Sunday 30 May 2010

Smyrna. The suffering church.

To the Church in Smyrna
 8"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
      These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.


Revelation 2.




Okay I may take these out of order but I am looking at my favourite passages in the Bible. I have always loved the letters contained in Revelations to the seven different church's since introduced to them when my former Pastor asked some of the lay preachers to let him choose their passages. Mine was Smyrna and I eventually ended up looking at Philadelphia as well. 
First thing I notice looking at it now is that there is absolutely no criticism from the Lord for this church. None whatsoever. That to me is just totally shocking. The idea that a church can get nothing but praise and encouragement seems shocking to me!
The problem is I have been in churches and to be blunt they seem to be full of people who you would believe God would want to criticise. I don't mean this to be nasty about anyone but churches are full of sinners who do not deserve that God would even look in their direction. You know, people exactly like me. We are all weak, we mess up, disagree with each other, count ourselves as better than others, give credit to people not God and do not spend anywhere near enough time with God. If anyone reading this is from my Church be aware the reason I make this list is that these are the sins I identify in my life( and its not intended as an exhaustive list). If I say these are the sins of the church it is just that I believe that you are all like me. That you get it wrong and mess up and feel a lot of the time that you are a very sorry excuse for a Christian. The idea that God would praise us without a "but I have this against you" statement is shocking because we believe God should criticise us not praise us.
Second  they are under attack from falsehood. Well lets be honest that could be written today could it not? How many of us hear churches using false doctrine? I honestly believe that because of these mixed messages that different false teachers put abroad that most do not actually know what being a Christian actually means.
One of these false doctrines leads us on to my third point. I have spoken before about the prosperity gospel. The idea that if your bank account has lots of money in it and God gives you lots of stuff when you pray then you must be hyper spiritual. If of course you are in the red and it looks like God does not answer your calls for stuff then you are weak spiritually. But here Jesus is telling this Church categorically what is coming.
10Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.


The third point is that this Church is going to suffer. This will involve prison and Jesus commands them to be faithful even to the point of death. What no large bank account? No they were poor. What no answers to prayer giving you what you want? No suffering even unto death. One of the reasons I love Jesus is that he does not mess about or gild the lily here. He tells it to them straight. Remember this is a church that has no condemnation. If you read the other letters there is some very harsh condemnation. This is a good church despite being materially poor. This is a church that is spiritually rich. Christ is not going to stop the suffering because it has a purpose which I will look at in another post. But the message here is not to pray it away. But to keep going, suffering as we will see is for our benefit.

Quote of the Day.

"Since no man is excluded from calling upon God the gate of salvation is open to all. There is nothing else to hinder us from entering, but our own unbelief."


John Calvin.

A Story.

One Sunday after the usual sermon, the pastor asked everyone in the congregation to prepare for next week's sermon. He said the subject would be lying and that everyone needed to read the 17th chapter in the book of Mark. Everyone uttered a sound of approval. Next week after the congregational singing the preacher said,"If you read Mark 17 please raise your hand." And everyone in the congregation did. Then the preacher said, "Now I am ready to start my sermon on lying" And he stated "There is no Mark 17!!"

Saturday 29 May 2010

God before everything else.

Daniel 6

Daniel in the Den of Lions
 1 It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, 2 with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. 3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, "We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God." 6 So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said: "O King Darius, live forever! 7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions' den. 8 Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed." 9 So King Darius put the decree in writing.
 10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.




I have to be honest from the start and say that Daniel is probably my favourite book in the old testament. I am like many others a bit afraid of the old testament especially when it comes to more obscure passages and tend to avoid them if I can. I have been making more of a concerted effort to actually read more of what Phillip Yancey describes as "The Bible Jesus read".
But one book I can always go back to in the old testament that I can read and read over and over again is Daniel. Now I am sure for most who attended Sunday School the Lion's den is a big story that leads to images in your head of flannel graphs and the story about God rescuing Daniel. Which of course he does. But the thing that I focus on when I read the first chapters of Daniel is the way that Daniel and his friends remain true to God in what we would describe as impossible circumstances. 
Many of us as Christians believe that we are strangers living in a foreign land and bemoan often just how difficult it is to live as 'salt' and 'light' in such a corrupt world. But our moaning on this subject is  put into context by Daniel and his friends. Taken to a foreign land who worshipped different God's and yet they managed in the face of everything to keep their integrity and remain true to the God they served.
3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.


