The Higher Road

Coming Close To God

After a few conversations with people this past week, I have noticed some common themes developing. The issue of suffering and the question of spiritual thirst for God. In the middle of all that, I had cause to re-read Psalm 73, one of my favouite psalms. The result of all this was that I was reminded of some study I had done from this psalm and how it had helped me to answer some of these questions. Maybe it will be helpful to you. So here it is...

The writer of Hebrews says… Hebrews 4:16

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

The Bible contains many examples of people who approached the throne of grace with confidence. We could study the prayer life of Moses, Joshua, David, Jeremiah or Paul… even Jesus, but I want to draw your attention to Asaph. Who was Asaph? Asaph was one of the leaders of the temple choir, set apart by King David to serve God (see 1 Chronicles 25:1). Asaph was also one of the authors of many of the Psalms. One in particular is Psalm 73.

Psalm 73 is a prayer of doubt. In it, Asaph pours out his heart to God and confesses that he is struggling to make sense of the world around him. As he looks around him, he notices that those who despise God and live in blatant disregard of God’s law… seem to be living happy, prosperous and care free lives. This observation caused Asaph to doubt.

Verses 13-14 express what is going on in Asaph’s heart. The New living Translation puts it like this…

13 Was it for nothing that I kept my heart pure and kept myself from doing wrong? 14All I get is trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain.

Have you ever felt this way? When you look at the world around you… when you see how the people around you live… they seem to prosper and enjoy life… with no consideration for God or spiritual things. It hardly seems fair. Have you ever found yourself asking a similar question to the one that Asaph asked? “Is the Christian life all for nothing? Am I the one who is being deceived?” Verses 15 - 16 give us an real insight into the state of Asaph’s mind. What he was saying was… "This is how I feel… but I dare not say anything. Yet, just thinking about it is more than I can bear."

But something happened in Asaph’s life that dramatically turned him around. Have a look at verse 17. Notice the phase "…till I entered the sanctuary of God…". What was it that Asaph saw in the sanctuary that changed his attitude toward God and his understanding of what was going on around him? I believe that 2 Chronicles 5-7 tells us.

Notice the progression… In chapter 5:13 they praised the Lord and sang “He is good: his love endures forever.” In chapter 7:3, they bowed down in worship, their faces to the ground, and gave thanks, saying, “He is good: his love endures forever.” Asaph, and all those with him, went from singing mere words… to offering heartfelt worship. Asaph was a witness to the outpouring of God’s power and Glory. He heard the prayer spoken by Solomon and he participated in the worship right there in the presence of God’s Glory.

To say that this event had a significant impact on his life would be an understatement. What Asaph experienced changed is perspective of the world around him and it opened his eyes to the reality of who God really was. Lets go back to Psalm 73:28 and see how he concludes his psalm.

"But as for me, it is good to be near God."

Here is a man who has come close to God. Here is a man who knows what it means to worship God. Here is a man who has been transformed because of God's great glory. Here is a man who knows what prayer really is. So what do we learn from Asaph? That prayer is an act of humble worship in which we seek God with all our heart. It is the means by which we enter into the sanctuary of God. But is more than that because prayer like this causes real life transformation.

As a result of experiencing God… meeting with him in a very real and personal way.. Asaph acknowledges how good it is to be near His God… he reaffirms his faith in God as his strength and saviour… and he declares his intention to tell others about God’s greatness and goodness.

My Prayer

Father, you are good… and your Love endures forever. Thankyou for your everlasting Love and thankyou for your everlasting Word. Thankyou for your Son, Jesus… our saviour and our Lord.

Thankyou for your great love toward us… that even whilst were still sinners… you allowed your Son to take our place for the forgiveness of our sin.

Thankyou Lord that because of Jesus’ shed blood, we are able to enter into your sanctuary… that we might know you… that we might be near to you. Thankyou that it is you who draws near to us.

Father, as we go… may we go in the knowledge of your love and grace and may our hearts be filled to overflowing with your peace. And give us a heart to tell others of your great love… that they might come to call on you as their Lord and Saviour. Amen.

Wisdom of God

I have been contemplating the meaning of what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25...

