Morality and the Church

I am reasonably convinced that a big reason (largely unspoken) why people do not wish to go to church, or take on the Christian faith in the west, is due to what is perceived as the need to take on unfavourable moral attitudes and standards.

Yes, it is true that Christians are encouraged to live as godly people. It is a deep desire in all Christians to live according to the teachings of Jesus. To love our neighbours as ourselves, to love God with all our mind, strength, heart and soul, and to love each other as Christ loves us. And the agreed implication is also the Ten Commandments, to a strict degree (eg if you look at a woman with the wrong motives it is considered adultery, if you hate your brother it is considered murder) but there is also the beautiful description of the fruit of the Spirit, in Galatians 5, which we also long to express.

The reality is that as Christians, we fail at all of these continually, yet we love these characteristics and continue to model our lives on them. The reason that this is so, is because we have been given the precious gift of forgiveness. Forgiveness both now and into the future for our inability to do anything exactly as we should, and for all our past moral failures.

This was achieved by Jesus on the cross.

However to those outside the church, especially those who have had some Christian upbringing or contact, the idea of a life with strong moral values is probably repulsive. 

No matter how good the music or sermon or shared meals, this is likely a deal breaker for many. Added to this is the strong sense of God being unjust and uncaring (“If he does exist”), and the current alternative moral system that not only ridicules but chastises the “narrow mindedness” of Christian teaching. Especially of those who take the Bible literally.

So the likelihood that someone on that side of the fence will be attracted into the church or the Christian faith is, in my opinion, low. 

But there is still hope.

God can and does change people.

He does this through sometimes unpredictable circumstances, but they might include suffering, a moral dilemma and the right person at the right time. The good news must be heard sooner or later by this person, as this special word from God combined with the presence of God’s holiness, ( the person of the Holy Spirit) can and does effect powerful convincing convicting and converting of those, like us, who would otherwise prefer to continue on with our personal godless plans for our lives.

That word of truth, the message of the cross is both offensive and repulsive, except to those who are being saved, then it is powerful.

And so we go on in faith and hope and with prayer, hoping (and expecting) for that miracle to occur in those around us.

Greatness is not a substitute

Striving for greatness, in whatever form that might be, is something I have attempted, quietly or loudly, at different times. I don’t say this with any pride.

It is hard, in the west, not to dream of something going viral, even this little blog, even as a devoted Christian.

I say “in the West” as we have so much media in our lives. From waking to sleeping (and even during sleep, for some) we have screens taking up our minds and hearts. And as we are entertained, shocked, comforted, educated (and tempted to sin) by our screens, we can easily think of what it would be like being on the other side of that screen and what that could lead to.

And even apart from screens, as workers with skills, and as gifted people within our church environment, and elsewhere, how many of us dream that one day, a breakthrough would occur, something that would show our long hours of devoted labour as worthwhile, and somehow blessed, because we went the extra mile, or inch, or millimetre?

“Never let go of your dreams” is such a strong statement even amongst Christians. To me, this is the same as striving for greatness, though maybe not quite as obvious, or maybe not the case in every situation, but let’s say my dream was to write a great song? Notice the adjective is “great”?

 That is my little point made.

Substitute your dream without the word “great” in it, and maybe the dream becomes somewhat ho-hum.

I am heading towards retirement, and I am thinking about my work and achievements (or lack thereof) more at the moment. Have I made a difference? Have people been encouraged, and taught? Have I saved any lives as a doctor? Is my reputation good?

Have my successes outweighed my failures? Have I written a great song? Has my congregation gone wild with their love for God? Has the local community repented and turned to Christ?

If I could answer yes to one or more of the above, maybe I could say there was some greatness that was worth sharing, and would possibly earn me some remembrance after I’m gone, but is this what really counts in the end?

What are the deep things of God?

"Justice, mercy and faithfulness" seems to spring to mind, and these things can be practiced without an ounce of greatness.

I watched the last words of a well-known Christian man dying of cancer, and noticed his concern was to be at peace with all people, apologising if he had somehow offended people in his ministry. I found this so interesting.

