evangelism

A bunch of us from Kettering just spent 3 days supporting the church household in Ipswich with their campaign.

To be honest I hate evangelism- the "jump out on people with a leaflet" approach does not work for me and the "sit around looking friendly and inviting so they come to talk to you" just makes me feel like a spare part.

Evangelism is also not that popular generally. It is seen as rather intense and the realm of religious fanatics. In Britain we are too polite and too eager to be tolerant of other views to be brave enough to speak out. That's a bit strange seeing that the first Christians were radical enough to be accused of turning the world upside down.

The other problem with trying to decide wether one should or should not evangelise is:- we are told to do it!
I could try to find a church where "we don't do that kind of thing" or "it's for those who 'have the calling'", but it is still there in the Bible in black and white.
Jesus, before he went back up to heaven, comissioned the disciples to be his witnesses and promised that the Holy Spirit would be with them to help them.
I agree that not everyone does it by taking a painted bus into town to attract attention and bring "church to the street", but everyone should be doing it- somehow.

On Friday afternoon there were some lads shouting at us "Jesus is a **** ****" and so on. Their use of adjectives scares me because I know God is awesome and does not apreciate his name being disrespected. I would not personally risk the wrath of God like that, and sometimes I am concerened that being "high profile" about Jesus provokes people to hurl the abuse they do.

Anyway, in the end these lads came over to talk and we had a good chat with them. We met them again late at night when the lad who had been overshadowed by his more mouthy mate asked us some really searching questions. That is what I do enjoy- testing and stretching and exercising my faith, to reach outside of the limits of what is spoken about in church to find out that it does all still hold true and our eternal and ancient God is big enough to meet the demands of modern thinking and dilemas.

I think Jesus would have enjoyed a good discussion with the disciples, pushing the horizon of their faith to make it stronger.

Anyway, some of the questions and answers will probably come up in blogs soon....

what does God look like?

Here is one of the promised questions people often ask......

What does God look like?
Simple answer is we don't know.

In Exodus God showed himself as fire and as smoke.
In other books of the Bible He has been in the wind or an earthquake.
In Revelations there are all sorts of fantastic descriptions, but there is also loads of picture language there which I do not even try to understand and would not take literally.

We know Man was created in God's image so that gives some ground for the pictures of God as a human being.

We know Jesus (who is one part of the God-head) did not have a problem coming to Earth as a man. Jesus was born in to a Jewish family in Israel, so he would have had MiddleEastern skintone and Jewish looks. He would not have been blue eyes and blond hair, but I can understand those painters who portrayed him in a way they could relate to. Same as in Africa you will find pictures of a black Jesus.

The Holy Spirit (another part of the God-head) was seen as a dove at Jesus' baptism.
The Holy Spirit was also seen as tongues of fire at Pentecost.

But... God is omnipresent, so if He is everywhere all the time then He probably is not limited to a shape or form we can recognise and put a label on and say "That's God".

Personally I don't have a problem with not knowing what God looks like, some of the attempts to portray him tend to attract more mockery than worship anyway.

God is Almighty, Eternal, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Awesome...... If we can fit Him into a box He is not God anymore.

mummy and the hairdresser and God

My friend Sarah is married to Robert, their daughter is called Emily (well, not quite, I changed their names, just incase they would prefer to be anonymous) Anyway, I had an email from Sarah who told me this story

Robert came home from work and said to Emily "Oh Emily, you've had your hair cut, it looks very pretty, who did it for you?"
Emily replied "Mummy and the hairdresser"
"Really?" asked Robert
"Yes" said Emily. "Mummy made a mess of it and the hairdresser sorted it out"

So, what's the point of the story- apart from the fact that kids are great at showing up their parents?

Well, it made me think how we make a mess of things, but God sorts it out. And it is better to have a go and maybe make a mess than it is to never try.

On Sunday the ministry was about discouragement, that we will always come across things that discourage us, and will always go through periods of discouragement, but it is how we deal with is that matters. We have a big God He is able to help us work things through and sort things out and He has called us to be part of the Body where we can support and encourage and build each other up. So, wether it is a bad hair-cut or feeling totally betrayed, the answer is not to throw in the towel but to go to someone who can help.

Covenant

Last night in our Bible study we looked at how God chose a covenant people, and we looked at the Old Covenant with it's sacrifices and the New Covenant through Jesus. We also read some covenants from other churches, where the members (same as we do in our church) have tried to spell out what they stand for and then promise to stick by it.

