Screwtape

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

 ¹⁰ And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. ¹¹ To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."  1 Peter 5:8-11

So i'm currently reading C.S. Lewis' acclaimed "the screwtape letters" and have found it to be a very light and fictional yet interesting and profound piece of writing. I recently watched "The dawn treader - The chronicles of Narnia." and remembered I had purchased one of his books during a 40% sale at Koorong. 

It's interesting how we don't really view our lives as a constant spiritual battle. If we do then more often than not we are labelled as a religious nut and/or a over spiritual lunatic. I mean having the good balance is key to this sort of thing -  you can't really go around discerning that everything is of the devil. But I would rather have someone who is spiritually on guard all the time rather than someone who is oblivious to the enemy's schemes (which is exactly what the enemy whats us to think). 

"The screwtape letters" is a fictional book written in the first person of an experienced demon (screwtape) who is writing to his young demon nephew giving instructions how to lull his 'patient' or human soul to hell. It's a bit confusing at first because when he mentions "the enemy" he is actually referring to God. In one of his letters he writes about how one of his tactics is to make complacency and convenience the patients friend, he states "murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts." (Page 61).  He also goes on to say "let him do nothing but act. No amount of piety in his imagination and affections will harm us if we can keep it out of his will...the more often he feels without acting, the less he will be able ever to act, and in the long run the less he will be able to feel." (Page 67). 

I thought this was worthy to note because its so true. The enemy is so tactical and serpent-like that they so cleverly try and make us complacent and convenient in our own lives. Time is a precious commodity. It's the only thing that does not stop. It keeps on ticking and ticking. The past is forever frozen. I think the enemy has also done a very good job in tricking us to believe that tomorrow is guaranteed for all of us. It isn't. There is no guarantee that tomorrow is coming or if you and I will be around for it. This is completely up to God. Rarely do I wake in the morning, thanking God for another day or how I can live this day to its fullest. Live today like it was your last. Tell someone you love them like it was the last time you would see them. Surely people would look at us and comment that there is something different about us. Enter the love of Jesus Christ. 

Insecurity

An Insecurity is a reflection of how secure you are in yourself. Hence the term insecurity. But God has called us to live a life of freedom from bondage through the redemptive work of his son Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us seek God's identity and the truth that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Let us be Godsecure and not Insecure.

Random

Read Romans 1:1 - 1 Corinthians 16:24

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

Yea I had to step up the reading a lil bit - im way behind. >.<

So much Jesus glory has been happening its so intense. Wow. Praise God.

On another random note;

It was a hot day so I decided to get ppad-bingsu with Sonia at stra but when we arrived it was 11:40pm so it was apprently too late to order it. I was quite displeased. So I went ahead and ordered the Iced coffee. When I placed my order the Korean waiter looked at me with a gentle smile and said "sun mul" which sounds like "present" in english. So I looked at him dumbfounded as to why this gentlemen was asking me if I wanted a present when I was asking for an iced coffee. My brain quickly digressed and reached a conclusion that maybe its because we're near the festive season of Christmas. But by the expression on my face he clearly knew I did not understand his remark so he uttered "p-p-p-pay now". Apparently it means prepay. So I laughed at his face, embarrased at my ignorance and paid for my drink.

I gave him a $20 note and he came back with my change. But the astonishing thing was that he gave me my change on a tea plate! I looked at the plate with some notes and coins and was like what the heck am I supposed to do with this tea plate? Any other given day I would of disregarded this unusual sequence of events. But it dawned on me that day that this guy giving me my change on a tea plate was rather strange.

Run the Race

Read Acts 10:1 - 28:31

"However I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me, the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." (Acts 20:24)

Apostle Paul was a missionary machine. So much respect for this guy. Wow. He goes all over the place preaching, healing, being imprisoned and saving many.

This is one person who knew what his race was. He knew exactly what he had to do, which is why he was so gungho. He stood before councils, kings and rioting crowds but never once flinched. Truly a lover and follower of Jesus.

What is your calling? What is the race you need to run? I guess the important thing is to participate and "run the race" God has called you to run. Is it the 100m, 200m or 400m? maybe it doesn't work like that? But God has granted us gifts, passions and talents to administer to glorify His name. Is it in the arts? media? government? family? economy? religion? education?

Whichever it is, lets run our races well and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given us, the task of testifying the gospel of God's grace.

The best reward in Heaven is to hear our awesome God declare "Well done my good and faithful servant."

