Psalm 19:1 For the director of music. A psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
God spoke to David through the very universe around him. In the same way, God often speaks to me. It might be someone directly addressing me with a specific word, it may be some fact of nature that reminds me of God, or it may be a repeated word or idea. In the past week God has been speaking to me through the repetition of this one phrase: "it's not about you."
I first encountered this phrase while watching Dr Strange and something about the line resonated with me. Then the same phrase or one similar was stated in church the following morning. Then yet again, I read an article about a doctor giving advice to other medical practitioners. He wrote the following:
One attendee lamented about caring for a patient who was recovering from a procedure that went against her own personal values. She said she was distressed and angered by this; I believe what she hoped for was for me to embrace her distress, validate it, provide words of comfort and support and give advice on how to change. Even though, mind you, she said the patient was happy and very comforted by her care. I looked at her and responded. “So what? That’s your job. You are supposed to provide care regardless of your values.” She snapped at me. “Yeah, but what about me?” “What about you?” I replied. “It’s not about you. It’s about your patient. It’s about caring for your patient. That’s what you signed up for.”
You see, this very phrase has been a constant reminder to me this week about what I signed up for in two cases. The first and most recent case is in my marriage to Jeanille. I signed up to a life which is not about me: it's about my spouse. The challenge for husbands from a Biblical perspective is to love your wife like Christ loved the church and laid down his life (Ephesians 5:25 paraphrasing) and that means recognising that my life is one which requires daily sacrifice. Te second, but more important case, is in my relationship with Christ.
Paul recognised that his life was no longer his own (Galatians 2:20). For the Christian, the life that we live is truly no longer about us. Hearing this phrase repeated by people, films and situations around me was a fantastic reminder about the true purpose of my life. Engaging in every activity that I undertake may be fantastic, however I am wanting more and more for everything that I do to point directly back to the cross.
A key root of sin I believe lies in self-centeredness, in taking God's own position in our lives and becoming the God of ourselves. Jesus was sinless and perfect because as both God and man he was fully dedicated to sacrificing himself and ushering in the Kingdom of God. The question remains: how can we live lives where 'it is not about you' and become people moving ever closer to God's great plans for our lives!
If there is one tip about writing I have tried to teach my students at school it is this: writing is about thinking. While some writers might drift along unconsciously, writing is very much a conscious art. Different writers have different methods of writing and the thinking that goes into that writing.
Some authors write out all their plans of how their novel will run from beginning to end and then flesh that novel out. Other authors begin with a key character and follow the journey of that character. Still other authors simply have a simple concept or question and begin writing from that point - allowing the world of their story to write itself into existence.
In short, all writing begins with an idea. If we look to the Bible at the very beginning it says: Genesis 1:1-5
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
God himself started with a single word, a word that had the power of infinite concepts. He knew exactly what He wanted this 'light' to be and He spoke it forth into existence. J.R.R. Tolkien once wrote that as an author he was a 'sub-creator' under God. That is what writing is all about: creating.
One thing I have been considering recently is where you should begin writing. In my previous blog post, I indicated that I had been wanting to begin with a prologue. However, I removed that prologue because I realised that while it felt incredibly descriptive and powerful, the entire story did not benefit from that prologue.
So how did I begin my story? I went back and I wrote in a new first chapter that begins with a simple statement about children. I used this as a slight hook to introduce my main character as a child and demonstrate an event that happened to her. This will form the frame for the subsequent events which take place when she is an adult.
However, opening a story is something which can be incredibly difficult for me. I have the ideas, but I do not ever want to.
The following is an opening paragraph for the first book in a young adult series I thoroughly enjoy, Throne of Glass:
“After a year of slavery in the Salt Mines of Endovier, Celaena Sardothien was accustomed to being escorted everywhere in shackles and at sword-point. Most of the thousands of slaves in Endovier received similar treatment—though an extra half-dozen guards always walked Celaena to and from the mines. That was expected by Adarlan’s most notorious assassin. What she did not usually expect, however, was a hooded man in black at her side—as there was now.“
While this paragraph may have its issues (although the writing grows stronger as the series progresses), what appeals to me about this opening is that it begins with A) our main character, B) she is in chains and C) she has been in slavery for a year. This directly leads the reader to realise that the main character is not precisely ordinary.
One of my other favourite books in Mistborn: The Final Empire begins with a prologue. The prologue does, however, introduce a major character of the book and it begins with the sentence: "Ash fell from the sky." This again is drawing because it highlights that there is something unusual about the situation or scene in which the story will open.
The first paragraph of yet another book that I enjoy (Theft of Swords) opens as follows:
"Hadrian could see little in the darkness, but he could hear them - the snapping of twigs, the crush of leaves, and the brush of grass. There were more than one, more than three, and they were closing in.
I enjoy this opening because of how it deliberately includes information as needed - you are provided with the main character's name, what his current activity is (listening) and the fact that some things or people are after him. Yet the writer does not reveal who the 'them' is.
Normally it is considered bad practice in writing to practise using large amounts of pronouns or adverbs. However, as seen here the use of a pronoun in 'them' is highly effective. Also, it is worth paying attention to the fact that J.K. Rowling uses plenty of pronouns, and Harry Potter is now one of the largest literary fiction series of all time.
So however you choose to begin writing, choose to write in a way which 1) draws the reader in, 2) includes interesting detail or ideas and 3) is relevant to the overall story you are trying to tell.
Next time I'll write on characters over setting and the arguments for why characters are more important and the arguments I also hold for why setting might be more important.
P.S. - Two excellent sites on writing opening sentences are here as follows:
This time, every year, Christians around the world have to make an interesting choice. To engage, or not to engage, in the costume parties and trick-or-treating of Halloween. For myself I choose not to contribute to the funds of companies which use Halloween as another commercial gimmick. I also recognise that the history of Halloween lies in the Celtic festival of Samhain, during which participants would ward off evil spirits with masks and bonfires. Hence where the traditions of parties and Jack O'Lanterns stem from.
Many modern Christian celebrations have come from festivals appropriated from pagans, however, and Halloween falls around the same time as All Saints Day. Indeed, the word Halloween comes from two words meaning together 'Holy Evening.' In other words, Halloween has roots in both pagan and Christian traditions.
