jezzaclark

Yesterday was the day where our nation apparently stops. Woops, I forgot, I don’t even know what time I was supposed to stop. (Of course I was supposed to stop for the Melbourne Cup, apparently Australia's biggest horse race).

However, as I think about it I’m struck by how much impact one little race has on our nation. I wish I understood why. Although, I can’t help but wonder if it is something more than gambling that is on view. There is something about everyone stopping at the same time to watch something together. This one event each year, happens on a predictable day. The event itself is over in a short time. Workplaces everywhere stop just to watch and then go back to work. The language of stopping the nation brings us altogether for one short period of time. Even though I have chosen not to read a single article about the race online, or to find out the result, I can’t help but feel the buzz around me.

Now, often I’ve heard people say its harmless. Gambling on a race such as this, once a year, a one off, it won’t affect anyone. That no-one spends much money on the race anyway. Even now when gambling is advertised on TV, we’re encouraged to gamble responsibly. That its ok because the majority of people only spend from their extra money, its not like they are stealing from the food budget or something. I’ve heard the same reasoning used to justify the pokies. And, actually they’re doing some good, aren’t they? Doesn’t the money get collected as taxes and then used to provide people’s needs. Then after the event are the inevitable questions about whether you won, assuming that you did actually place a bet somewhere.

But how does this all justify gambling? How does this reasoning make it right? Does this actually get in behind the real issues with gambling?

What is gambling? From my limited understanding most view it as an extravagance where they might get lucky. However, I want to give a more technical definition. It is a redistribution of funds based on chance. What does this mean? Well, that it is taking everyone’s money and then giving it to a few who don’t necessarily deserve it. So, if you’re gambling there are one of two outcomes. Either you’ve just given money to someone else, who now has a lot more of it, or, you’ve taken from someone else and contributed to your own wealth. What’s more likely? That we’ll give to someone else.

Behind this is the issue that the person who receives the money has not necessarily done anything to deserve it. Whatever happened to earning your money through hard work. This is a totally random method that guarantees nothing. Worse is that those who really do make a lot of money often end up in greater problems. Gambling is addictive, there is the thrill of winning again after the risk. Then, getting money when you don’t know how to use it responsibly, what are you going to spend it on? This increases desire for more stuff. But more stuff means more responsibility, doesn’t it? If this is so, how responsible where you in getting the money in the first place?

And I haven’t even dealt with the negative effects for those who do spend the household food budget, who end up in lots of debt, who destroy their ability to work, their ability to love their family, their relationships, their lives. There will be some who lost lots of money yesterday, but we won’t hear their stories. If we do, it is the story of how they came back, how they got out of their terrible situation and restored their lives. As if somehow human spirit can overcome any difficulty.

Further, what does this say about our society? We justify gambling on the basis that it doesn’t really hurt anyone. Ahhhh I could just go on and on, the anger inside me is building up and the ignorance of people and what they do is just so sad.

I’m glad I didn’t watch the race yesterday. I’m glad I don’t gamble. I’m glad I don’t have lots of money. I’m glad that God has provided my needs. I’m a little sad that I didn’t join the rest of the nation in stopping, that I missed out on something. But when I stand back that sadness is overwhelmed by the sadness that so many people are harmed by gambling in our society, that I’m glad I didn’t contribute to it.

I pray that I will continue to be as resolute in the future when faced with the issue of gambling. Lord, please help me to display kingdom values, rather than worldly values. Please help me to remember that you’ve made me to love my fellow human and to care for them in whatever way I can. Please help me not to use my liberties in ways that will destroy others.

Jez

We enjoy life, don’t we? We love activities in life, we love to do things with others, to relax, to play, even to work. However, when we think about life we value life so much that we will make every effort to prolong our lives. We build huge hospitals just to help people live longer, we spend millions of dollars every year researching so as to make life longer and more enjoyable. There is something intrinsically valuable about our lives.

This is where I started last week on my sermon which introduced our new series: ‘An Introduction to You.’ (Of course there is a certain book by Michael Jensen with the same topic, you might say we are following this in our series.)

However, the reality is that life is not that enjoyable, in fact it is down right depressive. In the last few years the Black Dog has claimed more people than ever before, even premiers of states in Australia have resigned due to depression. This is a great sadness. We may be living longer than ever, but in reality we are sadder than ever. What has gone wrong?

Now, as a Christian I know this is not the way it was intended to be. God created man to live. He breathed the breath of life into man. Our life comes from God. He gave us a purpose, to rule the world under him. We are meant to live this life to the full as God’s representatives on earth.

However, we stuffed up. We decided to live our lives, our way. The punishment of course is death. So, how can we beat it? There’s a few ways I thought of: 1) try and be as fit as possible and live forever. However, even the fittest guy at our church, who just won a gold medal at the masters games, I don’t expect him to live much beyond 100, let alone get to 150! 2) However, this misunderstands the problem. Death comes because of our disobedience. So the way to beat it is to be obedient. One problem, probably in just reading this article we’ve already sinned against God, in thought, maybe even in deed. 3) Give up and do as the writer to Ecclesiastes does, enjoy life now, no man can know what will happen after death.

