I wonder what it would be like to be free. I mean truly and passionately free from the fear of man. Many think they are yet I have never met one who really is. Sure I have met the odd (and I do mean odd) person who spruces of a distaste for all things human, and declares loud and prolifically that he worries about no man, yet fear and worry pervades them. But is scripture is true...?
(Rom 8:19-21) "For the creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his children, because the creation was subjected to frustration, though not by its own choice. The one who subjected it did so in the hope that the creation itself would also be set free from slavery to decay in order to share the glorious freedom of God's children."
Imagine for a moment that you never have to give account to anyone; you never worry what he or she may be thinking of you, and your heart just over flows with love because all your strength, hope and life flow from that well spring of GOD Himself. WOW!!! NOW THAT would be freedom. When we finally wake up to who we are in Him, that's when it will occur.
In thinking this way, my thoughts have gone to a movie that has always fascinated me and made me really who I am today. The movie is "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest" For those of you who don't know the movie plot, a psychiatric ward becomes a representation of the oppressive nature of American society. This symbolic movie relays the story of an inmate standing up against the powerful forces that operate a mental institution, but it represents much more than just a classic case of “man versus the establishment”. The Author compels us to think about just how thin the line is that separates insanity from sanity, and treatment from control. Representing a heroic struggle of personality against an institution of mindless conformity, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is one powerful movie.
In many ways this can and sometimes does resemble the church of today - full of control, and it’s hard to tell the difference between true faith and 'Parroted dogma'. We can also see when one looks hard enough the mindless conformity to a pattern that has somehow been promulgated by the preachers to cause a community of faith with individuals as varied as snowflakes, into the similarly dressed "amen" screeching parrots that make up the church of today. Anyone who is seen as 'different' is forced into conformity or must move on. The sad reality is that the church of the west today, in my eyes, looks nothing like what God intended it to look because we see our shape rather than the shape of those God destined for our ranks.
Now, back to the movie... Nurse Ratched represents the establishment. She is the ward superintendent; the ultimate authority demanding obedience and perfect order from everyone. This is the author’s way of conveying that she is powerful like the establishment; she makes and enforces the rules. She in many ways, is the sublime picture of the controlling ministers that at times, with all good intentions, rule from the pulpit, awash with passion and power yet failing to find the heart of Christ that enables the freedom that we all grope for. They preach passionately about our individuality and yet through ‘relationship’ (call it "redirection to my way"), the demand for obedience is re-titled 'Discipleship'. A little like
(2 Ti 3:5) "They will hold to an outward form of godliness but deny its power. Stay away from such people."
A heart retching part of the movie is when McMurphy, the star and rebellious icon, rises up with all sorts of skulduggery and almost gives back the passion and freedom to the inmates. Nurse Ratched teaches him the ultimate lesson on authority, which could be seen as a warning against rebellion. His lobotomy is “the establishment’s” way of quieting the unruly protests of those brave enough to speak their minds. The character of Billy is also meant to show us that disobedience can have disastrous consequences, when the evil Nurse Ratched drives him to suicide. I liken this to the hard liners in our churches when out of them we hear those all too familiar words..."Where is it in Scripture?" or "Is it scriptural?" Life and presence have been squashed and there is now such a fear of uniqueness and life.
(2 Co 11:3-4) "However, I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by its tricks, so your minds may somehow be lured away from sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes along and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or should you receive a different spirit from the one you received or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you are all too willing to listen."
The Chief, who acts as the narrator, is a tall and strong American Indian who pretends to be mute and deaf in order to protect himself from pain. McMurphy rescues the Chief from his silence, and he returns the favor by rescuing McMurphy from life as a vegetable. I wonder are we willing to make sure we stand up and proclaim loud and clearly the 'Gospel of freedom and Grace' - one that rescues us from life as a vegetable.
A rather pensive thought, yet it’s how I see it and what I want to see the world rescued from.
Pastor Rob
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
True faith
We all often hear the phrase "Time is flying...where has the year gone?" Another week has flown by and we all sit and wonder, particularly as we get older, where the time has gone. I often ponder how fast life has gone and then sadly equate that to what I have actually done to make a difference to the world in which I live. The result...? I come up very short.
But we as humans cannot allow the seeming insignificance of our lives stop us reaching beyond our grasps. To me, God has placed us on this earth to discover that in and of ourselves we are somewhat competent in changing life, but through Him we can and are challenged to make an impact on our world. We must realise that we are all different yet all called to go beyond where we stand now, and enter the realm of faith which is the only way that we can impact life in a tangible, positive way. Paul, the writer of a good deal of the New Testament, was living what he thought was life when "LIFE" confronted him.
(Acts 9:3-7) "And while he was journeying, he came near Damascus; and suddenly he saw a light from heaven shining round him; And he went down on the earth, and a voice said to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you attacking me so cruelly?" And he said, Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are attacking: But get up, and go into the town, and it will be made clear to you what you have to do." And the men who were with him were not able to say anything; hearing the voice, but seeing no one."