It seems that every little thing counts in the end. If you were deliberately impatient or rude with someone who asked the wrong thing at the wrong time, that can still weigh on our consciences as we come to meet God.

And if nothing weighs on our consciences as we approach that final step, that could mean that our consciences are somehow numbed, like the foot without functioning nerve endings, due to diseases like diabetes or leprosy, they can step on a needle or a live coal, without pain. But the foot is still damaged and often leads to amputation...

Or it could mean that our consciences are clear because somehow we have made peace with all.

Is it possible to make peace with all?

My father made peace with long standing adversaries prior to his death. To me, that was evidence of his conversion and repentance, but can you make peace with people that are now living geographically elsewhere, out of phone connection, or out of mail connection, or out of the realm of the living?

The answer is of course yes, but it comes with a clause. You see we can’t actually do it ourselves, the true and only true peacemaker does this on our behalf, on the cross.

The point I am coming to is that we do have to change circumstances, careers, geography, and other things at various times in our lives, and these steps are difficult and can be  very anxiety provoking for people like me, even when approached humbly and prayerfully. It would be easier to say that our job or goal in this area is complete and therefore now we can move on to the next job, or goal or adventure. But life is not always that simple. Things change, or change is forced upon us, despite the incompleteness of our work or lives or relationships.

In those times we trust that God’s faithfulness does not depend on our achievements, or lack-of, no matter how Godly our aspirations are. So, at some point, missionaries return from their place of mission, pastors move on from their congregation, doctors move on from their community of service, teachers move on from their pupils, parents move on from their parenting responsibilities,  and at least for a time, it feels like we are drifting on open, uncharted waters.

But God is faithful. He never leaves us or forsakes us. And true greatness belongs only to Him. We trust that he is at work in our lives, leading us, rather than chasing us down.

And when we finally must give account, the best we can hope to say is, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.”

And for many like me, we may be painfully aware that we have not done our duty.

But God is faithful. He never leaves us or forsakes us. He is able to make us stand on that final day of reckoning.

And true greatness belongs only to Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Churches Shouldn’t Compete

Many of us are competitive by nature. If there is anything innately good regarding competitiveness, I’m not sure I have discovered it.
Does it push us towards better products, better outcomes, better results? The answer is clearly yes. But is it possible to produce excellence without competition? I think the answer is also yes.
In Australia, there was a man who amongst other things, produced a water tank, which originally was pulled by horses. I don’t think there was anything too spectacular about these tanks, but they are now a sought-after relic, and on them, this man of faith, John Furphy wrote what I believe was a personal motto. “Good, better, best, never let it rest, until your good is better, and your better best.”
If nothing else this motto describes someone who is motivated to produce to a high standard.

If we turn to the scriptures, I immediately think of a number of situations which could be described as “competitive”, though you might disagree.
Cain and Abel.
Jacob and Esau.
David and Saul.
There are others including nations.
Wars and battles within wars are a type of competition.
“Success” is an attractive word. Winning any competition is also attractive.
The strive to succeed is a well accepted attitude in western society.
But let’s consider the personal effects of competition.
Firstly, competition sets priorities. Once we are in a race, our priority is to win the race (I am generalizing), and therefore spending time or effort on other activities, unrelated to the race, would be avoided.
Then, once the race is over there are personal responses to the results.
For me, winning a race would potentially generate pride. Losing would potentially generate shame. Neither outcome would be considered godly. It is interesting that many people describe experiencing emotional "lows" at some point after major success.

We are instructed to "strive" in the New Testament.
We are told to be eager to do good works. 

1 Thessalonians 5:15 (NIV) Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

 
Paul spoke about beating his body so that he would not run the race in vain. But the race he is talking about is the Christian life of witness and service. (Which are actually the same things).

1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV) Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV) Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV) And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
1 Timothy 4:8-10 (NIV) For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. 10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. 

But in terms of “success”, Jesus repeatedly expresses a strange principle regarding the kingdom of God; the first shall be last and the last first. 

