Narrow Gate

2011-01-13T08:31:00.001+10:30

Keeping Fluids and Electrolytes in Balance

Some ideas on fluid and electrolyte intake

It's no surprise that fluid/electrolyte balance is critical to performance for endurance athletes. After all, water is your #1 ingredient, and every cell and tissue in your body bathes in it. The fluid that circulates throughout your body also includes dissolved minerals known as electrolytes. These electrolytes help properly regulate the fluid levels inside and between cells, and they're absolutely vital to the proper functioning of your cells and tissues, including muscle tissue.

Dehydration

Ironically, as an athlete, your fluid/electrolyte balance is challenged on an everyday basis. During exercise, your muscles generate loads of internal heat that can quickly build up and become toxic if not promptly released. Fortunately, your body cools itself by sweating. But in the process, you lose the very fluids and electrolytes, especially sodium, that are essential to keeping you properly hydrated and cooled. Your body can stand to lose a certain amount of sweat without your performance being affected, but, at some point, that loss of fluid and sodium takes a toll. The dehydration that can result forces your heart to work harder to keep up, raises your core body temperature, and makes the exercise you’re doing feel more difficult. As a result, your athletic performance falls off dramatically. If allowed to progress, dehydration can also have very serious health consequences.

Overhydration
If dehydration is at one end of the spectrum, overhydration is at the other end. The consequences, both athletically and healthwise, are on a par with dehydration. Overhydration during exercise is caused by drinking more fluid than your body is losing due to sweat. Too much fluid causes the electrolyte concentration in the body to become overly diluted. Here again, sodium is a major player. If the sodium concentration in the blood becomes too diluted, a condition known as hyponatremia, or low blood sodium, develops. As with dehydration, in the early stages of overhydration, athletic performance is hampered. If allowed to progress, there can be very serious health consequences.

The hydration zone
The key to avoiding both dehydration and overhydration is to stay in your hydration zone. Your hydration zone is that level of hydration that enables you to perform at your best. The high end of your hydration zone is your usual pre-exercise body weight. In other words, you never want to consume so much fluid during exercise that you actually end up gaining weight. The threshold for fluid loss beyond which performance is measurably hampered is 2 percent of your body weight. For example, if you typically weigh 150 lbs (68 kg), 2 percent of your body weight is 3 lbs (1.4 kg). So, your hydration zone would be a high of 150 lbs (68 kg) and a low of 147 lbs (66.6 kg). If you stay within that weight range during exercise, chances are good that you won’t suffer a fluid/electrolyte imbalance that would otherwise undermine your performance or health.

Having established the importance of the hydration zone and how to calculate it, the next hurdle is staying in that zone when training and competing. That can be challenging because your sense of thirst during exercising is a very poor gauge of your fluid needs. It’s well established that when athletes rely on thirst alone during endurance exercise, they fall far short of meeting fluid needs, and dehydration is common. Instead, what’s required is a hydration plan.

Tips for Developing Your Hydration Plan

Start hydrated. If you go into workouts fully hydrated, you’ll be able to train harder and realize better gains. The same goes for endurance competitions — you’ll be better able to sustain your race pace and achieve that personal best. Make up for any previously incurred fluid deficits by consuming 14 to 20 fl oz (400 to 600 ml) of water or sports drink two to three hours before a competition or training session. Keep hydrating as needed prior to a workout or as you’re warming up before a competition, especially if conditions are hot or humid.

Check your hydration status before exercise. You can monitor your hydration status before exercise by checking the color of your urine. A light-yellow color is consistent with adequate hydration. If your urine is darker, more like the color of apple juice, that’s typically a sign that more fluids are needed before you start exercising.

Know what to hydrate with. Water is usually fine for short workouts or events (e.g., less than an hour) in mild weather. However, for intense workouts, long competitions, and anytime you’re exercising in the heat and humidity, a sports drink that provides carbohydrates, fluids, and sodium, such as Ironman Perform sports drink, is a much better option than plain water. The advantages are many: First, a sports drink provides carbohydrates to help sustain your blood glucose level during exercise. Second, athletes typically consume more fluids when their hydration beverage is flavored, as is the case with a sports drink. Third, the sodium and carbs in a sports drink cause the fluid in the beverage to be absorbed more quickly. The sodium also helps maintain your drive to continue drinking fluids during exercise, which is crucial to meeting your fluid needs. Finally, the sodium also helps you retain the fluid that you’ve consumed. Another option for rehydrating and refueling, especially in longer training sessions or events, is to consume an energy gel and chase it with water. Make sure to select an energy gel that provides sodium along with carbohydrates, such as PowerBar Energy Gel. These gels are designed to be consumed every 20 to 45 minutes during exercise, and they provide the sodium and carbohydrate similar to that of a sports drink.

Know how much to drink. As distance, temperature, or humidity increases, the need for fluids increases as well. To stay hydrated in these circumstances, you’ll need to consume fluids at a rate that keeps pace with your sweat rate so that you don’t end up outside of your hydration zone. This generally requires about 13 to 26 fl oz (400 to 800 ml) every hour of exercise. It’s generally preferable to consume smaller amounts of fluid more frequently, such as 3 to 7 fl oz (100–200 ml) about every 15 minutes. But keep in mind that fluid needs can vary considerably based on factors such as body size, pace, and weather conditions. Therefore, you may want to calculate your actual sweat rate for the various conditions in which you train and compete. Calculating your sweat rate is really quite simple. For a step-by-step guide, use the PowerBar Sweat Rate Calculator at PowerBar.com.

Rehydrate during recovery. Get into the habit of weighing yourself before and after exercise. The difference in your weight is how much fluid you lost. Replace this fluid after exercise by gradually drinking 23 fl oz (690 ml) of a sports drink, recovery beverage, or water for every lb (1,500 ml per kg) of weight lost. Consume sodium sources along with your fluids, as rehydration will be more effective when sodium is included with the fluid and food you consume as you recover. If you find that your net loss of fluids consistently exceeds 2 percent of your body weight, try to bump up your fluid intake a bit during exercise. If you find that you actually gain weight during a workout or competition, cut back a bit on your rate of fluid intake during exercise.

By focusing on your fluid/electrolyte balance before, during, and after exercise, you can hydrate more effectively and remain within your hydration zone. And that translates to better workouts, stronger performances, and faster recovery.

References:
American College of Sports Medicine, Sawka MN, Burke LM, Eichner ER, Maughan RJ, Montain SJ, Stachenfeld NS. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Exercise and Fluid Replacement. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007; 39: 377–390.

Murray B. Fluid, Electrolytes, and Exercise. In: Sports Nutrition: A Practice Manual for Professionals. 4th ed. Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutritionists Dietetic Practice Group. Dunford M, ed. American Dietetic Association. 2006: 94–115.

2011-01-05T14:55:00.003+10:30

Something? Someone?

2010-11-07T06:52:00.004+10:30

The secular, Australian, and internationally respected philosopher Peter Singer suggests that personhood is determined by the existence of rationality, autonomy and self-consciousness (Singer, 1995). If a human does not have these characteristics then Singer declares they are not fit to be called 'human' and hence our treatment of them becomes morally less significant. For example, a person with an intellectual disability or similar may become more a 'something' rather than a 'someone'.

In opposition to Singer's view is Christian philosopher Robert Spaemann. He argues that 'our biological membership of the human race' is the only thing that determines if we are persons, if we are humans or not (Spaemann 2006, 247). Spaemann's view is that we - as fellow human persons - do not determine if a human is a something or a someone, as in the case of Singer. He says, 'we never consciously 'make' persons; rather we recognize persons' (2006, 181-2, 241). This idea of recognition expresses a posture of reception to all other human beings as persons, be they intellectually disabled, male, female, adult, child, local, foreign, black, white, healthy or sick.

Theologically, human personhood is derived not from human achievement but the personal living God - three persons, one God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Three holy persons who live in perfect, eternal, loving and unified relationship with one another. From God's love flows the grace of creation, the grace of reconciliation and grace of completion. From God's love flows His grace in creation to beings he creates in his own image (Gen 1.26-27). God relates to humans, calling us in to loving relationships with Him and with our fellow image bearers - one another. Being human is a gift. We receive the personhood that he honors us with, we don't decide to be persons (I know I didn't!). We reflect God's image in mutual love relationships with one another.

Theologian John Calvin maintains this concept of being imago Dei in the objective sense. Summarized as 'God's gracious beholding of man as a child', or being known by God, which incorporates our belonging to God, our being deeply loved and valued by God, chosen by God to be his child. Spaemann's understanding of recognition enables us to see that our knowing each other and ourselves as persons falls under the umbrella of God first knowing us as persons. For God remains the creator and determiner thus of persons, we receive this as a gift and respond with thankfulness and praise.

The one most truly known by God was ultimately excluded, alienated and scorned by humans who did not recognize him as God the Son, 'manifested in flesh' (1 Tim 3.16). In Jesus' love for humanity demonstrated most clearly in his sin-bearing death on the Cross and glorious resurrection from the dead, Jesus not only affirms the good in creation, but he demonstrates and teaches us the right way to respond to those we recognize as fellow image bearers. As we know Jesus' love to us and to those chosen to be in Him, we are enfolded in how our love is to be towards one another.

Singer, P. 1995. Rethinking Life & Death: The Collapse of Our Traditional Ethic. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Spaemann, R. 2006. Persons: The Difference Between 'Someone' and 'Something'. Trans. Oliver O'Donovan. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Thinking out loud ....

2010-10-30T18:07:00.004+10:30

"I'm never as good as I'd like to be,

but Jesus is always better than I think he is."

What the church is for ...

2010-10-25T17:14:00.005+10:30

"The people of God, in Christ Jesus who are sanctified by the Holy Spirit, gather together for the opportunity to express, discharge and exercise the benefits of their God-given gift for the mutual upbuilding and edification of Christ's own people and the glory of the Living God, as they together await the parousia of Jesus (or should he tarry) and the ushering-in of the new creation."

I invite your thoughts, reflections, ....

Great design ... that's all!

2010-10-25T07:36:00.000+10:30

The Priority of Urgent Word Ministry ...

2010-10-22T07:47:00.008+10:30

"Aware of our own tendency to be ashamed of the gospel and so silent, relaxing in God's grace, we prayerfully seek to maximise gospel words (amongst all those other words) in the gospel-shaped context of love and redemptive ordering of life in process, as we are moved towards the new creation."

Euthanasia ... eroding care of the weak and vulnerable?

2010-10-08T07:01:00.008+10:30

Author: Dr. Andrew Cameron

October 8, 2010, SMH

Australians are overwhelmingly in favour of euthanasia. Who can resist the will of the people? So goes the pro-death argument for this sweeping social change.

A much quoted 2009 survey, commissioned by the pro-euthanasia group Dying with Dignity, reports 85 per cent support for the practice. As is always the case, support is more muted among the over-65s: the prospect of death, it turns out, does concentrate the mind.

Even so, the survey elicited more than 80 per cent support among each age bracket of its 1201 respondents.

Try answering that while you are cooking the dinner or bathing the kids. The question is wildly emotive (''hopelessly'', ''unrelievable suffering'', ''absolutely no chance'').

We hate the thought of death and pain, and in the moment, most of us would simply respond out of shock and without much thought. The question leverages our preference to politely say ''yes'' instead of ''no''.

Its assumptions are also completely contestable. Illness does not have to be ''hopeless'', and suffering is often very relievable. Where euthanasia is legal, more ask for it due to loneliness than pain, or so as not to burden another. The survey therefore distracts us from other options.

It does not ask, ''Would you change your mind if the lonely had companions, and the fearful someone to listen?'' Nor does it ask, ''What would enable people to accept care without shame?'' Nor does it ask, ''Would you like to see more funding for pain management research and practice?''

We are seeing a deliberate blurring of the lines at the very time society needs clarity on such a serious and far-reaching measure. The deliberate killing of a person in euthanasia must be distinguished from the withdrawal of treatment, and from management of symptoms at the end of life.

I write as a Christian. Before we hare off on the usual mantra that I am ''imposing my values'' - as if those who support euthanasia are not - here is a case where the Bible's prohibition of killing innocent humans is a no-brainer, even if we agree about little else. For this prohibition generates a community that upholds and cares for others at their weakest and most vulnerable. The prohibition against deliberate killing of innocent human life is what impels us to research and practise good palliative care.

It enables trust within patient-carer and patient-relative relationships. It frees the ill person from constantly having to interrogate the hidden motives of those around them, and allows them to accept their care without shame. It says to all of us that, burden or not, we can stop being productive, and allow others to help us.

Without this prohibition, we will see a creeping expansion of candidates for euthanasia. By the time voluntary euthanasia was legalised in the Netherlands in 2002 you didn't have to be terminally ill to qualify: ''mental torment'' sufficed. Those in that country who support euthanasia now argue that elderly people should have the option if they are simply ''tired of life''.

At the other end of life, a Dutch hospital published the Groningen Protocol in 2005 for euthanising newborns - nothing ''voluntary'' there.

This creeping expansion simply corrodes a society's will to fund care and cures for the poor, the elderly, the depressed, the disabled and the otherwise vulnerable.

There are far more pressing matters for our limited political will and energy, if only we could get to them, such as indigenous health.

Meanwhile, we are saddled with the prospect of a subversion of healthcare that deserves no place on any government's agenda.

If Greens politicians believe voluntary euthanasia is the public policy priority of first importance for the new Parliament, so be it. But this total about-face on a central principle of healthcare deserves an election mandate; or at very least, some appropriately convened committee of parliamentary inquiry. A phone call and a badly worded question over dinner does not quite cut it.

Dr Andrew Cameron is chairman of the Social Issues Executive for the Anglican Diocese of Sydney.

Crash!!!!!

2010-10-01T17:12:00.001+09:30

Out training recently ... slipped on left-hand, sharp bend at 7okm/h ... smashed my left clavicle into 5 bits!

Repaired with a titanium plate and 8 screws.

Thinking more about the Church ...

2010-09-21T13:00:00.002+09:30

I heard this quote recently ... what do you think ...

'The [Evangelical] church is more interested today with relevance rather that purity'.

An ordinary pastor, no ordinary book

2010-09-13T07:44:00.003+09:30

Normally, biographies are written about unusually gifted men. Edwards. Whitefield. Spurgeon. Calvin.

Biographers remind us of exceptional character, extraordinary gifting, and impressive intellects. And I'm grateful to God for these men and the effect of their example on my life.

But at times, reading these biographies is discouraging, rather than edifying, as we are reminded afresh about the difference between the great leaders in church history and our sorry selves. And though we benefit from the example of these men, most of us cannot relate to them because we’re aware of our average intelligence, average gifting, and our preaching is—not surprisingly—average as well. (Raise your hand if you’re working with that package!)

As I read their biographies I know I should be inspired, but at times I find myself increasingly discouraged (and let me be clear — this is because of my pride). Rather than filled with faith to charge into my day and prepare a sermon, care for God’s people, and preach, I feel a bit hopeless.

And while reading these biographies I also hope my church members never read these books because they could only compare me to this individual and that would prove unfavorable!

What’s a pastor to do? Here is one recommendation.

For pastor-wanabes like myself with average gifts, Dr. Don Carson has given us a unique biography of the life and ministry of an ordinary pastor—his dad. It's titled, Memoirs of An Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson (Crossway, 2008).

If you are like me, this book will provide you with an invaluable reminder of what is most important to pastoral ministry — faithfulness.

This book will provide you with a biblical perspective if you envy those pastoring large churches, if you find yourself disappointed with your church, discouraged about the apparent limited effectiveness of your preaching, and struggling to see the fruitfulness from your pastoring. I believe this book will give you a biblical perspective. It will give you hope and fresh joy in pastoral ministry.

For the pastor of a larger church, this book will direct your attention away from matters of secondary importance. It will point your heart away from a preoccupation with the numerical size of your church, and away from the temptation to pride and selfish ambition. It will direct your attention to the importance of persevering in faithfulness to the Savior as a pastor called to preach Christ and him crucified and care for those entrusted to you by the Savior.

But most importantly, this book will provide us with an eternal perspective of pastoral ministry. And that eternal perspective will make all the difference in how you serve as a pastor today. Dr. Carson closes with these moving and memorable words.

'When he died, there were no crowds outside the hospital, no editorial comments in the papers, no announcements on television, no mention in Parliament, no attention paid by the nation. In his hospital room there was no one by his bedside. There was only the quiet hiss of oxygen, vainly venting because he has stopped breathing and would never need it again.

But on the other side all the trumpets sounded. Dad won entrance to the only throne room that matters, not because he was a good man or a great man—he was, after all, a most ordinary pastor—but because he was a forgiven man. And he heard the voice of him whom he longed to hear saying, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Lord.’ (p. 148)

Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor is a rare and precious gift from one of evangelicalism’s greatest scholars. How generous of Dr. Carson to bequeath his father’s quiet legacy to us all. May every pastor and Christian who reads this book aspire to pass on such an ‘ordinary’ legacy.

I have not grown-up in a Christian family and therefore not had a pastor for a father, but in Tom Carson I feel now I have one. I was moved profoundly when reading this story, and will confidently say that this book is in the top 5 most influential book I have read.

Read it.

Master Stress

2010-07-28T08:40:00.003+09:30

The most recent series of Master Chef Australia has just come to an end with Adam victorious and so declared the Australia's most recent Master Chef (even though he isn't a master chef??). I didn't follow the series particularly closely year, but what I did view I enjoyed. Great to see two South Australians compete in the final!