Act out your Faith

Read Acts 5:1 - 9:43

As I read through this passage it was evident to me the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit as they ministered. People fall dead at the feet of Peter (Acts 5:5), angels breaking out the apostles from prison (Acts 5:19), paralytics and cripples being healed (Acts 8:7), physical transportation (Acts 8:39-40), recovery to the sight (Acts 9:18). It's just potent with signs, wonders and miracles. I mean what's to say these kind of things can't happen now? It's a matter of faith.

"...I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20) 

We also see Sauls complete conversion in this passage. A man hell bent on persecuting christians has one God encounter on the road to Damascus that the weight of the glory of God causes him to go blind and not eat and drink for three days (Acts 9). This is what happens when you have a God sized encounter. Recently when I was in China I met a guy called Ricardo who was also on the Chinese tv show showcasing his instrument. He was a fairly tall white man with dark brown curly hair with a german accent. I met him on the shuttle bus from the hotel to the tv show and we sparked up a conversation. He seemed to a be a knowledgeable man and had a good sense of humour to him. We fell upon the subject of God and Christianity to which he confessed he gave up his faith not long ago. He explained something on the lines of not being able to "understand" or comprehend the meaning of God and why bad things happens etc.

We (JS and I) asked him if he wanted prayer before his performance because he was feeling anxious as he didnt have time to rehearse. He appeared to be agitated by our offer to prayer as it would be a selfish act to ask for such a small prayer while millions of people are going without food everyday. He sounded more like a humanitarian than a musician. I presume he was stressed because of his upcoming performance. We ended up praying for him after he left the room anyway. His act went well and the audience was well pleased with his ability to sing in chinese. Afterward in the lobby of our hotel he seemed more relaxed with the show over and apologised if he came across rude when we asked if we could pray for him. He said he should of just accepted the offer to which we gladly responded we would be praying for him.

God, I pray for Ricardo who we met in China. I pray for a God sized encounter. Just like you encountered the most unlikely on the road to Damascus I pray for that kind of transformation upon this life we met in China. I pray that the lips of Ricardo would sing your praises and his musical gifts would be used to glorify you Lord Jesus. May your will be done. In Jesus name. Amen. 

Kingdom Encounter

Read Acts 1:1 - 4:37

So its been a week since I got back from China and its like Gods hit the ground running as soon as I got back. China itself was an amazing testimony. When we got back we had a conference called "Kingdom Encounter" with guest speakers Jeff Buchanan, Jeff Buchanan Jr and Mina Chung.

Let me just say, I got humbled. The way they lead worship is so refreshing, so transparent, so abandoned. Its no wonder God shows up and takes care of everything else (healings, signs and wonders). If you get the worship right, then everything else just flows.

I absolutely love how they preach the rawness of the gospel - the power of the Holy Spirit that is active in everyone who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Its not just for those who go to bible college or some special dts course. But the love of Jesus and the gift of preaching the gospel is available to all. Its so empowering. So free. So unshackling.

The time of worship was so raw, so desperate, so undignified that God showed up in other ways also. Gold-dust, winds, healings, gift of tongues. It was pretty amazing. How do you doubt the raw power of God? Yea people say its sweat, emotion etc etc, but what benefit do you get from unbelief? You just walk away at the end of the night comforted in your own reasoning and comprehension which doesnt bring anyone else closer to Christ. Dare to step outside the natural and be foolish/undignified for the power of God.

These manifestations are a tribute to the Love of Jesus Christ has on us. If these manifestations aren't bringing you closer to Christ then its all useless. If its not producing love and love for others then it is useless. Seek the giver and not the gift. Ask for more. Go deeper with Him. The sky is the limit.

"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams." (Acts 2:17)

Gratitude increases faith.     
Complaining produces unbelief.

BRB

Gone to China.

Promise to update when I get back.

=D

knee ho ma.

...

yea im a bit ignorant.

In Jesus Name

Read John 13:1 - 14:31 


"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." (John 14:12) 

Lazarus

Read John 11:1 - 12:50 


Then Jesus looked up and said 'Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 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." When he had said this, Jesus called out in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' 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."

Do we believe in raising the dead? Does our faith stretch far enough to pray for the dead? I was in Montana, USA in 2008 with a missions organisation, training to go and outreach in the nation of Taiwan. Our training was held at a local high school and we would drive there everyday up and back. On one occasion we were driving past the same highway intersection and there was all this commotion going on. There was a car accident and a lifeless human body wedged in the car. Our car kept on going. But the other team pulled over and attempted to resuscitate him. He later died. I was wondering to myself if anyone prayed like Jesus did when he raised Lazarus - complete faith that God would deliver. I'm not sure if I could do the same. I even have trouble praying for healing on bandaged legs.

