My Interview on Sola Panel

I've been wondering when my interview would pop up on Sola Panel. I actually dreaded doing it and put it off for a while, but when I started thinking I found it really helpful to turn back to my earlier days in the Lord. There were huge stretches of my life that I did not talk about and there were many that on reflection I wish I could mention - but God knows you and I thank you for your kindness, rebukes, encouragement and friendship.

I hope this interview doesn't sound like there have never been disappointments or discouragements in my life. There have been. However, when I wrote these answers and even now, I am all-consumed by what God has done for me. I am so thankful to him. Anyway, here it is.

A book about Britain, a bath and a birthday

I woke up very, very early this morning on the rare convergence of my day off (now moved to Wednesday because of my responsibilities on Sunday Evening and Saturday Church) and my birthday (yes - the older I get the more I like to talk about it).

For the last hour I have been reading from a great book: Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World (apologies to my American readers ;) ). This morning I actually have been reading it in the bath. How very English!!!!!

So far I have been taken back and shown how Britain established its empire by stealing from the Spanish, copying the financial strength of the Dutch, winning against the French and exploiting the Indians. Their domestic economy was in part driven by a sugar rush - a huge consumer interest in sugar, tea, coffee, tobacco, silk and callico. On the way through this journey, I have picked up little gems like these:

1. The word "company" was actually a shortening for "company of adventurers". Like "The Honourable Company of Adventurers of England Trading into Hudson's Bay" aka "The Hudson Bay Trading Company". Perhaps in this sense our churches are "companies". ;) "The Daring Company of Adventurers in Jannali Caring for the Soules of the Saints and Reaching the Lost in the Westerly Partes of the Southerland Shire of Sydney". However I should say that these companies were not so honourable nor egalitarian. Spin doctors were alive back then.

2. Ye olde advertising was so quaint. Can you guess what very English product Thomas Garraway claimed in the 1650s could cure:
"Headache, Stone, Gravel, Dropsy, Liptitude, Distillations, Scurvy, Sleepiness, Loss of Memory, Looseness or Griping of the Guts, Heavy Dreams and Collick proceeding from wind" ?  (It sounds like he's making up a few of these!)

I'm really enjoying my day so far (it is only 5am). Thank you Lord for days for refreshing and encouragement. I can't wait until the family wakes up.

Actions Rather Than Attitudes

I was asked so many great questions last night! I love God's people here at Jannali.

I'll just tell you about two discussions. One was about remembering and one about loving.

1. Someone asked me why in the book of Exodus it says of our Lord:

"God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob." (Exodus 2:24; italics mine)

Why does God remember his promises - has he forgotten them? Did it slip his mind? Did it take the cries of his children to bring it back to the front of his mind?

2. Someone else talked to me about loving and wanting to be a more loving person and having a warmer heart and asked me about love.

And the discussions were related. Both were about the way the Bible thinks and the way we think. I think the Bible thinks much more in terms of actions and less in terms of attitude.

1. When God remembers - it is an action. He brings it to mind. Just like we can be commanded to "remember God" and it is a sin to "forget him", God brings us into his mind. It is even possible to deliberately forget (2 Peter 3:5). The more you actively remember (in a Biblical sense), the more you remember God in our sense of the word (he remains on your mind).

2. Love is also an action. We are commanded to love. It is the whole point of this life! We do not wait for the feeling. My advice for this person who wants to be a warmer, more loving person was: not to wait for the feeling, but to do the actions. You do loving things to people and you stoke the fire of the affections. Often really bitter and selfish people are that way because they do not actually love anyone in actions. If loving a dog can take away some of the rough edges of bitterness, how much more a human being in actions. How much more, when we love God himself!

The same principle could be said of joy. It is a command! The more you rejoice (in the Biblical sense), the more you have joy (in our feeling sense).

Remember God, love him and rejoice in him - and the attitudes and feelings will follow.

God can't stand our prayers if ...

God will hear anyone's prayer to become a Christian, but he can't stand hypocrisy amongst those who claim to be his children. 1 Peter gives three (3) reasons God won't hear us when we ask for things (=pray) and one (1) reason we will not even be able to do it.

1. God hates men's prayers if they abuse or hurt their wives. You may be able to fool other people, but God will not be mocked.

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder (lit. cut off) your prayers. (1 Peter 3:7)

2. God blocks his ears if we aren't repentant. Festering sin matters more than we think.
He must turn from evil and do good;
he must seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3:11-12)

3. God will not listen to those who are proud. He loves hearing the humble.
All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:5-7)

(from the other side) 4. We will not pray if we are not clear minded or lack self control.
The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. (1 Peter 4:7)

This is another motivation for Christian living. We have to fix up our lives so we can pray and so God will hear our prayers. Christ is NOT a safe place to hide our sin from God; he is only a safe place to confess our sins and hide in.

10 days to go

... until our soft launch of Saturday Church. 18 days until our hard launch. Bring it on. I'm really looking forward to it.

Is it here we stand?

Put on your prophetic hat and help me out with something. There were struggles in the early Church, stands in Reformation, scraps in the eighties and nineties and lots of fights in between. In reality, every generation has had to man up and contend.

Where do you think the next generation (those now in their 20s and 30s) will have to take a stand?

I want to write on Sola Panel about this - but I wanted to hear others thoughts first.

We are saved by knowledge

But not our own. I absolutely love this verse of Scripture and I have pondered it for a while.

... by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53:11)

Christ stands in utter contrast to the other people of Israel and their leaders.

The ox knows his master,
the donkey his owner’s manger,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand.” (Isaiah 1:3)

While the Israelites offered totally useless sacrifices that were ruined because of the corruption of those offering them (Isaiah 1), Christ offered a sacrifice that worked amazingly (Isaiah 53). He knew just what it would take to please God. Like a skilled surgeon, Jesus is a skilled saviour. Jesus knew exactly what medicine we needed. And even more foundationally, he truly knew God in a way that none of us ever did. Knowing God is also a moral category. We twisted and turned from our knowledge of God and yet Christ retained it.

The one who alone truly knew God,
knew how God wanted to be known like no one else did,
knew how to please God like no one was doing,
knew how to save people like no one else could do,
and gave up everything
to bring us to know God.

... by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53:11)

I'm waking up

The blogging slumber is over - see the reasons in the comments below.