Consumerism

What is it with society’s preoccupation with consumerism? Everywhere we look we are told that we need more of this or a bigger one of that. I find it disturbing that we Christians seem to be just as absorbed by this kind of thinking as the rest of the world. Our churches always want bigger buildings and louder PA systems and bigger bands. We spend huge amounts of money on “resources” which teach us how to succeed in building a “successful” church and how to be prosperous. We say we don’t judge success the way the world does, but in actual fact, we do.

Andrew Denton recently visited an American Christian conference at which hundreds of people gather each year to “spout their wares”. There were TV evangelists with their DVD and CD series, personalised Bibles which contained your own name throughout the scriptures, music and worship bands with masses of CDs to inspire you to “touch” God, preaching puppets, sculptures of Bible characters, hundreds of books on how to live a better life, and even a life size parade of stuffed animals from Noah’s Ark.

It is like we have made God into some product that we have to market and promote in order to “sell” him to the world. What has happened to the simplicity of the gospel? Where do we see the Jesus who walked the earth 2000 years ago, in a world (and church) so caught up with “stuff”, that we are blinded to what really matters?

Jesus came so that we can have life complete in him – a life full of love, peace, purpose and a life that serves God and others. That should be all the stuff we need.

Are You Man Enough?

I heard this poem on a Mike Frost DVD called “Jesus Made Me Do It”. I would recommend this DVD to anyone who questions if there is more to Christianity and the church than what we see in today’s institution. This poem cuts to the heart of the cost of true Christianity, and makes us realise how comfortable we are in our “feel-good” version of being Christ-like. I hope this poem challenges you as much as it challenged me.

Are You Man Enough?

When I became a Christian I said Lord, now fill me in
Tell me what I’ll suffer in this world of shame and sin
He said, well your body may be killed, and left to rot and stink
Do you still want to follow me? I said amen, I think
I think amen, amen I think, I think I say amen
Look I’m not completely sure; can we just run through that again?
You say my body could be killed and left to rot and stink?
Oh yeah that sounds terrific Lord, I’ll say amen … I think.

But Lord, look, there must be other ways to follow you, I said
I really would prefer to end up just dying in my bed
Well yes, he said, you could just put up with sneers and scorn and spit
Do you still want to follow me? I said, amen, a bit
A bit amen, amen a bit, a bit I say amen
Look I’m still not entirely sure; can we just run through that again?
You say I could put up with sneers and scorn and spit?
Well yes, I’ve made up my mind, and say amen … a bit.

Well I sat back and I thought a while and I tried a different ploy
I said, Lord, now the good book says that Christians live in joy
That’s true, he said, you’re gonna need the joy to bear the pain and sorrow
Do you still want to follow me? I said amen, tomorrow
Tomorrow Lord, I’ll say it then, that’s when I’ll say amen
You see, we’ve got to get it clear; let’s just run through that again
You say that I will need the joy to bear the pain and sorrow?
Well yeah, I think I got it straight, I’ll say amen … tomorrow.

He said, look, I’m not asking you to spend an hour with me
A quick salvation sandwich and a cup of sanctity
The cost is you, not half of you, but every single bit
Now tell me, will you follow me? I said amen. No, I quit!
I’m awfully sorry Lord, I said, I’d like to follow you
But I don’t think religion is a manly thing to do
And he said, forget religion then and you think about my son
And tell me if you’re man enough to do what he has done.

Are you man enough to see the need? Are you man enough to go?
Are you man enough to care for those that no-one wants to know?
Are you man enough to say the things that people hate to hear?
And battle through Gethsemane in loneliness and fear?

And listen, are you man enough to stand at the end?
The moment of betrayal by the kisses of your friend
Are you man enough to hold your tongue? Are you man enough to cry?
And when the nails break your body, are you man enough to die?

Man enough to take the pain and wear it like a crown?
Man enough to love the world and turn it upside down?
Are you man enough to follow me? I ask you once again
I said, oh Lord, I’m frightened, but I also said amen
Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen
I said, Lord I’m so frightened, but I also said amen.

Adrian Plass

Who Is God Talking To?

When reading the Bible, I have often wondered who exactly God is talking to. Throughout the Bible, God spoke to many different people. Some of the things he said, we assume are for all people (all Christians at least), and others we assume are for a specific person or group of people at a specific time, but how do we determine which is which? The Bible says that all scripture is God breathed and is beneficial to help us live, but how much of what is said are we expected to take literally and implement in our own lives?

