power of the holy spirit

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God knew what He was doing when He made “church”

church isYesterday was the first Sunday in years that I didn’t make it to a service at my church. There’s nothing like a bit of bronchitis to keep you at home. And the more I think about it, the more I am convinced that God really knew what he was doing when he established the “church” and called us not to forsake meeting together (Hebrews 10:25).

Without that regular meeting together with other Christians, both on Sundays and at other times through the week, it is easy to become extremely self-focused. (Well that’s what I found out!) We forget the bigger picture, where God is holding the circumstances of both our lives and the universe in His strong hands. Without that frequent encouragement and challenge from God through His word, and His other children, your perspective can go extremely awry.  God lives in us together, through His Spirit. Being a lonely ‘coal’ away from the collective ‘heat’ of others makes you forget the strength and power of the living God that is in us together. We are part of the Body of Christ, the gathering of Christ’s followers, and like all bodies we function best when we are being used, when we are active. It’s hard for the body to be active if parts are missing and isolated.

Being part of the Body is a privilege, despite the fact that we will struggle at times to treat each other as Christ would. Yet this is God’s design for growing and strengthening us. As we rub shoulders with other saved sinners we learn to bear with each other’s imperfections, in love. Going to church is so good for us because it gets our eyes off ourselves (like Peter in Matthew 14) and onto the excellent One who holds all things together. He knows us by name and holds our head above water. He knows that our greatest happiness comes from pouring our adoration towards Him!

“God knows who He is. He knows what He’s worth. And He knows the best thing He can give us is Himself. So in calling us to prize Him above all else, God is both gaining the praise that is rightfully His alone and causing us to gain the greatest treasure we will ever know. God is not an egotist seeking more than He deserves from us. Rather, He is God, choosing, in worship, to reward us with Himself.” (Louie Giglio –  “The Air I Breathe” 2003, p.31)

When we see ourselves as part of the Body of Christ, we see ourselves as something greater than ourselves – something designed by the Undescribable Merciful one True God!
I have a number of Christian friends who for various reasons are unable to share regular time with a church family. This has challenged me to consider how we can be better at including those who find themselves in this situation – even those within our church family who are unable to gather with us regularly. The church* is the people and it does not have to be contained by walls or geography.
On the other hand, if you are the thing that is keeping you from being part of a church family, don’t let fear or geography or travelling time keep you away. Don’t miss out on the thing that will grow your faith and confidence in God, that will allow you to give and receive encouragement, to sharpen others and be sharpened in Christ, to publicly declare the praises of Him who brought you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Praising God is so good for us! Gathering together is even better!

I’m really looking forward to next Sunday when hopefully this sickness will not stop me getting to church! Being part of the gathering will be sweet medicine, without the nasty side effects of what I am currently taking!

Nb. If you want to read more about Suffering or Sickness visit these other posts I have written:
Book review: How to Suffer Well
Lessons from the tissue box

* By church I don’t mean any particular modern form of the church, merely the gathering of Christians, which began a few millennia ago, in the first century AD. This practice of gathering is one huge common denominator we have with those who first called themselves Christians.

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God graciously works through the weak and unimpressive

weaknessI’m sharing today something encouraging I found over at the Blazing Center blog. If you want to read the whole post you can visit there, but this is the heart of it:

“God often does his most powerful work through those who are weak and unimpressive.

John Flavel says:

How the weak have been used for the good of the church! Christ did not choose eloquent orators, or men of authority in the courts of kings and emperors, but twelve poor labourers, and fishermen. This is the most ridiculous course that can be imagined, in appearance, for such a design. And yet, in how short a time was the gospel spread in all the kingdoms of the world. (Voices From the Past, 140)

Jesus established his kingdom on the shoulders of fishermen, tax collectors, and prostitutes. He chose Peter to lead the charge out of Jerusalem. Peter, the guy who denied Jesus three times. Peter, the guy who gave up gospel ground to the Judaizers. Peter, the guy whose mouth seemed to always run ahead of his brain.

Jesus could have chosen the most articulate orators as his spokesman. He could have chosen great war heroes, or political superstars. He could have built a campaign of shock and awe and power. Instead he chose fisherman. Guys with cracked hands, plain speech, minimal learning, and the constant aroma of raw fish.  The disciples were not power players in the Roman world.

