I was reading Romans chapter ten last week and have been inspired to make a few comments about Paul's heart for lost people.
Paul begins the chapter writing of his "hearts desire that Israel be saved". He then proceeds in verse 4 to say how they can be saved; "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes".
This is followed in v8-13 by his challenge to the lost; "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart....... that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved..... for with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation....... for whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved".
Of course, this is all very good news. Everyone everywhere can be saved. If they confess with their mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in their heart that God has raised Him from the dead, they will be saved. So simple, yet so powerful. We could leave this discussion there, but in doing so we would miss the greatest challenge of all.
Having delivered this simple way that people can be saved Paul says this in v14.....
"How then shall they call on whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?"
How indeed! I'm picking Paul's heart is breaking at this point. His hearts desire is that his people are saved. The mesage of salvation is so simple. Yet there are still multitides who have not yet believed, simply because they have not yet heard.
How can we live with this reality? Untold millions still untold!
Paul then makes this classic summary.....
"As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things".
The gospel is so simple, but not so accessible. Untold millions need to be told. Does this move us? Let's have beautiful feet!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
A little laughter....
In Memoriam.
With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person that almost went unnoticed last week. Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote the "Hokey Pokey", died peacefully at age 93.
The most traumatic part for the family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in, and then the trouble started.
Hey everyone. I really couldn't resist that. Anyways, I have been thinking. There was a time in Elijah's life when he totally lost the plot. No longer was he walking in step with God's prophetic agenda. He was running off to speak with Jezebel, then hiding in depression in the wilderness. How often does that happen to us? We are doing well, calling down fire from heaven, and then we are burnt out and depressed, sulking in the wilderness. An angel visits Elijah and gives him the strength to go the the mountain of God. There, he is met with wind, earthquakes, and fire - but God wasn't in any of them. That's an important point. God is not always in our whirlwind life. He is lost in all the noise and activity. Finally Elijah finds God in a still small voice.
The point is, Elijah found God "in the slience". Have you found God in the silence? Or are we so busy we can no longer find Him. Find the "silence" and you will find the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Further musings.
Back again and looking forward to getting the remnants of a nasty cold behind me.
First of all, some mindless entertainment. We collected the classic Mercedes and noticed the radio didn't work. Now as you are all aware, the two most important parts of an old car are the radio and the heater, so we took the car in to a mechanic who is reputed to be one of the best in town. We returned a few hours later to collect the car, and good news, the radio was working fine. I asked what the problem was, and the mechanic had this weird expression on his face. This expression was a mixture of sheepish embarrassment and shameless disappointment. He goes on to explain how he had spent up to an hour working out the problem. He checked that the fuses were okay, he checked that power was getting to the unit, he took it out and checked it all over, and just couldn't figure it out. Finally, in total exasperation he decided to look in the user's manual. Under the instructions..... "to turn on the unit, please hold down the power button for two full seconds". Needless to say, I was not popular. Perhaps a moral to this story though, how many times do we spend too much time trying to work out our own problems when the answer is right there in black and white in the instruction manual!
Anyways, moving on. I've been thinking. Dangerous, I know, but necessary when on retreat. There is an interesting passage in 1 Corinthians 3 concerning how we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. From v.12 it says this.... "Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."
I once heard Pastor Andrew Evans make this statement concerning this passage. "Those things we do for God that He asks us to do are the gold, silver, and precious stones. Those things we do for God that He doesn't ask us to do are the wood, hay, and straw." Now, should this be right, we have a few questions to answer. First, all of the above refer to things we do for God. That would mean that not everything we do for God has value! Our motive may be sincere, and even admirable, however if that motive is grounded in any place but hearing from God and a faith response, it is no more than dead works.
Now, before someone takes this thought as a licence to "do nothing unless God asks me to", let's first clarify what we are dealing with here. We do a lot of things in life that are not necessarily about reward. The Good Samaritan didn't stop to help the beaten man because God asked him to. Jesus said that he did so out of love. It is right and honorable to do things out of love. We serve others because we love them. It is not for reward. For example, I love the local church. I am and would be faithful to the local church because of my love for God's house. Again, if someone is in need, we meet that need not for reward, but for love.
So I wonder whether this passage is talking about something else entirely. I wonder whether this passage has more to do with "our life's work"; that which we give ourselves to; our call; our "ministry". If so, this passage suggests that not all we do for God will bring a reward. So, here's the big question: Why would we do things for God that He hasn't asked us to do? If God is not impressed with efforts that are not born out of obedience and faith towards Him, why would we do it?
Could there be aspects of what we "give our lives to" that God looks down from heaven and asks, "Why are you doing that?" We might feel that God needs us, that without us the whole organization would collapse, when God is thinking, "I already have someone to do that, would you please get out of the way so I can raise them up".
