Just needing Jesus more and more.

The more I find myself diving deeper into the world of pastoring, the more I find myself needing to cover myself with Jesus' grace.  People turn to me for advice, for leadership and sometimes for their spiritual identity... yet the deeper I go the more I realise how much more I need Jesus.

This means I find that my only desire in being a pastor is to push my congregation to find themselves deeper and deeper with Jesus so they realise themselves how much more they need Him.

I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!
~Psalm 34:1-3

I fret when I pick up that people are putting their own spiritual identity in who I am, or what I do. Because when people don't own their own faith, when they rely on the pointers of others then we're not really doing what the psalm above says; 'exulting his name together', what is actually happening is one or two people are exulting the Lord and the rest are just doing what they see others doing.

Francis Chan said something amazing at the start of his sermon at the Passion Conference in February, that his desire, and the only desire of the entire conference was to bring people to the foot of Jesus' cross and leave them there.  As humans all we can do is bring people to the cross and from that point it is between the individual and Jesus.  In this way I've realised I live a life kneeling in the dust at the foot of the cross, even as a pastor, that's where I need to be, and where we all need to be, there's nothing more special we need to do ourselves.  Jesus does amazing, supernatural works in our lives, but there is some element of individual response that is needed on our part... something that ultimately you can't fake, or just copy off someone else.

My heart breaks at the thought of people not getting that, and never realising grasping that praise 'continually coming from their mouths, their souls boasting only in the Lord, and being humble and glad'.

But I know all I can do is bring people to the cross, from there it's between them and Jesus.

Speak what is true

A song which has felt really relevant since preaching on Sunday night, and reading that tweet from John Piper last night.

"Here's my heart Lord, speak what is true."

Bless those who speak the truth, hinder those who don't

John Piper ‏@JohnPiper  10h

Prayer for pastors: Give power and clarity to those who speak truth. But to those who speak harmful error give weakness and confusion

Wow - I love the directness John Piper brings to the table of Gospel proclamation, but sometimes I have to double take to get where he's going. Within this tweet I see the weight of what I do each week as I get up to preach the Word of God.

Today, just before the service I realised I had lost half of my sermon notes for tonight, and so preached my introduction then opened up to the passage and stepped through it verse by verse with some thoughts of application and illustration thrown in.  I felt power and clarity in what I said, which I can only point to the power of God.  All glory to Him.

My topic was the truth in the statement of the Roman Centurion in Luke 23:47 where he says "surely this was a righteous man" or the idea that this man realised the truth of who Jesus was, and we need to as well.

I pray that I continue to preach truth with clarity and power, and never fall into a place where I need to be hindered with weakness and confusion.

Rely on Jesus.

In the sport of cricket, a bouncer is a type of delivery, usually bowled by a fast bowler. It is pitched short so that it bounces on the pitch well short of the batsman and rears up to chest or head height (or even higher) as it reaches the batsman. Bouncers are used tactically to drive the batsman back on to his back foot if he has been freely playing front foot scoring shots.
~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouncer_(cricket)

Sometimes in life we get into a place where we feel we are just driving at the ball, scoring points and then suddenly life bowls us a bouncer, it's unexpected and drives us back into a defensive position.

Sometimes it's God doing the bowling, maybe we've become too complacent and self-reliant so God serves up a bouncer to bring us back to depending on Him.

Sometimes it's just a result of the broken world we live in.  Not every bad thing, or tough thing, can be blamed on God or His plan to challenge us.  There are times it is our fault, our own sin brings a consequence that bounces up into our faces... but again, other times it is just a result of a sin-filled, broken world.  Disease and sickness can usually not be blamed on anything but the world we live in.  But it can still bounce up at us.

In all cases, though, the answer is the same... rely on God.  Jesus died, He went through some tremendously horrid stuff, but He did it so we can fully rely on Him. When you get bowled a bouncer know that you aren't facing it alone.  Jesus has promised He is with us, and that in the end, or in the light of the most important things we need, "all things work to the good of those who love Him" and "we are more than conquerors" (Romans 8:28 &37)  Even when God is bowling a bouncer you're not the only one handling the bat, Jesus is there too, in you.  You can always rely on Him to help you through anything, even long term, life changing stuff.

Send some missionaries to your face...

...here's a video I used in my sermon last Sunday night, it relates to the previous post as well because I was preaching on the story of the ten lepers.

Thanks Ken Davis for providing such great illustrations for us.

Healed and grateful... My desire for you all.

Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers 
On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”
When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.
Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”
~Luke 17:11-19

When we read this story we are forced to recognise that in this world a human can only fall into 1 of 3 different categories.  Either we are a;

1. Sick and dying leper
2. Healed and ungrateful person
3. Healed and grateful person

That's it, there's no fourth option - no "healthy person" category... no excuses or cop outs.  The simple fact is that everyone at some point or another has been a sick and dying leper... or a human in a state of death, dying from a disease called sin. No one has ever been healthy, we are born already infected with this sin disease - it's not as visible as leprosy, but sin is just as deadly.  

When God created the world He created it to be in line with His own nature, and His very nature is perfect, there in nothing within God (and can be nothing within God) that is not good.  However God is also full of love which in itself includes the choice to show love (love can only be real if it is freely given), hence our world was created with the ability to love, which must include the ability to not love (or love is worthless).  The choice to love ourselves first must mean we choose to not love God as a first priority, and this is not good.  This is sin, any choice made not to put God or His will first.  Once sin enters the realm then we can never be healthy, for we have all sinned, which is not good, and nothing not good can be associated with God.

