it’s way across the blogging world. It is excellent and it asks some very poignant questions.

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There is, I believe, an identity crisis in theological training in the UK today. I became aware of it during my time on the home staff of an international mission agency and now see it from a different angle, as principal of a Bible college.
The question is: “What’s the point of a Bible College training?” I fear we are in danger of losing sight of the true answer these days.
Do Bible colleges exist to provide a Christian route to get an academic qualification or to equip believers for effective spiritual service? The evidence is that the former has taken precedence over the latter, which has caused a major problem.
For many young people now Bible College is just another, perhaps more sheltered, route to getting a recognised qualification, and while there’s certainly nothing wrong with a good academic training and qualification, that agenda has had a massive impact on the ethos and nature of most Bible college training in UK. This fills me with alarm.

Bible neglected
Foe example, we are in danger of turning out good missiologists who know all about contextualisation and cross-cultural communication but are poor missionaries because they haven’t met with God on a deep level.
They haven’t been spiritually transformed through their study of God’s Word with an emphasis on personal, spiritual devotions and disciplines as a core ingredient in their college experience.
We are in danger of turning out gifted theologians and apologists, who know all about higher criticism and are competent in the original biblical languages but are ineffective pastors and evangelists because they are, largely speaking, biblically illiterate, having spent an inordinate amount of time studying books about the Bible but precious little time in the Bible.
And I know – I’ve met some of them. I read some of their application forms when I was in leadership in the mission agency. One of my friends graduated from Bible college fairly recently and estimated he had spent less than 10% of his time in the Bible and that prayer meetings and devotional times had been largely optional.
Another former student said she had been three or four weeks in lectures before they actually opened their Bibles!
As a Bible college Principal this is something that weighs heavily on my heart most of the time. I don’t want us to lose sight of what we are actually about, which is not preparing students for an exam but for Christian service and spiritual warfare.
We need well trained biblically literate men and women, whose lives give evidence of a vital, transforming relationship with the Lord. We need training for head, heart and hands.
I recently read L J Van Valen’s biography of Robert Murray M’Cheyne Constrained by his love and was encouraged to see this statement, made by the author, about M’Cheyne’s attitude to his theological training: “The young student knew the true value of theological studies. These were nothing more than an aid in equipping him to be a servant of the Word of God.” Amen to that!

Seeking God
Van Valen goes on to quote from a letter sent by M’Cheyne to a fellow student: “Do get on with your studies. Remember you are now forming the character of your future ministry in great measure, if God spare you.
If you acquire slovenly or sleepy habits of study now, you will never get the better of it. Do everything in its own time. Do everything in earnest; if it is worth doing, then do it with all your might.
Above all, keep much in the presence of God. Never see the face of man till you have seen His face who is our life, our all.” I love that balance: get on with your studies because it is shaping your future ministry, do everything in earnest and, above all, keep much in the presence of God. Wonderful stuff!
At least I’m not alone in this concern. Here is R C Sproul in Feed My Sheep: “Some years ago, when I was on the faculty at a theological seminary, we reviewed the curriculum. We asked ourselves: what does a man have to know in order to be a godly pastor?
We decided that the main thing was the content of Holy Scripture. So many seminary courses are designed to answer academic questions of background, of authorship, and technical problems that we never get around to the English Bible. Our future ministers are coming out of seminaries not fully conversant with the content of the Bible.
So we began to develop a curriculum from ground zero. We said, let’s step out of the academic world for a minute and design the curriculum not to train professors in the areas of their specialities, but to serve the church and thereby to serve Christ.”
How I rejoiced to read that. That approach to the curriculum is precisely the one my predecessor and I took nearly four years ago (though with a wider remit than just for pastors).
The author is Principal of the Faith Mission Bible College, Edinburgh.

Have Leaders Forgotten How To Follow?

Much of Leonard Sweet’s early writings were influential with me. They resonated with where I was at that time with my walk with God. So when I heard that Len Sweet had a new book out on leadership I wanted to see what it was like. Sweet is if anything someone who looks at things from outside the box and challenges you to think. Here are some quotes from the book:

This is the great tragedy of the church in the last fifty years: We have changed Paul’s words, “Follow me as I follow Christ,”7 to “Follow me as I lead for Christ.” Over and over we hear, “What the church needs is more and better leaders,” or “Training leaders is job one.” Really? Jesus said, “Go and make disciples.” We stopped and built worship warehouses. Jesus said, “Follow me.” We heard, “Be a leader.” Paul said, “Do the work of an evangelist.” We’ve done the work of a marketer. Somewhere back in the past half century, we diagnosed the church’s problem as a crisis of leading, not a crisis of following. It’s as if we read Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship and decided we’d rather talk about something else entirely. In the past decade (or more), I bet you’ve attended your share of leadership conferences. Ever attend a followership conference?

Sweet, Leonard (2012-01-03). I AM A FOLLOWER: The Way, Truth, and Life of Following Jesus (p. 21). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

The cry for leadership is deafening amid our social disintegration, our moral disorientation. We have come to believe that we have a leadership crisis while all along we have been in a drought of discipleship. The Jesus paradox is that only Christians lead by following.

Sweet, Leonard (2012-01-03). I AM A FOLLOWER: The Way, Truth, and Life of Following Jesus (p. 21). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

Court Rules in Favor of Episcopal Diocese of Virginia

The judge reviewing the case between the Diocese of Virginia and the six churches seeking to leave has ruled in favor of the Diocese of Virginia. In short – the six churches (or at least the people) must vacate the property if they wish to leave the Episcopal Diocese.

Another loss. Apart from South Carolina, all Churches who have sought to leave an Episcopal Diocese have been ruled against in the courts and thus have lost their property. This has caused consternation amongst those who believe the Episcopal Church has gone into heresy. Now, I too think the Episcopal Church (i.e. it’s leadership) has left biblical Christianity. But sadly, those seeking to remain biblical and Anglican have become obsessed with property.

One comment on a blog says: For whatever reason, in his inscrutable providence, God Almighty has sovereignly allowed this major setback to happen.

A major set back? Really? Maybe in God’s Sovereignty he is allowing the churches to lose so that they may be set from the the bondage and restrictions (and at times idolatry) that buildings bring. Jesus’ disciples leaving temple, and commenting on how remarkable and stunning the temples was, receive from Jesus the response that “not one brick / stone will be left on another.” The Samaritan woman at the well is told by Jesus that it will not matter where you worship – as long as it is in spirit and truth.

Move, rejoice in the Lord. Worship and do the work of Christ, leaving the Episcopal Church in the hands and judgment of God.

Is Tithing Pre-Gospel?

Yes according to Scott McKnight at Jesus Creed. Quoting from Rodney Reeves book Spirituality According To Paul: Imitating The Apostle of Christ McKnight says Reeves would say the apostle Paul believed (and practiced) neither the tithe nor charity. Why? Because of one simple word: grace. Grace revolutionizes us from those who tithe and give charity to people who pass the grace.

IVP very kindly sent me a review copy of Reeves book. It has now gone to the top of my reading pile!!

Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case For Biblical Truth by Douglas Groothuis

There are a plethora of books on apologetics – just type Christian Apologetics into Amazon and you get over 8000 results! It can be hard to make a distinction between many of the works, both in content and style. Not so with Douglas Groothuis’ contribution. At over 670 pages Groothuis does not attempt to pack too much into this volume – only 26 chapters – but what what he does focus on makes this a wonderfully concise book on Christian Apologetics. Laid out in three parts, you are taken through the biblical basis of apologetics and christian worldview; the distortions which have been made again the Christian worldview and why truth matters. Part two takes you through the defenses of Christian theism while part three tackles the objections of Christian theism. This is an easy book to read in terms of following Groothuis’ thesis and discussions. It is also a thoroughly biblical and, most importantly, Christ centered book. Probably the smallest chapter in the book, the conclusion, reveals Groothuis’ real heart – Take To The Streets – Apologetics is not about head knowledge, but about evangelism and sharing the gospel. This is what makes Groothuis’ book not just a worthy addition to the topic of Christian Apologetics, but one which should be used widely.