Is there any hope for our life? Is my life even worth living? Maybe I should just give up now! This is where we can look to a particular life. A life that did perfectly obey God. In fact, the person who was not just a life, but THE LIFE. We can look to Jesus. Jesus came, he lived in perfect obedience to God. But even more, he defeated death. He died on the cross and rose again. He brought the victory that none of us could achieve.

So, now, trusting in Christ I can have eternal life. In fact life takes on a whole new meaning. I’m still destined to die, but I have eternal life to look forward to. I have a full and complete life that will far exceed any joy lived now. And what about now? Well, now I can live the full life, I can enjoy everything in this life, marriage, singleness, work, rest, sport, movies, books, stories, relationships, even doing the dishes, because I have the full life to be revealed in the future.

What does this mean for me today? I live with Jesus as my Lord. I live under him because he is THE LIFE. What a life I have to live.

What about you? Do you have this life?

Jez

The world in which I lives seems so caught with controlling everything. When we can’t control things then we either ignore it or it controls us. Recently I preached on a Psalm where control is just not available, and the answer does not seem on the surface to satisfy.

Psalm 13 has David in the midst of fear of his enemy. We don’t talk about our enemies today. We don’t tend to fear anything, it’ll be Ok in the end. However, there are enemies out there, not the least of which is the devil. However, I know for me my enemy is often my thoughts, my mind, where I am tempted to give up. This seems to be the case for David. He is tempted to give up. His thoughts consume him, he has agony in his heart. What is he to do? For him it seems that even waking up in the morning will not be worth it, he may as well die now as there is nothing to live for.

Now, we don’t have the physical enemy like David, an enemy about to literally kill him with the sword or spear. But the issue is to do with his relationship with God. He wonders how long God will hide himself from him. How long will God keep his presence from him? I can’t help but think of the issue of loneliness, especially as I was preaching to an older congregation. I thought of those who have been single all their lives, those who have been widowed, those who’ve been divorced. How painful this must be at times. Surely there must be times when the enemy around starts to work in our hearts and minds to try and convince us that God is not there, that God no longer exists, that it was all a cruel trick. We may feel tempted to give up on the hope that we have in Christ. Or maybe it is when we are being faithful witnesses to God and the word seems like those seeds scattered on the ground and taken away instantly by the evil one. The enemy seems very real. Is it worth continuing in the face of this opposition? Or in the face of waiting for the return of Jesus and wondering if he will ever come. How long O Lord, will you forget me forever?

So, what is the solution? How long will God hide his presence from us? Should we fear his absence forever?

David’s answer is surprising. For me, I expect that for David to get over his fear, God will arrive on the scene, beat back the enemy, cause their undoing, so that David can be victorious for God’s cause. But this is not what happens. In fact, there seems no appearance of God whatsoever. What David does is remember. He remembers his God. He remembers the God who has been faithful in his love for David. He remembers God’s salvation. In fact he realises in the face of the enemies who may rejoice in a minor victory, he will rejoice in the God who has treated him so generously. He has been blessed wonderfully and he will rejoice in his God.

And so, we too, even when we may not see God physically working only have to look at God’s unfailing love shown in the death and resurrection of Christ, who brings about our salvation. In the face of loneliness, in the face of the enemy, in the face of seemingly waiting so long for Christ’s return, we can rejoice in our God who has brought the real victory in Christ.

I hope this encourages you as it encouraged me.

In Christ

Jez

A new page for a new day.

As you can see, if you follow me, I've changed the format of my page.

Why change? At one level I want to say change is not necessary, it is the words that I am writing that count.

However, I know for many that a visual mind requires a visual change. It is not something deeply spiritual, it just helps. Maybe this will help you.

You may also notice I have changed the title and sub title of my journal. Someone commented recently to me that others may be reading what I write so poorly and get the wrong impression or be led astray. Hopefully this new title clarifies that this is my thinking out loud spot. Please feel free to help me in this process, I love learning and growing.

Hence, the sub title 'working out my salvation with fear and trembling'. I'm not writing to say how great I am, it is in the context of being chosen by God that I want to grow in my awe and wonder in him, for him and to him. May it be the case that I am doing this.

Jez

Over the last month or so I have been meeting with some Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Missionaries (commonly known as the Mormons.)

These guys bumped into me as I was walking home one day. I thought this initial conversation went well and felt I may get somewhere in meeting with them. We have met four times now.

My initial hope came when one of them wanted to know why I was asking the questions I was asking. What were the questions? Basically I wanted to check out their understanding of Jesus and what he has achieved for us.

Our following meetings were less productive as they came along much more prepared and held strongly to their church line. This has been most frustrating as they wish to use the Bible as a reference and yet are unable to actually read it in a straight forward manner. The Bible is clearly not their authority, rather it is the church and its reading of the Bible as primarily revealed in the Book of Mormon.

What has been our fundamental disagreement? Well, besides authority, we've talked a lot about faith. How is it that they come to Christ? For them, they want to claim Christ's death for them, they want to claim that it is by faith we are saved. But their meaning here is so different. When they say by faith, faith is a mysterious thing they have, and they have to have enough of it to be saved. I have tried to argue many times that faith is not from me, but that it is a gift from God, it is not something I earn or take credit for (Ephesians 2:8-9). Sadly, this message is falling on deaf ears. They have admitted that they have to have enough faith, not doubt, to be saved, but this enough faith must come from them, in fact in some way Christ will fill up what is lacking.