Dia de los Muertos, the day of the dead, further occurs on November 2. This is a day in which many countries remember those who have died, following the events of Halloween and All Saints Day. For many this is also known as All Souls Day.
Why did I include this information? In order to consider the true meaning that is often lost on those who want to enjoy Halloween as a 'fun' time. This has been a time in which traditionally it was believed that the veil between the supernatural world was weak and where ghosts, ghouls, witches, wizards and all kinds of undead beings would walk the Earth. It has also been a time in which people gathered to pray for the Saints and for the souls of all loved ones. It has many deep and spiritual connections and meanings.
I am a mega-fan of fantasy and have been from the moment I first picked up The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit and then The Lord of the Rings. I have devoured hours of time reading widely in this genre and as a result have views that differ from what is widely believed to be the best fantasy. I currently hold the position that Brandon Sanderson is the current king of epic fantasy for instance. It is a genre in which I myself hope to write and publish a novel. Yet, like with Halloween, fantasy is a genre that many believers can become wary about. And like Halloween, I believe it is an area in which we can be redeemers. All of which forms the great prelude into my review of Dr Strange.
Aside from fantasy I also love science-fiction and superheroes, so today Jeanille and I went to watch the latest Marvel film Dr Strange. Unlike the other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Dr Strange is the first to feature proper magic, albeit with an interesting and mysterious explanation due to the entire theoretical idea of multiverses.
It is a film which begins much like Iron Man: the reader witnesses an arrogant and brilliant individual caught up in an incident which leads them on the path to becoming a hero. Unlike Iron Man, the film utilises set pieces which belong in Inception, with the worlds twisting and turning around the characters. The music was likewise incredible and the entire cast added to the feel of what is perhaps the best standalone Marvel film outside of The Guardians of the Galaxy (and with far superior visuals).
Yet, it was the message of the film which touched me the most. I am always looking at films for the positive message, in particular for the ever permeating truth of the gospel. I was reminded last night of the truth that the gospel never changes, try as people have across centuries to change and dilute its message. Interestingly, I found a highly powerful thread of the gospel contained inside the film. Which is explained in this other and better review HERE.
At one key point in the film, the teaching character turns to Strange and tells him that the real lesson to learn is that 'it's not about you.' At which point it clicked for me about the beauty of the way in which the film was presenting the gospel. It was explaining the supernatural through this prism of multiverses and magic and showing that essentially the struggle against evil is not about us. It doesn't take a degree to work out that it really is about God.
After the film I asked Jeanille if she enjoyed it and she said that she did. She then turned to me and said, "You know I believe that there is such a thing as sorcerers." To which I replied: "So do I." And I do, because they're mentioned in the Bible. Look up Simon the Sorcerer for an example. Or look up the story in Acts 16 about Paul with the demon-possessed slave girl with 'magical powers.'
The demons in these Biblical stories gave people the power to do some simple tricks. Yet read the story in full and you immediately see the greater power of the gospel - the power of God and his Holy Spirit in us to cast out demons and heal the sick. Read Ephesians 6:10-20 and you will see how the Bible clearly reminds us that there is a spiritual dimension in which angels and demons war for souls. A dimension in which, though we live in the natural, we are conquerors because of the gospel of grace - not because of us, but because of God. It is this element of the supernatural and gospel which I found Dr Strange conveyed in a fascinating way.
When it comes to magic, I fully agree that there are individuals out there who practice the occult and dabble in real and truthful magic. However, in media (books, films etc.) the idea of magic has become so synonymous with the ability to do the unusual that I do not take it to necessarily have the same connotation. C.S. Lewis used the concept of magic (good magic and bad) to explain the two sides of the supernatural. J.R.R. Tolkien also wrote similarly (without necessarily calling it magic) and both men were strong and influential believers. I believe the idea of magic when taken and used to describe impossible powers is a great metaphor for the two sides of the supernatural (good and evil).
As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9: "19 Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the Law I became like one under the Law (though I myself am not under the Law), to win those under the Law. 21 To those without the Law I became like one without the Law (though I am not outside the law of God but am under the law of Christ), to win those without the Law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men, so that by all possible means I might save some of them. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings." I see this in the same way in fantasy - that there is an excellent metaphor that can be used to spread the message of the gospel to those who might otherwise not encounter it.
So should you watch Dr Strange? As an individual who enjoys fantasy and science fiction as art forms and vehicles with the capacity to carry the truth of the gospel I fully recommend it. However, if you have doubts in your faith I also would not recommend something that would potentially weaken that faith. The same thing goes for Halloween. Participate in it if you feel you have a reason, but do not expect others to see it the same way. All have differing levels of faith for such occasions.
Paul also writes in 1 Corinthians 10: 23 '“Everything is permissible,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible,” but not everything is edifying. 24 No one should seek his own good, but the good of others.' The context of this passage is highly important. Paul was telling believers not to eat food sacrificed to idols if it would affect other people's faith. He stated that there was nothing in eating food sacrificed to idols - it is after all still just food - but that the real importance is in what it does to people's faith. In the same way, whatever you choose to do my encouragement would be: 1. to look for the ways in which you can spread the power of the gospel in whatever you are doing. 2. to not participate in watching or doing something if it negatively affects your faith. 3. to look for the gospel in everyday situations - you might just be able to learn something to grow other's faith.
I started this blog almost two years ago now, to tackle some of the thoughts about daily life that God has and had impressed upon my spirit. For those who know me well in person you will know all about how God has lead me on a journey from: being the son of two pastors (during childhood), to leaving them behind to stay on at one church while they left, finding a wife at this church, and then now having been lead to leave Melbourne and move to Swan Hill. Throughout this journey God has been teaching me many things and I am a huge believer that 1) I need to seek God first in everything for his will (easier said than done), 2) that God draws us to places that we need to be, 3) God speaks to me through repetition of words, ideas and occurrences and 4) that God has given me gifts to teach and write for a purpose. Part of my blogging here has always been to follow this purpose.
With that long preamble out of the way I want to discuss something that God has brought to my heart - awoken by a series of excellent messages at my new church here in Swan Hill. It is a challenge for me at times to really go out and express these thoughts, because God's ideas always completely challenge the social normalities of any era. Therefore it is a struggle for me to talk about in some ways the truths I have been reminded of across these messages.
