The Law of Love

The Law of Love

by | Jun 22, 2023 | Attitude Adjustments, Blueprint Reboot

I believe the church can learn a lot from the various 12 step recovery movements that drug addicts and alcoholics, among others, attend to get their lives back together.

The most important thing you learn in these meetings is the concept of grace – true grace.

Hebrews 6:1: tells us that to grow in maturity as Christians we must first of all move from the foundation of repentance from DEAD WORKS towards faith in God.

It does not say ‘repent from sin’, nor does it say ‘from bad works’ but explicitly says ‘dead works’.

The ‘works’ being referred to here are our efforts at righteousness. The truth of the matter is that we cannot be righteous or holy – no matter how hard we try. It is through the love and grace of Christ that we are clothed in righteousness, and through the renewing of our minds and growing in maturity in our relationship with Him that we start to do good.

I like how the Message translation expresses this idea: “So come on, let’s leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ. The basic foundational truths are in place: turning your back on “salvation by self-help” and turning in trust toward God; baptismal instructions; laying on of hands; resurrection of the dead; eternal judgment. God helping us, we’ll stay true to all that. But there’s so much more. Let’s get on with it!”

The author of Hebrews then goes on to explain to us that Jesus has paid the price for our salvation and taken His place as our High Priest and Intercessor.

How does this connect to Alcoholics Anonymous?

Well, the only requirement for membership in this totally free program is the desire to stop drinking.

A.A. doesn’t tell you to stop drinking. N.A. doesn’t tell you to stop using drugs. Rather they create a space where you can confide in others, share your struggles in a judgement free zone, be vulnerable and open – and get help in your journey to become a better person overall.

I’ve seen people not only get sober and clean through these programs, but also get over other issues – I’ve seen relationships restored, I’ve seen inner healing taking place, I’ve seen true repentance – a shift in thinking, a new mindset.

Grace is that space within Christianity where we come to God and lay down all our burdens, get it all off our shoulders. Grace is that space where we can be honest with ourselves, naked before God. In 12 step meetings there is a rather cliched saying that gets used over and over – progress, not perfection. This is the process. We cannot be perfect – and grace is that realization. Grace says, you cannot be perfect, and that is okay – because His love is. And once this realization has taken root – that we cannot be righteous through works, but only through Him and His infinite grace and amazing love – the transformation begins. In becoming one with Christ and His crucifixion – by accepting what He has given us so freely – we can start focusing on becoming better people. The sin will stop automatically, the more we become one with Him. Our desires will change as we pray and ask Him to break our heart for what breaks His.

The alcoholic doesn’t stop drinking because he is NOT ALLOWED to – but rather because he knows he doesn’t have to anymore. There is more. There is love, and fellowship. Through the fellowship he grows in the understanding that one day in recovery is worth more than all the parties in the world – because the anxiety and obsession is gone.

It is the same with repentance. We don’t stop doing certain things because we are NOT ALLOWED, but rather we start asking ‘what would Jesus do?’, rather we start thinking like Him, and ultimately, behaving like Him. Repentance, just like recovery, therefore is a process – a process that takes place in the mind and heart of the believer, a process where our way of thinking changes. We start realizing that one day in His courts, one day in His presence, is better than an infinity anywhere else – and we start to desire what He desires.

Love changes your priorities. When a guy falls in love with a woman, his taste in movies might change. His taste in music might change. When she falls in love with him, her hobbies and interests might change – we reconcile our wants and needs, our desires, with that of our partners, the more we become one. Compromise takes place. It is an ongoing process of give and take.

This also applies to our relationship with God. The more we mature in our relationship with Him, as His bride – the more our priorities should be changing, the more our desires should be evolving. The more His desire should be our desire.

Once His desire becomes our desire, once His thoughts become our thoughts, once we start having the mind of Christ, we start seeing our past in a new way. We start regretting certain things, we start feeling remorse, and we start making amends.

We make amends by apologising to the ones we have hurt, through confession, by owning up to our mistakes, and by living a renewed life going forward – not making the same mistakes we have made in the past – not because of the letter of the law, but because mercy has rewritten our lives.