Interestingly enough at our last meeting I suggested that the reason we are not agreeing (despite their efforts at times to say that we are saying the same thing) was because of what is behind our argument, that the church has too much power over them. Their response was to say that they felt the Spirit had not been working because we had not been meeting in a quiet place, like a home (we had been meeting on a street corner, probably less distracting than my home with my kids:)). So, more than just authority, but experience is coming to the front as significant in their belief.

There are times when I feel like all I am doing is wasting my time. In fact one friend of mine who used to be a Mormon suggested this is the best that I can do. At the same time, I hope that the seeds I am planting will take root and grow, that in time they will realise the lies of what they have been taught, the reality that they have no assurance of salvation and leave the church that is deceiving them. I know this will be really hard for them to do but I know that God can work in powerful ways. The little statement is so true: "But for the grace of God there go I!"

May God have mercy on them.

Jez

God is a gracious God and we see a great example of this when he blesses those who are persecuted because of their faith in Christ.

Last week at Moore we had Mission Awareness Week where we looked at the Persecuted Church. It was a really tiring week emotionally as I realised the difficulties my brothers and sisters in Christ face every day. Now, a week later, I sit down to try and write a reflection on the week and I find it hard to think of a consistent way to represent it. So, here are some thoughts:

It is amazing that in some places people come to Christ at all. The pressure of culture is so large that to become a Christian means being rejected by family, abused by friends and neighbours, attacked by authorities and the list goes on. I think for me it is relatively easy to become a Christian by comparison. Even if my family doesn't believe I live in a society where I won't face harassment like in those countries opposed to Christ. I won't have rubbish or excrement dumped on my doorstep, I won't generally have to fear what might happen to my family as they go to school. In fact I have advantages such as my children being taught about Jesus whilst at school, what a privileged country I live in.

Further to this we had brought home to us the fear for some of just meeting with other Christians. During one chapel we had the doors closed, to simulate the experience of those who have to meet in secret. During the meeting we had 'police' bash on the door and then come in and threaten to arrest us, looking for our leader, taking our Bibles or any other material. It was a weird experience, at one level that we found humorous when lecturers were 'arrested'. At the same time it was in our weakness of laughing that the real situation was brought home to us. As the police came in I found myself thinking what would I do if I were really in this situation? When the police said if we were there by mistake or were not a Christian we could leave, would I leave? Would I forsake my brothers and sisters in Christ? The thought entered my mind, what about my family? How can I protect them whilst in gaol? Then I was interrogated, I found it hard to take seriously, but at the same time realised that it didn't seem to matter what answer I gave, I was somehow guilty, I felt a sense of fear. Then we had someone who was overcome, as this was too real for her, she had personal friends who face this all the time, get up to encourage us to pray. At this point I was overcome, I had a small sense of the wonder of God's grace revealed to my brothers and sisters.

In reflection all I can say is that God is gracious, he provides for his people. My brothers and sisters continue to remain strong in their faith, they continue to meet to encourage each other. May I not complain about the privileges I have but be thankful to God and seek all the more to stand in awe at the wonder that he chose me to be his child. To be reminded that I am to deny myself, take up my cross and follow him. This can mean great persecution. I may experience some sense of this persecution, may I be like Paul and learn contentment in everything. And may I pray, pray for my brothers and sisters, pray for their leaders, pray that God's will be done, here on earth as in heaven.

How amazing that God chooses us to be his children!

In Australia in this last week we've been following the story of Jamie Neale, a British Tourist who went for a walk in the Blue Mountains and was rescued 12 days later.

I have followed this story with interest, especially because the area in which he was lost is one I know reasonably well, having done a number of walks out to the Ruined Castle and Mount Solitary. This is a great area of bush, revealing the character and challenge of the Blue Mountains. I've seen some of the best sights as I've looked out to see the edges of Lake Burragorang (which leads into Sydney's water supply), the expanses of the rugged bushland south of the Blue Mountains. The best picture I've ever taken was waking up in the morning to see the Jamison valley filled with a layer of fog that looked like you could just step out onto it, despite the fact there was a 100m cliff right in front of me. Looking from here over the escarpment to see the sun rise was a sight worth spending a night to try and see it again, it was majestic. I could go on.

However, I want to think about what to make of this rescue story. But I am not sure what to make of it.

You see, I could say it is a great reminder of our own limited lives, that we are incapable of controlling every variable, that life is beyond our personal control. An area of bush which I would describe is relatively easy to navigate through was found by another to be very difficult and easy to get lost in. So, with preparation this would not actually have occurred, he could easily have controlled this variable.

I could say, this is a great rescue story. That this man needed rescuing. However, it was really him who rescued himself, with a little help from other people out on the track. In fact, the search and rescuers did not even find him.

Maybe it is his human resourcefulness that stands out. Here is a man that went into the bush, sillily (he called himself stupid!) without adequate preparation, eg a mobile phone, warm clothes etc, who survived. Yes we humans can be resourceful despite our stupidity.

What am I to make of this story?