'The Bloke 2.0' has been an incredible series of messages about what it is to be a Godly man who is bold, courageous and possesses a strength and integrity not in and of himself. The first message reminded me that ultimately it is a truth that Christians must fight against that we are to build a Godly culture which is separate from any simple or normal Earth culture. The message on Sunday then emphasised that Jesus was a perfect example of being a man: a man of steel and a man of velvet.
Christian, as it has often been pointed out, stems from a word meaning 'little Christ.' The Bible often refers to us as sons and daughters, and having Skyped friends last night in the Philippines who have a young baby son, never was the idea about being a 'little Christ' more evident. We are to mimic Christ, in the same way that parents' children will mimic them consciously and unconsciously. Therefore we must become men of steel and men of velvet: men who have a hard moral center grounded in Christ but yet have the emotional sensitivity to humble themselves before God.
Modern culture loves to confuse the concept of what a man is, or what a woman is. However, the Bible - God's word - does not have that same confusion. Modern society is confused about what a marriage is - yet again the Bible is not confused on the issue. For every single modern problem that society has invented, the solution can be found in the Bible. There may not be a specific verse about modern ethical quandaries, yet there are so many clear instructions for the Christian about how to live life to a Godly standard.
And yet of course we all 'stuff up,' as the Bible reminds: Romans 3:23-24 "23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,24 and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
In Australia today, in the world today, there are so many convoluted issues. Having been studying the concept of identity with my students in Year 9 it scares and confronts me that this world can be so confused about the idea of what an identity is meant to look like. And yet the only solution many can offer is to scream insults at each other with little clarity about how life truly is meant to be lived.
The Bible, the Christian lifestyle, is not one lived in opposition to scientific facts or the reality of the world. But it is a life lived to honour God first. It is a life which holds to a Biblical definition of identity. It is a life which recognises that there exists a true Biblical definition of marriage: that God officiated the first marriage in the beginning and will officiate the last marriage between Himself and His bride the church.
It is a life which offers solutions to the growing problems of terrorism, bullying, addiction, abortion etc. It is not a life which throws around sayings such as 'love is love' or 'it is my body'. It is a life which holds to a set definition of love (1 Corinthians 13) and which explains that my body is not my own but the temple of God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). It is a life in which there exists true equality as in Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Many argue that the church is regressive, but if it is it is not because it is following a Biblical lifestyle - but because it holds a form of Godliness and denies its power. In relation to Biblical marriage Timothy Keller points out in his book The Meaning of Marriage: "In other words, the Biblical authors' constantly challenge their own cultures' beliefs - they were not simple a product of ancient mores and practices. We cannot, therefore write off the Biblical view of marriage as one-dimensionally regressive or culturally obsolete." Rather, more than ever, the world needs a true revelation of the fact that the Christian life is not one of backwards thinking but of radical social difference.
Jesus never held to the status quo, he challenged cultural presuppositions. He told teachers of the law to give their taxes to Caesar if it belonged to Caesar - but not to hold back from God what belonged to Him. He told rich men to give all they had to the poor in order to follow Him. He made the lame walk, the mute talk, the blind see and he healed leapers and cast out demons. No one else at the time even dared to defy their culture like that and that is the man, that is the God-Man I want to emulate.
I saw on the news this morning some more news about the Plebiscite. Bill Shorten was expressing his disappointment that both the 'Yes' and 'No' sides would get funding because he was concerned that young people might commit suicide as a result. Immediately my heart was drawn to the issue because for me, to hear that I wonder at the deeper root of such an issue in our culture of death and destruction. I need, We as Christians need, to be the solution to such loss of life. We need to offer God's love and hope to a hopeless world.
That does not mean that we release all Biblical standards. It means we need to hold to the standards to a far greater level. Maybe the world is the way it is because we are not walking in the power that we should. Maybe life is the way it is because we are not being the culture-defining, groundbreaking little Christs that we need to be. My heart breaks for this broken world, but I know there is something I can do to make a difference. My gifts may be small compared to some, my capacity to give limited but I am striving more and more to get closer every day to becoming like Christ.
I showed my students the following poem as a great example of the power of words. I believe it is also an example of the belief we need to have in Christ - that we are not defined by the world and the issues in it. We are the world definers. We are not changed by the world. We are world changers.
Recently, Jeanille and I have been looking for houses. Modern wisdom states that if you find a house (or anything) that you like you get it if you can afford it. However, despite finding some houses that we potentially would like we have instead prayed about the issue and made offers we feel are at a God-provided level. Because in the end we do not want to live in the most wonderful house if God is not the one providing - we do not want to live in a neighbourhood surrounded by the nicest and most polite neighbours if God does not want us to be there and would rather have us in a reasonable house, surrounded by neighbours who need Him to work in their lives.
That is why I titled this blog post 'God's Way or the Highway,' because I truly believe we need to stop listening to modern wisdom and learn to live like Jesus did. Of course I struggle with this and I am far from perfect, so I am writing this as much for myself as for anyone else. But I believe this is what God wants me to say - that in the end we do have a choice, because God is a loving God. He has given us the free will to reject his decisions, yet like any loving parent, not choosing His way means that we are likely to be running along the Highway of Life at a leisurely pace and dodging cars as they come hurtling past, rather than taking the Fast Paced Way.
As Jesus Himself said in Matthew 11:28-30 "28Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” And while many might read this passage and decide that Christianity has a 'yoke' and a 'burden' and therefore it is 'not for me,' the reality is all of us have yokes and burdens in life regardless. The true choice, therefore, is whether we choose the easy yoke and the light burden or do it Frank Sinatra's way alone. I know what I would rather do, how about you?
I recently began writing a story concept which has been floating around in my head for the better part of a year. I had always intended to begin writing it, but it took the encouragement of a writing friend to get on my horse and write. Why had I not begun writing before? Using my gifts of writing is a passion of mine, like reading or teaching or playing games and watching films. Why had I neglected a dream and a passion to write? In short: because I kept telling myself that I was too busy.
In reality this was an excuse for me. I was busy certainly, but the reality was that I had the idea that my written ideas were not quite polished, not going to become the story that I dreamed they could be. Yet, as was pointed out to me most recently: if you don't begin even in a small amount, how can you hope to achieve the goal that you set out for?
