Defining Love

I am convicted by current culture's posturing around "redefining" love. I felt the Lord minister to my heart that the definition of love was the embodiment of Jesus Christ. Only through him is love fully revealed.

That means our cultural perceptions of what love truly was, weren't correct in 1 AD, nor in 1800s, nor in 1995, nor are they correct in 2017. Nothing about worldly cultural change will bring a greater revelation of perfect love. They simply cannot if they are not fully consumed and aligned with the character of Jesus Christ.

I do think as believers our hearts need to be yield to his Spirit and his Truth/Word. I think that is how we position ourselves to yield to receive the revelation of his love in today's culture. I think that is the only way we are able to release a measure of the fullness of his just and perfect love. I strongly am convicted that as I am able to yield to him in this way, that the cultural surroundings I find myself within, will start to receive a measure of that perfect love - not because of who I am, but because of Christ who lives in me. I think as I gaze at Him, at the wondrous cross, at His character, His beauty, His majesty, and fall deeply in love, do I think that love would be expressed more wholesomely in me, and be released more completely in my life to others.

Love will only start with Jesus, coming to save the world, not to save himself, the suffering servant, the father who gave his only son... That is where true love originates, and that is the only true definition of love.

I do realize there is much more here to this, than I fully comprehend, but I wanted to capture what I felt the Lord speaking to my heart. Thank God for grace, but also for increase - I ask for more!

Dear reader, I bless you in Jesus name, to receive a greater understanding of God's perfect love, and with that a greater measure of his love which would be poured into you, so you would be become a river of life flowing out into the world.




On a related but separate note, I don't think we'll ever have a full revelation of love until we meet Jesus at the end of the age, and even then, I guess it may take eternity to understand a perfect and loving and infinite God. But that is something for another day...

Trust in the LORD

I have am challenged by the Lord whether I truly trust him. Searching my heart, I think there are areas where I honestly don't, especially areas where I can tend to be very controlling. God in his wisdom has continued to talk to me about those areas where I seek to control, and cannot surrender - and those areas I haven't, the enemy has been able to infiltrate and create fear (e.g. my fear of flying, which is rooted in my lack of ability to control the plane - crazy, yeah I know). I feel too often I have put my hope in my strength and not his - and almost every time I have done that, I end up failing myself. So I am learning to surrender, to be at peace when I cannot control, knowing that God in his goodness and faithfulness is able to carry me through those situations.

Psalm 37:1-11 (New International Version)

 1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
   or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
   like green plants they will soon die away.

 3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
   dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the LORD,
   and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 5 Commit your way to the LORD;
   trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
   your vindication like the noonday sun.

 7 Be still before the LORD
   and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
   when they carry out their wicked schemes.

 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
   do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,
   but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

 10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
   though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
   and enjoy peace and prosperity.

Open Arms

As I step back into the Lord's presence, it is so awesome to be welcomed in... My Father in heaven is there with his arms open, hunched over, waiting expectantly... Ready to pull me into a deep embrace... all by his grace, I am able to enter freely... able to step in without measuring up to a set requirement or meeting a pre-condition.

Luke 1:78-79

Because of and through the heart of tender mercy and loving-kindness of our God, a Light from on high will dawn upon us and visit [us]. To shine upon and give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to direct and guide our feet in a straight line into the way of peace.

Unfailing Love

Wow, it is good to be back in my blog... It has been a struggle, and I felt the Lord just nudge me today, to get it going again... So here we go!

Pastor Norm shared this morning, in a very vulnerable and genuine sermon, spoken from his heart - however I don't feel like I need to go into that, as it wouldn't help or bless anyone reading that, however I do just want to recognise it, and honour his humility and vulnerability. I know I to often can hide & cover my wrongs, and it is great to be in a place where we can be honest with ourselves, and with those around us - that is what the Lord desires! But that is seperate discussion for a different day...

He spoke on the unfailing love we have been given by God, and ultimately the response-ability we have to be those who love in that way.

The point which really hit home for was, "Why so often do we measure success by what we have accomplished, versus how have we loved?". It brought me back to my hearts cry when I created this blog, which can be seen in the name of the blog, which was to be somebody who was to compelled by love. I can only love if I have been loved - as I can only give from what I have received. So the Lord has been, and continues to take me on a journey of his love, and through that I know that as he continues to extrangantly shower his love over me, I will be to freely love those around me. Loving not out of duty, but of joy and excitement, being so captivated and overwhelmed by what he has given, and desiring for all to share in that.