In the denouement of this years' series I got to thinking about the way the TV show approaches cooking, food preparation and hospitality. For the sake of time, I will get to my point immediately. It is my opinion that Master Chef Australia makes food preparation and cooking out to be a very stressful and challenging enterprise. Time limits, difficult recipes, challenges and stressful situations predominate! Yes, I know it is a TV show and it's all about entertainment however, it seems that 'stress' and 'duress' are key features of the show.

The net result seems to be that food becomes linked with stress, time-limits and challenge. As a Christian, I am convinced that the sharing of a meal, the consuming of food, 'the breaking of bread' represents a superb opportunity for fellowship, care and fun! See some Biblical passages below.

I am all for eating good and interesting food but certainly not at the expense of good conversation, encouraging discussion and building up in Christ.

I will continue to watch Master Chef in the future, that is for certain. However, I will work hard to produce food for family, friend and stranger such that they are nourished, calmed, encouraged and built-up.

'A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.' Prov 22:9

'They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer'. Acts 2:42

'Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.' Rom 12:13

'Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.' 1 Pt 4:9

King Street , Newtown. My zone!

2010-07-08T07:42:00.002+09:30

Gratitude: signnificant or otherwise in understanding the Christian life?

2010-05-27T08:16:00.002+09:30

Before one can address whether or not gratitude ought to be significant or otherwise in the life of the Christian, one must consider the object or being towards which the gratitude is directed. In the case of the Christian, gratitude and thankfulness are directed to God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As Barth succinctly states, Christians respond to the ‘the free act of faithfulness of God in which he takes the lost cause of man, who has denied Him as Creator and in so doing ruined himself as creature, and makes it His own in Jesus Christ, carrying it through to its goal and in that way maintaining and manifesting His own glory in the world’. Humanity as a whole (Rom. 1:1-3:195), as Barth describes stands guilty before God and by failing to honor Him as Creator is ‘dead in the trespasses and sins’ (Eph. 2:1) and ‘having no hope and without God in the world’ (Eph. 2:12). The way of the Christian is derived initially from understanding that we stand guilty before a most holy God with empty hands.

The Protestant understanding of grace was decisively shaped by Augustines’ controversy with the Pelagians. Pelagianism is commonly simplified as the belief that salvation is by human ‘works’. In the eyes of Augustine, their mistake was that they doubted the need for grace, misunderstanding the nature of grace. For Augustine, the human predicament was a disease that infects everyone’s will since the Fall, and he urged, in line with the Apostle Paul, that the Law only uncovers the sickness, ‘For through the law comes the knowledge of sin’ (Rom. 3:20). Augustine develops this in his second anti-Pelagian treatise, On the Spirit and the Letter.7 Perhaps the heart of the matter is found in Paul’s searching question in 1 Corinthians 4:7; ‘What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?’ For Augustine, the grace that comes from Jesus Christ brings about monergistic conversion, a radical reorientation of the self, whereby the symptoms of the old life namely ‘boasting’, are replaced with the expression of the new life, namely gratitude.

So it is that gratitude flourishes in the sphere of grace, but only once grace is received and taken effect. Grace is charis and gratitude is eucharistian or thankfulness, in the Greek text of the NT, because gratitude is seen as the response to grace. How could we ever thank God - who made us and redeemed us? It seems presumptive that our human gratitude could ever be an adequate response to that which we have received in Christ, salvation, the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life. The primary reason is that we tend to lapse back into thinking of divine-human relations as operating according to an exchange economy or in the words of John Piper, a ‘debtors ethic’. However, human gratitude can never be the response which triggers the acceptance of God, or which forms a return of grace in some way. Properly understood, gratitude is the appropriate response to grace.

When the grace of Jesus penetrates the human heart, it rebounds back to God as gratitude. Christian gratitude is grace reflected back to God in the delight we feel toward the Godhead. Barth, reflecting on the monergistic reconciliation won at Calvary and gifted to individuals by grace from God comments that ‘by [God] deciding for us God has decided concerning us. We are therefore prevented from thinking otherwise about ourselves, from seeing or understanding or explaining man in any other way, than as being engaged and covenanted to God, and therefore simply but strictly engaged and covenanted to thanks’. In Christ we are only able to ‘...choose to be the man of God ... to be thankful to God’. Barth holds that gratitude is the response to the grace of God in the believer, grace always demands thanksgiving. For Karl Barth, ‘grace evokes gratitude like the voice an echo ... like thunder [and] lightning’ - they are synonymous, so much so that ‘it’s failure, ingratitude, is sin, transgression.’ For the very ‘essence of God as the God of man is His grace, then the essence of men and His people’ by which I understand Barth takes to be Christian people, ‘that which is proper to and demanded of them in covenant with God, is simply their thanks.’

An inquiry in to the significance of gratitude in the Christian life would be incomplete without an examination of Pauline theology. The importance of thanksgiving in Pauline theology is captured effectively in David Pao’s recent work ‘Thanksgiving - An investigation of a Pauline theme’ (2002). Pao argues that thanksgiving is intimately connected with ‘God Centeredness.' Hence, the call to gratitude or thanksgiving means that God is to be praised as creator and as covenant Lord. Thanksgiving, then, is the fundamental response of the creature to the Creator. Thus we are not surprised that the imperative to give thanks in every circumstance (Col 3:17) represents the heart of the Pauline gospel. Indeed, Colossians 3:17 identifies the close tie between thanksgiving and Christ’s lordship in the life of the believer, the latter of which, Pao notes, is ‘at the center of the Pauline gospel’. On the other hand, to speak of those who love themselves (2 Tim 3:2) is to provide ‘the essential definition of what it meant to live a life without God’. Therefore, for Pao, following his comprehensive study of the Pauline theme of thanksgiving, does conclude that gratitude is indeed a central aspect of the Christian life, but follows God’s gracious actions toward us in Christ by grace.

In summary, the implicit call of the Scriptures to believers is to be lovers of God. This recalls the central commandment in the covenantal relationship: ‘Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength’ (Deut 6:4-5). Understood in covenantal terms, to love God is to be faithful to Him and Him alone. Martin Luther is correct in noting that only when God’s gracious acts towards the believer are remembered can the love and gratitude of God be nurtured in a whole life of worship; ‘Gratitude, however, keeps the love for God and thus holds the heart directed toward him. Because it is thereby illumined, it worships, once it is illuminated, only the true God, and to this worship there soon attaches itself the whole chorus of virtues’. With this note this study finds it’s appropriate conclusion. The Christian believer is called to remember the cross and the resurrection. The Christian believer is called to remember their own hopeless state before Holy God without salvation. The Christian is called to submit to Christ’s lordship in our present living and thus to offer thanks to God is to live a life of appropriate worship.

Coming soon to the Jacko's home ...

2010-05-01T09:27:00.002+09:30

New Member of the Jackson Family

2010-01-27T21:49:00.007+10:30

We are (well, at least I am!) proud to announce the arrival of our new family member ... yet to be named, but she is mighty quick!

Born: January 20 2010.

Weight: 6.8kg (14.96pds)

Length: 56cm

Characteristics: fast, sleek, light!

Drop-in to say hello!

'No pain; No gain'

2009-12-16T20:39:00.002+10:30

Working at 'Camperdown Physiotherapy' as a physiotherapist I occasionally find myself saying the old fable 'no pain, no gain' or more recently, to modernize the expression ... 'just push on through'. Clearly, I factor in the personality of the patient and the severity of their injury!

My Ironman Triathlon preparation continues. With much pain but much joy! I am loving it! Truly.

It is a blast to be back in the saddle tapping out kilometer after kilometer. I have punched out 2700km in just over 22 days. Running and swimming also going solidly.

Time for a cuppa, brush the teeth then bed ... big one tomorrow!

Ironman Again ...

2009-11-20T06:47:00.003+10:30

Game on! I have been thinking lately of returning to the sport I used to love and compete regularly in - triathlon.

Ironman Triathlon has been my favored distance over the shorter races. Some, like my wife, believe it to be madness and not good for health, yet she is a biased medical officer! Still others believe it to a stupid, crazy thing to do - why put yourself through such torture, just watch it on TV!

I on the other hand believe it to be neither madness nor stupid - I look at it as a great challenge!

So bring in the 3.8km swim, followed by the 180km cycle and then while you're at it run around the block for 42.2km!!!

The training program is written and printed, Weetbix spill out of the pantry and my tyres are pumped to 120 psi!! Best get out of here ... zoom zoom!

I will keep you posted on my progress.

Church: for you? for God?

2009-11-06T10:59:00.006+10:30

‘You only go around once in this lifetime, so go for gusto!’

The slogan above is a call to people to focus on themselves and focus on the now, a winning combination for advertisers is it not!

'You deserve a break today’
‘Quench your thirst’
‘Have it your way, right away’
'Just do it’.

These slogans capture the dominant ideas of our culture today - individualism and self-indulgence. Yet the corollary of this is the lowest personal savings rates in history, record high credit card debts, meanwhile our health system reels as an affluent and litigious society believes this life is all we have. Don’t we all deserve the longest physical life medical technology can grant us?

Big ideas often define our era - liberty in the eighteenth century, or the progress of the nineteenth century, or, I would argue - individualism today. Such ideas are the mental background noise in our culture, something so pervasive it is almost unnoticeable to those in our midst. The ideas are grids that we interpret all things through: our experience of life, the world, relationships, work, even religion. They can help us to see, they can also blind us. How much of the way we view who we are is shaped by the culture in which we exist?

Has the church today dissolved in the acids of the reigning individualism of today’s culture? Church has become only the expressions of passing interests of the congregants. Programs are determined by internal polls. Services shaped by what outsiders want. Budgets reflecting only what the members desire. What has happened?

Church is not the place for your personal quiet time. We do not gather to pray, sing, read Scripture like we do the other days of the week at home. We come to church, to celebrate the corporate element - to participate in the life of the church. And, we do not come as mere individual consumers doing our spiritual shopping for the week - cruising along aisle prayer, stopping at the sermon specials! We gather as a living body of Christ. I wonder why you come to church.

Church, according to the NT is not all about you, it’s primarily about God. When we understand this, we turn the corner from a self-centered involvement to a full-blown, God-centered life together in Christ. The church becomes a living manifestation of the Living God in this world! Get this and the Christian life begins to change.

Why? Because the character of the church should reflect and glorify the character of God Himself. We are to be holy, one and loving because God is holy, one and loving. Paul says to the Corinthians, ‘Follow my example, as I follow Christ’ (11:1).

God intends to display his own reflection in the church. We see this generally in 1 Cor 1-2. The gospel, possessed by the church is the wisdom of God, not the wisdom of this world (1:17-2:16). Paul writes, ‘We have not received the spirit of this world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may may understand what God has freely given us’ (2:12). And later, ‘we have the mind of Christ’ (2:16b).

The transforming work of the gospel therefore, in the life of the church will give it the mind of Christ and make the church look more like God, not the world. Therefore, the chief end of the church is not improve moral health in society, though a great by-product it would be; their chief end is to reflect and glorify the Living God.

Battle plans of germ warfare

2009-09-25T11:03:00.008+09:30

These scum of the earth hate us. They despise our way of life, care nothing for our cherished beliefs, and won't be happy until they take us all down. You, me, everyone. You know who I mean: household germs. The more alert I am to this problem, the more alarmed I get.

You gargle with explosive mouthwash to kill the bacteria in your cheeks and find your tongue is a steaming cesspit of infection. Not to worry. There's a toothbrush for that, with a special rasping device to scrape off the bacterial barnacles. How do you clean the toothbrush? You can't.

You can blast your toilet with a cleaner which will render the porcelain so white that you stumble into things on your way out of the bathroom. But did you know that the simple act of flushing the toilet, even with the lid down, creates a toxic aerosol that coats everything? And that the germs circulate for up to two hours? The door handle doesn't bear thinking about.

The kitchen is even worse. Sponges and cloths make a nice moist environment for germs to breed, but you can always use disposable paper towels. What about the drains? Dark, moist and fed by a steady stream of delicious food scraps: raw meat, bits of fat, vegetable matter, mould. This is nothing more than a stomach bug all-you-can eat buffet. And chopping boards are the Pakistan tribal highlands of the kitchen - terrorist training camps for e coli.

Somebody's invented a ''cootie cover'' for children's birthday cakes. Apparently the post-candle cake is home to more germs than the change table in the parent-friendly bathroom at a Wiggles concert. You'd be better off licking a pedestrian crossing button in Kings Cross than eating a slice of little Jacinta's cake.

You have no doubt heard that the remote control is the dirtiest part of the hotel room. So don't bother washing your hands after using the toilet if you're going to contaminate your hands by watching the footy.

If TV can teach us anything, it's that germs can be and are lurking everywhere. The ''nuclear option'' is antibacterial disinfectant. It kills 99.9 per cent of germs, claims the ad. This doesn't reassure me at all. What about the other 0.1 per cent? Why won't it kill them? These bugs are clearly pumping iron, taking tiny germ steroids, and otherwise using any means, legal and illegal, to become super fit. Superbugs that will live to fight another day and, worse, breed.

I've learnt to stop worrying. I've just found out you can live inside a bubble with only a few minor complications.

Who sanitized the Saviour?

2009-08-27T12:27:00.005+09:30

I heard a story the other day of sibling familiarity that really outdoes any of my own shameful antics when I was growing up. An elder sister put her brother into the washing machine! An outraged mother found and rescued the little guy a while later.

We can do the same thing with Jesus. We can shove him into the washing machine. That is, we become too familiar with him and the gospel. We hear it regularly, we believe it and have been recipients of its power – but we take it for granted. We have ceased to be amazed by it, and it simply seems to wash over us these days.

It’s a great danger. It wasn’t like that for the apostle Paul. Reading Romans 1 again, I was struck by the urgency and passion, which seemed to grip him. Not only was he obsessed with the gospel [v16], but also he was consumed by a desire to share it with the Roman church. Verse 15 is striking: “ . . . . I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome.” [see also v11-12]

It is interesting that Paul feels so strongly about preaching the gospel – but it seems absurd, at first thought, that he wants to preach the gospel to this particular church. This church that he describes in verse 7 as ‘loved by God’. this church whose faith is being reported ‘all over the world’ in verse 8. This church who Paul would derive encouragement from because of their faith [verse 12].

This passage begs the question, ‘Why is it that Paul wants to tell the gospel to the church at Rome if they are a gospel church?' One would expect Paul’s great Opus Magnus to be to a church that didn’t know the gospel. A church void of gospel teaching. It comes as a surprise that this church is a solidly grounded, gospel preaching church and yet it needs to hear the gospel from Paul. An offensive thought for some!

The answer to this conundrum is chapter 16 verse 25: “Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ . . .” The great reason that the church at Rome – and the church at home – needs to hear the gospel is that it is the gospel that establishes us. Not only does it save us [1v16], it also establishes us. There is not one message for Christians and another for non-Christians. The same message grows one group and saves another. People are still offended when we tell them that they need to hear the gospel. Especially if they’ve been Christians for a long time.

Preachers still give in to the temptation to go on to ‘deeper things’ and subtly move away from the message of Romans 1:16-17. The challenge that I face as a young minister is to not get tired of the gospel. To keep preaching the gospel. To not think that the gospel can be outgrown by anyone. To remember that regardless of what problems people have in their homes and lives – it is the gospel they need to hear most, for it is the gospel that will grow them.

It is the gospel that will remind them. It is the gospel they need to turn back to when life’s storms come their way, when a loved-one dies, when they fail and feel guilty, when they feel jaded and cannot go on.

What else can bring hope, joy, security, peace and freedom?

What else do we have to say to people?

I pray that I won’t put Jesus into the washing machine. How are you doing?

Fasting and Christian

2009-08-01T09:42:00.001+09:30

Jesus did not say, “If you fast...” but “When you fast...” (Matthew 6:16). This will be new (even over the top) for some of you. So do a crazy thing in 2009. It might change your relationship with God. And your life.

Here's some thoughts on the 'how' and a bit on the 'why'.

How to Fast

Pick a day of the week or a day of the month and plan to fast in 2009. Plan which meal or meals to skip. Skip them entirely, or do it with only juice or only water. There are no rules. There is only spiritual hunger being spoken and stoked with physical hunger.

Take some of the time you would have spent eating and read some scripture and take time to tell God why you are doing this and what you long for.

Why Fast?

Here are six biblical aims for fasting.

1. For Jesus to come back

Matthew 9:14-15

Then the disciples of John came to Him, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast

2. For help in a new venture in ministry

Matthew 4:1-2

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.

Acts 13:3

Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

3. To avert some danger or threat

Ezra 8:21

Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions.

2 Samuel 12:16

David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground.

4. To express sorrow and loss

2 Samuel 1:12

They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan and for the people of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword

1 Chronicles 10:12

All the valiant men arose and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh, and they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

5. To express repentance and grief for sin

Joel 2:12-13

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; 13 And rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil.

6. Not for the praise of men

Matthew 6:16-18

Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

Infant Baptism and the New Covenant Community

2009-08-01T09:33:00.002+09:30

Just some thoughts on the issue of infant baptism ...

1. In every New Testament command and instance of baptism repentance and faith precede baptism

Acts 2:37-38, 41

37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" 38 And Peter said to them, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. . ." 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

2. There are no instances of infant baptism in the Bible.

What about household baptisms (Acts 16:15, 33; 1 Corinthians 1:16)?

