The link for the sermon in the post below did not appear correctly.
Freedom From Idolatry, Take Two:
www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/viewcat.php?cid=124
Saturday 19 May 2007
Idols of the new generation
Recently, I listened to a sermon "Freedom from idolatry" (parts 1&2) by an American evangelist named John Bevere. Here is the link:
http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/viewcat.php?cid=124
I would STRONGLY recommend all Christians to read it. It is in two sections of around 35 mins each, but it's absolute gold. I have rarely been so convicted, rebuked and refreshed by a sermon before!
Bear in mind, when I listened to the first 10 mins or so, I was tempted to switch off; he has that cheesy American preacher style. He says "Amen, haaaa-lelluia!" at the end of approx 50% of his sentences. And he says a few things about Catholicism at the start which some may find annoying or misguided.
However, once he hits his stride, all that goes out of the window, and he focuses solely on preaching God's word; proceeding to illustrate exactly what it means in today's age to worship idols. Frankly, it was my intention to write about it here, but for all my eloquence in writing, I think I would not do his critically important and urgent message justice, so please just make the time to listen! This one sermon could fundamentally change your Christian life, and your perception of a lot of things!
So, that saves me (and you, my longsuffering and possibly non-existent readers) a long blog!
Always remember that Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to help us. On our own strength alone, we cannot hope to live up to God's requirements; we cannot hope to truly love God with ALL our hearts, ALL our minds and ALL our strength.
But this is where the Holy Spirit comes into the equation, and the new life we have in Christ; a supernatural life, where we are assisted by the aforementioned divine agents in the task of doing what the Lord requires of us, in a lifelong journey towards the ultimate goal of growing into the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Even just writing those words stirs something in my heart. I feel hugely encouraged and uplifted. We are not in this alone. We have the maker of the heavens and the Earth backing us up, and our own spiritual family at church! So, as Paul urged, let us encourage one another. Let us grow and abound in knowledge, in love and in faith. Amen.
http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/viewcat.php?cid=124
I would STRONGLY recommend all Christians to read it. It is in two sections of around 35 mins each, but it's absolute gold. I have rarely been so convicted, rebuked and refreshed by a sermon before!
Bear in mind, when I listened to the first 10 mins or so, I was tempted to switch off; he has that cheesy American preacher style. He says "Amen, haaaa-lelluia!" at the end of approx 50% of his sentences. And he says a few things about Catholicism at the start which some may find annoying or misguided.
However, once he hits his stride, all that goes out of the window, and he focuses solely on preaching God's word; proceeding to illustrate exactly what it means in today's age to worship idols. Frankly, it was my intention to write about it here, but for all my eloquence in writing, I think I would not do his critically important and urgent message justice, so please just make the time to listen! This one sermon could fundamentally change your Christian life, and your perception of a lot of things!
So, that saves me (and you, my longsuffering and possibly non-existent readers) a long blog!
Always remember that Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to help us. On our own strength alone, we cannot hope to live up to God's requirements; we cannot hope to truly love God with ALL our hearts, ALL our minds and ALL our strength.
But this is where the Holy Spirit comes into the equation, and the new life we have in Christ; a supernatural life, where we are assisted by the aforementioned divine agents in the task of doing what the Lord requires of us, in a lifelong journey towards the ultimate goal of growing into the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Even just writing those words stirs something in my heart. I feel hugely encouraged and uplifted. We are not in this alone. We have the maker of the heavens and the Earth backing us up, and our own spiritual family at church! So, as Paul urged, let us encourage one another. Let us grow and abound in knowledge, in love and in faith. Amen.
Monday 7 May 2007
The Rejoicing of Angels
I was in the city centre a couple of weeks ago, and in a large city square, I saw a group of people with a big sound system, performing live rap music and singing. The rappers were freestyling (for those of my readers who are not 'down with the kids' that means rapping with no preplanned lyrics). And they were funny, inventive and verbally dexterous rappers, with great flow (the hallmark of any talented rapper).
But they were not rapping about guns, drugs n hoes etc, but about rather about Jesus Christ and how their life had been transformed since they accepted Him.
A crowd of about 50 people had gathered, and the head rapper then began to preach. His sermon was relatively simple.
I didn't think his words or preaching were particularly persuasive, nor containing much that might sway a non-believer; I remember feeling that his arguments in favour of Christianity could have been said in a far more convincing or effective way. Nevertheless, as he built up to asking if anyone would be willing to accept Christ, I began praying that the Holy Spirit would speak through him, and soften the hearts of those listening, that God's grace would be abundant in this unlikely place.
And to my amazement, as he asked people to raise their hands "if they wanted to confess their sins and accept Christ as their saviour", people started putting up their hands. Even despite being in full view of the public, and some with their friends looking at them in amazement, people put up their hands, and even came forward, and bowed their heads to say the sinners prayer!
Tears sprang into my eyes, as I saw the most beautiful sight in the world; sinners accepting Christ through God's love and grace. 25 people out of about 50 accepted Christ! These people were predominantly black wannabe gangster types, with hoods pulled over baseball caps, bling aplenty and tears in their eyes.