 But this was not how God planned His creation to be - and His love is true, genuine and enduring.  So He enacted a way to make things good again.  The only person who would be worthy of paying the penalty for sin was someone who had never sinned (a criminal can't pay the sentence for another criminal can he? That would defeat the purpose of justice). No mere human could do that, but a human must pay that price... so God became human, He limited His divinity and Jesus was born, without the disease of sin since Mary was a virgin and Jesus' conception was a divine intervention.

Jesus lived a perfect life, He is the only one who can say He was 'healthy' in regard to sin, but He then offered himself in our place, He died the death that our disease was driving us towards. On the cross our disease was placed on Jesus, so much so that God could not be with Jesus (God saw Jesus [Himself] as not good, because of our sin).  The substitution was made, the disease was conquered because God, having paid the price, rose to life and set Himself in authority.

So just as Jesus healed the lepers in the passage above, He can now healed our sin disease.  The lepers had faith Jesus would heal them, they asked for mercy.  That is how we are healed as well, turning to Jesus, repenting of that sin that causes so much trouble and asking Jesus for His mercy to save us.

But just like all ten lepers were healed and only one realised he needed to show thanks, we do the same thing.  We accept that forgiveness, that saving grace, and we go on focusing on our lives. We are ungrateful.  We must take the example of the one leper, and we must seek Jesus out again and be thankful always for what He did for us.  Anything less is cheapening the sacrifice Jesus made for us, it is simply rude to not be thankful, to show Jesus' worth through worship and letting the emotion of it totally encompass our entire lives.

Where are you today? Are you still sick? Know Jesus can heal you.  Are you ungrateful, nonchalant, ignorant, stale or bored? Focus once again on the sacrifice - don't let your humanness or your independence or selfishness get in the way of your thankfulness.

Stop right now, turn to Jesus, and be thankful... worship Him!

Doing life together is tough.

Sometimes life and ministry raise more questions than finding answers. I know the Truth of the Gospel is the Answer, and that Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life - but sometimes it's with those practical things of life and everyday relationships/interactions that seem to raise more and more questions.

Doing life together is tough, the Christian life is a life of community, especially of unity in community, and though our normal human disposition is relational, and communal there is also a distinct independent and selfish that can fight against that unity within community.  It's for that reason even within Christian communities doing life together can be tough.

I think I just feel the need to express that I know I get it wrong a lot of the time, I am by no means any better at doing life in unified community than anyone else because I know and recognise my own independence and selfishness. In that regard I know I find myself with more questions than answers at times.

However; as a Pastor, I feel the need to call people back to that only Way, Truth and Life, because it is only in Jesus that we can truly be unified. I will continue to remind myself of this as well, and pray Jesus replaces my selfishness with His grace, both for myself and others.

Between the sinless birth and sin-bearing death...

With the "He Changed My Life" series currently in our evening services looking through the interactions Jesus had with people in the Gospel of Luke, I have been reminded again of the ministry that took place during Jesus' life. We constantly (and for good reason) reflect of his substitutionary sacrifice for the propitiation of our sins (His work on the cross), because belief in this is what saves... but for living day to day life as a Christian here and now, there is no better source for encouragement, example, correction and guiding than Jesus himself.

Most theologies seem to move from a sinless birth to a sin-bearing death, and most ignore all that lies in between. This is a terrible misstep since Jesus' ministry, beginning in Galilee with his baptism by John and ending in Jerusalem with his crucifixion, puts into motion crucial events in the divine drama of redemption. Let us remember that the books we call "Gospels" narrate Jesus' redemptive death as the climax to his messianic career, and that career should be part and parcel of our study.
~Michael Bird, Evangelical Theology, p375

Jesus spent a lot of time teaching, and this teaching was regarding either the coming of the kingdom of God, what the kingdom of God was, or proper living for those in the kingdom of God.   He especially poured his knowledge and example into twelve Apostles who became the fathers and spreaders of His church.  Within his teaching, and the proclaiming of the Apostles of what Jesus taught them, was the source to the restoration of Israel (which they had been waiting for for so long) and the inclusion of all nations into the family of God.

Israel had been waiting for a Messiah who would bring about the restoration of their nation which God had promised.  Jesus didn't bring a physical restoration by driving out the Roman occupying force and setting himself up as the king on a throne in this nation.  Instead Jesus taught that God's kingdom was more important than the earthly kingdom, and that this was what God had intended all along... that people would be able to come to Him - that the Holy Spirit would dwell within humankind and a spiritual kingdom would be established.  The only way this could happen was for Jesus to go to the cross.  But His life was spent teaching about what He was about to bring about.

So we can turn to Jesus for so much more than salvation - even though salvation is our primary need.  I hope as people have heard the "He Changed My Life" messages (available on www.dbaybap.com to listen to if you aren't a regular attendee)  that they have seen some of these other areas where Jesus changes who and what you are!

Take a moment to realign your focus

Friday afternoon, after a long day, a long week you're almost ready to break into the weekend. Here's a psalm to help you hang out just that bit longer.

PSALM 19

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge.

3 There is no speech or language

where their voice is not heard.

4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,

like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

6 It rises at one end of the heavens

and makes its circuit to the other;

nothing is hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect,

reviving the soul.

The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the Lord are right,

giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is pure,

enduring forever.

The ordinances of the Lord are sure

and altogether righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,

than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey,

than honey from the comb.

11 By them is your servant warned;

in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern his errors?

Forgive my hidden faults.

13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;

may they not rule over me.

Then will I be blameless,

innocent of great transgression.

14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing in your sight,

O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

The pain of rejection.

on flickr by KatLevPhoto

Rejection hurts, actually rejection is probably one of the most intense and overwhelming emotions we feel. In a wave it seems to encompass everything we are and denies us the ability to focus on anything else.