The thing that stands out to me, having read a few reports (not all, I'll admit), is the realisation of the man himself. He initially thought he would be rescued. He saw the helicopters fly overhead, but they didn't see him. He kept trying to get out. He felt the despair of being near the end. He was giving up hope of survival. He thought he was going to die. What did he do? He prayed. He realised there is a God greater than him. He realised he was near death and might very soon meet his maker. He could be standing before God very soon and so he prayed.

I only hope and pray that his realisation is carried through. That this little seed that has been planted would lead him to relationship with our great God. The God who knows his real plight, who knows he is out of control, who knows he is dead and needs more than just rescue, that he needs redemption from death and new life. The God who is the only one who can save him, that he would realise he can't save himself.

At the same time I am filled with gratitude to the God who has brought me from death to life. Who has rescued me from the grave. Who has saved me and brought me into the kingdom of the son he loves.

To God be the glory great things he has done!

Jez

This last week I had the opportunity to attend the Candidates Conference. One of the sessions dealt with a new label being applied to some, 'Reformed Charismatic'.

Now, I want to understand this label, I want to understand whether it is worth pursuing, not that I want to be labelled, but if it is going to help me understand God better maybe it's worth looking into.

I suppose I should share first of all my own background. I grew up going, infrequently, to an Anglican Church, Presbyterian before that. I remember in this time I didn't really want to be known as a Christian and would hide the fact I went to church. At the end of Primary school my mum took me and my sister along to a Charismatic church. It was an interesting experience. I loved the excitement that was present there, people were not ashamed to be called Christians, they were confident and excited about God. Worship was central to the church meeting. Sermons were long and engaging. At the same time I didn't really feel like I fit in, I didn't have any friends there.

Part way through high school a mate invited me to his youth group. It was at that Anglican Church. Over time I started going to this church on Sunday's as well. There was not the same excitement but over time I grew in my ability to handle the Bible as more than just a proof text. I constantly found myself frustrated with the lack of enthusiasm and seemingly quiet nature of these people. But there was something in the longevity, there were many more older people, there were genuine people who related well to outsiders. And the Bible was taught faithfully.

So, in my past you can see two elements. 1. Reformed; 2. Charismatic. I love the Reformed teaching, the way of seriously looking at God and what he has said in his word and remaining faithful to his word. The Charismatic still has a hold on me from the point of view of focussing on God, on making him the centre of what happens and showing emotions in this. Yes, I know these are huge generalisations, I'm just trying to summarise for simplicities sake.

I feel like I'm coming around more lately to being more sympathetic to the Charismatic side of things. There is no way I want to move from the gospel I have heard and believed. But I don't want it to be dry and academic, I want it to be real and lively. God's word is of course living, I know it is our sinfulness that often gets in the way of this and want to be careful not just to manipulate emotions just to feel like I am closer to God, that is a poor way to go!

How am I seeing this work in practice? The Psalms jump out to me as significant in answering this question. The Psalms are so theologically thought out and yet contain the emotion that seems more real to who we are created to be. But I don't just want to read the Psalms, to analyse the text and work out what it is saying. There is also a level where I want them to wash over me, to affect me emotionally.

One way I've found to do this is to prepare to read the Psalms in church. It is easy to read a passage a few times and get some emphasis in the right place. But reading a passage, going back over for a number of hours has a profound impact. The work of preparing a sermon has taught me this. It is amazing to see the gravity things are dealt with in the Psalms and the way they refocus us on God and being in Christ.

Where is this blog going? I don't know, I feel like I've wandered a little from where I started. (Almost a bit like those engaging sermons, I never knew what they were really saying, just I was kept interested in what was being said:)) Needless to say, I'm happy to be Reformed and keen to explore the idea of being charismatic (with a small 'c'). I want God to be the centre and he reveals himself in his word primarily. At the same time His Word, for example the Psalms, will have a profound impact on us.

No matter where I go, may I remain faithful to God, growing in Christ, not moved from the gospel and looking forward to his return. And I haven't even dealt with the Holy Spirit, maybe another time...

Jez

Often coming out of Christianity we have great ideas and dreams of what the future will look like. We scour the pages of the Bible to see what picture we can get of God's plans at the end. In our searching we often come to those books which seem a little more obscure to our minds. Understanding them can be really hard, especially when we want to get all the details right. Unfortunately we can end obscuring the image by pushing the details too far.

Daniel is one such book. Its images of statues, beasts and predictions about weeks and the enemy paint an incredible picture. In fact to try and draw the picture would often end up looking really dumb because it is so incredible. I find it hard enough to imagine a ten horned beast, then a little horn that uproots three and makes great boasts, its a horn!

Recently I had to write an essay assessing the methods and assumptions in popular end time theories from the book of Daniel. What did I discover in this process?

Daniel is a great book, one that is far more profound than I ever imagined. It is concerned for God's sovereignty, even the great kings of Babylon or Persia/Media (Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius) are nothing in the face of God. I had to do a talk at youth group on chapter 4. The great thing that stands out to me, the great king Nebuchadnezzar eating grass! Can you imaging a king eating grass, let alone the king of the great Babylonian empire. And if he did, would his people ever let him rule again? But our God is the great God, he can cause kings to eat grass, he can cause kings to rise, to fall, he can protect his people from great fiery furnaces, he can shut the mouths of lions, he can send messages that only his people can understand. Whether or not he will do these things in our lifetime is a different question The answer in Daniel 3:18 of Shack, Mack and Benny (some nicknames for Daniel's three friends) sums up the message of the book. 'God can save us from the fiery furnace, but even if he doesn't, we won't bow down and worship you!' (my paraphrase) What an encouragement to us today. It doesn't matter what happens in this world, no matter how much Christians get or feel persecuted, we are not/will not bow down and worship anything/anyone other than God. May this be true!

