We had our last Alpha course meeting last night. This is the first time we have run Alpha at Brixworth Christian Fellowship, & it appears to have been successful. Last night’s session was about church: what it is, what it is not & the benefits of attending. During the discussion after Nicky Gumbel’s DVD presentation one of the participants made a very interesting observation. She said that years ago vicars & pastors used to visit members of their congregations regularly, to see who they were doing, to offer prayer & support. Then this lady observed that this seems to go on less & less now.
I’ve been thinking about that today: the apparent decline in pastoral visitation. It may be that some church leaders still regularly visit their congregations, to “touch base” with them & shepherd them. But it seems to me that many pastors don’t seem to have time for this activity today. They are probably busy with sermon preparation, being on various committee’s & serving in a whole variety of very valuable ways...
... but...
... One of THE most important ways to really show that you care & love people is to make the time to go round to their house & be with them. “Love” is actually spelt T-I-M-E. The offer of irreplaceable life-time to someone in need does not go unnoticed. Nor does the LACK of that offer, if you think about it.
One of the terrible symptoms of today’s world & western society is busyness. We all complain about not having sufficient time to do the things we want to do. The church (by that I mean the people who ARE the church, not the building) also suffers from overload in this way. Our vicars, pastors & pastoral care teams also suffer from overload & terribly busy schedules. So visiting people may seem rather a waste of time, especially when we are so apparently accountable for the time we do spend on our jobs...
... but ...
... have we “forgotten” the intangible, hard-to-define benefits to other people of offering our time to them, which is really offering our love to them? Have our vicars, pastors, etc actually become so busy (with undoubtedly good works) that they are now TOO BUSY to go visiting? Add to that the seemingly incalculable but hard-to-see-&-define benefits of regular pastoral visitation, & you can see why it is difficult to justify pastoral visitation; why it is apparently in decline - to the impoverishment of us all.
I’m not “knocking” the great work our church leaders do. There’s is a terribly demanding job - I couldn’t do it, that’s for sure! But I think the benefits of regular pastoral visitation is being grossly overlooked by our “professional” Christian leaders.
Benefits of visiting the flock.
In the past, vicars went to meet their congregations regularly, hence the “more tea, Vicar?” joke! Is it just “wasting time” on drinking endless cups of tea... or is there something far more valuable deep within that seemingly pointless action? Is the REAL BENEFIT of visiting someone rather hidden, rather less-than-obvious, rather hard to define... & so rather easy to overlook, dismiss & avoid in this age of “every second counts”?
In the past the simple reality was that vicars MADE TIME to visit. In this way (as well as in sermons at church) they actually shepherded their flocks - leading them to “good pastures”, providing insights & opinions, support & a “shoulder to cry on” when necessary. It is probably very difficult to “put your finger” on the exact usefulness of a visit. Rather hard to clearly define SMART goals, as our modern business guru’s would insist we have to do in order to justify our time usage! It could be seen as a waste of time, or else as “simply” a visit, with no real benefit to either party...
...but...
...I rather think that there are less-than-obvious benefits (to both the visitee & visitor) that we are too busy to think about or acknowledge. There are probably a whole host of “hidden”, subtle, mysterious benefits both to the person being visited AND to the vicar visiting, if we care to think about it. In fact, there are probably benefits to the wider church congregation &, indeed, to the whole community. Perhaps there is a positive, regulating influence in a vicars visit which we automatically loose by not visiting at all, or else rather infrequently.
Perhaps there is a sense of belonging & community spirit & cohesion which is fostered & enlarged by such visitation? Then there is the sense of friendship, camaraderie & belonging which is fostered & nurtured by visitation. The vicar can leave a home knowing he has made a real, vital difference to a needy person, which helps him/her to feel useful, integral & valued.
When you stop to think about it, I believe there are many benefits to pastoral visitation which we have lost by not involving ourselves in this simple activity.
Perhaps our forefather’s were on to something... & something that we have lost: the art of simply “being there” for others. LOVE is spelt T-I-M-E, after all.
Having something amazing to show a needy world.
I think we have by & large lost that amazing pastoral support due to today’s ultra busy schedules. And the terrible truth of that is that we have thereby lost a AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW LOVE IN ACTION. I fear people outside the church are looking in & seeing very littler difference between their lives & our (Christian) lives, even though we are meant to be showing a better way. One of the spectacularly “different” & BETTER WAYS we (the Christian church) CAN be different, is in our response to people’s suffering. Not only the “big” sufferings of bereavement or redundancy, but the “smaller” sufferings of simply living life in the 21st century. Similarly, if pastoral visitation where to be re-kindled, perhaps people outside the church would look in, see a very real, very different & VERY ATTRACTIVE church-based community, & that in itself would be the “difference” we are trying to show them: caring & love-in-action, which is our reflection of Jesus’ love for us.
If our vicars, pastors & leaders could re-find the benefits of the pastoral visit perhaps we really would have SOMETHING AMAZING to show this needy world once more.
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Thursday, 21 November 2013
Friday, 8 November 2013
How can Christians know they have eternal life?
There are many verses in the Bible that help us to realise that we can have complete confidence in our eternal life. Probably the most famous is John 3:16, where Jesus himself says:
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that EVERYONE who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
I’ve long found the very next verse (John 3:17) equally interesting & encouraging, it reads:
“God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
So there Jesus is telling us why he came into the world, to SAVE the world, i.e. the people of the world.
How does that work?
If we believe in Jesus the Christ (Messiah) then we will be saved from the sure & certain eternal punishment for our wrong-doings (sin), which comes on the Day of God’s Judgement - an unavoidable day that is to come for us all.
“God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” This is actually a very hopeful message, because it shows JUST HOW committed God the Father is, through the actions of God the Son (on the cross) to save the world. The way TO BE saved is completely open. Nothing is stopping you from being saved right now - wow!
But the Good News gets even better! In the first part of John 3:18 Jesus says:
“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him.” So if you’re worried about the coming, completely unavoidable judgement of God, where ALL OUR SECRET SINS & WRONG-DOINGS will be laid bare for all to see... YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE! Because accepting Jesus as your own Lord & Saviour (becoming a Christian) means that John 3:18 comes into play FOR YOU: “There is NO JUDGMENT AGAINST ANYONE who believes in him.” Christians will not face judgement, because the blood of Jesus on the cross wipes away all our sins - & God makes a promise never to keep a record of our wrong-doings [1] & [2] - how FANTASTIC is that!
Why don’t people want to become Christians?
If we do not accept Jesus as the Saviour of our lives, then obviously the judgement of God remains upon us, as John 3:18 goes on to prove:
“But anyone who does not believe in him [Jesus] has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this FACT: God’s light came into the world [that is Jesus came], but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.”
You have the reason why people will not accept Jesus as Saviour of their lives right there: “All who do evil hate the light [that is, Jesus] and REFUSE to go near it FOR FEAR THEIR SINS WILL BE EXPOSED.” But guess what guys? Your sins WILL be exposed, for all to see, UNLESS you take option A & become a Christian! That’s just the way it is.
As we just read: “20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.” All people have been given a conscience, a moral compass, & that is one way that God helps us to know for ourselves what is right & what is wrong. We KNOW, inside our own minds, if our actions & intentions are right or wrong. So we have no excuse for choosing to do wrong. God didn’t want us to be in doubt about that.
Walking into the light.
It is interesting to note that in contrast to people who CHOOSE to remain in darkness & continually choose to run their own life into the eternal fiery pits of hell...
“21 But those who DO WHAT IS RIGHT [become Christians] come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
I hadn’t noticed that last bit before, “... so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” Jesus points out here that it is FANTASTIC to come to the light for our own sake; to be saved from our own sins; to come to close friendship with God (who lives in the light). But Jesus is also pointing out in the verse that there is purpose & a by-product of “coming into the light”, & it is that OTHER PEOPLE can see that we are “doing what God wants.” In other words, people can have an example to follow. They can see people being saved (becoming Christians) & going on in a positive, encouraging, life-affirming way. This “step towards the light” is called obedience elsewhere in the Bible. People who are obedient walk into the light, & get all the benefits of the light - and there are MANY!
