Category: Pastor’s Pen

Jesus and the Olympics

In four days, my children saw two radically different artistic depictions of Jesus. The first was in the Olympics’ opening ceremony. In the now infamous scene, Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper was depicted with a feminine Jesus with gender confused disciples while the pagan god Bacchus shows up and they watch a highly sexualised fashion show of other gender confused people.

Outrage was stirred up from around the world. It seems the highly secular French didn’t realise that Christianity is not merely a Western religion in decline. Christians around the world were outraged at this blasphemy, this reimagining of Jesus into someone who celebrates sin, lies, and ugliness instead of the true, the good, and the beautiful.

My children were not aware that this was a depiction of a famous painting of a highly significant moment in Jesus’ life. They were more confused by the ugly, sexual display; a horrible decision for a program which would be viewed by children of all ages from around the world. Not many parents want their children exposed to such inappropriate and adult content.

My reaction to this blasphemous depiction of Jesus was two-fold. At one level, it is frustrating that an event designed to bring the world together has decided to mock the Jesus I love and all his followers. And this mocking is at very little risk to themselves. The threats of violence and riots were always zero. This wouldn’t be another Charlie Hebdo moment.

At another level, it’s boring; completely uninteresting. Jesus and Christians have been the butt of the joke for a very long time, and all the jokes have been done. Jesus has been transformed into someone who agrees with all the progressive political and cultural ideologies by those who haven’t spent the time to explore the most influential man who has ever lived.

There was another artistic display of Jesus in Bendigo recently which my children saw. A dramatisation of the life of Jesus as told by John. Performed by amateur (yet very good) actors from the Christian Union, a student club at La Trobe, they saw the Jesus of the Bible. The true Jesus. The Jesus who showed compassion to sinners, yet told them to stop sinning. The Jesus who loved those who knew their need for him, and who warned of God’s judgment for those who were self-satisfied.

While the Olympics wanted to drag Jesus down, humiliate him by turning him into someone he isn’t, as others have said, he has already undergone the greatest humiliation. As the Christian Union showed, Jesus died horribly on the cross for those who love darkness, so we could be forgiven and begin to walk in the light. But, thankfully, while people want to continue mocking, his humiliation is over. He was raised, and is now on the throne in heaven, biding his time before returning to save his people and bring justice.

The true, historical Jesus depicted by the Christian Union is so much more interesting, satisfying, and wonderful than the false version proclaimed by the Olympics. My prayer is that many would take the opportunity to explore him, before it is too late.

 

Our Generous Lord

‘For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich’ (2 Cor 8:9).

There are an infinite number of terms we could use to describe Jesus. Terms come to our minds as we try to contemplate who it is that we worship: holy, mighty, righteous, loving, compassionate. Entire sermons can and have been given, entire books can and have been written on these aspects of Jesus’ character.

One term which may not come immediately to our mind is ‘generous.’ As Paul says in this verse, Jesus gave up the riches he had in heaven, all for us. Just imagine the riches of heaven. Not that Scrooge McDuck image, with a vast vault of gold to swim in! (Though unlimited resources of gold, and other precious metals and stones clearly belong to him.)

Far beyond these things we consider riches, there is something far greater and valuable belonging to Jesus: the eternal glory he had with the Father from the very beginning. Once he was unencumbered by a physical body, free from pain and various cravings.

But in his incarnation, when he took on flesh, he ‘made himself nothing’ (Phil 2:7). ‘He became poor’ for us, as the one who is infinite took on a finite body, all so we could become rich through his poverty! All so we could have forgiveness of sin, escape the judgement of God, and live forever with God as Father. So we could be resurrected as he has been resurrected, never again to taste sin and disease and death.

Our Lord has been so generous to us. Have you considered how you could better imitate him? What could you do to be more generous?

Why?

Few words are as powerful as ‘why?’ When it comes to what our neighbours think, ‘why?’ helps us understand. When discussing issues of importance with our neighbours without a Christian worldview, it also helps us, and maybe them, to see that the worldview they hold is founded on shifting sands.

Consider your average secular Aussie. They believe people are the result of millions of years of chance mutation and natural selection. In this worldview, we are no different from the animals, simply more highly evolved.

