Be a Learner

Taking interest in a new topic deepens appreciation for people different from yourself.  I have never been interested in what happens inside a fitness centre, but my husband encouraged me to give it a go.  Stepping through the doors and becoming involved inside the gym has increased my willingness to listen and learn more.  How God has made the human body to thrive and how He gives people knowledge to understand it!  If we want to increase in wisdom, let’s be willing to learn things outside of our natural interests.  We will likely discover that God’s handiwork is evident in that subject area too.

A wise man will listen and increase his learning,?and a discerning man will obtain guidance.  Prov.1:5 

Alone We Groan; Together is Better

Going to the gym with a friend sweetens the whole experience for a reluctant exerciser.  In my case, I frequented the gym with my exercise-loving husband Steve.  Those killer workouts with our personal trainer Mary became dates to anticipate with excitement.  Working out with Steve to share the sweat and Mary to encourage us through her torturous routines provided not only motivation but also appreciation of the fellowship of fitness fanatics.  Without the two of them to urge me along, quitting would have been the inevitable outcome.  Not only was it fun to share the workouts, but we also shared the pain of recovering muscles.  It’s not just inside the gym that we need encouragement and fellowship.  Outside the gym too we need others to help us through the tough times of life, sharing our sorrows and joys and keeping us from quitting.

“Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor.”  Ecc. 4:9

“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.” Heb. 10:24 

Falling is not the End

Falling off the treadmill doesn’t have to end your fitness commitment.  You may fly ungracefully off the end of the treadmill and seriously bruise your dignity (or something more solid).  I did.  But it would have been a far worse consequence for me to give up training after that moment of terror and humiliation.  Ironically, falling off was the very thing I have always feared about that relentless machine.  But I found out that I could face my crushed dignity and my fear and get back on the treadmill the next day and the next, applying what I had learned in my moment of inattention for more successful treadmill experiences.  Failure in life is no different.  It gives us a chance to evaluate our mistakes and our weaknesses and try again by the grace of God.

“For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again.” Prov. 24:16

 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Heb. 12:12-13 

Sore for More

Soreness is not always bad.  I’ve always been a wimp about sore muscles, but working out with Steve and Mary has taught me to appreciate those mornings when I could hardly lift my arms or pick up the dirty clothes from the floor.  That pain meant I had burned fat and strengthened muscles.  It meant the workouts were changing me.  In a similar way, God uses the aches of our hearts to change us for His glorious purposes.

“For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.”  2 Cor. 4:17

Harder Work Now; Sweeter Rest Later

5. The pleasures of life are better enjoyed when you have worked hard for them.  After the self-torture of a serious workout, I really feel like I’ve earned that smooth protein shake and hot shower.  Sleep is sweeter after decent exercise.  Similarly, the joys of heaven will be brighter for those who have patiently worked hard at the rigours of faith.  They are the ones who will hear their Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

“There remains a sabbath rest for the people of God. . . . Let us therefore strive to enter that rest.” Heb. 4: 9, 11

Simply Does It

Getting fit and strong does not have to involve fancy equipment.  Most of our workouts involved little more than a few weights and a little floor space.  Exercise routines were surprising simple.  Simple but not easy.  Walking on all fours up and down the length of the gym, pausing only for sit-ups or push-ups or jumping jacks, requires only my own body and plenty of determination. It felt like going back to school for PE again, but those workouts turned my arms and legs to jelly and tested the limits of my cardio endurance.  Sometimes we can think that becoming Christlike involves comprehending complex theology and multiple layers of frantic activity.  The truth is that it’s the simple things like having a prayerful heart, hanging out with others who love to talk about Jesus, and soaking myself in God’s Word that are moving me towards a deeper walk with God.  It’s  really that simple.

“As newborn babies want milk, you should want the pure and simple teaching.  By it you can mature in your salvation.”  1 Pet. 2:2

Open your eyes to God’s pointers in the thumbnail images of your life.  What arena of life is God giving you in 2012 in which to grow in your understanding of Him?

