Churches Need Chemistry

It takes chemistry to make a relationship work. Apart from a family, there is no where that strong relationships are more necessary than a church. And for a church to grow and thrive it needs leaders who know how to build strong relationships. This ability to get along with others is what we mean by 'chemistry'.

complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
Philippians 2:2-3

In Philippians 2, the Apostle Paul calls for believers to get along in the attitude of Christ's humility. And it takes humility to get along with others. There are times when people may just be irritating. Our most natural response to people who irritate us is an automatic reflex of pride. But this is bad relationship chemistry. Producing good relational chemistry at a time like this - by responding in humility- does not come naturally. It requires practicing the grace of God.

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

...IT TAKES COMPETENCE, CHARACTER, & CHEMISTRY TO BE SUCCESSFUL

For a church to be successful (Church-Success=winning souls to Christ, growing fully-devoted passionate followers of Christ, equipping believers to ~ fulfil their God-given ministries ~ pray ~ read and heed their Bibles, building a legacy of faith for generations to come, and to develop a vigorous community of faith) it requires organisation. Under the Old Covenant when God organised the Community of Law, He ordered that the clans of the Levites be assigned very specific responsibilities which included who was to carry the tent, who was to carry the fence, who was to carry the furniture, when they moved their camp. Under the New Covenant, God has organised the Community of Faith according to His giftings. Competence matters when it comes to church leaders. But competence alone can only take a church so far.

If a competent leader has an undisciplined character, no matter how gifted they may be, it will all come to nothing once their character is exposed. In Australia we have just witnessed a media circus regarding the Civil Law case of a young woman who was sexually harassed by the CEO of the corporation she worked for. What made this $32M Law Suit all the more intriguing was that the CEO had done a stellar job at turning the fortunes of this company around. Under his management, the share price of his company had almost doubled. Sales were up. Profits were soaring. But this extremely talented, high-performing, CEO had a character deficiency. Another recent case of character not matching competency is occurring now in America. A charismatic pastor of an Atlanta church had seen his small church of a couple of hundred people grow to over 30,000. He had built one of the largest churches in the USA. But he is now facing four charges of sexual molestation. Competency comes to less than nothing when character can not sustain the charisma of the leader. But on a much more frequently occurring scale, in churches all around the world, there are people who all too readily uproot themselves from churches where a pastor or leader attempts to disciple their character deficiency. Instead of responding in humility (Phil. 2:3), they react in pride.

Great churches are churches of great leaders. Great leaders within a church are people who have accepted and developed their God-given gifts (competency) as well as having their character discipled through learning to respond to correction with humility and to shun private temptation. This is why family health (where relationships within the family are good) and church health (where relationships within a church are good) are intrinsically linked. It's why Paul wrote to Timothy that a leader within a church must-

...manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? First Timothy 3:4-5

Effective leaders have developed their abilities and their character. But a leader can only achieve so much, and can only grow so far, without the third component necessary for fulfilling potential: chemistry.

...RELATIONAL CHEMISTRY

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1Th. 5:11)

The thing that separates good church from great churches - and, good leaders from great leaders - is chemistry. Chemistry is the ability to adjust to different people so that you can get along with them. People who have learned to do relational chemistry know that you have to make allowances for certain people. They've learned how to start a conversation with the shy. They've learned how to read the non-verbal cues that people send out. They've learned the importance of turning up for birthdays. weddings, funerals, parent-teacher interviews, staff get-togethers, club AGMs, their children's school sports carnivals, Neighborhood Watch meetings, Rotary meetings, and public forums. They've learned that chemistry is built by firstly showing hospitality before receiving it.

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor...
Live in harmony with one another... 
Romans 12:10, 16

Developing relational chemistry takes practice. It involves listening, observing, apologising, spending time, prayer, sacrifice, and patience. Even though the price is high, the dividends are enormous.

By learning how to develop our abilities (competency) with our character and our relational chemistry we are setting ourselves up to fulfil our potential as the person God has created us to be.

In a family, especially a large family, relationship chemistry is employed intuitively. There are times when another family member is going through a tough time and the other family members have to compensate. Many husbands have learned that the relationship chemistry needed with their wife involves: not taking offence when their wife becomes routinely negative (due to her body chemistry changing); spending time alone together talking; buying her flowers; writing her a love-note; giving her chocolate. And what family gathering over a Christmas lunch doesn't have an embarrassing aunt or uncle which requires other family members to use relationship chemistry order to compensate for them?

The same kind of relational chemistry is needed in a church. There will be times when someone in your church will upset you, ignore you, disappoint you, or fail to thank you. At these times, you need relational chemistry to forgive and to forbear. If you are struggling to be able to do this, you need to know that it is not difficult - it is impossible! You need God's grace. God's grace enables us to do what we can not do by ourselves! There will also be times when you will upset someone, disappoint someone, or fail to thank someone. It's times like these that you need relational chemistry to rebuild strained relationships.

