What is your greatest achievement?
For me, it has to be Faith. The idea that I helped to create something so amazing is a little overwhelming. She grows, she moves on her own, she interacts with people, she makes decisions. How mind blowing is that?
Other achievements we had tonight were conversions (where people accept Jesus into their lives), taking on a leadership role, and school certificates. All good stuff, and it's only right that we remember our achievements.
But (there's always a 'but' isn't there?) Jesus tells us that "human effort accomplishes nothing" [Jn 6.63], that it is the Holy Spirit giving us strength to achieve. What does that really mean?
Well, it means that whatever we achieve without God's help is nothing compared to what we can achieve with God. Consider the disciples: when Jesus was alive and they could rely on him, they kept making mistakes (in the Gospels they seem a little like circus clowns, bumping into each other, panicking, and so on). In Mark's Gospel the disciples aren't able to cast out a demon possessing a young boy, Jesus is suitably disgruntled.
"You unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?"
Jesus has spent his time developing the skills of the disciples to carry on his work after he's gone, but they still can't do it. Why not? It isn't that they don't know how: they've seen Jesus do it before. What they lack is faith - "you unbelieving generation" - and it's not until Jesus has died and ascended to Heaven, and the Holy Spirit comes that they develop the faith they need. Faith enough to cast out demons left, right and centre, faith enough to bring thousands of people to Christianity, faith enough to go to their deaths declaring Jesus is God.
Now, I'm alright, I've got Faith twenty-four-seven (she's asleep at the moment, but she could wake up any time), the question is, how much faith do you have?
Sunday 9 August 2009
Sunday 26 July 2009
Simpson and Delilah
It is claimed that you learn something new every day. Even really old people like Janet and David are supposed to learn something new every single day. I'm going to tell you what I learned today.
We looked at the life of Samson. It's a great story, told in the book of Judges (Chapters 13-16), and like most of the Old Testament it's full of violence and death.
I knew the story of Samson, the whole thing about his hair being the source of his strength, about his one man war against the Philistines, and about the woman he loved (Delilah) betraying him. What I had never really thought about, until John said it tonight, is that Samson is like Jesus, in that he achieved more through his death than all through his life.
I'm not suggesting for a moment that killing people is a noble thing, but we must remember that the Old Testament times were filled with upheaval, with wandering tribes attacking each other to control the land; and that God had chosen the Israelites as His people, encouraging them and protecting them. If the Philistines weren't fought in battle, they would certainly have killed every last Israelite: man, woman and child. Samson's final victory was to kill so many Philistines that his people would be safe for a long time to come.
Jesus never killed anyone, his death was not a victory, but his resurrection was: through it he opened a door to eternal life, never again would death mean the end for believers in Christ. Now that's what I call a victory.
We looked at the life of Samson. It's a great story, told in the book of Judges (Chapters 13-16), and like most of the Old Testament it's full of violence and death.
I knew the story of Samson, the whole thing about his hair being the source of his strength, about his one man war against the Philistines, and about the woman he loved (Delilah) betraying him. What I had never really thought about, until John said it tonight, is that Samson is like Jesus, in that he achieved more through his death than all through his life.
I'm not suggesting for a moment that killing people is a noble thing, but we must remember that the Old Testament times were filled with upheaval, with wandering tribes attacking each other to control the land; and that God had chosen the Israelites as His people, encouraging them and protecting them. If the Philistines weren't fought in battle, they would certainly have killed every last Israelite: man, woman and child. Samson's final victory was to kill so many Philistines that his people would be safe for a long time to come.
Jesus never killed anyone, his death was not a victory, but his resurrection was: through it he opened a door to eternal life, never again would death mean the end for believers in Christ. Now that's what I call a victory.
Sunday 19 April 2009
Tabula Rase
Great news everybody. God offers every sinner a clean slate each time they repent.
It's great because we're all sinners, each and every one of us. Gathered in the room tonight we had examples of adultery, theft, bearing false witness, tempting others and potential animal abuse.
(Okay, so I might be exaggerating a little - but we were still a bunch of sinners).
What does the clean slate mean in real every day terms?
It means we can live without fearing death, because what comes after death is going to be brilliant. It means that we don't have to live our lives feeling guilty, because we are truly, totally forgiven. All good so far, but - it means that we're often still missing the point...
What is the point? The point is we're all forgiven, even the people who make us angry. So God has forgiven them, but we might still bear a grudge.
Do we have the right to be angry at someone that god has absolved (someone who may well have that clean slate, that polished, shiny, spotless soul)? There's a name for people like that, and it's not a nice one. Hypocrite.
Crumbs, we're washed clean by christ, and then we go and mucky ourselves up again with hypocrisy. What a mixed up world.