Have you ever felt like you cannot go on? Have you ever experienced the weights of despair, discouragement and disappointment? Do you ever wonder if there is anybody left who actually cares for your plight? If any of these questions ring true in your heart than you understand to some degree the experiences of the powerful prophet Elijah. There he sits under the desert Juniper shrub having personally experienced one of the greatest evidences of God’s power in history, and he is discouraged to the point of desiring death. How does a great man of God who is known for his life of prayer, miracles and his appearance at Christ’s transfiguration get to this low point in his journey of faith?

The answer to this question above is found in numerous Bible passages; 1 Timothy 3:12 ‘Yea and all who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.’ Hebrews 12:3 ‘For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.’

Men and women who dedicate themselves to the cause of Christ will never live far from the neighbourhood of suffering. Adoniram Judson was such a man; he lived from 1788-1850 and was a pioneer missionary to Burma. An extremely intelligent boy who had learned to read at the age of three, and was fluent in Latin and Greek at the age of 10. Adoniram graduated from Andover Theological Seminary as the valedictorian of his class. One day during a morning chapel at Andover, Adoniram, was challenged by the words of Mark 16:15 ‘Go ye into all the world.’ In 1810 he helped to form the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, and, two years later, he and his new wife, Ann, sailed for India. Upon his arrival to India, the government refused him entrance and so they went and worked in Burma for 6 years before winning a single convert. During those years they were plagued with ill health, loneliness, and the death of their baby son. Judson was imprisoned for nearly two years, during which time Ann faithfully visited him, smuggling to him his books, papers and notes, which he used in translating the Bible into the Burmese language. Soon after his release from prison, Ann and their baby daughter, Maria, died of spotted fever. Judson withdrew into seclusion into the interior, where he completed the translation of the entire Bible into Burmese. In 1845 he returned to visit America, but the burning desire to win the Burmese people sent him back to the Orient, where he soon died.

The Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 2:3 ‘Thou therefore endure hardness , as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.’ ‘Endurance’ in this verse is an imperative not a suggestion or idea to consider. As good soldiers of Jesus Christ we must endure because He endured. There are times where we are tempted to simply throw our hands up in despair and give up. There are times when the mountain ahead seems too steep and the valley below appears too deep. It is at this point that I must re-affix my eyes on Christ because the mountain is only too steep and the valley too deep when I have redirected my gaze from Christ to the raging waters below.

Dear friend reading this simple blog; I know this to be true in my own life (even though I am most guilty of taking my eyes off Christ). This past month has been the most difficult that I have faced in the 21 years of my walking with God. I have lost my Father to a heart attack without certainty of his eternal destination. I have lost great ministry opportunities because the church which I now attend does not meet the approval of some men. I have lost many ‘friends’ who now will not associate with me because of my stand on certain ‘issues’ and I have furiously battled with the desire to simply quit based upon the ‘Christianity’ (or lack thereof) that I have seen in others.

However, I find myself in these dark moments peering beyond the Juniper tree and beyond the desert and beyond the slough of despair, and I see ever so slightly the glimmer of the celestial city. At this point, I find myself with Pilgrim (of the Pilgrim’s Progress) arising and pressing on toward the heavenly city. Will you join me as we come out from under the desert shrub and continue on the journey in spite of the hardships?

A Weary Soldier (but still fighting!)

Have you ever read through the whole Bible in a year?   For me, this strategy for Bible reading has blossomed and borne fruit as year builds onto year.   Although this Bible reading plan can sometimes be burdensome, reading the whole Bible every year provides a solid foundation for understanding other Bible teaching and for personal growth.  Every Christian who is literate enough should attempt this several times throughout his lifetime.  After all, if God’s Word is the basis for the Christian life, shouldn’t we at least read it from cover to cover?

Through-the-Bible reading plans are easily accessible online, and readers can choose to read straight through (three chapters a day), to read through chronologically, or to read selected portions designed to get them through the whole book in twelve months.  Reading through the Bible chronologically is my personal favourite.  I love reading the history alongside the poetry and prophecy that grew out of that history as well as reading the epistles in light of the books of Acts.