We make amends by living like Jesus lived. Sin comes from selfish, or carnal desires. Living according to the Spirit and not the flesh means living according to the highest law of all – the law of love. We make amends by giving ourselves to the world – to the broken and hurting, the lost and confused – by alleviating the suffering of the world instead of adding to it. By giving freely what we have freely been given – love, grace, and mercy.

The Tower of Babel

The Tower of Babel

by | Jun 15, 2023 | Attitude Adjustments, Justice

babel

/ˈbeɪb(ə)l/

Noun

  • a confused noise made by a number of voices.

  • a confused situation.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica the Tower of Babel is a mythological structure, and the narrative itself is a kind of parable with the aim of explaining the diversity of human language.

The story takes place after Noah’s Flood narrative, and tells us of the construction of a mighty tower. The Babylonians wanted to make a name for themselves by building a great city in the plains of Shinar with a tower stretching to the very heavens.

The narrative starts in Genesis 11:1 by explaining that the whole world had one language and a common speech.

There was a sense of unity.

There was also a sense of sinful arrogance or hubris.

In saying this I am referring to the interpretations of scholars like Von Rad, Driver and Westermann. After the deluge, God commanded the people to fill the earth – to spread out and cover it. They decided to band together and settle in one place. According to certain interpretations this was a sign of doubt in God’s promise to never again flood the earth – by building a tower reaching to the heaven, perhaps they would be spared another such judgement. An attempt to elevate themselves above the righteousness of God.

The Ancient Greek historian, Herodotus, confirms that the tower was indeed real, his records stating that he had seen the remains thereof.

The narrative itself though, and the implications thereof are hugely allegorical though.

A more African perspective on this story is that of Ghanaian theologian Solomon Avotri.

From the first chapters in Genesis and throughout the scriptures from there the concepts of man’s mortality, the search for eternal life and separation from God are common threads. Mankind finds itself in a constant struggle, as does God, for reconciliation.

“Making a name for themselves” is an attempt to gain a sort of immortality.

In the Tower of Babel narrative the attempt by people to reach heaven through technological development and their unity threatens God’s supremacy. Thus, God confuses their language and scatters them, because of their rebellious attempt to reach heaven. God did not want them to obtain immortality – create a name for themselves. The dispersion is not punishment for human arrogance or pride. The dispersion is a display of God’s ability to severe the link with human beings – leading to inaccessibility (Avotri 1999:20-21).

Avotri calls the efforts of the people to build the tower a ‘futile attempt at immortality’. At the same time it is a confirmation of life. The Tower of Babel narrative depicts God as the one with power over life and death.

In all of this God is depicted as being separated from man – “far off in the sky” – so to speak.

But in verse 5 (Gen. 11), He comes down to visit the city and the tower. His comments on their efforts, I can’t help but feel, carries a certain kind of positivity, when He remarks: “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. “

And it is at this point that God confuses their language and scatters the people.

As a child in Sunday school I always supposed that God did this in an instant, but it was probably more a case of people just wandering in different directions – even in terms of the language barrier that arose.

It took time.

And in that time settlements became towns, became empires and vast nations. Wherever unity was, throughout the annals of history, great things happened.

Division – or duality of vision – amongst kin always led to separation and destruction.

Why did God confuse the language and cause this division?

I believe it is because we were not reconciled with Him, not UNITED with Him.

Our purposes and plans were still being driven by the flesh, by our selfish desires. Our hunger, our need to consume. Our need to dominate. To elevate ourselves above certain principles and call our own self-seeking the greater good.

Working in the NPO sector, and even amidst ministers, I have seen this – desires of the flesh being labeled as God’s will.

It was necessary for God to confuse the language and scatter the people in their fallen state.

Two points I would like to raise here at this point:

First of all, I feel like God loves diversity. Looking at the richness of life and the human experience from an evolutionary standpoint – how humanity has developed over the last few thousand years – from variations in skin pigmentation, to genes that make us exceptional at certain things like music, or sports, or accounting – even in terms of human brokenness, the fact that some, if not all of us, are so beautifully damaged that we need the grace of God to carry on.

Life is beautiful – when it is diverse.

And we need to embrace that diversity.