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

Why? Becuase recently I was having a conversation with someone about the friendship evangelism v's direct evangelism methods of sharing the Gospel. Now I am all for building relationships with people. There is power in relationship. It matters. People need to be loved and to feel loved and there is no question that Jesus himself requires that those who follow Him, love others. But is relationship alone, enough to win someone over into the Kingdom of God? The part from the above quote that really grabs my attention about this question is verse 21.

For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

What is paul saying here? It seems to me that the preached, or spoken word, is a nececary part of the process. The debate then is not so much about how we influence people for Jesus by the way we live, even though that IS important. The Gospel needs to be lived out. The question is, are we telling the Gospel to those we are in community with?

I am reminded of my relationship with my wife. I can live with her all I like. I can show my love for her every day in a thousand different and creative ways. But most of all, if i want her to know that i love her... I have to tell her. It might sound like foolishness, or even 'old fashoned', but unless people hear the Good News... how will they be saved? I don't have the wisdom to understand how, but I am willing to give it my best shot.

Casting the Vision

This past Sunday, we had the oppertunity to share with our church how God has been calling us to step out in faith to serve Him with Youth Ministries Australia, the youth arm of Campus Crusade for Christ Australia. I shared a little of my journey of how God had called me to full time ministry and how he has been preparing us for the next stage of that journey. I also preached a message called The Journey of Faith (which you will be able to download here soon).

We were really blessed as we invited people to partner with us as we step out in service for God. Thankyou to all those who have taken a partnership pack and to those who have already signed on as prayer and financial partners. It is humbling to know that so many people are willing to do thier bit to help us serve in the Kingdom of God.

If you would like to know more about what we are doing, or if you would like to chat about how you might partner with us, then please give me a call or email me. We would love to catch up and share with you about YMA and what God id doing in the lives of young people all around this great nation of ours and beyond.

Matt and Rosemary

Peacemaker

Matthew 5:9 says...

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

God is a peace-loving God, and a peacemaking God. In fact, whole history of redemption, climaxing in the death and resurrection of Jesus, is God's plan to bring about a just and lasting peace between sinful man and Himself. The implication of this in regards to those who claim to follow Jesus is simple… as sons of God, we have the character of our heavenly Father. What he loves… we should love. What he pursues… we should pursue.

The simple truth of the matter… and the point that Jesus is making… is that you can know God’s children by whether they are willing to make sacrifices for peace, the way God did. If He is a peacemaker, then his children, who have his nature, will be peacemakers too.

That leaves me to ask this question... and I ask it of myself first... Am I willing to be a peacemaker in the way Jesus suggests I should? Consider what he says in Matthew 5:43-45...

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven."

Peacemakers go out of thier way to restore relationships... even when it is not thier fault that the relationship is broken. After all, isn't that what God has done for us?

Call It What It Is... Sin

As I was preparing to tell the story of the Prodigal Son to our high school studets tonight, I got to thinking about what this story has to teach us about sin and God's response to it. The story is found in the Gospel of Luke 15.

The words... “I have sinned…” are three words that do not come easily. In fact, as far as the biblical record is concerned, the confession “I have sinned” is uttered by only eight different people, although some of them said it on a number of different occasions. Today is no different. You see, we live in a culture that has de-theologized human behaviour. When I mention the word sin today, the majority of people in our society would have no idea what it really is. It is a word that is slowly disappearing from our vocabulary. To the average, off the street person, sin is an antiquated religious concept, a word used in sermons by religious people who are out of touch with the real world. But regardless of what the world thinks, the concept of sin is at the very heart of the biblical testimony of what is wrong with man. The story that Jesus tells in Luke, reveals to us two aspects of sin which are crucial for us to understand.

The first is the reality of sin. Throughout history, mankind has tried to come up with new labels for old evils. This is not a new problem. In Isaiah’s day the people were warned: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil…” (Isaiah 5:20). You only have to look around you to see that people everywhere, even in the church, are finding excuses to live and act in ways that are contrary to God’s standard. And it’s not that we don’t know that what we are doing is wrong, it’s just that we no longer call it sin. We like to define our behaviours with words like ignorance, sickness (some sickness), deviancy, poverty, dysfunction, inhumanity, crime, and perversion. But according to the Bible, these are all symptoms of a much deeper problem.

