Three Guests at My Table

You may be familiar with a sign that a lot of Christians had hanging in their homes. It read "Christ is the head of this home, the unseen guest at every table." Or words to that effect.

It is a nice thought, but I know of people that rankle at such seemingly trite statements. Mostly I think, because the presence of Christ in our homes should be more obvious than that. If we have to put up signs reminding our visitors and ourselves of his presence, then I think something is truly, sadly missing.

Lately I've been thinking about how certain aspects of my life wrestle for priority. So here are a few thoughts, about the three guests at my table. The three things that vie for my attention. They all deal with relationships. They are all connected. The first guest at my table is . . .

1. Relationship with God. I am in a bit of a strange place with this, because, as has been the case for most of my Christian life, I am not satisfied with it. It is that part of my life that, although it has had intention, seems to have had the least attention, the lower levels of priority. It is where I have laboured the least. Coincidentally it is where I see the least fruit. I have an ideal of what this relationship and the subsequent fruit might look like. I have a desire for a certain depth of both engagement, and outworking. But there is a problem.

You cannot grow, where you did not sow.

Everything else grows out of this, it is the one true foundation that all else is built on. Otherwise whatever else is built, is simply a house of cards.

The band Reliant K has a song "This Week the Trend" it talks about the shifting sands of social trending that clamours for our divided attention spans. That ever present need to level up, like and be liked. As if this alone will fill the voids in our lives. It certainly fills the gaps we don't purposefully fill ourselves.

If this relationship is allowed to wither and fade then no other relationship can succeed. The second guest at my table, is . . .

2. Relationship with Community. I'll come straight out and say that the most important community we relate to is family. This should be self evident. I shouldn't need to labour this point so I won't. If you don't have this right, get it right. Now I'll move on, because I want to address our relationship with the community at large.

There has been a resurgence of interest in neighbouring. Thankfully this is happening within the church. Sadly, it should never have been lost. Here's a link to a talk by Greg Thompson on Qideas.
You will have to scroll down a bit to find Episode One. In this talk Greg puts forth the idea that "The community is not looking for the Church" he goes on to express his fear that, "The Church may not be looking for the community".

I have had my world seriously challenged lately by ideas such as these. I have had to question how I view and approach community engagement. I am excited about groups like Qideas, and the nascent Spheres community from Hillsong Church. They are exciting bridge building initiatives that seek to span the cultural divides of the church and the secular. We must remember that Jesus commanded us, that we "love our neighbour". This is an active love, it reaches out. We cannot activate this love unless we learn how to be "in the world" while not being "of the world". I think part of the problem is that we have adopted a form of "distance activism" we send our sponsorship dollars into the third world, which is a good program, I'm not knocking that. But if we think this is enough, when our own neighbourhoods are full of pain and discord, then we have retreated into a gated philanthropic bubble.

The third guest at my table is . . .

3. Relationship with Calling. This is a tricky one to balance, and lately it's had me out of balance. First of all I have my regular day job. It's a good job and it pays me very well. However, there is an underlying tension, it is physically taxing (to my aging body) and it's not what I really want to be doing. For now however, and until such a time as things become otherwise, this job is my principal calling. Through it I supply the needs of my household. Through faithful, diligent service, I fulfil the needs of my employer. This is God honouring work.

 So while I work at my day job I also struggle to find the time and the wherewithal to do the next thing. This involves an amount of study. First I have to work at and develop my craft, (writing). Secondly I have to learn the ins and outs of self publishing and marketing. For which there are numerous resources and experts, all clamouring for my patronage. Lately this has tipped into overload. I have too many books and down loads and resources that remain unread and unused, and the list wants to grow. I have steps to action. Author pages, websites, landing pages and mailing lists to think about. It has all the makings of a cataclysmic dam-burst that will leave me flapping on the ground like a fish out of water gasping for oxygen. Bug-eyed and bewildered.

So I have to re-assess this relationship. What does it demand of me? How much can I give it? What does it take from the others? How can it support the others?

How do these three guests sit at my table in harmony and balance?

I believe the central harmonising point is in the God Relationship. It is after all from this that all else is put into balance. Without that, all else is simply my own vain effort, propped up by my own faltering self-reliance. When this relationship is properly functioning, then my relationship with community is brought into balance. It becomes a conduit for compassion and justice. People become connected to God. Next my calling is brought into perspective and becomes guided and focussed. It can now serve God and community. I am fulfilled through it rather than flattened by it. I approach fellowship at this table with joy, rather than shame or guilt, knowing one of my guests has been ignored in favour of another.

There is a concept in the New Testament of "table fellowship". It is the place at the end of the day where Jesus gathered with his disciples for some of their most intimate gatherings. This is where he taught them more closely. There was relationship, fellowship and community. It is a table we are all invited to sit at.

So how does your table look today, are all of your guests being looked after?

 

Parallels and Precedents.

I love the Bible, and for so many reasons. It is a book (well more accurately, collection of books) that can never be read just once. I love the overlapping stories and arcs of story. I love to go beyond the mere act of reading, I love to delve. It is not hard to unearth the treasures of the Bible. They give themselves willingly. But you must learn how to look for them and recognise them. Occasionally you will find what is commonly known as "fools gold". But careful exegesis will quickly show it for what it is. The apostle Peter, talking about  the writings of Paul warned us about this.