Bible References
John 3:16-21 (NLT)
16 [Jesus said] “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
[1]
Hebrews 8:12 (NLT)
[God says] “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”
[2]
Psalm 103:10-13 (NLT)
“10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him*
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 HE HAS REMOVED OUR SINS AS FAR FROM US
AS THE EAST IS FROM THE WEST.
13 The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him*.”
* "Fear” refers to reverence; worshipful acknowledgement of the awesomeness of God. Not as in fearful running away from God!
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that EVERYONE who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
I’ve long found the very next verse (John 3:17) equally interesting & encouraging, it reads:
“God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
So there Jesus is telling us why he came into the world, to SAVE the world, i.e. the people of the world.
How does that work?
If we believe in Jesus the Christ (Messiah) then we will be saved from the sure & certain eternal punishment for our wrong-doings (sin), which comes on the Day of God’s Judgement - an unavoidable day that is to come for us all.
“God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” This is actually a very hopeful message, because it shows JUST HOW committed God the Father is, through the actions of God the Son (on the cross) to save the world. The way TO BE saved is completely open. Nothing is stopping you from being saved right now - wow!
But the Good News gets even better! In the first part of John 3:18 Jesus says:
“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him.” So if you’re worried about the coming, completely unavoidable judgement of God, where ALL OUR SECRET SINS & WRONG-DOINGS will be laid bare for all to see... YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE! Because accepting Jesus as your own Lord & Saviour (becoming a Christian) means that John 3:18 comes into play FOR YOU: “There is NO JUDGMENT AGAINST ANYONE who believes in him.” Christians will not face judgement, because the blood of Jesus on the cross wipes away all our sins - & God makes a promise never to keep a record of our wrong-doings [1] & [2] - how FANTASTIC is that!
Why don’t people want to become Christians?
If we do not accept Jesus as the Saviour of our lives, then obviously the judgement of God remains upon us, as John 3:18 goes on to prove:
“But anyone who does not believe in him [Jesus] has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this FACT: God’s light came into the world [that is Jesus came], but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.”
You have the reason why people will not accept Jesus as Saviour of their lives right there: “All who do evil hate the light [that is, Jesus] and REFUSE to go near it FOR FEAR THEIR SINS WILL BE EXPOSED.” But guess what guys? Your sins WILL be exposed, for all to see, UNLESS you take option A & become a Christian! That’s just the way it is.
As we just read: “20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.” All people have been given a conscience, a moral compass, & that is one way that God helps us to know for ourselves what is right & what is wrong. We KNOW, inside our own minds, if our actions & intentions are right or wrong. So we have no excuse for choosing to do wrong. God didn’t want us to be in doubt about that.
Walking into the light.
It is interesting to note that in contrast to people who CHOOSE to remain in darkness & continually choose to run their own life into the eternal fiery pits of hell...
“21 But those who DO WHAT IS RIGHT [become Christians] come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
I hadn’t noticed that last bit before, “... so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” Jesus points out here that it is FANTASTIC to come to the light for our own sake; to be saved from our own sins; to come to close friendship with God (who lives in the light). But Jesus is also pointing out in the verse that there is purpose & a by-product of “coming into the light”, & it is that OTHER PEOPLE can see that we are “doing what God wants.” In other words, people can have an example to follow. They can see people being saved (becoming Christians) & going on in a positive, encouraging, life-affirming way. This “step towards the light” is called obedience elsewhere in the Bible. People who are obedient walk into the light, & get all the benefits of the light - and there are MANY!
Bible References
John 3:16-21 (NLT)
16 [Jesus said] “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
[1]
Hebrews 8:12 (NLT)
[God says] “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”
[2]
Psalm 103:10-13 (NLT)
“10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him*
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 HE HAS REMOVED OUR SINS AS FAR FROM US
AS THE EAST IS FROM THE WEST.
13 The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him*.”
* "Fear” refers to reverence; worshipful acknowledgement of the awesomeness of God. Not as in fearful running away from God!
Wednesday, 6 November 2013
Frustration, website problems & the “Dark potatoes in the soil of my life”!
Yesterday I got into a right stew about the Bible Cartoons website! I discovered that the reason I haven’t had any sales lately was because the shopping cart on the website was broken...
My frustration level went from DefCon 5 to 4.
I read some articles on the PayPal website, which just confused me...
My frustration level went from DefCon 4 to 3.
I purchased a piece of software that promised to resolve the issue; I altered it to make it specific for Bible Cartoons, uploaded it & it made no difference...
My frustration level went from DefCon 3 to 2.
I prayed; I read some more; I tried to be reasonable; I tried to remain calm & to be philosophical about the issues, but nothing worked...
My frustration level went from DefCon 2 to 1.
Then I ranted at God saying “If you loved me you’d fix this!”
Doubting God’s love & goodness - an annual event?!
I’ve just been looking through last years journal & I came across an entry from 17/November/2012 outlining a very similar event in the life of the Bible Cartoons website, & a VERY similar “If you loved me you’d fix this!” response in me - unfortunately! It is nearly one year ago, to the day, that I was frustrated & doubting the love of God for me & my life... I even wondered if this could be an annual event!!!
It was interesting reading because I recorded God’s intervention & assistance, some days later. There was even a daily devotional entry in Word for Today entitled “Imagine being adopted by God!” which was very helpful at the time. The sentence that REALLY grabbed my attention was this one: “You don’t earn the Spirit of adoption, you receive it by faith. That’s important, because if you can’t gain it by your stellar efforts, YOU CAN’T LOOSE IT THROUGH YOUR POOR PERFORMANCE. How reassuring!” [emboldened by MY for emphasis]
If you love me.
“IF you love me...” is an old question. It’s a VERY old question. In fact it’s probably the first question. In Genesis chapter 3 the serpent (aka Satan, the Devil) casts doubt about God’s love in Adam & Eve’s minds by asking the question “Did God really say...?” [1] Satan’s tactic then was to CAST DOUBT in the minds of Adam & Eve about God’s love & goodness towards them. He knew that if he could get them to doubt God, then they would eat fruit from the tree & suffer the consequences.
The serpent was planting the idea in Adam & Eve’s minds that God WAS HOLDING OUT ON THEM. And they believed that. That’s why they ate the fruit. That’s why sin entered the world.
It’s interesting to note that when I was at my lowest ebb yesterday, deeply frustrated by the Bible Cartoons website & unable to fix the problem, it was THEN that the thought occurred to me “If you loved me you’d fix this!” In other words, Satan (the accuser of the brethren) had dropped the thought into my mind that God WAS HOLDING OUT ON ME. And I believed it. Satan’s tactics are the SAME as they were thousands of years ago, in the garden of Eden.
Since this outburst against God I have calmed down (back to DefCon 5!) & realised what was going on yesterday. I have repented of my outburst & asked for God’s forgiveness about doubting Him & His purposes in my life. I have received God’s forgiveness.
I have also realised that God ALLOWS these frustrating events to happen in my life for a purpose. It is not that He is being mean to me! It is not that He wants to put hoops up for me to jump through! He is not being deliberately difficult, or withholding his love &/or power from me.
So, why does God allow me to experience frustrating events? I believe it is in order to show me that I have some old thought patterns (doubts & unbelief) deep down inside my mind, & which now need to surface, in order that they can be EXAMINED, EVALUATED & RESOLVED. If that happens then these doubts & unbeliefs will loose their power to frustrate me, & ultimately Satan will loose his ability to cast doubt into my mind about the goodness of God. Once these doubts & unbeliefs are resolved then no longer will Satan’s thought “Did God really say...?” have any power over me. I will simply be able to say “Get out of here, I KNOW God loves me & wants the best for me!” & that will be that! No more DefCon1 verbal explosions at God thank you very much!