For example, I have friends who do not want to have children. I have heard several people tell them that because God commanded Adam and Eve to “multiply and fill the earth”, the command is directed at them too – meaning all Christians should have kids. It is quite hypocritical really, because I don’t see these people building big boats in their backyards just because God told Noah to!

Many of us pick and choose the scriptures we believe are relevant to us. We hold firm to the “God will supply all your needs” ones and skim over the “love your enemy” ones.

Pastors like the “bring all the tithes into the storehouse” one (Malachi 3:10), but we never hear preaching about the original Levitical tithe, which is very different to the “tithe” our churches teach today (Deuteronomy 14:22 – 29 & Leviticus 27:30 – 33).

Husbands like the “wives submit to your husband” one, but conveniently forget that the flip side of that is “husbands, you must love your wife so much that you are willing to die for her.”

There are many stories in the Bible that inspire, challenge and even scare me, but none so much as the stories about Jesus. I was recently challenged to read the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) over and over again, just to remind myself what Jesus’ life was really like. The Bible to me is like a song, starting with Genesis and building up to the big crescendo – Jesus. We need to let his words and actions pierce our hearts, because his words really are life.

Investing In Missionary People

I know an African man who is doing incredible work for God in Mozambique, Africa. He is a church planter who is currently pastoring a small youth church in Beira, he lectures at a local Bible institute, he liaises with government officials on social justice issues, and he does a lot of work for Kidslink International, an Australian-based charity and missions organisation which works with children in developing nations.

This man, Jonas, was being supported by a local church in Victoria and I was saddened to hear recently that his funding has suddenly been terminated. This was not due to any error on his part, but simply because the church decided to “go another way”.

It got me thinking about the relationship between missionaries and the churches that support them. Do we actually support the person or the work that they do? What happens when a missionary takes a break or moves to another country or project? Very often their support (and all contact) is dropped, and often without any warning, as was the case for Jonas.

My sister and brother-in-law are actively involved in supporting overseas missionaries, but what I love about them is that they have taken the time to develop a two-way relationship with the people they support. They correspond regularly by email, not just about what is going on in the missionary’s life, but what is happening in their own family. Whenever the missionaries come home on furlough they have them over to their house for a meal so they can catch up. They send presents to their kid’s on their birthdays. But most amazingly, they maintain that contact with people even after they leave the mission field. Now that’s a dedicated relationship!

A relationship is dependent on what you invest into a person, not just a task. With true relationship churches would realise that people like Jonas depend on their financial support to live – they have families to feed, clothe, educate and shelter, just like we do. I completely understand that there are many reasons why a church would cease to support a missionary, but I would hope that they realise that missionaries are real people with real needs, who have given up their lives for God. They are doing a job that many of us would never have the courage to do, and they deserve our support, recognition, friendship and respect.

Butt Prints In The Sand

Paul talks about how many Christians are like babies, despite how long they have known God (Hebrews 5:12-14). He challenges each of us to grow up and get serious in our pursuit of God’s righteousness and purpose; to rise up in faith and tackle the challenges that come our way head on; and to stop acting like children, complaining and sulking about things that don’t go our way. In spite of the obvious humour of the following poem, I was challenged by the message it carries, and I hope and pray that one day I will stand before God and he will be pleased with my journey.

Butt Prints In The Sand

One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.

But then some stranger prints appeared,
And I asked the Lord, “What have we here?
Those prints are large and round and neat,
But Lord, they are too big for feet.”

“My child,” he said in sombre tones,
“For miles I carried you alone.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait.

You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know.
So, I got tired, I got fed up,
And there I dropped you on your butt.”

Because in life, there comes a time,
When one must fight, and one must climb,
When one must rise and take a stand,
Or leave their butt prints in the sand.

Author unknown

Gossip

Gossip seems to be rampant in many churches today. I have often wondered why that is, but after observing churches I have been involved in, I have come to realise that one of the main reasons gossip is so prevalent is because congregations often aren’t taught the Biblical principles to help them deal with their issues. Jesus gives us the solution to the problem of gossip in Matthew 18:15-17, and I believe that if church leaders enforced this one Biblical principle in their congregations, our churches would experience a unity and freedom that we have not experienced in a long time.

Step 1 – Go back and talk to the person (verse 15)

The Bible teaches that if someone says or does something to you that is out of line, you should go back to that person and talk to them about it. Many people now seem to go straight to someone else or the pastor with their version of the story, without going back to the original source. Like “Chinese whispers” most gossip is actually misinterpretation. I believe that so many misunderstandings and misconceptions could be avoided if this first simple step Jesus puts in place for us is implemented in our every day lives.

