Andrew Corbett

Is Christianity A Religion?

2012-01-27T19:08:00.057+11:00

"Christianity is not a religion - it's a relationship." This catch-phrase sums up how many of us view our commitment to Christ. We regard our devotion to Christ to be a delight, a privilege, a thrill because we sense Him with us guiding, protecting, instructing, and strengthening. Hardly the stuff of dead formal lifeless religion!

But notice what I just did? I qualified the the type of religion that Christianity is not (or at least should not be). What makes Christianity "dynamic" is the interaction of the Holy Spirit with the follower of Christ. He takes the Words of Scripture and powerfully uses them to shape our new lives. He speaks into our spiritual ears just at the right moment. He calms our fears with the unmistakeable presence of Christ. He takes our prayers and delivers them directly to our Heavenly Father and assures us of such a hearing. No mere religion could do any of these gloriously unique aspects of Christianity.

Because we Christians feel so strongly about Christianity's uniqueness to provide the power to know the truth, be made right with God, and give us privileged access to pray directly God, we recoil at Christianity being referred to as a mere "religion". This was the sentiment that a young believer in the USA attempted to convey in a YouTube clip he put together of a poem he wrote about WHY I HATE RELIGION BUT LOVE JESUS. This YouTube clip has gone "viral" with it being viewed by several million people in its first 24 hours.

I wish more young believers would so artistically present their faith in, and love for, Christ. Jeff Bethke is to be commended for his wonderful example to other young believers. He has so many catch-phrases cleverly woven through his poem that Christians have used to share with others why we think Christianity is so uniquely beautiful. "Religion says DO - Jesus says DONE." Amen.

However, his opening claim that Jesus came to abolish "religion" is not only unfounded, it's not right. Jesus came to abolish something (and the Apostle John tells us what this is in his first Epistle 3:8). But it wasn't "religion". Read the opening chapter of the Apostle James' Epistle and you'll see that "religion" is not the problem- it's the wrong kind of religion that's the problem!

Religion is merely the 'ordered' expression of devotion to God. 'Ordered' means that there are 'rules' about how this is done. It also involves guidelines for ceremonies, service, occasions (births, deaths, marriages memorials). Read through the New Testament and you'll notice these guidelines. Thus, Christianity is a religion in this sense that James commends in James 1. But it is not another of the merely man-made religions.

Part of the order of Christianity is that we corporately come together regularly (Hebrews 10:25) and observe an order of service where we worship through singing, prayers, observing certain "ordinances" (such as Holy Communion), giving heed to the teaching and preaching of the Scriptures, and encouraging one another through mutual fellowship. Another part of the order of Christianity is that certain leaders are recognised (1Cor. 11:19; 16:18), set apart for their tasks (Acts 13:2; Rom. 1:1), and honoured in their roles (Heb. 13:7, 17). In some Church traditions, leaders may not be appointed on this basis and, as such, these leaders generally do not order their churches according to the heart of Christ for His Church. You can identify these leaders by their lack of care for people and their intense interest in their "career". To be perfectly honest, I don't hang out with these types of leaders, so I don't know many. But I hear about them and sigh. However, I have seen some "wolf" leaders (as we might call them) judged by Christ and dealt with severely. As one of my pastoral mentors, pointed out to me during one of these episodes, "Christ loves His church and jealously guards it. He will destroy anyone who destroys His church." He was of course merely citing First Corinthians 3:17. If Christ would take such strong action, is it reasonable to assume that He doesn't care about how His churches are ordered? That is, when Jeff Bethke says that Jesus came to abolish "religion", I know what he means, but I think he actually means Christ is against "wrong" or "false" religion.

In his video, it seems that Jeff Bethke criticises churches that are concerned about how they are ordered when there are so many people outside of these churches that are suffering and hungry. This commits the all-too-often-made "either / or" reduction. It assumes that if a church is ordered well (including how it is led, where it worships, how it worships) it can not concerned for the unchurched needy. To be sure, it is all too easy for churches to be too concerned about leadership structures and titles, buildings and mortgages, and what takes place in its meetings. When these things become the sole focus, churches die. But this is a false dichotomy. It's not a matter of a church being either well ordered OR concerned for the poor. In fact, most churches I'm aware of are concerned about being well ordered AND showing concern for the poor. Most.

At Legana, we certainly don't want to be focussed on the wrong things or unconcerned about the needy beyond our Church Roll. We take note of what Jeff Bethke and his fellow young generation of believers are saying about their intolerance of heartless, passionless, compromised Christianity that focusses more on its structures, buildings, administrations, performance than on Christ and the people He died for. But the solution is not the abandonment of "religion" - rather, the solution is to make sure that, as James The Just said, our religion is "pure and undefiled" (James 1:27).

Father, help us to be better representatives of Who You are. May we display our love for You with greater passion - greater devotion - greater sincerity. Give us a soft, tender, sensitive heart that responds quickly to Your Spirit's leading, correcting, and whispers. May we become who we are not yet but realise we need to be. We pray that You would enlarge our hearts to care and show that care to those who need it most. Let our hearts be inclined to serve away from the craved spotlight of others' approving looks, and serve well the one You've put before us. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Andrew Corbett, 27th January 2012

Living On The Edge Is Not Life In The Middle

2012-01-20T00:42:00.003+11:00

THE EDGE

I'm not a danger man. I generally play (everything) safe. Of course, what I call "safe", Kim calls "boring". But 'safe' doesn't have to be boring - although I can understand why some prefer to live on the "edge" because it brings an element of excitement, a different perspective, and a surge of adrenaline. When it comes to spiritual things, I'm not sure the 'edge' is the place we are most effective...

Matthew 7:14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few..

Maybe when it comes to outdoor adventure, going up to the edge is an expected part of the experience. But the gravitationally consequential cliff-top edges usually have fences near their edges for a good reason. Jesus gave an "edgey" picture in His Sermon on the Mount (the Beattitudes) when He said that the way to (eternal) life was narrow and hard. For me, it's not too hard to imagine a not-too-far-away scene of a high mountain trail bounded by a steep cliff where many an impetuous traverser had met an untimely end. Christ's words would have painted a very graphic depiction of what spiritual peril looked like.

The old King James Version translation of this verse uses the word "strait" for the modern word "narrow". For us Tasmanians, we are very familiar with what a strait is (as distinct from something that is "straight"). It carries the idea that there is a narrow way through bounded by barriers. Jesus said that eternal life was like this. As we walk with God the path is bounded by two great barriers: 1. Love for God, and 2. Love for others. Upon closer investigation we discover that both barriers bear both barrier markings. God has bounded the path of those who follow Him with these two great safety barricades. Step over either one and the follower of Christ is no longer loving God or people. Keep as close to the middle of the strait and you can only love God and others. So who would want to live on the edge of the strait knowing that the closer to the edge you get the further away from fellowship with God you get at the same time? But is it wrong to go up to the edge? I actually think this is perfectly the wrong question. The one who wants to love God, live for Him, walk closely with Him, does not ask how close to the edge they are allowed to get before it's "wrong".

1Thess. 5:22 Abstain from every form of evil.

There are lots of things that are 'permissible' for a Christian that are also not beneficial or the best way to love God and others. Over-eating, alcohol consumption, gambling, or swearing, might be included in any such considerations.

1Cor. 10:23 ¶ "All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up.

Avoiding such things might invite the charge of "Legalist" (which is an ironic charge if you think about it). Legalism is not merely avoiding certain things and neither is "freedom" partaking of such edgey things.

John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

Outcries may come. "Grace!" they cry, "Grace allows me to live on the edge of the path of Life. Your condemnation of my edgey lifestyle is mere legalism!" But "grace" is not permission to live however you want - rather, grace is the power to live as you should (1Cor. 15:10b).

The Master Christian Essayist, F.W. Boreham, writing in 1914 about "Escapes- Not Hairbreadth" (Mountains In The Mist), makes some observations about risky up-to-the-edge living. Boreham eloquently draws on other great writers and even the recent sinking of the Titanic to set up his pastoral comments about risky-up-to-the-edge living.

"Every minister knows that there are no questions more frequently presented to him that those relating to the questionable pastimes or amusements. 'Is there any harm in this?' 'May I play at such and such a game?' "Is it right to go to such and such a place?' 'Is it wrong to take part in this, or that, or the other?' It all arises from our insensate craving for hairbreadth escapes. Even children love to walk on the edge of the kerb, to creep near the brink of a precipice, and to lean far out of a high window." [Page 240]

F.W. Boreham goes on to draw an analogy between risky living and spiritual indifference toward God. The man who lives with careless indifference towards the commands and heart of God and then self-confidently assumes he can escape the consequences of such living may be in for an eternal surprise. "On a memorable occasion", continues Rev. Boreham, "the late General Booth was stepping from his carriage to enter a well-known public building. As he did so a drunken man staggered stupidly towards him, and in scarcely intelligible accents exclaimed, 'Say, General, what are ye going to do with the like o' me?' The crowd gathered quickly round to hear the General's answer. The General laid his hand on the drunkard's shoulder, and replied, 'My friend, we can't do much for you; but we're after your boy !' That is a piece of very sage philosophy which I commend to all parents and teachers." (page 242)

If you're on the edge, it's not too late to come back. If you've crossed over the edge and felt the peril of it, then God's grace can also bring you back. If you're pastor pleading with edgey people, call to your people from the middle of God's strait and narrow path, not near the edge.

Father, please help me to pastor by grace to bring Your people into the fullness of Your grace for their lives. Give me the pastoral wisdom to know how I am to live in the middle of the path of Life. Please Lord, empower me with Your grace to draw more people into the middle of Your will - not merely the edge of it. And Lord I pray that this will result in Christ being seen in us and many coming to know Him. Amen.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

You've Got Three Wishes...Go

2012-01-12T22:56:00.002+11:00

"OK, YOU'VE GOT THREE WISHES"

The offer has been made. The terms are simple. The Genie is waiting. Ask what you will.

1Cor. 4:21a What do you wish?

Money? Health? Happiness? Certainly these were the respective wishes of Japanese, European and American parents for their childrenaccording to a recent survey. But I have an advantage over my Japanese, European and American survey respondents. They only gotone wish. I've got three! I could trump them all and wish for all three of their wishes! But should I?

Wishes reveal hearts. Is my heart driven by money, good health, or the pursuit of happiness? Perhaps. But if it isn't, why should I wish for it? If I could, I'd somehow wish for super-time. But the Genie's already explained the preclusive terms. I must confess though, that when I consider what to wish for, I keep coming back to what I want now. After all, I want my wishes to be relevant.

Who would make irrelevant wishes? When it comes to all things beneficial, and therefore helpful, relevance should certainly be presumed. This is especially true when it comes to wishes. But it's also true when it comes to any claim of helpfulness such as churches which claim to help make life better. Any church daring to make such a bold and public claim would first have to be relevant to its claimants.

Some churches attempt to be relevant by changing their message and the way its delivered and packaged. But this tends to make them irrelevant. Other churches feel their traditions and formal structures and proceedings are the things that make them relevant to a spiritually hungry world. The spiritually hungry hungry don't seem to agree.

Reading the opening chapters of The Book of Revelation where The Risen-Crucified-Voice speaks to the seven churches clustered in Turkey, we should be jolted to read of His Majesty telling all but one of these churches that they were irrelevant! Not irrelevant to themselves. Not irrelevant to their communities. Irrelevant to Jesus.

How might a church that despises irrelevancy (and seeks to be relevant to its own community, relevant to its city, and relevant to its Christ) demonstrate that it really can help to make life better? This is not an original question. Earlier this week someone who saw our current TV ad asked someone in our church how we could possibly make such a claim? Perhaps in their mind, churches should not advertise because churches have nothing relevant to advertise. But we actually have nearly 200 ways to answer this question. These are the stories of people who can share how a small seemingly insignificant church in Bridgenorth Road has helped. Heart-broken people have been comforted. Guilty people have found forgiveness. Despised people have been accepted. Confused people have found direction. Sick people have been healed. Despairing people have received hope. Yes, this church on the edge of the Tasmanian Bush can substantiate their advertised claim to: help make life better.

A young man wondered though. He was 'forced' to accompany his parents to church. "Irrelevant!" his body muttered. But then he witnessed his parents marriage very nearly disintegrate. Confused, despairing, fearful, he did not know what he could do to help his parents. What happened next changed his life. It was something the boring and irrelevant preacher said during one his boring and irrelevant sermons in his boring and irrelevant church that totally rescued his parents' marriage. The young man was forced to reconsider how he understood "relevant" and "irrelevant." That same young man grew up to become a preacher!

Each week I have people contact me who want help making their lives better. Some of these people turn up on a Sunday and discover that what they previously thought was irrelevant is now very relevant. From the acceptance shown by those who greet them to the love they experience from those worshiping around them to the strange sense of the transcendent as the music begins to the inner whisper of the Spirit of God they hear as the preacher speaks. Relevant and helpful.

But you must be wondering what my three wishes were? For those who criticise those of us who wish with the Pharisaical charge that wishingis unspiritual it might be worth taking a little time to do some of our own rebuking. I rest my case with the Original Genius-

John 15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

You don't need an Arabian Genie to offer you 3 wishes when you have a Genuis-Saviour who invites you wishcontinually. Not only do we worship a Saviour-Genuis (the French word for "genuis" is 'Genie' by the way) Who invites us to wish, He Himself wishes. (You can read of the record of His biggest wish in Second Peter 3:9.) So what were my three wishes?

Father, help us to be fresh for You. Fresh in Your Word. Fresh in Your Spirit through prayer. Fresh in Your love through fellowship. Prepare us for eternity with You by helping us to be the kind of people You want us to be. May we wish what You wish. Cause us to give our all for The Christ and His Cause. Amen.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

Haran

2012-01-06T01:12:00.001+11:00

DREAMS DIE AT THE HARAN CAMP

When God called Abram to leave where he was, God wasn't speaking to Abram at Ur of the Chaldeans (he'd already left there) but rather at - Haran! Initially God called Terah, Abram's father, to leave Ur of the Chaldeans, along with his family - which included Abram, Sarai and Terah's Grandson, Lot. He was on a divine mission to reach Canaan. But instead, Terah compromised his mission and camped at a place he named "Haran".

Genesis 11:31 ¶ Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there.

Tragedy had hit. Terah had probably only recently lost his son, Haran, when God called him to take his family from Ur of the Chaldeans (Babylon) to Canaan (Israel).

Genesis 11:28 Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his kindred, in Ur of the Chaldeans.

But God intervened in the midst of their grief by giving the grieving father a mission. How often does God remedy grief with such a strategy? Often it seems. Terah started well. But was it difficulty, weariness, or even comfort, that caused him to give up on his mission?

It could have been difficulty that halted Terah from completing the mission God had given him. But God would have known the mission was going to be difficult. Surely God wouldn't ask someone to do something that would be difficult for them to do? If you're hoping the answer is, "Of course God wouldn't ask someone to do something difficult!" - don't ask William Carey for his opinion! When he arrived in India in 1793 as the first British Baptist Missionary to India, he faced opposition from the British Government, the death of his young son, the nervous breakdown of his wife, and no converts for the seven years of his ministry! Carey's mission was difficult but he knew that it was also divine.

Of course Terah was around 100 years old when God called him to leave Chaldea. If anyone had a reason to be weary part way into such a long trip, surely it was Terah? But again, surely God would have known the physical toll that such an expedition would take on a man of Terah's vintage? Might God ask someone to do something that would be physically wearisome? If you hope the answer is, "Of course not!" -then don't ask James Gilmour, the 19th Century Scotish missionary to Mongolia who laboured for most of his life with very little support or reward for his efforts! And definitely do not ask Charles Simeon, the minister of Holy Trinity Cambridge who was locked out of his own church for 12 years by church members who opposed his insistence that they needed a Saviour - but he served these people for 54 years !

History has become tired of proving to the world that comfort and comfortableness are the obstacles to greatness and achievement. Becoming seduced by Comfort's mistress-call will always mean that its victims become unwilling to achieve their potential. Could it have been comfort that led to Terah abandoning his divine mission? Do a study of Christ's "Beware" statements and notice how most of these fall under the category of comfort. Terah had reached a point in his journey where he didn't want to go on any further.

Terah's late son's name was Haran. In Hebrew, this name means mountaineer. The place where Terah camped was coincidentally named Haran but in the Hebrew it is a slightly different word meaning parched.

Terah did not complete God's mission. Would God call someone to do something that He knew that they would fail at? Apparently. But I'm challenged by what I see in this Biblical episode. I don't want to fail in God's mission for my life. I know that it will be difficult. I know that there will be opposition. I know that weariness will need to be conquered. And I know that the lure of comfort will continue to be more appealing than the parched mountains that God expects me to climb over!

Gen. 12:1 ¶ Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.
Gen. 12:2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

However, even though Terah failed, God redeemed His mission. All the while He was preparing Abram. God will always see to His mission. As F.W. Boreham has written, the impossibilities of God's mission are remedied by a baby. That is, we tend to look for full-blown solutions while God nearly always provides potential solutions in the form of seeds, babies, or children.

Somehow, Terah's dream of reaching Canaan had died. The camp at Haran (later referred to as Padan Aram) as "parched" as it was, seemed more appealing to Terah than the Promise of Canaan. Sometimes our mediocre spiritual state (either individually or as a church) seems more appealing than the mountainous path yet-to-be trod to our fuller potential. Maybe it wasn't difficulty, weariness, or comfort that enticed Terah to stop? Could it have been fear? Was he afraid to proceed into theunknown when the known at least gave him some sense of security?

Gen. 11:32 The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.

Camping at "Haran" either causes divine dreams to die or is where those who have let their divine dream die chose to camp. Let's not let the divine dream of God for our lives - to be fruitful for Him / to know Christ and make Him known / to be pillars in the church of God - die at "Haran".

What difficulties will you overcome this year in your walk with Christ? How will you deal with weariness in your service for Christ this year? How will you shun the shade of comfort for the searing heat of the track of Mount Beautiful in order to take the love of God to others? Which fears are holding you back from realising your God-appointed potential?

And even if we fail, God will raise up someone else to continue the mission He gave us. What neither Terah and possibly Abram realised was that God's mission was not merely a geographical one. Rather, it was a spiritual-territory one with eternal ramifications! And I wonder whether we realise it either? The mission God has given us a church to enthrone Him in worship, to encourage one another in our walk with Christ, to be empowered through the ministry of God's Word, and to engage others outside of the church with the Gospel of God's Love is similarly a spiritual-territory issue with dire eternal consequences. Let's not camp at "Haran" and go through the motions! Terah may have thought he only had a little time left and that there was not enough time for this 100 year old Grandfather to make it to Canaan. Sadly, Genesis 11 closes with the somber statement that Terah died at the age of 205. History may be looking Terah in the eyes and asking him why he didn't make better use of his time on earth? And if we camp at "Haran", history may well ask the same stinging question of us. With God on our side we can accomplish His mission for us in our generation. "Bye bye 'Haran'"! "Hello to the journey toward the Promised Land of fulfilling God's mission for us in 2012!"

Father, we need Your help to overcome every difficulty, obstacle, opposition, set-back, disappointment, and luring comfort. Help us, we pray, to press on in our pursuit to be Christlike and to know Him and make Him known. Help us to care for one-another. Give us enlarged hearts of compassion for the Lost. Fill our hearts and minds with fresh faith to take spiritual territory for Christ and His cause. Amen.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

Was Jesus Ignorant About His Second Coming Date?