Highly recommended.

Lukewarm People….

…. do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They don’t have to trust God if something unexpected happens – they have their savings account. They don’t need God to help them – they have their retirement plan in place. They don’t genuinely seek out what life God would have them live – they have life figured and mapped out . They don’t depend on God on a daily basis – their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldn’t look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God.

Francis Chan – Crazy Love

Gen 12:4: Now Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran.

Abram is 75 years old when God calls him. Moses is 80 years old when God calls him. Both lived many years after, but still, alot of life had gone before God said, “Now, I am going to use you.” We live in an age whereby if you are successful by 2nd grade, your never going to be. Children can even fail kindergarten! How ridiculous. It’s never too late for the Lord to do an amazing work in and through us. As believers we must never think God has passed us by because of our age. Nor should we be impatient for God to ‘use’ us – maybe the timing is not right – maybe we need a few more experiences before we are ready. Our life is in God’s hands and he will use us when His timing is right and when we are ready. How would we feel if God said “your entire life purpose will be fulfilled by one action / meeting / sermon / at the age of 81 years old. That is why I created you and placed you here.” Would we rejoice knowing that our entire life was a preparation for one incident that God had determined in his eternal plan? Or would we think “what a waste”?

I do not want to enter into the world of ‘achievement’. I do not want to enter into the thinking that “I am getting on in years and what have I achieved?” I want to be content that God’s purpose for my life is in HIS hands and so whether he will use me for 50 years, or 50 mins; whether from the age of 24 or 84. I want to rejoice and praise Him and most of all to be ready to move and leave as soon as He calls, regardless of age, or destination; whether it is dangerous, or hard.

Father, thank you that you do not discriminate because of age but that in your perfect timing you can use us for your purposes. I pray that I would NEVER think that life has passed me by but that I would always be ready to hear your call and most importantly, to act on it. I pray this in the name of our Lord Jesus CHrist. AMEN!!

From My Morning Devotions

Genesis 11:4 says, Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens 10  so that 11  we may make a name for ourselves.

They built to defy God. These did it deliberately, but we often do it subconsciously. We so often build to make a name for ourselves; even in Christian ministry! We build big churches, and impressive ministries just to make a name for ourselves. Of course, we would always justify it – it is the Lord’s work! But what is our motive? Why do we ‘build’? Do we have an over valued sense of our own ability? The people at Babel believed their work, their tower could reach heaven – could be the place of ultimate worship. They could do it; they could achieve it; they could build it; they; they; they. Do we believe WE can do it; WE can achieve it; WE can build it; is it for us WE;WE;WE?

The result is that God scattered them. He broke it up. And God does that today. He breaks up that which is built so that we may make a name for ourselves.

Am I doing what I am doing to make a name for myself? Am I building what I am building in order have an impressive tower that everybody knew I had built? Is my ministry a vehicle for my own success and advancement or Christ’s? The two are incompatible – I build FOR Christ and for His Kingdom, or it will be scattered. My heart must be to make a name for CHrist, not myself.

Father, may all I do in this ministry, be for you and for your name only, and not for me and my name. And Father, where I have built in the past for my own name, I pray you would scatter it. In JESUS’NAME! AMEN.

Sermon for First Sunday After Christmas

There are times in our lives when something happens, an event or a situation that results in our lives changing forever. It can be a good event, a happy event, or a bad event, or it is just part of the process of life but whenever it happens life is never going to be the same again – Everything Changes. Have you notice those times? Have you had those moments when you have thought – “My gosh – nothing will be the same ever again.”

These moments happen regularly during our life even when we do not recognize them. Going to Kindergarten for the first time means life is never the same again. When we go to middle school, then high school, then college our life changes forever.

When we get our first job, when we get married, when we have our first child, when our children leave home, when we retire, when we lose a parent or a child are all examples of when everything changes forever and life is never the same again.

One of the most vivid times that I had that feeling was when Sam, our oldest child, was just a few days old. Kitty and I had been married 14 years before Sam was born. And I remember sitting on the floor of the living room at 4am, holding a dirty diaper thinking “My life, our life will never be the same again.”

Of course there are times when our life changes because of an unexpected tragedy or accident. Joni Erikson Tarda was 19 years old when a diving accident left her a quadriplegic and her life changed forever, although today, despite her disability she is a powerful Christian teacher. Christopher Reeve, if you remember, went riding one day, fell off his horse, and was paralyzed from the neck down. Everyday thousands are diagnosed with diseases and illness, are in accidents which will change their life forever

This even happens on a national and global level. The First World War changed the world forever – the Second World War changed the world forever – 9/11 changed America forever.

And it happens on a spiritual level too. Everything changed – nothing was the same again for the whole universe when Jesus became a baby – when God was born as a human being. Everything changed in the heavenly world and in the earth forever.

Revelation says that the lamb was slain before the creation of the world. God’s plan to rescue us, determined before creation, was being put into operation. God enters his creation to take back what Satan had laid hold of – the bondage of sin, the reign of the devil – the separation of God and humanity was all going to change.

All the Old Testament, the sacrifices, the rituals, the law and the prophets had been pointing towards this time – this event – to the gospel, the good news begin announced to the world.

The other gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke start their accounts at the beginning of Jesus’ life or with John the Baptists ministry – but the Gospel of John is different. As we have heard read this morning John begins his gospel way before that. He goes back to the beginning of the history of time.

John’s gospel starts as Genesis starts – in the beginning. The Word was at the creation of the universe – and the Word was with God – which means the Word and God are separate and yet John says, the WORD was God.

All things were created through him – in him was LIFE – all life is sustained, upheld by God, by the Word.
Colossians 1 says:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him—all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers—all things were created through him and for him.
He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him.
He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son
and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross—through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

It is this WORD – the one who is LIFE itself – the one who sustains and upholds all creation – this Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us. God steps into his own creation.

John’s point in beginning his account of Jesus’ life at the beginning of creation was to make sure people understood that from the very beginning, from within the Trinity the gospel was conceived and executed.

For every human being , God becoming flesh and dwelling amongst us, Jesus’ birth into this world, changed everything for all humanity, for all of eternity.

Isaiah knew that everything would change. Our reading from Isaiah 61 shows what happens when God comes – rejoicing, deliverance, vindication, praise. When God shows up, things change.

Our reading from Galatians also make sthis point. Before Christ we were under the law. But when Christ came everything changed – we are no longer under law but declared righteous by faith in Christ – adopted as sons with full rights! Thus we can call God ABBA Father.

The season of Advent and Christmas is a declaration that because the God of the universe became flesh and dwelt amongst us nothing will ever be the same again.

Sadly, in the midst of our commercialization of Christmas too many believers have missed this point.

If we miss this we miss the whole point of Christmas. If we as Christians have not noticed that everything has changed, not just in the spiritual and physical worlds, but in our own lives – if we do not have that realization that nothing will ever be the same because God revealed himself to humanity then we are missing out on one of the most incredible blessings we have as followers of Jesus Christ.

It is to miss out on the incredible joy of knowing that God has won – he has won – he has the victory. He has rescued us, and the creation from eternal darkness and death and has given us the light of his life.

History, the universe, humanity are on a path to a destination – a destination that results in God returning in power to the earth to complete what he began with his birth and death.

Have you noticed that everything has changed – that nothing will ever be the same again?

You see, it is only when we enter into relationship with Jesus Christ that we realize that nothing will be the same. It is only then that we will have the spiritual eyes to realize the magnitude of what God has done both in the heavenly realm, in the earth and in our own lives.

We see a small glimpse of this in the wonderful story of Elisha in 2 Kings 6. The king of Aram had surrounded the city of Dothan in order to kill Elisha. Elisha’s servant goes out and sees this great army and panics. “Oh Lord what shall we do?”

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

At that moment everything changed for the servant – he saw the heavenly army protecting Elisha.