Whether we like the word or not, sin needs to be recognized for what it is. Whether we like to admit it or not, sin is what is fundamentally wrong with mankind. Human behaviour cannot be judged solely on the basis of the effect it has upon others. It must also be judged on the basis of the effect it has upon God. It is true that sin can and does hurt us. Often it hurts others. But all sin hurts God. Sin is a violation of His will. Sin is rebellion against His authority. Sin is outright lawlessness against a Holy God.

The prodigal son understood this when he said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.” In Achan’s confession to Joshua, he said, “I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel.” And David, in his confession to Nathan declared, “I have sinned against the LORD.” The Bible makes it very clear that in fact all of us have sinned against God.

Romans 3:10 “There is no one righteous, not even one.”

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

That my friends, is the reality of the human state. It honestly describes what is wrong with us.

The second aspect of sin that this passage in Luke reveals to us, is that there is a remedy for sin. Now there are two parts to this remedy. There is something we must do and there is something that God will do. Notice what the son does in verse 17… “When he came to his senses…”. Notice also the labels used to justify what he was doing. His desire to leave home and live the good life was no accident... it was planned. Here was a young man looking for independence. Once he was in the distant country, how he lived was disguised as pleasure. When he lost all his money, he called it bad luck. But when he reached rock bottom, working as a pig sty cleaner, he finally called what he was doing as it really was! He said “...I have sinned.”

It was in this moment of truth that this lost boy began the long trek which lead back to his Father’s house. The Bible calls this turn around repentance. Repentance is about being honest with yourself and honest before God. The son acknowledged that what he was doing was wrong and admitted that he needed the forgiveness that only his Father could give. That’s our part. Repentance is about us agreeing with God that He is right… that His ways are Holy… that he is in control. It is when we come to that point in our lives that God is only too willing to do His part.

You see, sin is not remedied by anything that we can do. We can express sorrow for sin. We can confess our sin. But we cannot forgive ourselves of our sin. That is something only God can do. It is God we have wronged. Like the son in the story, it is us who has left home to peruse the good life, looking for pleasure and independence. And so we come to the climax of the story and the central message of the gospel.

In spite of the fact that we have sinned against Him, God still loves us and wants us to come home. Verse 20 is a moving description of God’s response to us. It is no accident that the father was looking down the road that day. He missed his boy and he never stopped seeing him through the eyes of a loving Father.

God is eagerly awaiting your return to His house.

Shining Like Stars

Blessed are the persecuted... Matthew 5:10-12

Have you ever been camping? You know what I am talking about when I describe the light that is given off by a camp fire or a lantern on a really dark night. You basically have only two options… even though the fire is easily seen from a distance, you are either in the light or you are in the dark. The same is true spiritually. Jesus describes these two positions in John 3:20-21...

“ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

Put simply, the two responses people are going to make when they see the way we live are either going to be persecution or conversion. One way or the other, the people around you must respond to the reality of Christ in you. That’s why Jesus says what he says in verse 11… “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me…”

The big question for me is… Is my light shining? Am I living a life of righteousness and godliness in this world? It is no coincidence that immediately following this beatitude, Jesus expands on what He is saying. As you read, remember the context of what Jesus has just said. He is talking about righteous living…

”You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16

I love the implication of this beatitude. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Imagine though… how many might share that blessedness in the kingdom of heaven because of your righteousness. May all our lives reflect Jesus as we live for Him.

Ancient Paths

I wonder, have you ever come to a place in your life where you found yourself at a crossroad? I mean physically… have you ever been driving and you come to a crossroad and you weren’t to sure which way to turn. A crossroad presents a dilemma because there are four ways you can go. You can go straight on ahead.You can go to the left or to the right. Or you can turn around and go the way you just came.

I wonder, have you ever found yourself at a spiritual crossroad? Maybe a situation or circumstance in life presents itself, and you find yourself with a decision to make. Do I keep going the way I have been going? Do I turn to the left or to the right? Or do I go back the way I have come? Of course, there are many things in life that might present themselves as a crossroad in our journey. Sometimes the answer to which direction we should take is plain to see. Sometimes it takes a little time and thought to work out. Sometimes we might need to ask someone we trust for guidance.