Ultimately we need to develop the right relationship chemistry with God. If our relationship with God is not what it should be, it will show in how we relate to others. A vibrant relationship with God leads to a vibrant relationship with others. We forgive to the degree we have been forgiven and love to the degree we are loved (Luke 7:47). When we are open to God's correction, quick to confess our sin, walking humbly before Him transparently, we will feel His Holy Spirit leading us to develop stronger relationship chemistry.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Philippians 2:4-7

Over the next few months as the Lord brings in hurting and broken people, we will need to show them chemical relational grace. Rather than jumping on them for using the wrong language, or for not abstaining from unwholesome things, or for being involved in inappropriate relationships, we compensate with relational chemistry. We may need to exercise relationship chemistry when one of our brothers or sisters is battling with their own relationship strain or perhaps battling an unannounced terminal illness. But a word of warning: Paul the Apostle in writing to the Corinthians about showing relational grace to a repentant member warned them that Satan's main weapon against the Church was bitterness and unforgiveness (2Cor. 2:10-11). Satan promotes relationship strain. God has given His life for relationship renewal. This is why a Church with a heart after God is a church that promotes competency, character, and chemistry.

Lord Jesus, You have called us to be salt and light to this world that more often than not rejects You, Your Word, Your will and Your ways. Help us to fear You and to not be intimidated by the opinions of men. May we be shaped by Your Word and Your Holy Spirit. Help us to develop the qualities found in Romans 12:9-21 which demands that we humble ourselves, love Your church, care for the world, and serve each other. Increase our saltiness. When we fail, bring us nearer to You than where we have to be in order to fail You. Forgive us for sins. Cleanse our hearts and fill us afresh with Your Spirit to Your Salt and Light to the World.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Amen.

Ps. Andrew

7 PURPOSES OF THE CHURCH

Why does our church exist? Before we can answer this we need to answer the bigger question: Why does the Church exist? Time and time again we hear some preachers say that the only reason the Church exists is to evangelise the lost. While this is necessary and perhaps paramount, it is not the only reason the Church exists.

Any local church must have a heart for people and especially the people beyond it's own. We must care deeply with Christ's love for all people to come to know God and His salvation. We should pray for those who have not yet received the grace of God's salvation to do so. We should be ready to share with people the Good News of God's loving rescue mission on their behalf. When we meet together, particularly on Sundays, we should be prayerfully seeking to welcome in any who do not yet know Christ - whether they be completely unaware of Christ and the Gospel, or whether they are a backslidden prodigal wondering if they can come home. But this is not the start and the end of a church's purpose. In some smaller communities it is literally possible to have presented the Gospel to the same people many times without them receiving it. If we reason that the church only exists to evangelise, then a church in a situation like this might wonder what their ongoing purpose would be. But I would like to suggest 7 good reasons why the Church (universal=Church) exists and then briefly explore how this is manifested in a local church (local=church).

1. To be a community of worshipers declaring God's praises.

even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. (Eph. 1:4-6)

We are created to worship and easiest way we worship is focus on God by singing. Singing and music is far more powerful than most realise. It has the power to transform lives. It has spiritual power that can result in salvation, healing, blessing, deliverance, and revelation. It is all the more powerful when we sing in the midst of the congregation with the congregation.

saying,
“I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” (Heb. 2:12)

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2. To bring reconciliation to a wounded society.

that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. (2Cor. 5:19)

The Church models reconciliation. We are comprised of people who were formally hostile to each other. But Christ ha broken down the dividing walls between us and reconciled us to be one new people. We bring healing to wounded souls by firstly reconciling them to God and then to each other. "Love your neighbour as yourself" demands that we care enough for our community that we get involved in bring help and healing to our society. This is why we encourage everyone in our church to get involved in the marketplace, our parliament, their school, hospitals, nursing homes, sporting clubs, Neighbourhood Watch, and any other groups that provides a practical opportunity to love thy neighbour.

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3. To express the manifold grace of God through spiritual gifts to one another.

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:(1Peter 4:10)

God has ordained that the usual way His grace (provision for our need) is ministered to us is for it to come through His Body, the members of His Church. We all have needs. Some of these needs can be met by the immediate grace of God on our lives, but more often than not, God ministers His grace through others to us. This is a major purpose for the Church. We ache with those who ache and rejoice with those who rejoice (Rom. 12), but we also minister to each other the grace God has given each us. John Piper suggests that since God graces some with certain gift-ministries, such as healing, we should look to those who have this grace on their lives to particularly lay hands on and pray for the ill.

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4. To teach a generation the ways, will and Word of God.

and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2Tim. 2:2)

The Old Testament is replete with stories of how one faithful generation failed to teach and train the next generation and society was made the worse for it! Someone has said that takes about 3 generations to implement a positive social change among a society but only 1 generation to implement a negative change. The local church exists to teach the ways, will and Word of God in conjunction with its other 6 purposes.

5. To nurture the faith of believers to Christlikeness in a community of love, acceptance, and forgiveness.

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1Th. 5:11)

The local church is the means of God to develop a community of love, acceptance, and forgiveness. Whenever you have anything to do with people you are going to have to learn to get along! The local church is called by God to be the community where this modelled.

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor...
Live in harmony with one another... (Romans 12:10, 16)

6. To announce God's Word prophetically to the world.

The local church is called to be in the world but not of the world. This will sometimes mean that we take a stand against positions put forward by our rulers when these decisions are against the express will of God for a society.

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. (Eph. 5:11)

Matt. 5:13 ¶ “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.Matt. 5:14 ¶ You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden."