As a Christian our lives have changed forever – everything has changed – our destiny has changed from death to eternal life – our present has changed, as we realize that God has a calling and purpose for our lives today – our allegiance has changed, as we are no longer working for ourselves and our purposes, but for the kingdom of God and His purposes – our citizenship has changed, because we have been adopted by God as his children and so our home is now in God’s kingdom.

Just think about what it means to be called a child of God. Just think for a minute of the image of a good parent / children relationship, how a parent feels about their child? What they would do for them? Think about a parent’s care for their child, their nurture of them, their protection of them and their love of them.

This is what God promises to do with us. He loves us – he nurtures us – he helps us to learn and grow – he gives us good things – the things we need – he is with us even through the difficult times and he guarantees us an inheritance – to be with him forever.

It means that God gets involved with our lives.

How should we respond to this? Isaiah 61 v10 says– I will greatly rejoice in the Lord my soul shall exult in my God

Are we rejoicing in the Lord this morning in light of what we celebrated last week? Are we exulting the Lord our God because we know that Jesus Christ’s arrival as a human being changed everything forever?

Praise and thanksgiving are the natural response to God’s grace, especially grace that has been personally received and experienced.

Too many Christians lack praise, thanksgiving and joy because they do not understand nor have grasped the magnitude of God’s work – that everything has changed forever – he has won. His victory has been accomplished and the victory began when he was born into this world – when God became flesh and dwelt amongst us.

Isaiah 61 also says that HE has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness…

This is a description of every Christian – of every believer in Christ – clothed with the garment of salvation, rescued from sin – set free from death and in Christ given a robe of righteousness.

Are we not moved this morning to praise our wonderful King and God. – to want to shout aloud – to declare the awesomeness of God? Isaiah saw this. In chp 61 He saw that one day God will restore the whole world and the creation – after these visions he knew nothing would be the same again – that everything was going to change.

And yet in the face of the fact that what God has done has changed everything forever, we so often remain placid.

Imagine what would happen if Joni Erikson Tarad suddenly had the use of her body again? If she were set free from the constraints of her paralysis? What would happen when someone discovered that they were cancer free, or that the years of being unemployed would now end with the offer of a great job which meant security – what would happen. Great rejoicing and weeping and happiness and thankfulness.

Every Christmas should be a huge and awesome celebration – we should, as the church, put on the most splendid of parties. We should be delirious with joy and happiness – not because we have eaten too much or drunk too much or because we have expensive gifts – but because we celebrate the time when everything in the whole universe changed forever – God became flesh and dwelt amongst us declaring the victory of God over sin and death so that we might never be the same again.

Christmas – They Think It’s All Over. But It’s Not…

For most people Christmas ended at 11:59pm on the 25th December. For some it ended the moment all the presents where opened, and the excitement and expectation of Christmas morning had subsided. All was left was the 11 months left until the next Christmas. Of course, Christmas is not longer the time when you receive the one special item you have waited 6 months or more for. We tend to buy what we want during the year and then just get MORE stuff on Christmas.

Even for Christians, Christmas is now over. Yet, we forget that Christmas Day is not the end of the Christmas season but the beginning!! It should be the start of 12 days of feasting and celebration of the incarnation of God!! How many of us are still celebrating and rejoicing on the 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th of December? We are NOW, on the 26th December, entering the joyous, wonderful Christmas season. That is what I like about the Church season; Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter. We get to celebrate, to fast and to feast, to meditate on God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the work of God in the world.

No, Christmas has just begun – let’s get celebrating!!

Christmas Day and Happy Birthday Jesus Church Service!

A member of our church asked if we might do a Christmas Day service at her house this year. We decided to do a Happy Birthday Jesus service. It was an informal time of worship…yes, with a cake!! It was loads of fun. And afterwards, the children played in the yard sliding down the hill on boxes. What a fun day!

A Christmas Day Devotional

The Bible says: “At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come…. the Holy Spirit …..had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace…I have seen your salvation’” (Luke 2:325-34). The story of Simeon teaches us three important truths: (1) No matter how long it takes, if you seek the Lord you find Him. Or better still, He will find you and reveal himself to you. (2) God, not you, chooses the time and the manner in which He will come to you. Simeon didn’t live to see Christ’s amazing three and a half years of ministry, he only saw a new born baby in Mary’s arms. But he saw God, and that was enough for him. (3) even though he was very devout Simeon realized that he was ready to die only when he met the Lord and embraced Him. Some of us don’t want to die until we’ve seen the world; Simeon didn’t want to die until he had seen the redeemer of the world. So the question you must answer is – have you met the Lord? Is He your personal Saviour? Only when you have the right answer, are you ready to die.

A Christmas Eve Homily

In England, the famous and the wealthy would always put important announcements into the London Times, because the right people would read about it. Ironically, you knew you had arrived if your Obituary was in the Times, but then you were unable to enjoy the accolades or status.

I wonder what you would do if you had a very important announcement to make? To whom would you make the announcement? Where would you make the announcement?

The most important announcement that has EVER been made, in the whole history of Humanity, was made in the most glorious way to foreigners and complete strangers and to the most inglorious people possible.
Is it not amazing that the first people to be seeking out the saviour of the world were Persian tourists – strangers – foreigners? They had known that something remarkable was going to happen for quite a while. The journey they took was probably 1000 miles – and probably with a huge camel caravan they traveled, on a good day, 12 miles. Therefore their journey alone may have taken anything from 80-100 days – 2.5 – 3.5 months for them to traveled to Jerusalem. Why undertake such a journey? Who were these wise men?

Of course the Bible does not tell us HOW many wise men there were. We infer three because of the gifts. Also, we often imagine these wise men as magicians, or astrologers, or philosophers. But what if they were actually believers in Yahweh, believers in the God of Israel and what if their presence was a fulfillment of biblical prophecy?

These wise men’s technical name was Magi. And if you remember, Yahweh blessed powerful a man who was the head of the Magi – Daniel. Daniel was a man who received remarkable prophecies about the future coming of Jesus Christ, and when he was made the head of the Magi, under both Babylon and Persian rulers, Dan 2:48 – Then the king elevated Daniel to high position and bestowed on him many marvelous gifts. He granted him authority over the entire province of Babylon and made him the main prefect over all the wise men of Babylon..

There is no doubt that Daniel would have trained many in the understanding of the Messiah and of his coming. He would left the Magi the prophecies which were in Scripture. We know this because the wise men say “We have seen his Star in the East”. Why is this so important – Numbers 24:17 says A Star will come from Jacob and a scepter will arise from Israel. They knew this prophecy.

In the wise men God was showing that Daniel’s prophecies about the Messiah was completely true and he shows this by sending a delegation from Persia. The Wise men knew who Jesus was – they bowed down and WORSHIPPED him.

The second group of people that hear the news of the Saviour’s birth are Shepherds. Shepherds were despised by the religious leaders and by the culture generally. They were seen as dirty, hermit like, and lawbreakers. Because they spent weeks and months in the fields they could not follow the strict rule of the law or attend the festivals and worship at the temple. So despised were they that their testimony was regarded as invalid in a court of law.

God announces the birth of the Saviour of the World to these despised and ignored group of people. Why?

1. This baby was to be the ultimate shepherd – just as the metaphor stands for tending his flock and for leading his sheep, it is also a metaphor that he, just like these shepherds, would one day be regarded as a lawbreaker and be despised and rejected.
2. This baby’s ministry was going to be to the poor and ill, the despised and rejected.

Notice what the Angel says to the shepherds – not that a saviour who is Messiah was born in the city of David – but that a savior who is Messiah the Lord was born FOR YOU in the city of David. It is for YOU that Jesus was born!!

And then, the heavenly host appears praising God. The Heavenly Host NEVER appeared before, or again, in such a way in Scripture. This is a one off. Those Shepherds experienced something no human being had ever experienced or since – the Angels of Heaven excitedly praising God because the time had come for the Saviour of the world to be born.

The first to know and to acknowledge and to worship Jesus were foreigners and the despised.