So this has become a blog post about goals and journeys meeting procrastination. It ties into the idea that my church in Melbourne discussed before I left - the idea that we need to position ourselves to receive God's blessing. After all, while you may be blessed if you go and surround yourself with trash can you fully use that blessing? Just food for thought that comes to mind. I said in my last blog post that I recognise how I have positioned myself for blessing through moving to Swan Hill and have seen in this first month just how God has provided me with great finances, a fantastic apartment location, staff that I can be an example to of Christ's love and the blessing of free internet and 150 dollars electricity credit despite minor setbacks.
I heard a message two weeks ago by Brian Houston. Now unfortunately some Christians, I have since read love to attack Hillsong for being 'ungodly'. In my view, I believe this is because they don't see Hillsong as having the same revelation of gospel and grace as themselves and therefore it must be 'false doctrine'. While my revelation is not precisely the same as Hillsong's in some ways I do accept that they are however following God's plans and purposes for their church in being a light on a hill to welcome all who need God's grace and it's sad to see fellow believers choosing instead to criticise rather than celebrate how God is using another part of his body.
That aside, this message was about how Daniel was separated and blessed by the nation who stole him away to Babylon and the subsequent conquerors of Babylon because of his Godly and excellent spirit. I believe God wants me to have that same spirit here in Swan Hill among my fellow staff and students - to distinguish myself through my very being and so spread the gospel where I may not openly be able to preach with words as much as in example.
I was struggling therefore yesterday with whether to tithe and how much and wondering if I was going to give out of obligation. I recognised however, that to hold the money back would be just as bad given my revelation about giving money gifts to God. So I continued to pray and realised that no I was not going to be giving in the end because I 'had' to but because I wanted to. The only thing holding me back was the idea of all the other things I could do with that money - such as buy and Xbox One or pay off more on my car. None of which are bad desires in and of themselves. But they should not be any reason to separate me from giving first and worshiping God first.
So I gave to my previous church, feeling at peace that this was a gift to God until I properly establish myself in the church up here. I won't say the amount because to me giving and talking about giving should not be about amounts but rather about the heart behind it. And as I was reflecting on this this morning in relation to my writing procrastination I was reminded of the story of Mary and Martha:
Luke 10: 38-42 (NIV)
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Now Martha was concerned with the idea that her sister Mary was sitting down listening to Jesus rather than helping her look after her house. I don't think that there was anything wrong with the fact that Martha wanted her house looking beautiful for her Lord, but it's clear her heart was not in the place it should be with how Jesus told her that she was worried and upset over many things when all she needed was to be concerned with one thing. Which it seems to be implied is 'are you learning to follow Jesus truly as Lord.'
Martha was likely thinking of how she could make her house beautiful and spotless to make a good impression of herself. Jesus saw past that and reminded her that the most important thing was to be paying attention to Him. At times with my teaching I can be so concerned about teaching a lesson that I too forget that the most important thing is to pay attention to the needs of the students. Of course here, Jesus was reminding Martha to instead pay attention to the teacher and choose what is better.
Have you been like me recently? Too busy to chase after doing something you love, choosing more meaningless tasks over the important dreams you hold. Have you been too busy for God? Or have you been trying to spend time or in my case money on things other than Him? We all do it in various ways and this is not to guilt trip anyone but to encourage everyone to think about the fact that you do have time on your hands and are not too busy but may be like me: not spending it the right way in the right time. I know what I want to do, be more like Daniel with an excellent spirit who always had time for God.
I have been thinking recently about something I once heard someone say in a very existential manner: 'you get what you deserve in life'. At the time it struck me as odd and after deeper thought, untrue. If we get what we deserve in life then this means that 'good people' who have tragedies happen to them cannot be 'good people' because obviously they did something that means they deserve to have tragedy befall them. And the same goes for 'wicked' people who get blessed beyond measure.
I am of course poking fun here at existentialism to a degree (although Solomon displayed elements of existential belief) because ultimately when it is boiled down I believe it is too shallow and narrow. Existentialistic ideals such as 'there are no wrong answers' are proved illogically wrong and the idea that 'everything is meaningless' means that life should hold no purpose. Of course, there are those who explain that existentialism's 'lack of meaning' creates more meaning in life - that it frees us to be who we want to be in this life because such a set of values equates meaning to this reality alone.
Ultimately I find this too simplistic. I don't believe that we can only hold meaning in this life - indeed to me this way of thinking does not account for life's complexity, nor do I see how my experience of life supports the idea that there is only one reality. No, I believe that life's meaning points on beyond the grave and that life holds meaning through being a stepping stone into a greater eternal reality.
In John 9:1-7 there is a story of a man which relates to life's meaning and getting what you deserve:
1As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud 7and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.
This story shows how the disciples clearly believed that the sins of the man or his parents were responsible for his blind condition. Yet Jesus explains that no one sinned to 'make' the man blind. Rather his blindness allowed an opportunity for Jesus to display God's glory. The story continues to show how the hypocritical Pharisees argue about whether this healing on the Sabbath breaks God's law when in fact Jesus was following and fulfilling the law in a far greater degree. This leads to a great moment when the Pharisees refuse to believe that the man had been healed by Jesus as the Christ.
35Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”c 36He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?”41Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.
Jesus healed the man of a far greater blindness than simply his physical blindness. He healed the man's spiritual blindness, revealing the true blindness of the Pharisees who believed they could see but did not recognise Jesus as Lord. You see, none of us deserve what we get in life. Truly because of the sin we are born into we deserve eternal death and destruction - we are born into the lie of the Matrix, fed into a world that beneath the scenes is dead and feeds a machine of sin. But Jesus in his grace comes to show us that we can be given eternal life - that the reality of being poor, being rich, being sick, being well is all as superficial as anything. And that in the end all are equal - but some may be better off if they believe and follow Christ.
You see existentialism is meaningless because it reduces life to something that we can manage where we are the gods of our own lives and no one can live like that. Because no one can manage everything without some tragedy or failure coming that we don't deserve for our good actions. Even the Pharisees by their actions didn't deserve to be called blind, save for one thing: they failed to recognise Jesus as Lord. Don't miss that same opportunity, recognise that you are not in control of life but that you don't have to be if you open yourself up and truly see Jesus as the meaning of it all.
