John is beginning to wonder if he is the only one who thinks there’s something wrong with Pastor Moses’ way of judging what makes a church service great or not.
Archive - February, 2010
Eric’s ‘Mountain Top And Valley’ Theology
Eric has heard so many messages about ‘the mountain top and the valley’ that he is actually starting to believe that his whole life is a valley.
For Eric, serving God (through serving Pastor Moses, of course) is difficult and burdensome, but Eric continues to work away in the hope that one day he will reach platform glory!
Body Parts
John just wants to share with his brothers and sisters in Christ the good news of God’s grace. Unfortunately, Pastor Moses doesn’t think John will ever be capable to preach from the platform. Pastor Moses thinks John has some false motives and needs to ‘work on his character’.
John isn’t interested in being ‘on the platform’ to boost his ego, he just wants to share the good news.
God’s grammar: “Verbs” #part 7
“Ok, let’s talk about grammar”, God said enthusiastically. Sam cracked his knuckles; he gave God his full attention. He was, oddly enough, quite relaxed considering, as he had already conceded, he would make a spectacular fool of himself any minute. Sam didn’t know anything about grammar; nothing! Granted, he could speak his own language, but he didn’t understand it. However, Sam didn’t feel guilty about this; after all, who really understands grammar anyway?
Sam decided to come clean, “I must tell you,” Sam went on to confess, “I really don’t know anything about grammar.” God nodded his head; he gave Sam the impression that this wasn’t new to him; it didn’t seem to bother God in the slightest. “Well, if you already knew it all, then you wouldn’t need my help, would you?” God questioned rhetorically. He had a point.
“Why don’t we start with the basics”, God suggested. He leaned back on his chair, looking relaxed and comfortable, and threw his first question over to Sam: “Do you know what a verb is?” Sam thought about it; he was almost positive he knew what a verb was; almost. He pondered on his possible answer, but, not willing to flunk the test on the easiest question, opted instead to throw the question back to God. “I just told you, I know nothing!” Sam said honestly; perhaps too honest? Was he being to honest? No, it was perfect, it felt perfect. Sam grinned for a few moments, trying to keep the volcano from erupting, but it was to no avail. He exploded with a wild, wayward laugh. God smiled.
It felt natural; wonderfully natural. Honesty never felt natural to Sam; he lived, in one way or another, a lie everyday. His life had become a numbed down facade; a long drawn out waltz that continued long after the music stopped playing, always side stepping people’s eyes and intimate conversations. He hated it, but it seemed to have mastered him; the villain within him had turned his soul into a military complex designed to hide his pains and disappointments as well as his fears and weaknesses.
He had once thought that he was safe within the trusted walls that had been erected, only to realise it was those very walls that imprisoned him; no one could enter, no one could see him; that was until God showed up. God had overcome the villain, the noise and the anger; God had disarmed all Sam’s defences, and although the walls were still standing defiantly against the rest of the world, God stood within them; God could see Sam.
God waited patiently for Sam to regain his composure; he seemed be in no hurry for Sam to stop his laughter, in fact he was undoubtedly enjoying the moment. Sam finally came round; drying his eyes and shaking his head once more, he looked back towards God, whose face was alight with joy. This wasn’t the God Sam had pictured in his mind all these years, the God of rules, spiritual principles and unattainable obedience. This was the God of his childhood, the simple God, the God who loved. It was this gracious God who had miraculously caused a change in Sam that had nothing to do with Sam’s own efforts, obedience or rule keeping. God had somehow changed something within Sam’s own spirit, and Sam noticed how, even in such a short period of time, he was relating to God in a profoundly different way than he ever did with the distant God he tried, and failed, to serve in his youth.
Sam shook his head as he let out one last chuckle. “What did you do in me?” Sam asked. “You changed something in me, I don’t know what, or how, but I feel the difference; I feel different.”
“What did you do in me?” God repeated with enthusiasm. “That was an excellent example of a verb!” Sam’s eyes popped out of his head; he wasn’t even trying to answer the question; he had already forgotten the question! God however, seemed delighted. “A verb” God went on to further explain, “is a doing word; any word that is an action; words, for example, such as stand, sleep, ask, talk, drive, discuss and do – anything that is an action is a verb.”