Why did Daniel distinguish himself so much? Because of his integrity. It is also the very reason why he was hated. No corruption would be possible while Daniel was in charge. No shady deals and no backhanders. So his enemies try to find some sin with which to catch him out.
 4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, "We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God."


Basically they find nothing corrupt or shady about Daniel because he has such integrity. How many politicians do we see who bang on about their integrity and yet get caught out when people shine the light and examine them closely. Daniel had the light shone on his life and the conclusion they reached was that the only way they could get him was " something to do with the law of his God." What a fantastic statement that they make about him and his integrity. Quick question if our enemies shine the light on our lives do you think they would come to the same conclusion?
They set the trap for Daniel and tell him basically that he cannot pray to his God for thirty days. Now what  matters to Daniel is to be put to the test. Will he obey the law of the land and sacrifice his integrity or will he follow God.
 10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.


Now the important thing to remember is that Daniel did not change his behaviour one little bit. The threat of death made no difference at all. It is easy to look at the ending and think that God is going to save him anyway.But Daniel at this point does not know this. The most important thing for Daniel is that he remains true to his God even to the point of Death. Oh that I could have faith like Daniel. That nothing would stop me being on my knees to my God. That nothing would be more important in my life than God even when facing the threat of death.



Quote of the Day.

Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. 


C. S. Lewis 

Wednesday 26 May 2010

What am I missing?

Yesterday was a very bad day for me. A very bad day indeed. You see I have been putting something off for a long while now and finally went though with it. I got on the scales to find out what my weight is. No I am not going to give you the details, suffice to say three people are aware of the truth and that is enough. My point is this: I am really good at deceiving myself and thinking that I am not as bad as I actually am.
This has got me thinking, how many other things am I deceiving myself with? You see the fact that I am very large seems to have escaped nobody but myself. Despite the fact that I am ever more resembling a weeble ( you know: Weebles wobble but they don't fall down) I seem to think its not really that bad. Now while the diet is well and truly back on a really horrible thought strikes me.
You see everyone else can look at me and know the truth. I am getting heavier and heavier and something needs to be done. But I can deceive myself that it really is not that bad. I just wonder what in my life I am missing? What I mean is that if I can miss something that is so obvious what else am I missing that is sinful? Am I actually doing things that are sinful without even knowing it or worse deceiving myself that they are not a problem. Worse is it something everyone else knows about? Can they see my sin even when I cannot? The Bible tells us to examine ourselves. 2 Corinthians 13 v 5 says:


5Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?


I know I really need to examine myself more thoroughly and to stop decieving myself that I am better than I really am.
Dear Lord and Heavenly Father,
Help me to see my sin clearly, help me to not deceive myself any longer. Let me see my sin for what it is so that I can lay it at the foot of the cross. Lord help me to recognise the areas in my life that are sinful and help me to lay control over them to you.
Amen

Quote of the Day.

Sink the Bible to the bottom of the ocean, and still man's obligations to God would be unchanged. He would have the same path to tread, only his lamp and his guide would be gone ....

Henry Ward Beecher

Monday 24 May 2010

Praying for each other.


Philippians 1

Greeting
 1Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,   
   To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
 3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.


I was reading earlier from Ron Dunn's excellent book Don't just stand there, pray something. In it he is making a point about the importance of prayer. If we look at verse 6 it says :

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

It is a great verse it really is. It expresses Paul's confidence in God to complete his work in the hearts of the Phillipian believers. But the point the book was making was that that is not the only thing that Paul is saying here. He is not just saying " I am glad I witnessed to you now God will do everything else and I am finished my work." Paul is telling us something here that is massively important.