Whether it's not being accepted for a job offer, having a relationship end, not getting into the university you wanted or being betrayed by a friend I think rejection is the most intense emotion (at least in a negative sense) that we experience.  I know for me when I feel a real sense of rejection I feel physical pain, it shoots down my left arm and my left hand aches. I remember feeling this as a child, I kind of knew (even as a kid) the pain in my hand was a signal I was really sad or affected by what was going on and not just being an annoying child - even today I feel that pain in my hand and know I need to exit whatever I am doing and compose myself, or deal with whatever is happening.  No other emotion elicits a physical pain like this for me.

But why?  Why do we feel rejection so intently? Why does it cause us such emotional distress?

Because there is one rejection that will kill us - one so important that we never ever EVER want to experience it;

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? ' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. '
~Matthew 7:21-23

"Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. ' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
~Matthew 25:45-46

Being rejected by Jesus sends you to eternal punishment, to the final death, to the lake of fire, to pain, suffering and complete separation from God.

I truly believe that rejection hurts us so bad because that horrible feeling is a foundation to drive us away from being rejected by Jesus.

"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. "
~2 Peter 3:9

Jesus doesn't want to reject anyone - but He is holy, just as God is holy, for they are one, and that means that anyone who isn't made holy cannot be where God is, cannot have a relationship with God, in a sense must be rejected by God on the basis of their unholiness.  And because of sin, we are all unholy - we will never met that expectation of perfection, of Godliness, that God expects and created the world with.  In moments of honesty you must acknowledge this to be true, that if God expects you to be completely set apart to His ways, then you have failed terribly.

In that sense we all face that ultimate rejection in the future, because we have not completely done 'the will of our Father who is in heaven' (Matt 7:21).  Praise God though that He does not want to reject us, so much so that He came to earth and lived the completely holy life that He expects of us, but then He died anyway.  Jesus was rejected, so much so He was beaten, mocked and then brutally killed.  Jesus experienced rejection when He in no way deserved it.  More than that, while on the cross Jesus had all of our sin thrown on Him and with that stain which we caused sitting on Him He was rejected by God; "My God my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matt 27:46).

Because Jesus experienced that rejection in our place, that means we don't have to be rejected anymore.  Romans 10:9 says "If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved." Saved from what?  From that ultimate rejection.  It is our repentance (which Peter says in the verse above is what Jesus wants us all to reach for) of those sins that hung on Jesus on the cross that brings us to the point of having a faith that He is our Lord, that He can save us, that He did take that rejection for us.

That's why I believe the rejection we feel throughout our life crushes us, but not eternally, instead it serves to give us just a small taste of what rejection from God feels like... and because that small taste is so horrible we realise it is the rejection from God we really need to worry about.

Tweet of the Week

Timothy Keller ‏@timkellernyc  9h

God doesn't promise better life's circumstances because you love Him. He promises a better life.

Amen to that - even in the hard times, life is still better. Sometimes that is hard to grasp onto - but clinging to it can be the only thing that gets you through!

This I Believe (The Creed)

In reflection of my post this morning, this song has been speaking to me immensely over the last few weeks.  I love this simple acoustic version, even having the privilege of performing it in a very similar way in church last week.

I do believe - I believe everything in this song, and love the way it makes me reflect on all this amazing aspects of my faith.

I Do Believe...

"And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them, "What are you arguing about with them?" And someone from the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able."
And he answered them, "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me."  And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."
And Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes."
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!"
And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out..."
~Mark 9:14-26

What is the big teaching point behind this story?  What truth do we learn about Jesus?  I think we learn a lot from the father of the boy.

Jesus has just been up on the mountain with Peter, James and John. While up their Jesus is transformed as His deity (His Godliness) bursts forth and His glory is revealed - Luke says "His faced changed..." and "His clothes were flashing as lightning" - it's like as they are praying the Godly nature of Jesus must burst forth and his glory cannot be hidden.  What a privilege for Peter, James and John to see that. For us reading the Gospels it is one of those high points where we really get to see that Jesus is God, not merely a man, and we can read about the glory of God, the goodness of hope and heaven and get a glimpse at the eternal realm.

But then as they return to the rest of the disciples they are confronted with the reality of the brokenness of the worldly realm we all live in.  There are arguments, all because the disciples couldn't cast out a demon from a boy.  Just the sickness and possession of the boy is a blatant contrast to the glory of God seen in Jesus' transfiguration - but then add to that the fact that when the boy is brought and Jesus isn't around the disciples for some reason cannot heal him, and then the local religious leaders take that opportunity to use it to discredit and argue about their effectiveness.  Human hopelessness, rebellion, disbelief and lack of faith/relationship with God all rolled into one, at the foot of the mountain where Jesus had so recently shone with his Godly glory (so much so that a bit must have remained because people were amazed just at the sight of him in verse 15).

Jesus also goes from discussing the fulfillment of his earthly mission with Moses and Elijah to lamenting about the people around him; "How long do I have to put up with you lot..." even Jesus is struck with the stark reality of the world He has come to dwell in.

Raphael's painting The Transfiguration actually captures the contrast well.

And the poor father is living daily in the reality of that broken and painful world isn't he? Every day he saw the brokenness in his son, the fits, the possession, the pain he would have felt as a father knowing there was nothing he could do to help his son.  He hears that there is a teacher travelling around who can heal, who has cast out demons and he must have had this amazing glimmer of hope enter his heart as he thinks of how this Jesus could help him son.

But he arrives to find his disciples there, but Jesus not.  He places his faith in the disciples and asks them to heal his son, but they cannot. What went wrong, did this man put his faith in the disciples and not in Jesus to heal, but then that would mean the disciples didn't correctly communicate that it was faith in Jesus that allowed them to heal (remember this is after Jesus sends out the 12, so of the 9 that didn't go up the mountain some of them would have cast demons out before). So were the disciples relying on the fact they'd done it before instead of stopping and committing it to the faith in Jesus once again.