If the whole Bible in one year is too daunting, how about settling for a shorter segment of the inspired Word?  Try focusing on just the New Testament or the poetry.  Another approach is to read key Bible passages to give yourself a Bible overview.  This is especially good for people who are unfamiliar with the Bible as a whole and might get bogged down with all the details of reading the whole Bible in a year.  Alternatively,  try a one-book-in-a-year intensive.  One year I selected the book of John and read it several times through – sometimes fast, sometimes slowly, sometimes intensely taking notes, sometimes just engaging with the narrative in my imagination.  That experience enriched my life for years afterwards.  Someone has suggested that the book of Proverbs (with 31 chapters) is perfect for taking one chapter a day to finish the book in a month.  Imagine how well you’d know Proverbs if you did that for twelve months!

Another consideration is which version to read.  What might deviating from your preferred version do for your appreciation and understanding of God’s Word?  I had spent years reading the KJV and NKJV so when I switched to the NIV I really appreciated the more natural English flow and modern syntax.  When reading the ESV, dynamic vocabulary translation choices unfolded fresh perspective on passages I’d read for decades without catching a particular shade of meaning.  With teaching ESL children’s Bible classes, I have dabbled in the NLT, but next year I think I’ll tackle the whole translation.  Who knows?  Maybe it’ll be so exciting that I’ll be speed reading through the whole book several times next year.

You don’t  have to buy a special Bible to start a special reading plan, but you can.  John Macarthur has published a daily reading Bible with notes, and there are many other varieties of the same idea on the market.  You can search at Koorong or Amazon for more options.  My 10 year old son has been using the NLT One Year Bible for Kids, which is based on the key passages idea of Bible reading.  Highly motivated by concrete goals, he likes the idea that he can tick off each day’s reading right in the Bible as he goes along.  If you don’t want to buy a purpose-driven Bible, you can read it online  or get it by RSS feed, or have it sent to your iPhone.  Of course, if you’d rather have a paper reading plan (I do), you can print one from an internet site or buy one at the Christian bookshop or find one on the back table at your church in the Daily Bread.  (Make sure you look up and read the Bible texts and don’t just settle for the interesting story in the little booklet!)

Here’s a fresh idea.  Do you have an heirloom Bible that you have marked with special moments you’ve shared with God?  How about laying that aside for a year, buying a cheapie paperback, and crazily marking it with notes, underlining and colouring with abandon?  You won’t be distracted by all the sermon notes you’ve already put in that heirloom edition.  You’ll have clean, fresh pages that no one but you and God ever need to see.  Psalm 27 may not appear in the right column half way down the left page like it does in your other Bible so you’ll have a chance to think about the Psalm differently when you read it in another position on the page.  At the end of the year you will have a record of your personal journey through the Scriptures and better still a less deliberate, more intuitive grasp of what God is saying in those pages.  Then you can go back to your heirloom Bible next year.

Whatever you choose to do with your Bible reading, choose something.  Don’t leave personal Bible reading to chance.  What ideas do you have for Bible reading in 2012?

As I have grown to know myself better, I too despair at how, I do not live according to the reality of God’s presence.   I have secret sins – sins that I struggle with when ‘no-one else’ is watching and sins that I am not going to openly confess on this forum.  You have secret sins too.

Whether it be ‘clearing history’, ‘hitting the apple home button’, or changing the channel’; we are quick to wipe the evidence when our brothers or sisters are about to look over our shoulder.   But God has been looking the whole time.  <gulp>   At this point we feel low.   Why do we fall so quickly and so often?

If our conscience is not overly seared, then in our <gulp moment> we see our nakedness and vow to never eat the forbidden fruit again … but we do commit the same sins again.    Our shame and own strength may keep us from re-offending for a few days, but inevitably we return to the viscous cycle of ‘living without Jesus on our shoulder’.

How do we break the cycle, gain victory, and return to believing in God’s omniscience?