2Peter 3:16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

So before I put anything down in writing, especially on such a public platform as this. I need to be sure that what I have presented is correct. I never put up my latest "flash in the pan" pet theory. What I put here is well considered, I have given it time to sit. I have said in a couple of my posts that what I thought was correct, wasn't. For instance, while writing The "other" Uncomfortable Jesus. I came across this very thing. So I had to change from what I "thought" the Bible said. As I have had to for this post.

SO, having said all that I am going to issue a challenge. I want to see if you can prove me wrong. In this post I am going to talk about some parallels in the Bible. Parallels that are found in The Old and New Testaments. Because I have a theory, which is more of a conviction. That nothing happened in the New Testament, that did not have a precedent in the Old. Jesus did not perform a single miracle, that had not happened previously. So please, if you want to test me on this, put something into the comments section. But now, on to the subject of this post.

As I said I love reading the Bible. I love the layers of story within the Meta-Story. I love the parallels, because they give us a continuity of story between Old and New. They give us a repeating picture of how God acts.

So here are the stories of two men. One from the Old, One from the New.

Both men, were on a mission with official endorsement.
Both heard a supernatural voice.
Both were on a collision course with divine intervention and revelation.

I am talking about Balaam the pagan prophet. Numbers 22:21-35.
And Saul, a zealous young Pharisee. Acts 9:1-9.

Both men had made it their intention to bring trouble upon God's people.

Balaam, (motivated by financial earthly reward) was hired to proclaim curses over Israel, God's emerging nation.

Saul, (perhaps motivated by an eternal reward for his religious zeal) was on a mission to persecute the believers, God's emerging church.


image unattributed

Both men had their message changed.

Balaam proclaimed God's blessing over His people.

Saul, changed his name to Paul, and went about planting churches.

These two stories show us, how God acts on behalf of His people. Often in unexpected, unseen ways.

Here's another parallel, but one which gives us a contrast. It reveals the work of the enemy in producing counterfeits.

Once again we have two men, one from the Old, one from the New.

Both are sons of David.
Both had popularity with the common people.
Both died hanging from a tree, run through with spears. The result of treachery.

I am talking about Absalom. 2Samuel 15-18:18.
And Jesus.

There are many similarities in their stories, but the differences are glaring.

Absalom, was an usurper to the throne. He garnered favour with the people, promoting his own kingdom. He was deceitful, treacherous, murderous and a narcissistic liar. He worked against his fathers will, causing him grief and shame, while he made a name for himself. In the end, his death (as a result of Joab's betrayal) was probably well deserved.

Jesus, was the heir to the throne of heaven. He grew in favour with God and man. Yet He made himself of no reputation. He was subject to His Fathers will, promoting His Fathers Kingdom, bringing him glory and honour. His death (as a result of Judas' betrayal) was undeserved, but necessary for the benefit of all.

Do these two stories serve a purpose? Well for a start, they may help us when it comes to recognising a false Christ.

So I encourage you, read your Bible, don't rest on what you "think" it says. Dig out those seams of gold. Learn from it.

Other that that I just wanted to share some thoughts about things that interest me, and please, don't forget my challenge. Ask your questions below.

PATHWAYS Part 4

Welcome to part four of this series. So far, we have looked at three different paths we follow as part of our Christian walk. We have been through the Wilderness. Made our way along the Valley, and come to the top of the Mountain.
(You can follow these links to the previous posts if you're just catching up)

In all of these posts we have looked at; what we can learn, how God acts and how God  reveals himself.

In this post we will look at the fourth and final path of this series. This final path is different from the others. It is different, because God leads us along those other paths in order that we may learn from Him. We do not choose those paths.

This final path we will look at, is the only one we may freely choose to follow.

It is the path of the cross.

Matthew 16:24.  Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

Luke 9:23. Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple, must deny themselves and take up their cross daily, and follow me."

Luke 14:27. "And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me, cannot be my disciple.

I've seen and heard a lot of different ways of interpreting these verses. Most of them are fairly conservative. Many of the commentaries I have looked through, talk about; facing obstacles, enduring hardships, bearing our burdens and dealing with adversity. Or, they encourage us to embrace a willingness lay down our lives in  a purely mortal sense, some level of self sacrifice, or even martyrdom. However, and I say this with all humility, I think they all miss the mark. They come up just a little bit short of the truth.

If we look at these verses in context, we really only have to ask ourselves one logical question.

"If we are to take up our cross and follow Jesus. Then where was Jesus taking his cross?"

 Answer. "He was going to Calvary to die."

I like war movies. Not because of some sadistic enjoyment of the violence. I like the stories, the struggles, acts of bravery and heroism. My particular favourite is the HBO series "Band of Brothers" If you're not familiar with the series, it covers the events of WW2 following the Normandy invasion. It particularly follows one group of soldiers from Easy Company in the 101st Airborne Division.

In one of the episodes, a soldier is struggling to deal with the intense realities of armed conflict. An officer asks him a simple question.

"What's the secret to being a good soldier?"

Answer. "Knowing that you're already dead."

I believe the message of Jesus is just that simple. That as He died on His cross. So too must we reckon our lives lost for the sake of the gospel.

Philippians 3:7-8. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.

