THE MOST DANGEROUS IDEA

What has been the most dangerous idea of all time? There have indeed been some dangerous ideas which have shaped cruel dictators and led to the tragic loss of millions of lives. Some ideas have birthed dangerous attitudes which have justified racism, nationalism, and elitism, which have all unjustly deprived people of their natural rights.

The term “dangerous” is relative. Our football team may been “dangerously” close to losing their game if they had not kicked that goal on the final siren. We use the word Danger to mean a “threat” to a comfortable state. It is probably in both senses that a recently aired documentary - “Darwin’s Dangerous Idea” - showed why Darwin’s idea was such a threat to the religious establishment and how it was eventually used to justify “Social Darwinism” as the basis for the Nazi’s eugenics program for example. Ideas have consequences.

Christianity’s most dangerous idea was Jesus Christ: God became a man. Born of a virgin. A sinless life. Amazing miracles. A brutal death. An astonishing resurrection. An ascension into heaven. If these ideas are either legend or myth then Christianity is rubbish. But if they are demonstrably true then they are the most dangerous ideas ever because they confront people with a God who has entered into the story of this world, proven Himself, revealed His will, and warned appropriately. Those who originally announced this lived and died dangerously. Easter is therefore a dangerous message. This Easter I invite you to consider the claims of Jesus Christ and discover why these claims are not just dangerous.  

Dr. Andrew Corbett (www.legana.org)
Pastor of Legana Christian Church

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday

Matthew 21:1-11

¶ Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”
¶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Jesus prepares to enter the city of His death. He knew what awaited Him and still proceeded!

He gives a remarkable prophetic set of directions to His disciples. Notice how Christ is able to ordain details in order to fulfil His purpose. Don't fall for the trap of thinking that seemingly insignificant events are not in the plan of God for your life.

He fulfils the prophecy of the Messiah by Zechariah. This is a constant point made by Matthew in his account of the life and ministry of Christ to show his readers how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament.

When He entered Jerusalem the crowds adored Him. "Crowds" are fickle things. Some have noted that this same adoring crowd would within a week cry out "Crucify Him!"

Jesus rides a donkey into Jerusalem. Jesus fulfils all the hopes and dreams of people even though He comes to people out of obscurity and very humbly. He is indeed worthy of praise and is more easily praised in the midst of the crowd.

Father, help us to recognise who Jesus really is and the times when He is working in our lives for our good. Help us to walk with Christ humbly, not seeking our pre-eminence, but living in a way that brings glory to You even though it brings none to us.

The Gleaning Solution

The Scriptures have some significant things to say about caring for the poor and oppressed that might challenge even the most acceptable social policy... 

"...you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother" (Deut. 15:7).

"Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker..." (Prov. 14:31)

And while charity is commended as an act of compassion toward the poor, it seems that the Scriptures particularly condemn the oppression of the poor. One of the most insidious oppressions of the poor is to deprive them of hope. One of the means of hope for the poor is to give them opportunities.

Interestingly, the Scriptures indicate that God regards the solution to poverty as fairness ("justice") leading to opportunities. This is particularly illustrated in the instructions to 'the blessed' to allow 'the poor' to glean their fields. 

¶ “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 23:22)

Why didn't God command that the wealthy farmer simply go back and harvest the gleanings to give to the poor waiting outside their gate?

Is it fair ("just") to expect the poor to take advantage of the opportunity presented to them to alleviate their poor conditions?

The next time you pray for your needs to be met you might want to consider that God answers such prayers with provision but more likely with an opportunity. Consider that God's Word prescribes "the Gleaning Solution".

Who Was the 8th King of Revelation 17?

 The first 19 chapters of the Book of Revelation are fulfilled. Written by John around 65AD, the Book of Revelation made some stunningly amazing predictions of the immediate future of Jerusalem and Christianity. So accurately did it predict the events which would unfold over the coming months that it surely causes the reader to marvel at the obvious and glorious way it could only be the result of Divine Inspiration.
For example, in Revelation 17 it describes the imminent destruction of Jerusalem by one of the "seven kings" who is "an eighth king" and belongs to the "ten kings."

they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings... (Revelation 17:10-12a)

In 65AD, there had indeed been the succession of five kings of Rome (1. Julius; 2. Augustus; 3. Tiberius; 4. Claudius; 5. Caligula) and the sixth king Nero, was now reigning and creating havoc for both Jerusalem and Christians throughout the Empire. And indeed the his successor, Vespasian, would eventually put Jerusalem to "destruction". Vespasian was amazingly the next Emperor of the United Roman Empire, making him the 7th king. But before he took office there were three would-be Emperors, Galba, Otho and Vitelius, who in one way constituted an attempt to unite the Empire under their kingship. In this sense, Vespasian was "an eighth king". But if these three would-be Emperors are counted individually, then Vespasian was one of the "ten kings".