To deal with the actual images we turn to an outline of the book. Chapters 1-6 then set the scene for the great images of chapters 7-12. In chapters 7-12 we see great visions of horned beasts, rams and goats, explanations of 70 weeks, the future events of Babylon, Persia, Media, Greece, kings rising and falling. But over it all is the sovereign God who is directing these things, fighting battles, for his purposes. Now, the more I read I can't help but see these images and explanations as depicting events, particularly around the second century BC. In fact the link to Akkadian prophecy seems strong. Akkadian prophecy summarises past history and then projects into the future. That future is not 100% clear at the time, but this is the nature of this type of prophecy. It doesn't matter so much whether it does get it perfectly right. However, this reminds us of chapters 1-6 – are all the details exactly right? Did Nebuchadnezzar really eat grass? But these chapters are similar to Menippean Satire. Telling a story in an embellished form to make a point, in this case that God is sovereign. The Akkadian prophecy of ch 9-12 makes the same point, God is sovereign, he will bring about his purposes.

This all hopefully allows us to go back to dealing with the end of the world as we know it. If we are to read Daniel in its setting and for what it is trying to say we can see that it is sending a strong message to Israelites in exile, most likely in the 2nd century BC. They are to trust God, even in the face of what seems terrible events, a small horn making great boasts and fighting against the holy ones, committing detestable acts. We are to remember God is sovereign, he is in control, he will bring about his purposes.

For us this turns Daniel into a book of great encouragement. To predict the end of the world from the details in the book takes more out of the book than is there, in fact it does an injustice to the book. Yes, we can see how Jesus used it, he reappropriated it for his purposes, being consistent with the book but showing how the book predicts things that are a type of what he will achieve on the cross. We live in the times waiting for his return. We look forward, knowing God is in control and achieving his purposes. It will be a great and glorious day, in fact way beyond our small imaginations. In the meantime we live faithful to him, often under great persecution from a world that just doesn't get it.

For me, Daniel says God is the boss, and it doesn't matter what happens, we should not/can not/will not bow down and worship any other God!

Jez

I know it has been a little while since this story hit the headlines but I still think it is worth commenting on from a Biblical perspective.

The story I'm talking about is the incident involving Rugby League players in New Zealand in 2002 having group sex with a 19 year old woman. I don't wish to judge those involved, just offer some thoughts on the incident from a Christian perspective.

Having just preached on Romans 12:1-2 I thought I would use this passage as my basis for comment. For those involved the term that has come out as being important is that of consent. One of the players has said that the woman gave consent for them to have sex with her, in fact it seems others were encouraged to join in. This footballer has admitted that it was wrong that he slept with her since he was married. This I want to heartily agree with, marriage is the right place for sexual relations, outside this is adultery, both he and the lady could be counted guilty of this because they weren't married. He has rightly apologised to his wife for his actions, from public appearance it seems she has accepted him and is standing by him. Here we see the world get a sense of marriage right.

However, this does not deal with the issue of consent. For the woman involved at the time she seemed to think it was Ok, in fact she was enjoying it and from reports she boasted about it the next day. This actually makes sense, sex is great, it produces much pleasure and enjoyment. But this is where things start to go wrong for the woman. The instant pleasure is not followed through. The men move on quickly, it seems without a thought to her well being and she is now left devastated despite the initial joy she experienced. Sex is that thing that makes us literally one flesh with someone else, this is how marriage is supposed to work. It provides a bond between two people which is joyful and really joyful when the bond is maintained and renewed on a regular basis. For this woman she is hurt and feels great pain and is now devastated by the whole incident.

And so, I want to question the view of this age at this point. It has some things right, we are created beings, created God's way with right urgings. But as Christians something different has happened. We have been brought from living the way we think to being in right relationship with God to enjoy the things God has created for us to enjoy. God created sex for us to enjoy. But he created it for inside faithful marriage relationships, here the union is to be rightly enjoyed. This doesn't mean it will always be joyful, just that here is the right place for the sexual union. And so, I question the world that says consent is what matters. Could this lady have consented, the power of these men means they need to take responsibility for their actions, however, that is so hard to assess. The better thing would be for them to remain faithful to one marriage partner. Even better for them is to be in relationship with God who brings perfect unity in Christ.

So, I pray, for the woman, the footballers, for this world and for Christians, that we would not conform to this world's way of thinking.

I'd be interested to hear other thoughts. Partly I am working out my own thinking here as I think seriously about Christian ethics at college and engage with a guy called Oliver O'Donovan.

Jez

Romans 12:1-2 talks about the Christian as one who will be transformed by the renewing of the mind. I preached on this passage yesterday. As I thought about this passage I tried to come up with a way to illustrate it.

Could it be like this. There is the river of life. We live in the river. As living in the river we go along with the flow, we conform to this age, living in line with its way of thinking and acting. We have no ability to go against it.

