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Confidence (Part II)

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , , , , , on September 30, 2008| 1 Comment »

Confidence

I would like to explore ‘confidence’ a little more and its place in the Christian life.  Why am I choosing to talk about confidence rather than choosing faith or hope or trust?  Well, it’s quite simple, ‘confidence’ is what the Lord has been speaking to me about lately.  Actually, He has been speaking to me about four ‘words’.  These ‘words’ are LIFE, GLORY, COURAGE and CONFIDENCE.  LIFE AND GLORY, in my present thinking, have tended to group together and, it seems, COURAGE AND CONFIDENCE are tending to group together as well.  I’ve covered (in my blog) LIFE and GLORY and COURAGE a little so I would like to get a ‘bit more of a handle’ on CONFIDENCE.

In this world, when we lack confidence or we loose confidence, it seems that we can sometimes regain confidence by doing things to sow into our self confidence.  Therefore, we might join a group to be around those who are more self confident than ourselves or we might start reading self help books or watching motivational DVDs etc to gain a positive and confident mind set.  We can deliberately feed ourselves with self motivational material to bolster self esteem, self confidence and ego.

Now I am asking myself, is it wrong to build up our self confidence?  From the world’s perspective, that would be a definite no.   My observation is the more self confident we are, the more successful we are likely to be.  Conversely the more we lack confidence, the less likely we are to be successful.  In fact, if we lack confidence, it is unlikely that we will ever achieve everything we are capable of.  So self confidence is a good thing?  Right? (note question mark) Feeding our self confidence can be a tool to maximise our potential in this world else our visions and dreams and potential aren’t met and, a kind of, self fulfilling prophecy associated with a lack of confidence and not reaching beyond ourselves keeps us small and insignificant and trapped in a cocoon of fears and doubts.

So, you can see, there is a pretty good argument for us to develop our self confidence so that each of us can attain our dreams and visions and potential.  A question comes to mind, can we take our self confidence and fit this into our Christian faith somehow?  It seems to be a healthy thing to be self confident.  Surely we could be ‘a hell of a lot’ more useful to God and his Kingdom if we are self confident.  (I think I am being a little sarcastic)

Can you see through this nonsense I am going on with?  Perhaps the SELF in self confidence gave it away.  There should have been warning bells going off in your head.  If not, then perhaps you have been sucked into thinking that walking with God and self confidence are compatible.  I understand there is some clever marketing going on that mixes self confidence, self esteem, Christianity and using our friends to sell product to.  Woops I digress.

‘Self confidence’ or ‘confidence in self’ by it’s very nature and definition stands opposed to confidence and faith in our Lord

Let’s look at the example of King David.  I believe King David had confidence, but it wasn’t self confidence that he was relying on.  His confidence wasn’t in his own abilities.  His confidence was firmly and securely placed in the Lord. He chose, in his spirit and in his heart, to place his confidence in the Lord. This is in vast contrast to what the world teaches, that is, a confidence in self.

When we consider the account of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel Chapter 17 it isn’t just a faith moment for King David.  There is a walking in the confidence of God.  God is in David and David is in God.  The two were one.  You know, this might sound funny, but I believe even if David didn’t defeat Goliath, the Lord would have still been well pleased with him.  Anyhow, David’s confidence is firmly and securely placed in the Lord.  Consider David’s words…

his Holy discontent…

“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” [v26] NIV

“Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God” [v36] NIV

his concern for Saul and his army…

“Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” [v32] NIV

as he confidently prophesied over Goliath…

“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” [v45-47] NIV

Opposition before the Battle

Even when those around him misunderstood him, doubted him and intimidated him this did not shake David’s confidence in the Lord. Let us consider some of King David’s opposition to his confidence in the Lord even before his battle with Goliath.  This might be helpful when people and circumstances attempt to rattle our confidence in the Lord.

When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.” [v28] NIV

This was the first attack on David’s confidence.  It was a misjudgment of David’s heart and motives. Notice it came from someone close to him, his oldest brother.  Let’s consider David’s brother for a moment and where these words are coming from.  He is part of Saul’s army.  The army was dismayed and terrified v11.  Personally, his brother would have been feeling defeated and powerless and ashamed. Thus out spews an attack from his heart that tries to cut his younger brother down.  This is Satan at work here, working through the words of his oldest brother, trying to tear down David’s confidence in the Lord and it was coming through someone that David would have respected and looked up to.

Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.” [v33] NIV

Here is the second attack on David’s confidence and it’s a double whammy.  Don’t dismiss this one.  Satan is speaking through Saul now.  These are mind changing words.  “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him” is a powerfully suggestive statement to anyone who has a weak mind and weak resolve.   “You are only a boy” – Saul is suggesting that David is inadequate for the task and thus again his confidence in the Lord is questioned and attacked.

He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!“ [v43-44] NIV

This is the third attack on David’s confidence.  If you look at verses 4-7 you can see that Goliath looks terribly intimidating.  Now, with his words, Goliath is blatantly intimidating and cursing David but David’s confidence in the Lord will not be put off and he gives this response to Goliath…

“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” [v45-47] NIV

So How Do We Get This Type of Confidence in the Lord?

But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. [v34-36]

David came into the battle not with self confidence but with God confidence because he KNEW God.  He knew and had PROVEN the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness in previous battles.  David’s life was in his Heavenly Father’s and his Heavenly Father’s life was in him.  David’s life was a life of EXERCISED faith and trust in his Heavenly Father thus his complete and unshakable confidence was in the Lord for the battle with Goliath.

“For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you.” [Psalm 71:5-6] NIV

King David’s hope and confidence extended beyond the lion and the bear.  From David’s youth his hope and confidence was in the Lord.  Can you imagine David lying on the side of a hill, tending the sheep and singing and praising his Lord.  Or perhaps praying to his Heavenly Father under the stars at night. In this fast paced, crazy world where are we to get the time to develop our relationship with the Lord?

Even from birth, David says he relied on the Lord.  How can he say this?  Could it be that we all have a measure of confidence when we are born.  It is just that we loose that confidence or are robbed of that confidence through the journey of life – I’m not sure.  Is David’s life an example of a life that hasn’t been robbed?  I think so.  David is walking in the confidence of God.

Remember, we have an enemy who wants to steal, kill and destroy.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy ; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” [Jn 10:10] NIV

One of the best ways for Satan to make us ineffective is to rob us of our courage and confidence. These are essential ingredients for LIFE and essential ingredients for advancing the Kingdom of God.  Can we truly LIVE without courage and confidence? Will we ever be victorious overcomers in our lives and in this world without courage and confidence in our Lord Jesus?

Here is the challenge!

Are we able to begin to allow courage and confidence in our Lord Jesus grow in our lives?  As God moves our lives from our safe, cocooned environments where we are controlled by our fears and our insecurities, our procrastinations and our indifference, our avoidance and our laziness, our slothfulness and our sinfulness we will begin to truly glorify the Lord in each and every victory we have in our lives.  All glory and praise to the Lord as each one of us becomes fully alive in Him and we gloriously display the victories available through Him – Amen

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Lord of the Rings – Works of Service Clip

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , , , on September 26, 2008| 1 Comment »

Scene from ‘The Lord of the Rings’ with voiceover about serving (part of a talk)

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. [Eph 4:11-13] NIV

Blessings

Steve

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We were Meant to Live for SO much more…

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , , , on September 26, 2008| Leave a Comment »

I couldn’t find exactly what I was after so I put subtitles on this ‘Meant to Live’ acoustic by Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman

Part of talk I am doing – enjoy

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The Virtue of Confidence

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 25, 2008| Leave a Comment »

The Virtue of Confidence

There are times in our lives when our confidence in God can be incredibly rocked and challenged.  The writer of Hebrews encourages those that were suffering great persecution and trial to: “not throw away their confidence” and to “hold firmly til the end the confidence they had at first”.

The complete text says:

“Do not throw away your confidence (that is our holy courage and boldness); it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”   But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” [Heb 10:35-39] NIV

And in [Heb 3:14] it says“We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first“ and in the following verses the writer warns not to harden their hearts and therefore receive in themselves a rebellious and unbelieving heart towards the Lord.