John's apocalyptic prophecy of the immediate future of his people was therefore uncannily fulfilled. I discuss this, and other amazing historic references to the complete fulfilment of Revelation chapters 1 - 19 in my eBook- "The Most Embarrassing Book In The Bible - Understanding The Book of Revelation" available from www.andrewcorbett.net.


Andrew Corbett

The Leader's Tool-Belt

A LEADER'S TOOLBELT

Leadership involves helping people to achieve an objective. In this sense, parents are leaders since they are helping their children reach the objective of responsible maturity. Husbands are leaders since they are helping their wives achieve the objective of bliss. Team captains are leaders since they are helping their team achieve their best performance. Every leader, no matter what the context of their leadership, needs a "toolbelt". In their toolbelt they have tools ready for helping people. Let's do a toolbelt check...

Romans 15:5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,

TOOL #1 Prayer

Notice what Paul the apostle seemed to have in his leadership toolbelt based on Romans 15:5? Firstly, he had prayer. He prayed for those he was trying to help. Good leaders are good pray-ers. Parents pray for their children. Husbands pray for their wives. Team leaders pray for their teams.

TOOL #2 Pace

But note what else Paul seemed to have in leadership toolbelt. He was praying for his readers to endure. Leaders help their team go the distance. They do all they can to pace those they are helping. This involves knowing when to ask for more, and when to help them rest well. Endurance is best achieved with a marathon attitude rather than a sprint attitude. But it is a marathon attitude that is punctuated by times of intensity and times of restful celebration. When our family went on our last driving holiday to Queensland, Ruby was only 2 years old. To maximise everyone's ability to enjoy the trip as well the destination we travelled only a few hours a day and took a leisurely pace rather than our usual 12 hours a day of driving. The result was that we stopped and stayed in towns along the Newell Highway that we would never have enjoyed otherwise. Years later we still recollect moments from that holiday and how enjoyable it was.

TOOL #3 Praise

Leaders encourage. When a Dad says to his son or daughter after they've given their best, "Well done. I'm proud of you!"- it carries enormous weight. A leader's encouragement can lift spirits, inspire effort, and impart satisfaction for unappreciated work. But this kind of encouragement is not always as direct as some leaders might think. It often comes in the form of indirect comments that shows that the leader has noticed or that they have been thoughtful. A leader asks questions of those they help. A leader comments not only on the finished work but on the amount of effort invested. A leader listens to a discouraged team member and understands that they are stressed about something other than what they might be complaining about. They then say something that both affirms their team member and invites their team member to be truly honest about what is really troubling them. Many employers have had cranky staff members complain about their work conditions only to later find out that their marriage was under great strain or that their child was recently diagnosed with cancer. There was another point in my pastoral ministry when I was discouraged and feeling low. A senior leader I greatly respected listened to me say how hard it was to grow our church in Legana. After listening to me whinge he offered no advice but he did say one 7-word sentence that filled my inspiration tank for about the next few years.

TOOL #4 Harmony

Leaders help their team to get along. They diffuse disagreements. They correct those team members who cause division. They keep their team united by reminding them of the big picture ("the vision') and the real point to their efforts. Mums and Dads have to use this leadership tool all the time!

TOOL #5 Accordance

And finally, leaders need to have an ability to bring accordance to their team. The kind of accordance that is needed is with Jesus Christ. Often a team member may be out of sorts because they are out of accord with Jesus Christ. A wise leader will encourage his team member to share what they sense the Lord is saying to them or doing in their life. This leader may also invite their team member to pray with them and to seek Christ for His leading and direction.

The leader's tool-belt carries prayer, pace, praise, harmony and accordance. Used wisely, we are are better able to achieve our objective of growing in Christ, knowing Him and making Him known.