There are two things I have been thinking about this past week. One is Star Wars - given how the new film has smashed box office records and is a great Star Wars film (a favourite franchise of mine) - and the other is the Miss Universe contest. The second is because of the controversy which 'stripped' Miss Colombia of a crown that was never hers to begin with.
What do these two topics have in common? They're stories of hope or hopelessness. In the case of Miss Universe, when I watched the footage of how Miss Phillipines was correctly announced following the ever more infamous blunder of crowning Miss Colombia I noticed how her happiness at placing second was then replaced with shock and joy of being crowned truly. I also saw how every woman rushed to commiserate Miss Colombia, robbing Miss Phillipines of her true victory celebration. It was a scene where no one really won for the two ladies were robbed of their moment of proper celebration and the announcer will never be able to truly live down such a great blunder (although I am glad he had the courage to do the honourable thing and announce his mistake himself rather than send someone else to do this). There was a mixture of hopelessness and hope in how this whole scenario clumsily played out.
Then there is how Star Wars VII is smashing the box office. People complain that the new film mirrors the originals too closely - despite incredibly great performances by the actors and stellar visuals. But that's the thing, no Star Wars film has ever had a jawbreaking plot of twists and turns (save potentially Episode V with it's big 'I am your father' reveal). So what is it that makes Star Wars such a massive franchise? I know Jeanille and some other friends find it silly and a touch ridiculous and I don't really mind that, because as a film series and merchandising giant it is. A story of aliens and mystic warriors in space is odd and weird. But what truly seems to set it apart is the battle of good versus evil seen in the light side versus the dark side. A thing which is appealing to a large audience. Essentially there is hope seen in these films that good can triumph over evil, no matter how far gone evil may be. And without spoiling anything I will say that the new film is all about hope: hope for a better film in the franchise, hope that good will triumph, hope that a new future can exist. And I believe it's because of this theme of hope that this film is breaking records.
We live in a dark time of war and violence. It seems that every news report is a negative story. As we celebrate Christmas is important to remember what Christmas stands for. And I'm not talking about the pagan celebrations that the date was stolen from. I'm talking about celebration of a new hope for mankind. A hope that lives on for all who believe in Jesus and his promise that one day this world will be made anew and that the darkness in the world will be vanquished so that peace may reign. I want anyone reading this to feel that hope and remind themselves to celebrate that hope this Christmas as a reminder that joy has been brought to the world despite anything. Four weeks ago I was feeling a touch hopeless about a job situation, now I have some hope founded in Christ. Two weeks ago I had a moment of hopelessness before I proposed to Jeanille. Again Christ brought me hope. What more can Jesus Christ do for you in this season and on into eternity?
Luke 1: 30-38
30And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. 31And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
For nothing will be impossible with God. Let that be your new hope this Christmas and into the new year. Have a great holiday celebrating this great new hope!
A few days ago I had a moment where I was hurting, in pain and doubting God's promises. At one point I yelled out, attacking the enemy who would try and bring such emotions against me. I was trying to build my faith in my own strength in some ways but God was already working behind the scene to build up my faith again.
You see, my faith was low because I doubted that God had really put into my heart the date that I had chosen to propose to my girlfriend. In short, because she had been a little mad at me for something and was busy ignoring me. But despite the doubt that plagued me, God was giving me a faith despite my circumstances.
And when, finally she contacted me again to find out where I was and I had to tell her that I was at her apartment with a surprise I knew that God's plan was working its way into effect. Especially when she opened the door to candles and my small attempt at intimate romance and chose to run to my arms for a long hug for the first thing. And when I showed her the room all decorated with little details, and read through two journals of photos and words about our journey together I was reminded again of what a promise from God she is. And then finally I asked her to marry me and she said 'yes with all my heart' and I knew that truly no weapon of doubt or anything formed against me can stand because my God is for me and not against me.
And then today following a whirlwind, romantic weekend of informing everyone about the news, I finally received an email asking me to my first interview. The location might not be where I expected, but I know that this first interview is where God planned it to be and if it becomes something more then He is good. If it does not then He is good anyway.
At the moment I am wiping away tears of joy because truly my God has just shown me his power and greatness of His timing in my life. He has surprised me this year with more than I could have dreamed or hoped. It's been a stormy journey like the one Chris Hemsworth's character goes on in In the Heart of the Sea, but like that character I have come to realise that there are some things so much bigger than me and my own journey. Because ultimately God is the one who charts my journey and He is the one I will hold onto. I know the answer to why I ever doubted God - I am just a man. But again I, in awesome wonder, stop and consider how great He is...
Psalm 18:2 - The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold
I was scrolling through the internet today and happened to stumble on an article about a man fined twice by police for forgetting his licence and then not locking his car. It was an odd little article but what interested me was how unjust so many people seemed to find the situation. The consensus seemed to be that the police needed to be spending their time on other crimes and that too many people get off with heavier crimes.
This is what that article taught me however: the law exists to punish you regardless of whether someone commits a crime worthy of greater punishment. If you break the law you pay the price. In the same way we all broke the law of sin and death, but the price was paid for us by Jesus Christ.
My challenge to anyone reading this brief post is for you to question whether you have broken the law of sin and death - the law of being good enough to be perfect in your every action and thought. If you have then your punishment is a fine so heavy it can only be paid and wiped away by the sacrifice of Jesus. I challenge you to ask yourself whether you need that payment and to ask God freely for it. It's a payment free of grace that only costs a life of lordship.
It's been a while since I last blogged, due to many busy aspects of my life. However, this idea for a blog post has been running around in my head for a while and now it is time to finally publish it in the digital domain. I have no doubt, however, that when Jeanille reads this and realises that it's focused around a Star Wars reference she will shake her head and think something along the lines of: you're so predictable.
I was watching Episode V recently, followed by Episode VI in a minor marathon while at home, and heard the famous line by Yoda once again "Do or do not - there is no try!" This was in response to Luke saying that he would try to use the Force and it's a line that has always confused me in its simplicity. But as I considered this line again, the truth of it hit me that the same thing goes for our lives and our walks with God.
You see, sometimes we will know that God is asking us to do something and instead of doing it we will say 'I will try.' Often what follows is a half-hearted effort of our own strength and willpower that ends up failing. But you see, if God tells us to do something in faith and we only 'try' and fail then we still haven't 'done'.