As we walk the path of the cross, we lose all, all that is temporal, of fleeting importance. In order that we may gain all, all that is eternal, that carries the values of His Kingdom.

When we walk the path of the cross, we walk in Kingdom purposes. We walk in covenant with our creator God. This idea of losing all, of dying to all can seem daunting I know. But here's the thing. God doesn't take it all at once. He guides us with a gentle hand. It is something we learn to walk in daily.

If we want to truly experience the power of the cross in our lives. We must walk the path of the cross.
It was the path Jesus had to walk in order to gain total victory over sin. It was the only way, to the power of the resurrection.

So if you want to truly live as a Christian, what's the secret?

It's reckoning yourself already dead.

Once you have chosen the path of the cross. You will still walk through the wilderness, along the valley and over the mountain. But you will do so in the power of the cross. But you have to choose it, you have to take it up.

You can also choose not  to walk down these paths. You can get off any time you want.

But I don't recommend it.


All scriptures NIV 2011

Images used in this post.
"Light Path"
Image courtesy of dan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
"Jesus Door"
Image courtesy of Naypong at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

PATHWAYS Part 3

My previous posts in this series took us down two different paths.

First we looked at the path through the wilderness. Here we talked about those things that can be learned on that path. It is where we can learn about; His word, our worship, our walk, how to war and how to wait.

Secondly, we looked at the path through the valley. Here we saw God in action on our behalf to; judge His enemies, to lead guide and comfort, to perform His word and to reward those that seek Him.

In this study we are going to a higher place. It's time to go up the mountain.

Once again, you have probably already thought of a few mountains. So let's go climbing shall we?

I have read a few books about mountain climbing, in particular books about Hillary and Everest, as well as others. I've learnt some things from these books which I will touch on in places, but for now, let's turn to the Bible.

Whenever we see mention of a mountain in the Bible. It is usually either an obstacle or a place of revelation. It is this aspect of revelation that I want to focus on.

The mountain is a place where God is revealed. It is a place where he reveals something of  Himself,
or something of His intention to us.

On Mt Sinai, God revealed Himself to Moses through His law and His word. His truth was revealed. Exodus 19-22

On Mt Carmel,  God demonstrated His power. His authority was revealed. 1 Kings 18:20-39.

On the top of Peor,  God revealed himself to Balaam, the pagan prophet, commanding him to bless and not curse. His will was revealed. Numbers 22-24.

On Mt Nebo, God met with Moses one last time and showed him Canaan, the land over Jordan. His promise was revealed. Deuteronomy 32:48-49.

On the Mount of Transfiguration. The disciples saw Jesus glorified. His divinity was revealed.  Mark 9:2-7 and Luke 9:28-35.

Whatever your experience on the mountain, and these examples are just a sampling, you cannot stay there. This was the error Peter made. He wanted to make booths and camp there. You must come down. The atmosphere is rarefied, the weather is changeable, unpredictable and you are exposed. Above a certain altitude, the top of the mountain is called "the death zone", and for very good reason.

Bear in mind that Moses died on Nebo because of his disobedience in the wilderness (see Deuteronomy above). The children of Israel camped around Kadesh Barnea for forty years because they refused to enter the land. Numbers14. Perhaps we could view Babel as an attempt to manufacture a mountain experience.

Whatever we learn on the mountain, we must also learn to carry it down. It is a well known fact among mountaineers, that more deaths occur on the descent than on the ascent. This is where climbers become careless. The climb up and the elation of the summit have taken their toll. Fatigue sets in, ego overrules wisdom. You have never really conquered a mountain by simply reaching the top. You must now get off it alive. You have to come down, because the mountain is not the finish of your journey.

If you're taken up the mountain, go up.

If you're not, then don't.

When you're told to go down, go.

Because whatever you've learnt there, you will carry with you on the next part of your journey. There may be another wilderness to cross, another valley to go through, another mountain to climb. This journey will continue until we come to the top of the final climb. Mt Zion.

So keep walking. It's not time to stop just yet.


Images used in this post.
"Light Path"
Image courtesy of dan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
"Mount Mckinley"
Image courtesy of bAll_llAd at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

PATHWAYS Part 2

My previous post in this series covered the path through the wilderness. If you haven't read it yet, you can scroll down or follow this link. At the risk of being repetitive and boring. Let me remind you again, that our Christian walk takes us down numerous pathways. We don't choose which path or when, but we can choose how we walk through them. Along the way there are lessons to learn. The wilderness path helps us to learn about God's word, about worship, warfare, our walk and how to wait.

In this study we take a walk along a new path. It is the path through the valley.

And no doubt, once again, your mind will hurry off to think about all the valleys you've heard about from the Bible. At least two or three in particular. Well, reign in your thoughts. We will probably touch on much of what you were just thinking, but there may be some surprises in store for you.

The valley of Decision. Joel 3:14. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision. For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
I have a hunch, that this is one of those verses we are all familiar with, but don't understand. Because this is not a valley you want to find yourself in. This is not, as I suspect many of us may believe, a place of our decision. Where we get stuck while trying to make up our minds. This valley is also referred to as the valley of Jehoshaphat. It is the valley of God's decision, it is a place of His judgement. Look back at Joel 3:2 and you will see what I mean. It is a place where God brings down his judgement on the nations for their treatment of Israel. So again, you don't want to find yourself in this valley.

