Participation and unity

I meet with a group of evangelical pastors each Monday for fellowship, prayer and a great coffee at cafe Per Te in Church St Brighton, and it is one of the most encouraging, supportive and nurturing environments to be a part of. We care for each other deeply and strive to bring a genuine Christian love and strength to each other.

We also have great debates at times, and even though we hotly debate and disagree on the meaning and application in certain parts of the Bible, we always pray with each other, and agree to have minor disagreements. There is a great sense of unity and dedication to the Gospel.

One such discussion of late has been on the issues of baptism. Why did Jesus institute it, and how does it apply to the modern Christian life?

For example, if a person in their heart genuinely repents of their sin, seeks forgiveness from God through the merits of Christ, and invites the Holy Spirit to be the guiding influence in their life, hasn't faith brought this person the fullness of the Kingdom? What does baptism add? The same questions arise when discussing what happens when a Christian or Christians take the Lord's Supper.

Why must we participate in these "rituals" when the Bible clearly declares that "it is by faith you are saved"? Why did Jesus say to participate in these 2 ceremonies if all that is needed is faith? These are difficult questions to answer, and trying to figure them out can be very difficult, and if we are not careful, can also cause unnecessary divisions between Christians. 3 things must be said:

Obey the command to participate in these ceremonies as an act of obedience, as part of your holiness and not thinking that it has anything to do with salvation, apart from remembrance of how and why you are saved. To quote Mary Basilea Schlink "I love Him but I do not understand Him". Participate as an act of holy obedience because we are instructed to.

We must have faith while participating in these rituals, or the ritual means nothing. It is our changed heart, absolutely convinced of and filled with the body and blood of Christ, that causes something to change in us in terms of our spiritual life.

Do not argue with other Christians about this. It is one of the most central and unifying acts a Christian can participate in, and it should not cause anger, vitriol, or condemnation. Let the Holy spirit bring a sense of holiness, and to quote the Apostle Paul, "do not be condemned by what you approve of.

Breakthrough

Have you ever felt truly stuck? In a situation where your actions are not causing any change or improvement?

Our Church has been examining the book of Ephesians in the Bible, and as we do so one recurring theme is becoming evident; that God is VERY powerful and can breakthrough human experience and deliver us to a new day, a new experience, a new horizon in life.

Once, I was travelling home on a single lane, lonely country road in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by farms, frost and fog and nature called in the most urgent manner. I pulled over onto a dirt side-road, forgetting totally that it had been raining for almost a week (ah, the good ol' days before the drought!) and got severely bogged. Fortunately, a Council road team happened to come by and pull me out.

• People can help us out.
• Society and its social safety nets can help us out.
• Self-knowledge and self-help teachers can help us out.

But for some situations, only the mighty hand of God can deliver us from our incapacity and impotency. Yes, He might use other people or a self-help guru, or He might need to send His Spirit in power and do an amazing inner, spiritual work that is unseen but VERY real.

Remember the powerful words of the Bible; "those who call on the name of the Lord will be saved!"

Holy Spirit or Culture

At a conference I attended recently, words such as relational, informal and engaging language were used to define how we need to present the Gospel in the current age. While I understand and agree with this, it is beginning to concern me because this is the language of post-modernism and post-modernism is the language and culture of this age.

Why the concern? Why does it bother me that we are trying to relate to and inform culture? My warning antennae are vibrating because I am convinced that the New Testament wants us to inform culture through the Gospel under the power of the Holy Spirit, whereas the Church seems powerfully intent in bringing post-modern culture in to influence the Gospel.

In the 1950's to 1980's in Australia, the Church was very institutional. Why? Because the Australian mainstream society was institutional and the same mistake was made. This strict allegiance to authorities, rules and form was the heart of modernism and unfortunately, the Church took these principles into itself and said "this is how the Gospel and the Church should be in our age."

When will we stop allowing the Spirit of the age to form our principles, attitudes and behaviours and instead rely on the Spirit of God?

Don't get me wrong - we have make the message of the Gospel and the character of the Church meaningful and relevant to the age in which we live but we cannot alter either the Gospel or the Church beyond what is declared by the scriptures, and confirmed by the Holy Spirit.

Come on - isn't it about time that we formed culture into the likeness of Christ, rather than the spirit of the age shaping us and our message?

A God-moment

A number of years ago I was invited to be an adult leader at a Christian youth camp and I willingly agreed to assist. Adolescents experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit often manifest an introverted innocence and yet a bubbling fountain of spiritual delight and growth and I find this crisis point an amazing place for ministry.

Amid drama classes trying to construct a humourous skit with a strong Christian message, group ministry with young people trying to come to terms with hormones let alone the presence of God, and sport opportunities which ended up with me chasing fit teens with half my wisdom, the men's voices (boy's voices?) were given to sing a chorus from the Jerusalem Passion entitled 'This is My Body". Beautifully written, it had a profound effect on the large group of boys every time we practiced.

On the concert night back in the city church where all the parents and many others gathered to hear the concert, we sang this piece of music and after we finished we did not receive the usual polite applause mixed with parental comments of approval. Rather, there was a complete silence so spiritual in nature that no-one spoke; everyone was very expectant that God was present and it was holy ground.

A minister took the microphone and said simply, "let's pray" and we did.

As I look back on that moment I am struck by one emphatic, recurring thought; the church has to plan and organise itself, and give shape to its ministry so that many people can participate and be reached. This is right and good. However, the great works of God come when we respond to Him in a moment of grace; when all the sermons, praying, home groups, missions, fetes, fellowships and conversations are still and we must act out our story of grace now, where God must be manifest in one of His people now; and they must minister in the power of the Spirit now.

Are you sensitive to these moments? Do you act now?

When these God-moments come, move with the wind of the Spirit of God and follow where He leads. You will never forget that moment when you see and experience God do something unannounced.