Last Friday (25/Jan/2013) I visited a local Primary school, to deliver an RE (Religious Education) lesson. The subject was ‘Why is Jesus an inspirational leader?’ I’d been in to the school the week before to discuss approach, content, etc. A few days before the event I put together a Powerpoint slide show of various Bible Cartoons I’ve drawn from the 4 books of the Gospels... so far so good.
Two days before I went to the school I was feeling a bit apprehensive, which is natural, I suppose. I’m not renowned for my public speaking! The thought of 30+ intent little faces looking up at me could unnerve anyone!
The day before I delivered the lesson I was listening to a Katherine Ruonala sermon. She is a wonderful Australian preacher (Glory City Church, Brisbane) who often talks about the love of God. In the particular message she gave, she said talked about needing to focus on Jesus in worship in such a way that we focus on His love, rather than on the fears we have. Her phrase, “We’ve got to receive because otherwise we can’t give it away.” really struck me. Since I wanted to focus the children’s attention on the love of Christ, it seemed to me a VERY apt sermon to hear at that time!
Here’s part of my transcription of Katherine Ruonala’s sermon at Basingstoke Community Churches, UK 19-20 January 2013:
“He (Jesus/God) ‘makes His face to shine on us’ [1], & that is the picture of God looking at us as a parent looks at a little baby & tries to get them to smile... & the whole purpose of doing that is to evoke a response. And God, always, is making His face shine on us. Because He wants us to smile! Because He loves us. I encourage our teams to really get filled up to overflowing, to look up & see His face smiling at them, loving them, so that they get filled up with joy & love. ‘We love BECAUSE He first loved us’ [2]. We’ve got to receive because otherwise we can’t give it away. So they’ll often spend an hour before they go out on the streets worshipping & getting fired up, until they’re overflowing, then they go out on the streets & they’re just bubbling & every person they meet sees Jesus in them, overflowing with joy. They get inebriated in the glory, so the fear of man goes, & the love of God, ‘the perfect love of God that cast out fear’ [3] (comes upon them).”
So... before I left home that morning, I took a leaf out of Katherine Ruonala's 'book' & simply chose to worship the Lord, & to focus my attention on Him, rather than my nervousness. I became filled up to overflowing, as she described. And guess what? My nervousness evaporated, & I looked forward to sharing my faith with the children. Instead of getting all 'hung up' on what I'd say, even before the event, I simply enjoyed my deepening relationship with Jesus the Christ. When the time came to drive to school, I was actually looking forward to it, amazing!
And Wow, did I have a great time talking to the children! They knew quite a lot about Jesus, but my Bible Cartoons helped them to learn even more. They had questions, which I was very pleased to answer. I questioned them too, to get them to think about what Jesus said to us.
We looked at the seven “I AM” statements in John’s gospel [4] & discussed them too. Pretty deep stuff, but the children seemed to understand what I was saying!
I broke up the lesson with a stint of cartooning. I got the children to draw simple round faces & to see how many different expressions they could create. They were so inventive, it was great! I showed them how to construct a human figure too, which went very well. I got a spontaneous round of applause for that, how kind!
I rounded off the RE lesson with a look at Jesus parable of the Wise & Foolish Builders. Which was well received too. The children really seemed to get the point that Jesus wasn’t talking about actual house building, but was referring to what, or more precisely, WHO we build our lives on. Of course, Jesus is the Rock on which the best house/life can be built.
Conclusions
So, the RE lesson went very well, & I was happy with the results.
I owe a great debt of gratitude to Katherine Ruonala, who really explained the concept of shifting our focus (our eyes) off of our problems (or in my case my projected difficulties!) & focussing instead on Jesus. Thank you Katherine!
Perfect love does indeed drive out fear!
[1]
Numbers 6:24-27 (NKJV)
24 "The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;
26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace." '
27 "So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them."
[2]
1 John 4:19 (NKJV)
19 We love Him because He first loved us.
[3]
1 John 4:18 (NKJV)
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
[4]
The Seven ‘I am’ sayings of Jesus from the Gospel of John
Jesus said ‘I am’ on seven occasions. Each ‘I am’ is a description Jesus gave of Himself and is recorded in John’s Gospel. The Seven ‘I am’ sayings help us better understand the divinity of Jesus Christ.
1. Bread
“I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger.” John 6:35
2. Light
“I am the light of the world; he who fallows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12
3. Gate
“I am the gate; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” John 10:9
4. Good Shepherd
“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for His sheep.” John 10:11
5. Resurrection and Life
“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies.” John 11:25
6. Way, Truth, Life
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” John 14:6
7. True vine
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” John 15:1
Monday 28 January 2013
Thursday 24 January 2013
Why do our “roots” matter?
Ephesians 3:17 (ANIV)
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ...
Why do our “roots” matter? Think about a plant that has shallow roots, how easy is it to pull it up? Pretty easy! Now think about a plant with deep roots that go way down into the soil. That is a LOT more difficult to pull up! Even a small sapling tree is next to impossible to uproot, & as for a full grown tree... you ever tried to man-handle that out of the ground!?
In Ephesians chapter 3, Paul was praying for us specifically that we would be ‘rooted and established IN LOVE’. It is the love of Jesus the Christ that keeps us safe & sound.
If our “roots” are shallow, then we can be uprooted, given sufficient “pull”. What might that “pull” be? Perhaps an incident of some kind, an accident, redundancy, financial difficulties, health scare, etc. If we only have shallow roots into love (for Jesus) then we can be uprooted & “blown about” by the incidents & events of our lives. I am not saying that we can ever be pulled completely out of the love of God - the Bible tells us that this is impossible. But we can stunt our own root growth, & therefore be “blown about” by winds of adversity, if our roots remain shallow. Deeper roots won’t prevent adversity coming our way, but they will certainly help us to remain rooted & grounded in love (of Jesus) & to thrive EVEN in adverse conditions, if they are deep.
Distractions, difficulties, too much TV, being fascinated by what the world has to offer, these are the things that vie for our attention. What’s behind the distractions? The Devil tries to get our attention focussed on anything other than the love of Jesus, because he knows that once we are focussed on anything else, we won’t be developing roots that go any deeper into the love of Christ. That’s the Devil’s goal, to distract us from the love of God, & to uproot us from the love of God, just like in Jesus example of the first 3 types of seeds in the parable of the Farmer sowing seeds [1].
If we deliberately pour our time & efforts into getting to know God & the love of God, then our roots will grow deeper & deeper down into that love, & we will become like the tree, impossible to uproot. If we ignore the distractions of the world, the flesh & the devil, then we are making a deliberate decision to focus instead on the love of God. When we are overflowing with the love of God, then we can share that love with those people we encounter who really need it. Out of the love stored up inside us, & replenished daily, God will be able to show His love for other people, through us.
BUT WE CAN ONLY SHARE WHAT WE OURSELVES KNOW. So again, if our love for Jesus is small (like our roots) then no wonder we achieve so little in advancing the kingdom of God. (I write this to myself, rather than anyone else!)
Love is both the beginning & end: it was God’s love for us that saved us (Christians) in the first place, & it is God’s love that sustains us now.
In order to move out into mission & ministry we need to have experienced & to keep being “topped up by”, the love of God. Any type of mission & ministry is really any & all activity that involves giving out the love of God to other people. We need to be OVERFLOWING with the love of God, because any activity attempted without an overflow of God’s love will merely be done in our own strength: there won’t be enough of the love of God to “fuel” the ministry or mission activity. It’s at that (depleted) point that we may feel ourselves “running on empty” or else so concerned & distracted with the enormity of the task in sight, that we are unable to achieve it. However, if we keep ourselves so full of the love of God, that we overflow, THEN we will see God achieve great & wonderful things on our behalf, & operating though us, in the various ministry or mission activities we engage in. LOVE is the fuel for ministry or mission activities. Love is the key.
Top priority = our roots going deeper into the love offered to us every day by Jesus. From that ‘deeply rooted in love’ position, God’s love for other people will shine through us. It will be both natural & easy to love other people BECAUSE we first know Jesus’ love for ourselves. You can’t give out what you don’t have or know yourself.
The rest of the verse & next verse give us the context of Paul’s prayer:
‘And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God.’
It is the our infinite delight to grasp the enormity of the love of Jesus for us. But if we don’t spend enough time soaking up the love of Christ, then we will have those small roots mentioned earlier. It’s only when we spend time contemplating the love of Christ; getting to know Him more; allowing Jesus to reveal His astonishing love FOR US, that our roots go deeper & deeper down into that love. Christ offers us His unique, monumental love every day, BUT WE HAVE TO AVAIL OURSELVES OF IT. He won’t force his love upon us, He’s far too much of a gentleman for that! So it has to be our deliberate choice to seek that love. Seek & you shall find.
How do we grow deeper roots? By praying to Jesus & asking Him for a better, bigger revelation of His amazing love or us. By nestling closer to Jesus. By reading the Bible, which is God’s great love letter to us. By spending time in prayer, pouring our hearts out to Jesus, & allowing Him to pour His love into our hearts in return.
It takes time to grow deeper roots, but I’m convinced that when we take the time to do it, we will become so solid in the love of Christ that we will not be able to be uprooted.
Personally...
I KNOW I need much deeper roots, in order to appreciate Jesus more; in order to move out into Bible Cartoons ministry & mission more fully. But above all, I KNOW I need the love of God to TRANSFORM me. I need a fresh revelation of Jesus’ love, daily, in order to shake off depression & sadness that has plagued me for years; in order to put behind me, once & for all, regrets; in order to move from the shadows of fear, out into the light of the love of God, & into more freedom & joy & peace, than I have ever known before.
I believe the love of Jesus the Christ is my “ticket” out of the shadows & into the light. I want to be at peace, in EVERY situation. I want to know TRUE JOY, in every situation. I want to be able to say what Paul says in Philippians 4:12-13, ‘I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.’
Lord, I want more of you in my life. Help me to daily appreciate the enormous love you have for me. Amen.
Do you want deeper roots, that go down into the love of Christ so far that NOTHING can uproot you? Then commit yourself to spending more time with Jesus, in prayer & reading the Bible. That’s what I’m going to do.
[1]
Matthew 13:3-9 (NLT)
3 He [Jesus] told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ...
Why do our “roots” matter? Think about a plant that has shallow roots, how easy is it to pull it up? Pretty easy! Now think about a plant with deep roots that go way down into the soil. That is a LOT more difficult to pull up! Even a small sapling tree is next to impossible to uproot, & as for a full grown tree... you ever tried to man-handle that out of the ground!?
In Ephesians chapter 3, Paul was praying for us specifically that we would be ‘rooted and established IN LOVE’. It is the love of Jesus the Christ that keeps us safe & sound.
If our “roots” are shallow, then we can be uprooted, given sufficient “pull”. What might that “pull” be? Perhaps an incident of some kind, an accident, redundancy, financial difficulties, health scare, etc. If we only have shallow roots into love (for Jesus) then we can be uprooted & “blown about” by the incidents & events of our lives. I am not saying that we can ever be pulled completely out of the love of God - the Bible tells us that this is impossible. But we can stunt our own root growth, & therefore be “blown about” by winds of adversity, if our roots remain shallow. Deeper roots won’t prevent adversity coming our way, but they will certainly help us to remain rooted & grounded in love (of Jesus) & to thrive EVEN in adverse conditions, if they are deep.
Distractions, difficulties, too much TV, being fascinated by what the world has to offer, these are the things that vie for our attention. What’s behind the distractions? The Devil tries to get our attention focussed on anything other than the love of Jesus, because he knows that once we are focussed on anything else, we won’t be developing roots that go any deeper into the love of Christ. That’s the Devil’s goal, to distract us from the love of God, & to uproot us from the love of God, just like in Jesus example of the first 3 types of seeds in the parable of the Farmer sowing seeds [1].
If we deliberately pour our time & efforts into getting to know God & the love of God, then our roots will grow deeper & deeper down into that love, & we will become like the tree, impossible to uproot. If we ignore the distractions of the world, the flesh & the devil, then we are making a deliberate decision to focus instead on the love of God. When we are overflowing with the love of God, then we can share that love with those people we encounter who really need it. Out of the love stored up inside us, & replenished daily, God will be able to show His love for other people, through us.
