helpful

Preaching

I've also just finished listening to a lecture about preaching by Keller. He notes that there are 3 components to preaching. Content/Knowledge, Art/technique/rhetorical skill and life/virtue (of the speaker). Within each component, he specifies what needs to be done: The knowledge component needs to proclaim Christ not just biblical principles (using his and Carson's 'inter-canonical themes' to show how Christ is the fulfilment of that theme), the rhetorical component needs to make Jesus' achievement real, not just clear, to change the listener's heart 'on the spot' (stories, etc). And the message needs to lead the listener to adore Jesus while he speaks and the effect of the message needs to be seen the speaker's life.

So, he says, proclaim Christ and apply to life/how they need to change >> show that faith in Christ is required for change rather than just trying harder (moralism) >> make it REAL not just clear.

A note in passing- in his own mind Keller is clear that we all have our own idols to which we surrender to (or 'idols of the heart'), instead of worshipping the true God seen in Jesus. So Keller seeks to present Jesus and his substitution on our behalf so adoringly that our hearts are moved to grasp him, rather than the idol. It's when we do this that we grow and move on in our spirituality.

A ramification of this view is that we need to know our culture intimately to not only know its major idols, but to know how to effectively contextualise the message so that it can move hearts.

Life in Jesus

I've been getting right into Tim Keller's 'Centre Church' book and it's certainly re-kindled the aim for ministry; a certain purposefulness. What I mean by this is that it's easy to get caught in ideas and scholarship, progressive thought and (maybe) 'liberal theology' and begin to get a little hazy on the goal, a bit overwhelmed by conflicting and sometimes complex ideas or maybe a bit over enthused with new and significant understandings. Keller certainly (and a lot of reformed 'movers') maintain the purpose for which they write/speak/work (ie. knowing Jesus and making Him known) and have a certain momentum and trajectory in what they do. I've been reminded that life is in Jesus and people are rejuvenated, enliven, 'born again' (!), when they see truth in Him. That's the purpose of the ministry!

Golf lessons

I've just concluded my 5x 30mins golf lessons @ Cypress Lakes Golf Club.  James, my teacher, was great and I learnt a lot!

Things I learnt and don't want to forget:

Lessons #1 & #2:

• Ensure that my shoulders and feet are square to target. I had a tendency to have open shoulders.
• Roll the wrists when contacting the ball, in order to close the face and avoid a fade.
• Setup: Driving/wood: ball on inside of left ankle. Irons: Ball left of centre stance.
• Don't try to hit the ball too hard!
• 2 drills: complete a half swing with an iron just focusing on closing the face with the hands. Try to achieve a slight hook on the ball. The other drill: assume the position that the body assumes during ball strike: open shoulders, head over ball, right knee rotated inwards. Stay in this position and strike ball with a small swing. 

Lesson #3: 

• Swing first with the body and let the (relaxed!) arms lag behind. This means having the shoulders lead the swing, and arms coming second. James would talk about setting up carefully, and then just turning the body (letting the relaxed arms follow) ensuring that his body (shoulders) would open and so face the target. 
• Continue to focus on rolling hands over

Lessons #4 & #5:

• On the course: don't worry about technical stuff: leave that for the driving range! Just focus on aim and rhythm. For me, rhythm is really important! When I get tired I lose rhythm: I rush my back swing, don't go back far enough and I'm into my actually forward swing too early. To ensure rhythm use the practise swings to achieve it. 'Backswing', 'Forward swing'; 'Backswing', 'Forward swing': say it slowly. Or count 'one' (back), 'two' (forward). Then just replicate it for that actual swing. ALSO, during a game, setup and just before swinging, visualise the shot before playing it. 
• Putting: eyes directly over the ball (you need to be closer than you think). Aim line on ball to when you are aiming (eg. 2 inches right of hole) and line it up with the line on the putter.
• Chipping: 2 different swings: the normal (obviously much softer) swing (ie. shoulder through the ball, relaxed arms, face target) for lower trajectory shot with greater roll. OR achieve a sharp angle with the wrists and break when contacting the ball for greater loft and spin.
• Backswing: the backswing on an iron/driver shot stops when you can no longer keep your left arm straight.

NB. What was learnt during lesson 3 were most key!

The Ultimate!

When God did what He had promised, by a seed of David, He did the ultimate good! Christ, the Messiah, King of the World, the King of the Kingdom of Light, the King of Good: by his rule, in his character, his life and all He did and continues to do, we see goodness at it's ultimate. He is the ultimate forgiver, gracious giver, the ultimate self-giver, the ultimate hope for the future of God's world. Everything about Him is at its climax, high point, optimum, peak, summit, zenith! All good a person can do from His point forwards are echoes and reverberations of his ultimate good.

Being truly human

'We are to be for the world what Jesus was for Israel' . NT Wright

That makes a lot of sense. Jesus lived to show his contemporaries of what it is to be a member of Israel- God's people, God's kingdom- and warned them of what it is not like. It was healing the sick; being at the place where sin and death had ravaged and bringing to that place healing life; being a true reflection and image of the true God in the world, and thereby being properly human.