Anyway.... the one that really inspired me was from the Methodists.

A covenant with God

'I am no longer my own but yours.
Put me to what you will,
rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing,
put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you,
or laid aside for you,
exalted for you,
or brought low for you;
let me be full,
let me be empty,
let me have all things,
let me have nothing:
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things
to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.'

This is a bit more mystical than e.g. the Salvation Army articles of war but it spoke to me because it is a heart thing more than a law thing. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was he said it was to love God, and then love your neighbour. Moses gave the people 10 commandments, but they needed/wanted more detail and ended up with books and books of minor rules and regulations. Human nature is to try to get out of things, that's why we end up with so many rules 'cos we have to cover all the cop-out clauses. Surely obeying the spirit behind the rules is better than obeying the letter of the law with the wrong heart?

The other thing about covenant is.... we make covenant as a love response to God and to His people. Then real life kicks in and we realise what we have really let ourselves in for. We have chosen the big thing but then daily we have to chose the little things that make up that choice. We might like the vision of Holy Zion set apart and blazing on the hill, then we realise it also includes late nights and washing up and giving up our opinions/habits/quirks and doing things 'cos we are committed to them and not necessarily because they are inspiring/rewarding/fun any more. We have to keep choosing our choice. That's when the heart response is more help than the letter of the law.

WWJD?

It is popular to wear WWJD wristbands, which are supposed to provoke us to think "what would Jesus do?" and then act accordingly.

But Jesus did not live in the UK in the 21st Century, so we can't in practice limit our behaviour to exactly what we read in the Bible. Jesus lived when there was no such thing as electricity or cars or computers or telephones or even books or buttons. The popular quoted answer to this is to "live according to the spirit of the teaching we find in the Bible".

So, how do you get on with these........

• What would you do if you found £10 in the street
• How much work time do you spend doing personal (or non work related) things
• When there is a naff job to be done, do you do it or delegate it?
• Do you always drive according to the speed limit?
  
• Do you ever jump a red light? Or speed up to get through an amber light?
• Do you always tell the whole truth and the absolute truth in every situation?
  

And...... do you have any scriptures to back up your answers????

Political Correctness

I was talking to a good friend last night, and realised how much I hate political correctness, and how much it has crept into the way we think and talk in the church.

Political correctness means we cannot describe persons of other races as being from different races, or even persons of different genders as being of different genders. It means we cannot say something is good without also having to say the alternatives are also good, and nothing is allowed to be the best. It means we cannot say something is wrong, just that "it is not best for me". Political correctness has meant that Christians in this country have bowed down in "multifaith" services 'cos we are so tolerant of other religions that we are scared to say Jesus IS the way and IS different and Christianity is NOT "the same as all the others really".

How it gets into the church is when we find we are not able to celebrate each others differentness.

Here's one example:
God created a man and a woman and intended them to be different. He did not try to make another man, go a bit wrong, and decide to call this new being a woman. Adam was made in the image of God, he reflected the fullness of God, part of Adam was taken to make Eve, so each then contained a part of the image of God. Each reflected God, but each had something the other did not. Neither was inferior. They were equal and different.
Men and Women in the church are equal but different. We don't need to be defensive. We don't need to get into women's rights. We need not be insecure about male leadership. The world has tried to make "equality" and the result (allowing for a bit of exaggeration here) is butch women and weak men.
We are not perfect in the church 'cos obviously we are not in Eden any more, but we should be able to allow the genders to be who they really are in God. To let men be strong and lead and express God the Father to a fatherless generation. To let women express their femininity and the more sensitive side of God's nature.

This is another example:
We make quite an effort in our church to include and motivate young people. But then we end up stereotyping them and assume that all young people want noise and drama and excitement. Maybe they do, but be prepared that maybe they don't
And the older generation. Don't presume that after a certain age people are only fit for the armchair. Some folk are fit and active well into retirement, but also be prepared to accept that old age does bring limitations, and don't be too scared to go a bit slower to care for those who need it.
The thing is, don't be so politically correct that you cannot celebrate the energy of youth without feeling the older folk will feel left out. And don't be so scared of calling some folk "old" that you cannot help people enjoy the blessing of their senior years and share their wisdom from long lives spent with God.