Here's something you might want to try though, it's a little prayer that you might have heard before. It's commonly called the Lord's Prayer. Actually it's one part of the prayer:
Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
It's great because we're all sinners, each and every one of us. Gathered in the room tonight we had examples of adultery, theft, bearing false witness, tempting others and potential animal abuse.
(Okay, so I might be exaggerating a little - but we were still a bunch of sinners).
What does the clean slate mean in real every day terms?
It means we can live without fearing death, because what comes after death is going to be brilliant. It means that we don't have to live our lives feeling guilty, because we are truly, totally forgiven. All good so far, but - it means that we're often still missing the point...
What is the point? The point is we're all forgiven, even the people who make us angry. So God has forgiven them, but we might still bear a grudge.
Do we have the right to be angry at someone that god has absolved (someone who may well have that clean slate, that polished, shiny, spotless soul)? There's a name for people like that, and it's not a nice one. Hypocrite.
Crumbs, we're washed clean by christ, and then we go and mucky ourselves up again with hypocrisy. What a mixed up world.
Here's something you might want to try though, it's a little prayer that you might have heard before. It's commonly called the Lord's Prayer. Actually it's one part of the prayer:
Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Sunday 12 April 2009
Easter is fast becoming my favourite Christian holiday. Which may sound a little strange to those who love Christmas trees, Santa Claus, presnts and snow. Or even those who like to know exactly when their holidays are - after all Easter is a little odd in the way it floats around the calendar.
The reason that I'm Easter is taking the lead on best festival is because it's really two amazing things in one weekend: while Christmas is all about Jesus' birth, Easter is all about his death and then all about his resurrection.
For anyone who's 18 and over there's a film by Mel Gibson called "The Passion of the Christ", passion in this sense actually means suffering, and we know that Christ is Greek for anointed or chosen one. So this film (doing exactly what it says on the tin) shows us the suffering of God's chosen one.
It's pretty grim viewing in parts, which is why it's an 18, for example the scene where Jesus is whipped thirty-nine times by Roman soldiers takes almost ten minutes; after which there is hardly an inch of skin that isn't torn and bleeding; and the crucifixion itself is truly horrific as a mortally wounded man is tormented by those around him, punished unnecessarily and finally dies.
It may not compare well to some of the modern day horror films like "Saw" or "Hostel", films that are more than willing to go to extremes to make you scream, but "The Passion of the Christ" is far more important, because it isn't just about gore. It's about a man who died a terrifying death for us, who died so that we wouldn't have to live in fear. It's a film that doesn't make me jump out of my seat (much), but does make me cry.
The reason that I'm Easter is taking the lead on best festival is because it's really two amazing things in one weekend: while Christmas is all about Jesus' birth, Easter is all about his death and then all about his resurrection.
For anyone who's 18 and over there's a film by Mel Gibson called "The Passion of the Christ", passion in this sense actually means suffering, and we know that Christ is Greek for anointed or chosen one. So this film (doing exactly what it says on the tin) shows us the suffering of God's chosen one.
It's pretty grim viewing in parts, which is why it's an 18, for example the scene where Jesus is whipped thirty-nine times by Roman soldiers takes almost ten minutes; after which there is hardly an inch of skin that isn't torn and bleeding; and the crucifixion itself is truly horrific as a mortally wounded man is tormented by those around him, punished unnecessarily and finally dies.
It may not compare well to some of the modern day horror films like "Saw" or "Hostel", films that are more than willing to go to extremes to make you scream, but "The Passion of the Christ" is far more important, because it isn't just about gore. It's about a man who died a terrifying death for us, who died so that we wouldn't have to live in fear. It's a film that doesn't make me jump out of my seat (much), but does make me cry.
Sunday 5 April 2009
Good evening folks,
Tonight's session focussed on two passages from the Bible: Matthew 22.34-40 which says (in the New Living Translation)
34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. 35 One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
37 Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
And 1 Corinthians 13.1
13 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
Tonight's session focussed on two passages from the Bible: Matthew 22.34-40 which says (in the New Living Translation)
34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. 35 One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
37 Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
And 1 Corinthians 13.1
13 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
In the first passage we see the Pharisees trying to trick Jesus into saying something that would land him in a whole lot of trouble. For instance, if he'd answered that the greatest commandment was to have no other gods but the one true God, the Pharisees could have accused him of condoning (or supporting) murder and stealing as crimes.
But Jesus has an important advantage over the Pharisees: He is God.
This means that he knows the scriptures well -- he ought to, he inspired the writers, he wrote the scriptures himself through men like Moses -- it also means that he understands what the scriptures actually mean. Unlike the religious leaders of the time who have obviously become confused over time.