Our job in our day is to live as true humans (defined by the Judeo-Christian tradition)and to fulfill the call that all humans around the globe have received, and in which all people know in their bones to be true. A life that seeks to reflect the God of all creation in the world, the God that we see in and through Jesus. Jesus was the true image of God (in fact, God himself) and therefore, the true human being. He truly lived up to the call that all humans receive as birthright.

We are to seek to reflect Jesus' true humanness in our lives (filled with the Spirit of Life to bring new life), and be a witness to the world of the truly human way to live. A humanness that seeks to love and care for fellow man and women, even above themselves. A humanness that recognises its role to care for creation, and seeks to thoughtfully cultivate it, and a humanness that seeks to be changed day-after-day into the image of it's Creator- a Creator that turns out to be a self-giving Creator from which love gets it's definition.

Prayer

Jere. 17:5, 7

This is what the LORD says:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the LORD...

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.

I'm reminded of the importance of Prayer: the act in which our trust is put most fully in the Lord and when our confidence is transferred from what we are doing or can do, to the Lord.

2 Chron. 17; Rev. 6

So we meet Jehoshaphat and like his Father, Asa, he's off to a good start. He walks 'in the way of David', he did not seek Baals, but instead sought the true God and 'walked in his commandments'. 'His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord' and he took away the high places.

What does an Israelite King require? God, and in v3 the good news for Israel and Jehoshaphat is that God was with Him. And so 'the Lord established his Kingdom'. That is very important to remember, especially for Jehoshaphat. If he ever forgets, sin's chasm lies right besides him. The Lord gave him courage, wealth, honour, respect and an army. The question left in my mind at the end of this chapter is: will he forget?

2 Chron. 16; Rev. 5

Irony: King Asa remember's his country's covanant with the King of Syria at the expense of His covanant with the only living God (v2). Then add to this Asa's remarkvto King of Syra: 'break your covanant with King Baasha'. He obviously has a low view of covanant keeping, which is a shame because he and his people had done so well previously in ch. 15 in regards to covanant-making.

Who knows what happened to Asa to bring him down from his former reliance on God? Maybe he became too used to success, or maybe success, with it's wealth, and the passing of time, with its dumbing effect, got the better of him. But God knew exactly what Asa had done in v2 and so sends a messenger in v7.

What's my reliance on to get me through difficult times? "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless towards him". What does 'blameless' mean? In the context, it means relying totally on God; being not at fault of relying on anything but God.

Wow! what a character change! It's as if his heart had turned, sin had darkened and so he hated the light of truth the seer hard brought. (v10)Hate the message, hurt the messenger.

v12- a word for our day: how often do we seek the Lord as opposed to physicians?

Asa's story is a lesson in dependance. Depend on God all of your days, do not turn aside from him in prayer (for it certainly happens!). v9. Reliance on God changes things; He is a strong support and seeks to be one for all who rely on Him.

2 Chron. 14-15, Rev. 4

King Asa, a man 'who did good and right in the eyes of the Lord'. He was a man dependant and obediant. So dependant was he that in the heat of battle he cries out to God 'we rely on you': mighty men of valour admitting they don't rely on themselves. It continues: 'So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians...'. The Lord was asked and he answered.

Notice also the insistance that everything comes from the Lord. 'he had no war in those years for the Lord gave him peace'; 'we have sought him and he has given us peace on every side'. The message is at least: 'if you seek him he will be found by you' (15:2).

The Lord speaks through Azariah in ch.15 and the impact of His words are clear. He took courage and began a revolution, which would be no easy thing to accomplish. He ordered all detestable idols to be destroyed and restored the alter of the Lord. Asa recognised the authority with which the Lord spoke. The Lord has opened Asa eyes to see the power of the One on the throne; the creator and sustainer; the one to whom all is owed and to whom all worship is due (Rev. 4). You would think Asa will be among the heavenly number in praise of the One on the Throne.

Deception

It is frightening how easily we are deceived.

We begin at the foot of the cross: How great the grace of God to make spotless a sinner like myself! In joy we take steps to live out our new found spotless identity in Jesus. We live for Jesus wholeheartedly: with our emotions, with our time, with our mind, with all we have! May Jesus shine forth!

But like a subtle breeze developing before a storm, hardly perceived -in fact, enjoyable at first- the whisper of lies begin. So soft on the heart. 'Keep working, keep giving all you have. What a slave you are!' As they keep coming, our prayers for strength and vitality begin to disappear behind the darker clouds of self-thoughts. But still all this happens silently, at this point.

The winds pick up. Suddenly, it doesn't feel like it did before. The joy- where's it gone? The silent and repetitive prayers to God showing dependence on Him are blown away. The first sounds on thunder are heard in the self-congratulatory praise as the clouds have now fully obscured any sight of the cross.

The rain starts to fall. Standing in its midst, my own strength apart from Him begins to wash away. Like face paint, the deception is washed away. Cold, wet and at the mercy of a storm, who am I? The grace of God is like rain, washing us from our pride and deception, leaving us exposed to our true selves.