In the introduction to this series I mentioned that Jesus instructs us to welcome the stranger. I am reminded of Nirvana’s hit song “Come as you are”. The story as I heard it years ago was that Cobain’s lyrics and the song was inspired by a billboard encouraging heroin users to soak their needles in bleach before using (if doused in mud, soak in bleach), but for Kurt the words took on a new meaning – one of tolerance. Whether one was doused in mud or soaked in bleach, come as you are.

The sad reality is that even though heroin-addicted songwriters express this value honestly and sincerely, the church has not. We say “Come as you are” but what we mean is “come as you are, if you are like us.”

The true church, the real bride of Christ is selling herself on street corners to buy a ‘fix’ that can’t possibly ever mend the brokenness of her heart.

The stranger is not being welcomed.

We ignore them. We push them aside. The color of their skin, their sexual preferences, social or economic status, cultural or religious or theological differences (usually minor in the greater scheme of things) and personal convictions are all reasons for us to lock someone out.

The stranger is not being welcomed.

The religious institutions of the time did not welcome the relationship-revolution of Christ. He was a stranger in our midst, just as He was that day when he came down to visit the city of Babel.

We must celebrate diversity. We must celebrate our humanity just as Christ did – weeping with us, laughing with us, breaking bread with us.

Just like on the day of Pentecost. (Stay tuned for revelation).

Second point, and this was mentioned earlier in this article, is God’s word’s upon seeing the tower: “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. “

Unity is a powerful thing.

As a worship musician I see the Spirit of God move and transform lives in a miraculous way – when there is unity. I see revival and restoration poured out when the ministers, the worship team, the altar workers and intercessors are working as one, when the congregation raises up one heart and one voice in seeking and supplication change happens.

When people come together and fight for social change something beautiful happens.

Slaves get freed. Workers get paid better wages. Civil rights are restored.

When people band together and work as one communities get uplifted, restored, strengthened.

If each person just gave away that which they have a surplus of, whether a loaf of bread or a case of tinned food, or a bag of clothes, the world would be a better place.

But we consume. And consume. And consume.

Our flesh drives us to be filled with pride, avarice and greed.

Because of this transformation is necessary.

God celebrates diversity. And there can be unity in diversity.

And this is where we come to the Pentecost outpouring in Acts.

Colossians 3:15 encourages us to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, that through it we are called to be part of one Body. Scripture makes it clear that it is through the Spirit of adoption that we cry ‘Abba Father’ and are baptized, through the death and resurrection and our acceptance and faith therein, into this family, into this Body.

In Acts chapter 2 God pours out His Spirit, and the tongues of fire. The disciples start speaking in languages not their own. And people from various nations were astounded at hearing their own native tongues being spoken by these Galileans.

Peter addresses the crowd gathered there – and no where does it say that the tongues had lifted, and although it is commonly assumed that his sermon was in Aramaic, the fact is we do not know for sure – the crowd was still diverse in language and nationality, yet all were ‘cut to the heart’ by what he was saying – unity happened. Unity in the Spirit – and 3000 were added to their number that day. What we know for sure is that effective Gospel communication facilitated by the Spirit of God took place that day – whether in Hebrew, Aramaic, or as I would like to believe, in a completely different dialect.

I’ve had the privilege of working with people who did not understand the common language but still God ministered to them regardless of linguistic barriers.

God transcends all our perceptions of time, space, language, materialism, and reality. He is above and outside of it all, even though He saturates everything and everything consists of and continues to exist in Him.

The Spirit of God writes testimonies on our heart. Not eloquent speeches or mortal efforts – no tower we can build can grant us immortality, or make a name for us.

But the words of God that day does ring true. If we as humans can start speaking one language, if we can find unity amidst ourselves, if we can work as one – nothing we propose or purpose will be beyond our reach.

However, it has to be within God’s will. God’s will is the expansion of His kingdom. The seeking of justice for those who are being pushed aside – God’s will is love and loving-kindness.

Caring for your neighbour.

Think of the difference we could make if we started speaking the same language. Think of the difference we could make if we were on the same page.