Also there were chavs, a middle class lady with a shopping bag and a group of trendy looking friends in their early 20's. God's grace was poured out abundantly there for all to see.
What I learned that day, was that I was placing too much reliance in my mind on persuasive arguments and powerful speaking (although of course I accepted the Holy Spirit would be necessary even so). With a heart of faith and simple everyday words, God used this man to lead 25 people to accept Christ that day.
So, the most powerful thing I learnt that day, was to humble myself. Stop subconsciously putting limits on God's power and relying on human ability. God's strength is perfected in our weakness. What God wants is a humble, faithful and obedient heart.
And in trusting God instead of relying on ourselves, not only can we give God the opportunity to truly use us for His glory, but also, we can stop being held back or intimidated by our own perceived shortcomings and learn to rely on the Lord, whose power is more than sufficient for whatever He requires of us!
But they were not rapping about guns, drugs n hoes etc, but about rather about Jesus Christ and how their life had been transformed since they accepted Him.
A crowd of about 50 people had gathered, and the head rapper then began to preach. His sermon was relatively simple.
I didn't think his words or preaching were particularly persuasive, nor containing much that might sway a non-believer; I remember feeling that his arguments in favour of Christianity could have been said in a far more convincing or effective way. Nevertheless, as he built up to asking if anyone would be willing to accept Christ, I began praying that the Holy Spirit would speak through him, and soften the hearts of those listening, that God's grace would be abundant in this unlikely place.
And to my amazement, as he asked people to raise their hands "if they wanted to confess their sins and accept Christ as their saviour", people started putting up their hands. Even despite being in full view of the public, and some with their friends looking at them in amazement, people put up their hands, and even came forward, and bowed their heads to say the sinners prayer!
Tears sprang into my eyes, as I saw the most beautiful sight in the world; sinners accepting Christ through God's love and grace. 25 people out of about 50 accepted Christ! These people were predominantly black wannabe gangster types, with hoods pulled over baseball caps, bling aplenty and tears in their eyes.
Also there were chavs, a middle class lady with a shopping bag and a group of trendy looking friends in their early 20's. God's grace was poured out abundantly there for all to see.
What I learned that day, was that I was placing too much reliance in my mind on persuasive arguments and powerful speaking (although of course I accepted the Holy Spirit would be necessary even so). With a heart of faith and simple everyday words, God used this man to lead 25 people to accept Christ that day.
So, the most powerful thing I learnt that day, was to humble myself. Stop subconsciously putting limits on God's power and relying on human ability. God's strength is perfected in our weakness. What God wants is a humble, faithful and obedient heart.
And in trusting God instead of relying on ourselves, not only can we give God the opportunity to truly use us for His glory, but also, we can stop being held back or intimidated by our own perceived shortcomings and learn to rely on the Lord, whose power is more than sufficient for whatever He requires of us!
Monday 23 April 2007
Shadows under the sun
It's late, and I'm extremely tired.
It's about 5 years since one of my best friends died of cancer, aged 27.
She was married to another one of my best friends. The pain has passed, but a small scar of residual sadness is etched into my soul. This happens in life; there are some things you can never completely forget..
But what it makes me aware of is how much we take for granted.
There are people in my church life, some close friends, some mere acquaintances, but all of whom have variously been a huge source of inspiration, encouragement, motivation and love.
Most of them will leave my life sooner or later, generally from relocation. I hope before this happens that I can let them know how much they have impacted my life and that I am a better person, and more passionate about living for Christ and growing deep in the Word because of them.
So, I am reminded to thank God, for his blessings and great provenance in providing me with such people in my life. I suspect many of these people would never have realised that they had done so much for me just by the way they live their lives, and may even be reading this now, assuming that I am talking about someone else. I hope to let them all know individually in the coming weeks.
For now, I just feel suddenly aware of all the things that the members of my church family, past and present, have given me, and how much they have inspired me, and I really thank God that in His wisdom and love, He led me here to this church, to this family.
I pray that He will mould me into a man of God who can serve Him and his church so faithfully one day. God bless you all.
It's about 5 years since one of my best friends died of cancer, aged 27.
She was married to another one of my best friends. The pain has passed, but a small scar of residual sadness is etched into my soul. This happens in life; there are some things you can never completely forget..
But what it makes me aware of is how much we take for granted.
There are people in my church life, some close friends, some mere acquaintances, but all of whom have variously been a huge source of inspiration, encouragement, motivation and love.
Most of them will leave my life sooner or later, generally from relocation. I hope before this happens that I can let them know how much they have impacted my life and that I am a better person, and more passionate about living for Christ and growing deep in the Word because of them.
So, I am reminded to thank God, for his blessings and great provenance in providing me with such people in my life. I suspect many of these people would never have realised that they had done so much for me just by the way they live their lives, and may even be reading this now, assuming that I am talking about someone else. I hope to let them all know individually in the coming weeks.
For now, I just feel suddenly aware of all the things that the members of my church family, past and present, have given me, and how much they have inspired me, and I really thank God that in His wisdom and love, He led me here to this church, to this family.
