Category: My Discoveries

Salt? – Matthew 5:13

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Matthew 5:13

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

This isn’t a bible passage that I’ve heard preached on recently. I don’t know if that is because it was preached on regularly in the 90’s, or coincidence (there is a lot of bible verses for sermons to be based on; 31,102 to be exact). But I saw this verse pop up this morning, and it actually caught me by surprise that I couldn’t, from the top of my head, translate what the bible verse is talking about. Time for some digging.

This verse comes from Jesus’ very famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’, where he taught a rapid-fire, wide-scoping sermon to crowds of followers on a mountain side. This sermon, which you can read more about in Matthew 5, contained topics such as murder, adultery,  the beatitudes, and v.13-16; the teaching of salt and light.

Matthew 5:13-16

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Jesus explains the light metaphor very clearly in v.16 , but the salt metaphor is still in question. It would appear the explanation to this metaphor can go a number of ways, depending on what you use salt for, but they can all be summed up with ‘salt makes food better’. Some of the uses of salt are preserving foods and giving foods flavor. Christians, the church, and very specifically in the sermon, disciples, are the salt of the earth because they preserve God’s mission. Does this mean that if no Christian’s existed on earth that God’s mission would be stopped cold and ‘rot’ like unsalted food? I don’t think so. I think God’s power goes beyond that, and evidence for him can be seen around us in nature. But what if us, as Christians, begin to lose our saltiness? What if we, as Christians, begin to lose our keenness to actually be useful in God’s mission like salt is for food? What good use are we for then? Well, as Jesus said ‘You’re no longer good for anything, but to be trampled underfoot.” That’s a pretty brutal assessment if we fail to be useful.

The last question that v.13 asks is ‘But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?’ Salt doesn’t often lose its flavor, there are explanations for how salt from around Jesus’ area did lose its saltiness, but this metaphor wouldn’t really be applicable to the true Christian losing their Christianity, but could be applied, loosely, to the idea of the dilution of salt. Sea water is 3.5% salt. If you take sea water and add fresh water, the salt content decreases and becomes less prevalent. To continue the metaphor, if Christians are salt in a sea of fresh water, we’re hardly noticeable. Christians need to support other Christians. Christians need to work together to further God’s mission. It’s impossible to be on God’s mission without God. Us Christians need to work together to preserve this goodness in this rotting world; show non-Christians that their rottenness is not all there is, and there is amazing joy waiting for them, for which we can only get a hint of here on earth.

We are salt, we are light. Let’s shine for all to see and show them the goodness of God in everything we do.

The 2 step process for determining right and wrong – Romans 12:2

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Romans 12:2

Do not conform 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.

It’s almost like following Romans 12:2 gives us a superpower in a way; being able to determine what is right and wrong.  By being able to look at a situation or scenario and being able to test whether it is aligned with God’s will, ‘is it good, pleasing and perfect?’, we are able to not only make choices that will affect others in a positive, good and pleasing way, but our choices will affect ourselves in a good and pleasing way. As Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, everything God wills is good, pleasing and perfect. Unfortunately, us humans are not able to truly master the ‘perfect’ part of the test, because we’re not perfect. We even struggle to understand practically what ‘perfect’ means when it comes to God’s will. We know in our hearts that God’s perfect will is everything he does is to lead us into a closer relationship with him, but practically when raging wars happen and millions of die of diseases, it’s very hard to see the ‘perfection’ in that all. Using Romans 12:2 as a guide, we can come up with two steps for looking at the world around us, the situations we are in at home, work and abroad, and determine if it is right or wrong.

Step 1: Renew your minds

‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’

A runner needs to train daily to win the Olympics. A scientist needs to study and research to write their dissertation. A manager needs to constantly refine their strategy to ensure the best outcomes for the company. A Christian is no different. If we want the ability to determine right and wrong, we need to train, and train smart. We need to train our minds to be renewed. But with most efficient training, it’s not about the quantity, it’s the quality of the training that builds strength and increases abilities. We want to renew our minds by being deep in God’s word and understanding who he is, what he stands for, and what the Gospel means for our everyday lives. Going to church once a week, bible study groups once a week isn’t going to cut it. I know I’ve had to make an incredibly conscious decision to study my bible daily and pray daily. It definitely started as a quantity thing; making sure I studied three verses a day and prayed for about two minutes in the morning. But over time, my heart has longed to learned more and more, and I find myself just start praying to God at the most random times, praising him for all he’s doing in my life, even when life is as fun as a bed of live chickens.