King David, when challenged with enemies that would completely destroy him handled it this way…

“The LORD is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.
One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.
Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me,breathing out violence.
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.“ [Psalms 27:1-14] NIV

There is no doubt that our enemy wants to destroy our confidence (if we allow him).  He knows how glorious we can become when we put our complete confidence in the Lord.  He knows the potential that is within each one of us to glorify  our creator and (with great vigor) he attacks our courage and confidence in our Heavenly Father.

The Bible says that “the Lord will be our confidence“[Prov 3:26] and  that “the effect (or outworking) of our righteousness (in Christ) will be (an inner) quietness and confidence forever“[Is 32:17].

And finally,

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes;its leaves are always green.It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” [Jer 17:7-8] NIV

Final Encouragement:
Continue to have great confidence in the Lord “being confident of this,  that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” [Phil 1:6] NIV

Blessings,

Steve

Confidence Part II

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Favourite Worship Song

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , , on August 25, 2008| Leave a Comment »

My favourite worship song this week is…

Rescue

You are the source of the life
I can’t be left behind
No one else will do
I will take hold of You

I need You Jesus
To come to my rescue
Where else can I go
There’s no other name
By which I am saved
Capture me with grace
I will follow You

My heart is Yours for life
I need Your hand in mine
No one else will do
I put my trust in You

I will follow You
This world has nothing for me
I will follow You
This world has nothing for me

I need You Jesus
To come to my rescue
Where else can I go
There’s no other name
By which I am saved
Capture me with grace
Capture me with grace
Capture me with grace
I will follow You
I will follow You

I just can’t seem to get this song out of my head
(this is a good thing)  🙂

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Keeping God’s Mercy in View

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , , on August 23, 2008| Leave a Comment »

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:1-2(NIV)

The Lord has had me thinking about Romans 12:1-2 in a new light.  He has had me focusing on 5 words at the beginning of verse 1″in view of God’s mercy” . To me, these 5 words are helping me focus and refocus on what our Lord has done for me(us).  I must not loose sight of God’s mercy.  I must always keep His mercy in view or in the forefront of my mind.  If I loose sight of God’s mercy I loose sight of all meaning and purpose in the way I behave and the things that I do.  If I loose sight of God’s mercy what use is it to offer my body as a living sacrifice?  This would only become some religious act.  The same goes for choosing to live a Holy life – if I strive to do what is right I become some sort of legalistic religious nut.

Ahhhh! but if I am consumed by His mercy and love and grace and (with great thankfulness) I always keep His mercy in view He transforms me and renews me from the inside out.  Not only that, I begin to receive the ‘mind of Christ’ and I begin to understand His good and pleasing and perfect will for my life.

Just a thought…

Blessings
Steve

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Babel or Pentecost

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , , on August 11, 2008| Leave a Comment »

What are some of the things that stop us working together as a community of God?

Pride (that is, my opinion is right and the best opinion – confidence in one’s own opinions)

Spiritual Pride (that is, just pride again but bringing God in to support your views)

Sin (that is, hidden and unhidden sin that distracts and also has people walking in the flesh and not the Spirit)

Lack of faith (that is, an unwillingness to trust and obey, so the default is working in your own strength)

Lack of Humility (that is, unable to sit under leadership – pride again)

Failing to see the church as Christ’s body in the world (lack of Biblical understanding and understanding of the heart of God)

People not truly Born Again (People walking in their own strength and not the Spirit)

Grumblers (People that not set free and who have pot shots from the side lines)

Procrastinators (People not set free and who are ruled by laziness and fears)

Glory Seekers (People who want to be in the limelight and who aren’t so therefore switch off or give a percentage of effort)

Satan (Satan is working hard at keeping us small and insignificant in the Kingdom of God through deception and distraction)

Lack of prayer and fasting (Seeking the Lord in everything that we do)

Time Issues (people not structuring their life and time around the body of Christ)

Financial Issues (people not supporting and structuring their finances in to the body of Christ)

Is there something else? I am sure there are heaps! But what about…

“Babel or Pentecost”

Jesus came to give us LIFE, TRUE LIFE, REAL LIFE, ABUNDANT LIFE! But what if we are not walking in the light and the life – is there something else that separates us?