I once heard, that at a revival conference in Taiwan all these ambulances were racing with their sirens to these conferences. Not because people were dehydrating and collapsing at the conference but because these ambulances were transporting dead bodies to be prayed resurrection on them! Could you imagine the level of faith and the bold prayers that were being prayed in that tent!

Well, apparently resurrection of the dead is common in places like China, Indonesia, India where persecution is intense. All they have is Christ which is complete dependence and humility.

I want to be bold and pray for the things Jesus prayed for. To pray for healing, resurrection and providence. I think the key is depending on God to move and not my prayers. And even if nothing happens, God is pleased with that step of faith. Because an accumulation in steps of faith equals walking out in faith! Maybe he wants nothing to happen so that he can strengthen and build our faith. You wouldn't expect a toddler to start running without learning how to crawl and walk first.

Its also interesting how Jesus is never illustrated in the bible to be in a hurry. Even in this scene, he waits two days before going to see Lazarus, "Yet when he heard Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days" (John 11:6). I should recite this verse whenever I'm in a hurry somewhere.

Be bold and courageous. Pray for outlandish things so that God will be glorified. Last Saturday I was talking to two youth at Auburn about the church. I asked them their opinion about church. And he stated "its boring." Following Christ was never meant to be boring. Have we limited and pushed God into a box with our lack of faith? The world wants to see the raw power of God from the church manifested through the holy spirit.

Monday

Read John 7:1 - 10:42


"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus 'but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no-one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." Having said this he spit on the ground, made some saliva and put it on the man's eyes. "Go," He told him 'wash in the pool of Siloam." So the man went and washed and came back home seeing. (John 9:1-7)


Another great and long weekend. Its challenging to keep up to date with this daily QT. I'm already backlogged a couple of days. Well, Saturday we had our missions prep for Indo team and we decided to outreach to a random location. We prayed and then decided to go to Auburn.

We said "hello" to people and spent time loving them and hearing their stories. We came across people from all walks of life, some from Afghan and some young locals. We also came across a young disabled girl and her carer who were enjoying a windy Saturday at the local shopping center. She had some sort of brain disorder which made her body twitch in different places. Two of our sisters approached her to talk and pray for her.

I guess the initial thought is why her? And I guess there is no answer to that. Was she disabled for God to be glorified? Clearly it wasn't due to her or her parents fault as the passage states. One thing the sisters noticed about her was her spirit of joy. Although she was disabled and maybe in some discomfort she was joyful that she was outside on a windy afternoon.

This challenged me - my level of faith. In times of trials and tribulations, am I relying on God to give me strength to get through those times or am I miserable and bitter towards God? Sometimes our own issues and struggles don't appear to be that big compared to the millions of other hurting people out there.

There's also like a guy who lost all his limbs. He goes around preaching hope, his story and motivating people to never give up. He does this illustration where he falls flat on his face and demonstrates that the natural is to stay down and roll around in self pity. But with just using his torso he gets up. Maybe the loss of his limbs had to happen so that God could be glorified. The pain may seem temporary here on Earth but when he gets to heaven I would be safe to assume he will get a new body and a "well done my good and faithful servant."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZVfHoTROgQ

Copycat

Read John 5:1 - 6:71

"...I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing because whatever the Father does the Son also does." (John 5:19) 


A couple of months earlier this year I was struggling with spiritual dryness. I felt like I didn't feel the power of God activated in my life. It was like trying to force some sort of fruit. This often occurs, and are regular symptoms when you seek the gift and not the giver. You're so caught up in seeing healing's, deliverances, words of knowledge pop out of the sky that you completely forget about the Love of God. It's a common cycle. The more you see spiritual gifts activated in your life the more you drift away from the main thing. It's like when Santa gives a nicely packaged Christmas present to a child. Once they receive it in their hands they lose focus of Santa and the gift becomes their most prized possession.

I found a remedy for this, is to always remain in Him - John 15:5 "If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing." And the awesome part about God is that He is always accessible - "...My Father is always at his work to this very day..." (John 5:17). He's even at work when we are asleep (which is great news because i'm about to pass out soon).

If Jesus himself was dependent on God, how much more should we be dependent on God. Give Him room to move. His ways are higher than our ways. For the leaders - our job is to move where people currently are, to where God wants them to be. And if there in a place where God wants them to be....then move on to the next person. ;)    

The Spirit of Australia - KRock Music Festival (Melbourne)

Read Luke 23:1 - John 4:54

They say Qantas is the "spirit of Australia" but let me say that Australia is the land of the Holy Spirit! Boom! ;) It's been a great weekend. I was down in Melbourne for a Korean Music festival held by Mikkeli entertainment. The main act was an upcoming Rock band called "Nia" (which means perfection in greek...I
think) and also featuring Jayesslee. But it's clear that the majority of the fans were there to see the JSLEE.