I pray that He will mould me into a man of God who can serve Him and his church so faithfully one day. God bless you all.
Sunday 22 April 2007
When I survey the wondrous cross...
Hello again to my faithful reader(s?) :P
Today was a great day at church, except that going there directly from a not insubstantial lunch at a certain Chinese restaurant (which cannot be named here for legal reasons, ho ho) made me more inclined to doze off contentedly than stay alert to receive the teaching. Luckily, the worship was great today (as ever!) and the preaching better yet.
You will be delighted to hear I am trying to practise what I preach by making efforts to chat (beyond small talk!) to at least one new person each time I attend church (and more if possible) and build better fellowship with those around me, as well as continuing to try and encourage those newer Christians wherever the opportunity arises. Pray that God will strengthen me to continue; that His grace will be sufficient for me.
This evening, I have been reading from the book of Isaiah, which I absolutely love. Back before I started reading it properly, I had glanced at it a few times, and noted the following things:
1) It consists of 66 chapters. Yes, that was not a misprint; 66! :-O
and
2) It seemed that each one of those chapters followed a standard format:
"Woe to (insert hard-to-pronounce Hebrew place name of choice), who have (insert flagrant sin of choice); for I will rain down (insert punishment/pestilence/plague of choice) upon them (and their goats)".
However, upon further reading and meditation, church leaders and eminent theologians worldwide may breathe a sigh of relief, since I can now report that this book is actually chock-full of some of the most grade A, top-drawer, prime biblical quotes known to to mankind :D
Yes siree, some of the all time great quotes and wisdom are to be found in this book, so if any amongst you have not made the effort to read it, or felt like fleeing for the hills when you saw its size and tone, let now be the time :)
Of course, I hope and trust that most of you reading will already be familiar with this great book and excuse my jocularity on the subject, but I hope this post might encourage those who may have been avoiding part or all of the Old Testament up til now.
Since I do need to sleep at some point within the next week, I will not attempt to discuss the whole book of Isaiah, but rather I will focus on today's stand-out chapter, Isaiah 55 (abridged):
"Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money; come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price!"
I feel like Rolf Harris painting one of his pictures here;
"can you see what it is yet?" :)
Sadly for my weekly shopping bill, but happily for my eternal soul, God here is not talking about free food and drink for all, but rather describing His grace, given freely to us.
He continues, saying:
"Why do you spend money on what is not bread, and your wages on what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good. And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
Incline your ear and come to Me. Hear and your soul shall live; and I shall make an everlasting covenant with you".
God is forever telling us in the bible what He wants from us and what we should do, not to nag or chasten us, but because He knows so well what will ultimately fail to satisfy us and what will truly bring us happiness and growth through Him.
So many times, I've dismissed the Christian ideals of behaviour, choosing to go my own sinful way, only to realise the hard way that it only led me to harm or sadness, or to hurting others inadvertently.
I've had to learn the hard way that God has given us these commands and guidelines in order to protect us from harm, from that which lures us in, like a parent would discipline and warn a small child who was reaching up for the kettle or trying to poke his fingers in the plug socket. It's a remarkable fact that those children will never turn around and thank you for this possibly life saving advice but will generally wail and gnash their teeth (much like people did in biblical times) at the unfairness of it all :p
So when the bible tells us to "flee from idols" (to be continued in a future post, methinks), to "abstain from all sexual immorality" and to forgive one another as Christ has forgiven us, don't underestimate the seriousness and urgency of these commands!
Do bear in mind that it's one thing to intellectually agree that these things are all for our benefit, which is what I would have done in the past, in the same way many motorists would intellectually agree that the national speed limits are designed to protect us, whilst happily assuming that it is OK to break them when it suits them, and railing at their draconic unfairness should they be caught or punished.
It is another thing, when, either through the consequences of our sinning or through God's grace, we truly come to realise how our loving Father is trying to protect us and let us live a life of true freedom.
Luckily, we have His promise of forgiveness through His son Jesus Christ; although again, many Christians will intellectually acknowledge that our sins are forgiven, whilst carrying round a burden of guilt or shame inside them for years, when all they need to do is to repent, confess and be forgiven. But we can get trapped into self-recrimination and feelings of unworthiness.
An often quoted verse of scripture is used to illustrate God's greater wisdom and omniscience:
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts"
This gem comes from (wait for it...) Isaiah 55: 8-9, but if we read the preceding verses 6 and 7:
"Seek the Lord while He may be found, call on Him while He is near.
Let the wicked man forsake his ways, and the unrighteous his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God who will abundantly pardon".
Now, if you put the four verses in the correct order, what we find is that verses 8-9 are in fact testifying to God's amazing grace! When we cannot imagine how something we (or someone else) has done could possibly be forgiven, the Lord points out how HE handles such things.
Finally, in a wonderful precursor to the coming of Jesus, the Word made flesh, and the gift of the Holy Spirit to those who follow Him, it goes on to say in Isaiah 55: 10-11
"For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth and make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater,
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it".