”Dark Potatoes”.
The process of UNCOVERING, EXAMINING, EVALUATING & RESOLVING my doubts about God’s love for me may take some time... quite a bit of time I suspect! I can be quite a stubborn persona after all! But God is very patient. I’ve had these doubts about the love of God for me for a very long time; most of my life in fact; they are deep-rooted... & these roots need pulling up!
Last night I referred to my doubts about the love of God as “DARK POTATOES IN THE SOIL OF MY LIFE” which seems quite an apt description. I think God allows me to experience frustration in life in order to “dig up” these doubts. The frustration of life actually causes these doubts to resurface in my mind. Of course, digging them up EXPOSES them to the light, which is rather painful for me! Nevertheless, I can see that God needs to uncover these “dark potatoes of doubt”, or else they will simply remain “in the soil of my life”, deeply buried & unresolved. Then, the next time I am frustrated by life they will re-emerge & plague me again, & again, & again.
God loves me FAR TOO MUCH to allow me to have deeply poisonous doubts & unbeliefs buried deep in my mind. He knows that, sooner or later, these “dark potatoes” will emerge to hurt my relationship with Him once more. All it takes is sufficient stress & frustration, then the “dark potatoes” of doubt about God’s love for me emerge again. And at that point Satan is effective at pointing to these deeply held (wrong) beliefs & accuses God TO ME, saying “God’s holding out on you again” & “God obviously doesn’t love you, or else he would fix that problem”, etc.
But this time I think Satan has “tipped his hand” a bit too much, because I’ve noticed his tactics & realised what is going on in my mind. At the same time I believe God is allowing me to experience these doubts & unbeliefs about his goodness in order that I finally UNCOVER, EXAMINE, EVALUATE & RESOLVE them.
As I said, I think the process of recovery may be a long one, but at least I’m ON the road to recovery! God is very, VERY patient with me, & sooner or later these nagging doubts about God’s love WILL be resolved. I look forward to that day.
If you’ve got any similar stories, please do write & let me know.
[1]
Genesis 3:1-7 (NLT)
The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
My frustration level went from DefCon 5 to 4.
I read some articles on the PayPal website, which just confused me...
My frustration level went from DefCon 4 to 3.
I purchased a piece of software that promised to resolve the issue; I altered it to make it specific for Bible Cartoons, uploaded it & it made no difference...
My frustration level went from DefCon 3 to 2.
I prayed; I read some more; I tried to be reasonable; I tried to remain calm & to be philosophical about the issues, but nothing worked...
My frustration level went from DefCon 2 to 1.
Then I ranted at God saying “If you loved me you’d fix this!”
Doubting God’s love & goodness - an annual event?!
I’ve just been looking through last years journal & I came across an entry from 17/November/2012 outlining a very similar event in the life of the Bible Cartoons website, & a VERY similar “If you loved me you’d fix this!” response in me - unfortunately! It is nearly one year ago, to the day, that I was frustrated & doubting the love of God for me & my life... I even wondered if this could be an annual event!!!
It was interesting reading because I recorded God’s intervention & assistance, some days later. There was even a daily devotional entry in Word for Today entitled “Imagine being adopted by God!” which was very helpful at the time. The sentence that REALLY grabbed my attention was this one: “You don’t earn the Spirit of adoption, you receive it by faith. That’s important, because if you can’t gain it by your stellar efforts, YOU CAN’T LOOSE IT THROUGH YOUR POOR PERFORMANCE. How reassuring!” [emboldened by MY for emphasis]
If you love me.
“IF you love me...” is an old question. It’s a VERY old question. In fact it’s probably the first question. In Genesis chapter 3 the serpent (aka Satan, the Devil) casts doubt about God’s love in Adam & Eve’s minds by asking the question “Did God really say...?” [1] Satan’s tactic then was to CAST DOUBT in the minds of Adam & Eve about God’s love & goodness towards them. He knew that if he could get them to doubt God, then they would eat fruit from the tree & suffer the consequences.
The serpent was planting the idea in Adam & Eve’s minds that God WAS HOLDING OUT ON THEM. And they believed that. That’s why they ate the fruit. That’s why sin entered the world.
It’s interesting to note that when I was at my lowest ebb yesterday, deeply frustrated by the Bible Cartoons website & unable to fix the problem, it was THEN that the thought occurred to me “If you loved me you’d fix this!” In other words, Satan (the accuser of the brethren) had dropped the thought into my mind that God WAS HOLDING OUT ON ME. And I believed it. Satan’s tactics are the SAME as they were thousands of years ago, in the garden of Eden.
Since this outburst against God I have calmed down (back to DefCon 5!) & realised what was going on yesterday. I have repented of my outburst & asked for God’s forgiveness about doubting Him & His purposes in my life. I have received God’s forgiveness.
I have also realised that God ALLOWS these frustrating events to happen in my life for a purpose. It is not that He is being mean to me! It is not that He wants to put hoops up for me to jump through! He is not being deliberately difficult, or withholding his love &/or power from me.
So, why does God allow me to experience frustrating events? I believe it is in order to show me that I have some old thought patterns (doubts & unbelief) deep down inside my mind, & which now need to surface, in order that they can be EXAMINED, EVALUATED & RESOLVED. If that happens then these doubts & unbeliefs will loose their power to frustrate me, & ultimately Satan will loose his ability to cast doubt into my mind about the goodness of God. Once these doubts & unbeliefs are resolved then no longer will Satan’s thought “Did God really say...?” have any power over me. I will simply be able to say “Get out of here, I KNOW God loves me & wants the best for me!” & that will be that! No more DefCon1 verbal explosions at God thank you very much!
”Dark Potatoes”.
The process of UNCOVERING, EXAMINING, EVALUATING & RESOLVING my doubts about God’s love for me may take some time... quite a bit of time I suspect! I can be quite a stubborn persona after all! But God is very patient. I’ve had these doubts about the love of God for me for a very long time; most of my life in fact; they are deep-rooted... & these roots need pulling up!
Last night I referred to my doubts about the love of God as “DARK POTATOES IN THE SOIL OF MY LIFE” which seems quite an apt description. I think God allows me to experience frustration in life in order to “dig up” these doubts. The frustration of life actually causes these doubts to resurface in my mind. Of course, digging them up EXPOSES them to the light, which is rather painful for me! Nevertheless, I can see that God needs to uncover these “dark potatoes of doubt”, or else they will simply remain “in the soil of my life”, deeply buried & unresolved. Then, the next time I am frustrated by life they will re-emerge & plague me again, & again, & again.
God loves me FAR TOO MUCH to allow me to have deeply poisonous doubts & unbeliefs buried deep in my mind. He knows that, sooner or later, these “dark potatoes” will emerge to hurt my relationship with Him once more. All it takes is sufficient stress & frustration, then the “dark potatoes” of doubt about God’s love for me emerge again. And at that point Satan is effective at pointing to these deeply held (wrong) beliefs & accuses God TO ME, saying “God’s holding out on you again” & “God obviously doesn’t love you, or else he would fix that problem”, etc.
But this time I think Satan has “tipped his hand” a bit too much, because I’ve noticed his tactics & realised what is going on in my mind. At the same time I believe God is allowing me to experience these doubts & unbeliefs about his goodness in order that I finally UNCOVER, EXAMINE, EVALUATE & RESOLVE them.
As I said, I think the process of recovery may be a long one, but at least I’m ON the road to recovery! God is very, VERY patient with me, & sooner or later these nagging doubts about God’s love WILL be resolved. I look forward to that day.
If you’ve got any similar stories, please do write & let me know.
[1]
Genesis 3:1-7 (NLT)
The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
Our faces are NEVER covered with shame - Psalms 34:5
Psalms 34:4-7 (ANIV)
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
Verse 5 is fantastic, especially for those of us who all too readily accept the enemies’ accusations that we somehow do not measure up to the perfection we THINK is expected of us. Our society “demands” that we are this or that; that we perform flawlessly; that we measure up & juggle all the balls well & with a smile plastered on our faces at all times! But really it is the quiet whispered accusations of the enemy of our souls who keeps laying expectations upon our overloaded backs until we creak under the strain.