2011-12-29T23:22:00.003+11:00

Was Jesus Ignorant? It is argued that Jesus as God Incarnate sometimes only operated out of limited human knowledge.!
Written by Dr Andrew Corbett, President of ICI Theological College Australia, and author of the popular commentary on the Book of Revelation- The Most Embarrassing Book In The Bible, December 29th 2011

Take a Bible College Course on Jesus Christ (called "Christology") and eventually you will study the incarnation of Christ and explore how His Divine and Human natures formed a union. The mystery of how God became man is further magnified when it is supposed that although Christ possessed all of the Divine attributes (immutability, eternality, omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence) He was at times not utilizing His Divine nature and instead speaking from His limited Human nature. In this way, it is argued, Christ was actually ignorant of certain things. The most common proof-text to support this doctrine is Matthew 24:36-

¶ "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only."
Matthew 24:36

This verse is similarly stated in the Gospel of Mark (13:32). On the surface it appears that Christ is pleading ignorant about the timing of His parousia ("coming"). If so, how could an omniscient Being be ignorant of anything? This apparent conundrum is resolved by appealing to Christ's two natures (Divine and Human) and reasoning that there this is an instance when Christ spoke from His human nature (limited in knowledge) rather than His Divine nature (omniscient). But this explanation creates more problems than it attempts to solve. Respected Bible Commentator, Adam Clarke, who published his commentary on the Bible between 1810-1826, recognized the weakness of this "two natures" explanation-

This clause is not found either in Matthew or Luke; and Ambrose says it was wanting in some Greek copies in his time. To me it is utterly unaccountable, how Jesus, who knew so correctly all the particulars which he here lays down, and which were to a jot and tittle verified by the event-how he who knew that not one stone should be left on another, should be ignorant of the day and hour when this should be done, though Daniel, Dan. ix. 24, &c., could fix the very year, not less than five hundred years before it happened: how he in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwelt bodily, and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, should not know this small matter, I cannot comprehend, but on this ground, that the Deity which dwelt in the man Christ Jesus might, at one time, communicate less of the knowledge of futurity to him than at another. However, I strongly suspect that the clause was not originally in this Gospel. Its not being found in the parallel places in the other evangelists is, in my opinion, a strong presumption against it.
Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke makes an astute exegetical observation that is too frequently overlooked or ignored by others...[read full article]

B.C. -AETAS DOMINI- A.D.

2011-12-23T12:00:00.001+11:00

B.C. < JESUS CHRIST > A.D.

Jesus Christ has time.

Luke 22:19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

As we prepare to celebrate this Christmas, we remember the Christmas Child who 'divided' time. We describe time as either being "B.C." (Before Christ) or "A.D." (Anno Domini). No other person in history has ever been similarly honoured. When Christ came, everything changed - including the way we refer to history. When Christ comes into a life today, everything changes still. It's not just History that has a B.C. and an A.D. point - it's every life who has turned to the only One who can divide the history of their lives into B.C. ("before I came to Christ") and A.D. ("After my Decision to follow Christ").

This Christmas is a celebration of the One who entered history and erases pasts. He did this for me. Before Christ found me I had done shameful things. When I came to Christ He erased my past, my "B.C.", and for that I will be eternally grateful! Since I have placed my life under the Lordship of Christ my future, my "A.D.", is now secured. There are times when my previous life of sin haunts me relentlessly. How could a Saviour who atoned for sins nearly two thousand years ago possibly forgive my sin which, at the time, I hadn't committed yet? But this Saviour is not just Anno Domini (Lord of the Year) He is Aetas Domini (Lord of Time). Jesus Christ literally has time.

There are some people who say that Jesus can only guess what the future holds - but that He may guess wrong. The technical term for this isOpen Theology. There are others who say that Jesus knows exactly what choices every personcould make and has chosen the pathway of collective choices that produces the best outcome. The technical term for this is Middle Knowledge. But the mystery saturating the pages of Scripture is that the Once-Christmas-Child is not merely a Guesser of the Future, but the Lord of the Future. But not just the Future, time. He is Aetas Domini!

The first Christmas was what all the past looked forward to. The first Christmas is what all today, and in the future will, look back to. It changed everything. It still does. When I shared this message last Sunday, a lady who had had many years living under Narcis Domini came to Christ and wanted the Aetas Domini to be her Domini. She wanted her life to move from B.C. to A.D.!

Ephesians 2:1-4aAnd you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
But God...

"I want my past to be B.C." she said. Her eyes said it all.Before Christ. Before Christ we were "dead in the trespasses and sins in which we once walked" wrote the seasoned Apostle. But then Christmas! And "all things have become new" (2Cor. 5:17). Does you life have a time-dividing point? Can you identify that era of your life which might be referred to as "B.C."? Everyone who lives in the Anno Domini (Year of the Lord) has a B.C.

The Christmas Child became the Christ, Aetas Domini, the Lord of Time. The One who could enter time and deal with the past in His present and atone for all in the future. On the night He was to be betrayed, He took bread, broke it, and uttered only what the Aetas Domini could decree-

* take and eat (The Present)
* do this in remembrance of Me (The Past)
* until I come (The Future)

The next time you are dogged by your past failures, mistakes, sins and trespasses, you have a Saviour who has erased these from your past. The next time you are anxious, you have a Saviour who is with you now! The next time your future looks uncertain you can walk into it with the One who is Lord of it!

Faced with a Throne he never wanted, a war he was ill-equipped for, and nation in collective anxiety about its future, King George went on radio and gave a stirring speech to the people of the British Empire on September 3rd, 1939 and then followed it up with a Christmas Day speech. How this reluctant King, who suffered with serious speech impediments and a dire lack of self-confidence, came to give this speech was the subject of the movie: The King's Speech.

[Sep. 3rd 1939] "In this grave hour, perhaps the most fateful in our history, I send to every household of my peoples, both at home and overseas, this message, spoken with the same depth of feeling for each one of you as if I were able to cross your threshold and speak to you myself...
But we can only do the right as we see the right, and reverently commit our cause to God. If one and all we keep resolutely faithful to it, ready for whatever service or sacrifice it may demand, then, with God's help, we shall prevail...
[Dec. 25th 1939] "I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year, 'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.' And he replied, 'Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be better than light, and safer than a known way.'"
King George VI

Jesus has time. He has time to deal with our pasts. He has time to help us in our nows. He already knows our tomorrow, and has already ensured that no temptation/adversity will come our way that could overpower us! Yes, the Christ of Christmas has not just established Anno Domini, but has settled the matter of Who Rules Time. The first Christmas laid the foundation for Christ to be acknowledged as Aetas Domini.

Father, thank You for sending the Christmas Child as our Saviour. Thank You that our past is dealt with and our future is secure. As we look back, we give thanks. As we look forward, we worship. Help us, we pray to acknowledge that Jesus is merely the Author of Anno Domini, but He is truly Aetas Domini - Lord of All Time. Amen.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

FIND IT DIFFICULT TO HONOUR?

2011-12-15T22:46:00.000+11:00

LET MY LIMELIGHT SHINE...
Lessons From Joseph's Brothers.
Gen. 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.
How did Joseph's brothers feel when their father honoured him above them? We call it jealousy. But it was actually envy. Joseph's brothers felt it.

Jesus told parables involving honour. For example, there was the parable about those who had been working the full day and expected to get paid more than those who had only worked an hour. Jesus shocked His audience by describing the honouring of those who had only worked an hour above those who had worked all day!

The Apostle Paul confronted people's poor reaction to others being honoured when he wrote to the Romans and told them the remedy for envy: outdo one another in showing honour.

In another parable of Christ, He told of servants who had been working a long day, and came into their Master's house expecting to relax (and maybe even get a little thanks). Instead, they were called upon to continue serving and honour their master. Rather than thinking they are being hard done by, the Lord Jesus said that they should be glad that another is being honoured and consider that they are merely lowly servants who live to honour others with their service (Luke 17:10). Many of these teachings abouthonour were given before a crowd of Pharisees who loved to be honoured - and hated it when others were.
Matthew 23:6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues
We will at times ache because we are not recognised or acknowledged. How many mothers feel taken-for-granted? How many employees feel unappreciated? How many people on a church roster feel overlooked? It's nice to be honoured, but unfortunately it happens all too rarely.

Joseph's brothers could not tolerate that their father Jacob would so overtly honour Joseph over them. As a pastor, I've seen this emotion stirred many times when I've publicly honoured someone. "You thanked them from the pulpit! But I deserve thanks to! Why didn't you thank me?!" After this sort of thing happened far too many times, I realised that honouring someone actually tests others. Honouring someone flushes out what is in another's heart. It reveals why they are doing what they are doing. Afterall, in serving Christ we should be serving to glorify Jesus and promote His Cause - regardless of who gets recognised for it. Right?

So it's probably time for a confession: The problem with someone else being honoured is that it feels like I'm notbeing honoured. It's as if I'm being deprived something. This is hardly an attitude that glorifies Christ, because Jesus calls me to "decrease" and to help others "increase". I request your patience as I try to adjust my attitude to be more Christlike - especially when someone else is being honoured. My attitude adjustment is being helped by some things that I am discovering -
The God we worship is a God of infinitelove. Because He loves someone, does not mean that I get less of His love. Since honour is an aspect of love, when soneone is honoured, it actually does not mean that I am deprived of anything.
You receive what you give away. It's almost counter-intuitive. The Bible repeatedly refers to "sowing and reaping" - that is, what you sow (give away) is what you will reap. If I want recognition and honour for what I do, I need to recognise and honour others.
Honouring others is good for me. It takes humility to honour another. To clap, support, present, another helps me to develop my humilty. According to James 4, it's only when I am humble that I qualify for more of God's grace.
Honouring helps me to fulfil the Great Commandment. Honouring, giving someone someone a clap / a cheer / a gift / a public recognition / a card of appreciation / a public tribute - is showing love. To love others is the Great Commandment of Christ and is repeated in John's epistles as the hallmark for mature Christianity.
"The real power of effective leadership is maximising other people's potential, which inevitably demands also ensuring they get the credit. When our ego won't let us build another person up, everything has to build us up, then...we have stopped leading..."
Brigadier Jim Wallace, cited in HUMILITAS, by Dr John Dickson, page 156
I want to be a person of honour- that is, I want to be a perspn who honours others and celebrates those who are honoured. To "honour" is to regard as important. I want to help others feel important. From what I read in Scripture, it is important for me to make others feel important by showing them expressions of unconditionallove. To honour someone is to promote them as important. (For those who are married, you may recall that honouring was an integral aspect of your marriage vows.)

When I honour a leader I look for a couple things: their response, and the response of the other leaders around them. How a person receives honour says a lot about them. How a person reacts when another is being honoured, says a lot about them. Notice how Jesus regarded honour?
John 5:23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
It's nice to be thanked - to be thanked publicly. That's honouring. It's nice to be acknowledged - by our children, our parents, our co-workers, our team-mates. But it doesn't always happen. Thankfully, as children of God, we have a Heavenly to Whom All Honour is due who amazingly graces His children with His honour-
John 12:26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
Wow! The God of the Universe is secure enough to honour, celebrate, recognise, thank, reward, His Servants! Man may not see, but God always does. The next time you're not being honoured, don't pout (like I do) insteadrejoice with those rejoice (Romans 12:15), and join in seeking to fulfil Romans 12:10 ("outdo one another in showing honour"). Then one day, in fact, the day, our Father in Heaven will become the source of your previously unimagined honour. I wonder how the account of Joseph and his brothers would have been different if they had honoured they colour-coated sibling instead of envying and despising him?

Father, help us to honour one another. Lord, we live in a world where it is all-too-easy to tear others down and ridicule - rather than to promote others and honour them. Oh God, I pray that we can honour our spouses, our children, our parents, our leaders, our family, our friends, our team-mates. Help us at Legana to create a therepeutic culture where honour abounds and envy and pouting is rare. May we draw our security, affirmation, and identity from You and what You've revealed to us in Your Word, in Jesus' Name, Amen.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ps. Andrew

The Gospel Is Obvious When You See It

2011-12-02T20:33:00.002+11:00

THE GOSPEL: YOU'RE PROBABLY LOOKING AT IT...

Most Australians have seen Frederick McCubbin's 1904 painting, The Pioneers. Even though I have seen this painting thousands of times, it wasn't until today that I actually saw it. And I was deeply moved. If I was a proud man (and unfortunately I am, so this upcoming confession is very difficult for me) I would claim that this fresh vision of this iconic Australian painting was due to my cultured eye for detail. But alas, I can make no such claim. This painting was interpreted for me by someone who wrote about it just two years after it was painted. This cultured art connoisseur was the man whom my daughter asked this after afternoon as she looked at an original photo of him in my office, "Was F.W. Boreham born old?"

McCubbin's painting is in three sections. The first section has a young wife pining for her former life. Perhaps, and probably, this was England. In the background, her husband is seen near their covered wagon lighting a fire at the base of a blue-gum tree. This iconic young woman is emblematic of the sacrifice that thousands of such women made in pioneering Australia. Pioneering is tough, lonely, and taxing. Many of these early female pioneers experienced madness in this face of this. McCubbin captures this with this opening scene.

The second scene has the husband resting on a log. Axe nearby. His young wife is now a mother as the wistful baby's arm is flopped over the should of its mother reveals. In the background of this scene is not their wagon, but their cabin. These pioneers were making progress! But still there must have been a high price to pay. These pioneers were sacrificing for sake of future generations.

But there is a cost that is more painful than self-sacrificing. Consider Abraham, says F.W. Boreham, who would have gladly taken the place of his beloved son Isaac as they ventured up the mount of sacrifice. Consider the cost that Jephthah paid as he bid his daughter farewell (Judges 11). Sacrifice costs dearly.

In the third scene, we see through the cleared bush, in the far distance, an emerging town. But in the foreground we see the husband kneeling at the foot of her grave. It is a poignant scene. It catches a pain that is greater than that of self-sacrificing. The pain of being the cause of someone else's sacrifice! Abraham nearly felt it. Jephthah did. God the Father did.

"The pioneer ! It is by such sacrifices that these broad Australian lands of ours have been consecrated. Oh, the brave, brave women of our Australian bush ! We have heard, even in Tasmania, of their losing their reason through sheer loneliness ; and too often they have sunk into their graves with only a man to act as nurse and doctor and minister and grave-digger all in one.
F.W. Boreham, "THE PIONEER", Mountains In The Mist, pages 76-77

F.W. Boreham points out to his readers that this iconic Australian painting was actually a picture of the Gospel! In the same way that the Father's sacrifice was equal to, if not greater, than any sacrifice ever made.

"I used to think that the finest thing on earth was self-sacrifice. It was a great mistake. This picture of the 'The Pioneer' reminds me that there is a form of sacrifice compared with which self-sacrifice is a very tame affair. I say that the picture reminds me ; for it was the Bible that taught me of that sacrifice supreme." (page 77)

Boreham saw in this famous Australian painting the message of the Gospel. A message of not mere self-sacrifice for the benefit of others, but a sacrifice that goes beyond personal cost. Boreham saw this as typical of God's sending His Son to die for us. This was the genius of F.W.Boreham. He looked at everyday, ordinary things, and well-known pieces of art, and interpreted them for his audience in a way that could see what they previously did not see - but was there all along. He had a way of seeing the Gospel in trees, paint, art, literature, theatre and history.

During the upcoming movie release frenzy season, consider what Boreham did and look for the Gospel in these stories. You'll probably see it once you start looking for it. This is because, as Winkie Pratney points out, the Gospel is THE story from which all other stories take their cue. When you see feint traces of THE story in the books, movies, art or nature, help others to see it as well. That, don't just be a consumer of culture, be an interpreter of it. Of course Boreham was not the first to master this. The great cross-cultural missionary from Tarsus did the same thing when he entered Athens when he interpreted a monument and a 'pagan' poem for his culturally-aware audience. In a Biblically illiterate culture, we may find that we need to do this more and more.

Father, help us to see the Gospel. Help us to see the Gospel story of You as Creator, Rescuer, Redeemer, Resurrector, and Righteous Judge, in art/literature/nature. May we have the grace and wisdom to share this interpretation of our culture with those we know and care for, in Jesus' Name, Amen.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

Surprised By Jesus

2011-11-25T09:45:00.000+11:00

A SURPRISING SAVIOUR...

Follow Jesus and if your serious about staying close, you'll soon be constantly surprised! Just when we thought God was created in our image, He does something, says something, deals with something - in ways completely other.

The problem with following Jesus closely is that it gets uncomfortable! He wants me to respond to people in surprising ways. Just when I want to hit someone - He leads me to follow Him into blessingthem with a surprise gift! Just when I want to be alone and rest - He leads me to follow Him to a lonely, weary, faith-battler and surprise them with encouragement and time. Surprisingly I feel invigorated every time I follow this Surprising Saviour. It's when I follow from a distance that I experience distance with my Saviour (just like the Apostle Peter did).

Matt. 26:58 And Peter was following him at a distance...

Just when I thought following Jesus was a walk along a tropical beach (I learned this from the famous "Footprints In The Sands" photo) - I'm surprised to discover that I must follow Him at times over jagged rocks. I can tell I'm following Him because I have to place my feet in the blood-stained footprints of my Surprising Saviour as we walk along the path of trial. Then I'm surprised when He wanders up the slopes of self-discipline and I have to choose each step I make - even though I usually don't want to. It seems like every second step up the slopes of self-discipline is lands me on a temptation. These steps flood my mind with very appealing invitations. "You're tired, skip your devotional reading tonight...you can read it tomorrow." "You haven't got time to pray now, there's people waiting to see you...just pray when you get an uninterrupted minute." "Don't force your faith or beliefs on this non-Christian...you'll be offensive." And so on.

To my shame, I have to confess, I often slip on the slopes of self-discipline. I'm surprised that my Saviour still reaches out to me at these times and admonishes me to stay close. Unlike the admonishing of others, I'm surprised that the Saviour's sharp rebuke doesn't injure me. Rather it heals me. His disciplining of me somehow surprisingly empowers me to keep climbing up the slopes of self-discipline. Then as we ascend, the Saviour begins to lead my up steps that very very personal! He challenges my diet! He challenges my hobbies! He challenges my commitment to His Cause! It seems like He makes me aware of the struggles of my brothers and sisters who are also venturing up the slopes of self-discipline. Just as I revel in my smug spiritual arrogance by feeling justified in sharing my newfound insights of the failures of others, I am surprised by my Saviour who locks eyes with me and says gently with a strength that doesn't need volume: "Love covers a brother's failings." (Prov. 10:12; 17:9; Genesis 9:23)

As I struggle up these slopes of self-discipline I am frustrated by those who seem to outpace me. But then I surprised to realise that it's not those who have been following the Saviour longest who travel up with the most ease - it's those who follow closest.

Where You go, I'll go
Where You stay, I'll stay
When You move, I'll move
I will follow...
All Your ways are good
All Your ways are sure
I will trust in You alone
Higher than my side
High above my life
I will trust in You alone
[Written by Jason Ingram, Reuben Morgan and Chris Tomlin]

Have you been surprised by the Saviour? His original disciples were. Herod was. Pilate was. James was. He is a surprising Saviour who can lead us in surprising ways, bring surprising people into our lives, and call us to surprise people with acts of undeserved kindness.

Father, we want to follow Your Saviour-Son. We want to be surprising to a world used to giving as good as it gets. Help us to follow this Surprising Saviour closer, in Jesus' Name, Amen.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

Turning a Complaint Into A Positive Opportunity

2011-11-18T16:22:00.000+11:00

"I DIDN'T THINK CHRISTIANS DID THAT!"

Ever done something and heard someone pipe up- "I didn't think Christians behaved that way!" If you haven't had it said about yourself, you have had said it about other Christians. Here's a great way that just might turn this negative moment into a positive opportunity...

I recently heard of this type of complaint from a pre-Christian about a group of Christians. For the moment, I don't want to mention what this group of believers had done, but it is certainly a common complaint. Of course, the complaint can sometimes be justified: Christians do sometimes behave badly and the world knows it! When Christians behave badly they bring shame to the Cause and Body of Christ. To have this highlighted by the world is a negative moment. But even this moment can be turned around into a positive opportunity.