It is an argument from silence that infants were included in these three occasions. Moreover, in Acts 16:30-33 Luke points that the Word of God was spoken to all those who were baptized, thus suggesting that not infants, but those who could hear the Word, were baptized.

Acts 16:30-33

30 [The jailer said], "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household." 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house. 33 And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. 34 And he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household.

3. Baptism IS described by Paul as an expression of faith.

Colossians 2:11-12

11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which [i.e., baptism] you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

Thus baptism is an expression of faith, and the raising with Christ that happens in baptism happens by virtue of baptism's being an expression of faith - which infants cannot perform.

4. Baptism is described by Peter as an appeal to God by the person being baptized.

1 Peter 3:18-21

18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. 21 And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you - not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience - through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Baptism saves in the sense that it is the outward expression of an inward appeal to God, not as a mere water ritual. It saves the way the confession of the lips saves in Romans 10:9 - insofar as the confession of the lips is an expression of the faith of the heart.

But what about the sign of the covenant made with the children of Israelites in the Old Covenant?

Genesis 17:7-13

7 "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." 9 God said further to Abraham, "Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised."

Heidelberg Catechism:

[Infants of Christian parents] belong to the covenant and people of God . . . they also are to be baptized as a sign of the covenant, to be ingrafted into the Christian church and distinguished from the children of unbelievers, as was done in the Old Testament by circumcision, in place of which in the New Testament baptism is appointed.

Westminster Directory for the Public Worship of God

The seed and posterity of the faithful born within the church have by their birth an interest in the covenant and right to the seal of it and to the outward privileges of the church under the gospel, no less than the children of Abraham in the time of the Old Testament . . .

Why is baptism not administered to the children of Christian parents in the New Covenant as circumcision was administered to the children of Jewish parents in the former covenant?

5. Because the New Covenant members are not defined by physical descent, as the old covenant members were, but by God's writing his law on their heart and calling them to himself and bringing them to repentance and faith.

In accord with this narrowing of the covenant people to those who are truly born of God, the new sign of the covenant is meant to signify that a person is indeed part of that new born covenant community, which is evident by faith.

In the same way that a change in the sign came in to allow both men and women to participate in the sign (baptism instead of circumcision), thus making it clearer than before that women and men are equal heirs of salvation (1 Peter 3:7), so also a change in the recipients of the sign came in to make it clearer that under the New Covenant the people of God are not determined at all by physical descent, but by spiritual transformation, evidenced in faith.

5.1 John the Baptist called for baptism for those already having the sign of the covenant, showing that a new meaning was being given to the sign - no longer pointing to physical descent from Abraham, but rather spiritual descent through faith and repentance.

Matthew 3:7-9

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance; 9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham."

5.2 Jesus affirmed John's ministry and defined the children of God not as those born of certain parents but those born of God through faith.

John 1:12

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

5.3 Paul clarified that the children of Abraham to whom the promise was made were not those born according to the flesh, but those born according to promise. Children of promise and children of the flesh are not the same.

Romans 9:6-8

6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7 neither are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: "through Isaac your descendants will be named." 8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.

Galatians 3:6-7

6 Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. 7 Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.

5.4. The children to whom the promise is made are the children who are "called," and the call of God is free and bound to no physical family.

Acts 2:39

For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.

An option for NSW Health??

2009-07-31T20:44:00.003+09:30

Power of the Placebo

2009-07-27T07:14:00.003+09:30

Prince Charles is a staunch defender and millions of people swear by it; most UK doctors consider it to be little more than superstition and a waste of money. Welcome to the world of alternative medicine.

In Trick or Treatment? the truth about the efficacy of alternative medicine is rigorously addressed for the first time by the scientist uniquely qualified to do so: Professor Edzard Ernst, the world’s first professor of complementary medicine. Having spent over a decade at Exeter University meticulously analyzing the bewildering evidence for and against alternative therapies, this former practitioner of both traditional and complementary medicine brings no bias to the subject.

Writing with him is the respected science writer, Simon Singh, who also brings his considerable scientific knowledge and scrupulous impartiality to this most controversial subject. Together, they deliver a hard-hitting, yet honest examination of more than thirty of the most popular treatments, such as Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Aromatherapy, Reflexology, Chiropractic and Herbal medicines. Some results....

There is NO evidence for homeopathy AT ALL for ANY condition yet 95% of homeopaths recommend NOT to vaccinate infants/children or for adults to be vaccinated for malaria, hepatitis etc when traveling overseas. Despite all the public health alerts!
There is NO evidence for chiropractic in the treatment of colic in infants or children - NONE!
There is no evidence for acupuncture in the treatment of anything with the exception of some somatic pain (only a mild effect)
Chiropractic is very strong at marketing, very weak for treating anything!

Whether you are an ardent follower, sceptic or just plain baffled by the subject, Trick or Treatment? is a groundbreaking guide which finally lays to rest the doubts and contradictions that have dogged this subject for so long. Written with authority, integrity and clarity, this book delivers the ultimate verdict on alternative medicine.

Connected

2009-07-09T21:25:00.008+09:30

I'm preaching a 3-week series at St. Michael & All Angels Anglican Church (St Mikes).

Started last week, but here are the talk titles ....

Week 1: Connected: Jesus + Proclamation (Luke 24:46-47) Sunday 5 July 2009

Week 2: Connected: Jesus + The Nations (Romans 10:14-15) Sunday 12 July 2009

Week 3: Connected: Jesus + You (Colossians 4:2-6) Sunday 19 July 2009

8am and 10am.

Foamcrest Ave, Newport Beach.

Down the Hill after Song Starts

2009-06-26T11:54:00.003+09:30

How do we win people for Christ, gather people from the community in to a place, teach sound doctrine and convince people that Jesus is true, real, relevant and alive today?

Quick digression .... as a noted 'Hillsong-basher' I have just been sitting in a seminar on contextualization and a discussion of how Hillsong is highly effective in understanding the culture, sociology and lifestyle of the North-West region of Sydney. It was noted, as I have personally stated at length in the past that Hillsong's weaknesses lies in their over-realized eschatological doctrine and prosperity doctrine.

We contextualize! Of course. What does that mean? I mean really how do we make the gospel of Jesus Christ real, relevant and edgy for our cultures?

How do we link praxis with good theology?

Why can't church have a style and atmosphere like Hillsong but the teaching and doctrine of a good Sydney Evangelical Anglican church?

Why can't Christians in Anglican churches have the same positive outlook as Christians who are part of the Hillsong network? Is there something wrong with being excited about Jesus?

How do we give a vision for a deeply experiential Christian life
whilst maintaining a sound reformed theological doctrine?

Picture standing on the first tee at the local golf course with the Big-Bertha - how do you hit the church plant sweet spot? ... slow backswing, keeping the eye on the ball, quick controlled swing and solid complete follow-through ... then look up to see the ball 276 metres down the fairway!

Hillsong comes close but misses the slow back swing (doctrine) ... Sydney Anglicans fail with the quick strike (no direct application). Hillsong hits the ball long and gets excited; Sydney Anglicans slice it and land in the rough and get a little dazed and confused and hence are not really excited about life! Hillsong fails to teach the key skills of the game (doctrine) so they seek a new course ... the Anglicans provide a solid and challenging course but there is no soundtrack to create a great backdrop to excellent drives off the tee.

Dan Bidwell's addition (paraphrased): 'Sydney Anglicans lay up short of the hole and are willing to take the extra shot to be certain.' Dan as a candidate of the fine Anglican institution is willing to take the outrageous stance of taking a risk! Well, at least he states he 'has been encouraged to shun the classic Anglican lay-up!' (off the record of course)

There is the challenge.

How do we get excited whilst remaining reformed?

It's a great challenge.

Church Planting Tips

2009-06-26T09:15:00.002+09:30

I have been attending the church planting conference at Moore Theological College called 'Smart Planting - Right Planting' which has drawn together people from around Australia with experience in cross-cultural, regional, city-based, Acts29 and other church-plants. It has been awesome!! I am so excited by the prospect of planting a church in the future, under God, and perhaps in the next two years working in a church-plant in Sydney.

Justin Moffatt, who is currently ministering the gospel at St. Phillip's York Street, Sydney, conducted a seminar outlining the church-planting model developed and implemented at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. Justin worked there for a while amongst the New York libertines! Here is a brief summary of the seven main points ...

1. Develop specific and thoughful PEOPLE PROFILES

2. Promote a LOVE FOR YOUR CITY/AREA - you've got to love the area you are in, gain new eyes, the area in which you live and minister is not the enemy - sin, death and the devil are the enemy!

3. Engage in NON-ADVERSARIAL apologetics: present your 'opponent' in the best light, stand in their shoes, work-out their 'defeater beliefs' and speak to them, be helpful, no straw-man tactics.

4. Empower and endorse WORKERS IN THEIR WORKPLACES - help people to see what it means to be Christ's people at work.

5. Engage in MERCY MINISTRIES - strong bible based preaching will mean that social action doesn't dominate, but the gospel dominates. Social action is something you do, not the thing you are or become. But critical to do.

6. Think about how PEOPLE CHANGE - stacks of people buy self-help books .. they want to change! they are seeking functional saviors ... why not Jesus as a true Savior?

7. Develop a RATIONALE FOR CHURCH PLANTING (and growth)

Very helpful ... let's get planting, re-potting and proclaim Jesus Christ crucified and risen!

Religious or Christian?

2009-06-25T07:33:00.002+09:30

"Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Mark 10:17b

The grave danger threatening Christianity throughout the ages has not so much been opposition and persecution, but that of blending and confounding Christianity with pagan religion. It was a mixture of this kind that Gnosticism sought to compound at the beginning of the church's history; and it was a result of such syncretism that the great Nestorian church in India and China succumbed to Buddhism in the Middle Ages, leaving scarcely a trace of itself. Toward the close of antiquity Christianity in North Africa was compelled to give way to Mohammedanism (Islam) for the same reason. Further, Roman Catholocism, presenting as it has from the beginning of the Middle Ages right down to our day a world-wide, un-evangelical, even anti-evangelical, type of religiosity, recognized by both culture and politics, is a fruit of the most grandiose mixing of religious known to history.

In more recent times, from the Renaissance and down through the period of Socinianism and Rationalism, through post-modernism, a new syncretism of religion on a grand scale has been and still is in process in Protestant lands or places. It threatens to eradicate completely Christianity from Europe and other evangelical regions and to introduce in its stead a rationalistic-gnostic religion, fashioned out of elements taken from the religions of all the ages and from every corner of the earth.

Religion is opposed to Christianity. Christianity is opposed to religion. Are you a Christian? Are you opoosed to religion? As Samuel said ...

'"Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams." 1 Sam 15:22

Freedom and M. Luther (AD 1520)

2009-06-16T11:32:00.001+09:30

As you read the document, ‘The Freedom of a Christian’, it is important to keep in mind how Luther uses the term ‘freedom’ - it is hard to provide a concise definition.

Our culture tends to think of freedom in an economic or political sense. In other words, to be truly free is to have a wide choice of consumer products (ie. think of the toilet paper isle at the local supermarket!) or have a wide range of options when visiting a poling booth. Neither of these freedoms should be minimized, However, both fail to capture Luther’s understanding of Christian freedom.

The post-Enlightenment 18th-C further complicate the task. This movement sought to uphold freedom as deliverance from oppressive thought structures, especially those connected to church dogma. The goal was to be ‘autonomous’, not governed by external laws or ‘norms’, especially those coming out of an ecclesiastical institution. There is much to value in this idea of freedom, however, it is still far from Luther’s view. He would have been puzzled by the Enlightenment’s belief in autonomy.

Luther was convinced that the self simply lacked the resources to govern itself in a way that would lead to true to liberation from bondage (Part 2 of treatise). The picture of humanity that emerges in light of God’s law and commandments is anything but under self-control. Rather, human beings are driven and frightened, knowing despair and pride, carnal. Rather than knowing freedom, people are more prone to cling to some earthly good such as wealth, status or sex. The result - a deep and profound bondage.

So, the ‘freedom’ which Luther speaks of is deeply relational, as he makes clear in this treatise, it is found in relationship with Jesus Christ, who has liberated the self from the forces of ‘sin, death and the devil’ (mentioned in his introduction). Within the relationship between sinner and God there is little pretension or need to prove one’s self-worth or value. This sense of freedom cannot be purchased at the corner store nor in the ballot box. It cannot be generated by efforts of individual will - self cannot help! Rather, it is a gift of the relationship itself.

As Luther continues, for the one on whom this freedom is conferred, the world now becomes an arena for good works. The bondage to ‘sin, death and the devil’ now broken by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, is transferred now to the needs of neighbor and the world. Freedom that was enabled by love, now flows forth in service. The love which flows from Calvary’s Cross. So Luther writes ....

'From faith there flows a love and joy in the Lord. From love there proceeds a joyful, willing, free mind that serves the neighbor and takes no account of gratitude or ingratitude, praise or blame, gain or loss. We do not serve others with an eye toward making them obligated to us. Nor do we distinguish between friends and enemies or anticipate their thankfulness or ingratitude. Rather, we freely and willingly spend ourselves and all that we have...’

Are you free?

What does God want from you?

2009-06-06T13:59:00.004+09:30

"With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"

He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:6-8)

Do you want the good that God wants? ... think about it.

Do you lack passion?

2009-06-03T20:45:00.004+09:30

What, in fact, does it mean to have “a passion for evangelism”?

Does it refer to a preacher who preaches with passion and fervor? It may certainly include that but there are rugby, cricket and political enthusiasts who are able to speak with great passion about their particular interest.

Does it mean that it is given to some people in the church to have this “passion” but not others?

Is passion tied to the “gifts of evangelism” but if you have the “gift of a teacher” you don’t need this passion?

Is a “passion for evangelism” some sort of attachment that certain people carry around with them but which other Christians do not need to have – a sort of optional extra that is looked upon benignly by some who put up with the idiosyncrasies of those ardent and earnest souls who are always trying to win others?

Is this passion indeed something that is outside of us that is somehow taken on board, or is it part and parcel of who we are as redeemed people?

In thinking about this “passion for evangelism” I would want to ask the opposite question: How can any Christian believer not have a passion to evangelise? When one thinks of the enormity of what Jesus did on the Cross for us how can we refrain from sharing it? Why is this salvation that Christ purchased for us considered so great and the consequences of not having this salvation so terrible that Paul could say in Romans 9:1-3:

I speak the truth in Christ – I am not lying, my conscious confirms it in the Holy Spirit – I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race ...

Or again we note that passionate statement in 2 Corinthians 5:9-11:

So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due to him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.

We remember the awesome darkness that came across the land as Christ suffered, reminiscent of the Old Testament prophets who used darkness as a symbol of God’s judgement (Isaiah 5:20, Joel 2:31, Amos 5:20, Zephaniah 1:14-15, etc.). Think of the significance of the terrible cry wrenched from the innermost being of Jesus as in the darkness he cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” About this event John Stott writes the following:

So then an actual and dreadful separation took place between the Father and the Son; it was voluntarily accepted by both the Father and the Son; it was due to our sins and their just reward; and Jesus expressed this horror of great darkness, this God-forsakenness, by quoting the only verse of Scripture which accurately described it, and which he had perfectly fulfilled, namely, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
(Cross of Christ p.81).

Then comes the mighty act of resurrection followed by his ascension to the throne of Heaven. These things constitute both a rescue for sinners from an unspeakable doom and a demonstration of God’s love for us that is difficult to describe. Hence Paul’s words in Ephesians 1:1-14.

True evangelistic passion is rooted in the belief that all these things are true. It not only happened but it all has a special meaning. It means that God has done something to make it possible for us to escape the final judgement and to live with Him forever. He sent His Son to die in our place on the Cross and to bear His judgement as our substitute. It means that all who believe in Jesus are pardoned, restored and transformed now. They experience God’s love and grace now in this life and have the promise of hope for the life to come.

Passion will mean that the true content of the Gospel is taught. It will ensure that the Bible is honored and handled properly. But it won’t be a cold and sterile process, because true evangelistic passion will not be content until people have heard, understood and made some kind of response to the truth.

How can we not be moved, amazed, motivated by this? It is indeed given to some to express passion in a way others cannot. But this does not indicate a lack of passion on the part of others. It is a foolish thing to equate a passion to evangelize with mere fervor and zeal. It certainly includes that but is much more than that. We all have our own temperaments, personalities and characteristics through which the gospel is communicated.

But evangelistic passion does not mean we all yell our heads off when we preach!

It does mean, however, that the gospel is always in our minds; that we constantly want to tell it; that we believe with all our hearts that it is the power of God to save people; that we feel immense pity and compassion for those who do not know it and consequently do not know God. Some may put their passion into preaching and teaching, others into writing, music or the arts. Yet others may look for different ways of expressing their evangelism that fits them as people with God-given abilities.

The truth of the Gospel will turn us into thinkers, indeed even “schemers”, always thinking of new ways to reach lost people. It will give us courage to do things we have never done before. It will make us willing to go the extra mile to help people. It will make us conscious that everything we do must count, for we can easily put people off. Thus we become focused on other people – their physical well-being, but most importantly, their spiritual standing before God.

May Jesus Christ be glorified in all that we do.

"All things are better in Koine..."

2009-05-29T20:36:00.002+09:30

At lunch today I was chatting with some lads about the suitability of using Greek expressions in preaching at church - does it challenge peoples' confidence in their English translations?