The valley of the shadow of death. Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil for you are with me, your rod and your staff comfort me.
Okay, I quoted this from the NIV 2011 as I usually do. We are more familiar with the phrase "valley of the shadow of death". The Hebrew word that is used for valley in this verse means a narrow gorge. Deep in shadow. It is a place of foreboding and peril. Yet David knows that he does not walk this path alone. He knows that God goes with him, to guide, protect and comfort him.
A little side note, whenever you see a reference in the Bible about; a branch, staff, rod etc. It is often a metaphor for Jesus "the branch of Jesse".

The valley of dry bones. Ezekiel 37:1 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.
Ezekiel found himself in a broad flat valley. This valley had no shadow of death. Everything in it was dead. Nothing but dry bones, and God asks Ezekiel (vs3) "can these bones live?"
God commanded Ezekiel to prophesy. To speak words of life into the dry bones. Soon there stood before him a vast army.

The valley of weeping. Psalm 84:6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca (weeping), they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
The verse prior to this speaks of pilgrimage. It is thought that the "Valley of weeping" is a reference to the sap running from the balsam trees that grew in the valley. This is in fact a joyous passage. The references to autumn and pilgrimage speaks of the feast of Tabernacles. In fact this Psalm is filled with familiar verses, and is rife with it's longing after the house and presence of God.

A superficial glance at these passages might give us a picture of a valley, that speaks of gloom, sorrow, foreboding and death. But a closer examination reveals that God is present in all of them.

In Joel 3, He is present to bring judgement on his enemies, and vindication for His children.

In Psalm 23, He is present to lead, guide and comfort us.

In Ezekiel 37, He is present to perform his word, and bring life where all we can see is death.

In Psalm 84, He is present as a reward for those that earnestly seek Him.

The path through the valley is not always smooth. It is a path that needs your careful attention. Stumbling and falling is a common hazard. Quite a few years ago (about 25 actually), I went with a group of friends though a place in Sydney's Blue Mountains called Claustral Canyon. It was a tight narrow path following a stream. It required abseiling down three waterfalls. The water was very cold, and some times the only way through was to swim. The canyon is a beautiful place, but it is also narrow and treacherous. In some places it is almost possible to touch both side of the canyon walls at once.
But did I mention? This place is dangerous. On this trip, we started out following a wrong path, as a result one of our friends nearly lost his life to hypothermia.

You may be stuck in a valley right now. It may seem narrow, hard and lifeless. It may seem as though the narrow places have blocked out all light. That the hand of God rests heavily upon you, as you weep out your tears of pain, confusion and frustration. This is not the place to give up. Valleys have streams and rivers running through them. In the midst of this confined place, is a place of refreshing. Do not turn from the path, follow it. A valley will either bring you out into a broad place.

Or.

It will bring you up to the mountain.


Images used in this post.
"Rocky river between steep and lush mountains"
Image courtesy of Tuomas_Lehtinen at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

"Light Path" Image courtesy of dan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

PATHWAYS Part 1

The Bible talks a lot, both metaphorically and literally, about the paths we travel. They might be called roads, or referred to as a 'way' or something else. But there is no doubt, that to embark on the Christian 'walk' is to start the journey on these paths.

This is the first in a series of posts on this subject. I'm going to look, one by one, at what I believe are the four major paths we must all walk along. We will look at the people in the Bible that also walked these paths. Hopefully we will learn something along the way, and understand the path we are walking right now.

So, are you ready? Good, lets get started.

First, we're going to look at the path through the Wilderness.

Wait, did you just think to yourself, testing? Well that's only part of it, so before you let yourself drift off with that thought. STOP.

Because the path through the wilderness is the path to beginnings.
Look at these five major figures in the Bible that had wilderness experiences. Each of them went into a wilderness setting before something new was released into their lives.

Moses was in the wilderness forty years before he became the deliverer of the Israelites.
Joshua was in the wilderness forty years before he led the Israelites into the promised land.
David was exiled into the wilderness before he ascended to the throne.
Jesus was in the wilderness forty days before he began his public ministry.
Saul (Paul) spent three years after his conversion in Arabia and Damascus, before he stepped into his apostleship Gal 1:17-18.

So the wilderness, is a place of preparation, it leads us to a beginning, a new thing.

There are a number of things we must learn on our way through the wilderness.

We must come to the tabernacle, to learn how to worship. As we learn to worship, we learn to lose ourselves.

We must come to Sinai to learn His word. As we learn His word, our relationship with God is revealed.

We must be led by the fire and the cloud, as we learn to walk. As we learn to walk, we learn to follow.

We must face down our enemies as we learn the art of war. As we learn to war, we learn to walk in our victory.

We must gather manna, and drink water from the rock, as we learn to wait. As we learn to wait, we learn obedience to God's sufficiency.

We will all go through this wilderness experience, and more than just once, it may be many times. It might be through sickness or injury, personal struggles, a career that seems permanently on hold, or that promise that you're still waiting to see come to pass. We may not always recognise it, but we learn something along the way, hold fast to God, and move on. The wilderness is a place of barrenness and emptiness. We experience that barrenness in our soul. If we are not careful, if we do not keep our focus centred on God, then we can so easily lose hope, we fall into despair and desolation.