The next time you hear this type of complaint (either about yourself or someone else) here's a very simple and elegant question to respond with: "When you say 'Christian', what do you mean? That is, what is a Christian?". Listen closely to their answer. It will probably be answer that spells Christianity - D O. That is, instead of defining a Christian they'll probably describe Christian behaviour instead.

Thus, this presents an ideal opportunity to winsomely correct this misapprehension about what a Christian is. Using a paper-napkin you could write the word "D O" on the serviette to sum up what they said to define a Christian. You could then ask them if it would be OK to give them the definition that the Bible used? If they consented, you could then add " N E " to form the word: " D O N E ".

Marvellous, infinite, matchless grace,
freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see his face,
will you this moment his grace receive?
Grace, grace, God's grace,
grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
grace, grace, God's grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin! [365. Grace Greater than Our Sin, Julia H. Johnston]

This week I had a troubled soul come and see me. We conversed then I asked the question I've just championed:What is a Christian? In summary their answer was a " D O " answer. After sharing with them about the grace of God through Jesus, and explaining that the only One invited into God's Presence is Jesus and that unless you are "in Christ" you can not go to Heaven or be reconciled to God for eternity, I asked them if they would like to become a Christian. They said, with tears flowing, "Yes I would." We prayed together and the work of the Spirit in this person's life starts a fresh new chapter.

But what was the cause of the original complaint about inappropriate Christian behaviour? A group of Christians had told someone that sexual immorality was a sin. For this "intolerance" they were accused of acting "unchristianly". It would have been very easy to argue the point that Christians are not meant to be tolerate of everything. But this would have been a distraction from turning this negative moment into a positive opportunity.

First Peter 3:15 "but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,"

Of course, there will be times when the world highlights actual bad behaviour by Christians. If that Christian is you, then perhaps the best response is to apologise to the complainer for misrepresenting Christ, and then apologise to your Lord. But this too can be turned into a positive opportunity for promoting Christ's gracious offer of reconciliation with God the Father.

Father, give us Your heart for people. Help us to walk blamelessly before You and the World. May we have soft, compassionate, hearts toward others and feel the responsibility we have to be good ambassadors for You, in Jesus' Name, Amen.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

Some BOOK OF REVELATION Resources

2011-11-18T09:13:00.003+11:00

You can now order some of UNDERSTANDING THE BOOK OF REVELATION Resources online.

Complete these transactions securely with Paypal. After confirmation of your secure payment an email will be sent to you with download instructions for your eBook. These eBooks are great value. Once downloaded they can be printed or transferred to an eBook reader or PDA for portable reading.

eBooks

How to purchase and download an eBook...

1. Select your eBook from the list below	2. Select the preview to read the first chapter. If it looks interesting, perhaps check out the feedback supplied by other readers.	3. Click on the "Add to cart" button. This will take you to a secure Paypal site where you can pay for the eBook with a credit card, or if you already have a Paypal account with credit in it you can draw down on that account to pay for it.	4. Once payment is confirmed you will receive a Thank You message, then you will automatically receive an email with your download instructions. Copy and paste these login details into the download page where you will be directed.	5. After entering your download registration information, the download of your "zipped" eBook will commence automatically.
6. Once the zipped file is downloaded to your computer, you will need to "extract" it to your computer using a program like "Winzip" which is generally built into Windows. Apple Mac users will use "Stuffit" to unzip or extract the eBook.	7. After the eBook is extracted / unzipped you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the contents. This software is available for free from the Adobe website.	8. Once the eBook is open you might like to print it off and place it in a ringed binder or similar. Or, you could transfer it to your PDA to carry with you.	9. You should then email the author with positive or contructive comments about the eBook so that it can be refined even further or your comments incorporated into the promotion of the eBook.	10. Finally, email everyone in your address book who you think would be blessed by your recommending that they too read this eBook by downloading their own copy.

Available eBooks...

THE MOST EMBARRASSING BOOK IN THE BIBLE!
UNDERSTANDING THE BOOK OF REVELATION
The entire book of Revelation explained!

Many people have accepted the recent idea that most of Revelation is yet to be fulfilled! They have been encouraged to think that "soon", "near", "at hand", "this hour" means exactly the opposite to what it was plainly intended to mean!This eBook shows how most of the Book of Revelation was fulfilled within the lifetime of the original disciples- and according to Matthew 24:34- had to be!
Set yourself free from the fear of tommorrow and read this ground-breaking commentary!

[PREVIEW] - READERS' FEEBACK

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THE MOST EMBARRASSING VERSE IN THE BIBLE

This eBook discusses what CS Lewis described as "the most embarrassing verse in the Bible" (Matthew 24:34).
This verse has been used by atheists to support their arguments that Jesus Christ was just a mere man who was simply (and incorrectly) guessing about the future.
This eBook discusses why we can be absolutely assured that Jesus Christ was correct. Historical citations are given throughout this commentary on what is generally called "The Olivet Discourse".

[PREVIEW]

$A1.95

Paperback...
THE MOST EMBARRASSING VERSE IN THE BIBLE Did Jesus really delude His Disciples? This is not only the assertion of prominent Atheists such as Prof. Bertrand Russell and Prof. Bart Eerdman, but staggeringly also great Christian minds such as CS Lewis! In fact, this book is a response to a famous claim by CS Lewis that he found this particular verse in the Gospels as "the most embarrassing verse in the Bible". This book could change the way you understand the Bible, the identity of Jesus Christ, and what the future might hold. $AU11.95 (free international postage)

dvds...

2 DVD SET - REGION 4 (PAL)

The Book of Revelation is the most mysterious book of the Bible. It claims to predict the future. But because its language is highly symbolic many readers have failed to understand what it is really saying. This has led some preachers to make wild guesses and speculate about what it really means. Often this guess work and speculation has been horribly wrong and this has led people to dismiss the Book of Revelation as too difficult - perhaps even impossible - to understand. But this is not the claim of the Book itself in the opening paragraph! In these two DVDs, Dr Andrew Corbett, author of popular - The Most Embarrassing Book In The Bible - looks at why people have got the interpretation of the Book or Revelation so wrong, and how we can better understand what it is trying to show us.

"These DVDs are excellent!"
- Ps. Trevor Chandler, Emeritus Chairman of Christian Life Churches International

In the first DVD, Dr Corbett sketches some of the more recent history of speculation about the interpretation of the Book of Revelation. This contains video clips of various "Bible Prophecy Teachers" who have speculated about how the Book of Revelation has foretold events in our day and predicts our immediate future. The viewer will soon realise that this type of speculation, despite its popularity, is most unhelpful when it comes to really understanding what the Bible is all about.

On the second DVD you will see the entire session, part 4, of a seminar Dr Corbett holds regarding the Book of Revelation. This DVD gives an overview of why so many people have misunderstood and then misapplied the message of the Book of Revelation. It will show you that the sound principles for interpreting any Book of the Bible also, if not especially, apply to the Book of Revelation. By applying the rules of hermeneutics (Bible Interpretation), we can better understand what The Book of Revelation meant to its original audience and therefore better understand how it applies to us today.

This material is presented in an easy to understand manner, with a good dose of light-hearted humor-

From these DVDs, you will better understand-

* What the true message of the Book of the Revelation is

* How to generally best understand the Bible, especially the New Testament

* When the Book of Revelation must have been written

* Why the Book of Revelation was really written

* What the Book of Revelation really says about our future

However you choose to use to use this DVD, whether it is to build a DVD teaching series, or to enjoy it for personal enrichment, or to give it as an encouragement to someone, or watch it in your Bible Study group, this DVD will help you to ponder the wonders of God's Word and have a deeper appreciation for the Christ.

Dr Andrew Corbett is the President of Finding Truth Matters, ICI College Australia, and pastor of Legana Christian Church. He is the author of The Most Embarrassing Verse In The Bible.

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Regarded as one of the leading exponents of the Book of Revelation, Dr Andrew Corbett in this 4 Part series on the Book of Revelation (presented as a seminar) is now available as a 4 Audio CD set.
Order this 4 Disc Audio CD for just $20 plus $9.95 shipping anywhere in the world).

Listen to Disc 1 online now []

Initialised, Activated And Empowered

2011-11-10T23:35:00.000+11:00

FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT...

"Be filled with the Spirit" the great apostle wrote. "Wait until you receive the Holy Spirit" said Christ. An apostle and the Messiah. Both great exponents of truth taught that the Christian life is empowered by mere knowledge. Neither is it empowered by religious effort. No, it is initiated, activated, and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

INITIALISATION

Becoming a Christian is not like joining a religious club. It is an utter transformation of the heart. This radical transformation is not achieved by wishful thinking, New Year resolutions, or religious devotion. It is initialised when the Holy Spirit opens a person's spiritual eyes and ears. When this happens, a person sees their true spiritual condition before God and realises their dire situation due to their bankruptcy of soul. They will then find that their previously deaf spiritual ears begin to hear the soft, gentle, voice of God calling them to come and follow. Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit initialises, He would convict of sin, reveal the righteousness of God, and convince of the Judgment to come (John 16:8).

John 3:8 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

ACTIVATED

When a person responds to God's invitation to have their sins forgiven, their guilt expelled, their past redeemed, their future secured, and their destiny glory-bound, the Holy Spirit activates a new birth of their dead spirit. Without the Holy Spirit taking the benefits of the finished work of Christ and activating this salvation in a person's soul, mankind would be left to mere futile guess-work (generally called: religion).

EMPOWERED

After the Holy Spirit has activated new spiritual life within a new worshiper, He leads His new host to the river of empowerment and invites them to bathe. This Baptism in the Holy Spirit empowers the new worshiper to confidently share their newfound life. One of the surest signs that a person has been baptised with the Holy Spirit is their desire to share the Good News with others. The Holy Spirit within them compels them to reach out to those crippled by their burden of guilt and sin.

Shackled By a Heavy burden,
'Neath a load of guilt and shame,
Then the hand of Jesus touched me,
And now I am no longer the same.
He touched me, O he touched me,
And O the joy that floods my soul!
Something happened, and now I know,
He touched me and made me whole.

Other evidences of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, known as the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, is the activation of spiritual gifts beyond the activation gift of salvation. In Mark 16, Jesus announced that these gifts included speaking in tongues, casting out demons, and healing the sick. Mere religion or positive thinking can not compete with this offer.

If you sense your soul being initialised, then receive the grace of God to have your soul activated by the Holy Spirit. If you have had your soul activated, then begin to seek the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. This is most commonly done within the community of the Redeemed as they worship together. In an atmosphere of praise, an activated soul can seek the Baptism with the Spirit, pray and receive prayer, and have their tongue wonderfully redeemed with newness.

Acts 10:44-46 ¶ While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God."

Pray that more people will be initialised by the Holy Spirit. Pray that more people will be activated by the Holy Spirit. Pray that those who are activated by the Holy Spirit will be empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Ps. Andrew

When Jesus Cursed A Fruit Tree, Spiritual Lessons

2011-11-03T23:54:00.000+11:00

SPIRITUAL FIG FRUIT...

In one of the most of the seemingly bewildering stories found within the Gospels, we meet the Christ cursing a fig tree on His way with His disciples into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:22). Christ was hungry. A fig would do. Alas! No figs! Just leaves! By the next morning the fig was dead to the roots.

Is this just a bizarre story about the Christ's power over nature? Not quite. It's actually one of the more profound stories about the Kingdom of God and what is means to be in it. The fig tree is often used as a picture of God's Chosen People, Old Covenant Israel (Luke 13:6-7). Israel was chosen by God to bear fruit for God by being a light to the nations. But they hadn't. After God had redeemed them from Egypt, He renewed the Covenant with them that He had established with Abraham. Unlike the establishment of this Covenant, Abraham's descendents were now a nation not merely a clan. To this Covenant Nation God them Laws and Ceremonies designed to help them be "a light to the nations".

Isaiah 42:6 "I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,"

Instead of these glorious laws being the basis for Israel's witness to the nations, Israel lost sight of its mission and regarded the laws as the reason why God had chosen them (forgetting that He gave them these Lawsafter He had redeemed them). The point of the laws - to show the nations that God is "good" and "faithful" God, became lost. The point of the ceremonies became lost on Israel - they were all anticipatory displays of the Christ and His coming work - and instead, Israel incorrectly felt that these ceremonies (involving animal sacrifices) were about purifying them from blame. All of this took place despite the prophets warning Israel that it was happening-

Is. 1:11 "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
says the LORD;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of well-fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats.

Israel was called to bear 'fruit' - just like a fig tree. Thisfruit was meant to show the nations who their 'Gardener' was. This fruit was meant to draw the nations to God. Israel was supposed to have been a light to the nations, teaching them how to know and love God and each other.

Isaiah 49:6 he says:
"It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
I will make you as a light for the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."

When Jesus came to that fig tree it was a picture of God Incarnate coming to Israel to inspect their fruit. What the Christ found was what the prophets also found.

Jeremiah 8:13 When I would gather them, declares the LORD,
there are no grapes on the vine,
nor figs on the fig tree;
even the leaves are withered,
and what I gave them has passed away from them."

God calls His people His "planting" (Isa. 5:7). He expects His plantings to bear fruit - that is, to be a witness to the nations of God, His wonders, His ways, His will and His Word. The goal of this witness is that people may come to know the Lord and join in His program of redeeming the world through Christ.

What does God do for His spiritual fig trees? He waters them. He nourishes them. He shines on them. He shields them. He sprays them. He prunes off their dead wood. And He harvests them. But when Christ came to Israel He found no fruit. They were living without love for God. They were treating people without love or respect. They were misrepresenting God to the nations. In short, they had not broken God's heart as well as His laws.

The cursing of the fig tree by Christ was typological (symbollic) of God ending His Old Covenant with unfruitful, unfaithful Israel. Instead of Israel being God's fig tree to the nations, Christ would be model Israel- the truly fruitful and faithful Servant of the Lord. He would shine His Father's light to the nations - through His New Covenant people, the New Israel of God: the Church(Gal. 6:16).

That's why we must be a spiritual fig tree always bearing the fruit of Christ for the nations (Matt. 28:18-19). To do this, we take steps of Gospel faith and bathe our efforts in prayer.

Matt. 21:21 And Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faithand do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen.
Matt. 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."

Thus, a heart to shine the love of God through sharing the Gospel with all people is the kind of fruit that honour God and shows a visiting Christ that you are truly the planting of the Lord.

Father, no fig tree bears fruit from just one branch. Lord help us to be connected to You and to each other. Help us to bear Gospel fruit for You. Help us to shine Your love to all the people in our community and beyond. Give us more fruit and help us as a church community to bear the fruit of love for each other, and for You and for our community, in Jesus' Name, Amen.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

How A Christian Can Overcome Anger

2011-10-27T17:17:00.000+11:00

THE ANTIDOTE TO ANGER...

Anger is common to us all. It arises when we are sharply disappointed. There are some things we should be angry about such as injustice, wickedness, corruption, abuse, oppression, and dishonesty. But for some people, anger has become a character trait. That is, they have become very "short-fused". And it's ugly. They get angry too often and for too little. As bad as this is, it is even worse when a Christian is afflicted with anger...

Unhealthy anger robs the Christian of spiritual beauty. It greatly diminishes the Christian's spiritual sensitivity to God.

Matt. 5:22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire.

Anger is not always bad. It can motivate a person to action. It can fuel a timid person with extraordinary confidence. But it can also be unhealthy when it is no longer for a noble purpose, or expressed in a considered manner.

Counselors and Psychologists offer several basic techniques for helping people to deal with anger. These include, behavioural therapy (counting under your breath, going for a walk, spending time alone to cool off). These indeed can be helpful, but there is else for the Christian to consider when anger is out of control.

Unhealthy anger can express itself as rage, depression, frustration or aggression. It might lead to yelling, over-eating, or alcohol-abuse. In every case, it is a focus issue. Unhealthy anger summons our attention. It steals our focus. I blinds our good senses. Consider the opposite of both anger and its effects-

- peace, joy, contentment, relaxation
- patience, moderation, self-control.

How can the Christian diminish the grip of unhealthy anger? Consider the words above (which are the opposite of anger and its effects). To diminish unhealthy anger we might need to find how we can cultivate: peace, joy, contentment, relaxation, patience, moderation and self-control. The Christian has a grossly unfair advantage when it comes to cultivating these. The Psalms reveal it; The Gospels model it; The Epistles explain it:Worship God.

For the Christian, unhealthy anger is not merely a behavioural issue, it's a worship issue. The effects of unhealthy anger, rage, depression, over-eating, alcohol-abuse, are really symptoms of misplaced worship. When we worship God we are expressing our surrender to Him. We re-affirming our trust of Him. We are declaring that God is good, His plan is good, His love for us is great, and our need for Him is greater. When we worship God we come into His presence where the Psalmist says is fulness of joy, the apostle says is incomprehensible peace, and the Revelator says that God's presence is the place of all power.

This is one of the reasons why it is critical to worship God in church on Sundays. It's true that we can worship God individually and in private - and we should do this daily by prayer and devotional reading of Scripture - but worshiping in church with fellow worshipers reminds us that life is not just about "me and God" it's intrinsically about "God with us". It provides the right seed-bed of humility for worship by singing together, praying together, partaking of Communion together, giving attention to the Preached Word together. Because we regard all of these things as "worship" we don't think of worship as just being the singing component of our Worship Service.

Worship of God in humility is a powerful antidote to anger. The next time you begin to feel anger rising, take a moment to worship God - "Oh God, I worship You. I need you right now. Please be my peace. Take my hand right now and lead me through this. Please bless those who are upsetting me right now. Lord, I want to glorify You in how I respond to this disappointment. Amen."

Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

GOD IS NOT INFINITE

2011-10-21T09:36:00.000+11:00

HE IS RELATIVELY INFINITE...

God thunders wondrously with his voice;
he does great things that we cannot comprehend.
Job 37:5

We often ascribe infinity to God. We describe His love as "infinite" love. We talk of His power as "infinite" power. But this is not quite the Biblical concept of God. In fact, neither the word nor the concept is used in the Bible to describe God. Rather, God is "Omni" ("all") - Omnipotent (All-Powerful); Omniscient (All-Knowing); and Omnipresent (Present everywhere). But compared to what we know and can do - God is Infinite!

F.W. Boreham loved the word "inifinite" to describe God. He linked it with another two unfathomable words- immensity and eternity. For F.W. Boreham this is what made God not only unique but utterly adorable. If I had my time over, FWB wrote, I would write and talk less about what God has done and concentrate almost entirely who God is. And these three inscrutable words summed up for the great Christian Essayist just why he felt this way. Yet, strictly speaking God is not "infinite". He is, rather, "all" (omni).

"Infinity" doesn't exist. It's a made up concept. That's one reason why it' wrong to describe God as infinite. Infinity is also impossible. By definition it can never be reached. God is not like this at all. He wants to be reached. Inifinity is never satisfied. God on the other hand is the very source of satisfaction. Infinity teases the learner by saying there's more to learn. God has nothing to learn because He is omniscient.

This God whom we worship is so far beyond anything we can think or even imagine that He seems to us to be infinite in every way. As we ponder this and marvel, there is possible only one other attribute of God that is even more amazing. God is not only infinitely great; not only eternal; not only immeasurably immense; He is imminent.

Rather than describing God with the awkward and uncomfortable word, infinite, we perhaps are more apt to describe God as "transcendent". This beautiful word pictures God as so far above us in every way. But there is an even more arcane word to describe God which makes the word transcendent stand to one side. It is the glorious word that should fill us to overflowing with hope every minute of the day: God is imminent!

How remarkable! How amazing! How aweful! Not only is God seemingly infinitely more knowledgeable than us, more powerful than us, more wise than us, more loving than us, more patient than us, more forgiving than us, more just than us, more compassionate than us - He is here! This is what imminent means. He is close. He is not merely "above" us, He is beside us.

