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Archives for September 2016

How did it get to this?

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Teacher, they said to Jesus, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say? – John 8:4

Many of us, at some point in our lives, wake up and wonder how we arrived at where we are? Shaking our heads in disbelief, we ask ourselves, how did I get to this point? The addictions, the anger, the poverty, the broken relationships that will not heal. The list can be a long one, and few of us are excepted. What went wrong?

It must have been so for this woman here. Adulterous women were stripped naked to the waist and paraded in front of a jeering crowd, before being executed by stoning. As she faced almost certain death, she must have asked the question, how did it all come to this?

We meet many, many people in our day to day who are asking that question almost every day of their lives as they struggle with the gargantuan problems facing them. The answer is not always easy. For the woman here, without doubt the Pharisees will have laid a trap. They knew who she was, she was little more than bait for the bigger prize, hooking Jesus into saying something he didn’t mean to say. It says exactly that a few verses later. As I read this story, I have often wondered how they knew about her, and always come to the same conclusion that she must have been a mistress to one or some of the religious leaders of the day. How, she must have wondered, did I end up in a loveless relationship, as human fodder?

The story has such depth, it is difficult to know exactly what to write about, but there are a few obvious things, especially if you read this and are asking that question. The first is this, and it is the most important, that God is the God of the second chance. He may not provide a detail analysis of your situation, for to him the answer is simple, and Jesus refers to it time and time again. We sin. Far more importantly though, God does not leave us there.

The man Jesus, who masterfully rescues the woman here from her accusers, offers her a second chance. There is no condemnation, she can start afresh. He, this majestic person both divine and man, offers that to every single one of us. A second chance with God.

Sin is a double edged sword you see, on the one hand we are guilty before God, and there is no escaping the punishment that is due to us, on the other sin makes us so sick that we cannot escape. Jesus tells us that if we sin, we are a slave to sin, it is a slavery far worse than any we can imagine. The very sin we abused, turns and abuses us back mercilessly. An encounter with Jesus though, changes all of that.

So often in the Gospels, whether it be when we are healed or escape with our lives, Jesus tells us to stop sinning. For all of us, this is impossible, but with God we can begin again and he gives us the power to change. You get the distinct impression that whenever Jesus tells us to ‘sin no more’ he doesn’t leave us to our own devices, but provides us with the power to choose. Today, through his Spirit we are first convicted, and then given the power to live a life worthy of his calling.

So, God then, provides all of us with a second chance. For those – most of us, even all of us, who wake up one day and ask, ‘how did it all come to this’ we don’t need to even find an answer. God says to each of us, let’s make a fresh start. The double edged sword of sin, that makes us both guilty and sick, is replaced by the refreshing grace of God.

This week I was reminded that our lives of eternity start the moment we commit to living for him, every single day is a day in eternity with Christ. We may not see him, but he has us forever. This can only happen as God takes away our sin, ‘as far as the East is from the West’. God took it, and put it on his Son.

There is more than that as well, the sin that enslaves us no longer needs to make us sick. The healing process can begin, our enslavement can end. Sometimes that is immediate, other times it can be a lifelong journey. Neither should we be dismayed at the prospect of a lifelong journey, that is where we can go deep with God, to really get to know him and his refreshing grace that alone enables us to start again. In my own experience, my darkest times have been where I know him like no other, and as I look back I would not trade those times for all of the good times in my life, where he is merely a passenger.

There is a subtle warning in here as well though, isn’t there? While God is the God of the second chance he may not be the God of the third. Go, sin no more Jesus tells us, repent while there is still time. When he calls us, let us hear him and respond.

How dreadful it will be if we hear the call, and fail to respond. We must warn others it is what he tells us to do. There is a second chance for all of us, but we must take it while it is on offer.

Walking in the Spirit

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Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ (when he said “living water” he was speaking of the Spirit who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given). – John 7:38

After decades of knowing Jesus, I am finally learning to walk in the Spirit. It is a phrase that has occurred in conversations or readings many times over the past months, and slow that I am, I am trying hard to listen.