The big mistake, is in not learning, not growing and not moving at the right time. Out of the entire nation of Israel, only two saw the opportunity God had placed before them. I am of course talking about Joshua and Caleb Numbers 13 and 14.

It is of very great importance to remember, that as barren, empty and lonely as the wilderness may feel, you do not walk this path alone. Deuteronomy 1:33 "who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go."

You can't walk it alone. Because on your own you will not survive. You must be shown the way. Trust God to lead you to water, to sustain you. Draw from his word, lean in to worship. And above all else, don't be afraid to take the fight to the enemy.

As we have seen with the children of Israel. How we respond to the wilderness journey, will determine the length of the journey. Joshua and Caleb had an unbridled passion and faith in God's ability to take them into the land, but were held back for forty years by the fearful complainers and grumblers. After Jesus had faced down the devil, angels came to minister to him. Even while in exile David continually called on the Lord, who led him into victory.

As you walk out this pathway, remember you're not alone. God is there to guide you and provide for you. You will pass through.

Images used in this post.
"Light path"
Image courtesy of dan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
"Mesquite Sand Dunes at Sunrise-Death Valley National Park"
Image courtesy of dexchao at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In the Drivers Seat.

A few days back, I was driving around on my way to pick up some people from the Airport. It occurred to me that I have two different driving styles.

Firstly, there is the way I drive when I'm on my own. Secondly, there's the way I drive with passengers. In fact, there's a third variation, which depends on who the passengers are.

It all got me thinking back to something I wrote in a book a few years back. The book covered some events in my life when I had broken my neck in a cycling accident. I was going through a fair amount of soul searching, when I had this conversation with myself.

“What would your day look like if you spent it in Joel’s company? (Joel is a senior pastor at Hillsong church. I say senior but he’s younger than me.) I realized, that the way I was living, my actions and conversation would be radically altered. Not that I was living a sin filled life, or that my speech was particularly profane, it just wasn’t what it could be. I, wasn’t who I could be.

Then this happened. (I’ll try to write it so you get the two simultaneous thoughts that ran through my head.)
 
It would be almost as if God was with you . . .    (You idiot God is with you)   . . . the whole day."        

(Excerpt from "I am Broken" by Leo Sandy. Available as an e-book on Kindle, iTunes, Kobo and Nook.)

Which brings me to ask. Where have we placed God? Where do we see him?
Is God remote, a disembodied spirit? Do we think of him as only being in heaven, sitting on a throne?
Do we really believe that he has a vital interest in our day to day waking life?

Because it seems as though a lot of us live with exactly these kinds of misconceptions.

Philosophical thinking would have us reduce God to an idea, nothing more than an abstract notion.
A set of noble ideals to aspire to. Certainly not a personal God that seeks after relationship, dialogue and involvement.

It's kind of like how we drive our cars when we can "see" that Police Car. But once it's gone, the law becomes reduced to an abstract ideal. We know the law exists, but because we don't see the agents of enforcement in our presence. It gets cast aside.

Wait. Am I suggesting that we don't consider God to be present, and that we have cast him aside from our conscious thinking? In many ways, yes.

My analogy of the police car serves us well here. Because we tend to forget the presence of the law, when we forget the presence of the agent.

I believe we've settled into a reductionist compartment view of God. God is in heaven. Jesus is up there too, because he ascended and took up residence in the throne room. As for Holy Spirit, well, where and what is he?

The Holy Spirit is God. In totality. It's a concept that our finite minds have trouble grasping, because we think in terms of solid objects. When we think of spirit, our thinking has been reduced by fairy tales and genies and such like, one thing in one place. Take it out of the bottle and put it back again.

But the Holy Spirit fills the whole earth.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:7-10 NIV 2011.

David understood this idea of an all encompassing, ever present God. He knew, that God was always there. God is infinite and complete. It matters not wether we refer to him as; God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. The name doesn't change the fact.

I think another part of the problem is with how we read a verse in Ephesians.

". . .the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption . . ."
Ephesians 1: 13b-14a. NIV 2011

That verse, when misread, becomes completely reductionist. We reduce the Holy Spirit to a "bit" of God. The KJV uses the word "earnest", which means a down payment.

Here's the problem. You can't cut God into pieces. God is infinite, without beginning or end.
Even if you were able to separate something infinite into component parts, each part would still be infinite. Because that is its inherent nature. (Now while you get your head around that, let me assure you. I have checked this with a friend, whose has degrees in Mathematics. He says this is correct.)

Too many Christians I fear live their lives from exactly this viewpoint. They have a "bit" of God. They have a "bit" of his power, a "bit" of grace. When we have a small view of God, (and it is entirely possible to know God is infinite and still hold him in a small view) then other things take the centre of our view. God gets pushed out to the periphery, he becomes a fleeting shadow.

We are not meant to live out our Christian lives as if God is only present some of the time. Only accessing His presence when we need it, or when we remember. God is meant to be fully seen, not just glimpsed at. This is why, when I had that moment with God, I realised that I was living "in part". I can't only live as a Christian among Christians.
We must live our lives in the fullness of the present, presence of God.

So, (if you will excuse me quoting from "The Cars") Who's going to drive you home tonight?