I'll be recapping my weekend this post and not so much sharing "revelations" I received from the text so yea enjoy!

It was quite the experience. I had to book myself into a backpackers hotel due to budget constraints with the entertainment company but found myself sleeping on the floor of JSLEE and NIA's apartment because I was so goneskies by the end of the night(s). Anyway the backpackers hotel was called Nomads Industry on A'beckett St in the heart of Melbourne CBD, which I must add is sooo much cooler and chillax than Sydney CBD. They have hook turns, trams and they like the colour green on their buildings. My roomies were three irish blokes straight outta high school wanting to find work here in Aus. Their names were Robin, Olle and some other guy (couldnt really understand their accents). But they spent more time acquainting themselves with my suit case than me which is kinda sad. I wanted to pray for them before I left but everytime I walked in they were always sleeping! 

The gig was held on Swanston St in a small yet intimate church which seats approx. 700ppl. The concert was a success with amateur bands curtain raising the event in a battle of the bands format. The MC's were pretty good. JSLEE performed, captured the audience with their original "failure in disguise" and many other great songs such as Bruno Mars' "the way you are." The setup and the backline wasn't that great seeing as it was held in a church. The foldbacks were outdated but JSLEE did very well considering the equipment to their avail. We went shopping the other day at ICONS music shop in west ryde and now have our eyes set on a pair of in-ear monitors to avoid that mess in the future should they need it. NIA came out and rocked the house. Lead singer was good but I cant really tell who sings good or bad. One thing I do know is drums and yea the drummer was solid. Well with Rock, you can't really go wrong. You just stay solid, keep the backbeat and thrash the kit. The drummers in the battle of the bands were so wimpy. I think they were jazz drummers - all caught up in doing these double stroke fills which sounded empty cos the kit wasn't miced up. Man up and hit the drums I say. But yea in saying that I do wanna learn jazz. hohoho. ;)

I've managed to keep up to date with my daily qt's but didn't have the capacity to update. One occasion, I was reading my bible at my hostel when this tall, middle aged man walks up to me and says "what you got there?" and I sheepishly said flicking through the pages "the bible..." and then he sits down and introduces himself. Turns out he's a childrens pastor at the local church but works part time as a courier and was delivering mail when he saw me. I would like to say, he then proceeded to give me the gloriest prophesy ever but he didn't. haha! We just chatted, blessed each other, he gave me some advice and then he went on his way. But I've come to learn that I need to be more bold with the power of the gospel that is in my hands! I made a promise to myself that if someone asks me that question again I'm going to lift the bible high up to the heavens and declare the goodness of Gods word....Nah just joking. But really we should be more confident and bold with the power the gospel contains. Romans 1:16 says "I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the POWER of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, first for the jew then for the gentile".

I've also been hearing and fb seeing great outpourings God is doing in our mist right now. I was speaking to my good friend sung at mcdonalds last night after basketball and WOW it is srsly praise God. Testimony after testimony. God is clearly at work. Thank you Jesus!!! One thing I felt God pressing on my heart however is unity and to be careful of pride. This is clearly God at work using us broken people to partner in what He is doing. We are merely his tools. He does not have a "favourite" tool. That is not God. He wants to use everybody. That includes us all. And that includes the churches in Sydney. I feel like, for this to be fully blown out we need to start getting other churches involved. I feel like there are churches on the sideline seeing this and becoming discouraged because its not happening to them. I also feel like people need to run their own races. The key is faith. Faith that God has a great plan and purpose for you also. One common and dirty lie the enemy uses is that he often takes what God is doing and twists it so you will be discouraged. For example he takes the outpouring of God right now and twists it to whisper lies that "because you're not experincing these things that God isn't going to use you". That's baloney and you need to rebuke that straight up and bind it in Jesus name. God has plans to prosper you. He has plans to prosper this city and nation for His glory. It is no longer "make like a tree and leave" but "make like a tree and be planted by streams of living water!"

Work Out

Read Luke 20:1 - 22:71

"Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives and his disciples followed him. On reaching that place he said to them. 'Pray that you will not fall into temptation." (Luke 22:39-40)

As I was meditating on this I rarely pray that I will not fall into temptation. Jesus teaches us to pray "deliver us from the evil one." (Matthew 6:13) He ends the 'Lords prayer' with that line. The ending command is to pray that you will not fall into tempation but to be delivered from the evil one.

When Jesus was at the Mount of Olives pondering about the cup of suffering he was to endure I assume He wanted to opt out "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me, yet not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22 42). An angel appears to strengthen him and he goes on praying so intensely his sweat becomes blood. WOW! how much temptation must you be under to be able to sweat blood (remembering Jesus was fully man).