The rain ceases, the clouds part, and the cross is seen for what it is. The crucifix: a well-spring of life. Never shall I depart, I pray.

Wisdom

I do think wisdom falls in that category of things that God gives and yet things we also work for. How do we work for wisdom? We work for wisdom by watching for wisdom. Let me give you just a few statements that some people made about wisdom. A man named Bruce Waltke said “wisdom is skill in the arts of living.” Alvin Plantinga said “wisdom is the knowledge of God’s world and the knack of fitting oneself into it.” The Bible states how the world is, not how it ought to be.

How do you gain wisdom? You gain wisdom by:
1. watching, by watching the world, by observing the world,
2. asking God to help you see the world rightly because it is possible to see it wrongly.
3. watching the wise. James 3:13 says those who are wise will show it by their beautiful lifestyle.

Dr Dan Doriani

not me but God

"How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?" John 5.44

Jesus is a Messiah that insists on humbling himself. The pharisees and all the jews were waiting in expectation for a great Messiah to come. One that would free them from political oppression, one that would rise, and make Israel great again as in the time of King Solomon. They wanted a mighty leader that would promote the Israeli cause, and one that- but on a different level- would endorse their way of living (v43b).

Then one who says, 'I can do nothing on my own' (v30), comes on the scene and claims to be the Messiah, in fact claims to be God himself! Jesus, who makes little of himself but much of God, claims to be the one the pharisees and jews were all waiting for. If He really is the one, that means following Him. That would mean their way of living would need turning upside down. That means praising him!

At this point, our hearts are exposed and cut open (Jesus tends to do that). Why won't you accept that I am He? Moses points to me, the whole Old Testament points to me, I am making it clear through signs and wonders. They stand before Jesus - God himself - and don't want to come to him! (literal translation of v40) How can this be?

The answer is in verse 44. Seeking praise and glory from man: who would have thought it could be so dangerous! Jesus shows us what it is to be God's child. To not thirst after the praise of man, to not be making a name for yourself, to not seek to be exalted, to not be stuck in the realm others opinions of you, as if you depend on it for your glory. Positively: to live a 'gloriously heroic' life (see entry below), with Jesus as our model. People don't like the sound of this, so they don't come to Jesus.

To be much more concerned for God's glory, than my own.

Made for glory (to give glory)

I would say we have lost our sense of the heroic in the West. Today, philosophy insists on the death of the transcendent, which means, the death of transcendent values. If we are merely an accidental concoction of atoms and protein chains, how can there be heroism in us? There can't be. This thinking evaporates the idea that somebody can be heroic. And classical psychology tell us that almost everything we do that is grand or noble is the result of suppressed desires. The Freudians suggest Leonardo da Vinci was so busy with inventions, painting and political life because of his suppressed homosexuality. Behaviorism reduces everything to some kind of quest for a reward. Behaviorists might even say that Mother Theresa wasn't truly altruistic; she didn't really care for the people of the slums, she did it for some sense of wholeness, gratification or significance. The economists say we do everything in hope of a reward. In the West, even if you do something for free, you may be thinking that maybe somebody will do something in return. There is some truth to all of these, that's what makes it so dangerous. Every sacrifice can be explained away by cynicism.

Of course, in the West, we still have our heroes, but they're one dimensional. We have mighty men, kicking balls through posts, bowlings cricket balls at great speeds, scoring centuries, and so forth. But we must take care not to look too closely, because when they're done bowling, and kicking and batting, they have no more idea of how to live then we do! They're not role models, except for maybe if you're looking to model them as professional sportsman, but not how to live life. We also have mighty men who play the guitar, or who act or dance- whatever the case may be. We have heroes, but they are not people whose lives we want to model. This is heroism in the West today.

I would like to suggest that the Bible asserts that heroism is important. In the NT alone, the command to imitate somebody is given 28 times, 11 of which are to imitate God the Father or God the Son. We are urged 17 times to imitate, or model ourselves after some human, most often the apostle Paul. The Bible wants to recapture the idea that there are heroes. There is something to imitate, a vision of excellence and maturity. It captures the imagination and makes us say 'I want to be like that'. There are role models who induce admiration and inspiration somehow.

Sometimes we can think or act as if being a Christian is a matter of keeping certain rules- doing certain things and not doing other things. But the Christian life is vastly more than what you do not do.

It is very easy to think, 'if I do certain things, I will please God and He will be on my side. If I just keep the rules and follow them, then I'm living the Christian life'. This, essentially, is an alternate form of legalism: we may not be saved by keeping the law, but we do keep God's favour by observing the law. How can we get away from this idea?

To have heroes. To have a vision of greatness and grandeur and to let these images of greatness enter our minds. Think about this. Do you have a hero? We should choose wisely. Who's your hero, besides King Jesus? In important ways, how can you model yourself after this person?

