dustan bell...

Why I Believe in Youth Ministry

2009-05-12T07:00:00.000+10:00

80% of all conversions to Christianity take place before the age of 24.

The average age of conversion in the USA is 15, with just under 70% of all conversions taking place before age 18.

A study by Stanford University neurobiologist Robert Sapolsky found that after the age of 23 it is highly unlikely a person will change their taste in music, food or fashion.

What we must recognise is that teenagers, of all age groups, are the most receptive to new things. The teenage years provide the church with a narrow window of opportunity when an individual is ready and willing to make pivotal life changes that will shape their future hugely.

People in their teenage years are like wet cement, who once set in a course of life are then very resistant to any change.

I refuse to build a youth group. EMPIRE is a youth ministry committed to bringing the gospel to the most opportune demographic on earth!

Shame & Addiction

2009-05-11T16:19:00.002+10:00

Today's Courier Mail ran an article titled 'Cure Addiction at Source', written by retired Uniting Church minister Rev John Tully.

The key point of the article is that most addictions, whether drug, alcohol, gambling or sex, are actually caused by shame and guilt within an individual.

Tully introduces the article:

RENOWNED US clinical psychologist Gershen Kaufman once wrote: "Whenever feelings of shame are encountered, they can be reduced by becoming addicted to something."

After more than 40 years of dealing with people who have been suffering from addictions, I say: "Shame is the engine that drives all addictions."

"...Addiction reduces pain by temporarily making bearable deep-seated, negative feelings. But it reproduces shame and constantly reactivates the shame cycle."

If we are to live free in life, what we need is not a just a program to separate us from our addictions, but in fact something (or someone) to separate us from our guilt.

Thank God that Christianity is more than a behaviour modification program. In His wisdom, God does not instruct us to get a new lifestyle, but instead to get a new heart! (Ezek 36:26). The beauty of the gospel is that it offers more than just motivation for a life change. It goes far beyond that and provides us forgiveness and cleansing from sin and the associated guilt. (1 John 1:9).

The article concludes:

Disgrace shame requires healing. It is overcome only when the original unity within the self is restored. This is governed by our willingness to make confession of our shame and accept our need of a holistic experience of forgiveness that is rarely, if ever, gained in isolation from others. Some form of help or appropriate therapy is essential."

Rev Tully has echoed the words of James 5:16, 'Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed (cured & made whole).'

Berlusconi: The Italian Mirror

2009-05-09T18:18:00.002+10:00

Earlier today I read a great article by Beppe Severgnini from last week's TIME magazine on Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

In short, Severgnini makes the point that Berlusconi (and his much publicised antics) do not provide a poor representation of Italy, but in fact a truly accurate representation!

In his last paragraph Severgnini sums it up beautifully:

The truth is that Berlusconi is not only Italy's head of government, but the nation's autobiography. He combines generosity, inconsistency, acting talent, stamina, tactical lapses of memory and loyalty. He promises things he doesn't do, and does things he's never mentioned. His Italian opponents — even the best, the most honest and lucid — are right to worry. Not about Berlusconi himself. But about the Berlusconi inside them.

Where is God in pain?

2009-04-04T19:00:00.003+10:00

Noted Auschwitz survivor, Elie Wiesel, recounted an experience he had while a prisoner in the notorious death camp.

Wiesel, along with the rest of the camp, were forced to watch the execution of a fellow Jewish prisoner. They watched as the prisoner hung on the gallows, refusing to die, struggling and kicking in the throes of death. In hopeless desperation, an onlooker was heard to say, "Where is God? where is He?"

At that moment, Wiesel recounts, a voice within him spoke to his heart, saying, "Right there on the gallows; where else?"

- Sourced from 'Jesus Among Other Gods' by Ravi Zacharias

Napoleon on the Divinity of Jesus

2009-04-04T18:54:00.003+10:00

Below is a staggering statement by Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) on the divinity of Jesus:

"Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I myself have founded great empires; but upon what did these creations of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus alone founded Him empire upon love, and to this very day millions will die for Him…

I think I understand something of human nature; and I tell you, all these were men, and I am a man: none else is like Him; Jesus Christ was more than man… I have inspired multitudes with such an enthusiastic devotion that they would have died for me… but to do this it was necessary that I should be visibly present with the electric influence of my looks, my words, of my voice. When I saw men and spoke to them, I lighted up the flame of self-devotion in their hearts…

Christ alone has succeeded in so raising the mind of man toward the unseen, that it becomes insensible to the barriers of time and space. Across a chasm of eighteen hundred years, Jesus Christ makes a demand which is beyond all others difficult to satisfy; He asks for that which a philosopher may often seek in vain at the hands of his friends, or a father of his children, or a bride of her spouse, or a man of his brother. He asks for the human heart; He will have it entirely to Himself. He demands it unconditionally; and forthwith His demand is granted. Wonderful! In defiance of time and space, the soul of man, with all its powers and faculties, becomes an annexation to the empire of Christ. All who sincerely believe in Him, experience that remarkable, supernatural love toward Him.

This phenomenon is unaccountable; it is altogether beyond the scope of man’s creative powers. Time, the greatest destroyer, is powerless to extinguish this sacred flame; time can neither exhaust its strength nor put a limit on its range. This is it, which strikes me most; I have often thought of it. This it is which proves to me quite convincingly the Divinity of Jesus Christ."

empire

2009-04-02T21:24:00.003+10:00

Sarah and I are taking on the leadership of Empire Youth in Kings. We're so excited about working with our teenagers during the next huge season of Kings, which kicks off on April 17th with the launch of Kings One.

Artie Shepherd and his wife Alana led Empire Youth & Young Adults brilliantly over the past 18 months. Thanks to their work, Sarah and I have the privilege of taking on a strong, passionate youth ministry with a gun leadership team who are sharp, switched on and ready to do anything!

I am convinced that teenagers are not the church of tomorrow, they are the church of today. The Bible illustrates constantly that God goes looking for young people when He wants to change a nation, and our prayer is that he would look no further than the teenagers of Kings.

Exciting times ahead!

Believe & Behave

2009-04-02T18:41:00.002+10:00

Just doing final preparation for tonight's lecture at Kings Leadership College on Ephesians. Chapters 1-3 of Ephesians deal with theology; chapters 4-6 deal with conduct. In a sense, Paul spends three chapters declaring what he believes about Jesus, then the next three chapters on the implications of this on the way we behave.

One commentator of Ephesians summed it up succinctly:

"As with other epistles of Paul’s, Christian theology is followed by Christian conduct. All conduct is built upon theology, and all theology is incomplete and underdeveloped without conduct."

Will be a great night!

Andrew Bolt Blog

2009-03-31T08:34:00.002+10:00

Since watching the ABC's Q&A program last Thursday night, I've become a reader of Andrew Bolt's blog. Bolt is a regular columnist for the Herald Sun and was a guest panelist on Q&A last week; his input made the show an excellent viewing. His straight shooting manner makes his blog an entertaining and thought provoking read.

Changed by Prayer

2009-03-30T17:09:00.003+10:00

Sometimes I find myself mistakenly thinking that my prayer will change God's mind and course of action in my life. Most often however, prayer causes me to change more than anything (or anyone) else.

See the example of Jesus in Luke 9:29, 'As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.'

On this point, Matthew Henry writes:
The waterman in the boat, who with his hook takes hold of the shore, does not thereby pull the shore to the boat, but the boat to the shore. So in prayer we do not draw the mercy to ourselves, but ourselves to the mercy.

Aid and Business in Africa

2009-03-28T11:04:00.002+10:00

The March 23rd edition of Time Magazine featured '10 Big Ideas Changing the World Right Now'. Idea #6 is 'Africa, Business Destination'.

For me, the article provided a new perception of both aid and Africa.

"...In Africa's case, the perception has long been that where you are renders all but irrelevant what you do. Africa is hopeless, a place of war and famine seemingly populated almost entirely by tyrants and children with flies in their eyes. According to this view, if Africa generates any kind of growth, it is in suffering — and in the overseas aid sent to address that, now a $40-billion-a-year industry. Naturally, with a new appeal every year and a new disaster every other, some people have begun to wonder if all that money is doing any good. They argue that aid creates dependence, fuels corruption, undermines democracy and stifles development. They have written books with titles like The Trouble with Africa: Why Foreign Aid Isn't Working (by an ex-spokesman for the World Bank in Africa) and Dead Aid (by a Zambia-born former Goldman Sachs investment banker).

In 2006, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, foreign investment in Africa reached $48 billion, overtaking foreign aid for the first time. That gap has only widened, reflecting a quadrupling of foreign investment since 2000.

...Perhaps the most compelling evidence that Africa is now a business destination is China's new love for it. While the old superpowers still agonize over Africa's poverty, the new one is captivated by its riches. Trade between Africa and China has grown an average of 30% in the past decade, topping $106 billion last year.

...part of the explanation for China's zeal for Africa is a new way of looking at Africans. "[The Chinese] are not setting out to do good," he says. "They are setting out to do business. It's actually much less demeaning." And that gets to what, for Africans, is the emotional heart of the matter — and why joining the business world means so much. Though it rarely occurs to Westerners who've been instructed that Africa needs their help, charity is humiliating.

...long-term charity, living life as a beggar, is degrading. Andrew Rugasira, 40, runs Good African Coffee, a Ugandan company he set up in 2004 to supply British supermarkets under the motto "Trade, not aid." He is emblematic of a new generation of African antiaid, antistate entrepreneurs. For Rugasira, aid not only "undermines the creativity to lift yourself out of poverty" but also "undermines the integrity and dignity of the people. It says, These are people who cannot figure out how to develop." Aid even manages to silence those it is meant to help. "African governments become accountable to Western donors," says Rugasira, "and Africa finds itself represented not by Africans but by Bono and Bob Geldof. I mean, how would America react if Amy Winehouse dropped in to advise them on the credit crisis?"

And if that's a striking inversion, consider another one. Look back at the African growth figures once more. Compare them with this year's forecasts for the developed world. Who's the basket case now?

You can read the entire article here

On Sanctification

2009-03-26T13:01:00.001+10:00

"Love God and live as you please."
- St Augustine

On Temptation

2009-03-26T08:57:00.003+10:00

Shun the bait, rather than struggle in the snare.
- Ravi Zacharias

change - may 23 - youth alive

2009-03-26T01:29:00.001+10:00

God and Suffering

2009-03-26T01:08:00.002+10:00

Many people cite 'the problem of pain' as a strong objection to the Christian faith. This objection is described as follows:

"If a good and powerful God exists, he would not allow pointless evil, but because there is much unjustifiable, pointless evil in the world, the traditional good and powerful God could not exist." (J.L. Mackie - The Miracle of Theism)

In summary, the problem of pain states that God is either:
a) Not God - and therefore does not have the power to stop evil
OR
b) Not Good - therefore has the power to stop evil but chooses not to.

I like Timothy Keller's response to this objection, from his book 'The Reason for God':

"If you have a God great and transcendent enough to be mad at because he hasn't stopped evil and suffering in the world, then you have (at the same moment) a God great and transcendent enough to have good reasons for allowing it to continue that you can't know. Indeed, you can't have it both ways."

twitter

2009-03-26T01:03:00.000+10:00

http://twitter.com/dustanbell

Kindness to Elephants

2009-02-01T22:23:00.001+10:00

In 1986, Peter Davies was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from
North-western University. On a hike through the bush, he came across a young
bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed
distressed, so Peter approached it very carefully.

He got down on one knee, inspected the elephant`s foot, and found a large
piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could,
Peter worked the wood out with his knife, after which the elephant gingerly
put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather
curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments. Peter
stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the
elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away. Peter never forgot that
elephant or the events of that day.

Twenty years later, Peter was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his
teenage son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the
creatures turned and walked over to near where Peter and his son Cameron
were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Peter, lifted its front
foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times
then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man.