Lighting the Way

We're supposed to let our light shine for all to see right?

 A light in the darkness, a guiding light, a light that shines more and more until the final day.

But I wonder, how many of us check our alignment, to make sure our light shines correctly?


I find driving at night a bit more difficult than it used to be, and more hazardous.

It used to be simple. Driving on the left hand side of the road at night, you look to the left when there is oncoming traffic. (If you happen to be reading this in a country that drives on the right hand side of the road, then obviously you would look to the right). You turn your eyes away from the oncoming glare, in doing so you retain your night vision. And there's that handy mirror that you flick up to dim the light from following vehicles. But it's not that simple anymore. There is an increasing number of vehicles on the road, mostly 4WD's, SUV's, people movers, that all have their lights set up high in the bodywork.  Now those oncoming and following lights are at eye level. Add to this, the proliferation of brighter types of lights, halogen, LED and the like. Driving conditions become have blindingly hazardous.


But it's not just the lights or the cars themselves.
A lot of cars have their lights badly adjusted. A car used to get inspected periodically, and the light adjustment was checked. Now it seems sufficient if the lights just work. It doesn't seem to matter if one of the lights is permanently aimed into the eyes of an oncoming driver on full beam.

Then there are the increasing numbers of cars I see without any lights on at all. It seems that we live in such a well illuminated driving environment, that some drivers are unaware that their own lights cannot be seen.

They simply assume (or so it seems) that if they can see, then they are also seen. But I do appreciate how easy it is to do this. Coming out of late night shopping centres with their well lit carparks, it's easy to forget. Then we plunge onto darkened roads, and the lights still aren't on.

I wonder how many Christians go through life like this?

In Matthew 5:16, Jesus said. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven."  (KJV)

I want to draw your attention to this little word, "so". It means, "in this way".

It 's the manner in which you allow your light to shine.

The purpose of the light is to bring glory to God.

The light should never be directed at ourselves.
It should never be hidden, or left off.
It should never, ever, be allowed to shine in such a way that it causes offence.
It should never annoy or distract.

But I know, it's so easy some times. we step out of our brightly lit church environment, and we assume our own light is visible. Sometimes we act in a moment of zeal or perhaps immaturity, but we cause offence or distract. Sometimes we caught up in passion and excitement and forget, it's not about us.

A friend of mine, Lyn Packer, recently wrote on her prophetic encouragement page that "we must disappear, so He can appear."

We teach our children to sing "this little light of mine" but the problem is, it's not our light, not really.

The Apostle Paul said "I know that in me there is no good thing".

We don't actually have a light we were drawn from darkness into light.

We have received light that has been given to us, we are not the source of the light.
It has been entrusted to us.

We must "walk worthy of the one who has called us".

It is our responsibility, to ensure that the light that shines from us, is properly directed, lighting the path so that others may follow.

The "other" uncomfortable Jesus.

A few weeks ago, I was shown this poem by G. Betty Hares.

IDENTITY

Conceived out of wedlock,
Born in an outhouse,
Laid in a make shift bed of unsterile straw.

Let's trim it up a bit,
Make the cows gentle,
Add a sky of soft velvet and bright twinkling stars.

Let's accent the romance.
Forget the reality;
After all it did take place a long time ago.

We know such things happen,
But this must have been different,
This was the Son of God crying and cold.

Deep down I've a feeling,
He refused to be different,
That his birth, like his death, was as bad as could be.

If it's different I've made it so,
Heaven forgive me!
And that's why I'm blind when I meet him today,
In the addict, the drop out, the homeless, the hungry.
And that's why they often don't meet him in me.


I like this poem, because it challenges the way we have so often mythologised our concept of Christ.

We prefer to create for ourselves a "comfortable" Jesus, one that is easy to live with.

There is a dual nature to the person of Christ, and I think that most of us tend to gravitate towards one aspect of his nature or the other. Some of us like the idea that Jesus was kind-hearted and healed people. But we're not too sure about cursing fig trees and storming the money changers tables with whip in hand. We like the gentle, meek user friendly image of Jesus. Oh yes, we understand that he will sit in judgement one day, but lets not dwell on that now shall we?

Atheist Richard Dawkins has said that he finds the story of the crucifixion utterly abhorrent. But he quite likes the beatitudes. So he is comfortable with one idea of Jesus, but not with another.

Then there are those that gravitate to the more authoritative Jesus, those powerful images of storms going out at the breath of his words, warnings of judgement to come. For them, power is embraced at the cost of mercy.

We need to see and understand Jesus in his completeness. Because if we focus only on the "nice" Jesus, then we bypass judgement and accountability. But if we focus only on judgement and authority, then we shut people off from grace.

So how do these two natures sit in balance? Here are some clues.

Matthew 10:16b Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

Psalm 85:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Ephesians 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head even Christ.

Throughout the scriptures we see this balance happening. Where truth, judgement, wisdom, righteousness, are paired together with peace, love, innocence, mercy. In the verse in Ephesians, Paul is telling us that obtaining this balance is the key to growing into Christ. And I particularly love the picture of intimacy between righteousness and peace.

We sing a song in church at the moment, that speaks of God's FURIOUS LOVE  being poured onto the cross. It is a confronting idea that God, in that same moment, poured out BOTH, his WRATH and his LOVE.