Distantly related is this video that encourages us all in learning the original language ... keep at the koine ... all things are better in koine! Look out for the section on D. Wallace ... affectionately known as "DW"!!! Enjoy.

What is Monergism?

2009-05-21T19:41:00.013+09:30

Monergism: In regeneration, the Holy Spirit unites us to Christ independent of any cooperation from our unregenerated human nature. He quickens us through the outward call cast forth by the preaching of His Word, disarms our innate hostility, removes our blindness, illumines our mind, creates understanding, turns our heart of stone to a heart of flesh -- giving rise to a delight in His Word -- all that we might, with our renewed affections, willingly & gladly embrace Christ. The Prophet Ezekiel inspired by the Holy Spirit asserted "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God." (Eze 11:19, also 36:26) The Apostle Paul said, "For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction." (1 Thess 1, 4, 5). I.e. In regeneration the word does not work alone but must be accompanied by the "germination" of the Holy Spirit. And again "...you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God." (1 Pet 1:23)

[mon.er.gism]

[mon-er-jiz-uhm] – noun. The doctrine that the Holy Ghost acts independently of the human will in the work of regeneration. www.dictionary.com

The Century Dictionary defines it as follows: "In theology, the doctrine that the Holy Spirit is the only efficient agent in regeneration - that the human will possesses no inclination to holiness until regenerated, and therefore cannot cooperate in regeneration."

It means that the very desire for faith, by which we believe in Him who justifies the ungodly comes to us through regeneration -- and if anyone says that this belongs to us by nature and not by a gift of grace, that is, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit amending our will and turning it from unbelief to faith and from godlessness to godliness, he/she ignores the teaching of the Apostles, for Paul says, "...Even when we were dead in sins, [God] hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace you are saved." and "...he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit." (Titus 3:5) And again, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8). or if anyone makes the assistance of grace depend on the humility or obedience of man and does not agree that it is a gift of grace itself that we are obedient and humble, he contradicts the Apostle who says, "What have you that you did not receive?" (1 Cor. 4:7), and, "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10).

see .... www.monergism.com

Single Christian People

2009-05-12T18:11:00.003+09:30

I overheard a chat amongst some friends of mine today about singleness. Being in the room it reminded me of a great 'footnote' written by Barry Webb in the book 'Five Festal Garments' (NSBT, IVP/Apollo) pp.33-34. Barry Webb writes on the topic of 'singleness for the sake of the kingdom of heaven (Matt 19:12) exemplified by Jesus himself'. Here is the footnote...

"Complex and sensitive issues arise here. Clearly, singleness is not to be seen as inferior to marriage in all respects, and single persons should not be viewed as 'imcomplete' in any way that calls into question their integrity and dignity as human beings. Nevertheless, Song of Songs has something important to say in this area, and it must be allowed to make it's contribution to a fully biblical approach on these matters. [he then discusses Gen 1-3 - 'not good for man to be alone' (2:18) stands in stark contrast to Gen 1 "it was good... good ... good ... very good'. Here is something that is not good.] The good answer to this is the 'one flesh' union between man and the woman in Gen 2:23-25. .... [Song of Songs highlights the] full enjoyment of what our created natures naturally desire and long for. ... Singleness [in light of the coming of Jesus] remains a state that is 'not good' in the sense that it is a state of loneliness in which certain natural created desires are not met. There are compensations, of course, and important benefits, but particular needs remain unmet, ans the single person has to live with that fact and work through it. It is important to acknowledge this; otherwise there is a danger of moving in to a kind of unreality and denial that are not helpful, either to single people themselves, or those who minister to them.'

These are sensitive words from a learned and gentle-man.

Are you ready?

2009-05-10T22:04:00.001+09:30

Jesus is coming ....

2009-05-10T22:01:00.001+09:30

"I Believe in God, but Not Jesus"

2009-05-04T21:18:00.003+09:30

The number of people who say they "believe in God" but who do not believe in Jesus is alarmingly high, especially in regions of the world that are culturally/nominally Christian. The sentiment is nearly everywhere.

"I believe in God. I say my prayers each morning and each night."

Or, "I believe in God. I know He has seen me through a lot of struggles."

Or, "I believe in God. And I don't play with Him."

I'm glad for all of these statements, and they contain some important truths. For example, God is not to be toyed with. He isn't a teddy bear. He is to be reverenced and loved and worshipped in awe. And God does make His rain to fall on the just and the unjust alike. His common grace toward creation means that a whole bunch of people who do not know Him experience His goodness in myriad ways, including deliverance in struggle. These things can be affirmed, and should be.

But we dare not stop there! This kind of belief in God is hardly any different from James' famous assessment: "You believe there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder" (James 2:19)

The reality: it is impossible to believe in God in any saving way and not come to Him through faith in Jesus. The unavoidable Person in all creation is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

We do not have God the Father apart from God the Son. "No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him" (Matt. 11:27). Or Jesus' extraordinary words in John 14:6-7a: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well."

Appeals to 'believing in God' without believing in the Son are empty idolatries, demon-like faith often without the shuddering. So much God talk allows the veneer of religiosity and faith, but denies the power by denying the Son. And that self-deception is eternally dangerous.

Of course, the opposite problem exists as well. There are those who love Jesus meek and mild but who deny the Father, at least any biblical understanding of the Father. But Matthew 11:27 speaks to them as well: "No one knows the Son except the Father...." Or, John 10:30, "I and the Father are one." And John 14:9, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father."

The Father and the Son come together. You can not have one and not the other. Either you have the Father with and through the Son, or you have nothing. Vague God talk obscures this critical reality.

The Gospel has brought us near...

2009-04-22T23:33:00.001+09:30

Futuristic T-shirts

2009-04-13T20:58:00.003+09:30

I was given a t-shirt today by my parents (it didn't fit my Dad!) - it has this quote on the front;

'My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there'
- Charles Kettering

Charles Franklin Kettering (1876-1958) was an American inventor and the holder of over 300 patents!!! He was a founder of Delco, and was head of research at General Motors from 1920 to 1947. Among his most widely used automotive inventions were the electrical starting motor and leaded gasoline. In association with the Dupont Chemical Company, he was also responsible for the invention of 'Freon' refrigerant for refrigeration/air-con systems. as well as for the development of the first practical colored paints for mass-produced automobiles.

Clearly he was a talented and gifted man, who contributed greatly to society and the industrial world.

The design on the front of the t-shirt is quite cool and therefore the quote can easily be overlooked - but it made me think.

As a Christian my interest is in the future - my eyes are directed beyond the present to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ where He will make all things new, wipe away every tear from our eyes and end all the pain and suffering. We will be with King Jesus from everlasting to everlasting to everlasting.

However, knowing Jesus means that we can have 'life and life to the full' in the present and that being saved by Jesus means that our future (eschatological) justification is brought forward to now! Blessings and assurance of the future are to be enjoyed now but they are a foretaste of the future. How wonderful!

John writes 'Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.' (Jn 3:36) . Do you believe in Jesus? If you do - then you have eternal life today (the tense of the verb conveys this). If you don't trust Jesus, then today and in to the future the wrath of God (which is perfectly just) remains upon you.

My interest is in the future indeed but I rejoice today! I live in this world but not for this world. I live knowing that I am only at the very beginning of eternal life.

What future are you interested in?

New addition to the Jacko household!

2009-04-13T18:42:00.003+09:30

Come 'round for a cuppa!

What is the Gospel?

2009-02-24T17:54:00.004+10:30

Many authors and evangelical theologians have remarked in recent times on how the church in the West is undergoing a process of remarkable fragmentation. This fragmentation extends to our understanding of the Gospel itself.

For some Christians, firstly, ‘the gospel’ is a narrow set of teachings about Jesus’ death and resurrection which rightly believed one is tipped in to the kingdom and then after that all the real life transformation and discipleship and maturity take place. This is a far cry from the emphases in the Bible which understands the gospel to be the embracing category that holds much of the Bible together and takes people from lost-ness, condemnation, alienation from God all the way through conversion and discipleship - to consummation, resurrection bodies, to the new heaven and new earth!

Secondly, other voices identify the gospel with the first and second commandments - 'to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and your neighbor as yourself.' These commandments are so central that Jesus himself says that all the law and prophets hang on them - but they’re not 'the gospel!'

A third option today is to attempt to treat the ethical teaching of Jesus found in the canonical gospels as 'the gospel'. Yet it is often the ethical teaching of Jesus removed from His passion and resurrection. This approach is dependent on two disastrous mistakes;

(1) First, it overlooks the fact that in the first century there was no gospel of Matthew, or gospel of Mark, or gospel of Luke - NO ONE used that terminology in the first century. In the first century it was the gospel according to Matthew, ...according to Mark, ... according to Luke - that is - it was just one gospel - according to these various witnesses. And then when you see what is common in the canonical books today - in the gospels we have - you run from the beginning of Jesus, right through his teaching and miraculous power, the shutting down of the powers of darkness, through to his death and resurrection - including his commission - that constitutes THE GOSPEL. The ONE gospel according to Matthew, Mark , Luke and John. These elements are not independent pearls on a string that constitute the life and times of Jesus, the Messiah. Accounts of Jesus’ teaching cannot be rightly understood unless they are alongside the flow of and point forward to Jesus’ death and resurrection. To study Jesus without simultaneously considering his passion and resurrection is far worse that reflecting on Hitler’s Mein Kamf without thinking of WW2.

(2) Second we can see that to focus on Jesus’ teaching while making the Cross peripheral reduces the glorious good news of the gospel to mere pious religion. The joy of forgiveness to mere ethical conformity. Jesus' call to obedience to mere duty. The result is disastrous, it is catastrophic!

However, perhaps the more common event today, is the tendency to simply assume 'the gospel '- whatever that is! Whilst devoting our time, passion and energy to other issues - marriage, happiness, children, prosperity, the poor, wrestling with Islam, bioethics, secularization, politics - the list is endless! But this overlooks the fact that inevitably our hearers are drawn to that which we are most passionate. If the gospel is merely assumed whilst relatively peripheral issues ignite our passion we will train a new generation to downplay the gospel and focus on secondary issues. For 'the main thing is that the main thing remain the main thing' (Martin Marty) - keep the gospel at the very center. If only we understood the gospel better then we’d be equipped to deal with that list of issues I mentioned just before.

There are many biblical texts and themes that we could explore to think more clearly about the gospel but can I urge you now to read and think hard about 1 Corinthians 15:1-19. Read it. Read it again. Read it slowly. Read it quickly. Think about it.

¹ Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. ² By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. ⁶ After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, ⁸ and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. ¹¹ Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

¹² But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. ¹⁵ More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. ¹⁹ If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all others. (1 Cor. 15:1-19, TNIV)

Let us be a generation and train the next generation to be people that know the true gospel and seek to win some to Christ by proclaiming it. May the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ - suffered, dead and risen again be our central passion - may in God's mercy he allow deaf ears to hear and blind eyes to be opened.

Such a great song!!!

2009-02-12T10:33:00.001+10:30

I could sing this song all day and every day ...

1. Jesus, Lord of creation,
King of Salvation,
Great God of grace.
Messiah, promised redeemer
Our risen saviour,
Author of peace.

You are worthy of all praise,
Worthy of all honour,
Worthy of glory, wisdom and strength.
And so we’ll sing through endless days
That you alone are worthy;
Worthy of all power,
Worthy of all praise.

2. For you sought us, wonderfully bought us
You paid for us dearly,
The price was your blood.
And you freed us, brought us to pardon,
Back to the garden,
Safe in your love.

© 2004 Rob Smith
Administered worldwide by Emu Music Australia Inc.

the fatherless and the widow ... thinking of my friend Jan

2009-02-06T11:31:00.002+10:30

fatherless and the widow
stricken down
by the hand of death
grasping for security
anticipation of the imminent next
of the imminent next

the fatherless and the widow
find their souls
filled with fear
her lover gone forever
his hand to hold is
never coming back
never coming back

behind closed doors
they cry their tears
behind closed doors
they reveal their fears
to God in heaven above
to the God of heaven above

The Gospel Changes Whole Lives

2009-01-28T07:14:00.002+10:30

A friend of mine lead me to this article from 'Times Online' December 27, 2008.

As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God

Missionaries, not aid money, are the solution to Africa's biggest problem - the crushing passivity of the people's mindset.

Matthew Parris

Before Christmas I returned, after 45 years, to the country that as a boy I knew as Nyasaland. Today it's Malawi, and The Times Christmas Appeal includes a small British charity working there. Pump Aid helps rural communities to install a simple pump, letting people keep their village wells sealed and clean. I went to see this work.

It inspired me, renewing my flagging faith in development charities. But travelling in Malawi refreshed another belief, too: one I've been trying to banish all my life, but an observation I've been unable to avoid since my African childhood. It confounds my ideological beliefs, stubbornly refuses to fit my world view, and has embarrassed my growing belief that there is no God.

Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.

I used to avoid this truth by applauding - as you can - the practical work of mission churches in Africa. It's a pity, I would say, that salvation is part of the package, but Christians black and white, working in Africa, do heal the sick, do teach people to read and write; and only the severest kind of secularist could see a mission hospital or school and say the world would be better without it. I would allow that if faith was needed to motivate missionaries to help, then, fine: but what counted was the help, not the faith.

First, then, the observation. We had friends who were missionaries, and as a child I stayed often with them; I also stayed, alone with my little brother, in a traditional rural African village. In the city we had working for us Africans who had converted and were strong believers. The Christians were always different. Far from having cowed or confined its converts, their faith appeared to have liberated and relaxed them. There was a liveliness, a curiosity, an engagement with the world - a directness in their dealings with others - that seemed to be missing in traditional African life. They stood tall.

At 24, travelling by land across the continent reinforced this impression. From Algiers to Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and the Central African Republic, then right through the Congo to Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya, four student friends and I drove our old Land Rover to Nairobi.

We slept under the stars, so it was important as we reached the more populated and lawless parts of the sub-Sahara that every day we find somewhere safe by nightfall. Often near a mission.

Whenever we entered a territory worked by missionaries, we had to acknowledge that something changed in the faces of the people we passed and spoke to: something in their eyes, the way they approached you direct, man-to-man, without looking down or away. They had not become more deferential towards strangers - in some ways less so - but more open.

This time in Malawi it was the same. I met no missionaries. You do not encounter missionaries in the lobbies of expensive hotels discussing development strategy documents, as you do with the big NGOs. But instead I noticed that a handful of the most impressive African members of the Pump Aid team (largely from Zimbabwe) were, privately, strong Christians. “Privately” because the charity is entirely secular and I never heard any of its team so much as mention religion while working in the villages. But I picked up the Christian references in our conversations. One, I saw, was studying a devotional textbook in the car. One, on Sunday, went off to church at dawn for a two-hour service.

It would suit me to believe that their honesty, diligence and optimism in their work was unconnected with personal faith. Their work was secular, but surely affected by what they were. What they were was, in turn, influenced by a conception of man's place in the Universe that Christianity had taught.

There's long been a fashion among Western academic sociologists for placing tribal value systems within a ring fence, beyond critiques founded in our own culture: “theirs” and therefore best for “them”; authentic and of intrinsically equal worth to ours.

I don't follow this. I observe that tribal belief is no more peaceable than ours; and that it suppresses individuality. People think collectively; first in terms of the community, extended family and tribe. This rural-traditional mindset feeds into the “big man” and gangster politics of the African city: the exaggerated respect for a swaggering leader, and the (literal) inability to understand the whole idea of loyal opposition.

Anxiety - fear of evil spirits, of ancestors, of nature and the wild, of a tribal hierarchy, of quite everyday things - strikes deep into the whole structure of rural African thought. Every man has his place and, call it fear or respect, a great weight grinds down the individual spirit, stunting curiosity. People won't take the initiative, won't take things into their own hands or on their own shoulders.

How can I, as someone with a foot in both camps, explain? When the philosophical tourist moves from one world view to another he finds - at the very moment of passing into the new - that he loses the language to describe the landscape to the old. But let me try an example: the answer given by Sir Edmund Hillary to the question: Why climb the mountain? “Because it's there,” he said.

To the rural African mind, this is an explanation of why one would not climb the mountain. It's... well, there. Just there. Why interfere? Nothing to be done about it, or with it. Hillary's further explanation - that nobody else had climbed it - would stand as a second reason for passivity.

Christianity, post-Reformation and post-Luther, with its teaching of a direct, personal, two-way link between the individual and God, unmediated by the collective, and unsubordinate to any other human being, smashes straight through the philosphical/spiritual framework I've just described. It offers something to hold on to to those anxious to cast off a crushing tribal groupthink. That is why and how it liberates.

Those who want Africa to walk tall amid 21st-century global competition must not kid themselves that providing the material means or even the knowhow that accompanies what we call development will make the change. A whole belief system must first be supplanted.

And I'm afraid it has to be supplanted by another. Removing Christian evangelism from the African equation may leave the continent at the mercy of a malign fusion of Nike, the witch doctor, the mobile phone and the machete.

--> What do you think ... comments?

A Review of 'The Shack' by William P. Young

2009-01-17T20:21:00.002+10:30

The Shack, a fictional story of a man's encounter with God, is dividing the evangelical Christian world. Eugene Peterson, a respected and much published evangelical writer praises the work; "This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan's 'Pilgrims Progress' did for his. It is that good."

Yet on the other hand, Pastor Mark Driscoll, of Mars Hills Church, Seattle, USA, a significant American evangelical writes the book off as complete heresy.