Remembering the encounter in 1986, Peter could not help wondering if this
was the same elephant. Peter summoned up his courage, climbed over the
railing, and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the
elephant and stared back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped
its trunk around one of Peter legs and slammed him against the railing,
killing him instantly.

Probably wasn't the same elephant.

When You're Right

2009-01-19T23:35:00.003+10:00

Have you ever told a lie and really tried to stick with it? It's easier said than done! The truth is it's very hard to keep your confidence and consistency when you know that you're wrong.

Or you may have been in an argument with someone over a point of disagreement. Almost always, if the other person is absolutely convinced that they are right, it's impossible to move them from their position.

In the same way, I find that Christians who are absolutely persuaded that they've been made right with God through Jesus, have the strongest and most resolute faith.

One of the most impacting Bible verses in my life has been 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." What makes the message of salvation so amazing is not just that we receive a reprieve from sin, but that God freely gives us His own righteousness in place of our sin!

Here are three things that happen when you know you're right:

1. You Become Confident Before God

We always become tentative when approaching someone to whom we now we've done wrong.

Prior to the Fall, Adam enjoyed a relationship with God that was marked by confidence and peace. He spoke freely with God, he exercised authority over creation and he walked openly in God's presence.

However as soon as Adam disobeyed God, he recognised that something was now wrong. Because of his strong sense of being 'wrong', man hid himself from the presence of God for the first time in history.

It wasn't until God covered Adam that he could again confidently commune with God. In the same way, we can come boldly before God when we see ourselves as covered in God's righteousness.

2. You Begin to Ask of God

It's always smart to reconcile broken friendships a week prior to your birthday or Christmas. You'll never have the courage to ask for anything from a person who you have a broken relationship with.

Sadly, many people never ask great things of God because they honestly don't believe that their relationship with Him is 'right enough'.

Matthew 9 tells the story of a paralytic, to whom Jesus' first words are 'Son, your sins are forgiven.' At first glance it seems that Jesus has missed the real issue. Surely Jesus would heal the glaringly obvious problem before pronouncing forgiveness of sin. Only after He has made right the sin issue in the paralytic's life, does Jesus cause the man to receive healing.

When you realise that you're right with God, you're ready to receive from God.

3. You Experience Freedom through God

Condemnation is the by-product of knowing that you've done wrong. The only way to experience freedom from condemnation is to be convinced that you're right.

An understanding of righteousness makes me to know that I have been made free of all shame, through the work of Jesus Christ.

Freedom, confidence and audacity in asking are three experiences of the person who know's that they are right.

Holiday Reading

2008-12-31T17:55:00.004+10:00

The Christmas holidays and the miserable form of Australia's cricket team has afforded a great opportunity for reading over the past week!

I've just finished 'A Short History of the 20th Century' by Geoffrey Blainey, which I thoroughly recommend! It's a fascinating read, very well written and gives a great general knowledge of the last 100 years, without getting bogged down in the details. Another book by Blainey, 'A Short History of the World' will definitely be on my reading list for 2009.

Today I also finished Lance Armstrong's 'It's Not About the Bike', which I found incredibly inspiring. His journey from cancer patient to Tour de France champion provides compelling reading.

Lessons which I learnt from Lance Armstrong's story:

1. Public Prizes are earnt in Private Discipline
In his preparation for the 2000 Tour de France, Armstong had a severe crash while training on the Hautacam, the Tour's most difficult ascent.

'A month later [after the crash], I went back to the Hautacam, alone except for Johan [Armstrong's coach], to complete my training ride... It was a bitterly cold and rain-splattered day, and it took me four hours of hard riding to get to the top. Johan pulled up in the follow car and handed me a jacket and some hot chocolate. "Great job - now let's get you warm," he said. But I didn't feel right about it.
"I don't think I understood the climb," I said.
"What do you mean?"
I meant that I didn't feel I had fully mastered it...

"What do you want to do?" Johan asked.
"I'm going to do it again," I said.

And that's what I did. We drove back down, and I climbed it again, another four hours of uphill work. I was pretty sure I was the only fool who was willing to climb it in that weather even once, much less twice. But that was the point.'

2. The Difference is in the Details
From weighing his food before eating to ensure that calorie input was lower that energy output, to preparing his bike with pedantic precision, Armstrong shows an enormous attention to detail, earning him the nickname 'Mr Millimeter'.

3. Pain can be Productive
Naturally, most of us pray that our lives be problem free, mistakingly thinking that a pain-free life is the greatest life. Armstrong defies this.

'The truth is that cancer was the best thing that ever happened to me. I don't know why I got the illness, but it did wonders for me, and I wouldn't want to walk away from it. Why would I want to change, even for a day, the most important and shaping event in my life?'

'The truth is, if you asked me to choose between winning the Tour de France and cancer, I would choose cancer. Odd as it sounds, I would rather have the title of cancer survivor than winner of the Tour, because of what it has done for me as a human being, a man, a husband, a son, and a father.'

I'm keen to read 'Every Second Counts', Armstrong's second book. Has anyone read it, and would you recommend it?'

On Meeting God

2008-12-23T09:51:00.005+10:00

I enjoyed this, written by Hardy Shaw in his shell-hole in the midst of the horrors of the Vietnam War:

Lord God, I have never spoken to You,
But now I want to say how do You do.
You see God, they told me You didn’t exist,
And like a fool I believed all this.
Last night from a shell hole I saw Your sky,
I figured right then, they had told me a lie.
Had I taken time to see the things You made,
I’d have known they weren’t calling a spade a spade.
I wonder, God, if You’ll take my hand,
Somehow I feel that You’ll understand.
Funny I had to come to this hellish place
Before I had time to see Your face.
Well, I guess there isn’t much more to say,
But I’m sure glad, God, I met you today.
I guess zero hour will soon be here
But I’m not afraid since I know You’re near.
The signal! Well, God, I’ll have to go
I like you lots, I want You to know.
Look now this will be a horrible fight,
Who knows I may come to Your house tonight.
Though I wasn’t friendly to You before,
I wonder God, if You’d wait at your door.
Look, I’m crying, I’m shedding tears,
I’ll have to go now God, goodbye.
Strange now that I’ve met You I’m not afraid to die.

Creed of the Modern Thinker

2008-12-23T09:38:00.003+10:00

English journalist Steve Turner writing in a secular newspaper on society’s absence or right and wrong, or any absolute point of reference.

Here is the creed for the modern thinker:

We believe in Marx, Freud and Darwin.

We believe that everything is okay as long as you don’t hurt anyone, to the best of your definition of hurt and to the best of your definition of knowledge.

We believe in sex before, during and after marriage.

We believe in the therapy of sin; we believe that adultery is fun; we believe that sodomy is okay; we believe that taboos are taboo.

We believe that everything is getting better despite evidence to the contrary. The evidence must be investigated and you can prove anything with evidence.

We believe there is something in horoscopes, UFO’s and bent spoons. Jesus was a good man just like Buddha, Mohammad and ourselves. He was a good moral teacher although we think basically that his good morals were really bad.

We believe that all religions are basically the same; at least the ones we read were. They all believe in love and goodness, they only differ on matters of creation, sin, heaven, hell, God, and salvation.

We believe that after death comes nothing, because when you ask the dead what happens, they say nothing. If death is not the end, and if the dead have lied then it’s compulsory heaven for all except perhaps Hitler, Stalin and Kahn.

We believe in Masters and Johnson - what’s selected is average, what’s average is normal and what’s normal is good.

We believe in total disarmament. We believe there are direct links between warfare and bloodshed. American’s should beat their guns into tractors and the Russians would be sure to follow.

We believe that man is essentially good, it’s only his behaviour that lets him down. This is the fault of society, society is the fault of conditions and conditions are the fault of society.

We believe that each man must find the truth that is right for him and reality will adapt accordingly. The universe will readjust; history will alter. We believe there is no absolute truth, except the truth that there is no absolute truth. We believe in the rejection of creeds and the flowering of individual thought.

If Chance be the Father of all flesh, disaster is His rainbow in the sky. And when you hear “State of Emergency”, “Sniper Kills Ten”, “Troops on Rampage”, “Youths Go Looting”, “Bomb Blasts School”, it is but the sound of man worshipping his maker.

Silence

2008-11-13T22:25:00.002+10:00

A Day in the Life

2008-11-13T08:28:00.002+10:00

Known as 'the father of modern missions', William Carey is famous for his pioneering missionary work in India.

Here is the record of one his days in India, reconstructed from his diary in 1806.

He rose at a quarter to six, read a chapter from the Hebrew Bible and spent some time in private devotion.

At seven the servants came in for family prayers in Bengali, after which, while waiting for his chota (i.e., little breakfast), he spent some time reading Persian with a munshi and then a portion of Scripture in Hindustani. The moment breakfast was over, he settled down to the translation of the Ramayana from Sanskrit into English.

At ten o’clock he went to the college, where his classes and other duties kept him until two o’clock. On returning to his lodgings he examined a proofsheet of his Bengali translation of Jeremiah until dinnertime.

After this meal, assisted by the chief pundit of the college, he translated most of the eighth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel into Sanskrit, until six o’clock when he sat down with a Telugu pundit more fully to study that language. At half past seven he preached in English to a congregation of forty persons, including one of the judges (from whom at the close of the service he got a subscription of five hundred rupees toward the new chapel).

At nine o’clock, “the service being over and the congregation gone,” he sat down and translated Ezekiel 11 into Bengali—which took him nearly two hours. He wrote a letter to a friend in England; then, after reading a chapter from his Greek Testament by way of private devotion, he went to bed.

"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of."
Benjamin Franklin

Sunday Night at Northside

2008-11-12T19:09:00.004+10:00

Last Sunday night I preached at Northside Christian Church, led by Pastor Murray and Jane Averill. There was a hot atmosphere in the service, the crowd largely made up of young adults. They have a great team who Sarah and I loved connecting with.

Ruth Lumkin is one of the pastors on team at Northside and has an excellent blog which is well worth the time spent visiting. Ruth's articles approach current issues in society from a Christian framework, and are printed periodically in the Courier Mail.

Always Look Back

2008-11-12T06:58:00.005+10:00

Yesterday was Remembrance Day, when Australians recall the end of World War 1 on November 11th 1918. I think there's power in remembrance and I believe that it's a habit that God wants us to exercise.

In 2 Samuel 7:8-9 we read of God's conversation to David, through the prophet Nathan:

'Thus says the Lord of hosts: "I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have destroyed all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth."

Some people say 'never look back!' - I disagree.

1. Looking Back Reminds Me From Where I've Come (resulting in Gratitude)

"I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel."

Unless I deliberately look back into my past I can forget the incredible grace that God has shown me in my life. If I fail to look back I can fall into the trap of believing that 'God has done nothing remarkable in my life', when in fact he has taken me from following sheep to leading His people.

2. Looking Back Reminds Me to Appreciate Today's Opportunities (resulting in Perspective)

At times David may have 'wanted out' from the pressures of Kingship, however when he looked back and saw what he was doing compared to the opportunities before him now, there was no comparison.

Similarly, people can become tired, familiar and unappreciative of their job, partner, home or church until they learn to remember from where they've come. In David's life, remembering the paddock gave him a fresh perspective of the palace.

3. Looking Back Reminds Me of God's Continual Presence (resulting in Confidence)

"And I have been with you wherever you have gone..."

Sometimes it is only the power of hindsight which causes us to recognise God's presence with us through all seasons of life. When I look back I realise that his promise to never leave or forsake me has been true in my life.

Looking back allows me to approach today with renewed confidence in God's continual presence, causing me to join with Newton in saying: "T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far, and Grace will lead us home."

4. Looking Back Reminds Me of Victories (resulting in Faith)

"...and have destroyed all your enemies from before you..."