It seems to me that walking in the Spirit is the pinnacle of our walk with Jesus, because at long last we listen to what he says, and try to act on it; strange though that may be at times. Jesus tells us here that anyone who believes in him may come and drink. Walking in the Spirit is for all believers, not just the chosen few. About the only two things I understand in this area, are that it takes time to cultivate, and time to listen. Don’t come to God in a rush and expect to understand him clearly, and be prepared to work at it.

We can walk in the Spirit every day of our lives, listening to him almost moment by moment, and it can be powerful. At no time is this more true than when we are looking for opportunities to speak to others about Christ. Over the years I look back and perceive the many times the Spirit was prompting me to talk to someone, and alas, I ignored it as a figment of my own imagination. In the past week, 3 incredible incidents have occurred that illustrate exactly why God wants us all to walk in the Spirit, listening carefully and closely to the Holy Spirit.

This morning I went out for an early surf, and waiting at the shower afterwards, I listened to 2 women my age talking about various male encounters in their lives, with little satisfaction. One was talking honestly about whether to leave her husband. At this point I was able to light-heartedly talk to them about the beauty and benefits of my own marriage experience, which like many I know, has taken time to nurture. The wait though is worth it. She listened, interested and ended up thanking me gratefully, genuinely – it’s as if she had been waiting for someone to come along and confirm her deep desire to stay. She would give it time. It was a prompting from the Holy Spirit to converse, and I’m delighted I did. Jesus in our everyday world, walking in the Spirit.

Last night a young man in our gathering whom we have come to admire told us how he prayed differently with the Lord this week, asking God to speak to him more directly about their future. So God obliged, and woke him up at 5am saying, ‘Buy a one-way ticket to China, and meet a man with this name.’ He, and his wife were surprised. They waited for confirmation given it was a huge decision, and were shown it later in the week. The man’s wife was applying for a particular job in the city and had been told she had been unsuccessful, but – they noticed a certain TESOL qualification on her resume and asked if she would be interested in working in China! They leave early next year. Walking in the Spirit, listening to the voice of the Spirit as he directs our paths.

A week ago, a dear friend was down visiting and we were in our local town, looking for opportunities to talk to people. As we sat having coffee, a young toddler rode up to us on her shiny bike, and stopped and stared. Our friend asked her name, at which she rode on – what a strange man. The girl’s father walked up, and we asked his name, to which he responded and then asked ours. Our visitor, out of the blue came up with a rather cryptic response, and said “I don’t know yet. I have a new name, but I don’t know what it is.” Only a very few would understand such a response, and who would say that to a stranger? But, our stranger understood, he retorted, “is it written on a white stone, your new name?”, to which I replied, “yes, as in Revelation 2.”  We couldn’t believe it, he understood.

He, his wife (who was on the next table already talking to one of our wives) and their daughter were from Brazil and they were believers, looking for a group to join who would go out on the streets to witness with. We have since connected with them, and are really looking forward to getting to know them, as we talk to so many Brazilian students where we are.  Walking, doing, while listening to the Spirit. When he leads, the conversations are meaningful.

As we’ve already decided, it takes time to move into a deep relationship with God. Few ever take the time. It is for me, a huge challenge. Slow down enough to spend time with him. Yet, without it we will be less effective than we might be. We are likely to miss those opportunities that only he can point out, because only he knows the hearts of each of us.

The beauty of it all – aside from a deep and intimate relationship with the Saviour though, is that we can bring Christ into our everyday world. There is no magic or mystique, we don’t need to be a famous preacher, or a ‘known personality’ in church circles, neither do we need to have all our theology correct and accounted for; all we need is to listen to him and to act on what he prompts us.

Walking in the Spirit of Christ, bringing Jesus into our world right where we are. Available to every believer in him. Fabulous isn’t it.