One interesting observation that I have made as I have travelled along the journey of life, a journey on which i have come across many crossroads, is that not once had God ever forced me to take a certain path. He has always allowed me to choose which path I would travel for my self. Interestingly, He did the same for Israel in Jeremiah’s day. In chapter 6 of Jeremiah, there is a verse that I have contemplating for some time now…

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. Jeremiah 6:16

The background is basically this; Israel has been disobedient to God and the people have gone their own way and now they find themselves at a crossroad. God invites the people to choose the ancient path that leads to rest. This reference to rest for your souls is directly related to the promised rest that the people would find if they followed God’s Law and didn’t break the covenant God had made with them. As I have been thinking about this verse, I got to thinking, how does this promise of rest apply to me? The answer to that question can be found in the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30…

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Again, we find that Jesus does not force himself upon us. Instead, he invites us to come to him. So next time you find yourself at a crossroad in life… what ever the crossroad might be… can I encourage you to listen for God’s gentle voice which calls you to step onto the ancient path of trust and faith in Him. It might not always be the easy path… or the safest path… or even the most well-trodden path… But the way of God is the only path that leads to rest for our souls.

The Samaritan Encounter

As I have been reading through the story of the encounter that Jesus had with a Samaritan woman by a well (John 4), and I have been particularly drawn to the way it highlights God’s incredible love for the lost. Almost straight away we are confronted by a glaring inconsistency. The reality is that Jesus did not have to go through Samaria to get from Judea to Galilee. In fact, no self respecting Jew would ever go that way. Even though the direct route between Judea and Galilee was a three day journey through the heart of Samaritan territory, any Jewish person making that journey would head east, cross the Jordan River and skirt around Samaria, often adding many days to the trip.

This intense and bitter hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans had been stewing for centuries. The most common view as to the origin of the Samaritans is that they were a mongrel breed who developed as a result of intermarriage between earlier Hebrews of the northern kingdom of Israel, and the Assyrian settlers in Israel following the captivity of the northern kingdom in 722 B.C. Over the coming decades, pagans from other lands moved into Samaria and were integrated into the Samaritan culture. As a result, the Jews hated the Samaritans. This hatred ran deep. In fact, there was a Jewish saying: “May I never set eyes on a Samaritan”.

And yet we find Jesus travelling through Samaria on his way to Galilee. The little phrase in verse 4… he had to… is significant. It implies that Jesus’ discission to go that way was intentional. It was part of God’s plan for what He wanted to do through His son. The journey through Samaria was no short cut… it was planned.

I wonder... where is God leading me today? More importantly, am I willing to go there?

30 Pieces of Silver

As many of you are aware, our family is embarking on a journey of faith. After seven good years of ministry at Gosnells Baptist Church, we have stepped out in faith to serve God's Kingdom as missionaries with Youth Ministries Australia, the youth arm of Campus Crusade for Christ Australia. It has been two weeks since we finished at GBC and already we are amazed at what God is doing.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to travel with Kym Edwards (the Youth Pastor from Thornlie Church of Christ... and good friend) to Adelaide to join the YMA crew there, as well as many others, for the opening of Immerse HQ, the Adelaide office for YMA. We shared vision, lots of great conversations and some good food. During the course of the weekend, God reminded us that He is working for us. You can read one such story here.

But I want to tell you a story about something that happened to me today. As we gear up for Immerse West (12-17 July at Fairbridge Farm) there are many things that need to be pulled together, gathered and planned. One such item was 2 litre bottles of craft paint. I put up my hand to grab it as I had the time to do so. Easy job I thought. Know right where to go to get it I thought. Will take all of 15 minutes I thought. Well, after 4 hours and 193 km's later... I had no paint. Three shops didn't sell 2 litre bottles any more. Two shops did... but had sold out. One shop had only one bottle of orange left (we don't need orange) and one shop suggested I try all the shops I had just tried. AHHHHH.... I thought. Actually, I won't tell you what I thought but I was not happy.