In the Old Testament, tucked between the flood and the call of Abram(later Abraham) we have a story about the Tower of Babel…

Genesis 11:1-9
11:1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel — because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth. NIV

The Lord caused confusion in the language of the people so that they could not understand each other – they could not work together and they were scattered. In other words the Lord took hold of their tongues to bring disharmony and confusion and scattering.

Contrast that with these verses in Acts…

Acts 2:1-12
2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11(both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs — we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” NIV

Again, God, by His Spirit, takes hold of peoples tongues, but this time not to scatter and bring confusion and disharmony but to usher in His Kingdom of God – a Christ centred community of love and oneness in Him and each other. The ‘curse of Babel’ that hinders mankind from working together in community is broken by the blood of Jesus! Oneness with God and oneness with each other is restored by the work of the cross though the power of His Holy Spirit.

Oneness

John 17:20-23
20 “I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in me because of their message [Ed:that’s us!]. 21 I pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me. 22 I gave them the same glory you gave me, so that they may be one , just as you and I are one : 23 I in them and you in me, so that they may be completely one, in order that the world may know that you sent me and that you love them as you love me. (GNT)

Just a thought…

Blessings

Steve

Sources:
http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/b16pent08.HTM
http://trinitychurchsutton.org.uk/Sermons/Sermon_904.htm
http://jewsforjesus.org/publications/newsletter/1998_05/babel
http://www.ubcmn.org/sermon20070527.htm
http://www.munachi.com/z/pentecosteve.htm
http://www.trinitycrc.org/sermons/ac02v04.html
http://www.leaderu.com/ftissues/ft9805/opinion/mouw.html

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True Courage

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , on August 8, 2008| Leave a Comment »

What is it about the characteristic of courage that is so admirable and appealing?

Hollywood movies are full of stories of courage. They make for great movies – the producers and directors know this and reap the benefits. We all love to hear of people who have had courage in challenging circumstances. Something resonates deep within our hearts and is touched by these stories. When the hero, who is facing immanent death, fights off the evil villain or triumphs over impossible circumstances something deep within us goes “YES!” – something beyond ourselves and yet within ourselves is touched. Could it be that stories of great courage feed our deep inner desire for courage in our own lives? Could we be getting our courage ‘fix’ from a movie rather than from victories in our own lives? Consider this quote…

“A man either lives life as it happens to him, meets it head on and licks it, or he turns his back on it and starts to wither away” – Dr McCoy (Bones) [Startrek – The Original Series]

Yes I know, I know, it’s not from the Bible, but I reckon the writer has observed something deep within men, don’t you think?. You see, courage is needed to meet the difficulties and struggles of life HEAD ON else we begin to wither and die. Why are there so many people who medicate and escape and avoid the trails of life and end up in depression, despair, torment and mental illness. (Let me qualify my previous comment by saying, in a healthy, supportive community those who lack courage are supported and helped and spurred on through their trails of life) Courage is what is desperately needed in this life!

GREAT Courage

But what about GREAT courage like David and Goliath. Well, David grew his courage out of tending the sheep – fighting off the bear and the lion. Sadly, in our western society, courage is something that can be avoided by the comforts and escapes of our lives. It is something that is lacking and undeveloped in most of us.

I found these great thoughts about courage here from a fellow who was writing about some of the courageous Sep 11 aircraft passengers. I think he has ‘nailed it’…

“If I wish to have courage in those decisive moments when it is needed most, I cannot approach every uncomfortable situation I encounter seeking the quickest and least painful means of avoiding it. All those seemingly inconsequential choices I have made to avoid the unpleasant event, instead of confronting it, determines how I will deal with future events.

Courage is not a quality that materializes automatically whenever it is needed. Courage is developed over time by conscious decisions not to back down when faced with small threats and problems, and instead taking rise to the occasion of challenging fears. Thus, when the larger threat or pivotal moment presents itself, the fortified courage is ready for the new challenger.

However, this is not to say that because of courage, there will be no fear. Courage is not the absence of fear; rather, true courage is acting in the face of your fear when the danger looms ominously and the outcome is uncertain.

Developing courage is not easy, nor is it fun, and in fact it will require going beyond normal security and comfort levels.