BUT WE CAN ONLY SHARE WHAT WE OURSELVES KNOW. So again, if our love for Jesus is small (like our roots) then no wonder we achieve so little in advancing the kingdom of God. (I write this to myself, rather than anyone else!)
Love is both the beginning & end: it was God’s love for us that saved us (Christians) in the first place, & it is God’s love that sustains us now.
In order to move out into mission & ministry we need to have experienced & to keep being “topped up by”, the love of God. Any type of mission & ministry is really any & all activity that involves giving out the love of God to other people. We need to be OVERFLOWING with the love of God, because any activity attempted without an overflow of God’s love will merely be done in our own strength: there won’t be enough of the love of God to “fuel” the ministry or mission activity. It’s at that (depleted) point that we may feel ourselves “running on empty” or else so concerned & distracted with the enormity of the task in sight, that we are unable to achieve it. However, if we keep ourselves so full of the love of God, that we overflow, THEN we will see God achieve great & wonderful things on our behalf, & operating though us, in the various ministry or mission activities we engage in. LOVE is the fuel for ministry or mission activities. Love is the key.
Top priority = our roots going deeper into the love offered to us every day by Jesus. From that ‘deeply rooted in love’ position, God’s love for other people will shine through us. It will be both natural & easy to love other people BECAUSE we first know Jesus’ love for ourselves. You can’t give out what you don’t have or know yourself.
The rest of the verse & next verse give us the context of Paul’s prayer:
‘And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God.’
It is the our infinite delight to grasp the enormity of the love of Jesus for us. But if we don’t spend enough time soaking up the love of Christ, then we will have those small roots mentioned earlier. It’s only when we spend time contemplating the love of Christ; getting to know Him more; allowing Jesus to reveal His astonishing love FOR US, that our roots go deeper & deeper down into that love. Christ offers us His unique, monumental love every day, BUT WE HAVE TO AVAIL OURSELVES OF IT. He won’t force his love upon us, He’s far too much of a gentleman for that! So it has to be our deliberate choice to seek that love. Seek & you shall find.
How do we grow deeper roots? By praying to Jesus & asking Him for a better, bigger revelation of His amazing love or us. By nestling closer to Jesus. By reading the Bible, which is God’s great love letter to us. By spending time in prayer, pouring our hearts out to Jesus, & allowing Him to pour His love into our hearts in return.
It takes time to grow deeper roots, but I’m convinced that when we take the time to do it, we will become so solid in the love of Christ that we will not be able to be uprooted.
Personally...
I KNOW I need much deeper roots, in order to appreciate Jesus more; in order to move out into Bible Cartoons ministry & mission more fully. But above all, I KNOW I need the love of God to TRANSFORM me. I need a fresh revelation of Jesus’ love, daily, in order to shake off depression & sadness that has plagued me for years; in order to put behind me, once & for all, regrets; in order to move from the shadows of fear, out into the light of the love of God, & into more freedom & joy & peace, than I have ever known before.
I believe the love of Jesus the Christ is my “ticket” out of the shadows & into the light. I want to be at peace, in EVERY situation. I want to know TRUE JOY, in every situation. I want to be able to say what Paul says in Philippians 4:12-13, ‘I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.’
Lord, I want more of you in my life. Help me to daily appreciate the enormous love you have for me. Amen.
Do you want deeper roots, that go down into the love of Christ so far that NOTHING can uproot you? Then commit yourself to spending more time with Jesus, in prayer & reading the Bible. That’s what I’m going to do.
[1]
Matthew 13:3-9 (NLT)
3 He [Jesus] told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
Wednesday 23 January 2013
Esther cartoons
I have just uploaded 4 Bible Cartoons which I completed yesterday, telling part of the story of Esther. They are for a Bible-based sports ministry in America, called UW Sports Ministry, here’s their website address if you want to see their mission & work: http://www.unchartedwaters.org/
The 4 cartoons are part of a 17 cartoon contract. I will be producing cartoons from the books of 1 Samuel (David & Goliath), Acts (Paul & Barnabas, & Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch), Joshua, & Esther. UW Sports will be using the cartoons on flash cards, to teach their visiting children these bible stories. Of course I have arranged to retain copyright of the images & have negotiated to have these cartoons available on the BC website.
I am particularly pleased with the 4 Esther cartoons, see below:
Esther 00 - Esther in field
Although not mentioned in the Bible, the American company wanted this scene.
Esther 02 - Esther becomes queen - Scene 05 - Crowned queen
I enjoyed drawing the opulent clothing in this one.
The 4 cartoons are part of a 17 cartoon contract. I will be producing cartoons from the books of 1 Samuel (David & Goliath), Acts (Paul & Barnabas, & Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch), Joshua, & Esther. UW Sports will be using the cartoons on flash cards, to teach their visiting children these bible stories. Of course I have arranged to retain copyright of the images & have negotiated to have these cartoons available on the BC website.
I am particularly pleased with the 4 Esther cartoons, see below:
Esther 00 - Esther in field
Although not mentioned in the Bible, the American company wanted this scene.
Esther 02 - Esther becomes queen - Scene 05 - Crowned queen
I enjoyed drawing the opulent clothing in this one.
Esther 04 - Mordecai requests Esther’s help - Scene 03 - Hathach
Esther 05 - Esther’s banquet - Scene 01 - Xerxes receives Esther
I am particularly pleased with the lighting effects in this one: the torch light & shadow of the guard on the right.
Tuesday 22 January 2013
Little things that stick in our minds
I was reflecting yesterday (as I coloured up Esther 04 - Mordecai requests Esther’s help - Scene 03 - Hathach) on several times when I have been on the receiving end of wonderful deeds or gifts of kindness. Most probably the people who did them for me don’t even know how much they meant at the time, & still do, to me.
One such time was when I was grieving, a few years ago now. I walked in to church but couldn’t see anywhere to sit. A young lady I only knew a little looked back & saw me, & then patted the seat beside her, to indicate that I could go & sit there. Instantly I felt included; I was so grateful for that gesture, it really did mean the world to me when I was feeling so low, insignificant & vulnerable. I was very shy & quiet & so didn’t take the opportunity to tell the lady just how much that small gesture really meant to me, at that time. That’s a pity, because the incident has come back to my mind many, many times since & it always fills me with gratitude & thankfulness.
This incident reminds me of Jesus’ words in Matthew’s Gospel:
Matthew 10:42 (NLT)
“And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”
For me, that lady’s gesture of inclusion & welcome was much, much more than a cup of cold water. I believe she will be mightily surprised when she gets to heaven & Jesus mentions the incident to her & beams His great big smile at her, for doing such a wonderful, inclusive, kind, loving thing. I expect she will have long forgotten the incident. But I haven’t, & nor has Jesus.
In the same way, the seemingly small, insignificant things we might do for other people, can be monumentally important to them. Since we don’t know what other people are feeling or going through, our small acts of kindness can really make a huge difference to someone who is hurting, feeling lost, lonely, insecure or grieving. It only takes a moment of caring, or loving someone else. And in that moment, brilliant, life-long, life-changing events can occur... without us even knowing it. So be kind to someone today, especially if they seem to need it. You just might be forming a positive, kind memory that will last them a lifetime. You just might be giving them a cup of cold water, for Jesus’ sake.
One such time was when I was grieving, a few years ago now. I walked in to church but couldn’t see anywhere to sit. A young lady I only knew a little looked back & saw me, & then patted the seat beside her, to indicate that I could go & sit there. Instantly I felt included; I was so grateful for that gesture, it really did mean the world to me when I was feeling so low, insignificant & vulnerable. I was very shy & quiet & so didn’t take the opportunity to tell the lady just how much that small gesture really meant to me, at that time. That’s a pity, because the incident has come back to my mind many, many times since & it always fills me with gratitude & thankfulness.
This incident reminds me of Jesus’ words in Matthew’s Gospel:
Matthew 10:42 (NLT)
“And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”
For me, that lady’s gesture of inclusion & welcome was much, much more than a cup of cold water. I believe she will be mightily surprised when she gets to heaven & Jesus mentions the incident to her & beams His great big smile at her, for doing such a wonderful, inclusive, kind, loving thing. I expect she will have long forgotten the incident. But I haven’t, & nor has Jesus.
In the same way, the seemingly small, insignificant things we might do for other people, can be monumentally important to them. Since we don’t know what other people are feeling or going through, our small acts of kindness can really make a huge difference to someone who is hurting, feeling lost, lonely, insecure or grieving. It only takes a moment of caring, or loving someone else. And in that moment, brilliant, life-long, life-changing events can occur... without us even knowing it. So be kind to someone today, especially if they seem to need it. You just might be forming a positive, kind memory that will last them a lifetime. You just might be giving them a cup of cold water, for Jesus’ sake.
‘Heroes’ & violence
Just read Proverbs 3:31-32 (NLT), which reads:
31 Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways.
32 Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord, but he offers his friendship to the godly.
You can read other versions below [1]
As I thought about this proverb, I wondered about the ‘heroes’ I have. The no.1 position is Jesus... no surprises there! And He wasn’t a violent man at all.
Who are some of my other heroes?
My wife (an excellent example of a mature Christian, with a lovely, gentle faith)
Katherine Ruonala (Australian preacher, who shows the love of God as well as preaching it)
C. S. Lewis (Writer & inventor of Narnia, a parallel of Christianity)
Vincent van Gogh (Painter)
John Martin (Apocalyptic Painter)
Arthur Rackham (Illustrator)
Anne Sudworth (Modern Painter, alive today)
There are lots of others!...
... but look at some of the film & TV ‘heroes’ I have, or have in the past, admired:
Dr. Who
Neo (The Matrix films)
Aragorn (Lord of the Rings)
Gandalf (the wizard) (Lord of the Rings)
The Terminator (From film series of same name)
You know, when we look at the men & women in films & TV shows, more often than not, they ARE violent, & we (even secretly) do admire them.
In my defence, I would say that it is not the violence of these characters that I admire, it is the determination, courage, personal conviction, skill & single-mindedness that they portray that are the real characteristics that I so admire.
It is Neo’s determination to keep getting up, when repeatedly knocked down by Agent Smith in “Matrix Revolutions”, which I admire, not the fighting.
It is Aragon’s & Gandalf’s obvious determination to fight the forces of evil to the bitter end, which I admire. The fact that this determination requires physical (often brutal) fighting is not the really admirable bit!
How could the Terminator (a cyborg killing machine!) be a ‘hero?! Well, again, it isn’t the violent fighting in the films which I admire, it is the single-mindedness, the absolute determination to complete the task at hand, which I like... OK, so the Terminator is programmed, so it pretty much has to do what the program calls for, but I still saw it as a kind of determination!
I suppose I have always felt that I personally buckled under pressure, & so I admire characters that do not do that, come what may, including there own demise!
Maybe we do admire determination, courage & these other characteristics. But even then, if these characters’ determination & courage (which is admirable) is expressed in violent behaviour (which is not admirable) then that raises the question, should we have these folk as ‘heroes’ at all? Proverbs 3:31 (NLT) seems to me to be pretty clear on this point, for it states, ‘Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways.’
I definitely DO NOT want to copy anyone’s violent behaviour, even so called ‘heroes’ of mine! The end never justifies the means: we can never justify violent behaviour, no matter what the provocation or expected solution we are aiming for. I’m sure that when God judges us, if we have employed violence to achieve our goals or aims, then He will take a very, VERY dim view of that. Just look at the mediaeval Crusades, for example. I’m sure no Crusading knight is going to be able to stand in front of Jesus (the King of Peace) & say, “We fought & killed to further your cause.” That kind of “logic” just isn’t going to fly with Him! There may well be quite a few surprised people in the queue of people being judged by the Prince of Peace!
Returning to the Bible, look at Proverbs 3:32... it says God detests violent people. Obviously God does not expect us to model our behaviour on violence, but on peace. If you read the Bible with this idea in mind, you will find many, many references to what God requires of us: peace. We can infer then that Godliness is in part also peacefulness. And that God wants us to be peaceful, peace-loving, peace-honouring people. That idea is backed up by Jesus’ own words in Matthew 5:39 (NLT), ‘But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.’
