Tag Archives: Christian living

guilt-free, joy inducing, radical giving

Posted by on November 29, 2011 2 comments

After going to the Mates helping Mates BBQ for the homeless on Sunday, it made me want to do more for the least and the lost. I think 5:17 church has a real heart to love the hurting – which was seen by the generous donations to the Mates helping Mates BBQ. But so that our giving comes from the right place, here is a well-balanced and helpful word from Tim Keller in his book Ministries of Mercy (pp.62-63):

Often books and speakers tell Christians that they should help the needy because they have so much. That is, of course, quite true. Common sense tells us that, if human beings are to live together on the planet, there should be a constant sharing of resources. So when the statistics are brought out to show Americans [or Australians] how much of the world’s resources we use, it creates (rightly) a sense of concern for those with less than ourselves.

But this approach is very limited in its motivating power. Ultimately it produces guilt. It says, “How selfish you are to eat steak and drive two cars when the rest of the world is starving!” This creates great emotional conflicts in the hearts of Christians who hear such arguing. We feel guilty, but all sorts of defense mechanisms are engaged. “Can I help it if I was born in this country? How will it really help anyone if I stop driving two cars? Don’t I have a right to enjoy the fruits of my labour?” Soon, with an anxious weariness, we turn away from books or speakers who simply make us feel guilty about the needy.

The Bible does not use the guilt-producing motivation, yet it powerfully argues for the ministry of mercy. In 2 Corinthians 8:2-3, Paul tells us that the Macedonian Christians gave generously to the Jerusalem famine victims. He notes that “out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity” (v. 2). The Macedonians were not of a higher social class than the needy in Jerusalem. They apparently were going through terrible trials of their own. What, then, was the dynamic that moved them to give? “Their overflowing joy . . . “ (v. 2) and “they gave themselves first to the Lord” (v. 5). It was the Macedonian’s response to the self-emptying Lord. Their gifts were a response, not to a ratio of income levels, but to the gift of Christ!

 

“I will wait for you”

Posted by on August 23, 2011 Comments Off

A great message for Christian girls (and guys) who are seeking a marriage partner

Not sure about the finger clicking though!

HT: TA

Are we at 5:17 church intolerant?

Posted by on July 15, 2011 Comments Off

Tolerance: this must be one of our society’s most valued catch-phrases. It’s thrown around on the TV, in the newspapers, by our friends and at our universities. Tolerance seems to be at the forefront of many political and social discussions. But what does tolerance mean?

Does it mean that if we disagree with someone else, then we’re intolerant? Does it mean that we must accept all people’s opinions and the subsequent outworking of their opinion? If this is what is meant by tolerance, then the world is an intolerant place, and I have to say – so it should be (and so should I be). If we were to accept all people’s views, then we’d have to accept the acts of terrorists who kill innocent people as OK. We’d have to accept the actions of Hitler, and Chairman Mao. But this is not true tolerance. This form of tolerance does not and cannot work. True tolerance, can never accept evil to reign.

The world wants Christians to be tolerant, but we need to figure out what true tolerance is. Reading my 50 year-old Oxford Dictionary, the classic definition of true tolerance is to be able to disagree with another person, but still be able to love/relate to them in a peaceful/positive way.

As Christians, we believe that we have the truth, not because we are special in and of ourselves, but because we believe that God has spoken in His Word, the Bible. If God, the all-knowing God, had never spoken, then we would not know Him, and we would not know truth or have any right to say we have absolute truth. But He has spoken: Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2). We know God, and we know that His message is a message of love and hope (John 3:16). Because of this, our message to the world can never be one of shouting from the rooftops that we’re right and you’re wrong, but instead needs to be a communication of the love of God for His world.

Yes, as Christians, we disagree with other religions; yes we disagree with many of today’s society norms, and yes, we hate the evil atrocities of this world (e.g. 9/11, the Rwanda Genocide). We are not to be blindly intolerant. But we are to be people of love, as our King and Saviour is love (1 John 4:8). It is love that should be seen as our defining characteristic (even amongst our disagreements).

Are you a person of love? Do people see you as a person of love, especially when you disagree with them? Or are you rude or arrogant? This is a good prayer I’ve learnt to pray; maybe you might like to pray it with me: “Lord, help me to be a person who holds fast to your truth, and speaks and lives your truth in love. Amen.”