Either way something is amiss with the faith connection and the believing healing power that had been expressed before by the disciples.  And it is only when the father meets Jesus that we see those errors in faith, explanation of belief or self dependence more clearly.  The father says to Jesus; "If you can..."  Jesus replies "If?... all things are possible for those who believe..." and the father immediately puts his faith in Jesus alone.

"I do believe! Help me with my unbelief!"

That's it, that's the key! Even the disciples needed in that moment to look to Jesus and say; "Yes we believe, help us with our unbelief" - it's the answer to all the problems in this story - even the scribes in their arguing and hardheartedness desperately needed to say "We believe" because they were the opponents to Jesus.

Whatever spot you find yourself in your life, this cry is needed. At one point in our lives we must all cry that out to be saved, but even after we are saved it is something to continually focus on and cry out because we continuously need help with our unbelief.  Today we all desperately need Jesus, whether we are on the mountaintop reveling in the beauty of his glory, or tumbling among the brokenness and hurt of this world; whether you have never grasped the grace that Jesus offers, or you understand the impact that grace has on your life; whether you are new to this whole 'Christian' thing, or if you have had a faith your entire life... we all desperately need Jesus, He is the only one who changes our lives, who gives us peace and grace, who can heal hurt, correct paths and restore life.

Turn to Him today - whatever your situation - and tell Him you do believe, and you need help with your unbelief.

Francis Chan - my appreciation.

Francis Chan is probably best known as the author of 'Crazy Love' and his involvement with Passion each year. He leads and pastors a church in San Francisco and was one of the speakers at Oxygen Christian Leaders' Convention a few weeks back. 

I'll admit to him being a big motivator for me to go to the conference, as I have enjoyed hearing many of his sermons, used the Crazy Love book, along with the study DVD, in our young adults home group and appreciated the story of his ministry and heart for God.  

There are many people who fall into the realm of 'Christian Famous', being known for their books or preaching or music, and generally I am wary of following someone, or over indulging in just one person's effort into Gospel presentation, because I want to follow Jesus, and not just the ideas of a well known Christian leader; but something has always drawn me to the work of Francis Chan time and time again.

At Oxygen I realised why. Francis Chan is not Christian Famous - as soon as he realises people are following him instead of Jesus he does something about it. Chan serves to honour Jesus, and he is completely open, honest, humble and direct about that. Even speaking to a group of Christian Leaders (with the majority being pastors) at Oxygen Chan just spilt his heart for worshiping and serving Jesus.  He spoke of needing to be a sheep instead of always being a shepherd, because as pastors we find ourselves in that shepherd role naturally, but we are still sheep with a Good Shepherd.  He confessed his urge and attempts to be academically recognised - wanting others to think he was well versed in all areas of Christian theology and academia. 

Listening to him confess made me realise I struggle with the same thing. I constantly strive to make my sermons, or even just discussions sound like I really know it all, or can discuss things at that deep theological level - in truth I am just like Francis, I care passionately about Jesus and serving and loving Him, but I'm not the person to have those deep theological discussions with.  [For all those times I have sat and nodded and added generalised comments to sound like I know what we're talking about I am sorry.]

And so I realise why I am so moved by Francis Chan and his ministry - his sole focus is to follow Jesus - if people follow him, he points them to Jesus. I resonate with Francis and all he does because he is a shining example of Jesus and he makes me want to be more like Jesus.

I don't ever expect for Francis Chan to read my blog.  But if he ever does I would love him to know that I deeply appreciate him and all he has done for the work of the Gospel.  By Francis shining the light of Jesus so brightly it has helped illuminate my light to the world as well. I want to live like Francis Chan because I want to live how Jesus wants me to, and Francis gives me an exceptional example of that.

The End of Pride

In this morning's speaking session here at Oxygen, Bryan Chapell was preaching from John 10 and Jesus saying "I am the Son of God".

"...do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
John 10:36-38

Jesus has also just said "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11) and uses that analogy again to rebutt the grumblings of the crowd by showing them the amazing result of the truth of Him being the Son of God;

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.”
John 10:27-30

This is what Bryan had to say

God gives His sheep to Jesus and Jesus gives His sheep the gift of eternal life. And the gift of eternal life is the end of pride.

The end of pride. Think about it. What more can you gain for yourself than eternal life? There is nothing, no material possession, no wealth or fame or influence, which can rate higher that earning eternal life.

But if eternal life is a gift, and not earnt, then what could possibly feed your pride? We have nothing we can do that will be any better than what Jesus has already given us, our pride ends as we look to the voice of the Good Shepherd... the Son of God.

And our pride must end because to receive eternal life we have to receive the greatest gift God could give to 5us; His Son. God was sent into the world, Jesus was given, and lay down His life (John10:15) so He could give us eternal life.

End your pride.

Finding a place where you aren't the one in charge

As the first session of Oxygen Conference kicked off, and we were singing a few choruses I suddenly realised I felt very different to recent times at church.

Not that church has been bad (not at all) or that the music was bigger and better... but simply the fact I wasn't responsible for the running of what was going on, or responsible for others finding God.

The songs were simple, and not the most recent, but I really felt I connected with God in a real and personal way, because my main focus could be worshipping God alone. It seems a little strange to say that when I lead worship or am just attending my church as the pastor that I am not focusing on worshipping God alone. Because I do worship, but I don't think I even realised until today that even though I do worship, I am also geared by my ministry and calling to be thinking of others' experience as well.

But I see it now, and I don't resent my church for the role God has called me to, I certainly see its worth. But I saw today that there is also an importance to find a place to focus on God where you have no leadership responsibility.