And when it came to Jesus arrest & questioning, He submitted Himself to insults, blows, torture & eventual execution, without EVER offering threats or violence to anyone else. So if Jesus is really our no.1 hero, then shouldn’t we follow His lead & be peace-loving too? I know that’s what I aspire to.
[1]
Proverbs 3:31-32 (NLT)
31 Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways.
32 Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord, but he offers his friendship to the godly.
Proverbs 3:31-32 (ANIV)
31 Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways,
32 for the Lord detests a perverse man but takes the upright into his confidence.
Proverbs 3:31-32 (AMP)
31 Do not resentfully envy and be jealous of an unscrupulous, grasping man, and choose none of his ways.
32 For the perverse are an abomination [extremely disgusting and detestable] to the Lord; but His confidential communion and secret counsel are with the [uncompromisingly] righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with Him).
Proverbs 3:31-32 (MSG)
31 Don't try to be like those who shoulder their way through life. Why be a bully?
32 "Why not?" you say. Because God can't stand twisted souls. It's the straightforward who get his respect.
31 Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways.
32 Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord, but he offers his friendship to the godly.
You can read other versions below [1]
As I thought about this proverb, I wondered about the ‘heroes’ I have. The no.1 position is Jesus... no surprises there! And He wasn’t a violent man at all.
Who are some of my other heroes?
My wife (an excellent example of a mature Christian, with a lovely, gentle faith)
Katherine Ruonala (Australian preacher, who shows the love of God as well as preaching it)
C. S. Lewis (Writer & inventor of Narnia, a parallel of Christianity)
Vincent van Gogh (Painter)
John Martin (Apocalyptic Painter)
Arthur Rackham (Illustrator)
Anne Sudworth (Modern Painter, alive today)
There are lots of others!...
... but look at some of the film & TV ‘heroes’ I have, or have in the past, admired:
Dr. Who
Neo (The Matrix films)
Aragorn (Lord of the Rings)
Gandalf (the wizard) (Lord of the Rings)
The Terminator (From film series of same name)
You know, when we look at the men & women in films & TV shows, more often than not, they ARE violent, & we (even secretly) do admire them.
In my defence, I would say that it is not the violence of these characters that I admire, it is the determination, courage, personal conviction, skill & single-mindedness that they portray that are the real characteristics that I so admire.
It is Neo’s determination to keep getting up, when repeatedly knocked down by Agent Smith in “Matrix Revolutions”, which I admire, not the fighting.
It is Aragon’s & Gandalf’s obvious determination to fight the forces of evil to the bitter end, which I admire. The fact that this determination requires physical (often brutal) fighting is not the really admirable bit!
How could the Terminator (a cyborg killing machine!) be a ‘hero?! Well, again, it isn’t the violent fighting in the films which I admire, it is the single-mindedness, the absolute determination to complete the task at hand, which I like... OK, so the Terminator is programmed, so it pretty much has to do what the program calls for, but I still saw it as a kind of determination!
I suppose I have always felt that I personally buckled under pressure, & so I admire characters that do not do that, come what may, including there own demise!
Maybe we do admire determination, courage & these other characteristics. But even then, if these characters’ determination & courage (which is admirable) is expressed in violent behaviour (which is not admirable) then that raises the question, should we have these folk as ‘heroes’ at all? Proverbs 3:31 (NLT) seems to me to be pretty clear on this point, for it states, ‘Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways.’
I definitely DO NOT want to copy anyone’s violent behaviour, even so called ‘heroes’ of mine! The end never justifies the means: we can never justify violent behaviour, no matter what the provocation or expected solution we are aiming for. I’m sure that when God judges us, if we have employed violence to achieve our goals or aims, then He will take a very, VERY dim view of that. Just look at the mediaeval Crusades, for example. I’m sure no Crusading knight is going to be able to stand in front of Jesus (the King of Peace) & say, “We fought & killed to further your cause.” That kind of “logic” just isn’t going to fly with Him! There may well be quite a few surprised people in the queue of people being judged by the Prince of Peace!
Returning to the Bible, look at Proverbs 3:32... it says God detests violent people. Obviously God does not expect us to model our behaviour on violence, but on peace. If you read the Bible with this idea in mind, you will find many, many references to what God requires of us: peace. We can infer then that Godliness is in part also peacefulness. And that God wants us to be peaceful, peace-loving, peace-honouring people. That idea is backed up by Jesus’ own words in Matthew 5:39 (NLT), ‘But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.’
And when it came to Jesus arrest & questioning, He submitted Himself to insults, blows, torture & eventual execution, without EVER offering threats or violence to anyone else. So if Jesus is really our no.1 hero, then shouldn’t we follow His lead & be peace-loving too? I know that’s what I aspire to.
[1]
Proverbs 3:31-32 (NLT)
31 Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways.
32 Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord, but he offers his friendship to the godly.
Proverbs 3:31-32 (ANIV)
31 Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways,
32 for the Lord detests a perverse man but takes the upright into his confidence.
Proverbs 3:31-32 (AMP)
31 Do not resentfully envy and be jealous of an unscrupulous, grasping man, and choose none of his ways.
32 For the perverse are an abomination [extremely disgusting and detestable] to the Lord; but His confidential communion and secret counsel are with the [uncompromisingly] righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with Him).
Proverbs 3:31-32 (MSG)
31 Don't try to be like those who shoulder their way through life. Why be a bully?
32 "Why not?" you say. Because God can't stand twisted souls. It's the straightforward who get his respect.
Thursday 10 January 2013
We walk by faith, not by sight
I encountered this phrase in some on-line preaching the other day, “we walk by faith & not by sight” & it seemed to be used to justify a message of sucess & prosperity for us modern Christians. I wondered if that was what the phrase originally meant. He’s my findings, observations & conclusions:
2 Corinthians 5:6-7 (AMP)
6 So then, we are always full of good and hopeful and confident courage; we know that while we are at home in the body, we are abroad from the home with the Lord [that is promised us]. 7 For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervour; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (ANIV)
7 We live by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NLT)
7 For we live by believing and not by seeing.
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (MSG)
6 That's why we live with such good cheer. You won't see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don't get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. 7 It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us going. 8 Do you suppose a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time comes, we'll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming.
When I looked at a commentary to find out what was meant, it said this:
‘What sustained Paul was the realization that this was a temporary and transitory state (2 Cor. 4:18). He focused not on present but on future conditions, not on the seen but the unseen. To live this way is to live by faith, not by sight. It is to live in light of ultimate rather than immediate realities (cf. Rom. 8:24-25), to be obedient to God’s commands despite the hardships that obedience produces (e.g., 2 Cor. 11:23-29). Such was Paul’s life. If the choice were his, he would have seized the opportunity to depart this pilgrimage life and take up residence (be at home) with the Lord (Phil. 1:21-23). But the constraints of his commission caused him to press on (cf. Phil. 1:24; Eph. 3:1-13).’
(source: The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.)
Can we legitimately quote this verse to say that we will have success & prosperity in our lives? I’m sure I’ve heard some Christians say that “We live by faith, not by sight” & go to use that as a justification for expecting success & prosperity to come to them. They say we can expect success & have prosperity when we live by faith & not by sight. But is that what this verse is actually saying?
And that question opens up the question of interpreting what we read in the Bible.
How can we be sure that we are reading a verse or chapter correctly... as it was originally meant to be read? The answer may be in the context. Taking a verse out of context & just reading it on it’s own can be misleading for us. So, in order to understand what Paul was actually saying in this verse, we need to read the previous & next few verses; to examine the whole chapter perhaps. Then, once we know the context, we can be more certain that we understand what Paul was actually writing about.
So, what was Paul writing about?
In the previous chapter Paul was writing about determination in fearlessly preaching the Gospel of Jesus the Christ & concludes that what we see on earth is only temporary, but unseen things are eternal. In chapter 5, Paul continues by writing a comparison between living on earth in our mortal bodies, & living in heaven with eternal, imperishable bodies. He even says that one purpose of the Holy Spirit within us is to give us a little taste of what heaven will be like. Paul’s writing (chapter 5, verses 1-10) builds up towards the day of Judgement, concluding that we will receive a ‘reward’ depending on what we have done in our earthly bodies: who we have lived for.
So, can we legitimately appropriate verse 7 “We live by faith, not by sight”, to mean that we will have success & prosperity whilst we live on earth? Is Paul writing about success & prosperity whilst we live on earth within these verses & chapter?
When I read it, Paul is writing a comparison between life on earth & life in heaven. In verse 6 Paul writes, ‘So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord.’ To me, that speaks of the tension that exists between living here on an imperfect, sinful earth in mortal bodies when compared to what it will be like when we are clothed in a new, eternal body in a perfect, sinless heaven. That sounds like spiritual tension to me!
Verse 8, says ‘Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.’ And verse 9 says that our goal (whether on earth or in heaven) is to please the Lord.
So, it seems to me that Paul isn’t writing a ‘prosperity on earth’ message in verse 7. Therefore, to use verse 7 in that way, to justify a “success & prosperity on earth” message seems a ‘stretch’ at the very least.
The danger of taking a verse out of context.
There is a ‘danger’ of taking one verse, out of context, & applying it to a different situation. If a verse when read in context means one thing, then it would be daft to try to use that verse out of context, to ‘twist’ it to say something that the author never meant when it was originally written. Interpretation is a rather subjective thing!
Then again, we believe that the Holy Bible is living & active, & that multiple meanings can be applied to the scriptures. Certainly God is quite capable of getting us to notice a verse & to ‘speak’ to us about it, in terms of a different situation, condition or meaning. In this way, the verse we read CAN have multiple meanings.
Can we interpret the Bible, based on the character of God, as revealed in the Bible?
Another ‘angle’ would be to ask what the Lord God is like, as a person, & what He might want from us, or to give to us. It seems to me that the Bible DOES INDEED promise lots of good things for us. I don’t think it is beyond the realms of reason to interpret the Bible in that God wants to bless us with success & prosperity. Although someone else will always point to Jesus Himself saying, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 (ANIV) ) There are other verses where Jesus, the prophets & the apostles spoke/wrote of trials, difficulties & hard times that we should expect as Christians.
I suppose I am trying to figure out here what we can legitimately expect in our Christian life. On the one hand we have the promises of God in the Bible & the “success & prosperity” preaching of modern Christians. On the other we have the Bible, Jesus, prophets & apostles talking about trials & facing hardships, difficulties, even death, as we live out our Christian lives.
Maybe that is why it is so important to get to know the character & nature of God, because in situations where your interpretation of what you read in the Bible can ‘take you’ to one place (positivity) or the other (negativity), in the end, your interpretation can be based on what you think about the character & nature of God: either He is your rescuer & is ultimately for you & will grant you success & prosperity, or He is for you, but situations & circumstances that are worldly, difficult & tough to overcome will inevitably come into your life.
Which will we encounter, success & prosperity, or trials & tribulations? I think we will probably encounter both!
I think the Bible ‘proves’ that God is for us. So that ought to give us confidence. But even though God is definitely FOR us, we also need to realise that this fact won’t stop bad things happening to us in this earthly life. And even some of those bad things are a result of us being in close fellowship with the Lord, i.e. persecution due to our Christianity.
Personal goal
I just want to know the truth. That’s what I’m interested in knowing. What is God saying to me, at the time I am reading a particular verse in the Bible?
I’m not trying to be clever when I talk about reading a verse in context. My motive is to get to know the truth.
I need to be wise enough to read any given verse in context, but I also need to have faith that God can use any given verse to mean what ever He wants it to mean, in all the times & situations of my life.
Conclusions:
1) God is for us. He is our rescuer, advocate & helper in times of trouble. I think the Bible ‘proves’ that this is so.
2) God wants to prosper us & give us success.
3) We will be tried, tested, face difficulties & may even be persecuted due to our faith in Jesus the Christ.
4) We will face problems, hassles, ‘aggro’, & issues that make us flip! Bad things do happen to good people. But that doesn’t mean that God isn’t for us 100%, or that the world is out of His control.