Philippians 2:2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Father, please us each to know when to use the right tool to help others. I pray that we can all be better leaders. Help us as a church provide helpful leadership to our communities, schools, workplaces and homes. In Jesus' Name,

Amen

Is The God of The Bible Good?

Is the God of the Bible worth knowing? Christians claim that He is a loving, kind, and gracious God. But others who have read the Bible see a different description for God. They see the God of the Bible as mean, violent, abusive, cruel, and unfair. The God of the Bible is vicious God who is simply not worth knowing, they cry. There probably is a God- but the Bible is not the revelation of that God, they claim. At stake is:

(1) The entire credibility of Christianity,
(2) The validity of the Bible as the Inerrant/Inspired/Unique Revelation from God, and
(3) (Potentially) God's reputation.

This is therefore not just an issue for apologists like myself to answer, but a critical issue for every Christian to be able to reasonably respond to...[read the full article] 

Great Leaders Do This

A LEADER'S ROUTINE

As we read the stories of the Bible we read the stories of leaders. Nearly all of these great leaders started out as ordinary people with little to no formal leadership training. But they share certain things in common. They all had a sense of destiny. They then had a sense of the importance of their part in history. But it seems that the great leaders did two particular things that made them exceptional. Today these two tasks are essential for a leader, whether it be a Dad or Mum, Employer or Team Leader, to becoming a great leader.

Firstly, they allocated. They allocated time (to think and implement) and resources to fulfil the task and provisions for the journey. Consider King David's leadership. We read in the Psalms just how often he would go out and look up at the night sky and ponder. We read at other times he would go into the Tabernacle to meditate on God's Word and pray. It was during these allocated times that he met with and heard God. Then consider how he prepared his son, Solomon, to build the Temple. David allocated resources over the years to make Solomon's job easier. We've just about completed a building project at Legana without borrowings. This would just not have been possible if over the past few years we had not been allocating funds - even though the amounts were not initially large - to make this project a reality. Too many churches are ill-prepared for the future because they have not allocated in the present.

First Chronicles 29:19 Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision.”

As followers of Christ it is imperative that we allocate time to devote to pondering the things of God's Word. This "devotional" time is what helps prepare our souls to be able to more likely hear God's whispers.

Secondly, great leaders routinise. They develop routines. They are not erratic. When they get up in a morning they have their routine. During the day, they have certain routines. Certain days have certain routines. Certain situations trigger certain routines. Of course they are flexible enough to adapt their routines to changing circumstances, but look a little closer at a good and flexible leader and you'll see their routines. I remember going to hear Bill Hybels when he came to our city. Bill is one of the greatest pastors of all time with an amazing mix of leadership, preaching, and administrative gifts. But the thing that stood out to me when he was here was not the impressive display of these world-class gifts but: his routines. He spoke of doing his regular 5km morning walk by taking adavantage of the Zig Zag track at Cataract Gorge (one of the most beautiful walking tracks on the planet). He referred to his disciplined eating routine where he refused snack between meals and would not eat fatty foods. Having done a little bit of ministry travel in the past and with an upcoming trip to the USA in the next few weeks, I know just how difficult it can be to maintain home-grounded routines. But great leaders do. Who remembers seeing the former Prime Minister of Australia doing his morning walk no matter which city he woke up in? Leaders develop routines.

As followers of Christ it is imperative that we develop the routine of starting our days in fellowship with God through prayer and His Word. When we as a family sit down for a meal we have a routine. We hold hands and give thanks to the Lord for the food He has provided and for the company He has allowed us to enjoy it with. But there is a need for each of us to develop a private routine of devotion with Christ. Jesus called this routine of prayer and devotion our "secret place" (Matthew 6:6).

Luke 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Allocating and Routinising are the two essential qualities of organisation. Organised people are able to get more out of their days because they don't have to waste as much time as those who haven't allocated a place for their car keys, shoes, or sunglasses, or wallet. It is my goal to become more organised. As my life seems to be getting busier, I find I must take more "time out" to allocate where I put things, how I save for those items on my wish-list, how I plan for my future and how I delegate. And I want to develop a healthier routines that save me time in the long run. I hope that in our church we have growing leaders who develop the abilities to allocate time with their teams and routinise procedures, training, and fellowship. I think this is one of our biggest challenges that we are facing. If we get it right, we'll continue to grow and the beneficiaries will be those people who are looking for hope, answers, love and acceptance.