The Prophet Isaiah stunned the world when He declared that God would one day reveal Himself not again as "El" (Almighty God) but asImmanuel (God is here 'immanu'=near, 'el'=Almighty God). Ponder the greatness of God and you'll probably resort to the technically incorrect word "infinite" to describe Him. Continue to ponder in awe and wonder as you (to steal a Star Trek phrase:) go to warp-speed in your admiration of God when you realise that He is imminent. Unlike the word infinite, imminent is an extremely accurate word to describe God. Right now as you read this, God is near you. You are just one breathed prayer away from the Omnipotent God we reasonably consider to be The Infinite One. He cares. He carries. He calls. He catches. Be struck by God's imminence and as you draw near to Him you almost certainly conclude that compared to our weak estate, God is relatively infinite.

Father, we join with the Psalmist and declare that You are far above us. You are all-together majestic. You are All-powerful. Truly as Jeremiah said- NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR YOU! You are awesome. You are amazing. You are incomparably wise. I pray for those who are in a dark place at the moment, that they might experience Your imminence, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

My Cloak, The Books, But Especially The Parchments...

2011-10-14T08:28:00.001+11:00

My Cloak, The Books, But Especially The Parchments...

When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.
Second Timothy 4:13

As a pastor I have the privilege of being invited by people into their lives where very few others are welcome. You would be forgiven for thinking that as a pastor I might consider that the answer to every dark night of the soul is to pray harder. But I have come to realise that God has not just made us "spirits", He has created us with hearts and minds that also play a role in our well being. This is why the aged Apostle wanted his cloak, his books and his parchments at the lowest point in his life.

Being literally in a dark place, Paul knew that this depression would not merely be resolved by prayer alone. There were physical issues to deal with. This is why he wanted his cloak. Sometimes we are so sleep-deprived that no matter many pills we pop, or prayers we pray, or shots we drink, our world still seems dark. Sometimes our diets are so full of preservatives and manufactured chemicals that no matter visits we make to our therapist, or chants we make with crossed legs, we are still in a dark place. Sometimes are down-times just need a warm, familiar "cloak" to help us to get some sleep in a damp, dark prison cell.

Then again, while we can get adequate sleep, eat the right kind of a balanced diet, and physically exercise, we must also guardour minds. Paul needed his books. So much of how we feel actually starts between our ears. What we allow into our minds nearly always determines our outlook on life. And the person who fills their mind with ungodly amusement (a= "no" + muse= "to think") and deprives their mind of God's Life-Giving Word, is likely to experience darkness of mind. In the midst Paul's darkness in his prison cell, he could needed his books. What books are you reading at the moment? Do the books you are currently reading cause you to muse ("think")? Good reading can stimulate a darkened mind. This is what John Bunyan found in the 17th century when he was imprisoned for preaching the Gospel. He had his books. It's how Dietrich Bonhoeffer staved off the darkness of his Nazi jail cell. He hadhis books. Good books have a way clearing the fog in our minds. Paul had physical needs that his cloak could satisfy. But while his cloak could warm his body, it could not fire up his mind like his books. If you're feeling down, read a good book. Start with your Bible. Read a Psalm each day. Get a copy of Tim Keller's, Prodigal God. It is a good book. Get an F.W. Boreham book. They are all good books.

But we humans are not just bodies with minds. We are also creatures of heart. This is why Paul wanted his parchments - those letters written to him. These parchments poured something into his heart. They were the sentiments from one heart to his heart. His cloak could warm his body. His books could warm his mind. But his parchments could warm his heart. We all have physical needs, intellectual needs, but especially emotional needs. We all needparchments to warm our hearts. I have two particular files. In one file I keep complaints written to me. This file is large and thick (although it stopped being enlarged a few years ago for reasons that I am tempted to go into now but must resist the temptation for a more appropriate ocassion). The other file is my encouragement file. It is quite thin and not very large. But its contents do immeasurably more than its larger thicker cousin. Yet I do not regard this file as my parchments. My parchments are at home. Some are in a special drawer and comprise of handmade Fathers' Day cards, birthday cards, the ocassional Christmas card, and love letters I have received (all from the same person).

If you are enjoying life and finding it easy to be excited about everything - you're probably someone who is physically well, intellectually stimulated and emotionally replenished. But if your're not in that place. Maybe you need someone to bring you your cloak, your books and parchments.

Father, I pray for those who are in a dark place at the moment, that they might experience physical wellness. Refresh them with sweet sleep, healthy food, and adequate shelter. May they also be blessed with challenging books to fill, renew, and challenge their minds to be able to give you glory. And Father, satisfy their aching hearts with a kind word, an accepting look, and an affirming touch, in Jesus' Name, Amen.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

A MAGNIFICENT QUARANTINE

2011-10-07T00:17:00.003+11:00

...and the house that is to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all lands...
First Chronicles 22:5

The story goes like this...rescuers finally arrive after years of fruitless searching. They find the man on a deserted island and notice that he's constructed 3 buildings. After enquiring, the man tells them, "Well the first building is my house and the building near it is my church." "But what about that third building?" they ask. "Oh that's the church I used to go to!" It appears that church disruptions can happen in churches of even one person!

Naturally this (hopefully) made-up story is a little nonsensical. Because 1 person alone does not constitute "church"...

God loves it. Satan detests it. It's not merely a physical housing - but something of eternal substance:redeemed believers. When someone believes in Christ, they become united to His body, the Church - expressed locally by the gathering of believers under authority, to worship together, to partake of Communion, to be instructed, to encourage one another and to introduce people to Christ. Believing in Christ is not a solitary exercise! Not only did Jesus say that He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10) but He simultaneously stated He came to "build My Church" (Matt. 16:18). God loves the local church. Satan abhors it!

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul could write to the Corinthian church, who we know were a messed up lot - with complex baggage brought into their walk with Christ and is the reason Paul wrote to them in the first place, yet he take God's perspective and write-

2Corinthians 7:16 I rejoice, because I have perfect confidence in you.

Church is like the Quarantine for Heaven. In one respect, you can't leave this life on earth and go directly to Heaven. You obviously have to come to Christ in this life because He is the only means of having our spiritually contagious cancer healed. But in normal circumstance, He doesn't take you straight to Heaven, rather, He places us in "spiritual quarantine" (the local church). It is in this Spiritual Quarantine that we are prepared for Heaven.

In Heaven we will serve Christ. Therefore, in Christ's Spiritual Quarantine He calls us to serve now. Read the teaching of Christ in the Gospels and you can't miss the emphasis Christ placed on this and the supreme example He set for it. Before we get to Heaven we must practice serving here on earth, but firstly in the Spiritual Quarantine of Christ's local church.

In Heaven we will sing our worship. Therefore, in Christ's Spiritual Quarantine He calls us to worship now. Christ sang with His disciples because He loved to worship His Father (Matt. 26:30). Before we get to Heaven, where we will sing our worship to our God for eternity, we are called to practice now in the gathering of the local church. Our worship is of course not just done by singing. In Heaven we will be to talk with God face-to-face for eternity. In the meantime, we are called to practise this now by praying together. In fact, if Christ's Spiritual Quarantine smells of something, it smells of the sweet fragrance of prayer. This is why one of the most important things we do as a church is to pray together in our Sunday night service. As a shepherd in the Quarantine, I can tell whose hearts God has touched and anointed for leadership within the church by observing our Sunday night prayer times. Godly leaders love God's House (the Quarantine) which Jesus angrily cried out was to be: "a House of prayer!" (Mark 11:17).

In Heaven we will discover things about God through the revelation of His Word to us. Therefore, we are called to give our minds to the teaching of God's Word in the Spiritual Quarantine of Christ, the local church. This is why we place so much emphasis on the sound teaching of God's Word, the Bible. There is a major trend today in some "trendy" churches to dismantle the Quarantine aspect of church and avoid the serious topics and teachings of the Bible in the pursuit of being "relevant". But as Ravi Zacharias says, "It is the truth that makes what you say relevant. If what you say is not grounded in truth - no matter how relevant you sound - you are irrelevant!"

But there's two matters that the Spiritual Quarantine must also deal with because we won't be able to deal with them in Heaven.

Firstly, in Heaven we will beholding the Omni-generous God, who has given all. He calls us to give in this life. He has ordained that His provision is given through His Quarantined people. Our giving enables the Quarantine to operate more effectively by increasing its capacity. Christ wants more Quarantines and He wants the existing Quarantines to cater for more people who want to be made fit for heaven.

Secondly, in Heaven we will not be able to witness to the lost about the Saviour. Christ calls us (read: "commissions us") to unashamedly bear witness to not-yet-Christ-believers and to pray that our witness will be fruitful and effective. It is my daily prayer that Christ use me to bring people to belief in Christ. Throughout each day, I pour my energies into doing whatever I can to either bring people to Christ, or to assist others who are also trying to do this. When I was a teenager, I had a powerful encounter with God. I was so deeply moved after I was baptised in the Holy Spirit with a profound burden for the lost that I dedicated my life to God to reach as many people as I could for Christ. This led me to the streets of Geelong each Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights where I would hand out Gospel tracts and preach to whoever would listen. I could never have imagined then that I would be preaching to thousands each week through radio and the internet. But in the midst of all this, I'm still praying for my neighbours, my students, my tennis buddies and those that I come into contact with and strike up a conversation with. Added to this I am extremely sensitive every Sunday when we have visitors and I am preaching perhaps the last time they'll ever hear the Gospel.

Psalm 84:1 ¶ How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD of hosts!

Christ loves His church. The Devil despises it! The Church is a living reminder to the Devil that Christ rose from the dead and is continuing His two-fold mission of saving the lost and building His church! Little wonder the Devil does all he can do to undermine the church. The local church is not an optional extra for those claiming to be a believer. Even a light reading the New Testament will leave the new believer realising that the 22 epistles refers to "one another" over 40 times, and "together" over 20 times. It employs these precious terms in one of its last epistles when it says-

Hebrews 10:25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

What a glorious reminder that the Church is not a sterile duty - no, it's a Quarantine of health and life that fits us for Heaven and places us in partnership with Christ as He seeks to win the lost of our Valley. This is why we meet each Sunday to worship, witness, and receive the Word. It's why we meet Sunday nights in particular to pray, testify and minister to one another. It's why we meet through the week in homes to study and reflect on God's Word, to share with each other our needs, and to support each other. By doing this we are helping to build not just a Holy, healthy life-giving Quarantine, but a "house that is to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent." This is what I have given my life for.

Father, help me to pastor your House with Your wisdom and Your strength. I pray that I might use every available means to spread Your life-saving Gospel. I pray that we as a church might have a great burden for the lost and do all we can by prayer, church-building, and personal witnessing to help bring these people to Christ, in Jesus' Name, Amen.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

STRETCHED CAPACITY...

2011-09-29T22:15:00.002+10:00

A person's character capacity is measured by what ruffles or overwhelms them. If you're being stretched, God is entrusting you with a greater role in His mission. All good leaders are "stretched" leaders. All great leaders are greatly stretched leaders. Whom God stretches God strengthens...

2Cor. 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

This has been a stretching year so far for me. I know that many of you have also been stretched this year as well. Stretching means two immediate things: change and sacrifice.

CHANGE FROM STRETCHING

Stretching necessarily changes the shape of its host. But once strtched, its almost impossiblefor the one stretched to return to its original shape. What I do these days, I could not do ten years ago. Some people occasionally note that I have more on my plate than many, and ask how I fit it all in. I rarely confess my nagging sense of inadequacy, or my doggard burden of guilt at not being able to do better at any one of the things I do. And almost never do I do confess my pathetically (in the archaic sense, not the modern sense) repititious prayer for God's help to be able to do what I have to do.

Being stretched has taught me -

1. The necessitity of making To-Do lists.
2. The need to prioritize by distinguishing between the urgent and the important. (Don't let the urgent override the important.)
3. Work from rest, rather than rest from work.
4. Make time to do enjoyable things (I really enjoy playing tennis, riding my motorbike and reading).
2Cor. 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Because stretching involves changing, it will always be uncomfortable. My most natural response to change is nostalgia - a longing for way things were. The best way I have found to maximise the blessing of change in my life is to embrace it. Of course this was very difficult at first especially since much of the change I was dealing with was the result of my own mistakes and failures! As my theology grew to integrate my freely chosen mistakes with God's fore-ordained sovereign will I have been able to see that God is the Driver of change in my life. Today, I read a very insightful comment from Bishop N.T. Wright about this relationship between my freely chosen mistakes and the work of God's Spirit in my life. He observed that the more the Holy Spirit sanctifies us and empowers us to life holy lives for God, the more freedom we have not to! That is, what makes the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives all the more amazing is that as we grow by the power of the Holy Spirit we also seem to have to make more careful choices and take more intentional steps to respond obediently to God.

SACRIFICING FOR STRETCHING

"How do you get so much done?" I could be blunt in responding to this oft asked question, but I know it would sound rude and perhaps even arrogant. So I won't say this to anyone who asks: There is a lot I don't do. What I mean by this is, there are many other things I would rather be doing sometimes than fulfilling my responsibilities, but I understand that I must make certain sacrifices in carrying these responsibilities. Every caring parent understands this because the entire first stage of parenting involves constant sacrifice. But as parents know, sacrifice is often a season and it is alwasys a season of sowing.

Psa. 126:5 Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!

So if you are being stretched at the moment you'll readily identify with what I have written. Stretching brings change which is always uncomfortable - that is, it takes us out of our comfort-zone and takes us on an uncharted trail called: faith. Stretching also requiressacrifice. But the stretching process invokes God's grace. This means that as we stretch God helps us to cope. But, as N.T. Wright points out, it's going to feel like we are the ones exerting the effort. And, stretching involves sacrifice. You have to sacrifice idleness, T.V., sleeping in (or just sleep generally), privacy, and whims. But the "up" side of being stretched, and it's a huge (read: humungous) up side: you will be a larger blessing to many more people than you would in your unstretched state. Potentially this could mean that precious souls are found by Christ who might never have come to know the Eternal Lover of their soul. And, it will also have an eternal bearing on how we are rewarded in Eternity. So, stretching, while uncomfortable, is actually glorious both for God and in the end for us.

Father, help us to stretch. Help us to keep going even when it's uncomfortable and even when it hurts. Help us to work from rest so that we live a lifestyle of being continually refreshed in Your presence, Your grace, and Your strength. Give us the ability to balance our responsibilities with those things that we enjoy and refuel our emotional well-being. Grant it, oh God, that we can willingly sacrifice for Your glory. And Father, we pray, that in all we do we might be privileged to see people come to Christ as their Saviour, in Jesus' Name, Amen.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

The Lion And The Lamb Will Lay Down Together, Explained

2011-09-26T22:48:00.001+10:00

What does the Bible mean by the expression the lion and lamb shall lay down together?!
Written by Dr Andrew Corbett, President of ICI Theological College Australia, and author of the popular commentary on the Book of Revelation- The Most Embarrassing Book In The Bible, September 24th 2011

The "lion and the lamb shall lay down together" is often cited a prophecy speaking of a literal utopia on earth to come - a Golden Age - referred to as 'The Millennium'. It is argued that since so many of the prophecies regarding The Christ's first appearing were fulfilled literally, surely such prophecies of a Golden Age will also be fulfilled literally. This yet-to-come Golden Age ("The Millennium") is spoken of as "Paradise Restored" - an age of Paradise on earth where there will be no death, sorrow, pain or sickness. The prophets described this era with the expression, "the lion and the lamb shall lay down together..." But there is a slight, ever so slight, problem with this: the expression, the lion and lamb shall lay down together does not occur in the Bible! The closest we can get to it Isaiah 11:6.

¶ The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.
Isaiah 11:6

I was with a group of pastors recently in Sydney where one of them quizzed me about the prophecy in the Old Testament referring to the lion and lamb laying down together. I gently pointed out that this expression doesn't appear in the Bible. They immediately challenged my assertion. I quoted Isaiah 11:6 and pointed out that it refers to the wolf and the lamb not the lionand the lamb. I pointed out the significance of this prophecy and its most probable interpretation. They said that they would check this out when they returned home to their computer and I presume correct me if they could prove me wrong. I haven't heard from them.

It's interesting how many things are cited as if they are in the Bible. Like, one shall put a thousand to flight and two shall put ten thousand to flight is often quoted by leadership teachers about the power of an individual or a duo. But how many realise this citation refers to what Israel's enemies could do to them if they broke Covenant with God (not what they would do to their enemies)? (Deut. 32:30)

The particular almost-biblical-expression in question is used to promote "Pre-Millennialism" which is the idea that Christ will return and set up a Golden Age on earth for a thousand years where even normally carnivorous animals will become vegetarian. This idea has gained much popular paperback-theology endorsement. But I am proposing a quite different view for your consideration.

In Tom Wright's book, "Justification", the master exegete and Biblical scholar describes the difficulty in challenging a view of Scripture which is almost universally accepted and taken for granted, in the same way that it must have been difficult for Copernicus to convince the world that the Sun did not revolve around the earth - but rather, that the earth rotated around the Sun. "Look" Copernicus's objectors and scoffers might have contested, "each morning the Sun comes up then each evening it goes down. There you have it! The proof! The Sun goes around the earth." But despite the objective data presented by Copernicus, the general perception continued and his objectors preserved the status quo, at least for a while.

Perhaps in a similar way, what I am proposing might meet with similar Copernican objectors...[read this article]

WHAT WOMEN WANT...

2011-09-23T14:43:00.000+10:00

All women want 5 things...

Psychologists have concluded that women generally need 5 things, not because they are women, but because they are human. Wise husbands will listen closely. Wise parents will read closely. Wise leaders will take careful note of these 5 most basic human psychological needs.

Firstly, to be accepted. This is a powerful insight. If you feel accepted by those in your world, you will feel at ease. If you want people to be attracted to you, be an accepting person. If, however, you are a highly picky and confrontational person, you will be seen as an unattractive person. Whether we accept someone or not is tested when they fail and let us down. Because we crave acceptance it makes rejection all the more painful.

2Cor. 11:16 ¶ I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little.
Phil. 2:29 So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men,

Secondly, to be loved. If there is a condition to being loved, it is not really love, it is a transaction. We crave to be not just accepted, but accepted for who we are and loved despite it! When we are loved it feels like someone is taking an interest in us. It feels like someone has our best interests at heart. When we say, "I love you" (something that a wise husband will say regularly to his wife) we are saying that we accept them, are interested in them, and desire their best interests. In the Hebrew worldview, this is best "said" by what you do. This is why Jesus never said to anyone "I love you" but actually never stopped saying it by what He did. Wise parents will never "disown" their children, or make their love for them conditional.

Thirdly, to be affirmed. This involves what a person does. Their performance. Their productivity. The artist is affirmed by the viewer appreciating their art. The musician is affirmed when their audience applauds. The wife is affirmed when her husband thanks her for the evening meal, the washing being done, the house being kept. The husband is affirmed when his wife thanks him for providing. The child is affirmed when they present their finger painting to their parent and hear what a clever, creative artist they are. Wise leaders know that the will get the most out of their team when they affirm them. When a work colleague tells another colleague that they have done a great job, it doesn't carry the same weight as when the boss says it. In a church, when a pastor affirms someone it carries great weight and fosters loyalty.

1Thess. 1:2-3 ¶ We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Fourthly, to love. We are nourished as human beings when we love. This is one reason why we have pets. We are created to love. We need to love. Generosity is an act of love. When we give of our time, talent or treasure, we are loving. Of all the things that will be done in Heaven, only loving the way we can here on earth will not be possible. That is, in Heaven we will sing our worship for eternity - thus our time on earth now is a training ground for us to practice our worship of God. In Heaven we will learn from and about God - thus our time on earth now is a training ground for us to practice learning. But in Heaven we will not be able to show love to those without a covenant with God - the unsaved - rather, only now on Earth can we show such love to sinners by sharing with them the Gospel and giving financially to the church to enable the reaching out to these lost, hell-bound-for-eternity, sinners.

