It's easy to see God in our city, but sometimes we miss it

RevWrites - March 1

One fear many people have when talking to others about the Lord Jesus is that they might not know enough. And for some strange reason, it doesn’t seem to help all that much to know that the average pastor on Africa knows less about the Bible than most people at NAC do.

So how much do you need to know? Let’s look at the Bible!

When the apostle Peter spoke in the temple in Jerusalem (Acts 3) he was speaking to Jews. Here’s a brief outline of what he said:

1. God is the god of their fathers, Abraham, etc.

2. Jesus is his servant and is the holy and righteous one.

3. You killed Jesus.

4. God raised Jesus.

5. God calls on you to repent and receive his blessing.

When the apostle Paul spoke to the council and people of Athens (Acts 17) he was speaking to Gentiles. Here’s an outline:

1. Although you are religious God is unknown to you.

2. God is the creator and doesn’t need anything from us.

3. God intended people to seek for him. And you are idolatrous.

4. God is going to judge the world by Jesus whom he raised from the dead.

In both cases people turned to Christ and were saved. Although both messages are different because of the different audiences, nevertheless they contain common ideas.

1. God is identified.

2. Jesus is the raised one.

3. People are not treating God appropriately.

4. A proper response is called for.

Most Christians I know, know a lot about Jesus. Much more than is necessary to tell others about him. I still find John Chapman’s five key ideas really helpful:

1. It’s God's world and he put Jesus in charge of it.

2. People don’t like to obey Jesus so they rebel against his right to rule.

3. God calls on people to stop rebelling against Jesus’ right to rule.

4. God forgives those who stop rebelling and offers them new life because of Jesus’ death.

5. God will overthrow those who don’t stop rebelling.

Having a simple gospel outline in my head is really helpful. I can keep coming back to it when people want to debate superficial stuff or the conversation wanders. I try to make sure I have communicated my basic outline and they have heard it.

I also take real comfort from the man born blind who Jesus healed. When the Jewish leaders quizzed and accused him he replied: “All I know is that once I was blind and now I see.” Perhaps the best gospel presentation is to tell others what God has done in our lives. Might be a really long conversation!

Neil

Music Roster March 2009

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200 words on... ‘long term prosperity’

President Obama made a moving and passionate speech yesterday about the state of the economy in America and the world. He gave a sober assessment of the recent past when ‘short term gains were prized over long-term prosperity’. People were so concerned about the next pay check and the next thing to buy that they did not think about the future. This is very true of our culture. It’s even true of us as Christians. We are not very good at thinking about the future. We feel like we don’t have much money, yet we are always thinking about what to get next. We are so surrounded by consumerism that we can’t even see it. Obama says that we need to start thinking about our long term prosperity. Which made me think: how often do we think about our long term ‘prosperity’? How often is it true that we think of the next thing on the ‘to do’ list, the next pay check, the next assignment... We need to think long term too, but not primarily about money and investments but our future prosperity of eternity in heaven. If Obama is so passionate about this economy, how much more should we be about eternity?

200 words on... Blame

Have you noticed how many articles have come out about who’s to blame for the bushfires? I read an article blaming Green politicians (that's what the picture's from), obviously many blaming the arsonists and also global warming. There was even an attempt by a Melbourne Pastor to say they were the direct judgment of God on Victoria for recently making abortion legal. These are the answers that people are coming up with to cope with the suffering that is faced by so many in Victoria.

What are we supposed to say to our world? Do we want to say that it’s just the effect of sin playing out? Do we want to say that it was God who sent the fires in punishment of sin?
The attempt to point blame says something about people in our culture. Our society wants justice and answers. In a world where we feel out of control, we want someone to blame...

But I want a God who’s in control - and He is.

The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised. Job 1:21

However, we do need to wrestle with how to hold together this suffering and the total sovereignty of God.

Any thoughts?

Music Roster for the next 3 weeks

RevWrites - Feb 22

Fear. Something everybody knows. Fear of telling people the gospel. Something most Christians know.