And other hot potato: Marriage versus Celibacy.
Why does it even have to be "versus"? They are different callings. They are both blessed by God. OK, so choosing one excludes the other, but because you have got married does not mean you cannot support and esteem celibacy and being celibate does not mean you look down on people who have got married.
I have chosen celibacy because for me I believe this is the path God wants me on. I believe I will achieve more as a celibate than I would as a wife and mother. That does not make marriage and motherhood inferior.
I know some amazing married people, and some people who really struggle with married life.
I know some amazing celibates, and some people who have given up on celibacy.
I seen celibates who are scared to share the wealth of their gifting because somone will feel inferior and shout them down saying "marriage is just as good you know"
I have also seen married people who felt guilty and spent all their time wondering if their marriage is just a compromise and they should really have been celibate 'cos it is "the higher way".

God is big.
When we say something is "best" we mean it is "better than...".
When God calls someone to "do their best for Him", He does not mean that they are "better than" anybody else. We can all be the best we can for God!

Where can I go?

Was thinking that if I did not live the way I do, I do not actually have many other options 'cos I have burned so many bridges. I have made choices which, though they are not irreversible, cannot be easily undone. This is quite scary, and not always reassuring, then I read this:

John 6 60-61 and John 6 66-68
and also this
Psalm139 5-12

Both Peter and the chap writing the Psalm know that they have cast their lot in with God, for better or for worse. They know that there is nowhere else to go.

Even if we want to run, God is everywhere and we cannot get away. Jonah is the classic example of that, and I don't much want to spend time in a fishes belly (even if only a metaphorical one)

c u in a betta place?

Yesterday we heard that a leader in our church was killed in a car crash on his way home from a leaders meeting. While people are obviously sad and shocked and sobered, there is the comfort of faith that he is now eternally with Jesus.

I know my theology breaks down a bit when I try to think about exactly what happens when we die. That's 'cos we have minds that are tied to this earth and can only think chronologically, but once we die we enter eternity where there is no time and no chronological sequence of events.

One thing that does wind me up is the vague "everyone goes to heaven" thinking. I mean, if someone choses to live their life without spending any time with God, surely God would respect their choice eternally? Why would someone who does not want anything to do with God now want to spend eternity worshipping Him?
I get annoyed when people speaking at funerals do not speak up and say what Jesus said, do not let people know there is only way to God, which is through Jesus. I know there is the need to be sensitive, but to not tell people the truth is wrong. To let people go out of the door with vain fluffy hope is wrong.

I don't think God "sends people to hell", but if God is good then all that is good comes from God, and to be without God means to be without anything good. That is what hell would be like. To be eternally without anything that is good or influenced by God.

The next question is "Why do people die tragically, or die young?"
I went to a funeral a few years ago of a leader who died of AIDS related ilnesses. (he caught HIV before he was a Christian) At this funeral there was the sense that this brother had run the race and had completed what God had for him to do. It was sad that he died, but no grief about what he had left undone.
For others we may not have this assurance, we might be left with the sense that they have been robbed of a fruitful life or a promising future.
I don't think God ever answers the question "why". He is God after all and our limited brains could not comprehend his reasoning even if he did have to answer to us.

I think sometimes our reasoning is back to front. We ask God why he did something we perceive as injust, rather than thanking Him for the grace we experience every day. It is not so much "why did he take that life" as "why do I have life? what is it God wants me to be doing with the oppertunities he has given me everyday?"

faith is another language

Quelquefois je pense que la fois est une autre langue, que je ne parle pas bien.

letter to a new celibate

I have been reading different things about celibacy recently, and the thing I have really apreciated is when people are honest about what it is really like to live the life. It is OK to quote stuff like "sublimation of natural desires" but what you really want to know is how to cope when the chemistry kicks in and you find yourself unexpectedly attracted to someone despite all your best and most holy intentions. (If you have just read that, and know me, and now think I am in love with someone... sorry, you have just jumped to the wrong conclusion!)

Anyway... this is a letter (slightly edited) I wrote to someone when they were a new celibate, it is bluntly honest and I am posting it incase it is helpful to anyone else. (Again, if you know me don't try to work out who it was written to, 'cos you will guess wrong).

There is some stuff in the letter that is not directly about celibacy. I have left it in 'cos celibacy is not an isolated thing, it is a big part of who we are, it is inspired by our love for Jesus and it inspires our walk with him and our life and ministries in the church. To detatch celibacy from the life of the celibate would be like taking the kids away from a mother- you can't do it, they are so much a part of each other.

So, here's the letter:-

Hi

This is to reply to your letter, and try to answer some of your questions....

