Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to falsehood, who does not swear deceitfully. – Psalm 24

We’ve been out on the streets recently, sharing Jesus with whomever would listen. More than that, in the few gatherings we belong to, some are discovering Jesus, and even beginning to share him with others. It is exciting, watching a movement begin.

At some stage with everyone we meet, the true Gospel has to be shared. It doesn’t have to be denominational, or religious, but it does need to be comprehensive. While tools such as 3 Circles are excellent to introduce people to Christ, and to get them to even think about God and his plan for their lives, it is not enough.

There is a logical, and chronological sequence to the Gospel story, that inevitably starts with redemption. Jesus has redeemed us. From what you may ask, from our sin. When we acknowledge that and only when we acknowledge that, can God possibly forgive us. Why is it then, that so many shy away from bringing this into a conversation? Friends, has it been so long since you have felt the crippling consequences of sin, and what it means to have that lifted? Are we somehow not confident of the redemptive power Jesus will have in someone’s life, when they seek his forgiveness? Do we no longer understand that God will forgive us through Christ, only when we seek his pardon?

We stopped talking about redemption, the moment we decided that the numbers of empty seats in our church would increase dramatically, if people were faced with such a message.

When we are redeemed, we are then made righteous in Christ. Paul spoke more of this than almost anything, a person who turned humbly to God for the forgiveness of sin, was given the righteousness of Christ. Further, if it were possible there could even be more, that indwelling of Christ’s spirit in a believer means they have the power to overcome sin in their lives. We can intentionally pursue righteousness.

As a believer moves through all of this, at last they are able to wander as a child into the very throne room of the Almighty and lift their arms to their Heavenly Father in love and adoration. Throughout their entire earthly lives, this cycle will repeat and draw them ever deeper into God. Transformation is continual.

Why is it we have become so reluctant, or even inept at telling this incredible story? Why, in a world addicted to drugs and sex, filled with depression, disease and violence are we so unable to provide an answer?

Part of that answer is surely that the modern Western believer cannot. We don’t know how. Many sitting in our comfortable churches, have been so used to one person doing all the talking, teaching and thinking that they simply do not know how to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with a non-believer. I know, because for many years I was one.

For the overwhelming majority in this world, nobody has ever walked into their lives and caused them to stop and think about what is coming. Death has been cleverly carved out of the conversation by the enemy, sin has been nullified and sanitised by secularism, and Jesus is now simply one on a menu of many.

Which leave us, just a few of us, to try and change that. We simply cannot keep turning our back on the world, ignoring Christ’s command to his followers and pretend that we have more pressing priorities. It will not wash, in fact it never has. Surely Jesus expects more from us.

The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today
Is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.  – Brennan Manning, ex-Alcoholic Catholic Priest

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. – Titus

There’s a new friend in my life, a business man. Highly intelligent with a first-class honours in Maths, we have been discussing some projects together. Along the way, we have had several discussions about God, Jesus and the main purpose of life. As an agnostic, he is intrigued that someone would seemingly be so open about their faith. Apparently, I don’t appear so naïve that I should put my faith in the God of the Bible. How can that be?

I suggested to my friend, that he might like to read CS Lewis on one of his next trips. As one academic to another, he would at the least find Lewis entertaining. To my surprise, my friend took me up on the idea, downloaded the CS Lewis classics and read them on a recent flight to China. It certainly did get him thinking, what if it’s all right? This week at coffee, he talked about what he had discovered in his brief journey towards Christ. One thing he realised was that eventually, not everyone has all the answers – Christianity contains a strong element of faith, a hope unseen. There is only so much we can see and experience from outside the boat, we actually have to get in to experience it all.

So then, where to from here?

Well, here’s the real stumbling block..surely, my friend said, if all that was true, how do we possibly see the pathetic reality of so many Christians lives? If we believe in a God who not only saves us, but also will judge us, either we should fall on our faces in deep gratitude, or tremble in fear enough to change our ways. Yet, the journey seems replete with bent Catholic priests, charismaniacs who worship mamon more even than the world, and day to day believers whose lives reflect no differently from those around them.