Last week we thought about fear of rejection and fear of embarrassment. You might remember that Peter Jensen suggested the solution to both these fears was trust in the Lord Jesus.

But many Christians also fear something else. They fear not knowing enough. How much do you need to know about the gospel to tell others? What if they ask a question that I don’t know the answer to?

I know I’ve been to theological college and am an ordained minister of the gospel and therefore know everything! You may be wondering how I could possibly understand how you feel when you feel inadequate.

You have probably worked out by now that I don’t know everything. And often in conversation with others about God-stuff, I really don’t know much about what they’re talking about so have real trouble “locking in” to where they’re at. And sometimes, just sometimes, people ask me a question I haven’t been asked already and that I don’t know the answer to.

When it comes to feeling inadequate, there are some things that help.

First, conversion to Christ is almost always a process. Someone sows the seed. Someone else waters it, etc. (Check out Matthew 13.) Bev Menzies used to tell me people needed to hear the gospel 7.3 times before they accepted it! (Or some number like that.)

The point is that people hear lots of stuff about Jesus before they turn to him. You need to remember that your conversation with someone may only add a bit along the process.

Secondly, conversion to Christ is all about meeting a person – Jesus. I can tell you stuff about my wife Robyn. You can get to know all sorts of stuff about her but never get to know her. You need to be introduced to Robyn personally before you can know her. It’s the same with Jesus. Jesus, through his Spirit, comes to people when we tell them the gospel.

Thirdly, you don’t need to know all that much to tell people the gospel. Almost all the members of NAC know more about the gospel than the average pastor in Africa. Yet the church in Africa is growing at an amazing rate.

Fourthly, when we tell people the gospel, even if it’s only in a very limited way, Jesus comes to people. Jesus and his gospel are linked together. Sometimes he comes in judgment. Some people reject the message of Jesus and so bring judgment upon themselves. But others accept the message and in the same action accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

We don’t know how Jesus is going to come to people, in judgment or with salvation. That is Jesus’ concern and Jesus’ responsibility. Our responsibility is to tell people the gospel so that Jesus can come to them.

Even in the New Testament the apostles tell people the gospel in different ways according to their audience. We will tell people the gospel in different ways according to whom we’re speaking.

Don’t worry if you don’t cover everything when you talk to someone. Don’t worry if you forget something. Remember, it’s a process and if your conversation is meant to lead to someone turning to Christ, then God will give you enough of the gospel so that Jesus can come to them in person through his Spirit.

Why don’t you write a short list of points that you think must be included in the gospel when you tell it to someone. Next week I’ll give you my list!

Neil Macken

RevWrites - Feb 15

Our Archbishop, Peter Jensen, suggested last week two reasons why we don’t tell our friends and neighbours about Jesus. Both reasons flowed out of the Book of Jonah. The first was fear. He admitted to fear and said it was really common.

What is it that Christians fear when they tell people about Jesus? Some fear rejection. Rejection of our ideas, ideas that are very precious to us, often hurts us. Some of our friends ridicule the Lord Jesus and his gospel of God's love. It is to be feared.

Some fear embarrassment. Many of us are sensitive and somewhat fragile. Being embarrassed by a friend’s reaction to our gospel message can easily embarrass us.

Peter suggested the solution to these kinds of fear is to have faith in God. The gospel of God is both true and powerful. And it will often provoke a negative response even if presented gently and with great love. But it is the truth. And it is powerful.

I find it helpful to remember that every Christian I know became a Christian because someone told them the gospel. God works through his people telling others the gospel. God saves people through them hearing the gospel.

Faith in God means trusting in God's ways – telling others the gospel. It means trusting in God's love and protection no matter what. I am yet to meet a Christian who really died of embarrassment or fear from telling someone the gospel. (Although they might have wished they were dead!)

The second reason Peter suggested why we don’t tell our friends and neighbours about Jesus is much more subtle. Most humans are, by nature, self righteous. We see our self-righteousness most often when driving the car. We criticise others for doing what we often do.

