08/08/2012 by sevennotesofgrace

Blessed with extravagant grace to bless others

Do you ever shake your head in bewilderment at God’s people in Old Testament days? Despite many blessings, God’s faithfulness and the repeated demonstration of His power and redeeming love, they refused to share the glory and knowledge of their merciful God with the peoples about them. Instead they chose to turn away from the true & living God to pursue the gods and lifestyle of the culture around them. How could they do this? (we ask!) I know I have thought this way in the past, but perhaps we need to examine ourselves here in 2012, as God’s blessed people.

Consider these words from David Platt: “God blesses His people with extravagant grace, so they might extend His extravagant glory to all peoples on the earth. This basic, fundamental truth permeates Scripture from beginning to end. . . (yet) we live in a church culture that has a dangerous tendency to disconnect the grace of God from the glory of God. Our hearts resonate with the idea of enjoying God’s grace. We bask in sermons, conferences and books that exalt a grace centering on us. And while the wonder of grace is worthy of our attention, if that grace is disconnected from its purpose, the sad result is a self-centred Christianity that bypasses the heart of God.”
(“Radical” by David Platt (2010), p69-70).

Ouch! Basking in conferences, sermons and books! (That’s me.)
So have we also been keeping God’s blessings to ourselves? In our modern (western) world we have freedoms and luxuries unimaginable in past eras. Consider our education, our health, our homes, our families, our incomes. Are we using them to make ourselves comfortable or to spread the extravagant glory and grace of God to all peoples? Do we use our technology, our maturity in Christ, our education and knowledge of the Bible to bless others? Our blessings are given that we might bless others – this was the essence of God’s promises to Abraham (that all the world would be blessed through Father Abraham’s great nation).
Let’s not be content to sit on our blessings – particularly the blessing of salvation.
Unlike those OT people, we have the gracious gift of the Holy Spirit at work in us, moulding and shaping us to be more like Christ and giving us the desire to serve Him. Pray that we would not be content with self-centred Christianity. . . let’s not keep the blessings to ourselves.

Jeremiah 31:33 – “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. (NLT)

03/08/2012 by sevennotesofgrace

The LORD is my light and my salvation…(2)

An interesting way to think about “hiding God’s word” in our heart – and why it is important to do that. This blog “Singing in Babylon” is a good one; it’s all about Psalms, about how we, who are living in “Babylon”, as it were, can be encouraged by this ancient book of poetry/song. Enjoy!

Singing in Babylon

‘My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek.’ Psalm 27:8.

Is it just a prejudice that comes with living in the 21^st century that I have such difficulty thinking of David, living 3000 years ago, as a man so acutely self-aware in the presence of his LORD?

Even with the differences between us on a cultural level (David never drove a car or wore a suit and tie; he never had a ‘Facebook’ page or ‘blogged’ a single line, and his taste in music was so ‘Old Testament’) the similarity in his songs with what goes on in my heart when I am confronted by God amazes as well as comforts me.

Threatened with powerful enemies, this man whom the LORD described as one ‘after my own heart’ could look within himself, into his heart and find the way to meet…

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01/08/2012 by sevennotesofgrace

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam, or maybe a firework?

“Jesus wants me for a sunbeam” was one of the first Sunday school songs I ever learned. (If you have never had the pleasure of singing it, try google.) It called us all to shine for Jesus each day, to please Him “at home, at school, at play”. I wonder if Katy Perry learned this song in Sunday school? Daughter of an evangelist/pastor in California, Katy Perry grew up as part of her parents’ ministry, singing in church from age 9 to 17. She grew up listening to gospel music and was not allowed to listen to secular songs. And despite her recent liftestyle choices and the song lyrics which shout about things that would deny the God of her childhood, His truth comes shining through (at times), possibly despite her intentions.

Perhaps you already know what I’m talking about? Perry’s song “Firework” is her self-confessed favourite from the album ‘Teenage Dream’ (2010). When you check out the lyrics you could be mistaken for thinking this was a song that called Christians to remember that they are a unique creation, called to “shine like stars” in the darkness of this generation. Here is a sampling of the lyrics:

Do you know that there’s still a chance for you, ‘Cause there’s a spark in you
You just gotta ignite the light, and let it shine, Just own the night like the 4th of July
‘Cause baby you’re a firework, Come on, show ’em what you’re worth
Make ’em go “Oh, oh, oh” As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby, you’re a firework, Come on, let your colours burst
Make ’em go “Oh, oh, oh”, You’re gonna leave ’em all in “awe, awe, awe”
You don’t have to feel like a wasted space, You’re original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds . . .

Perry says of this song: “Now, people are coming back and almost adopting it as their own anthem . . . I hope this could be one of those things where it’s like, ‘Yeah, I want to put my fist up and feel proud and feel strong. . . and I think ‘Firework’ … would be like the opus or my one song — if I had to pick a song to play — ’cause it has a great beat. But it also has a fantastic message.”

God’s truth bleeds through this song, as it proclaims that we are unique beings, the intentional creation of a loving all-powerful Creator. Amen to that! But what she has needs to know is that our potential to “shine” comes from outside of us. It’s not “deep inside of you“, as Perry says, waiting for us to ignite it. Our “full potential” is realised when we make peace with God, through Christ, and He enters into our life. We become His children, heirs of the promise, co-heirs with Christ. He puts his Spirit in us, the “spark” which begins to restore us according to God’s original design. God’s spark is what makes us see our true worth, and changes the way we live our lives and interact with others, for their good. We can only shine out the likeness of His character if He is in us. We can shine out the family likeness only if our Father is God. Here is the way we are to “shine”:

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.” (Philippians 2:14-16)

If you are looking for a great ‘church’ song, produced by Sydney Anglicans which sums up the essence of this verse, try looking at EMU music for the song “The Light” by Nicky Chiswell (2000). It has been a real encouragement for many years in our church. Keep shining!

31/07/2012 by sevennotesofgrace

New songs say ‘God is doing something now’!

Sometimes change can make us very uncomfortable. It can make us feel totally out of control, it can rob us of things to which we feel entitled. Let’s explore this for a moment in terms of church music.
We Christians develop a real attachment to the songs of our faith. They become associated with the ups and downs we have been through, or the exciting time of our youth, or the time we first came to faith. When we sing them the songs instantly conjure the emotions of those times. This is why some people just can’t sing songs from the funerals of dearly departed friends and family, without being overwhelmed by sadness.

So should we learn new hymns and spiritual songs, especially when such change can cause great angst? I had a conversation with a lovely friend over the weekend who was frustrated with a lack of interest for changing and updating the songs they sing in their church. Many of her congregation are still attached to the ‘Scripture in Song’ repertoire which became popular in the 70s and 80s. The musical style of these choruses hark back to this era . . . and make some people really cringe!

I have found a great rationale for new songs from Rick Warren, author of the “Purpose Driven Church” (1995). “If you study church history you’ll discover that every genuine revival has always been accompanied by new music. New songs say ‘God is doing something here and now, not just a hundred years ago’. Every generation needs new songs to express its faith“.

Another great insight comes from a Presbyterian minister Rowland Lowther (2002). He says that his favourite Christian song is “When I survey the Wondrous Cross”, to the old hymn tune, “. . . but for the sake of the Gospel I would be willing to change the musical style so that those wonderful lyrics could impact on the next generation. . . What matters to me more is not that I be moved, but those in the next generation has those wonderful old lyrics to a music format that can lift their spirits to worship the same living God that the writer of this hymn worshipped hundreds of years ago”.

Great point. I think it also comes down to the concept of “renewing our minds”. By hearing the gospel explained by new people, in new and fresh ways, our understanding of God and the gospel of His grace is strengthened and deepened. That has got to be a good thing.

How to suffer well

BOOK REVIEW: “Suffering Well: The predictable surprise of Christian Suffering” by Paul Grimmond (2011), Matthias Media.

It was John Wesley who famously said of Christians in his era “our people die well”. Presumably they died strong in the faith, with an understanding that this life is not all there is, or all that matters, and with hope in the glorious future that awaits in Christ beyond the grave.

Could the same be said of Christians in the 21^st century? How do we cope with suffering in general, let alone death? Do we suffer and die ‘well’?

In the first chapter of his challenging book ‘Suffering Well’ author Paul Grimmond states his case: when it comes to suffering we are prisoners of our age who have “lost touch with biblical truth because of the constant hum of worldly thinking that swirls around in our heads” (p.18). As a result we don’t know how to view suffering, to suffer well, or how to encourage one another in suffering for Christ.