As we celebrate Jesus’ birth let us remember that who we are in the world’s eyes, what we are in the world’s eyes is irrelevant. Both the foreign wise men and the shepherds had no status in Israel, or in the eyes of the religious people – but in God’s eyes they were important – so important as to be in the very center of the proclamation of Jesus’ coming!

They sought out Jesus and they worshipped Him.

Christ Has Come. He has come for US. He has come for you and he has come for me. No matter what is in your past. What you have done in the present. No matter what you think your future looks like – It is for you Jesus was born. Come to Him. Give yourself to Him this Christmas.

Christmas Eve at Christ the Saviour Anglican Church

Being a church plant and meeting in a School, we have only one Christmas Eve service. We had a GREAT time – wonderful worship, lots of fun and fellowship. Here are some pics of the Pageant rehearsal before the service. Sorry about the smudge on the camera lens!!

A Comfortable Christian?

My mentor often quotes Bill Bright – The curse of the Christian is the comfortable (this is my paraphrase!). It is astounding to me that ministers think they deserve ‘things’ as if it is a right – such as a Christmas bonus, or more commonly a raise. It often made me sick to the stomach to hear colleagues complain that they have not had a raise in salary. And I even had one person tell me not to take a ministry job because I was not paid enough!! Francis Chan nails it when he says:

God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn’t come through.

Two books which impacted me in 2011 were Crazy Love by Chan and Radical by David Platt. I regularly re-read these books or least sections to remind myself of their perspective and their view of God from the scriptures.

American pastors need to shake themselves free of the curse of the comfortable – to stop seeing good salaries, good benefits, nice houses, good pensions, generous bonuses as an entitlement. To get to that point means you are really ineffective for the gospel because you will not go wherever God sends you – you will go wherever it is comfortable.

I am Having Lunch With A Parishioner Tomorrow…

…and in trying to find his office address i came across his bio. I knew he was a kinda journalist, but……

….Pete Winn joined CNSNews.com in October of 2007 as a staff writer/investigative reporter. For nearly 20 years, he has reported on key legal, cultural, political, scientific and religious topics at the national level for online, magazine, radio/TV and print publications. His work has been quoted by, or appeared in, The Washington Times, ABC News, AP, UPI, MSNBC and The New York Times, as well as in local newspapers and on radio stations around the country.

Prior to joining CNSNews.com, Pete was the associate editor and co-creator of CitizenLink, a daily public-policy and government-issues e-newsletter/Web site produced by the Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family. For seven years, he served as head writer and substitute host for Family News in Focus, an internationally syndicated radio news-and-issues program heard on more than 1,400 stations in the U.S. and Canada.

With experience as a radio news director in both commercial and public radio, Pete is a former voting member of the Radio-Television News Directors Association of America (RTNDA). He also served as an editor for Politico: a Journal of Contemporary Concerns. He holds a B.A. degree in Politics & Government and Philosophy from Ripon College, Ripon, Wis.

A Gracious and Compassionate God: Mission, Salvation and Spirituality in the Book of Jonah by Daniel Timmer

Daniel Timmer’s contribution to the New Studies In biblical Theology is a worthy addition. His exploration of Jonah is as thorough as one will find. While this is NOT a commentary on Jonah (i.e. verse by verse) it out does most of the commentaries out there. This is a wonderful example of Biblical Theology, with Timmer exploring topics such as mission, spirituality, conversion and of course the place of Christ in Jonah. Timmer skillfully ties this book into the wider corpus of sin, judgment, the day of the Lord and the gospel. Oh how narrow and shallow is our sunday school treatment of Jonah.

Highly Recommended.

1 Corinthians 2:10-14 – “….explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.”

One of the things which I have always felt was lacking in many Vestry/Leadership/Eldership Meetings was an element of prayer and devotions. Of course such meetings begin with prayer, but in my experience it is usually a prayer which takes barely 2, 3 mins to say. I have always thought that such meetings should begin with a period of prayer – waiting upon God and then a time of spiritual teaching / devotional to focus those present into a mindset that we gather to do God’s work, not our own. Such a time allows the past day, it’s pressures and worries, to melt into the background, as well as to allow for a mindset change. We must not bring the board room, or the business world into a spiritual meeting, and there has to be time to allow for that change.

When I arrived at my new fellowship as Pastor I was delighted to find that each vestry meeting began with a devotional – done wonderfully by the Senior Warden. Last night at vestry I talked about how, if we want to be doing the work of God and being led by the Spirit, we needed to be spiritual people – and that meant being people of prayer and the word of God. In that vain I gave each member of the Vestry a Journal, with a Bible reading Plan and an outline of Spiritual Journaling. I took this idea from Wayne Cordeiro, who developed the Life Journal. I am using a different reading plan than the life journal and so I simply bought some blank journals and inserted the reading plan, along with directions and a sample journal entry. I did encourage the Vestry to follow the Wayne Corediro’s SOAP method – Scripture – Observation – Application – Prayer. Now, this is not meant to be law, only a guide. It can be adapted and used as each vestry member wishes. The point is that we start seeking God and his spirit as individuals, as a leadership and as a church. And then we will know God guiding us very powerfully in what we do.

4th Advent – Luke 1:26-38

I like the word YES. I like to say YES and I like it when people say YES to things I want to do and buy.

My children love it when I say YES.

We all love the word YES don’t we. It is such a positive word.

This is the last Sunday of Advent. Our preparation, our waiting is nearly over. We will soon celebrate the coming of God as a human being into our world – the incarnation!!

In this season of Advent and Christmas we are celebrating God’s YES to us.

God’s YES that he would leave heaven and become a human being – God’s YES that he would provide a way out of sin for us – God’s YES that he would reconcile himself to us.

Christ’s coming into the world – God becoming a human being – God’s YES to humanity shook the foundations of creation. The Creator stepped into his creation. Philippians says that Jesus took the form of a slave, the likeness of men. This is what is meant when the New Testament talks of the great Mystery which has now been revealed – the coming of God as a human being. Christ’s coming also sent shock waves through the spiritual realm. Why does Jesus encounter so much demonic activity. Of the 61 references to demons, demon or evil spirits in the New Testament, 52 occur in the gospels. Jesus’ presence stirred up the spiritual realm. Finally, Christ’s coming impacted irreversibly the lives of those who encountered Him in the first century as it has done for all who have encountered Him since.

To believe in and to encounter the incarnation of God has consequences. It requires something from us. God’s YES to us requires a response from us. It requires us to say YES to God.

Saying YES to God is more than believing in God. I don’t know if you have ever noticed this with regards to Abraham. Abraham is credited righteousness for what? Not for believing IN God – but for BELIVING GOD. Abraham believed God.
You see, trusting / believing God is not just about accepting that God exists; or that we will go to heaven; or that he will give us good things, or that he will bless us. Ultimately, trusting / believing God is to say YES to God – YES you can do with me as you please. Yes, I utterly accept your word ad promises and will live as though they are true.

It is to place ourselves, to entrust ourselves, into the hands of God.

And to do that – to say Yes back to God – may rock the boat of our lives.

Of course, many would prefer to have a quiet life. The problem is that a quiet life and saying YES to God are not compatible! If our YES to God really means “please would you just keep the status quo” then we will soon end up very disappointed, even angry at God because God is not passive with us when we say YES to him. When we say YES to God he begins to work his purposes in us. Our yes to God means we have given him permission to act. So he begins to work his purpose for our lives. He begins to put us into situations and give us opportunities to grow and fulfill the purpose he has for us.

In our Gospel reading this morning Mary emphatically said YES to God.

How remarkable that Gabriel who stands in the presence of God comes to this insignificant place called Nazareth. Don’t let this pass you by too quickly. The God of the Universe had seen Mary, this insignificant, poor woman and had included her into his plan to reveal His purposes. Don’t ever think you are too insignificant for God to use you powerfully!!

God chose not to come into a home of wealth, or privilege but to be born as the majority of humanity is born – into poverty. Notice the Angel’s opening line, “Hail, O Favoured One, the Lord is with you.” The word here for favour is Kharetoo – which means to honor with blessing. Later the Angel says “Do not be afraid, for you have found favour with God” – and the word favour there is slightly different, Kharece, which means the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace. The point is that 1. Mary is about to be honored with a blessing and 2. That blessing is going to require Mary to be governed by divine power.