His goal is not to perfect us, but to break us.
Of course we “hear” his accusations in the first person; “I should do better”, “I didn’t do that very well”, “I should shape up & be more like, x,y,z”. But accusations “heard” in our imaginations in the first person are from Satan.
We HAVE to resist his insidious accusations... But how do we do that?
God’s word is powerful to the pulling down of strongholds. We must rely on what the Word of God says, not the whispered, poisonous warped words of the enemy, which are designed to knock us down & keep us down... sometimes with our own absent-minded consent.
2 Corinthians 10:5 (ANIV) says, ‘We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.’
I rather like the Message version of that scripture which reads, ‘We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.’
‘powerful God-tools’ = The Bible; the Word of God, which speaks the truth to us at all time. Rely on what we KNOW God has said, through the Bible, not on our own thoughts which are so variable, wavering & subject to outside influence.
‘...for smashing warped philosophies’, that’s a GREAT way of describing the evil, soul-destoying accusations of Satan!
Psalms 34:5 reminds us (& boy, do we need daily reminders!!!) ‘Those who look to him [God] for help WILL be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.’ That verse reminds us that DESPITE all the fears, insecurities & ideas that we don’t measure up; that we’re not good enough, the FACT is, that Jesus MAKES us sinless, such that we do not have to accept the enemies accusations any more.
We need to learn to disregard ANY thought that accuses us; disregard ANY thought that says we don’t measure up; disregard ANY thought that says we don’t perform well enough. Any “voice” that says these things to you is not “for” you, but against you.
God loves you...
don’t gloss over that 3 word sentence without REALLY dwelling on it & realising the truth of it. If God loves you, then He ISN’T going to accuse you. God has paid far too high a price (in the death of Jesus) to accuse you & “put you down”. That’s not what God is about AT ALL. Any & all performance anxiety you face never comes from God, it is an accusation from the enemy of our souls. After all, Jesus described his yoke as easy & his burden as light, right? (see Matthew 11:30)
The FACT is, the death & resurrection of Jesus the Christ is MORE THAN ENOUGH sacrifice to remove ANY & ALL sin from our souls. The work of Jesus REMOVES any claim Satan has over us any more. The cross of Jesus IS ENOUGH to save us.
So don’t listen to that small inner “voice” that accuses you. The Holy Spirit DOESN’T accuse, He CONVICTS. There is a BIG, fundamental difference between accusation & conviction.
We need to learn the difference, then we ‘ll correctly identify the source of the “voice”, every time.
If anyone (outside or inside) accuses you, then they are not speaking God’s Word in love... so disregard at once!
Keep your shield of faith up at all times.
Psalms 34:5 reminds us, ‘Those who look to him [God] for help WILL be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.’ That means that never, ever will God accuse us, & therefore, never EVER do we have to accept shame. We ARE free of all shame - that is our on-going condition, even if we don’t feel like that is true. Just because we don’t feel it, that doesn’t change the fact that, through Jesus, we ARE free of all condemnation, accusation & shame.
So don’t accept that thought-accusation - kick it into touch! It isn’t from God, so you don’t have to accept it.
Remember: the shield of faith is there for your defence: use it.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
Verse 5 is fantastic, especially for those of us who all too readily accept the enemies’ accusations that we somehow do not measure up to the perfection we THINK is expected of us. Our society “demands” that we are this or that; that we perform flawlessly; that we measure up & juggle all the balls well & with a smile plastered on our faces at all times! But really it is the quiet whispered accusations of the enemy of our souls who keeps laying expectations upon our overloaded backs until we creak under the strain.
His goal is not to perfect us, but to break us.
Of course we “hear” his accusations in the first person; “I should do better”, “I didn’t do that very well”, “I should shape up & be more like, x,y,z”. But accusations “heard” in our imaginations in the first person are from Satan.
We HAVE to resist his insidious accusations... But how do we do that?
God’s word is powerful to the pulling down of strongholds. We must rely on what the Word of God says, not the whispered, poisonous warped words of the enemy, which are designed to knock us down & keep us down... sometimes with our own absent-minded consent.
2 Corinthians 10:5 (ANIV) says, ‘We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.’
I rather like the Message version of that scripture which reads, ‘We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.’
‘powerful God-tools’ = The Bible; the Word of God, which speaks the truth to us at all time. Rely on what we KNOW God has said, through the Bible, not on our own thoughts which are so variable, wavering & subject to outside influence.
‘...for smashing warped philosophies’, that’s a GREAT way of describing the evil, soul-destoying accusations of Satan!
Psalms 34:5 reminds us (& boy, do we need daily reminders!!!) ‘Those who look to him [God] for help WILL be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.’ That verse reminds us that DESPITE all the fears, insecurities & ideas that we don’t measure up; that we’re not good enough, the FACT is, that Jesus MAKES us sinless, such that we do not have to accept the enemies accusations any more.
We need to learn to disregard ANY thought that accuses us; disregard ANY thought that says we don’t measure up; disregard ANY thought that says we don’t perform well enough. Any “voice” that says these things to you is not “for” you, but against you.
God loves you...
don’t gloss over that 3 word sentence without REALLY dwelling on it & realising the truth of it. If God loves you, then He ISN’T going to accuse you. God has paid far too high a price (in the death of Jesus) to accuse you & “put you down”. That’s not what God is about AT ALL. Any & all performance anxiety you face never comes from God, it is an accusation from the enemy of our souls. After all, Jesus described his yoke as easy & his burden as light, right? (see Matthew 11:30)
The FACT is, the death & resurrection of Jesus the Christ is MORE THAN ENOUGH sacrifice to remove ANY & ALL sin from our souls. The work of Jesus REMOVES any claim Satan has over us any more. The cross of Jesus IS ENOUGH to save us.
So don’t listen to that small inner “voice” that accuses you. The Holy Spirit DOESN’T accuse, He CONVICTS. There is a BIG, fundamental difference between accusation & conviction.
We need to learn the difference, then we ‘ll correctly identify the source of the “voice”, every time.
If anyone (outside or inside) accuses you, then they are not speaking God’s Word in love... so disregard at once!
Keep your shield of faith up at all times.
Psalms 34:5 reminds us, ‘Those who look to him [God] for help WILL be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.’ That means that never, ever will God accuse us, & therefore, never EVER do we have to accept shame. We ARE free of all shame - that is our on-going condition, even if we don’t feel like that is true. Just because we don’t feel it, that doesn’t change the fact that, through Jesus, we ARE free of all condemnation, accusation & shame.
So don’t accept that thought-accusation - kick it into touch! It isn’t from God, so you don’t have to accept it.
Remember: the shield of faith is there for your defence: use it.
Friday, 22 February 2013
The tiny/huge step: needing faith like a child
I have just been reading about the life of Thomas Aquinas, sent to me as an article regularly by BibleGateway (BibleGateway@e.biblegateway.com). He wrote extensively & compiled his Summa Theologica, which was the most comprehensive treatise on theology ever written (at that time, in the late 13th Century.)
What grabbed my attention was the assertion that Aquinas proved the existence of God with his "Five Ways", a sequence of logical thought progression... I was intrigued by that, so I looked up the "Five Ways" on Google; it proved to be an interesting read.
(source: http://web.mnstate.edu/gracyk/courses/web%20publishing/aquinasfiveways_argumentanalysis.htm).
Then I noticed 4 articles down the list on Google an atheist article entitled, “Refuting the five ways of Aquinas” (Source: http://patas.co/articles/opinion/refuting-the-five-ways-of-aquinas/)
Although the arguments against Aquinas seem not very well constructed (a bit like this sentence!) I took the point that for every logical argument FOR God’s existence, there is an equal logical argument AGAINST God’s existence.
