nobrokenreed

Where Shall We Go?

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When’s the world’s blocked away, And if you’re looking for a rainy day, friend, Well, grab a rope, pull me in; lean on me

Grab a rope and pull me in, But lean on me, Everyday, you’ll have a friend, But lean on me  – Housemartins, 1986

Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. – Mark 10

Paul Heaton wrote a beautiful song I grew up with called Lean on Me; he was the frontman for the Housemartins in the 1980’s. In fact, he wrote many beautiful songs, and as well as being outspokenly political, he was also a Christian. I heard the song the other day, so I thought I’d look him up and see what he was doing these days. To my not so utter surprise, his politics had superseded his Jesus in importance. It made me ask, why do people who know Jesus, leave him for something or someone else? What could possibly be more important?

It’s a question I’ve grown up with in a Christian family; back in the day, we excused it away by saying, ‘oh they never really had a relationship with Jesus in the first place’ but that is simply not right. Others contend, ‘they never really experienced Jesus’ but that too can’t be right. The rich young ruler and many others in Scripture experienced the Son of God first hand, and still rejected him. Judas walked with Jesus for 3 years, saw everything and yet still walked away, in fact it is possibly the great tragedy of all humanity. Unimaginable.

Out on the streets, we come across a surprising number who are in the same boat. We knew Jesus once, but now, well, other things have simply taken over. Why is it that many walk away, and more importantly as a Disciple Maker, what can you do to prevent that happening?

Firstly, I walked away from God in my early teens. Baptised and committed, for some reason God and I parted company for many years. Those around me must have wondered if I would ever come back, but whoever was praying for me, I’m overjoyed I did. I am deeply saddened by those I know who are distant from God, when they were once close, even fervent. What happened?

A close look at the lives of those around Christ who believed, and then walked away reveals one important trait it seems. It is this, we come to God looking for what we can get out of him. The rich young ruler in the story above, Judas, those throughout the New Testament as well as those around us today all seem to want to know what God is going to give them. If we’ve had a normal conversion, then perhaps that is natural – we arrive at God’s feet in a state of disarray, often desperate for him to fix us up, which he usually obliges us with. Then, like the 9 lepers, we go merrily on our way ‘fixed’ and think no more of him.

But, somewhere along the process there must be a transition in our hearts that gratefully extends upwards. Our attitude changes to that of, ‘what he has done to me means my desire is so great, I ask now what can I do for him.’ No longer is it about what I can get from God, he has already given me everything he had to give in Christ, but a recognition through the Holy Spirit that he wants us to love him for who he is. Now we come to him with our heads bowed and offer ourselves as a ‘living sacrifice’ willingly laying down our lives.

For those who seek only to serve God, who have reached that point in their faith where they are so overwhelmed by what he has done for us, it seems our relationship changes. Somehow, if I can be a little irreverent, we become soul mates, inseparable by anything in this world. For those who go through life continually on the look out for what God will do for them though, the relationship seems unsettled. It is the tune of most big church evangelists in our day, preaching the prosperity Gospel – look what God will do for you if you will only put your money in the slot. Not fully understanding what he has already done, we will tire quickly of a God who stops giving us what we want, just as Judas did.

It is why, when we preach on the streets we always try to include the full Gospel; let us understand truly what we have done and how he responded, before we decide to commit. Tozer said, “it is unlikely God can really bless a man until he has really hurt him deeply.”

Such an affront to our modern selfish thinking, yet surely an antidote to our shallow tendencies with an Almighty God. Meantime, let us keep praying for those we know who are still away from God.

Glorious George

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Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours – Mark 11:24

This is what the Lord says:

“Stand at the crossroads and look;

ask for the ancient paths,

ask where the good way is, and walk in it,

and you will find rest for your souls.

But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’. – Jeremiah 6:16

 

Some of you may have read the story recently, of a little aboriginal boy who drowned. Laid out on the floor, it was another group of young children who suggested they ask Jesus to heal him, and sure enough, Jesus did. The young boy, to all intents dead, rose spluttering from the ground completely healed. Childlike faith.

So much for those who insist, ‘God doesn’t do anything like that anymore, that was only for the New Testament times.’ Surely a bigger question is, why don’t we see more of it today in our little community (wherever that may be)? Why don’t we see dozens of converts, or people pulled up from wheel chairs in the middle of busy shopping malls? I am determined to find the answer, because I believe that God truly does want to display his power to the world, in my corner.

I’m reading George Mueller’s autobiography at the moment, and Glorious George provides some big clues. He of course, lived with the supernatural every day of his life; he saw God as his rich, benevolent Father only too willing to lavish his goodness and riches on anyone who took him at his word. Mueller was frequently given things to pray for by the Spirit, and spent the next few weeks, months or even years praying them into being. He lived by the verse in Mark above and never doubted God would answer his prayers. Here’s an example.

George came down the stairs of his orphanage, where 300 5-6 year olds were seated for breakfast. The only problem was, there was no food in the house at all. So George gathered all of his beloved orphans around him and told them, ‘how wonderful it is that we get to see what God our Father is going to do for us today, how he is going to provide for our every need.’ He then prayed a simple prayer to his heavenly Father in front of the children. No sooner had he finished than a knock at the door announced the baker, who told everyone the Lord had awoken him at 3am that morning and told him to bake enough bread to feed 300 orphans. A moment later, the milkman arrived, announcing his cart had broken down outside and the only way he could lift up back up, was to remove all the milk from it – would they help him unload it, and they could have it?