Paul, in his own human ways thought that he was making a difference in his world by doing what he was doing. He had his "Mentality" of what needed to be done and forcefully set out to accomplish those goals. His impact was tangible, yet when he was confronted by God and he saw as he should, he started a whole new way of living. The result of this is seen all around the world by the tens of millions in Church today that have been impacted by his entry into the world of true faith.
This in many ways brings me to the thought of the week."What is true faith?" We would all have our definitions and thoughts, but in reality it is much deeper than that. The Western Church of today faces an issue that is greater than it has faced for many years, and to me it is critical. It is the issue of 'easy believism' that seems to have infiltrated the Church of the West. There is a huge lack of depth to the Church of today. Many in Church have the attitude of "I can do what I want and still go to church to appease my conscience." Christ has become a spoke in the wheel of many Christians, rather than the hub from which life itself revolves. Our central hub is "ME"; God, work, sport, hobbies, and other things we see as important revolve around "ME". Christ is simply an appendage to life rather than what He himself said...
(John 14:6) "I am the way, the truth, and the life!" Jesus answered. "Without me, no one can go to the Father".
The word 'life' here is dzo-ay 'From G2198; life (literally or figuratively): - life (-time). It comes from another Greek word meaning 'Spirit' or 'the life of the Spirit in us'. Now if He is our Spirit life, and the next verse is true, it has huge implications on how I affect the world I live in.
(Col 3:3) "For you died, and your life has been hidden with Christ in God."
or another translation says it this way...
(Col 3:3) "For your life on earth is done, and you have a secret life with Christ in God."
So the more we try to find life here, and impact from the position of Christ, we find frustration and little change. If we can get a hold of the fact that our life is hidden in a Spiritual realm, and that that realm is accessible then we can, like Paul, begin to have a huge impact as Father God will always back up His will. We find our calling and His will, in Christ. "True Faith" I feel is faith that believes there is so much more than what I see, and that that realm is accessible to those who will take the steps in the door. Can you imagine if the High Priest under the Old Covenant failed to enter the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the people? DISASTER! Similarly today, if we fail to access the door that has been opened by faith then it can only result in the same.
I encourage you to spend more time in prayer; not because you have to but because it is where you will find the kind of life that can and will impact the world in which you live.
Another thoughtful thought
Pastor Rob.
But we as humans cannot allow the seeming insignificance of our lives stop us reaching beyond our grasps. To me, God has placed us on this earth to discover that in and of ourselves we are somewhat competent in changing life, but through Him we can and are challenged to make an impact on our world. We must realise that we are all different yet all called to go beyond where we stand now, and enter the realm of faith which is the only way that we can impact life in a tangible, positive way. Paul, the writer of a good deal of the New Testament, was living what he thought was life when "LIFE" confronted him.
(Acts 9:3-7) "And while he was journeying, he came near Damascus; and suddenly he saw a light from heaven shining round him; And he went down on the earth, and a voice said to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you attacking me so cruelly?" And he said, Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are attacking: But get up, and go into the town, and it will be made clear to you what you have to do." And the men who were with him were not able to say anything; hearing the voice, but seeing no one."
Paul, in his own human ways thought that he was making a difference in his world by doing what he was doing. He had his "Mentality" of what needed to be done and forcefully set out to accomplish those goals. His impact was tangible, yet when he was confronted by God and he saw as he should, he started a whole new way of living. The result of this is seen all around the world by the tens of millions in Church today that have been impacted by his entry into the world of true faith.
This in many ways brings me to the thought of the week."What is true faith?" We would all have our definitions and thoughts, but in reality it is much deeper than that. The Western Church of today faces an issue that is greater than it has faced for many years, and to me it is critical. It is the issue of 'easy believism' that seems to have infiltrated the Church of the West. There is a huge lack of depth to the Church of today. Many in Church have the attitude of "I can do what I want and still go to church to appease my conscience." Christ has become a spoke in the wheel of many Christians, rather than the hub from which life itself revolves. Our central hub is "ME"; God, work, sport, hobbies, and other things we see as important revolve around "ME". Christ is simply an appendage to life rather than what He himself said...
(John 14:6) "I am the way, the truth, and the life!" Jesus answered. "Without me, no one can go to the Father".
The word 'life' here is dzo-ay 'From G2198; life (literally or figuratively): - life (-time). It comes from another Greek word meaning 'Spirit' or 'the life of the Spirit in us'. Now if He is our Spirit life, and the next verse is true, it has huge implications on how I affect the world I live in.
(Col 3:3) "For you died, and your life has been hidden with Christ in God."
or another translation says it this way...
(Col 3:3) "For your life on earth is done, and you have a secret life with Christ in God."
