Find out more about LOUD. Get your tickets here: www.loudevent.com
I’ll be there. The monkeys will be there. Make sure you’re there too!
Kirkplace Church: New Website and New Building
Kirkplace Church in Kogarah have a killer new website and are about to move into a killer new building. Go check out the website: kirkplace.org.au and find out more about the Launch Party for the building.
I have some great friends who are part of Kirkplace. I’m cheering for them and I look forward to hearing how God continues to work in and through them and the people of Kogarah. Unfortunately I won’t be able to make it to the Launch Party. So here’s what I’m praying from 2 Thess 1:11-12
“…we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
(this post was sent from my phone, if it looks dumb, I’ll fix it when I get home)
EDIT: changed the phone picture for the one above…
Destroyed: The Berlin Wall AND The Dividing Wall of Hostility
I can still remember it. I was only 9 years old, even though I didn’t understand the full significance, I knew that something important was happening. On 9 November 1989, the Berlin Wall – that great wall dividing East and West Germany – came crashing down.
About 2000 years earlier another wall, not a physical wall, but a wall of even greater significance came tumbling down. “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14). The ‘he’ in that sentence is referring to Jesus. The ‘two’ is referring to two people groups: God’s chosen people from the Old Testament, Israel; and everyone else, Gentiles. It’s saying that Jesus has brought these two warring parties together as one. In doing so he has broken down the long-standing dividing wall of hostility bringing peace.
This peace-making act of Jesus did more than just bring two people groups together, check out the next sentence “…in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility” (Ephesians 2:16). Jesus, through the shedding of his blood on the cross, has made it possible for people to be brought back into relationship with God. This is far more incredible than the events of 1989.
ABC News reported that “pieces of the concrete wall are now displayed around the world as symbols of freedom.” Likewise with the destruction of the dividing wall 2000 years ago, there are pieces displayed around the world: “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 3:10). Here’s the deal. Today, when Christians (the church) meet together, they are displaying something of God’s wisdom: bringing people together; and together bringing them to himself.
Never been to a church? Go check one out. Don’t know which one to go to? Let me know and I’ll help you find one. Read more about Jesus: here and here.
August Hope
We’ve got a new niece!! Very exciting. Here’s the breaking tweet. Here’s another pic:
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
Mark Driscoll gives a smackdown to ‘Boys who can shave’
Here is an extended snippet where Driscoll gives a smackdown to ‘Boys who can shave’ – that is – they have failed to make the step from child to man. Some of you may be put off by Driscoll’s hyperbolic rhetoric or even think he’s clutching at straws in making this point from this passage of scripture. Regardless, this is good social commentary and cultural critique, with a robust call for men to be real men. It’s valuable for thinking through how we go about ministry to youth and young adults. Maybe we shouldn’t do youth and young adult ministry if it will only help to perpetuate Peter Pans???
I don’t think the answer is necessarily to ditch ministry to youth and young adults, but I do think it changes how you minister to young men. Alex & Brett Harris have a great chapter in their book Do Hard Things on ‘The Myth of Adolescence’. Check out two of their original blog posts that make up some of the chapter:
How does this help you think through how to be man & how to minister to young men?
Check who you pay homage to – part 3
Part 1 posed a question: how do I know who the REAL God is??? In part 2, Paul gave 4 things that we can know about the REAL God: Creator, Sustainer, Ruler, Father. In this final part we’ll see a 5th thing that Paul says about the REAL God.
5. Judge // The Real God is the judge of the world (V30-31). In the past, God was merciful by delaying judgement of people for their ignorance about Him and their worship of fake gods (idolatry). BUT now, God “commands all people everywhere to repent”. To repent is to turn away from sin and the worship of fake gods AND turn towards the True and Living REAL God.
Check out v31: “For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
Who is the man that the REAL God has appointed? Jesus. Jesus is going to come and judge the world with justice. How do we know that Jesus is the one? Because the REAL God has raised him from the dead.
Here’s the deal. Jesus died on the cross 2000 years ago. Jesus didn’t deserve to die. In fact, he is the One person who hasn’t rebelled against the REAL God and therefore the One person who doesn’t deserve to die! Yet, when Jesus died on the cross, he – the sinless one – willingly died in the place of sinners. Jesus died in the place of people who have rejected him, people who have created fake gods, people just like you and me. He took upon himself our shame, guilt and penalty for our sin.
He did this so that we can actually stand on that day of just judgement. That is, because of his death on the cross, we can be forgiven by God and restored into relationship with him.
How do we know all this stuff is legit? Is it really true? YES! We know this because Jesus was raised from the dead. This is proof that: his death worked; and that he will be the one who will come in justice.
How do I know who the REAL god is?
Ultimately – it’s Jesus. We know it’s Jesus because he is ALIVE. He rose from the dead. The REAL God is the one who can’t be contained in a box, can’t be made with our hands, can’t remain buried in a tomb!
In the final few verses (V32-34), we read that some sneered when they heard about the resurrection of the dead – while others believed in Jesus.
Repent. Or don’t. But know that God has set the day and you are approaching it, you need to be prepared.
Check out SAVIOUR-KING if you want to read more about Jesus.
Check who you pay homage to – part 2
We left off with a question (read part 1 here), how do I know who the REAL God is??? In Acts 17, the Apostle Paul visited Athens. This was a city that had a smorgasbord of gods on offer. When he saw all the fake gods (idols) in the city, he was distressed. This was a place confused and not really knowing the REAL God. So Paul began talking with people in the religious buildings, the marketplace and then with the philosophical thinkers.
As Paul talked about the “good news of Jesus and the resurrection” there was still some confusion. So he gives a talk where he makes it clear who the REAL God is. There’s at least 5 things that he says about the REAL God:
- Creator // The Real God made the universe (V24). It’s foolish to worship things created with human hands instead of the Creator God.
- Sustainer // The Real God keeps our hearts beating (V25). God doesn’t need us, but we need and depend on him for everything.
- Ruler // The Real God rules over all nations (V26-27). God is powerful and in control. He wants us to reach out to him, but in our sin we rebel against his rule.
- Father // The Real God is the Father of people (V28-29). Because we are his offspring, it’s silly to think of God as if he is lifeless gold, silver or stone.
I said 5 things. There’s the first 4. Stay tuned for number 5 in the next post.
What’s the point so far?
The problem with worshipping fake gods (idolatry) is that we are trying to bring God under our control. John Stott says “…instead of our humbly acknowledging that God has created and rules us, we presume to imagine that we can create and rule God”.
The REAL God is the CREATING, SUSTAINING, RULING, FATHER – you cannot contain him, you cannot keep him in a box, you cannot domesticate him!
Stay tuned for the 3rd and final post…