So dear reader, know that he loves you, passionately, without hinderance... YOU ARE GREATLY LOVED!





Lamentations 3 [The Message]

 19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
   the bitterness and the gall.
20 I well remember them,
   and my soul is downcast within me.
21 Yet this I call to mind
   and therefore I have hope:

 22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
   for his compassions never fail. 
23 They are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness. 
24 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; 
   therefore I will wait for him.”

 25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
   to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
   for the salvation of the LORD.
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke
   while he is young.

 28 Let him sit alone in silence,
   for the LORD has laid it on him.
29 Let him bury his face in the dust—
   there may yet be hope.
30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
   and let him be filled with disgrace.

 31 For no one is cast off
   by the Lord forever.
32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
   so great is his unfailing love. 
33 For he does not willingly bring affliction 
   or grief to anyone.

My Father's Eyes

On father's day, our pastor spoke about the prodigal Father. The word prodigal means lavish, extravagant, abundant and excessive. In Luke 15 we see a Father who is lavishes his love on his son. The power to become all God intends comes from looking into Fathers eyes - all can know the lavish love that comes from knowing the eyes of our heavenly Father. When we see Fathers eyes, we are enabled and empowered to  love unconditionally, trust undoubtedly, serve untiringly and proceed unhesitatingly.

I felt such a strong connection with what he spoke of, as I remember so often when I looked into my father's eyes I saw that genuine love and compassion. I saw his joy and delight in me - and in that I found security and stability that cannot be matched by earthly things. From a young age, I felt enabled to do things - to love those around me, to give and to serve, to trust... all because he first had chosen to love me.


During the sermon he played Eric Clapton - My Father's Eyes.

Sailing down behind the sun, 
Waiting for my prince to come. 
Praying for the healing rain 
To restore my soul again. 

Just a toe rag on the run. 
How did I get here? 
What have I done? 
When will all my hopes arise? 
How will I know him? 
When I look in my father's eyes. 
My father's eyes. 
When I look in my father's eyes. 
My father's eyes. 

Then the light begins to shine 
And I hear those ancient lullabies. 
And as I watch this seedling grow, 
Feel my heart start to overflow. 

Where do I find the words to say? 
How do I teach him? 
What do we play? 
Bit by bit, I've realized 
That's when I need them, 
That's when I need my father's eyes. 
My father's eyes. 
That's when I need my father's eyes. 
My father's eyes. 

Then the jagged edge appears 
Through the distant clouds of tears. 
I'm like a bridge that was washed away; 
My foundations were made of clay. 

As my soul slides down to die. 
How could I lose him? 
What did I try? 
Bit by bit, I've realized 
That he was here with me; 
I looked into my father's eyes. 
My father's eyes. 
I looked into my father's eyes. 
My father's eyes. 

My father's eyes. 
My father's eyes. 
I looked into my father's eyes. 
My father's eyes.

Fix our thoughts on Jesus

Hebrews 3:1-2
 ¹ Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. ² He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.

Fix your eyes/thoughts on Jesus. Those who fix their thoughts on Jesus see through Jesus eyes, those which fix their eyes on Jesus get the mind of Christ - we become what we behold. Fixing our thoughts, brings healing, and restoration of our sight. To fix our thoughts on Jesus is to order our lives by the obedient submission to Gods word.

The enemy attacks us subtly - sin easily begins with a sympathetic thought toward evil. The challenge is that we have an 'express yourself' culture, in a 'deny yourself' kingdom. We need to be active in our thoughts, to turn toward Jesus. We need to be humble with our feelings, until they are filtered and validate through the word of God.

Norm Willis, 14 April 2013

Faith & Doubt

Marcy Willis - 28 Apr

> Faith works by love - love for God and for people. God wants to take away doubt and unbelief.
> Root of doubt is dubious - distrust, fluctuation of mind. Doubts are built into our misunderstanding.
> Did we miss the point on fearing the Lord, sacrificing? Did we take only what God says as fact, and the contrary experience as false?
> Peter sunk because he took my eyes off me, because he doubted me and my call. Not because it was his time to sink, or it was part of his perfect plan.
> Matthew 21:22-23... do not doubt. James :
   1. Faith in his willingness, restoring, bringing out of bondage, making us into his likeness
   2. Doubting will prevent receiving.
   3. Doubting person is double minded and unstable... Being willing to identify and resolve doubts overshadowing and destabilizing and making us double minded.