I state all of this to strongly suggest that churches do not need to compete, not with each other, not with the world.
You might say that they don’t, but my observation today is that we do compete, whether overtly or subtly. It may simply be human nature.
But as Christians, as local church gatherings, we are able to decide not to be motivated by natural tendencies.
So churches do not need to have the best speakers, music, sound system, building, kids program, coffee, video presentations, seating, parking, projects, technology or any other thing that comes to mind.
We do have to have sound doctrine and love for all our brethren, with an ongoing desire to meet together, and worship our Lord, as well as joy in sharing the good news of forgiveness. We must never forget our first love, and be willing to accept his discipline and correction.
We can and do find ample motivation to do things well, very well, simply by following the directive given, more than once, that in everything we do, we do it as though we are serving Jesus himself, our Lord, which is actually what we are doing.
If we maintain this attitude, then there is no need for competition, and no room for boasting.

Our gatherings may appear ordinary, but so did our Galilean Lord, even immediately after the resurrection.

Perfect Peace in your Presence Today

 

O Lord you’ve heard my prayers of sorrow,

With all my fears about tomorrow,

This heavy burden I’ve been carrying, please take it all away.

Help me to rise above the sadness,

May all my tears turn into gladness,

Lord grant me peace, your perfect peace, in your presence today.

 

Your perfect peace melts my fears away,

Filling me with joy to walk the narrow way.

 

Help me to rise above the sadness,

May all my tears turn into gladness,

Lord grant me peace, your perfect peace, in your presence today.

 

https://youtu.be/ZrBdAobPFVY

 

Was He a Cheat? (Luke 19)

 The story of Zacchaeus has stood out for many, which is an interesting way for me to put it given he was short in stature.

The fact that he was a tax collector, that he was disliked by the crowd, that he climbed a tree, and that he repented on the spot! There are many other points.

But the small, possibly controversial assertion I wish to make is that I suspect Zacchaeus was not a cheat. I suspect he took his tax collecting seriously in terms of being accurate in his calculations.

Yes, he was wealthy, and that can stand in the way of following Jesus, as we see in the story of the rich young man who at the time was unable to let go of his wealth.

Zacchaeus made a bold assertion when Jesus called him down from the tree. He said he would give half his wealth to the poor as well as pay back four-fold if he had cheated anyone.

That little word “if” is not insignificant.

Being a tax collector, he would have been good at math, and he would easily have known what was within his ability to repay.

It does not matter much, whether I am correct in my assertion, but I want to paint a picture of a man who was already God fearing and trying to do a bad job honestly. I am suggesting the reason he wanted to see Jesus, was that he already believed God was good, and somehow in his heart, he knew Jesus was a true prophet, and people who love God are drawn to Jesus.

The fact that he was disliked was something he had to live with, and something God knew as well.

Yes, Zacchaeus repented that day. He repented by showing that he wanted to follow Jesus whole-heartedly, which I am sure he did from then on. And I suspect there were few and possibly none that needed quadruple pay, because he was not in the habit of cheating, being someone who already feared God.

Please feel free to disagree with me.

 

 

Who is God after?

Acts 8:26-27 (NIV) Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”).

We strategize. 

If we (by “we”, I mean me and anyone like me) are forming a band, we look for the best available musicians. If we are organizing a sporting team, we try to persuade skilled, advanced players. In lots of different situations, the people we want in our “team”, whatever the event or endeavor, we tend to consider the skills and abilities we most need or aspire to, or even the influence a person may have on others, as a potential stepping stone to success.

Does God strategize?

If he does, what does he consider?

I ask this question as I skim over the story of the Ethiopian eunuch.

Why would God send Philip to him?

What was special about this man, was his influence in Ethiopia the reason for God sending Philip specifically in such a miraculous way?

Does God even need to organize these “chance” meetings?

The point I want to make is that 1. We should not strategize, or at least we should not be considering the “outward appearance” of a person. By this I don’t just mean their athleticism, or high standing in a particular field. God looks at the heart. We cannot look at the heart as God does. But we can follow God’s lead, as Philip did.

God chooses the least; the least appealing, the least educated, the least influential, as well as others.

Being an Ethiopian eunuch sounds a bit marginal to me. Yet God sent Philip to him.