7. To preach the Gospel to a lost and dying world.

Rom. 10:13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Rom. 10:14 ¶ But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

It is my hope that we can be even more fruitful in our witnessing and evangelism. But it is not the only reason that you and I comprise a local church. There are at least 7 good reasons to be a part of a local church that are instrinsic to God's plan for the world. At Legana we sum all of these purposes into four statements: To Enthrone - To Encourage - To Empower - To Engage.These are 7 good purposes for us to be focussed on for the glory of God. And this brings us to the ultimate purpose for any local church: the glory of God (Eph. 3:21).

Lord Jesus, You have called us to be salt and light to this world that more often than not rejects You, Your Word, Your will and Your ways. Help us to fear You and to not be intimidated by the opinions of men. May we be shaped by Your Word and Your Holy Spirit. Help us to develop the qualities found in Romans 12:9-21 which demands that we humble ourselves, love Your church, care for the world, and serve each other. Increase our saltiness. When we fail, bring us nearer to You than where we have to be in order to fail You. Forgive us for sins. Cleanse our hearts and fill us afresh with Your Spirit to Your Salt and Light to the World.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Amen.

Ps. Andrew

Salt And Light

What would the world look like without the Church? For all its faults, failings and abuses, the Church is still the best hope the world has. It gives birth to emissaries of tenacious practical vision who possess the rare quality of turning impossible dreams into reality. The results have looked like: civil governments, international peace-treaties, the abolition of the British slave-trade, schools for the poor, universities, hospitals, and a free press. Added to this have come some of the greatest contributions in the Arts, Academia, Literature, Leadership, Commerce and Communication. The Church is at its best when it not only cares deeply for the world but rolls up its sleeves and shows that care by being the "salt" and the "light" to the world that Christ called us to be.

In our day, salt adds flavour to food. But in the Disciples' day, salt preserved food. Christ calls us, His followers, the Church, to salt our society. We are charged by Christ to do all we can to make decency, kindness, fairness, justice, compassion, and morality the standards for our society. But we demonstrate and model these standards for society as well. Thus, we not only hold society accountable we are also held to account by society regarding these standards. Understanding this tension helps us to appreciate that what some people mean by "the separation of Church and State". While this expression was originally intended to refer to the non-interference of the Church in the running of the State and vice versa, some in the State would rather redefine it to mean: We, the State, will hold you, the Church, accountable, but you shall not dare to hold us accountable.

Matt. 5:13 ¶ “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. 

Matt. 5:14 ¶ You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden."

The charge by Christ to His Church to be "salt" - a preservative of God's standards in society - is why we want to have a conversation with our society and especially with those in our society who determine Public Policy. It's why I wrote to each Tasmanian politician who was victorious at the last Federal Election to both congratulate them and let them know that we are praying for them. This gesture is a sincere attempt on my part to let our re-elected (or newly elected) politicians know that we care- about them, and our society at large.

First Timothy 3:15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of truth.

The Apostle Paul reminds believers that their conduct within the church must model the truth for society (1Tim 3:15). We are salt to each other before we are salt to society. It is our collective aim to work together to ensure that our local church is strong, vibrant, and a source of inspiration to a generation of "salties" who will enact God-given dreams for a better society. We can do this by having hearts yielded to God and His Word, having souls saturated in His grace, and demeanors that are refined through the fires of trials/resolved-misunderstandings/offences-overlooked. These qualities of a strong, vibrant community of believers are found in Romans 12:9-21 (our Biblical Constitution).

As we inspire a generation of salty saints we can expect to see some of them take up positions of influence and others to get alongside those in positions of influence. Both types of salties will benefit from the wisdom of other seasoned salty saints, such as Kevin Andrews' list of 10 things every Christian wishing to influence politicians should know. Still others may end up being a salty witness for Christ to the world in their workplace, school, or kitchen.

Eph. 5:11 (NLT) Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them.

You don't have to be a perfect example of salt or light in order to be salt or light to the world. None of us are. But we can model to the world what it looks like for fallen, failed, people to be redeemed and walking in God's grace. The fact that we can demonstrate to the world what genuine grief and contrition for our sin looks like actually makes our witness even more "salty". This is why we need each other. It's why meeting together Sunday by Sunday is critically important. It's why God especially graces His people when they meet together and surrender their lives and God-given gifts to God for the benefit of each other. This is how we ensure our saltiness.

Lord Jesus, You have called us to be salt and light to this world that more often than not rejects You, Your Word, Your will and Your ways. Help us to fear You and to not be intimidated by the opinions of men. May we be shaped by Your Word and Your Holy Spirit. Help us to develop the qualities found in Romans 12:9-21 which demands that we humble ourselves, love Your church, care for the world, and serve each other. Increase our saltiness. When we fail, bring us nearer to You than where we have to be in order to fail You. Forgive us for sins. Cleanse our hearts and fill us afresh with Your Spirit to Your Salt and Light to the World.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Amen.

Ps. Andrew

The Morality of Hell

 
By Dr Andrew Corbett

Heaven and Hell are commonly presented as either the benefit or the consequence of how a person responds to God. It's as if people think that the whole point of religion is to get people into Heaven and to keep them out of Hell. From this "religious" perspective, Heaven is Ultimate Bliss, Paradise, Perfect Beauty - while Hell is Fire, Eternal Punishment, Anguish, Torment, and The Devil's Domain.