Disgruntled and a little frustrated, I set off for home with no real idea of what I was going to do. Suddenly, I remembered that one of the shops I had visited had suggested I try their other branch. I wasn't expecting much but I thought, what have I got to loose. I found the shop and to my surprise, it was right opposite the yard of a guy I used to work for several years ago. I went into the shop and guess what... they had what I wanted. It cost more than I wanted to pay but at this stage of the game I didn't really care. As I was coming out of the shop, I wondered if the guy I worked for was still there. On the spur of the moment I decided to go and have a look. Sure enough, he was still there. We chatted for a while I shared with him about what we were doing and about Immerse.

But this story only gets better. One of the items that I needed to get for Immerse was 30 silver coins (to illustrate the 30 pieces of silver Judas betrayed Jesus for). I was going to settle for 30 washers, but it turns out that my old boss, a generous and faithful Christan man, was able to make 30 silver coins for me, right there and then. How awesome is that! But that's not all. I was there for no more than 45 minutes and by the time I left, not only did I have 30 silver coins... I had a job.

Once again, God has shown that He can make the seemingly impossible, possible. Despite my frustration and dispare... He is able to put me in the right place at the right time to have the right conversations with the right people. The irony of it is this... that just like with Judas, God is bringing about His Kingdom despite my attitude.

30 silver coins... the price of a slave. Having young people get a deeper sense of God's love for them... priceless. Can't wait for next week.

End of a Generation

Today our family said goodbye to Florrie Redman, my grandma (my mum's mum) at a simple family funeral in Cairns. She was 94 years old and is now home with her Lord, alongside her husband Jim.

O cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from Thee;

I lay in dust life's glory dead, And from the ground there blossems red

Life that shall endless be.

 

A Fork In The Road

We have just recently returned from a three week road trip across Australia, to Sydney and back. What a drive! On the day that we crossed over the Flinders Ranges in South Australia, we were confronted with an eeire sight. At first we though it was light rain. At times it looked like smoke. But it was in fact fine dust. It only lasted for 20 or 30 kilometres and then it was clear. Unknown to us at the time, what we had driven through was the very edge a the largest dust storm to sweep across three states in over 70 years.

Later that day, we came to the town of Peterborough, where it rained cats and dogs for a couple of hours before clearing up into a nice-ish day. It was at this point in our journey where we had to choose which way we would go to get to Sydney. Basicly, there are two directions you can go in. South through Renmark and Mildura or north through Broken Hill. Both directions are roughly the same distance. As we approched the intersection, we decided at the last minute to go through Mildura. Call it chance... call it luck... call it what you like... but I firmly believe that God was directing our path this day. You see, if we had of gone through Broken Hill, we would have driven straight into the dust storm, potentally doing damge to our engine.

It wasn't until we got to Bathurst that we came to realise just how fortunate we had been. Everything was a dusty reddish-brown colour and there were plenty of cars broken down on the side of the road. It just goes to show that God has all things under control... even when we don't relise it.

Long Grain

In a moment of manic madness, I worked out that there are approximately 479,180 grains of rice in a 10kg bag of long grain rice. Now consider this... if you were to place 1 grain of rice on the first square of a chess board, 2 grains on the second square, 4 grains on the third square and so on, doubling the number of grains for every square... 10kg's of rice would be found on the 20th square. The 24th square would have over 8 million grains of rice. By the time you got to the 64th square, there would be 18,446,744, 073,709,551, 615 grains of rice. That's 18 quintillion!

Why do I wonder about such things? Because I am fascinated by the power of multiplication. Imagine... what if every disciple of Jesus discipled two others... who discipled two others... who discipled two others...

 

Before the throne of God above

I have been reflecting on the words of this great old hymn...

I wonder, have you ever really stopped to contemplate what the second verse is talking about? If only I could fully grasp the truth of the freedom I have in Christ. Not the freedom to do what ever I like... but the freedom to live my life as a child of God. I suspect that many poeple, not just me, still stuggle to understand the implication of what Jesus has accomplished on the cross. Lord, help us to see ourselves as you see us.

The Great Disconnect

I have been thinking about the connection between worship and justice latley... between Christmas gatherings and all the other busy life events. I came across this article written by Brad Griffin on the Fuller Youth Institute site.