But then we are brought from death to life by the offering of Jesus as a sacrifice. We too are to offer our bodies as a sacrifice, a living, holy and pleasing one (v1).

So, how are we transformed. As our mind is renewed it is like God is giving us fins and gills so that we no longer conform, but that we are renewed to swim against the flow, to be in the image of God's son.

We are still here on earth, living in mortal bodies, but we are to offer these bodies as a sacrifice waiting for Jesus return when we will be truly transformed in mind and body.

How are we renewed then? We are renewed in mind by seeking to test and approve what God's good, pleasing and perfect will is. We do this as we study the scriptures, as we teach one another, as we meet together to declare the great truths in which we believe.

I'd be interested to hear any thoughts.

Jez

I've spent this last break writing an essay about the church. I thought I might share some of my thoughts in reflection on this exercise.

For the essay I based my work in Colossians, informed by the rest of the Bible. So, I started with the church as Christ's body. But, what does it mean for the church to be Christ's body. Well, it means we've been reconciled with God. That those in the church are in relationship with God, like God is relationship with himself. That is, we are welcomed into the godhead. Now, at this point I feel like stopping. This is incredible in itself. Us, sinners, welcomed into relationship with God, like that of the perfect relationship God already has. May I never, ever despise the church again.

From this foundation I was able to think about the start of the church, it's reality and its expression here on earth. The church was started through the gospel, the gospel of reconciliation, of Christ dying for our sins and rising to life to bring us into the kingdom, his body. For me the gospel has this amazing dynamic. It is the starting point, but it also brings current life as we grow in our understanding of God and the wonder that we are in relationship with him. However, and this is an area I'm really enjoying looking at at the moment, it has a future dimension. The church is not completed, God is adding to his church daily as we wait the return of Christ and the full manifestation of the church. This is all being driven to completion by the gospel.

And so we live, waiting the return of Christ, in fellowship with God, serving Christ here on earth. What does this mean practically? Well, it means that we should reflect the reality. We should be unified with each other as the godhead is unified in itself. How is that unity expressed, in love. The members of the trinity so love each other that it is perfectly, other-person centred, love. We too should have this love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We should treat them as family, loving them no matter what they throw at us, or do to us.

This is how I understand God's body in the world. May I continue to grow in understanding of God as I wait the glorious return of Christ.

Jez

Often as a theological student I'm asked how I'm going at college. I can't help but feel that I need to come out with some sort of interesting answer, one that encourages and shows that I am growing in understanding of God and his purpose for this world. Further than this to be able to use some big word to show I'm learning how to use these words, which may make me more learned than the person I'm chatting to!

But as I think about it this does not actually represent the reality of college. In fact if it did I think it could turn what is happening into a complex, almost academic exercise that just makes me think harder.

The reality is that I'm learning how big God is! That does not sound complex, or difficult. I'm just seeing that God is far bigger than I had ever imagined. 'My God is so big', goes that great kids song. The further I go the more I realise this is true, in fact He is so much bigger than I could ever have thought.

This brings me back to the title of this blog: “God in a box”. I can't help but feel that the reality for most Christians, me included, is that we try to put God in a box. We try to define him in a way that makes sense. Things outside this box are problems either to be discarded or incorporated into the box in a way that fits nicely inside the box I have created, often distorting the idea or God. But college is turning my box upside down, inside out, reshaping it so that I now see God's bigness even more. In fact the box doesn't work, there are bits that I am finding hard to fit in the box, God is so big. I'm loving the wonder of marveling at our big God.

Has God changed? In no way! Rather it is my understanding of God that is growing. I'm seeing things about God that previously just did not fit now making sense. I'm understanding God's power in new ways. His purposes as greater than ever imagined. His presence everywhere as even more comforting. His knowledge as liberating. Even the idea of the Trinity is becoming more wonderful by the day. The end times as something that is worth delving into rather than putting to the side as something I can ask on the day of the Lord.

I am so thankful for the privilege of studying at college. I hope and pray that my understanding of God just continues to get bigger, that I never try and contain God in my box.

Jez

I love the church. I love meeting with my brothers and sisters in Christ. At the same time the church is God's people on earth bringing the message of reconciliation to the world.

During this last week I've been on mission in Petersham. I think in this week I was reawakened to the need for the church to be in the world. Mission is easily done when we run events and hope people come. It is the attractional model, or I like to think of it as the defensive model, I wait until the ball is on me and then I play it. During this last week I had a chance to go on the front foot, to get to the pitch of the ball and play it where it lands. I did this in two ways.

Firstly, we went and did what was called 'Contact and Connect'. This is doorknocking with a difference. We seek to contact and then find a way to connect with the community. Our opening line reflected that the church is often disconnected with the community and asked for ways that people thought we could connect better. I liked this way of going about things. Some people still rejected us outright. Even in one conversation we met someone who was totally convinced that they did not need the crutch of Christianity, even if others did. However, for those who were more open we got to hear of ways they thought the church could connect better, often these ideas were already being done by the church we were partnering with so it was easy to then let them know when it happened. The most exciting aspect was being invited back by one lady for further conversation. On our return she was very friendly, I suspect lonely, so it was a wonderful way to fill that void and start on a path to sharing with her the one who will provide true comfort, our saviour Jesus Christ. She even came to church on Sunday and one of the parishioners met her and encouraged her to come back, all praise to God. In terms of going on the front foot, this is like playing a drive or something.