1. Break the Cycle  - Grace Overcomes Guilt.   Guilt is a horrible feeling that God designed as a schoolmaster to bring us to God.  As soon as we feel sinful shame, let’s eradicate guilt by claiming Jesus’ grace and forgiveness.   The frequency of our sin demands that we confess our sins daily.

2.  Gain Victory – No condemnation in Christ:  Christ does not condemn us.  He declares us to have won victory through Him.  (Romans 8:1)  If we look at the frequency of our sin, we will be depressed.   If we look at the greatness of God’s grace, we will be inspired and uplifted.    Continually reveling in God’s grace will help us to not regularly return to those secret sins.

3. Live in the Spirit – Omnipresent God on our Shoulder:    As we pray, meditate on Scripture, and abide (talk) with Jesus, we will reign with Him.  The more Spirit-filled we are, the more we will seek God and long for future glory with Him.   We will become more and more aware of God’s omniscience.

Finally, God is not surprised when we fall.  Rather He dwells with us, cheering for us to gain the victory.  That is what a truly loving Abba Father does.   :-)

Blessings

JC

]]> http://teaminfocus.com.au/the-all-seeing-eye/feed/ 0 http://teaminfocus.com.au/expecting-the-supernatual/ http://teaminfocus.com.au/expecting-the-supernatual/#comments Thu, 25 Aug 2011 20:00:06 +0000 Jeremy Crooks http://teaminfocus.com.au/?p=9588 When faced with health trials or when all human means have been exhausted, we turn to God in prayer. Christians worship a supernatural God. So why do we pray for Divine intervention while still harbouring doubts that God will perform the miraculous?

We certainly can’t demand that God answers our prayer in a certain way, yet God encourages us to ask Him for all our needs and He will give good gifts liberally. Yet as our petitions rise, doubts still plague us. Is this just our humility, or does our lack of faith prevent mountains from being moved in our lives?

On the face of it, there seemed to be far more miracles when Jesus walked the earth, than there are today. But are we looking at things correctly? Sometimes cancer is beaten against all medical odds. Sometimes the unexplained happens. Our modern life maybe shouting out and shutting down the very miracles that God is performing.

God may choose to heal through medicine, through miracles or not at all. The still small voice of God speaks daily into our world. In the end, all options are open to God, so let’s not box Him in by human logic or our over-reactions to the excesses of the Pentecostal movement. The gifts of the Spirit are real and active. However, we must use them Biblically and correctly for the edification of Christ’s body.

By its very definition, we naturally cannot compute the supernatural. As followers of Jesus, we are given access through the Spirit to the most powerful Being – the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. When we grasp how big our God is, then we will understand more deeply His supernatural ability and His desire to be active in our lives.

Whether the translation is accurate or not, the message is unlike any other t-shirt message I have ever heard.  Most t-shirts boast the value of the wearer or his team or his ideas.  This message underscores the value of the other person and the worth of what he has to say.

A teachable spirit is a rare commodity today especially in independent churches where rightness trumps openness as the premium virtue.  James 3 teaches us that true wisdom is both meek and open to reason.  Proverbs contrasts the wise man who seeks knowledge to the fool who despises wisdom and instruction.  In contrast to an attitude that assumes that we already have the answers, the culture of our churches should foster a desire for lifelong learning and Spirit-led growth.

Both leaders and non-leaders can profit from being willing to learn.  Approaching others with a learner’s posture no matter who we are and who they are will open doors for growth on both sides of the equation.  Imagine the churches and Christian institutions that might still be thriving today if only the leadership had been willing to admit that they hadn’t arrived at the final answer, that they still had plenty to learn.  Even pastors and seasoned believers can learn from little children, baby Christians, and even the unsaved.

Why do we tenaciously close our ears to the very things we need to hear?  As we refuse to learn and change, we are guilty of quenching the Spirit and despising prophecies (1 Thess. 5:19-20).  Yes, “test everything” (v.21a), but remember that things can’t be tested when they haven’t even been seriously considered.  Let’s humbly seek God to help us determine what good things to “hold fast” (v. 21b) and what to discard.