There are no victories in my future that I can draw confidence from, only challenge and opportunity exist there. The past is the only place I can look to if I want to find victories to instill faith in my life. To not look back is to rob myself of one of the greatest resources of faith available to me!

David already understood this truth when he approached Goliath. He mustered faith to defeat the giant ahead of him only by looking to the string of dead carcasses behind him.

Whatever you do - look back!

Hillsong Mens Conference

2008-10-31T07:52:00.002+10:00

This afternoon I'm heading to Sydney for the Hillsong Men's Conference. Mal Fletcher is one of the guest speakers so I'm looking forward to a great 24 hours! I'm heading down with a friend from school who I haven't spent much time with for years, so will be a great trip.

Get back Saturday night in time for our huge morning on Sunday as we do "Church for Others", round-table, brunch style. Then moving house Sunday afternoon, and on Monday...camping at Double Island Point for a week!

What a great weekend coming up!

Lessons from the Building Trade

2008-10-31T00:53:00.002+10:00

Last night at KTC we hosted guest speaker Corey Passey, Managing Director of Smith & Sons. Smith & Sons is a new business launched by G.J. Gardner Homes, which focuses on home renovations and extensions. I invited Corey to speak to demonstrate to our students that ministry is not about what's in your hand, but what's in your heart. Ministry is not a vocation to which some are called; it's a calling which Christians fulfil through many vocations.

At age 21 Corey and his wife purchased a G.J. Gardner Homes franchise in New Zealand and moved from the Sunshine Coast to have a shot at business. Starting from scratch they grew the annual turnover of the franchise from zero to over $10,000,000 in ten years, positioning them in the top three G.J. Gardner franchises internationally.

I picked up some great thoughts from the night:

"Satisfied customers is not enough. You've got to create raving fans."

"Leadership: Guide. Energise. Excite"

"Leadership is not about making yourself more powerful, it's about making those around you more powerful."

Ron Burgundy - Jim Caviezel Interview

2008-10-28T18:22:00.003+10:00

The Highest Calling

2008-10-15T06:30:00.000+10:00

I am always frustrated when I hear people joke about the ministry as a being a job for soft headed slackers. This perception may have been caused by the thrusting of ill-prepared people into the ministry who possessed a nice heart and little else. I believe that Christian leadership is the highest calling and therefore deserves the highest calibre of people available!

History tells us that the Egyptians held the role of priest in such high regard that a person for this role could only be chosen from the most learned of their philosophers. Further to this, when the nation chose their kings they would select from the priests. They recognised that the best of the best should be given to the work of God!

I love the fact that Kings is filled with some of the most outstanding young people in our community. As Christians, let's be of such quality that should our government want leaders they could do no better than look to the church.

Self Watch

2008-10-14T18:07:00.002+10:00

1 Timothy 4:16 writes: "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you."

On this verse Spurgeon commentates:

"We are, in a certain sense, our own tools, and therefore must keep ourselves in order. If I want to preach the gospel, I can only use my own voice; therefore I must train my vocal powers. I can only think with my own brains, and feel with my own heart, and therefore I must educate my intellectual and emotional faculties. I can only weep and agonise for souls in my own renewed nature, therefore must I watchfully maintain the tenderness which was in Christ Jesus.

It will be in vain for me to stock my library, or organise societies, or project schemes, if I neglect the culture of myself; for books, and agencies, and systems, are only remotely the instruments of my holy calling; my own spirit, soul, and body, are my nearest machinery for sacred service..."

On Human Dignity

2008-10-08T07:00:00.000+10:00

So where does human dignity comes from? There is no way to contrive it or to enforce it; human dignity must be essential. Here, the Christian teaching is unique. Professor Peter Kreeft of Boston College has lucidly pointed out this difference between Christianity and secular thought.

In the economy of God's creation, there was intended an egalitarianism among human beings; that is, each person was equal in essence and dignity. On the other hand, there was to be an elitism in ideas, meaning that not all ideas are equal - some ideas are clearly superior to others.

Antitheistic thinking has inverted that economy - indeed, it is compelled to - because its starting point leads to the opposite conclusion; people have been rendered elite, and ideas are egalitarian. As a result, we exalt some individuals or races while rejecting others and at the same time foolishly argue that all ideas are equal.

If the scourge of racism is ever to die, it will only do so on the biblical basis of who we are as human beings as we learn to respect each person in his or her distinctive and essential splendor - granted by virtue of creation. Ironically, in rejecting any part of humanity we essentially reject ourselves.

- Excerpt from "Can Man Live Without God" by Ravi Zacharias

On Worship

2008-10-07T08:23:00.002+10:00

"Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God. It is the quickening of the conscience by His holiness, nourishment of mind by His truth, purifying of imagination by His beauty, opening of the heart to His love, and submission of will to His purpose. All this gathered up in adoration is the greatest of all expressions of which we are capable."

- Archbishop William Temple (1881 - 1944)

Quotes from Chesterton

2008-09-27T23:27:00.003+10:00

G.K. Chesterton (1874 - 1946) , an English born poet, essayist and novelist, is regarded as one of the greatest Christian minds of the modern era. His work is legendary, and has become a point of reference and inspiration for many Christian thinkers since.

Here are some of his gems:

“To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.”

“How you think when you lose determines how long it will be until you win.”

“A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.”

“Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

“Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.”

“Do not free a camel of the burden of his hump; you may be freeing him from being a camel.”

“New roads; new ruts.”

Henry on Golgotha

2008-09-26T21:34:00.004+10:00

Matthew 27:33&35
"And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull...they crucified Him..."

In commentary of this verse, Matthew Henry writes (and I love his concluding statement!):

They came to a place called Golgotha, near adjoining to Jerusalem, probably the common place of execution... Some think that it was called the place of a skull, because it was the common charnel-house, where the bones and skulls of dead men were laid together out of the way, lest people should touch them, and be defiled thereby.

Here lay the trophies of death’s victory over multitudes of the children of men; and when by dying Christ would destroy death, he added this circumstance of honour to his victory, that he triumphed over death upon his own dunghill.

Hefner and Affection

2008-09-26T07:00:00.000+10:00

Hugh Hefner, founder of the Playboy empire, when asked about his upbringing:

"I was raised in a setting in which [sex] was for procreation only and the rest was sin...Our family was Prohibitionist, Puritan in a very real sense... Never hugged. Oh, no. There was absolutely no hugging or kissing in my family. There was a point in time when my mother, later in life, apologized to me for not being able to show affection. That was, of course, the way I'd been raised. I said to her, 'Mom, you couldn't have done it any better. And because of the things you weren't able to do, it set me on a course that changed my life and the world.' "

Jesus is my Friend

2008-09-24T19:59:00.002+10:00

A Bridge in Ramadan

2008-09-23T18:32:00.002+10:00

Muslim's across the world are currently observing the month of Ramadan.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and there are several reasons why the Islamic community consider it important. Muslim's believe that the Qur'an was revealed during this month, and that at this time the gates of Heaven are open and the gates of Hell closed.

A Christian church in the Indonesian city of Solo has recognised an opportunity to build a bridge to their community during Ramadan, by providing meals at sunset for fasting Muslim's.

Check out the BBC video report here

Preaching & Walking

2008-09-23T01:19:00.002+10:00

I enjoyed this story, included in J. John's weekly e-news last Friday:

One day, St Francis of Assisi invited a young monk to join him on a trip to a local village to preach. The young novice, delighted to be singled out to be Francis’ companion, accepted with enthusiasm. They walked through the main streets, turned down many of the alleys, made their way into the suburbs and then returned to the monastery. As they returned, the young novice monk reminded Francis of the original intention: ‘You have forgotten, Father, that we went to the town to preach.’

‘My son,’ Francis replied, ‘we have preached. We were preaching while we were walking. We have been seen by so many, our behaviour has been closely watched; it was thus that we preached our morning sermon. It is of no use to walk anywhere to preach, unless we preach everywhere as we walk."

Great Quote

2008-09-22T07:00:00.001+10:00

"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."

Nathan Hale (1755-1776) - considered to be America's first spy; officer for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War against Britain.

The Worst Type of Luxury

2008-09-21T07:00:00.000+10:00

I love this thought taken from Steve Penny's Leadership for Life lecture on Thursday night at Kings Training College.

"Successful leaders do not allow themselves the luxury of defeat."

Creatively Failing

2008-09-20T13:36:00.008+10:00

Violence in the name of God

2008-09-19T06:00:00.000+10:00

I am currently reading 'Can Man Live Without God' by Ravi Zacharias, and highly recommend it.

In chapter one Ravi addresses a common, yet ill-understood charge that many people lay upon Christianity: 'What about the thousands of people who have been killed in the name of religion?'

Before forcing the Christian to answer this emotion-charged question, the responsibility falls upon the atheist to explain all the killings that have taken place at the hands of those who have lived without God, for example Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini and Mao. Those who are quick to lay blame for violence at the door of the religious, very often are not so enthusiastic about distributing blame to the irreligious.

People who bring this attack to religion have failed to recognise that history's large-scale slaughters at the hands of antitheists were the logical outworking of their Godless philosophy. On the other hand, violent crimes committed in the name of Christ would never have been endorsed by the Christ of scriptures. Indeed it was the self-focused, power hungry politicizers of religion whom Jesus most opposed in His life and teaching.

In short, whenever violonece has spawned in the name of Christ, it has been in contradiction to the gospel. However when violence is spawned in the name of atheism, it is the logical outworking of a philosophy void of morals or any basis for human value.

The frightening outworking of a Godless philosphy hang upon a wall in the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz. These are the words of Hitler - his vision of a generation of youth devoid of conscience:

I freed Germany from the stupid and degrading fallicies of conscience and morality... We will train young people before whom the world will tremble. I want young people capable of violence - imperious, relelentless and cruel.

Ravi completes the chapter in summary of Hitler's Nazi Germany, their heinous crimes and their inextricable link with antitheism:

"That this was conceived and nurtured in the mind of the most educated nation at that time in history and brought forth on the soil that had also given brith to the Enlightenment almost denies belief. But it was atheism's legitimate offspring. Man was beginning to live without God."

The Weekend

2008-09-17T08:01:00.004+10:00

Sarah and I spent the weekend with James & Sam Macpherson at Calvary Christian Church in Townsville.

Our time there coincided with their 'Body, Soul, Spirit' womens conference with Janine Kubala and Jo Geerling, which Sarah loved.

Janine preached a hot message on Sunday morning on the subject of extravagance, and I preached Sunday night from the thought 'Intended for Influence'.

During Calvary's Sunday night service they featured a segment called 'Jesus in Real Life', where they interview a member of their church as to how they bring Jesus into their workplace. Local Hot FM radio host Steve Lanzon was the guest, and I have not laughed so hard in a while!

Last week Steve also posted a video on YouTube entitled 'Leave Stephanie Rice Alone', inspired by the now famous 'Leave Britney Alone' video. James Macpherson has posted the video on his blog today; to view click here.

Activating Drive & Desire

2008-09-13T07:00:00.000+10:00

I'm currently reading 'Developing the Leaders Around You' by John Maxwell.

Here's a great excerpt on activating the drive and desire in team members:

Great leaders know the desires of the people they lead. As much as potential leaders respect the knowledge and ability of their leaders, these are secondary matters to them. They don't care how much their leaders know until they how how much their leaders care...about their needs, their dreams, their desires.

Once a leader is genuinely interested in the well-being of those around him, the determination and drive of the people in that group are activated in a remarkable way. The starting point of all achievement is drive, determination, and desire.

Napoleon Bonaparte is known as one of history's greatest leaders. One of his leadership secrets was knowing the needs of his men. He first determined what his men wanted most. Then he did everything possible to help them get it. He knew this was a key to successful motivation. Most leaders do the opposite. They first decide what they want. Then they try to persuade others to want the same thing as much as they do.