Think about the story of Peter when he stepped out of the boat, onto the water and began to walk to Jesus. In the moment he too walked on the water, he didn't just 'try', he did. There isn't really any option to just try things with God you see. There is either success or failure - and sometimes our failures are successes in God's eyes, not merely moments that we tried and failed. Remember how James 2:17 states that "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead," James here is in some way saying that faith requires us to do not to do not. If we 'have faith' but don't act on that faith then our faith is meaningless and we are not trying or doing but rather doing not.
Right now the world is hurting over acts of terror situated in the Middle East and Europe. I have seen countless arguments over who is to blame - whether it is one terrorist group or another, whether it is Paris or the West, whether it is the entire Muslim community etc. But what does it profit the world to continue pointing fingers of blame and hatred at one another? That is the way of the great spiritual thief Satan who, as John 10:10 says "comes to steal kill and destroy." But as John 10:10 concludes, Jesus came that all might have life and have it to the full.
When the world, or evil in the world, tries to take away light and life, are we to point fingers at who is to blame? Are we to simply do nothing? There is a choice we all have to make when faced with tough realities - whether we choose God's way - the way of Jesus on the cross - or our way/the way of the thief. There is no 'trying' one way or the other, God doesn't allow us the option of 'trying out' a Christian life, but we can choose: His way of peace and security in the face of unknown adversity, or our own twisted path of unrighteousness and instability. I know what path I choose, I chose it long ago, and my challenge to anyone reading this is to ask youself, will I be someone who does chose the way of Godly love, or will I be someone who chooses to not do as God would and to live in fear. The choice, as always is yours - do or do not, there is no trying.
So last night a funny thing happened on the way home: we had a change of Prime Minister. It wasn't too surprising for me - most political reporters had seen the change coming well in advance and so I was informed that it was likely to happen that evening. However, it was disappointing that the change of leader happened in the way that it did. It spoke of an undermining of power and a total lack of integrity. I know some people would say that politicians don't have integrity but I do believe strongly that a good leader doesn't undermine the established authority simply to gain their own.
God has been teaching me about the nature of authority these last few weeks. Having been on teaching placement - and hence in a position of authority - I have come to realise that having leadership and authority creates a need for an individual to make their own life right before they can lead. And to lead means to be in a position of authority and responsibility - which is what I have been in my school. I have a Year 8 class in which I have felt that the students love and fight to usurp the authority of any teacher and in which I have felt slightly before that I lack the authority over them that I should possess.
However, there has been a shift in my attitude as I have continued to pray over the situation that has gone on with this class. I can't say that it has been a drastic change - it's more gradual. What I can say is that as I have recognised that there is a higher authority over all I have been able to walk in supernatural power, rather than just in my own physical and emotional authority in my position. In short - I am choosing to bow to the highest authority over all and recognise today that He is supreme.
1 Timothy 2:1-4 says: "1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
So, no matter what you think of what is going on in your world and what natural authority you have or is being taken from you remember to bow to the highest authority. Pray for those in positions above you and respect their leadership. In doing so you respect God himself and His sovereignty.
All of us have dreams. Dreams fascinate us while we lie awake - and are as such the topic of poetry such as when Edgar Allan Poe writes 'is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream' - or when we sleep we become enthralled in them. Some of us remember those dreams better than others (I rarely remember mine). Either way the point of the matter is that we all do dream and we use the term 'dreams' for our goals and visions of our life and what we want it to be. Some of us, like with dreaming in sleep, have greater clarity with our life and our goals. Others have far less clarity and are more content to drift through life - a goal in mind but not necessarily a set way to get there.
I am more of the latter, whereas Jeanille as I have come to realise, is more of the former. She also happens to remember her dreams unlike myself and has a greater picture and concept of what she wants from life. I of course, was not necessarily a part of that plan at first. I say this to make a point that all of us dream and plan very differently. My dream is to become an author - or rather my dream is to have a voice in writing that can reach a variety of people. My dream differs from some of the desires I have though: desires to become the best man I can be, the desires to become the best teacher I can be, the desires to marry and have a family etc. But sometimes the desire and the dreams do meet - I desire to write for a large audience and to be a leader of them for example.
The following are two verses highlighting a little of what God says about our dreams:
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (The context being about worrying about what we will eat or what we will wear - worrying about tomorrow)
Proverbs 16:3 Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.
God wants us to surrender up our work, our very selves to him. Sometimes it hurts because we look at our dreams and we think we have to kill some of our desires in order to obtain the dream we treasure the most and want to prioritise. Sometimes it hurts because we have to kill our dreams to gain the things we desire out of life. Ultimately though, what needs to happen most with any dream and desire you have is for God to be in the middle of the two - to be in between your dreams and desires. Because in between our dreams and desires - in the middle of our lives - there it is that God moves for us.
If you surrender up your dreams and desires to him ultimately you will find your truest desires - what your heart really needs. My dream to become an author might never be met on Earth - but ultimately that dream is connected to the desire to have an audience with whom I can show off the creative gifts that God has given me and therefore find fulfilment. As Psalm 37:4 states, "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
So today my encouragement is for you to trust first and foremost in God with any dream or desire that you have that is not being met. If it hurts because you feel that there is some separation between your desires and your dreams then let God come into the middle of it all. There you will find peace and true fulfilment. Even if your dream here on Earth isn't met maybe you will see that the dream or desires that live within that dream will be met in eternity. Because after all, eternity is such a long time for the greater fulfilment of dreams!
I was having a discussion with Dad and Jeanille the other day and a concept was dropped that made me think about a particular idea: that being just how much we want everything to go our way when we want it. It's a concept that extends to God and how we think our life should be and comes from the story of Lazarus.
Let's start looking at this story from John 11: 1-6
1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
The first point that arose from this conversation was the fact that there is an implication in the words of the sisters, "Lord the one that you loveis sick." The implication being that there are other people that Jesus did not love so much as Lazarus and that it was important for Jesus to drop everything and come to see Lazarus because of his love for Lazarus. If we move on we see this idea reinforced a little again:
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
If you had been here, my brother would not have died. These are words full of blame and feel like they're designed to guilt trip Jesus as we read them. A blaming of Jesus for not having dropped everything and rushed straight to Lazarus' side. Yet Martha still knew that God would give Jesus whatever he asked of Him and admits that at the end.