The apostle Paul is an interesting case study. When testifying before King Agrippa in Acts 26;19 he says, "Therefore King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision". Paul did those things God asked him to do. Maybe we can consider the things Paul didn't do. He didn't stay in Antioch. He didn't base himself in Jerusalem. He didn't sing on the worship team. He didn't focus on reaching the Jews. He didn't go into Asia when the Holy Spirit told him not to. He didn't lead the youth group. He didn't call himself a prophet, or a pastor, or even and evangelist - only an apostle. I would suggest that the "works" that Paul did were primarily Gold, silver, and precious stones" because he did those things God asked him to do.
So, in wrapping up, Why do we do things for God that He hasn't asked us to do?
1. I think we can get caught up in a false sense of loyalty. We start to think "God needs me". We descend from a sense of call to a false sense of responsibility. The answer is to return to God and ask Him to show us again the "heavenly vision" He has for us.
2. We see what others have done and compare ourselves with them. If our friends achieve greatness through being an evangelist, we see that as "the" pathway to greatness. If they have a great voice, we want a great voice. We begin to run "their" race. The answer is to find our own pathway. Our pathway is found directly in "those things God has asked us to do".
3. We have lost our centre. We began our race in response to God's call on our lives. We began because we "heard from God", but we are no longer doing the biz because we heard from God. The system has swallowed us up. What do to? Get away with God. You might begin with getting a cold, but eventually you will again hear that still small voice, and re-direct your life call towards the heavenly vision.
Finally, keep doing the small stuff. Love God, love others, love His church, and serve all three.
Catch you all soon.
G.
First of all, some mindless entertainment. We collected the classic Mercedes and noticed the radio didn't work. Now as you are all aware, the two most important parts of an old car are the radio and the heater, so we took the car in to a mechanic who is reputed to be one of the best in town. We returned a few hours later to collect the car, and good news, the radio was working fine. I asked what the problem was, and the mechanic had this weird expression on his face. This expression was a mixture of sheepish embarrassment and shameless disappointment. He goes on to explain how he had spent up to an hour working out the problem. He checked that the fuses were okay, he checked that power was getting to the unit, he took it out and checked it all over, and just couldn't figure it out. Finally, in total exasperation he decided to look in the user's manual. Under the instructions..... "to turn on the unit, please hold down the power button for two full seconds". Needless to say, I was not popular. Perhaps a moral to this story though, how many times do we spend too much time trying to work out our own problems when the answer is right there in black and white in the instruction manual!
Anyways, moving on. I've been thinking. Dangerous, I know, but necessary when on retreat. There is an interesting passage in 1 Corinthians 3 concerning how we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. From v.12 it says this.... "Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."
I once heard Pastor Andrew Evans make this statement concerning this passage. "Those things we do for God that He asks us to do are the gold, silver, and precious stones. Those things we do for God that He doesn't ask us to do are the wood, hay, and straw." Now, should this be right, we have a few questions to answer. First, all of the above refer to things we do for God. That would mean that not everything we do for God has value! Our motive may be sincere, and even admirable, however if that motive is grounded in any place but hearing from God and a faith response, it is no more than dead works.
Now, before someone takes this thought as a licence to "do nothing unless God asks me to", let's first clarify what we are dealing with here. We do a lot of things in life that are not necessarily about reward. The Good Samaritan didn't stop to help the beaten man because God asked him to. Jesus said that he did so out of love. It is right and honorable to do things out of love. We serve others because we love them. It is not for reward. For example, I love the local church. I am and would be faithful to the local church because of my love for God's house. Again, if someone is in need, we meet that need not for reward, but for love.
So I wonder whether this passage is talking about something else entirely. I wonder whether this passage has more to do with "our life's work"; that which we give ourselves to; our call; our "ministry". If so, this passage suggests that not all we do for God will bring a reward. So, here's the big question: Why would we do things for God that He hasn't asked us to do? If God is not impressed with efforts that are not born out of obedience and faith towards Him, why would we do it?
Could there be aspects of what we "give our lives to" that God looks down from heaven and asks, "Why are you doing that?" We might feel that God needs us, that without us the whole organization would collapse, when God is thinking, "I already have someone to do that, would you please get out of the way so I can raise them up".
The apostle Paul is an interesting case study. When testifying before King Agrippa in Acts 26;19 he says, "Therefore King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision". Paul did those things God asked him to do. Maybe we can consider the things Paul didn't do. He didn't stay in Antioch. He didn't base himself in Jerusalem. He didn't sing on the worship team. He didn't focus on reaching the Jews. He didn't go into Asia when the Holy Spirit told him not to. He didn't lead the youth group. He didn't call himself a prophet, or a pastor, or even and evangelist - only an apostle. I would suggest that the "works" that Paul did were primarily Gold, silver, and precious stones" because he did those things God asked him to do.
So, in wrapping up, Why do we do things for God that He hasn't asked us to do?
1. I think we can get caught up in a false sense of loyalty. We start to think "God needs me". We descend from a sense of call to a false sense of responsibility. The answer is to return to God and ask Him to show us again the "heavenly vision" He has for us.
2. We see what others have done and compare ourselves with them. If our friends achieve greatness through being an evangelist, we see that as "the" pathway to greatness. If they have a great voice, we want a great voice. We begin to run "their" race. The answer is to find our own pathway. Our pathway is found directly in "those things God has asked us to do".