But in choosing to live as safe and painless a life as possible, short-circuiting any opportunities to build courage, not only will we be inadequately prepared to respond to those events in our lives that demand courage, but we will also sabotage the thrill and joy of risk involved with living.” – Christopher De Lastic

In Mel Gibson’s ‘Braveheart’ movie William Wallace’s word of wisdom is…

“All men die; few men ever really live”

pronouncing being courageous and living beyond yourself for a cause and a freedom is real living.

John Eldredge in his book ‘Wild at Heart’ says…

“The most dangerous man on earth is the man who has reckoned with his own death. The less we are trying to “save ourselves,” the more effective a warrior we will be”

suggesting (again) that dying to oneself and living for a cause or a freedom is truely living.

The Spiritual side of Courage

I believe courage is intimately connected with our spirit within us. Each one of us is made up of spirit, soul and body (1 Thes 5:23). Courage is a component of our spirits that overcomes(or rather overrules) the fears of our souls and our bodies. Courage needs to be exercised for it to grow. If we lack courage at any time in our lives we begin the process of withering and dying inside. When we don’t rise and have courage our spirit takes a blow and it can be the beginning of our spirit becoming crushed. Our spiritual courage can be used for good and for evil – we can see that very clearly is this world today. Satan knows the potential of courage that lies within each one of us – that is why he tries so hard to deceive us.

True Courage

True courage, a courage that is pure comes from our spirit connected to God’s Spirit. True courage works in combination with our faith in our Heavenly Father to allow us to defeat our giants and to conquer our trials and to have victory in all that we do. Those that have lacked courage and have crushed spirits God longs to restore so that courage returns. True courage, courage like David facing and defeating Goliath, comes from ‘a facing of and an overcoming of death'(Heb 2:14-15) and ‘a dying to oneself’ (Luke 9:24) and living for our Heavenly Father. Is is not based on a self generated courage but a courage and faith that is bridled and controlled by His Holy Spirit.

Consider also, the courage of our Lord and Saviour Jesus, who, having full knowledge of what was before Him, chose the gruesome and painful and horrendous death on the cross for our salvation and eternal life (Heb 12:1-3).

Words of the Apostle Paul…

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage ; be strong.” [1 Cor 16:13 (NIV)]

“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” [Phil 1:20 (NIV)]

Words of the writer of Hebrews…

“We are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.”
[Heb 3:6b (NIV)]

Words of life from our Heavenly Father (through various people)…

“Be strong and courageous!..”

[Deut 31:6,31:7,31:23; Josh 1:6,1:7,1:9,1:18,10:25; 1Chron 22:13,28:20;2 Chron 32:7 (NIV)]

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Your Kingdom Come!

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , on August 5, 2008| Leave a Comment »

This is what I have been thinking about…

May your Kingdom come
may your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven
Mt 6:10 (GNT)

What does the Kingdom of God look like?

Remember, Jesus prayed this prayer…

John 17:20-23
20 “I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in me because of their message [Ed:that’s us!]. 21 I pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me. 22 I gave them the same glory you gave me, so that they may be one , just as you and I are one : 23 I in them and you in me, so that they may be completely one, in order that the world may know that you sent me and that you love them as you love me. (GNT)

Is “oneness” with God and “oneness” with each other the goal?

Absolutely!

Is that achievable?

Absolutely!

Perhaps it looks something like this?

Acts 2:43-47
43 Many miracles and wonders were being done through the apostles, and everyone was filled with awe. 44 All the believers continued together in close fellowship and shared their belongings with one another. 45 They would sell their property and possessions, and distribute the money among all, according to what each one needed. 46 Day after day they met as a group in the Temple, and they had their meals together in their homes, eating with glad and humble hearts, 47 praising God, and enjoying the good will of all the people. And every day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved. (GNT)

Acts 4:32-35
32 The group of believers was one in mind and heart. None of them said that any of their belongings were their own, but they all shared with one another everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God poured rich blessings on them all. 34 There was no one in the group who was in need . Those who owned fields or houses would sell them, bring the money received from the sale, 35 and turn it over to the apostles; and the money was distributed according to the needs of the people. (GNT)

Is this what Heaven on earth really is?