2 Corinthians 5:6-7 (AMP)
6 So then, we are always full of good and hopeful and confident courage; we know that while we are at home in the body, we are abroad from the home with the Lord [that is promised us]. 7 For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervour; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (ANIV)
7 We live by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NLT)
7 For we live by believing and not by seeing.
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (MSG)
6 That's why we live with such good cheer. You won't see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don't get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. 7 It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us going. 8 Do you suppose a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time comes, we'll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming.
When I looked at a commentary to find out what was meant, it said this:
‘What sustained Paul was the realization that this was a temporary and transitory state (2 Cor. 4:18). He focused not on present but on future conditions, not on the seen but the unseen. To live this way is to live by faith, not by sight. It is to live in light of ultimate rather than immediate realities (cf. Rom. 8:24-25), to be obedient to God’s commands despite the hardships that obedience produces (e.g., 2 Cor. 11:23-29). Such was Paul’s life. If the choice were his, he would have seized the opportunity to depart this pilgrimage life and take up residence (be at home) with the Lord (Phil. 1:21-23). But the constraints of his commission caused him to press on (cf. Phil. 1:24; Eph. 3:1-13).’
(source: The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.)
Can we legitimately quote this verse to say that we will have success & prosperity in our lives? I’m sure I’ve heard some Christians say that “We live by faith, not by sight” & go to use that as a justification for expecting success & prosperity to come to them. They say we can expect success & have prosperity when we live by faith & not by sight. But is that what this verse is actually saying?
And that question opens up the question of interpreting what we read in the Bible.
How can we be sure that we are reading a verse or chapter correctly... as it was originally meant to be read? The answer may be in the context. Taking a verse out of context & just reading it on it’s own can be misleading for us. So, in order to understand what Paul was actually saying in this verse, we need to read the previous & next few verses; to examine the whole chapter perhaps. Then, once we know the context, we can be more certain that we understand what Paul was actually writing about.
So, what was Paul writing about?
In the previous chapter Paul was writing about determination in fearlessly preaching the Gospel of Jesus the Christ & concludes that what we see on earth is only temporary, but unseen things are eternal. In chapter 5, Paul continues by writing a comparison between living on earth in our mortal bodies, & living in heaven with eternal, imperishable bodies. He even says that one purpose of the Holy Spirit within us is to give us a little taste of what heaven will be like. Paul’s writing (chapter 5, verses 1-10) builds up towards the day of Judgement, concluding that we will receive a ‘reward’ depending on what we have done in our earthly bodies: who we have lived for.
So, can we legitimately appropriate verse 7 “We live by faith, not by sight”, to mean that we will have success & prosperity whilst we live on earth? Is Paul writing about success & prosperity whilst we live on earth within these verses & chapter?
When I read it, Paul is writing a comparison between life on earth & life in heaven. In verse 6 Paul writes, ‘So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord.’ To me, that speaks of the tension that exists between living here on an imperfect, sinful earth in mortal bodies when compared to what it will be like when we are clothed in a new, eternal body in a perfect, sinless heaven. That sounds like spiritual tension to me!
Verse 8, says ‘Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.’ And verse 9 says that our goal (whether on earth or in heaven) is to please the Lord.
So, it seems to me that Paul isn’t writing a ‘prosperity on earth’ message in verse 7. Therefore, to use verse 7 in that way, to justify a “success & prosperity on earth” message seems a ‘stretch’ at the very least.
The danger of taking a verse out of context.
There is a ‘danger’ of taking one verse, out of context, & applying it to a different situation. If a verse when read in context means one thing, then it would be daft to try to use that verse out of context, to ‘twist’ it to say something that the author never meant when it was originally written. Interpretation is a rather subjective thing!
Then again, we believe that the Holy Bible is living & active, & that multiple meanings can be applied to the scriptures. Certainly God is quite capable of getting us to notice a verse & to ‘speak’ to us about it, in terms of a different situation, condition or meaning. In this way, the verse we read CAN have multiple meanings.
Can we interpret the Bible, based on the character of God, as revealed in the Bible?
Another ‘angle’ would be to ask what the Lord God is like, as a person, & what He might want from us, or to give to us. It seems to me that the Bible DOES INDEED promise lots of good things for us. I don’t think it is beyond the realms of reason to interpret the Bible in that God wants to bless us with success & prosperity. Although someone else will always point to Jesus Himself saying, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 (ANIV) ) There are other verses where Jesus, the prophets & the apostles spoke/wrote of trials, difficulties & hard times that we should expect as Christians.
I suppose I am trying to figure out here what we can legitimately expect in our Christian life. On the one hand we have the promises of God in the Bible & the “success & prosperity” preaching of modern Christians. On the other we have the Bible, Jesus, prophets & apostles talking about trials & facing hardships, difficulties, even death, as we live out our Christian lives.
Maybe that is why it is so important to get to know the character & nature of God, because in situations where your interpretation of what you read in the Bible can ‘take you’ to one place (positivity) or the other (negativity), in the end, your interpretation can be based on what you think about the character & nature of God: either He is your rescuer & is ultimately for you & will grant you success & prosperity, or He is for you, but situations & circumstances that are worldly, difficult & tough to overcome will inevitably come into your life.
Which will we encounter, success & prosperity, or trials & tribulations? I think we will probably encounter both!
I think the Bible ‘proves’ that God is for us. So that ought to give us confidence. But even though God is definitely FOR us, we also need to realise that this fact won’t stop bad things happening to us in this earthly life. And even some of those bad things are a result of us being in close fellowship with the Lord, i.e. persecution due to our Christianity.
Personal goal
I just want to know the truth. That’s what I’m interested in knowing. What is God saying to me, at the time I am reading a particular verse in the Bible?
I’m not trying to be clever when I talk about reading a verse in context. My motive is to get to know the truth.
I need to be wise enough to read any given verse in context, but I also need to have faith that God can use any given verse to mean what ever He wants it to mean, in all the times & situations of my life.
Conclusions:
1) God is for us. He is our rescuer, advocate & helper in times of trouble. I think the Bible ‘proves’ that this is so.
2) God wants to prosper us & give us success.
3) We will be tried, tested, face difficulties & may even be persecuted due to our faith in Jesus the Christ.
4) We will face problems, hassles, ‘aggro’, & issues that make us flip! Bad things do happen to good people. But that doesn’t mean that God isn’t for us 100%, or that the world is out of His control.
Tuesday 8 January 2013
Treasure-seeking in the Bible
Proverbs 2:1-11 (NLT)
1 My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands.
2 Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.
3 Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.
4 Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.
5 Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.
8 He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him.
9 Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.
11 Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.
Verse 2, concentrate on understanding. To do that is to use our effort; to be determined.
Verse 4, If you had lost a bag of silver you wouldn’t search casually & then shrug if you didn’t find it! You’d search diligently, scrabbling around in the dirt until you found it! If you were seeking hidden treasure, you wouldn’t search half-heartedly & give up after 5 minutes... or, if you did, you certainly wouldn’t find very much!
Think about archeologists or treasure-seekers on a dig; they painstakingly & carefully excavate the soil, until they find the artifacts or treasure they are looking for. If they randomly dug a few spadefuls of soil & then declared the site empty, we’d think them mad! It takes effort, perseverance, hope, determination & a whole spadeful (pun intended!) of time to uncover what they are seeking.
In the same way, the writer of Proverbs is saying that we should diligently, deliberately dig into the Holy Bible to uncover its treasure of wisdom. By the grace of God, some wisdom in the Bible is easy to find; we all know the verses which are often quoted & which we all agree are useful, helpful & inspiring. These are great, & may be thought of as treasure on, or just below the ‘surface’ of the Bible. These nuggets of wisdom are easy to find. But I suspect that there is a whole treasure trove of golden nuggets of wisdom & understanding, insight & revelation, just waiting for us to discover it. Such treasure is a little deeper inside the Bible, maybe a bit less obvious, maybe requiring a bit more perseverance in ‘digging’ it out. But I reckon it’s there to be discovered! And I believe God wants His people to be a bit more diligent & determined to ‘dig for victory’.
I think God wants to encourage us to have the same dedication & thorough determination of the best archeologist or treasure-seeker, in that we should stick to the dig & meticulously carry on digging into the Holy Bible, until we have found the treasure God wants us to find. Casual page-flicking won’t cut it here! I think there is a vast wealth of treasure, just waiting to be discovered, but we do need determination & time to uncover it. I think God is eagerly waiting to show us all the vast & rich treasures He has in store for us. Imagine Him hopping from foot to foot in eager anticipation of showing us the treasures He has for us!
Will you join me in that dig?
What are the benefits of finding the treasure of the Bible?
Verses 5-11 begin to outline the benefits of searching, & finding, the treasure:
1) Verse 5 reads, ‘Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.’
Awe of God & knowledge of God.
2) Verse 7 reads, ‘He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.’
Treasure of common sense.
3) Verses 8 & 9 read, ‘He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go.’
Protection & discernment of what is the right way to go.
4) Verse 10 reads, ‘For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.’
Wisdom will be yours, & joy will be the outcome of your search.
5) Verse 11 reads, ‘Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.’
The wisdom you gain will help you to find the good paths to follow, you will keep safe on the road of life.
These are just some of the benefits of searching the Bible & uncovering the hidden treasure of wisdom it contains, & which God wants to show us. Put like that, & in light of the shaky economy & age of austerity we now face, who wouldn’t want the benefits of the wisdom on offer from God?!
1 My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands.
2 Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.
3 Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.
4 Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.
5 Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.
8 He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him.
9 Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.
11 Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.
Verse 2, concentrate on understanding. To do that is to use our effort; to be determined.
Verse 4, If you had lost a bag of silver you wouldn’t search casually & then shrug if you didn’t find it! You’d search diligently, scrabbling around in the dirt until you found it! If you were seeking hidden treasure, you wouldn’t search half-heartedly & give up after 5 minutes... or, if you did, you certainly wouldn’t find very much!
Think about archeologists or treasure-seekers on a dig; they painstakingly & carefully excavate the soil, until they find the artifacts or treasure they are looking for. If they randomly dug a few spadefuls of soil & then declared the site empty, we’d think them mad! It takes effort, perseverance, hope, determination & a whole spadeful (pun intended!) of time to uncover what they are seeking.
In the same way, the writer of Proverbs is saying that we should diligently, deliberately dig into the Holy Bible to uncover its treasure of wisdom. By the grace of God, some wisdom in the Bible is easy to find; we all know the verses which are often quoted & which we all agree are useful, helpful & inspiring. These are great, & may be thought of as treasure on, or just below the ‘surface’ of the Bible. These nuggets of wisdom are easy to find. But I suspect that there is a whole treasure trove of golden nuggets of wisdom & understanding, insight & revelation, just waiting for us to discover it. Such treasure is a little deeper inside the Bible, maybe a bit less obvious, maybe requiring a bit more perseverance in ‘digging’ it out. But I reckon it’s there to be discovered! And I believe God wants His people to be a bit more diligent & determined to ‘dig for victory’.
I think God wants to encourage us to have the same dedication & thorough determination of the best archeologist or treasure-seeker, in that we should stick to the dig & meticulously carry on digging into the Holy Bible, until we have found the treasure God wants us to find. Casual page-flicking won’t cut it here! I think there is a vast wealth of treasure, just waiting to be discovered, but we do need determination & time to uncover it. I think God is eagerly waiting to show us all the vast & rich treasures He has in store for us. Imagine Him hopping from foot to foot in eager anticipation of showing us the treasures He has for us!
Will you join me in that dig?
What are the benefits of finding the treasure of the Bible?
Verses 5-11 begin to outline the benefits of searching, & finding, the treasure:
1) Verse 5 reads, ‘Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.’
Awe of God & knowledge of God.
2) Verse 7 reads, ‘He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.’
Treasure of common sense.
3) Verses 8 & 9 read, ‘He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go.’
Protection & discernment of what is the right way to go.
4) Verse 10 reads, ‘For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.’
Wisdom will be yours, & joy will be the outcome of your search.
5) Verse 11 reads, ‘Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.’
The wisdom you gain will help you to find the good paths to follow, you will keep safe on the road of life.