I could go on, in fact I might. At the end of his life, George was asked if there was anybody he had prayed for, who hadn’t yet come to Christ. His response was nobody, and then he hesitated and replied there was one young man he was still praying for, but he fully expected to see him repent. At Mueller’s funeral, the young man in question knelt at his graveside and gave his life to Christ. As you can imagine, the stories are endless.

Which of course, all begs the question, if then, why not now? Why don’t we experience God’s favour each and every day of our lives like George Mueller did – was he just a one-off?

The short answer is, as Jesus points out, we don’t believe in God as he did. Of this I am convinced; my faith in my God is not the same as George’s faith. That is correct, in spite of the theological remonstrations you will have, it is based on me. Not that I will ever do one miracle alone, but will I believe that God will? Do I believe he wants to? Of that there is no doubt in my mind.

We could of course, talk of prayer, but that is obvious and an outworking of his faith. He prayed for hours even days, because of his faith in Christ.

So then, let me leave us all with something. On p74 of his autobiography, Glorious George tells us that his main reason – that’s right, his main reason for founding his orphanages that eventually looked after over 10,000 children was to show everyone that God is faithful and answers our prayer. He can be trusted.

Like the boy’s father on his knees before the Christ, we say, “yes Lord, I believe. Help me in my unbelief.”

Pearl!

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 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” – Matt 13:45-6

Like many others, we have had severe criticism for placing such great emphasis on going out into the marketplace and opening our mouths about the person of Jesus Christ. What a waste of time it is.

Many who have sought out our small gathering, looking for an alternative to more conventional church, have been sorely disappointed when they hear the great emphasis we put on ‘going out.’ It has cost us many potential friends and adherents who may otherwise have been keen to join us (just think of how big a “church” we could have built, had our focus been on great praise and worship, or lively preaching).

We have at terms felt great hurt and despair. Lord, is this really what you want – if so, where are all the others? Just a few of us against a flood of unbelievers. What chance do we have? We know that almost everyone involved in a disciple making process feels the same way, overwhelmed with the task, and the lack of support.

But, for those of you who have persevered with Sally and I over the years – those who endured our scepticism, and doubts, who continued to challenge and cajole and pray, even when we reacted badly this story is just for you. Ian and Joan, Steve, Dave, pa and others, a pearl of great price makes it all so worthwhile.

Lord, send more workers!

Some months ago, Sally and another lady met with Pearl on the streets of our village here in Sydney. Pearl was reading a book on Buddhism and didn’t seem particularly interested in a conversation about Jesus, yet they persevered. One thing led to another, and soon a Bible came out, and Scriptures were read. There was a reaction. Could there be more? Buddha was put to one side, and soon, a discovery Bible study was setup in Pearl’s little flat and she began to ask questions. Who is this Jesus who died for me?

The prompting of the Spirit meant that they were asked back and soon Wednesday’s became a regular event. Pearl, her of such great price in the Kingdom, was being drawn into the great heavenly family of God. More questions, and then the realisation that faith in Christ would mean salvation and the forgiveness of sins. Repentance occurred, even with incomplete understanding. A faith was born.

Soon, a baptism occurred, confirmation of a decision to follow Jesus. There are still questions, lots of them, but she is making steps. As a new believer in Christ, Pearl already recognises, along with so much more, that her faith must be shared. Christ is not to be contained within four walls. We can see a Discovery Group forming, perhaps with Pearl’s own oikos. We shall see what the Lord brings. We pray, we fast, we plead, intercede.

It has been an exciting weekend all round. For those who persevered with us, just think of the fruit. For those who deliberate and wrestle, is this the right way to go – keep wrestling. For those involved in the work, the workers will always be tiny, it’s just the way it is. God is with us all of the way, he wants us all to be involved. For those on the periphery, praying, supporting or just sending us their thanks, be assured, this is what God wants, because it is what Jesus came for.

Meantime, praise God for Pearl. We hope there will be more to uncover as a result.

In my lifetime

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We look back upon history and what do we see?

Empires rising and falling, revolutions and counterrevolutions, wealth accumulating and then disbursed, one nation dominant and then another. Shakespeare speaks of the “rise and fall of great ones that ebb and flow with the moon.”

In one lifetime I have seen my own  countrymen ruling over a quarter of the world, the great majority of them convinced, in the words of what is still a favorite song, that “God who’s made them mighty would make them mightier yet.”

I’ve heard a crazed, cracked Austrian proclaim to the world the establishment of a German Reich that would last for a thousand years; an Italian clown announce he would restart the calendar to begin with his own assumption of power; a murderous Georgian brigand in the Kremlin acclaimed by the intellectual elite of the western world as wiser than Solomon, more enlightened than Asoka, more humane than Marcus Aurelius.

I’ve seen America wealthier and in terms of military weaponry more powerful than all the rest of the world put together, so that Americans, had they so wished, could have outdone an Alexander or a Julius Caesar in the range and scale of their conquests.

All in one little lifetime. All gone with the wind.

England now part of an island off the coast of Europe and threatened with dismemberment and even bankruptcy.

Hitler and Mussolini dead and remembered only in infamy.

Stalin a forbidden name in the regime he helped to found and dominate for some three decades.

America haunted by fears of running out of the precious fluid that keeps the motorways roaring and the smog settling, with troubled memories of a disastrous campaign in Vietnam and of the great victories of the Don Quixotes of the media when they charged the windmills of Watergate. All in one lifetime, all in one lifetime, all gone. Gone with the wind.

Behind the debris of these solemn supermen, and self-styled imperial diplomatists, there stands the gigantic figure of one, because of whom, by whom, in whom and through whom alone, mankind may still have peace: The person of Jesus Christ. I present him as the way, the truth, and the life.

-Malcolm Muggeridge, 1980

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