Church members, I think its important you realise your pastors need this. I don't know how to do this as an ongoing thing, its a new thought today (and just the first of many to come from Oxygen day one), but I wonder if its a conversation that could br helpful for many people in ministry (both pastors and those with roles of leadership in the church).

Oxygen Conference

I am heading to Sydney on Monday for the 2014 Oxygen Conference.  This will be my first Oxygen, but many pastors I know have told me how good it is, and I am looking forward to hearing from the speakers this year.

I am also looking forward to spending a week with two of my mentors and some other pastors I have worked with over the years.  It will be a good time of reconnecting and sharing outside even the conference as we're all staying together.

At the moment I am anticipating a great time of learning and input, but not completely sure of what to expect.  I just know God is preparing to talk to me.

Just appreciate the talent...

Someone posted this on Facebook today, and I've watched it a few times now, just blown away by the incredible talent of these young guys.

Sometimes you just have to sit back and appreciate!

Reflecting on The Gambia - 10 years on.

This week marked 10 years since I returned home from my mission trip to The Gambia, West Africa.  I have spent a fair bit of time this week reflecting, remembering, and processing thoughts about my life and missions and ministry.

I initially went to The Gambia on a WEC Trek - a group of 6 of us (in the photo above with one New Zealander ring in) - on a three week trek, just a missions exposure trip in a sense.  But as we were planning the trip and I was talking with Debbie Bazzo (a missionary midwife in Jarrol village) I felt God calling me to a bigger commitment.  So once the team went home I moved in with a Sierra Leonian family and for the next 3 months I worked with Steven (photo right) running the Gambian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (GAMFES)

I then got to trek back up to Jarrol village and finish my time there, preaching (poorly) in church and running around playing lots of soccer with kids and helping my mate Sainey plow his uncle's fields - tough work.


 I love The Gambia.  Even 10 years on, and I know lots has changed, but I still love The Gambia. The people, the land, the children, the lost and poor.  My heart and prayers still settle on that place more than most.  I follow news from the country, feel the people's pain with some of the suffering they endure.  I still hear from a few of the missionaries from time to time.  Steven even sent me some Gambian music when I moved to dBay a few years back.

I came close to holidaying there last year, just to visit - because I do have a real desire to go back. I hope God leads me there in the future, I know His work is on going through WEC and other missions organisations.   I didn't think it would take 10 years before I went back, but I know I am still following God's will with where I am today.  I guess as the anniversary of my return home came up though it's just caused me to dwell on it all once again.

Justification by Manliness.

Over on his blog, gospel.at.depth, Joe Khan has been talking about how many of today's markers for manliness are rooted in things that simply don't matter or are limited to the current cultural climate.  Though there's nothing necessarily wrong with those markers - what it does do is cause men (even Christian men) to justify themselves by being a certain type of man, which may not reflect the true, and timeless, markers the Bible gives for a Godly man.

I am just going to come out and say it... as men we struggle with feelings of insignificance! From the day that the curse of sin entered into humanity men have been struck by the helplessness of working hard but accomplishing nothing. Perhaps for a man there is no more crippling fear than feeling you will never contribute anything, amount to anything or be recognised for anything. So us men are suckers for the cultural markers of manliness... because if you can achieve all the markers it fills your significance tank; it marks you as a true man. And so we will line up to get ink done, grow our beards, fork out for that tailored suit, start benching at the gym and constantly post it all to Facebook so that everyone will know that we are men! This is how we prove ourselves... this is how we feel good about our masculinity... this is how we build our sense of significance... this is how we justify ourselves.

If we, as men, are clinging to that cultural definition of what a real man is, we will find ourselves struggling to find any true identity at all. Justifying ourselves by something subjective is flawed from the start, because the entire notion of a subjective idea is that it can change or be interpreted through each individual's experience.  As Christian men we do have an objective truth found in Scripture - though there are many subjective ideas of a man in Scripture (responsible, sacrificial) - they can only be truly experienced through the objective identity we find when we identify ourselves as IN CHRIST.  Which brings us to the topic of Joe's current blog series, the doctrine of justification by faith.

The doctrine of justification by faith frees you from having to justify yourself with the cultural markers of manliness. It calls us to consider our beards, bacon and badass look as dung compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. See in Jesus we don't have to measure up to the ever changing manly image... in fact only in Jesus can we admit our failings as a man because we don't have to prove ourselves to God or anyone else... Justification by faith means that we can rest in the reality that Jesus lived the life of perfect manliness that we have so often failed at...

Go and read the entirety of Joe's post HERE.

Tweet of the Week

Timothy Keller ‏@timkellernyc  9h

Tolerance isn't about not having beliefs. It's about how your beliefs lead you to treat people who disagree with you.

There is so much talk of tolerance these days, but I think the majority don't understand what tolerance really means.  It's ok to have different views and to disagree.  Thinking someone else's idea is wrong is not being intolerant.  Thinking that and then treating them unfairly or unkindly is intolerant.

Challenged to be more

The Machine Gun Preacher was on TV last night.  Up until now I haven't seen this film, but I sat transfixed last night, shocked and moved once again by the atrocities of the LRA and Joseph Kony in North Uganda and Southern Sudan.

Ever since Watoto began their ministry to former child soldiers in Gulu (North Uganda) I have felt God putting a real concern and compassion on my heart for these kids.  I cannot fathom the evil of abducting a child, torturing them, then putting a gun in their young arms and forcing them to torture, rape and kill others.  It is an atrocity too much for my mind to process and I literally hurt when those thoughts enter my mind.

The story of Sam Childers moved me - I am not sure I can align myself completely with the way he does things, and today I've done a little more reading on the real man, and not the Hollywood version.  I really do wonder if God has some sort of ministry to child soldiers in my future - if so I hope I am brave enough to do it, it is a very scary part of the world.