People - the indispensible asset

2008-09-12T07:00:00.000+10:00

"You can take my factories, burn up my buildings, but give me my people, and I'll bring my business right back again."

- Henry Ford

blogs everywhere!

2008-09-11T22:47:00.005+10:00

Blogs are emerging everywhere from the amazing young people of KINGS.

Here are some of them - check them out.

Reuben Skewes
Francine Nicholls
Olivia Spies
Jazza Vock

I love young people who can put their faith into words, and love the raw edge to their posts.

Leaders & Teamwork

2008-09-11T22:42:00.002+10:00

American college football coach Bear Bryant is legendary in his sport for his incredible winning record as a coach.

I like his view of leadership and teamwork:

'If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, then we did it. If anything goes real good, they did it.'

It's little wonder why he won people and games.

The Rich & the Rest

2008-09-04T18:35:00.004+10:00

Today's Adelaide Advertiser ran an interesting article titled "How the Rich Differ from the Rest". The article outlined some great insights into the ethos and attitudes of the very wealthy.

Here's an excerpt:

Mr Grey said common characteristics of wealthy people included:

*Living well below their means all their lives.
*Allocating time, energy and money to increasing their wealth.
*Believing that financial independence was more important than displaying a high social status.
*Their parents did not provide financial handouts.

"They are extremely focused and passionate about their business or occupation and about earning strong income from that. They are also driven to live within their means, which enables them to invest on a regular basis,'' Mr Grey said.

To read the entire article click here

Private Values & Public Performance

2008-09-03T07:00:00.000+10:00

Do private values affect the public performance of public figures?

This was the key question in a BBC World News debate featuring Mal Fletcher. The debate was inspired by the recent Max Mosley court case in London.

In the debate Mal makes some great points regarding the indispensability of trust and integrity in leadership.

To view the debate on YouTube click here

How we Learn

2008-09-02T07:00:00.001+10:00

On Sunday afternoon I read a small book by Les Giblin, Skill with People.

In the introduction Giblin outlines three interesting human insights:
Insight #1 - How We Learn (and Buy)
83% through SIGHT
11% through HEARING
3.5% through SMELL
1.5% through TOUCH
1% through TASTE

Insight #2 - How We Retain Information
10% of what we READ
20% of what we HEAR
30% of what we SEE
50% of what we SEE & HEAR
70% of what we SAY AS WE TALK
90% of what we SAY AS WE DO A THING

Insight #3 - Methods of Instruction

Telling when Used Alone
70% recalled 3 hours later
10% recalled 3 days later

Showing When Used Alone
72% recalled 3 hours later
20% recalled 3 days later

Blend of Telling and Showing Used
85% recalled 3 hours later
65% recalled 3 days later

In terms of communication, the conclusion is that effective public speaking and preaching should be visually stimulating, including multi-media in such a way that it adds to, not detracts from from the message delivered.

Also, people need to in some way participate in the message via speech or action if they are to have a greater chance of retention. If there is no retention, both audience and orator have wasted their time.

"Pastor," said the worshipper, "what a wonderful sermon!" "That," replied the preacher, "remains to be seen."

National Child Protection Week?

2008-09-01T13:41:00.006+10:00

The tiny hand of a fetus reaches out from a mother's womb to clasp a surgeon's healing finger. It shows a 21-week-old fetus in its mother's womb, about to undergo a spine operation designed to save it from serious brain damage.

Currently before the Victorian Parliament is new proposed abortion legislation. The Abortion Law Reform Bill 2008 will be debated in Parliament from 9 September which, ironically, is National Child Protection Week.

If this becomes law, there is no doubt that it will serve as a precedent for law reform in other Australia states. Not only will abortion be decriminalised up until 24 weeks of pregnancy, but second and third trimester abortions will be far more accessible.

At 21 weeks old, this baby could be legally aborted by the proposed legislation before the Victorian Parliament.

The Right to Life website reports:

'The Abortion Law Reform Bill 2008 is a radical attempt to legalise abortion in Victoria throughout the entire 9 months of pregnancy, without any real limitation. The Bill was introduced, ironically, by Minister for Early Childhood Development Maxine Morand MP.

Section 4 of the Bill mandates abortion on demand up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. We know that babies are now capable of being born alive at 22 weeks. This section therefore declares all abortions, for any reason, can be carried out on babies capable of being alive. No restrictions...'

For step by step instructions and ideas on how to write to your local politician regarding this proposal, visit www.makeastand.org.au

Genesis 25:23
And the Lord said to her [Rebekah]:
"Two nations are in your womb..."

The End of the Gladiator

2008-08-25T10:01:00.007+10:00

In a recent message entitled "Is There Not a Cost", Ravi Zacharias concluded with this story of the martyrdom of Saint Telemachus:

This is a story of a monk by the name of Telemachus. Telemachus was a dominionative man who lived amongst flowers and nurseries and reclusive settings.

One day the word of God came to him and told him to go to Rome. He did not want to go to Rome, he was not a city man; he despised the noise and the clanging, and the artificiality of city life. He wanted to live in his monastic reclused setting.

But God has strange ways. He raised Moses in a palace in order to use him in a desert, he raised Joseph in a desert in order to use him in a palace. He takes Telemachus out of a reclusive setting in order to use him in Rome.

Telemachus said ‘Okay God, if you want me to go, I’ll go. I don’t know why you want me to go, but I’ll go.”

As he is marching into the streets of Rome, he was quite overwhelmed by its monumental buildings, its spectacular edifices, the statues, marble sculptures and painting of man glorifying himself in self-worship. While walking into Rome he a saw huge crowd elbowing it’s way into the Colosseum. Telemechaus did not know where they were going but he was involuntarily dragged in by them and entered.

To his utter credulity as he sat in the bleachers there, he looked down and saw that what would that was going to entertain these sadistic masses was blood-letting orgies of hatred and sadism, as they were going to see the gladiatorial spectacles and fights; human beings tormenting and butchering one another.

He couldn’t believe it! As soon as the first sign of that violence was shown, in that huge amphitheatrical setting, he rose to his feet and screamed out “In the name of Christ, forebear! In the name of Christ, stop this thing!”

That amphitheatre had the ability to carry even a whisper to a marvellous crescendo of sound, and as he screamed, everybody heard him. He ran down the stairs, vaulted over into the centre arena, all the while shouting “in the name of Christ, stop this thing!”

He became a kind of innocent side show, and one man yelled from the stands, “Run him through!” A muscle-bound gladiator heaved him away, took his spear and thrust it through the body of Telemachus. As he bent over, clutching himself, the blood spilling out of his body and moments away from his death, the crowd now listening carefully, he speaks audibly once more for everyone to hear: “In the name of Christ, stop this thing.”

There was silence; then one man stood up and walked out. Then two; then three; then the thousands until everybody had left the Colosseum; they were gone.

The historian writes this: “Many other factors were brought to bear, but the death of Telemachus crystallised the opposition so that never again was there a gladiatorial fight, ever fought in the Colesseum.”

The entire message by Ravi Zacharias is exceptional and is available on his weekly podcast "Let My People Think".

On Character

2008-08-15T17:08:00.001+10:00

"What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

Videology

2008-08-13T07:00:00.000+10:00

Here Mark Driscoll outlines the reasons for Mars Hill's increasing use of video in Sunday services. He approaches the topic from multiple angles: theologically, historically, culturally, and practically.

The video goes for approximately 36 minutes, however it's definitely time well spent.

Burning Your Plastic Jesus

2008-08-12T21:59:00.000+10:00

Mark Driscoll is the founding and preaching pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, USA. Driscoll is speaking in various locations in Australia in August, his key theme entitled 'Burning Your Plastic Jesus'.

I loved this quote from Driscoll in explanation of his message:

“In Revelation, Jesus is a prize fighter with a tattoo down His leg, a sword in His hand and the commitment to make someone bleed. That is a guy I can worship. I cannot worship the hippie, diaper, halo Christ because I cannot worship a guy I can beat up. I fear some are becoming more cultural than Christian, and without a big Jesus who has authority and hates sin as revealed in the Bible, we will have less and less Christians, and more and more confused, spiritually self-righteous blogger critics of Christianity”.

Keller on the Problem of Pain

2008-08-12T07:15:00.001+10:00

In December 2004, a massive tsunami killed more than 250,000 people around the rim of the Indian Ocean. Over the following weeks, newspapers and magazines were full of letters and articles asking "Where was God?" One reporter wrote: "If God is God, he's not good. If God is good, he's not God. You can't have it both ways, especially after the Indian Ocean catastrophe." Despite the confident assertion of the columnist, the effort to demonstrate that evil disproves the existence of God "is now acknowledged on (almost) all sides to be completely bankrupt." Why?

... Just because you can't see or image a good reason why God might allow something to happen doesn't mean there can't be one. Against we see lurking within supposedly hard-nosed skepticism an enormous faith in one's own cognitive faculties. If our minds can't plumb the depths of the universe for good answers to suffering, well, then, there can't be any! This is blind faith of a high order.

... If you have a God great and transcendent enough to be mad at because he hasn't stopped evil and suffering in the world, then you have (at the same moment) a God great and transcendent enough to have good reasons for allowing it to continue that you can't know. Indeed, you can't have it both ways.

Excerpt from 'The Reason for God' Chapter 2 - How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?

We've Come a Long Way

2008-08-11T22:15:00.003+10:00

In terms of Christian TV, thank God we're advancing.

Case in point - click here

Hmmm.

2008-08-05T18:33:00.003+10:00

Have you noticed that when you walk into the elaborate homes of many highly successful people you will see an office or study with a large bookcase against the wall, packed with hundreds of books.

Do you think they became successful, and then decided to buy some books with the money?

The Perfect Problem

2008-08-04T07:00:00.000+10:00

I preached yesterday at Kings Noosa on the topic of "The Perfect Problem".

I think that we often tell ourselves that 'once I get through this stuff, then I'll really start progressing in God'. Little do we recognise that God has allowed the 'stuff' in our lives as the means by which we will progress. Problems aren't meant to pause our Christian growth, but instead are sent to perfect our growth. It is when the river is at it's fiercest that we progress most quickly upon it!

Here are four things we must remember in the face of problems:

1. God's Connection with My Reality

It's a trap to believe that our problems separate us from God. Hebrews 5 demonstrates that Jesus shared in all points of our human experience (except in sin). Therefore our problems don't separate us from God, but provide common ground upon which we relate. Jesus came as our 'High Priest'; fully human that He might have relativity with my situations, yet fully God that He might have authority to change my situations.

Jesus spent thirty years building relativity before embarking upon three years of ministry. The paintings of Jesus in which he is surrounded by mystical aura with blow dried locks and spotless skin are a lie! Jesus was so 'normal' that Judas had to kiss him to identify him to the Roman guards.

Because Jesus shared in the 'normality' of the human experience, I can confidently approach him in prayer knowing that he has felt what I feel.

2. God's Ability & His Sovereignty

Hebrews 5 alludes to Jesus' experience in Gethsemane. Mark 14:36 writes:

“Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Jesus believed in the Father's ability ("Everything is possible for you"), while continuing to trust in the Father's sovereignty ("Your will be done, not mine").

I will never stop asking God for miracles with faith in His supernatural power. And if my prayers go unanswered, I will trust in His goodness and sovereignty to do what is right. Our faith must be in both God's power and His nature.

3. God's Declaration Concerning Me

Jesus is God's son, yet he still faced life's problems.

My sonship before God does not remove me from the realities of life; the realities of life do not remove me from my sonship before God.

4. God's Desire to Develop Me

Contrary to what I would love to believe, God's greatest desire for me is not my comfort; it is my development. He loves me too much to leave me.

Hebrews 5:8 tells us that Jesus learned obedience by the things he suffered. The Greek word used for 'learned' means 'to learn by use and practice'. This is not an intellectual learning, but an experiential learning.

James 1:2-4 shows us that life's trials are productive. Muscle is developed by resistance, not ease.