Father, please help us to stretch and grow in ways that will bring us closer to Christ and better able to represent Him. By Your Grace give us the ability to develop the ongoing ability to allocate what You have already given us and what we will need for the future. Show us how to discipline our lives for Your glory by developing the kind of routines that will build your Word into our lives and cause us to grow stronger in our relationships with others and especially You. Help us to become increasing aware of the needs of others around us so that You can use us to minister Your hope, answers, love and acceptance to the many people You bring into our lives. In Jesus' Name,

Amen

Hard Work And The Soul

Do you know someone who is obviously well organised and highly productive? Chances are they work hard. These people tend to make "to do" lists. If we could see their lists we would see that the tasks they have listed for actioning reflect some clear goals they have. Over the past four months in particular I have watched several key people work very hard on two building projects. Each of these people have started their days early, proceeded through their days without wasting time and ended their days organising their next day's work. I have witnessed these amazing people combine two not-so-common activities: hard work and productivity. This contrasts with those who are busy and highly active yet not really productive.

First Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 

In the "old days" hard work meant physical activity. These days, "hard work" means thinking plus acting. It involves thinking ahead, planning and organising necessary help before its needed. But this thinking also requires implementation. Knowing what to do does not make it happen. Planning for something to happen does not make it happen. Hard work involves doing something that has to be done - even though you may not want to do it - in order to achieve what you want.

While this is true in very practical matters, it is also true in spiritual matters. Paul the apostle could say that he worked hard for the Lord. He exerted himself in spiritual activity by grace. Paul knew that salvation was not a matter of hard work- but God's grace. But he also knew that this same grace enabled him to work hard for the Lord. Perhaps this meant that there were times for Paul when praying was hard, but the grace of God enabled him to sacrifice his time, energy and sleep in order to prayerfully conduct his ministry. Perhaps there were times when Paul was exhausted and didn't feel like writing another epistle or preaching another sermon or witnessing to another seeker- but something within him enabled him at those moments to work hard.

John 4:34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

I believe, like the Reformers, that God is sovereign but I also understand what they meant when they described the Christian response to God's Sovereignty as the Protestant Work Ethic. These Reformers understood that God's grace enabled believers to work harder than they otherwise could. They regarded work as an act of worship to God. Work was a God-given means for man to find meaning for his existence. The Christian Work Ethic meant that believers in particular applied themselves more diligently to their contribution to a society's economy in the fields of enterprise, education and entertainment. Those believers who were employees should work hard for their employers by turning up earlier than required, staying longer than asked, and working consistently without the need for supervision.

Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men

Ephesians 6:5-8 ¶ Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

The generation of believers who came after the Reformers were known as the Puritans. They coined expressions extolling the spiritual benefits of hard work and decrying the spiritual affect of laziness. "Idle hands are the Devil's tools", "Labora Ut Requiescas" (Latin: Work hard so that ye will rest). A casual reading of the Book of Proverbs makes it clear that laziness, sloth, idleness, are bad for the soul. Hard work, that combination of well planned organisation and diligent implementation, is good for the soul. When a person is deprived of an opportunity to work (whether paid or unpaid) they can suffer all kinds of maladies, none the least: depression. Depression is the removal of hope's light to a soul. It discourages. It deceives. It consumes. The Bible prescribes an antidote: hard work. Geoffrey Norman once wrote, "A lot of what passes for depression these days is nothing more than a body saying that it needs work." "Employment", said Galen, "is nature's physician, and is essential to human happiness."

If you want to kill time, try working it to death. 

~ Sam Levonson

Work is good for the soul. Much of our modern economy is built upon a type of work that can be done without passion. The type of work that is good for the soul is the type of work that we can do "heartily" (Col. 3:23). Whether this is digging ditches, cleaning the house, weeding the garden, designing web pages, serving a customer, baking a cake, selling a house, servicing a car, or writing a report, work can be done with passion and enthusiasm. This type of work results in a positive, healthy pride-

Romans 15:17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.

During times of dire need the believer often cries out to God for miraculous provision. The way God usually answers this cry for help is spelt: w-o-r-k. Consider how the poor were to be treated under the Old Covenant. Rather than just giving them charity, God commanded that farmers harvest their fields once and allow the poor to glean the rest. God's answer to the predicament of the poor was not just charity, but work. Naturally, those who ignore this principle of work and attempt to gain by theft are not only injuring others, but they are damaging their own souls.