 3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy

Paul is praying for them. He has not at all given up and nor is he thinking that his work here is complete and he can move on. 
I guess if your like me then you will know lots of people who have made a commitment to Christ and then seemingly have not followed through. We have all been in those meetings and seen the altar calls. You know the ones I mean. The "if anyone here wants to become a Christian please come forward." call. I have seen quite a few friends of mine take that walk forward and commit there lives to Christ. But now looking at them a few years later it is obvious they are not Christians. So is it all just there fault? I do not believe that it truly is just there fault. We put so much into evangelism but not a whole lot into the what happens now part of it. Part of it is explained here by Paul. He is praying for them. How much do we pray for new converts? I don't just mean by that a quick prayer here or there. Paul says " always in every prayer " and I do not think for one minute he is exaggerating. When reading Philippians you get a real sense of how much Paul loves and cares for them. He is expressing that love by praying for them every time he prays. So how about we take our lesson from Paul and do exactly what he does. How about we get on our knees(either physically or just spiritually) and pray for each other. Need some pointers?

9And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.




  1. Love may abound more and more.
  2. Approve what is excellent
  3. Be pure and blameless before God
  4. Filled with the fruit of Righteousness that comes from Jesus Christ
  5. To the Glory and praise of God.
It is just a thought but if we prayed this way about our fellow believers then we may see less of those converts years later going on a different path.

Sin.

A gifted preacher finished his sermon on sin. He had narrated his own sinful past and the story of his successful transformation. There was a question from the audience, “What were you before repentance? He answered, “A sinner.” The next question was, “Then, what are you now?” The preacher repeated, “A sinner.” “Then what is the difference?” the person inquired. The preacher replied, “Earlier, I was a sinner, running after sin. But now I am a sinner running away from sin!”

Sanctified.

Sunday 23 May 2010

Heirs of God and suffering.


 12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

 15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Romans 8.


I guess I am spending a lot of time at the moment thinking about just what it is that Jesus has done for me and wondering what exactly my response to that should be. I have seen a lot of preaching that makes out that Jesus is our heavenly insurance policy. You know the drill,we invite Jesus in but give over no control at all and then at the end we seem to think that Jesus is going to pick up the tab. Unless I have things completely wrong if we do indeed think like that the only one who will pick up the tab will be ourselves.
Firstly in the passage above I am struck by the fact that we no longer have to be controlled by our sinfull natures. I have gone on a lot about making war with sin   and why not say it once more. If we live in our old way we will die. Thats eternal death.


13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.


 I really want that to be me. I want to be led by the Spirit and to be his child. Okay I know I have spoken of this before but a couple of things really strike me.
Firstly it is really amazing to me the gifts that God bestows on us. Is it not enough to save us from death and gave us an eternity in heaven.  But no God makes us heirs alongside of Christ. Now we are his children and get to call him 'daddy'. 
But secondly, and this one goes out to all you prosperity Gospel preachers, 

 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Although we share in his glory as heirs we also share in his suffering. I have never really understood the idea of the prosperity Gospel. I mean I get it in the fact that I bet all of us only want good things from God such as money and an easy life. The idea that if we are good boys and girls that God will give us the bank account we deserve. But the Bible I read mentions in verses like this that suffering may result. But considering what we have been given is it not worth the suffering now for the great privilege of knowing our Saviour.

Quote of the Day.

"You never hear Jesus say in Pilate's judgment hall one word that would let you imagine that He was sorry that He had undertaken so costly a sacrifice for us. When His hands are pierced, when He is parched with fever, His tongue dried up like a shard of pottery, when His whole body is dissolved into the dust of death, you never hear a groan or a shriek that looks like Jesus is going back on His commitment." 

Charles Spurgeon. 

Saturday 22 May 2010

Quote of the Day.

We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won't need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining- they just shine.
Dwight L. Moody 

Friday 21 May 2010

Holy Spirit take over.

Romans 8
Life in the Spirit
 1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

 5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God's laws, and it never will. 8 That's why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

 9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.


 I wonder if you are like me. There are certain parts of my life that I am more than happy for Christ to have full control of. But there is still so much that I have to confess is mine all mine. Why is it that I still think that I know best? Why no matter that my self rule only ends in sin and crawling back to God to ask his forgiveness do I still think that I know best?

7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God's laws, and it never will. 

Let us be honest part of me doesn't like God. It does not want his rule in my life. It wants to embrace sin and wallow in my disgrace. Anything other than actually letting God have control. But why is it that I think this is a great idea? Where will me continuing to let the sinful nature rule lead me? 

6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death.