Next Level...

I am humbled and astonished when God takes my prepared words and moves to a completely new level of communication and preaching.  Last night my sermon went way deeper than my notes would ever have predicted.

Preaching really is an art of handing over your prep to God and letting Him speak through you. The more I preach the more I realise how important good preparation is, but also how loosely you have to hang onto your own preparation because you have to be ready to move with God.   I didn't go off my notes last night, but I did develop ideas and thoughts, even illustrations that I hadn't considered in my prep but spoke much more effectively to the congregation.

Again it's not because I am a great preacher (far from it), but because I really felt the Holy Spirit was communicating in the hearts of people in the congregation. It is a very humbling experience.  I would love for other pastors to share their experiences of this too...

TeenStreet 2013 - Week in Review

Day 5 of camp is only a half day so we take a flash back at all the great stuff that happened at last years camp.

TeenStreet is next week!!! Get your bags packed and get pumped for another amazing year!!!

Term 3 - Evening Sermon Series

Starting on July 20 at dBay Baptist we're going to be taking a journey through the Gospel of Luke in our evening services and take a look at the interaction Jesus had with different people, and the profound impact He had on their lives.  We know the story of what Jesus did for the world on the cross.  We know the Gospel, that Jesus came to make right through His righteousness what we broke through our sin.

But what does that mean to us personally?  If we have a means to be saved, and if we accept that, then do we just live out our lives knowing about what Jesus did and thinking about heaven?  What element of relationship can there be with someone we don’t see physically walking with us?  What does Jesus do for us in our everyday lives?

In Luke we see meeting Jesus changed so many people’s lives, and meeting Jesus will change your life today!

Throughout the series we are also going to hear testimonies from people in our congregation about how Jesus has changed their life.

Series Dates

• July 20th:         Luke 5:1-11 – Peter and the Disciples, changed to make a difference.
• July 27th:         CAFE CHURCH
• August 3rd:      Luke 6:6-11 – The Man with the Withered Hand, changed to do good.
• August 10th:    COMBINED SERVICE – CHAPLAINCY FOCUS
• August 17th:    Luke 7:36-50 – The Sinful Woman, changed to be free.
• August 24th:    Luke 8:40-56 – The Dead Girl and Sick Woman, changed to stand in faith.
• August 31st:    Luke 17:11-19 – The Ten Lepers, changed to offer praise and worship.
• September 7th: Luke 19:1-10 – Zacchaeus, changed to make a big impact.
• September 14th: Luke 23:26-48 – The Roman Soldier, changed into a new life.

Perfect Plan of Love

Reflecting on the perfection of God's revelation of His salvation plan.   For hundreds of years God revealed Himself to the people through the Old Testament, all so we would completely understand the importance of Christ and what He did on the cross.  We see the cross in the old sacrificial system, we see grace and mercy right from the time of Abraham, we understand the effect of sin from the Exile and through it all we see the amazing, undeserved and overflowing love of God.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!  For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
~Romans 5:6-11

Even when it was us that screwed it all up, Jesus made it right. That is God's perfect plan of love!

TeenStreet 2013 - Day 4 Review

As we get closer to TeenStreet 2014 we're taking a look at one day review video a week from last year's camp.  TeenStreet is held out on the Gatton UQ Agricultural College Campus and as you can see in this video is surrounded by some beautiful farm lands.

Day four is all about getting out into the local community with Hands and Feet! Each net group is assigned an activity that is out in the greater Gatton community. Last year there were some street bbqs and outreaches, nursing home visits, house repairs and environmental work.  In all we had about 200 people out in the community helping and serving. A great way to display this Gospel of Jesus we've spent the week learning about.

The proper motivation for worship

Louie Giglio, Kristian Stansfield and Chris Tomlin all posted this on their Instagram feeds last week (all three are key leaders at Passion City Church in Atlanta GA).  It made me stop and contemplate how we approach worship - not just music but the intent with which we live our lives.  It's not a works based method of salvation.  It's not even a duty to do what is right.  No! Singing praise, and doing good is an opportunity that we may partake in because of the freedom we have in our new lives, in Jesus, and in honouring Him.

Have you got moss on your butt?

What???

Watch this video from Ken Davis before you click away thinking I'm nuts...




So??? Is there any moss? Or are you active enough and following Christ's plan for you so that you're not left sitting around for too long?

---see Ken's blog here.

DWYL - Chapter 10

It's been a long journey, and we've come a fair way through this preaching/Bible study series at dBay Baptist. I hope the young people have been able to find tangible things to pull out of John Piper's book "Don't Waste Your Life" and have found ways to practically integrate some of the ideas from the book into their lives.

Piper's final chapter is his prayer for all those who have read his book.  A prayer that cries out the hope that no one at the end of their life would look back and say "I've wasted it."

O God, you know I tremble now for fear that many of the ones who call you Lord have made themselves the prize and glory of your grace.  How many, Lord have made your love a witness to their worth! Is then their joy a resting in your worth or in their own?  So many decades have gone by in which the constant message from the world, and even from some ministers, is this: that love means making much of man.  And so when men, with this assurance, ponder what your love might mean, they say the same: God's love means making much of man.  For proof they ask: Don't you feel loved when someone calls attention to your worth?

And I answer: Once I did. When life was better than the Lord, and not the other way around. There was a time love felit like this - when I could not conceive of any joy greater that the honor of my name. Whan I was so absorbed in me that it was inconceivable for joy to rise by my admiring rather than my being admired. Oh, yes, I've known what it is like to call the praise of men an act of love and justify this craving with the readiness to give the same...