Ephesians 4:28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

It therefore goes without saying that believers should work honestly without stealing either time, cash or property from their employers. Hard work from a believer is done for their employer as if they were working directly for the Lord (Col. 3:23). Perhaps for those believers who have an opinion of God's provision being only supernatural it might be time to consider that God normatively provides for His children by giving them work to do. Like me, you probably already have a lot of work to do. Some of this work, if not most of it, is maintenance- the type of work that needs to be done just to keep things normal. I have a small list of these jobs that need doing around my house. I have another list of jobs that I would like to do around my house. I then develop an action plan (how I will implement the completion of these jobs). In my pastoral duties I also work with lists. I recently bought some software (called "Things") which helps me to plan and organise these work items. This brings me back where I started. Hard work involves clear thinking and the effort of clear implementation. I'm not really interested in being "busy", but I am committed to working hard.
Father, thank You for Your saving grace. I pray that this saving grace will help me to work hard for Your glory. Lord, when I get an attack of the lazies, help me to overcome this with the kind of attitude that spurs me to reluctant motivation to what has to be done. Even when I am tired, help me to keep going knowing that working for You is my rest. Father, help me to plan, organise, and resource my life better so that I can be more productive in what You have assigned to me. In all my busyness may I not overlook people and their needs. May I feel Your heart for people and be filled with compassion to speak Your encouraging words and truth. May You use me to inspire those around me to have a "can do" spirit. In Jesus' Name, 
Amen

WITHIN THE PALE OF ORTHODOXY...

Getting The Big Rocks In The Jar First

First Timothy 6:3-4a If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.

The professor had a jar of sand, a jar of stones, and container of rocks. He asked a student to come forward and empty the contents into a jar not too much bigger than the ones already on the table. The student emptied the jar of sand into the jar and could then only empty about half of the stones into the jar. The professor asked the student if it was possible to fit the rest of the stones and the rocks into the jar. This question seemed ridiculous to all present and met with an emphatic and humoured "No!"

The professor then placed on the table duplicate jars of sand and stones along with a duplicate empty jar. Instead of putting in the sand first, he placed the rocks into the empty jar. He then poured in all the stones. Giving the jar a tap he then poured in all the sand. The students were amazed. The professor then uttered these profound words: Always get the big rocks in the jar first!

John 6:29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Jesus Christ said that the most important work of God a person can do is to believe in Him. Not do penance. Not make sacerdotal confession. Not meditate. Not fast. Not join a church. Just, believe right. What we believe can be of eternal consequence. What is believed is referred to as "doctrine". It is a person's doctrine that determines how they live. For example, with the exception of a certain man named Clark, if a person has a doctrine that flying bullets can not hurt them they will enter a war-zone differently than most soldiers. Similarly, if a person believes that God requires a person to add their own religious efforts to Christ's redeeming work, then they will serve God with a completely different heart and mind than the person who believes they can can add nothing to the salvation unfairly bestowed upon them by God.

In the formative years of the church, the first sixteen centuries, the Church met in Councils to assess whether certain doctrines being introduced agreed with Scripture. Sometimes the governing bodies themselves were challenged by those who considered that they had veered from the teaching of Scripture. This is what happened during the period known as the Reformation. Beginning with John Wyclif who dared to make the Bible available to the common person by translating it into English, it continued with William Tyndale and culminated with Martin Luther. These men saw something in Scripture that led them to conclude that the Roman Catholic Church had gone beyond the pale of orthodox Biblical doctrine. This led several of the Reformers to write a systemised collection of Biblical doctrine where they pieced together what the revealed will of God in the Scriptures was for people seeking to please its Divine Author.
One of the most prolific of these authors was Martin Luther. He wrote commentaries, polemics (long articles that defended a Biblical position), and several significant hymns. The other was John Calvin who wrote a four book set called The Institutes Of The Christian Religion (I recently went through a course of 28 lectures on 'The Institutes' from Covenant Seminary). These writers and Christian thinkers saw that the Bible provided certain essential doctrines that led to a sound faith and practice of that Christian faith. John Calvin was particularly interested in getting the order of these doctrines in a logical sequence. He saw that Scripture itself seemed to reveal certain doctrines in order and also stressed some as being more important for faith and practice than others. For example, at times Calvin says that there are some things Scripture is silent about and therefore the believer should not too be curious about those issues.