God will not allow us to receive any of the glory, so he builds his kingdom through and in spite of our weakness. If your worship team is mediocre, don’t freak out. Instead, work toward excellence and trust that God will use your weak, halting efforts for his glory. If you stutter and stammer when sharing the gospel, don’t get discouraged! Seek to improve your gospel communication, but more importantly, trust God to use your stutters and stammers to bring salvation to the lost. If your sermons feel like duds, don’t sink into despair. Improve your sermons and improve your confidence in God. If you feel like a constant parenting trainwreck, seek to grow in your parenting and trust God to use your trainwreck efforts to work in your children.”

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From the Womb to the Tomb: thank You for the Time In Between

OXYGEN VOLUME 13

For so many people the time between Christmas and Easter is a whirlwind of busy-ness, and the latter holiday simply provides a welcome breather. (Is that how it has been for you?)
But I am reminded by the lyrics of this song that really it is the time inbetween Jesus’ birth and the Cross for which we must be thankful.

In that time Jesus lived the fully obedient life that pleased His Father, which we could never live. It was in this time he preached the good news that the Kingdom of God (and its King) had come. In this time he called people to follow Him. Here he was also despised, rejected, beaten and hung on a cursed tree – for us! We are the reason he gave his perfect life, a righteous life that now envelops us, if we are in Him. Hope you enjoy the song and take the time to be thankful, for the “time in between”.

https://youtu.be/yg0pDZfWBn0

Time In Between by Francesca Battistelli
You were there when your Father said “Let there be light”
You obeyed when He whispered “Son, You have to leave tonight”
To spend nine months in a mothers womb
Three days in a borrowed tomb

But it’s the time in between
That brings me to my knees
Knowing you came for me
And all that I can’t be
I’m amazed, so amazed
And I thank You for the time in between

Don’t take much for this crazy world to rob me of my peace
And the enemy of my soul says You’re holding out on me
So I stand here lifting empty hands
For you to fill me up again

But it’s the time in between
That I fall down to my knees
Waiting on what You’ll bring
And the things that I can’t see
I know my song’s incomplete
Still I’ll sing in the time in between

So many ways
Your love has saved the day
And I’m grateful for them all

But it’s the time in between
The middle of two thieves
That says everything. It’s the reason I believe
I’m amazed, so amazed
And I thank you for the time in between
Oh Lord, I thank you for the time in between

Appears on Album: My Paper Heart
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The Indispensable Need for Unity

unityThis is a great discussion of the importance of unity in the Body of Christ, reblogged from Veritas et Lux.

The Devil’s Hatred of Unity:  Make no mistake.  The devil despises unity.  He will do whatever it takes to divide family and friends. He will pull out all the stops to divide a church or ministry.   And he will work tirelessly in order to divide a country.  One of the things that Satan hates the most is a unified church family.  Note several reasons for the devil’s utter antipathy of unity.

First, when God’s people are united, the body of Christ works as God intends – harmoniously.  Paul speaks of this unity in 1 Cor. 12.  ”But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that they may be no divisions in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.  If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (ESV).  Here we see that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.  God is honored and glorified when the body of Christ works in a harmonious fashion; when the people of God are mobilized and faithfully exercising their God-given spiritual gifts.  Satan on the other hand, loathes the very notion of unity with a devilish passion.

Second, when God’s people are united, the gospel goes forward in great power.  We see this demonstrated most vividly in the book of Acts.  In Acts 1:8, the apostles receive a promise; a promise of the Holy Spirit’s power that will accompany their ministry as they faithfully proclaim the gospel to the nations.  In Acts 2, the day of Pentecost arrives and Peter preaches a bold sermon that results in the conversion of 3,000 people (Acts 2:41).  As the people of God devote themselves to the purposes of the church (Acts 2:42), God faithfully “added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).  In Acts 4:4, we witness the conversion of 5,000 more people as they sit under the preaching ministry of Peter.  This pattern occurs over and over in the book of Acts.  When the people of God stand united, the gospel goes forward in great power – all the more reason for the devil to despise a united church.

Third, when God’s people are united, Christ’s agenda triumphs over people’s personal agendas.  Here’s a principle to remember: Rejecting bickering results in rejoicing together.  When personal agendas are set aside for kingdom purposes, Christ’s agenda prevails.  So the devil will work strenuously to pit believer against believer.  Woe to the church who passively sits by while the personal agendas of carnal people win the day.  When personal agenda strike at the core of the local church, the devil has gained a major victory.