It is not an uncommon thing for people these days to grow up with out the support and relationships they need, and to find themselves as adults without the emotional tools or experience they need for building friendships or relationships. Not that it is necessarily any easier for knowing other people are the same, because we are all still individuals and need to work things through and find healing ourselves.

I think it is one of the beauties of this church that we can be a true brotherhood. It’s not an easy thing, but it is still amazing that God is building together this people that can love and trust each other, and also find healing in God and through Him working in us as a family, a Body. We are not perfect, but we are being made more into what He wants. I think it is because we are inspired by the Holy Spirit to dare to build close relationships that we find out more about ourselves. Hurts that would have been nicely suppressed otherwise get shown up, and we have to look at ourselves in God’s light and admit to Him who we really are. Of course, He knew all along anyway so does not reject us!

Choosing to be celibate especially opens up things that we may not have faced otherwise. It is natural for a man and a woman to get together- that is why it is happening all over the place. Not that it is any easier- there are enough failed relationships and hurt people about to make that clear. The thing is, if you are celibate you have chosen not to do what everyone else is doing, but it is not a choosing to suppress or cut off that bit of you. We still need to face up to our sexuality and then we can make a choice to surrender it to God. We are not so much saying “I don’t want my sexuality so I have given it up” as saying “Lord, I choose to make the sacrifice of not expressing my sexuality in the usual way, and I do it for You”

One thing you may need to face is whether you are homosexual or heterosexual. Everyone assumes they are heterosexual unless things are very obviously the other way around, but it may not be that clear. Maybe you might find that it is a bit confusing, especially as you build close friendships with other sisters. You might find that you love someone, and not having had much female love from your mother you might worry if what you feel is a homosexual attraction. I would assure you that it is probably not, but even if it were, the sacrifice of celibacy is the same: you are still offering to God your sexuality. The other thing is, it is not healthy for anyone to have exclusive friendships, to be so close to any one person that it excludes others. If you build with a range of people and are open in your friendships then the problem of getting too close and bordering on something that is soulish or unhelpful is less likely to happen. Again, that is the beauty of being a Body.

About sex ..... Whatever thoughts/feelings/teachings/hype/taboos there may be about sex, it is the case that God made sex! He did not look down at Adam and Eve and think “What are they up to? Quick! Stop them!” He made something beautiful and spiritual between a man and a woman. The way the world has gone means sex has become something cheap and people are often acting in lust and self-gratification, rather than the mutually serving and satisfying sharing and giving experience God created it to be.

So, what does that mean to a celibate? You are not going to be doing it, so do you need to bother getting healing in that area? I think we do need to be healed in every area as God wants us to be whole people. Also, as I said before, celibacy is a sacrifice of something beautiful, not ditching something we do not want.

Sex also often brings a lot of guilt feelings ‘cos we do not find it easy to talk about. The truth is however that we all have a sex drive, and we need to decide what to do about it. It is not wrong to have sexual desire, though what you do with it may sometimes be wrong (or less than ideal). There is no guarantee that says once you become celibate all that gets erased from you! We are not meant to be people who have shut down in any area of our lives, celibate are to be as fulfilled as married people- except for they do not have an active sex life.

So… what do you do with your sexual desires/feelings….

It does say in the Bible that to look a person lustfully is as bad as adultery. I don’t think that is to condemn us ‘cos everyone will look at someone some time and think “wow!”. I think it is said to set a standard, to show us that dwelling on lustful thoughts and encouraging fantasies is not helpful. If we choose to feed our mind with something it can become a habit, and it can colour the way we behave and respond in situations. A mind that has had a free rein lusting or fantasising about something/someone is not going to be a strong mind that can resist temptation when it comes along. The more we give in with our minds the harder it is to resist, whether it is trying to resist fantasy or trying to resist a flesh and blood person. Also, we are called to have the mind of Christ, and we are told our minds are renewed by the Holy Spirit. I don’t think either Jesus or the Holy Spirit are very at home in a mind that is like an X-rated movie, but that applies to everything we give our minds to, not just sexual issues.

In the same train of thought as fantasy are things like pornography or romantic literature. We need to take care of what we read and what we look at ‘cos that is feeding stuff into our minds that maybe we would be better off without. It has also been proven by psychologists and such people that pornography etc is addictive and de-sensitises people. This kind of proves that it is not the right things for a person who is a temple of the Holy Spirit to be getting into.