Jesus said: “They will know you are my disciples if you have fervent love for one another…”

Think of the difference we could make, the mountains that could be moved in our communities, the crooked ways made straight – oceans parted – if we were to find unity with God through Christ in the Spirit – if thus we could become one Body, with one Vision, with one Purpose. If we could be transformed to not seek our selves first, but the Kingdom and its values. God’s will here on Earth as in Heaven.

Think of the difference we could make if we started speaking the same language.

Think of the difference we could make if we could all love.

Does God give us more than we can handle?

Does God give us more than we can handle?

by | Jun 14, 2023 | Attitude Adjustments, Therapeuo

There’s a scene in popular series The Handmaid’s Tale, somewhere in season 3, that got me thinking.

Without giving any spoilers, the scene revolves around a tortured June (the main protagonist) expressing how tired she is, waiting day and night in the hospital on her knees next to her walking partner’s bed. She asks Lydia if she can go home. Lydia then says something that we’ve all heard at some point in our lives. “God will never give you more than you can handle.” June looks up at her with shifty, tired and bloodshot eyes and meekly asks, “are you sure?”

This is the question I am sitting with today. Is it true that God will never give us more than we can handle?

A few years ago I lost a very good friend when he took his own life. This was not the first person I lost to suicide. In recent years I have lost quite a few loved ones to the darkness of depression.

Surely whatever it was that drove them to that point was too much for them to handle.

I’ve been in situations where life just seemed too much.

But there was always hope. The hope that things would work out, turn out okay.

Paul writes to the church in Corinth and we find the following scripture in his second epistle to the Corinthians (1:8-9):

8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,[a] about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

The Apostles often found themselves in perilous situations, extreme pressure and persecution – so much so that Paul describes a feeling of deep despair – despairing life itself. He compares his circumstances to a death sentence. He describes his situation as far beyond his ability to endure.

The problem with the catchphrase that Lydia (in the scene above) serves up is that it minimizes the situation the other person is going through.

I’ve been in situations that felt like a death sentence. And though I tried my absolute best it just seemed that all my efforts were to no avail.

Every action on my side seemed to worsen the situation.

The danger with this kind of thinking is that when we do face real trials and tribulation this idea can cause a downward spiral of despondency and depression.

If God does not give us more than we can handle then obviously I am not handling the situation correctly. Perhaps there is something wrong with me. Maybe my faith isn’t strong enough. Maybe my sin is too big and God has abandoned me altogether.

Mother Theresa certainly felt like this at times. So did the great reformer Martin Luther.

The fact of the matter is that sometimes our situations really are much bigger than we are, far beyond our own abilities to endure.

“God will never give you more than you can handle” sounds like an encouragement of some sort, but usually only for the one saying it.

The fact of the matter is that even an encouraging thought like this can lead to more severe discouragement.

When Paul writes to the church in chapter 10 of the first epistle to the church in Corinth he says the following: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

It is due to people with good intentions misquoting this verse that this saying has become cemented in our thinking. Nowhere as far as I know does God promise to give us only what we can carry. Paul isn’t talking about circumstances or situations in our lives – he is not talking about the horrors of depression, the utter darkness of depression, or the hopelessness of terminal illness. He is not talking about the severe grief that follows the loss of a child or a parent. He is not referring to economic hardship or the aftermath of abuse.

He is talking about sin and temptation. God has given us a way to escape the clutches and consequences of sin.

This does not mean that hardship will not come our way.

We see Jesus in the Garden weeping, “my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow even unto death!” He cries out to the Heavenly Father saying “this is too much for me.”

In the Psalms we often see the psalmists struggling with the same feelings of separation, desperation and what in our modern language could be described as depression, sometimes frustration and anger: “My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22)

In times of distress – when a loved one or a friend is going through some terrible something or other – we tend to turn to conventional wisdom masquerading as Biblical truth – promising them what the Bible does not.