So the more we try to find life here, and impact from the position of Christ, we find frustration and little change. If we can get a hold of the fact that our life is hidden in a Spiritual realm, and that that realm is accessible then we can, like Paul, begin to have a huge impact as Father God will always back up His will. We find our calling and His will, in Christ. "True Faith" I feel is faith that believes there is so much more than what I see, and that that realm is accessible to those who will take the steps in the door. Can you imagine if the High Priest under the Old Covenant failed to enter the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the people? DISASTER! Similarly today, if we fail to access the door that has been opened by faith then it can only result in the same.
I encourage you to spend more time in prayer; not because you have to but because it is where you will find the kind of life that can and will impact the world in which you live.
Another thoughtful thought
Pastor Rob.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Footy and faith
One of my favourite past times is to watch the Swans on TV. Once a week I gather a few friends, sit back, yell and scream at the telly and generally have a good time. We are all very quick (especially me at times when the swans are losing) to criticise the players for poor decisions and poor disposal as if they are almost doing it deliberately. What I, and sometimes we, fail to see is the hours and hours and months and months of training they put in. I was flabbergasted to hear that one of the modern greats gets to the game early so that he can do an 8 kilometre warm-up before the game starts and during that game he will run 16 kilometers. EVERY WEEK. That is also not mentioning the years and years of preparation leading to selection for the main game that, on average for a players career, might only last 5 to 10 years!
Thinking on the above I stood back and looked at the church and realised that we are not far away. Most of the time we are quick to criticise and slow to respond. What do I mean by that? Well we are quick to point out what everyone else is not doing and to tell the rest how it should be done but none of us are prepared to put in the hard yards before the game. We make it look like Church is the only place it happens. Can you imagine the result if the football players never trained and never warmed up? The result would be a disaster on the field. The players are smart enough to realise that more work during the week makes it much easier during the game; things just flow better.
In a similar way one of my favourite quotes sums it up rather well.
"We must stop using the church as a petrol station or Spiritual cafe. It is not a place where, when I have run down my spiritual energies during the week, that I come to fill up on a Sunday. I am responsible for my own Spiritual growth"
(MKJV) 2 Tim 1:6 Therefore I remind you to inflame anew the gift of God, which is in you by the putting on of my hands. One translation says FAN INTO FLAME
The original word used here denotes the kindling of a fire, as by bellows. The idea is that Timothy was to use all proper means to keep the flame of his calling in the soul burning, and more particularly his zeal in the great cause to which he had been set apart. The agency of man himself is needful to keep the religion of the heart warm and glowing. However rich the gifts which God has bestowed upon us, they do not grow of their own accord, but need to be cultivated by our own personal care. This is where true discipleship happens. When we realise 'the more time I put in before the game on Sunday the easier and more impact I will have on the game'. Also if we are told to keep it burning by means of our own effort, it also means like football if we put in no effort we will be going backwards.
I often hear the lament of 'Where are the miracles? Where are the signs and wonders that we read of in the Good Book?' I believe that if we would commit ourselves during the week to a life of intimacy with God rather than sporadic touch base, we would again begin to see the miracles.
So perhaps, just perhaps, the real cry should be 'where have all the disciples gone?', for he has called us to make disciples...not converts.
Well another random thought
Pastor Rob
Thinking on the above I stood back and looked at the church and realised that we are not far away. Most of the time we are quick to criticise and slow to respond. What do I mean by that? Well we are quick to point out what everyone else is not doing and to tell the rest how it should be done but none of us are prepared to put in the hard yards before the game. We make it look like Church is the only place it happens. Can you imagine the result if the football players never trained and never warmed up? The result would be a disaster on the field. The players are smart enough to realise that more work during the week makes it much easier during the game; things just flow better.
In a similar way one of my favourite quotes sums it up rather well.
"We must stop using the church as a petrol station or Spiritual cafe. It is not a place where, when I have run down my spiritual energies during the week, that I come to fill up on a Sunday. I am responsible for my own Spiritual growth"
(MKJV) 2 Tim 1:6 Therefore I remind you to inflame anew the gift of God, which is in you by the putting on of my hands. One translation says FAN INTO FLAME
The original word used here denotes the kindling of a fire, as by bellows. The idea is that Timothy was to use all proper means to keep the flame of his calling in the soul burning, and more particularly his zeal in the great cause to which he had been set apart. The agency of man himself is needful to keep the religion of the heart warm and glowing. However rich the gifts which God has bestowed upon us, they do not grow of their own accord, but need to be cultivated by our own personal care. This is where true discipleship happens. When we realise 'the more time I put in before the game on Sunday the easier and more impact I will have on the game'. Also if we are told to keep it burning by means of our own effort, it also means like football if we put in no effort we will be going backwards.
I often hear the lament of 'Where are the miracles? Where are the signs and wonders that we read of in the Good Book?' I believe that if we would commit ourselves during the week to a life of intimacy with God rather than sporadic touch base, we would again begin to see the miracles.
So perhaps, just perhaps, the real cry should be 'where have all the disciples gone?', for he has called us to make disciples...not converts.
Well another random thought
Pastor Rob
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