These are just some of the benefits of searching the Bible & uncovering the hidden treasure of wisdom it contains, & which God wants to show us. Put like that, & in light of the shaky economy & age of austerity we now face, who wouldn’t want the benefits of the wisdom on offer from God?!
No promise from God is empty of power
Yesterday (07/Jan/2012) I was listening to a sermon when Luke 1:37 was quoted. A new translation of the Bible was being quoted, The Passion Translation: Letters from Heaven (written by Brian Simmons)) & the words really struck me, ‘No promise from God is empty of power, for with God there is no such thing as impossibility.’
You may be more familiar with these other translations:
Luke 1:37 (AMP)
37 For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.
Luke 1:37 (ASV)
37 For no word from God shall be void of power.
This sentence really struck me, No promise from God is empty of power My mind immediately realised, that therefore ALL promises from God, as recorded in the Holy Bible, are likewise fully empowered by the Lord, & will be fulfilled, come what may.
There is absolute co-operation of the power of God & the Word of God. Remember that God created everything with His Word. As His words go forth from His mouth, they come into being, they come into existence. What God says ALWAYS happens. That’s amazing! Therefore, God’s words are the most powerfully constructive, completely irresistible force ever! Wow!
Another realisation was that we can completely trust God’s word, because He puts His power into His own words, & they WILL come into being. Therefore, when we read a promise in the Holy Bible (any of the many promises, in fact!), we can appropriate it for ourselves, as a gift from God, backed up by the power of God. God’s words; His promises, have POWER!
It’s one thing to read the Bible because we ‘ought’ to, it’s quite another to read it with all the expectancy of the promises we find coming true in our own lives & experience... talk about the Word being alive & having power, I’ll say!
You may be more familiar with these other translations:
Luke 1:37 (AMP)
37 For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.
Luke 1:37 (ASV)
37 For no word from God shall be void of power.
This sentence really struck me, No promise from God is empty of power My mind immediately realised, that therefore ALL promises from God, as recorded in the Holy Bible, are likewise fully empowered by the Lord, & will be fulfilled, come what may.
There is absolute co-operation of the power of God & the Word of God. Remember that God created everything with His Word. As His words go forth from His mouth, they come into being, they come into existence. What God says ALWAYS happens. That’s amazing! Therefore, God’s words are the most powerfully constructive, completely irresistible force ever! Wow!
Another realisation was that we can completely trust God’s word, because He puts His power into His own words, & they WILL come into being. Therefore, when we read a promise in the Holy Bible (any of the many promises, in fact!), we can appropriate it for ourselves, as a gift from God, backed up by the power of God. God’s words; His promises, have POWER!
It’s one thing to read the Bible because we ‘ought’ to, it’s quite another to read it with all the expectancy of the promises we find coming true in our own lives & experience... talk about the Word being alive & having power, I’ll say!
Bible Cartoons Motto for 2013
It was “Motto Sunday” yesterday (06/Jan/2013) at the church I attend, Brixworth Christian Fellowship (BCF.) Our pastor Phil W began to unpack the new moto for this year, which is:
Joshua 18:3 (ANIV), ‘So Joshua said to the Israelites: "How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?”’
As I drove to church yesterday, I was thinking & praying about the previous year’s motto & wondered what motto the Lord would like me to have for Bible Cartoons... instantly some song lyrics came to me, which I believe fit very nicely both with where my wife & I personally want to “be” this year & also where I believe God wants Bible Cartoons to “be” too. The song lyrics that came clearly to me were: “More love, more power, More of You [Jesus/God] in my life.” [1]
I’ve been thinking about my Christian life all over Christmas & New Year, & very much felt that I want to go deeper into my relationship with Jesus. I have quite a lot of frustration within myself as a result of not seeing or experiencing the power of God (miracles, signs & wonders, healing, etc) either in my life or in the life of the church I attend. I listen to sermons from pastors & church leaders who are clearly moving in spiritual matters & with the power of God in ways that I do not, which is a bit frustrating to me!
Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty to be grateful for at BCF: there is good, clear, sound Biblical preaching & teaching; good fellowship; good leadership; a strong outward, evangelistic, community-helping focus, a desire to grow in Jesus & Christianity, genuine love for each other, etc. I would say that most of the elements of a great village-sized church are all in place. I’m definitely not trying to “church-bash” here! However, I have long been frustrated by both a personal lack of experience of God’s power & a church-based lack of the same. At least, that’s how I perceive it. I would concede that maybe God is moving too subtly for me to see His power at work?! It is quite possible that I am wrong... that happens quite a lot!
Anyway, “More love, more power, More of You in my life”, is precisely what I/we want to have seen & experienced when we look back on 2013 from next New Year’s eve!
To ‘unpack’ that a little more: I am talking about experiencing more of God’s love & compassion expressed through us, towards other people; More of God’s power in evidence, expressed towards other people, & the underlying focus for us to be More of You (Jesus/God) in our lives. This last part is very, very important, as a strong focus on Jesus, coupled with a desire to serve other people, is what Christianity is all about... it’s not about me, it’s about other people.
I shouldn’t have been surprised when our pastor revealed the church’s motto, & he spoke of deepening our relationships with Jesus, both as individuals & as a church congregation. When I spoke to him afterwards we touched on God’s power & I realised that he & I were thinking along the same lines: that we need to focus on deepening our personal & corporate relationship with Jesus. As a result of doing that; & with a clear, constant underlying desire to love Jesus, God’s power can flow through us, & out into our community.
One of the ‘problems’ of seeking God’s power appears to be the ‘danger’ of becoming power-hungry for its own sake. We might seek God for Himself initially, but when He gives us his power to perform miracles, healings, etc, there is a ‘danger’ to ourselves that we can subtly change our focus, away from the source of the power (Jesus), & that we will focus too much on the power, for its own sake. That then becomes the sin of pride, (which Satan suffered from), which, if unchecked, can ruin our relationship with God & make us rather power-hungry & ego-centric! There are plenty of sad examples of this happening, where good men & women of God have ‘gone off the rails’ once they have ‘tasted’ the power of the Lord. As the old saying goes: power corrupts! The antidote to this ‘going off the rails’ would seem to be a constant re-evaluation of our selves, in the light of the Bible & Jesus’ teachings, so that we do not fool ourselves (or allow Satan to blind us) into becoming power-hungry for its own sake.
The power of God appears to be not for us, but to aid us in our service towards other people, both in church & in the wider community. Certainly that is how I read the book of Acts, where Jesus’ disciples used the power He provided to perform miracles, to serve the people they encountered in their communities.
It seems that we need a strong, continuing, growing, deepening focus on the person of Jesus Himself, & as a result of that, we would be able to cope & manage the gifts of the spirit; the power of God, in a safe, community-serving way, rather than in a self-serving way.
I like the sound of all of this... Bring it on Lord!
[1] Here are the full song lyrics:
More love, more power
More of You in my life
More love, more power
More of You in my life.
I will worship You with all of my heart
And I will worship You with all of my mind
And I will worship You with all of my strength
For you are my Lord
You are my Lord.
More faith, more passion
More of You in my life
More faith, more passion
More of You in my life
I will worship You with all of my heart
And I will worship You with all of my mind
And I will worship You with all of my strength
For you are my Lord
You are my Lord.
More love, more power
More of You in my life
More love, more power
More of You in my life.
I will worship You with all of my heart
And I will worship You with all of my mind
And I will worship You with all of my strength
For you are my Lord
You are my Lord.
Joshua 18:3 (ANIV), ‘So Joshua said to the Israelites: "How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?”’
As I drove to church yesterday, I was thinking & praying about the previous year’s motto & wondered what motto the Lord would like me to have for Bible Cartoons... instantly some song lyrics came to me, which I believe fit very nicely both with where my wife & I personally want to “be” this year & also where I believe God wants Bible Cartoons to “be” too. The song lyrics that came clearly to me were: “More love, more power, More of You [Jesus/God] in my life.” [1]
I’ve been thinking about my Christian life all over Christmas & New Year, & very much felt that I want to go deeper into my relationship with Jesus. I have quite a lot of frustration within myself as a result of not seeing or experiencing the power of God (miracles, signs & wonders, healing, etc) either in my life or in the life of the church I attend. I listen to sermons from pastors & church leaders who are clearly moving in spiritual matters & with the power of God in ways that I do not, which is a bit frustrating to me!
Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty to be grateful for at BCF: there is good, clear, sound Biblical preaching & teaching; good fellowship; good leadership; a strong outward, evangelistic, community-helping focus, a desire to grow in Jesus & Christianity, genuine love for each other, etc. I would say that most of the elements of a great village-sized church are all in place. I’m definitely not trying to “church-bash” here! However, I have long been frustrated by both a personal lack of experience of God’s power & a church-based lack of the same. At least, that’s how I perceive it. I would concede that maybe God is moving too subtly for me to see His power at work?! It is quite possible that I am wrong... that happens quite a lot!
Anyway, “More love, more power, More of You in my life”, is precisely what I/we want to have seen & experienced when we look back on 2013 from next New Year’s eve!
To ‘unpack’ that a little more: I am talking about experiencing more of God’s love & compassion expressed through us, towards other people; More of God’s power in evidence, expressed towards other people, & the underlying focus for us to be More of You (Jesus/God) in our lives. This last part is very, very important, as a strong focus on Jesus, coupled with a desire to serve other people, is what Christianity is all about... it’s not about me, it’s about other people.
I shouldn’t have been surprised when our pastor revealed the church’s motto, & he spoke of deepening our relationships with Jesus, both as individuals & as a church congregation. When I spoke to him afterwards we touched on God’s power & I realised that he & I were thinking along the same lines: that we need to focus on deepening our personal & corporate relationship with Jesus. As a result of doing that; & with a clear, constant underlying desire to love Jesus, God’s power can flow through us, & out into our community.
One of the ‘problems’ of seeking God’s power appears to be the ‘danger’ of becoming power-hungry for its own sake. We might seek God for Himself initially, but when He gives us his power to perform miracles, healings, etc, there is a ‘danger’ to ourselves that we can subtly change our focus, away from the source of the power (Jesus), & that we will focus too much on the power, for its own sake. That then becomes the sin of pride, (which Satan suffered from), which, if unchecked, can ruin our relationship with God & make us rather power-hungry & ego-centric! There are plenty of sad examples of this happening, where good men & women of God have ‘gone off the rails’ once they have ‘tasted’ the power of the Lord. As the old saying goes: power corrupts! The antidote to this ‘going off the rails’ would seem to be a constant re-evaluation of our selves, in the light of the Bible & Jesus’ teachings, so that we do not fool ourselves (or allow Satan to blind us) into becoming power-hungry for its own sake.
The power of God appears to be not for us, but to aid us in our service towards other people, both in church & in the wider community. Certainly that is how I read the book of Acts, where Jesus’ disciples used the power He provided to perform miracles, to serve the people they encountered in their communities.
It seems that we need a strong, continuing, growing, deepening focus on the person of Jesus Himself, & as a result of that, we would be able to cope & manage the gifts of the spirit; the power of God, in a safe, community-serving way, rather than in a self-serving way.
I like the sound of all of this... Bring it on Lord!
[1] Here are the full song lyrics:
More love, more power
More of You in my life
More love, more power
More of You in my life.
I will worship You with all of my heart
And I will worship You with all of my mind
And I will worship You with all of my strength
For you are my Lord
You are my Lord.
More faith, more passion
More of You in my life
More faith, more passion
More of You in my life
I will worship You with all of my heart
And I will worship You with all of my mind
And I will worship You with all of my strength
For you are my Lord
You are my Lord.
More love, more power
More of You in my life
More love, more power
More of You in my life.
I will worship You with all of my heart
And I will worship You with all of my mind
And I will worship You with all of my strength
For you are my Lord
You are my Lord.
Monday 7 January 2013
your Father, who sees what is done in secret...
Just read Matthew 6:2-4, 6:5-6 & 6:17-18.[1]
What struck me about these passages of the Bible is the phrase your Father, who sees what is done in secret...
That reminded me that our father in heaven sees everything. He knows everything we have done in the past, all that we will do today & even all that we will ever do in the future.
I think that will generate 1 of 2 responses in us: it will either make you glad, or squirm like crazy!
