Finding a Church Home

Here I am on Sunday morning. I have just been looking through some of the live streams from various Churches. You know, Life, Church Unlimited, Wesleyan Church, The Elim, and a few others. I found that most of the services were led by women.


One of the leaders advised the parishioners that if they didn’t love their church, they should give themselves a slap on their heads. Then, she proceeded to attribute the success of the church to the pastoral team. God didn’t get a mention.

The one male leader began to wax lyrical about sound corporate practice and its application in the Christian walk and to the Church. Despite being woman heavy in the worship team, the other two more community-based congregations were simply there to glorify God and teach from the word. Altogether, a bit of a mixed bag.

I was thinking of tuning into online services rather than getting involved in another church community. I already have one of those at my son’s church. I made the mistake of joining a congregation that holds a range of doctrines dear that I don’t subscribe to. 

One of the problems with joining a church is that churches tend to be about dominance behaviors and hierarchy. Part of this is fashioning doctrine into a whip to keep those in the congregation that question church dogma under control. They can use this type of dominance to make people submit and stay when they should actually leave.

Cruising into any church just to check it out is not for the faint hearted. It can be a little like a fly stepping onto fly paper. You might not be able to leave as easily as you entered. Hence, watching the Sunday services on television or online is not a bad solution if you want to avoid becoming involved in the power plays or the competitive nature of attracting and retaining congregants. 

A family friend once shared that he went where he liked on Sunday and tended to stay until the congregation concerned began to insist that he join them. Overall, he went to a variety of churches and found that worked for him. A little mercenary perhaps but certainly not without merit. 

I suppose that it comes down to finding a group of people you mesh with and finding a way to mitigate the doctrinal anomalies. In other words, how much does the difference in belief matter. Can you ignore the negatives and accentuate the positives. Food for thought perhaps.

What Scriptures Are Quintessential

 

My brother and I were having a bible discussion a few weeks back and he made the comment that Christianity would be fine if all it had of the New Testament was chapter three of the Gospel of John. I have to confess to having considerable sympathy for his position. I have reproduced John Chapter Three below from Bible Hub

John chapter three verses one through twenty;

1There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

3Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born [a]again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

5Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

10Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man [b]who is in heaven. 14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in Him should [c]not perish but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

18“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” 

Comments:

Nicodemus was an educated man, a Pharisee and a scholar. He came to Jesus to find out about Him. He spoke of the signs that Jesus had performed and enquired of Jesus what and how these things could be. 

He came by night because this was a dangerous course of action for a Pharisee to be taking. The Pharisees were already quite enraged by Jesus' words and actions and were beginning to perceive Him as a serious threat to their rule.

However, Nicodemus had a gentle heart and desired to know who Jesus was and could He be the Messiah. He didn’t ask Him that right out from the start but rather sought to enter into dialogue with Jesus.

He said to Jesus “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus replied by telling Nicodemus that no one can see the Kingdom of Heaven unless he is born again and then added that you can’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless you are born of water and the Spirit.

The idea of being reborn stunned Nicodemus but I think he would have identified with the idea of being ritually cleansed by water and the Holy Spirit. So, he, after thought, would have understood that to enter the Kingdom you have to be baptised in water and be born of the Spirit.

To gentiles like us we have much less idea of the concept of ritual cleansing in water to come into the presence of God. We understand baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit as Christians but not in the same way as Jews understood the significance of ritual cleansing in Mikvah (Ritual Baths), and purification as a right before God. The Nazarite vows of Samson, Old Testament, and potentially the apostle Paul mentioned in Acts chapter eighteen verse eighteen would be symbolic of the importance of physical and spiritual holiness before God.

This would emphasise Jesus' words about needing to be born of water and the Spirit before entering the Kingdom. Water baptism to symbolise ritual cleansing of the body. Spiritual rebirth in the baptism of the Holy Spirit resulting in a new creature as stated in II Corinthians chapter five verse seventeen. 

With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we have the law of God written on our hearts and put into our minds and the Spirit works to sanctify us and reveal the nature of Christ Jesus in us. One could argue that guidance from the Spirit is superior to our interpretation of scripture anyway.

Add to this the natural man’s inability to comprehend the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14), which while not applying directly to Christians. I often wonder whether some christian folk are genuinely converted or have the baptism of the Holy Spirit. From my somewhat arrogant point of view this could explain why they read scripture and distort it so. I digress.

So back to John chapter three. Christ must be lifted up as Moses lifted the bronze serpent up and the people looked at it to be healed (Numbers 21:4-9). So we must look at the cross and believe on Jesus Christ to receive eternal life.