1Cor. 16:14 Let all that you do be done in love.
Eph. 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Fifthly, to feel secure. Wise husbands never threaten to leave their wife. Wise leaders never talk of quitting on those they lead. Wise parents never threaten to disown their children. We all crave to feel secure. Security gives a person a sense of ease and even a sense of control. The wise leader who leads his people to feel secure will avoid or minimise surprises. They will pre-empt certain decisions and actions so that those around them can securely feel comfortable in the knowledge that they know what is happening. Women are generally less secure than men. Rather than ridicule the women in your life for their insecurity, instead take steps to provide the security they need. This is done by being consistent, reliable, dependable, and practicing the above 4 needs.

When Kim and I arrived at Legana some 16 years ago (we celebrate our 16th year of Pastoral Ministry at Legana this Sunday) we felt strongly that we were to sow our lives into this work. Despite letting people know this, after two years of pastoring Legana many people asked us if we would be "moving on" now? We assured them that we were here to stay unless the Lord clearly said otherwise. People don't ask this of us any more. And we hope that our actions speak for us and that this provides people at Legana with security. When leaders endure and don't bail or quit, they cultivate security.

2Peter 1:10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

Of course, it's not just women who want these things. We all need these 5 things as well. The more these things are demonstrated in our homes and in our church, the greater the likelihood we have of seeing the Kingdom of God extended in our community of Northern Tasmania.

Father, I need Your help. I want to preach so that people are moved an inch closer to Christ. Help me to lead the kind of life that increases this being able to happen. Lord, when I fail and let Your down, help me to be quick to repent. Give me partners who know that their service is making an eternal impact on the lives of others. And Father, we pray, that in all we do we might be privileged to see people come to Christ as their Saviour, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

PREACHING & PARTNERING FOR AN INCH...

2011-09-16T08:59:00.000+10:00

The world has been blessed by God with some great preachers, who have been able to move people over land and sea to come to Christ. I'm not one of them. My preaching tends to move people by inches...

After two decades of professional preaching, I have become convinced that successful preaching is always a partnership between the preacher and his congregation. The preacher prepares. So do the congregation. The preacher prays for the Word to be effective. So do the congregation. The preacher connects with the unconvinced. The congregation connects with the unconvinced. The ideal partnership is for a "one mile" preacher to partner with a "one mile" congregation. That is, if a preacher can move people one mile closer to Christ, they will partner best with a congregation who connects with people "one mile" away. I would love to be a "one mile" preacher, but the truth is I am a "one inch" preacher. Therefore, I need people to partner with me who can help me move people "one inch".

Here's how we can do it. Whatever you do in the church, do it to move someone else "an inch". If you are preparing Communion, prepare Communion for "an inch". There may be someone who comes to our church service who needs to stop, reflect on Christ's atonement, and receive Christ's forgiveness afresh. Their marriage tension, or their business stresses, or their failing health, may have moved them "an inch" away from Jesus. But as they take the Communion Cup and the unleavened bread, which someone has prepared, they are moved "an inch" closer back to Christ. Your Communion preparation is an act of partnership with the preacher. If you are welcoming people as they enter our building, your smile and warmth of heart can help move them "an inch" closer to Jesus. You may never know what kind of horrible week some people might have had who walk through our doors. Your genuine welcome is an act of partnership with the preacher.

For me to move people an inch as a preacher, I have to work harder than most, because most other preachers can at least move people a foot. But for me to move people an inch, I have to read a lot. I have to study a lot. I have to ponder a lot. I have to pray a lot. I have to write a lot. Because I am also a member of the congregation that I am pastoring, I also try to cultivate the inch I am preaching for before I preach. How I conduct myself throughout the week. How I treat my wife and children. How I treat those I work with. How I treat those outside of a church throughout the week. All of these acts of service factor into determining whether this preacher will move these people "an inch".

But moving people, even "an inch", is not an easy thing. In fact, there are many things which move people away an inch - a thoughtless remark / an inconsiderate look / a forgotten birthday / a lapse in Christian consistency / an inappropriate FaceBook comment / flaunting road laws / excessive drinking or gluttony / slothfulness / passionless spirituality, and so on. I am ever mindful that I have, through dropping my guard, moved people "an inch" - but in the wrong direction!

Hebrews 7:25 ¶ Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermostthose who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. .

We want to move people "an inch" closer to Christ. Will you help me? You can. Take a minute each day for the preaching to be more effective and you are partnering in our efforts to move people an inch. If you wipe chairs or tables before a service, don't do it with your hands, instead do it with your heart. It's your passionate service of Christ in contributing to helping us conduct a worship service that moves people an inch. Be an under-shepherd after our services to someone by getting to know them and making them feel welcome. By doing this you help to move someone an inch.

Even though it looks like the preacher is moving people "an inch", truth be told, it's all of us playing our part together.

Philippians 1:5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

Father, I need Your help. I want to preach so that people are moved an inch closer to Christ. Help me to lead the kind of life that increases this being able to happen. Lord, when I fail and let Your down, help me to be quick to repent. Give me partners who know that their service is making an eternal impact on the lives of others. And Father, we pray, that in all we do we might be privileged to see people come to Christ as their Saviour, in Jesus' Name, Amen.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

A BOOK THAT SPEAKS...

2011-09-09T15:09:00.000+10:00

The Word of God is living...

Do you want to hear from God? We believe God speaks. And there are things to do if you really want to hear from God...

I get really annoyed when I hear people twisting Scripture. I have spent the last two decades learning how to better interpret God's Word by delving into ancient history, the Roman Empire, the classical Greek language, and contextual commentaries. As a result I read Scripture differently. Rather than reading a verse of the Bible in isolation, I now try to read the verse in its context - within the passage, the book, the covenant, and its culture. I follow the Interpreter's Maxim that Scripture interprets Scripture. If a particular verse of the Bible is unclear, then there are probably other verses and passages that complement it and make it clearer. When reading what appears to be a promise in the Bible, rather than immediately "claim it" I first ask, "Whose promise is this?" Some of the promises that God made in the Old Testament were made to Abraham or Israel or David or Solomon, but not to me.

This type of Bible reading is called "exegetical" (ex="out", exegetical means to get out of the text). It is the safest way to read the Bible. But it's not the only legitiamte way to read the Bible. There is a way to read the Bible so that you are "hearing" from God. It involves prayerfully approaching your Bible reading with God-seeking questions.

I'm reading the highly acclaimed biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, by Eric Metaxas. It is truly remarkable how often Bonhoeffer approached the Bible with the prayerful desire to hear God's voice and was clearly guided or comforted by what he read in the Scriptures. What he acheived in his all-too-brief 39 years is staggering. Not many people can lay claim to being an international statesman who changed the course of human history - but Bonhoeffer would easily qualify. Reading his biography, it is very apparent that he knew God, loved God, and spoke for God in what we now realise was predictiveprophecy. Bonhoeffer once scolded a conference of his colleagues for not listening to God. He rebuked them for treating the Bible as a dead book rather than a living one. And Bonhoeffer practiced what he preached.

Hebrews 4:12 ¶ For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

At Bonhoeffer's darkest hours he found the Word of God not merely to be the inerrant, infallible Word of God, but the living Word of God which not just spoke - but spoke to him! Eric Metaxas gives numerous examples of this. These examples provoked me to ponder the numerous ocassions this has happened and still happens in my own reading of Scripture.

If you need to, or are desiring to, hear from God, approach your systematic reading of the Bible with prayerful questions and requests to hear from God.

First Peter 1:23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
Father, speak to us as we read Your Word. We want to hear from You. We want Your guidance. Help us to not only hear Your Word but to heed Your Word. Help us to read Your Word exegetically and devotionally so that we are both informed and inspired - developed and directed. May we know You, the Lord of Peace, in Jesus' Name, Amen.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ps. Andrew

GREATER PEACE...

2011-09-01T23:49:00.000+10:00

Would You Like To Experience Greater Peace?...

Well, would you? God is actually described as "the Lord of Peace" (2Thess. 3:16). Someone should tell Richard Dawkins, because he recently spent a lot of money advertising on buses that faith in God causes people to "worry".

But Richard Dawkins has it exactly wrong! If there was no God there would be great cause for worry! Because life without God means that the universe is random, chaotic, without purpose, and unable to offer any hope to the despairing. That is, if there was no God there could be no real peace!

Peace is an inner rest - an inner quiet, a sense of wellness. These are apt words to describe the difference that God makes to a person's life. Do you want more peace in your life? I do.

2Th. 3:16 ¶ Now may ithe Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

But when is peace most needed? Paul told the Thessalonians that the Lord of Peace could give peace at all times in every way. Taking a skim over his two Epistles to the Thessalonians, and it becomes apparent that they were in distress and turmoil. But isn't peace only really prized when it is needed? If you are praying for more peace you might be surprised how God might answer your prayer.

The peace of God is not conjured. You don't have to chant, contemplate, or abuse yourself to find God's lasting peace. You don't understand this kind of God-peace you say? Paul has something to say about this as well-

Philippians 4:7 And uthe peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I want this incomprehensible peace from God! I want the world to see in me what it could never give me.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

There was once an art competition where contestants were invited to portray peace. Artists painted graceful landscapes, and wonderful sunsets. But none of these masterpieces won the Peace Prize. It was an artist's depiction of a severe storm with crashing waves pounding against a cliff where the artist depicted a gull enjoying sanctuary in a small cleft of the cliff while the elements raged. If you're praying for more peace you may find the storms of life raging more furiously.

If you are being harranged, harrassed, or hindered, you may be experiencing distress, anxiety, or worry. It's in these times that you need the peace of God. On the frequent occasions that I have received the peace of God, I have experienced a supernatural calmness. It has enabled me to stop fretting, stop snapping at others, and to sleep. When under intense pressure where the deadlines loom larger, the demands are unrelenting, and the expectations of the wanting are rising, the peace of God has enabled me to do more than cope.

The key to experiencing the peace of the Lord is to follow with the Lord of Peace. The Apostle Paul told the Philippians that the God of Peace walks with those who walk with Him through learning, receiving,hearing, and most importantly: practicing.

Phil. 4:9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Living in the peace of God will set you apart. People will notice that you don't retaliate when others insult you or let you down. They will see you keep your Kingdom priorities even when the most natural thing to do is skip church, drop Bible reading, and cease praying. Live in the peace of God by learning, receiving, hearing and practicing the Word of the Lord of Peace.

Father, fill us with Your peace when we especially need it. May we know You, the Lord of Peace, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ps. Andrew

COUNTER-INTUITIVE SPIRITUALITY...

2011-08-26T19:06:00.000+10:00

Why Jesus Was Radical...

What Jesus taught about developing godly spirituality- the kind of spirituality where a soul is connected intimately with God - sounds counter-intuitive. Jesus taught that authentic spirituality didn't "look" spiritual! In fact, He warned against spiritual parading. To be spiritual, Jesus taught, is to do some very practical things, like provide your parents, help out strangers, love your wife, be a part of a church community, demonstrate consideration for others, and bring all your needs to Father God in prayer each day.

This almost counter-intuitive spirituality continues when Jesus teaches those who would follow Him that they must relegate what they want by helping others with what they want. "If someone asks you to go one mile, go two..." "Give to him who asks for a loan and do not expect any return..." It's as if Jesus is saying, whatever you want, give it away. Want love? Show love. Want attention? Give someone your attention. Want company? Give someone your companionship.

This is surely counter-intuitive. I wonder if we could be a counter-intuitive church? Instead of church being about "me", I wonder if I could make it about "you". Instead of church being about "you" and if we could make it about "us". Perhaps this doesn't start here, but at least it can start here, when we come together this Sunday, instead of waiting for someone to come to you, could you go to someone - especially someone attending for a first, second or third time? Perhaps go beyond striking up a conversation and offer to have them back for lunch. I know that some will respond with, "Why should I?! No one's ever invited me or my family for lunch!"

First John 3:11 ¶ For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

The problem with this type of thinking is that it is not just non-Gospel it is anti-Gospel! It is spiritually toxic! To think of others and do something that shows we care is at the very heart of the Gospel. Consider this:

Q: What is in the centre of "SIN"?
A: I.

And this one-

Q: What is in the centre of "CHURCH"?
A: You Are (UR).
Eph. 5:32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
I want to be a counter-intuitive Christian. I want to respond to the Christ who taught that if I want my life I have to let it go. This is the same Christ who taught if I want to find my life I have to lose it. The safest road, Jesus taught, was not the broadest road, rather it was the narrow road.

Living as Christ taught nearly always demands a counter-intuitive response. Our wife hurts us and we instinctively wait for them to apologise. But Christ's instruction to the offended is counter-intuitive! He instructs the offended to initiate forgiveness! (Matthew 18:15) When we are deeply betrayed the most natural thing to do is to rehearse over and over again the hurtful event. But in a shockingly counter-intuitive manner, the New Testament instructs us not to dwell on these events but to rather dwell on virtuous and excellent things (Phil. 4:8).

Bill Hybels constantly reminds us that the local church is the hope of the world. We get hope by giving hope. I know. That's counter-intuitive. This Sunday do something counter-intuitive, then do it again on Monday.

Father, I want my life to be more about You and less about me. I want to be a blessing to others especially when I'm desperate for blessing in my life. Help me to minister to others with what I have. Everything I have is Yours. Everything I do is for You. Everything I am is for You. I know that I am not yet what I will be. So Father, please change me and make me a fully devoted follower of Christ. Change the way I think, the way I speak, the way I act and the way I feel, so I can see others how You see them. May my heart be Your heart, in Jesus' Name, Amen.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

The Resignation of an Older-Brother Society Member

2011-08-18T22:50:00.000+10:00

THE POINT OF THE PRODIGAL...

Of The Three Characters...

It's probably the most famous of Christ's stories. The story of the Prodigal Son. There are three obvious characters within this story: the father, the younger son and the older son.
Jesus no doubt told this story to tell us something truly beautiful about His Father: God is our Heavenly Father who graciously forgives the repentant. No doubt Jesus told this story also to show that there is always hope for the wayward. But less obviously, the story tells us something about those who have not drifted away. It speaks to those who have remained dutiful and loyal. Jesus lovingly rebukes the older brother types for being like the older brother who refused to show grace to the very undeserving younger brother.

As a paid-up member of the Older Brother Society, Jesus' story cuts me deep. It is actually quite scandalous what Christ is asking of me! He is asking me to welcome in to the community of our Heavenly Father's house the worst kind of sinners! He is charging me to not merely welcome such sinners back into the community of faith, but to celebrate their return! What?!
Luke 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate.

As all Older-Brother Society members know, younger brothers can be irritating! The very thought of having to not only welcome them into our house, but to celebrate their return is simply outrageous! In fact, it's downright annoying! It can make any dues-paying Older-Brother angry!

Luke 15:28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,
But if I am going to love the Father as Jesus is entreating me to, I'm afraid I have an announcement to make to the Society colleagues: I can no longer remain an Older Brother. I'm afraid to say that I can no longer just be dutiful to our Father - I must delight myself in what brings delight to our Father. And it seems that He takes great delight in not only welcoming home repentant sinners, but He actually wants such occasions celebrated!

To be a Father-delighting church we have to join our Heavenly Father on the verandah and look for returning younger brothers. Not only do we have to look, we have to overlook certain things about what our younger brothers have done. We also have to celebrate the lost being found! There will be times when we do things together as a church that are entirely focussed on reaching out to returning younger brothers.

Luke 15:20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

Younger brothers might swear. Younger brothers might smoke. Younger brothers might be promiscuous. Younger brothers might be wasteful. Younger brothers might be downright stupid! But the Father sees them "a long way off" and feels "compassion" for them.

Luke 15:29 but he answered his father, 'Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.
Profoundly, this most famous of Christ's stories does not have a conclusion. It just hangs. We read at the opening of Luke 15 that there were two groups who gathered to hear Jesus. The first were Tax-Collectors and sinners. Hmmm, sounds like the "younger brother" in this story. The other group that gathered were the Scribes and Pharisees. Hmmmmmmm, sounds like the "older brother" in this story. It's now pretty clear to me that Christ wants us as a church to be neither the younger nor the older brother - but to be like the father who has compassion on both younger brothers and older brothers.
Father, we wnat to be like You. We want to look for the wayward. We want to welcome them back in to our Father's House. Lord, help us to celebrate the return of younger brothers. Give us Your grace to forgive our 'younger brothers' who offend us. Help us to delight ourselves in You and Your cause. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

REVELATION CAN ONLY BE A REVELATION IF IT'S A REVELATION

2011-08-15T19:16:00.002+10:00

Revelation Can Not Be A Revelation If Doesn't Clearly Reveal Something!
Written by Dr Andrew Corbett, President of ICI Theological College Australia, and author of the popular commentary on the Book of Revelation- The Most Embarrassing Book In The Bible, August 15th 2011

I was dining with a theologian recently who had lectured on the Book of Revelation for years. He had even been to Patmos to conduct a teaching tour of the Apocalypse. But like some theologians, he felt that Revelation was a complete enigma. He was adamant that there was not any particular method to understand everything in the Book of Revelation. His claim is believed by many. He cited Deuteronomy 29:29 to justify his belief that it was impossible to understand the Book of Revelation, claiming that The Apocalypse was a divine secret. But there is one immediate and gargantuen problem with this idea: for Revelation to be a revelation it has to be a revelation. If it can not be understood, then it can never be a revelation!

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
Revelation 1:1

There is a certain hang-over from Post-Modernism that makes the idea of the Book of Revelation being divinely vague very appealing. Post-Modernism relishes in the idea that nothing can be known for certain. It despises the notion of being 'right' and extols the notion of uncertainty. In presenting a case for how the Book of Revelation can be understood, Post-Modernist Theologians will protest that this is just one of the many ways that it can be interpretted. This dismissal fits their larger idea about how the Bible can be interpretted in a singular fashion. It promotes the concept that a Biblical text can be validly interpretted a number of diverse ways simultaneously. To hold a contrary view to this Post-Modern approach is to be accused with the worst name-calling a Post-Modernist can employ to belittle their objectors: narrow-minded and dogmatic. (Which ironically seems like a rather narrow-minded and dogmatic objection.)

The Deuteronomy 29:29 is hardly a Biblical justification for the Post-Modernist to substantiate their claim that the Book of Revelation cannot be interpretted accurately and singularly.

"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Deuteronomy 29:29

If Deuteronomy 29:29 can be appealed to by anyone in regards to the Book of Revelation, it is surely the one who claims that God has revealed something to His people - which He intends to be understood - since it says that the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. Just because there has been a diverse range of alleged interpretations of the Book of Revelation does not mean that they are each equally valid or that one of them in particular may be the singularly and exclusively correct.

There are generally considered to be 4 Schools of Interpretation when it comes to the Book of Revelation. (There are actually many more, and even many many more when we consider variants of each major School of Interpretation.) But the Post-Modernist who finds words like: "wrong", "incorrect" and "false", too harsh to employ when assessing any idea, is averse to describing any School of Interpretation with these terms. But this Hermeneutical-Relativism is both unnecessary and illogical. Each interpretative idea should have its claims assessed and evaluated. Where should this assessment begin?

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
Revelation 1:1

There are general principles for interpreting Scripture that should equally apply to the Book of Revelation. These principles are based on the following foundation-

1. God intends to convey something to His people which can be understood (otherwise it is notconveying anything).

2. What God intended to communicate is discovered by interpretation of the text based on familiarity with the penman, audience, circumstances, vocabulary, literary style, and occassion. This is called Exegesis and is the first step in Hermeneutics.

3. While there can only be one correct interpretation of a text, there can be several reasonableapplications of a text.

4. Where Scripture states an interpretation of its own text, we need not disagree with it and look for additional interpretations. This especially applies to Biblical prophecy where a prophecy is given and recorded as being fulfilled. For example, Isaiah's prophecy that a virgin would conceive a child is stated by Matthew to have been fulfilled when Mary gave birth to Jesus. It seems unecessary to think that this prophecy might have multiple fulfilments - even into the future.

