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.

 

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 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.

God keeps his promises.

I am writing this little message with a particular situation in mind.

Over many years I have cared for a number of people approaching the end of their lives, many have never understood what a wonderful saviour Jesus is.

Some have had a negative experience of church from childhood, (I certainly remember as a child, that church services felt prolonged, and tedious, and certainly not fun. But some I have spoken to have had much worse experiences than this). If finding God meant you had to turn up to a church and try to enjoy something you’ve avoided most of your life, it just wouldn’t sit right, I’m guessing.

But the great news is that God is not limited to a church building on a Sunday morning. To have peace with God, you don’t actually need “organized religion”, for want of a better term.

 

God loves us so much that he sent his son Jesus, so that anyone who believes in him can have everlasting life.   It is really that simple.

 

Do you want peace in your heart? Do you want a clean slate? Do you want to have all your sins forgiven? Do you want to be with Jesus, in heaven, when you leave this earth?

 

The thief on the cross next to Jesus, realized that Jesus was Lord, and asked him, even as they both were dying, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom”.

 

 Jesus heard him and responded.

 

What did he say to him?

Did he say, well you should have attended church and gone to confession, and prayed more, and read your bible more, and helped the poor, and devoted your life to goodness?

Did he say, you’re a criminal, you made your bed, so now lie in it?

Did he say, you’re a hypocrite if you expect me to listen to you; you never gave me a passing thought, and now that you know you are dying, you want me to overlook everything you’ve ever done, and welcome you with open arms like the father of the prodigal son?

 

No, Jesus did not say any of that, though some of us might think that would be appropriate.

Instead, he said, without hesitation, “Today you will be with me in paradise”.

 

Just like that Jesus accepted the faith of this man, who clearly was moved by the character of Jesus who was crucified, though innocent, and had prayed “Father forgive them, because they don’t know what they’re doing”.

 

As far as I can tell, that criminal died and went to heaven without ever setting foot in a church building. Jesus paid the price for all his sin, on the cross.

 

This is the Jesus I love. This is the Jesus I trust. I believe he forgives us this freely. There is no other way, no other name, no other saviour, only Jesus.

Yes, I do go to church, and I love it, and I probably contribute to the boredom for younger children, but I go to church because I believe Jesus has treated me the same as that criminal.

 

If you would like to have a relationship with Jesus, don’t put it off, ask him now. Pray to him now, privately, ask him to forgive you, to be with you, to care for you, just like the criminal on the cross and every other person who has needed a saviour over the centuries. He is good and trustworthy and full of love and mercy. He will answer your prayer, and you can have peace with God right now, and heaven with Jesus in the hereafter. This is the paradise that Jesus promised, and God keeps his promises.

The silence of God

 When I think about my relationship with our heavenly Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I am aware that there have been a small number of times in my life when I strongly hoped for a clear, audible, communication, from God. Even when I have not looked for spoken answers, I have occasionally spoken my prayers out loud in times of yearning. But mostly, when I am praying alone, my prayers are silent, within my mind and heart. In all of those instances, I have not heard an audible voice or reply. And the silence that I experienced, I mostly interpreted as "don't alter course". What I mean is, I was probably looking for a door to open, or permission to change my life to an easier direction, when life was getting hard, which I assume, we are all tempted to do. For example, when do we leave a job, a church, a place of residence, a marriage? The last example is a little different, and I probably should not have included it, as there is clear teaching on marriage in the bible. 

Strange as it may sound, I was naturally the sort of child that needed permission to move. And still I do not like changing my course without clear direction or permission. God obviously knows this about me. 

Wouldn't it be amazing if God simply "broke his silence" every now and then, to add certainty to our difficult decisions?

But my experience, and probably everyone else with faith, is that God is mostly silent in terms of the miraculous, heavenly, audible speech that we may sometimes dream we might receive.

But God does speak to us in many other ways.

We should not be surprised at his "silence".

Rarely, in the Bible, do we see examples of God speaking an audible word. He spoke with Adam "Where are you", to Cain "Where is your brother?", to Abraham, when he received his promise. To Moses in the burning bush, and to Samuel "Samuel". And all the prophets had direct messages in one form or other, that allowed them to record "Thus sayeth the Lord".

But how many of these encounters were from God himself? Some of these events are later described as the Angel of the Lord. In other words, messengers representing God. This causes someone like myself to wonder was it God himself or an angel. For example when Jacob wrestled with God.

In the new testament, it was the angel Gabriel that visited Mary. Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, received a number of guiding dreams, and he responded to them.

We know from Acts chapter 2 and Joel, that God pours out his Spirit and gives his servants dreams and visions.

And I have experience at least 3 vivid unforgettable dreams and one instance of my earthly fathers voice calling me by name and waking me up (as he often did), though on this occasion he was miles away in hospital. (It was the day my father died, and once I woke to his voice calling me, I knew that this was from the Lord, and that this was the day of his departure).

 The holiness of God is also worth considering. He is truly unapproachable and ineffable. Yet he is not far from any one of us! (Acts 17:27)

But the point I would like to get to is that our Lord Jesus himself experienced God the Father's audible voice only twice; at his baptism, and at the transfiguration. He did not hear his Father's voice in the desert during his fast, in the garden when he wrestled with the cup before him, or on the cross when he cried out "My God, my God why have you forsaken me".

The obvious parallel is that we should likewise also not expect to hear the audible voice of the Father, even in our darkest hours. But what Jesus never let go of, is the word of God, which was in his mind and heart, and which he quoted often, both for himself and for his hearers.

And like our Lord Jesus, we have this word, and we are blessed to read and dwell in that word.

 And on Sundays, when we meet together, the word is read publicly and the word is expounded by members of our church. Surely this is a time when God ministers to us and speaks to us inwardly through his Spirit. By faith we know that God hears us, our prayers are a gift for us and others, God acts to bring good  to us in every situation, especially the painful ones. Faith is not weakened by silence, and accepts the outcome of every situation. We do not put God to the test, and we live by every word that comes from the mouth of God, which, in my understanding, is the Bible.

Romans 1:20 (NIV) For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

1 Timothy 6:15-16 (NIV) —God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.