We will be glad if we realise that being fully & completely known by God means that we share an incredible intimacy & deep relationship with our loving heavenly Father. In that case we will want to be known by Him.
On the other hand, we will squirm like crazy if we are at all ashamed of the things we have done in our past. I think almost everyone has done things that they would rather not have done. I certainly have. So our initial response tends to be squirming! But the Good News is... if you’re a Christian then Jesus has taken everything you’ve ever done wrong, or that you might be ashamed of, & he has paid for those errors IN FULL. Therefore, we no longer have to be ashamed of the past... for it is gone, paid for, forgotten by God the Father. The Good News is we can now com boldly into the presence of God the Father, because our past wrong-doings (& embarrassments) have gone.
Of course Satan (the accuser of Christians) will try to remind us of our past deficiencies. But all we have to do is tell him the truth our sins have been “paid in full!” Their gone, sunk into the depths, forgotten by God, & therefore WE ought to forget them too!
Now that really is Good News!
[1]
Matthew 6:2-4 (ANIV)
[Jesus said,] "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:5-6 (ANIV)
[Jesus said,] "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:17-18 (ANIV)
17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,
18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
What struck me about these passages of the Bible is the phrase your Father, who sees what is done in secret...
That reminded me that our father in heaven sees everything. He knows everything we have done in the past, all that we will do today & even all that we will ever do in the future.
I think that will generate 1 of 2 responses in us: it will either make you glad, or squirm like crazy!
We will be glad if we realise that being fully & completely known by God means that we share an incredible intimacy & deep relationship with our loving heavenly Father. In that case we will want to be known by Him.
On the other hand, we will squirm like crazy if we are at all ashamed of the things we have done in our past. I think almost everyone has done things that they would rather not have done. I certainly have. So our initial response tends to be squirming! But the Good News is... if you’re a Christian then Jesus has taken everything you’ve ever done wrong, or that you might be ashamed of, & he has paid for those errors IN FULL. Therefore, we no longer have to be ashamed of the past... for it is gone, paid for, forgotten by God the Father. The Good News is we can now com boldly into the presence of God the Father, because our past wrong-doings (& embarrassments) have gone.
Of course Satan (the accuser of Christians) will try to remind us of our past deficiencies. But all we have to do is tell him the truth our sins have been “paid in full!” Their gone, sunk into the depths, forgotten by God, & therefore WE ought to forget them too!
Now that really is Good News!
[1]
Matthew 6:2-4 (ANIV)
[Jesus said,] "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:5-6 (ANIV)
[Jesus said,] "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:17-18 (ANIV)
17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,
18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
He [Jesus] must become greater; I must become less
When we read John the Baptist say, 'He [Jesus] must become greater; I must become less.' (John 3:30 (ANIV)) I wonder if some people think that means we ought to somehow rid ourselves of our own desires, likes, personality or uniqueness. However, God has made us exactly the way He wants us... warts & all! Of course we are to grow up & mature in faith. But John the Baptist was talking about bowing out of ministry gracefully, in order to allow the "spotlight" to rest fully on Jesus & His ministry, which was coming next. In no way was John saying that he should become less of all that John the Baptist stood for, or liked, or had as his own personality. For certainly God was delighted with John's fearlessness & dedication in his own pre-Jesus ministry.
We are similarly not to take that verse to mean that God is somehow unhappy with us as we are. God accepts us JUST as we are & saves our souls - Praise the Lord!
So don't think you ought to get rid of some aspect of your personality or nature... that's not what John the Baptist was saying or inferring at all. By all means grow up in your Christian faith just as fast as you can, but do not think that God is not smiling down on the least thing that you do for Him & is just as delighted with you & your efforts as He was of Jesus, John, & theirs.
We are similarly not to take that verse to mean that God is somehow unhappy with us as we are. God accepts us JUST as we are & saves our souls - Praise the Lord!
So don't think you ought to get rid of some aspect of your personality or nature... that's not what John the Baptist was saying or inferring at all. By all means grow up in your Christian faith just as fast as you can, but do not think that God is not smiling down on the least thing that you do for Him & is just as delighted with you & your efforts as He was of Jesus, John, & theirs.
Friday 4 January 2013
Does Jesus want us to heal people today?
Matthew 4:23-24 (NLT) reads, 'Jesus travelled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon-possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all.'
Notice the parts in the text which I have highlighted... & which really struck me as I read these verses just now! From the text we can see that Jesus healed EVERY kind of illness & sickness in the people he encountered. Verse 24 explicitly says, 'he healed them all.' That's EVERYONE who came to Jesus with ANY kind of illness or sickness was definitely healed.
I belabour that point as much for myself as for other people.
It's easy to be confronted with an illness & to doubt God's ability to heal it... it’s like a little debate session is going on inside our heads, ‘will He heal this person in front of me, or not?’, ‘will He?... Won’t He?’ ! Man, that can be tiring to listen to!
But this text gives me (& hopefully you too!) hope in God's miraculous powers for today. Jesus, under the advice & power of the Holy Spirit, was able to heal ALL illnesses He encountered. It would be easy to say, ‘well, of course Jesus healed everyone... He was God!’ But remember, Jesus laid aside his divine powers when He chose to come to earth & live life as a human being. And remember that all of Jesus’ life, everything He ever did on earth, was as an example for us. All Jesus said & did was to provide an example, a model, for us to follow. Therefore, if Jesus did it (healing, signs & wonders) then He expected us to do it too!
Not only that; Jesus expected us to exceed His amazing, miraculous feats! We know that because Jesus said (in John 14:12-14 (NLT)), “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!”
Again, I’ve emboldened the bits I want us to remember. And notice that Jesus said, “ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!” not once, but TWICE, in the space of 2 sentences! Isn’t that Jesus making a clear, definite call to us? Why would Jesus say the same thing twice, in quick succession, unless He wanted us to take special note of what He had just said?!
Repetition is an important, significant writing device in the Jewish mind & writing culture. Points in a text or narrative that are important or note-worthy are often repeated. I’m sure this is why much of the Bible is written in a repetitive style... it’s so that we think, ‘Ah-ha, that must be important, the writer has written this thing twice, so I’m supposed to pay attention here!’
What’s my point: we need to recognise that Jesus told us that we would do even more amazing, fantastic, miraculous things than He did. Forget the times we haven’t seen that healing. Forget the times we didn’t see the miraculous happen, as we had prayed. The Devil wants us to remember our “failures” & to stay in the shadow of them... of the doubt in God that they caused. But we’ve got to deliberately choose to put our faith “on the line” again & again, & to eagerly pursue the compassionate, life-affirming, love-in-action power of the Holy Spirit. It can’t be a matter of God not wanting to heal the person who is before us, because Jesus healed EVERYONE who was before Him. If Jesus life is an example to us, then He MUST want us to pray for the healing of everyone who comes to us & asks for healing. QED!
When Jesus walked the earth, He did so as a man. We can not claim that He healed because of his own (human) ability because, like us, He didn’t have any miraculous ability as a product of being a human being. However, Jesus had the miraculous, life-giving power of the Holy Spirit & it was the co-operation of Jesus & the Holy Spirit within Him, that achieved all the amazing miracles of Jesus. Had Jesus not been baptised a few verses before in Matthew’s Gospel?! We read in Matthew 3:13-17 that Jesus received the Holy Spirit upon His baptism. And after His baptism, we begin to read of all the amazing miracles & healings that Jesus performed. We are rightly dumbfounded & in awe of Jesus’ miraculous feats. But His achievements were a product of 1) Deep love & compassion for people and 2) a close “walk” & co-operation with God the Holy Spirit. Again we see that Jesus life was intended to be an example that demonstrates to us how WE can also perform miracles & healings. It’s the same Holy Spirit who was in Jesus who now inhabits us Christian believers. It is not us who perform miracles &/or healings... how can we, we have no innate power within us! However, just like Jesus, we Christians have the Holy Spirit within us, & it is Him (the Holy Spirit) who has ample power to perform as many miracles, signs, wonders & healings as He feels like! Perhaps it is more about us ‘getting out of the way’ & allowing the Holy Spirit to do what He wants to do... now there’s a thought?!
A confession... & a hope
I haven’t seen much in the way of the miraculous in my church.
I haven’t raised anyone from the dead.
I haven’t been involved in a miraculous sign or wonder upon the earth.
BUT.. Oh, how I LONG to see the miraculous, the awe-inspiring, the power of God within our churches & to experience that myself.
The healing miracles of Jesus proved that all nature was under his control... & it still is!
I’ve seen video clips of Christians in Australia praying for people in the streets & amazing miraculous events unfold before the camera’s lens & people’s eyes. [1] How I long to be a part of that. To see that occurring in the UK.
Maybe the desire to see the miraculous & the healing power of God is being birthed inside my heart? Maybe that’s how God moves in someone’s life, before they start to see the miraculous happen? Wow! What a great thought that is!
Bring it on Jesus! I want to be a part of that new movement of God.
Many times last year (2012) I kept being reminded of what the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:20 (ANIV), ‘For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.’ I believe that. I believe that church life should automatically demonstrate the power of God. Our churches may well have great teaching & preaching in them (& thank God for that!) but without a demonstration of God’s power, isn’t it all simply a matter or words & opinion & interpretation, without the accompanying demonstration of the power of God?
I believe that modern Christian church life should have all the powerful, Biblical, appropriate preaching & teaching, but it should also have a corresponding, co-operative demonstration of the love & power of God.
If I’m wrong, then I’ve misunderstood what Jesus was saying when he said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works...” But if I’m right in my interpretation of that simple sentence, then it is appropriate & correct to expect our church leaders & our congregations (that includes me!) to ask God for His power, through the Holy Spirit, and to see that power demonstrated right now, here on Earth.
That’s what I want for Christmas! The power of Jesus through the presence of Jesus, the best present we could receive!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] SWOLEN FOOT SHRINKS ON CAMERA!! Outbreak at Westend (Glory City Church)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO2250P77Y0
scroll along to 4:30 mins to see the swollen foot shrinking!
Livestream video’s of the Glory City Church in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. http://www.livestream.com/glorygathering/folder
There are hundreds of other videos showing God’s amazing power at work here, today, in this world!
I want to be a part of that healing work.
Notice the parts in the text which I have highlighted... & which really struck me as I read these verses just now! From the text we can see that Jesus healed EVERY kind of illness & sickness in the people he encountered. Verse 24 explicitly says, 'he healed them all.' That's EVERYONE who came to Jesus with ANY kind of illness or sickness was definitely healed.
I belabour that point as much for myself as for other people.
It's easy to be confronted with an illness & to doubt God's ability to heal it... it’s like a little debate session is going on inside our heads, ‘will He heal this person in front of me, or not?’, ‘will He?... Won’t He?’ ! Man, that can be tiring to listen to!
But this text gives me (& hopefully you too!) hope in God's miraculous powers for today. Jesus, under the advice & power of the Holy Spirit, was able to heal ALL illnesses He encountered. It would be easy to say, ‘well, of course Jesus healed everyone... He was God!’ But remember, Jesus laid aside his divine powers when He chose to come to earth & live life as a human being. And remember that all of Jesus’ life, everything He ever did on earth, was as an example for us. All Jesus said & did was to provide an example, a model, for us to follow. Therefore, if Jesus did it (healing, signs & wonders) then He expected us to do it too!
Not only that; Jesus expected us to exceed His amazing, miraculous feats! We know that because Jesus said (in John 14:12-14 (NLT)), “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!”
Again, I’ve emboldened the bits I want us to remember. And notice that Jesus said, “ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!” not once, but TWICE, in the space of 2 sentences! Isn’t that Jesus making a clear, definite call to us? Why would Jesus say the same thing twice, in quick succession, unless He wanted us to take special note of what He had just said?!
Repetition is an important, significant writing device in the Jewish mind & writing culture. Points in a text or narrative that are important or note-worthy are often repeated. I’m sure this is why much of the Bible is written in a repetitive style... it’s so that we think, ‘Ah-ha, that must be important, the writer has written this thing twice, so I’m supposed to pay attention here!’