Joseph Scriven, who wrote “What A Friend We Have in Jesus”, lived a life with severe tragedy and later in life illness. His friend, a Mister Sackville, writes the following:

“His body was just worn down with toil, and his mind was wearied with failure and disappointment in his work during past years. In the end of his days he failed to trust God to provide for his body wants, and to resign himself to the will of God, and to wait patiently till the Lord’s time came to release him from the body, and to take him home to Himself.” Mister Sackville, having heard of his illness, hastened to him, and found him “just prostrate in mind and body. His greatest fear appeared to be lest he should do anything to dishonour God, or bring reproach on the name of Christ. The one desire and prayer of his heart seemed to be expressed in the words which he was heard to speak a few days before his departure, ‘I wish the Lord would take me home.’ His confidence in the Lord, as to his own personal safety, and the bright prospect of future glory, were firm and unshaken, to the end. Two scriptures I heard him repeat, during the last hour I was with him, ‘I am the Lord’s’ and ‘I will never leave thee nor forsake thee’.”


Mister Sackville brought him to his own house. “We left him,” he says, “about midnight. I withdrew to an adjoining room, not to sleep, but to watch and wait, and occupied myself with reading my brother’s writings, until about 5 o’clock in the morning. You may imagine my surprise and dismay, when, on visiting his room, I found it empty. All search failed to find any trace of the missing one, until a little after noon, the body was discovered in a water nearby, lifeless and cold in death.’ (Port Hope History: http://porthopehistory.com/jmscriven/)

Scriven had suffered from severe illness, poor finances and deep depression – and to this day it is unsure what the circumstances surrounding his death was, although many allege that it was suicide.

Does this diminish the hope presented in “What A Friend We Have In Jesus”?

No.

But perhaps for Scriven there was no other solution. Perhaps he really was fighting a battle too big for him to endure.

The fact I would like to illustrate here is that our endurance is not merely a matter of faith. And sometimes life is too much for us to handle.

This is where we as Christians need to be vigilant.

I’ve spent a lot of time in the twelve step fellowships – my recovery from drug and alcohol abuse was a process of healing – and I learned a lot as a church leader by going through and taking others through this process.

I would have never been able to conquer my active addiction without the support found in these rooms.

And we as Christians can learn a lot from this approach – rather than just saying “God will never give you more than you can handle”, we can journey with our brothers and sisters. We can lend a helping hand. We can sit and listen. We can join in prayer. We can be there. We can be present. Presence over preaching. Practical Christianity rather than feel-good catchphrases.

We realize that in all these situations we are directed Godward.

Sometimes we don’t have the strength to endure or to overcome – sometimes life is more than we can handle – but God is our strength, our hope and our fortress.

Sometimes we don’t know how to help a loved one who is suffering – instead of just handing them a cliche, we are once again directed Godwards – pray and ask for insight and wisdom – ask God how you can be His hands and feet.

Although upon further study of the idea that God does not give us more than we can handle – both in scripture and as experienced personally – we come to realize that this is not true. What is true however is that our help comes from the Lord (Psalm 121), that we can cast all our fears and burdens upon Him (1 Pet 5:7).

Yes, God might allow things beyond your control and ability to befall you – but He is able, more than able to help you out.

And even when it feels like your prayers are getting stuck somewhere on the way to Him, rest assured that you are not alone.

You are never alone.

Hebrews 4:14-16:

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,[f] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

What a friend we have in Jesus – to carry all our burdens, anxieties, grief and fear to him in prayer – all our situations and circumstances laid before Him. He gives us mercy, grace and help in our hour of need.

You are never alone.

1 Peter 5:8-11:

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Someone, somewhere is praying with you. And my prayer for you is that as you read this God will open doors for you, that He will touch your body and heal and restore – that He will send the right people your way to help you as His hands and feet.

You are not alone.

Yes, the burden might be heavy, might seem too much to bear – but God will meet you in your mess and He will carry you through.

When trials and tribulations come, God remains faithful. There is no shadow of turning with Him.

He is our healer, our protector, the one who fights for us. He is Mighty God, Conqueror, Counselor, Prince of Peace and Everlasting Father. The Good Shepherd who leaves the 99 and goes after the one. And He is calling to you today.

Do not fear, but be of good courage – for God is with you. And though your situation might seem so much bigger than you – though my circumstances might seem hopeless at times – though trials and tribulation, hardship and suffering might come – God will be glorified.

Lord, let your Kingdom come, your will be done in our midst.

Zephaniah makes it clear that God is in our midst – the Mighty One who will save.