Amos wasn’t exactly what we would consider an inspiring motivational speaker. He was a 7th-century gloom-and-doom prophet. He gave promises of hope, but the big picture for Amos’ audience was bleak: impending exile for the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

A sheep-breeder and fig tree tender from Tekoa in Judah, God called the unsuspecting Amos to go north and speak a hard message to Israel’s leaders. This was during the period of Israel’s greatest prosperity, thanks to both agricultural and trade success. The people’s excessive wealth created a class division like never before, in which the wealthy were extremely wealthy, at the expense of the extremely poor (a reality that hauntingly echoes our own today).

Amos openly denounced this dichotomy. Oppression cannot coexist with fervent worship of God. By external standards, the Israelites were doing everything right in worship—their worship was elaborate and well-done. But the wealthy believed that all they needed to do was multiply their sacrifices; the more they sinned, the more sacrifices they brought. In contrast, those who were poor could not afford the sacrifices. They literally could not afford to sin. Amos teaches that rather than an abundance of sacrifices, God wants an abundance of justice. Thus Amos declares, “Let justice roll down like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.” The message is clear: there must be justice alongside sacrifice—worship must flow out of and flow back into right living. (full article here)

Kitchen Joy

The joy that comes from spending time with one of your kids doing something special is just priceless. Today I made biscuits with our 4 year old daughter, Megan. We melted butter, sifted flour, beat in the sugar and licked the beaters. She helped me roll the dough into little balls which we then flattened out on the baking tray. It would seem that messy and fun are exponentially connected. The more messy... the more fun. Even better when you can lick the messy off! Now for the jam. If only you could have seen the concentration on her face as she carefully placed generous blobs of jam onto the top of each biscuit. She was all for a full teaspoon on each... but a quick glance at the picture in the recipe book helped to convince her otherwise. So into the oven they went... accompanied by squeals of delight. "Are they ready yet?" "Not yet darling, 14 minutes to go." "Are they ready yet?" "Not yet darling, 13 minutes to go." "Are they ready yet?" "Not yet... 10 minutes to go!"

I guess 15 minutes seems like an eternity to a four year old... Especially when you are waiting to see the creation of your own hands. And then comes that magic moment.... when the oven door comes down and the room is filled with the aroma of freshly baked biscuits. "Can I eat one yet?" "Not yet darling... they are still too hot." Isn't it funny how nothing is too hot when it comes to taste testing. 

The Ministry of Food

We were encouraged to think about how we might be more intentional about using food to reach out to the people around us. I for one would like to explore this further... not just because I like food... and not just because it is fun to entertain people. I really think there is something significant about sharing a meal with people.

The other great thing about tonight was that I got the chance to sit down and chat to some people from within the church that I did not know. It really was an Acts 2:42 experience... the way church oght to be.

Authentic v's Inauthentic Story

I came across this interesting statement in an article here. It comes from a speech given by Barry Lopez, an author and story teller from Oregon (USA), who was in Perth recently giving a series of talks.

...The distinction in prose between fiction and nonfiction, though logical and even useful, is not as important as the distinction between an authentic and an inauthentic story. An authentic story is about us. An inauthentic story is about the story teller, only the story teller.

The problem I have with this is that when you engage with the Story of God, you discover that it is simultaneously about the author and us. However, it got me thinking about the motive behind why we tell stories... and in particular God's Story.

Compassion In Action

I have been reflecting recently on Matthew 9:35-38.  What I notice about Jesus is that his compassion for the people came as a result of what he saw.  The result of his compassion, led him to act.  So it would seem that compassion is both an attitude and an action?  It is interesting to note that the Greek word from which the word compassion comes, literally means intestine.  In other words, compassion is an emotional response attached to the stomach. To use an Australian-ism…a gut feeling.  But what was it exactly that Jesus saw? What situation were these people in that caused Jesus to have such a strong emotional response? Verse 36 tells us:

...because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  

The word harassed … sometimes translated distressed… comes from a word that literally means to skin an animal.  In Jesus’ day, it was used to describe people who were bewildered or confused… people who were unable to make sense of what was happening to them, or what life was all about.  Think for a moment about the society in which Jesus lived.  The majority of the people were poor and somewhat socially disadvantaged.  They were living in a culture where there was a great deal of manipulation by the religious leaders.  They were politically insignificant, in many ways a people without a voice.  From a global perspective, the Palestine of Jesus’ day was nothing more than a backwater on the outer fringes of the mighty Roman Empire. 