You never learn that God is your rock until you go through uncertainty. You never learn that God is your joy until you go through some pain. You never learn that God is your comfort until you go through some discomfort. You never learn that God is the lifter of your head until it gets knocked down!

God uses all these problematic situations to perfect and complete us. If you've got problems, that's perfect!

Wesley on Value

2008-08-03T14:22:00.002+10:00

I believe that where we direct our money is a great indicator of what we believe to be valuable; John Wesley provides an outstanding example.

Wesley donated to mission causes by sacrificing personal comforts. Living simply, he was able to give more than $500,000 to missions in his lifetime.

When asked about this personal sacrifice, his answer was, "Gladly would I again make the floor my bed, a box my chair, a box my table, rather than that men should perish for want of the knowledge of the Saviour."

Keller on the Trinity

2008-07-30T07:00:00.001+10:00

I'm currently preparing for a lecture this Friday at Kings Training College on the topic of the Trinity (I understand; you're trying to suppress the jealousy), and have found Keller's The Reason for God to be particularly helpful, particular his chapter titled 'The Dance of God'.

Many writers on this topic become confusing and difficult to grasp. Keller's writing is logical and practical. Here's a snippet:

Christianity, alone among the world faiths, teaches that God is triune. The doctrine of the Trinity is that God is one being who exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity means that God is, in essence, relational...

If there is no God, then everything in and about us is the product of blind impersonal forces. The experience of love may feel significant, but evolutionary naturalists tell us that it is merely a biochemical state in the brain.

But what if there is a God? Does love fare any better? It depends on who you think God is. If God is unipersonal, then until God created other beings there was no love, since love is something that one person has for another. This means that a unipersonal God was power, sovereignty, and greatness from all eternity, but not love...

However, if God is triune, then loving relationships in community are the "great fountain... at the center of reality."... In the Christian conception, God really has love as his essence...

Ultimate reality is a community of persons who know and love one another. That is what the universe, God, history, and life is all about. If you favor money, power, and accomplishment over human relationships, you will dash yourself on the rocks of reality...

You will never get a sense of self by...making everything revolve around your needs and interests. Unless you are willing to experience the loss of options and the individual limitation that comes from being in committed relationships, you will remain out of touch with your own nature and the nature of things.

Needless to say, the whole chapter is a brilliant yet easily understood explanation of the Trinity.

Zacharias on Prayer

2008-07-29T23:31:00.004+10:00

Ravi Zacharias was the 2008 Honorary Chairman of America's National Day of Prayer. Below is an excerpt of his keynote address at The Cannon House in Washington, on May 1, 2008. Typical of Zacharias, the address is thorough, insightful and loaded with excellent quotes and illustrations.

"...I’ve spoken to our troops in Doha Qatar and at Ramstein prayed with our wounded. In many of the bases I have been, at the end of each meeting there’s a line up of some of the finest young men and women in the world, armed with some of the finest weaponry, asking if you’ll just put your hand on their shoulder and pray for them. They want that power that is greater than what the military might alone can bring.

The famed John Chrysostom, writing in the 400s, said this,

“The potency of prayer hath subdued the strength of fire; it hath bridled the rage of lions, hushed anarchy to rest, extinguished wars, appeased the elements, burst the chains of death, expanded the gates of heaven, subdued evil instincts, assuaged diseases, repelled frauds, rescued cities from destruction, stayed the sun in its course, and arrested the progress of the thunderbolt. Prayer is an all-sufficient panoply, a treasure undiminished, a mine which is never exhausted, a sky unobscured by the clouds, a heaven unruffled by the storm. It is the root, the fountain, and the mother of a thousand blessings."

To view the entire speech, click here

On Absolute Claims

2008-07-29T07:30:00.000+10:00

You can't say, "All claim about religions are historically conditioned except the one I am making right now." If you insist that no one can determine which beliefs are right and wrong, why should we believe what you are saying? The reality is that we all make truth-claims of some sort and it is very hard to weigh them responsibly, but we have no alternative but to try to do so.

From the Leap of Doubt: Chapter 1 - There Can't Be Just One True Religion

Keller & the Reason for God

2008-07-28T12:25:00.004+10:00

I've just finished reading Timothy Keller's The Reason for God. Keller pastors Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhatten, which has nearly 6,000 regular attendees, mostly young adults of ranging ethnicities.

In summary, the book is written in two parts, with each part consisting of seven chapters.

In Part One, Keller puts forward his case that skepticism is actually based on a set of beliefs...

"But even as believers should learn to look for reasons behind their faith, skeptics must learn to look for a type of faith hidden within their reasoning. All doubts, however skeptical and cynical they may seem, are really a set of alternate beliefs. You cannot doubt Belief A except from the position of faith in Belief B... Every doubt, therefore, is based on a leap of faith."

The first half of the book reviews the seven biggest objection and doubts about Christianity, the second half examines the reasons underlying Christian beliefs. The key points are outlined below:

Part One: The Leap of Doubt
1. There Can't Be Just One True Religion
2. How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?
3. Christianity is a Straitjacket
4. The Church is Responsible for So Much Injustice
5. How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?
6. Science Has Disproved Christianity
7. You Can't Take the Bible Literally

Part Two: The Reasons for Faith
1. The Clues of God
2. The Knowledge of God
3. The Problem of Sin
4. Religion and the Gospel
5. The True Story of the Cross
6. The Reality of the Resurrection
7. The Dance of God

Over the next week I will post some excerpts that I found particularly brilliant. I encourage any thinking Christian to grab a copy for yourself, particularly for any young person embarking upon university studies.

Attributes of Great Employees cont.

2008-07-28T11:41:00.000+10:00

Titus 2:9-10
"Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things."

1. Great employees understand servanthood and subjection
2. Great employees understand the heart of their master
3. Great employees create a good atmosphere
4. Great employees understand that all things matter

5. Great employees understand unified leadership
"...not answering back..."

There are few things more frustrating than hearing an employee gripe about their boss in earshot (or directly to) their customers. Instantly your trust in the product and company management is diminished and the service experience soured.

The Greek word used for 'answering back' is antilegō, meaning 'to speak against, contradict, to declare oneself against'. If an organisation's own employees are against it, on what grounds should I place faith in the organisation?

Great employees recognise that every person within the organisation is a leader in the eyes of outsiders.

6. Great employees commit themselves to faithfulness
"...showing all good fidelity"

Faithfulness is a most attractive characteristic. Even the person with least natural ability can become a valuable team member if they commit to faithfulness.

It's interesting that Paul notes that our fidelity ought to be 'good', meaning 'useful, pleasant, joyful, happy, excellent and honourable'. To faithfully check in to work with a bad attitude and negative vibe is no blessing to any employer. Fidelity is only beneficial when flavoured with joy, excellence and honour.

7. Great employees see the greater purpose
"...that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things."

The doctrines of Christianity are made attractive or abhorrent according to the way we conduct ourselves at work. Despite what we may believe, the Christian faith is not beautified by our sharp and savvy Sunday services. In Paul's opinion, the doctrines of God and salvation are adorned, or embellished with honour, by the way we conduct ourselves in the day to day matters of life.

The most attractive advertisement for Christianity is it's pragmatic demonstration in our workplaces by our work habits.

On Faith and Feelings

2008-07-26T23:10:00.001+10:00

“The life of faith is not only totally different from, but also diametrically opposite to a life of feeling. He who lives by sensation can follow God’s will or seek the things above purely at the time of excitement; should this blissful feeling cease, every activity terminates. Not so with one who walks by faith. Faith is anchored in the One whom he believes rather than in the one who exercises the believing, that is, himself. Faith looks not at what happens to him but at Him whom he believes.”

- Watchman Nee from his book “The Spiritual Man”

Preaching and Preparation

2008-07-18T18:18:00.003+10:00

Martin Niemoller, heroic Christian leader and war prisoner in Nazi Germany, told of a young German minister who said that instead of study, he trusted the Spirit for his sermons.

An older colleague commented: "As for me, the Holy Ghost never spoke to me in the pulpit. Yes, I remember, he did speak to me once. When I was going down the pulpit steps after a poor sort of sermon, the Holy Ghost spoke to me. He said only three words, and what he said was, 'Heinrich, you are lazy!'" In other words, "the Holy Spirit has much more important work to do than to substitute for human indolence."

A Positive Outlook

2008-07-14T23:48:00.001+10:00

Setting: Battle of the Bulge WWI
“For the first time in the history of this campaign we are surrounded on the East, West, North and South. We can now attack the enemy in all directions.”
- General Creighton William Abrams

Attributes of Great Employees

2008-07-13T16:23:00.002+10:00

1. Great employees understand servanthood and subjection

2. Great employees understand the heart of their master
...obedient to their own masters...

Great employees and team members understand that no two 'masters' are the same. These people recognise that they are not on team to do a job, but to bring to fulfillment the dream of 'their own master'. They understand the unique likes and dreams of their master and shape their work accordingly.

Like Joseph, great employees understand that when interpreting dreams, there is no 'one size fits all' solution.

3. Great employees create a good atmosphere
...to be well pleasing...

Some people carry a bad atmosphere. Crowded House were right when they sung 'everywhere you go, you always take the weather with you'! Great employees manage their feelings to ensure that they create and maintain a good atmosphere for other team members; this is particularly important for leaders; the King sets the culture of the Kingdom.

4. Great employees understand that all things matter
...to be well pleasing in all things...

It is the little things that speak most about any organisation. Yes, I understand that being polite and courteous to customers may not be in your position description, nor is ironing your shirt, doing your hair or having fresh breath! But all of these have a huge impact on a person's overal perception of the whole organisation.

Great employees understand that organisations become exceptional because they do all things well. These people intuitively the right way to handle 'all things'.

7 Attributes of Great Employees

2008-07-02T08:41:00.005+10:00

In Titus 2:9-10 we read Apostle Paul's idea of a great employee:

"Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things."

From these verses we can identify 7 attributes of great employees. Today, number one:

1. Great employees understand servanthood and subjection
"Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters..."

Servanthood and subjection don't sound very enticing to the average worker. In fact, many employees believe that the way to enjoy work is to gravitate toward the opposite. However great employees understand that the quickest way to promotion and stewardship is to serve within their organisation, subjecting themselves to the vision and plan of their 'master'.

This is the example of Christ has left us. God the Father had the plan; God the Son had the task. Philippians 2:7 says of Jesus that He, 'made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant...'; that was Jesus' choice. Philippians 2:9 continues, 'Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name...'; that was God the Father's choice.

Because of Jesus' choice to serve and subject Himself, God made the choice to exalt and esteem Him, thus providing us a pattern for the master/servant relationship; should we deviate from this pattern?

> More attributes over the next few days

Ultimate Frisbee

2008-07-02T00:25:00.004+10:00

I met an interesting uni student a few weeks ago, the son of a couple at Kings Noosa. When I asked what he did for fun he quickly introduced me to Ultimate Frisbee, which ensued a fascinating conversation!

Turns out that he was in Brazil last December, representing Australia at the International Ultimate Frisbee Championships! I was in the presence of one of our nation's greats and I didn't even know it!

I also learned that there is a tinge of arrogance in the sport's title. It's called 'ultimate' frisbee simply because they believe that it's the ultimate sport. Imagine if every sport adopted this motto: ultimate darts, ultimate bowls, ultimate fencing, ultimate lacrosse. Anyway, I admire their confidence.

He told me that I had to check the sport out for myself via YouTube. It actually looks cool and the athleticism, vertical leap and marking is reminiscent of AFL , thereby making it cool. Check out the video and ignore the cheesy music.

Inspiration from Latimer

2008-07-01T23:34:00.004+10:00

I'm currently reading (and really enjoying) The Reason for God by Timothy Keller. In the book he tells of the martyrdom of Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, who were burned at the stake in Oxford in 1555 for their Protestant convictions.