What is the Christian to do? Buy it or burn it? Buy it and burn it? I am not in to burning books but what can I say about The Shack ...

My initial reflection is that the book is well written (I thought the same of the Davinci Code!) and easy to read. It is a fictional story around the character Mack, a man dealing with the murder of one of his children. He receives a note from God to meet him at The Shack - the location of his daughter's murder. At the Shack, Mack encounters God - Father, Son and Spirit. God the Father is embodied as an African-American woman named Papa, the Son as a Jewish man named Jesus and the Spirit as an allusive Asian woman called Sarayu. Over the course of a weekend at The Shack, Mack deals with the big issues that many of us face about life and faith in a fallen world. Mack departs from the Shack having reconciled his life and faith.

At one level, I enjoyed this book - it was a good yarn! It dealt with the big issues in an engaging way and some insights from William Young I found helpful.

However, I have serious theological issues with this book which mean I could not recommend it. I am unable to endorse it. Let me explain why.

Some have argued that the book is 'only fiction' and is not intended to be read as a theology of God, let alone doctrine (teaching about God). However, while it is indeed fiction, the book is al about the Trinity and it does place words in the mouth of the Father, Son and Spirit. Those who would claim the phrase 'it's only fiction' and not theology/doctrin, I believe are being disingenuous - as the book is thoelogy from start to finish, intending to present a clear picture of God and his character.

The book presents a view of God's sovereignty that I beieve to be less that a biblical testimony. The sovereignty of God over human sin, even over Original Sin, is often difficult to understand yet the Bible time and time again asserts that it is a reality. In the Shack, God 'stands back' working in and through circumstances not of his ordaining. The Bible presents God in control of all things.

Additionally, the Bible does not present God as one who waits for us to come to him. Yet, in the Shack, Papa declares that everything has been done to reconcile us to Him (p.192) and now he waits for us to come home. This is not accurate. This is an Arminian view of theology with a weightedness towards human free-will, to the detriment of God's absolute sovereignty. The initiative has and will always be with God - especially in the area of salvation.

The Shack is about the Trinity - yet the author presents a very unhelpful theology. Young is fexible with the gender of the persons within the Godhead - presenting two of the three members of the Trinity as women. He fails to offer an reason for this so as 'to help (us) keep from falling back in to (our) religious conditioning' (p.93). Despite some metaphors, God never reveals himself in a femine manner. The Bible uses terms such as Father and Son (both masculine terms) as well as masculine pronouns for the three persons of God from beginning to end and I don't think anyone has the liberty to tamper with this!

In the Shack, the biblical view of subordination within the Trinity is denied. Any sense of heirarchy is denied. Heirarchy is viewed negatively by the author, as Young views it as a threat to relationship (p.122-23) and therefore is explicitly rejected. At one point Young has Jesus speaking of God submitting to humanity - this is incredibly unhelpful! From this flows a view of human relationships that deny role differences between men and women (known as 'evangelical feminism'), and the reshaping of the Trinity in a way that challenges the revelation of the Sciptures, which support different equality between men and women, yet upholds practical differences.

The view of the Cross in the Shack is inadequate. Young presents Jesus' death as 'for us', but the explanation of why and how is never given. An Indian legend of a sacrifice of a Princess for her people to bring an end to a plague is referred to a number of times as a story of 'atonement' (p.30, 185), but the image is sadly inadequate. In no way is the sin-bearing nature of the substitute displayed. It is God who has been sinned against, it is God who took the punishment upon himself - substitutionary penal atonement. Where was this?

As the view of the Cross is softened, so to the view of sin and judgement is undermined. At one point, Papa says to Mack "I don't need to punish people for sin. Sin is it's own punishment, devouring you from the inside. It's not my purpose to punish sin; it's my joy to cure it" (p.120). God is more saddened than angered by sin - the offence of sin is removed and we see God lamenting, and angry, over what people are doing, but there is no real sense that sin is against God and that God will judge it. Hence, with a softened view of Original Sin, sin, total depravity and judgement comes a shallow view of Jesus as Saviour.

In conclusion, this book mirrors a crisis within modern evangelicalism. At a number of key points, those who claim the name 'evangelical' are backing away from clear, systematic biblical teaching - and I believe this book falls in to many of the same snares as others such as Rob Bell and his Emergent comrades have become trapped in. Should you read this book, I pray that you do so with eyes open to evaluate the ideas projected against the clear testimony of the Scriptures. I pray that you would do this with all literature you read - 'Christian' or otherwise.

ESV Study Bible

2008-12-10T08:42:00.005+10:30

I recently purchased a copy of the new ESV Study Bible. It is great and when you purchase it you get FREE access to the accompanying website - www.esvstudybible.org - which is full of excellent resources; articles, comments, maps etc.

Highly recommended. (about AU $60)

Aslan who??

2008-12-10T08:27:00.003+10:30

I have been reading some of CS Lewis' works lately and have been thinking about Aslan - I am always compelled to think about Aslan ...

“Who is Aslan?” asked Susan.

“Aslan?” said Mr. Beaver, “Why don’t you know? He’s the King. He’s the Lord of the whole wood, but not often here, you understand. Never in my time or my father’s time. But the word has reached us that he has come back. He is in Narnia at this moment. He’ll settle the White Queen all right. It is he, not you, that will save Mr. Tumnus.”

“She won’t turn him into stone too?” said Edmund.

“Lord love you, Son of Adam, what a simple thing to say!” answered Mr. Beaver with a great laugh. “Turn him into stone? If she can stand on her two feet and look him in the face it’ll be the most she can do and more than I expect of her. No, no. He’ll put all to rights as it says in an old rhyme in these parts: —

Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.

You’ll understand when you see him.”

“But shall we see him?” asked Susan.

“Why daughter of Eve, that’s what I brought you here for. I’m to lead you where you shall meet him,” said Mr. Beaver.

“Is—is he a man?” asked Lucy.

“Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the Great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the great Lion.”

“Ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”

“That you will, dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver, “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

Excerpt from 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe' by C.S. Lewis, 1950.
--

Who is Aslan? A simple, self-described “children’s tale” of adventure and fantastical journeys beyond most mortal imaginations speaks more truth than meets the ordinary eye.

By using some simple logic and reasoning, putting together some context clues and realizing whom the author is: it does not take too much prying to realize who Aslan is to Narnia. He is the savior, he is the son of the Great Emperor; he himself is the King. He is The Lion, the ultimate foe to the wicked Queen and the fulfiller of ancient prophecies. He is the ruler, the good leader and the powerful warrior.

No one dares put him inside a box of his or her own making. No one dares come before him unannounced with cruel intent or selfish motives in their hearts. No one can look directly at him with knees unfettered and hearts at a normal rate. Aslan is the one about whom everyone talks and very few have seen. He is the one who will come in his Kingdom’s time of need in order to make things right once again. He has been here and he will be coming back.

Aslan is a Lion — a fierce, snarling brute with fire in his eyes and thunder in his step. His roar is all-powerful and unadulterated as his enemies know their fate even before it befalls them.

Notice how the beaver reacts when the little girl asks if Aslan is safe… “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe.”

Does he sound safe? He is a warrior, a King, a wild creature and he is a lion for crying out loud. What ever gave any of us the impression he was safe? Where does it say he is safe? He is anything but safe, and yet we want him to be safe because we are in denial that Narnia is in eternal winter. But Narnia is under the curse of winter — forever winter with no Christmas. And yet we prefer to maintain the status quo and not rock any boats. We want him to be safe because that keeps us out of danger — or so we think. But maybe this is because it has been winter for so long we forgot what the sunshine and a crystal clear blue sky look like.

Though he is anything but safe, we do know one thing for sure. And the simple beaver lays it right out there to the little girl who is undoubtedly shaking in her proverbial boots after learning about this Lion. “Course he isn’t safe,” the beaver says, “But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

His goodness is known beyond the shadow of a doubt. He is all-powerful and omniscient; he possesses a roar to move mountains and a bite that could slay his foes in one fell swoop. BUT HE IS GOOD. We need not run from him in fear, but rather we must fearfully bow before him. He is after all, The King.

Know him, follow him, trust him, obey him, believe in him, submit to him and love him.

'... and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.' Revelation 5:4-5 (ESV)

Jesus said ... 'The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.' John 10:10-11 (ESV)

Who is Aslan? He represents Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The big question is - do you know Jesus? Do you fear God?

Come, bow before King, bow before the Good Shepherd who gave his life so that we may be forgiven and restored.

Clancy of the Overflow, A.B. 'Banjo' Patterson

2008-11-28T09:46:00.007+10:30

Here is a brilliant poem by a great Australian, Banjo.

I think I'd like to try being 'Clancy'. Anyway, enjoy.

CLANCY OF THE OVERFLOW

by Andrew Barton 'Banjo' Patterson (1864 - 1941)

I had written him a letter which I had, for want of better Knowledge,
sent to where I met him down the Lachlan, years ago,
He was shearing when I knew him, so I sent the letter to him,
Just ‘on spec’, addressed as follows, ‘Clancy, of The Overflow’.

And an answer came directed in a writing unexpected,
(And I think the same was written with a thumb-nail dipped in tar)
'Twas his shearing mate who wrote it, and verbatim I will quote it:
‘Clancy's gone to Queensland droving, and we don't know where he are.’

In my wild erratic fancy visions come to me of Clancy
Gone a-droving ‘down the Cooper' where the Western drovers go;
As the stock are slowly stringing, Clancy rides behind them singing,
For the drover's life has pleasures that the townsfolk never know.

And the bush hath friends to meet him, and their kindly voices greet him
In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars,
And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended,
And at night the wond'rous glory of the everlasting stars.

I am sitting in my dingy little office, where a stingy
Ray of sunlight struggles feebly down between the houses tall,
And the foetid air and gritty of the dusty, dirty city
Through the open window floating, spreads its foulness over all

And in place of lowing cattle, I can hear the fiendish rattle
Of the tramways and the 'buses making hurry down the street,
And the language uninviting of the gutter children fighting,
Comes fitfully and faintly through the ceaseless tramp of feet.

And the hurrying people daunt me, and their pallid faces haunt me
As they shoulder one another in their rush and nervous haste,
With their eager eyes and greedy, and their stunted forms and weedy,
For townsfolk have no time to grow, they have no time to waste.

And I somehow rather fancy that I'd like to change with Clancy,
Like to take a turn at droving where the seasons come and go,
While he faced the round eternal of the cash-book and the journal,
But I doubt he'd suit the office, Clancy, of ‘The Overflow’.

21 December, 1889

Abortion and God

2008-10-20T22:31:00.002+10:30

They say that nothing is certain except death and taxes. In Australia, at least, we can add one more thing to the list: Every four years it seems politicians and pundits will wax eloquent about the “difficult” and “controversial” issue of abortion.

Debates about “a woman’s right to choose” and “a baby’s right to life” will quickly degenerate into shouting matches that obscure rather than clarify the issues.

As Christians, we don’t have the luxury of speaking with vagueness, ambiguity, and cliché. When we open our mouths, we must speak clearly (Eph. 6:19-20; Col 4:3-4).

But if we are to speak clearly, we must first think and feel clearly about difficult and controversial moral issues.

So we need to realize that abortion is not mainly about a woman’s right to choose.

And it isn’t mainly about a baby’s right to life.

Abortion is about God, the Creator of the universe, the Giver and Sustainer of all life, the Judge of the living and the dead, the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the Redeemer and Forgiver of all who trust him. Abortion is about God.

To leave God out of the picture of abortion is to trivialize it. All things are trivial without God. God is the ultimate reality over the universe. All other reality is derivative and dependent and has no ultimate meaning at all without reference to God the ultimate reality. In him we live and move and have our being. If we leave him out of the account, we know nothing of any lasting significance about ourselves or the world.

It is vital that Christians remind themselves why abortion is the one of the preeminent, transcendent moral issue of our time.

At a time when being pro-life is marginalized in some evangelical circles, we want to lift up the cause of the unborn and urge our fellow Christians to not grow weary in doing good.

We will reap a harvest if we do not give up. And the strength to persevere comes from realizing that God’s supremacy and reign over all things includes his work in the womb.

Abortion is an assault on the person-forming work of God. Children are a gift from God. To reject them through abortion is to reject him.

But we do not merely preach against sin. We also preach Christ crucified—crucified for women who have had abortions; for family members who have pushed for abortions; for doctors who have performed abortions; and for Christians who have failed to love both mother and baby as we ought to.

In that spirit, we commend this new appeal and subsequent program to you. My prayer is that God would use evangelical churches around the country to reawaken people to the centrality and supremacy of God in the cause of the unborn.

In the meantime let us use the resources and love that has been poured in to our hearts by the Lord, Jesus Christ to serve both mother, baby and unborn child.

Sexualised Society

2008-10-17T06:29:00.002+10:30

I was watching a morning television program recently and a psychologist (working primarily with children and adolescents) was outraged when the company Matel released the new 'Barbie' doll who effectively was dressed as a sex worker - but clearly was not advertised as such. The Barbie doll was dressed in a micro-black skirt, black underwear and radically high high heels! This together with Barbie's completely unattainable body shape! The psychologist and the television hosts were suitably outraged at the image that is presented to children.

However, despite this outrage, just a few days ago the same television show hosted the Pussycat Dolls live in an outdoor Sydney CBD location. Basically, it was five real life Barbie dolls singing and moving on stage! The difference - the television show couldn't promote them enough and to add to this vigorously promoted the sexual nature of the singing group! This show had a string of sexualised photographs of the Pussycat Dolls on their website. As the moment came closer to their live performance they arranged for a group of children (perhaps aged 5-8 years) to sing together one of the groups songs included the line "when I grow up .... I wanna have boobies". They are five years old!!!! Five!

Our culture is simply saturated with sex and children are not exempt. In fact, they seem to be growing targets.

It is a deeply ambiguous subject because Western society has created a sexual twilight zone in which children and teenagers have no choice but to live in a culture saturated with sexual imagery, sexual innuendo, and subtle forms of sexual pressure. Every week, in every way, the boundaries of voyeurism and exhibitionism are expanded into the mainstream.

This is not as aberrant as one might assume. I read part of a book titled Sex Lives Of Australian Women, by Joan Sauers, published last year by Random House, based on a survey completed by 1,806 women. It found that two-thirds of women said they masturbated regularly and "the most common scenario in our sexual fantasies, described by hundreds of women, was having sex with multiple partners".

Another recurring theme was "imagining themselves as sex workers, strippers, and lap dancers . . . A lot of women fantasise about sex with strangers . . . Bondage and discipline fantasies are very common". Exhibitionism is also booming. Twenty-two per cent of the surveyed women aged between 20 and 29 had been filmed or taped while having sex.

Out in the real world, teenagers are becoming more knowing much earlier, thanks to the internet. Again, Sauers is useful. In Sex Lives Of Australian Teenagers (Random House, 2007), based on a survey of 300 teenagers, which found children were getting most of their information about sex from internet porn sites rather than their parents or sex education programs. Sauers found that 97 per cent of girls, and 100 per cent of boys, had seen porn by the time they turned 15. A third of girls had had a sexual experience by the age of 13.

It's not just the Pussycat Dolls! One only need visit the upscale meat palaces in the city on a Friday night to see the standard uniform for young women in these 'pick-up mosh pits' is glove-tight, ultra-short skirts, bare legs and towering stilettos - the cliche of porn morphed into mainstream of fashion.

As for the internet revolution, far from merely being a paradise for deviance, it may have created a more accurate mirror of who we collectively are as a society, in conflict with the laws and conventions we have constructed. This information revolution has made it harder to protect the innocence of childhood, and navigate the awkward and furtive evolution from asexual youth to sexual adolescence, the passage from innocence to desire.

Frankly, it is our culture saturated with debt, consumerism, two-income families, one-parent households and a coarsening public domain that has done more to truncate the innocence of youth than random perverts, a reality we have barely begun to acknowledge.

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." - Micah 6:8

Af-flu-enza, adj.

2008-09-28T19:59:00.002+09:30

I have been reading the secular work 'Affluenza' (2005) recently (again) and am always struck by the sections considering debt and spending in Australia.

‘Existing scientific research on the value of materialism yields clear and consistent findings. People who are highly focused on materialistic values have lower personal well-being and psychological health than those who believe that materialistic pursuits are relatively unimportant.’ (pp.22)

‘By some kind of economic alchemy, ‘saving’ has become what we do while we are spending. Bargain hunters can easily ‘save’ hundreds of dollars in the post-Christmas sales, but in order to save a great deal we need to max out our credit cards.’ - Clive Hamilton, Affluenza.

Clive Hamilton is no prophet, yet the data in this book ought to suggest that the current financial crisis is not that much of a surprise. Especially, the way it is affecting Australian families.

2008-09-19T19:17:00.007+09:30

Mt. Everest Basecamp Trek - Nov 2007

1. Looking up to Mt Everest from Basecamp. Everest is the highest peak in the background.
2. The trekkers (Adele and I!) at the top of Khala Patar with Everest in the background
3. Small stream ... very cold!
4. Still cold!
5. Mountains at sunset in Nepal

"Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes of the earth and all rulers on earth, young men and maidens, old men and children."

- Psalm 148:7-12

2008-09-18T20:44:00.001+09:30

The stunning waterfront of Akaroa, New Zealand. Just visited recently ... one of the highlights!