In my opinion, prayer is not about how long you pray, but spending time in His presence is essential to be super sensitive and know the instructions of our father. How much time do we spend time with God? 5mins seems like a lifetime to me sometimes.

I often relate my christian life to things that I am most familiar and passionate with. Lets take the game of basketball. The athlete is the christian. The game represents battles in your life (you either win them or lose them). The coach takes the form of your pastor. He draws up plans and plays for us to win games and battles in our lives and wants to win games to impress the owner of the club. Jesus/God is the owner of the basketball team. Ultimately the owner wants us to win games. He has the authority to fire players and coaches. Hence Jesus is the owner.

But lets focus in on the athlete. The athlete is soley responsible for his or her performance. To enhance performance they reguarly work on all areas of their game. The best player is the one who works the hardest. There is no doubt in this. They get up early and go to the gym when everyone else is asleep. I guess the only misrepresentation here is the lack of love between the player and the owner. In any case our spiritual lives are similar. We, as the christian are soley responsible for the health of our walk with Jesus. We can be guided and assited by our pastor but ultimately we have to decide to drink from the flowing river. We have to work on all areas of our spiritual lives that are lacking.

For me it would be spending time with Jesus for extended periods of time. Intimacy is the key. I think one hour a day spending time and praying in his presence is a good start. What areas are you working on?

Religious Pharisee

Read Luke 15:1 - 19:48

"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God I thank you that I am not like other men - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get'. But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said 'God have mercy on me, a sinner.' I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 18:10-14)

No-one is righteous. Not even one. Except God our Father. We are all sinners. We all need to behave in a way that places others before us. Pride vs Humility. I'll bank my money on humility any day of the week. The two words even look like extreme opposites. Pride kinda looks like a gossiping, scheming lion where as humility looks like a gentle, submissive lamb. The two words are actually used to describe both Satan and Christ in the bible. Satan as a prowling lion and Jesus as the saving, atoning lamb for all humanity.

This verse also highlights the religious attitude of the Pharisee. He is boasting about fasting twice a week and tithing. God does not desire sacrifice but a broken and contrite heart. The problem with comforting ourselves in "doing" things for God is that we become prideful and start "doing" ministry and not loving Jesus. I'm not sure about others but i've fallen into the trap where i'll comfort myself by checking off all the events, prayer meetings, praise practices and conferences I attended in a week to make myself a better "christian" than others. Man, I had to repent and we all should if we think in this way. We should not be measuring ourselves or people in the things they do or don't do, or attend and don't attend. Don't be like the religious pharisee. We should rather see them in the eyes of Jesus Christ and not by our own folly human eyes. Our role is not to judge, but to pray and love. Leave the judging to God and not a Pharisee.

Count the Cost

Read Luke 13:1 - 14:35

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters - yes, even his own life - he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26-27)

Again, it appears that Jesus is stressing and highlighting the fact that he wants all of us. Jesus does not literally refer to "hate" them but he is demonstrating that one must love Jesus more than their immediate family to be a disciple. In this day in age we have countless discipleship programs. They guarantee results but are they really producing disciples of Jesus Christ?  

I have often been on the receiving end of negative feedback that I spend too much time at church and not enough time at home. This is a valid point. Let me make it clear that Jesus does not call us to abandon our families but I presume he is using this as an illustration to consider Him above all things. We should also be more wise with our time. Simply "being" at church does not necessarily translate to being with Jesus. My interpretation of this verse is that we should carefully plan time to minister to our family but not let that be a barrier or hindrance to what God has called us to partner with.

Jesus wants us to surrender everything to Him. Our lives. He wants all of us. Absolutely everything. It was His to begin with. Its kinda like leasing or renting a house to a tenant and them making all these drastic renovations and additions to their discretion. One day the landlord is going to inspect the house. We do not have the authority to do as we please with the life God has given us. It's actually better in his hands than ours. His blueprints are alot more fireproof than ours.

Priority

Read Luke 12:1-59

"I have come to bring fire on the earth and how I wish it was already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo and how distressed I am until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other , three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." (Luke 12: 49-53)

To follow Jesus requires we place him above any other realtionship in our lives, even if it means its your own family.

The Good Samaritan - CON

Read Luke 10:1 - 11:54

In this episode we see an "expert of the law" asking Jesus who he regards as a "neighbour". He responds with this story;

"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too a levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where he was, and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'look after him' he said 'and when I return I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have."