In recent times there has come a lot of push-back regarding the very notion of Hell as it perceived by many. Among Christians who have rejected the classical view of Hell are several well-respected writers including John R.W. Stott, and George MacDonald. Responding to the resurgence of this idea, Dr Tony Campolo, in his last Evangelical work, "Speaking My Mind", argued that he was very emotionally drawn to accept the non-existence of Hell if it wasn't for the Scriptures!

In a recent YouTube exchange of viewer comments about one of my videos (not about this topic) the viewer was rather hostile to the notion of a God who would send anyone to Hell. But his comments went far beyond what is normally discussed around this issue. Most of the discussion about Hell has been about whether it exists and therefore whether Scripture actually teaches it. Those who propose that Hell does not exist fall into two general categories: (i) Annihilationists - those who do not go to Heaven simply cease to exist; and (ii) Universalists - everyone goes to Heaven. But this viewer was neither of these. He had read parts of the Bible and seen that it discusses Hell, eternal Judgment, and everlasting damnation for some. His objection then was not over Hell's existence but over the morality of a God who would sendanyone there. He argued that this made God worse than Stalin, Hitler and Pot combined. After all, he stated, how could a God who send someone to Hell to burn, be tormented, and be punished for eternity for a sin that took no time at all, be considered a loving, kind, worship-worthy God? Like a lot of 'debates' which are highly emotive, this YouTube exchange didn't produce an acceptable outcome for my viewer, but now that the digital dust has settled a little, I might be about to present a balanced case for the Biblical teaching on Hell which is hopefully less emotive...[read the full article]

A Watershed Moment For Tasmania

The appalling case of the prostitution of a twelve year old girl to over 100 men in Hobart Tasmania has outraged Tasmanians. This outrage has intensified in the last few days as it now appears unlikely that any charges will be laid against the men involved in hiring the girl. It's cases like these which serve to illustrate our intuitive sense of justice and especially when something is obviously unjust. The Director for Public Prosecutions (DPP) has stated that there may not be sufficient evidence to proceed with charges against the hirers of this girl. To be sure, based on what Mr Ellis has said, this would indeed be a difficult case to prosecute. But prosecute they must. That's why this is a watershed moment for Tasmania.

What is it about this case that riles most Tasmanians? While we joke about sex, entertain ourselves with sexually provocative films and music, read with interest about the "sex lives" of celebrities, and sponsor a multi-billion dollar para-sex industry (Porn), yet we are still disgusted when sex - even consensual sex - results in abuse. And so we should! This particular case is a good example of how we all share an intuitive knowledge of right and wrong - even though we may not be able to define what it is that is precisely 'immoral'. But sometimes, even Supreme Court Justices share our common inability to define what constitutes as "sexually immoral" -

In 1964, Justice Potter Stewart tried to explain "hard-core" pornography, or what is obscene, by saying, "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced . . . [b]ut I know it when I see it . . . "^[1]

This case will be difficult to prosecute because, according to Mercury Reporter Sue Neales-

Director of Public Prosecutions Tim Ellis is believed to be reluctant to charge clients of the child prostitute with the crime of under-age sex because of a lack of admissible evidence...But Mr Ellis believes that based on similar cases interstate and the evidence collected by Tasmania Police, a court would be unlikely to convict the men...The fact the girl was just 12 at the time the 120 men had sex with her is not by itself sufficient for charges to be laid.  Section 124 of the Criminal Code includes a sub-section making it a defence to anyone charged with having sex with a person under the age of 17 to argue that they believed on reasonable grounds that the person was an adult. In police interviews, most of the child's clients are believed to have claimed they thought the girl was older than 18.  Others claimed that while their names were in her appointment diary, they never turned up for the booking or, if they did, did not have sex with her.  "Sex With Girl Culprits To Get Off",    SUE NEALES   |   September 25, 2010 12.01am

WHY THIS CASE MUST PROCEED

This 12 year old was pimped by her Mum and her Mum's 'boyfriend', Gary Devine. The girl's 15 year sister was the one who recorded and managed the appointments. Both the Mum and Mr Devine have now been jailed for 10 years. But the men who also perpetrated the crimes may never be prosecuted. This sends a very, very bad message. It also raises questions about the purpose of judicial prosecution and the legislation such prosecutions are based on.

1. Do we pass Legislation purely on its ability to be enforced? Similarly, do we prosecute a case simply based on its likelihood of achieving a conviction? (Laws against murder and car theft are difficult to enforce at times.)
2. Do we recognise the connection between Legislation and 'morality'? It is a misnomer to think that you can not Legislate morality. You can only legislate morality (a definition of right conduct). The real question is, Whose morality are we legislating?
3. Is the educative role of Legislation considered? Because Legislation must be explained it actually serves to educate. I'm old enough to remember when Legislation was introduced making it compulsory for people to wear seat-belts while driving. I also remember the horrific advertising campaign associated with the Legislation showing ghastly car crashes and portraying victims being hurled through windscreens to a life of para- (or, quadra-) plegia. Today, putting our seat-belts on is almost an automatic reflex for drivers and their passengers. Arguably this is the result of the initial education campaign associated with the Legislation.
4. Can Legislation be passed based on a very specific case and be good Legislation? Legislation based on exceptional circumstances is nearly always bad legislation. Good Legislation must reflect good general principles which are consistent with the highest moral standards. In this particular case a number of principles are at play-  (i) Sexual activity with children is always detrimental to the child; (ii) Commodifying sexual activity grossly distorts its vital role in human intimacy; (iii) Hiring a person for sexual gratification is a form of casual slavery which is demeaning to the one being prostituted; and (iv) Participation in prostitution undermines marriages (present and future) which undermines families and therefore ultimately societies. 