The too hard Gospel

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At this point, many of his disciples turned away and deserted him – John 6:66

The writer GK Chesterton once wrote, “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found too difficult and not tried”. When you read John chapter 6, you understand why.

Me and my wife recently met up with an urban missionary in Sydney city on a Saturday afternoon. Afterwards we went for a walk around Millers Point, which is right under the bridge next to The Rocks. We walked into a pub, as some music was playing and while I was at the bar, a man came and hit on my wife. It was quite amusing. He was disappointed when he realised he was 25 years too late to the scene, but he wouldn’t go a away and insisted on getting to know us better. Using Jesus Christ every second sentence, he tried to convince us he was happily married with 3 kids. What were we doing on a Saturday afternoon in Millers Point? In frustration, eventually my wife turned on him and said ‘we’re here to tell people about the person you’ve been swearing about for the last 10 minutes, Jesus Christ!”, which at last quietened him down.

Over the next half-hour we were able to go right through the Gospel with him and his mate, explaining that God has two sides to his character – holiness and love, and that both are of equal importance, both inseparable. Our audience was genuinely transfixed; they had never heard that Christianity was like this before. The Holiness of God is a rarely-preached thing these days, and it is confronting to all who hear it.

At the end, I told them that a decision now awaited them. God is waiting for a response from each of us, we have to decide what we will do with Jesus Christ in our lives. There was a flicker of seriousness, as for maybe the first time in their lives they faced the gravity of what it might be like having to deal with God. We were intrigued, watching as they carefully weighed up what it could cost to follow Jesus. In the end, they declined the invitation to respond, not because it didn’t make perfect sense, neither because it wasn’t crystal clear, no they declined because it would mean having to change a lifestyle. The woman-chasing (in spite of talk about being happily married) and pub crawls would have to end, perhaps even that night.

I’ve never watched someone so deliberately decide to reject the Gospel because of a lifestyle choice before.

There’s another side to Jesus’ comments here though, and that is what is the cost to believers, how hard is the Gospel for us? It says, many of his disciples left him. I have grave concerns for the current ‘church’ in the West as I believe many who think they are comfortably saved, may not be so. Too many think that salvation is determined by the utterance of a few lines in response to a prayer, and then regular church attendance with the odd meeting here and there. The rest of our lives we are free to do as we please. It seems for many, they are allowed to live an unnatural life, one day a week. How much can God really demand of us?

Well, Jesus tells us that he demands everything of us, if we are to truly follow him. It is at this point that I realise the Gospel is in fact very hard. The Cross of Calvary meant that for the first and only time, sinners had a genuine second chance at getting right with God, not because of what we could do, but because of what Christ could do for us. It was and remains the most extraordinary gift for mankind. But, somehow this became translated as the easy Gospel, the no-work Gospel and it is a deadly assumption. To presume the priceless grace of God is cheap and easy, and allows us to live how we see fit is the greatest heresy imaginable. It must be a stench to Him.

Just recently we heard about the Tabernacle of the Old Testament, and how essential it was for the priests ministering within it, to follow protocol. This was no ordinary king they were dealing with, this was the God of Gods. His Holiness demanded it be done right. It made me examine my own approach to God on a daily basis, how do I come into his presence even though I have been saved by his Grace in Christ Jesus. On a day to day basis, how much do I listen to what he says, and do his will, how much am I his? I feel that in some ways I walk a careful tightrope, and yet I think that is a good thing.

In 1 Corinthians, we are told ‘you are not your own, you were bought with a price.’ Can it be any clearer for me, for you?

I fear that one day, it is going to cost us everything to preach such a message in the West even in our so-called ‘churches’, but we need to nonetheless. There is a toughness about the Gospel message that our soft over-sensitive society cannot stomach.

We need to tell others of this side of the Gospel, even if it means that many would leave him because of it. We must follow Christ in all that we do, including what is hard and even unpopular.

As John Knox said when preaching relentlessly to Mary Queen of Scots, I fear him more than I fear you.