I think there will always be arguments for & against the existence of God. We quote from astronomy, cosmology, evolution, logical reason, quantum physics, etc, etc, & use these mental frameworks to bolster our own beliefs; to uphold the positions we have already adopted, either in support of our assertion that God exists, or, using exactly the same evidence (!) in support of our assertion that God does not exist!
For me, the only logical conclusion is that logical argument is INCAPABLE of proving God’s existence in either direction. It seems to me that logical reasoning & logical rationalism is a “tool” incapable of actually shedding any light on the subject of God’s existence or non-existence. As I have explained in other blogs, I believe that we human beings are bound into a temporal, physical cosmos, with physical cause & effect, & therefore can not use observable data from within that cosmos to assert anything about a being who may or may not dwell outside that cosmos.
We can tie ourselves up in knots by trying to find evidence either for or against the existence of God. The pursuit of either seems to be never-ending, & there appears to be no single piece of irrefutable evidence either way. As a Christian I am left to wonder if perhaps that is exactly what God intended!
”For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.”
Jesus the Christ shed some light on the whole subject of how to approach (the kingdom of) God, in Luke 18:15-17 (NLT), which says, ‘15 One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering him. 16 Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 17 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” ‘
Jesus himself says that we need to approach the kingdom of God as a child. And that unless we do, we will not enter it.
What does that mean?
I think he was saying that our adult thinking, which seems to always require evidence & proof before we are prepared to enter into something, is simply UNABLE to help us to enter the kingdom of God. I don’t think Jesus was saying it is wrong to have a questioning mind. Questions are good! I don’t think Jesus was saying that critical thinking doesn’t have some value in certain situations. As anyone who has children, or works with children will know, children ask a LOT of questions! Would Jesus have been cross with the many questions he would have been asked by children (& adults alike) - No, I think not. The Bible doesn’t show Jesus ever getting angry with anyone who had genuine questions for him.
Atheists & the search
I’m not trying to “bash” atheists in my blog writings. All of our questions from ANY viewpoint or stance, are really our attempts to try to uncover the truth, to discover what is REAL & what is RELIABLE. So an atheists’ questions are as important & invaluable in uncovering the truth about the universe as anyone elses. An atheist is a person who has simply not found enough compelling evidence to switch from not believing in God to the reverse position. If that is you, then simply be happy in your current assertions. But please, do make sure you have weighed up all the alternative positions. Please don’t let someone else’s thoughts bias your own thinking: examine the arguments for yourself. Find your own position, don’t just adopt someone else’s.
That said, I pray to my God that you will find that the atheist position is not really the “end game position” but is, in fact, the “starting position”... obviously we are all atheists before we believe in God! I hope you will come to see that what you are looking for (THE answer) is not found in unbelief at all. I pray that you will find the lasting peace, security & hope we all want. We just have to be honest in our own hearts & minds, about that search. But, of course, I believe you will only really find that answer & position, in Jesus the Christ. I can’t help but pray to my God, that you will find the lasting peace, lasting hope & eternal meaning that we all seek.
The limited scope of logic & reason
When it comes to the kingdom of God (& therefore God & His existence) I do believe that Jesus was asserting that logic & reason was incapable of catapulting us from unbelief into belief. I think Jesus was alluding to the position that any amount of logical thinking, reasoning, & the adult’s need for proof before agreement & adoption of an alternative lifestyle, would be UTTERLY incapable of taking us from unbelief in God to belief in God. I think that is why it is impossible to “prove”, either way, using logical & reason, that God either exists or does not.
What then is required?
Two quotes from Bible commentaries are useful here, please note, I have put the key words (as I perceive them!) in upper case letters, to draw your attention to them:
‘In these words Jesus was stating that a person must come to Him in HUMILITY in order to enter the kingdom. Children come with EXPECTATION and EXCITEMENT. They come realizing that they are NOT SUFFICIENT in themselves. They DEPEND totally on others. If these same attitudes are not present in adults, they can never enter into the kingdom.’
(Source: The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.)
‘Jesus explained that little children have the kind of faith and trust needed to enter the Kingdom of God. Anyone of any age who exhibits their kind of faith and trust is PROMISED access to Jesus and to the Kingdom. Children represent the essence of discipleship, coming to Jesus in humility and receiving his blessing as a GIFT. Unless we can completely TRUST in God, we will never get into the Kingdom of God.’
(Source: Life Application New Testament Commentary.)
There are some great points about the attitude we need to have, if we want to enter into the kingdom of God. And it seems to depend on attitude more than anything else.
Taking these points, it seems we need HUMILITY in order to enter the kingdom of God. Pride & arrogance will not get us there. Pride is exhibited in believing that we can do it ourselves. Self-help books are, by definition, reliant on me: my efforts to improve myself; my efforts to “fix” myself. Jesus explains that we simply are not able to work our way back to a perfect, unsoiled, spotless condition.
Romans 3:23 (NLT) states, ‘For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.’
No matter how hard we try, WE can not undo our wrong-doing. Of course, an atheist may not believe in their own wrong-doing. But if we are truly honest with ourselves, we can all look back on a less-than-perfect past performance in our own lives. No matter how small the error, we have all done wrong.
In the commentary quote above, the words NOT SUFFICIENT & DEPEND (or dependent) stand out: because the wise person realises that they are simply not able to repair their own damaged lives, no matter how hard they try. We try to fix ourselves with bigger & better jobs, cars, houses, & other “stuff”, but none of it brings real, lasting contentment. To the atheist: simple denial of your condition does not change it, however hard you try to think yourself into a better state of being. It is very frustrating, I know, but the truth is we are incapable of fixing ourselves, & the only person who can repair our damaged, broken lives is the person you don’t want to believe in: Jesus the Christ. That is the truth. And I simply want to point you in that direction, because Jesus loves you, no matter what you may have done in your past. It is love that wins us back to Jesus from the atheistic starting position we all begin with.
EXPECTATION and EXCITEMENT, these are two very notable characteristics of children!
And I think Jesus wants us (adults) to have the same child-like expectancy & excitement when we want to encounter God. In truth, I think we all have needs & from the believers side of the fence, I can tell you that all our needs can be met & are met, when we chose to believe in Jesus the Christ. Atheists have needs, just like everyone else, but unlike a Christian, those needs can not be met if you “growl” & “bite” the loving hand of Jesus which is constantly extended to you, & in which all your deepest needs are met.
The kingdom of God is PROMISED & is a GIFT, freely given to anyone & everyone who wants it.
TRUST is required: the simple, uncomplicated trust of a child.
It is not a problem to God that we have tons of questions, He welcomes our questions. Indeed, our curiosity & questioning minds have carried us forward into technical advances & devising new break-throughs which benefit us all. God knows, questions are useful tools for us!
But... if our questions stand in the way of us believing in God, or getting to know God, then just how useful are those questions? As adults, we often say that we will only believe in God & Jesus if He proves Himself to us; if He appears to us: thereby asserting that “seeing is believing.” But it isn’t! We see yet still we refuse to believe. The same evidence put forward by an atheist to assert that God does not exist (quoting from the sciences, logical thoughts, micro-biology, etc) can be used by a Christian to assert the exact opposite: that because of that evidence God does exist!
Coming back to the two articles I read at the beginning of this blog, it seems to me that we can always find supporting arguments for our positions. It isn’t hard to find them. But in the end we have to ask ourselves what we REALLY want?...
Do we want to shake off the worries & concerns of our own past performance?
Do we want to exceed our own experiences?
Do we want to be content?
Do we want to be truly confident?
Do we want to be excited by the future instead of fearing or dreading it?
Lifting up my eyes
I don’t know about you, but I have found that all the reasoning, logic, rational thought, sciences, etc that I have studied have not brought that result. However, I can report that when I focus my attention on the love & nature of Jesus the Christ, then contentment comes my way.
When I lift my eyes up from my problems & look to Jesus, then those problems shrink to their real size, & my Saviour, & his kingdom become more “real” than the problems. That is not denial of my situation: the problems do exist! It’s just that God can & does go to work on them with me, & together, we will solve each & every one of them.