Doubts caused by:
    Pain of the heart. If we do not process a wounding or tear biblically, it allows a daemonic entry, it justifies our right to hold onto the pain... Subconsciously hold against the Lord. Calcification of soul through hardness of heart. Antidote. proverbs 16:6 - mercy and true love, fidelity to God and man.
    Judgement. Be merciful and forgive. We do not understand context, our reactions are based on judgement not reality, and that is what causes us pain. Discernment comes out of love - Phillips 1:9 humility and mercy, Matthew 18:32 forgive from you heart.
    Unclear conscience. Keep his commandments, believe in him and love one another. If we do not have clear conscience, we won't be able to believe him. 1 Timothy 3:9 , 1:19

Trial of Identity, and Guarantee in Resurrection

These two sermons spoke powerfully to me, both the context of Jesus's trial, judgement (and how that is even applicable in today's culture), but also the power and hope released by the cross and resurrection


Truth and Deception in the Trial of Identity

• Everybody had a faulty notion of power (i.e. Hierarchial rule), versus Jesus view (Sacrifical, 'The last shall be first' etc)
• Jesus's claim to be a King challenged the power of the day : (1) political power of Rome, (2) religious power of Pharisees and (3) self centred power of the people. Jesus's admittance of who he was, was the evidence required to call him guilty, as only Rome had the legal ability to establish a King. There was a system of deception to maintain the status quo of power.
• Crucifixion was for terrorist, to distort their identity and to dishonour them.
• Ignorance was a conscious decision of the people. Ignorance avert's the heart from accessing the truth. 'Envy is the opposite of a coin called Vanity' - it comes from pride, in ourselves and our traditions. What of the world system do we allow to enter our heart? That which eliminates Jesus's authority and jurisdiction in our lives? Ignorance is turning away consciously - so the antithesus is turn fully towards Jesus.
• We all stand guilty participants in sending him to death - the cross was done by us. However our joining in his death, means that we can join with him in new life. It was not only our sin that sent him, but it was a Father's love.

The Authority of the Cross and the Guarantee of Resurrection

Acts 2:22-28 [NIV]   

 ²² “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. ²³ This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. ²⁴ But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. ²⁵ David said about him: “‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. ²⁶ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, ²⁷ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay. ²⁸ You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.

• The cross without the resurrection is authority without accomplishment. The resurrection without the cross is accomplishment without guarantee.
• The immediate relevancy of the resurrection turns obstacles into opportunities, devastation into restoration and certain death into resurrection life. When we are the prison of impossibility, there is hope in light of the resurrection. The resurrection did not erase the word 'hopeless', it just erased it's application.
• Though hope abides, if it is not applied it is of no affect. Hope gets us access into the account, and prayer enables to draw out of that account.

1 Peter 1:3 [NIV]    Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

• Resurrection is our hope - death is no longer something we fear.
• Resurrection is hope that God will balance the scales of justice

Forgiveness

Having recently finished watching the latest season on "The Biggest Loser", I was struck by the fact that one of the trainers (Jillian Michaels) talked one of the contestants through forgiveness, purely because she knew it has holding her back, that it had trapped her in her situation (which had then also resulted in her bad eating habits)... she pointed out that she (the contestant) needed to forgive the person because it was good for herself, it was what was needed to release her from the emotional baggage, which was resulting in her unhealthy lifestyle.

How come the world knows how good and healthy forgiveness is? Yet we struggle so much with it... If you google forgiveness, you will be surprised that the most of the initial articles are medical related... how forgiveness is physically good for you...

So am I going to consciously look to forgive thus that upset, offend, or even maliciously hurt me? Knowing ultimately that forgiveness is good medicine for my soul and body?



Below are a few points from a great preach earlier this month at our church.

1. What is forgiveness?
   To excuse for a fault or offence. To grant relief for payment of. A conscious or deliberate effort to release feelings of resentment.
   
2. Why forgive?
   Things happen in life which cause offence. We can chose to forgive or withhold forgiveness. However someone once said "Unforgiveness is us taking poison and expecting somebody else to die."
   
3. What does forgiveness do?
   (1) frees both parties, (2) restores relationships with others, (3) releases grace to be active, (4) restores relationship with the Lord, (5) better physical health.
   
