We seem to live in a day when those who claim to be Christian, especially those who are in leadership, often practice a kind of one-up-man-ship when preaching, speaking publicly, or simply giving testimony about the way God has proven Himself in their lives. More often than not a fair amount of poetic licence slips into their conversation.
I've just read a testimony which tugs at my heart because of the profound message it declares, and yet expresses the certainty of a man who KNOWS our Father God,and, as a result has no need to guild the lily.
You ought to go there and read it: http://mightyfowl.blogspot.com/
His words have inspired me to share something along similar lines.
My wife and I had five very young children when we decided we couldn't delay attending college any longer. I was ministering quite extensively and felt the need to leave secular work and study more. We sold all but the bare essentials of our belongings to afford the fees incurred for accomodation and tuition, which swallowed all of which we received. We had no income, very small savings, but were confident that God would supply our needs. That He did!
A small example of the Father's interest in His people:
Semester break was coming soon when I had promised to work at a non-denominational overseas mission headquarters, building a large room to hold their literature.
Two days before we were due to drive south we had two twenty cent coins in our pocket. We needed money for petrol (three hundred miles worth), to contribute to the food supply, as well as the incidentals that come with children ranging in age from 6 to 13. We had calculated that we needed $200 for the three weeks (it WAS a long time ago).
The next day we still had two twenty cent pieces to last us three weeks. I decided to phone the mission and tell them we couldn't come. That call cost exactly half of our worldly wealth. The disappointment at the mission was palpable.
After hanging up, with a heavy heart, I started to walk back to our quarters when I came under the strongest of compulsions to reverse my decision. I simply could not resist, and went back to the phone using our last twenty cents for the call.
I told my wife what I had done, and, being the woman she is, she said,"Oh! I knew you would!"
Lunch time came and went. It was time to get the mail. We received a letter from my sister, who with her husband and children were on a mission station on Mornington Island 4000 miles away. The letter contained a cheque for $60 : "We felt you could use this."
A little later one of the college staff came to us and said, "Our daughter asked us to give this money to whom ever we believe ought to have it." Another $120!
To cut a long story short; we left college the next morning with $205 in our pocket. Zero to 205 in a little over 24 hours!
The smallest need doesn't escape our Father's attention, as we found when we went into our first full time pastorate. Shake as you might, we still didn't jingle from what we had in our pocket. We were poor, in earthly terms, but we have a wealthy Father who does care.
As most families do, we needed to go to the supermarket. Mum wanted a pumpkin, but we simply could not afford it. As we arrived at our house, there sitting on the back step, resplendent in all its green glory, was beautiful pumpkin.
Thanks Bob, for reminding me that it is often in the simple things in which God reveals Himself and not necessarily in theological profundity.
To Him belongs the glory!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
THE TERMITES ARE IN
A recent Australian T.V. programme told about the dangers faced when building homes of timber. The host was holding a piece of painted timber about 4” x 3” by four feet in length. It was painted with a very glossy paint and appeared solid and strong.
Suddenly, the host gently squeezed the piece of timber, which crumbled in his hand, falling in pieces onto the floor. The only thing holding to the original form of the timber was the thick coat of paint, which was easily crushed.
I was reminded of what we generally understand as “church”. Something quite different from the Church which Jesus promised He will build which would be a living breathing entity with an eternal warranty.
It would be a very brave, foolish, or ignorant person who would state that the entity we understand as the institution called “church” was any more substantial than the piece of wood held in the hand of the T.V. host; shiny and brash, believing it is strong, when, in fact, it is riddled with termites!
During the last fifty years or so, I have heard most of the reasons (read excuses) why the “church” doesn’t reflect the Church which Jesus is building (apart from what is going on in the “church”), and I’ve heard some very creative ones, such as infiltration by spies from other denominations, fifth columnist liberals who sneak in, etc., etc.. Of course we must not forget the secularism revealed on T.V. is also a strong force to contend with, as well as many other of these myriad “enemies” who are damaging the “church”.
Then there are the “clergy” who say the downturn is God’s chastisement upon the “church”.
More recently, of course, modernism and post modernism also join some of the more recent “enemies”, along with charismaticism, the emerging church, the home church movement, and those of which no one has yet heard.
For goodness sake! Someone has to carry the can!
Well! My own observations cause me to join with Pogo, who once said,”… we have met the enemy, and he is us!” The enemy isn’t coming from outside!
The most dangerous enemy of the Church today is the “church”!
I remember hearing a Christian leader from the USA, when speaking about one of the major hurdles to personal evangelism, say, “The problem is that many unbelievers DO know a Christian!”. I would say it a little differently, “The problem is that many unbelievers DO know someone who claims to be a Christian!”
The “church” commonly recognized in any given community is the biggest threat to Christianity today because of what they have become, simply one of a number of the religions, whose most urgent interest is representing their own agendas, maintaining the status quo, self assured of their importance!
Astronomical amounts of money are tied up in property, as well as investments, ownership of insurance companies, etc.
Yet each one claims to represent Jesus Christ, who had nothing but the clothes on His back.
There can be no doubt that the “church” is declining at an accelerating rate, despite the increasing efforts to stem the decline.
Is it possible that Jesus was a little ambitious when He said, ”I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it”?
In a time when gigantic failures are common: Is it possible that the Son of God is the biggest failure ever known? NO!!
Have we ever faced the possibility that since Constantine we have been wrong about the Church which Jesus promised to build, and that He was not speaking about the “church” of Constantines and our sinful, proud imaginings?
Can we even begin to think that maybe He IS building His Church, a Church which the religionist cannot recognize, and is steadily being built all over the world, and that the gates of Hell, indeed, will not, cannot, prevail against it?
Will it ever occur to the religionists that the true Church is not the result of human endeavour, of great programmes, of good secular management skills, of mere resolutions made at annual conventions and assemblies, joined to carefully planned cosmetics of princely buildings, and great orators, of backsides on seats listening to guilt inducing words, who practice token benevolence, and attending meetings, and obeying laws, rules and impositions?
When will we learn that the Church is about a people of Gods own choosing , every one of them “A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY (1 Peter 2:9-10), and that all have a living, real relationship with God, who revealed Himself in the life and work of Lord Jesus Christ, a relationship which all genuine followers of Christ share; a relationship which is a gift from God who, “…being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them”.
Suddenly, the host gently squeezed the piece of timber, which crumbled in his hand, falling in pieces onto the floor. The only thing holding to the original form of the timber was the thick coat of paint, which was easily crushed.
I was reminded of what we generally understand as “church”. Something quite different from the Church which Jesus promised He will build which would be a living breathing entity with an eternal warranty.
It would be a very brave, foolish, or ignorant person who would state that the entity we understand as the institution called “church” was any more substantial than the piece of wood held in the hand of the T.V. host; shiny and brash, believing it is strong, when, in fact, it is riddled with termites!
During the last fifty years or so, I have heard most of the reasons (read excuses) why the “church” doesn’t reflect the Church which Jesus is building (apart from what is going on in the “church”), and I’ve heard some very creative ones, such as infiltration by spies from other denominations, fifth columnist liberals who sneak in, etc., etc.. Of course we must not forget the secularism revealed on T.V. is also a strong force to contend with, as well as many other of these myriad “enemies” who are damaging the “church”.
Then there are the “clergy” who say the downturn is God’s chastisement upon the “church”.
More recently, of course, modernism and post modernism also join some of the more recent “enemies”, along with charismaticism, the emerging church, the home church movement, and those of which no one has yet heard.
For goodness sake! Someone has to carry the can!
Well! My own observations cause me to join with Pogo, who once said,”… we have met the enemy, and he is us!” The enemy isn’t coming from outside!
The most dangerous enemy of the Church today is the “church”!
I remember hearing a Christian leader from the USA, when speaking about one of the major hurdles to personal evangelism, say, “The problem is that many unbelievers DO know a Christian!”. I would say it a little differently, “The problem is that many unbelievers DO know someone who claims to be a Christian!”
The “church” commonly recognized in any given community is the biggest threat to Christianity today because of what they have become, simply one of a number of the religions, whose most urgent interest is representing their own agendas, maintaining the status quo, self assured of their importance!
Astronomical amounts of money are tied up in property, as well as investments, ownership of insurance companies, etc.
Yet each one claims to represent Jesus Christ, who had nothing but the clothes on His back.
There can be no doubt that the “church” is declining at an accelerating rate, despite the increasing efforts to stem the decline.
Is it possible that Jesus was a little ambitious when He said, ”I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it”?
In a time when gigantic failures are common: Is it possible that the Son of God is the biggest failure ever known? NO!!
Have we ever faced the possibility that since Constantine we have been wrong about the Church which Jesus promised to build, and that He was not speaking about the “church” of Constantines and our sinful, proud imaginings?
Can we even begin to think that maybe He IS building His Church, a Church which the religionist cannot recognize, and is steadily being built all over the world, and that the gates of Hell, indeed, will not, cannot, prevail against it?
Will it ever occur to the religionists that the true Church is not the result of human endeavour, of great programmes, of good secular management skills, of mere resolutions made at annual conventions and assemblies, joined to carefully planned cosmetics of princely buildings, and great orators, of backsides on seats listening to guilt inducing words, who practice token benevolence, and attending meetings, and obeying laws, rules and impositions?
When will we learn that the Church is about a people of Gods own choosing , every one of them “A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY (1 Peter 2:9-10), and that all have a living, real relationship with God, who revealed Himself in the life and work of Lord Jesus Christ, a relationship which all genuine followers of Christ share; a relationship which is a gift from God who, “…being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them”.
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