This idea of heroism helps us form our identity as Christians because it addresses a problem we neglect in the Christian life: the problem of shame. The problem of shame is different from the problem of guilt, because we can be ashamed of things for which there is no guilt. For example, what if a boy lacks dignity and excellence because of blemishes on the face or a squeaky voice? You can be ashamed of that, even if there is no sin involved. The problem of shame. Shame comes from a lack of heroism, and the cure is to be great, excellent and grand.

In the Western church, the biggest problem is the violation of moral rules. We're stuck in the realm of rules and morals. We say, rightly, that Christ solves the problem of our guilt and violation of the moral law. This is absolutely true! And we say the cure for the problem of guilt, by violating the law, is gained by the righteousness won for us by the work of Christ through faith. But this is not all the Bible says: Romans 3:23, 'All have sinned' = our violation of the moral law which makes us guilty. We need righteousness. 'All have fallen short' = the problem of not being great. We fall short of the glory of God, as we also see in Hebrews 2:8 and following. We were meant to rule the world (Psalm 8) for God, and if we do not, we have fallen short of glory. We are not just meant to be good, we are also meant to be glorious. We have fallen short of that and so have a sense of shame.

We violate God's standards and the result is guilt, and the problem is solved graciously by the righteousness of Christ. The second problem is a lack of glory, and this is solved not by Jesus dying for our sins, but by Jesus giving us glory. How do we get glory? The solution is two fold: we are accepted, we belong, we are loved. If you are inept in sports, but somebody is willing to say, 'I'll take him on my team', that removes the shame of not being picked on a sports team. Hebrews 2 tells us Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers; He calls us into His family, and gives us His creation to govern. Second, we possess greatness by being made into the likeness of Jesus and by faithfully governing the world for Him. We should look to Jesus as our hero, and to fellow Christians as our heroes to get a vision of moral excellence. The Christian life isn't just following rules, it is greatness. It is having a vision that transcends. It is having a concept of ruling the world for God, of accomplishing great things, of being made noble and virtuous. We look to fellow Christians for this, but also much more to the Lord.

How can we be like the Lord? He can be your hero/model, not in His being, eternal power or sacrifice for sins, but in his manner with us and the world. We can imitate his willingness to accept us, His boldness, His style, His courage. Jesus had a way of life that is exciting. He never shirked at difficult questions. He was willing to fight the strong, identify with the weak. He had friends who were rich and poor, slave and free, upper class, outcasts. Jesus had greatness.

I'm meditating on this because it seems as though this is a portion of Christianity that is almost ignored in the Western church. We're so stuck on rules, and that Jesus saves us from violation from the rules. And this is true, in fact, it is the most important thing, but it is not the only important thing. It is important to realise that we were created for glory and that Jesus leads us to glory. We both have a need and desire for that. There are consequences for lacking glory- such as shame- and the cure is in Christ Jesus.

Joy

The mark of the believer, individually and corporately. A quality, not simply an emotion, grounded and derived from God (Psalm 16:11, Phil 4:4), which characterises the Christian life (1 Peter 1:8), and anticipating the joy of being with Jesus forever in Heaven. The gospels speak with joy of the proclamation of the good news, that the Kingdom of God has come and is open to all who repent and believe! And John speaks of joy flowing from a deep fellowship between the church and Jesus. Paul uses the term in 3 ways:

1. as fellow Christians grow in Christ -particularly the ones he himself led to Christ- it is a cause for joy.
2. Christian joy might paradoxically be an outcome of suffering, and experiencing sorrow for Christ's sake.
3. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. As a fruit of the Spirit, it can be interrupted by sin and so all believers are called upon to share in the joy of Christ by a daily walk with Him and a daily practice of rejoicing in the knowledge of Him and his salvation (Phil. 3:1, 4:4, 1 Thess. 5:16)
The New Bible Dictionary (summary)

my theology of gifts and more...

The cogs of my mind started spinning fast last night after a good chat to my insightful sister about general insights about life and people and how they work. The question of gifts sprung off inside my head as a shoot from a conversation about church. How do we function, as a community of God's people, when people have some gifts but lack other important ones? How best should we view living in community with other Christians who act unlovingly, without being aware of it?

So I propose a theory- or maybe more a model- of how we, as Christians, function; a model representing what it means to give of oneself in love for another (of which I think is the basis of what a 'gift' is), and how this may look diagrammatically.

First, we all are born as a multi-sided shape, I'll use a decagon. So the decagon represents us at birth. Now, let me explain: the decagon's outline is the barrier between us and the outside world (other people, etc). This barriers stops us from giving ourselves in love for another person. God created us good and He created Adam and Eve to be in a relationship with each other characterised by Mutual Love (I should reference Michael Hill for his Mutual Love ethic that he draws from the Bible). So I represent us, as God created us in the beginning, as being a decagon with no sides, so maybe more accurately, no shape at all. It is a relationship in which each person gives of him-/herself fully in love for the other person: a most harmonious relationship.