We don’t have to give any ulterior motive to God for this move. His merciful love towards someone who genuinely wanted to worship and understand the scriptures was more than enough, from my reading. And I believe that this still applies today. He does not need a particular leader in a nation in order to achieve his purposes, he even hardens some leaders in order to show his mercy more powerfully to his beloved.

We don’t have to be special for God to send his loving-kindness in our direction. His love for us is beyond our understanding, and is not dependent on our behaviour, abilities, or influence, but a contrite heart he will not despise.

So in our desire to share the truth of Jesus, his powerful forgiveness for all that was won on the cross, let us go with the leading of the Holy Spirit, which is not within our ability to predict or control, we simply follow humbly, always being ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us. And God will make those chance meetings happen.

God’s strategy is not our strategy.

His strategy is love-strategy.

 For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son, that whoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life.

The Lord of Peace

 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way  (2 Thessalonians 3:16)

I believe we are all touched by the word “Peace”, at least in the context of modern western society.
I am confident that “peace” is a universal human concept, that potentially has great depth.
“Peace” or “Shalom” is a well recognized greeting or parting word, in a number of cultures.
If nothing else, to me this implies that we are prone to aggression, and therefore, approaching an unfamiliar person or group of people may not be peaceful. And certainly, approaching an enemy in times of war would not be peaceful.
So how is it that Jesus could be the Lord, or Prince of peace? 

What authority and power does this imply and what are the makings of this peace?

If I look at a worldly understanding of great authority, for example a dictator, even a benevolent ruler, the peace that appears to exist under that persons authority may be due to unwavering discipline, with painful penalties. Mercy may be lacking.
Even accidental breaking of rules may be met with swift judgement and painful consequences including the execution and removal of a law breaker. This may allow the kingdom or community at large to continue “peacefully” but does not give peace to the law breaker. Justice may well be served, and the country or kingdoms may have a reputation of safety and law abiding citizens but there may also be high levels of fear, anxiety, lack of self expression, dissatisfaction and as a result, low levels of joy and emotional or inward peace. 

In our society, though there is the freedom of expression and religion, etc, there are still high levels of fear and anxiety and other mental illness which interfere with our experience of peace, not to mention the relatively low penalties for even serious crimes, allowing, in some places, unpredicted/unexpected violence.

Even in nature, on a perfect day, a swim in the ocean may be anxiety provoking for those of us with thoughts about sharks. 

Although the Peace of God applies to every situation, my discussion is more about inter-relational peace.

Reconciliation can produce a true peace for all involved. One that allows the conscience to rest, and sweet sleep to occur at night. But reconciliation requires cooperation from  offended opposing parties. Opposition is sometimes passed on generation after generation, becoming a marker of that group of people, never to be questioned, even beyond reason. 

So reconciliation is not easily achieved, and often tentative, and conditional, with no real love exchanged.

I believe Jesus is Lord of peace because he himself has borne the weight of our sin and reconciled the world to himself and himself to the world. 

On the cross. 

This occurred independently and even despite the lack of cooperation amongst the wounded parties. That is, fallen, rebellious mankind vs God.

This is worth meditating on.

I believe this implies that every ripple of disturbance of the deep peace of holiness is fully resolved in every sense, including issues of justice, and morality, in and on the cross.

By the cross I mean, the willing suffering, death and resurrection of the pure innocent spotless Lamb of God; Jesus our Lord.

This victory has achieved everlasting peace for every situation, every prick of conscience and every anxiety, it also applies to situations of uncertainty in nature and society, where we are still in the presence of God, even if we are walking in the shadows of the valley of death.

Therefore we trust in Jesus, the Lord of Peace.

A friend recently explained that he prays for humiliation.

I found this confronting, but it has been a good consideration in my dealing with daily issues where my pride, along with Satan’s schemes, try to take away the reality and experience of the powerful peace of God.
 

Paul’s prayer and blessing for the Thessalonians is a powerful one, only because it states the truth, in faith.
And we are blessed as we are once again, spoken to by the Holy Spirit, in the gentle discomfort of humility, to bask in the ocean of peace that is the presence of our Lord.