4. What did Jesus say about forgiveness?
   Jesus on the cross: "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do." Matthew 6:14-15 : For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
   
5. How to forgive
   (1) choose to release - act of the will, can function regardless of the temperature of your heart (Corrie Tenboom). (2) forgive immediately and without anger. (3) with a heart towards restoration. (4) completely as our Father forgives us - psalm 103:12.

Restaurant Stakeout

So I was watching Restaurant Stakeout the other night. What was so interesting about the show is not just how the people acted when they did not know they were on camera, but beyond that how they responded when they were confronted about it. Many did initially deny what had been shown on the camera, but most did agree that their behaviour - which they were being challenged about - was wrong.

God spoke to me and asked me if I ever thought about the fact that he was there in the room with me. Of course if I consciously saw him before me, I would act differently.

This did take me back to a testimony I heard from Jack Hayford, where somebody asked why it seemed like he lived a life so cognisant of the Lord, but also with absolute humility. He responded saying that when he was growing up and his mother had to discipline him, she would ask him to respond to her as if Jesus was sitting there in the room with them. Therefore he grew up with a consciousness and a reverence of the Lord's presence where ever he was.

Do I have that consciousness and reverence?

Preach: Significant Measure, Norm Willis, 3-Mar

Following a great and inspiring conversation with a friend this morning, I was just reflecting on a preach I heard from Norm Willis about success vs. significance, essentially boiling down to the heart of giving or receiving. Below are the key sermon points, but what stood out to me was the point on that "giving is man's limited measure overcome by God's unlimited promise" which I took to mean that when we give something which is finite and limited, God can partner with that intention, that action, and increase it beyond which we could. This is both because God is unlimited and very generous, but also because he desires to have a relationship with us, to partner with us. Do I always approach my giving (not even just financial, but any sacrifice), as a partnership with the Lord, and recognise the power of giving... not sure.

- Luke 6:38
- Let God focus on the goal, and we are to invest in the needs
- The pathway to significance is found in the capacity to care for others.
- Mark 4:24. By your standard of measure, it will be measured. By the measure you sow, same measure it will be reaped.
- Love is a measured attribute, determined by investment in God and others
- What is our orientation, towards success vs. significance ... Are we focused on our own goals vs. somebody else's? If we sacrifice and help others reach their goals, God will provide and help you reach yours.
- Giving is man's limited measure overcome by God's unlimited promise.
- Martin Luther King "life's most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others."
- The quickest way to become rich is to give your life to enrich others.
- Are we living to give?

Preach : Embers & Ashes : 17-Feb

We had a pastor visit us at CCK today - he was from Switzerland (but spoke incredible English, with only a slight German accent). He started off sharing about a senior catholic pastor in Switzerland who had recently written a book about embers and ashes - that as a church, they (and other churches) may have become to focused on the ashes produced by the fire, and lost focus on the embers, on the fire.

Leviticus 6:8-13 (NIV) - The Burnt Offering

8 The Lord said to Moses: 9 “Give Aaron and his sons this command: ‘These are the regulations for the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar. 10 The priest shall then put on his linen clothes, with linen undergarments next to his body, and shall remove the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed on the altar and place them beside the altar. 11 Then he is to take off these clothes and put on others, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean. 12 The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. 13 The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.

1) The fire needs to keep on burning. A critical point drilled in by the fact that it is stated multiple times in the text.
2) Fire falls on sacrifice - sacrifice is dead flesh. Are we willing to let our flesh die, to sacrifice that at God's altar? Ultimately God is a consuming fire, and whilst we recognise his grace and love falling on our lives, we also need to recognise that his fire will also burn all that which is not important - are we open to that happening?
3) You cannot have continuous fire like without producing ashes - ashes are not bad, and should be treated with the due respect (the priest needed to change clothes for this, and place the ashes in a special place). However need to recognise the ashes are not the focus - they are not holy, the fire/sacrifice is holy, so the ashes were holy, but no more.
4) Do we recognise where we have lost focus - where we have become to focused on the ashes, on the rituals or other human creations, which were born out of something good, but are no longer good themselves.
5) "A third of my theology is wrong, but I am not sure which part it is" - NT Wright. Scripture can create ashes through own misinterpretation - are we open to being told by God, area's where our interpretation is wrong?

