Reclaim & Rebuild

There comes a time in the life of most churches, when after years of powerful, expanding ministry, a time of serious decline occurs and things must alter in order to embrace a new era - a new generation of ministry in the Church, and in the community. In our wonderful, little Church, we are in such a time now.

The Brighton Church of Christ has been here for 150 years, declaring the Gospel and sovereignty of Jesus Christ, and building the Kingdom of God on these important cornerstones. We declare these inalienable truths again, and remain standing on Jesus Christ.

But if you look into history, there are a lot of ancient cornerstones lying around as ruins. Yes, the strong foundations are still in place; the original design still evident. One of my favourite TV shows is Time Team from Great Britain and they weekly investigate ruins and lost sites. Foundation stones are wonderful and necessary, but who wants to be part of a museum? Who wants to be a point of interest for people to reflect on the past?

So we must again begin to boldly declare the Gospel in Brighton and confront the Godlessness and spiritual strongholds that have advanced in Brighton which have stifled the Gospel. It is time for renewed vigour and spiritual power OUTSIDE THE CHURCH WALLS. Our worship, prayer, and fellowship are all still functional and powerful. Now we need to evangelise this generation.

Lord God, give us your heart for the lost, and a Gospel message relevant to this generation, that we might assist you in building your Kingdom once more. Amen

Sola Scripture

When Jesus was at the pinnacle of His ministry while alive, He had numerous people following Him. There were the 12 designated apostles, his mother and probably other family members, devout Jews, Gentile God-fearers, the lonely, the destitute, the rich; even people like Gamaliel, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. So many people of so many different types, and from different positions in the social and economic fabric of Israel and Palestine.

When Jesus spoke about "eating His flesh and drinking His blood" in John 6, many of these followers departed - they could not accept these deep teachings and spiritual nature of what discipleship to Jesus was all about.

After Pentecost and in the apostolic age, many more thousands chose to follow Him. And throughout the centuries, many of these people have written to encourage us and lift us to Him in faith and action.

Unfortunately, for too many, some of these writings have been elevated to being equal to sacred scripture. Joseph Smith and the Latter-day-Saints; Mary Baker-Eddy and the Christian Scientists; Jehovah's Witnesses and Charles Russell; and we also remember the cults of Jim Jones at Jonestown, David Koresh in Waco Texas, and even the Little Pebble here in Australia. They wrote a list of their preferences, and formed a band of people to follow their preferences, and made their own writings equal to Holy Scripture.

More than any other post-apostolic Christian leader, I respect Martin Luther and His writings, but neither He, the Lutheran Church, nor I declare His writings to be equal to scripture, nor proclaim Martin Luther as a special Christian of a higher order than other "normal" Christians. He is famous for the phrase Sola Scripture - that Christian life, faith and practice and our knowledge and understanding of God comes from the Bible alone. Luther determined that the Church submits to the scriptures, not the scriptures submit to the Church.

It is sad that so many people are so easily deceived, and people feverishly study the words of special leaders, as if it was the very Word of God.

Friends, read and study your bible and listen for God, and listen to God as you read it. Your life will change. And on your journey, read the writings of Luther, Calvin, Lewis, Bonhoeffer, Barth, Kierkegaard - they have insightful and significant commentary to make. But their writings are not the revelation of God and do not have this authority.

Read well. Study well. Live well.

As our Church is currently exploring the book of Ephesians, I have had to do some serious study, to get my head around this idea that God chooses people to inherit the blessings He lavished on us through Jesus Christ. Trying to understand that although I have reached out to God and asked for salvation, this action was not initiated by me and never could be.

The Bible teaches that no human being has the the capacity or desire to seek God, that we are spiritually dead in our sins, without hope and without God. So if not everyone believes, it must be that God determines who He gives the capacity to have faith.

The difficulties and worries about this doctrine are usually of 2 types:

1. What happens to those who are not chosen?
2. How does God determine who He saves?

As Jesus chose 12 disciples to become Apostles, this does not mean He rejected all His other followers. As the tribe of Levi was chosen to be priests, God did not reject the other 11 tribes. Apart from this understanding of election form the Old Testament, the Bible is silent on those who are not chosen. There is not much that can be said because the Bible reveals little else.