I particularly love the analogy of the Word giving seed to the sower (God's word and the Holy Spirit, to be used by those preaching the gospel), and bread to the eater (the bread of life, the life saving word of God). Sometimes, the mind cannot even begin to fathom the depth and breadth of God's love, His goodness, His mercy and His glorious works of grace.
The plan for us all to be reunited with him, that He had in mind before the creation of the universe, and that reached fruition on a cross 2000 years ago, and is still being played out all over the world today, and in which we, even we, are privileged to play a part, for His glory!
Praise the Lord! We've been been blessed beyond anything that we can comprehend or that we deserve in receiving Christ as our Lord and saviour, but there are billions out there in the world who still don't know Him or know the good news!
At times like this, I feel deeply ashamed of my complacency, and shyness to share the gospel with people. Missionaries can face persecution and dire physical hardship, but what they DO have is that they generally go to a place where nobody knows them, nor has any expectations regarding our behaviour.
But here, when we're at home, how many people have missed out on God's forgiveness and salvation because I was too shy to share the gospel, or too worried about what people would think of me or say about me afterwards? Lord forgive me, and I pray that you will help me to always remember what an amazing, priceless, yet free gift You've given me, and give me a heart that cries out for those who are still trapped in the darkness and still living as slaves!
You alone
Let everything that has breath
praise Your holy name,
You alone are God,
You alone are my Rock and my salvation,
You alone make me complete,
You alone give true purpose to my life,
In You alone will I trust.
You alone are my shield and my strength,
My heart cries out to you O Lord!
You're the reason I can't contain my joy,
You're the reason that I live,
You're the reason my soul sings within me.
Today was a great day at church, except that going there directly from a not insubstantial lunch at a certain Chinese restaurant (which cannot be named here for legal reasons, ho ho) made me more inclined to doze off contentedly than stay alert to receive the teaching. Luckily, the worship was great today (as ever!) and the preaching better yet.
You will be delighted to hear I am trying to practise what I preach by making efforts to chat (beyond small talk!) to at least one new person each time I attend church (and more if possible) and build better fellowship with those around me, as well as continuing to try and encourage those newer Christians wherever the opportunity arises. Pray that God will strengthen me to continue; that His grace will be sufficient for me.
This evening, I have been reading from the book of Isaiah, which I absolutely love. Back before I started reading it properly, I had glanced at it a few times, and noted the following things:
1) It consists of 66 chapters. Yes, that was not a misprint; 66! :-O
and
2) It seemed that each one of those chapters followed a standard format:
"Woe to (insert hard-to-pronounce Hebrew place name of choice), who have (insert flagrant sin of choice); for I will rain down (insert punishment/pestilence/plague of choice) upon them (and their goats)".
However, upon further reading and meditation, church leaders and eminent theologians worldwide may breathe a sigh of relief, since I can now report that this book is actually chock-full of some of the most grade A, top-drawer, prime biblical quotes known to to mankind :D
Yes siree, some of the all time great quotes and wisdom are to be found in this book, so if any amongst you have not made the effort to read it, or felt like fleeing for the hills when you saw its size and tone, let now be the time :)
Of course, I hope and trust that most of you reading will already be familiar with this great book and excuse my jocularity on the subject, but I hope this post might encourage those who may have been avoiding part or all of the Old Testament up til now.
Since I do need to sleep at some point within the next week, I will not attempt to discuss the whole book of Isaiah, but rather I will focus on today's stand-out chapter, Isaiah 55 (abridged):
"Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money; come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price!"
I feel like Rolf Harris painting one of his pictures here;
"can you see what it is yet?" :)
Sadly for my weekly shopping bill, but happily for my eternal soul, God here is not talking about free food and drink for all, but rather describing His grace, given freely to us.
He continues, saying:
"Why do you spend money on what is not bread, and your wages on what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good. And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
Incline your ear and come to Me. Hear and your soul shall live; and I shall make an everlasting covenant with you".
God is forever telling us in the bible what He wants from us and what we should do, not to nag or chasten us, but because He knows so well what will ultimately fail to satisfy us and what will truly bring us happiness and growth through Him.
So many times, I've dismissed the Christian ideals of behaviour, choosing to go my own sinful way, only to realise the hard way that it only led me to harm or sadness, or to hurting others inadvertently.
I've had to learn the hard way that God has given us these commands and guidelines in order to protect us from harm, from that which lures us in, like a parent would discipline and warn a small child who was reaching up for the kettle or trying to poke his fingers in the plug socket. It's a remarkable fact that those children will never turn around and thank you for this possibly life saving advice but will generally wail and gnash their teeth (much like people did in biblical times) at the unfairness of it all :p
So when the bible tells us to "flee from idols" (to be continued in a future post, methinks), to "abstain from all sexual immorality" and to forgive one another as Christ has forgiven us, don't underestimate the seriousness and urgency of these commands!
Do bear in mind that it's one thing to intellectually agree that these things are all for our benefit, which is what I would have done in the past, in the same way many motorists would intellectually agree that the national speed limits are designed to protect us, whilst happily assuming that it is OK to break them when it suits them, and railing at their draconic unfairness should they be caught or punished.