Just so, all who believe will in Jesus Christ receive eternal life. The Father did not send Jesus to condemn the world but to save it. Jesus came that all men might hear the gospel and have the opportunity to believe in Him. Those who believe are saved are not condemned but those who do not believe are condemned already. So, believe in Christ unto eternal life or reject Christ’s work on the Cross unto eternal death.

So, to reject Christ Jesus the only begotten Son of God and the light of the world who shed his blood for our sins. This is to reject the light of the World and to be condemned. This condemnation is loving the darkness and choosing to do evil rather than good. To do righteousness is to choose Christ Jesus and accept the truth and to come into the light where our deeds may be seen

John chapter three verses twenty two through thirty six;

22After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. 23Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. 24For John had not yet been thrown into prison.

25Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification. 26And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!”

27John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ 29He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 30He must increase, but I must decrease. 31He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. 33He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. 34For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. 35The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 36He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” 

My Concluding Comments:

The last section of John chapter three mirrors the beginning of the chapter. In the first section Nicodemus a jew approaches Jesus to enquire who He is? Jesus then talks to him about physical and spiritual purification and its importance in salvation and entry to the Kingdom of Heaven.

In the last section John's disciples are discussing purification with the Jews and this leads them to return to John the Baptist and to mention that Jesus and His disciples were baptising nearby and all were coming to Him. So, in baptism we have a ritual purification of the physical body as a demonstration of the salvation process. So, we hear the gospel, believe and get baptised in response thereby proclaiming that we believe and in doing so setting the path for the salvation process as we enact it to this day. This is the gospel and the Christian way laid out in John chapter three.

John then proceeds to describe how it is necessary for Jesus to increase in importance and for him to decrease because Jesus comes from Heaven and is the bridegroom and above all. Jesus has the testimony of Heaven by the Spirit and is the Son of God. The Father loves the Son and gives all things into His hand.

John the Baptist then says something which is eerily similar to what Jesus says earlier in the chapter. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life but God’s wrath abides on him (Compare to John 3: 18-19).

So final opinion, yes we could survive without the bible, only having John chapter three to guide us. In terms of having the gospel to share and a model of how to preach it and to baptise the followers. Yes, we do have that model and believers have been incredibly successful witnesses under extreme persecution with far less scripture available than John chapter three.

However, to achieve a much deeper relationship with God and an understanding of God`s word we really need all sixty six books and the chapters that they contain. There is an argument that less scripture would lead to less misinterpretation and false doctrine. I certainly couldn`t dispute that allegation. What people do to scripture while using it to support their various sectarian views often beggars belief.

My final adjunct to this article is to mention my own favourite verses for sharing the gospel message.

Romans 3:10: There is none righteous, not even one.

Romans 3:22: For all have sinned, all have fallen short of the glory of God.

With these two verses there is the clear understanding that you cannot save yourself. Before God you are a helpless beggar lost in your sin requiring mercy and grace that only Jesus Christ can provide through His work on the cross.

Romans 6:23: For the wage of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.

John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but inherit eternal life.

Acts 2:38: And Peter said to them “Repent and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and in order to receive the Holy Spirit.”

When you understand you are broken and can’t save yourself and the wages of your sin is death while the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. Then you can act to believe in Christ Jesus and access His grace through the power of the Holy Spirit.

So: Believe on Jesus Christ; Repent and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and to receive the Holy Spirit.

Faith versus Fact...

Interestingly I note that humanists are adamant that the rationalism provides absolute proof that their is no God and that evolution is the truth. I fail to see how this could be the case when mankind is unable to leave the Earth and incapable of time travel.

Scientists are able to observe and experiment with fossil samples and to reconstruct the skeletons of perished ancient animals. They can postulate what would seem to be a rational explanation for the existence of various species but really are stretching to explain how life came to be or has developed.

The greatest stumbling block to evolution is the theory that it is only possible given a huge span of time and the reason that it is a stumbling block is that man has only been a part of the puzzle for a comparatively short time. We have only had the technology to enable us to begin to research evolution for less than three hundred years. So how can we say with any certainty that evolution is the only theory that accurately explains the rise of life over billions of years.

Even those who are not overly religious are reaching for other explanations. Perhaps alien seed ships came through and sowed life on Earth and millions of other planets or maybe ancient aliens had a hand in the formation of early human development and societies here on Earth.