So, what about masturbation? I think a lot of Christians are very divided over this one. Many people see it as something quite natural. Some people may say it is fine ‘cos it is private, personal and does not hurt anyone else. Some people would say it is a bit like a safety valve, that you need to “let it out” sometimes. Personally, I don’t think it is right. Because we are made of body, soul, and spirit I don’t think we can separate what we do with our bodies from the effect it has on the rest of our being. I think the same as fantasy/pornography it can be addictive and it distorts what God created sex for. I don’t think we are meant to use these bits of our bodies (which God gave us to love another person in a deeply intimate way) just for ourselves. I don’t know if this is an issue for you, am just trying to give you some answers and a bit of a rounded view about the whole subject. If you do it, I think it is something you need to decide for yourself whether it is right or wrong, but remember “there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus”. A struggle we may have in a sexual area of our life is no worse than a struggle in any other area of our life. God hates pride, greed, inequality too, in fact the Bible probably says more about our hearts attitudes than our actions.

So, remember the celibate life is chosen, it is a gift to God, and it is something we will be working out for the rest of our lives (the same as everything else really!) we are not going to get there overnight, but we do have grace, and forgiveness and the Holy Spirit working with us. Don’t get condemned ‘cos you think you have fallen short- condemnation only comes from the enemy as he tried to stop us looking to God and to Jesus blood that makes us clean and pure.

One thing I do believe, is that Jesus does give us back our purity. Whatever our sexual history, wether it is things we have done or things that have been done to us, we can be washed clean and made pure. I have heard people say that said even sisters who have had abortions or have been abused can re-gain their purity and receive a spiritual virginity. (Not that I am applying it to you, I am just giving it as an example of the abundance of God’s grace.)

At the end of your letter you said about feeling abnormal or paranoid. Though these fears may have some root somewhere in your soul or past experiences they are more the kind of thing the devil would want to feed us than what God would say about us. Not to say it is insignificant ‘cos it is something real to be worked through. I would encourage you to be open, as you have been, to get prayer about things, and to let God in. The fact you are facing stuff is a good sign- you would be in a worse state if you were not open to seeing things in you. Just keep going, and keep your eyes on God.

Another big thing about building relationships is just to go for it. No-one is perfect. No-one, however confident they may seem on the outside is without insecurities or issues. We are all totally dependant on God for anything that is of any worth. Remember, only what is spiritual has any eternal value in God’s kingdom so natural charisma is probably more of a hindrance anyway.

Also, remember that we are all imperfect people building the church the best we can in God’s grace. Sometimes you will get responses off people that are bizarre, or hurtful, or wrong. That does not mean you are in the wrong, it might be their issues. If someone else shuts down on you, don’t get rejected, remember that you sometimes shut down too and try to be brave enough to give them a gentle prod to get out of it, or give them a listening ear to sort out what is bugging them. It is always going to be give and take, and I can testify to learning and receiving more from giving than from taking.

What do you really want?

I want to lose some weight, but I also WANT some chocolate. I know the two don't go together, and it is because I have had the chocolate too often that I have the problem that I now weigh 10 stone and not 8 any more.

It's often like that in life, what we WANT in the short term is not compatible with what we REALLY want in the long term.

My REAL BIG VISION is loving Jesus, exploring the fullness of being a celibate, building the church. In the short term I find myself very often behaving like a spoiled kid, I want to go to bed early, I want to stop in bed late, I want to hide myself away with a book, I want to go shopping, I want to..... Basically there are millions of things I could do which are not at all wrong in themselves, but they fill up my life and God only gets the leftovers.

Someone asked us two questions in a meeting recently:

• What do you want from God?
• What does God want from you?

That's the key to it really.

What I want from God is the fullness of what he has promised us. And what he wants from me is my love and devotion. It's a two-way thing, and God isn't the one letting the side down.

Who Am I?

This is a song by Casting Crowns that has really inspired me

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You're

Chorus:
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours

Who Am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love and watch me rise again
Who Am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me

I am Yours
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
'Cause I am Yours
I am Yours

I have been thrashing an issue in my head over the last week, and basically getting into a state over it. I knew the best person to talk to was God, so I talked to Him, I told Him I was going to tell Him everything and then shut up about it.

So I told him, and then nagged Him, and kept thinking about it, and didn't leave it alone like I promised, then wondered why I felt so confused!