Fourth, when God’s people are united, God is greatly glorified.  When forgiveness is at the center of a church family and grace marks the ministry, people are encouraged and God receives the glory.  When selfish agendas are cast aside, God is glorified.  When “pet projects” are shelved in order to defer to a higher purpose, God is glorified.  Paul notes, “For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 4:15, ESV).

We have uncovered some reasons why the devil hates unity.  But it does not end here.  Satan not only hates unity; there is something he loves, namely, division.  The devil relishes a people who are divided.  He is eager to promote division, especially in the church.  So notice several reasons for the devil’s love of division in the church.

The Devil’s Love of Division 

First, when the church is divided, effectiveness fades.  Nothing could be more plain.  When people are at war, the troops lose strength and effectiveness wanes.  Quite honestly, division takes work.  And while the people who are engaged in division grow weak, it is the faithful efforts of shepherds that are ultimately affected.  I often wonder if people who spark division really understand how pleased the devil is with their work.

Second, when the church is divided, ministry morale declines.  This principle is related to the previous one.  For whenever division takes root in a church, ministry morale by definition will be on the downgrade.

Third, when the church is divided, the flesh is stirred to action.  I have learned from experience that when a group fosters division in a church, their sinful activity has a stunning effect.  It actually brings out the worst in people.  It serves, if you will, as a sin catalyst – igniting the flesh in people who moments before were faithfully serving God.  It is no wonder that the devil has such a passion for division.

Fourth, when the church is divided, the gospel is tarnished.  I was never much of a math student but here’s an equation I understand and have seen firsthand over the years.  Gossip + division = a lack of love.  And if we take John 13:35 seriously and affirm that people will recognize that we are disciples because of the love we show one another, it stands to reason that a divided church actively and aggressively tarnishes the gospel.  Francis Schaeffer rightly notes that the “final apologetic” is our love for one another and the unity expressed in the context of relationships.  I’m convinced that Satan is perfectly happy to see the gospel being proclaimed by a divided church – because the luster of the gospel is being adulterated which results in a weak, tepid, and ineffective message.  May God help us!

Fifth, when the church is divided, the Holy Spirit is quenched and grieved.  When Jesus prayed the High Priestly prayer in John 17, he said, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:20-21, ESV).  In other words the Trinity, has from all eternity been in perfect fellowship and unity.  So when disunity invades a church, it strikes at the core of who God is.  Division militates against what is precious to God, namely, unity.  The Holy Spirit, therefore, is quenched and grieved when division puts a stranglehold on unity.

Sixth, when the church is divided, God is not glorified.  Of course, whenever a church is divided, God is not honored.  And when God is not honored and glorified, we find the devil grinning ear to ear.  I heard a pastor say a few days ago that he “does not believe in the devil.”  Now the arch-enemy of our souls is really smiling.  He’s not only managed to spark division in the church; he’s convinced one of the leaders in the church that he is only an imaginary enemy.

So we come back to the primary assertion, namely, there is an indispensable need for unity in the church of Jesus Christ.  A church that fails to live up to the biblical ideal is a disobedient church; a church that is marginalized; a church that is weak and ineffective.  May God give us strength to obey the mandate before us.  May we stand side by side in unity all for the great name sake of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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On being persistent, creative and sacrificial to bring people to Christ

jesusparalyticIn preparing to take a new friend through Christianity Explained I have been reading through the book of Mark in my old faithful NIV study bible. Scribbled in the margins around Mark 2 I found a wealth of challenging comments which were exactly what I needed to hear. Mark 2 is the story of the persistent men who brought the “man on the mat” to Jesus.  Jesus’ concern and his actions showed all those gathered that He was the Son of God.  I’ll list some of my notes here in point form for you to contemplate:

1.  The greatest miracle Jesus performs is that of forgiving our sin – has He ever said to you “your sins are forgiven”?
2. This miracle authenticated Jesus’ power to forgive sin. Neither forgiving sins nor healing was an easy task – but they were ‘God tasks’ – things only God could do. Jesus was clearly the Son of God.
3. The men who carried the paralytic in were persistent, they had faith. Their love for their friend was clear – God is pleased to work where there is love.
4. The teachers of the law showed indifference to the man’s needs and criticised Jesus for healing.
5. Jesus met the man’s greatest need first – his need for forgiveness. This was most costly to Jesus – it revealed his power, his authority, and it was by revealing these that the road to the Cross was paved. It brought out the wrath of the Pharisees who charged him with blaspheming, claiming to be God.
6. We must find ways, at any cost, of bringing people face to face with Jesus. (Do we love those around us this much? Do we love them as much as the men loved the man on the mat?)
7. If we believe in Jesus then we will be persistent, creative and sacrificial in bringing others to Christ.