Life is complex and increasing in complexity and any fool can see that it would have taken a being or beings of considerable intelligence and skill to map it out and to initiate the whole process of life and the living world. Regardless of what or who these beings were and what they were called.

 In reality intelligent design is a better fit for the processes that run our universe and the evidence that we have only to look up to see. Personally I have faith that the God of the Hebrews is the one true God = Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Information Super Highway: A Feast of Information with a Dearth of Truth

I am a teacher and I often talk to students in what could be termed a teachable moment. It's that time when the discussion turns to a subject that is often not a part of the curriculum but is something the students want and need to discuss.

A few days ago the conversation led to religion and being a Christian you would think I could contribute to that discourse. However, pickings were slim because I was not talking to someone who needed to know something. I was talking to some people who knew quite a lot about many things but who didn't understand the quality of the information they had. A veritable famine in the midst of a feast.

The conversation ranged over Christianity, the Crusades, Buddhism, Paganism, the responsibility of Christianity for Wars; If there was a God how could he let there be famine, disease and pestilence.

All that I could say was that I am a Christian and I believe in the Almighty and that He is a just God. I also said that God allows these things to happen because He doesn't have a choice. Satan usurped humanities birthright in the Garden of Eden and God has no choice but to allow this state of affairs to persist because the devil is the Prince of this World. However it will not stay this way forever.

It rapidly became apparent in this conversation that the Wikipedia, Yahoo, Google network of information allows us access to a huge amount of information. The problem is that we tend to accept that knowledge as absolute truth.  However as many intellectuals in the educational institutions are keen to point out it is hard to separate fact from hearsay.

This whole mess of a conversation gave me pause to think about how we can effectively share the truth of the gospel with people who know so much and so little at the same time and I came back to the beginning of my Christian walk. Firstly, you pray that God will bring the people He needs you to speak with to you. Secondly, base your conversation on verses of scripture, for instance:

 Matthew 7  ¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. ¹⁴ For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Share scriptures and lead them back to the truth. As the intellectuals point out the Internet has a huge amount of information but to truly know the facts you need to go to more accurate and acceptable sources. For the Christian this means searching the bible for the real facts and trusting the Holy Spirit of God to apply to the hearts of the lost. God reaches out to those who seek him and those who seek Him shall be found of him.

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Taking a stand in these times...

We live in remarkable times. From the relative comfort of your living room or workplace you can use modern technology to make your deepest feelings known abroad. No generation that I know of has had this ability or responsibility.

As a Christian I feel a burden to make my light burn brightly and to spread the word of God. To preach the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord and sow the seeds of a rich harvest. To bring warning of the last days of this age and to sound the alarm of the coming New World Order.

In doing this though it is difficult not to get caught up in the many side issues that abound in the news of each new day. The proponents of the coming New World Order are hitting their straps as they see victory coming within grasp. Trade and Legal treaties like the Trans Pacific Partnership and Trans Atlantic Partnership bring the hope of more jobs and trade opportunities but contain the threat of diminished civil rights and unfair competition from global Corporates.

Although these developments are clear evidence of Bible Prophecy, for instance, the rise of Babylon the Great Harlot in the book Revelation. The translation of which is a great religious and trade entity that arises in the last days of the Age of Grace before the Return of Jesus Christ. The problem I have personally is not becoming mired in this kind of discourse which can be very repetitive and negative.

Another concern is that with current scrutiny of the Internet by Government entities like New Zealand's GCSB there is a need to be careful in what you post. I would be mortified to come to the attention of the authorities for posting articles that were about issues that were moderately important from a Christian standpoint but subversive from a security standpoint. If I am going to be persecuted for anything let it be for making a stand for Jesus Christ.

I guess that what I am finally alluding to is the need to focus on the good things of God but to be aware of what's going on in the world around us. To accept that world powers are working toward the formation of a new world order but that the Almighty has over all control and a purpose in all that is done to bring a wonderful and triumphant end to Sin and establish His Millennium Kingdom.

JAMES 1:22 - BE A DOER OF THE WORD  http://biblehub.com/james/1-22.htm

The Fear of God

I watched a DVD last night called 'The Four Feathers' (2002) staring Heath Ledger, Kate Hudson and Djimon Hounsou as Abou Fatma. Adapted from the book by A.E.W. Mason written 1902 the movie immerses the watcher in the more morally principled lifestyle of the Victorian era and contrasts that with life in the Islamic culture of the Sudan in 1884.

Both cultures are considerably different to the liberal western lifestyle we are familiar with in the early twenty first century. The greatest contrast though for me is between Heath Ledger's character Harry Feversham and Djimon Hounsou's Abou Fatma.