I read this book during a month of suffering; it was not the sufferings of physical attack or public persecution, simply that the flu had descended, making an ordeal of every simple daily task. As I suffered and coughed, Grimmond’s book helped resolve some of the dilemmas about suffering which I had wrestled with before. Here are just two main points (of many great ones which the book raises) which will stay with me:

1. Don’t come to the Bible with the world’s view of suffering – start with Bible’s view and look at suffering in our world through those eyes. In the world’s view suffering, or at least the avoidance of suffering, is the new moral standard. According to Grimmond it is the only determinant of what is right: a disabled child will suffer, and so will the parents, so it is apparently “right” to terminate their existence before birth; the same goes for an injured dog and an old person with terminal cancer. Suffering is seen as the only evil, which must be avoided at all costs. “Suffering is a major part of the argument against God’s existence. The very presence of suffering . . . is a key piece of evidence. If we really have an all-good and all-powerful God then how can there possibly be suffering?” (p.25) More than that our world believes religion is one great cause of human suffering. “In our brave new world, suffering means that God is immoral and Christians are immoral” (p.28) since we believe in a God who would allow suffering to exist!

If we come to the Bible with this worldly view in our heads, no wonder we don’t know what to do with suffering, or how to speak up for the God who allows it. Grimmond takes us back to the Bible to see that God is in control, that God is God and I am not! He is the potter, we are His clay. God is in complete control over creation, which means that “the suffering of God’s creation occurs by his hands . . .Scripture never suggests suffering and difficulty come because God is out of control; rather . . . they come because he is IN control.” (p.46-7). This may seem a big and bitter pill to swallow, but it is the teaching of the Bible through and through. This God is not a god we have created, one the world would approve of, a benevolent grandfatherly figure who simply indulges us moment by moment. God wills, He purposes, He acts, He works all things together for good, including suffering. “The world is suffering because it stands under the heavy hand of God’s judgement . . . Our world, marked by suffering and death , is a world that has been bent out of shape BY GOD. . . God has visited upon us the results of our sin” (p48-49).
Yet this God has involved Himself in the suffering of His creation; suffering is at the heart of His plan to create a perfect world and glorify himself. Jesus faced the suffering that should be ours. “While suffering may be painful and awful, it comes from the hand of a sovereign God who will use it for good, and who guarantees that good by the gift of his Son” (p64).

2. Don’t downplay the real suffering for Christ that Western Christians experience – being scorned, reviled and mocked! In Chapter 6, entitled “Where’s all the persecution gone?” the discussion moves from the general suffering of our fallen world to specific suffering for being a Christian. Grimmond wants us to see that in taking up the cross of as Christ’s disciple, the imminent danger is not usually physical hardship, but the danger of being ashamed of Christ. “When we think of suffering for Christ “persecution” is the word we naturally use. But in the bible the language is much more diverse. It talks of being reviled and spoken against and maligned . . . The Bible’s big question for us is will you obey Jesus and speak for Him, or will you be ashamed of his words?” (p.96). Grimmond sees the great danger for Western Christians is “the slow, spiritual death of a thousand tiny compromises crouched at the door, waiting to devour our hearts. . . at the moment we need it most we have let go of a robust theology of belonging to Christ and suffering for him”(p.97). Though we live in a culture where words are cheap and people can say what they want and be rude to each other all the time, we don’t have to see it as weakness if those words really sting us. Grimmond suggests that we do not serve or encourage one another well when we say we don’t suffer, because it reinforces the view that suffering for Christ is only physical. “As a result we fail to teach each other to live without shame in the face of the more subtle pressures in our culture” (p.98). So, this IS persecution and we discourage each other when we downplay it! We should also rebuke ourselves when we fear it or shy away from it. This is the shame we are NOT to be ashamed of! With regards to the promise of suffering for and with Christ, Grimmond insists we teach it to people from the moment of conversion. “We must share this truth with our children so they grow up rejoicing that they’re counted as Christ’s when they suffer for him”(p.103).

Grimmond says we also suffer as Christians because of our compassion. When we see the suffering, the sin, the lost people of this world through God’s eyes, it brings deep sorrow. And as for the ‘predictable surprise’ of the title . . . I might leave that for you to read about in chapter 5! If you want to get a better handle on the question of suffering, and find hope in the midst of it, grab a copy of Grimmond’s book, which successfully turns our eyes back to our Sovereign God, who is in control of all our suffering.