I’m living proof that God can “speak” to anyone, & bring them into his kingdom. I am the lowest & the least likely of people to have become a Christian, yet here I am! Talk about having doubts - that’s me! Talk about trying to hang on to science, astronomy, philosophy, any other comforting mental cushion - that’s me! But none of that man-made stuff has ever really, truly brought me comfort, peace, confidence or excitement about my past, present & future.
But Jesus the Christ, in his infinite patience, kindness & love, is coaxing me onwards, ever more gradually forwards, into His kingdom. He is SO patient with my doubting, uncertain, quivering-like-a-jelly faith! He is so patient when I run away from anything I don’t like the look of! He is so kind & loving & encouraging. God “jumps for joy” at my least, tiny, hesitant step of faith, like the proud Father in heaven He really is!
If God is like that to me, then He can be just like that & more so, to you.
What do we truly believe?
In the end I believe we all face the BIG question: what do I truly believe. I have come to realise that belief is a choice, rather than a response to any evidence that we might put forward. I hope I’ve shown that all so-called evidence can be viewed in either way: as “proof” for, or against the existence of God. In the end, what is required is a step of faith: if you want to believe in Jesus, then it is only a matter of asserting that you choose to believe in Him.
For me, on the “having already decided to believe in Jesus” side of the fence, I can report that everything changes, & improves, once you do make that choice. Yes, your problems remain, but there is peace, contentment, & power to overcome, which we did not have before that decision.
I think Jesus showed intense & searing wisdom when He said, ‘For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.’ That statement effectively strips away all the logical arguments, all the adult “Show-me-proof-before-I’ll-belive” attitudes.
For me, Jesus & the Bible are both Real & Reliable.
All that is really required is simply a desire to believe. God answers our deepest, most endearing, most urgent questions... but only if we choose to approach Him in a child’s humility & with a child’s faith. Will you put your faith in this amazing Saviour Jesus the Christ?
Additional information:
Here’s an interesting article I just found focussing on what it might mean to have Faith like a little child. It’s well worth a read.
“What did Jesus mean by ‘Faith like a little child’? Dawkins on curiosity.”
http://sntjohnny.com/front/what-did-jesus-mean-by-faith-like-a-little-child-dawkins-on-curiosity/365.html
What grabbed my attention was the assertion that Aquinas proved the existence of God with his "Five Ways", a sequence of logical thought progression... I was intrigued by that, so I looked up the "Five Ways" on Google; it proved to be an interesting read.
(source: http://web.mnstate.edu/gracyk/courses/web%20publishing/aquinasfiveways_argumentanalysis.htm).
Then I noticed 4 articles down the list on Google an atheist article entitled, “Refuting the five ways of Aquinas” (Source: http://patas.co/articles/opinion/refuting-the-five-ways-of-aquinas/)
Although the arguments against Aquinas seem not very well constructed (a bit like this sentence!) I took the point that for every logical argument FOR God’s existence, there is an equal logical argument AGAINST God’s existence.
I think there will always be arguments for & against the existence of God. We quote from astronomy, cosmology, evolution, logical reason, quantum physics, etc, etc, & use these mental frameworks to bolster our own beliefs; to uphold the positions we have already adopted, either in support of our assertion that God exists, or, using exactly the same evidence (!) in support of our assertion that God does not exist!
For me, the only logical conclusion is that logical argument is INCAPABLE of proving God’s existence in either direction. It seems to me that logical reasoning & logical rationalism is a “tool” incapable of actually shedding any light on the subject of God’s existence or non-existence. As I have explained in other blogs, I believe that we human beings are bound into a temporal, physical cosmos, with physical cause & effect, & therefore can not use observable data from within that cosmos to assert anything about a being who may or may not dwell outside that cosmos.
We can tie ourselves up in knots by trying to find evidence either for or against the existence of God. The pursuit of either seems to be never-ending, & there appears to be no single piece of irrefutable evidence either way. As a Christian I am left to wonder if perhaps that is exactly what God intended!
”For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.”
Jesus the Christ shed some light on the whole subject of how to approach (the kingdom of) God, in Luke 18:15-17 (NLT), which says, ‘15 One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering him. 16 Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 17 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” ‘
Jesus himself says that we need to approach the kingdom of God as a child. And that unless we do, we will not enter it.
What does that mean?
I think he was saying that our adult thinking, which seems to always require evidence & proof before we are prepared to enter into something, is simply UNABLE to help us to enter the kingdom of God. I don’t think Jesus was saying it is wrong to have a questioning mind. Questions are good! I don’t think Jesus was saying that critical thinking doesn’t have some value in certain situations. As anyone who has children, or works with children will know, children ask a LOT of questions! Would Jesus have been cross with the many questions he would have been asked by children (& adults alike) - No, I think not. The Bible doesn’t show Jesus ever getting angry with anyone who had genuine questions for him.
Atheists & the search
I’m not trying to “bash” atheists in my blog writings. All of our questions from ANY viewpoint or stance, are really our attempts to try to uncover the truth, to discover what is REAL & what is RELIABLE. So an atheists’ questions are as important & invaluable in uncovering the truth about the universe as anyone elses. An atheist is a person who has simply not found enough compelling evidence to switch from not believing in God to the reverse position. If that is you, then simply be happy in your current assertions. But please, do make sure you have weighed up all the alternative positions. Please don’t let someone else’s thoughts bias your own thinking: examine the arguments for yourself. Find your own position, don’t just adopt someone else’s.
That said, I pray to my God that you will find that the atheist position is not really the “end game position” but is, in fact, the “starting position”... obviously we are all atheists before we believe in God! I hope you will come to see that what you are looking for (THE answer) is not found in unbelief at all. I pray that you will find the lasting peace, security & hope we all want. We just have to be honest in our own hearts & minds, about that search. But, of course, I believe you will only really find that answer & position, in Jesus the Christ. I can’t help but pray to my God, that you will find the lasting peace, lasting hope & eternal meaning that we all seek.
The limited scope of logic & reason
When it comes to the kingdom of God (& therefore God & His existence) I do believe that Jesus was asserting that logic & reason was incapable of catapulting us from unbelief into belief. I think Jesus was alluding to the position that any amount of logical thinking, reasoning, & the adult’s need for proof before agreement & adoption of an alternative lifestyle, would be UTTERLY incapable of taking us from unbelief in God to belief in God. I think that is why it is impossible to “prove”, either way, using logical & reason, that God either exists or does not.
What then is required?
Two quotes from Bible commentaries are useful here, please note, I have put the key words (as I perceive them!) in upper case letters, to draw your attention to them:
‘In these words Jesus was stating that a person must come to Him in HUMILITY in order to enter the kingdom. Children come with EXPECTATION and EXCITEMENT. They come realizing that they are NOT SUFFICIENT in themselves. They DEPEND totally on others. If these same attitudes are not present in adults, they can never enter into the kingdom.’
(Source: The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.)
‘Jesus explained that little children have the kind of faith and trust needed to enter the Kingdom of God. Anyone of any age who exhibits their kind of faith and trust is PROMISED access to Jesus and to the Kingdom. Children represent the essence of discipleship, coming to Jesus in humility and receiving his blessing as a GIFT. Unless we can completely TRUST in God, we will never get into the Kingdom of God.’
(Source: Life Application New Testament Commentary.)
There are some great points about the attitude we need to have, if we want to enter into the kingdom of God. And it seems to depend on attitude more than anything else.
Taking these points, it seems we need HUMILITY in order to enter the kingdom of God. Pride & arrogance will not get us there. Pride is exhibited in believing that we can do it ourselves. Self-help books are, by definition, reliant on me: my efforts to improve myself; my efforts to “fix” myself. Jesus explains that we simply are not able to work our way back to a perfect, unsoiled, spotless condition.
Romans 3:23 (NLT) states, ‘For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.’