But more than that, the people are described in verse 36 as helpless .  A better translation would be dispirited… which means thrown down or crushed. These were a people who were discouraged and without support… which might sound strange when you stop to think that we are talking about a culture that valued community and extended family networks. So how could it be, that in a society where social and family networks were so important, that the people still felt discouraged and without support? 

When Jesus looked at these people, he saw past their physical needs, deep into their hearts.  He saw people who were broken and hurting, not able to find the answers to the questions about what life was about.  He saw people who felt all alone in the world with no one to help them. These were a people who longed for a better way of life… yet could see no clear path up and out of their situation.   

Ultimately, what Jesus saw, was a people who had no shepherd… no one to lead them through life with direction and purpose, no one who would defend them or stand up for them, no one who would comfort them and give them hope for the future.  And in his gut... he had compassion for them.  But that’s not all he saw.  Verse 37 tells us that he also a plentiful harvest . 

Jesus was not overwhelmed by the sense of need… he was moved by it...  But he didn’t say, “This problem is too great, what can I do?”  He didn’t say, “This problem is not my problem.”  He didn’t say, “ I don’t really know these people.”  Instead, he said the harvest is plentiful.  Why did he say that?  What did he see that caused him to make such a statement?  What he saw was the need that these people had for a saviour… someone who would lift them out of their confusion and hopelessness… and deliver them into a new and better way of life. 

What Jesus saw was the very reason why he had come in the first place. 

Declaration of Autonomy

Been thinking about Genesis again lately, and have been reminded about two important realities…The first is that God made us with the intention of having a relationship with us. The second is that God gave us the ability to choose to love Him. In other words, He made us with the intention of having a relationship with us and He gave us the ability and the freedom to choose to love Him. This ability to choose love also means that we have the ability to choose obedience…

When (Eve) saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Genesis 2:6

The fact is, they chose to eat… but why?

Because they were deceived into believing that equality with God would be far better than a relationship with Him… and when they were presented with the choice of being like God or being with God… they chose to be like God… and that was never God’s intention for mankind. God’s intention was for mankind to live on the earth that He had created… to enjoy it… to rule over it… to manage it. God’s intention for mankind was that they would multiply… have children and grand children and great grandchildren… and live in relationship with God and with each other… and now that relationship was damaged.

And Adam and Eve knew it… so they tried to hide from God to cover up the bad choice they had made. From that point on, things started to go down hill. From blaming others to lying… to hatred.. to murder… to outright disobedience and total moral decay. By the time we get to chapter 6 in Genesis, we find these words…

The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

When mankind chose to disobey God’s one command, it started us on a journey of spiritual separation from the God who created us… a journey that would ultimately lead to death. But there were two trees in the garden. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. The tree of life which was there all along. The tree of life which man was cut off from. The one tree who’s fruit would lead to eternal life.

From the very beginning… right there in the garden… God had made provision for the restoration of the relationship between Himself and us.

Freely you have received, freely give

What does Jesus mean by that? Quite simply, that the gift of salvation cost you nothing, so don’t go about making a profit by selling the Gospel message.

The following verses make it quite clear that Jesus expects that the disciples will be supported by those who they are ministering to… or more precisely, that God will take care of His workers who were working in His harvest field. But the gospel is not for sale. What Jesus is getting at is this… If God heals someone, that is for their benefit not yours. If someone is brought back to life, that is for God’s glory not yours. If someone is set free from an evil spirit, that is God at work in their lives. So don’t profiteer from it.

We read these words and think to ourselves, ‘who would do such a thing anyway?’ But it happens. There are some in the Christian church who make money… perhaps even empires… out of God working in peoples lives.

I got to thinking, do I perform ministry in order to profit for myself? It’s a challenging question to ask oneself, because profit doesn’t always mean money. Ask yourself these questions: Am I involved in ministry to make myself feel good? Am I involved in ministry to meet my own needs? Do I place expectations on the people that I share the Gospel with… expectations that they would attend my church… expectations that they would conform to my way of thinking… expectations that they would be eternally thankful that I led them to Christ?

I pray not.