The second way of going on the front foot, more like advancing down the pitch, was to go into the local boarding houses. These are houses with individual rooms that people rent and live in, as temporary accommodation with hope of moving to something better. The places were liveable, however our place is luxury in comparison. These people are often more raw, telling it like it is. At the same time some were very friendly, almost like they had their own community in there, caring for each other and sharing what they had. Others were lonely, isolated and seemingly friendless. These are the people Jesus came for and so often we ignore them. The way we got in there was to do volunteer work, scraping paint, cleaning etc, and whilst there people wander around and are willing to talk. The church has a weekly BBQ on its lawns, relationships are being formed.

For me all this brings me to the genius of Connect 09. Rather than staying in our comfortable church buildings we are seeking to reconnect with the community, the real community, not just those we are naturally attracted to. This is scary as we don't know what it looks like. We don't know who might end up in our churches. We don't know what real problems we might actually have to deal with. We don't know what it might mean for our lives, how we open our lives, homes, families, everything up to be laid bare. But we are in Jesus, he is the author and perfector of our faith, he went to those people who were outside Israel, that had be rejected by society and he loved them. His message is for them. And so we are encouraged to connect, to build relationships, to bring the gospel to those who so desperately need it.

I'm challenged and need to get on the front foot. Firstly this start by lifting hands in prayer, and so I must pray for my neighbours that I might be a light to the kingdom of God.

Jez

These journal things, maybe one day I'll get consistent.

Although I do want to say that for the last year and a half I've been working through a lot of things... more about that later...maybe:)

I'm now enjoying the challenges of third year at college. Yes it is challenging! One of the things I have discovered is how hard I find it to read stuff and remember what I've read. I'm working harder than ever on this as information is often contained deeply inside books. It is good to be able understand someone's argument without having to go and talk to them personally. However, it is hard work. For those of you who are like me I notice that I can post via voice posting, maybe I will try that some day. (I've just had a look and realised to do this here requires paying for it. Not while at college!)

To further my comprehension skills I've taken the opportunity to join a book club at college. In the book club we read a theological book, or part there of, and then meet together each week to discuss it. I've attended one week so far and been reminded of my weaknesses. But having others who read well discuss things is helping me immensely. I look forward to continuing to work on this skill.

Now that I have refound my journal I will try to post more regularly. I'll even put an alarm on my computer that will help me remember, this is the only way I get things done consistently:)

I'm tired now, hence a short post. Write again soon.

Jez

Well, I thought I would update you with the latest sermon I preached. I had the privilege of preaching from Psalm 51. This is David's psalm of repentance for his sin with Bathsheba. It was a real challenge to be able to preach from this psalm.

In the end I went with the theme: True Repentance. This made the sermon very heavy, but this is exactly what the passage does as David goes through and catalogues his sin. Recognising his sinfulness from birth, or conception, and more significantly recognising that his sin is against God and God alone. This challenged me as I am more quick usually to recognise my sin is against the person who I've wronged. David takes us straight to the point. Sin is against God ultimately and it is to him that we must go to say sorry. I found this helpful in my own life and am now more committed to confessing to God first before I go to anyone else. It is a real challenge to see our sin against God, this makes sin much more serious. What a privilege it is to preach and come to a deeper understanding of our great God.

Anyway, I'll leave it there for another week. Greek Exam this week, I don't think I'll be concentrating on much else!

Jez

What's this, an update, and only a week later. Must be on holidays from official study, yeah that's right, this is a week to catch up on everything. I realise this will never happen but then I get distracted by things like blogs. Ah well, hopefully it will be encouraging for you!

I thought I would let you know about my essay on King Josiah. It was interesting writing the essay. I enjoyed learning more about God and his plans for the world.

Josiah was considered to be the king that turned to God like no other (2 Kings 23:25). Now if he is considered such a good king, what about Hezekiah, even more so what about David who was the king after God's own heart. This would prove challenging and somewhat distressing if we just look at the statements in themselves. However, as I was reminded in writing this essay it is important that we understand God's big plan for humanity. God wanted to have a people who were in right relationship with him. The whole history of the kings of Israel and Judah only helps us to see how incapable we are to rule ourselves. How we need a man, who is god himself, in the form of Jesus Christ to be the perfect ruler, that even the great kings like Josiah could not be. It is interesting that when we look at the good kings it is the lasting effects that show the true problem. So David's son Solomon built altars on high places and his son led to the split of the kingdom. Hezekiah's son Manasseh led to God finally deciding to do away with Judah. Josiah's son was evil too and it was only 22 short years later that the southern kingdom was no more. So good kings they may have been, but they could have no lasting impact, as witnessed in the lives of their sons, and Israel as a whole. But then we have Jesus, the one who is the true ruler, sitting at the right hand of God (Phil 2:9). Jeremiah, the prophet at the time of Josiah and after, saw this problem with the kings of Israel and predicted a day when God's law would be written on our hearts (Jer 31:31-34, cf Heb 10:16). What a great privilege it is to know the Lord Jesus, who has conquered sin and given us new life.