This week, I have heard stories of youth pastors at a large well known church, sleeping with their youth group, others suffering chronic depression and eating disorders, along with a well known worship leader who is a closet lesbian. My friend – the clever one, has a business partner in his practice, who is gay. Fairly common fare today, except this man left his wife some years ago, took up with a man and managed to get himself onto the governing board of the Uniting Church.

You see, for a person beginning to explore the person of Jesus Christ, it can be difficult to distinguish between the true light, and the rotting remnants of a bygone era of a ‘Christian country.’ As you read the New Testament, one of the outstanding hallmarks, is the purity of the church, and the very genuine fear of a Holy God. Little of that enough, is found in our version of Christianity.

Things have to change, for surely God is more aware of the problem than I am.

Eventually, if my friend reads enough of Lewis, he will come to the bit where Lewis expounds that God invariably has to change people – societies even, by taking them through a great deal of pain. Purity and persecution are common bedfellows in the New Testament, and in any place today where the church is thriving.

We need to watch out. It is certainly coming our way.

All of life is repentance – Martin Luther, reformed

Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” – Jesus, reformer

For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. – God, Father of Israel

We have been praying at length about seeing more of God’s power on the streets, in the form of signs, wonders and healing. He hasn’t yet answered….or has he?

Last week we heard of a young pastor who went to visit a lady with schizophrenia. Terribly abused as a young adult, she took to drugs and in the process developed the disease. Many who came to visit her in the name of the Lord pronounced healing over her, but she was never set free. This young pastor walked into her slum-like apartment and told her she needed to repent of the bitterness which she held against people, and her subsequent choices. Filled with fury, she threw him out the door. But his words had roughened her spirit, such that the Holy Spirit now had something to hold onto, and he began to convict her of sin. The minister’s words wouldn’t leave her, and over the period of a year she brought the various people who had abused her, some of which were her own family before God, and repented of her anger against them. She repented of her lifestyle.

After a year, she was off drugs and completely healed. Shortly after, she headed overseas and became a missionary where she serves God in absolute freedom. Unusual?

We have noticed similar things in our own work here. While Jesus calls us always to look after the poor, the widowed and the maligned as well as to heal the sick, are there limitations when we ask God for his intervention? For example, in the Housing Commission where we work to share the Gospel, there are many who are willing to accept charity while happily gambling, drinking and smoking their lives away. Many are in desperate need of deliverance, yet there seems much they could do to change their lives. What are we to do?

So often when Jesus healed, he spoke of the forgiveness of sin, and after healing warned people not to return to their sin. The two it seems are interconnected. Is our Gospel too soft, are we too afraid in our liberal society to speak the hard truth into somebody’s life that they need to turn away from their sin before God will deal with them? Perhaps as importantly, who will God deal with ultimately if we don’t (speak) and then they don’t (repent)?

We know many believers who work in local people’s lives, cleaning up their filthy apartments, washing, feeding them and so on. They do it because they try to serve Christ, and it is a good thing. I am wondering though, if God has answered our prayer and spoken to us, ‘preach repentance first.’ That’s not to say of course, that everyone who is sick is so because of some obvious sin in their lives, often it can be because of terrible wounding from the past, or simply that we all live in a fallen world where sickness happens.

But, we have been praying at length about seeing the power of God in this area, and God has pointed us through many instances to the need for repentance first. Virtually the entire message of the Old Testament can be summarised by God speaking to the Israelites, ‘if you will turn to me and leave your sin, I will heal you and your land.’

Of course, God being our loving Father hasn’t left it there either. ‘What about your own lives?’ he has asked us. We have become so aware that if we want to preach repentance and see deliverance and healing on the streets, then we had better clean up our own act as well. It has brought us to our knees before a Holy God who is a consuming fire.

I would have to conclude, after praying deeply into this for much of this year. The reason we don’t see much healing and deliverance around our neighbourhoods today, is because of a lack of Holiness in our own lives first. Come, let us get on our knees and pray, repent. God longs to move in our lives and those around us, but it seems we need to examine ourselves before him first.