The first part of the Greatest Commandment, as it is known, comes from Deuteronomy 6.5 and the second part comes from Leviticus 19.18. so why these two?
The answer comes in the word that links the two passages -- Love.
This is then clarified, or strengthened, by Paul in his letter to the church in Corinth. What Paul is saying essentially, is that everything we do in life should be driven by love. If we do things (no matter how wonderful) without love being the driving force we are missing the point.
As Trevor pointed out tonight, that is one bold statement. Even more so in the Message translation:
No matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.
Wow. That is a truly challenging viewpoint.
So here's the thing... how much are we driven by love?
How much are you driven by love? And how can you tell?
Sunday 22 February 2009
Predetermination: are our lives already planned out for us?
If God already knows what we're going to do then surely we have no choice.
In his letter to the church at Ephesus Paul says
4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
[Eph 1:4-5]
9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
[Eph 1.9-11]
Notice he says God "decided in advance" and "chose us in advance", so God does know beforehand.
Well, tonight we looked more closely at what predestination means. How did we do it? By playing Twister of course.
Q. Does God know what's going to come up next on the spinner?
A. Yes he does.
Q. Does he know where we'll move our hands and feet to?
A. Of course.
Q. Does that mean we have no choice in the matter?
A. No.
Ah. So, he knows beforehand what we're going to do, but we can still choose? That's deep.
You see, God is omniscient (which means all-knowing). He knows everything that's is going to happen, and everything that could possibly happen. It's difficult for us to understand really because we aren't all-knowing. It's one of those things that we have to take in faith: we have to trust.
So, what does it all mean for us? Well, two things really.
1. We can feel safe in the knowledge that God knows what will happen in the future, and that he's already told us it's all going to work out well (if you're up for a deep and meaningful read, look at Revelation - it's right at the back of the Bible).
2. We can be sure that what we do is completely our own choice - we have free will - and so we can choose to help God's plan along, or not. But if we know that his plan is going to come true, it makes sense to be on His side really.
As for Twister, it was probably educational, but it was certainly hilarious to watch...
If God already knows what we're going to do then surely we have no choice.
In his letter to the church at Ephesus Paul says
4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
[Eph 1:4-5]
9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
[Eph 1.9-11]
Notice he says God "decided in advance" and "chose us in advance", so God does know beforehand.
Well, tonight we looked more closely at what predestination means. How did we do it? By playing Twister of course.
Q. Does God know what's going to come up next on the spinner?
A. Yes he does.
Q. Does he know where we'll move our hands and feet to?
A. Of course.
Q. Does that mean we have no choice in the matter?
A. No.
Ah. So, he knows beforehand what we're going to do, but we can still choose? That's deep.
You see, God is omniscient (which means all-knowing). He knows everything that's is going to happen, and everything that could possibly happen. It's difficult for us to understand really because we aren't all-knowing. It's one of those things that we have to take in faith: we have to trust.
So, what does it all mean for us? Well, two things really.
1. We can feel safe in the knowledge that God knows what will happen in the future, and that he's already told us it's all going to work out well (if you're up for a deep and meaningful read, look at Revelation - it's right at the back of the Bible).
2. We can be sure that what we do is completely our own choice - we have free will - and so we can choose to help God's plan along, or not. But if we know that his plan is going to come true, it makes sense to be on His side really.
As for Twister, it was probably educational, but it was certainly hilarious to watch...
Sunday 18 January 2009
The Magic Roundabout
I don't really remember the original Magic Roundabout (I'm not as old as my face would suggest), but I'm pretty sure it wasn't an action-type cartoon. That's the beauty of the world we live in: we can take something that's been around for years and give a makeover.
Poor old Dougal's obsession with 'sweeties' very nearly kills his beloved Florence and dooms the rest of the world to a frosty fate.
Obviously, none of us are ever going to release an evil genius from his prison (or are we?), but sometimes our obsessions with all things material can have terrible consequences.
In Matthew 6.33 Jesus said:
33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
So you see, we don't need to worry about things. All we need really to worry about is the Kingdom of God, and if we do that, we have his promise that he'll give us everything we need. (Notice it says need, not want, sorry about that).
Poor old Dougal's obsession with 'sweeties' very nearly kills his beloved Florence and dooms the rest of the world to a frosty fate.
Obviously, none of us are ever going to release an evil genius from his prison (or are we?), but sometimes our obsessions with all things material can have terrible consequences.
In Matthew 6.33 Jesus said:
33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
So you see, we don't need to worry about things. All we need really to worry about is the Kingdom of God, and if we do that, we have his promise that he'll give us everything we need. (Notice it says need, not want, sorry about that).
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