Adam sinned as our representative father. His wickedness of rebelling against a God of all goodness, love and peace reveals thorough perverseness in all of us. We all choose to rebel against this loving God. The human heart is perverse, in that it seeks its own glory, rather that the consummate glory of God. If I can use an analogy, it's like exalting the mechanics of a pendulum over and and against the near-unfathomable workings of the human body, with all its different systems working in perfect synchronisation.

Sin, flowing from the hearts of men and women, begins its devastating effects on all of God's creation, disconnecting all things from their life-source, God. As a result, all thing degenerate into a shadow of their former glory- including the giving, harmonious relationships spoken of above. Because we turn our backs on the loving rule of God, and disobey His good and loving rule as Creator, how much more will we turn our back on our fellow human? The relationship is broken, now characterised by distrust and fear, instead of mutual love.

In the face of this distrust and wariness, we feel the need to build walls between each other. This is where the 'boundaries' come in (the sides of the decagon). In order to protect ourselves from others, we build boundaries between us and them, sort of like a city wall from ancient history, or possibly similar to the high walls built for many houses today. More than this though, the boundaries are our own sins, committed against God and man. This causes breaks in relationships with others, and so in their own way, act like barriers between people.

Another element worth mentioning is the post-modern concept of individualism. I must say, I don't know much about the concept of post-modern individuality, but I think it may stem from an age-old issue we have previously called pride; pride, expressed more overtly, as a desire to be like God. And this is THE desire that has tripped up humanity for all of history, that flows from a lie that this (becoming like God) can actually happen, which of course it can't.

In today's society, the most basic unit of society is the individual. So there is much focus on the development and confidence of the individual, outside their place in relationships. However, the Bible sets bipolar relationships (ie. 2 people in relationship) as the most basic unit in society. This means a society should have as their first priority the betterment of the bipolar relationship, not the individual. However, most non-Christians- being convinced that it is most important to build a self-identity outside and apart from relationships- want to establish themselves over and against others (and God), and want others to see how 'established' (or great) they are. I've represented this with the arrows pointing in to the centre of the decagon.

While non-christians build for themselves boundaries for protection, security and safeguard, and have arrows pointing in towards themselves to their own 'greatness', Christians- only through the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit- are 'born again' with an entirely transformed inner nature, or 'heart', as the Bible usually expresses it. No longer do we want the arrows pointing in to us, but we want them pointing out to God, expressed through our love for others. In this life, even with changed dispositions, we constantly wage war against our own sin and yearnings to be made much of. Still we together as Christians, moved by the Holy Spirit, sing together 'All glory to God!', while the non-Christian competes with all unregenerate people to shout loudest, harking to his own pint-sized glory.

I would argue that the arrows pointing in act as something similar to a vacuum, keeping the decagon's side sturdy and unmoving. But the regenerate heart, with its outward pointing arrows, forces the decagon's sides to slowly be moved over time (Christians may know this to be the process of 'sanctification'). So as a Christian grows more like Christ, they begin to loose their sides, and become more a like a decagon with no sides (which would be no shape at all!). Adam represents sinful man and the decagon with all sides intact. Jesus represents the regenerate man with no sides intact. Jesus was the perfect God-man, who loved- and continues to love- all people of all time perfectly and wants to be in a mutual love relationship with all people, if only they would choose (rightly) to glorify Him (as God), and not themselves. He established himself by giving of himself to others, quite literally. As Paul's letter to the Philippians puts it:

"Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." ch.2 v5-8

Summary: we were created with no decagon sides with arrows naturally pointing out. Sin enters the world and we respond by adding the sides of the decagon (sin), and have arrows now pointing in. Jesus dies and gives His Holy Spirit to all who choose to give glory to him, as a result we are 'reborn' with arrows again pointing outwards to God as the sides of our decagon continue to break away, allowing us to restore the mutual love relationships that God had originally intended in the beginning.

Now, back to my thinking on gifts. Most basically, I think a gift is the giving of yourself in love for other people. A gift has the potential to make one look good and better than another, and this could be typified by anyone using their gift with arrows pointing in. For instance, one my have the gift of piano playing. He or she may use this gift in the loving service of others and God (arrows out), or to show how good he or she is (arrows in).

Adding to this, Christians have a regenerate heart that, wants more than anything, to point outwards. But sometimes they have a decagon 'side' preventing the arrow from moving outside the shape (hope you're following the model of the decagon, it's getting more complicated!). We must remember that sanctification (the removing of decagon sides) is a process that occurs over time. It does not occur instantaneously, leaving the Christian exactly like Jesus as the one who is a decagon with no sides. So there may come along a more mature Christian or one with more insight who can see particular barriers, or decagon sides, in others that others can't see, or who themselves can't see. This, I suppose, might be a good time for the 'humbly informed' person to humbly inform/rebuke the 'uninformed' person who has the 'barrier' preventing the outward journeying arrow. Theoretically, the uninformed person should welcome the insight.

Again, in summary, gifts are the application of the arrows pointing outward, applied to bipolar relationship in love. This should be a unique characteristic of Christian community. Be that as it may, 'barriers' may prevent gifts from being used as they should be. A Christian, desiring to be like Jesus, should desire all barriers to be taken away, and if a brother or sister in Jesus can help achieve this, he or she should warmly welcome such help.