Harry Feversham is a young principled Christian man who has withdrawn from the British army in circumstances which portray him to his friends as a coward leaving the military to avoid serving his country. They send Harry a package containing four white feathers and this causes him to decide to travel to the Sudan with the aim of rejoining the army or at least protecting his friends.

As a result of his exploits and attempts to stay close to his regiment Faversham finds himself travelling across the desert and then being abandoned as a band of new slaves kill their captors and leave him for dead. Harry then attempts to continue on the camel the slaves had left for him because he had stopped one of them from getting a beating.

Dying of heat exhaustion and dehydration he collapses near Abou Fatma as his camel escaped into the wilderness. Fatma takes this as a sign from Allah that he is to protect Harry and so begins a brief but fast friendship of adventure as the two seek to save and protect Harry's friends from the armies of Mardi.


"So what" you say "Has this all to do the fear of God?" Well I have been very impressed by Djimon Hounsou's portrayal of characters with genuinely profound and immensely deep faith. He played Juba in Ridley Scott's 'The Gladiator' and then Abou Fatma in 'The Four Feathers.'

What strikes me about Hounsou is the way he portrays a character of unflinching conviction and unyielding faith in God. He demonstrates the serenity and certainty that comes from absolute conviction that he is about Gods business. He shows the appropriate respect or fear of God. When he is in Gods presence in prayer he is on his knees, head bowed and giving one hundred percent of his attention.

The Four Feathers shows the difference between Islam and the Christianity of the Victorian era and the way in which the Islam of that time incorporated fervent and fearful worship of God into the daily lifestyle. Meanwhile even in Victorian times Christianity was much more informal and people more discreet about their prayer and worship.

Today we Christians treat God as an adjunct to our lives. We relate to him as though he were our best friend always ready to grant our next wish. We seldom go to the house of the Lord to kneel before God. We are rarely contrite in confessing our sins. We rush around in our busy lives and include God in the most informal manner.

I am not suggesting that we convert to Islam. Nor am I suggesting that we revert to the law and Judaism. But I do believe that well founded Christians develop in their lives a healthy fear of  God. We need to understand that God is the Lord and there is no other; There is no God before Him. That He is the Alpha and the Omega; The beginning and the End. That we are at His disposal not He at ours and we are the creation not the Creator.

I believe a big part of having serenity of existence and certainty of purpose comes from having the correct relationship with God. A relationship based on humility and contriteness of spirit before the Almighty God. A relationship that founded on the conviction that 'God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, that who soever believes on Him will inherit eternal life.'

The Impact of Declining Christianity

A couple of weeks ago I went to the funeral of a young woman who took her own life leaving two young children behind for her distraught family to bring up. Today I heard of the death of a man who sent a text message to his friends "Where is everybody when I want to say good bye?" Then during the course of the day yet another young woman sent out a distressed text message which friends responded to in time to prevent her from ending it all.

I would have to ask the question "What in the world is the matter with our society when so many seem to have no hope at all?" Where is the support network that our generation grew up with? Where is the Church in all of this?

The scriptures speak of the need to continue meeting together. Hebrews 10:25 "Not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near."

Strong, active churches provide strong support networks to encourage and protect the young people of our communities. Churches that are 'on message' share the gospel, teach sound moral principles, and make the scriptures known to their members, old and young alike.

God uses churches to care for his children from cradle to grave. To save them, baptise them, marry them and to bury them. To develop strong Christian foundations in the hearts of believers. To provide encouragement, support, Christian friendship and fellowship. To wrap a cloak around their hearts and minds protecting them from the attacks of the enemy.

Today if you have suicidal thoughts and are intercepted by friends before you succeed. Your friends call the police who don't want you to harm yourself on their watch. They follow protocol, watch you for a while then call the psychologist. He or she talks to you and also watches and assesses you usually looking to treat you and discharge you as fast as possible. Even if you are incarcerated for a period of time the chances are you will soon be back by yourself faced with depression and loneliness and suicidal thoughts.

The police and psychologist don't even know you. You're just a client and they have only to fulfil the obligations placed on them through professional regulation. They are provided by the state in place of the real and loving church community of yesteryear. Is it any wonder so many seek to take their own lives in hopeless despair.

The time is at hand for Christians to get back to church. The price of not belonging to sound bible believing church can be measured in the shattered lives of our children and their young friends. The cost is simply incalculable for they are our pearls of great price. Priceless and irreplaceable.