The Angel’s declaration to Mary was that her life was about to be forever changed. And not in an easy way – in fact far from it.

Mary was almost certainly a teenager – anywhere between 14 and 16 years of age – betrothed to Joseph. Now in the Jewish custom, betrothal was more than what we would consider engagement. When Bethrothed the couple would be regarded and known as husband and wife and in some cases were known to live together until the Wedding feast. But the normal practice was that they would have lived apart until the wedding feast. Only divorce or death could terminate this betrothal.

If Mary and Joseph had been, as expected, living apart until the wedding feast, for Mary to tell Joseph that she was pregnant would have meant only one thing to Joseph – that she had cheated on him.

The shame associated with a woman cheats outside of wedlock was, in those days, huge. The law demanded death – Deut 22:23-24 “If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor’s wife; so you shall purge the evil from the midst of you.

By Mary’s day, stoning would have been improbable. But that this was a scandal of huge proportions we know from Matthew 1:19. Joseph had no desire to make this public. His plan was to divorce her – send her away quietly. The public shame for Mary & her family would have been terrible. Joseph was a man who followed the law of God and he could not associate himself with such a violation of the law. To have married Mary would have brought the scandal into the public eye, because she would soon show her pregnancy, and everyone would have known that Joseph could not have been the father because they had been living apart. It would have also said two things about Joseph 1. He knew Mary had broken the law and had been unfaithful to Him, 2. He would accept the illegitimate child as his own, both of which would have been condemned by the religious leaders of Nazarath.

By saying YES to God, Mary’s reputation (and Joseph’s) would probably forever be in ruins. Her life would be tarnished within her community and she was likely known as the woman who got pregnant by another man before her marriage. Let’s be honest – what would YOUR reaction have been if Mary’s family had been YOUR neighbor, and Mary’s mother told you that it was OK that Mary was pregnant because it was God’s will!

No wonder the Angel said to her “Do not be afraid.”

The accumulation of centuries of prophecy was about to be fulfilled – in this respect Mary was Blessed. Jewish women longed to be the mother of the Messiah – it was their dream. But God also knew that Mary was able to endure what was to come – this was a hard road for her to travel.

Did Mary understand the ramifications of her decision to say to the Angel Gaberiel “May it be to me as you have said.”? I think she did. To know that you were about to become pregnant in her culture while not yet living with the man she had been betrothed to had massive implications.

As Advent, and our time of waiting comes to an end and we prepare to celebrate God’s coming – his Incarnation, are we ready, are able to say YES to God today? YES we believe You Lord – We believe every word – every promise – every command and we will live in that belief? Are we willing to say YES to God and all that goes with it – to accept that such a decision may not just change some things in our life, but that it may radically change the whole course of our life? The world may not understand some of the things we may do, or that God may ask us to do. Maybe our reputations may take a hit, or God may ask us to give something up, or to be involved with something that we thought we would never be involved with? Or to go on mission instead of having a vacation. Maybe some may be asked to give up their lives for the gospel.

This is what the incarnation – the coming of Christ – requires us to do.

Mary’s YES forever changed the whole direction and content of her life.

Of course when we say YES to God we know that our lives are in the hands of the eternal Creator of ALL things. Maybe the Angels words to her “The Lord is With you” and “You have found favor with God” made Mary aware of the closeness of the presence of God. For despite all the difficulties that Mary was to endure by saying YES to God, in that YES comes a promise from HIM that HE will be with us – HE will uphold us, to carry us, to strengthen us in the difficulties we face and ultimately carry us through death into eternity.

That is Paul’s final words to the Church in Rome, Now to him who is able to strengthen you & according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith. When we say yes to God – it is God who strengthens us to do the things he calls us to do and it is God working in us that brings about the obedience of faith – that is living OUT our faith.

When Mary said yes, as she entrusted herself to God – as we entrust ourselves to God and say yes, we are saying, it’s not by our strength but God’s, it not our effort, but God in us that will take us through, and will accomplish all that he desires for us.

Can we say this morning with Mary “YES Let it be to me according to your word.”

I pray that we would – and that in the weeks and months ahead we would be transformed into his likeness.

The Need For A Mentor…

Moving States can be tough. My family and I moved to a different State in September as I took the Pastorship of a church. We left behind friends, which made us sad. A number of months before we moved I started attending the Bible Study of one of the Pastors who I served with on the Ministerial Association. Both his Bible Studies, and his preaching (which I listened to online) quite simply fed, restored, encouraged and blessed me on a very deep level. He is one of the best preachers I have heard and one of the most spirit filled pastors I know. When we knew that we would be moving I asked if his church would be our ‘sending’ church, and if he could be a mentor / spiritual advisor for me. He accepted. The books he has recommended to me have been wonderful and the encouragement he has given me has been spot on. We all need a mentor – no matter what stage of life we are at or how experienced we may feel we are. I thank God for this man and his wife and his church. They spoke wisdom into our lives when we needed it. And they lifted us up when we needed it. And they spoke truth into our lives when we needed it.

As we start a new ministry / calling here in our new church, things are going well. Some of the ideas, thoughts, practices and teachings which I was not able to implement in my previous church are just fitting so well here. I am once again enjoying ministry and excited at the leading of the Spirit. All of which is by no small measure the result of the ministry of this pastor who has encouraged me. PRAISE GOD!!!

Advent – Isaiah 64:1-9a; 1 Cor 1:1-9; Mark 13:24-37

Complacency is a dangerous thing.

The dictionary defines Complacency as a feeling of uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements 0r self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies

Being complacent means we stop being self aware – or generally aware. We stop looking. We stop learning. We stop being prepared.

One writer has said: Complacency is a blight that saps energy, dulls attitudes, and causes a drain on the brain. The first symptom is satisfaction with things as they are. The second is rejection of things as they might be. “Good enough” becomes today’s watchword and tomorrow’s standard.

Complacency happens when we lose sight of why we are waiting and what we are waiting fir.

How are we at waiting? Having to wait for ’things’ is not popular today. If a web page is 3 seconds to slow to turn we get itchy!!

Most people today consider waiting a waste of time or just an inconvenience. It can be frustrating to wait. Our culture today says “get going” “do something” “move onto the next thing.”

Yet Scripture is full of waiting – waiting for God to act, to speak, to move.

Today we begin a season in the church, Advent, which is all about waiting. Firstly we prepare to celebrate the end of the waiting of Israel for the Messiah. They had waited centuries and centuries for Him – and now he is coming. Secondly we focus on and mediate on the waiting we are going through for Jesus’ second coming and end of our age.

As Christians we are not to be complacent. We simply can’t. And this means we must know why and for what we are waiting.

And the area where Christian’s have become complacent the most is the end times. How many Christians could truthfully say they awoke this morning excited because today many be the day of the second coming.

Are we really ready to receive the arrival of the Lord of Glory who comes to judge the world, knowing our hearts and who will expose and lay bare publicly all that is in us! Are we ready for that? Are we ready in our hearts and minds for Jesus to come this afternoon?

In our reading from Isaiah, this prophet called and anointed by God, is ready for God to come and act. But he knows the score. He knows the reality of the situation. Isaiah acknowledges that all have sinned – that none of us are clean. That none of us is worthy. And yet despite this he longs for God to come and act powerfully because he knows that despite sin God is merciful. Notice v4 From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear no eye has seen a God besides thee who works for those who wait for HIM!!

God will protect, bless and do great things for those who WAIT for him. God will come in power for those who WAIT for him.

So, what doe sit mean for us to WAIT.

HOW are we to wait for God.

We too often see waiting as something which is passive—not doing anything; sitting still. But that is not what waiting is like in the Bible. Waiting is seen as an active thing.

One writer has said that “Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life.”