Step 2: Test and approve

Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

While you’re renewing your mind, start practicing the testing and approving. Think about everything you do in your day. Choose one task and give it the test; ‘Would this activity be pleasing to God? Is it good for me and others? Would a perfect God approve of it?’ Chances are if there is even an inkling in your head and heart that something might not be pleasing to God, there’s a good chance you should explored further. Don’t just assume ‘it’s not any good or pleasing’, but determine why it’s not good and/or pleasing. If you just do the first half, you’ll probably replace the activity with something else that’s just as not good and just as unpleasing; satisfying the same desire you had before.

Even as I write this, it is a scary process for me. How many things in my life is just me either denying that they are unpleasing to God, and how many things do I not want to change because they bring me fleeting joy and satisfaction? But gaining this ability will enable you to stop future unpleasing activities before they even start, enabling you to focus more on things that will give you real peace, real joy and real strength; God’s got all that covered for you if you seek him out.

Eternity; a really, really, really long time – Romans 6:23

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Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Eternity is said to be a really, really, really long time. I am quite secure in my faith in God, and I believe that after I die, I will spend eternity with him, in heaven, and with my brothers and sisters in Christ. And for me, that is scary; eternity doesn’t end. After a hundred years of praise and worship, then a thousand years of praise and worship, and then a million years of praise and worship, and then a billion years of praise and worship… for my human mind, that just seems crazy to me. Surely at some point us Christians will get tired of singing ‘Amazing Grace’ for the trillionth time?

We can’t understand eternity. Not even the smartest mathematicians can fathom eternity. We can aim for really, really big numbers in equations, and printing out the numbers in pi, but eternity is not calculable. Therefore we must conclude that when Jesus talks about ‘eternal’ life, he is talking about the closest equivalent of time in heaven, in that it doesn’t exist. Time in heaven, I believe, and without any sources because no one has gone to heaven and come back with any information about it, does not work like how time here on earth works. Seconds and hours and days, constructs made originally by humans based on the earth’s rotation around the sun, probably won’t be how we look at time.

Why? Because our bodies will be different and perfect. We won’t have boredom that comes with time because the glory of God will be so captivating. Time on earth is counting down towards the day we die; it’s a morbid perspective but one that everyone is aware of. It’s a finite, measurable time and really, really, really short. You have to wonder what God is thinking as he looks upon what we do with this really, really, really short time, when he knows we will have a really, really, really long time very soon to satisfy all of our desires we could ever have.

Why do Denominations exist? – 1 Corinthians 12:14-20

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1 Corinthians 1:10

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

I have been a ‘baptist’ all my life. I put baptist in quotation marks because, although I have always gone to a ‘baptist’ church, I know the baptist churches here in Australia are quite different from the baptist churches in America. Whereas there are different religions that believe different things about God (or Gods) and some groups have distinct theological and doctrinal aspects to them, there are denominations of Protestant Christianity in which everyone believes that a faith in Jesus Christ and the grace of God is all you need to come into a relationship with God. And yet all these people house themselves under different denominations such as ‘Baptist’, ‘Lutheran’, ‘Anabaptist’, ‘Anglican’, ‘Methodist’, ‘Presbyterianism’, ‘Adventists’, ‘Pentecostal’, ‘Uniting Church’, and many, many, many more.

The big reason for the different denominations are the difference in opinions over theological matters. A lot of these differences are grey areas that don’t change the gospel-oriented purpose of the churches. Some are significant differences, and could be debated as whether they are grey matters at all, but those debates in the first place often distract from the gospel-orientated purpose of the church.

I have no problem with there being different denominations, to an extent. The aspect I think is great is denominations means that everyone is kept on their toes, finding out why they believe what they believe – occasionally challenges each other (hopefully in love), so that the church as a whole can fulfill its mission to the best of its ability. From reading the bible, however, I’d say there are big problems with there being so many denominations. In 1 Corinthians, Paul pleaded with the Christians in Corinth to be of the same mind and the same judgement; to get rid of the divisions between them.

1 Corinthians 12:14-20

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

I think the biggest problem is not when a denominations feels they are better than the rest of the denominations, but when they don’t feel a need to work together with the other denominations for God’s glory. Denominations, through culture and history, often come out with strengths. Ministry, outreach, worship and bible study strengths are all great on their own, but just imagine the power of the Christian church if all the denominations were to work together, with their strengths, to further God’s kingdom.

Next time you meet someone from a different denomination, don’t start comparing differences of theology, start comparing differences of strengths, and how you can use the different strengths together in pursuing the unsaved for God. In our Godless culture, now is not the time for Christians to divide. It’s time to unite.