But now (thanks to your might grace!) I see it is an imitation... Oh, what a history of deeds and revelation you have wrought to make yourself the centre of our joy and take back for yourself the place of honor in the world - to be the One your people treasure more than life... Oh what a grand design! To make our joy the echo of your excellence. To make our pleasure proof that you now hold the place of Treasure in our lives. The make the gladness of our soul the essence of our worship, and the mirror of your worth.  To make yourself most glorified in us, O God, when we are satisfied in you.  How could I, Lord, have ever been so blind to think that being loved by you means making much of me and not yourself?...

No, Father, love is this: At great expense you made yourself my glory and my boast.  The cost was infinite by which you made yourself the Treasure of my life. You sent your Son, the blazing center of your beauty and you love. You gave him up to mockery, betrayal, thorns, the whip, the rod, the fists, the mails, the same, and death. For what? To swallow up your wrath, and satisfy your righteousness, and bury all my sins as far as east is from the west and in the deepest sea, so that I might come home... This is your love, O God, not to make much of me, but do whatever must be done so that I waken to the joy of making much of you through all eternity.
~John Piper, DWYL, p184-186

TeenStreet 2013 - Day 3 Review

Camp is only 3 week away - so exciting. Hopefully you've all registered and are keen to go.

Lots of sport was played on day three last year, but as always the night ends with an amazing time in Throne Room. The heart of the music and speaking teams is to bring all the teens to the feet of Jesus, and let them sit there while He does His work in their lives.  We had an amazing acoustic/alternate music set up on day three, with heaps of percussion gear, a violin and a huge place to dance and worship Jesus.  All climaxing with the very thought provoking 'Declaration of Dependence'. It was pretty amazing!

Traverse Blog Post: Why Brisbane Needs Gospel Events.

Dan Patterson is the director of operations at Traverse (an element of Malyon College aimed at Gospel outreach) and pastor at Ashgrove Baptist... and one of the smartest people I know.

He posted this morning in regards to the number of Special Gospel/Church based events happening in Brisbane at the moment, and why they are a good thing.  At times we feel flooded with events and we can create an almost consumeristic nature in regards to wanting one off events with big name speakers, musicians or pastors. Though we need to be careful of this, Dan outlines some really good reasons why these events are also good for Brisbane.

Have a read.

Also, consider going to, and inviting someone along to, these upcoming events


JOHN LENNOX EVENT: http://citybibleforum.org/city/brisbane/event/cosmic-chemistry-brisbane

MATT CHANDLER EVENT: https://www.mattchandlerinbrisbane.com.au/

Contentment

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
~Philippians 4:11-13

In every situation to be content. I think that is the key to living a life worthy of the call Jesus places on our lives, and worthy of the grace that has been showed to us through His actions on the cross.   Paul knew what it was to be both rich and poor, hungry and full... and in both situations he was content.

Whatever situation you find yourself know that you can be content - there's no need to be jealous of someone better off than you, guilty because you have something other's don't or despairing because you feel you don't have what you deserve.  You can be content in all things through Jesus who strengthens you.

TeenStreet 2013 - Day 2 Review

Our day two last year was full of challenging testimonies of God's work around the world and our call to be part of seeing His kingdom come.

DWYL - Chapter Nine

The Majesty of Christ in Missions and Mercy... in this chapter John Piper gives a plea to this generation to hear God's call to lifelong mission work on the front line of those unreached by the Gospel.

Someone might say, "But isn't the Gospel about finding forgiveness of my sins and getting the hope of eternal life and being filled with the Spirit of hioliness and being changed into the image of Jesus so that I am a better mom or dad or son or daughter or friend or employer or citizen?" The answer, of course, is yes. But if that is all we focus on in our walk with God, we miss the big picture. We miss the bigger point of it all. We are like batboys at Yankee Stadium who think the great point of the World Series is to hand the players a bat.

I urge you in the name of Jesus to wake up, and enlarge your heart, and stretch your mind, and spread your wings. Mount up above your limited life - yes, a very important live, which God does not diminish - and see the great and thrilling big picture of God's global purposes for the history of the world that cannot fail... And as God gives you wings to rise up and see the world the way he sees it, many of you, I pray, will be loosened from your present situation - job, neighborhood, state, nation, plan - and be called to direct engagement in this great historic, global purpose of God as a goer and not only a sender.

~John Piper - DWYL, p163-164 

TeenStreet 2013 - Day 1 Review

With 5 weeks to go to TeenStreet 2014 I thought we could relive the awesomeness that was camp last year by watching a day review video each week.

So here's day 1 of TeenStreet 2013

Tweet of the Week

Timothy Keller ‏@timkellernyc  10h

God takes our misery and suffering so seriously that He was willing to take it on Himself.

Responsibility is right.

But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.
Matthew 5:34-37

Such a simple thought, but one that seems to have to be stated again and again. If you're asked to do something (and you agree) or you offer to do something that lays a certain responsibility on you to do it.  Having responsibility is good and right, and something Jesus obviously wants us to engage in.

Where's your focus?

I was looking through some old photos and found this one.  Remembering when my nephew, Nathanael, was a bit younger he was totally amazed by my camera.  We were sitting in a park having lunch and I had my camera sitting on the table.  Nae found the remote control for the camera and I remember getting home and finding over 50 photos just like this one as he kept pressing the button and enjoying the clicking sound the camera was making.

I was pretty much oblivious to what was going on, engaging in conversations with others and not taking much notice of what Nathanael was up to.

I laughed so much when I found all the photos though... and made sure I kept and posted one to always remember a special day with this special guy. I'm glad that even at that time I was focused elsewhere, Nae was intently focused on capturing the moment - it makes a great photo!