"O Great God"

2008-09-02T08:44:00.000+09:30

"O great God of highest heaven
Occupy my lowly heart
Own it all and reign supreme
Conquer every rebel power
Let no vice or sin remain
That resists Your holy war
You have loved and purchased me
Make me Yours forevermore"

"I was blinded by my sin
Had no ears to hear Your voice
Did not know Your love within
Had no taste for heaven’s joys
Then Your Spirit gave me life Opened up Your Word to me
Through the gospel of Your Son
Gave me endless hope and peace"

"Help me now to live a life
That’s dependent on Your grace
Keep my heart and guard my soul
From the evils that I face
You are worthy to be praised
With my every thought and deed
O great God of highest heaven
Glorify Your Name through me"

© 2006 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI). Sovereign Grace Music, a division of Sovereign Grace Ministries. From Valley of Vision. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. North American administration by Integrity Music. International administration by CopyCare International.

'Mercy' in Jude

2008-08-28T15:04:00.003+09:30

I was reading Jude recently and was interested to explore the use of the word 'mercy' in the short letter. What I found was quite interesting ... to me! Perhaps to you also.

The term 'mercy' appears on four occasions ...

Mercy Received

#1: Verse 2

‘May mercy (eleos), peace, and love be multiplied in you’ (Jude 2, ESV) accounts for the first use of the term ‘mercy’ in Jude. It is used as part of a unique benediction in the NT. Several commentators link the use of ‘mercy’ here to how God’s call brings about mercy upon believers, thus connecting it with verse 1 ‘to those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ’ (Jude 1). Normally ‘mercy’ is a stand alone term related to redemption (Tit 3:5), prayer (Heb 4:16), or final judgement (Jas 2:13; 2 Tim 1:18). It is closely connected with the Greek LXX where mercy stands in the place of the Hebrew term hesed when related to God’s extraordinary faithfulness or mercy.

Mercy Extended

#2: Verse 21

The final exhortation in verse 21 is to “wait for the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” Waiting involves eschatological hope, for here mercy in the context of Jude is something experienced in the future rather than in the present.

In the OT we find the command to wait in Hab 2:3, ‘For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.’ Though it lingers, wait for it is the command. There are other OT texts that describe this eschatological waiting (see Isa 30:18; 49:23; 51:5; 64:4; LXX 64:3, Dan 12:12; Mic 7:7; Zeph 3:8). The NT also considers eschatological waiting on numerous occasions (see Mk 15:43; Luke 2:25, 38; 23:51; Acts 24:15; Tit 2:13; Phil 2:29).

In the context of Jude therefore, Christians are to wait for mercy. that ‘will bring eternal life’. Mercy is a term that is found in some greetings (1 Tim 1:2; 2 Tim 1:2, 2 Jn 3), it also refers to the motive for God’s saving action (Tit 3:5; 1 Pet 1:3), present experience of God’s assistance (Heb 4:16) and mercy on the Day of Judgment (Matt 5:7; 2 Tim 1:18).

Our passage in Jude is clearly eschatological such that mercy can be defined here as that which one is waiting for. That is the type of mercy received at the return of Christ – eternal life (life in the age to come).

Mercy in Jude 21 closely refers to the Hebrew concept of God’s steadfast faithfulness, His hesed love (LXX Gen 24:12; 40:14; Ex 20:6). Mercy in this passage is not something we have received already as the final judgment has not yet happened. However, those who come trusting in God’s character and His Son Jesus Christ, will surely receive mercy due to His hesed love.

#3: Verse 22

To those who are attracted to the false teachers and their doctrines Jude encourages the true believers to “Be merciful to those who doubt”. Mercy is mentioned in the greeting (Jude 2) and mercy is what they are expecting to receive (Jude 21). Hence, it is appropriate that they show mercy, not judgment, towards others. Judgment is the role of Jesus at the end of the age; Jesus’ followers are to forgive and show mercy.

Mercy is directed to those who ‘doubt’. It is therefore important that compassion (mercy) is shown to those people who struggle inwardly. Mercy should not be a foreign concept to Christians. Jesus taught mercy (Matt 5:7; Luke 6:36; 10:37) and certainly later writers emphasized the virtue of mercy (Jas 2:13). James writes of showing mercy in the context of judgment for it would seem that the church prefers to make judgments rather than to show mercy to people. However, clearly the Scriptures teach otherwise.

The Christian motivation to show mercy to others is due to the mercy that has been shown towards them in Christ. Rather than condemning doubters, Jude calls for mercy and grace towards them, in line with God’s love and character.

#4: Verse 23

Jude introduces another group of people to which one should “show mercy, mixed with fear”. These people to which Jude refers have “clothing stained by corrupted flesh” (Jude 8) – a reference to those involved with the sins of the false teachers mentioned in this letter.

These people may be considered beyond all hope but still Jude exhorts believers to “Show mercy”. This time mercy is to be “mixed with fear”. A fear motivated by God’s holiness, God’s coming judgment in Christ and the polluting nature of sin. Mercy with fear is characterized by “hating even that clothing stained by the flesh”.

Jude says in effect, one should not simply condemn these people but show mercy encouraging them to return to orthodox Christian belief. Yet concurrently, have nothing to do with their sin (be holy). It is easy to be seduced by sin, but in order to show mercy one must engage with these people.

This appears to be Jude’s position – a most merciful one indeed.

Do you show mercy?
Or are you quick to judge?

May the Lord help us to show mercy and forgive others and leave judgment to the Lord Jesus Christ.

To Ink or Not to Ink: that is the question.

2008-08-16T10:03:00.002+09:30

Christians with tattoos, Christian tattoos and Christian tattooists, what does the Bible teach about the current style of tattooing or as it is now called - body art? If the Scriptures tell us that tattooing is a behavior that God says is wrong in any way, then it's certainly off limits for God's followers. But does the Bible teach that God forbids tattoos and other cosmetic body modifications?

The main scripture that concerns many people with regards to tattooing is this verse from the remarkable Old Testament book of Leviticus

“You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:28 — New American Standard

At first glance this passage seems to indicate that tattoo is forbidden for Christians. To comprehend the Scripture correctly, we must always examine the whole of Scripture and look at the particular context of a given passage. If we neglect deep study we will never truly understand the intent of the author. We need to look at the word(s) of the above passage in full connection with the surrounding verses, and in context with the historic setting at the time of its writing. When we study below the surface of this text, we then will see more clearly what God says about tattoo. The verse quoted above is part of a larger passage of scripture seen here.

26 ‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor practice divination or soothsaying. 27 You shall not round off the side-growth of your heads nor harm the edges of your beard. 28 ‘You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the LORD. 29 ‘Do not profane your daughter by making her a harlot, so that the land will not fall to harlotry and the land become full of lewdness. 30 ‘You shall keep My sabbaths and revere My sanctuary; I am the LORD. 31 ‘Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.’ Leviticus 19:26–31 — New American Standard

In this passage God is speaking to his covenant people Israel. He is specifically telling them to stay far from the religious practices of the surrounding people groups. The prohibited religious practices in these verses include eating bloody meat, fortune telling, certain hair cuts related to the priests of false cults, cutting or marking the body for dead relatives, cultic prostitution and consulting psychics. All these practices would lead God's beloved people away from Him and toward false gods that were not Gods at all. In the midst of this context we find the word translated “tattoo marks” in verse 28. It is important to note here that the context of this passage is not one of body décor but one of marking one's self in connection with cultic religious worship. Bible commentaries tell us much about the eastern religious practices that God was warning His people to shun. Walvoord and others state;

'These prohibitions seem to relate to pagan religious customs which should be avoided, including pagan mourning rites'. (vv. 27-28)

Jamieson explores this line of thinking of further;

'The practice of making deep gashes on the face and arms and legs, in time of bereavement, was universal among the heathen, and it was deemed a becoming mark of respect for the dead, as well as a sort of propitiatory (atoning) offering to the deities who presided over death and the grave. The Jews learned this custom in Egypt, and though weaned from it, relapsed in a later and degenerate age into this old superstition (Isa 15:2; Jer 16:6; 41:5). “nor print any marks upon you” (v:28 )—by tattooing, imprinting figures of flowers, leaves, stars, and other fanciful devices on various parts of their person. The impression was made sometimes by means of a hot iron, sometimes by ink or paint, as is done by the Arab females of the present day and the different castes of the Hindus. It is probable that a strong propensity to adopt such marks in honor of some idol gave occasion to the prohibition in this verse; and they were wisely forbidden.'

Peter-Contesse et al reflects;

"Make any cuttings in your flesh” (v:28): the reference here is to the practice of making deep gashes in the skin while mourning the death of a relative. This was done to provide life blood for the spirit of the dead person rather than to express sorrow. On account of the dead: as indicated above, this describes the purpose of all the actions in verse 27 as well as verse 28.'

The “tattoo” marks described in Leviticus 19:28 were clearly related to false religious practices. The word translated tattoo in our English Bibles is the Hebrew word ‘qa-aqa’, this word appears only one time in the Bible, here in this passage Leviticus. The word ‘qa-aqa’ means literally “to cut” but taken with the surrounding words indicates a cutting that left a mark imprinted in the skin. This could have been a form of branding, scarring, cutting or a process where ink was inlaid into the skin; there is not enough data to fully define exactly what this word meant. However the way we translate the word ‘qa-aqa’ though, in this passage, is certainly used in the context of cultic religious worship. The prohibition against ‘qa-aqa’ (translated tattoo) was to keep the Israelites from being involved or affiliated with cultic, pagan worship practices.

The tattoo of today is much different than it was for those who originally received the Pentateuch. Today tattoo is a decorative means of self expression and personal decoration. In our current culture people modify their appearance for beauty in many ways such as clothing choice, makeup, plastic surgery, haircutting and coloring, weight loss, body-building, and ear piercing. Some of these practices have a history in ancient ritual and false religion, but in our cultural context they do not denote a connection with evil or false faith. In the same way tattoos today do not link the wearer to cultic worship practices and is not generally practiced for ancient religious purposes, as tattoos today are more for ornamentation.

A further reason to believe Christians are free to tattoo their bodies is that New Testament believers are not bound by the Old Testament laws to gain or regain right relationship with God. If we were to obey the laws of the Old Testament we would also be bound by rules that would restrict shellfish and pork eating, hairstyles, wearing of clothes made from two different fabrics, even eating cheese on hamburgers (yes, it is true). Some also feel that modifying the body somehow defiles God's creation, but if this was true would it be right to pierce ears, correct a club foot, cut hair, clip nails, get a tan or use orthodontia? Each of the previously mentioned practices modifies the way we were originally created, some permanently. Getting a tattoo is a deeply personal choice that falls in the category of personal appearance and is vitally connected to the freedom of the believer. The Apostle Paul reminds us that the Old Testament Law was designed by God to lead people toward Jesus. Now that Jesus has come and set us free, we are not under the law for our good standing with God. Our right standing before God comes from placing our trust in Jesus’ death on the cross to pay for our debts, not on following the Old Testament regulations.

24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.’ Galatians 3:24–25 — New American Standard

As New Testament followers of Jesus we are not under restriction in the area of personal décor.

Tattoo of today can describe images that merely please the wearer, or have deeper meaning to the owner. Many Christians today are tattooing themselves not in tribute to a false idol or anti-Christian deity, but with love for the one true God and Creator. Many today utilize this permanent marking as a way of giving glory to God. Some find that Christian tattoos attract questions about faith and provide opportunities to give God glory by allowing the story-telling of His Love to those who aren’t convinced yet. I heard of one young Christian woman of legal age who was convinced she wanted a tattoo. Over many discussions with her about this I finally asked her what image or phrase she was considering. She wanted to have the Greek word lampo (pronounced: lam-po) tattooed on her arm. Lampo is translated ‘shine’ in english and is taken from Philippians chapter 2;

14 Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life.’ Philippians 2:14-16a - English Standard Version

Her intention was to bring God glory and praise with this tattoo. This young woman went ahead with the tattoo.

A parting thought about tattooing and younger people. Tattoo is a significant life-choice and should be only entered into with a great deal of forethought and prayer.

Some questions to ask yourself if you are young (or old!) and considering a tattoo are:

Am I legally of an age to get a tattoo?
If I live with my parents, would my parents support my decision?
Would I be defying the authority God gave my parents over me at my current age?
Would I still want this particular image when I get older?
What if my future wife/husband wouldn't like having to see this image for a lifetime?
Would this tattoo be in an area of my body that would be plainly visible? (note: people with tattoo are still considered "2nd-class" citizens)
Would the image bring glory to God?
Will I still like the image/phrase/concept 12-months later?
Am I convinced that tattoo is appropriate for a Christian?
Can I endure the pain? (the needle penetrates the skin 3000 times a minute, 4mm under the skin) - this is a key question, if you can't take the pain, time to get out of the conversation!!!!!

[** Clearly this is not a complete list of questions that can/should be asked **]

Tattoo is not for everyone, and is certainly not for a Christian who feels unconvinced that getting a tattoo is completely Biblical. In this and many areas of the Christian life there are many truly excellent believers who have varying degrees of agreement and disagreement about Christians with tattoos. In whatever you believe about this issue I hope that you will leave gracious space for others who might feel differently.

May ALL our thinking and actions bring Glory to our great God and Sovereign Lord, Jesus Christ.

Divine Plagarism

2008-06-27T09:30:00.004+09:30

How often have you heard the saying “Preach the gospel always, and if necessary use words”? This oft-repeated quote from St Francis of Assisi is often bandied around as a reminder that our actions speak louder than words. People watch what we do, and if our actions are not consistent with our message, then at best we confuse our hearers, and at worst we tarnish the very reputation of our heavenly Father.

There is certainly some merit in living good lives amongst the pagans. When they see our good deeds, according to the writings of the Apostle Peter, they will glorify God on the day he visits us (1 Peter 2:12). Likewise, an unbelieving husband can be “won over without words” through the godly living of his believing wife (1 Peter 3:1-2).

Yet, this motivation to live good lives can easily turn into an excuse not to speak at all. After all, it can often be a challenge to even the most extroverted evangelists to gossip the gospel. Whenever we open our mouths we are aware of the spiritual warfare in which we are participating.

Unsheathing the sword of the Spirit as we speak the word of God confronts us as much as our hearers.

So, Francis becomes the patron saint of the shy and introverted Christian! Those who find it hard to come up with words to speak find comfort in the reality that their good works alone are preaching to the world.

However, if we never open our mouths to preach Christ, then we end up preaching ourselves. For whenever we show random (and not-so-random) acts of kindness, we end up commending our own character, not that of our creator. The outsider notices our good works and end up glorifying us, not God.

The result is that we inadvertently commit divine plagiarism. For, whenever we fail to credit the creator with our good character, we fail to ‘footnote’ the Spirit of God, who works within us to produce the good works that God has prepared in advance for us to do.

It is a wonderful thing to witness the change in the life of a person when the Spirit of God transforms him or her through the hearing of the Word of Christ. Our heavenly Father is greatly glorified when a sinner becomes a saint. The conversion of a person’s character is a supernatural event of the highest order. Let’s be quick to put a footnote to our heavenly Father’s handiwork, and tell the world about what God has done for us in Christ.

Footnote:

(I am preaching at St Michael and All Angels Anglican Church, Newport NSW in a series on Evangelism. Sunday 3 August, 2008 8am and 10am. This is just some thinking.)

Deoderant: it's relationship to fellowship

2008-04-14T13:33:00.002+09:30

It occurred to me recently as I applied some Rexona 'V8 Limited Edition' male deoderant that there is much more to this process than simply feeling fresh, clean and self-satisfied. Wearing deoderant is a great way for serving those in the community. The use of the term 'community' stretches to covers those strangers you pass on the street, people you work with in the office, those you attend church with or people you study with at college.

It is my opinion that to not wear deoderant is selfish, unhelpful and quite frankly inappropriate! It can be highly distracting and cause issues within the community.

Such a theme can be extended to the poor laundering of clothing whereby, clothes are not cleaned or dried adequately. Imagine this in combination with no deoderant!

Basic principles of hygeine must be upheld in the community for right relating.

I do not buy the argument that it is "more natural" to go without deoderant!

End of rant.

2008-02-14T18:46:00.002+10:30

4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.”

5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” - John 19:4-5

The Future of Justification - Part 1

2008-02-11T15:58:00.000+10:30

I have just started reading John Piper's latest book 'The Future of Justification - A Response to N.T. Wright'. The book has been written in response to the growing support of NT Wright's (Bishop of Durham, UK) theology, in particular on the subject of justification , faith and works - in a nutshell - the 'New Perspective' movement. I am keen to explore John Piper's thoughts which were the culmination of many months of study leave at Tyndale House, Cambridge. What Piper has done in this book has been to read as widely as possible so that he is able to comment soundly on the subject. I trust it will be both an enjoyable and accessable read whilst also being of pastoral value.

He begins his book with true 'Piper-style' - fine words;

'The Final Judgement feels too close for me to care much about scoring points in debate. Into my seventh decade, the clouds of time are clearing, and the prospect of wasting my remaining life on gamesmanship or one-upmanship is increasingly unthinkable. The ego-need to be right has lost its dominion, and quiet desire to be a faithful steward of the grace of truth increases. N.T. Wrightg is about three years younger than I am, and I assume he feels the same.