Notice that. Biblical waiting requires PATIENCE & EXPECTATION. Are we patiently waiting with expectation for Jesus to come back!
Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given. – G. Campbell Morgan
As Christians we should be experts at waiting actively—having patience as we await what would be the most incredible event in the history of the world—the day Jesus steps back into this world!

And while we can never predict when Jesus will return – Jesus has said that there will be signs – signs that confirm that it is coming and should enable us to continue to actively wait. In Mark 13, Jesus interweaves prophecy about the end of Jerusalem with prophecy about the end of time. Prophecy often has two fulfiments – a historical one and an end time one. Jesus warns the people about the terrible fall of Jerusalem – those listening would experience it. And what they experience – the suddenness, the destructiveness, the fear that the world is ending is a taste of what will happen in the day of Jesus’ return. But Jesus says that just as you can tell summer is coming because of the tender leaves on the fig tree, So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near… What are these things? Well, that is told in v4-23: false messiahs come; nation will rise again nation; earthquakes; famines; persecution of Christians; brother will deliver brother; children will rise against parents; the desolating sacrilege set up in the temple.
The point is not ‘when’ does this relate to. Every age has such things. The point is that we as Believers, in every generation, are not discouraged or become complacent in our waiting because what we see is what Jesus said would happen.

We are IN the last days now. The resurrection of Christ and his Ascension has happened. We are in the midst of the great commission to call the world to believe in Jesus. And we are 2000 years closer to that day when the Lord Jesus returns.

We are on the approach to those final days. It may be 10 years, twenty years, 200 years in the future, or it could be this afternoon.

Regardless of how much more we are to wait, whether or not it will be in our lifetime, we are told to be prepared, to be awake and alert, and to hold our nerve in the approach to the end times.

As Christians we are to be a people who UNDERSTAND what to expect, as the last days grow nearer.

So how exactly should we wait?

2 Peter 3 says this: But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, 27 the heavens will disappear 28 with a horrific noise, 29 and the celestial bodies 30 will melt away 31 in a blaze, 32 and the earth and every deed done on it 33 will be laid bare. 34 3:11 Since all these things are to melt away 35 in this manner, 36 what sort of people must we 37 be, conducting our lives in holiness and godliness, 38 3:12 while waiting for and hastening 39 the coming of the day of God?

We must be alert, active and praying. We must be growing in our faith and in our walk with God. Conducting our lives in holiness and godliness. All in the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is Paul’s point in our epistle reading. If v1-9 were all we had of 1 Cor we would think the church in Corinth was thriving. How could paul possibly be talking about this Church, especially in light of what he is about to say in the letter. But what Paul does here is to state the spiritual reality of the Corinthians, not where they were at that specific point. Although they were not walking IN IT at the time, and had many issues, the fact of the matter was they had given their lives to Christ – confessed him as Lord and Saviour and that was spiritual reality. And so, even though they had problems, paul encourages them in this truth to show them what real and true in the Spiritual realm. And the reality for the Church in Corinth was:

1. They had received God’s grace that is in Christ
2. They have been enriched in Christ, in speech and knowledge
3. They do not lack any spiritual gift as they wait Christ’s return
4. Christ will strengthen them until the end
5. They will appear blameless before Jesus
6. God is faithful

All of which is true for us individually, and as a Church as we await the coming of Christ.

So in order for us to wait actively – to be praying, alert, growing in faith and holiness we need to know that we HAVE God’s grace; that we are enriched in Christ; we have all the spiritual gifts we need to help us in our waiting; and that Christ has promised to keep strengthening us until the end.

So, actively waiting is to be a people who are continuing to grow in our relationship with Jesus; a people who are maturing in our faith & prayer life; trusting in God for our needs, and expectant each day that maybe this is the day!!

But just as important as being prepared ourselves, there is another aspect to our waiting.

We must be announcing this rescue to all people.

Surely we must be expending energy warning people of what is to come. We know the rescuer. Surely we MUST be telling people to trust in Jesus.

If we are truly aware of what is to come then that should spur within us a passion to bring as many people into the Kingdom of God as we can. We should be walking the decks of the sinking ship screaming for people to get into the life boats!

We know that not all people will accept the gospel – the road to destruction is wide and many follow it, Jesus says, but the road to eternal life is narrow and few find it. This tells us clearly that not all will accept the gospel. We must understand this.

We know what is coming.

And as we look around, our hearts should break at those who are oblivious of what is coming.

So, as we enter into this season of Advent – meditating on preparing ourselves for the Messiah’s coming, Let us not be complacent about the coming of the end of the age. Let us be active – let us be signs, mouthpieces, living examples of the gospel – that Jesus is calling all people to turn to him – to flee from the judgment to come, and run into Christ, where we will spend eternity.

Bishop Mark Lawrence NOT Guilty of Abandonment Of The Episcopal Church

Virtueonline writes of the Disciplinary Boards decision not to proceed with the charges against Bishop Lawrence of South Carolina.

I have not written about the situation in South Carolina during the investigation, but I was always convinced that these charges could NEVER have resulted in Bishop Lawrence’s removal. This was the National Church’s attempt to test the waters. However, they have accepted, what they have almost certainly realized all along, that to remove a sitting bishop who has (1) always said he wants to remain the Episcopal Church, even though disagreeing with the direction of the church and (2) has NEVER even hinted at any possible alternative to TEC, to be impossible without causing incredible damage to TEC.

When asked by fellow Clergy in the Diocese I now serve over the past few weeks about the situation in South Carolina I always said that there was NO chance Bishop Lawrence could be removed under these charges. That has been borne out.

Thanksgiving Sermon: Deuteronomy 8:1-3, 6-10 & Matthew 6:25-33

Our Church Plant meets in a school and so we can’t meet on Thanksgiving Day. hence our Thanksgiving Service was this morning…

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What do we remember? Why do we remember something?

Now, this will seem obvious, and it is, but there are two categories of remembrance. We tend to remember the very good times, or the very bad times. We remember the memorable – whether good or bad. We remember birthdays, anniversaries, family holidays, great events, difficult events, sad events, tragic events and those who pass away.

What is almost certain is that we tend not to remember the mundane. Do you remember what you were doing 5 days ago at 1:45pm? We do not remember much of our past week, month or year. That is because not every moment of our life becomes a memory. The word remember comes from a latin word which means to call to mind, or to re-mindful. To remember is to re-member – put pack together memories of the past. Some events of our lives are simply moments in time, we do not make a memory of every time we sit down to eat at the dinning room table. However, if one time we sat down at the dining table and the chair broke and we fell down, then a memory is formed and at some point in the future you, or more likely someone who saw this happen, will put that memory back together to remember that event.

So, we remember the memorable.

We, God’s people must cultivate the art of remembering.

We see this in our reading from Deuteronomy this morning. The key to Israel’s success is to remember. The key to the success of God’s people is the ability to remember.

Notice our reading. Israel is being prepared to enter the promised land. They have been in the desert for 40 years, miraculously preserved and they are now receiving teaching about how to live. The passage says; And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.

The word for remember here means to make a memorial.

The amazing point that Deuteronomy makes is that how the Israelies remember, or make a memorial about what God HAS done for them, will show God whether they will keep his commandments in the future.

The Israelites are told that success for them in the promised land revolves around HOW THEY REMEMBER THE PAST. Because, if they have remembered the past; if they have remembered the power and majesty of God; if they have remembered the sovereignty of God which brought them out from slavery from the greatest and most powerful nation on earth at that time – the Egyptians, if they remember that then they will obey the commands of God and they will trust God for the future.

For Israel to prosper in the Promised Land requires them to remember the works and words of the Lord.

If, however, they forget these events; if they have not cultivated the art of remembrance then they will not be obedient to the Lord and they will not trust God for the future. And if they should forget the Lord and his works, well, the consequences are distasterous; And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other god’s and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you this day that you shall surely perish.

Which, unfortunately, is exactly what happened. Judges 2:10, speaking of the time after Joshua, Moses successor’s death, says: Moreover, that whole generation was gathered to their ancestors, and another generation grew up after them, who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.

Remembering is the key to Israel’s future – And it’s the key to our future.

It’s the same with us today as believers in Jesus Christ.