In this particular case, the services of the girl were advertised in a newspaper. The ad was made to sound like the girl was 18 and available as an "escort." Beyond Abuse spokesman, Mr Steve Fisher, rightly said that the 100 men should be charged (Mercury, Bruce Mounster's report: Anger At Child Sex Case End, 27th September 2010). But bewilderingly, he called for the "Sex Industry" to be de-criminalised and regulated-

Mr Fisher called for the decriminalisation and regulation of the sex industry. 

Efforts by the Government to legalise the trade failed to get Upper House support in 2003. 

The Government instead banned brothels, while allowing sex workers to work privately from hotel rooms. 

"We need some form of regulation so they know what's going on where," Mr Fisher said.

One wonders whether this same principle (Since we can't stop it, and even though we know it's bad, we should at least control it by regulation) should also apply more broadly in society to other areas of hard-to-control criminality? How about we regulate the House-Robbery Industry? After all, our present Legislation prohibiting it doesn't always stop it! Soaring into the stratosphere of bewildering reactions to this particular case is a comment by a Hobart "Madam", Pam Browne who incredulously said-

In May, former Hobart brothel madam Pam Browne said that if Tasmanian sex workers had been licensed, as in other states, the 12-year-old's minders would have been prevented from advertising. [Mercury]

What Madam Browne, who has been operating her Tasmanian brothel illegally, has said is, if there was a law prohibiting these criminals from advertising the services of an unlicensed prostitute in a newspaper, the ad would never have been placed. Someone might need to tell Madam Browne that there actually are laws now (and then) prohibiting what they were doing and they ignored them all! It is absurd to think that licensing prostitutes would "clean up" the "Industry". Yet despite this, astoundingly Ms Lara Giddings wants to act on the advice of Madam Browne and proceed with Legislation to decriminalise prostitution in brothels and regulate their activity.

A spokesman for Ms Giddings yesterday said the Government was working on a review of sex-industry laws announced in June. In June, Ms Giddings told Parliament it was important that people in the sex industry were protected. She said former attorney-general Judy Jackson's 2003 proposal would be used as a starting point for a Government discussion paper.

I was fairly involved in the proceedings a few years ago when the then Attorney-General, Judy Jackson, after reasonably considering all of the data, not only withdrew her Legislative Bill, but reintroduced the existing one with harsher penalties. What Mrs Jackson discovered through the Parliamentary Inquiry, and some of the data supplied to her, was that where ever Brothels have been decriminalised, legalised, and regulated, it has actually led to: (i) an increase in criminal activity; (ii) less safe conditions for those engaged in its activities; (iii) less hygienic conditions; and (iv) an increase rather than a decrease in the "Industry."And this case serves as a stark reminder about what the Parliament learned back then.

This case should proceed against the men who helped to perpetrate this crime. It is difficult, if not impossible, to accept that none of the men could be charged and convicted. Here are four good reasons for the DPP to prosecute this case-

1. Based on the conviction of the girl's mother and Mr Devine, the criminality of this case is beyond question and if no "client" can be charged then on what basis were the previous convictions successful?
2. Prosecution of this case should serve as 'constructive shame' to deter this from happening again.
3. To not proceed with this case is to deny justice.
4. Proceeding with this case is in itself going to send a clear message that we, the people of Tasmania, regard what has happened as being unacceptable.

Dr. Andrew Corbett, 28th September 2010

Our Church And Our Hope

The Church has been around for a while. It is unique in that while any organisation shares similarities with other organisations, only the Church has the distinction of being an 'organism' as well as an organisation.It is not merely a collection of people - it is the Body of Christ on earth! It doesn't just meet, it assembles. When it kneels it arises! Its core activity is not merely social or educational, it is spiritual. Its leader is not merely a man, its the Man - God in the flesh! Its mission is not just a noble cause, it is an eternal imperative!

To be a Christian is to be a part of the church, and more particularly, a part of a church. The word "Church" means called out ones. We are called out of the world. In Romans 12, it instructs the believer not to be conformed to this world. It goes on to instruct that rather, we should be transformed in our thinking. Thus, the world wants us to think in a certain way, but God calls us out of this worldly thinking and to have minds renewed by His Word. In Ephesians 4:18 Paul describes the way the world thinks and links it to the way the world behaves in verse 19-

Eph. 4:18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
Eph. 4:19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

Being honoured after 15 years of
Pastoring at Legana

Paul then declares how the believer has been transformed by God and placed into a community of called out ones: the church.

Eph. 4:20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!—
Eph. 4:21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,
Eph. 4:22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
Eph. 4:23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, Eph. 4:24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

At the top of this chapter in Ephesians (which is all about the Church) he reminds his readers that being a part of the Church is a matter of being called-

Eph. 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—

Believers are called out of the world and called to Christ and therefore His Body, and this is our - "one hope". The local church is a place of hope. We have been given "hope" - not in the sense of wishful thinking, but in the Biblical sense of "a sure guarantee" (Hebrews 6:19).