The risen Lord Jesus sees through all our clever turns of phrase - I am preaching to myself. He knows perfectly when we have chosen words to win, but not to clarify. He has planted a banner on the pulpit of every preacher and on the desk of every scholar; "No man can give the impression that he himself is clever and that Christ is mighty to save." We will give an account to the all-knowing, all-ruling Lord of the universe in a very few years - or days. And when we do, what will matter is that we have not pedalled God's word but 'as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ' (2 Cor. 2:17).

The Future of Justification - A Response to N.T. Wright. Introduction, pp. 13. www.crossway.org

mis'sion·al (adjective)

2008-02-11T12:39:00.000+10:30

I have been reading several books over the past twelve months, many in relation to the growing missional church movement. It has been interesting and challenging. The authors have certainly challenged my more conservative thinking!

Missional is a hot word among people who think and write about the church. It's one of those fundamentally good words in danger of becoming jargon. A missional church is one that doesn't just have that word in it's strategic plan or vision statement, but one that actually shapes its life to reach those who don't know the Lord Jesus Christ. Mission-minded leaders remind us to approach our society the way a missionary approaches a host society - with eyes and ears open, expecting differences but seeking points of connection.

Contextualising the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ today is as hard as it's ever been. We live among people who hear the message not as good - great news - but as yesterday's news only for 'religious types'. Many of these people have been scarred by painful experiences in the church or have an image of the church framed by distortions of mainstream media. There are many in our culture who, as Isaiah wrote long ago, are "ever hearing, but never understanding ... ever seeing, but never perceiving".

Indeed, the gospel, in Paul's word - the great missionary to the nations (Gentiles) - is a stumbling block to the Jews, foolishness to the Greeks - and even to the postmoderns and the post-postmoderns.

But there is no need to put avoidable stumbling blocks in front of people; instead, we should offer them a message full of the truth that attracts, that has the scent of life in a culture of death.

As Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, "We are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life" (2 Cor 2:15-16).

Delight in the Voice of God

2008-02-10T15:11:00.000+10:30

Hear these words of the Psalmist ...

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a treeplanted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers.

4 The wicked are not so,but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

(Psalm 1 - ESV)

As I reflect on the opportunity that lies before me, that is to spend the next four years at Moore Theological College studying the word of God I was drawn to some of my favourite words in the Bible - those of Psalm 1.

It reminds me of the centrality of the God - His word, His activity and His voice. In particular verse 2 where the psalmist exhorts us to 'delight in the law of the Lord' and to meditate on it 'day and night'. Clearly the writer of this psalm allowed for sleep, but at all other times meditate, ponder and marvel at the word of God. And to delight in the word - not see it as a task but a joy to read it, obey it and what is the outcome of this - we see it in verse 3 - there is growth, life and fruit.

As we delight in the word of God we can expect changes. Sins in our lives slowly chipped away, love for those we find hard to love, patience, kindness, self-control just to name a few. Changes to our lives brought about through 'delighting' in God's law.

By choosing to engage with God through His word we engage with the living God. Clearly in the psalm, the alternative is to engage the counsel of the wicked - who moves from walking with them, to standing with sinners and sitting with the scoffers (v.1). What is the end point of this? Those who take counsel from the wicked will fall - they will not stand, nor will their way of doing things. It will all be blown away like chaff in the wind at the judgement seat of God almighy.

But what of the one who delights in the Lord? Who loves his word? He or she will stand. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous (v.6). How are we righteous? Through Jesus Christ our Lord - his coming, his dying and his rising. For God spoke in many ways and through many people in the past but now he spoken through Jesus - a most unique, glorious revelation. Faith in God's own Son means we are washed clean, made new - we are righteous, right with God.

There is temptation, and there will be to get lost in the works of Calvin, pushed by the works of Augustine, Luther and Carson and drowned by the works of philosophers young and old. But, what does the blessed man do? He delights in the law, the voice of God.

Have you heard His voice lately?

"I believe in the universal church" - Do you?

2007-09-27T14:23:00.000+09:30

I preached at Trinity Hills on Sunday 23 September at 10am and 5pm services on the statement we make in the Apostle's Creed 'I believe in the universal church'. Here is the blurb. The sermon was different and based on several passages but in my reading it would seem that Ephesians 2 and in fact the entire letter from Paul to the church at Ephesus is key to our understanding of the church which Jesus died for.

The passages we explored were: Psalm 84, Acts 2:42-47, Titus 2:1-15 and Hebrews 10:19-25.

Key ideas were;

As Christians we should have three (3) clear assumptions about the church; (a) we are committed to the church, (b) we are committed to mission and (c) we are committed to praying for renewal of the church.

Then - we looked at what a living, committed church does? Based on the early church in Acts 2, radically changed by the Holy Spirit we should be;

1. A learning church

2. A Loving church

3. A Worshippig church

4. A Universal, Evangelising church

Do we believe in the church?

How big is your picture of the church?

Our Scriptures use the terms “church” and “people of God” to describe the people God has gathered to himself. The story of the nation of Israel begins by being called out from among the nations to God, in order to become God’s people, with God’s presence among them.

The New Testament speaks of Christians being gathered in the heavenly church. We are united to Christ by faith, in fact we are described as being “in Christ” (Ephesians 2). This union is an ongoing reality for all believers, and since we know that Christ sits at the right hand of his Father in heaven (Hebrews 1:3) we are in a very real sense, part of the church gathered in heaven.

Sadly today, I find an increasing number of Christians have a very low view of the church, specifically a low view of the gathering of the church with which they’re associated. “I don’t need to go to church to be a Christian” they state, quite correctly. Thus, safe in their correct theological position they turn their backs on God’s people!

While these people’s understanding of the role (or lack thereof) of gathering together with other believers for justification is correct, they’ve misunderstood Jesus’ own words about what it means to be a Christian. Jesus linked love for God with love for God's people. He told his closest followers, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35). One could even say our love for God’s people is evidence of our love for God. In Hebrews 10:25 we’re urged not to give up meeting together, because gathering with other Christians is how we ensure we’ll be ready for the day of the Lord’s return.

It’s through the church that God conducts his mission in the world, drawing more people to himself. He entrusts to us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5) and has always used his people to promote his name among those who are far off.

We know that Christ and his Father have an exalted view of the church. Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25) – clearly Jesus is not ambivalent in his feelings for the church, nor is his relationship based on convenience, self benefit or a sense of duty! Christ’s view of the importance of God’s people, the church and his love for God’s people, the church, led him to lay his life down for them - For us.

Does our view of Christ’s church need a little polish? Perhaps a complete overhaul? If you think your view of the church needs some adjustment, can I encourage you to read through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians? The letter is a wonderful declaration of the eternal purpose of God in Christ brought to reality in his church.

Do you fake it?

2007-07-16T14:00:00.000+09:30

In 2004 an Oxford engineering student named Matthew Richardson was surprised to be invited to deliver a series of lectures in Beijing on global economics. Richardson knew “next to nothing” on the subject, unlike Professor Matthew Richardson from New York who the conference organisers apparently thought they had invited. He decided to fake his way through the lectures, pretending to be an expert on global financial markets.

He bought a high school economics text book and flew all expenses paid to China to lecture students studying towards PhDs in business studies. However by mid-afternoon on the second day, Richardson’s ability to maintain his deception was weakening. His interpreter was getting suspicious. “I didn’t like to tell them I didn’t know what I was talking about. So I decided to leg it.” He fled during a coffee break and returned to Oxford the following day.

Sometimes we’re tempted to pretend. To fake what we don’t have. To put on a show for others, ourselves or even God.

The amazing generosity of the early church in Acts is evidence of a remarkable unity brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit in Christian’s lives. Believers from different countries, backgrounds and languages were “one in heart and mind” and many sold possessions so money could be distributed to those in need (Acts 4:32–35). The American anthropologist Margaret Mead made a similar observation regarding a gathering of thousands of Christians from all walks of life from around the world in Nairobi in 1975. “You people are a sociological impossibility,” she said, noting that they held nothing in common except their unity in Christ.

Such unity and fellowship was a wonderful mark of the early church, but in Acts 5 we learn of a couple who tried to fake this fellowship and unity for personal gain. Whereas the genuine fellowship and generosity led to the care and building of the church, this cheap faked generosity brought swift judgment from God. Luke tells us that great fear seized the church. The punishment of these two hypocrites serves as a warning for everyone.

The great Reformer John Calvin commented, “the church was afraid because their reverence for God was never so complete that they could not benefit from being warned through his judgments.” Through the severity of God’s judgment on Ananias and Sapphira God warns us against sin, its gravity and consequences. I’m confident that our reverence for God is not so complete that this episode sounds no warning for us.

Flee sin! Flee hypocrisy! May the Spirit of God so fill us and shape us that our attitude and care for those around us will come from him and not our own attempts at “faking it”!

Waiting, waiting, waiting ...

2007-05-31T13:51:00.000+09:30

I visited the dentist for the second time in a week yesterday. I've had a painful tooth for about ... a year now. Yes - I know I should have had it looked at a long time ago. Yes - when the dentist looked at my tooth it had a mighty big hole in it. Yes - it hurt having the needle jabbed in my mouth. Yes - I have a very numb mouth! However, before I got to sit in the 'hot-seat' I had to wait for a while in the waiting room.

The waiting room was pleasant - the radio was on, the sweet sound of the receptionists' voice answering calls was in the air and I had a good book to read. I am currently trying to finish Eugene Peterson's 'Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places'. As I waited I got thinking about the series we have been working through and just completed at church - we've been exploring the book of Isaiah.

On the weekend we finally got to chapters 56-66 - the last chapters of Isaiah's challenging yet ecouraging prophecy.

As we have progressed through Isaiah it occurred to me how hard it must have been for the people of Isaiah's time to grasp what he was on about. Their world was fracturing and contracting, not growing and thriving. To them Isaiah's visions and messages of the new world order must have sounded too vast, too ambitious - much like a fantastic dream!

But if so - that was because their human minds - like your mine - were too small, too limited. And God is insistent - IT IS NO DREAM, no mere fantasy that He has set before them.

God's voice, His word, which once spoke the universe in to being was going forth again - just as powerfully, equally as purposefully. Nothing can frustrate it or divert it from it's course. God will accomplish all He intends to do by His word - even if the messenger is weak, small-minded and flawed!

So we got to chapters 56-66. They were spoken at a time that is very much like our own. The Kingdom of God has come, but it is yet to come. It is now, but it is - well, not yet. It is an exciting time but also a difficult time as we groan (as the Apostle Paul writes) inwardly as we await our final redemption (Romans 8:23). In other words - we are waiting!

So why the wait? I hate waiting! Waiting tests our patience and our faith. Yes - it is too much for some. The waiting time is a time when tensions develop and some fall away - and those who do 'hang in there' are not always certain they've done the right thing. All these tensions are reflected in Isaiah 56-66 (go to www.biblegateway.com to read this section. Chapter 66 especially). The last section of Isaiah is all about life in the waiting room.

For we live as the Bible calls it 'in the last days' (Acts 2:16-21 and Hebrews 1:1-3). So what do we do? How do we spend our time in the waiting room?

The final vision of God's ultimates kingdom, filled with people from all over the world is simply amazing! His word has gone forth - brought people to repentence and faith in Jesus.

We are part of the means by which the word goes forth. We are of God's mission methodology! God uses us to reach every nation, every people. Through us, through the Gospel preached God calls people to himself. Not by our persuasion but by clear Gospel proclamation.

As a read about God in the waiting at the dentist I was struck by this. The opportunity to share the Gospel with my dentist didn't eventuate - a bit difficult when the left-side of your face is numb! But I am hopeful for opportunities!

I pray that my vision - your vision - of God will be sufficient to make us say to him, "Here I am - send me!".

Critical Coffee

2007-05-15T16:29:00.000+09:30

It is no secret to many that I simply adore a good cup of coffee. Each day I wake with a deep longing to make that perfect brew of strong, rich, tasty, warming and satisfying coffee.

I am therefore always on the hunt for the best bean, the gourmet grind, the most excellent espresso. There are just so many coffee companies these days it is hard to keep up - local, interstate, overseas, organic - the list goes on!

So I have decided to start a coffee critique section on my blog called: 'Critical Coffee'. For in this section we shall endeavour to critique what is a critical substance - coffee.

My first coffee is AMANTI - Golden Moka. It has been re-labelled 'Jet Fuel' by a local cafe. It is a deliciously dark roast, perhaps a choclatey edge - but full-bodied and a great true coffee flavour. I have had it to date as a double-shot flat white and at home in the plunger - both are excellent.

Amanti claims to make the 'world's finest coffee' - I would have to agree at this time. Certianly it is fine grind - better than Illy, Lavazza, Grinders, Vittoria.

If you can get your hands on some Amanti I guarantee you won't be disappointed! 'Til next time ...

The Inconvenient Truth

2007-05-11T11:48:00.000+09:30

I was reading recently another blog - compiled by a mate of mine, Phil. He was writing about his faith in Jesus. Phil was thinking through how his faith in Jesus is or isn't connected to his life, his actions. The theme was 'dislocation' (ie. dislocated shoulder) - is our/his faith dislocated from life, action, work, family, society etc. It made me consider the idea too - which I am thankful for. I went and read Luke's gospel - in particular Luke 18:18-30.

Phil's blog is worth a look; http://casethepromisedland.blogspot.com

Luke 18:18-30 really makes us examine who or what we are fundamentally committed to.

The man in the passage thought he had lived a good enough life but Jesus’ question exposed that he was actually more committed to things which he thought offered him more than God could. The call to sell all he owned touched a nerve that exposed his lack of commitment to God and his reluctance to be inconvenienced for Christ.

This story can be very confusing. It may sound like you have to sell everything to be a true Christian.Well, the example of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) shows that salvation does not come by completely emptying your bank account. The question is: where does your trust reside? Do you trust your possessions and take comfort from the security they give? Or do you trust God and take comfort in Him?

For Zacchaeus (and others, including Peter) following God became their central orientation in life. They committed themselves to following Jesus even when that meant “extreme inconveniences”.Sure, there were some moments of gross failure, as in Peter’s denials, but their hearts were turned in the right direction.

Please note: God alone changes the human heart. Salvation is an act of his grace. It is impossible for us to change by sheer determination. But what is impossible for us is possible with God (Luke 18:27).

Furthermore, when God directs us, the resources we have are put to use for the needy. Jesus called the rich man to turn his resources over to God so that they could be used to help the poor. When God is truly sought after, he points us to service for others. Jesus’ own ministry is the best example I know of this.

This passage challenges us to ask if we are committed to Jesus beyond the point of convenience. Few biblical figures are as tragic as this young rich man as he walks away from Jesus’ invitation. But other factors, such as achievement, pride, and family, can also reside in the place that should be reserved for God. Anything that excessively anchors us to the earth rather than freeing us as commissioned representatives from God indicates a break down in the discipleship process.

We should carefully consider how to use the resources God gives us. Helping the poor is a concrete expression of compassion. In a world where a few people hold the majority of the world’s resources, application of this passage is not easy. Let’s face it, needs exist everywhere! The rich who have turned to God should act concretely by performing deeds of ministry and service to those who have genuine needs. Our resources cease to be ours; they become tools of heaven in order to serve him.

Only when we have a sense of detachment from the things of earth can we give our all to God. I think the most encouraging feature of this text is that such detachment is possible. Peter speaking on behalf of the disciples asked if they had done it, and Jesus assured them that they had. In the end, they gain far more than anything they had given up. Peter was committed beyond the point of convenience. Are you?

I'll keep thinking ....

STOP!

2007-05-08T13:04:00.000+09:30

As I look around my workplace, my home,my family and friends, the Adelaide Hills, what do we believe to be the ’solution’ to the problem of so many people not yet appreciating the truth of Jesus Christ? The most basic part of the answer must be ‘prayer’- compassionate petitions to the Lord of the harvest to send out more workers, to give success to such workers and to grant salvation to our friends, family and the world.

I seem to spend a lot of time doing stuff, going to things - but I don't seem to just stop before the Lord and ask Him to help - stop and pray.

I should use this gift some more.

When all is stripped away.

2007-05-04T09:08:00.000+09:30

Last Saturday I was out with my wife and mother-in-law. My wife was keen to do some clothes shopping, I am never keen to do clothes shopping nor is my mother-in-law! So whilst the shopping and browsing occurred I took my mother-in-law to the coffee shop. Over a double-shot flat white she informed me that her son (David) - my brother-in-law required a liver transplant. This was the first I had heard that he was so ill. I was shocked but then hopeful that a doner would arrive in time.

On Thursday I was just about to leave the clinic, I noticed a missed call on mobile phone - it was my wife. I called only to find out that David was in intensive care on life-support, unlikely to last the night. My wife was in tears - her brother who she'd not seen for 5-years was dying. Just hours later he died. He died leaving his wife and three young children. He was not yet 50-years old.

Just recently I have been thinking about success - in life, in work, in family. And as I read the Bible and pondered was 'success' is in the eyes of God, in the eyes of Jesus it is clear that when all is stripped back success only begins with knowledge and faith in Jesus. All else is meaningless. It is at times of death that this reality is laid-bare for all to see. There is nothing we can take, everything is just stripped away.

The two men at Jesus' death - who were being crucified along side Jesus - arms pinned back with nails, clothes stripped off so they hung naked and humiliated could bring nothing, they couldn't do anything. One of the men mocked Jesus. The other cried-out for help for he knew that he was helpless. Jesus said to that man - 'today you shall be with me in Paradise'.

When all is stripped away what really matters?

I cannot understand why David died, why a young family is now without a dad, why a wife is now without her husband, why a mother has lost a son.

