Scary

What is the most daring thing you have done? I jumped out of a plane once at 12,000 feet without a parachute - and with a big bloke strapped to my back.

For those of us who are married, marriage was probably the most daring thing we have done. We committed everything we had to another person with no guarantees except their word. Everything depended on trusting the other person to keep their word. And us being faithful to our word.

Exactly like following Christ.

Although much more is at stake in this case. The person who follows Christ is much braver than the person who gets married. Because this is not a relationship of equals. But it is a total relationship. Everything is at stake. Everything we have is at risk. And all we have to go on is Christ's word.

But he calls the tune. He knows the plan. He directs the way. And there is no back up plan. No guarantees apart from his word.

Not surprisingly many followers of Christ are not comfortable with this arrangement. They belong to a long line of "self-deciders" that goes back to Adam. They want to decide for themselves what they will do and not do. Because they trust their own judgment more than anyone else's.

Being "self-deciders" they are naturally insecure (otherwise they would trust Christ). So they put in place lots of plans and structures to make sure they can keep their relationship with Christ safe, under control, and hopefully acceptable to him.

Which makes it difficult to have a trusting relationship. The alternative is very scary and few grasp it. It is to abandon not only the security plans but to kill off the "self-decider" themself.

 And instead to take Christ at his word and trust him to live his life in us through his Spirit. In a relationship over which we have no control. Where our only challenge is to remain faithful and trusting.  To trust Christ. To take him at his word. To listen and do.

Scary.

Dale

Predestination to what?

Predestination is a favourite conundrum for lots of people. But it is difficult only when it is not defined properly (lots of problems are like that). Many people think of it as a kind of determinism. Some as a blue-print for life. But the Bible’s idea is much simpler: it has to do with the destination. Where does God want his people to end up? Where will the train terminate?

Another problem modern people have is that we read it as a question of individual destiny. But in the Bible it is first of all a matter of family destiny. In particular the destiny of the family of Abraham. At least Abraham as the key to the destiny of the whole race.

It has to do with God’s completed purpose for his people. What does he want them to end up like? Where does he want them to end up?

What is the answer? There are many possible answers, but only one that will answer the case. That is, to understand that the great destiny promised to Abraham comes to fulfilment only through one of his descendants. All of the promises of blessing that are to come to the human race though Abraham’s descendant, come though the Lord Jesus Christ. What was predestined for us was predestined in Christ. And the destiny is to be adopted as God’s children through Christ.

The one descendant of Abraham is also the only Son of God. The great destination is to be included in the family of God as sons and daughters along with Jesus. And because of Jesus. The true Son makes it possible for us to be adopted because he redeems us by his blood.

We can think of Christians as people who are saved and forgiven – which is true. But more than this we are people who have been given the Spirit of the Son so that we know we are children and do call God our Father. And who know that we have been included on God’s family as family members – not as solo saints.

Dale

What Healthy Churches Need

What are the things that characterise healthy churches? Here are some possibilities: Disciples; A Founder; God’s Word; Prayer; Meetings that edify; Fellowship; Breaking bread; Gospel; Leaders; Generosity ... What would you add to this list? What basis in the scriptures would you have for your suggestion?

The idea of a healthy church implies unhealthy ones. But what does healthy mean? It suggests some correspondence between the life of a church and what God intended his church to be like. Just as when we go to the doctor, the doctor has some standard of comparison as to what a healthy person looks like. Otherwise their treatment would be subjective and whimsical (at best) or (possibly) determined by profit.

Churches are different to individuals in that they are more subject to powerful people, currents of opinion, personalities and dysfunctional behaviour. Churches don’t always seek help when they are in trouble. Sometimes preferring denial and nostalgia, sometimes engaged in a struggle amongst those who have different opinions about its state of health and the potential cures.

Do you want to be part of a healthy church? Will it benefit you (the utilitarian’s question)? Is it possible (the pragmatist’s question)? Will it give better honour to Christ? Will it be more healing to unbelievers?

And how healthy do we want to be? Healthy enough to feel comfortable (the cruise ship and hospice question)? Healthy enough to heal? Healthy enough to be anticipating heaven? Healthy enough to evangelise the world?

All of us have opinions about these kinds of things. Sometimes they surface in the form of complaints. Sometimes they surface in our prayers. Sometimes they surface in our actions. In many cases they are only partly thought out and depend on what we are used to and already know about.

So asking the question can help us think about it afresh. Do we want to be part of a healthy church, and what are the things that make a church healthy?

What do you think?

Dale

How does the church get money? Part 2

(Continued from last week). The Bible has a very radical angle on money and giving. It points us to God who generously supplies the needs of his people so that they in turn should have an open hand and a generous heart. As far as the church getting money, two principles apply.

1. Is it spending money on the things that God has called it to do?

2. If so, we must trust God to supply what is needed to do his work – through the generous gifts of his people.

This leads to two corollaries:

1. Only God’s generous givers should give, and they should give what God has enabled them to give (what counts is the heart not the amount: read 2 Corinthians 8 and 9) - to needs that are clearly part of his purpose.

2. If a church wants to increase its income it needs to increase the work that God is calling it to (and therefore its expenditure). If a church really wants to do what God wants it to do it may need to increase its budget.
Deeper than the method, is a battle with the power of the Big Worry God of the Modern Western World (read Matthew 6). The Big Worry God has persuaded many that lack of money is the cause of unhappiness and disaster, and the possession of wealth is what we most need to keep our lives safe and content.

Some of the non-biblical money getting methods mentioned last week have a serious impact on those less well-off who are led to feel that they have to take an equal share in meeting the costs of the ministry of the church. The Bible sets us free. It tells us to be generous and to trust God to supply our needs. It tells us that meeting needs is a fellowship matter. You are free to give a small amount generously because you trust others to be generous too.