How words change lives

Posted by on June 23, 2011 3 comments

I’ve been reading through Proverbs 10:11-21 in preparation for this Sunday’s sermon. It’s an amazing passage – so relevant to our lives today, but so tough to live out. You see, it’s all about the power of the spoken word – for good or for harm. Two things that really strike me are: what we say matters to the person who is listening; but equally importantly, how we speak also matters. Here’s the passage. Notice the positive and negative effects of our speech:

Proverbs 10:11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

12Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

13On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.

14The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

17Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.

18The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool.

19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

20The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth.

21The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense.

Here are a few thoughts the passage has brought to my mind:

  • What sorts of things do I speak about – at church, work, home, with friends?
  • Am I conscious of the power of my words – either for people’s good or harm?
  • Do I have adequate self-control in the way I use words? For illustration: in a golf car, there’s what’s called a ‘governor’ – a little device that stops the car from going past (say) 30km/hr. It physically prevents the car from going too fast and thus getting in danger. Do I have an internal ‘governor’ that stops me from saying harmful things in harmful ways? How do I get this? (more on this this Sunday)
  • Am I conscious, not just of what I say, but how I say things? Are my words nullified by immature or unloving actions?
  • What sort of listener am I? Do I listen to and take on correction and guidance, or do I ignore it and keep going in my folly? A few months ago, a friend subtly rebuked me for what was obviously a poor attitude of mine. I heard what he said, and thought he was talking about someone else. Later, Keiyeng said that my friend was obviously talking about me, and that I wasn’t listening properly. SNAP! It took Keiyeng to re-emphasise by poor attitude, but it finally got through my thick skull. And hearing and heeding the (much needed) correction has helped my attitude enormously. If only I am quicker to hear what people are saying to me!

Proverbs is a great book – and as all Scripture does, it leads us to Jesus (Luke 24:27) – who spoke the truth perfectly, and backed it up with His consistently right actions. He took all our sins (word, thought and deed) and nailed them to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14). He gave His people the Holy Spirit, who is making us like Jesus, in our words and deeds (Galatians 5:22-25). As we look at Proverbs, and as we seek to grow in wisdom, we are to be reminded that Jesus is the one who gives us wisdom and righteousness (1 Cor 1:30).

And through the Holy Spirit who inspired the Word of God (the Bible), we are taught to be like Jesus, in “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). To be Christians means to be loving in the way we speak. Speaking the truth (God’s Word) as well as avoiding gossip, lies and rumours etc, in love, is a powerful tool in the hands of God’s children. As Christians, we’re to be people who know God’s truth, who speak God’s truth, who say it in love, and get in on God’s work of transforming the lives of people around us.

So come to 5:17 church on Sunday, as we seek to know these truths more, and grow in our words and actions, to the glory of King Jesus.


 

What’s needed when I’m in need?

Posted by on November 9, 2010 Comments Off

Steve was chatting with his cousin about babies and overnight feeding, because like us, they have a relative newborn eating up their sleep too. Although what W said was actually that though he used to be a very light sleeper, now he sleeps through their bub’s ‘wake-up-mum!’ cries, because he’s back at work and in his words, ‘not sleeping is just not an option’.

The funny thing is that for a mum of course, sleeping through your bub’s cries is just not an option.

In both cases, the common factor is what is most needed. If you need the sleep, your body will shut your ears down to allow you to sleep. And if you need to stay awake despite lack of sleep, your body will somehow keep you going (I believe it’s called ‘adrenalin’!).

It got me thinking more generally about what’s needed when I’m in need. Of course the answer for a Christian, is prayer. Need drives us to pray.

When Jacob first came home from the hospital with us, we desperately needed a whole lot of wisdom to know how to look after him. This need drove me to pray constantly as an expression of my utter dependence on God (and God constantly heard and answered!). Pastor Ben wrote recently in the morning service bulletin that ‘prayer is faith articulated’. Indeed, prayer is an expression of our dependent need on Someone and Something greater than ourselves. When we pray, we’re expressing our belief that that Someone can help us in our time of need where we can’t help ourselves.