But if that is the case, why do they believe people have value? It is still innate in our neighbours to believe that people should be treated well, and they are outraged (rightly) by the abuse and violence they see. They are horrified by atrocities like child sexual abuse, rape, murder, and other acts of violence.

In the issue of abortion, there are women out there offended that their ‘rights’ over ‘their bodies’ are even being discussed, that abortion is still something to be debated. They believe that they should have bodily autonomy.

But why believe this? They have strong moral beliefs (some of them right, and some – like their commitment to abortion – is tragically wrong). But where do these come from?

According to their worldview, we are a random collection of molecules. Our thoughts are random chemical reactions in a random brain. So why do they act as if their belief about morality is so right? How can they trust it?

Their instinct that there is a true morality we should uphold (even if their understanding of it is woefully wrong) only makes sense in the Christian worldview, where people are made in God’s image (Gen 1:26). The next time you speak with someone and they make a morality claim, try asking them why.

Our great love

‘One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple’ (Psalm 27:4)

What is your greatest love? What are you living for; longing for? The great problem with humanity could be described as our disordered loves. We love some things too much, others not enough. We have many loves: children, a good meal, restful sleep, company, independence, travel, and on we could go. There is much in our world to love, and they are good to love because they are gifts from God to enjoy (1 Tim 4:4, James 1:17).

But, in our sin, we love the gifts more than the giver. Often we are happy to accept good things from his hand, yet instead of our hearts swelling with love, our focus is on the gift. Like a child at Christmas, our attention is gripped by the shiny new toy making sounds instead of the one who has been so generous.

But David knows what is best. His greatest desire is not the gifts from God’s hand, but God himself. He seeks to dwell in God’s house all his days, to gaze on his beauty. He wants to know God more than he ever has. He always wants to be with him.

Is that our desire? Are we regularly focussing our attention on him, seeking after more of him in his word? Considering his glory and majesty? Do we cry out in wonder and praise at what we find?

Do the words of Augustine in 400 AD resonate with you? ‘You made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you.’

Our great enemy defeated

‘The last enemy to be destroyed is death’ (1 Cor 15:26).

Our culture has a very confused understanding of death. Ask if they’re afraid of death, and some will say they are not. Is this true? This week there was panic in Times Square after a motorbike backfired. Everyone was on edge with the recent shootings, and they were scared to die.

Our culture, without even realising it, fears death. It has been hidden away. While once the body was in the home, now it is removed to the funeral directors. Once it was normal for a casket to be open for people to see the body, but now some provide warnings on the rare occasion an open casket is requested.

And yet, despite this fear, it is a culture of death. Death, and the ability to legally kill, is celebrated. We’ve just seen a bill to decriminalise abortion pass the NSW lower house. We’ve also seen the first person to be legally killed on request in Victoria. Death was seen as better than pain.

Tragically, they have forget that death is an enemy; our great enemy, dragging guilty sinners before the courtroom of God’s justice. There is no escape in death, and we shouldn’t be eager to kill our most vulnerable – the youngest of children and the terminally ill.

But for those in Christ, it’s an entirely different matter! While we should not hasten our death, we can rest assured that death has been dealt a death blow by his resurrection, And that victory will be completed by his return. We can remember that death ‘is far better’ (Phil 1:23), because it brings us to Jesus’ side.

What a joy to be found in Christ and be able to rejoice that the great enemy is and will be defeated.

Praying like Elijah

‘Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit’ (James 5:17-18).

It is easy to feel insignificant. As individuals, we might feel past our prime, unable to contribute in the ways we once did. Our resources; money, time, energy, may all seem depleted.

Even when we look beyond ourselves to the community of believers to which we belong, we feel small and insignificant. Finances are tight. Our influence feels negligible. We long to see people saved, but it has been some time since that happened.

But what an encouragement we have in these verses! How surprising, seeing the great Elijah compared to little, insignificant us, and to find ourselves on level footing! He was a man with a nature like ours!

There was nothing in him that made him powerful. Nothing in him gave him authority over the skies and the rain. Yet he prayed, and God answered, God acted.