If we move to verse 37 it says 'But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”' Here we have many people who openly admit that Jesus has the power to cease death and cause healing but that Jesus had to have come earlier at a time appropriate for them. Yet all this clearly has an impact upon Jesus because verse 38 onwards talks about how Jesus was "once more deeply moved."
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
You see, here is my conclusion to this story and why it is so important for us today still. So many of us are content in our lives for Jesus to come and prevent us from dying. In other words, to stop the little problem that's bad for our health (physical or spiritual) and killing us in that moment but we aren't always content to fix the problem before it leads to something killing us. I'm not fully sure whether Lazarus had a lifestyle that contributed to his death but the moment that he was sick it's apparent that Mary and Martha wanted him to come immediately to heal the man that he loves. But Jesus didn't come immediately, or the day after, no - he came when Lazarus had lain in his tomb for days.
Ultimately here's the lesson: Jesus/God/The Holy Spirit - all three aspects of God - don't act just because you want them to. Our God is not some genie in a bottle. Some people want to flip everything on their head and make God their doG to come when called and do whatever trick they want Him to. Here's the thing though, when God does act? It's with real power - it's not just the power to prevent you from dying, it's the power to completely resurrect you. So my challenge is for us to be people who don't just treat our awesome God as someone who will do whatever we want but to recognise that every answer to prayer is a blessing of grace. We don't deserve it, but it's because his heart breaks for us that God pours out his love in true abundance. We simply need to receive it truly.
I read an interesting article just before which connects to all the different ideas I wish to talk about in this blog. Apologies for not having written a blog post for a while again however, I just started my five week placement and have been exceptionally busy organising everything so that I am not working or too involved in activities that I cannot reschedule during this period. Anyway, onto the post which I just read: http://bit.ly/1MB4SnO
The post talks about a push to refer to children with non-gender specific terms. I have no issue with this, however what I have an issue with is the concept of 'banning' the terms boy and girl or other terms which are specific. The article talks about not doing things and doing things in case people are offended, however this worries me. I'm worried that we as a society are going to reach a point where it becomes offensive to speak the truth and therefore the truth is hushed away. It's not the article itself, so much as the idea behind it, the idea of censorship and of getting rid of ideas which have biological backing without even questioning whether the idea behind this is as positive as believed.
The byword of the age is 'bigot', and it's a word which is unswervingly thrown at an individual whenever they express a belief contrary to the rest of society - particularly if that belief has Christian values connected to it. Ironically, those who use the term in such a way are themselves bigoted, given that by currency of the dictionary the term bigot is anyone who is intolerant to those holding different opinions. So guess what: we are all bigoted in some way, shape or form because at some point in our lives we hold to a truth unswervingly and we are intolerant of those who stand opposed to that truth.
Either way there is one common mistake I believe that Christians make in a world that calls us bigoted and denies our truths. That is, we attempt to impose our truths on this very same world. We condemn the world with our actions, calling out their sin and their every action as moral bankruptcy. Yet this is not what Jesus told us to do in the Great Commission whatsoever he didn't tell us to change the world from the outside, he told us to change it from the inside "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," Matthew 28:19.
Brian Houston said it well in a blog post of his own, "If God had wanted to condemn the world He would have sent a condemner. But He didn’t, He wanted to save the world so He sent a Saviour. John 3:17." However, it's because of this that sometimes Christians go the other way. We adopt everyone and endorse their worldviews and lifestyles when they enter the Church as perfectly acceptable Christian lifestyles. But again, the Church is not called to be the same as everyone else. We are called to be holy - righteous - sanctified. We are called to be set apart, to preach truths from the pulpit that aren't accepted by the rest of the world because deep down I believe everyone knows that they are not righteous, that they need salvation, that they aren't good enough on their own.
So here is what a Christian is to do in a world that rejects our beliefs: we endorse people but not their beliefs. We love people, but not their every action. We do not condemn a world that doesn't want our opinion or want us to meddle with their ways of life (would you tell your neighbour how to raise their children?) but rather we must stand out as holding onto a different truth and not just going along with the political correctness and lifestyles of the world. After all, we are here to guide people to salvation with love: we all need a saviour and how can we do that if we are as lost as everyone else?
My girlfriend, Jeanille, is a big fan of the messages of Joel Osteen and as I mentioned yesterday that I was watching one of his messages that she shared: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtwX3xJl-pI
It struck me today that there is more I wish to talk about to do with the idea of Christians who judge him and other famous pastors or preachers. First let me bring to you the idea of how you truly recognise false prophets which Joel Osteen has been accused of being. It's found in Matthew 7:16 "By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?" Now I don't know about you, but a church full of people coming to God in one form or another and worshipping Him seems like the fruit of someone serving God. Someone else said it better in this post about why Joel Osteen has been successful: http://www.charismanews.com/us/40377-the-joel-osteen-most-people-don-t-know
Now I'm not standing here to write a defence of Joel Osteen, or any famous pastor for that matter, in fact I'm actually sitting down as I type this. But I am typing an argument to Christians and exhorting them to stop judging fellow believers because you don't believe they are, essentially, Christian enough. William Booth said this: "The chief danger that confronts the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, heaven without hell." However, I would also say that another danger is that we as the Church become so distracted by our bickering over differences and 'who is right or wrong' that we forget what our real call is to do: go and make disciples. Essentially, making disciples - teaching others about the good news of salvation and following Jesus as Lord is really a part of the essential reason we were created; to worship God.
I'm not saying that you should go the other way and essentially believe everything that people like Joel Osteen say. In fact I would discourage it. I simply believe that he, as part of the body, has his own way of spreading the gospel. Maybe we should spend less time looking at and judging the faith of others and more time on what we ourselves believe.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:10-12 " ..10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."
When I was a child my faith was based on what my parents believed. As I grew up into a man I developed my own faith and relationship with Jesus Christ and that gives me revelations on particular topics and ideas that others may not see. Not better revelations or more perfect revelations (I still only know in part) but they are my own revelations. My encouragement is that we can all continue to grow up and think like adults, developing our own faith and relationships with Christ. And while that happens let's not judge what God is doing through someone else, unless the fruit of that is opposite to what God's word states.