Where’s my passion for God gone? – Colossians 3:14-17

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Colossians 3:14-17And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

I walked into church on Sunday morning with my mind thinking about business, not God. I was thinking about writing ideas; how I would relax that afternoon. My mind was far away from worshiping God with my brothers and sisters in Christ. I came to this realization as I mindlessly sang along to the worship songs. That’s the thing about when you sing the same songs over and over; although they get stuck in your head, it makes it really easy to forget about what you’re actually singing. Therefore, the question comes: Where’s my passion for God gone, and how do I get it back? I do daily devotions, I write this blog, I do daily prayer, I’m involved in ministries at Church, and yet I don’t feel connected to God.

When do we feel most connected to God? For me it’s when I come to the heart-knowing fact that I am a sinner that falls so far short of God’s interest. That’s when I have meaningful prayer times, read good Christian books and listen to ear-opening good Christian podcasts. Often that heart-knowing fact that I’m a sinner comes after I’ve sinned, but I can’t recommend a diet of sinning to experience that. Instead, I’ll just stay on the diet of sin that I’m already on. I’m always a sinner, even at the moments I think I’m not sinning, I’m boastful in my own strength. I’ll always need Christ to rule in my heart. Colossians 3:14-17 is a fantastic guide to worship. We need to do all with thankfulness in our hearts to God. I have so much to be thankful to God for.

To answer my own question, I believe my passion for God goes when my mind is not constantly dwelling on God. Although I can very neatly go through the motions of prayer, bible study, worship and ministry, they are as helpful as sitting in a room and staring at a blank wall if my heart and mind are not on fire for God, throughout the day, every day of the week.

Which Career is the Right Career? – 1 Corinthians 10:31

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1 Corinthians 10:31

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

I firstly acknowledge the blessings I have that I am able to choose the career I want, and access training and technologies that allow me to pursue many different pathways. But all this said, which career do I choose? Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians to ‘do it all for the glory of God’. How much priority should I put on providing for my family versus spreading the gospel? A very high paying job in a management position will have less opportunities to share the gospel than a far lower paying job as a school chaplain, or even a third-world missionary.

I believe providing for one’s family is vitally important. Paul even says so to Timothy:

1 Timothy 5:8

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

But I think the whole purpose of the gospel is to provide to the needs of those around you. Not the physical needs, but the spiritual needs, which are incredibly vital. Therefore I think the answer to the question is ‘both’. We need to find a career, or enable our careers, to be one in which we can both provide for others (family), and have opportunities to share the gospel. The thing missing from that career? Our own wants and desires. Our own ‘need’ to rise up the corporate ladder or feel worth from our colleagues and/or bosses. I have always struggled with this; knowing I can be fully satisfied by God’s love and don’t need the approval of others. But when we have those criteria in our minds; providing for family, having opportunities to share the gospel and ultimately doing it all for the glory of God, it really opens the doors to many, many, many different careers and opportunities.

All things are possible with God? – Mark 10:27

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Mark 10:27

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Jesus said to a crowd of followers as he traveled in Judea. Mark 10 is one great quote after another from Jesus. He lays out what it means to be a christian and answers questions that still burn in modern minds like: ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ and ‘Is being rich going to help me when I die?’.

The question that leads into verse 27 comes from one of his disciples in verse 26:

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” (Mark 10:26)

And so Jesus answers “With man [being saved] is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

The first point to be made about this teaching is that without a proper relationship with God, it is impossible for us to be in heaven. No amount of earthly works will get us into heaven if we don’t know God. For me, this is always a relief to know, because I’ll never be as good on earth as other people I know, but I also know people who act in ways far below the standard God calls for. But in God’s eyes, all of us are on a level playing field, and all of us can ask Jesus into our hearts, which is pretty amazing.

The second point about this teaching is in the second part; ‘all things are possible with God’. ‘All things’ is a lot of things. In my mind ‘all things’ makes me think of getting a million dollars, becoming the world’s best basketball player and/or flying. I don’t know why ‘flying’ but I feel the power of flight would be handy. We know this can’t be the case because of verse 25:

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:25)

Earthly possessions, positions and powers (both social and super) distract us from our spiritual needs for God. So what are ‘all things that are possible with God?’.

Everything. Creating a universe. Rescuing the Israelite from Egypt. Allowing a virgin to give birth, and many other miracles in between. But God only causes things to happen that are in line with his goals, not ours. And one of his top priorities? Forming relationships with us humans, which is mind boggling. So God will give grace upon grace, through his son dying on the cross, so that we can be in a right relationship with him. If he needs to make some miracles happen for a relationship with him to happen, I believe it’s possible for God. The person you believe has no chance to form a relationship with God and be in glory? All things are possible with God.

Don’t give up hope and prayer for the lost.

 

How much pressure should we put on ourselves to save our lost friends and family? – John 6:65

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Everybody knows people who are unsaved. That is; people who don’t have a relationship with God and therefore are condemned to spend eternity in hell, in separation from God.