I think this has been the missing link for an all out revival to be sparked in Australia and the world. To love Jesus, to love ourselves and to love our neighbours. Like really? What if?.. if this generation took this passage and applied it to their lives convicted by the holy spirit. To see radical lovers of Jesus loving on other people? To stop on the side of the road. To inconvenience ourselves as the Samaritan did. This is the depiction of being the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. The Samaritan was a hated foreigner and an outcast. The relgious leaders of the time and the lay associates must of been too busy running to their meetings. But the least expected of them in society tends to him, treats him, puts him in his toyota yaris and into a hotel which costed him two days worth of wages.

At the beginning of the year I felt God was telling me the wave of revival is coming to Australia. It's going to hit the south land of the holy spirit. We are seeing this passage literally flow out onto our streets every Thursday night. But for revival to be fully blown out, I believe it has to be rolled out every single day in every city. I believe the initial wave has already hit. Its clearly evident. I believe the next step is to let the wave take us where it wants us to go. That is - let God take us where He wants us to go. We, as the church need to identify and recognise the powerful move of his spirit right now and ride the wave.

I've always been a big fan of tearing down the walls of our church. Jesus calls us to GO! The enemy isn't threatened much if we sing our happy songs and nod to our motivating sermons if all we do is stay inside our four walls, only to come back seven days later more defeated than the last week. God is raising up an army, a generation to take back what is rightfully His - This city, this nation! His weapon is Love and He's asking us to partner with him. Sign on the dotted line and suit up! Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ!

Humility is the Key

Read Luke 7:1 - 9:62

"Then he said to them all, if anyone would come after me he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23)

Following Jesus requires self denial. The human nature is the opposite. The natural reaction is to look out for your self interest. It is to defend yourself and not turn the other cheek. It is to take and not give whether it be in the world or sadly in the church.

I would be safe to assume that all, if not most human beings love to be correct and dislike being corrected. I think this is interesting. I've yet to meet a person who satisfies the requirement Jesus states in denying him/herself "daily" including myself. The term "daily" is not mentioned in the other synoptic gospels of Matthew and Mark but I like the emphasis. I've been praying a lot recently to be more like Jesus. This is what it is to be like Jesus;

"...who being in very nature God did not consider equality with God, something to be grasped but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in apperance as a man he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross!" (Phil 2: 5-8)

This is exactly why He deserves praise. This is why we exalt Him on high. This is why we glorify our King. This is why we magnify Jesus. Because He is the only one worthy of praise. Amen!

Poor Eyesight

Read Luke 4:14 - 6:49

Writers block so let Jesus do the talking.

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye! How can you say to your brother, Brother let me take the speck out of your eye when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hyprocrite, first take out the plank out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." (Luke 6:41-42)

Clearly a great teaching in that we should look at our ownselves before pointing fingers at others.

The Book of Luke

Read Luke 1:1 - 4:13

So the pilgrimage continues to finish the new testament by December 31 2010. I've done the book of Mark which was enjoyable, so onward with Luke. The main theme in Luke is the emphasis on Jesus' messiahship and mission to seek and to save that which was lost.

I think it's awesome how the bible depicts so many instances where Jesus heals and delivers so many people. The world is craving for this kind of Power in our generation. The church is boring to them. Jesus clearly states that we would do greater things than He because He is now with the Father. Excited to see what God has in store this Thursday night in the city.

In other news, I have to wear glasses now. Picked them up today and everything looks like High Definition.

Upon This Rock

Read Mark 14:1 - 16:20

Have you ever wondered why so many new believers are so radically all about Jesus? and most of us, who have grown up in church are so lethargic and luke warm? It's an interesting phenomena. I fall into the latter category growing up in church all my life. I didn't live a life addicted to drugs, sex, money and power to have Jesus pull a saul into paul conversion. I knew all the sunday school stories, knew the sermons and what the pastor was trying to preach. 
It's similar to a 400m race I think. The new believers are the ones who are crouched on the starting blocks ready to take off with ravaneous faces like a 300 pound, 6ft 5inch line backer wanting to sack the quarterback, drooling at the sound of the whistle to initiate the bloodbath. The rest of us are already running this race metres ahead. We're probably running at a slower pace with sweat running down our faces, stumbling over our feet and the finish line no where to be seen.

This human existence seems like a lifetime to our human feeble minds. But to God it is but a vapour in the wind, here and gone tomorrow. A thousand human years is probably 10minutes in the eyes of our God. The race seems like a marathon with obstacles and hurdles every 10metres. The marker who fired the gun seems no where to be seen and the once heart stopping, life changing cracking sound of the gun is replaced with the sound of moaning, long breaths and desperate plea for a sip of gatorade.

