Author Archives: steve.nation - Page 2

Pray for revival – in your own local church

Posted by on March 28, 2012 No comments

Continuing our theme of big prayers to our big God, here are some prayers that I’ve found really helpful to pray. We’d love if you could pray them for our church.

Pray that God’s people in your church will feel an overwhelming sense of the need for revival. Pray that they will have a deep consciousness of the majesty, power, holiness and greatness of God.

Pray that they will have an intense realisation of the sin tolerated in their lives and turn to God in repentance and dedication.

Pray that ordinary Christians like us will enjoy closeness with God, spending time with God in His Bible, and stirred to earnest prayer.

Pray for an authentic outpouring of the Holy Spirit on your own church, so that people will speak the gospel boldly (Acts 4:31).

Pray that the lives of Christians in your church will be holy and loving, characterised by a concern for those living and dying without Christ and without hope.

Pray that our Christian faith will affect our lives more deeply, that our faith and love for God will be more dominant in every aspect of our lives, when we meet together and throughout the week.

Pray that people will look for, and use, opportunities to tell others about our wonderful Saviour and what He has done for us, thereby obeying His order that we should be His witnesses (Acts 1:8).

Pray that those who plan activities in your church will value people more than programs, and will encourage activities designed to spread the gospel and to will the lost for Him.

Pray that we will build bridges to those outside Christ’s kingdom so that they will respect us and understand when they hear the Good News about Jesus.

Source: Bill Price, Enriching Your Prayer Life, p.84

Pray for Brisbane

Posted by on March 27, 2012 No comments

As part of our desire to pray big prayers to our big God, we’re going to hold a “Pray for Brisbane” gathering.

We’ll be praying for our friends, family, workmates and uni-mates, our neighbours, our city, and all the churches in our area. We’ll be asking God to pour out His life-giving Spirit, to give life to the spiritually dead through the gospel, to build His church, bless the least and the lost, and grow His people in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus.

As the poster says, it’ll be on April 13, 7:30pm at Keiyeng and my place. Let us know if you can come by leaving a comment below.

The Passover in Colour

Posted by on March 27, 2012 No comments

Last week in our Community Groups, we studied the Passover (Exodus 12). The first question in the study was to draw the Passover scene (verses 1-28) in colour. Below is one group’s depiction. I think it’s a cracker.

In the sermon on Exodus 12 on Sunday, I finished with the following: Death will come to everyone. But God graciously provides a substitute who bears our guilt; a substitute that is forsaken so we will never be. We see this in:

  • Isaac who was to die, but a lamb sacrificed in his place (Genesis 22)
  • The nation of Israel who were to be judged, but a lamb was given for the sins of the nation on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16)
  • The world is under the curse of sin, but God gave a lamb for the world – Jesus (the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world). In John 19, we are told that Jesus died at the very hour Passover lambs were being sacrificed. He was perfect, innocent, without blemish. Not one of His bones was broken. This was done so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

At Israel’s worst, God gave a lamb. At the world’s worst, God gave His Son. Jesus is our:

  1. Christus Victor (Christ the Victor): defeating our greatest enemies: sin, death (the death defeating resurrection), hell, Satan (Colossians 2:15)
  2. Propitiation: absorbing God’s righteous anger at our sin (Romans 3:25)
  3. Expiation: cleansing us from sin (1 Corinthians 6:11)
  4. Redemption: buying us back from sin and slavery (Ephesians 1:7)
  5. Reconciliation: making enemies friends (Romans 5:11)

Because of the Passover in Exodus 12, God’s people could enjoy their freedom. From oppressed, poverty stricken bunch of slaves – to freedom and fullness of life. This is our story too.

Galatians 5:1 gives a helpful application to Christians – For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Big prayers to our big God

Posted by on March 27, 2012 No comments

On Saturday, Keiyeng gave a seminar (three times over) at the Be Trained women’s conference. The seminar was on big prayers to our big God. Over the last few months, Keiyeng and I have been convicted of the need to pray big prayers. Habakkuk 3:2 has been a pivotal verse for this:

O Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.