God went on to say, “Now, to answer your question,” God continued “So far, I’ve done lots of things in you: I’ve filled you with peace, I’ve explained how I see things, I’ve showed you a glimpse of heaven, I’ve saved you from the noise in your own head, and, amongst other things, I’m teaching you grammar right now.” God glanced over at Sam, lowering his voice and raising his eyebrows, “Think of me as the verb within you Sam; I’m an active doer in your life” God laughed once more, his eyes held Sam; embracing him passionately and, defying the walls around them that tried so hard to hide Sam’s faults and failings, spoke with all honesty into his spirit: “It’s ok to be weak Sam; there’s no need to hide or fear, just walk with me; trust me, my grace is sufficient.” Sam was captivated. He was looking into the eyes of God, and the only thing he saw was pure acceptance. Pure, unrestrained acceptance. (Continue reading)
What Does God Want?
Pastor Moses is always talking with God about what he wants to do for God or what he wants God to do for him… this is the first time he actually stopped to ask what God wants…. God’s answer seems to have shocked Pastor Moses - after all, surely God has a wish list longer than his own?!
But what if it’s true? What if we spend our entire lives telling God what we want to do for him, and what we want from him, without realising that God simply wants us? What if God’s way of relating with us is so much simplier than our complicated, million things to do and want, way of relating with God? Pastor Moses, look! God is with you!
What Ministry Are We Impressed By?
John just read Hebrews 8:6 this morning and it filled him with joy:
“But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.”
John wanted to talk about the greatness of Jesus and the power of His eternal ministry with his pastor, so that they could rejoice together about Jesus’ ministry. Pastor Moses however, seemed to be far more impressed with his own ministry. Not just any minsitry; it’s the one that has the whole church world’s attention: The super duper, apostolic, five-fold kind!
The message of grace!
When we study the scriptures it’s very interesting to find the Apostles’ starting point for their message was never with Adam. They didn’t start their letters or gospels talking about how Adam sinned and as a result we are all now sinners. They never followed the logic that if unbelievers can see the sin in themselves, they will then repent and be saved. They didn’t seem to take this approach at all when sharing about God. It seems that the Apostles were far more captivated by the glory of Jesus than the sin of Adam.
The Apostle John is the author of the gospel of John. In his gospel, he actually tells his readers that he has written the gospel in the hope that they would believe in Jesus and be saved.
Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:30-31
John had a heart to write a gospel that would get his readers to become believers. With this purpose in mind it’s interesting to look at how John starts his gospel. Did he start his gospel by revealing to the reader that they are a sinner? Did he start by discussing the sin of Adam? No he didn’t, instead John starts his Gospel by establishing three eternal truths:
- Jesus was with God before the world began, and through Jesus all things were created.
- Jesus is glorious, and we can see his glory.
- Jesus gave us grace.
God’s eternal plan was to give us grace and this eternal plan was purposed in Christ. In all the writings of the Apostles you can find these three eternal truths continually taught.
The account of Adam is a message of disgrace.The truth is that telling non-believers about disgrace will only push then further away from God; We need to learn from the Apostle John and start by telling them about God’s eternal truth, Jesus gave us grace!
It is not the message of disgrace that is anointed by the Holy Spirit; it is the message of grace! Pointing people to the sin of Adam will get nobody saved because they will simply follow in the footsteps of Adam and shift the blame anyway! Let’s learn a lesson from the Garden of Eden. What happened when Adam and Eve were confronted by God for their disobedience.
And God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said “The woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said “The serpent deceived me, and I ate”. Genesis 3:11-13
Did Adam and Eve suddenly get a revelation and repent because their sinful nature was pointed out to them? Not at all! On the contrary, Adam blamed God as well as Eve, and Eve blamed the devil. They had an attitude that basically said ‘I’m not to be blamed, it’s not my fault!’
When a Christian today tries to point out an unbeliever’s sinful lifestyle, they only achieve the same sad results. If their sinful nature is pointed out, they simply shift the blame onto God, someone else or the devil!
We all want to see people to come to know God, for this to happen let’s all remember we shouldn’t be pointing out their disgrace, but rather pointing them to the grace of God!