That’s pretty heavy if you can fathom even a glimpse of how wonderful it will be to be in God’s presence for eternity. So the question comes; how much pressure should we put on ourselves to ensure that our family and friends are there to join us in everlasting joy and peace?

John 6:65

He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”

Ultimately, it is God that does the final conversion. He is the one who sets the relationship between himself and an unsaved person. There is nothing we can say or do for someone else that gets them into a relationship with God; it can only be done through that person putting his faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. But what is the role we play? Paul says:

Romans 10:14-15

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things?”

It is certainly said many times through the Bible it is our role to display God’s love to others through our words and actions, and ultimately spread the gospel of what Jesus has done for us on the cross. If we are a true believer, displaying God’s love should come naturally to us, whereas telling the literal gospel to a family member or colleague may require a fair amount more courage. We should not, however, put so much pressure on ourselves that it causes us to worry when those dearest to us are not recognizing the need for God in their lives. As long as we are doing what God calls us to do, in the end it comes back to their choices about being in a relationship with God. It’s sad and even devastating when we see our loved ones so lost, but ultimately it’s God and that person that needs to do the toughest parts.

In our sadness and brokenness about the state of the world around us, it’s important to surround ourselves with loving brothers and sisters in Christ, but more importantly we have God to comfort us even in the hardest, most confusing times.

Efficient Rest – Deuteronomy 5:12-14

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Deuteronomy 5:12-14

Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do.

Rest is great. God tells us to rest. How much more permission does one need to put away the work and just rest? After he finished creating the universe, God rested, and he’s God. Although he did not need to rest, being the God of the universe, he was so satisfied with his creation that on the seventh day, he rested.

It raises the question in my mind why I always feel tired after a long day of work, and by the time I get to the end of the working week, I’m exhausted. And I can assure you I’m not doing any back breaking labors like so many hard-working people do.

I think the answer to this question, in a simple sense, is we get tired because we are human. In another sense it is because we are human that we don’t know how to efficiently rest. There are hundreds, if not thousands of books being written as we speak on how to work more effectively; how to squeeze every ounce of efficiency out of the 1440-minute day. I don’t see many books written on how to rest.

Partly cultural, I’m sure; the pressure to perform and not look lazy. There’s always a million things to do at work; then a thousand things to do with the family and socially; then a hundred things to do with the church. I know I am constantly caught justifying family and social and ministering at church as ‘rest’ time, when in reality they are just as much work as the business place. Everyone is different; what is refreshing and revitalizing to one individual will be different from the next.

In Deuteronomy, Moses is giving a long list of commands and instructions to the nation of Israel of what they need to do to stay right with God. Thanks to the gospel of Jesus Christ dying on the cross in our place, we don’t need to follow the letter of the commands and instructions to stay right with God, but that doesn’t mean they make some mighty good suggestions, seeing as they are from the all mighty God.

For me, ultimate rest is having nothing scheduled on my to-do list, and subsequently sitting down with a book, a movie or lying down and having a rest. But is this the best kind of rest I can have? Am I just seeking a replacement for the rest that can be found in bible reading and prayer?

Where do you find rest? And where is your life so busy that you don’t have time for God?

Dealing with Bad News – Psalm 112:6-7

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For the righteous will never be moved;
    he will be remembered forever.
He is not afraid of bad news;
    his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.

Psalm 112:6-7

The world is bombarding us with bad news all the time. All the time. And it’s to be expected, from a story telling point of you. The best stories are either comedies or tragedies. In a minimalist way, a tragedy is a story moving from happiness to sadness, whereas a comedy is a story that moves from sadness to happiness. Almost every single news story that we see moves in one of these directions, but tragedies are so much more prevalent, as they are a truer reflection of our worldly-human existence: Most of us start out as healthy young people, and over time, the aches and pains of life come followed by death. Of course it must be said that the Christian’s life is a comedy, in the traditional sense of the word. We start out here on this earth, full of pain and sadness, and then go to be with the Lord our Good in everlasting joy.

So what are we to do with all this bad news given in every media that exists, twenty four hours, seven days a week? A war here; a murder there; an arrest here; an affair there.

Jesus gives us a great idea:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

And when our hearts are firm, trusting in the Lord, and we’ve found rest for our soul, then is the time to see such need in the world for the gospel, the good news of Jesus, to be shared in the Earth. The tragedy story line of Earth is not going to change, but the comedy story line of Christians is still in it’s 2nd act, heading towards the climax that is Jesus returning to earth and defeating Satan once and for all. We are part of that story. The story of a gracious God who gave undeserving people a chance to live in everlasting peace and joy.  Or would we rather let the people around us complete their stories in tragedy?