There are two evident characteristics here; one which is radical and a bit unpredictable and another which is steady and "faithful to the end". It is similar to comparing a firework and a rock which has been rolled over to cover a tomb. A firework is easy to set off - you simply light it and enjoy the show. However, to move a rock which has been embedded in the earth is a difficult task and cannot be moved by man alone. It can only be moved by the spirit of God.
On a bit of a tangent, I was reading Mark 15:46 and was surpised to see that Joseph of Arimathea had "rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb". I was a bit dumbfounded because then the stone could of been rolled away just as easy as it was put in. But apparently setting the rock in place was a relatively easy task but once it had slipped into the groove cut in bedrock it was near impossible to move it with human strength.

The "rocks" of our christian community need to be moved by the spirit of God by opening our eyes to see the working of God in our new believers. The new believers of our christian community need to respect and learn from the steadfast and tree like characteristic of our rocks in the christian family.   

If I had to choose between the two traits i'm not sure which one I would choose and conclude that both are needed to be a healthy christian. You need believers who are radical, on fire for Jesus and you also need the ones who are steady, firm and have been running this race for years. Together it is a potent and deadly mix for the enemy. I assume this is why satan loathes unity and Jesus champions it. 

A good example of this is Peter. The guy was like a firework and a rock mixed together. His faith was steady enough to enable him to walk on water (Matt 14:29)  yet his passion was so unpredictable that he severed the ear of a servant who arrested Jesus (John 18:10). This is the man who denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed twice (Mark 14:72) yet this is the man who Jesus chooses to build His church upon. "And I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it" (Matt 16:18).

You are The Church.

Cross Cultural Prayer Conference - Watchmen

Read Mark 13:1-37

So I just got back from a 17 hour day at Calvary Chapel in Georges Hall where the Australian Prayer Network alongside the Arabic Prayer Network collaborated together to cater an event called "one heart for our nation". It was an amazing 1 night 2 day conference from keynote speakers representing the Anglo saxon, Arabic and Korean speaking churches in Australia.

The gist and theme of the conference was about reclaiming this nation for its God divine purpose. For the southern land of the Holy Spirit to rise up and be all that God wants it to be. It was amazing to see people of different cultures, ethnicities, ages and walks of life come under one roof and worship our heavenly king.

It truly inspired and stirred my heart to go deeper and pray bigger, for our God is a mighty God amen! It was encouraging to see awesome eldery men and women of God so genuine for the next "chosen" generation to take this baton and run with it. But it was more than about the "next" generation. It was about the theme of unity. The truth that we as the royal priesthood, the people of God cannot run this race alone. In the words of one of the speakers, this is a "marathon" and we need to hold each others arms when they start to become weak.

One message that really struck a chord was the notion of being a "watchmen" for our nation. A nigerian pastor preached on the importance of being watchful for our nation and ourselves. Ironically enough, the text today centres around Jesus warning us to be watchful for two things; 1) The end times and subsequently 2) False prophets.
The end times? Its a pretty dense and heavy topic. It strikes fear of the uncertain and also a desperation for the salvation of loved ones. Jesus warns us to be watchful for the end times where "nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places and famines. These are the beginnings of birth pains" (Mark 13:8).

Jesus is returning. This I am certain of. My prayers go out to those who have loved ones and are yet to be saved. I am in the same boat. Lets burden ourselves for their salvation. Let us be alert! Let us be on guard! Lets us pray without ceasing for them! Jesus has assigned us with tasks. To preach the good news. Let us not be "ashamed of the gosepl because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16)

Lets be watchmen for our nation, our city, our families and our churches "because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back-whether in the evening or at midnight, or when the rooster crows at dawn. If he comes suddenly do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone. Watch!"


"If MY people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14

Taking a Fruitful Stand

Read Mark 11:1 - 12:44

In this passage we see Jesus riding in on a colt to inagurate passion week, going to town on the merchants selling in front of the temple, rebuking an unfruitful fig tree and other awesome stuff.

My understanding of fig trees isn't that great but from knowledge, a figtree which has many leaves is meant to bear fruit. It was the season in bearing fruit as it was not the season for figs. Jesus was hungry. And if Jesus is hungry the man is going to eat! He walks up and investigates the tree full of leaves and no fruit! In response he says "May no-one eat fruit from you again" (Mark 11:14). And then the next day they pass the tree and its completely withered. There is also a theological meaning behind this but I aint gonna get into that. ;)

It has been said that Intimacy is the key to fruitfulness and I couldn't agree more. I want to be a tree that does not have to force fruitfulness. How ridiculous would it be if an apple tree has to violently force an apple onto its branches?!