“What are we Christians called to do in the face of suffering? We are called to wait well, to praise our God in every moment, and to ask for God’s strength to do good – even to our enemies” (p.139).

You can buy Paul Grimmond’s book from Matthias Media by following this link: suffering-well

07/07/2012 by sevennotesofgrace

Sharing the perspicuity of God’s gracious Word

Perspicuity – I just love that word!
Before we go any further I should probably tell you what it means, shouldn’t I? It means “the quality of being perspicuous, of being clearly expressed and easily understood”. The word “Perspex” (which is a clear acrylic substitute for glass) is a close relative. If something is as “clear as glass” you can see through it!
Now for the sake of being “perspicuous” I better get to my main point: God’s Word is perspicuous, but many of us are unconvinced!
Years of sitting through bible studies and sermons can make us doubt the perspicuity of the bible, and our own ability to read and understand it. We think we must always rely on theologically trained people to explain the Bible to us. And so . . . we don’t read it, or we read with fear or reluctance. (Nb. I still love theologically trained people who teach the Word well.)
One great way to come back to the perspicuity to the bible is to read it with someone else, and this is what I was thinking about when I first came across the word a few months ago. I was preparing a presentation on One-2-One bible reading for a women’s breakfast. D. Broughton Knox (Moore College Principal 1959-1985) said regarding the perspicuity of the bible, that “the Bible is comprehensible, and its interpretation does not depend on experts or even authoritative interpreters“. Another theologian would like us to remember a similar point: “In evangelism, in edification, nothing can beat opening the text of the Bible and reading what God Himself has actually said. Christians need only have confidence in God’s word and a basic skill in reading it with others” (Phillip Jensen, Dean of Sydney, Anglican Church).

Through preparing and delivering my talk I now realise it is no easy task convincing people they can read the bible informally, understand it and be strengthened by it. Yet I have found this to be true by nearly all who will dare try it, including myself. So will you dare? If you are feeling flat or stuck or stifled or at a standstill in your growth as a Christian, or if you simply want to “let His Word dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16) then try it. All you need is a friend, a bible book (and pencil), and an hour a week, over whatever period of time you choose. Around 15-20 verses is enough to share each week; just pick up where you left off the next time you meet.

WHAT TO DO:
Read through the text aloud once, silently once, and then grab a pencil to mark up your text.
Identify 3 things: questions, “lightbulbs” (main points) and “arrows” (application points, things to apply and act on). I use little symbols for each of these. Once you’ve both marked your text with a pencil, simply share and discuss each of your questions, lightbulbs and arrows.

THINGS TO REMEMBER:
1. The purpose of reading together is to read and question the text together; the huge benefits come through the conversation, the dialogue you have around the text. Over time you will have talked your way through and in and around a whole book of the bible. You WILL remember the message of that book much better. . .and you will have deepened your friendship in the Lord! Bonus!
2. You don’t have to have all the answers or be an expert. It is best not to use study bibles as that can prevent you from thinking and really listening to the text. (That said, it is sometimes useful to look at intro notes before you start a book, just to clarify the context, date and author of a book. If burning or totally difficult issues/questions come out of your discussion look it up during the week and report back. I’ve found this isn’t required often at all).
3. No preparation! Don’t read ahead or study a passage so you can appear wiser/a better Christian! Trust that God can and will speak though His Word and that you will be able to discuss and understand it.
4. It’s good to use 2 different translations (if you can cope with that, like NIV and ESV and NLT) as you will get a greater grasp of the passage this way. A different translation sometimes help clarify the intended message.
5. Silence is okay! In fact, it’s great! Encourage thinking time. Make this clear to your reading partner at the start.
6. Pray at the start and end of your time together.

Enjoy the gracious gift of God’s perspicuous Word in your own language, and the opportunity to read it in freedom!