Hugh Latimer was a Religious reformer, preacher and Bishop of Worcester during the 16th century. His story caught my attention as my nephew's middle name is Latimer, named after this man.

In his final moments and as the flames leapt up, Latimer is quoted as having calmly said to Ridley, "Be of good comfort, Mr Ridley, and play the man! We shall this day light such a candle by God's grace, in England, as I trust never shall be put out."

Inspirational.

Progressive Expectancy

2008-06-30T10:51:00.007+10:00

We have an amazing church! This weekend in Kings was our Miracle Cash Offering and Pledge Sunday toward our Campus development. Over $2.4 million was pledged for the coming twelve months, which will allow us to destroy our current debt to open the door to our future dreams.

Kings also gave a cash offering of about $100K yesterday toward our building fund. This is brilliant, but particularly amazing when you consider that just last weekend we gave almost $25K to the work of Watoto, for the care of orphans and raising of leaders in Uganda. A few weeks before that we gave our Sunday AM offering of $19K toward aid relief in Burma and a few weeks before that gave a spontaneous $100K toward our building development.

Many churches experience a slump in financial support toward their building programs once they have moved into new facilites, as paying off a debt can be far less compelling than possessing new facilities. However we have received our biggest pledge (up $600K on previous best), one year into our new facility, the Champions Centre.

I think that this unusual generosity could be attributed to two things:

Firstly, the fact that our church gave to the poor. Proverbs 28:27 states, 'He who gives to the poor will not lack...' Few Senior Pastors would have faith enough to give almost $45K out of their offerings in the weeks leading up to a building pledge. God gathers possessions for him who will pity the poor (Proverbs 28:8).

Secondly, the power of progressive expectancy. From the moment Kings moved into the Champions Centre we have known that it is only stage one of our campus development. The progressive vision is clear and compelling. We know that we have not yet 'made it' and there is still much to do; this is the greatest way to live.

The weekend's events reminded me of this from J. John's E-letter on June 19th:

About 350 years ago a shipload of travellers landed on the north east coast of America. The first year they established the site for a town. The next year they elected a town government. The third year the town government planned to build a road five miles westward into the wilderness.

In the fourth year the people tried to impeach their town government because they thought it was a waste of public funds to build a road five miles westward into a wilderness. After all, they thought, who needed to go there anyway?

These were people who had the vision to see 3,000 miles across an ocean and overcome great hardships to get there, who nevertheless couldn’t see the point in venturing five miles further out of town, a few years later. They had lost their pioneering vision. With a clear vision of what we can become in Christ, no ocean of difficulty is too great. Without it, we rarely move beyond our current boundaries.

A missionary society wrote to pioneer missionary David Livingstone and asked, "Have you found a good road to where you are? If so, we want to know how to send other men to join you." David Livingstone wrote back: "If you have men who will come only if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all."

When Julius Caesar landed on the shores of Britain with his Roman legions, he took a bold and decisive step to ensure the success of his military venture. Ordering his men to march to the edge of the cliffs of Dover, he commanded them to look down at the water below. To their amazement, they saw every ship in which they had crossed the channel engulfed in flames. Caesar had deliberately cut off any possibility of retreat. Now that his soldiers were unable to return to the continent, there was nothing left for them to do but advance and conquer. And that’s exactly what they did...

Let’s be expectant, adventurous and let’s embrace the motto of another great missionary William Carey: “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God."

To receive J John's newsletter visit www.philotrust.com

10 Questions Leaders Ask

2008-06-23T14:06:00.004+10:00

Pastor Rick Roberts of Gympie Christian Church spoke at Kings Training College last Friday. He passed on to me 10 questions that leaders ask themselves, helping to take stock of their progress.

1. Am I investing in myself?
- This is a personal growth question

2. Am I genuinely interested in others?
- This is a motive question
- Mature leaders motivate by moving people for mutual benefit

3. Am I doing what I love doing and loving what I do?
- This is a passion question
- If I go to work only to fulfill processes and functions, I am effectively retired
- Passion gives you the energy advantage over others

4. Am I investing my time with the right people?
- This is a relationship question

5. Am I staying in my strength zone?
- This is an effectiveness question
- I don't have to be a jack of all trades
- Delegation frees me to focus on what only I can offer to the organisation
- The church needs more genius and less average

6. Am I taking others to a higher level?
- This is a mission question
- Longterm influence is determined by the seeds I sow
- My mission is to add value to leaders who will multiply value to others

7. Am I taking care of today?
- This is a success question
- Success is determined by my daily agenda
- Are my habits utilizing my time or frittering it away

8. Am I taking time to think?
- This is a leadership question
- A minute of thought is greater than an hour of talk
- Taking time to think allows me to live life purposefully
- I author my life by clearing my schedule for thinking

9. Am I developing leaders?
- This is a legacy question
- Am I striving to create successors who go beyond myself

10. Am I pleasing God?
- This is an eternity question
- Is my conscience clean before God and man?

On Provision

2008-06-21T22:23:00.001+10:00

“Depend on it. God's work done God's way will never lack God's supplies."
James Hudson Taylor (1832-1905)

On Abortion

2008-06-21T21:52:00.004+10:00

Genesis 25:23

And the Lord said to her [Rebekah]:
"Two nations are in your womb..."

Selah.

Example and Leadership

2008-06-16T09:04:00.006+10:00

I was reading 1 Timothy 4 this morning and reminded of the imperative of leading by example. Paul is writing to Timothy, his disciple and now young pastor in the city of Ephesus, about personal conduct and leadership in his life and ministry. In chapter 4:12, Paul writes, "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers..."

Paul's advice to Timothy is that a life of example will silence any critics who believe that he is too young for the responsibility of leadership. Leadership credibility is earned through example, not received with a title.

Why is example so important in leadership?

1. Example is more readily followed than instructions
The most helpful instruction manuals contain more than just points and principles, they contain pictures. In my experience it is the pictures that I look to first and that are most helpful to me (maybe it's a guy thing). The same is true in leadership. People follow the example of other people more readily than they follow a set of principles or teachings.

Robert Grosseteste, bishop of Lincoln, England, from 1235-1253 once wrote, “The life of the pastor is the book of the laity.” Leaders are readers and leaders are read.

34th President of the USA, Dwight D. Eisenhower said it this way: "Pull the string, and it will follow wherever you wish. Push it, and it will go nowhere at all."

2. Example joins people to the leader
Paul writes in Philippians 3:17, 'Brethren, join in following my example...' It's interesting that Paul doesn't simply say 'follow my example', but instead includes the word 'join'.

The leaders who (by his words or lifestyle) says 'Do as I say, not as I do' creates a great divide between himself and his followers, creating a 'them and us' scenario. The leader who says 'join in following my example' creates an 'us' environment.

Command based leadership alienates people from their leader. Example based leadership inspires people toward their leader. It is interesting that when Jesus wanted some fishermen to be joined to Himself, He did not say 'Obey my teaching', but instead declared 'Follow me'. The disciples joined themselves to the person of Jesus before they did the principles of Jesus.

Command based leaders sit above their followers and give directions. Example based leaders walk amongst their followers and give inspiration. People obediently follow those who direct them; people willingly follow those who inspire them.

3. Example creates a pattern to follow
In Titus 2:7 Paul writes, '...in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works...' Forgive me for returning to Primary School arts and craft time, but the most simple feature of a pattern is its element of predictability. Patterns allow people to predict a future action by reason of past habits.

The beauty of example in leadership is that it affords followers the confidence to guess how their leader would act in a given situation. Therefore, when their leader is not around the follower can confidently answer the question 'what would my leader do in this situation?' and act accordingly. This comfort is reserved for the followers of predictable, exemplary leaders.

This does not remove from leaders the responsibility to be creative, rather it reinforces the leaders responsibility to be consistent. Creativity and consistency in leadership are not at odds with each other, but instead are indispensable to each other.

4. Example recognizes an entrustment
1 Peter 5:23 says, "Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, nor for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being masters over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock..."

Leaders who view their followers simply as 'employees' or 'resources', care little about the example that their leadership provides. Why? Because this type of leader is not concerned with building people, but is only concerned with building their own empire.

On the other hand, when the Christian leader knows that their followers are an entrustment from God they live in such a way that provides a positive example, which followers can emulate to bring good success to their own lives.

In committing to build people, leaders of example attract people to themselves who willingly fulfill the common vision. Why? Because the leader's vision has become the followers vision. Why? Because the follower recognises more than just vision in their leader's heart; they see themselves in their leader's heart.

Renowned officer of the US Navy, Admiral James B. Stockdale once said:
“Leadership must be based on goodwill…It means obvious and wholehearted commitment to helping followers…What we need for leaders are men of heart who are so helpful that they, in effect, do away with the need of their jobs. But leaders like that are never out of a job, never out of followers. Strange as it sounds, great leaders gain authority by giving it away.”

I agree emphatically! From my experience, the leaders who I follow most devotedly are those who I know are committed to my wellbeing. Although this can appear to be a relationship based on selfishness, it's actually a relationship built on trust.

My commitment to an exemplary life is proof positive of that fact that I view people as an entrustment from God; I care too much for them to give them a bad model to emulate.

On Discipline

2008-06-05T20:22:00.002+10:00

Tonight we commenced our 'School of Financial Stewardship' at Kings Training College, with guest speaker John Chapman.

My favourite quote from the evening: "Poor people eat a lot of chocolate".

Coldplay

2008-06-03T22:29:00.002+10:00

I know I'm a little slow, but I finally heard Coldplay's latest single Violet Hill last night; it's hot! Sarah and I went to their last concert in Brisbane which was amazing. Surely they'll tour Australia again with their new album - if anyone knows of potential tour dates, let me know!

See Violet Hill video here.

Nee on Service in the Local Church

2008-05-31T22:33:00.002+10:00

Courtesy of my beautiful wife...

"Brothers and sisters, you can test yourself in the following way: If you are in a local church and your function has not been manifested, this proves that your living outwardly is not for the Lord and that your life inwardly is not yet freed from the self. This is a very specific test. I am not saying that you have a small function; I am saying that it does not seem to matter whether or not you are in the church. If your function is not manifested, you are not living for the Lord outwardly, and you are not yet broken by Him inwardly.

We must realize that in order for the Lord to preach the gospel, carry out His work, and fulfill His will on earth, He must work through His Body. The Lord’s will and way cannot be accomplished through one man. He cannot carry out His work through one man; He has to do it through the church."

(Watchman Nee, Collected Works, Set 2, Vol. 38, 508-510)

On Role Models

2008-05-28T00:38:00.005+10:00

At present there seems to be much talk about the need for positive role models for teenagers and children. 'Mentoring' has become chic in our school system as teachers and government realize the huge impact, for good and bad, that role models have upon young people. I believe that the increased emphasis upon mentoring is a positive step; Kings currently provides mentors for youth in a number of local schools.

For two years I worked in an Outside School Hours Care program in local primary schools. More often than not, the misbehavior of particular children was easily understood upon meeting the unruly child's parent/s (I say that with no disrespect intended).

The lifestyle of our superiors, whether older siblings, parents or celebrities, has a massive bearing upon our attitudes and behavior.

With this in mind, when reading Judges 6:11-27 I noticed something that I found fascinating. This passage tells the story of an Angel of the Lord visiting Gideon, telling him that he will save Israel from the oppression of the Midianites.

To the optimistic angelic messenger Gideon responds with skepticism, saying "If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles... How can I save Israel?"

"If... Why... Where... How..."

Why does Gideon respond with such doubt? I have heard many preachers take a shot at Gideon for his lack of faith; but let me take his side for a moment.

There is no doubting the influence of a father upon his son. Judges 6:11 tells us that Gideon's father's name was Joash. This name comes from two words which mean, 'Jehovah' and 'burning, fire, flaming, hot'. Strong's Concordance defines Joash as 'Jehovah fired'. Wow! What a statement Joash's name makes. Growing up, whenever Gideon called his dad's name, he declared 'Jehovah fired.'