Dale

How does the church get money?

Different churches get money in different ways. Here are a few choices:

Duress: or pressure, haranguing, brow-beating and nagging.

Guilt: based on various kinds of legalism, the guilt of the wealthy, the needs of the poor, or just general feelings of guilt.

Offers-too-good-to-be-true: the more you give the wealthier you will become

Tradition: such as tithing

Duty: you ought to do this

Fear: or anxiety about money (or the lack of it) and what might happen if ...

Seduction: you can become a famous/respected/ spiritual Christian if you give a lot.

Need: Easily manipulated in the interests of those making the appeal.

Look to outsiders: get people outside the church to give to us

Start a business: or something that will provide an income stream. This has some merit when it relates to helping people finding employment and becoming self-providing.

Ask for help: from richer churches. A very tricky matter.

Get a subsidy: related to the previous method. Research suggests that subsidised churches develop as weak churches (including those that live off an investment).

And no doubt there are more non-biblical ideas...

In the Bible? What does it have to say? Something simple (as you might expect):

God generously supplies the needs of his people so that they in turn should have an open hand and a generous heart. As far as the church getting money, two principles apply.

1. Is it spending money on the things that God has called it to do? Is the proposed expenditure what God has led us to, including bringing the gospel to the nations?

2. If so, we must trust God to supply what is needed to do his work – through the generous gifts of his people. The responsibility to fund the ministries of the church lies with the members of the church who practise God’s generosity.

To be continued next week …

Dale

The Angel of the Lord

The Bible is full of angels. From Abraham to Revelation they keep appearing and speaking and doing things. Sometimes people see them. Sometimes they appear in dreams. Sometimes only a voice is heard, and on one famous occasion an angel appeared to a donkey but not at first to the prophet who was riding it.

Among all these “ministering spirits” a couple of angels stand out. Some have names, Michael, Gabriel, and one is called the Angel of the LORD.

The Angel of the LORD quite often seems to be the LORD himself. He speaks to Hagar, appears when Abraham is about to sacrifice Isaac, speaks from the burning bush to Moses, and stops Balaam’s donkey. More cryptically the Angel of the LORD speaks to the Israelites after they have entered the land (Joshua 2) and tells them they have not done as they were told. Zechariah sees a vision of Joshua the High Priest standing before the Angel of the LORD with Satan alongside to accuse him.

The New Testament does not have these appearance of the Angel of the LORD, mainly because God is present in the person of Jesus and afterwards through the Holy Spirit who speaks and acts in ways that sometimes resemble the OT appearances.

What are we to make of this Angel of the LORD? It does appear that many times it is the LORD himself appearing for the benefit of those he speaks to. It reminds us that God dwells with his people and speaks to them personally. When Jacob returned from Laban to meet Esau, he camped where he met a company of angels, at Mahanaim, the camp of God (Gen 32). Where God was (who wrestled with him all night).

David knew he was in the camp of God:

This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Ps 34:6-7.

We are not in a camp but in the permanent dwelling place of God.

And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Eph 2:22 (NIV)

Dale

Holy Spirit

We Christians can get the impression that the Holy Spirit is a Christian possession who only turned up on the day of Pentecost. Nonsense of course. The Spirit of God has been part of the Bible story from the beginning, The difference after Pentecost is that now God has poured out his Spirit on all of his people, not just some, like the prophets.

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would come as a replacement for himself. The Spirit would stay with the disciples, and not leave them like Jesus was about to do. He would come to continue the work of Jesus. That meant continuing to teach them, and continuing to work through their deeds, and speak through their words.

And now? Well, the Spirit hasn’t disappeared. He is still being poured out on every believer. Still working through them to speak the Father’s words. Still doing the Father’s works through them. Still keeping them in touch with the Father and the Son.

So much for knowing things about the Holy Spirit. Do we need to know him? Silly question. Do we know him? Slightly better question. How well do we know him. Better question. How do we know him?

We know him spiritually. He speaks to our spirit, into our inner being, and assures us that we are God’s children. We know him to as the one who speaks into our hearts and minds through scripture. Who brings the writings to life and changes us. Who leads us to repent, and fills us with joy and wonder.

How do we know the Spirit lives in us? Because he is changing us to be like Jesus. Because the fruit that resembles God’s character is gradually being formed in us. Because he brings gracious gifts from God to enable us to do the work of the Father: bringing the gospel to others, building up the body of Christ.

The Spirit helps us pray, helps us praise, give thanks, rejoice, persist, helps us show patience, perseverance, love. Helps us speak. Above all, helps us love and obey the Father and the Son.

Dale

Which way now?

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.

“I don’t much care where – “ said Alice.

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.

“ – so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.

“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, if you only walk long enough.”

Sometimes church seems a bit like Alice’s adventure. We want to go somewhere but we don’t know where. And the advisors often seem as unhelpful as the Chesire Cat. Or we try this direction and that direction and find ourselves still in Wonderland.

“In that direction,” the Cat said, waving its right paw round, “lives a Hatter: and in that direction,” waving the other paw, “lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they’re both mad.”

Finding direction for a church can be difficult. Even with GPS we still need to know where we want to head. Actually that is where the problem lies. It is not we who have to set the direction. The question is, “Where does the Head want us to head?”

Fortunately the Gospel Positioning Story has given us a heading. To the nations. To the ends of the earth. To all the tribes and languages and peoples. With the gospel of repentance and forgiveness. With the announcement of Christ’s Lordship.

Church life can sometimes feel like Wonderland – lots of activity but not going anywhere. Indeed some church life is like Wonderland. How to get out of the dream?

Remember how Alice got out?

Dale