What’s my point: we need to recognise that Jesus told us that we would do even more amazing, fantastic, miraculous things than He did. Forget the times we haven’t seen that healing. Forget the times we didn’t see the miraculous happen, as we had prayed. The Devil wants us to remember our “failures” & to stay in the shadow of them... of the doubt in God that they caused. But we’ve got to deliberately choose to put our faith “on the line” again & again, & to eagerly pursue the compassionate, life-affirming, love-in-action power of the Holy Spirit. It can’t be a matter of God not wanting to heal the person who is before us, because Jesus healed EVERYONE who was before Him. If Jesus life is an example to us, then He MUST want us to pray for the healing of everyone who comes to us & asks for healing. QED!
When Jesus walked the earth, He did so as a man. We can not claim that He healed because of his own (human) ability because, like us, He didn’t have any miraculous ability as a product of being a human being. However, Jesus had the miraculous, life-giving power of the Holy Spirit & it was the co-operation of Jesus & the Holy Spirit within Him, that achieved all the amazing miracles of Jesus. Had Jesus not been baptised a few verses before in Matthew’s Gospel?! We read in Matthew 3:13-17 that Jesus received the Holy Spirit upon His baptism. And after His baptism, we begin to read of all the amazing miracles & healings that Jesus performed. We are rightly dumbfounded & in awe of Jesus’ miraculous feats. But His achievements were a product of 1) Deep love & compassion for people and 2) a close “walk” & co-operation with God the Holy Spirit. Again we see that Jesus life was intended to be an example that demonstrates to us how WE can also perform miracles & healings. It’s the same Holy Spirit who was in Jesus who now inhabits us Christian believers. It is not us who perform miracles &/or healings... how can we, we have no innate power within us! However, just like Jesus, we Christians have the Holy Spirit within us, & it is Him (the Holy Spirit) who has ample power to perform as many miracles, signs, wonders & healings as He feels like! Perhaps it is more about us ‘getting out of the way’ & allowing the Holy Spirit to do what He wants to do... now there’s a thought?!
A confession... & a hope
I haven’t seen much in the way of the miraculous in my church.
I haven’t raised anyone from the dead.
I haven’t been involved in a miraculous sign or wonder upon the earth.
BUT.. Oh, how I LONG to see the miraculous, the awe-inspiring, the power of God within our churches & to experience that myself.
The healing miracles of Jesus proved that all nature was under his control... & it still is!
I’ve seen video clips of Christians in Australia praying for people in the streets & amazing miraculous events unfold before the camera’s lens & people’s eyes. [1] How I long to be a part of that. To see that occurring in the UK.
Maybe the desire to see the miraculous & the healing power of God is being birthed inside my heart? Maybe that’s how God moves in someone’s life, before they start to see the miraculous happen? Wow! What a great thought that is!
Bring it on Jesus! I want to be a part of that new movement of God.
Many times last year (2012) I kept being reminded of what the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:20 (ANIV), ‘For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.’ I believe that. I believe that church life should automatically demonstrate the power of God. Our churches may well have great teaching & preaching in them (& thank God for that!) but without a demonstration of God’s power, isn’t it all simply a matter or words & opinion & interpretation, without the accompanying demonstration of the power of God?
I believe that modern Christian church life should have all the powerful, Biblical, appropriate preaching & teaching, but it should also have a corresponding, co-operative demonstration of the love & power of God.
If I’m wrong, then I’ve misunderstood what Jesus was saying when he said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works...” But if I’m right in my interpretation of that simple sentence, then it is appropriate & correct to expect our church leaders & our congregations (that includes me!) to ask God for His power, through the Holy Spirit, and to see that power demonstrated right now, here on Earth.
That’s what I want for Christmas! The power of Jesus through the presence of Jesus, the best present we could receive!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] SWOLEN FOOT SHRINKS ON CAMERA!! Outbreak at Westend (Glory City Church)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO2250P77Y0
scroll along to 4:30 mins to see the swollen foot shrinking!
Livestream video’s of the Glory City Church in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. http://www.livestream.com/glorygathering/folder
There are hundreds of other videos showing God’s amazing power at work here, today, in this world!
I want to be a part of that healing work.
2012 Review
Lots of interesting things have happened in the world of Bible Cartoons last year, here’s my review...
1) Important Bible passages for me & BC this year:
Be Passionate About - '...I have...determined to do his will...' Isaiah 50:7
Purpose - 'My life is worth nothing...unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord.' Acts 20:24
Lasting Success - 'He who abides in Me...bears much fruit.' John 15:5
You Need a 'Word' - 'Your ears shall hear a word.' Isaiah 30:21
Stay focussed - ‘…Let us strip off every weight that slows us down.’ Hebrews 12:1
God can turn your failure into success - ‘…Because you say so, I will...’ Luke 5:5 NIV
2) Vision pictures I’ve received from the Lord God this year:
05/January - Had a vision-dream about a whirlpool. I produced a coloured digital painting of the scene I saw, which you can see in the BC blog.
03/June - God was sitting next to me on one of those horse-drawn wooden wagons that are featured in cowboy films! It was a dream about obedience & choosing to follow where God leads me.
3) Interesting facts & Statistics for 2012
8th January we received our 100th customer, & on 31/December/2012 we received our 200th customer!
16th January - Got our first customer from Germany.
15th February - “Jonah, no ordinary fish tale” book loaded onto Amazon! I drew the cover artwork... never had a book on amazon before! ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0076ZSO6Y )
13th April - Got our first ever Danish customer.
8th May -Got our first customer from Singapore.
10th May - Started emailing USA churches, in states where we have not had any customers yet.
7th June - Got our first ever Indonesian customer.
27th June - Started drawing the Olympics sketches.
20th September - Supplied my Bible Cartoons Jonah video to a lady in Eastern states of Australia, who used it on a mission trip.
26th October - Got our first ever customer from Norway.
7th November - Cartooning Development: First time I created a cartoon (Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 09 - Gifts) with more than one version. Colour version, Starlight version, Blue version.
19th December - We got our first ever customer from the Czech Republic.
31st December - Got our 200th customer - Praise the Lord!
The BC website received over 29,000 visits from January to December in 2012.
There were over 24,000 Unique visitors & over 143,000 Page views - wow!
4) BC website improvements made this year:
I’ve done a lot of work on the BC website this year.
23rd January - Added Customer Comments & Testimonials page to BC website. Added all the comments from facebook, email & flickr! from 2009 to present.
6th March - Tried to install an upgraded version of Content Management System, but I messed it up... the BC website was off-line for 3 days!
27th April - Major overhaul of the page on which visitors view the cartoons. New Gallery page template went live, with the Previous & Next arrow navigation.
11th May - Created new, slim buttons for the menu bar, to save some valuable space at the top of every page on the BC website.
21st May - Added a map showing the approximate location of our lovely customers. I make sure that we do not give the exact location away - as we value our customers privacy A LOT!
2nd July - My friend Dan fixed the Search function on BC website - hurray! It had been non-operational for several months.
25th Septemeber - Registered & bought: biblecartoons.net, biblecartoons.org, biblecartoons.biz, biblecartoons.info & biblecartoons.mobi
20th November - Added a slideshow to the BC website homepage.
10th December - Changed the landing page that has been used ever since the BC website went live. The old version showed 4 randomly selected cartoons. Now the landing page is identical to the homepage.
5) BC Merchandise designed & sold this year:
Easter Activity Book
Exodus Activity Book
7 different designs in the “...And you think you’re having a Bad Day!” series of mugs. Also created a one off “True Light” Christmas mug.
Created 3 new Christmas card designs.
6) Viewing figures
Most viewed Old Testament cartoon = Nehemiah 03 - Rebuilding Jerusalem's walls (3779 viewings to 31/12/2012)
32 cartoons of the 98 OT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 1000 times.
of those, 11 cartoons of the 98 OT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 2000 times.
of those, 6 cartoons of the 98 OT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 3000 times.
Most viewed New Testament cartoon & most viewed Bible Cartoon ever! = Luke 15 - The Prodigal son - Scene 03 - With the pigs (6879 viewings to 31/12/2012)
56 cartoons of the 148 NT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 1000 times.
of those, 18 cartoons of the 148 NT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 2000 times.
of those, 6 cartoons of the 148 NT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 3000 times.
of those, 4 cartoons of the 148 NT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 4000 times.
of those, 3 cartoons of the 148 NT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 5000 times.
of those, 1 cartoon of the 148 NT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 6000 times.
7) Gospel Illustrations drawn this year:
I have only managed to draw 1 Gospel Illustration this year = Communion - Bread & Wine, drawn on 23/May/2012
8) Cartoons drawn this year:
I set out to draw 50 new Bible Cartoons in 2012. I actually managed to draw 59, finishing the last one with a dramatic screech of tyres & plume of smoke... a mere 7 hours before the end of 2012!
Here’s my breakdown of what cartoons I drew in each of the 4 quarters I divide my year up into:
First Quarter
16/01/2012 Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 07 - Move on
18/01/2012 Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 08 - Cloud
20/01/2012 Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 09 - Sea parts
24/01/2012 Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 11 - Confusion
26/01/2012 Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 12 - Sea returns
31/01/2012 Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 13 - Drowned
03/02/2012 Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 14 - Trust
10/02/2012 Matthew 03 - Jesus' baptism - Scene 07 - Dove
29/02/2012 Matthew 04 - Temptation of Jesus - Scene 04 - Temple
02/03/2012 Matthew 04 - Temptation of Jesus - Scene 05 - Mountain
05/03/2012 Matthew 04 - Temptation of Jesus - Scene 06 - Angels
05/03/2012 Mark 15 - The Crucifixion - Scene 02 - Simon of Cyrene
08/03/2012 Matthew 04 - Temptation of Jesus - Scene 01 -Wilderness
09/03/2012 Matthew 04 - Temptation of Jesus - Scene 02 - Fasting
13/03/2012 Matthew 01 - The Nativity - Scene 04 - Jesus’ birth
13/03/2012 Matthew 01 - The Nativity - Scene 0a - Just a stable?
20/03/2012 Mark 15 - Trial of Jesus - Scene 06 - Barabbas released
21/02/2012 Matthew 04 - Temptation of Jesus - Scene 03 - Stones
26/03/2012 Mark 15 - Trial of Jesus - Scene 07 - Jesus flogged
27/03/2012 Mark 15 - Trial of Jesus - Scene 08 - Thorns & abuse
30/03/2012 Mark 15 - The Crucifixion - Scene 05 - Sign board
Second Quarter
09/05/2012 Mark 15 - The Crucifixion - Scene 04 - Soldiers gambling
14/05/2012 Leviticus 16 - The Scapegoat
17/05/2012 Ruth 01 - In Moab - Scene 05 - Ruth determined
29/05/2012 Deuteronomy 1 - Scene 05 - Spies in Eshcol (dappled lighting)
29/05/2012 Deuteronomy 1 - Scene 05 - Spies in Eshcol (simple lighting)
11/06/2012 2 Samuel 6 - The Ark brought to Jerusalem - Scene 05 - David dances
15/06/2012 2 Kings 2 - Elijah taken into heaven - Scene 06 - Chariot of fire
22/06/2012 Matthew 07 - Wise & foolish builders - Scene 01 - Digging foundations
22/06/2012 Matthew 07 - Wise & foolish builders - Scene 02 - Building
22/06/2012 Matthew 07 - Wise & foolish builders - Scene 03 - Foolish Builder finished
23/06/2012 Matthew 07 - Wise & foolish builders - Scene 04 - Storm approaching
26/06/2012 Matthew 07 - Wise & foolish builders - Scene 05 - Swept away
26/06/2012 Matthew 07 - Wise & foolish builders - Scene 06 - Standing on the rock
Third Quarter
05/07/2012 Hebrews 12 - Throw off sin entanglements in the race
13/07/2012 1 Chronicles 10 - King Saul takes his life - Scene 01 - Fierce fighting
18/07/2012 2 Chronicles 9 - Queen of Sheba - Scene 01 - Great caravan
27/07/2012 Ezra 3 - Rebuilding the Temple - Scene 04 - Foundation and tears
30/07/2012 Psalm 119 - Torch Bearer [Olympics]
02/08/2012 Romans 02 - God’s Righteous Judgement - Scene 01 - Passing judgement
10/09/2012 Philippians 2 - Imitating Christ’s Humility
17/09/2012 Matthew 19 - The rich young man - Scene 03 - Camel
20/09/2012 Matthew 18 - Lost sheep parable - Scene 01 - Sheep pen
24/09/2012 Matthew 18 - Lost sheep parable - Scene 02 - Searching
24/09/2012 Matthew 18 - Lost sheep parable - Scene 03 - Found
29/09/2012 Matthew 18 - Lost sheep parable - Scene 04 - Cherished
29/09/2012 Matthew 18 - Lost sheep parable - Scene 05 - Return home
Fourth Quarter
19/10/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 06 - King Herod’s meeting
24/10/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 08 - The star
07/11/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 09 - Gifts (Colour versions)
07/11/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 09 - Gifts (Starlight versions)
07/11/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 09 - Gifts (Blue versions)
15/11/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 10 - Wise men return home
19/11/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 11 - Joseph's Dream
28/11/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 12 - Flight to Egypt (Colour version)
28/11/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 12 - Flight to Egypt (Night version)
10/12/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 13 - Infants murdered
05/12/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 14 - Return to Israel (Colour version)
05/12/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 14 - Return to Israel (Gold version)
13/12/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 15 - Nazareth in Galilee
17/12/2012 1 Samuel 17 - David & Goliath - Scene 05 - David and the lion
18/12/2012 1 Samuel 17 - David & Goliath - Scene 06 - David practising
19/12/2012 1 Samuel 17 - David & Goliath - Scene 03 - Goliath boasts [in the valley of Elah]
Conclusion
So there you have it, my review of 2012. It has been an interesting, trying, frustrating, amazing, humbling, brilliant year of my life. I still really love to be involved with the Bible Cartoons Project. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing with my life. I love the creativity & the fact that I am serving both the Lord & people all over the world is excellent. I love hearing from customers who have used my cartoons for in their churches & ministries. That really helps me to realise that my work makes a different & positive contribution to so many people.