It is another thing, when, either through the consequences of our sinning or through God's grace, we truly come to realise how our loving Father is trying to protect us and let us live a life of true freedom.
Luckily, we have His promise of forgiveness through His son Jesus Christ; although again, many Christians will intellectually acknowledge that our sins are forgiven, whilst carrying round a burden of guilt or shame inside them for years, when all they need to do is to repent, confess and be forgiven. But we can get trapped into self-recrimination and feelings of unworthiness.
An often quoted verse of scripture is used to illustrate God's greater wisdom and omniscience:
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts"
This gem comes from (wait for it...) Isaiah 55: 8-9, but if we read the preceding verses 6 and 7:
"Seek the Lord while He may be found, call on Him while He is near.
Let the wicked man forsake his ways, and the unrighteous his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God who will abundantly pardon".
Now, if you put the four verses in the correct order, what we find is that verses 8-9 are in fact testifying to God's amazing grace! When we cannot imagine how something we (or someone else) has done could possibly be forgiven, the Lord points out how HE handles such things.
Finally, in a wonderful precursor to the coming of Jesus, the Word made flesh, and the gift of the Holy Spirit to those who follow Him, it goes on to say in Isaiah 55: 10-11
"For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth and make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater,
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it".
I particularly love the analogy of the Word giving seed to the sower (God's word and the Holy Spirit, to be used by those preaching the gospel), and bread to the eater (the bread of life, the life saving word of God). Sometimes, the mind cannot even begin to fathom the depth and breadth of God's love, His goodness, His mercy and His glorious works of grace.
The plan for us all to be reunited with him, that He had in mind before the creation of the universe, and that reached fruition on a cross 2000 years ago, and is still being played out all over the world today, and in which we, even we, are privileged to play a part, for His glory!
Praise the Lord! We've been been blessed beyond anything that we can comprehend or that we deserve in receiving Christ as our Lord and saviour, but there are billions out there in the world who still don't know Him or know the good news!
At times like this, I feel deeply ashamed of my complacency, and shyness to share the gospel with people. Missionaries can face persecution and dire physical hardship, but what they DO have is that they generally go to a place where nobody knows them, nor has any expectations regarding our behaviour.
But here, when we're at home, how many people have missed out on God's forgiveness and salvation because I was too shy to share the gospel, or too worried about what people would think of me or say about me afterwards? Lord forgive me, and I pray that you will help me to always remember what an amazing, priceless, yet free gift You've given me, and give me a heart that cries out for those who are still trapped in the darkness and still living as slaves!
You alone
Let everything that has breath
praise Your holy name,
You alone are God,
You alone are my Rock and my salvation,
You alone make me complete,
You alone give true purpose to my life,
In You alone will I trust.
You alone are my shield and my strength,
My heart cries out to you O Lord!
You're the reason I can't contain my joy,
You're the reason that I live,
You're the reason my soul sings within me.
Saturday 21 April 2007
21/04/07
Today, I feel an ache in my heart that I can't drown out with music, food, chocolate, funny films or any other means (I haven't yet tried hitting the crackpipe, but I hear it is mightily efficacious!). (ps: that was humour, in case you are a random reader.. Drugs are bad, kids, mmmkay?).
As you get older, things accumulate. Not just physical things, stored away at the backs of drawers and in dusty boxes, but memories, scars (physical and emotional), and wisdom, usually born of our mistakes.
Sometimes life can be so complicated, and the sad truth is that, much of the time, it is we ourselves who make things so complicated. Today I feel an overwhelming urge to just draw close to God, to lay all my cares and troubles at His feet.. I want to rest in His presence, but I can't depend on being filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, or being on a spiritual high.
But what I CAN depend on is God's word. Sometimes, sadness, loneliness, desperation or hopelessness will strike. Sometimes, when we need Him more than anything else in the world, it seems He is silent, and there is just a blank where that sense of God's presence used to be.
But, we always have His word, full of His promises to us, reassuring us of His covenant with us.
I feel quite ashamed that I have so often just left my bible lying unopened nearby, finding anything to do BUT read God's word. It's a subtle attack, when thing after thing becomes somehow more appealing or absorbing than spending time seeking more after God.
When I think about it, it's easy for us to feel sad or frustrated, feeling that God is distant when we need Him most. But what occurs to me as I write this is; what about how WE make ourselves distant to God?
God has so much to show us, to teach us, to correct us about.. He longs to draw closer to us, to reveal more of His character to us, but what do we do? He has given us His word, like His own personal diary to read, full of details about who He is, what He really wants from us, what makes Him happy, what makes Him sad, all the things He longs to give us and teach us, and the way He intended us to live our lives.
I imagine you could count on one hand the number of Christians in our church old and new, who haven't at some time or other neglected their bible study. It's the great secret we tend to hide, and it seems no-one wants to own up to it, but if this is you, rest assured we all do it at some time or other. Although, as we all know, two wrongs don't make a right :p
So, I confess to whoever is reading, that I am fully guilty of this.