What does Paul mean by death here? He does not mean that we will die now. He is talking about eternal death. Hell. That does not exactly sound good does it? So by going my own way and rejecting God I am sentencing myself to eternal torment in Hell.  

6b But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.  

God wants it all not just a part. The consequence of letting the Spirit control me  leads to life and peace.


 9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.


I know that it is a constant battle that wages within me and you between our old nature and the Holy Spirit that lives in us but I am so fed up of the sinful nature and want more than anything for God to have it all. Come Holy Spirit take over and have it all. You deserve nothing less. 

Quote of the Day.

Cannibals need missionaries.

Poster for Africa at a C.T.Studd meeting in England.

Wednesday 19 May 2010

Quote of the Day.



"Either sin is with you, lying on your shoulders, or it is lying on Christ, the Lamb of God. Now if it is lying on your back, you are lost; but if it is resting on Christ, you are free, and you will be saved. Now choose what you want."


Martin Luther. 

Fed up of my Sin.

Romans 7


 14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

 18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can't. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

 21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.22 I love God's law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.


I don' know about anyone else but I am coming to really hate the sins i commit. I know that I will not be perfect until I go to be with Christ and realise that means I will continue to sin. But I really hate it. I don't want to sin anymore.  I don't think I have quite reached the level Paul has in these verses:

22 I love God's law with all my heart.



 But I am more and more coming to think that I want to follow God and his laws. I do not want to be a slave to sin anymore in my life. I do realise that it is not in my power to just stop sinning. But I really want to follow God and to do things his way. 

The more pure and holy the heart is, it will have the more quick feeling as to the sin that remains in it. The believer sees more of the beauty of holiness and the excellence of the law. His earnest desires to obey, increase as he grows in grace. But the whole good on which his will is fully bent, he does not do; sin ever springing up in him, through remaining corruption, he often does evil, though against the fixed determination of his will. The motions of sin within grieved the apostle.
 

Mathew Henry.

Forgive me if I seem a bit thick here but I want to ask a question. Looking at what Mathew Henry says and  what Paul says here does this mean that what I am feeling is a good thing? I am genuinely bothered about my sin and I would say I am developing  a desire to obey God. I have written before about the fact that we should be at war with sin as John Piper has so eloquently said. Is my hatred of sin a clue that I am going in the right direction. Is the fact that I care about sin a very good thing and a sign of progress in my life. I care that I am going wrong when so often before I did not. My sin never used to bother me now it grieves me just like the Apostle Paul (although I would bet not to the same extent). As I understand it I will not  be able to stop sinning although that should not stop me trying. But if I understand it right I am on the right track. If I continue on this path then I will  grow to love God more and his law. Far from being depressed that I cannot quit sinning I should take heart from the fact that my heart is moving in the right way. 

Monday 17 May 2010

Choices(2)



Hebrews 12 (New Living Translation)

Hebrews 12
God's Discipline Proves His Love
 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won't become weary and give up. 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.


I am thinking a lot about choices at the moment. I have been a Christian a long time now but to be honest it still feels like I am starting out on a journey. You see I spend far too much of my life going from one extreme to the other. One minute I am really as they would say "on fire" for God. I can't get enough of his word and I want to tell people and I am on fire to actually do things in church and want more than anything to be doing God's will. If that was my state all the time then that would be fantastic. The problem is I go through long periods were I don't really pay God any attention whatsoever. I am happy to go on doing things my way and while I may pay lip service to being God's disciple, the truth is I make my own way in life and make my own decisions. Now I am willing to admit that this is a very bad thing.
A few weeks ago I listened to a sermon on Faith from Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11 details the great men of faith and there commitment to God. But reading on just slightly into Hebrews 12 gives me a picture of things I can do and choices I can make to run the race with endurance.
Firstly to strip off every weight that holds us down. Firstly the command I believe God has given us is to be at war with sin as John Piper puts it so eloquently:

"When you make peace with God you make war with sin.
The evidence of being justified is that you make war on sin. When you become a Christian you don't become perfect, when you become a Christian it doesn't mean you win every battle in the war, but if there is no war . . . your not saved. If you are totally at peace with sin, at home with sin, relaxing in the arms of the pleasures of sin and there's no war in your soul against it, there's no reason you should think your saved."