The power was not in Elijah, but the God who responds to the prayer of his people. We call on the God who reigns over it all. The God who does not divide his people into those he will listen to and those he won’t.

So, let us pray. Let us pray bold prayers. Outlandish prayers! Prayers for ourselves, the church, our nation, the world. Even if we struggle to believe it could ever happen, let us pray, remembering that we are just like Elijah, and God listened to him. He ‘is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think’ (Eph 3:20). Let us devote ourselves to prayer.

Praying for deliverance and acceptance

‘I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints’ (Rom 15:30-31).

Paul is a Bible hero. It’s easy to read his story, to read his wise, challenging and caring words in his letters, and think he was self-sufficient. He could travel place to place, endure stoning and ridicule and arrest, and based on his own strength he could knuckle through it all: alone, and strong.

But this is to misread him. For one thing, he was a team player. He was always with others, and when he was alone he longed to have friends with him. Read Acts and you see Barnabas, Silas, Timothy and others. Read through his letters and continually you’ll come across names of his fellow workers.

More than this, however, he never relied on his own strength. He always asked churches for prayer. Paul knew his dependence on God. He knew that God was in control of all circumstances; the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Are you in prayer for the ministry in Eaglehawk? That not only will we be delivered from unbelievers – from antagonism and unjust laws – but also that those unbelievers would become believers? Are you praying that the ministry would be acceptable to the saints here, that we would all be unified in the truth, loving one another and proclaiming together the mysteries of the gospel?

Would you like some guidance in your prayers? Join the prayer team, calling on God to work in and through our church, knowing that you are joining with others praying the same thing.

Serving through prayer

‘Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ … that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak’ (Col 4:2-4).

One of the great tragedies of the modern church, and many modern Christians, is our prayerlessness. When you consider the great moments of the Christian church, there’s always at least one thing they have in common – God’s people were praying.

And how could it be any other way? Christians have always known that God is absolutely in control. All things – whether the affairs of nations or the concerns of our own lives – are completely in his hands. And because God’s people knew he was in control, they turned to him.

In our day and age we love being independent. We fool ourselves into thinking we can do it ourselves. How easy so many of us find it to go through our entire day without a word of prayer! We forget how dependent we are on God for everything – even our very next breath.

But Paul was very aware of his need, and so he called the Colossians to prayer. He wasn’t too proud to ask for prayer because he knew that without God, he was powerless.

Are you praying for our church? For the people in it, its ministries, the people around us? Without God we can do nothing.

Are you feeling unable to contribute to the life of the church beyond attending on Sundays? Don’t! You can still serve! Be part of what God is doing among us – join the prayer team we are forming. Devote yourself to prayer, and see what God does through you, for his glory.

A Royal Priesthood

What is your place in the church?

The sad reality is that many are spectators, watching others doing the work of ministry. They might feel as emotionally involved as those watching the footy, but not actively involved.

Others, consciously or not, behave as consumers. Even more detached than spectators, they come and go, feeling ‘topped up’ for another week in the world, but lack the emotional engagement of even the spectators.

Is this our calling? Consider what Peter calls Christians scattered throughout the regions in the Roman Empire: ‘You are … a royal priesthood’ (1 Pet 2:9).

This is a high calling; to be a priest of God, under the High Priesthood of our brother and Lord, Jesus Christ (Heb 2:17). What does it mean to be a priest?

In the Old Testament, priests cared for the temple. Playing music, singing songs, performing sacrifices, teaching and praying. Theirs was a busy life, full of worshipping God and serving his people.

Our role is different than theirs, of course. The church building is not a temple; there is nothing sacred there. It is merely a meeting place. The sacrifice for sin has already been made.

But there is a pattern for us to follow. Priests are actively engaged in ministry. They are not spectators or consumers. They are workers, joining together with the rest of the church to actively worship God and serve one another and the world.

What might your priestly service look like?

Could you be involved on Sunday? Welcoming others, helping at the sound desk, reading the bible, praying, preparing morning tea?

Outside the service, could you commit to praying daily for the ministry and people of the church?

We are all called to serve. If you are not yet serving, what one thing could you take on?