I feel I could go on, in fact I just wrote 2000 words on this topic, but hopefully this is a good summary of what I learnt.

Back to doing the work I need to do, and trying to catch up.

Jez

Hi once again. Well I realise now how hard it can be to regularly update a blog, especially for someone like me!

So how am I travelling. Well, I think. I'm enjoying the challenge of college and finding myself really encouraged to think hard about God. But also working hard on how to live as one under Christ.

This last weekend proved a real challenge to my pride. I had to make a decision about going on a camp and speaking or staying at home and being with a potentially sick family. Considering the work I'd put into the talks and the excitement I had in going it was hard for my pride to take the back seat. I'm thankful to God that the rest of my family is well and staying home actually provided some good family time. I'm also thankful that the camp coordinator was able to accommodate my family and quickly devised a back up plan. I also need to remember that the process of preparing talks is not just for those who hear them but is also for me. What I have understood about the passage needs to affect my life too!

So, what were the talks on? Colossians 1:15-23. What was exciting for me in preparing these talks. I realised how the idea of Jesus being the image of God but also the creator is bringing together two big ideas in Genesis. So Genesis 1:1 is God as creator creating the world. Gen 1:26-27 is God creating man to be his image, to represent him on the earth. Gen 3 is of course man's rebellion against God and judgement. And so it is not until we get to Christ that a man is the image of God. The perfect man. But Jesus is also God, "For by him and for him all things were made." How does this make a difference. Well it is only this man who can be the head of the church. Furthermore, it is only this man who can reconcile man to God. It had to take God himself in the form of Jesus to reconcile us dastardly sinners to himself. Now in thinking about reconciliation I realised one of the shortfalls of our thinking about God's reconciling work. Often I've heard it described that there is a gap between us and God and God reaches down and we reach up and grab his hand. As a result we are then forgiven. But this indicates that we are doing some of the work of reconciliation. In fact it is completely God who does the work. And so when we reach up to grab God's hand, if we ever did, our hand turns into a fist and continues in stubborn rebellion against God. It makes me so glad that it is God who does all the work, especially when I realise how sinful I am. How does this come out of the passage. Well, it is God who does the reconciling, not us (verse 22), and then our responsibility is to live as those reconciled people (verse 23). Another reminder of the wonderful privilege we have of being God's children. He has done all the work for us through his son so that we might be presented as blameless, fully reconciled before God.

That's enough of the thoughts running around in my head. Although I'm open to hearing feedback on my thoughts.

This week is a challenging week as I spend the whole week writing an essay for Old Testament One. At this stage I'll be writing about King Josiah. It will be interesting!

In Christ

Jez

Well I must apologise. Over two months since the last update. What did I say last time, that I would have to get better at doing this...

Anyway, just a brief update about a few things:
1. College: I'm still really enjoying the priviledge of being able to study and learn more about our great God. Still working hard not to compare myself but to live for God. (This was the challenge from this morning's chapel service, see 2 Cor 10). Had to write my first essay in the last holidays. It wasn't as bad as I thought. We had ten possible questions to answer and I chose one dealing with the overall meaning of Peter. The question was: '"1 Peter is an appeal for holy living addressed to God's new worshipping community." Is this a good description of 1 Peter?' It was good to think hard about this book and work out if I agreed. I mainly agreed except to change the order of the statement to: "1 Peter is an appeal to God's new worshipping community to live holy lives." if you want to know more let me know and I'll talk about it. Or you could just go and read the book yourself (better option!)
2. Mission: as part of college each year we have the opporunity to go and work alongside a church in their mission to bring people to Christ. This year I'll be going close to home at Penrith and Kingswood churches. Yes Kingswood is my home church but as seen by next point there is a reason I'm there. I won't have much involvement for this reason.
3. Waiting for baby to be born. My wife and I are waiting for our second child to be born, it is now overdue, hopefully soon we will get to meet him/her.

Anyway, keep faithfully serving our great God.

Jez

Hi there,

Almost a month since the last update, one day I'll get better at doing this:)

Well I am now 2 and a half weeks into college. I'm really enjoying it.

One initial reflection has to do with the nature of college. Whilst at one level it is the same as university - academic subjects with exams, essays and lots of learning. There is so much more to Bible college. We have been reminded a few times that being here is not about being competitive. Getting honours is not what is important. It is our growth in Christ that is important. Far better that we just pass but grow in Christ than that we get high distinctions and are less Godly by the end.

This is such a contrast to other educational instiutions I have been a part of (Please note for the following comments that I am aware of the complexity of running educations institutions in a secular world, and so these are not the completion of my views, just a reflection on something I find valuable at college). I often had concerns that it seemed that those institutions were just a means to an end. Here we are not so concerned about the end but what we are doing here and now. We are concerned with what the Bible is concerned about.

I'm am constantly being encouraged by talking with those around me at college. It is amazing the difference in the character of a community when a whole bunch of mature Christians are together. I know in part this is the nature of taking a group of mature people and putting them together, but it is such a priviledge to be a part of.

On a minor note, I've started learning Greek. More on that later, I'm sure there's some sentences above that will need to be reworked as I realise my grammar falls so far short (yes, even though I went to a grammar school!) of what is needed. But it is a joy to be able to read the Bible in its original language.

In Christ

Jez