Please pray for me as I bring another sinner who needs forgiveness face to face with Jesus.

You may also like:

The Blessings of Explaining your Faith                  Sharing the rich, indwelling Word of God
discipline-of-evangelism-sharing-the-good-newsbible-28

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Powered by the Spirit (Ephesians 3:16)

revival_fire-817x1024Happy to say I am finally back to continue this series on the Three Sixteen (3:16) verses. (If you have recently joined us you might like to check out my posts on Matthew through to Galatians. Click here).
Today we have arrived at Ephesians; verse 16 is the first sentence below:
 “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19 NLT)

If you ever needed a verse to print out and stick on the fridge, this is the one!
It is just such a mystery the way the Spirit works to deliver this inner strength. Who could ever write anything to adequately describe the work of the Spirit in us? (Probably not me, but I’ll have a go anyway.)
The Spirit’s presence, gifted to us when we receive Christ, brings us peace, union with Christ and power, supernatural power  – inner strength! This power is glorious and unlimited. The Spirit gives us the inner strength to say yes to God and no to sin and selfishness. He gives us the strength to own the name of our Saviour in the face of ridicule and persecution. The Spirit strengthens by leading us to the fullness of grace and strength in Christ. He does not seek glory for Himself. He empowers us so that the glory goes to God.

The Spirit’s work is not about providing a warm fuzzy or sentimental experience of God’s love. His task is to make Christ at home in our hearts, to enlighten the eyes of our hearts, so that we can KNOW God, making us complete with all the fullness of life and power in Christ.
This is the power of the Spirit of Christ! This inner strength requires and supplies the knowledge of truth in the face of Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:6 – “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

We should also remember that this gracious gift (of the ‘inner strength of the Spirit’) fulfills the big OT promise that came through Ezekiel, that God would deal with our sin problem once and for us. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

Praise be to God for this next great 3:16 reminder of how he has dealt with our sin, in Christ, through Christ and for Christ. We get the present and eternal benefits of His sovereign and merciful plan.
We are powered by the Spirit!
How’s your battery running lately?
(Perhaps we could talk more about recharging at another time.)

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Could we live in grace and change the world?

Just discovered this grace-filled challenge tucked away on Matt Redman’s 10,000 Reasons album, in the song We could Change the World. It’s not really suitable for a congregation to sing, but it is a great personal challenge: Am I really living like God’s grace has made a difference? Am I responding in a way that shows I know God is loving and is stronger than everything in this world? Could I live like this? What’s stopping me?
Only listen if you are prepared to do some serious thinking…and praying.
(See Ephesians 1:16-23 for more details!)

Could we live like Your grace is stronger
Than all our faults and failures?
Could we live like Your love
Is deeper than our hearts can fathom
Could we live like this?

Could we live like Your name is higher
Than every other power?
Could we live like Your ways
Are wiser than our understanding?
Could we live like this?
Could we live like this?

[Chorus]
Yes, our God is all He says, all He says He is
Jesus, in Your name we could change the world
We stand in Your love, in Your power
And all You say we are
Jesus, in Your name we could change the world

We believe that Your grace is stronger
Than all our faults and failures
We believe that Your love
Is deeper than our hearts can fathom
So could we live like this
And shine in all the world
Could we live like this?

We’re saying, “yes, Lord, yes, Lord!”
What else could we say, what else could we say?
We’re saying, “yes, Lord, yes, Lord!”
We’re going all the way, we’re going all the way
We’re going to live like this

Yes, our God is all He says, all He says He is
Yes, our God is all He says, all He says He is

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Try these New Life Resolutions

SYD0037 New Year's Eve Fireworks Sydney NSW _DSC2336In some ways the start of a New Year brings with it a sinking feeling, a feeling that although we have successfully negotiated our way through a full year plus the hectic Christmas period, now we have to do it all again! And then there are the New Year resolutions that everyone else seems to be making. Where do we put God in all this, the God who sits outside the passing of months and years, and controls the changing seasons? He does not change from year to year. How do we look at the road which stretches ahead with optimism, with joy, and our eyes firmly on Christ?