Even though we know that we are saved by grace, that we contribute nothing towards our salvation, we still think that certain others don’t deserve God's grace. Perhaps they’ve hurt us. Perhaps they’re simply unsavoury people. Perhaps it’s the outworking of deeply entrenched racism. But, we act as if some people just don’t deserve God's grace.

Although it is subtle, this is a very powerful reason why sometimes we don’t tell others the gospel. We need to continually hold up God's word as a mirror to reveal our hearts to us. As recipients of the grace of God, we need to guard our hearts and actively reject such unworthy motivation.

God loves all people. It is God's declared will that all should be saved. We must never act contrary to God's will.

So, what are you afraid of when telling others the gospel? Do you need to trust God more?

Do you need to repent of an ungodly attitude that secretly thinks some people just don’t deserve to be saved? Or even wished that they not be saved?

We are complex people living in a complicated world. So we need to keep focusing on those things that matter most. We need to get rid of the things that don’t matter all that much and focus on the things that matter most. When we get to heaven, people won’t thank us for spending more time on our hobbies or favourite things. They will thank us for telling them the gospel!

Neil Macken

200 words on... the consuming fire

I opened my computer on Sunday morning and my smh homepage had this picture.
How heartbreaking it is to see so many lives lost. It’s hard to tear your eyes away from the stories and the sorrow of so much devastation. It arouses our emotions. I feel so sad. I want to do something (and we can with the Archbishop's and other appeals).

But that photo also made me think about a verse from Hebrews.

‘Therefore since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.’ Heb 12:28-29

I wonder - how often do I feel the same degree of sadness for friends who will one day be in the hands of the judgment of this God, the one who is described like those fires. How often do I recognise the greatness of this God and truly fall and worship in utter awe?

I want to do 2 things...

1. Use the opportunity to connect and talk to people about our God
2. Use the images to remember that our God is a consuming fire worthy of worship

RevWrites - Feb 8

We’re back! Thanks to those who prayed that our break would be refreshing. The Lord answered your prayers in his normally gracious way.

I went to a funeral while I was away. The man who was the minister at the church I grew up in had died. He had a huge impact on me. Fortunately, his memorial service was at the local Anglican Church at Laurieton, next to where we were holidaying.

His four children and the bulk of his fourteen or so grandchildren testified to his continued amazement at the grace of God. He was always amazed that God should love and forgive a sinner such as he. He wanted others to know the grace of God.

I was reminded that NAC is not the whole Christian world. Here I was in the local Anglican Church with people from many other churches celebrating God's grace.

This Sunday is the Big Day In. We are reminded that we are only a small part of even the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. There are over 250 parishes in our Diocese. And then there are the other millions of Christians around the world.

Jesus reminded us that, because of the grace of God, his church would prevail. Of everything that exists, the church of God will go forward into eternity.

Speaking of eternity, this week one of my neighbours came and welcomed me home. He told me his parents were ill and frail and his dad was in dementia care and his mum had to go to hospital. My neighbour lacks the certainty and assurance that comes from knowing the grace of God. I will continue to talk with my neighbour about eternal life.

I was reminded just how easy it is to talk about eternal life when I heard about an infants girl at the Green Tent. She didn’t go to church but came to Green Tent. She visited some of the elderly folk at Woodberry Village. When here leader asked her to tell the elderly lady what she had learnt at the Green Tent, she explained they had learnt about an incident where Jesus had given life. She went on to explain that Jesus can give new, eternal life to those who are his friends.

It was a simple, clear gospel message given by an infants child. Elderly ladies in Woodberry need to hear about eternal life. My neighbours need to hear the same simple, clear gospel message about eternal life.

Jesus told us who our neighbours are in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Those people that God puts in our path who have needs we are able to meet. Unsaved people need Jesus. We have the gospel.

Imagine if all the Christians around the world really loved their neighbours. How many gospel conversations – simple, clear gospel conversations there would be happening around the world at any given minute!

Pray that all Christians will love their neighbours.

Neil Macken