It made me think that those times I may be focused elsewhere, Jesus is always intently reaching out to me.  His cross means that His life lives through me, the Holy Spirit lives in me - my life is Christ's and there is an element where it is constantly focused like my nephew is in this photo... I just need to remember to focus myself too... or come back to the focus of the cross no matter where I wander to.

His grace is enough to constantly draw back.

Nothing too big to forgive.

Christians must have a unbreakable capacity to forgive.  Humans obviously don't have that, in our own strength sometimes things are done and we can't conceivably bring ourselves to accept an apology.  It is only in the light of what Jesus has done for us that allows believers to see that in their forgiven state they too can, through God's strength, forgive anything.

Walter Wink tells of two peacemakers who visited a group of Polish Christians ten years after the end of World War II. "Would you be willing to meet with other Christians from West Germany?" the peacemakers asked. "They want to ask forgiveness for what Germany did to Poland during the war and to begin to build a new relationship."

At first there was silence. Then one Pole spoke up. "What you are asking is impossible. Each stone of Warsaw is soaked in Polish blood! We cannot forgive!"

Before the group parted, however, they said the Lord's Prayer together. When they reached the words "forgive us our sins as we forgive...," everyone stopped praying. Tension swelled in the room. he Pole who had spoken so vehemently said, "I must say yes to you. I could no more pray the Our Father, I could no longer call myself a Christian, if I refuse to forgive. Humanly speaking, I cannot do it, but God will give us his strength!" Eighteen months late the Polish and West German Christians met together in Vienna, establishing friendships that continue to this day.
~Philip Yancey - What's So Amazing About Grace, p123

This is just one powerful illustration of how God's grace can bring about seemingly impossible acts of forgiveness.

I would hope that there aren't people who think I am unapproachable because they feel they have broken relationship to a point of no return.  Let me put it out there that I feel compelled to offer forgiveness to all those who ask, just as I feel compelled to ask forgiveness for the wrongs I have done.

When something just doesn't belong.

Last week I hopefully started the healing process after more than two years of pain and discomfort.  Many who know me know that I have had long term issues with my right knee.  There always seems to be pain, or locking or swelling and though for periods it settles down it has never quite gone away.  Recently, one night after youth group, it really flared up and has been so painful that I finally had an MRI and went and saw a specialist.

It was tad confusing because nothing really showed up on the MRI (no ligament or large cartilage damage) so the special wanted to do an exploratory arthroscope to get a camera inside my knee and have a look.  That's what happened last Monday.

I had a follow up appointment with the specialist yesterday and he showed me all the video he took inside my knee (very cool).  All the ligaments were good, all the cartilage was healthy and undamaged.  But a part of the cushioning cartilage from behind my knee cap was missing. The doc showed me the video and explained that it had probably been knocked away in an impact injury, but was in a space that shouldn't cause any problems.

However he then showed me the next video... you could see those pieces of cartilage that had broken away floating around in my knee.  Apparently these three 1cm square pieces of flesh have been what have been causing most of my pain for the last few years... they float around and maybe get caught where they'll cause the knee to lock, or they'll catch on my ACL and inflame it causing pain - or my body starts producing fluid in the knee to flush them out so it swells.  They wouldn't show up on an MRI, but because they just didn't belong they were the cause of all the trouble. On the video I then watched as a little claw tool grabbed each piece and pulled them out of my knee.

I had lots of time last week to sit and think, and it's funny, I had been reflecting on something similar in our lives... sin.  Just like those squares in my knee didn't belong, and because they were there they produced constant suffering, sin in the world causes the entire universe in which we live to suffer.  Sin lingers, it inflames, it breaks down, it causes pain.

How good is it then that we know through the Gospel that one day all sin is going to be plucked away as simply as the doctor removed that cartilage from my knee. In fact as Christians that has in part been done for us, we are saved from sin - even if we still experience it's effects.  I am still experiencing the pain of having little probes pushed into my knee, and it will take time to heal and get over the impact of surgery, but when it does it should be good as new.  Jesus has saved us from our sin, but while we are still in this world we experience the pain of living in a sinful place... one day though it will all be good as new.

Thank you Jesus!

Write verse, right time.

I was doing a devotion yesterday and grabbed a devotional Bible I haven't used it quite a while to find something. A bookmark fell out as I flipped through the paper, it was made by a friend of mine in The Gambia and sent to me long ago... this is the Scripture she wrote on it.

"I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint... For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay."
~Habakkuk 2:1; 3

Amazing how Inkeri made the bookmark and wrote the verse for me about 8 years ago, I probably saw it last about 3 years ago when I slipped it in this Bible... but today I needed to read that verse.  Stand strong, know God has a plan, know it will be revealed at the right moment and He will give the strength needed to work at whatever He plans.

TeenStreet - changing lives...

This weekend about 80 Young Adults (and a few older...) are meeting up to really get the TeenStreet 2014 ball rolling. As we come together as a leadership team to prayer for and plan the camp this year we are reminded once again how this one week camp can change lives.

Check out the promo video for this year, and if you know any teens send them to TeenStreet.org to register for this year's camp.



TeenStreet Australia from Ian Anderson Media on Vimeo.

Tweet of the Week

Max Lucado ‏@MaxLucado  9h

Demanding respect is like chasing a butterfly.Chase it, & you'll never catch it.Sit still, & it may light on your shoulder. #TravelingLight

_____________________________________________________

Character encourages respect... when people see things as a part of your character, not an egotistical desire or strive for notice, that's when real respect comes.  My character has to be defined by Jesus, I want to be more like Him, even though I know most of the time I am little like Him.

It's easier to try and demand respect... because that's in me... that's me working. Instead I know I should focus on being like Jesus, having his compassion, mercy and love... seeing things from His perspective. That's a lot harder than trying to make people respect me.