Father approves and He is proud!

Two of the most difficult truths that I've battled to believe as a Christian is that God approves of me and that He's proud of me. All the time.

I buy the fact that He "loves me unconditionally". I even buy the fact that He approves of me and is proud of me most of the time. But anything more than that is hard to accept.

It's hard to accept because, you know...How can God approve of me and be proud of me when there are times when I disapprove of me and disappoint myself by the things that I do and say. And I'm quick to justify myself to at times too. But there are other times when I concede defeat and I'm truly gutted at things I do and say. So how exactly can God, the perfect judge, be proud of me....all time?

Suppose I put a piece of torn paper into a container. If I put that container in the fridge, where's the torn paper? If I put the container in my cupboard, where's the torn paper? That's right. Wherever the container is, that's where the torn paper is. So it is with us being in Christ. We are in perfect union with Him. We are in Him. If He goes in the fridge, so do we :-) Whatever the Father feels or thinks of Jesus, He thinks of us. We are in Him!!!!

And do you know what? He is proud of Jesus all the time and He approves of Jesus all the time! And therefore He is proud of us and He approves of us all the time.

"This is my beloved Son, whom I love and in whom I am well pleased." - Father, Gospel of Matthew, 3rd Chapter

The New Normal?

There are some things that society considers normal today which wasn't normal a few years ago.

Take sex scenes in movies. When I was at school, seeing a pair of boobs was always an age restricted: 2-16. A sex scene where you saw boobs or a bum was 2-18. Today, I've seen 2-10 movies with boobs flashing in a few scenes. It would have horrified us back then...but as time has gone by and the more lenient the restrictions got, the more "normal" it became.

As I observe our society today I see open gay relationships moving in the same direction. The message to our culture is that being gay is acceptable and normal, as long as you stay true to your partner as one would in a straight relationship. Soap operas are airing kisses between gay men, movies are doing the same. And just this last week, Disney announced that a new character in their latest installment of Beauty and the Beast will be gay. Ten years ago these things would have been heavily restricted. Today, the world is forced to accept it as normal. Today's children don't know how society was ten or twenty years ago, so they don't see it as indifferent. It's become their normal.
As society evolves it's acceptance of gay relationships, many see it as progressive and victorious for the gay community because to them, acceptance hasn't been a commodity.
On the other hand, those who value straight relationships for whatever reason and still view gay relationships as wrong will be put under tremendous pressure in years to come to either confirm with the new normal or else....

Theology

Theology is the study of God. I have a sneaking suspicion that theology was meant to be something to savour, not achieve. I mean, study God? Work Him out? In which life time do you think you'll ever work out 0,01% of the Divine One? I have trouble making sense of my five-year old, let alone God.

Which brings me to my suspicion. I believe that theology was never meant to be about answers, but rather thought. Scripture tells us that God reveals Himself by revelation. He reveals...that's what He does. He reveals. We think. We believe. 

I have the following approach to theology: I liken it to a nice coastal drive from East London to Cape Town. The whole idea is enjoyment, not destination. Enjoy the wonder of the Bloukrans Bridge, enjoy the windy roads through the Wilderness, enjoy the forests of Tsitsikama, enjoy the sea view from Plettenburg Bay, enjoy the Knysna river marine, enjoy the homely feel of Sedgefield and have you ever seen a view more spectacular than the one on top of Sir Lowreys Pass? The journey to Cape Town isn't done properly without a stop off at Storms River or at some cheese and farm stalls along the Garden Route. Have you ever visited the Big Tree? I have. Twice. It's awesome. The trip really is an adventure of discovery. The point of the trip IS the journey, not the destination. It's to be Savoured. 

Will we ever know the answers that work God out? No. Never. He has, however, called us to worship Him and enjoy Him forever. Like all things in the Kingdom, theology too is worship. And worship is two things: To look on Him and to savour Him. Studying His ways, discussing Him and how others have different and unique ways of understanding this or that about Him should be uplifting and encouraging, not prideful competition or higher intellectualism. It's sad that most of the theological world has been reduced to such fleshly pitfalls. It was never meant to be. At least I don't suspect so. 

So my advice...study the scriptures and show yourself approved, but for heavens sake, make sure your primary focus is to Enjoy Him and Savour Him forever.