Jesus says in the gospel reading Do not be anxious about life. Notice that it’s not a suggestion. It’s a command. He does not say there will be times you might be anxious. He says DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT LIFE. Period. So, stop being anxious. Now. Jesus commands it.

Have you been anxious today? Yesterday? This week? This month?

We have disobeyed the living God.

What makes us anxious? What drives our anxiety? The main engine of anxiety is fear. Fear of the future; fear of people; fear of an event; fear of the uncertain; fear of failure; fear of shame; fear of losing; fear of death.

But Jesus says; Do not be anxious; do not fear the future; do not fear people; do not fear any event; do not fear the uncertain; do not fear shame; do not fear failure; do not fear losing and do not fear death.

How. How are we not to fear these things. How can we not fear when fear can overwhelm us like a wave in the sea. Can we control our fear? How do we do this?

We must begin by remembering.

We begin by remembering the works of God in humanity and the words of God TO humanity. We begin by remembering the ministry and life of Jesus Christ – his death and resurrection – his acsension into heaven – his promise to return. We begin by remembering the promises of God.

We begin by remembering.

How is our memory this morning? How well do we remember? How accurate is our memory?

We must cultivate the art of remembering as Christians – as followers of Jesus Christ. And remembering the RIGHT thing.

Memories can do us good and they can do us harm. Some people can be enslaved in the their past. What happened to them years ago shapes their future, making them depressed.. And for some, the good events from the past shapes their future – they are optimistic and happy.

You see we cannot force ourselves to stop being anxious. Just as someone cannot force themselves to stop being depressed. The beginning of how to stop being anxious starts with changing how we think, and what we remember.

Listen to Romans 8:5: For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

We need to cultivate the art of remembering THE RIGHT THING! And we begin this process through thanksgiving.

We should begin each day with praise and thanksgiving knowing that Jesus Christ died on the cross to rescue us from the dominion of sin and to take the punishment that you and I justly and rightly deserved.

This is where our thanksgiving must begin – God’s grace has been poured out upon us – thank you Lord God!

And such thanksgiving should mean we start to become happy people. Are we grateful? Are we glad each day?

If we start to do this then we will begin to grasp and understand how it is that God can say “Do not be anxious about your life.” We will begin to realize that our God is powerful – he is truly the creator and sustainer, upholder and supreme Lord and King of the entire universe. He is the one who has defeated the devil and that the final victory will soon happen. He is the one who loves and has demonstrated this love for us beyond any doubt whatsoever.

Romans 8:1-4 says: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

The question should not be “Are we anxious about anything” but HOW COULD WE EVER POSSIBLY BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING when we remember our God.

This is the point of James chapter 1. How can we be joyful in times of trial? because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; 4 and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

How do we stop our faith and minds being tossed about like a wave in the sea – by knowing – by remembering – by acknowledging God’s truth and his promises. V12 says: Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

We must understand that in Christ our personal pasts have been dealt with. They are now in Christ. Whatever guilt, shame, dismay, pain, hurt, anger, disappointment, fear or tragedy that has happened to you is now covered by the blood of Christ – it has been forgiven and it is over with. To be in Christ is to know that OUR past can never hold us or enslave us again. As Christian’ we must not be remembering our past anymore, but we remember HIS past and that we are now in HIM.

If we are not beginning and living each day remembering what Jesus has done for us – remembering the promises of God – asking the Holy Spirit to walk with us in that remembrance then we will not live as we should live – in the hope of the future to come. The hope of the future is rooted in the remembrance of God, his word and his actions in human history.

Praise and glory, and wisdom and thanksgiving, and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”

Corporal Punishment in the Bible: A Redemptive-Movement Hermeneutic for Troubling Texts by William Webb

This is probably one of the most fascinating books I have read in a while. The topic of corporal punishment is a big one with both the pro & anti smacking lobby’s pretty much entrenched in their positions. Webb seemingly takes on the pro smacking group in a very aggressive way at the beginning of the book. His argument is that while the ‘two-smack’ on the buttocks proponents are trying to uphold discipline without abusing the child, their claim that their position is biblical is false. Webb spends the first chapter showing that the biblical position of corporal punishment bears NO resemblance to the ‘two-smack’ on the buttocks approach. In fact, to hold a biblical position would require far more violence with no age restriction, striking on the back and sides with the intention of marking.

For a brief moment you actually think Webb may endorse such an approach. But he does not. His point is that he AGREES with the two-smack proponents, but that they should not claim that they follow scripture. On the contrary, to hold the biblical position is to NOT do what the scriptures literally say!! Webb’s approach is called the redemptive movement approach. He argues that to understand scripture you need to know it’s historical & cultural context. In other words, when you realize the uncontrolled violence which was allowed and often practiced then the biblical directives become redemptive as they seek to place boundaries in a culture without boundaries. Webb writes: “The forty lashes of Deut 25:1-3 must be understood against it’s ancient social context, which included beatings of up to 200 lashes or strokes, open wounds, bodily mutilations and other forms of torture.” So the two-smack proponents are, in Webb’s opinion RIGHT not in a literal, biblical way, but in a redemptive movement way, showing grace and more restraint / and kindness in their discipline methods.

This is a fascinating argument and well worth wrestling with. I really like Webb’s other work, Slaves, Women and Homosexuals which uses this approach. Webb is easy to read with a compelling argument.

Highly recommended.

12 Things A Leader Simply Cannot Do..

…And it is sad when leaders DO some or all of these things – as I have all too often seen.

This is from the Christian Post, Perry Noble.

#5 – You Cannot Fall In Love With The Way Things Are (if you do then the word “change” will become a bad word!)

#6 – You Cannot Compromise Your Integrity–EVER!

#7 – You Cannot Believe That You Always Have The Best Ideas And The People You Are Working With Would Not Be Able To Function Without You.

#8 – You Cannot Hold Back From Speaking The Truth In Love Because It May Hurt Someone’s Feelings.

#9 – You Cannot Stop Learning, Growing & Developing.

#12 – You Cannot Lead Through Manipulation & Intimidation And Expect To Have Long Term Impact And Significance

Isaiah 5:1-7; Phil 3:14-21; Matt 21:33-43 – Part 2

If we belong to the Lord then who we are, what we are, what we own, what we do all belongs to God.

And when we try and take any of that back for ourselves, when we try and live as if we own it; or that it is our accomplishment; then we have crossed a boundary and we will struggle.

James 1:17 says Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

As Christians every blessing we have comes from the Lord; every gift, every ability, every insight comes from him.

God is not against success and wealth. Of course not. But to whom should we attribute our success and wealth to and how should we use our success and wealth?

When we begin to live as if it is all about us, that we are ones who have made it happen, that we are in control, then we have crossed a boundary; we have missed the mark – which is to sin. The greek word sin means to miss the mark – it’s an archery term – miss the target is to sin. And we know that when we miss the mark we will enter conflict because God, who loves us so incomprehensibly, will try and correct that in us.

Jesus knew that as he told his parable, the religious leaders would think of Isaiah 5:1-7. And I believe Jesus wanted the religious leaders to consider the care in which God makes the vineyard. He wants them to realize that God provided everything that is needed. He planted it all. All the religious leaders had to do was cultivate it and reap the harvest. God had given Israel all that it needed.

And in the same way we need to realize that in his love and care for us God has given us all that we need to live this life.

And so when the vineyard produces wild or sour grapes – when the boundary is crossed then God will come and remove the walls in our lives, not to destroy us but to draw us back to him.

Remember – God never disciplines us for the sake of discipline – but always so that we will be lead back into the safe place – to return to with the boundary of his protection, love and guidance.

That is exactly what Jesus was doing with the religious leaders. He was giving them a warning. He was telling them that they were in danger and they needed to change. They had departed from the goal and they needed to re-focus on the goal.

And there are times when we all need to be reminded to re-focus back on the goal – to re-position our lives to the right direction.

Paul reminds us of that goal – he reminds us that the prize is Jesus Christ. Oh, what a prize!