In addition to this, there are general principles of Bible Interpretation that include...[read the full article]

Living With A Margin

2011-08-11T09:56:00.000+10:00

MARGINS...

The Art of Margining...

Have you noticed that nearly all books have margins? Why is it that publishers don't print books with the text right up to the edge of the page? It's because margins enhance text. Have a look at really effective billboards. They are as much about margins of space as they are about the message. In fact, the margin forms an integral part of the message. The margins of your life are not wasted space. They help to define you.

Accountants advise their clients to build margins into their business. Financial advisors help people to see the need to live with a margin through savings and wise investments. Physical trainers develop their athletes with a margin of physical conditioning. Margins are healthy.
Margins are times of quiet. Margins are free spaces. Margins are reserves. Margins are moments of retreat. Margins are times of rest.

The more important something is, the greater the margin required. Every publisher employs this principle in their books. Highly important books have wider margins. Each new chapter in a book commences with a much larger top margin. Every title page of a book has the largest margins.
Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God...

The world calls its foot-soldiers to "live on the edge". We are constantly being bombarded with noise, materialistic idolatry, rubbish that is marketed as "news" on tap 24 hours a day, portable distraction units that ironically get marketed with the prefix "i".

John 6:15 ¶ Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
Living with a margin means saying "no". Margin living people do a few things. On the edge people fill their page. Thinking about how Jesus chose to live out His incarnation, we see that He often withdrew (Matt. 4:12; 12:15; 14:13; 15:21; Luke 9:10; 22:41). Fancy that! The One who would capture the attention of the world did not make the attention of the world His aim. We also remember Jesus resting, sleeping even, when those around Him were distressed. We see Jesus living with a great margin. Of course, it is the margin of Christ's life that makes His life message all the more sublime and singularly outstanding.

For some people, their life is just a margin with no text. But this kind of margin is no margin at all. It is a blank page. For some people, God has blessed them with a large page. It may appear that there is a lot of text on the page of their life, but the grandness of their life's text is enhanced by an appropriately elegant margin that many other large pagers consider to be a waste.
Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Being a part of a God-worshiping, God-adoring, God-honouring, Word-enriched, faith-community is a part of building a margin into our lives. Attending congregational worship on Sundays is building a margin around our lives. It might look like a waste of time to the world. It may even seem like an unimportant priority when compared to kids' soccer games, AFL matches, car races, which coincide with it. But it is a necessary margin for the believer. No wonder the god of this world wants to keep the people of God from weekly re-establishing this vital margin.

Col. 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Families need margins. The evening dinner table is a wonderful margin-builder for families. Marriages need margins. Sometimes another person trespasses into a marriage margin which is an indication that someone in the marriage didn't understand that marriage margins are not just about space but are also about boundaries. Margins help to heal marriages because breaches of trust and the pain that comes from being reminded of them are put on the other side of the margin where the hurt spouse refuses to allow the memory of the hurt past the margin. Business people need margins to know when work and business stops. We all need margins to build reserves of strength, resources, wisdom, and fellowship.

Father, help us to build healthy margins around and in our lives. Help us to build practical margins of fitness, finances, and faith. Help us to build spiritual margins of prayer, study, fellowship. Help us to build marriage margins where we set space for each other and boundaries to protect each other. Help us as a church to build margins of praise, silence, reflection, and prayerfulness. May these margins make our lives clearer; our souls stronger; our marriages more fulfilling; and our church more relevant. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

A Hebrews Call To Discernment

2011-08-05T01:03:00.002+10:00

DISCERNMENT...

The Epistle To The Hebrews warns its readers that certain ideas are incredibly spiritually destructive. The language of Hebrews is bold and strong. At times it is offensive to those who have the idea that Christianity is not about holy living ("Legalism!" they protest) or devotion to Biblical teaching. Offensive? Indeed! The unnamed writer to the Hebrews scolds his countrymen for being too easily swayed by false teaching. He pastorally urges them to use discernment which comes from correct understanding of Scripture, rejection of false ideas about Scripture and the application of Scripture leading to holy living.

Hebrews 5:13...But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

The Epistle to the Hebrews is set against the backdrop of false teaching about Christ which had been gaining an increasing foot-hold among Jewish Christians. The writer to the Hebrews puts first things first:correctly understand Who Jesus is and What He has done. Get these two aspects wrong and your soul is in peril because it inevitably leads to unholy living (sin) and forsaking the truth.

Heb. 10:26 ¶ For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins

The need for discernment by Christians is critical. The Epistle to the Hebrews stresses this. There are so many false teachers with growing platforms that reiterate the spiritually toxic venom of the Edenic Serpent- "Has God said...?" - undermining the Word of God and its teaching; and, "You shall not die!" - making a mockery of the consequences of unholy living and calling immorality "outdated". The writer to the Hebrews has some stern and strong words to say about this type of attack on sound Biblical teaching. But it takes discernment to sometimes hear the error behind sometimes seemingly plausible sounding "Christian" teaching. Asking the questions- "Where does the Bible say that?" and "Is that how the original audience of this Text would have understood it?" Just these two questions can help modern followers of Christ increase their discernment skills.

Not only did the Serpent of Eden challenge God's Word, God's character, and God's Holiness in dealing with sin, but he was also striving to breach the bonds of fellowship that God had ordained. And the writer to the Hebrews warns his readers about this same devilish plot.

Heb. 10:25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

The local church is God's ordained plan for Christian community. "...not neglecting to meet together..." the simple act of meeting together to worship in singing, communion, and prayer, while giving heed to the preaching of God's Word, is designed by God to advance the growth of believers and to extend His Kingdom.

Col. 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Heb. 13:7 ¶ Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.

The simplicity of what Christ has ordered for His Church- worship / Word / witness - is glorious. For some it's not enough. For some who have failed to discern that pursuing "signs" and "wonders" was never instructed, encouraged, or promoted in the Biblical record of the earliest Church, it is all too easy to become disillusioned with the elegant simplicity of participating in worship, heeding the preached Word, and being mobilised together as a witness for Christ, they fall for another Gospel of "me" "my" "I" and place the value of a church meeting on how much they "feel His presence", "experience God", or "receive" from the Lord. To be sure, we can feel, experience and receive - but these things are not the measure of a Church or its meetings. The writer to the Hebrews calls his readers to discern that Church is about Christ and our devotion to Him and His Word. He wants his readers to discern that this has immediate ramifications for how they eat, drink, socialise, and even express themselves sexually.

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you.".Hebrews 13:4-5

The Enemy sows discord. Discord between the believer and God. Discord between the believer and a fellow believer. Discerning the schemes of the Enemy and clinging to the Word of God, the House of God, and Ways of God, helps to guard against such discord. This is why the next time you hear a teaching that unsettles you, ask the Lord to help you discern it. Ask God to protect your mind, your soul and your closeness to Christ. When you hear a teaching that claims that teaching is wrong, discern the irony of such a claim and consult the Word of God to see if it lines up. Anytime anyone teaches the Bible, ask the two primary discerning questions- "Where does it say that" And, "Is that what this text in context really says?"

You don't gold dust falling from the ceiling to know that God's Spirit is in the room. You don't need droplets of oil appearing on your hands to know that God's Spirit is in you. You don't need every sickness or illness healed instantly to know that God loves you and is present. You don't need to shake, fall-down, tremble uncontrollably and even laugh out loud. These things might happen, but you don't need them to happen in order for the church to be considered blessed with God's presence.

But you do need to worship in the House of God. You do need to participate in this worship through singing and prayer. You do need the Word of God preached to nourish your soul. You do need the strength of your brothers and sisters as they help you to collectively witness to those God has called you to shine before. Discern the source of the voices which claim you don't need these things!

1Corinthians 2:12 ¶ Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.
Father, help us to be nourished by You. May we discern well. Give us an understanding mind to hear more closely the difference between truth and error. Surround us with truth-tellers. Help us to worship well, heed Your Word, and to witness together as Your church, In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

The Unstoppable Spirit of God

2011-07-28T22:54:00.000+10:00

THE SPIRIT OF GOD...

Christianity is principally a Charismatic religion. It is supernatural, spiritual, miraculous, and mysterious. These are words that sum up 'charismatic' which comes from the Greek word- "charis" which is most often translated 'grace'. Therefore, Christianity is principally a religion of grace. This makes Christianity unique among the world's religions.

This grace is administered by the Holy Spirit - the Spirit of God. It was the Holy Spirit who empowered Jesus as He ministered and performed miracles. It was the Holy Spirit who filled, empowered and led the original apostles and disciples as they preached, prayed, worked wonders, and planted churches. It was the Holy Spirit who dramatically entered the world of man on the Day of Pentecost and the whole world shook at His arrival! And the world is still being shaken!

Jesus spoke with the deepest respect about the Holy Spirit. In John 3 He said that it was the Holy Spirit who brought salvation to a human soul. In doing this the Holy Spirit removes an unbelieving heart and replaces it with the gift of a believing heart. He takes out the still-born spirit of a person and replenishes it with a God-enriched new spirit. He removes God-hating sinful desires and plants in their place the seeds of God-honouring desires. At first, Jesus said, the Holy Spirit would confront people. They would immediately recognise what they had previously been blinded to - their true condition before God. Jesus referred to this as conviction of sin. Without this initiation, the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit could not commence.

Throughout the centuries, the Holy Spirit has unexpectedly landed upon unsuspecting people and revolutionised their lives and literally changed the course of human history. Jesus also said of this soon-to-be phenomena-

John 3:8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

History cetainly verifies what Christ stated. From the mighty Medieval Italian street-preaching evangelist, Savonarola, to the great English outdoor preacher, John Wesley, to the erudite Australian public theologian and one of the greatest preachers of all time, F.W. Boreham, to the history-making American preacher, Billy Graham - the Holy Spirit has un-arrested the most unlikely people and set them ablaze with a holy passion for the Cause of Christ.

Over the past few months, I have witnessed up close the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. Never before in my pastoral ministry have I ever had so many completely unchurched people make appointments with me to talk about the condition of their souls. In nearly every case I have begun by ntroducing them to God and explaining His acts and attributes. And in each case, those whom the Holy Spirit had been breathing on did not need a lot of convincing about God, His acts or His attributes. I have seen the "wind of the Spirit" blowing over the young people of the Tamar Valley!

He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit.Titus 3:5

Each Sunday night we meet to pray for the people of the Tamar Valley to have the Holy Spirit blow upon them. And from George Town to Youngtown He is! We now have people from all over the Tamar Valley experiencing the breeze of the Holy Spirit across their souls. Every Sunday new attenders are drawn to our worship services with an alien curiosity about the things of God. As the Holy Spirit continues to blow across the formerly dead spirits of those He has wooed we can expect that the Unstoppable Spirit of God will ignore devilish, carnal pleas to desist, and will continue to interrupt people's lives with His saving grace.

This is why we pray. This is what we pray for. This is why we can be assured of answered prayer - even if we don't all have the privilege of seeing up close. In the near future we can expect that the Holy Spirit will prepare us to receive the most unlikely trophies of Christ's grace. But we can be assured that the same Holy Spirit will prepare us to be His instruments of grace so that He might work in us all to glorify Christ.

1Corinthians 2:12 ¶ Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.
Father, help us to be nourished by You. May we experience Your nourishing grace through wonder, amazement, adoration, and appreciation of what You have both done and inspired. As we gather as Your House in Your House, Sunday by Sunday and through the week in our various homes, may we have our souls nourished as a result. Help us to be a means of spiritual nourishment to those You place in our lives. In Jesus Name', Amen.

Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

How To Nourish Your Soul

2011-07-21T19:06:00.000+10:00

NOURISHMENT...

The problem I have with discussing eating to be nourished is that it is such a foreign concept to most of us. Most of the time my eating is for pleasure rather than nourishment. While I've fasted a day here and there recently and experienced mild tummy grumbling, the notion of what two-thirds of the world calls "hunger" is largely an alien concept. But if I can be allowed the forgiveness to discuss the need for 'nourishment' I should like to draw from what our bodies may experience to what our soul's need.

Nourish. The Scriptures paints a delightfully insightful snapshot of our soul's need and ability to be nourished. With the right kind of nourishment, weariness gives way to strength. With the right kind of nourishment, gloom is exchanged for encouragement. With the right kind of nourishment, loneliness is turned to contentment. With the right kind of nourishment, problems are turned to opportunities. And weariness, gloom, loneliness, and despair are all conditions of the soul. If we can learn to nourish our souls, we can learn how to respond to these soul-depleting afflictions.

Our souls need nourishment even more than our bodies do. A malnourished body can be dramatically revitalised by nourishment as Jonathan's was when he ate the honey that his father had banned his starving troops from eating while in long pursuit. Then Jonathan said, "My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey (1Sam. 14:29). Jonathan's weary body was nourished and restored from eating wild honey. A nourished soul is a restored soul. In Psalm 23, David describes God as restoring souls ("He restores my soul...") and concludes with a picture of God's restoration of a soul as a banquet table set to to nourish ("You prepare a table before me...my cup overflows..."). Souls need nourishing.

In John 4, Jesus sends His disciples on ahead to get food while He waited by a Samaritan well. He soon strikes up a conversation with a woman about her parched and malnourished soul and offers her water. When the disciples return, they offer their hungry Lord some food but He declines because He has just eaten and nourished His soul. The disciples are curious about this. Christ reveals the source of His soul's nourishment as doing the will of My Father-

John 4:34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work."

Jesus knew how to nourish His soul. The way He did it was almost counter-intuitive. Do you know how to nourish your soul?

As with any nourishment, the immediate result is a sense of satisfaction. This is why food always tastes better to a hungry person (Prov. 27:7).

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!Psalm 34:8

God is the only true Source of our soul's nourishment. Our spiritual fellowship with Him is the only sustainable means of finding nourishment. And there is much that connects our soul with Him - such as wonder at His creation, admiration of what He has inspired. I know of a man who would go to an art gallery each week and sit for an hour or so in front of a painting which the artist had done to the glory of God. This man found his soul nourished as a result.

As parents of four children, Kim and I have found ou souls nourished as we as a family have attended church and sought to instill in our children a love for the House of God. Eric Liddell, an Olypic Gold Medalist and a devout follower of Christ, found nourishment for his soul when he used the gifts and talents God had given him. "When I run, I feel His pleasure" he said. Sometimes, nourishment for our soul comes from counter-intuitive avenues of God's grace. When you're weary, staying home from the House of the Lord seems more nourishing than making the effort to get up, get ready for Church, and go to Sunday worship. But assembling together on Sundays to be a part of the church's witness, to worship Christ together, to partake of the nourishment of the Lord's Table, to receive the Bread of Life through preaching, and to be immersed in revitalising Christian fellowship is all (at times) counter-intuitive nourishment for our souls.

There is of course a nourshment for your soul that you can enjoy now. Our soul's know full well that there is a world of difference between being still and doing nothing (Psalm 46:10).Our souls also know that when we cast all our cares onto Him, there is a divine care that nourishes our souls in return (1Peter 5:7). And the soul of the Psalmist knew that since beholding God brought the only true nourishment that our souls could receive, that it would only be by ensuring our eternal destiny by making peace with God, that we stood any chance of finding that ultimate nourishment that could bring ultimate satisfaction.

Psa. 17:15 ¶ But because I have done what is right, I will see you.
When I awake, I will be fully satisfied,
for I will see you face to face.
Father, help us to be nourished by You. May we experience Your nourishing grace through wonder, amazement, adoration, and appreciation of what You have both done and inspired. As we gather as Your House in Your House, Sunday by Sunday and through the week in our various homes, may we have our souls nourished as a result. Help us to be a means of spiritual nourishment to those You place in our lives. In Jesus Name', Amen.

Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

PROVING GOD

2011-07-15T00:09:00.000+10:00

PROVING GOD...

My hero, F.W. Boreham, had an interesting approach to proving God to unbelievers. He warned believers not to expend too much of their efforts attempting to prove God to a skeptic. Rather, he wrote, believers were more likely to be apologetically fruitful if they talked about God, who He was, what He had done, what He was doing. In fact, FWB wrote toward the end of his life that if he had his time over again as a preacher he would preach more about God than anything else.

Boreham argued that "proving" something that was obvious, could actually cause doubt about it. For example, imagining entering a majestic cathedral. The architecture is inspired by God's majestic transcendence. Its lofty ceilings, its tall stained glass windows, its artistically Biblical wall hangings, and its glorious timber beam trusses, all create a wonderful ambience for admiring the God Who rules the Universe. The Dean of the Cathedral, in the course of the worship service, may even draw the worshipers' attention to these elements of the old building. He may point out that the central part of the ceiling is dome-like and designed to point the worshiper to heaven. He may point to the very front of the Cathedral, the Chancel, to remind worshipers that we must draw near to God by means of approaching an sacrificial altar. But, if these objects and fixtures are pointed out in a cold fashion, their meaning is somewhat diminished.

But if the Ministering Dean was to go to great lengths to assure the gathered worshipers that the building they were in was "safe" and that there was no need to fear that the great timber beams they were gathered under would fall on their heads, and then proceeded to go to even greater lengths to describe in detail the material contained in the foundations of the Cathedral, he may actually be introducing an element of doubt into the minds of his listeners that was previously not there.

In a similar vein, when the believer tells the seeker about the scientific proofs for God from cosmology, astronomy, biology, archaelogy, and philosophy, he may actually create previously unimagined doubt in the mind of the seeker.

Instead, FWB encouraged, the believer was more likely to achieve their goal of helping seekers to believe if they spoke more of the One they believed in. By helping the visitor to use the Cathedral's majesty to help them worship the One the Cathedral was dedicated to, they could more likely help the seeker meet with God.

And this was FWB's grand argument. The greatest "proof" of God, he wrote, was to introduce the seeker to God! As believers spent time with God in their daily routines where their worship of Him is interwined with the more seemingly mundane activities, they were in a greater position to introduce the seeker to God.

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!Psalm 34:8

There are good reasons to believe in God and equally good proofs for Him, but the danger is that we spend more time proving our proofs than introducing the One we are proving to the one who is seeking. Once introduced to God, the unbeliever-turned-believer can now appreciate the proofs for God - in a similar way that a worshiper more likely appreciates a Cathedral and its sacred fixtures when they are experiencing it.

Directly introducing a seeker to the God you are in relationship with is the greatest proof you can offer them. Once introduced to God, often through a worship experience such as a church service or prayer meeting, they can now begin to appreciate the cosmological proof, the teleological proof, the moral proof, the Christological proof and the experiencal proof.

Father, help us to introduce people to You. May our hearts ache with the ache of Your compassion for Your children who have wandered away from You. Open our eyes to see the world the way You want us to see it. May we as a church work together to introduce people to You. In Jesus Name', Amen.

Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

Bread & Discipleship

2011-07-07T16:26:00.000+10:00

BREAD...

Of all the glorious things to which our Lord could have compared Himself, among other things He identified Himself with "bread". In fact, Jesus spoke of bread quite often. He said we should ask God for it daily. He said children should expect it from their fathers. And on that night when eternity intersected with time, He took bread and broke it, and said, "This is my body."

Bread is derived from wheat and in Biblical times, barley. The wheat is sown in the ground and "dies" so that it can germanate. Jesus said that this is what He was doing. He had come down from heaven and like a grain of wheat would die and be put in the ground. When the wheat grows it develops a grain head. Unlike its imitator, tares, which closely resembles wheat, when its grain head is fully developed it bends over (the grain head on tares stands upright). This is a picture of the difference between the one who is planted by God ("wheat") and the one who sown by the enemy ("tares"). As the wheat matures, it bows in submission to its Lord. Toward the end of Christ's life on earth, we find Him continually on His knees, alone, in anguished submission, bowing before His Lord. If we are to follow the Bread of Life, we too must defer to the lowly position- willingly bowing to our Lord by promoting others, not isolating ourselves, being ever thankful, not taking offence.