I watched Ant Man the other day. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a huge fan of fictional works: particularly science fiction or fantasy fiction and I have a huge love for superhero fiction. So to that end I really loved the quirky humour and action of Ant Man and how well Paul Rudd played Scott Lang as a character. But that said, this is not an advertisement or a review of Ant Man. Instead, I simply want to use something I saw in the film to explain a point in this latest blog post of mine.
When I watch a movie I love to look for the positive themes in it. Those themes that link back to the idea of the gospel. I'm not saying I get my doctrine from films because that would be ridiculous. What I am saying is that the God inspired world view I already possess leads me to go into films to dig out the positive themes that portray an idea or belief better than I had seen it before. So with that in mind I love superhero films for the ideas of how you get ordinary or extraordinary people struggling with their newfound or long-held powers or abilities and the responsibilities that come with them.
I won't spoil the film for those who still want to see it (it's good and I will probably see it again!) but there was one moment in the film I want to touch on. In this moment, the main character is being offered the chance to seize the Ant Man role and become a hero, but he rejects that idea and tries to run from it. To that end his mentor, the one offering this chance, points out the type of man he is. He reveals how the protagonist is someone who, when the going gets tough and the money runs out, turns back to crime.
I was thinking about this and it hit me that we as people are exactly like that. God offers us the chance to be heroes and walk a life of power with Him. But often when the going gets tough, when we face the annual persecutions of life we turn back to a life of crime: a life of sin. The truth is that sin is a crime against God, anything we do that is a rebellion against God. God stands there and offers us a brand new 'born again' life (2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.") but so often we turn it away to slip back into old habits and ways of thinking because it seems easier.
One of these ways of thinking is criticism. I was watching a video from Joel Osteen recently and comparing it with the hate and mistrust that some Christians proclaim against him. I know many who claim he doesn't preach the gospel or God, but then watching that video I saw exactly the opposite multiple times. What I did see is someone who is a success because he is seizing the offer of God to be a born again hero of faith. I'm not saying that we should raise the famous pastors and Christian leaders on pedestals, I'm simply saying that we shouldn't judge how one person follows God's plan according to the specific plan God has for us.
Just as there are multiple different superheroes in the Marvel universe, so too are we all called to a life of power with God - but not necessarily to do the same thing. Romans 1:16 states that "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." 1 Corinthians 4:20 says that "For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power." You can say all that you want, but the real sign of living according to God's design is in how we live our lives according to the belief in God's power for us. I'm not talking about living as if we're invincible (to use my metaphor maybe that's not our superpower) but it's about living according to the faith we have and the knowledge we have in God.
The moral of Ant Man was essentially that every person gets a second-chance. We too have been offered a second-chance by God's great love. Romans 5:8 says this "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God wants you so much. Isn't it humbling that the greatest and most powerful being in all the universe and all time wants to be with you? Wants you to be with Him? Don't we, in a sense, owe Him a response to His humility and grace? If you want to respond to Him appropriately then what He wants is for you to truly accept that his son, Jesus Christ is Lord and died and rose again for you. Believe it, confess it and accept it. You will see that you will turn your life from being someone who always slips into the easy way out of turning away from God to someone living a life with the power to follow His will and plans.
I'm not saying that life is easy or will be. Don't get me wrong. I know many Christians who go through struggle and tough times. I do too from time to time. The question is: do you want to go through struggle separated from and antagonistic to the creator of the universe or do you want to walk hand in hand with his favour and power? I know what side I'm choosing.
I had an interesting little reflection today about what the human struggle is really about. This follows on from my previous blog post 'How is Your Worship?' in which I discussed the 'This is Water' speech by David Foster Wallace (DFW). In this speech DFW also discussed how we never really think about the struggles that other people go through. That when one person cuts you off in traffic you want to curse them and not think that perhaps they are having just as rough a day (or more rough) than yourself.
The same goes for when people come against us and attack us. I had a situation today (to do with others) that made me think about this. We have a tendency to want to attack back, to fight. But the Bible says in Ephesians 6:10-12 "10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." Our battle isn't against people and this is where we have to start.
In Luke 6:27-29 Jesus commands the following: 27 “'But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.'"
This is completely contrary to normal human feeling and rationality. Justice dictates that we give back what we have received in turn. That we hurt those who hurt us: such is the ruling of a broken world. But Jesus, God himself as man, commands that we do good to those who do bad. There is a dichotomy to how God does things to how we do them.
And you know why God wants us to bless others? It's because He himself will be and wants to be the one to fight our battles for us. Isaiah 59:15 -17 says this:
"15 Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. 16 He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him. 17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak."
This correlates to the idea of the armour of God in Ephesians 6 in which righteousness is a breastplate and salvation is a helmet for the Christian believer. But here it is also an armour which God himself wears into battle as the righteously vengeful God. God fights for us and He gives us His own armour to wear. To paraphrase Romans 8:31 "If God is for us, who can be against us?"
Some of us feel that there are trials which are too much for us. Struggles which we can't overcome by ourselves. Potentially this is because we aren't stepping back and recognising that God is the Lord over this situation. But maybe it's also a different attitude that holds us back. Maybe God is testing us and we need to recognise that He believes and knows that we can overcome these situations.
As 1 Corinthians 10:13 says "13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." There is no trial or test which you will go through that God does not believe you can handle or endure. Sometimes you just need to change your mind to the new mind of Christ.
I finish with this from 2 Corinthians 5:16-20: "16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:a The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
God desires for us to be His chosen people, to worship Him alone. In order to do this we must truly recognise that Jesus Christ died and rose again for us, so that we can be NEW CREATIONS. And if you are not a Christian but are wondering what you have to do it's as simple as believing that Christ rose again and confessing with your mouth that He is Lord of your life. This process involves turning from your old ways of sin and living again as a New Creation. Someone who no longer thinks the way they used to. You won't be perfect now, but you will be one day.
To any believer reading this I challenge you to shift your paradigm. Think as a New Creation and remember that you are more than a conqueror. Give your battle to Christ who fights for you, and recognise that you can handle whatever trial you are going through right now because God himself will not let you fail. You may not overcome on your own, but with God all things are possible!