No matter how hard we try, WE can not undo our wrong-doing. Of course, an atheist may not believe in their own wrong-doing. But if we are truly honest with ourselves, we can all look back on a less-than-perfect past performance in our own lives. No matter how small the error, we have all done wrong.
In the commentary quote above, the words NOT SUFFICIENT & DEPEND (or dependent) stand out: because the wise person realises that they are simply not able to repair their own damaged lives, no matter how hard they try. We try to fix ourselves with bigger & better jobs, cars, houses, & other “stuff”, but none of it brings real, lasting contentment. To the atheist: simple denial of your condition does not change it, however hard you try to think yourself into a better state of being. It is very frustrating, I know, but the truth is we are incapable of fixing ourselves, & the only person who can repair our damaged, broken lives is the person you don’t want to believe in: Jesus the Christ. That is the truth. And I simply want to point you in that direction, because Jesus loves you, no matter what you may have done in your past. It is love that wins us back to Jesus from the atheistic starting position we all begin with.
EXPECTATION and EXCITEMENT, these are two very notable characteristics of children!
And I think Jesus wants us (adults) to have the same child-like expectancy & excitement when we want to encounter God. In truth, I think we all have needs & from the believers side of the fence, I can tell you that all our needs can be met & are met, when we chose to believe in Jesus the Christ. Atheists have needs, just like everyone else, but unlike a Christian, those needs can not be met if you “growl” & “bite” the loving hand of Jesus which is constantly extended to you, & in which all your deepest needs are met.
The kingdom of God is PROMISED & is a GIFT, freely given to anyone & everyone who wants it.
TRUST is required: the simple, uncomplicated trust of a child.
It is not a problem to God that we have tons of questions, He welcomes our questions. Indeed, our curiosity & questioning minds have carried us forward into technical advances & devising new break-throughs which benefit us all. God knows, questions are useful tools for us!
But... if our questions stand in the way of us believing in God, or getting to know God, then just how useful are those questions? As adults, we often say that we will only believe in God & Jesus if He proves Himself to us; if He appears to us: thereby asserting that “seeing is believing.” But it isn’t! We see yet still we refuse to believe. The same evidence put forward by an atheist to assert that God does not exist (quoting from the sciences, logical thoughts, micro-biology, etc) can be used by a Christian to assert the exact opposite: that because of that evidence God does exist!
Coming back to the two articles I read at the beginning of this blog, it seems to me that we can always find supporting arguments for our positions. It isn’t hard to find them. But in the end we have to ask ourselves what we REALLY want?...
Do we want to shake off the worries & concerns of our own past performance?
Do we want to exceed our own experiences?
Do we want to be content?
Do we want to be truly confident?
Do we want to be excited by the future instead of fearing or dreading it?
Lifting up my eyes
I don’t know about you, but I have found that all the reasoning, logic, rational thought, sciences, etc that I have studied have not brought that result. However, I can report that when I focus my attention on the love & nature of Jesus the Christ, then contentment comes my way.
When I lift my eyes up from my problems & look to Jesus, then those problems shrink to their real size, & my Saviour, & his kingdom become more “real” than the problems. That is not denial of my situation: the problems do exist! It’s just that God can & does go to work on them with me, & together, we will solve each & every one of them.
I’m living proof that God can “speak” to anyone, & bring them into his kingdom. I am the lowest & the least likely of people to have become a Christian, yet here I am! Talk about having doubts - that’s me! Talk about trying to hang on to science, astronomy, philosophy, any other comforting mental cushion - that’s me! But none of that man-made stuff has ever really, truly brought me comfort, peace, confidence or excitement about my past, present & future.
But Jesus the Christ, in his infinite patience, kindness & love, is coaxing me onwards, ever more gradually forwards, into His kingdom. He is SO patient with my doubting, uncertain, quivering-like-a-jelly faith! He is so patient when I run away from anything I don’t like the look of! He is so kind & loving & encouraging. God “jumps for joy” at my least, tiny, hesitant step of faith, like the proud Father in heaven He really is!
If God is like that to me, then He can be just like that & more so, to you.
What do we truly believe?
In the end I believe we all face the BIG question: what do I truly believe. I have come to realise that belief is a choice, rather than a response to any evidence that we might put forward. I hope I’ve shown that all so-called evidence can be viewed in either way: as “proof” for, or against the existence of God. In the end, what is required is a step of faith: if you want to believe in Jesus, then it is only a matter of asserting that you choose to believe in Him.
For me, on the “having already decided to believe in Jesus” side of the fence, I can report that everything changes, & improves, once you do make that choice. Yes, your problems remain, but there is peace, contentment, & power to overcome, which we did not have before that decision.
I think Jesus showed intense & searing wisdom when He said, ‘For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.’ That statement effectively strips away all the logical arguments, all the adult “Show-me-proof-before-I’ll-belive” attitudes.
For me, Jesus & the Bible are both Real & Reliable.
All that is really required is simply a desire to believe. God answers our deepest, most endearing, most urgent questions... but only if we choose to approach Him in a child’s humility & with a child’s faith. Will you put your faith in this amazing Saviour Jesus the Christ?
Additional information:
Here’s an interesting article I just found focussing on what it might mean to have Faith like a little child. It’s well worth a read.
“What did Jesus mean by ‘Faith like a little child’? Dawkins on curiosity.”
http://sntjohnny.com/front/what-did-jesus-mean-by-faith-like-a-little-child-dawkins-on-curiosity/365.html
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Be reconciled... what’s that?!
How do I know that God loves us?
The Bible is God’s response to that question. But just looking at one little part of the answer; the apostle Paul wrote in the book of Romans on this subject...
Romans 5:8-11 (ANIV) - ‘8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. ’
The first verse states clearly how absolutely certain we can be that God loves each & every one of us: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Whilst I was still sin-soaked, still separated from God by an enormous gulf of wrong-doing, Jesus died on the cross, to reconcile me to God. God didn’t require me to take the first step - I couldn’t, because my own wrong-doing prevented me from getting to God. Instead, Jesus paid for all my sin, & so opened up the way for me to get to God.
A dictionary definition of the word “reconciled”:
1. To reestablish a close relationship between, as in marriage: The estranged couple reconciled after a year.
2. To settle or resolve.
3. To bring (oneself) to accept: He finally reconciled himself to the change in management.
4. To make compatible or consistent: reconcile my way of thinking with yours.
5. To become compatible or consistent: The figures would not reconcile.
(Source: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/reconciled)
The word reconcile sounds a bit formal, or legal, but when you look at the description, it reveals the depth & incredible scope of the meaning involved: to settle differences & BRING BACK into close relationship, like a marriage. To become COMPATIBLE OR CONSISTENT, to fit together properly once more.
Wow! When put like that we can see that God’s plan to reconcile us to Himself is anything but cold & legal, it is full of passion, desire & deep love: God wants us to believe in Him, come back to Him, trust & love Him. From that reconciled position, we can have an on-going, ever deepening relationship with the Creator God, moving from closer to still closer friendship - amazing! I want that... how about you?
The Bible is God’s response to that question. But just looking at one little part of the answer; the apostle Paul wrote in the book of Romans on this subject...
Romans 5:8-11 (ANIV) - ‘8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. ’
The first verse states clearly how absolutely certain we can be that God loves each & every one of us: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Whilst I was still sin-soaked, still separated from God by an enormous gulf of wrong-doing, Jesus died on the cross, to reconcile me to God. God didn’t require me to take the first step - I couldn’t, because my own wrong-doing prevented me from getting to God. Instead, Jesus paid for all my sin, & so opened up the way for me to get to God.
A dictionary definition of the word “reconciled”:
1. To reestablish a close relationship between, as in marriage: The estranged couple reconciled after a year.
2. To settle or resolve.
3. To bring (oneself) to accept: He finally reconciled himself to the change in management.
4. To make compatible or consistent: reconcile my way of thinking with yours.
5. To become compatible or consistent: The figures would not reconcile.
(Source: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/reconciled)
The word reconcile sounds a bit formal, or legal, but when you look at the description, it reveals the depth & incredible scope of the meaning involved: to settle differences & BRING BACK into close relationship, like a marriage. To become COMPATIBLE OR CONSISTENT, to fit together properly once more.