However in Judges 6:25, the Lord said to Gideon:

"Take your father's young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image (or 'Asherah' - a Canaanite goddess) that is beside it..."

So we discover that Joash, 'Jehovah fired', has an altar to Baal and to Asherah in the back yard! Gideon has grown up in a household of confusion. Dad says that he is 'Jehovah fired' yet Baal and Asherah seem to be consuming most of his attention and affection.

Gideon's most influential role model has said one thing and shown another, and the boy is now in a state of confusion. It's little wonder that Gideon responds to the Angel with the words 'If..why...where...how?" What Gideon has heard and what he has seen are polar opposites.

I believing in speaking words of faith. However it is by our lifestyle that we create an environment of confusion or faith for those looking to us as role models. Gideon could not quickly grab the promises of God because of a poor example given to him by his father.

The application for my life is this: is my lifestyle building faith in God's word amongst those who look to me?

I don't want to be a Joash role model, declaring faith while demonstrating doubt.

May my life be free from the duplicities which cause others to doubt the word of God for their lives.

An Accurate Perception?

2008-05-26T11:01:00.002+10:00

The importance of how we perceive God cannot be underestimated. Our perception of someone has a massive impact on the way that we relate to that person. If I perceive you to be an angry, grumpy and unpleasant person, I feel little inclination to initiate relationship with you. In short, relationship reflects perception.

In my opinion, an inaccurate perception of God is the chief reason why many people, secular and Christian, have little inclination or enthusiasm to initiate a relationship with Him.

From 2 Corinthians 3:6-11 we can pose some questions to identify if our perception of God is true and accurate to New Testament realities.

1. Is He the God who marks my wrongs, or the God who makes me right?

v9 – For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.

God as revealed through the life of Jesus, delights not in condemning but in curing the sinner. To many people the idea of ‘God’ or ‘church’ conjures up thoughts of judgment and guilt, and subsequently condemnation, however this is inaccurate.

The purpose of church is not to remind a person of their wrongs, creating guilt in the heart of man. Instead, the purpose of church is to remind a person of their righteousness through faith in Jesus, creating praise and gratitude in the heart of man.

2. Is He the God who limits me, or the God who liberates me?

V6 - …for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

It is a tragedy that for many people the Bible is all about ‘the big ten’ (commandments), resulting in a perception that God has confined and curbed man’s freedom through an impersonal set of commands. What follows from this perception is a belief that ‘God = restriction, sin = freedom’. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The Bible teaches that any person who commits sin is a slave to sin. In its initial stages the path of sin seems wide, promising freedom and choice. In comparison the path toward God can look narrow, requiring restriction and submission. However, if you follow each path to its end you will find that the path of sin becomes narrow and treacherous, bringing you to a place of bondage and addiction. On the other hand, the path toward God, which initially seemed narrow and restrictive, broadens to a life of freedom and choice. On this path, ‘the heart is set at liberty, and enlarged, to run the ways of God’s commandments.’ (Barnes notes on the New Testament)

3. Is He the God of the letter, or the God of love?

V6 - …for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

It is so important that we do not confuse the religion of man with the reality of God. Religion esteems it’s principles over it’s people. God esteems people over religion’s principles.

Jesus showed this. Luke 13 records an instance in which Jesus healed a woman of long-term arthritis, however He healed her on a Sabbath day, which infuriated the religious leaders. They were so focussed on the letter of God’s law that they missed the love of God, demonstrated right before their eyes.

The message of Jesus is not one of letters, laws and rules, but of love leading to life.

4. Is He the God of punishment, or the God of pardon?

v9 – For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.

The purpose of Jesus' life and death was not to punish man for his sin, but to pardon man from his sin. John the Baptist said of Jesus “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

The phrase ‘takes away’ literally means ‘to take upon oneself and carry’. Jesus took upon himself my sin, carrying it to the cross where he received my punishment. Because of this, He offers free pardon from sin to every person who places their faith in Him.

Far from delighting in punishment, God’s greatest joy is to offer pardon to mankind.

In summary, habitual Bible study is of huge importance as it ensures that I hold a correct perception of God. It is this correct perception of God that then frees me to have an enthusiastic relationship with God.

Frozen Grand Central

2008-05-24T10:16:00.002+10:00

A Great Weekend

2008-05-19T12:00:00.002+10:00

Another great weekend in Kings!

On Saturday night hosted Pastor Al Furey for a night of miracles at the Hyatt in Coolum. Pastor Al was brilliant and a number of people were healed instantly!

On Sunday morning Josh Kelsey at Kings Noosa. With his wife Georgie, Josh leads 'Change', the young adults ministry of Christian City Church in Oxford Falls with Pastor Phil Pringle. It was great to connect with Josh - his attitude toward life and young adults ministry was inspiring.

There was a great story to come out of our Sunday night service. My parents have recently set up a house for single women who are pregnant and without accommodation. The house opened up last weekend, with the first lady coming into the house last week. The lady came to church last night, gave her life to Jesus and was hugely impacted by the whole service!

What a great cause to give your life for!

Ravi on Experiencing Jesus

2008-05-14T08:32:00.000+10:00

I came to Him because I did not know which way to turn.
I have remained with Him because there is no other way I wish to turn.

I came to Him longing for something I did not have.
I remain with Him because I have something I will not trade.

I came to Him as a stranger.
I remain with Him in the most intimate of friendships.

I came to Him unsure about the future.
I remain with Him certain about my destiny...

Ravi Zacharias (Christian apologist; quote from 'Jesus Among Other Gods')

3 years and still influencing

2008-05-14T08:28:00.001+10:00

"The character of Jesus has not only been the highest pattern of virtue, but the strongest incentive in its practice, and has exerted so deep an influence, that it may be truly said that the simple record of three years of active life has done more to regenerate and to soften mankind than all the disquisitions of philosophers and all the exhortations or moralists."

W. E. H. Lecky (respected scholar and famed historian); quote from 'A History of European Morals from Augustus to Charlemagne'
- sourced from 'Jesus Among Other Gods'

Lewis on Faith

2008-05-13T23:49:00.002+10:00

Another piece from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis - the book is exceptional!

This piece has changed by understanding regarding faith. I previously thought (rather thoughtlessly!) that reason was an enemy to faith. However faith is built upon that which my reason has accepted to be true. As Lewis explains, it is my moods that are the real enemy to my faith.

"Now Faith, in the sense in which I am here using the word, is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods. For moods will change, whatever view your reason takes. I know that by experience. Now that I am a Christian I do have moods in which the whole thing looks very improbable: but when I was an atheist I had moods in which Christianity looked terribly probable.

This rebellion of your moods against your real self is going to come anyway. That is why Faith is such a necessary virtue: unless you teach your moods ‘where they get off’, you can never be either a sound Christian or even a sound atheist, but just a creature dithering to and fro, with its beliefs really dependent on the weather and that state of its digestion. Consequently one must train the habit of Faith.

The first step is to recognise the fact that your moods change. The next is to make sure that, if you have once accepted Christianity, then some of its main doctrines shall be deliberately held before your mind for some time every day. That is why daily prayers and religious readings and church going are necessary parts of the Christian life. We have to be continually reminded of what we believe. Neither this belief nor any other will automatically remain alive in the mind. It must be fed. And as a matter of fact, if you examine a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity, I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument? Do not most people simply drift away?"

Lewis on Prudence

2008-05-04T20:14:00.002+10:00

The honeymoon has afforded me heaps of time to catch up on reading. I've been re-reading one of my all-time favourite books, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.

I like what he writes on the topic of prudence:

Prudence means practical common sense, taking the trouble to think out what you are doing and what is likely to come of it. Nowadays most people hardly think of prudnce as one of the 'virtues'. In fact, because Christ said we could only get into His world by being like children, many Christians have the idea that, provided you are 'good', it does not matter being a fool. But that is a misunderstanding.

In the first place, most children show plenty of 'prudence' about doing the things they are really interested in, and think them out quite sensibly. In the second place, as St Paul points out, Christ never meant that we were to remain children in intelligence: on the contrary. He told us to be not only 'as harmless as doves', but also 'as wise as serpents'.

He wants a child's heart, but a grown-up's head. He wants us to be simple, single-minded, affectionate, and teachable, as good children are; but He also wants every bit of intelligence we have to be alert at its job, and in first class fighting trim.

The fact that you are giving money to a charity does not mean that you need not try to find out whether that charity is a fraud or not. The fact that what you are thinking about is God Himself (for example, when you are praying) does not mean that you can be content with the same babyish ideas which you had when you were a five-year-old...

If you are thinking of becoming a Christian, I warn you, you are embarking on something which is going to take the whole of you, brains and all. But, fortunately, it works the other way round. Anyone who is honestly trying to be a Christian will soon find his intelligence being sharpened: one of the reasons why it needs no special education to be a Christian is that Christianity is an education itself. That is why an uneducated believer like Bunyan was able to write a book that has astonished the whole world.

From Phuket

2008-05-04T20:06:00.004+10:00

My first blog since our wedding on April 26th. Sarah and I had an amazing day and are so grateful to friends and family who were so helpful! We were blown away by the generosity of everyone involved!

We're currently honeymooning in Karon Beach in Phuket in Thailand - it's beautiful (as you can see!)

About to head to church at Phuket Christian Centre which will be fun, then heading to Bangkok on Tuesday morning for a few days of shopping, before returning home on Thursday morning. Can't wait to be home!

Life at Present

2008-04-14T12:44:00.005+10:00

Life is brilliant! Blogging has been scarce over the past weeks because so much good stuff has been happening!

Currently getting ready for my wedding which is just twelve days away! Life at Kings is running hot - 27 people water baptized last night, many people said 'Yes to Jesus' and a spontaneous miracle offering of almost $100,000 given (just this weekend!) toward our Kings House building program. What an honor to be part of a growing church lead by incredible leaders, Steve and Marion Penny, who choose to live on the edge of faith.

In addition to this I moved house last night. Sarah and I are presently making preparations to build a house, however were in need of a house to live in for the first few months of our marriage and wanted to avoid the cost and hassle that comes with renting a house and signing a lease. By "coincidence" a couple we know had bought a large house in Bli Bli with a pool, full furnishings and 180 degree views of the Coast, and were looking for someone to house-sit for them for 4 months. Because we are such selfless and generous people, Sarah and I were happy to agree to the couple's rent-free terms and I've now moved in. To sweeten the deal, the house also has a huge TV with AUSTAR, right in time for the AFL season!

God is good!

The Wisdom of Winning

2008-04-10T23:50:00.002+10:00

Charles Spurgeon at his brilliant best, commenting on Proverbs 11:30, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise."

Sir Astley Cooper, on visiting Paris, was asked by the chief surgeon how many times he had performed a certain wonderful feat of surgery. He replied that he had performed the operation thirteen times.
“Ah, but, monsieur, I have done it one hundred and sixty times. How many times did you save the life?” continued the curious Frenchman, after he had looked into the blank amazement of Sir Astley’s face.
“I,” said the Englishman, “saved eleven out of the thirteen. How many did you save out of one hundred and sixty?”
“Ah, monsieur, I lost them all, but the operation was very brilliant!”
Of how many popular ministries might the same verdict be given! Souls are not saved, but the preaching is very brilliant. Thousands are attracted and operated on by the rhetorician’s art, but what if he should have to say of his admirers, “I lost them all, but the sermons were very brilliant!”

On Meaning

2008-04-08T18:19:00.000+10:00

"If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark."

- C.S. Lewis

Inspiration from Wesley

2008-04-03T11:16:00.001+10:00

"Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergymen or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon Earth."