Diedrich Bonhoeffer - Part 2

I've been reading a lot more about this Jesus-loving-German and again, I have to utter "Wow!" For a man in his 30's, he was truly gifted with an ability to think in ways that have never before been thought or penned, that cut to the heart of who Jesus was and who the church should be in the world it exists in. It does arrest the heart in its tracks and challenge its motives and it's selfish ambitions - it did mine. 

Picking up from where we left off in Part 1, Bonhoeffer was convinced that the Christian life had to be completely Christ-centric, not only that, but the crucified and suffering Christ-centric. From there, a believer sees the example of Christ's sacrificial suffering and death and by grace, emulates it for a lost and dying world. Grace empowers the Christians call to an active life of sacrifice for others. Bonhoeffer said "The church is the church only when it exists for others." Not its own comfort or its programs or its families or its happiness - but for others! This could only be attained when a believer lives in the reality of the essence of the Gospel - which he says:

"Nevertheless, these three propositions remain true for us from the day of our coming to Christ until we reach the end of our earthly lives: God is holy, we are sinful, and Christ is our only hope. And that hope comes not only through Christ’s resurrection, but also through Christ’s death on the cross."

"We err when we see these as only having to do with our justification. When we leave these three propositions, and especially grace, at the door of initial salvation and try to walk on without them, we are doomed to a Christian life marked by frustration."

In his lectures on christology (Theology of Jesus Christ) he rejects those who would deny the historicity of the resurrection, and he makes a clear and definitive statement of the necessity of the empty tomb. “Between the humiliation and exaltation of Christ lies the historical fact of the empty grave. . . . If it is not empty, then Christ is not resurrected. It seems as though our ‘resurrection faith’ is bound up with the story of the empty grave. If the grave were not empty, we would not have our faith." Our faith stands on the factual history of the resurrection.

From his christology, which entails an orthodox view of the God-man and of the sacrificial life, atoning death, and triumphant resurrection of Christ, flows all of Bonhoeffer’s theology and ethics. It seems that Bonhoeffer scholars have recently taken to identifying the center of all of his thought as “Christo-ecclesiology.” What that expression means is not that he simply emphasized christology and ecclesiology (Theology of the Church) but that his ecclesiology, seen in such books as Life Together, flows from and is connected to his christology. To Bonhoeffer, they were one and the same. You cannot be the church without being like Jesus. Only when the church truly understands the suffering and sacrificial Jesus, can they truly BE the church as God intended in the earth. 

The kind of embracing of Christ that Bonhoeffer talks about is that we live for others in a sacrificial, loving way. As I said in the beginning, Bonhoeffer declared that “the church is the church only when it exists for others.”

In the days when Bonhoeffer preached, he was stirred by this truth, this "Christo-ecclesiology". He saw clearly that the church must have Jesus at the center and that the church must have room for the Jesus who suffers. In the outline for the book he never wrote, Bonhoeffer also spoke of Jesus the crucified as the model for us. As the crucified one, Jesus suffered rejection. Even as the crucified one, Jesus came and lived for others. As the crucified one, Jesus, having lived a sacrificial life of love for others, died a sacrificial death in love for others. This served as both the basis for and the model of living the Christian life and Bonhoeffer's theology of spirituality.

He wrote much of this thought in his book "The Cost of Discipleship." The book could not be clearer. “Discipleship is commitment to Christ." Christ calls, we follow. That much is straightforward, even easy. The doing of it is another story. Bonhoeffer leads us to the Sermon on the Mount and the difficulties in the simple command to follow Christ. Bonhoeffer places huge emphasis on Christ’s imperative: we must, like Christ, take up our cross and share in his suffering. He explains what this entails. “The first Christ-suffering that everyone has to experience is the call which summons us away from our attachments to this world. It is the death of the old self in the encounter with Jesus Christ.” This death, though, is the beginning of our life, our life in Christ. Second, this following of Christ in his suffering leads us into our everyday battles with temptation and our daily struggles with sin and satan.

He then offers words of comfort. “Christian suffering is not disconcerting, Instead, it is nothing but grace and joy." Christ not only suffered, but bore the suffering on the cross. In his bearing of the suffering, he triumphed over it. Bonhoeffer puts it plainly, “His cross is the triumph over suffering.” We are called to such a life. We follow Christ “under the cross.”