And of course the opposite is true – if and when I don’t pray, I’m effectively saying I have no need, I can do it myself, I don’t need to humbly trust Another. The Bible tells us this is human arrogance and folly; we are creatures dependent on our Creator for even our every breath (Colossians 1:16-17) – and so we need to pray.

The more used to being a mum I get, the less I pray – which is kind of ok in that it’s a reflection of God’s very answers to my prayers for wisdom! I need less wisdom than I used to in the sense that God’s grown my wisdom in various areas, so I can rely on that God-given wisdom to look after Jacob. But if I stop praying altogether that would be foolish – and sometimes (like you?) I’m in danger of doing just this – through busyness, laziness, pride, and self-deception.

So how are you going at expressing your needs to God, in trusting dependence on Him? Don’t let your needs drive you to helplessness, rather let them drive you to prayerfulness. God is willing and able to do for us what we can’t, and is exalted when we express in and by our prayers, that He is great and we are not.

Psalm 23 – (a song about needs fulfilled)

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Nutrition nourishes incrementally

Posted by on October 28, 2010 Comments Off

This is a thought that came into my head a couple of Sundays ago just as Steve started preaching, and I prayed that God’s word would nourish and grow His people. It occurred to me that just like physical food, God’s word nourishes us incrementally.

What I mean by this is that just like our 3 meals a day, it’s barely possible to tell what good they’re doing for us. After all, skip one and most of us can survive pretty well. But of course skip many, and our bodies will certainly begin to suffer. We’ll start losing weight, getting sick, and eventually, dying of malnutrition (as sadly, so many people in the world do…).

Similarly, you may not be able to tell in yourself what effect one Sunday sermon has on your ‘spiritual growth’. You might walk out of church not thinking (or recognising) you’ve learned anything useful or been grown by what you’ve heard. Indeed, miss one sermon and in God’s providence you probably won’t fall away. But stop ‘eating’ God’s word altogether, and you’ll lose ‘spiritual’ weight, get ‘spiritually’ sick, and eventually ‘die spiritually’ of malnutrition.

The point is, just as physical food nourishes and grows us incrementally (I often can’t tell whether Jakey’s had enough milk in one sitting, but the fact is, day by day he’s growing chubbier and longer so it becomes obvious in hindsight that he is getting enough!), so does spiritual food. On both fronts you have to trust this is the case and keep eating, not skipping meals.

Just like a mum can’t see the growth of her kids like great-aunt Mavis clearly can on her half-yearly visit, so you can’t necessarily see your own growth day to day and week to week. But keep eating from God’s word, because His word says that by it you are growing, and He is doing His work of maturing and completing you (and me!) till the day of Christ Jesus. yum.

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”  Matthew 4:4

“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 1:6

guest post from Eleasa

Posted by on September 9, 2010 Comments Off
Spurred on to FIGHT:
With encouragement & a subsidy from our church’s leaders to go, the 5 of us uni students from 5:17 church went to Spur last Saturday, a one-day conference to consider full-time vocational ministry. One of the best things we took away from the day of talks, electives, conversations & songs was a little card from MTS to carry around with us at all times, reminders to be a disciple-making disciple of Jesus Christ.
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12
  • F: Friends with 3 non-Christians and their families (1 Thessalonians 2:8)
  • I: Intercession – Pray regularly, widely & fervently for the church & the world (1 Timothy 2:1-8)
  • G: Gather with God’s people around God’s word daily (Hebrews 10:24-25) at home, at work, at play, at church.
  • H: Holy – “Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all that you do.” (1 Peter 1:15)
  • T: Train 3 other people to F-I-G-H-T (2 Timothy 2:2)
It’s definitely challenging! (friends with 3 non-Christians and their families?!) May it help you to be an evangelistic, prayerful, edifying, holy & discipling disciple of Jesus too!

QOTW

Posted by on July 25, 2010 Comments Off

This is a prayer from John Piper’s book Seeing and Savouring Jesus Christ (which I’ve finally finished after trying to read a chapter of it on Sundays to prepare my mind for church). The prayer ends the chapter called ‘The appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour’ and I think it speaks for itself.

Forgive us, Father, for our indifference to the coming of your Son. We have not kept our lamps of expectation burning or bought the oil of eagerness in hope for the Bridegroom to return. We have bought a field and gone to look at it. We have bought oxen and spent time ooing and aahing over their height and weight. We have married a wife and desired her more than the coming of your Son. O Lord, forgive us. We are sorry for the dishonour that our wandering affections show to you and your servant, Jesus.