Choice or Feeling

I was at the School of Generosity (at City Church) today, and during the Q&A session somebody asked this lady who had difficulties with her father, how she had dealt with it. The way she summarised was that too often we try to feel our way into a choice, but rather we should choose a way into a feeling. Her point was that she had to chose to forgive her father for his failings (as all earthly fathers will fail), which might not have come naturally, or maybe wasn't what she wanted, but it was the choice she had to make. I felt it was a powerful and simple point about choosing how we feel, and not being a victim in our circumstances.

So how do I choose to feel today? How do I chose to respond to my wife? How do I chose to engage with people at my business? It is my choice, no one is control of me...

For interest, this lady has a blog - http://www.heartdoctorblog.com/ - go check it out.

Preach : Judah Smith : Heaven - Keep it Clear : 3-Feb

I was thinking back to Judah Smith's preach a few Sundays ago.

The church has been going through a series on heaven. The main message was how do we keep a perspective in our lives as to who and what is important. This was brought out buy Judah referring to the book of Revelation, where it talks about how so much of the city is made of gold, yet the gold itself is clear - allowing the light & glory of Christ to come into any structure or thing.

The point is do we live lives where we maintain that focus & purity, allowing God's good and powerful light to shine in us and through us. Do we keep that focus on Jesus, not allowing ourselves to shift our focus onto other aspects of our lives or the world.
I just recognised that I face distractions everyday (as everyone does), but am I able to keep shifting my focus  away from that distraction and look to Jesus - for inspiration, for direction, for security, for affirmation... but even more so am I able to look at him and enjoy him?

That might take us onto a separate point, so I'll stop here for now.

==========
Key sermon points:- John 3:13
- Luke 11:1-4
- Revelation 21:1-2,9-11,18-23 and 22:1
- Gold is not wrong, but keep it clear... our possessions should not possess us.
- Matthew 6:19-23 ... Do not store wealth up on earth. Keep your eye good (single / clear), so your body will be full if light, not bad (chaotic / unfocused).
- If your eye is clear and singularly focused on Jesus, your whole being will radiate with His light.
- Matthew 6:33
- Romans 5:17
- Galatians 5:22-23. Fruit of the Spirit - not fruit of ours but His.

School of Generosity #4

Day 4 of the course, I wanted to capture what JoAnne Ramos said in her session, which spoke to me deeply. She is an amazing speaker, and God has done an amazing work in her life, and I just want to honour her by this.

She was talking about how Kingdom Culture is created and established, specifically in 3 ways:

• What we believe about: God (Psalm 145:16), Yourself (Proverbs 23:7), Your resources.
• What we speak (Matthew 12:34)
• How we live (Matthew 5:16, 1 John 3:18)

She then interjected with these few nuggets:

• When we are in a state of self-pity, locked into a victim mentality, God doesn’t feel sorry for you – in the sense that he knows who he created you to be, and you being a victim is not who he created you to be [side note: please don’t feel like God doesn’t care if we are down and broken, the point is he knows who are.She said that at home they don’t allow any victim mentality, but rather create an environment where people are encouraged and built up.
• When sharing about resources, she said how her son had one day asked her why they didn’t have that much furniture (e.g. not enough sofa’s for everyone to sit on), and she said they didn’t chose to buy them. Her son had thought that they were too poor, whilst JoAnne said it was more how they chose to spend their money – on earthly things with limited lives and value, versus eternal things.I loved that point – it is all a matter of perspective, and choosing how to invest (and also sacrifice for the short term)

Genesis 8:22 (NIV): “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”

Joanne pointed out that of those 4 things (seedtime & harvest, cold & heat, summer & winter, day & night), only 1 part was in our ability to influence – seedtime & harvest.

The forest is in the seed:

• Seed – we have itCorinthians 9:8-10God gives seed, which you can then give away
• Season – the right timeEcclesiastes 3:1
• Soil – where to sowJohn 12:8We sow because we live a God life motivated by his compassion.

At the end of the talk at a Q&A she had a question about giving, and specifically if spouses disagree about how much to give or what to give. She responded by saying if you disagree on something, pray pray pray, and the Lord will reveal to both of you what he wants. However if one partner’s heart isn’t in a specific area (maybe they aren’t saved) then give of something else - it doesn’t need to be just finances, it can be of your time, your skills, your hospitality…

'Jesus Is ___' music project : Jesus Is Loving Barabbas

I was incredibly moved by this track on the 'Jesus Is' album from City Church. Below I have captured what pastor Judah Smith spoke. Read it and let the words minister to your soul, and maybe listen to the track in the background, check it out here on YouTube (and if you like it please purchase it from Amazon, or iTunes, or wherever else). Be blessed!