“God had every reader of Holy Scripture in mind at the time of its ‘exhalation’. This means not only that God’s Word is inspired and universally applicable, but also that, in it, God is speaking presently to every particular reader (or hearer) of His Word.”
(Peter Blowes, 2011, “Reading the Bible”, Matthias Minizine)

You may also like these posts:

From the Gospel Coalition: 7 Arrows for Bible Reading

The Blessed and God-breathed book (2 Timothy 3:16)

24/06/2012 by sevennotesofgrace

We bear the creativity of a loving Creator

The only reason we can be creative people, who can make unique and beautiful designs in art, craft and music, is because we bear the image of an infinitely and extravagantly creative God. And when we observe how passionate some people get about their crafty creations, we are reminded of the Father’s passion for us, His new creations! Here are some thoughts I shared at a women’s Craft Day a little while ago:

Why do we treasure the things that we make? To other people it seems we place inordinate value on our creations, whether they be for ourselves or others. But we know all the thought and creative energy we have put into them. We have an intimate knowledge of their design and have blisters and sore eyes from the hours of careful manual work. We value them so much more highly than mass produced, shop bought items (just as we might value our child’s homemade card and craft so much more). Our finished creations take pride of place in our homes and on our bodies! (One friend shared today how when she found a precious quilt she made someone scrunched up in the bottom of their cupboard; she quickly retrieved the object and decided to give it the love and care it deserves herself!) While others may admire the skill, the beauty and the design, it is their creator who holds them most highly valued. Since we know our creations so well, we also know their flaws, and are willing to work to improve them. We even treasure the broken, unfinished and seemingly useless creations, hoarding them away for the day when we will get around to finishing them.

The relationship between Creator and created is very unique, and how wonderful it is to remind ourselves that we are God’s treasured creation! He made us, He intimately knows our design, our flaws, our unfinished bits and He knows what He wants us to be when we are finished. God values us as His greatest treasure. Here are some of the phrases from God’s word which He uses to describe us. We are: His offspring, His prized possession, His handiwork, craftsmanship, masterpiece, the pinnacle of His creation and He rejoices over us with singing! This is the HOPE we have as Christians: that we are not biological accidents, but rather we are unique creations of a loving Creator. He knows us by name and by voice and fingerprint, and He has planned our days.

Rejoice! We are God’s treasure! He showed us this by sending his Son Jesus to save us from the punishment our rebellion deserved. “For God so loved the world that He sent His only son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Here are two final points to ponder, which I believe you will find to be true as you follow your Creator:
1. We will be most satisfied in life when we treasure the One who treasures us most (Our Creator God!)
2. And He’s not finished making us yet! He is faithfully shaping us to be more and more like His son.

As the Message version of the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 our lives will be “. . . gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like Him.”

Romans 8:28-30 (ESV)
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Creation Calls . . . are you listening?

Check out this great video accompaniment to a song by Brian Doerksen, “Creation Calls”. In light of creation he asks “How can they say there is no God”? What do you say? The GRACE of creation! God did not have to create such a beautiful place for us to enjoy, but he couldn’t help himself I suppose. Thanks God!

The Music behind all music

This post comes courtesy of the DESIRING GOD blog. Here is how it opens:

“The creation surrounding us is the product of the triune God. That is incredible enough. But take one more profound step and we discover, as Pastor John explains in The Pleasures of God, that “creation is an expression of the overflow of that life and joy that the Father and the Son have in each other” (72).

To put this another way, we see a kaleidoscope of galaxies, animals, and music genres because the Father and Son enjoy a kaleidoscope of delight in each other, and it is a spilling-over delight. As the triune delight spills over in creation, it expands and radiates outward for us to share in. Out of this throbbing delight we have creation, a creation that speaks . . .

Read on here: The Music behind all music

04/06/2012 by sevennotesofgrace

I will glory in my Redeemer

I will glory in my Redeemer
Whose priceless blood has ransomed me
Mine was the sin that drove the bitter nails
And hung Him on that judgment tree
I will glory in my Redeemer
Who crushed the power of sin and death
My only Savior before the Holy Judge
The Lamb Who is my righteousness
The Lamb Who is my righteousness

I will glory in my Redeemer
My life He bought, my love He owns
I have no longings for another
I’m satisfied in Him alone
I will glory in my Redeemer
His faithfulness my standing place
Though foes are mighty and rush upon me
My feet are firm, held by His grace
My feet are firm, held by His grace

I will glory in my Redeemer
Who carries me on eagle’s wings
He crowns my life with lovingkindness
His triumph song I’ll ever sing
I will glory in my Redeemer
Who waits for me at gates of gold
And when He calls me it will be paradise
His face forever to behold
His face forever to behold

© 2001 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP).