ImageC.S Lewis wrote an essay once called “Meditation in a Tool Shed.” In it he described his being in an old tool shed. The door was closed and light was streaming through the cracks in the door. By the light he saw the inside of the shed, the dust particles floating in the air, the tools, dirt, and cobwebs in the shed. Then he moved to the door and stood in the light. By it he could see through the crack to the outside. He could see the blue of the skies and the clouds floating gently by. His point, of course, was that by observation we can see one way and by experience we see another way.
We are now moving from the church age in the kingdom age, a season where God completes His gathering work and prepares His bride for the wedding to come. From this kingdom age perspective He has raised up apostles and prophets to reveal His work to the church. These are Kingdom leaders. They are few in number and not at all well known. But by their experience and the revelation they've received, they, like the Sons of Issachar (1 Chronicles 12:32), have an understanding of their times. They have, as C.S. Lewis illustrates, stood in the light of God's calling and experienced what others have not--revelation of the times we're in. Then there are other prophets who talk about the kingdom, who have a doctrinal understanding of the kingdom, and who see the new kingdom age from their observation of it, but who have not been called by God to stand in the light of kingdom revelation. These are church age prophets. They minister God's word and reveal God's will to fellow believers and accomplish God's purpose for them in this life. They are necessary agents of God in these transitional times. They have some degree of kingdom age understanding, but it's by observation, not by calling.
Most of the biggest names in apostolic and prophetic circles are these--church age prophets. They've accomplished much for God and have led His church to the river of crossing, but they themselves will not be able to cross over and prophesy from a kingdom age experience.
Now I ask you, should we disparage the work of these church age apostles and prophets? No. Did Joshua minimize the work of Moses? No. There are seasons and there are seasons. There are leaders and there are leaders. There are prophets and there are prophets.
The only major criticism that I can direct toward these well-known men and women of God is that some of them hear and pass on some aspects of kingdom understanding, adopting the message and adapting it to their ministries, but they refuse to acknowledge their place and calling, and refuse to yield to new leadership. They have become more career-focused than cause-focused. And they're beginning to proclaim the kingdom message as if it were their own.
Think of this: What if Moses had stubbornly rejected Joshua's calling and insisted on leading the people himself? Did he? No. But unlike Moses, these present-day apostles and prophets are cliquish, jealously protective of one another, and refuse to acknowledge their own calling's limitations in these days. It is because of this behavior that they, themselves, disparage their own ministries.
So, what response should kingdom age servants of God have toward these church age leaders? Very little. Kingdom age leaders must not get caught up in protracted squabbles that divert attention away from their primary callings. After all, one leader's value as Christ's servant is no greater than the value of another leader. It's just a matter of the times we're in, that's all. We must always remember, Christ yields His Lordship to no man. No exceptions.
Victoria Police have warned the parents of a primary school child that they can no longer discipline their child with a wooden spoon.
Teachers at Yea Primary School notified authorities after the student told a teacher she was smacked with a wooden spoon.
The Acting Inspector of the Child Abuse unit, Lauren Callaway, says there is a fine line between discipline and assault and it is the job of police to find out when that line has been crossed.
A British woman has wound up in court after driving through a puddle and splashing a group of school children waiting at a bus stop.
British media reported the splash-happy culprit came undone after a video of the incident, complete with commentary from her partner, appeared on YouTube.
A male voice can be heard in the clip egging the driver on.
"Here we go, ready to drench the kids," he said.
Following the spectacular splash he chimed in again: "That was brilliant! Awesome!"
The driver voluntarily contacted police and may be prosecuted for 'careless and inconsiderate driving'.
I don't advocate any form of child abuse, but really splashing people at a bus stop is hardly worthy of police attention. As for wooden spoons- they break long before you do any damage to a child as any parent knows.
There is a difference between positive discipline and assault.
Scripture Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptised with my baptism of suffering.”
Observation James and John come to Jesus and ask to be given positions of honour in the Kingdom. They sort of half got the message- the Kingdom of God is coming. What they didn't get is that it is a kingdom like no other.
The other disciples were indignant at this request by James and John, but only because they had got in first.
God's kingdom is not about seeking power but seeking to serve others. We are to follow Jesus' example in pouring out our lives to serve others.
Application It is a basic human drive to seek significance, a sense of worth not just to ourselves but to others. We have people who influence us and whom we seek to influence. We all want to be important to someone.
Jesus says that significance comes from serving not from ruling. If I want to be a leader in God's kingdom I have to be a servant. That means that I look to the needs of the people around me as a priority in my life.
That means a complete turn around on the way the world does things. I don't need to exalt myself, I need to serve others. I don't need to blow my own trumpet as others will speak my praises when I model Christ's love to them.
Prayer Father, open my eyes to the opportunities that you give today for me to serve others. Amen.
Mega-church North Point Community Church in Georgia, USA wants to build a $5 million bridge to ease parking congestion.
$5 Million Bridge to Somewhere: Tie it to the Purpose
Let's Build a Bridge
Church building campaigns can be hard for congregations to swallow. But how about building a $5 million bridge to ease parking congestion for a church?
That's what North Point Community Church outside Atlanta, Ga., is doing with their Let's Build a Bridge campaign. When I first saw it I literally thought it was a joke. As the opening copy explained:
Are you tired of sitting in the parking lot for twenty minutes after church? Do you hesitate to invite friends to church because of the complexity of getting on and off our campus? Have you ever skipped the closing song to beat the crowds to lunch?
Therefore North Point needs a $5 million, three-lane bridge that spans 1,000 feet of floodplain and wetlands. It's no joke. As North Point pastor Andy Stanley explains, this has been nine years in the making.
Is church attendance really the goal of what the church should be about?
What sort of disciples is the church producing if skipping the last song for the sake of getting home early is a common practice?
What does this church imagine fellowship or community building is about?
Has the church as corporation overtaken the body as community?
How does any church position itself as a different form of organism if it just replicates what other human groups do?
This isn't a snipe at a particular big church in America. These are questions we have to face at every size of congregation- whether you have 20 people or 2,000 people the questions must be faced up to, particularly when a congregation is growing.
“Who is it that questions my wisdom in such ignorant words?”
Observation
after listening to Job's complaints, the Lord now responds. Rather than replying to the specifics of Job's situation, the Lord asks him on rapid succession 64 rhetorical questions.
In the first group of questions, the Lord asks, “Were you there when I created and ordered the world?” The implication is clear- Job does not have a clue about how to run the planet and he should not complain about the way things are.
In the second group of questions, the focus turns to the power to influence creation. “Can you make it rain?” “Can you provide prey for the lioness?”
Application
God's answers to Job are not at all compassionate or empathetic. He does not pat Job on the head and say “There, there, poor munchkin.”
In fact, God gives Job a huge reality check- you can complain all you like, but where are your qualifications to criticise? Are you God or just a man?
The book of Job is does not seek to answer what modern people call the problem of suffering- the academic question of why is there so much suffering in the world. Rather it seeks to demonstrate the application of faith to suffering.
We may not understand what is happening to us or why things happen the way they do. We can get upset or angry, we can shake our fists at God, but that changes nothing.
As people of faith, when life throws us a tough time, all we can do is trust that God is in control. The God who brought the world into existence, who put the water into the right places, who sends rain and lightning, will surely look after us if we trust Him.
Prayer
Lord I confess that I find it hard to understand your ways. Help me to trust you even when life makes no sense to me. Amen.
Apart from a tsunami of bookshop and pram customers at lunch-time, it was a fairly quiet day off.
I took out a bit of time from gardening and cleaning the fish tank to take some photos around the garden. The sun was just right for experimenting with light flares and berries.
Scripture Many who are the greatest now will be the least important then and those who seem to be least important now will be the greatest then.
Observation A rich young man comes to Jesus and asks what he needs to do to be saved. He is a righteous man who keeps the commandments and does what is right. Yet he knows there is a problem.
Jesus nails the problem- possessions. Just give up the possessions, or more accurately the attachment to the possessions and all will be well.
This rich man goes away because his wealth is too hard to let go of. The possessions, which are only temporary, prevent him from gaining eternity.
That's why the great ones in this life may turn out to be nobodies in the kingdom of heaven.
Application For the young man the issue was his wealth. For other people the issue separating them from God is something else- it might be their career, dreams, family, ambitions, travel etc.
The fact is that everything we have, or desire to have, must be surrendered to Jesus for His kingdom. He may or may not let us hold on to them. The point is that Jesus must be king of every part of our lives.
Anything I hold on to and refuse to yield to Him becomes a false god, an idol, a thing that I treasure more than I treasure my relationship with God.
Prayer Father please show me the things I hold on to in my heart. Help me to surrender every part of my life to you. Amen,
I love this little spot near the railway line. The little creek and the weeping willow tree are really pretty- even if we are not supposed to like willows
“If only I knew where to find God, I would go to His court.”
Observation
Job is sure that if he could just find God and seek an audience everything would be all right. God is fair and will give him a hearing.
The problem is that God seems to be hidden and Job doesn't know where to find Him. This unseen God controls his destiny. Now fear envelopes Job and he concludes, “Darkness is all around me; thick impenetrable darkness is everywhere.”
Application
Where is God when it hurts? It is often easy to believe in God when all is going well. It is much harder to trust when life seems to be falling apart.
Worse still, at these times it can be hard to even see God in the thick darkness of fear.
Like Job, we just have to hang in there, knowing that somehow God will bring us through the time of testing.
Prayer
Father I think you that despite our blindness you are always here with us. Help me Lord to trust you even when you seem so far away.
Christian Arrested for Distributing Tracts in Egypt
Protestant Copt, 61, illegally detained then released without charges after four days. ISTANBUL, October 6 (CDN) — An Egyptian Christian arrested in Cairo for handing out gospel leaflets and held in prison illegally for four days has been released, the freed Protestant Copt told Compass.
Abdel Kamel, 61, was arrested on Sept. 23 in downtown Cairo for handing out copies of a Christian leaflet. As they arrested him, police told Kamel it was “unlawful” to hand out religious information on public roads. When Kamel countered that Muslims commonly hand out Islamic literature, police told him it was “more unlawful” for Christians. Kamel also didn’t have his identification card with him.
Nabil Ghobreyal, an attorney who worked to gain Kamel’s release, said there is no law in Egypt forbidding the distribution of religious material.
Police handcuffed Kamel, put him into a police car and seized his leaflets. Authorities then took him to a police station for interrogation. While in custody, Kamel said, he remained in handcuffs for hours, was thrown to the ground, spit upon and threatened with violence.
Kamel said he wasn’t tortured, but when asked to describe his treatment, he wept uncontrollably.
The lay preacher said he was proclaiming repentance and forgiveness in Christ because he views it as a service to others.
“I love my people,” he said. “I love Egypt, and I feel my service is directed toward the people I love and the country I love.”
Narrabri is on the fringe of the habitat of the Eastern Rosella so they are not terribly common here. Earlier this year, I think, was the first time I've seen them at our place. Today, there was a pair happily munching grass seeds at the back of our house.
They tell me it's 40 years since Monty Python's Flying Circus first went to air. Such is their long-lasting popularity that on the ABC this morning they asked people to call and nominate their favourite sketch- just the names were enough to cause me and the presenter to laugh uproariously.
If you define a day off as one when you do what you want to do, then today was not one of my better attempts, but it was interesting nonetheless.
It started off with time to do something I love- gardening. I picked a few peas, planted some more vegetable seeds (tomato, broccoli, watermelon, lettuce and cauliflower) and moved some of those beautiful petunias that we had in tube for the wedding.
It was while I was pruning a melaleuca (I think that's what it is!) that this butterfly came to check out what I was doing to his food source:
It was at that point that Margaret's cousin Wayne and his wife Debbie dropped in for a quick cup of coffee that lasted two hours. It was lunch-time then, and after lunch I got to back to the gardening. I found time to plant out some of the bearded irises that were meant to provide much colour for the wedding but sadly failed.
After fixing some weirdness in Margaret's email software, I was about to go for my much-loved but sadly missed daily walk when our mate Lew from Moree turned up for another quick cup of coffee that went for another two hours. The peas I picked in the morning went nicely in the evening stir fry!
It is great to catch up with unexpected visitors, even when they disrupt our plans!
Margaret and I went to the christening/ baptism of Caleb Loder this morning and enjoyed a very pleasant lunch and afternoon at the Loders' place.
It's the first time I've heard Father Vic preach, although we've talked informally numerous times. He very carefully explained the symbols of water, light, oil and white clothing. He also explained that baptism is a sacrament which carries the grace of Christ to the baby and represents the start of a walk with Christ. Just as enrolling in a school does not guarantee that you finish, baptism does not guarantee that you get to heaven.
Nicely done, I thought, and a sermon which would be at home in any evangelical church that practises infant baptism (or even adult baptism for that matter).
WIDGETIZE