On Saturday I had a long journey down to Cobham on my own to visit my Great Aunt, and I had this song playing. When I arrived I was early so went for a walk along the river, and then it suddenly clicked that I had everything the wrong way around. It is not “God, why have you not helped me like You should?” but “God, why do you help me when there is no reason why you should?”

During the afternoon I was talking to my Great Aunt and she told me some of the things she has gone through in her life. They are HORRENDOUS, but when I talked to her she was not bitter, she was not resentful. She still feels pain and is a very lonely lady these days, but she does not hold a grudge, she thanks God for the good times and the seasons of blessing in her life.

For the second time in the day I felt so grateful for what God has done for me. Who am I to winge and complain and nag at Him?

refuse and recycling rangers

I read an advert in our local paper last night for “refuse and recycling rangers” which included such tasks as “walking, bending and lifting”. Why can't they just say “bin-man”?

It made me think about the labels people choose for themselves, and the claims they make about themselves. Ever heard a housewife call themselves a “domestic manager”? Or did you read about the famous nutritionist and TV presenter who has stopped using the title “Dr” because it was considered misleading?

Jesus made some pretty mad claims about himself. He used the term “I am”, which is the sacred Jewish name for God. When asked if he was the Messiah at his trial he said “it is as you say” and this blasphemy earned him the death sentence. SO... was he who he said he was? or was he a complete nutter?

This is not new thinking, plenty of folk have come to the conclusion that you cannot separate Jesus teaching from the claims he made. If you respect his teaching, that must include the bit where He calls himself the Son of God. Or if you cannot swallow that, then such a megalomaniac claim must seriously undermine everything else he said.

As I have said before, either Jesus is all true, and worthy of my worship. Or he is all wrong and totally irrelevant.

So, what about what he calls us?
Do you accept Jesus and not believe what he says about you?
We have been forgiven, we have been called his friends and his family, we have authority in the spiritual realm, we are temples of the Holy Spirit and more............

We are in the strange position of being worthless/useless/hopeless compared to an awesome and righteous God, and at the same time forgiven and given hope and status and promises of inheritance beyond our dreams. If we will not accept what Jesus says about us, we are calling him a liar, and even as believers we are cutting ourselves out of what he promised. Scary.

knowing Jesus in simple things

Recently a group of us went out into the country in the dark and built a fire and spent a couple of hours singing and praying and sharing. I found it so restoring to do something so simple and spiritual, to be away from buildings and the way we usually "do meetings"

Looking into the fire it reminded me of how, after Jesus had risen, he built a small fire and cooked breakfast for his disciples on the beach. If I had wanted to show myself to people I would have gone in for some undeniable signs and wonders- like splitting a few mountains in two or sending a legion of angels and a few thunderbolts. Jesus chose to do something simple and take the time to restore the broken hearts of the disciples. Pentecost came later, and then were the signs and wonders and power of God.

For our own lives, it made me think how we need to know Jesus in the simple things, the humble things, to have a deep relationship with him in our own hearts. Then later, building on that foundation, we can move in the signs and wonders he has promised......

What is a hypocrite

Christians are often accused of being hypocrites

This is what the dictionary calls a hypocrite

hypocrisy noun (hypocrisies)
1 the act of pretending to have feelings, beliefs or principles which one does not actually have.
2 the act of concealing one's true character.

This is some of what Jesus said about hypocricy

So that all kind of means that a hypocrite is someone who does not practice what they preach, someone who is all talk but no action.

BUT is it the same as someone who has high ideals yet struggles to keep them? This is what the apostle Paul said about struggling with sin:

SO what is the difference between an honest struggle and hypocrisy?
I think I find my answer in songs like this:

Lord I did it again,
It all ends up the same.
Slipped, tripped, stripped of the kingly robe you gave me.

But I turn to you for forgiveness
Asking Father display your mercy
I stretch out my hand
And get up and make a stand

To see Jesus reign in my life
To always walk on the path of your truth
To fight to the end even when it gets dark
To trust in you...
©NCCC

I think the difference comes in our honesty before God and before other people. A hypocrite believes they are OK, they are living by their own rules and do not let the guard down to let anyone see what they are really like.

When we are honest about our shortcomings we allow God in to forgive us and people around us to support us. If one man has a map and another has a torch, are they not better off working together than pretending they are OK on their own in the dark? The information on the map is not invalid because you cannot see to read it, but you have to be humble enough to admit you need help.

I don't think God is made smaller by our failings- it points to his immense grace and patience and love that he helps us along the path and does not jsut blast us off the planet as incompetant failures.