Richard Dawkins rejects the idea of the cross. Because he cannot reconcile the compatibility of these dual natures.

The poem I began with speaks of an inability to see Jesus in the needs of others, and the inability of the needy to see Jesus in us. We pray and cry out for more of him. But maybe what we really need is all of him. When we embrace both his regal nature as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and his submissive nature as the Lamb of God. When we understand what it means to exercise judgement and mercy together, then we will be more like him.


Footnote. As I was working on this post, I got all excited about this idea of "The Lion and the Lamb laying down together". Because we quote that all the time right? Except no such verse exists. I thought for certain that it was in Revelation. Wrong. It does in fact come to us in mixed up form, from a verse in Isaiah 11:6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.

And, I was so excited because I was going to work this idea into the post. I was certain I would astound you all with this killer of a point. Which brings me back to how easily we get carried away with our mythologised views of Christ.

A favourite preacher of mine, Charles Nieman once said, "If you're going to preach the Bible, then preach the Bible, at least find out what it says."

That's good advice.

Same Sex, Same Jesus?

In the current discussion, (OK it's just short of all out war) regarding the Christian Church and same sex issues, there have been a lot of opinions floated about. Much of this discussion has been dominated by outright bad theology (from both sides) and outright bigotry, (again, from both sides).

Somewhere in the middle of all this, there are some in the church that are trying to find the right way to address the issue. The question looks something like this.

"How do I uphold the truths of the Bible, on the subject of same sex attraction, without compromising those truths and my own beliefs. While at the same time being able to express the undiluted love and grace of Jesus Christ?"

That's a tough question. It's so tough, most don't even know how to approach it, let alone how to begin to try to answer it. But some are trying.

For example, Carl Lentz. Lead pastor of Hillsong Church New York City. His approach has been to steadfastly refuse to address the issue from any public platform. He has a number of reasons for this,
Firstly, as he so often iterates, Jesus never did so. Secondly, he will not make a blanket statement on the subject. His preference is to have a face to face conversation. Because he knows that each person will respond differently to such a message. By having such conversations he shows respect and gives validity to each persons viewpoint. Here is a video of Carl  pressing that exact point.

Well is Carl on the right track? To answer this we must look at the ministry of Jesus.

But before we go any further it is essential we clear something up. It is of no use to this debate whatsoever to ask, What Would Jesus Do? What we must ask is, What Did Jesus Do?
Did Jesus publicly address the issues of same sex attraction? No, at least we have no record of such a statement.

He did however address several people facing issues attached to gender. Issues that resulted in ostracism, religious exclusion, bigotry and judgement among other things. I came up with four of these people without even thinking too hard about it. They are all women, because to be a woman in Jesus time, was, by our modern standards to be something of a second class citizen. And these four women were even further down the order than that.

The first of these women is, "The woman at the well" John 4:7-27. This woman is a social pariah, outcast from her own community, she has had five husbands and hasn't even bothered with a wedding for man number six vs. 17-18. She is coming to the well at noon, when nobody else is there. She is a Samaritan. A class shunned and hated by the Jews. Note that the disciples were shocked that Jesus was talking to a woman and a Samaritan vs. 27. But central to this discussion is a part that is often ignored, apart from Jesus' answer. It is the question of worship. Historically the Samaritans were a people excluded from the Jews, some were Jews returning from the dispersion, but unable to prove their lineage. Partly it was a result of the Israel-Judah division of the nation. partly they were descendants of forcibly displaced Babylonians. Because of generational mixture they thought of themselves as Jews. They erected a temple under the direction of a priest who was cast out of Jerusalem by Nehemiah. They celebrated Passover. The temple was later destroyed. In a similar manner to the current practise of Islam, the Samaritans would face the mountain site of the destroyed temple when they worshipped. Now comes the question from this woman. Vs. 20b "you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."
There you have the whole picture. A Samaritan woman, excluded from society, excluded from worship. She has been given a law from religious leaders. "This is how you must worship, but we won't let you in because we despise you."
Jesus was not at that well by accident.

The second is the woman with the issue of blood. Mark 5:25-34. Here is a woman excluded, by reasons attached to her sexuality, from any form of social interaction, even family, and she has been this way for twelve years. Despite all her best efforts and those of many physicians her condition has remained unchanged. Under Levitical Law, she should not even be in the city, let alone in the middle of a crowd, she was deemed "unclean" by the law. Leviticus 15:25-33.
In the midst of a pressing crowd, as we so often see, Jesus stops for the "one" the individual.

The third is the woman caught in adultery. John 8:3-11. Here is another question of law. A law that demanded judgement. The religious authorities, (trying to trap Jesus) demanded an acknowledgement of the Law in this case, that judgement be exercised, and the woman be stoned. The law demanded her immediate death.
Jesus responded with mercy, first addressing the condemning crowd. He pointed out that all are guilty of sin, therefore none are fit to stand in judgement. Then he offers forgiveness.