In the game of basketball, one often frustrating sequence you will see is when a player is trying to force up a shot or try and make something happen. Hopefully he's not on your team. But its one of the most frustrating things as a player because they're trying to do it by themselves. Rather when scoring becomes natural and effortless it is something to be praised and imitated. Why? Because they use teamwork in getting other people involved by passing the ball, rotating the defence and finding the open man. 

Fruitfulness and productivity should be natural for the believer who has an intimate relationship with Jesus. I also think community is a must for fruitfulness as it allows other people to get involved and thats what Jesus was about. I would assume this fig tree that Jesus cursed was planted by itself somewhere where it had no other fig trees. The only application Jesus provides after this illustration is about believing in prayer "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer believe that you have received it and it will be yours" (Mark 11:24).

Doors, Walls and Fences

Read Mark 9:1 - 10:52

This passage talks about position and power, the value of welcoming children and the near impossibility of rich people entering the kingdom of heaven. The latter is what we're focusing on.

Jesus encounters a wealthy man and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Its nice to note that Jesus has compassion on the guy as "he looked at him and loved him". He recognised the mans earnestness in wanting to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him in response to sell everything he has and give to the poor but the man walks away sad which reflects a greater love for his earthly possessions than for eternal life.

Its also interesting to note that there is no indication that Jesus' command to him was meant for all christians. I think it only applies to those who have the same spirital problem of idolatory in earthly possessions.

Jesus also states that "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:25).  Apparently according to my study bible, the camel was the largest animal found in the holy land. This epic contrast between the largest animal and the smallest opening represents what humanly speaking is impossible. I think Jesus is again emphasising the danger the affects of money and earthly possessions can have on an individual. But lucky for us, he also states that "with man this is impossible, but now with God; all things are possible with God" (Mark 10:27).

Furthermore, there are often suggestions that the "eye of a needle" refers to a gate in Jerusalem which was small enough for a camel to lower itself and crawl through. I don't believe this is substantial for two reasons.

1) Jesus states "eye of a needle" and not "eye of the needle" which is what the gate was referred to as. I'm pretty sure Jesus being the son of God knew what he was trying to portray and the specifics of it. But hey it's one word. So i think the next point holds more validity.

2) For a camel to lower itself and walk through the gate implies that we also can try and "do" something (as in become less worldly and more humble) to enter the kindgom of God. But Ephesians 2: 8-9 says "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this not from yourselves it is the gift of God not by works so that no-one can boast". Salvation is a free gift and it is credited to us by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and King. But that also does not give us an open pass to do whatever the heck we want and abuse his grace as Paul points out in Romans and also James in speaking on faith without deeds being dead.

Boasting about goodness always presents barriers in following Jesus and even more dangerous, it can open the door for pride to seep in. I guess the important thing is to realise that salavtion is by faith and not by works. The love for money and earthly attributes prevented this man from following Jesus, I wonder what doors, walls, eye of the needles and fences are prohibited me from doing the same.

Perspective

Read Mark 7:24 - 8:38

When Jesus talked about the rejection, suffering, and death that he would soon face, Peter took him aside and told him to stop. In modern words Peter was saying "quit that negative talk!" Jesus' response left no doubt where Peter had steered wrong: "you are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from Gods." Mark 8:33

Perspective makes all the difference. Peter misjudged Jesus' statement because of his poor perspective. We need to look on our own circumstances from Gods point of view. This requires that we become familiar with Gods priorities and values and see the big picture. This only comes from reading and studying the Scriptures.

The next time Gods way seem silly or out of line with "enlightened thinking" stop and ask God to help you see it all from His angle.

Preface - Where it all Began

I was sitting on the toilet one day and was reviewing my ten goals of 2010 I set for myself at the beginning of the year. One of them was to read the bible in its entirety but it seems that goal may not be achievable. So I am settling for the next best thing. To finish the New Testament by December 31.

This blog will contain my daily devotionals using a book I purchased 3 years ago. This book takes a reader through the bible in one year with date headings so you can pick up a bible and start reading. Usually when I try and read the bible I either turn to the back and look at the "what to read when your feeling..." section or better yet, I go outside and hold the bible for the wind to fall on a page and start reading like it was God ordained.

I could do this on my own and not use this blog, But the reasons why I use this is;

1) To keep myself accountable.

2) I believe in the power of the Word of God and if other people can pick up a bible and start reading then thats awesome.

3) I challenge you also to finish the new testament by December 31. ;)

Disclaimer:
We're starting from the Book of Mark so I (you) will have to catch up on the book of Matthew. This is because when I picked up my daily devotional book which was on September 20th this was the text it was on. ;)
Lets do THIS!