But Lord, we are eager to change. And we come to you for help. Incline our hearts to Christ. Open our eyes to the glory of Christ. Make the appearing of our great God and Saviour a ‘blessed hope’ in our hearts – a happy hope, a satisfying hope. Break our addiction to this world. Cause us to set our minds on things that are above where Christ is seated at your right hand. Work in us the command of Peter to ‘hope fully in the grace of God that is coming at the revelation of Jesus Christ’. Free us from the anxieties that come from too much dependence on earthly circumstances. Form us into a radical band of risk-takers in the cause of love because we know that this mortal flesh will put on immortality and this body of lowliness will be transformed into a body like Christ’s glorious body.

We love you, Father. We love your Son’s appearing. Grant us to live out this hope in the freedom of self-sacrifice to the glory of your great grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Piper’s prayers are soul-nourishing.

Sin is God-ward

Posted by on July 15, 2010 3 comments

a short musing on sin.

It’s easy for perfectionist-types to conceive of their sin as being frustrating lapses in their attempts to attain a perfect standard (which they delude themselves about actually being able to keep). Sin for perfectionists is against an impersonal standard, and against their better ability to achieve it. Repeated sin perpetuates the perfectionist’s prideful frustration.

It’s easy for self-pitying types to conceive of their sin as being yet another pitiful lapse, in keeping with all their other pitiful lapses to be a better person. Sin confirms them in their mindset that ‘the only thing keeping you from achieving your dreams is your negative attitude’. Sin for self-pitying types is also against an impersonal standard, and against their chronic inability to achieve it. Repeated sin perpetuates the self-pitier’s self-ward misery.

In both cases, there’s a terrible delusion at work – not that a perfect standard of morality doesn’t exist, but that it’s (supposed to be) achievable by us apart from Jesus achieving it for us.

But there’s also the key delusion that sin is merely against a standard rather than against a person. In actual fact, our sin is grievous not because it reflects our lack of self-betterment, but because it’s an expression of our rebellion against God. There’s a Person on the other end of our sin who is personally grieved by it.

If the perfectionist or the self-pitier would see their sin as being against a person, they would have the right biblical and relational motivation and empowerment to fight it – because not only does that Person care deeply about hating and fighting sin, He alone is able (and willing) to empower this fight to enable consistent victory. No longer then will the impersonal standard mock the hapless sinner, because the aggrieved Person doesn’t stop at being grieved, but offers the repentant sinner grace – grace to see and hate their sin rightly, and grace to overcome it.

It might be scarier to acknowledge that we sin against a Person rather than a standard, but it’s infinitely better for us. Because what an incredible God we serve (and sin against! :S) – who not only knows and grieves our weakness but is faithful and just (and unbelievably gracious) to forgive us our sin, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and to renew our very hearts and desires to love and obey Him.

preparing your church for suffering

Posted by on July 15, 2010 1 comment

Last Sunday our sermon was from Mark 8:22-38, where Jesus makes clear that following him means death to self.  As David Cook (the preacher) explained,

‘Only conversion shatters the idol of self’;

2 Corinthians 5:15 tells the Christian that ‘my life is no longer mine’;

‘God has placed His throne where self has been’;

‘I have lost control of my life to Jesus’;

‘A Christian who lives for self is a contradiction in terms’.

What piercing statements.  And along with this death to self, is the certainty that Jesus’ disciples will suffer just as he did.  But God can be trusted; you will not find yourself on the losing side by being His, because He is no man’s debtor (Mark 10:29-31).

Someone who knows this incredibly clearly is Joni Eareckson Tada, and I thought it worth posting the link to the short video we watched of her on Sunday so you can be re-encouraged by her steadfast faith in God’s sovereignty and goodness.  (Joni’s book, A Step Further has been the best and most helpful (and readable!) book I’ve ever read on God’s purposes in suffering in our lives; I can’t recommend it highly enough!)

Click here for the 5-minute video (scroll down to bottom of screen), here for the article Joni mentioned by Dr John Piper called ‘Don’t waste your cancer’, and here for ongoing updates and encouragement re Joni’s medical progress.