Step 2 – Take two or three witnesses (verse 16)

If you talk to the person about the issue and they are not sorry for what they have said or done, you should take a couple of other trustworthy people with you so that they can hear from the person first hand. Again, this simple procedure will eliminate misunderstanding and may provide a different perspective.

Step 3 – Take it to the church (verse 17)

If step two fails, then and only then should you take the matter to the church leadership, who should, in turn, approach the person and hear from them first hand.

Step 4 – Consequences (verse 17)

If the person is still unrepentant after speaking with the church leadership, then they should be dealt with accordingly.

Why is it that such clear Biblical instructions are not followed in relation to the issue of gossip? I believe, sadly, that many pastors want to know everything that is being said and done within their church and, as a result, fish around for stray words and negativity. They ask people to let them know if they hear anything “wayward” or “controversial” (ironically this encourages more gossip), instead of directing people back to the Bible. What then happens is that miscommunications and misinterpretations are “shared” amongst members of the congregation, and disunity rears its ugly head.

If church leadership would relinquish their desire to control, and apply Jesus’ teachings to their lives and churches, I believe we would begin to see a vibrant and united body of Christ rise up, and that is just what this country needs.

A Letter For The Modern Day Church

This is a letter that I came across from someone who is questioning the priorities of many modern day churches. It is quite long but it raises some interesting points and is well and truly worth the read.

Dear Pastor

The reason for this letter is to share concerns that have been playing on my mind over the last few years. Often we need to dig deep into ourselves to get down to the root problem of issues, and God knows the soul searching I have engaged in over the last few years. My commitment to God, however, has never waned through all the times of doubt and if anything it has been these times that have brought me into a deeper relationship with Him.

Over the last twelve months, we have gone through an awakening in God which has been as clumsy as it has been great. An awakening in the sense that God, we believe, has been bringing us into a more “back to basics” style of thinking. We have always thought that the mainstream orthodox style model of church has its place. But when the focus becomes the institution rather than the people within it, that’s when it starts to concern us.

An Inward Focused Church

An inwardly focused church that looks mainly at dynamics of music, “lights, camera & action,” can not spiritually sustain a congregation forever. Nor is it logical to think that a church that predominantly spends either most of its time and/or money on itself is going to make the transition to outreach easily. The by-product of inward focus is mainly the over-esteem of people (rather than God) and gossip, areas in which many churches are struggling with at the moment.

What has happened to Biblical practices like unconditional friendship, love and compassion? These things may seem idealistic but at the end of the day these are very basic biblical attributes that the church as a body should not only strive for, but do. People who are taught to look constantly at themselves will never be able to thrive in God. It’s the outward focus that actually changes us, and draws us nearer to God. It’s amazing how, when people start looking at the world around them like Jesus saw people, they begin to change themselves. Christians were never meant to focus on themselves or each other. The whole idea of the gospel is about looking outside you.

As a whole, many churches have a middle class culture. I think it has always had an element of this – a bit of a need to be accepted, maybe. I suppose that’s okay if you want to attract only “middle class” stereo types. The problem with that is that it makes this church like the other thousand in Australia happy to be part of the status quo. You will find that the types of people we all talk about wanting to come to our churches would find themselves alienated for all the wrong reasons.

Worship

Performance and entertainment style worship rather than true awe-inspiring worship takes the attention from the pews and turns it to the stage. This kind of church service all adds insult to injury for many hurting in our community who might need an understanding environment to come into.

Jesus himself said he didn’t come into the world to help those who were well or those who are happy with their current lives and can live without God, but the sick. He didn’t ever specifically give his message to people who could help out “the Kingdom” with their gifts or talents, in fact he told them to sell everything and give it to the poor! He went to those who had nothing, the people at the bottom of society. In modern times it’s the drug addicts, the alcoholics, the prostitutes, the homeless, the single mothers struggling on welfare, the mentally ill and just the down and outs. Unfortunately I don’t believe we could bring them through the doors of many of our churches in its present form.

A reason of this I think is that the performance, concert style church does not meet the need of the average person. Secular people want to see real people helping and loving each other over and above the status quo. As Jesus amplifies in His Word, ‘this is how the world will know that you are my disciples, IF you love one another’.