So passionately affectionate is Christ toward the Church that when He confronts Saul of Tarsus on the Road to Damascus (who has been persecuting the "church") Christ asks him- "Saul, Saul, why have you been persecuting Me?" (Acts 9:4) Do you see that? Christ considers His Body (the Church) as a part of Him! Shortly after this encounter Saul becomesPaul - a vigourous lover of the Church, one of the greatest Church-Planters of all time, and the greatest theological exponent of the doctrine of the Church. Paul discovered that Christ is on a mission to establish His Church throughout the earth throughout all ages. Jesus not only wants people saved, He wants them planted (or "baptised") into His Church-

First Cor. 12:13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

For us, as a local church, it is my hope that we can win and train many more people to Christ and into His Church. In the next few years I hope we can develop our facilities with a 400 seat auditorium, a recording studio for multi-media production of Gospel resources, a premier children’s facility, a wedding chapel, a care-taker’s cottage, landscaped gardens, and a sealed car-park. It is my desire that we grow a generation of God-loving, Biblically-literate, Christ-exalting, Church-committed, God-fearing, holy, spiritually courageous, Holy Spirit filled, prayerful, servant-hearted, grace soaked, evangelizing, gifted, believers who can be a part of the congregation, leadership team and support base of Legana Christian Church who will reproduce themselves in the generation to come. I long to see our church become a church of hundreds worshiping together. This is one of the reasons why our ministry to children through our Kids Church and our Kids Club is so important.

We are committed to being a Spirit-filled, Sovereign Graced, Reforming, passionately worship, enthusiastically evangelizing, loving and caring community of believers living as a church for all the family reaching our community and beyond.

Lord Jesus, we thank You for calling us out of the world to a living hope and placing each of us into a community of hope. Help us now to reach out to those around us who do not have the hope we have. Give us an increased love for Christ and a grander vision of Him and His magnificence. Enable us to each live more fully for Him and to live the kind of lives which minimise any reproach for Him and His glory. May we be strengthened as we sow our strength into Christ and His Church. Keep our hearts sweet and free from anger and bitterness. When another brother or sister within our church causes us pain or offense give us the maturity to forgive and forebear. Lord, help us to glorify you increasingly through the hope you have given the world through Christ.
Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Amen.

Everlasting Arms of Grace

Max Lucado tells the story, in his upcoming book (Outlive Your Life), of the time when his 3 year old nephew came over and saw his basketball hoop. He asked uncle Max if they could "play basketball". Max lowered the hoop from 10 feet down to 7 feet, taught his nephew how to throw a "Granny" style, but still nothing enabled his nephew to score. Uncle Max then lifted his struggling nephew up to the ring where the 3 year old was able to roll the ball through the hoop. With this he gave a double fist pump and began yelling- "I did it! I did it all by myself I did it!"

The eternal God is your dwelling place,
and underneath are the everlasting arms.
And he thrust out the enemy before you... Deuteronomy 33:27

In Deuteronomy 33:27 it says that God's "everlasting arms" are under His people. Perhaps in much the same way that Uncle Max helped his nephew to score an impossible goal, so God helps us to do the impossible with much the same response by us as Uncle Max's nephew.

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.
2Corinthians 12:9

This is what we call grace. When God enables us to do what we usually take for granted, it is an act of divine grace, but how many of us recognise it? Underneath us each are the Everlasting arms of God enabling us to score a goal. Sometimes these goals look like the car we drive, the house we live in, the clothes we wear, the job we perform, the family we have, the church we are a part of, and accounts we keep with banks. God's Everlating arms of grace take on various forms.

Like the little nephew, we kid ourselves and try to kid those around us that we know how to score life-goals. But alas, we are often like the tick which got into the elephant's ear, Max Lucado goes on to say, that caused the elephant to burst from the herd and head to the nearest river. As the raging elephant made it to the river is crossed a rickety old wooden bridge which struggled under the immense weight of the elephant. The bridge bounced wildly as the stampeding elephant stormed across it. Once on the other side of the bridge the tick yelled out to any who would care to listen- "Look what we just did to that bridge!"

Walls of Jerusalem scenery in Tasmania

I've been that tick too many times! Amazingly, even Jesus said that He could do nothing without the help of his Father! (John 5:19) Therefore, who do I think I am? I need to understand that underneath me are the Everlasting arms of God's grace.

“I can do nothing on my own."
John 5:30a

Got an impossible task that you're faced with? Perhaps you need to feel the loving arms of an Everlasting God lift you up to the level of overcoming whatever it is you are confronted with.

Lord Jesus, lift me up with Your Everlasting arms. Give me the strength, wisdom, and insight needed to be able to glorify you in all I face. Please lift our church up. Fill every person at Legana Christian Church with a deepening love for You, Your people, and Your House. Help us to be able to score the goals of people coming to know and follow Christ. We confess to You our reluctance to say sorry for those destructive acts of pride and its declarations. We ask for Your forgiveness. Now Lord I pray, grant that we will not look to our selves to answer or solve all of our problems - but that we might continually invite you to hoist us up and that we might each time go some of the way to thank You for it.
Amen.

Ps. Andrew

Reaching or Preventing Prodigals

Reaching & Preventing Prodigals

I love Saving Private Ryan. It has a powerful message about the value of an individual. It's not too difficult to see the similarities between its story and God's great redemption through sending His Son to save mankind in the themes of this movie. But Saving Private Ryan also raises questions such as- is one life more valuable than another? In what way is it right that many lives be risked and lost in order to save one life?