We see the story of Jesus going to the cross, and everything seems to be hand in hand, and then there is this one character who seems to interrupt the narrative, his name's Barrabas. We don't know much about him, except that he is a murder, a leader of an insurrection, a rebel, and why he is even mentioned sometimes I am not so sure - this is about Jesus on the cross.

So in this moment Pilot thinks 'I hold the destiny's of these two men in my hand' and I know the jews have a tradition that on a holy day I will release one of the prisoners on death row. Pilot stands on this audacious stage, who now presents Jesus, son of the living God, versus Barabbas the thug and rebel. He says 'Alright, who do you want?' This is blasphemy, this has gone to far, there is no comparison. This is a rightful prisoner, a man who should be on death row, he is a rebel against Rome, he leads a rebellion, he murders people, he is a bad man a thug and a crook - he deserves the chains and he deserves the crucifixion. Jesus, what has he done, but heal, restore, deliver, set free, open blind eyes, open deaf ears, heal the lame and the leper. What has Jesus done? 'Who do you want?' 'We want Barabbas. Yeah, give us Barabbas.'

The roman soldiers come up, and they unlock Barabbas from his chains and shackles, and he walks down the platform, welcomed by all his thug friends 'Yeah, the people love me, yeah, that's right, I don't know who this Jesus guy is, but all I know is that my people love me.' There seems to be no conscience of Barabbas, there is no record of him turning to Jesus and saying 'I owe you everything now, for you have set me free.' No, I don't see any of that in Barabbas.

And God knew that. Jesus stood there silent, for he knew the will of the Father, he said 'It's fine Father, let them have Barabbas', for Jesus knew that the father would have to treat Jesus like Barabbas, so he could treat Barabbas like Jesus. Barabbas thought it was the people that set him free, but no no, it was the love of the heavenly Father.

When I look at this story, I realise who Barabbas really is ... that's me, that's you, that's us.
I was reading this the other day and I felt God speak to me.
'I love Barabbas, I love him'
'But God, he is a bad man!'
'I love him, and I wanted him to go free.'
'But didn't you know that ... he probably would never acknowledge the free gift-'
'Yeah, but I love Barabbas.'
For while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. God sent his son for Barabbas, even one he knew he would walk away from Jesus and his free gift, and never come back.

He loves him, and the nerve, the audacity of believers to think that I got saved by grace but now that I am in this deep dark place of bondage, I have to work to get myself. What!? That's the opposite of the gospel. Are you bound? Are held under the power of this temptation, this sin, these sexual urges? Do you feel like it is controlling you? What are you going to do? 'I am going to shake myself free'. Stop it! No you won't, you are no match for the powers of hell, for the urges of sin and sexual temptation, you will not overcome and you will never overcome it ... you will just be another statistic. There is no answer within yourself. Your own marriage, your own goodness, your own discipline, your own devotion will not save your marriage and will not save your kids. There is only one, and he is the one who took your place, he is the one who stood silently on the platform with pilot and said 'Yes, let them have Barabbas, take me.'

How many times have I stood on that platform with pilot and Jesus, and I am the Barabbas, and they started to take my chains off.
I say 'No no, I deserve this, I deserve the guilt, I deserve the shame, I deserve the consequence, I deserve it'.
Jesus seems to look at me and say 'No son, let me have it, let me have your sin, let me have your pain'
'No God I did it to myself, I deserve it, my marriage won't make it this is what I deserve, I deserve divorce I deserve poverty, I deserve sickness, I deserve it all.'
No!!!
'God I am so ashamed, but God what if I do it again.'
'I'll still be here.'
'Oh God I don't want to hurt you, I love you, I don't want to do this, I don't want to do this anymore.'
'Give me your sin son.'

This is all we got, this is all I got, this is all you got. We can play games, we can play church games, we can pretend like some people are better than others and that is why they are blessed, or we can come to the honest conclusion that it is God. It is God alone. The greatest challenge is not your discipline, your devotion, your focus. Your greatest challenge is believing the gospel couldn't be that there is a God with a love so scandalous so wide so deep so vast so high so expansive, so welcoming, so inclusive.