But I set myself a goal this year, to set about equipping myself to do God's work, not waiting on the next church workshop but taking this as both my own responsibility and indeed my duty. And the method is twofold:
1) To draw closer to God through prayer and obedience, growing the inner man.
and
2) To become firmly rooted and established in God's word, in order to grow in knowledge, and to be convicted and enabled through grace to grow correspondingly in living it out.
And I have found my bible study to be essential in all of this. When I hear questions asked by new or non-Christians that I don't know the answer to, I want to get the answer straight from the source. When I feel my understanding of a certain topic is lacking, I know that the answers I need are all in there somewhere. It would help if I had a study bible or concordance, but I don't so I have to find things the hard way.. Guess what my next book purchase is going to be? :p
Friday 20 April 2007
The Lord and The King
Having previously written a blog so EPIC it makes Lord of the Rings look like easy reading, I will set about making this one the very model of conciseness and brevity :)
I have a friend at work, well more of an acquaintance really, but we have always gotten along well. He is the only other guy apart from me who really dresses up for work in my company, where you can just get away with shirt and tie if you want. His shoes shine and he carries a smart leather briefcase. He's a black guy, from a place called St Kitt's Island, of whose existence I was previously unaware :P
He is always smiling and happy, and I bumped into him in the enchanting setting of our company toilets. After exchanging pleasantries, I asked him, "by the way, are you religious at all? I was just wondering..". He seemed surprised that I asked, then said "well, I was raised as a Christian, but I am not one now.. I have many questions".
I had no time to talk further at that point, so I said "that's cool, I've got answers; let's chat sometime soon" :D
Now I just have to find a time (and location) where I can share with him. Pray that I'll be able to answer his questions, and that God can use me to encourage this great guy to accept Christ fully.
His name, believe it or not, is Elvis.
And, by the way, this is where the importance of knowing God's word comes into it; you'd be amazed what fiendishly tough questions the atheist can challenge a Christian with :P Are we prepared to explain what we believe in, in language that anyone can understand?
Do we have answers prepared to the kind of tough questions they may ask us?
Questions of sin, suffering, heaven and hell? Are we living in a bubble of Christianity, or equipping ourselves to do what God has commanded us to do, and reach out to others, preaching the gospel of hope and salvation to them? I'm still learning, but the least I can do is to try to learn 'on the job' :P
I have a friend at work, well more of an acquaintance really, but we have always gotten along well. He is the only other guy apart from me who really dresses up for work in my company, where you can just get away with shirt and tie if you want. His shoes shine and he carries a smart leather briefcase. He's a black guy, from a place called St Kitt's Island, of whose existence I was previously unaware :P
He is always smiling and happy, and I bumped into him in the enchanting setting of our company toilets. After exchanging pleasantries, I asked him, "by the way, are you religious at all? I was just wondering..". He seemed surprised that I asked, then said "well, I was raised as a Christian, but I am not one now.. I have many questions".
I had no time to talk further at that point, so I said "that's cool, I've got answers; let's chat sometime soon" :D
Now I just have to find a time (and location) where I can share with him. Pray that I'll be able to answer his questions, and that God can use me to encourage this great guy to accept Christ fully.
His name, believe it or not, is Elvis.
And, by the way, this is where the importance of knowing God's word comes into it; you'd be amazed what fiendishly tough questions the atheist can challenge a Christian with :P Are we prepared to explain what we believe in, in language that anyone can understand?
Do we have answers prepared to the kind of tough questions they may ask us?
Questions of sin, suffering, heaven and hell? Are we living in a bubble of Christianity, or equipping ourselves to do what God has commanded us to do, and reach out to others, preaching the gospel of hope and salvation to them? I'm still learning, but the least I can do is to try to learn 'on the job' :P
Thursday 19 April 2007
This is a call
Today, I will be discoursing upon a subject that has become very close to my heart lately, namely the issue of Christian fellowship.
I had been passionate about this issue for a long time, believing that this is what God wants and indeed, requires of us! Against her will, I would like to dedicate this entry to Janice, who encouraged me to share this, which is a daunting task with lots of potential pitfalls! :)
So, a few points. When we become a Christian, we become part of the family of God. Becoming a born again Christian can be, over the first few months, a very internal thing.. we are surprised by outpourings of the Holy Spirit, moved from tears to joy, and everything tends to focus on our own experience of becoming a Christian.
And I believe we need to do two things: root ourselves deeper in God’s word, and in our relationship with Jesus Christ, learning to live according to the Spirit, rather than the flesh and how the world tells us we should live. The second is that we need to re-think our whole behaviour as members of this church, myself included.
Then there are people you used to know, but you are now in different cells, and rarely get time to speak, and you have grown further and further apart. Then, there are other people, new and old.. they seem quiet and perhaps withdrawn.. you never really get round to chatting to them, or if you do, it is just the usual small talk. There may be some who actively annoy you (myself perhaps? hehe) or who you just feel you really don’t have anything in common with, or can’t think of anything to say to them.