While we ponder these questions, perhaps we could consider some less theoretical questions that relate directly to the spiritual battle we are engaged in. Imagine a war-time scenario where news is received that a naval ship has been hit and there are 100 survivors stranded in the water. A battle-ship nearby is summoned to go immediately to the rescue. All 10,000 sailors muster into action, but before they get there they sail into a ferocious battle and are engaged by the enemy. Thousands of lives are lost in the heated conflict. But the battle-ship is eventually on the way to rescue the 100 survivors, which they managed to do.

Psalm 89:1b I will make known your faithfulness to all generations...

Psalm 22:30 Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation

Those numbers may at first appear to be out of proportion. But sadly, they're not. When it comes to passing on faith in Christ to the next generation, we're not doing so well. Some of the statistics range from 70-80% of all Christian teens and twenties who enter into a university will walk away from their commitment to Christ. There are apparently common reasons for this which the survey results reveal. These include an ability to reconcile the teachings of the Bible with the irrefutable data of science; unanswered questions about the Bible; and, the absence of meeting a fully committed and passionate Christian who lives a consistent Christ-honouring life.

If we are going to make a serious attempt at possibly fulfilling the Great Commission we must learn the importance of winning our children to Christ. I've spoken with many strong believers who have tried their best to raise their children in the faith, but without success. I've also seen parents who have set out to disciple their children in Christ and have had to learn how to do it. There are of course no guarantees that even if we do everything "right" that our children will take up their spiritual inheritance and follow Christ. But, there does appear to be some common pitfalls for Christian parents trying to raise Christian children. Added to this there are pitfalls that churches can fall into which make it more difficult for them to pass on their faith to generation of children growing up in their church community.

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.Second Timothy 1:5

At the very least, in order for us to consolidate the next generation of Christian children into fully devoted Christ-followers, we must work harder at being informed about how the Bible and Science can be integrated. I strongly recommend the resources of Reasons To Believe to this end. Secondly, we should welcome honest questions about the reliability and trustworthiness of the Bible. Naturally, this demands that we ourselves become more familiar with the Scriptures. I can not recommend more highly doing a course with ICI Theological College (which can be done by correspondence at your own pace) to increase your depth of understanding into the Bible. Thirdly, we need to model what genuine, passionate, commitment to Christ looks like.

"Now, let us turn briefly to the point that is not in the text. I want to make a particular application of this whole subject to the conversion of children...Children need to be saved. Children may be saved. Children are to be save by instrumentality. Children may be saved while they are children...To reclaim the prodigal is good, but to save him from ever being a prodigal is better. To bring back the thief and the drunkard is a praiseworthy action, but so to act that the boy will never become a thief or a drunkard is far better."C.H. Spurgeon, The Soulwinner, pages 297-298

Spurgeon writes that he would teach every mother in his church that they were his greatest evangelists. A mother's chief goal is the salvation and discipleship of her children. If we could heed Spurgeon's words today we may make the task of evangelism for the next generation a little easier.

Perhaps you are not a parent? But perhaps you hope to be one day. Learn from those parents who have successfully evangelised and discipled their own children. Watch them closely and immitate those things they are and do which have aided in the conversion and growth of their children. When in church fellowship, encourage the children of other parents to turn to the Lord and remain steadfast in their commitment to Him. But especially pray. Pray that you will be able to parent as a soulwinning parent who can pastor your child into the depths of Christ.

For those Christian parents who have children who are now "prodigals" it might be encouraging to remember the actual story of the Prodigal which Jesus told. The heart-broken father of the Prodigal never gave up hope that his prodigal would one day return. "...But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion..." (Luke 15:20). The father expected that his wayward son would one day return. What did the father do in the meantime? He never disowned his son. He would have continued to pray for his son to return. He didn't pester or nag his son. He kept his relationship with his son open (his son knew that his father would accept him back). He made it clear enough that he disapproved of what his son was doing (the Prodigal knew that his father would expect confession of sin and admission of guilt- "Father, I have sinned against you..."). The father worked at maintaining a relationship with all his children despite the attention his Prodigal was receiving. While there is no formula for success when it comes to winning prodigals back, the things which hinder prodigals from returning can be avoided.

Parents not wishing to raise prodigals would do well to consider little listening ears and little watching eyes when they are tempted to drop their own display of commitment to Christ. Secondly, in a similar vein, while there is no perfect church, where their church is obvious in its imperfections, these points should not be the focus of criticism but of prayer. I once had a dad of a prodigal who was very critical of his church and his pastor tell me that not even his unsaved friends wanted to come to church because of "what the church had done" to him. I asked him how they had come to feel this way to which he responded that he had told them! No wonder his children didn't want anything to do with Christianity when their father had beat up so much on Christ's bride! Wise parents would do well to never run down Christ's church or Christ's servants in the presence of their children.

If you have the opportunity, turn your family dining table into an 'altar'. At this altar invite your children to share what they have read/learned/heard from the Bible that day. Invite your children to share their current prayer requests. Share a Scripture and a prayer as a model to your children showing them how you mine God's Word and cultivate your relationship with Christ in prayer. Let's commit ourselves to preventing and reaching prodigals.