Wow! When put like that we can see that God’s plan to reconcile us to Himself is anything but cold & legal, it is full of passion, desire & deep love: God wants us to believe in Him, come back to Him, trust & love Him. From that reconciled position, we can have an on-going, ever deepening relationship with the Creator God, moving from closer to still closer friendship - amazing! I want that... how about you?
The “Perfect” Tool in the toolbox
You have a favourite tool in your toolbox. You prefer to use that tool. You love to use that tool. You get such a high from using that tool that you use it to the exclusion of all other possible tools. Besides, “everyone else” only ever uses that tool, & they can’t all be wrong, right?! You grew up using that tool. All your school teachers & university professors told you that this one tool was the ONLY tool for the job, ANY job. In fact, they sneered if you even mentioned any other tool. They told you repeatedly that no other tool was up to the job; no other tool would ever out perform the One Tool! They told you that you were silly, uneducated, pathetic, if you DIDN’T use the One tool.
So now, naturally, you only ever use that one tool in your tool box, even when the job at hand calls for a completely different tool!
What is the “Perfect” Tool in your toolbox? Hellenistic thinking, Greek thinking. Logic & reason. Science as the only viable answer. We call it the Western mind-set.
I’m not pouring scorn on the One tool, the Western mind-set. I use it a lot myself! It’s a great tool, & no mistake.
BUT... it’s NOT the only tool in the toolbox. There are others.
Are there any alternatives to the One tool?
Are there any other tools in the toolbox?
What might some of the other tools be?
Abstract thought. Poetry. Nonsense poetry. The Hebrew (Hebraic) mind set. Australian Aborigine thinking. Actually there are a lot of alternative mind sets & ways of thinking other than the Western mind-set.
The Bible is largely written from a Hebrew (Hebraic) mind set, so reading it with a Greek (Western) mindset may not bring out all the subtle language inflections originally intended.
1 Corinthians 1:21-23 (NLT) - ‘Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom [Greek thinking - MY added], he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles [Greeks] say it’s all nonsense.’
These verses show WHY to those who insist on remaining within Greek thinking mode, the preaching of Christ crucified appears to be nonsense: it requires something OTHER THAN Greek thinking (logic, reason, science) to fully appreciate the “foolishness” of the Gospel. It requires another tool in the toolbox: FAITH.
Hebrews 11:1 (ANIV) - ‘Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.’
The Greek mind set is only comfortable with, & believes in, what we can see, taste, touch, hear, etc. That which is unseen, mysterious, un-provable, is rejected as nonsense in Greek thinking. Hence the death of a man on a cross as a means to save me from my sins sounds foolish to the Greek (Gentile) mind.
But the Lord God has granted us the gift (tool) of faith, to take us BEYOND merely the provable & observable. Faith enables us to move, be & do things that the Greek (Gentile) mind would not believe as being possible.
Questions to ask yourself.
Do you want to live your entire life using only one tool?
Do you want to live your life tied exclusively to the One tool?
Do you actually want to live your life within the straightjacket of the One tool?
There is so much more to experience in this life, but that requires deliberately putting the one tool of Greek thinking (the Western mindset) down, & picking up another tool instead.
The One tool of Greek thinking is DEEPLY ingrained in the western mind set. Our education systems have used that One tool for centuries, we are soaked in it, so it is not easy to give up something we have been using all our lives. But God can give us faith, & a different mind set, a different experience, if we ask Him for it.
There are many dusty, long-forgotten, foreign, unused, unusual, mysterious tools available.
Do we trust these others tools? If we do, we can start to use them, if we don’t we won’t.
Faith is another tool in the toolbox... a great one to use!
Faith is something which is antithetical to Greek thinking. But Faith is a gift from God, which we can possess in bucket loads, if we simply ask God for that gift!
Hebrews 11:6 (ANIV) - ‘And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.’
This verse shows that faith is the means by which we recognise the existence of God, & the means by which we approach God & operate in ways that please Him. In turn, God rewards those people who deliberately use their faith to earnestly seek him.
I’m aware that I am beginning to use Greek thinking again, in the construction of these sentences: one built on the arguments presented in previous sentences! Greek thinking is clearly well ingrained in us all! However, I pray that God will grant you the mysterious & powerful gift of FAITH, which transcends Greek thinking & can take you to places you have only dreamed of.
So now, naturally, you only ever use that one tool in your tool box, even when the job at hand calls for a completely different tool!
What is the “Perfect” Tool in your toolbox? Hellenistic thinking, Greek thinking. Logic & reason. Science as the only viable answer. We call it the Western mind-set.
I’m not pouring scorn on the One tool, the Western mind-set. I use it a lot myself! It’s a great tool, & no mistake.
BUT... it’s NOT the only tool in the toolbox. There are others.
Are there any alternatives to the One tool?
Are there any other tools in the toolbox?
What might some of the other tools be?
Abstract thought. Poetry. Nonsense poetry. The Hebrew (Hebraic) mind set. Australian Aborigine thinking. Actually there are a lot of alternative mind sets & ways of thinking other than the Western mind-set.
The Bible is largely written from a Hebrew (Hebraic) mind set, so reading it with a Greek (Western) mindset may not bring out all the subtle language inflections originally intended.
1 Corinthians 1:21-23 (NLT) - ‘Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom [Greek thinking - MY added], he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles [Greeks] say it’s all nonsense.’
These verses show WHY to those who insist on remaining within Greek thinking mode, the preaching of Christ crucified appears to be nonsense: it requires something OTHER THAN Greek thinking (logic, reason, science) to fully appreciate the “foolishness” of the Gospel. It requires another tool in the toolbox: FAITH.
Hebrews 11:1 (ANIV) - ‘Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.’
The Greek mind set is only comfortable with, & believes in, what we can see, taste, touch, hear, etc. That which is unseen, mysterious, un-provable, is rejected as nonsense in Greek thinking. Hence the death of a man on a cross as a means to save me from my sins sounds foolish to the Greek (Gentile) mind.
But the Lord God has granted us the gift (tool) of faith, to take us BEYOND merely the provable & observable. Faith enables us to move, be & do things that the Greek (Gentile) mind would not believe as being possible.
Questions to ask yourself.
Do you want to live your entire life using only one tool?
Do you want to live your life tied exclusively to the One tool?
Do you actually want to live your life within the straightjacket of the One tool?
There is so much more to experience in this life, but that requires deliberately putting the one tool of Greek thinking (the Western mindset) down, & picking up another tool instead.
The One tool of Greek thinking is DEEPLY ingrained in the western mind set. Our education systems have used that One tool for centuries, we are soaked in it, so it is not easy to give up something we have been using all our lives. But God can give us faith, & a different mind set, a different experience, if we ask Him for it.
There are many dusty, long-forgotten, foreign, unused, unusual, mysterious tools available.
Do we trust these others tools? If we do, we can start to use them, if we don’t we won’t.
Faith is another tool in the toolbox... a great one to use!
Faith is something which is antithetical to Greek thinking. But Faith is a gift from God, which we can possess in bucket loads, if we simply ask God for that gift!
Hebrews 11:6 (ANIV) - ‘And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.’
This verse shows that faith is the means by which we recognise the existence of God, & the means by which we approach God & operate in ways that please Him. In turn, God rewards those people who deliberately use their faith to earnestly seek him.
I’m aware that I am beginning to use Greek thinking again, in the construction of these sentences: one built on the arguments presented in previous sentences! Greek thinking is clearly well ingrained in us all! However, I pray that God will grant you the mysterious & powerful gift of FAITH, which transcends Greek thinking & can take you to places you have only dreamed of.
Monday, 28 January 2013
Sharing Jesus in local Primary school
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
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
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.”
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.
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