Now, I would like to think this model is based on sound and biblical principles, but all my theorising could have gone down wrong paths, so please, if you get this far, leave a comment if you disagree or have any other thoughts. One day I might back up what I've said with some Bible references.

In search for the lost

Probably the most dangerous lie to believe is this: that you're (I'm) not all bad; that, actually, you (I) scrub up pretty well. Hypocrisy is bad: putting on a veneer of religiousness so that others think you're good. Receiving accolades without a sincere heart. But what's worse is believing this lie.

At church we looked at Luke 15, the 3 parables about Jesus receiving the lost with joy. The 3rd parable, the prodical son, see both sons sin: one, a sin of libertine (my new word for the day :) pride, the other a pride stemming from self-righteousness, a legalism that prevented him from enjoying life with his father. But worse by far, a pride that kept him from recognising his need for forgiveness. The difference between the 2 sons is not in terms of whether they sin- they both are sinful- but in their recognition of their sin and repentance.

Pride leaves us high and dry. Elusively it sprouts, totally disorientating us, leaving us hopelessly lost- but worse, we're oblivious to the fact!

Contrasted to this is the joy and generosity of the father. Rescuing sinners, showing mercy and providing salvation generously is an expression of God's righteousness. Humbly recognise your need, and happily be on the receiving end.

The Physical side of Spirituality

Speaking of training and action...

In the 21st Century of endless mp3 sermons (and even free online Bible college courses), infinite books and great quality Katoomba conferences all at the disposal of Christians (in Sydney anyway), the threat of becoming spiritually fat is a real one.

What I mean by being 'spiritually fat' is a desire to be continually fed- enjoying a scrumptious text of the Bible, exegeted and put in to context- again and again and again. At this point, it's very easy to see how quickly one can apply the corresponding physical principles to combat this over indulgence (well, as an exercise scientist, it is very easy for me to see).

So how can we combat spiritual fatness? By being disciplined in spiritual exercise. Exercising your faith! Having a spiritual workout! Going for a spiritual jog :)

Now, I'm writing this for a reason: because my intake of 'Bible stuff' is high, I need to be weary to expend more; I need to exercise to keep fit!

If you think about it, being 'well nourished' (physically) is conducive to a good quality exercise session because your body has all the vitamin, minerals and macro-nutrients it will ever need! In the same way, being well-nourished spiritually provides you with certainly enough motivation, encouragement, inspiration and knowledge to serve you well during your 'exercise'. There may be a point in which being 'well-nourished', leads to being over-nourished, which obviously doesn't result in the most conducive physical state for exercise, but I'll stop there...

So the goal is to be spiritually fit and so to avoid ever becoming so overfed you can't get up and be a part of the world. For, one great theologian once said: "Do and you will know".

I will endeavor to live by this

Training and activity

Continuums are everywhere.

This particular continuum I sometimes see in a Christian's view on investing years to study the theology/doctrine at Bible college. On one side, there are those who feel they already know enough to begin their ministry, and years spent at Bible college are a grind. They feel they know about Jesus and have read the gospels a number of times, they've been in churches that faithfully teach the Bible for years and they just think, 'Let me go!'. On the other side, are those who never feel qualified enough. They study for years but still feel they don't know enough, and they feel right at home in a Bible college to point they don't want to leave.

Actually, as I write, these observations are probably true of the 'everyday' Christian too (like myself). The symptoms being a persistent perception of themselves as having a lack of ability to go out and tell the gospel, or, going out with no prep and being quickly found loose.

But I'm thinking particularly about the disciples being sent out by Jesus in chapter 10 of Matthew. Now, the disciples are men who get things wrong! In Matthew, they are regularly referred to 'as men of little faith'; in Mark, men without faith! These men, you would think, are not ready to be entrusted with the same message Jesus had been teaching, the message of the 'Kingdom at hand', and with the power to do his works among the Israelites. On the other hand, these men had been with Jesus for a while now (not exactly sure, but maybe a couple of years by now?), hearing his teaching, seeing his actions and miracles. So it's not as if they had no training at all.

So how can they- as men with some teaching in their back pocket, but little faith- go and be the first bearers (besides Jesus) of such great news? v20. Because "it is not they who speak, but the Spirit of the Father". That's why: the Spirit we have in us is also in them.

the age-old issue

Through quite a number of good quality conversations with my brother Rob, I have decided to write for myself a 'position statement' for predestination. I wonder how long this will stand before I'm forced to rewrite:

First and foremost, God chooses some to be his people. The means by which his Chosen are received, is by them hearing the message of our Saviour and Lord Jesus preached, and then responding by a real decision. So God works through real decisions, in which we fully have the power to say yes or no.

It would stand then, that if God has chosen you, you WILL say yes, but because God works through real life and real choices, your acceptance was totally what you wanted to do, that is, you willed it, desired it, yearned for it. At this point, it's important to remember that God's 'mind' is infinitely about our own, and ultimately his 'decision' will come to pass. That is to say, our mind is not (at all) on the same level or above God's, so in no way is it possible to override His 'decision'.