- John Wesley

On Television

2008-04-02T22:52:00.002+10:00

"Television is an invention that permits you to be entertained in your living room by people you wouldn't have in your home."
- English Television Presenter, Sir David Frost, on the sometimes insidious attributes of television

Dreams

2008-03-30T23:45:00.001+10:00

"A dream is the heart of God in the soul of a man."
- Paul DeJong

Impossible

2008-03-30T16:58:00.001+10:00

Pastor Paul DeJong preached a hot message at Kings this morning. He included a section of this quote, which an Adidas advertising campaign made famous a few years ago.

"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing."

The Case for the Resurrection

2008-03-22T16:44:00.006+10:00

"And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless."
- 1 Corinthians 15:14

In my previous post 'The Swooning Saviour" I outlined the fact that Jesus did indeed die when crucified. Therefore, the next logical question which must be considered is: "Did Jesus really return to life?"

The resurrection of Jesus is the central claim of Christianity. Theologian Gunther Bornkamm writes that 'without the message of Jesus' resurrection there would be no church, no New Testament, and no Christian faith even to this day.' (Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, p1,015)

What evidence is there to support the claims of Jesus' resurrection?

1. The Eyewitness Testimony
Paul's first letter to the Corinthians was written between AD55-57. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul is making a case for the risen Christ. He writes that the resurrected Jesus was seen by Peter (or Cephas), then by the twelve (v5), by over five hundred others (v6) and by James (v7).

Paul is not shy in mentioning the names of specific witnesses. This is significant because he is writing at a time when these witnesses were still alive. If people doubted Paul's claims of the risen Christ, they could go and ask the named witnesses. It's as if Paul is saying, "If you don't believe me, here's a list of people who will back me up; go ask for yourselves!"

This would be a brave move had he invented the resurrection story.

Lee Strobel writes:

"The amount of testimony and corroboration of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances is staggering. To put it into perspective, if you were to call each one of the witnesses to a court of law to be cross-examined for just fifteen minutes each, and you went around the clock without a break, it would take you from breakfast on Monday until dinner on Friday to hear them all. After listening to 129 straight hours of eyewitness testimony, who could possibly walk away unconvinced?"

2. The Transformed Disciples
After Jesus' death the disciples were despondent, disappointed and disillusioned. They were afraid of the Jewish leaders and went into hiding. Their hopes that Jesus was the Messiah were now dashed and their leader was now dead.

Yet, not long after Jesus' death we find the disciples publicly preaching that Jesus had been resurrected. Furthermore, they declared this message with great boldness in front of the very Jewish leaders from whom they had been hiding.

Something happened that changed the disciples outlook from discouragement to faith.

Strobel writes:

"The earliest Christians didn't just endorse Jesus' teachings; they were convinced they had seen him alive after his crucifixion. That's what changed their lives and started the church. Certainly, since this was their centermost conviction, they would have made absolutely sure that it was true."

3. The Empty Tomb & the Inability of Jewish Leaders to Refute the Claims
This point is simple. The Jewish leaders could have nipped Christianity in the bud by going to the tomb of Jesus and pointing to His lifeless corpse.

The Jewish leaders did many things to attempt to stop the disciples from preaching about the resurrected Christ. They had the disciples whipped, beaten, jailed and thrown out of cities. Why?

Wouldn't it have been more effective for them to go to the tomb of Jesus, take the corpse and show it to the people of Jerusalem in a public procession? This simple act would have instantly nullified the disciples preaching.

Obviously this option was not available to them, as the tomb was empty.

4. The Commitment of the Early Church
Skeptics would argue that the tomb was empty because the disciples stole and hid Jesus' body. However, consider the fact that many of the apostles were martyred for their Christian faith.

Stephen was stoned.
Matthew was killed by the sword.
Luke was hanged.
It is believed that Mark died after being dragged behind horses through the streets of Alexandria, Egypt.
According to church tradition, Peter was crucified upside down because he did not consider himself worthy to die in the same was as Jesus.
James son of Zebedee was beheaded.
Thomas was speared.
Barnabas was stoned to death.
Jude was killed with arrows.

Now ask yourself the question, 'Would all these men hold fast to their claims if they knew them to be a hoax?' That is not only improbable, it is ridiculous to think that all these men would die for a message that they knew to be a lie.

In summary I believe that the resurrection of Jesus is both reasonable and rational, and thereby provides a confident foundation upon which the Christian faith is built.

Reading - #2

2008-03-18T23:25:00.002+10:00

Continued from earlier post:

4. Reading Conquers the Confines of Time

If a man does not read he limits his mind to think only on the concepts and ideas of his generation. Therefore his boundaries of available thought are perhaps forty to seventy years. However if a man reads widely, he avails himself of the thoughts and concepts of men and women of multiplied generations. His boundaries of thought are therefore hundreds and thousands of years.

Descartes, a French philosopher of the 17th century, said "The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest men of the past centuries."

In addition to this, by choosing to expand the historical breadth of reading material, a person is kept from any flawed concepts that may be prevalent in their generation.

5. Reading is the Habit of Effective People

When studying the lives of highly effective people, reading appears to be the reoccurring habit that links them all.

The Apostle Paul was a reader. In 2 Timothy 4:13 Paul asks a favor of Timothy, “Please bring with you…the books…”. Under house arrest and in the latter stages of his life, Paul’s desire was for a good book!

William Tyndale, Protestant reformer, scholar and Bible translator of the 16th Century, made a similar request during his imprisonment in the few months before his martyrdom in 1536. In a letter to the governor-in-chief, he entreated him to "kindly permit me to have my Hebrew Bible, Hebrew Grammar and Hebrew Dictionary, that I may spend time with that in study.”

John Wesley was so passionate about reading that he did most of it on horseback, regularly riding fifty to ninety miles per day. He habitually traveled with volumes of science, history or medicine propped on his saddle. His method proved effective, helping Wesley to get through thousands of volumes. Wesley is quoted as regularly advising younger ministers either to read or get out of the ministry!

Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, typically read six books per week.

Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life and Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church (one of America’s largest churches) is quoted as reading a book a day.

Hundreds more examples could be given of successful people who highly value the habit of reading. If it’s good enough for the Apostle Paul, Tyndale, Wesley, Spurgeon and Warren, it’s good enough for Bell!

6. Reading Increases the Income of Ideas

J. Oswald Sanders writes, "Ideally a book is a channel through which ideas can flow from one mind to another."

I cannot expect to call upon a plenitude of good ideas if I have not invested good ideas into my mind.

Ravi Zacharias states this point superbly: "An expenditure of words without the income of ideas leads to conceptual bankruptcy."

A Swooning Saviour? - Part 2

2008-03-18T07:30:00.000+10:00

Once Jesus arrived at the cross He was laid down and His outstretched hands nailed to the horizontal beam, which was at this stage separate from the vertical beam. Without going into detail of the nailing of Jesus’ wrists, it is suffice to say that the pain was intolerable. So uniquely intense was the pain that a new word was invented to describe the agony: excruciating, literally meaning ‘out of the cross’.

However, what was it that actually caused the death of a crucifixion victim?

“Once a person is hanging in the vertical position…crucifixion is essentially an agonizingly slow death by asphyxiation.

“The reason is that the stresses on the muscles and diaphragm put the chest into the inhaled position; basically, in order to exhale, the individual must push up on his feet so the tension on the muscles would be eased for a moment. In doing so, the nail would tear through the foot, eventually locking up against the tarsal bones…eventually complete exhaustion would take over, and the person wouldn’t be able to push up and breathe anymore.”

As breathing slows, the crucifixion victim goes into respiratory acidosis. Carbon dioxide in the blood dissolves as carbonic acid. This increases the acidity of the blood, eventually leading to an irregular heartbeat. He would then die of cardiac arrest.

Before Jesus died, His heart rate would have been rapid due to the hypovolemic shock. This results in the collection of fluid in the membrane around the heart, known as a pericardial effusion. This accounts for the blood and water which flowed from Jesus’ side after He was pierced by the Roman soldier (see John 19:34).

At this point, there is absolutely no doubt that Jesus would have been dead.

But what if Jesus wasn’t dead, but merely unconscious as the ‘swoon theory’ suggests?

This is not probable. Firstly, the Roman soldiers were employed to kill and knew how to do their job. Secondly, they would not have found it difficult to determine if a person was dead; the soldiers themselves thrust the spear into Jesus’ side. Thirdly, should a prisoner happen to escape, the soldiers responsible would be put to death. There was a huge incentive to ensure that each victim was definitely dead when removed from the cross.

Suppose however that Jesus did actually survive the Crucifixion; is this plausible?

Strobel quotes Dr. Alexander Metherell:

“… a person in that kind of pathetic condition would never have inspired his disciples to go out and proclaim the he’s the Lord of life who had triumphed over the grave…

“After suffering that horrible abuse, with all the catastrophic blood loss and trauma, he would have looked so pitiful that the disciples would never have hailed him as a victorious conqueror of death; they would have felt sorry for him and tried to nurse him back to health.

“So it’s preposterous to think that if he had appeared to them in that awful state, his followers would have been prompted to start a worldwide movement based on the hope that someday they too would have a resurrection body like his. There’s just no way.”

A swooning Saviour? An unlikely theory. Instead, evidence and logic point to Jesus’ definite death, which raises the next question: How can we know that Jesus was resurrected?

'The Swooning Saviour" posts are a summary of Lee Strobel’s "The Case for Easter".

A Swooning Saviour? - Part 1

2008-03-17T23:46:00.003+10:00

From 2004 to 2006 ‘The Davinci Code’ phenomenon swept the western world. In case you had forgotten, the Christian faith was apparently under siege. In his fictional novel, Dan Brown purports that Jesus of Nazareth did not die and was therefore never resurrected.

The resurrection of Jesus is at the very core of the Christian faith. The Apostle Paul himself wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:17: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” It is Jesus' resurrection that is the ultimate evidence of His divine identity and inspired teaching.

However, suppose that Jesus did not actually die on the cross. The resurrection story is instantly discarded as pure legend. If Jesus did not die, the accounts of his reappearance are hardly remarkable and the empty tomb is to be expected.

Over centuries, many theories have been popularised suggesting that Jesus did not in fact die. Some have suggested that Jesus merely fainted on the cross due to his exhaustion or as the result of a drug. He then later revived from the damp, cool air in the tomb. This and other similar theories have been called ‘the swoon theories’.

The questions that demand answers are these: What really happened at the Crucifixion? Did Jesus actually die? Is there any way that Jesus could have survived the ordeal?

Firstly, what really happened at the Crucifixion?

Before His crucifixion, Jesus was flogged with a whip of braided leather, with metal balls and pieces of bone woven into them. The metal balls caused deep bruising while the bones would tear the flesh.

In his book "The Case for Easter", Lee Strobel quotes:

“As the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh…The sufferer’s veins were laid bare, and the very muscles, sinews and bowels of the victim were open to exposure.”

“…many people would die from this kind of beating even before they could be crucified. At the least, the victim would experience tremendous pain and go into hypovolemic shock.”

“Hypo means ‘low’, vol refers to volume, and emic means ‘blood’, so hypovolemic shock means the person is suffering the effects of losing a large amount of blood… This does four things. First, the heart races to try to pump blood that isn’t there; second, the blood pressure drops, causing fainting or collapse; third, the kidneys stop producing urine to maintain what volume is left; and fourth, the person becomes very thirsty as the body craves fluids to replace the lost blood volume.”

Evidence of these symptoms can be seen in the gospel accounts of Jesus’ flogging.

Enthused?

2008-03-17T15:50:00.005+10:00

"I found that the men and women who got to the top were those who did the jobs they had in hand, with everything they had of energy and enthusiasm and hard work."
- Harry S. Truman (33rd President of the USA)

"I prefer the folly of enthusiasm to the indifference of wisdom."
- Anatole France (French Author, 1844-1924)

Thanks to my nephew Jonty for his outstanding example!