Over the years I have had the privilege of meeting many Christian workers, experienced and inexperienced.  The most effective ones are the ones who are habitually saying, “Wow!  What you are saying is really interesting!  Tell me more.”

I didn’t fully understand it then – but I do now.  My mother was modeling and teaching truth every day.  Only a servant would spend two hours in the car each day driving back and forth from school.  She used that time to share her faith and to encourage me to ask the big questions of life.  She showed me how you could rise above the immediate trouble and see God’s purpose.  She helped me to see the preciousness of others.

To my own mother – I love you and I am thankful for you.  To mothers – know that your children are learning from you every day.  Before they can talk and read they have the opportunity to learn about God through your reactions and through your actions.   Above the tears and the sleepless nights – your children will rise up and call you blessed (Proverbs 31:28).

~ Jeremy

I returned when the tree was cut down to see what all of the fuss was about.  The base of the tree was rotten to within 15 cm of the outside bark.  You could put your foot into the heart of the tree and scrap out the termites nest that was happily eating away at the base of the tree.  Now I understood – a tree that looked perfectly healthy on the outside was actually rotting on the inside.

John Piper, in a recent post, said “It is sheer madness to believe in God and live a lie.”  At the heart of this comment is the idea that we can take on the look and feel of a Christ-follower while happily allowing something to eat us away from the inside.   If you’ve felt this way (and it’s very easy to be like this) – here are some thoughts:

Stop hiding behind your reputation. If you are a Christian, you believe that you are a sinner who received God’s forgiveness through faith alone in the finished work of Jesus Christ.  News flash – you are not a good person!  Christians are not some topiary carefully crafted in the palace garden.  Christians are gnarled bushes that God has mercifully redeemed for His own glory.

Start with simple faith. Scripture tells the story of Nicodemus, a man who invested himself wholeheartedly in the study and application of the Scriptures.  His questions to Jesus revealed that he missed the big picture.  Faith is the starting point for a relationship with Jesus.

Much is to be gained by stepping back and observing the breadth of Christian “rightness” in history.  From Paul and Barnabas’ conflict about John Mark to the disputes of Wesley and Whitefield, believers have disagreed about many issues throughout the centuries. In hindsight we can often observe that neither had a monopoly on rightness.  Both sides were faithful and godly servants of God.  Certainly there are some things about which we cannot afford to be wrong—the Bible as our sole source of authority, God as our Sovereign Creator, Jesus as our propitiation for sin—to name a few.  We rightly call these fundamentals; without them we cannot call ourselves Christians.  But much to which we give precious time and energy are pinpoints of “rightness” that lend themselves to pride, even arrogance.  Issues of worship styles, music styles, dress styles, and teaching styles fall under the category of contextual adaptation to culture.  With “style” the issue is not “rightness” but connectedness, an ability to understand the times as did those ancient men of Naphtali. Eschatology is another area where godly men have differed throughout the centuries, as is the issue of divorce.  Why make enemies over matters that require expert explanation by carefully trained teachers to attain airtight conclusions?

I was chatting with an older man in a church setting recently.  The name of a mutual friend was raised and the man commented, “You know what ruined him?  Calvinism!”  Since I have been blessed and fortified in my own walk with God by the “doctrines of grace”, I was somewhat taken aback by the gentleman’s assertion.  In his own mind, he had reached a level of rightness in his opinion of Calvinism that he would instantly alienate any who cling to those teachings.  Thankfully, this gentlemen was “easier to be entreated” than I at first expected and listened with his heart to some of my questions.  I have met plenty who were not.

By all means, study until you yourself are convinced in your own mind.  Search the scriptures to see which teachings are true.  But as you do, be aware that others who have the same scriptures and the same Holy Spirit may differ in their conclusions.   Leave the door of your mind open to further learning and light; it is wisdom to do so (James 3:17). A man (or woman) who is “too right” may one day discover that he cannot say “too right” to anyone.  That’s a lonely place to be.