Finally, if God chooses you to be His, you will always be His and never fall away. But the only true sign of having been chosen is by the perseverance of faith. In effect: if you die having still believed, you could say with surety that you are chosen (so until then, stand-fast!).

It's late now, but hopefully soon I'll add some Bible references. Also, I'm assuming there's a WHOLE lot more to cover in regards to predestination... but this position stand satisfies the extent of my knowledge at this point in time.

If you read this and disagree or have any thoughts or something important to add, please comment... otherwise I'll just (naively) rest assured that I've solved what was the perennial dividing-line between Christians of yester-year :)

Leading the service

To keep a track of what I learn, I thought I'd make a few notes for next time:

• In the intro, possibly lay 'a seed' to ponder, in regards to the topic for the sermon
  
• Leading the service can require 'sign posts' in which we direct the people as to what's happening next, and possibly why. I could do a few more of those. Because, as John Forsyth would say, "the leader may as well lead" :)
• End clearly. End the service with clear instructions as to what's next and what to ponder during the week
  
• Speak a bit slower
  

This list may be added/revised on Thursday after meeting with one of my 'followers' who is really my leader, John... or Trent, who is yet to 'follow' (who, again, is my leader :)

Extra note- I am against exact procedures/communication 'techniques' that people think they should follow to be a good communicator (at least for a contemporary service). A line of thinking such as, 'if I use more hand gestures, it'll be much more effective', or 'If I look at my notes 10 times, that should give a good balance of 'freedom-from-notes' but also assure them I'm being guided by notes' etc etc.

Maybe these aren't great examples, but I've heard a few pieces of advice like these that try to pin-point a set of 'to-do' communication techniques. There are certainly helpful things that one should keep in mind, but some things get too much into the micro- side of things. Just lead as you feel best, and you'll learn and develop over time.

And maybe overtime, we might be able to add selected communication techniques (that one might consider helpful) to the character already developed.

the gospel in miniature

I came across this as I continue a short Theology course on CARM.org. It was written by Luther, and just unravels the gold on one of the most well-known and familiar verses on the Bible. Instead of associating John 3:16 with banners at football matches and men on street corners with sandwich board signs, think of this:

“God…" …The greatest Lover
“So loved…" …The greatest degree
“The world…" …The greatest number
“That He gave…" …The greatest act
“His only begotten Son…" …The greatest Gift
“That whosoever…" …The greatest invitation
“Believeth…" …The greatest simplicity
“In Him…" …The greatest Person
“Should not perish…" …The greatest deliverance
“But…" …The greatest difference
“Have…" …The greatest certainty
“Everlasting Life…" …The greatest possession

Courage

The ramps hit the sand and our men poured on to the beach. Darkness covered everything and the soft sounds of small waves tumbling onto the beach is all that was heard- besides the rustling of hardened woolen soldier attire and the rattling of the metal machinery.

Our commanding officer had earlier reasserted the significance of the clash at hand. "If we stop them here, if we block their channel, we will starve their main army of supplies..."

With iron determination and eyes set, with aspirations of routing the enemy, we were all advancing. As men before me descended from the ship to the beach, an ill-timed cloud hazed my thinking. "What if..."

Abruptly, the silence was broken and machine gun fire pierced the air! My haze vanished and cries of agony echoed over the beach. The men on the beach were bowing dead to the ground in groups.

My legs kept rushing forwards, but everything in me was pushing the other way. I heard my officer shout 'Courage!'

And like never again I pushed forwards.

evangelism

³⁷ Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'

³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment.

³⁹ And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.'

⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

I would say evangelism fulfils both of these laws pretty well

Reading the Word

I started reading 'Knowing God' by J I Packer and within the first few pages I was struck head on...

As Christians we read and desire to increase our knowledge of Him. But why? For what reason?

In the answer to this question lies our motives. Now, uncovering motives can be like walking through a muddy field looking for a something that's been lost, like a ring. It's hard! And rarely do we find exactly what we're looking for. But in the process, it can be impossible not to realise that our motives are varied and mixed and do not resemble the undivided and wholehearted devotion to God's glory that is worthy of Him.

So, at least in regards to increasing our knowledge of Him, we need to ask God to make known our motives, purify them until we, like David in Psalm 119 (v1,2,5), learn in order to know and enjoy God, desiring to understand God's truth in order that our heart and life might respond appropriately to it.

Psalm 22

What a Psalm!

It's so nice to hear such a familiar New Testament message told so beautifully in the Old Testament. It's the gospel that the OT points forward to...

Beginning with Jesus crying out in agony and feeling almost despondent on the cross, cut off from life, that is, the Father (v1). The Son pleads with the Father (v2), but He does not answer, but still the Father is holy and worthy to be trusted (v3-5).