 


In truth I cannot just stop sinning that is very unrealistic. But the truth is that  that is no reason for me not to try. I should be at war with sin and trying desperately to live a life worthy of my Saviour. This is not for personal gain but because I am so grateful that Christ has saved me from an eternity without God and not just that but wants a relationship with me. I should be more than a little grateful for that.
Secondly to run the race with endurance. How do we do that? Well the writer tells us here that we fix our eyes upon Jesus. This I believe is so important to us to fulfill the first part. We do not get away from sinning by just not doing it. If we are constantly thinking about committing sin it will wear down our defenses and we will eventually sin. So what do we do?


Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.


The song is correct and Hebrews 12 tells us to to look to Jesus because when we concentrate on Christ instead of sin we are more likely to make Godly decisions in our life. 

So the only choice I have is to serve Christ and run the race with endurance. It really is up to me. If I want to follow Christ then this is the choice I have to make when deciding what to do each day. To focus on Christ is to spend time with him, worship him and pray to him. The way I spend my time has an unbelievable impact on how I will live my life.

Quote of the day.

"Our God is a little offensive! Most of the people who REALLY liked Him got killed!"


Mark Driscoll.

Reputation.

Paul Borthwick tells this story about the missionary Gordon Maxwell :

He went to India as a missionary and his Christian conduct and commitment were evident to all. On one occasion he asked a Hindu man to teach him the local language. The Hindu man replied " No, sahib, for you will convert me to Christianity."
Maxwell tried to clarify " You don't understand, all I want you to do is teach me the language."  But the Hindu replied, "I will not , for no one can live with you and not become a Christian."

I love that final line that no one could live with him and not become a Christian.
Two points I want to make. Firstly his Christian commitment was evident to all. What is our reputation? I have been thinking about this a lot recently what is my reputation. Not that I want a good reputation in the world but I would like God to be looking at me and seeing these things. Not for personal gain but that I could be a witness to God's glory.
Point two that no one could live with him and not be saved. Imagine that in your life that because of your commitment to Christ not only did everyone know who you are and what you believe in but that people just continuously got saved. That people could not be around you without coming to Christ. Imagine the church that has the reputation that people stand outside and say " don't go in there, they will get you and you will definitely end up a Christian".  Just imagine it for a moment that people who came in to meet us could not help  but become Christians. But to do that our conduct and commitment has to shine through.
I believe God wants to work through us. I definitely believe that God would love to be able to look at us and see our commitment and conduct that shines in the world. God has given us his Holy spirit to help us, is it not about time we started giving up our lives and living for Jesus and then just watch the reaction that this world will give us. It may not be easy and it may mean persecution and being called names. But is it not our reputation with God that is more important and the greater our reputation with God the more we can be used. The reason Gordon Maxwell is spoken of in these terms is because of the way he lives his life.

Sunday 16 May 2010

Choices(1)

I wonder if you like me wonder about the choices you make on a day to day basis. In particular at the moment I am wondering about how I treat the people I meet every day. I wonder when I spend time with new people whether they know that I am a Christian. I don't mean just because I tell them I mean do they notice from the way I live my life and by the way that I interact with people.
Have you ever noticed how Jesus interacted with people. Jesus had time for people. Whether it was to heal them or to challenge them about there faith. He loved people and loved to spend time with them. He had compassion on them.

Matthew 8 (New Living Translation)

Matthew 8
Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy
1 Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. 2 Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”

 3 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “Don't tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy.[a] This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”

I think we forget when reading this that leprosy was such a feared disease in Jesus day. To touch a leper not only made you unclean but would mean you could contract the disease. Jesus did not have to touch him to heal him so why does he do it?  He does it from compassion. This man probably had not been touched in years. Years later Dr Paul Brand who pioneered the study of leprosy did a similar thing. The thing that amazed the lepers that came for treatment was that he touched them. Nobody touches a leper but Jesus does.
My point is just simply that I wonder what would happen if I treated people like Jesus. I wonder if I truly and properly modeled Jesus Christ and met people like he met people and love them like he loves them what sort of impact it would make.