God determines all things through His base nature - love. He chose Israel because He loved them. He chooses the elect on the same basis.

Some will say that in John 3:16, Jesus uses the phrase "whosoever will will be saved". Does this not mean that whoever reaches out to Christ is saved. Yes, but other parts of the Bible teach that no-one can reach out unless God enables them.

The more important question is - what are you doing with His offer of salvation to you?

The Gentle Power of Prayer

We are in an era in which symbols and images are given the same weight of authority as words, and we are pounded every day with images in newspapers, magazines, television, cinema, DVD and the Internet - all of them demanding attention and a response.

As we move through urban and suburban areas, symbols and images throw themselves at us giving us driving instructions, advertising a product, declaring some event or inviting us to something we NEED..

Recently, here in Victoria Australia, we have been overwhelmed with images of razed homes, grieving people, rolling waves of hellish infernos, sooty-faced fire fighters - even a firefighter giving water to a koala.

For a moment, let there be a new image; an image that will dissolve all other things and make you ponder something which is inherently GOOD. An image of such gentle power that it will remind you again of the power of small things, of gentle things, of sacred things.

A child at prayer - simple, gentle, sacred power that reminds us that Life is Tough, but God is Good.

What God is doing

Over the past few weeks, I have had the wonderful privilege of listening to a series of sermons by the wonderful preacher/teacher Martin Lloyd Jones. I personally consider him to be the best bible exposition preacher I have ever heard - both deep into the Word of God and applying it to the modern human life.

The series was called "Laying the Foundation #1 - God's plan of salvation". I often listened to it in the car amid heavy traffic. It was a pleasant change from the superficial monotony of many of the radio stations, and it even turned my attention away from sports radio!!!

The essence of this great series of 6 sermons asserts again the absolute foundational statement of the Bible: - in the beginning, God ....

Although I wake each day and genuinely hope and try to do my best to live the Gospel and proclaim it through my ministry, the actual point is that all I am, all the good I do, and everything I will leave this life with; it all begins with God and returns to Him. My main job in life as a disciple of Jesus Christ, a bearer of the Holy Spirit, is to have a profound, growing, vibrant spiritual life life through FAITH.

God is not overly impressed by what I do, even though He asks me to do it.
What God is doing is far more important.

So, are you able to discern what GOD is doing, or are your own works being built into an altar that you hope God is blessing? Are you striving for approval, or a faithful recipient of it (it is already fully provided through the death & resurrection ministry of Jesus).

The bushfires

Much of the life and endeavour of the church can be explained in 3 main groups

• Worship to God
• Encouraging and discipling the believers
• Proclaiming the Gospel in the world.

These principles are essential, and it is right and good that we continually focus our attention on them.

However, every so often something occurs in our world of such impact and significance, that although our hearts remain focused on our Lord, they weep and strain for what people around us are suffering. 9/11 in New York, the Indonesian Tsunami, refugee in Darfur etc...

Here in Australia in the state of Victoria, bushfires have destroyed over 700 homes, 181 people are confirmed dead and it is likely that the final death count will be in excess of 300 people. Entire towns have been destroyed, with people's hopes, dream, livelihoods and families laying on the ground as ashes in the dust. Horrible and terrible are words used to describe many mild things but they are appropriate today. Language - even the beauty and height of the English language - cannot help articulate what our minds cannot comprehend.

So our thoughts and prayers are with the suffering, the lost, the hurt, the devastated of Victoria whose lives will never be the same, and we pray hope, peace, repair, healing and safety for each person. And we call on Christians everywhere to show grace, compassion, care, love and openness to any who need us.

Here are a few links to sites where you can donate or get involved to assist the recovery effort
www.redcross.org.au
www.salvos.org.au

An amazing sermon

Have you ever been so absolutely amazed, inspired and interrupted by something, that it is burnt into your memory, and you recognise that something changed for you because of what occurred? I was browsing You Tube the other day, and came across this inspiring and famous part of a sermon by a preacher called John Lockeridge.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=2z15FlTONVo

A full transcript of the sermon is at

http://justinsmccain.blogspot.com/2008/08/thats-my-king-by-dr-sm-lockeridge.html

It will stand your hair on end, and put a buzz in your heart. Oh, for more preaching like this!!