3. We have lost our centre. We began our race in response to God's call on our lives. We began because we "heard from God", but we are no longer doing the biz because we heard from God. The system has swallowed us up. What do to? Get away with God. You might begin with getting a cold, but eventually you will again hear that still small voice, and re-direct your life call towards the heavenly vision.
Finally, keep doing the small stuff. Love God, love others, love His church, and serve all three.
Catch you all soon.
G.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
On retreat and beginning to muse - dangerous!
We made it. We are are officially on retreat! We picked up what turns out to be a 1977 classic Mercedes 280s in Auckland which will be our official mode of transport while away. It is very yellow - a stand out car in more ways than one.
We are settled into a nice two story chalet minutes walk from the beach in Raglan. I have finally managed to get my mobile phone operating as a modem for my laptop, so I am online.
So, where do I start? For those interested in this blog, I will keep my musings brief and hopefully meaningful. I won't write too much about cafes and beach walks (of which there are some good ones), but about a journey of rediscovering some kind of equilibrium to life. A few weeks before we left, my friend John Rush made the comment that when we get too tired and stressed, our loved ones can lose us. Just a passing comment, but it resonated with me. The person we really are, our personality, our laughter, our compassion - the real person our spouse fell in love with gets lost.
In its place we become a shell of our former self, a shadow of who we can really be. We become a machine. Cogs turning, business done, but distant from those around us. The important things in life like love and laughter get placed on the back burner and reappear only momentarily, and life becomes getting the business done.
Deadlines, activity, stress, and moments of sheer exhaustion.
I know. I've been there. Life becomes a balance of meeting the next deadline and feeling guilty about missing the last one.
So here's where we begin. We begin by establishing that living like that is not living at all. We decide we are not machines, but people made in the image of God. We are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalms 139). We make it our commitment that the real me - healthy, vibrant, creative, fun to be around, and ultimately productive in life, will again be found and bought to the fore. We reconnect with God in a meaningful way, and we again find the love, the appreciation, and the laughter of being in healthy relationship with those closest to us. We remember our hopes and our dreams, our strengths and our gifts, and we fill the tanks once again to begin to live - not just breath and have a beating heart - but LIVE. Herein is the beginning of a journey. Let's travel together.
We are settled into a nice two story chalet minutes walk from the beach in Raglan. I have finally managed to get my mobile phone operating as a modem for my laptop, so I am online.
So, where do I start? For those interested in this blog, I will keep my musings brief and hopefully meaningful. I won't write too much about cafes and beach walks (of which there are some good ones), but about a journey of rediscovering some kind of equilibrium to life. A few weeks before we left, my friend John Rush made the comment that when we get too tired and stressed, our loved ones can lose us. Just a passing comment, but it resonated with me. The person we really are, our personality, our laughter, our compassion - the real person our spouse fell in love with gets lost.
In its place we become a shell of our former self, a shadow of who we can really be. We become a machine. Cogs turning, business done, but distant from those around us. The important things in life like love and laughter get placed on the back burner and reappear only momentarily, and life becomes getting the business done.
Deadlines, activity, stress, and moments of sheer exhaustion.
I know. I've been there. Life becomes a balance of meeting the next deadline and feeling guilty about missing the last one.
So here's where we begin. We begin by establishing that living like that is not living at all. We decide we are not machines, but people made in the image of God. We are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalms 139). We make it our commitment that the real me - healthy, vibrant, creative, fun to be around, and ultimately productive in life, will again be found and bought to the fore. We reconnect with God in a meaningful way, and we again find the love, the appreciation, and the laughter of being in healthy relationship with those closest to us. We remember our hopes and our dreams, our strengths and our gifts, and we fill the tanks once again to begin to live - not just breath and have a beating heart - but LIVE. Herein is the beginning of a journey. Let's travel together.
Monday, September 14, 2009
The beginning of a sabbatical.
It's almost 11pm on a Monday night. Here ends a few years of absolute busyness and mayhem. The past few years have certainly been challenging times for us personally. The amazing this is, over the past few days we have seen closure on some big challenges. So we are all ready to begin a new season tomorrow.
We are about to begin forty days of personal retreat. The first month is in a chalet near the beach at Raglan, just west of Hamilton. Instead of driving north, we have bought an old classic mercedes in Auckland to tour around in. Very cool. I just hope it doesn't break down.
The purpose of this blog is to journal the journey, share a few insights, and keep in touch with some friends. If you notice lots of entries, we are getting inspired. If you don't hear from me again, I am busy fishing.
Thanks for joining us in this journey. It's great to have you with us for the experience.
Graeme.
We are about to begin forty days of personal retreat. The first month is in a chalet near the beach at Raglan, just west of Hamilton. Instead of driving north, we have bought an old classic mercedes in Auckland to tour around in. Very cool. I just hope it doesn't break down.
The purpose of this blog is to journal the journey, share a few insights, and keep in touch with some friends. If you notice lots of entries, we are getting inspired. If you don't hear from me again, I am busy fishing.
Thanks for joining us in this journey. It's great to have you with us for the experience.
Graeme.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
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