Pastoral Care

In the area of pastoral care I have very traditional views of what pastoral care should be. I read in my Bible that Christ is a suffering servant, prepared to do anything for his friends, his flock. Yet, how many times have I heard of members of congregations in churches around this country struggling through difficult circumstances on their own. This is an area which needs to be looked at closely. I don’t think the church can fob off any longer its duty of care, because there are just too many hurting people out there. This is not a special “ministry” for only a few people to do – it should be done by all. It is Christian’s ‘bread and butter’ job requirement.

The verses in Matthew 25:41 – 46 are not just warning Christians to look after each other, it’s the actions of believers toward their fellow man – all people, including those within the church and outside. It’s either caring about others or not. It’s not just “doing nice things”. It’s about making a real and long lasting difference for the glory of God.

Indifference

People are unsatisfied with the church’s present course of indifference. Many of these people may be thought of as “fringe”, dwellers of the church, however it’s for these people that Christ requires us to leave the ninety-nine and go find that one. Over the last few years I have increasingly been exposed to comments such as, “everyone is welcome into my circle of friendship, if people step out of that circle it’s not my fault”, and “people can find the negative in any thing”, and “I want to be around positive people not negative”.

Fair enough, but people that are hurting in this tough life are often struggling with financial pressures, marriage breakdown, drug abuse and alcohol abuse are not generally positive, vibrant people with vision and positive thinking oozing out of them. As a church we should set a goal to embrace and love people where they are at, not try to mould them as we want them to be.

The Method

Another concern following on is the phrase I hear all the time. ”It does not matter if the method changes as long as the message is the same’. There is some truth in that statement but the message has and does change when Christ’s road to a conversion is tampered with. It’s like the road to sale approach that a sales person may use. It’s been tried and tested, it works. If I take short cuts and think I can do it my way I often don’t see the same results.

What was once a desire by ministers to present the gospel in an exegetical powerful way has become diluted and leans towards motivational speaking. We’re not talking about outdated, old-fashioned fire and brimstone preaching here – it’s simply about preaching the whole Bible, not just the bits that sound pretty.

Disturb Us Lord

I know many people who like to “cruise” through their Christianity. They don’t challenge anything. They keep their silence on issues so as not to rock the boat. They are dutifully involved in all the programs at church. They are the ones that church leadership love. Unfortunately I am not one of these people. I don’t like being comfortable in my safe little world. I don’t want to forget about those out there who do not have the hope that I have. I want to be challenged to grow and to become more than I am today. There is a saying that says, “Jesus came to comfort the disturbed and to disturb the comfortable”. I believe that discomfort and challenge is necessary if we are to fulfil all God intended us to in life. I love the following poem. May this be the prayer of all of Christ’s followers.

Disturb Us Lord

Disturb us Lord
When we are too well pleased with ourselves;
When our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little;
When we arrived safely because we sailed too close to shore;

Disturb us Lord
When with the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst for the waters of life;
We have ceased to dream of eternity;
And in our efforts to build a new earth
We have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim.

Disturb us Lord
To dare more boldly;
To venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land we shall find stars;
We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes
And to push us in the future in strength, courage, hope and love.

Sir Francis Drake
December 1577

What Would Jesus Do?

I have grown up a Christian and yet Christianity has always been complicated for me. It has only been over the last few years that I have begun to discover the true meaning of the “Christian walk”. In a nutshell it is simply “to be like Jesus”. It is so simple in theory and yet so challenging in practice.

When you look at the way Jesus lived his life, following his example is actually quite daunting. He didn’t care what people thought of him. He hung out with people that society did not approve of. He constantly challenged the church leaders on their beliefs and actions. He turned water into wine at a wedding when they ran out of alcohol. He didn’t defend himself when people accused him. He invited Judas to eat with him even though he knew he would betray him. He forgave the people who wanted him dead.

It has always been easy to pick and choose which parts of Jesus I want to reciprocate. But being only partly Christ-like is actually not being Christ-like at all. Jesus threw himself completely and utterly into everything he did, no matter the cost.

In the movie “Saving Private Ryan”, a group of soldiers set out to rescue a man named Ryan. They succeed in their mission but most of the soldiers die in the process. At the end of the movie Ryan, who is now an old man, visits the grave of one of the men who died to save him. He cries as he speaks to the tombstone, saying, “I hope I have done enough with my life. I hope your sacrifice was worth it.” Ryan had to live his life bearing the greatest burden of all – because another man had given up his life for him, he knew that he had to make every second of his life count. As Christians we face the same dilemma. Jesus died for us. We owe him our lives. We can’t waste a moment of it on things that don’t matter.