But I trust God, I trust Jesus. Will you?

What does it matter to you?

2007-05-01T17:11:00.000+09:30

After his resurrection from the dead, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him. He answered yes three times. Then Jesus told Peter how he would die—apparently by crucifixion. Peter wondered about how it would go with John. So he asked Jesus, “What about this man?” Jesus brushed off the question and said, “What is that to you? You follow me!” Here’s the whole interchange.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” (John 21:18-22)

Jesus’ blunt words—“None of your business, follow me”—are sweet to my ears. They are liberating from the depressing bondage of fatal comparing. All too often I compare myself to others - whether it be in the workplace, in my profession, at church, other peoples gifts for ministry, other peoples' success - it goes on.

Book after book, conference after conference, DVD after DVD—telling us how to succeed in ministry, in life, in the family. And all of them quietly delivering the message that I am not making it. Worship could be better. Preaching could be better. Evangelism could be better. Pastoral care could be better. Youth ministry could be better. Missions could be better. Treatment could be better. And here is what works. Buy this. Go here. Go there. Do it this way.

So I was refreshed by Jesus’ blunt word to me (and you): “What is that to you? You follow me!”

Peter had just heard a very hard word. You will die—painfully. The historians report that Peter was ultimately crucified - upside down - becuase he didn't feel he should perish the same way Jesus did. But even so Peter's first thought was comparison. What about John? If I have to suffer, will he have to suffer? If my ministry ends like that, will his end like that? If I don’t get to live a long life of fruitfulness, will he get to?

That’s the way we human-sinners are wired. Compare! Compare! Compare! We crave to know how we stack up in comparison to others. There is some kind of high if we can just find someone less effective than we are. Less successful than I am. Ouch!

What is it to you Simon that David F. Wells has such a comprehensive grasp of the pervasive effects of postmodernism and it's effects on the position of Christ? You follow me.

What is it to you Simon that Chris Edwards speaks the gospel so powerfully without notes? You follow me.

What is it to you Simon that Tim Keller sees gospel connections with professional life so clearly? You follow me.

What is it to you Simon that Don Carson reads five hundred books a year and combines pastoral insight with profound scholar’s depth and comprehensiveness? You follow me.

What is it to you Simon ... ?

That word landed on me with great joy. Jesus will not judge me according to my superiority or inferiority over anybody. No preacher. No church. No author. No ministry. No academic. No one. These are NOT the standard. Jesus has a work for me to do (and a different one for you). It is not what he has given anyone else to do. There is a limitless grace to do it.

Will I trust him for that grace and do what he has given me to do? That is the question. The great liberty that comes when Jesus gets tough!

I hope you find encouragement and freedom today when you hear Jesus say to all your fretting comparisons: “What is that to you? You follow me!”

I need to keep learning how to walk in this great freedom and grace.

Praise ... again

2007-05-01T16:26:00.000+09:30

In the last post we looked at what praise is; but for now, I want to ask about your personal ‘praise’ of God. After all, praise is a matter of the heart and therefore how we nurture our hearts in private is fundamental to whether we will praise God with our lives. Here are 3 things I believe wil help us to grow in our desire to praise Him:

(a) Cultivate your prayer life;
(b) Ensure you’re regularly reflecting on His word, the Bible; and,
(c) Think again about the decisions and commitments that demonstrate the sincerity of your relationship with Him.

Cultivate Prayer

Pick a psalm and pray it to God. Say it directly to him. Say back to God the things about him that Scripture says about him. You are gracious and compassionate, abounding in steadfast love – please have mercy on my friend (name them). Lord I know that you don’t wish anyone to perish, please save (name someone you want God to rescue). Pray God would stir our hearts to serve him; that he would produce the fruits of the Spirit in our church. When you pray for specifics, e.g. for someone’s health or for a change in circumstance, pray humbly. Acknowledge that his plans may be different from ours and that he is infinitely wiser than us. Remember Jesus’ prayer in the garden, “Everything is possible for you; take this cup from me; yet not what I will but what you will …” That is a prayer of praise.

In addition to regular prayer, there is spontaneous prayer. This is where you pray any time you want. Utter a quiet prayer to God. Thank you for this beautiful view. Or, Lord, why is this person’s life such a mess? Live your day in conversation with God. Don’t let any day of your life go by without some sort of communication between you and him.

Read the Bible

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says two things about Scripture: it comes from God and it is useful. The problem is with us! Either our sinful minds fail to understand it, or our wills resist it. So learn the art of pondering. We need to stop and let God speak to us through the word. As we think about it, and interpret it in light of the rest of the Bible, his Spirit will work in us. Do it every day. I generally spend about 15 mins reading, sometimes more. It’s not much!

Decisions and Commitments

It is impossible to go into these in detail but we need to think very deeply about our decisions and commitments. We need to be willing to be challenged by God about them as we read the Bible and as the Spirit presses our consciences. When it comes to decisions about money I’m not going to tell you an amount or a percentage that you should give but I will ask whether you are giving generously. More than 10%? We are very, very rich and therefore we are in great, great danger of not entering the Kingdom of heaven. In Israel, the risk was Baal. In Adelaide, it’s money. Greed is deadly. The only time in the Bible that God tells us to test him is in relation to money. Malachi 3:10 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.

Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

When it comes to our occupations they should be to his praise and they should always enable us to exalt him. When it comes to personal circumstances you need to know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love him. So your joy and contentment about your life and circumstances is in itself praise of God because it is saying that God is good. He’s not trying to hurt me or frustrate me. He is blessing me and will continue to do so – praise God! So why grumble?Now go and make sure this stuff happens. We wouldn’t dare approach holidays the way we often approach these matters. If you don’t plan your holidays, you’ll end up just bumming around and going mad at home. You need to plan to get away or to do things that are going to refresh you. No point just getting a guilt trip and hoping this will keep you on track for a while. You need to make changes to your life to make this stuff happen.

So the punch line is: nurture your relationship with God, just as you would your relationship with anyone you care about.

Reorganise your life so that God is at the centre. Your praise will flow directly from your relationship with him. It doesn’t matter how much you sing and dance at church, you must want him more than you want anything else in life. If you have crowded him out, then you need to come to him for mercy, and you must repent.

Sucess - some more thoughts ...

2007-05-01T15:55:00.000+09:30

Kent Hughes, pastor of Wheaton Church once said, “During a bout of success, my faith slipped so miserably that I was not believing the things I actually believe.” I remember thinking this was so illogical there must be a punch line following to unravel the conundrum. No punch line came. His riddle made me think. Is it possible to stop believing the things I believe? And the conclusion I came to was - it is.

In Hebrews 11:6 we read: “Without faith it is impossible to please God”. There it is. There is no way around it. God simply will not take pleasure in anything we do, no matter how great, apart from faith. Yet our achievements can breed such pride in us that our belief in God can actually fade. The knowledge of his very existence can be eroded to a mere creed by the inward, proud focus of our hearts.

Yet the word of God stands: we cannot be successful without faith.Look further in Hebrews 11 and you’ll see that the heroes listed had unfading belief in the God of scripture. We, this side of the cross, can know even more than these old testament heroes! Jesus, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known (John 1:18).

And Colossians 1 reveals what we know: Jesus is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Goal of creation and the head of the church. Jesus created everything! He created the colours of the spectrum, every texture, every living thing, every planet. And did it all ex nihilo, from nothing.

Jesus holds it all together. The tense in the Greek emphasises that he continues presently to sustain everything. Apart from his continuous action, everything would disintegrate. The keyboard I am typing on, the paper you’re holding, the very breath that falls on this page are all held together by Christ.

Jesus is the Goal of creation. Everything in history and the spiritual realm moves toward him. Everything began with him and will end with him. He is the alpha and the omega (Revelation 1:8).

The hymn in Colossians 1 ends with this thought: Jesus is the head of the body, the church (Colossians 1:18). Jesus is our leader and Lord. We follow him. We obey him. We serve him. When we lead in Sunday School or in a small group, we follow him. When we welcome others, we welcome him. When we offer hospitality over tea or coffee or a meal, we serve him.

As “believers” do we believe this? Do we actually, existentially, in our heart of hearts, believe it? Do we truly believe what we believe? Or are we so committed to making life successful that we turn to God only to use him to improve our present lives? Are we so proud of our achievements that our belief in God is fading?

“Without faith it is impossible to please God”. So if we are to succeed, we need to really believe what we believe and to remain faithful to God. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up”. As a church we need to pray God will grant us humble, faithful hearts.

Loving to Love

2007-05-01T15:46:00.000+09:30

“There are two kinds of love: Our love and God’s love. But God makes both kinds of them”- James, age 6.

For a six year old, James has got a pretty good understanding of what love is all about! OK, so he may be lacking a little understanding of the full spectrum of love in the Bible (3 ‘kinds’ - agape, phileo and eros) but he’s definitely grasped that love comes from God. We only know what love truly is because of God’s love for us (1 John 4:7-10).In John 21:15-25 we read of Jesus’ repeated question of Peter, “Do you love me?” and Peter’s reply three times, “You know that I love you.” Even giving Peter the opportunity to make this statement shows the immeasurable depths of Jesus’ love for his people. Three times, Peter had denied knowing Jesus, and yet Jesus’ love for Peter remains and he longs for Peter to be reinstated as a shepherd of his people. Peter’s answers are definite and unequivocal, but a statement of love is not enough however, to show real love. Mere verbal assent is a long way from a demonstration of the reality of love.

If, as I left for the clinic each day I told my wife, “I love you” and then when I arrived home each day said the same words, but there was no application of that love in my life, or to her life, she would have good reason to doubt the truth of my words.

In one sense, to say “I love you” is really a promise. It’s saying, “I promise to act in a loving way towards you.” If our claim of love is not followed up with evidence of love, it could rightly be called into question.

After the events described in John 21, the Apostle John penned three letters to groups of Christians, which survive today in our New Testament. In these letters John speaks about the necessity of loving each other as a demonstration of our love for God (and God knows a lot about love – it’s only because of him that we can love him or others). It is not enough John states, simply to claim that we love God (1 John 4:7-12). That’s the same message that Jesus gives to Peter in John 21:15-25. Peter’s profession of love for Jesus is answered with Jesus command/invitation “Take care of my sheep.” Peter’s love for Jesus is to be expressed in the way that he shepherds the flock of God that is in his care. He is commanded to feed them, to shepherd them, and guide them.

How is your love for Jesus being expressed? Is it limited to expressions in your personal relationship with God, or are the flock of God’s people of which you’re a member benefiting from your love for him?I think I need to go out and meet with some of the sheep.

Maybe I’ll see you there!

More than just singin'!

2007-05-01T15:31:00.000+09:30

It’s great to gather together to praise God isn’t it? I love singing a good God song - you'l catch me in my living room at home belting-out a classic hymn or contempory Christian song! Good thing I haven't been caught yet ... actually I was once by my wife!

But have you ever explored the meaning of ‘Praise’?

For a long time I assumed that you praised the Lord by singing, since that’s what we always did during the ‘praise’ time in church. But what about prayer? Surely we praise God with (and through) our prayers. And in the Psalms, where more than half the biblical references to ‘praise’ occur, it seems to involve sacrifice and confession as well. And then I even heard a preacher say that his sermon was offered as praise to God.A sermon? As praise?!!Then it dawned on me that although everyone might agree that praise is a vital part of the Christian life no one ever actually told me what it is and how you do it.

Author Mark Harding is one among many who have taken up the task of examining what the Bible says about praise. He writes: “there’s a vast vocabulary of praise words in the pages of the Old Testament. In Ezra 3:10-11 the term ‘to praise’ is found in conjunction with shouting and singing. In Jeremiah 31:7 ‘glad singing’ and ‘shouting’ and ‘proclaiming’ God’s grace accompanies praise. In the Psalms one discovers ornate conglomerates of the vocabulary of praise and they involve sacrifice and confession.”I followed Harding’s lead but stopped counting words when I got to 46 different Hebrew verbs which are used as activities of praise. Many of these have to do with singing and shouting to the Lord in a mood of great rejoicing. Others relate to prayer. And, to my surprise, others relate to the public declaration of God’s favour and of remembering, proclaiming, and explaining his gracious work.

On occasion the congregation is told to respond in praise to God and to make known what he has done (see Psalm 102:18). There are times when all people are challenged to recognise God for who he is in creation and redemption (see Ps 117; 145:21). It is up to the people of God to praise God so the nations will be informed and enlightened about God’s mighty acts and deeds. In fact, you cannot praise God and not inform and enlighten others about what he’s done. You cannot exalt God and not challenge your hearers to honour this one whose sovereign character is announced by his deeds; whose will it is that all creation might throb to the beat of his praise (Habakkuk 3:3). So even sermons can be praise!

‘Praise’ is a lot more than just singing. I suppose a modern way of thinking about it is to say praise is ‘advertising’. Praise is the ‘advertisement’ - the public acknowledgment, acclamation and proclamation of the attributes and deeds of God.It is not something that we only do in church any more than we only proclaim the gospel when we’re at church. In Christ, the Father comes and makes his home within each of us through his Spirit. He is constantly present with us. So our praise is the constant, lifelong confession before the world of what he has done for us.

How are you advertising the deeds of God in this world as we await the return of the King?

Short People!

2007-05-01T13:10:00.000+09:30

In Luke's Gospel we meet a man whose name literally means “righteousness”. But this supervisor of tax collectors was not living up to his name. Certainly the Jewish religious community in Jericho would not have considered him righteous, for he not only collected taxes from his own people but also worked for the Gentiles! And tax collectors were notorious for collecting more taxes than required. Though Zacchaeus was a renegade in the eyes of the Jews, he was a precious lost sinner in the eyes of Jesus.

In the East, it is unusual for a man to run, especially a wealthy government official; yet look at what Zacchaeus did in Luke's Gospel. He ran down the street like a little boy following a parade. And he even climbed a tree so he could see better! He was behaving like a curious little kid!

John Calvin wrote, “Curiosity and simplicity are a sort of preparation for faith.” This is often the case, and it was certainly true of Zacchaeus.

Luke has carefully arranged his gospel account for us so that we may know the certainty of the events of Jesus’ life (Luke 1:3-4). It is no coincidence that we now read of this government official acting like a big kid. Jesus has just said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:17). Perhaps more than anything else, it is pride that keeps many “successful” people from trusting Jesus Christ.

We do not know how God had worked in the heart of Zacchaeus to prepare him for this meeting with Jesus. Was Matthew, the former tax collector (Luke 5:27-39), one of his friends? Had he told Zacchaeus about Jesus? We cannot answer these questions, but we can rejoice that a seeking Saviour will always find a sinner who is looking for a new beginning.

It was not Zacchaeus’ fault that he was “a short man” and could not see over the crowd. He was born with that set of genes. He did what he could to overcome what he lacked vertically by putting aside his dignity and climbing a tree. In a spiritual sense, all of us are “short people” for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). No one measures up to God’s high standards; we are all “too little” to enter into heaven.

The tragedy is, many lost sinners think they are “big.” They measure themselves by human standards which are “detestable in God’s sight.” (Luke 16:15). We claim our privacy, promotion and possessions – thinking they are unalienable “rights”, thinking they are everything when really they are nothing (Revelation 3:17). The people thought Zacchaeus was a wealthy man because of his possessions but actually he was a bankrupt sinner who needed to receive God’s gift of eternal life, the most expensive gift in the world.

Zacchaeus trusted Jesus Christ and became a true “son of Abraham,” meaning, of course, a child of faith and righteousness (Galatians 3:6-7). He may have been a short person but that made him as big as you can get! Zacchaeus was not saved because he promised to do good works. He was saved because he responded by faith to Christ’s gracious word to him.

When a day begins, you never know how it will end. For Zacchaeus, that day ended in joyful fellowship with the Son of God, for he was now a changed man with a new life. Jesus is still seeking the lost and yearning to save them.

Has He found you?

Successful?

2007-05-01T09:07:00.000+09:30

Every day I go to work as a physiotherapist. Some days are good, some challenging, some hard, some days are just, well normal. Most days I am faced with patients who have pain - physical pain that they want 'fixed' immediately. Every day I drive home from work and ask myself the question; 'was today a successful day at work?'

How do we measure success? I think there are three ways;

1. Whether other people believe we are successful. Peoples' impressions of our level of achievment or success.

2. Whether we personally feel we are successful? My impression of myself.

3. Whether God thinks we are successful. Is God satisfied with me.

In most cases we tend to concentrate on two of the three criteria - most often number 1 and 2. But surely number 3 is most important. And it is.

The words of Psalm 1 clearly show that to be 'successful' is all about whether you are righteous, or right with God. No amount of money, acclaim, status, qualifications, toys or belongings are of any eternal value. Yet we determine an individual's success based on all these things. Does God?

No. Jesus said, as recorded in Mark's Gospel (chapter 10) that success is all about serving God, serving people - ultimately success only begins with faith in Jesus Christ.

It caused me to think about my life, my success. Do I serve God with all my heart, soul, strength and mind? Do I serve people as I would like to be served? If these are the marks of success according to Jesus - how successful am I?

Beginner!

2007-04-30T13:55:00.000+09:30

Hello everyone!

Just wanted to say "g'day"! I am very new to all of this 'blogging business' and to be honest I may not get to it very often ... but I'll try!

I would love to hear from you and I'll do my best to get some thoughts out of my brain onto the screen!

Cheers, Simon