When the wheat is harvested, its grain is sifted to separate the wheat from the chaff. This is done with wind and fire where the lighter chaff would be blown by the wind into the nearby fire as the prized wheat would fall back onto the cloth. Sometimes we find the winds and fires of life confusing, but our Lord has a good goal in mind for us.

The sifted wheat would then have to be ground (crushed). We see that Christ journeyed through His life and ministry all the time being increasing ground. This grounding almost seems to have reached its climax in Gethsemane where our Lord is showing the signs of being crushed. Yet the Cross, the ultimate crush, still awaits. In our lives too, it is not the times of pleasantness and ease which tend to make us who our Lord wants us to be. While Christ thoroughly enjoyed the times of pleasantness and ease, as we should, He knew what we can only imagine - Heaven, with all its ecstasy and bliss, is only the fragrance of the One it encompasses, and in Him the LORD, is infinite ease and pleasantness, not for a moment, not until interrupted, but for eternity. By enduring and submitting to the grounding process here on earth, an eternal reward of infinite delight would be assured. We too must be ground by our Lord if we are to grow to the fullness of who God wants us to be.

The resultant flour must then be mixed with oil. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is described in Scripture as being like "oil" poured over a person. As Christ entered Gethsemane, I suspect the anointing of the Holy Spirit "increased" upon Him. But this is not when He initially experienced the Holy Spirit. Clearly the Spirit was in Him from His conception in much the same way that we who are born again receive the indwelling Spirit of Life. But it was at Christ's baptism that the Spirit came upon Him. In a similar way we are saved when the Holy Spirit comes into us, but we are empowered by the Holy Spirit when He comes upon us. This is the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. For the flour to become bread, it has to have some oil poured over it then mixed into it. We too must have the Holy Spirit infuse every part of us. He renews our minds, cleanses our hearts, opens our ears, enlightens our eyes, fills our mouths. It is the Holy Spirit who causes us to bear fruit (Galatians 5) and enables us share our Lord's Word with the world.

As the flour is turned into "meal" (dough), it is also introduced to other flour and slightly salted. Christ didn't live for Himself. Christ gave Himself for all people. When we walk with our Master down the path of discipleship growth, as flour is turned into dough, we are mixed in with others. It is no longer about "me". It becomes about "one another" (Mark 9:50).

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.John 13:34

What was once a single grain of wheat is now fused with inumerous other former grains into a new identity. In a similar way, the believer can not remain just a solo believer. He must be kneeded into the dough to become a part of a local body of believers which is ultimately kneeded into Christ Himself. Of course this kneeding process rubs us the 'wrong way'. We struggle to get along with people. We take offence. We experience pain from others. We all too easily yield to the temptation to withdraw and do Christianity on our own. But the wheat must be harvested, sifted (with its chaff burned), ground to flour, mixed with oil, salted, and kneeded together, to be transformed into what our Lord desires.

The dough also has water mixed with it to appropriately moisten it. We too have the refreshing water of God's Word flow into our lives as open up His Word in solititude and particularly as we gather to give attention to it in House of the Lord each Lord's Day.

The prepared dough must then be cooked in the oven. There comes a time when we must pass through fires to be transformed. In this furnace of God's oven, our lives are transformed from indelectable dough to savouring fresh bread. The pain of planting, harvesting, sifting, salting, kneeding, and watering, are all forgotten as the miraculous transformation takes place. Along with the more painful parts of the process, the oven also deals with our sorrows, regrets, and hurts.

The bread must now sit for a time. The maturing believer discovers that what he mistakenly thought was idleness is actually rest. There is a good deal of difference between being still and doing nothing, the Sensai told the Karate Kid. It is from the position of rest that the believer is now of use. He is now able to nourish. He is now able to refresh. He is now able to strengthen others.

The next time you hear the words declared over the Table of the Lord, "and He took bread", pause to consider the impact of what our Lord is telling us. In this moment, consider that He, The Bread of Life, The Bread That Came Down From Heaven, calls us to be bread as well. This is one of the reasons why we take the time and especially why we take our time, to celebrate the Table of the Lord each week. For us this reminder is also an act of worship. It is not just a reminder of what Christ has done for us, but it is a reminder of what He is doing in us. As He declares to us, "take eat", He is transforming us into His bread and He is calling a hungry world to His table to "take eat".

This Lord's Day as we have "guests arrive at midnight" we once again call upon the Lord to give us as bread to a desperately hungry world. "Lord, lend us three loaves" we cry. Not once, not twice, but repeatedly until our Lord answers.

¶ And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves"
Luke 11:5

Father, help us to be the bread You have called us to be. May we go through the process of dying to self, sifting, grounding, kneeding, salting, watering, baking, with delight, so that we can be a source of nourishment to our spiritually starving world. Make us the bread that makes the world want more. In Jesus Name', Amen.

Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

Novel Doubt

2011-06-25T12:35:00.000+10:00

by Dr. Andrew Corbett 24th June 2011

Just over a hundred years ago, a group of Trinity College, Cambridge students formed a covert society called the "Midnight Society". Many of the Society members became professors at Cambridge, while others became famous novelists, playwrights and authors. At a time when Christians generally considered fiction grossly inferior to non-fiction (and theologically devotional writings), the members of the Midnight Society were strategically using it. They understood that the values and the morals of a nation could be influenced by the fiction it consumed. And they had a radical agenda...

An example of the general attitude among Christians to fiction is summed up by the nineteenth century author, Hannah More-

"...constant familiarity with works of fiction disinclines and disqualifies for active virtues and for spiritual exercises."
Hannah More (1870), author of The Shepherd of Salisbury Plain, cited in Murray, p. 5

The Midnight Society included Mathematician turned Philosopher, Bertrand Russell; acclaimed novelist, Thomas Hardy; historian, Lytton Strachey; and some non-Trinity members including George Bernard Shaw and H.G. Wells. There were no formal membership requirements of the Midnight Society except that members had to regard Christianity as irrational and needing to be removed from society. They regarded Christianity's morals as prudish and even "immoral". [Read the full article]

When A Dark World Is Decaying, It Needs Salt And Light

2011-06-03T17:42:00.000+10:00

CHURCH AS SALT...

In the 1930s two men had a very public stand off. One was a soldier turned political leader, the other a pastor-theologian. As Adolf Hitler incited hatred, German church leaders stood idly by. Except one. His senior churchmen colleagues oft repeated the false mantra "Christianity has nothing to do with Politics!" They refused to withstand the leader of the Nazi Party as he began the systematic persecution of Jews, Gypsies, and Evangelicals. All the while, these fellow churchmen hid behind a veil of what they called "the Gospel" which they claimed had no bearing on how political leaders behaved toward their people.

But Dietrich Bonhoeffer saw things completely differently. He understood that the Gospel of Christ not only saved a soul but also salted a society with goodness for the benefit of all people. This stand eventually cost the young pastor his life after Hitler ordered him imprisoned and eventually executed just two days before World War Two ended. In the meantime, Bonhoeffer preached, wrote, went on radio, decrying the growing influence of the Nazi Party and its leader. After the War, one church leader regretfully said something like this, "When Hitler was killing Gypsies, we said nothing. When he started killing Jews, we said nothing. Then when he started killing us, it was too late."

¶ "Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created."
Revelation 4:11

This past week, many of us gathered at the University of Tasmania to defend the Institution of Marriage. I had the difficult task of sharing with a frequently heckling audience why Marriage was only between a man and a woman. I gave reasons why Marriage is not merely defined as being between a man and a woman, it is describedas being between a man and a woman. I showed that despite the Homosexual Lobby's claim that the current understanding of Marriage was "discriminatory", in actuallity, it treated all people equally without discriminating against any segment of society. Campbell Markham spoke from a Christian perspective and showed that far from Marriage being a political issue which was a distraction to the church preaching the Gospel, Marriage and the Gospel were inseparable. He showed that the New Testament teaches that Marriage is a demonstration of the relationship that Christ has with His people (Ephesians 5). Marriage therefore is a gift from God which serves to picture how God relates to people. Marriage is therefore a picture of the Gospel. Therefore, rather than being a political side-issue it is actually front and centre to the Gospel! Our third speaker, Senator GuyBarnett spoke about why Marriage is not only an Institution - it is a "bedrock" Institution that best protects the welfare of a soceity especially children within that society.

God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done...Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Romans 1:28, 32

Paul wrote to the Romans, who dwelt in the city where the seat of power for the Roman Empire was, that they should challenge the sexual deviancy of their city. He particularly mentioned homosexuality-

and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.Romans 1:27

This would have been particularly courageous for the Roman Church since the then Emperor, Nero, was a flagrant homosexual. The great Apostle didn't see it as merely a matter of sexual preference, he identified that what was at the heart of homosexality was idolatry - the rejection of otherness and the worship of sameness. "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator" (Romans 1:25). Paul didn't excuse idolatry because its practitioners were non-Christians (I'm actually not sure that there is such a thing as a "Christian" idolater). Many people within the church falsely think that God does not expect people in the world to obey Him! But Paul didn't stop at calling non-Christians to repentance. He said that if Christians didn't challenge such sexual deviancy in their society there were approving of such things and therefore equally as guilty as committing them! (Romans 1:32)

There is a type of ugly political engagement that Church has been guilty of. It is an engagement where the Church tries to run government, rather than saltgovernment. I am not advocating that the Church runs a State. But the idea that the Church should just operate only within its four walls and only between the hours of 10AM to 12noon each Sunday is entirely devilish. The Apostle Paul was told by Christ to minister to "Kings", "Governors" and "Rulers".

But surely challenging Emperors with their sexual deviancy could be costly? And it is this objection that reveals the true drive behind some churchs' unwillingness to enter into political debate about moral issues: lack of courage. It may well, and probably will, mean that we will be persecuted and despised because we speak up to the glory of Christ about what God commands of all men everywhere (Acts 17:30). We should not succumb to the utterly foolish thinking that God does not expect non-Christians to obey Him- especially in regard to worship and sex! This type of prophetic stance certainly did cost the apostle Paul. Caesar Nero had him beheaded. It also cost Bonhoeffer. Hitler had him executed by firing squad. It may cost us a little bit of inconvenience (name calling, heckling, bad press - such as we received this week). But if we say nothing, it may, as the post-War German church leader noted, cost us our very lives.

¶ "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.
Matthew 5:13

I was grateful for the many wellwishes I received after speaking at this event. Each time I take on one of these presentations to a potentially hostile audience, I am told that I am courageous, or brave. While I appreciate the unwarranted compliment, I am in a way saddened by it also because it paints public Christian engagement in the political/societal arena as the domain for only a few of us. But Christianity generally requires courage. That is, to be a Christian is to be a public witness. We should not be intimidated by the threats and rantings of people who vehemently oppose us for challenging their idolatry. Neither should we be intimidated by the internal threats that come from well-meaning brothers who say, as they said to Bonhoeffer, "Christianity has nothing to do with politics!" Of course they may word it cleverly in a form such as, "Surely the Church has bigger fish to fry than getting embroiled in this political debate about Gay Marriage?" But don't be fooled. It's not merely politics that's in play here. There is a profound and fierce spiritual battle going on over the souls of men. Every time we speak up for something (such as marriage, sexual purity, or family values) we must, I repeat must, in effect being against something. This is not being "negative", it is in reality being the most positive.

To not tell a practicing idolater that their idolatry puts their eternal destiny in peril, is perhaps the most unloving act we could do to them - even if we didn't feed them, clothe them, shelter them, or protect them. Similarly, to not say to someone practicing sexual deviancy (as recorded in Romans 1; 1Cor. 6; Matthew 15:19; Leviticus 18) that what they are doing is immoral - is the most unloving thing we could to them. We can not refuse to tell a very vocal name-calling minority segment of a society that their lifestyle reduces their lifespan by 10 - 30 years, can cause a litany of irrepairable physiological damage such as rectal collapse, anal warts, STDs - and then claim that our silence is "loving" them. And ultimately, if we refuse to tell society at large the message of God's love focussed on the sending of His Son, Jesus Christ, who lived, suffered, died, and rose again, for our sins, we are not truly loving them. This is why the other night at the presentation in support of God's ordained best, each of us reiterated over and over again God's love as seen in Jesus Christ.

Father, help us to be salt and light in a decaying and dark world. May we not be intimidated by the emotional bluster of those who refuse to bow their knee to the Lordship and glory of God in Christ. Help us to be a prophetic church that truly loves and graciously challenges our unsaved society. Give us courage. Help us to speak and to act when we should. And we should now. In Jesus Name', Amen.

Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

CHURCH AS A FIREPLACE

2011-05-27T14:07:00.000+10:00

CHURCH AS A FIREPLACE...

I was stoking the embers of our overnight fire the other morning and once again reflected on church. In a similar way, church is like these embers in my fireplace. In the morning I take the lightly glowing coals and move them into a pile together. The result is that they once again catch aflame. Once alight, it becomes appropriate to put some more kindling and wood on it. But if there was no flame, the extra wood would only be singed rather than burnt. Can you see how this is like church?

We are sometimes like those cooling yet glowing embers. Once on fire until we drifted from the flame, we became a mere glowing ember. Christ is like the fire-box and the Holy Spirit is like the directing fire-poker. It is the Spirit's desire to bring together the members of a church so that their glow becomes a flame. But even this temporary flame is doomed to become a fading glow unless new wood is brought into the flame. In a similar way, the church needs to be continually inviting pre-Christians to church to keep the flame of zeal and passion for the Lord burning brightly.

for our God is a consuming fire.
Hebrew 12:29

But consider what happens to the wood in the fire-box. In order for the wood to become a burning coal, it must be transformed. When we come to Christ He doesn't leave us the way we came in. He transforms us. The flame of His Spirit begins to burn in our hearts. The wood has to give up something though. When we come to Christ, we also have to give up something. The wood lays down it's identity in order to be in a life-giving flame. We have to lay down our identities as selfish sinners and take on a new identity as followers of Christ.

so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
First Peter 1:7

Over the twenty years I have now been pastoring (nearly 16 of which has been at Legana) I have observed that people who come to church often get offended by someone within the church. I now wonder if this process of offence is not part of the Holy Spirit's transforming, purifying flame? The Holy Spirit may well be using the hurt, disappointment, and offence from another brother or sister in Christ to change us. How often have I heard the story of someone who has "tried" several churches, come to our church, but then experienced the same kind of hurt and offence which they experienced in their previous churches? In such a scenario, there is only one common factor: them. Could it be that if in every case where a believer feels offended in, or by, a church that it is the same flame of the Holy Spirit seeking to refine them through offensive fire emanating from another 'coal' (read: "believer") in Christ's "firebox"?

Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come...Luke 17:1

I've been trying to imagine what a piece of dried dead wood feels when it is placed in a fire. I guess it experiences instant transformation. I guess it experiences other pieces of wood similarly being transformed. I can imagine that the heat of the flame gradually may even become uncomfortable. But I guess that at some point, the wood comes to enjoy the flame. The wonderful colours it emits! The beautiful benefits of its warmth. Even the aromas of the different woods can be very pleasant. But, the woods would soon realise something. Unless it replenishes, it will die. The fire it has become integrated with, and come to love, must be renewed. More wood is needed. In the same way, a local church must continually strive to reach out to others, and evangelise.

An isolated coal or ember does not enjoy the benefits of community flame. When we come to church, it shouldn't be with the motive, what can this church do for me? But,what can we contribute to each other? This is the lesson of the fire-box: each piece of wood on fire not only benefits the other pieces of wood, but also benefits from the other pieces of wood. Church is like this. Why should you be a part of a church? Because weneed you! Why should you be a part of a church? Because you need us.

1Cor. 12:26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

The next time you sense yourself becoming isolated ask God to use the Holy Spirit in your life like a fire-poker to guide you back to the flame within Christ's fire-box, the local church. If you are already on fire but sense your flame is waning, ask God to use you to bring another to Christ and into His church. If you feel that your spiritual contribution to church is all one way, ask God to use you to be a blessing to even more people within the church. Maybe you've positioned your Christian walk within the fire-box, but intentionally on the outskirts of the fire. This may be like living your Christianity as a Sunday-only church Christian rather than as a two-winged Christian who enjoys the wing of the Sunday gathering of the church and the complementary wing of the small-group-community of the church, where the flame burns brighest.

Father, set us ablaze with Your love. Fill us with a fresh passion for Your cause, the Church. May our hearts burn with zeal to reach more people for Christ. Help us to see hurt, offence, and disappointment as a part of Your holy flame for our good. May we forgive easily and quickly so as to keep the love-flame of Your church's witness burning brighter. In Jesus Name', Amen.

Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

The Twofold Impact of The Gospel

2011-05-20T09:24:00.000+10:00

NOT TELEVISION BUT TELEMACHUS...
Telemachus was a man of peace who enjoyed the quiet life away from hustle and bustle of cities. He enjoyed walking through forests and soaking in the serenity that complemented his life as a prayerful monk. He wanted nothing more in life than to be alone with God in prayer. But all that changed when God spoke to him and told him to go to Rome. "Rome?" Telemachus protested to the Lord. Out of love for his Lord, he set from his country setting of solitude to where all roads led. Upon arrival in the city that wasn't built in a day, he saw the crowds thronging into the Colosseum. He went with the throng and quickly became disturbed by what he saw taking place. He left his seat for the arena where the gladiators were inflicting their barbarism upon each other. Telemachus took advantage of the amphitheatre's acoustics and cried out, "In the name of Christ stop this madness!"

Telemachus's voice carried all around the stadium. Hush fell over the stunned crowd. Then someone in the crowd yelled out to one of the gladiators, "Run him through!" A gladiator then thrust his bloody sword into the man of God who took his dying breathe to repeat his plea- "In the name of Christ, stop this madness!" A deeper hush fell over the crowd as the dying monk slumped to the dirt. As his lifeless body lay there, the gladiators ceased their fighting and walked from the arena. Then in utter shameful quiet each one of the thousands in the crowd filed out. News of what happened reached Emperor Honorius. He was so moved by the courage of Telemachus that three days later he outlawed the gladiatorial games from the Empire (404AD).

What do Telemachus, William Wilberforce, William Booth, and Martin Luther-King, have in common? They each had a deep commitment to the Gospel as the only means to salvation. But they each recognised that what a culture accepted as right or wrong had a direct bearing on the likelihood of that culture to either accept or reject that Gospel. They had not been duped into believing that no-one needed individual salvation, as some were teaching, and rejected this idea of Universalism (the idea that all people are actually saved with individually responding to the Gospel). They knew that Acts 11:14 plainly stated that acceptance of the Gospel was only means to salvation.
And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, 'Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter;
he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.'
Acts 11:13-14
None of these great men thought that social change was the same as accepting the Gospel. Neither did they think that Christian influence in the realms of society was the chief end of the Gospel. They were fully persuaded that the preaching of the Gospel was the means to salvation and that Christ alone was the means ofsalvation. William Wilberforce was a poltician who was frequently challenged about this but each time he responded by telling his challenger that the Gospel was both the means to salvation transforming an individual but it was also the means by which good manners were promoted for a society at large. That is, for the Christian, Christ's command to turn the other cheek governs how we respond to people who aggrevate us because it is written on their hearts.

But Christ's command to turn the other cheek also serves to govern the response of those who are not born-again and helps a society to be more civil. This is what Wilberforce calledthe promotion of good manners. A society that is aware of what good manners are, is more likely to be aware that we all people are fallen sinners in need of a Saviour. As Wilberforce worked toward the reformation of manners in England, thousands upon thousands of people came to faith in Christ.