Light In The Dark

The Bible says that we are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), and yet we spend so much time with “other lights” that it hardly seems worth being a light at all. We have churches, youth groups, Sunday schools, Christian schools, Christian playgroups, small groups, bible study groups, Christian book clubs, Christian sporting teams, and a myriad of other “Christian” associations. All of these things are good and beneficial, but each one seems to take us out of the world that we are supposed to be reaching.

A light cannot serve its entire purpose if it is in a room full of other lights. A light is much more effective in the darkness where there are no (or few) other lights.

The dark places are outside of our church walls – in the homes of our community, in the public schools and sporting clubs, in the playgroups and craft clubs, in the local businesses and shopping centres. These people need the light that we carry; they need the hope that we bring; they need the peace and love that should ooze out of us with every word and action.

I believe we should be meeting with other “lights” to reignite us when we grow dim, to encourage us in those times when the darkness seems too much. But I believe that we will never serve our entire purpose as followers of Jesus until we step out of the “light” zones and begin to penetrate the darkness that is engulfing our world. If we can be even a small reflection of the light of Jesus, we can begin to illuminate the lives of those around us, and that is the first step to changing the world.

The Base Camp Theory

Have you ever watched documentaries on Mount Everest? When people want to climb Mount Everest the first place they go is “Base Camp”. At base camp they learn about the challenges they may face during their climb, they study weather patterns, learn about the terrain, practice their climbing techniques, they are teamed up with other climbers, and are given the tools and supplies they will need for their trek, and they are linked to a support network who will maintain contact with them from the base camp to help them through any challenges they may encounter whilst on the mountain. Then, amongst the cheers of those they leave behind, they set out on their climb. Once they have completed their trek they return to base camp to refresh, recharge and restock their supplies, prior to setting out up the mountain again.

I see church as a type of “Base Camp”. Church is the place we go for our training and preparation. It is where we study the word, build our faith in God, strengthen our support network, and learn the techniques we need to embark on the real mission.

The real mission is reaching the lost people in this world. Jesus commanded us to go into the world and preach the gospel to every person. This takes commitment, dedication, preparation and risk, just like climbing a mountain. Thankfully he has given us a place we can go to prepare and train for the climb, where we can receive the support, encouragement and resources we need, and where we can recharge, refresh and restock our supplies when the going gets tough.

So many Christians sit in their base camp preparing for a climb they never start. They are given all the preparation, skills and supplies, but never use them. They are having so much fun at base camp that they forget why they are there. I pray that God will always remind me of my mission when I get too comfortable in base camp, and that I will never forget my real purpose as a follower of Jesus.

Shadows

Have you ever felt like you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death? You know that feeling, when you just don’t see a way out of the situation you find yourself in and you question whether God is actually with you. I have only experienced this feeling once in my life but I still remember how lost I felt. I had had such faith in God that He would work things out and everything would be okay, and yet things just seemed to get worse. I reached the point where I could not see a light at the end of the tunnel and couldn’t imagine a way out of the darkness that surrounded me.

That is when God brought Psalm 23:4 to my attention – “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff comfort me.”

As I studied this well-known little verse, I came to realise a couple of very significant things that I had not thought about before. First of all, I was walking through the valley of the shadow of death. It was only a shadow of death, not death itself. I remember thinking that shadows are only reflections and if it was only a reflection of something, then there was hope of a way out.

Secondly, and most importantly, I realised that shadows can only appear when there is light. If I hung on to God he would keep me from total darkness because his light was embedded in my heart, no matter what was happening around me, and I knew then that eventually he would light the road in front of me and walk me out of the darkness.

The Value Of People

I was at a conference recently where the speaker held up a $100 note. He asked the people there if anyone would like the money. Hands went up all around the auditorium. He then began to crumple the $100 note up with his hands. He asked if anyone still wanted it even though it was now creased. Still the hands went up in the air. Then he dropped it on the ground and started to rub it into the dirty floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now creased and dirty, and asked if anyone still wanted it. He then went on to explain the illustration. No matter what he did to the money, people still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $100.

Often in our lives we are dropped, stood on, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel like we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen in our lives, we will never lose our value. We are still priceless to those who love us and to God.

The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by who we are because of Jesus. We cannot afford to lose sight of how priceless we are to him.

We also need to recognise the value of those around us. Every person has a story and we will never know many of them, but we need to remember that no matter how someone appears on the outside, their value is priceless to God and we should love and accept them accordingly.