1) Important Bible passages for me & BC this year:
Be Passionate About - '...I have...determined to do his will...' Isaiah 50:7
Purpose - 'My life is worth nothing...unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord.' Acts 20:24
Lasting Success - 'He who abides in Me...bears much fruit.' John 15:5
You Need a 'Word' - 'Your ears shall hear a word.' Isaiah 30:21
Stay focussed - ‘…Let us strip off every weight that slows us down.’ Hebrews 12:1
God can turn your failure into success - ‘…Because you say so, I will...’ Luke 5:5 NIV
2) Vision pictures I’ve received from the Lord God this year:
05/January - Had a vision-dream about a whirlpool. I produced a coloured digital painting of the scene I saw, which you can see in the BC blog.
03/June - God was sitting next to me on one of those horse-drawn wooden wagons that are featured in cowboy films! It was a dream about obedience & choosing to follow where God leads me.
3) Interesting facts & Statistics for 2012
8th January we received our 100th customer, & on 31/December/2012 we received our 200th customer!
16th January - Got our first customer from Germany.
15th February - “Jonah, no ordinary fish tale” book loaded onto Amazon! I drew the cover artwork... never had a book on amazon before! ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0076ZSO6Y )
13th April - Got our first ever Danish customer.
8th May -Got our first customer from Singapore.
10th May - Started emailing USA churches, in states where we have not had any customers yet.
7th June - Got our first ever Indonesian customer.
27th June - Started drawing the Olympics sketches.
20th September - Supplied my Bible Cartoons Jonah video to a lady in Eastern states of Australia, who used it on a mission trip.
26th October - Got our first ever customer from Norway.
7th November - Cartooning Development: First time I created a cartoon (Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 09 - Gifts) with more than one version. Colour version, Starlight version, Blue version.
19th December - We got our first ever customer from the Czech Republic.
31st December - Got our 200th customer - Praise the Lord!
The BC website received over 29,000 visits from January to December in 2012.
There were over 24,000 Unique visitors & over 143,000 Page views - wow!
4) BC website improvements made this year:
I’ve done a lot of work on the BC website this year.
23rd January - Added Customer Comments & Testimonials page to BC website. Added all the comments from facebook, email & flickr! from 2009 to present.
6th March - Tried to install an upgraded version of Content Management System, but I messed it up... the BC website was off-line for 3 days!
27th April - Major overhaul of the page on which visitors view the cartoons. New Gallery page template went live, with the Previous & Next arrow navigation.
11th May - Created new, slim buttons for the menu bar, to save some valuable space at the top of every page on the BC website.
21st May - Added a map showing the approximate location of our lovely customers. I make sure that we do not give the exact location away - as we value our customers privacy A LOT!
2nd July - My friend Dan fixed the Search function on BC website - hurray! It had been non-operational for several months.
25th Septemeber - Registered & bought: biblecartoons.net, biblecartoons.org, biblecartoons.biz, biblecartoons.info & biblecartoons.mobi
20th November - Added a slideshow to the BC website homepage.
10th December - Changed the landing page that has been used ever since the BC website went live. The old version showed 4 randomly selected cartoons. Now the landing page is identical to the homepage.
5) BC Merchandise designed & sold this year:
Easter Activity Book
Exodus Activity Book
7 different designs in the “...And you think you’re having a Bad Day!” series of mugs. Also created a one off “True Light” Christmas mug.
Created 3 new Christmas card designs.
6) Viewing figures
Most viewed Old Testament cartoon = Nehemiah 03 - Rebuilding Jerusalem's walls (3779 viewings to 31/12/2012)
32 cartoons of the 98 OT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 1000 times.
of those, 11 cartoons of the 98 OT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 2000 times.
of those, 6 cartoons of the 98 OT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 3000 times.
Most viewed New Testament cartoon & most viewed Bible Cartoon ever! = Luke 15 - The Prodigal son - Scene 03 - With the pigs (6879 viewings to 31/12/2012)
56 cartoons of the 148 NT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 1000 times.
of those, 18 cartoons of the 148 NT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 2000 times.
of those, 6 cartoons of the 148 NT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 3000 times.
of those, 4 cartoons of the 148 NT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 4000 times.
of those, 3 cartoons of the 148 NT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 5000 times.
of those, 1 cartoon of the 148 NT cartoons currently drawn have been viewed over 6000 times.
7) Gospel Illustrations drawn this year:
I have only managed to draw 1 Gospel Illustration this year = Communion - Bread & Wine, drawn on 23/May/2012
8) Cartoons drawn this year:
I set out to draw 50 new Bible Cartoons in 2012. I actually managed to draw 59, finishing the last one with a dramatic screech of tyres & plume of smoke... a mere 7 hours before the end of 2012!
Here’s my breakdown of what cartoons I drew in each of the 4 quarters I divide my year up into:
First Quarter
16/01/2012 Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 07 - Move on
18/01/2012 Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 08 - Cloud
20/01/2012 Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 09 - Sea parts
24/01/2012 Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 11 - Confusion
26/01/2012 Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 12 - Sea returns
31/01/2012 Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 13 - Drowned
03/02/2012 Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 14 - Trust
10/02/2012 Matthew 03 - Jesus' baptism - Scene 07 - Dove
29/02/2012 Matthew 04 - Temptation of Jesus - Scene 04 - Temple
02/03/2012 Matthew 04 - Temptation of Jesus - Scene 05 - Mountain
05/03/2012 Matthew 04 - Temptation of Jesus - Scene 06 - Angels
05/03/2012 Mark 15 - The Crucifixion - Scene 02 - Simon of Cyrene
08/03/2012 Matthew 04 - Temptation of Jesus - Scene 01 -Wilderness
09/03/2012 Matthew 04 - Temptation of Jesus - Scene 02 - Fasting
13/03/2012 Matthew 01 - The Nativity - Scene 04 - Jesus’ birth
13/03/2012 Matthew 01 - The Nativity - Scene 0a - Just a stable?
20/03/2012 Mark 15 - Trial of Jesus - Scene 06 - Barabbas released
21/02/2012 Matthew 04 - Temptation of Jesus - Scene 03 - Stones
26/03/2012 Mark 15 - Trial of Jesus - Scene 07 - Jesus flogged
27/03/2012 Mark 15 - Trial of Jesus - Scene 08 - Thorns & abuse
30/03/2012 Mark 15 - The Crucifixion - Scene 05 - Sign board
Second Quarter
09/05/2012 Mark 15 - The Crucifixion - Scene 04 - Soldiers gambling
14/05/2012 Leviticus 16 - The Scapegoat
17/05/2012 Ruth 01 - In Moab - Scene 05 - Ruth determined
29/05/2012 Deuteronomy 1 - Scene 05 - Spies in Eshcol (dappled lighting)
29/05/2012 Deuteronomy 1 - Scene 05 - Spies in Eshcol (simple lighting)
11/06/2012 2 Samuel 6 - The Ark brought to Jerusalem - Scene 05 - David dances
15/06/2012 2 Kings 2 - Elijah taken into heaven - Scene 06 - Chariot of fire
22/06/2012 Matthew 07 - Wise & foolish builders - Scene 01 - Digging foundations
22/06/2012 Matthew 07 - Wise & foolish builders - Scene 02 - Building
22/06/2012 Matthew 07 - Wise & foolish builders - Scene 03 - Foolish Builder finished
23/06/2012 Matthew 07 - Wise & foolish builders - Scene 04 - Storm approaching
26/06/2012 Matthew 07 - Wise & foolish builders - Scene 05 - Swept away
26/06/2012 Matthew 07 - Wise & foolish builders - Scene 06 - Standing on the rock
Third Quarter
05/07/2012 Hebrews 12 - Throw off sin entanglements in the race
13/07/2012 1 Chronicles 10 - King Saul takes his life - Scene 01 - Fierce fighting
18/07/2012 2 Chronicles 9 - Queen of Sheba - Scene 01 - Great caravan
27/07/2012 Ezra 3 - Rebuilding the Temple - Scene 04 - Foundation and tears
30/07/2012 Psalm 119 - Torch Bearer [Olympics]
02/08/2012 Romans 02 - God’s Righteous Judgement - Scene 01 - Passing judgement
10/09/2012 Philippians 2 - Imitating Christ’s Humility
17/09/2012 Matthew 19 - The rich young man - Scene 03 - Camel
20/09/2012 Matthew 18 - Lost sheep parable - Scene 01 - Sheep pen
24/09/2012 Matthew 18 - Lost sheep parable - Scene 02 - Searching
24/09/2012 Matthew 18 - Lost sheep parable - Scene 03 - Found
29/09/2012 Matthew 18 - Lost sheep parable - Scene 04 - Cherished
29/09/2012 Matthew 18 - Lost sheep parable - Scene 05 - Return home
Fourth Quarter
19/10/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 06 - King Herod’s meeting
24/10/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 08 - The star
07/11/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 09 - Gifts (Colour versions)
07/11/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 09 - Gifts (Starlight versions)
07/11/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 09 - Gifts (Blue versions)
15/11/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 10 - Wise men return home
19/11/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 11 - Joseph's Dream
28/11/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 12 - Flight to Egypt (Colour version)
28/11/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 12 - Flight to Egypt (Night version)
10/12/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 13 - Infants murdered
05/12/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 14 - Return to Israel (Colour version)
05/12/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 14 - Return to Israel (Gold version)
13/12/2012 Matthew 02 - The Nativity - Scene 15 - Nazareth in Galilee
17/12/2012 1 Samuel 17 - David & Goliath - Scene 05 - David and the lion
18/12/2012 1 Samuel 17 - David & Goliath - Scene 06 - David practising
19/12/2012 1 Samuel 17 - David & Goliath - Scene 03 - Goliath boasts [in the valley of Elah]
Conclusion
So there you have it, my review of 2012. It has been an interesting, trying, frustrating, amazing, humbling, brilliant year of my life. I still really love to be involved with the Bible Cartoons Project. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing with my life. I love the creativity & the fact that I am serving both the Lord & people all over the world is excellent. I love hearing from customers who have used my cartoons for in their churches & ministries. That really helps me to realise that my work makes a different & positive contribution to so many people.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)