Do you struggle to do your ‘quiet time’? Do you feel guilty about not doing enough Good Deeds? Well, here’s a newsflash: it all starts here, in the family of God.
When I first came to this church (in fact, to a new year’s eve party), here is what struck me:
1) Everyone seemed to be really friendly to everyone else. No one seemed left out, and everyone seemed to be having a great time
2) They all seemed somehow more genuine and real than I was used to seeing in groups of people of any nationality. When later people shared about their year, the highlights and lowlights, and their hopes and fears for the new year, some cried openly, others were full of joy.
3) Even though I was the only white guy in the room, I felt totally at home within a few minutes and had a feeling of belonging. People were friendly and chatty. I was encouraged to talk deeply about myself, to open up to people, not just to be superficial, or make small talk. I was free to be my true self, if I chose to accept that challenge.
It wasn’t even because of the powerful and passionate worship music.
It was because I found a place where people could be themselves and yet still be loved and not judged. It was because I came to a place where nationality or background didn’t matter. It was because I came and I met a FAMILY, who showed love for each other in their behaviour. So, in the way you treat your fellow church members, especially those you are not close to (yet!), do bear in mind what the newcomers to the church are going to see and experience.
Our church has grown in size since then. And a few people who were deeply passionate about living for God, and leading a Spirit filled life have gone back to their home countries. Whatever the reason, I do feel that those things which first drew me as an outsider to the church are not so strong as they were. This could just be my own perception and not fact. But rest assured, before I start thinking of ‘blaming’ anyone, God has challenged ME:
“What are you going to do about it?”. I can’t change the world, I can’t make other people change, but I CAN change myself. I can choose to try to behave in a new way from now on, and ask the Holy Spirit to give me the strength and courage to do those things which I could not otherwise do on my own.
What can you do about it? Before we can be like Brother Yun or like Tony Anthony, showing fearlessly the love of Christ to murderers, prisoners, and the dregs of society, we need to learn to start with each other.
Let us start making a difference today. If there is someone in your cell group whose hobbies and interests you don’t know, whose prayer needs you don’t know, whose life you know little about, go to them this time. Sit down and talk with them. Better still, invite them out for coffee or dinner. Take along someone you do know well if you are nervous, but focus the conversation on getting to know that person you don’t yet know well enough. Pray for each other. Keep a little note book or a folded up bit of paper and a pencil in your coat pocket, and when someone needs prayer for something, write it down so you actually remember.
Try to reach out to, get to know, someone each week who is NOT in your cell group, or even in your section of the church! And you probably know people who are at different levels of faith to yourself. New Christians, seek out the advice and guidance of those more mature in faith and knowledge than you.
And those mature ones, ACTIVELY approach the newer Christians, and show them your support and encouragement! Offer to meet up with them outside of church when you can both find time, even for a 15min coffee, just to chat about their Christian life, and answer any questions they may have. And don’t just fob them off to Elder Kim or Wee Leon. Yes, they may have greater knowledge and faith, but this is how we ourselves will learn.
If someone asks us a question about baptism or some aspect of what we believe, and we don’t know the answer, we should tell that person we will meet them again later to help them. Then we can go and ask an elder (or whichever more mature Christian WE have fostered a relationship with) or include research on to that topic into our quiet time, and then go back to the person with the answer.
And DO go out of your way to make sure that newer Christians know that it’s absolutely ok to open up to you, and be themselves. To know that they can tell you anything they are struggling with, and that you’ll do whatever you can to help them and support them, and show them that they are not alone! Let guys talk to guys, and girls talk to girls, but most of all, let us actually TALK and support each other!
And what of the youth? As mentioned in NEEC, (something I support and agree with 100%) we, the adult section, should be reaching out to them. We should each try to find ourselves someone from the youth section, and just help them in any way we can; with homework, with prayer, with guidance and advice. Remember though, trust and respect have to be earned. If you just walk up and say “I want you to tell me all about who you really are, and let me help to guide you into becoming a mature Christian” you can imagine what the response will be.. :P
But, can’t we invite them for dinners? Take them out in small groups for coffee? Just do some completely random things to bless them, like making cakes for them, serving them, treating them to cinema tickets, just to let them know that we DO know they exist, and we DO value them and support them as an important part of our church?!
Anyone who reads this, feel free to nag me to do any or all of the above! If I could do it all by myself or on my own strength, I surely would have done so by now. This type of new commitment and action involves us working TOGETHER.
But, don’t fool yourself.. if we just try to do this on our own strength, we will likely start well, then backslide again later, or even never get around to trying!
But God has told us that He will give us the strength through the Holy Spirit to do what he requires of us, especially when we may struggle otherwise.
But, rather than praying and waiting for a miracle, let us step out in faith, starting today, and pray that God will help us, as we seek to obey His commands to us and honour Him in the way we treat His people!
Can you imagine how amazing our church could be? Where the Youth and Adult sections know each other well and treat one another with respect and kindness. Where we can laugh and joke together, and learn from each other and grow together?