The idea that God doesn’t give us more than we can handle might not be true – but the fact that God loves you and is bigger than every problem and situation that comes our way is.

He will move mountains for you, part oceans to reach you, make crooked paths straight so that you might approach His throne of love and grace.

In every situation let us turn Godward. Let us turn our eyes upon Jesus and see the things of this earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

Giving and the Harvest

Giving and the Harvest

by | Jun 13, 2023 | Attitude Adjustments, The Pattern

Jesus said the following in Matthew 9:

37Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Reinhardt Bonke said the following – the day of reaping with a sickle is past. The time for the combine harvester has come.

He also said: an unpreached Gospel is no Gospel at all.

A combine harvester is an extremely versatile and dynamic machine for bringing in the harvest – but even with a well qualified driver it cannot move without fuel. In the end the person who fills the tank plays just as big a role in gathering the harvest and seeing the fruits of the labour. You can have a very dynamic church and a well qualified preacher – but without the person who fills the tank – without our contributions to the mission – the lights will go out and the doors will close. Our contributions are what keep the church running.

Every single person in the body of Christ is important – plays a role in it functioning as a vehicle for salvation.

Through faithful use of our resources – time, money, skills, etc – the gifts bestowed upon us by the grace of God, each according to our special and unique capacity – we will see increase.

On that day on which we are to give account of our lives – when we are to prove our stewardship over the many mercies God entrusted us with, those who exerted themselves dutifully will receive their reward while those who left their gifts unused will be deprived of what they were entrusted with.

On that day on which we are to give account of our live we are not going to be asked what we preached, but rather what we did.

Giving to the poor, supporting the gospel and sowing into the Kingdom is trading with what we have – and the returns will be rich.

Those who have heard and are stubborn and uncharitable will find their riches are empty and perish – eaten away by moth and age.

Another principle at work in my life is this: we keep what we have by giving it away.

If we hold on to that ‘thing’ – that finite and perishable ‘thing’ – it will be all we have.

However, as we fill the cups of those around us in faith and faithfulness to God, we will see Him fill our cups every time.

How can God fill a cup that is full? Will the water not stagnate if it does not move?

What is most important, above all, is that the things that are important to God must be the most important to us.

Beyond our desire for a full cup – a full and prosperous life – must be the desire to please God.

For our hearts to break at the sight of that which breaks His heart.

A church that does not seek the lost is lost itself.

My hope and prayer is that God will speak to you to give – to fill the cups of those around you – so that you may become a living testimony of the grace of God.

That you will see increase in your storehouse. That God will prove Himself faithful to you and that the Gospel will continue to be preached and reach the lost.

May His Kingdom come, and His will be done in us, through us and around us.

In Jesus name.

Amen.

Hands and Feet

Hands and Feet

by | Jun 13, 2023 | Attitude Adjustments, The Pattern

I remember years ago, as a volunteer in Hillbrow doing urban missions, I sat at a soup kitchen listening to testimonies from the local homeless population.

An older man got up and went to the front. The room fell silent as he started sharing. “I have never seen God give me bread or shelter…” He started. And I felt my heart jump. I thought to myself – this is not a testimony.

But the older man continued.

“But I have seen His children acting as his hands and feet to provide to our needs.”

Over the years this statement has stuck with me. This idea has shaped my ministry over the last 12 years. It is as Richard Rohr so beautifully puts it. Presence over preaching…

Peter shares the same kind of thought with us in his first epistle. In 1 Peter 2:9: he tells us that we are a royal priesthood, a chosen generation – a peculiar people – called out of darkness with the purpose of proclaiming his goodness to those who have not yet seen his love.

I like how the older translations put it – to shew forth the praises of Him who called us out of darkness. Not just to talk about it – but to practically demonstrate the Kingdom – to be ambassadors rather than citizens.

The old homeless man had a point. God uses us to facilitate His miracles. God uses us to provide and see to the needs of those who need Him. God uses us to care for the poor and disenfranchised. He uses us to bring about change. Gd works in us, He gives through us – and if He is present in our hearts, we will see His Kingdom present itself around us.

As believers and children of the Most High God, followers of the teachings of Christ we realize that we have a mission. This mission is given to us in Matthew 28 – in verse 16 the 11 disciples (sans Judas) go to the mountain in Galilee where Jesus had instructed them to go.