Absolutely!

But how is this achievable?

ONLY THROUGH GOD’S SPIRIT!

The early church really had something going! Their prayer meetings rocked (Acts 2:2, Acts 4:31)! 🙂

Then there’s the Ananias and Sapphira Story

In Acts chapter 5 we have the story of Ananias and Sapphira who, as a result of being deceptive and lying about monies from a property sale, both died. Have a look at it.

Acts 5:1-11
5:1 But there was a man named Ananias, who with his wife Sapphira sold some property that belonged to them. 2 But with his wife’s agreement he kept part of the money for himself and turned the rest over to the apostles. 3 Peter said to him, “Ananias, why did you let Satan take control of you and make you lie to the Holy Spirit by keeping part of the money you received for the property? 4 Before you sold the property, it belonged to you; and after you sold it, the money was yours. Why, then, did you decide to do such a thing? You have not lied to people — you have lied to God!” 5 As soon as Ananias heard this, he fell down dead; and all who heard about it were terrified. 6 The young men came in, wrapped up his body, carried him out, and buried him.
7 About three hours later his wife, not knowing what had happened, came in. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, was this the full amount you and your husband received for your property?”
“Yes,” she answered, “the full amount.”
9 So Peter said to her, “Why did you and your husband decide to put the Lord’s Spirit to the test? The men who buried your husband are at the door right now, and they will carry you out too!” 10 At once she fell down at his feet and died. The young men came in and saw that she was dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 The whole church and all the others who heard of this were terrified. (GNT)

Why did they die?

Because of what the community had!

God’s love was lavishly poured out amongst His community. His Spirit was in them and amongst them in a most powerful and wonderful way. Therefore, there was this great clash between what the Spirit was doing in the community and the lies and deception of Ananias and Sapphira. In this context of God’s Spirit moving in great power what they did was like black and white – here was the potential to spoil – and it was very offensive to the Spirit – “the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely” James 4:5 NIV

Could this happen today?

That is, could somebody die because of their lies and deception against a community of God. Well, you have to ask, would the clash between the Christian community we belong to and the lies and deception be a great one or a small one? Would the “oneness of Spirit” in our community (and the power of God within it and the glory of God shining through it) be highly sensitive to the lies and deception or would the offense not be so great?

In an alive, Spirit filled, God glorifying community we can get away with nothing.  If what we have to contribute is something less than everything where does that leave us with our community?  If we all meet together half baked, half committed, compromised, asleep in the light, hidden sinned, where is that going to get us?  Woops, perhaps I’ve said too much.  Pray for Revival and it starts in our own hearts!

Can you see where I am coming from?

This is something to think and pray about…

Blessings,

Steve

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Being Fully Alive! (Part 2)

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , , on July 21, 2008| Leave a Comment »

Saint Irenaeus

The authentic and complete text of Saint Irenaeus:

“The glory of God is man fully alive, and the life of man is the vision of God. If the revelation of God through creation already brings life to all living beings on the earth, how much more will the manifestation of the Father by the Word bring life to those who see God”

(AH IV, 20, 7)

AH = Adversus Haereses (Against the Heresies) – Saint Irenaeus.

Irenaeus was born in Asia Minor about the year 125. He was still a young man when he met Polycarp of Smyrna, who represented a generation which had known the Apostles chosen by Christ, especially Saint John.

After the persecution of 177, it was necessary to rebuild the Church of God which was at Lyon. Irenaeus succeeded Pothinus and thus became the second bishop of Lyon-Vienne. Not only did he assure the presence of Christ the preacher and shepherd at the crossroads of the Three Gauls, but at the same time he carried out the composition of his masterpiece which is cited today under the title of Adversus Haereses (Against the Heresies). The actual title expresses more clearly the double movement of Irenaeus’ theology and *polemic. It is called Detection and Refutation of the False Gnosis.

Source:

http://www.ewtn.com/library/Theology/IRENAEUS.HTM

(a good read if you can get through it)

* Polemics, is the practice of disputing or controverting religious, philosophical, or political matters. As such, a polemic text on a topic is often written specifically to dispute or refute a position or theory that is widely viewed to be beyond reproach.

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