Where we in our own section can start dropping the masks we wear, and being honest with each other, without fear of blame or embarrassment? Where no-one is left feeling left-out or lonely, where people aren’t saying "everything’s great" while inside they are struggling alone with confusion, depression, despair or even facing loss of faith?
Isaiah 61: 1 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring the good news to the poor, He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to bring liberty to those who are captive, and to free those who are imprisoned”
As disciples of Jesus, we are commanded to do as He did.
And are there people amongst us who are suffering from a broken heart? Whether from a failed relationship or feelings of hurt or betrayal by friends or family?
And the captives? I don’t believe he just meant actual prisoners! Are there people among us who are struggling with lust, pornography, pressure from their families to be successful, fear of failure, loneliness, shyness, guilt, shame, feelings of inadequacy or unworthiness? Wondering about relationships?
All of these things are burdens, weighing us down, and sucking the joy out of our lives and preventing us from enjoying fully a relationship with God. And for those who don’t yet have the faith or relationship with Jesus to just come to Him and be set free, we are the ambassadors of Christ, His living representatives to the world and he has placed those people within His family.
So, let us start being real with each other. If you are struggling with any of those things, find someone you feel you could trust, and talk to them about it in confidence. Let them pray for you, advise you, guide you. You're part of the family of Christ now, and you don't have to struggle alone anymore! And if you have struggled with any of those things in the past, and have been set free or found practical or spiritual ways to cope, don’t keep that God-glorifying experience to yourself!
Many of us will have read books which helped us enormously in our previous struggles with certain issues. Don’t just let the book gather dust on your shelf; share it and help someone else to see what freedom in Christ means!
A journey will start with a single step. Let’s step out in faith together. Feel free to contact me (ask my friends if you don’t know my details) to discuss ideas or organise something or just to get to know each other more as members of the same family! :)
Wednesday 18 April 2007
Hello World (that's a geek joke, lol)
My very first foray into the wonderful world of blogging. I now exist as a cyber entity, free to dispense, wit, wisdom, weirdness and wonder to those unfortunate enough to stumble upon my incoherent ramblings. I've been thinking about doing this for about 2 years, and finally I feel it is time. Let joy be unconfined :P
Soooo... I suppose I should start with some kind of mission statement. One of my favourite Christian songs goes "Jesus, You alone shall be my first love.. the secret place and highest praise shall be yours... to Your throne I'll bring devotion, may it be the sweetest sound; Lord this heart is reaching for you now.. So I set my sights upon You; I've set my life upon Your praise; never looking to another way.. Jesus, you will be my passion, You alone will be my song, You will find me longing after You". I love this song, because it sums up everything I hope and dream my life will be as a Christian. I am a man of many passions, which you will doubtless hear about as I blog more, but mere words cannot express my passion for Jesus. When I think about God's amazing grace, and the power of the Lord, mighty to save, I can't contain my joy and awe. I just want to follow Him faithfully all of my days. Sadly, the devil, the world and my own mind and body generally have different ideas :P
Soooo... I suppose I should start with some kind of mission statement. One of my favourite Christian songs goes "Jesus, You alone shall be my first love.. the secret place and highest praise shall be yours... to Your throne I'll bring devotion, may it be the sweetest sound; Lord this heart is reaching for you now.. So I set my sights upon You; I've set my life upon Your praise; never looking to another way.. Jesus, you will be my passion, You alone will be my song, You will find me longing after You". I love this song, because it sums up everything I hope and dream my life will be as a Christian. I am a man of many passions, which you will doubtless hear about as I blog more, but mere words cannot express my passion for Jesus. When I think about God's amazing grace, and the power of the Lord, mighty to save, I can't contain my joy and awe. I just want to follow Him faithfully all of my days. Sadly, the devil, the world and my own mind and body generally have different ideas :P
So it is important to recognise that we can and will fall and fail. Hence the need to die to ourselves and the world on a daily basis. Every day is a battlefield, where we choose which side we’re going to be fighting on, and at the end of every day, we can come before the Father, through faith in Christ Jesus, and:
Lay our burdens before Him, confess our sins to Him, ask for His forgiveness and restoration and be renewed.
Lest I risk sounding like some kind of zealous Alpha-Christian, mighty in the Spirit etc, let me share a thought I had recently:
As I thought about the times when we sing those worship songs in church, when we talk about the victorious Christian life, when I talk about walking according to the Spirit, I reminded myself:
With what should I come before the Lord?
Should I raise my unclean hands in praise?
Should I confess He is Lord, with a mouth full of all deceit?
Invite Him into an impure heart
And meditate upon Him through a mind fogged with sin?
Should I declare Him Lord, while I put money and titles first?
Should I invite Him onto the throne of my life,
Then let everything else in my life force Him out?
The Lord on the outside, looking in;
At the life I promised would be His alone from now?
Lord, forgive me that I treat the salvation you have given me with disregard. Truly, I cannot come before you save through the gift of Your grace. Forgive me Father that every day, I let other things push You out of my mind, fail to carry out Your commands and neglect Your church. Yet only say the word, and I shall be healed. Amen.
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