In Phil 3:10 Paul actually defines exactly what the goal is:

My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.

Paul knew he was not perfect. He knew he had not reached the full goal yet, but his focus was always on Christ.

If everything we are and everything we have comes from God, from Christ, then we must live our lives focused upon him. He must become our goal. And when we do this we enter Christ’s boundary.

When we believed in Christ – when we declared him to be our Lord and savior, we asked him to be BOTH LORD and Savior. He not only rescues us – he becomes Lord of our life.

And he has given us the incredible promises of the Bible – we have become citizens in heaven. Our destiny is secured in Jesus. As the Gospel of John tells us – Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us; and he will come back to take us there. He has promised never to forsake us or leave us. He has promised to uphold us in times of trouble. He has sealed us in his holy spirit.

And as we live within the boundary of the Lord, when we know that everything is the Lord’s we will become a fruitful vineyard. The fruit of the Spirit in our lives does not come from what we DO – but from what Christ has done and is doing IN US. The fruit is the Lord’s work in us manifesting itself outward.

Israel was meant to be a blessing to the nations – and today the Church is also meant to be a blessing to the nations, the nations where there are so many who are in need of Jesus.

But when we cross physical and spiritual boundaries we become just like the tenants in the parable. Taking what is not ours.

And to take ones life, a life given by God, made in the image of God, to worship God, to take ones life and to try and live life outside the boundary God has established means we begin to lose sight of the goal and the prize and it will lead to conflict, strife, lack of peace and spiritual tension in our lives.

In and through the cross God has given all we need to live our life in Him. The stone the builder rejected – Christ Crucified – has become the chief cornerstone – Christ resurrected, everything rests on Him.

Jesus did all the work. He accomplished everything for us so that we can be right with God – not through our own effort, but by simply being IN Christ. Christ is our rock, our fortress, our strong tower, our boundary. When we remain in him, we have all we need – provided by God for us.

Let us be known as a people whose goal, whose prize is Christ Jesus. He is our Lord and our Savior. We recognize that all we have and all that we are is because of Jesus – because of his blessing on us; because of his incomprehensible love for us. Let our goal not change. Let our prize not change.

That is God’s heart of each of us – that is his desire for us. So when we do cross the boundary and the Lord disciplines us (remember Hebrews – only those who are sons and daughters are disciplined) and we return to God – we enter again the boundaries of the Lord and focus again on our goal – our prize – Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 5:1-7; Phil 3:14-21; Matt 21:33-43 – Part 1

Boundaries help to keep us in a safe or acceptable place. Boundaries show us where the limits are and boundaries serve warnings of where not to go.

We all know that there are boundaries in life that if we crossed, would lead to consequences, not just for ourselves but for others. And sometimes the consequences can be terrible or life threatening. Boundaries can often be the reigns pulling us back from something we know we really shouldn’t be doing, even though we want to do it.

Nearly all of the time, when we cross a boundary, we are taking something that does not belong to us. For example,  we know that if we steal we are taking something which did not belong to us. When we break a state or federal law, we are taking something, or doing something that does not belong to us.

Crossing such boundaries, taking what does not belong to us, causes conflict.

We know this.

Which is why the parable in Matt 21:33-43 is so striking and powerful. Here we have tenants, who have leased a vineyard.

Now the parable tells us something about the owner. He had done ALL the work for the tenants. He planted the vineyard, so all the tenants have to do is to ‘tend’ and cultivate it. He has given them protection by building the wall around it, and has provided a watchtower for them, to see danger coming. He has given them the means of harvesting the crop with a winepress. All is provided. All they need is there for them. It’s fully furnished. The tenants lacked nothing.

And even the rent is reasonable – the owner is to simply have a portion of the harvest. That’s all. The tenants keep everything else for themselves.

And so when the owner’s servants come in the owners authority to collect the rent, to collect the portion, the tenants cross a boundary.

They decide to take what is not theirs and keep it for themselves.

They want to keep everything, including the vineyard for themselves and they are prepared to take it by force.

So they abuse and kill the servants. The owner sends more servants and they also are attacked and killed. And so he decided to send his son. His only son.

Now by this point the listeners are probably stunned and shocked. Surely this landowner, whose rights have been rudely and violently trampled on, would not give these criminals – which is what they now are – another chance? And surely he would never send his son to such people – his only son. That would be irresponsible.

Of course Jesus is telling a parable – he using the shocking imagery of the story to teach the listeners something.

The first, and most obvious, thing Jesus is teaching relates to the religious leaders, who are the ones listening to this parable.

The context of this start in Matt 21:23, when Jesus enters the Temple and the chief priests and elders ask him a question. They say ‘By what authority are you doing these things.” Who gave you this authority? Jesus in response asks a question – where did John the Baptists authority come from – man or God. The chief priests and elders knew the significance of the question and so they do not answer and Jesus says he too will not answer their question. But he does give two parables. We read the first last week – the two sons, who says I will go work in the field and does not; and the other son says no, but does go.

Then he gives this parable of the vineyard owner. Jesus’ point to the religious leaders is that they have crossed a boundary.

They have started to consider what is God’s to be there’s. They ran the temple and regarded it as their domain. They decided who was in with God and who was not. They judged what was holy and what was not. They had rejected the prophets, including John the Baptist (the servant sent by the owner) and now they are rejecting the Son sent by the father.

They had taken authority and a position that was never theirs to take. Everything belonged to God – Israel belonged to God – the temple was God’s – the religious ceremonies was God’s – the sacrifices was God’s – the temple offerings was God’s. It all belongs to God. And the religious leaders claimed these things for themselves. And they had rejected the true and real authority that was sent by God himself.

The second meaning of the parable is this: it contrasts the destructiveness of sin, which is utterly unreasonable, alongside God’s love, which is utterly incomprehensible.

We would have dealt with the Tenant’s when the first servants were attacked. We would not have shown mercy but we would have exercised the fullest retribution at our disposal. Not so with God. He did not wipe humanity off the face of the earth when they sinned. He did not wipe Israel off the map when they rebelled.

God’s love is utterly incomprehensible.

Now, while I am sure no one has done what these tenants did, I would suggest that we have at times crossed a similar boundary.

We know as Christians that the Lord owns everything. A cattle on a thousand hills is his (Ps 50:10); the nations are his – everything is his. Deut 10 says The heavens, indeed the highest heavens, belong to the LORD your God, as does the earth and everything in it.

Everything is his.

That includes you and I. Psalm 24 The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the LORD;

And Romans 14 says If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

(to be continued tomorrow)

Owner-Leaders – Bad For The Church

Owner – leaders overestimate their worth, thinking that the people’s spirituality and the Church’s future depends upon them for survival. When this happens, such leaders work to protect their assets and their rules. They believe they are ones solely responsible for vision and to plan strategically. They grasp anxiously at a future that they believe they must make happen. It becomes THEIR vision, THEIR strategic plan. The leader, or leaders own it and they enter a anxious pursuit of it’s achievement.

The problem is that once you believe that you are the owner and therefore the guardian of your position and reputation you will be ensnared in an endless pursuit  of trying to prove yourselves to be right, seeking your vindication and righting every wrong that challenges your position.

And when that happens – a leader is in serious trouble, and the church they lead is in serious trouble.

What Is Answered Prayer?

To have our prayers answered, we must keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking, for this is the continuing action of the Greek verb in Matthew 7:7, 8 and also of Luke 11:5-13, the story of the man who wanted bread at midnight, and kept asking until he got it. Don’t give up. Don’t get discouraged, keep asking. Why? The only reason I know is that prayer changes me because I am in His presence, and then I either begin to change my requests, or I become able to cope with my circumstances which may or may not change. Ros Rinker

Why Pray Together – 3

Because His great heart of love longs and yearns to give us all that we need, whether that need is spiritual, mental, emotional, physical or material. I believe He gives us all He can give, without our direct asking; but when we are consciously in His presence He softens our hearts and our minds, and we find ourselves being changed and enabled to receive. When we pray together we become bold and honest, and ask for things we never intended asking for at all. Ros Rinker