That is why I think hypocrisy is wrong- because it makes ourselves bigger than we are and in self-sufficiency turns its back on God.

Why vow?

I was talking to someone recently about celibacy, and whilst they understood my reasons and inspiration for being celibate and could see examples of fruitful celibates in the church, they were a bit unsure about the vow. The questions was, is the vow a man-made thing? By making a vow are we going further than God intended? Are we making a rod for our own backs with that kind of “legality” when the whole thing could be done informally with a load less intensity.

To start with, God is into vows. He makes many vows or promises to the people in the Bible, and expects them to pledge themselves to Him in return. God takes vow making and vow breaking seriously, there is blessing from vow, and there is judgement for breaking vows. It is a serious thing to make a vow but I think we are poorer people if we avoid vows because of fear of commitment. But anyway, this is about celibate vows rather than the whole topic of vowing, so here goes...

If you take celibacy as an equal yet opposite thing to marriage, you could say that both states should be vowed because they are serious life long commitments. But then where did marriage vows come from?

In the Bible a couple were considered married if they had intercourse. That's why there are sentences like “so and so took knew so and so and she became his wife”. To “know” someone meant they had sex and that physical thing united them as man and wife. It also says a man shall leave his mother and father and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one. So the intimate physical union is seen as a permanent "vow”. The marriage ceremonies came in later, with all the rules about betrothal and so on. The ceremonies were a public sign of what had (or would) go on in private.

When Jesus talked about celibacy he talked about eunuchs. He said some were born eunuchs (people who could not have sex for physical reasons), some were made eunuchs by men, and some made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven (the equivalent of celibates now). Without putting it too bluntly- becoming a eunuch meant a bloke chopping his bits off. It was a physical thing and most definitely a permanent thing. To be a celibate does not mean we have to go through physical mutilation, but the sentiment is still there that what we are doing is a permanent thing. So... in the same way that a marriage vow is a public sign of a permanent personal thing, so is the celibate vow.

Keeping on the thread of a celibate vow of the same nature as a marriage vow, when people make their marriage vows they are promising to love that person only, to be true to them, and to renounce all other loves. This is not that different to the celibate vow. We promise to be true to Jesus, to renounce any other relationship for the sake of having particular intimacy with Jesus.
In the wedding vows it also talks about raising children and building family. The celibate will raise spiritual children and build church family.

It is true that you can have a relationship and not have to get married. It is true you can live as "just single" all your life and not make a celibate vow. But in all honesty I think you would be a poorer person to live without the dedication/devotion of the vow and the endurance and character strength it takes to work that out. Going back to the beginning, God is into vows and He brings blessing with the promises that we do not experience any other way.

P is for Celibacy

We had a meeting for the celibates in the church recently, several people talked it was well inspiring. When I thought back over it I realised a lot of the stuff shared, and a lot of the stuff that inspires me, also happens to begin with P. So here it is.... P for celibacy

Purpose
Celibates are a people with a purpose, which is to build the Kingdom of God. As one person put it, their call is to “populate heaven , not earth”. The celibate man or woman is a spiritual parent, teaching and training those who are younger in their faith.

Passion
Celibates are passionate. They see the Kingdom of God and choose to put it above their highest joy. They are prepared to renounce “normal” and “acceptable” things for the sake of something higher/bigger. Think about sports stars, they are passionate about what they do, they have to train and discipline themselves to achieve their goal, likewise celibates choose to make the sacrifice to gain something they could not gain any other way

Path
Celibacy is not an aim or a goal in itself, it is the path we are on. Celibacy shapes your character, it gives you the tools for life.

People
Celibacy is about people. Because we choose to stay single does not mean we will stay isolated and cut off from people. A celibate is free to give themselves in a variety of friendships that a maried person cannot. (for example, when we have a visitor stay for the weekend they share a room with the other single folk). A celibate has chosen not to belong to one particular person, in order to belong to everyone (eek- that's well hard!)

Purity
Obviously the aim of celibacy is to be pure, to be holy in body and spirit. Not that being married means you are impure 'cos that is a different kind of purity. A celibate does however choose to set themselves aside to be dovoted to God in a particular way.

Prophetic
In heaven we will all be celibate. Jesus taught us to pray “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” and celibacy is one way to do that, to prophetically show the life of heaven on earth. It is not the only way to do this, but a pretty good way to try to show people now something of the single-hearted worship of God that there will be in heaven.