At the New Year’s Sunday service last year our pastor shared an alternative to New Year’s resolutions (which are usually broken by mid-January and forgotten mid-February). These New Life Resolutions apply every day in every season as we seek to follow Christ. We need not feel frustrated with these or give up when we fail. . . because, yes, we will all inevitably fail!  For this is the reason Christ died. . . because we could never “make it” on our own. “But God gives us more grace”. Here are some guiding principles to hold on to each day as we seek to live in the freedom of the new life Christ has won for us: (from Luke 12)

1. Resolve to live by GRACE not WORKS. If we are in Christ it is His works which we are judged on, and He is perfect! Have confidence in this, and extend this grace to others. (verses 1-3)
2. Resolve in your thoughts to TRUST GOD. Don’t allow our minds to entertain thoughts that are fearful of man, the future, anything! (v 4-8)
3. Resolve in your words to PROCLAIM CHRIST. The promise is that if we acknowledge Christ before men He will acknowledge us before His Father! Be proactive and speak up, tell others you are a Christian, ask what they know about Jesus. He promises to give us the words. (v 8-12)
4. Resolve in your actions to IMITATE GOD.
The aim is to transform our walk, our talk, our thoughts to those of Jesus. Be rich toward God! Rely on the power of His Spirit in you to transform you (v13-21).

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Motion of Mercy – developing the Beautiful Attitudes of Christ

Just a quick stop in to say hi – and post a song I have told my pastor is hugely relevant to a sermon he is preaching this week on the Beatitudes. Hope you also enjoy it. (It is a song by Francesca Battistelli by the way.)

I was poor I was weak
I was the definition of the spiritually
Bankrupt condition
So in need of help

I was unsatisfied
Hungry and thirsty
When You rushed to my side
So unworthy
Still You gave yourself away…

(Chorus)
That’s the motion of mercy
Changing the way and the why we are
That’s the motion of mercy
Moving my heart

Now I’m filled by a love
That calls me to action
I was empty before now I’m drawn to compassion
And to give myself away

(Chorus)

Living for the lost
Loving ’til it hurts
No matter what the cost
Like You loved me first
That’s the motion of mercy

God give me strength to give something for nothing
I wanna be a glimpse of the Kingdom that’s coming soon

(Chorus)

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Trying on the shoes of a Christmas visitor

It must be difficult for people who grow up in an environment where there is no affection for the Church or for Christ to suddenly be confronted by Church and church people at Christmas time – especially when ‘we’ are so overly enthusiastic about it all!

Our Christmas Community Carols commences in just a few hours, along with a puppet show for the kids/parents and a BBQ before the carols singing. So I’m trying to put myself in our visitors’ shoes as they walk in our church door. What will they see? What do they want to experience as guests at our place? If I didn’t know Christ, what would I want to see at a carols service? Perhaps . . .

I would want a place that welcomes me with sincerity, that puts me at ease and appreciates that I won’t know the status quo for moving around your premises.  I won’t know where the toilets are, and I won’t know if it’s okay to put my feet on the seats or stop my kiddies running around in certain areas. Please tell me.

I would want a preacher who looks me right in the eye and tells me what they genuinely believe. I would want them to ask me to consider the real meaning of this Christmas celebration, explaining it in a clear but really succinct way! If this Jesus character is so important to you all, please tell me why. Show me.

I would want the music to sound good, with musicians who know when to come in and when to stop playing. I want singers who look like they are interested in the things they sing about.

I would want to see you had put effort into providing decorations for my children and I to be feeling festive. I would want some air conditioning and cold drinks (there’s no snow in the land down under at Christmas).

Most of all I would want you to treat me like someone who belonged here, not someone who is obviously new. I would love people to show a genuine interest in me, and my children, and to ask me back to visit again. That would show me how much you enjoyed my company!
That would make me feel special. If you remembered my name the next time I came, that would be awesome!

Please pray with me for our upcoming community carols, which is essentially one of the best outreach opportunities for the Gospel in our calendar. And I will pray for yours: that Christ will be glorified; that people may be won over by the love of Christ, turn from the god of self, and follow Him.

May there be much rejoicing in heaven over many new souls entering the Kingdom this Christmas.