'Let me have your sins son.' I give him my sin and I stand in this empty space of forgiveness and acceptance, whilst Jesus walks off to the cross that I deserve. I see him, I see him walking, to the post to be whipped, as I stand a free man, all the attention is turned now, and I feel the love of God saying 'Go Son, live your life, I'll pay the price.' Where did we get off thinking that we were going to set ourselves free? It's still Jesus, it will always be Jesus, it will never stop being the power of Jesus. If his blood is sufficient for your salvation, his blood is sufficient to sustain you through every challenge and every sin and ever temptation, Jesus is enough!

they become who we treat them as

Just a random thought bouncing around in my mind at the moment, so I thought I would distil it down into this blog.

In my relationship with my wife, I have been often challenged in the way I treat her. Sometimes I can be over-bearing, controlling and manipulative, but then (in my limited understanding) I am shocked to see her disempowered and unable to make decisions and to lead in certain areas! Now this is not a large scale change in her character, but it started off with small things. I needed to, and slowly have, realised what a negative affect my reactions where having on my wife, and that I need to stop that.

In a similar way I remember growing up in South Africa, just a few years after we came out of Apartheid, and some white South Africans would remark how they felt that many black South Africans were barbaric and primitive. What I failed to realise at that time, was whilst that might have been true for some, that was largely due to the fact that they were treated in that way for decades... I liken it to the film Planet of the Apes. How can you stop yourself from becoming wild and barbaric, if you are nearly disregarded as a human being.

Our responsibility is to empower those around to grow, to reach their full potential, to become whom God intended them to be...

'Jesus Is ____' music project

Just purchased the album on iTunes - I love it, incredibly powerful. Just hearing the truth of God's word spoken, whilst listening to emotive music... cuts straight into ones soul, and allows the truth to nestle itself in there. Check it out!

School of Generosity #1

On Saturday 12th January I attended the first class of  'School of Generosity' at City Church, Kirkland. Below are a few of the key points I felt hit my mentally and spiritually.

People generally fall into 3 categories:

1. Majority are drifters... not knowing who we are, where we are going - life being becomes survival.
2. Smaller group are go-getters.... work heard, accumulate great wealth, only to realise that they have missed it all
3. Minority actually discover who they are, what their purpose is, and live that out in a life of love, significance and leaves them fully satisfied.

(at this point I was thinking... hmm, I relate with the first 2 categories more than the last 1... but that is what I want)

The speaker went on to do talk about how God promises to be with us, to provide life in abundance  to provide for our daily needs. Deuteronomy 28: 1 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God. (on a side note, I believe that God blesses us beyond purely material blessing - therefore we cannot measure God's goodness by our material blessing - as that is not of eternal significance!)

The second speaker had a few great points:

1. He referenced the quote from the film 'Chariots of Fire', where the main character says "God made me fast, and when I run I feel his pleasure". Stepping into who we are made to be surely must give God great pleasure - just as I guess an earthly parent would feel great satisfaction seeing their child reach their full potential (which could be completely different to their other children!).
2. Do I live as royalty? Living as sons and daughters of Christ the King! Not arrogantly, but humbly, stewarding the blessing, but also being confident in coming to Father as his children.
3. Are we contagiously generous? We give, but ultimately everything we have came from him and is his...   On a personal side note, in Proverbs 19:17 it says "He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD" - and I believe the Lord's interest rates are ridiculous..

So why don't I give to him more? Probably out of fear that he won't give back, that it put me out and cause issues in the future... that is what I now need to work, but I am thankful that he is speaking to me, and giving me peace about it... know that I don't have to worry, as it is all his.

Who do we tell our children they should be?

Recently as I was scanning through a few videos on TED.com, I came across the following talk by Colin Stokes about the messaging of gender roles within films.

http://www.ted.com/talks/colin_stokes_how_movies_teach_manhood.html

Whilst I am not sure about the way he finished the talk, I feel the key message about what roles we seem to be telling our boys and girls is a big challenge. He said that generally the message is that the man needs to be strong, a warrior, and fight, and then take his prize - a beautiful women. The women normally have a support, background role, not carrying anything of significance. I think both are sad, as they do not seem to provide direction as to what significance their lives can play, and how they could go about it - guys don't need to aggressively fight to get the prize, and girls don't need to subject themselves to men's raw desires and wants.

I think for me, whilst I do not have kids yet, it is a challenge for me for the future, as to what will I allow to influence my kids and their thoughts about themselves and their siblings, and even those around... as we are all truly significant.