Just Give Me Jesus

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For God the Father has given me his seal of approval – John 6:27

This is the only work God wants from you; believe in the one he has sent – John 6: 29

Anne Graham Lotz has written a book with the title, Just Give me Jesus. In the Gospel of John, more so than anywhere else, Jesus tells us that he is the chosen Messiah, the living Son of God and the only way to God. There is no other.

I have come to realise that he is the very epicentre of all things. Wars are fought because of him, families are held together in his name, people curse others using his name, or bless them as a result of him. This entire universe revolves around him, whether we can see it or not. We talk with a great deal of people on the streets from other religions, and all of them have an opinion about Jesus, Isa as Muslims call him. He figures in virtually all of the world’s religions. In our view, most of them want Jesus in ‘their religion’, a figure who is both divine and human, a way back to God. What they don’t understand, is that he belongs to no religion but if they would only accept his claims, they could claim him for themselves. That is what he wants.

It is possible to tell a person’s true relationship with God by how much they bring Jesus into conversation. Those who truly know him, talk about him openly and often, pray to him, usually in total freedom with others on the spur of the moment and seem to walk with him throughout every day of the week. He is anything but a religious institution in their lives. Conversely we know many Christians who rarely talk about him, or mention him by name and their relationship to him is strictly for Sundays. As a consequence, they rarely share their precious jewel with anybody else.

So how about you, in the hierarchy of your life, where does he rank in importance?

While on the subject of the Graham family, father Billy recently wrote that the greatest mistake a believer can make is to assume they need to work to get in the Kingdom. All too often, every one of us assumes somehow we can make it to God on our own. Jesus warns us off that path very quickly though, and tells us that God has put his Son front and centre of everything as our only chance of entering the presence of God. Believe in him, God points.

There is a fine line of course, in a statement like this. Those who truly relate to Him, understand that the Kingdom is a work, sometimes even a grind, yet they do it with relish not because it saves us, but because we are now motivated by his love. In our relationship with him, he has given us tasks to accomplish and as our loving King, he expects us to do them. He though, not our works will only save us in the end.

The world of course, gives scant regard to him or God, dismissing both as nothing more than a figment of our crazed mind. Some even fight to disprove his very existence.

All too many of us make a mental ascent to Jesus and his claims (and so believe) without it ever affecting our lives. This often drifts off into tick box religious work of sitting in pews, Sunday attendance, weekly prayer meeting and occasional choir practice, sometimes not even that. In our experience, this is deadly. It allows us to walk the fine line of somehow believing we are acceptable to God by going through a few rituals, without ever bothering with the relationship. We allow our activity to define relationship, not his expectation. All too often, as we listen to people tell us ‘we go to church’ or ‘we are Anglicans [or whatever brand it is]’ the conversation, the opportunity for real relationship passes by. Who knows when they will think about such things again? Deadly.

If you think I exaggerate, then consider throughout the Gospels, who Jesus railed against; was it ever the poor who knew in their hearts they could never reach God (after all just look at the state he left them in, went the Pharisees)? No, it was the religious elite those who set the bar so high that nobody could ever achieve it, those who changed the rules to suit themselves, those who made sure that God remained a complex and distant deity that nobody would ever get close to.

So, God sent his Son. We write, talk and preach of him. His beauty, his majesty is simply astounding, but so is his simplicity. In these simple verses and in the life he lived, he made his Father, the great Yahweh, accessible to all who were never good enough and knew it. To ascend to the heavens, you need to humble yourself first. He showed us that, if we would only dispense with our immense human pride and arrogance, we could not only come to the throne we could even call him Father.

That all the works but one were unnecessary, and that one was to believe in his Son with everything we had. Along the way, we will find every desire, every want and need, all our peace and contentment is found in him. Then one day, when we finally pass, he will take our hand and walk us into the throne room to introduce us to his Father.

Every single day of my life, I continue to be astounded by him. Just give me Jesus.

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