Lord Jesus, save our children. Keep those who have been brought up by Christian parents. May these parents have a deep work of the Holy Spirit in their own lives which greatly impresses their children. May these little children see Jesus in their Mummy and Daddy. May these children be taught the Gospel in such a natural way that to them all of life is sacred, and all of life is God's. May they come to know that the Gospel is not a truth, but the Truth. Help us as a church to raise up a generation of children who will love God with a passion and totally surrender their lives into His service where
Amen.

Ps. Andrew

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God Guides

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one of the most extraordinary men to have ever lived. Born to one of the most celebrated Psychiatrists of all time, Dietrich was exposed to frequent visits from professors, academics, political leaders, who all came to speak with his father at their family dining table. This became the seedbed for Dietrich's incredible hunger to learn and understand. He exhibited all the hallmarks of being an emerging genius. But he recognised that there was so much to understand about the world that he could never read of in any book. He turned to prayer and found Christ to be a fount of more than knowledge...

By his early 20s, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a newly graduated Theological student, was famous. His sermons were being heard weekly by thousands, and perhaps millions more were following his progress around the world in the 1930s. But One person held Bonhoeffer's attention while one person desperately wanted it. Although Bonhoeffer was a genius, he was a devoted follower of Christ who believed that God spoke, guided, and deeply moved a person in their soul. Because of this he was a man who practiced the prayerful reading of Scripture - he expected God to speak to speak to him. And like never before, there came a time when Dietrich Bonhoeffer urgently needed to hear from God because the man who wanted his attention, Adolf Hitler, was now breathing out murderous threats.

Corrupt German Clergy who had been beguiled by Hitler

In his early 20s, the great German, Dietrich Bonhoeffer had a national audience thanks to Radio- Deutsche Welle. Bonhoeffer spoke to the German nation with prophetic courage as he warned his countrymen about the growing danger of the beloved Nazi Party. Unlike his colleagues, pastors and theologians, Bonhoeffer was not fooled by Hitler. They had 'theologised' the Nazi agenda. One group of pastors even formed a society (called "The German Christians") and developed a series of doctrines which justified hatred toward Jews by claiming the New Testament taught it! They went so far as to claim that Jesus was actually not Jewish! Bissarely, many Christians accepted their teaching without question. But not Bonhoeffer!

Philippians 3:9a and be found in him...

In the midst of so much personal and national turmoil, Bonhoeffer wanted to be found in Christ. He prayerfully read his Bible and looked to the Lord to speak to him. But as Hitler was raging he was forced to take immediate action. He fled Germany for America. But on the voyage over, he cried out to the Lord in prayer and asked God to speak to him. He felt increasingly that perhaps he had done the wrong thing. He determined that he would cut short his time in America to only stay a year. But the more he prayed the less peace he had about his decision. He returned after 26 days.

Bonhoeffer's "Cost of Discipleship"

At a time when his colleagues were embracing Liberalism (denying the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture - that is, the Bible is not really God's Word) Bonhoeffer preached the Jesus of the Bible and believed every word of it. He led a move to withdraw from what he saw as a Biblically weak and compromising Church and formed a new group called The Confessing Church. But the Fuhrer didn't look favourably upon this new group and Bonhoeffer was soon tracked down and jailed at the express orders of Hitler. From his prison cell he wrote some of the most profound sentiments about the glory and wonder of Christ and His church. Far from feeling the church had let him down or betrayed him, he recognised that the True Church was full of failing saints who depended upon the grace of God but were found in Christ. To Bonhoeffer, true Christian fellowship was only possible if both parties were in Christ. This was true "life together" (which became the title of one of his most profound books dealing with the believer's relationship with Christ and each other).

He [God] is the source of your life in Christ...First Corinthians 1:30a

Just three days before Germany surrendered, the spiteful Hitler ordered that the imprisoned Bonhoeffer, aged just 39, be executed by firing squad. Dietrich faced his long expected execution with the full confidence that he was in Christ.

Bonhoeffer was led away just as he concluded his final Sunday service and asked an English prisoner Payne Best to remember him to Bishop George Bell of Chichester if he should ever reach his home: "This is the end — for me the beginning of life."Eberhard Bethge, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Biography, p. 927

One of the latest, and probably best,
biographies on the life of
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Christ is our not only our Saviour, He is "our life" (1Cor. 1:30; Col. 3:4). It is our moment by moment goal to be found in Him. Even in the midst of horrible distractions, Bonhoeffer managed to maintain his fellowship with his Saviour through prayer, Bible reading and most preciously- fellowship with others who were in Christ. I am stirred by the story of Bonhoeffer. I am stirred to pick up my Bible in the midst of my mundane trivialities (disguised as urgent demands for my immediate attention) and to quietly ask God to speak to me. I am encouraged to settle my soul so that I too can sense the leading, directing, and guiding of God. I am stirred to meet with Christ and to be found in Him.

Lord Jesus, I need You. You are becoming to me increasingly magnificent. Your wondrous glory fills my mind. I think of You when I read of You. I hear You speak to me when I read of speaking to others. I want my mouth filled with songs for You. I want my mind reflecting on what You have said. I want to know You more and I especially want to be known by You. Lord, take my mind. Take my heart. Take my soul. Captivate my attention. Cause me to draw closer to You even in the midst of all that life can distract me with. Help me to be a husband who reflects You. Help me to be a Dad who bears Your Name well. Help me to be a pastor who points people to You and brings honour to You. Keep me. Guard me. Guide me.
Amen.

Amen.

Ps. Andrew