There are some essential doctrines that are necessary for correct belief unto salvation. But within these essential doctrines there is scope for a range of Biblically possible opinions. We might call this range- being within the pale of orthodoxy. We might state these essential beliefs and their scope of opinion as-

DOCTRINE	On One Hand	On The Other Hand
1. God is Creator	God created everything quickly only a few thousand years ago (Creationism)	God patiently created in successive epochs beginning with the Big Bang (Progressive Creation/Intelligent Design)
2. Man was created innocent but rebelled	God created mankind in His image with the ability to choose good or evil, to respond to the Creator in voluntary love or to disobey and despise the Creator.	God ordained that mankind would use his freedom to rebel and introduce sin into the human race.
3. God has provided redemption for mankind	God redeemed an ethically distinct group, Israel, and His plan of redemption is largely about them.	God established under the Old Covenant precursers to His Ultimate Redemption of people through Christ in the New Covenant.
4. This redemption is made available on the basis of God's grace	We must choose to accept God's offer by turning from our sin, confessing Christ as Saviour and living a sanctified life. We are then made a child of God and assured of right standing before God for all eternity thus securing our home in heaven and the resurrection of the righteous.	God must open the eyes of a sinner for them to be regenerated and call out to God for salvation and forgiveness from their sins. We can add nothing to the salvation of our souls that God hasn't already made available to believers through Christ's finished work of redemption. Our regeneration and adoption by God assures us that we will live with Him forever both in heaven and in the Resurrection.
5. God has revealed Himself and His will to mankind	This is through nothing other than the Scriptures, the 66 Books of the Bible. Scripture is the only authority on earth for the believer.	This is through the 'book' of nature (what God has created), the Canon of Scripture, and the person of Jesus Christ. Scripture is highest authority on earth for the believer.
6. God has sent His Holy Spirit into the world	The extraordinary activity of the Holy Spirit such as miracles, signs and wonders including the charismatic gifts of First Corinthians 12 have ceased. The main role of the Holy Spirit today is conviction of sin and encouragement for faithfulness. There is however no subsequent experience to salvation with the Holy Spirit for the believer.	The Holy Spirit is still active miraculously as God's grace directs including the spiritual gifts of tongues and prophecy and the like as mentioned in First Corinthians 12. He guides the believer, illuminates the Scriptures, and convicts the sinner. He also baptises the believer subsequent to regeneration that some believe is initially evidenced by speaking in tongues.
7. Jesus Christ will return	This will be in two parts with the first being the rapture of the church and the second being His return to vanquish at Armageddon and set up his earthly kingdom ruling from Jerusalem. This will probably happen imminently.	As the ancient creeds state, Jesus shall return to judge the living and the dead. But this could be a long way off into the future so in the meantime while we look forward to His return we do not make ourselves idle but rather we labour to extend His Kingdom while we wait.
8. Christ has established the Church	All believers must belong to a church for their faith in Christ to be regarded as genuine.	All believers are baptised into the Body of Christ at their conversion and are called to come together as a prayerful, Word-based, Spirit-led community of Christ glorifiers who freely submit to the God appointed leadership that Christ has ordained to provide oversight and care.

Within our church we probably have views on these doctrines that fall between the acceptable pale of orthodoxy. Our doctrinal objective is not merely Scriptural precision but Scriptural practice. We want to live out the freedom that comes from pleasing God through right belief. These 8 doctrines are what we might consider "big rocks": God is Creator / Man was created free and good / Man fell / God has redeemed through Christ / God has revealed these things through the uniquely authoritative Scriptures / The Holy Spirit empowers the believer and convicts the world at times through signs and wonders / Jesus Christ is Lord of LORDS and will one day return / Christ has established His Church for the growth and care of the believer. By getting the big rocks of belief into the jar of our heart-mind we are better able to do the work that the Father requires of us- to believe in His Son for our salvation. The other things, well they might just be sand that will find their place among the rocks. The trick is to love your brother and fellowship with him despite the grit of this left-over sand between you.

Father, help us to read Your Word and understand it. Help us to obey it not because we have to but because we desperatey want to please You. Lord, show us Your will and make us able to do it. Please grant that our lives can be fruitful, holy, and attractive for You. Give us the wisdom to know what the 'big rocks' of Biblical doctrine are and how we are to respond to those who have different opnions from ours. In Jesus' Name,
Amen