Habakkuk’s prayer was a call to renew God’s great work of redemption and renewal in a sleepy, slack and sinful people. I often feel sleepy, slack and sinful. I need reviving. God through Habakkuk 3:2 calls us to pray for revival. J.I. Packer defines revival as:

“A work of God by His Spirit through His Word bringing the spiritually dead to living faith in Christ, and renewing the inner life of Christians who have grown slack and sleepy”. (A Quest for Godliness, p.36)

After being in pastoral ministry for 7 years, I have come to know the truth of the following Bible verses:

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain (Psalm 127:1)

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. (1 Corinthians 3:5-7)

Salvation is a work of God’s grace, regenerating the spiritually dead (John 3, Eph 2:4-5). It is God who builds His church (Ps 127:1, Matt 16;18). It is God who grows His people (1 Cor 3). We plant (share the gospel) and water (speak the truth in love), but it’s God alone who brings the growth. So I will be praying, and encourage you, to ask God to:

  • Pour out His Spirit on people in St Lucia, Brisbane and beyond
  • Brig repentance and faith in Jesus
  • Build His church
  • Grow His people in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18)

Not because I want the excitement or experience a spiritual high. Not because I despise slow growth and the everyday, ordinary experiences of the church. Not because I think I can twist God’s arm into doing something bigger or better than what He’s doing now. But because Jesus is seeking and saving the lost (Luke 19:10). He is building His church. He is sovereign, and calls us to pray without ceasing. And because God deserves to be glorified and magnified among all people.

 

A most remarkable puzzle

Posted by on March 14, 2012 Comments Off

Yesterday, my Dad asked me how well I know the names of the Books of the Bible. I said that I think I know them pretty well. So he passed me a piece of paper with the below puzzle. I found it an interesting exercise – the challenge is to find the names of 25 books of the Bible in the paragraph. I know some found all 25. I got 21. Have a go yourself, and comment how many you find.

This is a most remarkable puzzle. Someone found it in the seat pocket on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping himself occupied for hours. One man from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Roy Clark studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Victs mentioned it in her column once. One woman judges the job to be so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help calm her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot . . . that’s a fact. Some people will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. The truth is, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or scholar to see some of them at the worst. Something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have. Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation may help, books like! Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. And punctuation or spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete. Remember, there are 25 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph.

Author Unknown.

 

 

Just as I am

Posted by on March 8, 2012 Comments Off

I’ve been feeling sick again this week with some form of virus, and agree with Amy Carmichael (a missionary to Japan, Sri Lanka and India). After being confined to bed for a time, she said: “what asses bodies are!” When sickness comes, it’s so easy to become frustrated, complain and moan. I do this (to my shame).

But God’s been teaching me that sickness is also a good time to have our false priorities, pride and self-sufficiency swept away. Below is a short video of the life of Charlotte Elliott – which shows so vividly the power of God at work to bring hope out of hopelessness, peace out of despair.

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Hath broken every barrier down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Charlotte Elliott (1835)

KGK Japan

Posted by on February 29, 2012 Comments Off

Last month, a number of 5:17ers went to a church service to send Dene and Rachel, Elliot and Simeon Hughes off to Japan. As a church, we’ve committed to pray for, care and financially provide for the Hughes as they serve university students in Japan. The ministry they are serving with is called KGK.

We’ve been sent a link to a great vimeo from one of their Staff, Shige Oshima takling about KGK ministries. Here’s the vimeo. It’s encouraging. So have a view, and then remember to pray for the Hughes and the ministry of KGK.

Shige Oshima: KGK staff worker in Japan from CMS NSW & ACT on Vimeo.

 

Shige Oshima: KGK staff worker in Japan from CMS NSW & ACT on Vimeo.

What should Christians be doing / thinking in this political crisis?

Posted by on February 24, 2012 Comments Off

A few minutes ago, I read through the headlines at brisbanetimes.com.au. Here’s a few of them:

  • The gloves are off as the tussle for the top begins
  • Gillard’s plan to crush Rudd
  • Ministers line up to pour on the venom

It’s quite a time in Australian politics with the current leadership crisis. Many people are sharing their views on the Gillard versus Rudd issue – taking sides, and the accompanying abuse, distrust, accusation and slander. It has gotten pretty nasty. As I’ve been watching / reading about this, I’ve thought: what should we think as Christians about what is happening? What should we be doing as Christians?