Quote of the Day

""  Christ did not die to forgive sinners who go on treasuring anything above seeing and savoring God. And people who would be happy in heaven if Christ were not there, will not be there. The gospel is not a way to get people to heaven; it is a way to get people to God. It's a way of overcoming every obstacle to everlasting joy in God. If we don't want God above all things, we have not been converted by the gospel."
— John Piper (God Is the Gospel: Meditations on God's Love as the Gift of Himself)

Friday 14 May 2010

Undone



No apologies
For who I'm meant to be
The only thing that matters is
I am free
When I am overwhelmed
Holding pieces of my heart
When I feel my world
Start to fall apart

To the cross I run
Holding high my chains undone
Now I am finally free
Free to be what I've become
Undone

Even in defeat
The face of tragedy
Still you'd have to say that
I found victory
In brokenness comes beauty
Divine fragility
Reminding me of nail scarred hands
Reaching out for me

To the cross I run
Holding high my chains undone
Now I am finally free
Free to be what I've become

To the cross I run
Holding high my chains undone
Now I am finally free
Free to be what I've become
Undone

Hallelujah I'm undone!

To the cross I run
Holding high my chains undone
Now I am finally free
Free to be what I've become

To the cross I run
Holding high my chains undone
Now I am finally free
Free to be what I've become
Undone

To the cross I run
To be what I've become
And I'm undone

QUOTE OF THE DAY.

"'Not called!' did you say? 'Not heard the call,' I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters, and servants and masters not to come there. And then look Christ in the face, whose mercy you have professed to obey, and tell him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish his mercy to the world.

William Booth.

We are Whores!

2 The first time God spoke to Hosea he said:

"Find a whore and marry her.
Make this whore the mother of your children.
And here's why: This whole country
has become a whorehouse, unfaithful to me, God."

Hosea Chapter 1 verse 2.


Having started to read Hosea it does not take long to become what we would class as offensive. The Bible is often like that it has the title The Good Book but to be honest there is so much in the Bible that if we think through properly will be more than a little offensive. Here God is basically comparing his people to prostitutes, in some translations and in this the message it has been broken down to it's lowest form whores.

The truth that God is trying to impart through his servant Hosea is one that I really don't want to confront. I would like to be able to tell everyone that I am a good Christian and that God is at the forefront of everything I do. The truth is I am exactly as God describes me here, I am a whore.

The reason God is telling Hosea to marry a whore is to give a visual symbol of how we treat God and how God treats us. Hosea is representing God. For a start if a woman has been having premarital sex in those times the punishment was death by stoning. At the very least this in those times is definitely not the girl a good Jewish boy would want to marry. We are the whores because we are sinners. It may not have been premarital sex for all of us it may be watching porn or anger or any of a multitude of sins the basic idea is that we deserve death. We certainly do not deserve the Lord of Heaven and Earth to be looking our way.

But look our way he does and rescues us when we have no right to it. Just like Hosea here marries Gomer despite her being a whore. If it stopped there I could kind of live with it but it doesn't. You see Gomer does not just settle down into wedded bliss and give up her old ways. She is soon back with her old life and unfaithful.


1 Then God ordered me, "Start all over: Love your wife again, your wife who's in bed with her latest boyfriend, your cheating wife.
Love her the way I, God, love the Israelite people,
even as they flirt and party with every god that takes their fancy."


Hosea chapter 3


It's obvious to me that the parallel between myself and Gomer is very clear. I am a whore. I was a sinner who has been given the greatest gift of redemption possible. I am set free because God sent his son Jesus to die for me and to set me free. God has purchased me at a price. A very heavy price. But the truth is despite this I am yet again in bed with other lovers. Yet again I go out and sin and go my own way. I sin whenever I put anything before God. My other God's could be the latest DVD or playing on my Xbox or the million other things I could be doing instead of reading my Bible or praying and spending time with my saviour. It could be anger or making decisions to do things my own way. It could be lying because it is easier to lie than to be truthful It could be many different ways but the truth is that yet again I sin and turn away from God.

The amazing thing is that God is calling me back just like Hosea does to Gomer while I am still sinning.

"Start all over: Love your wife again, your wife who's in bed with her latest boyfriend, your cheating wife"

Even though I am just like Gomer in bed with my latest sin cheating on my loving Heavenly father he still calls me back. Still loves me and still holds on to me and will not let me go.

I honestly do not know what else to say.