Here Jesus tells them the following: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus gives us the great commission – this role is assigned to us as a body – the authority of Christ, and therefore also the responsibility that comes with it – is delegated to us.

We are to make disciples as Jesus had done.

I love the Gospel According to Mark. In the book of Mark Jesus is described as a man of action – He didn’t just preach – but came as a revolutionary. Shifting paradigms, shaking our way of thinking and showing us the way forward. We cannot simply tell the hungry man to find Christ. A roaring belly is not always open to the Gospel – we need to feed him. The naked man needs to be clothed lest he be distracted by the cold, unable to hear the good news being shared.

We need to actually do. Not just talk the talk, but actually walk as Jesus instructed us to. As Christ Himself demonstrated.

When His disciples wanted to send the crowds home to go and eat, saying: “We cannot feed them…”, Jesus rebuked them and multiplied what was there.

But God used a little boy and his lunchbox to do this.

Just like Moses was instructed to use the staff he had in his hand to demonstrate God’s power – just like David picked up 5 stones – God uses what we have at hand to change the world.

And as we give – as we pour out the oil – it is multiplied. As we fill the cups of others, our cup will be filled.

Giving as Worship

Giving as Worship

by | Jun 13, 2023 | Attitude Adjustments, The Pattern

In Matthew 25:35-40: Jesus describes, in parable, the corporal works of mercy.

“35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

We are called to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty and to clothe the naked. We are called and encouraged to shelter the homeless and visit the prisoner. We are to comfort the sick and father the orphan. We are to love without condition and be a friend to the friendless.

Jesus calls us to be His hands and feet.

We are to see to the needs of those around us – regardless of who they are or where they come from.

Jesus has called us all. We are all called to care for the community.

The early church – as described in the book of Acts – gave everything to the cause of Christ. All of their possessions were shared.

I am not suggesting that we live in the same way – what I am encouraging you to do is think a little bit beyond our own materialism.

The fact of the matter is, God has blessed us with certain skills, talents and resources. Therefore giving is not only an act of obedience but also worship.

Through giving – whether it is our time or money – or whatever it is we can offer – we are contributing to the great commission.

Sowing into ministry is a way of contributing to the cause of Christ.

I once heard a minister describing the first act of worship. He said that when God breathed into Adam and Adam exhaled it was worship – it was a physical reaction to what God had done.

This is what worship is – a reaction to the goodness and grace of God.

But this reaction cannot be purely spiritual.

We worship in spirit and truth – and if the truth is present within us and the Spirit moves through us it will always have tangible results.

Paul admonishes us in Ephesians 5 to be imitators of Christ as beloved children – to live a life of love just as Christ has loved us and offered Himself as a fragrant sacrifice for our sake.

He also makes it clear in his second letter to the Corinthians that Jesus became poor for our sake so that through His poverty we might become rich.

It is in reaction to this great love that Christ showed us – this love that laid down His life for us – that we worship and lay down our own ambitions for the sake of the Cross.

God, through His grace, has provided to our needs – and enables us to give to His Kingdom. Paul describes this in 2 Corinthians 9. From verse 10 we read:

10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.

Paul makes an interesting point – your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

He reiterates this idea in the following verses: OTHERS will praise God for the obedience that ACCOMPANIES your confession of the Gospel of Christ.

Giving is faith in practice.

James, in the epistle that bears his name, teaches us that faith without action is dead.

If we believe that God is who He says He is – our provider, our shepherd – the one who cares for us – than we can be pro-active in our giving instead of reactive. We can give and see to the needs of others without fear because we know that God is faithful and will supply and increase our store of seed (as Paul describes in 2 Cor 9:10).

The Bible also teaches us in the book of Proverbs that whosoever gives to the poor lends to the Lord – and I don’t know anyone I would rather lend to – as God is always faithful in settling His debts.

We pray: “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done…” but it has to be more than just a prayer – it has to lead to action.

What are we doing to facilitate the coming of His Kingdom?

We need to proclaim and show forth the praises of God. We need to proclaim His mercy.

Giving is a work of mercy through us. It is mercy at work in us.