Pioneering
Celibates are people without the ties that natural family life brings, so they are people who are free to pioneer- to try new things and go new places for the sake of the gospel. (Again, not an exlusivly celibate thing, but try moving to a new area with kids in school...)

representing Jesus

On Sunday afternoon I looking through a book that contained various pictures of Jesus painted by famous artists. What I found was actually quite sad, though the "blond hair and blue eyes" version of Jesus was (thankfully) missing from this collection, I still found the pictures showed a rather weak and feminine Jesus. A couple of the pictures could have been a Pears soap advert, and some showing the adolescent Jesus definitely looked to me like an 18 year old girl with long wavy hair.

Now, what I am saying is not to knock the great artists, but it did make me think about how we represent Jesus.

To me Jesus was fully man and fully God, and we should not be scared of either of these "identities". As a man I think he would have been strong. I think he would have been a man of emotion and passion. As fully God he would have had insight, compassion and love far beyond what a human could understand, but it would have been sensitivity with strength. Jesus interacted with normal people and was not vague, aloof or untouchable.

There are of course no pictures from the time of Jesus to show us what he looked like so, whatever image we come up with, it can only be speculation. What we do have is his church which is made of up people created in God's image, is made up of people filled with the Holy Spirit, is made up of people being transformed more and more into Jesus likeness. So for the world around us, we are Jesus.

So, does Jesus look like this?

Bad things happen to good people

I have recently read "The Atonement Child" by Francine Rivers It was a book that really made me think about what I would do in the same situation. Basically the plot is that a Christian girl, with a Christian finace who attends a Chrsitain college is raped on her way home one night. She does not take the morning-after pill 'cos she is in a state, and she is sure her finace is so anti-abortion that he would not accept the use of an abortion agent, and also she is so sure God wouldn't allow her to have got pregnant. All the characters have to deal with “why did God allow this to happen?” and “is this God's will, or God's judgement?”. Then she finds out she is pregnant, and as several characters say “no-one would judge you for having an abortion in these circumstances”. So she has to decide what she believes is right, and what she will do. There are complications to the story- such as the college does not allow un-wed mothers to continue as students. I won't tell you what she decides- that would spoil the story!

It made me think along a few different trains of thought – and I have by no means come to any satisfactory conclusions in my own conscience...

How right is the preconceived idea that a child conceived by rape should automatically be aborted? Surely to say so is to say that the children of rapists do not deserve to live? Or that rapists should be sterilised? Is a child a “monster” because they were conceived in such circumstances? Or what about the children of parents who do other awful things? Or are all babies innocent?

It is possible to say that a certain situation is not “right” or is not “God's ideal”, but we don't live in an ideal world, and things do happen that we are not prepared for or don't know how to cope with. So, how do we cope in such situations? How prepared are we to put away the text book and deal with individuals with compassion and sensitivity? Is is OK to “break the rules” sometimes?

How does forgiveness work when someone has done something that is totally, obviously wrong (a rapist)? Or has done something that is legal but we believe is wrong (a doctor in an abortion clinic)? Or has come to a different conclusion to ourselves in a moral dilema (a woman who choses an abortion, or the boyfriend who advises her to do so)?

In one bit in the book, one of the characters says that the situation is a perfect case where the church/Christians can show compassion, but they do not, and how can the church bring healing to a hurting world when it is too busy shooting it's own wounded?

That really made me think. What is the balance between compassion and correctness? Does it matter what the world thinks? How important is it to restore the victims and the sinners in the church as well as those in the world around us?

Jesus' compassion and love is endless, and ours gets stuck with moral dilemas such this story (and many more). The Bible does not directly address modern situations, but the truth we live to is in there, so how do we let it out? How do we put life into the words and humanity into the theology?

I pray to God I will never be in the situation described in the book. But for now I think my answer to all this pondering is in something written by sister on our prayer-shed wall after the very worst thing she ever had to go through had happened in her life.

“It might look like the devil has his way in situation/circumstances, BUT Jesus is Lord of the outcome”

encouragement

We were talking on Tuesday about how the Holy Spirit is called the Comforter and how we all need to be comforted and encouraged sometimes.

I was wondering if it is just 'cos we are weak that we need to be encouraged, but then I realised that God the Father encouraged Jesus while he was on earth, and if Jesus needed encouraging by God then I sure do too!

God encouraged Jesus
Angels sent to strengthen Jesus