Similarly, William Booth was preaching the Gospel across London but saw that many of the people he was ministering to were without food, clothing, and shelter. The result was that the Salvation Army was birthed and the long-standing Christian tradition of caring practically for those preached to was rekindled. "Christianity with its sleeves rolled up" was how people began to describe Booth's ministry. Martin Luther-King was a Baptist preacher who had committed his life to spreading the Gospel. But he saw two Americas: White America and Black America. He saw White America treating Black America poorly - "Madness" said Telemachus, "Bad manners" said Wilberforce, "Uncaring" agreed Booth.
¶ I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.First John 5:13
Imagine what society today would look like without the Gospel's influence. Time prevents me from discussing the similar work of my other hero, William Carey. His missionary work in India was dramatically and eternally affected by his realisation that the Gospel must shape both the individual and the society at large. He set about to outlaw an ancient Indian cultural practice of "Sati" (where a widow is burned alive on her late husband's funeral pyre). Amidst the attacks of cultural interference and trying to legislate the conversion of Hindus, Carey prevailed. He also set about to educate the lower castes. The legacy of Carey's work today is that around 300million people can trace their spiritual heritage to Carey's missionary work!

A Gospel that says every man for himself is an imposter to the Gospel of Christ! The Gospel is immediately relevant for both the individual and society. For the individual it is the only means to salvation. For society it is the means to the reformation of manners and the goal of civility (treating each other kindly).

Thus, when the forces of darkness attack the two-fold impact of the Gospel (both upon the individual for their eternal salvation, and a society for the reformation and preservation of manners) we should not be silent or inactive! Unless individuals hear and receive the Gospel they can not enter eternal life! Let us not entertain the utter foolishness of trendy, psuedo-spiritual, Pelagian, decaffe-soy-milk-latte-sipping, hoodwinkers who would tell us there is no hell, no eternal peril, no final judgment, no problem - and still dare to call themselves "Christian". The Gospel is under attack from within by these wolves. But similarly, let us not become anaesthetised to society's behaviour when they tell us to keep our 'religion' to ourselves! AS IF OUR FAITH IN CHRIST WAS EVER A PRIVATE MATTER!!!!! Faith in Christ is most certainly an individual matter - but it is most certainly not a private matter!

We preach the Gospel because it is only means to salvation. Don't read that statement too quickly or pass over it as if it were just a collection of words. We preach the Gospel because it is only means to salvation! We preach the Gospel to our society because it is the only means to achieve good manners and civility. And it is the Gospel's unique ability to reform manners that best prepares the way for an individual to accept the Gospel and thus find salvation for their soul.
This is why I would like you to join with me in writing to our Federal Tasmanian Parliamentarians and let them know that The Marriage Act should not be amended in a way that redefines marriage to allow two people of the same gender to wed. The most loving thing a Christian can do for someone who has same-sex attraction is not to affirm their desires (in Romans 1, the Apostle Paul has something to say about Christians being equally guilty of sexual sin if they do not challenge sexual sin) but to lovingly challenge them with the truth of God's Word which calls them to surrender their every desire to the Lordship Christ who gives the hope of salvation. I think Telemachus would agree, and Wilberforce would join with Booth and Luther-King in saying, "Amen!"
Father, we pray for our friends, family and neighbours who do not yet know Christ. May they both hear and receive the Gospel. Open their hearts and prpare their minds to accept the truth. Remove the veil of blindness from their spiritual eyes. Give us a deeper compassion for the lost. Fill our hearts with love for those for whom Christ died. Cause us to pray as we should. Cause us to live lives that reflect our utter devotion to You. When we fall, pick us up. When we stray, bring us back. Fill our hearts, minds and souls with Your Word, the Truth, so that we can speak to our society and lovingly challenge the Devil's lies. Lift us out of our world through the inspiration of Your Word so that we can be of real use within our world. In Jesus Name', Amen.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ps. Andrew

CAN I HAVE THAT IN WRITING PLEASE

2011-05-14T09:04:00.000+10:00

I'M WRITING TO YOU...

Even with all our technological advances, iPads, iPhones, Androids, Goooogles, 3Gs, 4Gs, Satellite TV, and the more, we still write. Recently several major book-sellers went into receivership. But this didn't happen because people aren't buying books. In fact, there are more books being sold than ever before. More is being written today than at any time in history. The head of Google recently noted that more information has been published online in the last 48 hours than from the beginning of time to 2000! We still read, therefore people still write. In fact, despite the Prophets of doom crying at the start of tech-rev that the Internet would be the death of text, the exact opposite has happened. People are now reading more than ever before. That's why I thought I'd write to you about some weighty matters.

¶ And the LORD said to Moses, "Write these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel."
Exodus 34:27

In ancient times they wrote on stone, then papyrus, then vellum (leather), then paper. Today we use paper products, computer screens, phones, and media devices to write. Increasingly, readers are embracing digital platforms for their reading. And while I love the simplicity and versatility of a traditional book, I am loving the newer digital platforms. In fact, I now sell ebooks at a rate of about 100:1 compared to the same title in traditional format. But all of this continues to highlight that we are reading, and therefore we still value good writing. Arguably, and perhaps amazingly, today's rock stars (if defined as high earning entertainers) are literary. They write. They help people escape from this world and its pressures to another world. They write of wizards, and vampires that unlike their streotypes are actually peace-loving, vegetarians, vulnerable confused souls, who long for a girl to truly love them...[sigh] The fact that these stories are made into movies almost ruins the original text, but then again, even these movies need a text-based script to give it form and structure. It's almost as if there is a natural symbiotic connection between being human and processing text.

it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
Luke 1:3

When I read a book written by a now deceased author, it is as if they are still living! I tried and read an F.W. Boreham essay every day. As I read his writings it is as if we are on his front verandah together in Kew in 1938, or 1948, or 1956. He comes alive each time I read his books. Text keeps things alive. The story is told of a meeting of computer executives who celebrating the growing influence of their digital business. Their discussions eventually came around to backing-up their valuable information. They discussed storing this priceless information on computer hard-drives. But then realised there was two problems with this, firstly computer hard-drives are notoriously unreliable and secondly there is no guarantee in the future that there will be computers around compatible with such devices. After much discussion they concluded that the best way to store their information was to write it down and print off several copies.

Interestingly, when God wanted to leave a lasting message to mankind He chose the printed word and ordained that thousands of copies be made and preserved to ensure its message survived for generations and millennia. Also interestingly, God's Word, the Bible, when read carefully also transports the reader into the story. When reading about Abraham, it feels as if he is alive at that moment! But is it also transports the reader from this world and its pressures to the real world of angels, demons, truest love, the greatest heroism, the most wonderful adventure and ofheavenly realms.

¶ I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.First John 5:13

And God's written Word is even more powerful than any other text because unlike my most favourite authors, its Author lives still. So if you're looking for an escape, a reality-check, and reminder of what's important, open God's Word and let more than its text do its best.

Father, fill our hearts, minds and souls with Your Word, the Truth. Lift us out of our world through the inspiration of Your Word so that we can be of real use within our world. In Jesus Name', Amen.

Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE CRAZY TO TALK TO YOURSELF

2011-05-05T23:47:00.000+10:00

Is it only crazy people who talk to themselves? One of the best preachers of the twentieth century was Dr Martin Lloyd-Jones. He famously said that the problem with most Christians is that they listen to themselves rather than talk to themselves! Perhaps he was right. Talking to yourself is not necessarily crazy but is instead a thoroughly Biblically spiritual and healthy thing to do. At least that's what the sons of Korah thought and shared this insight with the world that many today have found the secret to their sanity.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Psalm 42:5a

What are you listening to yourself saying to yourself? We get a clue what the Psalmist was hearing by the preceding verses in Psalm 42. In verse 1 the Psalmist seems to be saying that despite his ardent seeking he could not 'find' God. Thus in verse 2 he asks himself if he will ever come into God's presence

When shall I come and appear before God?
Psal 42:2b

The Psalmist hears himself getting more and more depressed.

My tears have been my food
day and night,
Psalm 42:3a

He hears from himself that there is no God. He hears from himself the taunts of his critics-

they say to me all the day long,
"Where is your God?" Psalm 42:3b

The Psalmist then hears why his 'church' has let him down. He laments that when he was in leadership within his church he cared for the hurting, but now that he was hurting and having a hard time, no one was reaching out to him. This disappointment with the throng who attended his church added to his disillusionment and growing depression. Because of what he was hearing from himself he had become unsocial, isolated, bitter and depressed. It was a downward spiral being fueled by what he was hearing from himself.

But he stopped listening to his own negativity. Maybe he realised that Negaitivity is loud, brazen, and proud. Just like an attention seeking precocious child, it doesn't exercise the usual modesty that well adjusted and disciplined children are trained to exercise. It jumps in front of people and tugs at their hands, eyes and hearts. And Negativity receives a lot of encouragement to keep up its disgraceful and childish behaviour. And amazingly, Negativity rarely has its bluff called. It interwines its disgusting language into the ordinary vocabulary of its victim so that it becomes unrecognizable. Meanwhile, its arch-enemy, Truth, is reserved, relatively quiet, calm, consistent, secure, and understated. It is also patient. Very patient. It will often wait for Negativity to wreak its damage before it seeks a hearing.

Truth caught the Psalmist's attention. It summoned him to stop listening to himself and to start talking to himself. The Psalmist addresses the core of his mind and heart (his "soul") by saying-

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Psalm 42:5a

Truth begins to fill the Psalmist's mouth-

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation
(Psa. 42:6) and my God.

Truth points the Psalmist to praise. Truth points the Psalmist to remember what God has done. Truth points the Psalmist to honest prayer. Have a look at Psalm 42. The next time you feel that Negativity has taken taken up its insidious position somewhere near your eardrum, just have a look in a Book for a less intrusive, but more necessary, chap called Truth. While Negativity is keenly interested in your ears, Truth is interested in your tongue. It coaches a tongue to be truthful. Rather than giving up on God when times are depressing, Truth takes us by the hand and says- "Go on, tell Him. Tell Him how you feel. Tell Him you're disappointed. But tell Him that even though it's difficult for you now, your desire is to always praise Him."

I say to God, my rock:
"Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?"
Psalm 42:9

This Psalmist talked to himself - but he wasn't crazy. In fact, because he talked to himself, he wasn't crazy. The next time you feel like these sons of Korah, alone, rejected, abandoned, doubting, and scorned, stop listening to yourself and starting let Truth coach your tongue and start talking to yourself.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
Psalm 42:11

Father, help us to follow Christ well. May we understand in clearer terms the eternal consequences at stake in getting our foundations, fellowships and faith in good order. Cause us to be able to forgive others quickly and readily. Let no root of bitterness invade our souls. Fill our hearts with Your love for You, Your Word, and Your people. Fill our hearts, minds and souls with the Truth. In Jesus Name', Amen.

Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

A SPIRITUAL DIVE

2011-04-29T22:51:00.003+10:00

A SPIRITUAL DIVE

Kim has just done the first part of a scuba diving course. The other week we heard someone during our service draw an analogy between spitting into your mask before going for dive, and obeying the Lord without question. In that instance, although there is a practical reason for doing it, most divers do it because they were taught to do it and may have never considered that there was a good reason for it (it stops your mask fogging up). In a similar way, many believers are taught the Word of God and obey it without question - without ever considering that there may be a practical reason for it. Kim came home the other day very excited about learning to dive and shared some further spiritual lessons from her diving experience.

Eph. 5:15 ¶ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise

Firstly, she had to pass a test on the theory of diving. Many people start out in the Christian Walk being taught the tenents (the beliefs) of Christianity. For some, learning these beliefs about God, Christ, salvation, man's state, Satan, the age to come, the Resurrection and eternal judgment, may all seem merely theoretical - and like spitting in your mask - may not immediately appear to have a practical implication. But as Kim discovered, reading the compulsory 250page Diving Manual before diving is not just literary torture, but may actually save your life!

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it
2Timothy 3:14

Secondly, Kim learned that you should never dive alone. Safe diving is not diving alone. In the same way, the Christian walk is not ordained to be lived alone. Christianity is a common faith. We live with a common mission, a common vision, a common set of beliefs, and a common care for each other. When we become a Christian, we are commanded to not merely look out for our own interests, but to take an interest in our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:4

Thirdly, Kim learned that you must not take risks with your resources. If you think that something's not quite right with your dive equipment, don't use it - until you've fixed it. In a similar way, if something is not quite right with your walk with the Lord (or His people) - don't ignore it - apply some repentance and fix it. The dive instructor stressed to Kim that you might think your mask is cracked moments before a dive but you feel that you would hold things up if your said something about it. But to dive a mask you suspected was cracked could not only injure you but those diving with you. Sometimes we fail to take care to examine our spiritual resources. Neglecting your spiritual resources such as Bible reading, journaling, prayer, church attendance, ministry service, personal witnessing, family-time, or giving, may need attention before you proceed into some spiritual peril.

Father, help us to follow Christ well. May we understand in clearer terms the eternal consequences at stake in getting our foundations, fellowships and faith in good order. Cause us to be able to forgive others quickly and readily. Let no root of bitterness invade our souls. Fill our hearts with Your love for You, Your Word, and Your people. May we take as much diligence in following You as a diver takes in diving. In Jesus Name', Amen.

Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

HOW SHOULD WE THINK ABOUT SAME-SEX MARRIAGE?

2011-04-27T15:50:00.000+10:00

by Dr. Andrew Corbett 26th April 2011

How should we think about "Same-Sex" Marriage? This public debate is as much about the role of language as it is about marriage. The emotionalism involved from both sides of the argument is intense which often leads to the actual issues being lost in the jungle of irrational verbiage. How we settle this issue as a society says a lot about what kind of society we are.

THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE

Confucius is reported to have said- "When words lose their meaning, people lose their freedom." Someone has adapted this with the observation that, "When words lose their meaning, people lose their lives." Words have intrinsic meaning. Seasoned debaters know and employ the maxim- "He who controls language controls the debate." Arguably, Language is the battlefield of culture. For Christians, if the components of language can be arbitrarily redefined, then truth, and especially the Christian message, ceases to be coherent and is rendered meaningless.

THE ARGUMENTS FOR SAME GENDER MARRIAGE (SGM)

The arguments in favour of Same-Gender Marriage can be summed up under four categories-

Anti-Discrimination
Intolerance
Secular Society Acceptance
Progressive Religion

1. ANTI-DISCRIMINATION

This is perhaps the most compelling argument in favour of redefining marriage to providing for two people of the same gender to "marry". After all, if marriage is about committed love between two people why should it be restricted to people of complementary genders? Georgetown University (USA) Law Professor, William Eskridge, puts this argument this way-

"Same-Sex marriage is good primarily for reasons of equality. Legal marriage entails dozens of rights, benefits and obligations which are routinely available to different-sex couples. Those same benefits, rights and obligations should be available on the same terms to lesbian and same-sex couples as a guarantee of their equal rights in our polity."
"Relativism", Beckwith, Koukl, page 119

Torrie Osborn, former executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, makes a similar argument and has said-

"I think it's a question of fundamental fairness...People who are willing to accept the responsibilities of marriage, which is about love, caring, commitment, long-term commitment, should be able to have the right to be married...[D]enying our fundamental humanity is not good for society."
Beckwith, Koukl, p. 119

Read the full article at - http://www.findingtruthmatters.org/articles/marriage/whymarriageis/index.html

Don't Quit

2011-04-15T08:23:00.000+10:00

HAVING DONE ALL, STAND...

When Steven Bradbury won the gold medal for ice-skating at the 2002 Winter Olympics, many people thought that is was just "luck". But he didn't. He had spent years training and months planning for this one race. He knew that he wasn't the fastest or the most talented, but he also knew that winning was more about finishing than racing. Many people who have found success in life have learned the same principle. The great life-battle-hardened apostle wrote to his beloved Ephesians, who were under intense pressure, to just hang in there. The way he said it was- "having done everything, stand."

Eph. 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

There will be times when all you want to do it quit. There are times when you should quit (if you're causing harm, incurring loss, preventing someone from their rights, and so on). But most of the times when we quit, we shouldn't. Why do people quit before their finished? Discouragement. Disillusionment. Demonic. These are some of the possible contributers to quitting. When we desperately wanting to quit, and we go on the Bible describes this as "enduring".

and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Matthew 10:22

Perhaps you're going through a tough time? Perhaps you want to quit? Providing that what you are doing is wise, you almost certainly shouldn't quit. You should hang in there. Jesus knew all about this. In Hebrews 12 it says that He "endured" the Cross. In other words, before getting to the Cross, He had to deal with the temptation to quit. This is when He called out to His Father for strength and yielded to Him afresh. We should do the same. This was Steven Bradbury's secret to success. He knew that the first thing he had to do in order to have any chance of winning was: to finish!

and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
Romans 5:4

Don't quit. Hang in there. Having done all you can do...stand. Just stand. Get back up. Dust yourself off. Get a good night's sleep. And keep going. Forgive those who let you down or hurt you. Bless those who persecute. Don't quit!

Father, give us the strength to keep doing what we should. Help us to endure. Help us not to quit. Help us to be bringers of people to Christ despite all of the distractions we deal with. Oh God, we need You. Give us wisdom to make the decisions You expect us to make. Give us the grace to be good friends to those who feel like quitting. Help us to stand. Amen.

Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

*The God we worship is a God of infinitelove.*	Because He loves someone, does not mean that I get less of His love. Since honour is an aspect of love, when soneone is honoured, it actually does not mean that I am deprived of anything.
You receive what you give away.	It's almost counter-intuitive. The Bible repeatedly refers to "sowing and reaping" - that is, what you sow (give away) is what you will reap. If I want recognition and honour for what I do, I need to recognise and honour others.
Honouring others is good for me.	It takes humility to honour another. To clap, support, present, another helps me to develop my humilty. According to James 4, it's only when I am humble that I qualify for more of God's grace.
Honouring helps me to fulfil the Great Commandment.	Honouring, giving someone someone a clap / a cheer / a gift / a public recognition / a card of appreciation / a public tribute - is showing love. To love others is the Great Commandment of Christ and is repeated in John's epistles as the hallmark for mature Christianity.

Andrew Corbett

Is Christianity A Religion?

Living On The Edge Is Not Life In The Middle

You've Got Three Wishes...Go

Haran

Was Jesus Ignorant About His Second Coming Date?

B.C. -AETAS DOMINI- A.D.

FIND IT DIFFICULT TO HONOUR?

The Gospel Is Obvious When You See It

Surprised By Jesus

Turning a Complaint Into A Positive Opportunity

Some BOOK OF REVELATION Resources

eBooks

Available eBooks...

Paperback...

dvds...

cds

Initialised, Activated And Empowered

INITIALISATION

ACTIVATED

When Jesus Cursed A Fruit Tree, Spiritual Lessons

How A Christian Can Overcome Anger

GOD IS NOT INFINITE

My Cloak, The Books, But Especially The Parchments...

A MAGNIFICENT QUARANTINE

STRETCHED CAPACITY...

CHANGE FROM STRETCHING

SACRIFICING FOR STRETCHING

The Lion And The Lamb Will Lay Down Together, Explained

WHAT WOMEN WANT...

PREACHING & PARTNERING FOR AN INCH...

A BOOK THAT SPEAKS...

GREATER PEACE...

COUNTER-INTUITIVE SPIRITUALITY...

The Resignation of an Older-Brother Society Member

REVELATION CAN ONLY BE A REVELATION IF IT'S A REVELATION

Living With A Margin

A Hebrews Call To Discernment

The Unstoppable Spirit of God

How To Nourish Your Soul

PROVING GOD

Bread & Discipleship

Novel Doubt

When A Dark World Is Decaying, It Needs Salt And Light

CHURCH AS A FIREPLACE

The Twofold Impact of The Gospel

CAN I HAVE THAT IN WRITING PLEASE

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE CRAZY TO TALK TO YOURSELF

A SPIRITUAL DIVE

HOW SHOULD WE THINK ABOUT SAME-SEX MARRIAGE?

THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE

THE ARGUMENTS FOR SAME GENDER MARRIAGE (SGM)

1. ANTI-DISCRIMINATION

Don't Quit