I don’t have all the answers. But in thinking about these questions, my mind immediately went to God’s message to us in 1 Peter 2:13-17

13  Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16  Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17  Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

The above verses came to my mind because last year, Winston and I met regularly to catch up, pray and read through 1 Peter together.  When we got to the above verses, I was rebuked. The reason being: I am like many Australians – quick to find fault with our leaders, explaining away any good things the government does, always being negative, and even stooping so low as to make fun of our Prime Minister’s accent. Yes, in all honesty, I do disagree with a number of the government’s policies. And I think this is OK  - especially when I feel they contradict the Bible’s teachings. But that night at Winston’s place, God spoke through 1 Peter 2 and told me that I am to honour my leaders. And I need to repent of my mentality towards them.

Honouring my leaders means that I’m not to tell jokes about them; I’m not to enjoy seeing them make policy mistakes (which might hurt Australians), just because I want to see the government fall. I’m to speak kindly about them, even when I disagree. I’m to be thankful that I have a say in government affairs through my local member of parliament, and can make my voice heard there and with my vote in the next election. I can also pray to the Sovereign God, asking Him to be at work to bring wisdom, justice and mercy in and through the leaders of our country.

Just to reiterate His message in 1 Peter 2, God says a very similar thing to us in Romans 13:

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7  Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

God has taught me some hard but good lessons about honouring our leaders. In the time of this Australian Government leadership crisis, it is my prayer that you might do the same - giving respect to whom respect is owed, honour to whom honour is owed, as an act of obedience to our good God who rules over all.

The R.E.A.P. Bible reading method

Posted by on February 23, 2012 Comments Off

At the Ignite Training Conference last month, one of the speakers introduced us to the R.E.A.P. method of Bible reading. It struck a cord with a number of us, so I thought I’d share it here.

R.E.A.P. stands for Read, Examine, Apply, Pray. The R.E.A.P. method is from a sermon by Pastor Matt Carter from the Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, Texas. You can find the original document here (the below is a slightly edited copy).

READ
Read the passages with an open heart, asking the Holy Spirit to give you words of encouragement, direction, and correction (2 Timothy 3:16). Underline the verses that seem important and that God is
using to speak to you.

EXAMINE
Spend some time reflecting and writing about what you’ve read. Write down one or two of the key
verses that stuck out to you.

APPLY
After examining the passage, apply the text to your own life. Ask yourself these questions:

  1. What is God’s word for me from the key verses I’ve written down?
  2. How will I live differently and be different today because of what I just read?
  3. What are the things in my life that need to change in light of this truth?

PRAY
Pray through the passage and your application, asking God to change your heart and to change your life,
based on the time you’ve spent in God’s Word.

Here’s an example of using the REAP method to read and study your Bible:

READ
1 Kings 8–9

EXAMINE

Key verse: “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27 ESV)

Solomon builds the template and brings the ark of the covenant into the holy of holies, but he realizes that God cannot be contained by a house made with human hands.

APPLY
I will not treat God as if He’s only present in a church building on Sundays. Rather, I will acknowledge that He is everywhere and seek to acknowledge and live in light of His presence wherever I go, whatever I am doing.

PRAY
God, forgive me for believing that you are smaller than you really are.
Give me faith today, and help me to believe that you are truly everywhere I go.

The above R.E.A.P. method can take anywhere between 5 minutes and 20 minutes. The benefit of it is the quality of Bible reading you will do – understanding the passage, applying it each day, and asking God for strength to live it out. So, grab your Bible, grab a notebook, grab a good Bible reading plan (here’s the one I highlighted last Sunday at church), and get REAPING the benefits.

An Honest Look at Life

Posted by on February 19, 2012 Comments Off

For all our city workers:

A man peeks up over piles of paperwork

When was the last time you had an honest look at life? Sometimes the sheer busyness of life stops us from stepping back to reflect on our lives and where they are going.

Why not join us as we step off the treadmill for a moment with three opportunities for an honest look at life.

Tuesday 6th March – “Ground hog day.”

Wednesday 7th March – “Why is there never quite enough money?”

Thursday 8th March – “The level playing field and why we’ll all be under it.”

Time: 12:30-1:15pm

Venue: Premier Room, Berkley’s on Ann, Corner of Edward and Ann St, Brisbane CBD

Speaker: Al Stewart

There is no cost for this event. Our speaker Alan Stewart will give a presentation exploring ideas the book of Ecclesiastes from the Bible. Why the book of Ecclesiastes? It is like the minority report of the Bible. It takes a long hard look at life and asks the bigger questions. There will be an opportunity for discussion and comments.

Register your interest here and we’ll send you a reminder email the week before and on the days of the series.