He's like a worm! A worm! The Son of God - God himself- is treated as if a worm. Bare and made physically and emotionally empty. Scorned and despised. Mocked. (v6-9)

Here comes the prophecy: surrounded, bones out of joint (v14), as brittle as dried up pottery, dying. Pierced hands and feet, so skinny that his bones can be counted and his garments divided among the executioners. Yet still, his trust, reliance and dependence is unwaveringly caught on the Father to rescue him (v19-21).

As unexpected as it might be for a man to rise from death, comes the joy of the next few verses (v22-24). Something's happened. The affliction's over, he's made alive, free from the pain, now praising the Father's name!

Verses 27-31: He's been made King over the whole Earth, everybody needs to turn to Him and He welcomes all who come. He will be judge (v29). His story, his achievement, his salvation, will be told to the ends of the Earth "that he has DONE IT!"

Bunyan's Burden

Just finished The Pilgrim's Progress

Sin so affected Bunyan. Christian walked with such a burden, it weighed upon him like nothing else, but how great it was when he came to the cross and the whole burden was lifted!

How about Ignorance! He got so close! His theology would have sounded okay to so many Christians, I mean, he mentioned Jesus in his spiel. But to Bunyan, or Christian, he was clearly in the wrong: he didn't understand the base nature of man and so didn't really understand the need for Christ. And it made ALL the difference!

To see and taste the wrong things I do, to be reminded of how aweful my condition is outside of Christ and how ghastly my sins are in comparison to the glory of God and his grace toward me- I will pray these things weigh upon me heavily, at least from time to time...

And so how sweet the grace of God will always taste

Sunrise

Garie Beach, Royal National Park

Enjoyed with my brothers Tony and Jono

Psalm 19:1-6

Reject the Caricature

"Most people have not rejected Christianity. They have rejected a caricature"
Arnold Toynbee, a historian

"Genuine paper currency always seems to have its counterfeit"
Jack Durkee, author

------------

A simple plan for a clear take on Christianity:

1. Read the Gospel of John

2. Write down who you think Jesus is and why he came to Earth

3. Then, define a Christian

giving

I've been doing a bit of systematic theology and have just finished glazing over the doctrine of the Trinity

I learnt about subordination, which states that the Son is eternally subordinate to the Father NOT in being or essence or attributes, but in role or function.

John 14:28 "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”

So the Father plays a 'greater' role or function than the Son. How then does He express this 'greater' role? I'm sure it involves much more, but it could include Him giving:

John 3:35 "The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands."

Matthew 11:27 "All things have been committed to me by my Father.”

The Father (through the Son) created all things- the universe, all people, creatures and authority- and GIVES them to the Son. I might go as far as to say the Father's purpose for creating all things was to commit it to the Son (Col.1). The Father, who is greater than the Son in ROLE (not essence) chooses to give ALL THINGS! What a generous Father!

Doesn't that truly reveal something of giving, and give such deeper meaning to the verse: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35)

An empty self-confidence

Who was the only apostle who didn't consider the women's testimony of Jesus' empty tomb 'an idle tale' and the first to run to the tomb to be joyfully informed first-hand? It was Peter.

Peter, whose weakness and sin had just been eerily uncovered when the rooster crowed. By Jesus' prediction and subsequent fulfillment, His name was glorified and Peter's was made low.

Having now very little confidence in himself and much confidence in the Words of the Saviour, he runs expectantly to the tomb

Small typo

One of my friends is at the very beginning of a possible relationship and they're at a point of regular mobile messaging, and with every message comes a wave of excitement. They were sharing over mobiles each others favourite bible verse...ahhhh... romantic

He meant to type '1 Peter 1:7', but instead, by accident, typed '1 Peter 3:7', which reads:

"Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers."

Classic! Maybe not the best time to discuss marriage dynamics!

She was a little confused

ponder this...

I've heard it said-

Many people think the gospel was given to us to help us understand the world. Not so. Rather the world was given us to help us understand the gospel.

Certainly gets my cogs turning...

once a baby

I've sometimes thought: how could Satan so deceive himself to think- in the presence of the God of all Glory- that he could establish his own throne above that of the Creator's, it's crazy!

But how so many mere men/women deceive themselves! The fertilization of microscopic sex gametes, formed in somebody's tummy, and born as babies who cry and can't speak. Beautiful, cute but totally helpless. These men (and women) grow, and from their perspective, they grow and grow and grow... far away from ever entertaining the thought they were once helpless babies and begin to compete against the God of all things, as if they have a chance.

Remember you were once a baby

Oh the golden promises of scripture

"How can you write a commentary without the word 'oohhh' in it!" - Piper

Darkness and Evil Revealed

I was thinking last night as i was reading the Bible with my beautiful lady:

isn't it great, but at the same time awefully SCARY, how God revealed the darkness and pure evil of the Israelities/Jews and Pharisees (and i suppose, generally, the human heart without God). God sent His Son, a member of triune God (and so God himself), and the people 'in their righteousness' killed him! They murdered Jesus! (as for his human nature; God certainly didn't die!)

wow! That's dark and scary and ironic. Thank God for the revitalising work of the Spirit