For Bonhoeffer, living the Christian life begins with Christ, with his call to discipleship, with the cross. We live in Christ. We live from the cross. “We are the church beneath the cross.” 

I've been truly challenged by Diedrich's life - his theology in action - his compassion, his courage and his way of thinking. I may not agree with everything he believed and his every interpretation of the scriptures - but who am I? Diedrich demands respect and an audience...and for one would love to spend some good quality time with this Disciple of Jesus one day. I have nothing else to say, except "Wow".

Dietrich Bonhoeffer - Part 1

As part of my theological studies, I am required to study the lives of certain theologians - who are/were they, what influenced them, what shaped their doctrine and understand what made them tick? 

 

Diedrich Bonhoeffer is the first one on my list and from what I've read so far, I'm speechless; except for maybe a whisper of "Wow!" every now and then. For a guy who achieved his doctorate at 21, who wrote books that would shape future Christian culture, who would stand in courageous opposition to Hitler and the Third Reich - and he was executed because of it - and all this before he turned 40! Let me share with you...

 

Diedrich was born in 1906 into a middle class German family. By age 14, he told his parents he wanted to study to become a priest. By age 21, he wrote his first book 'Communion of the Saints' from which earned him his Ph.D. During the next 18 years, he would go onto write "Life Together", "The Cost of Discipleship" and "Ethics" - all of which had major influence on Christians since. As Hitler rose in power, Diedrich opposed the state-run-church and preached/taught in the 'underground' church called the Confessing Church. It was here that Diedrich had influence amongst German believers. He ran their 'underground' seminary as well, teaching and training future preachers. He travelled to the USA twice and occasional trips to London, where he preached and lectured. On his second trip to the United States, he knew he had made a mistake. His burden for his countrymen in Nazi-Germany was one that troubled him immensely and he knew God was calling him to suffer with them and oppose Hitler from inside Germany, come what may! He was a courageous man.

 

His theology was lived out in his actions. His theology became his convictions and his convictions became his legacy. Some men can tell you exactly what they believe, with subheadings and definitions, with Diedrich, you just need to look at his life - and that's what makes me utter "Wow!"

 

His theology was simple - Jesus suffered. He suffered for the sake of us, humanity. He refers to God as the God of weakness - not because He is weak, but because in His great power, he submitted to death on a cross and suffered what needed to be suffered for those that needed help - all of humanity. Diedrich concludes that we ought to be like Jesus; in that Christians should act when they see injustice, it's not enough just to speak against it. Christ's example compels us. In the case of Hitler, he felt that by doing nothing about the killing of innocent Jews, he would be more guilty than if he did something that would stop him, even if that meant killing him. Such a thought process messes with many believers and still causes controversy within Christian circles today. But the fact remains - an injustice is an injustice and Christians have an obligation to act for truth and for what's right.

 

He believed that Jesus, and more importantly, the cross of Christ, had to be the centre and origin of all theological thinking in a Christian's life. Jesus and His lordship isn't just for one part of a Christian's life, but it's the foundation of every area in a Christian's life. Jesus, Lord of all.

 

He believed that the 3 propositions - the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man and the person/work of Jesus were the 3 pillars to a Christian getting saved, a Christian living out his days and a Christian growing into maturity. God is Holy, Man is Sinful and Man needs Jesus. He said that men are called to God by grace, live daily by grace and grow into maturity by the same grace. The mistake is that grace is left at the door of initial salvation and what's left is a Christian who lives out his days in utter frustration. It starts and ends in, by and through God's grace.  

 

He had a problem with cheap grace; and often spoke about how it was opposed to costly grace. Not that a believer is indebted to God - but he firmly believed that true grace looks like something - a changed life that lays down one's life for the sake of others. He believed that Christians need to be involved in social issues, political issues - Christians need to stand up and be counted and fight for those who have no voice - as Christ did on humanity's behalf. And even if it costs you your life, as it did Christ, then so be it. 

 

After all...

 

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ lay down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." - 1 John 3:16 

 

Part 2 coming soon...

 

 

What does a healthy Living Church look like?

I used to think Living Church or a Church on Fire (as Charasmatics would call it in the 90's) was a busy local church. My church would have Cell Groups, Prayer meetings, Worship workshops, Sunday School training programs, Soaking Sessions, Friday Outreach, Youth Meetings, Youth Rallys, Feed the Poor outreach, Hospital Visitation Groups, Word Equipping Meetings and Staff Meetings happening all the time. (Eish - that is quite a mouthful!) "Wow! Things are happening here all right!" and "God's moving and we're just facilitating what He's doing in the city" were the mantras from our pastors.

 

Besides the Sunday morning and Sunday evening gatherings, there was a constant buzz amongst all of us...we were alive and kicking, but barely. What I didn't care to admit to myself (or anyone else for that matter) was that many of us were exhausted. "Come to Jesus and you can be free, just like us," we'd tell our unsaved audiences....except we weren't that free. Or happy. Physically and mentally, we were finished. It flipping was hard work. And I didn't even have kids at that stage...I can only imagine what my friends with children were going through with all the demands parenting come with.

 

The problem was that the local church I was part of was so busy organizing itself so it can run itself so it can be successful at living by itself was doing anything at reaching anyone else....it was servicing just US - the local church!!! By the time we were finished making each other better singers or Sunday School teachers...we had very little time and energy left for our own families. Let alone the lost and dying souls in our city? (and sport!)

 

I now believe a healthy living local church is one where each one who belongs to that local church is OUT doing what he or she has been given by the Lord to do. If someone in my local church has a desire to build up strong marriages and has a kick-ass marriage course....then he/she must take that OUTside the local church. If some in the local church feel they'd like to be part or join in...then so be it. But surely it can't just be the same 12 couples from that same local church that came last year. Do you get my point?

 

A living church might seem quiet - hardly any buzz - because the people are not bringing their energy and effort IN, but rather they are using it OUTside; each one doing what they believe God has put on their hearts to do....whether it involves cooking classes, piano training, marriage enrichment, dance and theatre...He has given us gifts and talents - not for us (or even just the local church) - it's not for you - it's for the glory of God - to make Him famous amongst those who don't know Him yet.

 

Happy living!!

(Disclaimer: I'm certainly not against staff meetings or theological Bible studies - but get the point. We can't just be about servicing ourselves. We have to be on about how to reach those outside of the local church with what God has put inside of us!)

An un-deferred Heart

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick…” - Proverbs 13:12

Any part of your life in which you have no hope for, is under the influence of the devil.  The devil’s influence can’t exist in a space where there is faith and hope. Hope is a sure-footed, firm-rooted-standing on the concrete of what God has said and on what you are trusting for God to do in an area of your life.

There is nothing worse than a hopeless Christian. It stinks of unbelief. And it’s the opposite of the way He’s designed us and designed His Kingdom. He has created us to breathe the oxygen of hope and faith. It’s what fuels us.

A sick heart is a heart depressed; it’s a heart under a dark cloud of misery, pain and defeat. The greatest enemy to a believer is unbelief. When unbelief leaches onto the heart of a believer, it sucks out all hope and faith.

So I say again: Any part of your life in which you have no hope for, is under the influence of the devil.

What’s the opposite: Any part of your life in which you have dreams, hope and faith for, is not under the influence of the devil.

So, whether it be with your health or your finances or your marriage or your children or your job situation or your ministry or your purpose in life – every area of your life – ask yourself: Have you lost hope in what God can do in that area of your life?

So let me throw some faith and hope your way:

The Bible says that:

·         “We are hidden with Christ in God.” Eternally secure, forever safe and forever His. Our safety is ultimately due to His grip on us rather than our grip on Him. We are in His hands and nothing is able to snatch us out.

·         “Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.” We have an enemy on the outside; but we have an all-powerful King on the inside and there is nothing that can take Him by surprise.

·         “You are all sons of God, through faith.” By design, He has made me in His image. New creation, righteous heart, godly desires, kingdom dreams – this is who we are! We are like our Daddy in Heaven.

Transformation comes when the mind is renewed to God’s truth. The heart will become healthy again and lose all of the enemy’s influence when we deposit faith and hope into it. “No mind has seen or eye heard or mind conceived what God has planned for those who love Him.” As sons, we are His beloved and He has dreams and purposes for us! Let not your heart grow sick with fear and unbelief. Rise up. Shake of the dust. And stand firm in your God.