The fourth is the woman with the alabaster box. Luke7:36-50. Jesus is a dinner guest in the house of Simon, a Pharisee, and once again we run into the condemnation of religious authority. The woman by all accounts is a prostitute. She has come to anoint Jesus and worship at his feet. An act Jesus does nothing to discourage. It outrages his host, so much so that Simon questions Jesus' authenticity and spirituality, "If this man were a prophet" he asks himself vs.39. As a prostitute, this woman was barely tolerated. Her life is regarded as shameful and under the ban of society.
Prostitution is akin to; harlotry, adultery and idolatry. The woman is an outcast.
Jesus, once again does not address her situation until the very last, instead he turns his attention towards his host, addressing his hypocrisy.

So there are four examples of how Jesus responded to four different women. They faced a variety of issues, but with many common factors; gender, law, social exclusion, exclusion from worship, reputation, self esteem, shame, outcasts, rejected.

Jesus stepped into all of their worlds, he offered; acceptance, forgiveness, restoration, wholeness, grace, mercy, love, salvation.

So in light of this, how should the church respond to the LGBTI community? Probably the last thirty years or more could be held as a bad response. From the hysterical preaching of AIDS as Gods judgement on the gay community, right down to the waving of placards proclaiming God's hatred towards his children. Now they are paraded as evidence of end times apocalypse.
Not much of this is based on a truly biblical New Testament Church response. It is based on a lie, the lie that homosexuality is somehow worse than all other sin. A lie that feeds upon prejudice, fear, a personal sense of revulsion. The Bible draws no such distinction. We should have done, and now must do, better.

Some would say throw the doors open, let them come as they are, we wont judge. Others would say bar the doors and lock them tight. Neither is a helpful response. To barricade and bar entry is to alienate and deny access to Christ. To open the doors without restraint is to invite a further dilution of truth.

Because to come to Christ is to acknowledge ones sin. The response of Jesus as we so often see, is to forgive the sinner, but then to advocate a process of change, "go your way and sin no more". It is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring that change to pass, it is not the job of the church.

This is a journey we are all on, as the Bible says, "working out our own salvation daily" Philippians 2:12 (my paraphrase). I cannot tell you how to embark on that journey, and neither can anyone else. We can sit together, share our stories, pray together and encourage one another. I would advise a few things that are helpful to this journey, such as; prayer, devotional reading, Christian fellowship, corporate worship, attention to sound Biblical teaching etc.
Because salvation, without the ongoing work of salvation, is mere lip-service. The mouthing of prescribed platitudes. It does not constitute relationship with God.

Carl Lentz is often quoted as saying "We are a come as you are Church" and that's good. Jesus never turned anyone away that came seeking him in honest humility. But that invitation must be balanced. What the church cannot say is, "stay as you are" because that is a broad road, it is not the path to salvation.

To Know and To Know Not

I have written previously, about our belief structures, in a post titled Is vs Does

I would like to continue with this idea a bit further, part two if you like, by asking this question. Do we know God, or merely know about  God

A great many people know about God, they've at least heard about him. Many may even profess to have a degree of knowledge about God, they've read and heard some stuff and formed an opinion about him.

For this latter group of people, theirs is head knowledge. They are analytical. They will judge the beliefs and actions of others, purely in accordance with what they know and the opinion they have formed. Their knowledge, I believe, is very similar to the law based world view of the Pharisees.

There are some good examples of these people in the Bible.

Samson. Whose whole calling and experience was handed to him on a platter. He did not respect it. He did not nurture it. When the Spirit of God departed from him, he was unaware of it. Judges 16:20.

Saul. Another one that stumbled into his calling, rash and impetuous. He did not know how to seek God.1Sam 9:5-10. He did not know how to trust and follow God. 1Sam 13:9-13. In the end he was stripped of his throne in favour of "a man after God's own heart." 1Sam 13:14.

The Pharisees. They were experts in the law. Dedicated in their forms of worship. Yet blind to the presence of the Messiah, the living God, walking amongst them.

Philip. One of Jesus' own disciples, of whom Jesus asked, "Don't you know me Philip, even after I've been among you such a long time?" John 14:9a. NIV 2011.

For believers such as these. Their Christianity is a veneer and easily peeled away.

It is based on superficial experience.

It has a superficial expression.

They have "a form of godliness, yet deny it's power"  1Tim 3:5.

The men of Nazareth, Jesus' home town, said they knew him. Sadly their familiarity filled them with unbelief. For they knew him only as the carpenters son. Matt 13:53-58.

This is a world away from knowing him.
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As for those that truly know their God, "they shall be mighty and do exploits" Daniel 11:32 KJV. Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me." Jno10:27 NIV 2011.
These people, a great many of them, are also found in the Bible.

David. A young shepherd boy, who wrote songs of praise, to the creator of the stars he slept under. He slew a giant the king was hiding in fear of.

Daniel. Who stood before pagan foreign kings, refusing to bow to their gods, stepping unscathed from the lions den.

Philip. A young believer, chosen to serve at tables because of his faith and dedication. Acts 6:1-6. He preached the Gospel in Samaria, confronted Simon the Sorcerer and baptised the Ethiopian Eunuch. Acts 8.

For believers such as these, their knowledge is heart based. It is deeply rooted and not easily shaken.

It comes from a personal revelation.

It becomes a personal relationship.

 The men of Samaria said to the woman from the well. "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the saviour of the world." John 4:42 (Italics mine)

If you were to look at my left hand you would observe that I wear a wedding ring. You might come to the conclusion that you know I am married.

But I know my wife.

Do you know?

Or do you simply know, about?