Breath of Heaven

This song kinda gives me goosebumps (in a good way!) when I listen to it. I can relate to how Mary must have felt as I too am carrying a revelation of the Christ that has inexorably made me an outcast of institutional christianity.

How does a young guileless virgin explain that her pregnancy came about after an encounter with an angel who told her she would give birth to the Messiah?

"Does she really expect us to believe that she conceived a child without sleeping with a man?

"Does she think we were born yesterday?"

"We know what you really did!"

Young Mary may not have realised the seriousness of the task but she was sincere when she told the angel, (Luke 1:38) "I am the Lord's servant, May it be to me as you have said."

The inception of the baby within her began with this humble confession. The cost would be great. Joseph wanted to divorce her immediately. (In Jewish times, a betrothal was as good as the marriage vow) He certainly did not want another man's baby. But God was watching over Mary. And he gave Joseph a dream that convinced him that God was behind all this.

Mary must have felt the accusing stares of neighbours and friends. Wasn't it every young woman's dream to marry a nice man and raise a family? Mary was no different. But she didn't anticipate that it would come in the manner that it did. She couldn't even be sure of Joseph's feelings for her. No family and relatives to fuss over her and treat her like a princess because the elaborate wedding preparations had to be hurriedly scrapped to avoid any unpleasant gossip. And if that was not enough she had to endure the arduous journey to Bethlehem in an advanced stage of pregnancy.

Perhaps this was the song, Mary sang to herself as she pondered over the path God had carved out for her. Fearful and vulnerable she was when she placed her life and the future of her infant in God's hands. But still trusting in the awesome Hand that guided her own.

Perhaps this is the song that you sing to the One who has led you down this lonely path. You feel fearful and vulnerable as Mary did 2 thousand years ago. But don't give up! Trust Him. The Hands that hung the stars in the heavens are fully capable of guiding you to your destiny which is His holy purpose of revealing Christ the Son.

BREATH OF HEAVEN
I have traveled many moonless nights,
Cold and weary with a babe inside,
And I wonder what I've done.
Holy Father you have come,
And chosen me now to carry your son.

I am waiting in a silent prayer.
I am frightened by the load I bear.
In a world as cold as stone,
Must I walk this path alone?
Be with me now.
Be with me now.

Breath of heaven,
Hold me together,
Be forever near me,
Breath of heaven.
Breath of heaven,
Lighten my darkness,
Pour over me your holiness,
For you are holy.
Breath of heaven.

Do you wonder as you watch my face,
If a wiser one should have had my place,
But I offer all I am
For the mercy of your plan.
Help me be strong.
Help me be.
Help me.

Breath of heaven,
Hold me together,
Be forever near me,
Breath of heaven.
Breath of heaven,
Lighten my darkness,
Pour over me your holiness,
For you are holy.

Breath of heaven,
Hold me together,
Be forever near me,
Breath of heaven.
Breath of heaven,
Lighten my darkness,
Pour over me your holiness,
For you are holy.
Breath of heaven.
Breath of heaven.
Breath of heaven.


Song 'Breath of Heaven' by Chris Eaton and Amy Grant

The Pulpit

A pulpit (from Latin pulpitum "scaffold", "platform", "stage") is a small elevated platform where a member of the clergy stands in order to read the Gospel lesson and deliver a sermon (you can read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulpit if you wish)

In present day Churchianity however, I fear the pulpit has become a

1. Beacon of Biblical Ignorance
2. Platform for Political Propaganda
3. Lectern of Human Intellectualism
4. Seat of Insecurity (and the fragile Male Ego, if I may add)
5. Stage for Stand-up Comedians
6. Rostrum for Opinionated Orators
7. Podium to Promote Self-seeking Agendas (sometimes disguised to look like selfless social causes)

In 1 Corinthians 2:4-6, the apostle Paul wrote
1When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.[a] 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

I read somewhere that

Kerussein [to "preach"] does not mean the delivery of a learned and edifying hortatory discourse in well-chosen words and a pleasant voice. G. Friedrich, "Kerusso," Theological Dictionary of the New Testament 3:703 (1965)

and that, the "sermon" (which is what we frequently get from the pulpit) is a polished, "educated" display of learning and professionalism. But, actually the word "sermon" cannot be found in the New Testament. Its origin is in the world of Greek and Roman philosophy.

Go figure.

The Beatitudes (RCV)

The institutional church reads Matthew 5 quite differently from how the original author intended it. I'll call it the 'Beatitudes (REVISED CHURCH VERSION)'!

On Members
1. Blessed is he who attends church every Sunday without fail, for he shall be called Spiritual.

2. Blessed is he who tithes regularly, because he will be permitted to vote in the AGM.

3. Blessed is he who upholds the traditions of the Holy Fathers, for he will be called a loyal son of the Church.

4. Blessed is he who attends cell group for he will be deemed part of the community faithful.

5. Blessed is he who attends all social events on the church calendar for he knows the meaning of true fellowship.

6. Blessed is he who is rich in works because it helps disguise a lack of true spirituality.

On Ministry
1. Blessed is he who can sing and play the guitar for he will be set apart to lead others to worship.

2. Blessed is he who is endorsed by his leaders, for his ministry will never lack support.

On Leadership
1. Blessed is he who leads but even more blessed are those who follow his lead.

2. Blessed is he who never questions leadership, for it is crucial to the unity of the church.

3. Blessed is he who submits to his pastor/leaders for it is equal to submitting to God himself.

4. Blessed is he who has vision and charisma, for it is divine proof that he is 'anointed' to lead.

5. Blessed are those ordained to be pastors/ leaders for they are God's chosen ones.

6. Blessed are the church staff for they will be considered worthy to serve God's chosen ones.

On Speakers
1. Blessed is he who prophesies encouragement for he will be invited to preach again.

2. Blessed is he who comes adorned with a string of credentials for he comes in the name of the Lord.

On Rabbit's feet and Christian relics

During the Raya holidays, I caught an interesting documentary on television. Two months before Princess Diana’s untimely death, she’d given permission for her gowns to be auctioned off and the proceeds given to charity. Each garment had been finely crafted and richly embellished - fit for royalty. The outfits sold for between USD 20K and USD 200k and followed their new owners to various parts of the world. The documentary was an attempt to trace what had happened to these exquisite one-of-a-kind gowns.

It was interesting to see how the new owners saw their purchase as an extension of the popular princess. One woman hired a personal bodyguard for the dress which she would periodically show to the public. Another woman bought 3 dresses and displayed them in her shop window. In the week following her death, the grieving public left flowers and cards at the window turning it into a mini shrine to the late princess. A few of them would wear the dresses to feel closer to her. Almost all of them had connected with her emotionally and owning the dresses she had worn helped to make that nostalgia just a little more real.

Princess Di was a secular saint who was loved and cherished by all. She’s become an icon that’s unmatched by any member of royalty before and after her. Diana will always be the world’s best loved princess.

But since she died in that tragic car crash, all that’s left are the memories and keepsakes she left behind. While its interesting to read about what these women have done to keep her memory alive, it is also sad because none of them can bring her back. They are merely lingering shadows of a past reality.

During the days of King Hezekiah, Israel had drifted far from God. Many ‘high places’ were built, images erected and sacrifices offered to them. One such ‘high place’ was a shrine built to a relic left behind from Moses’ days. A brazen snake mounted on a pole. Moses had commanded those who had been bitten by the poisonous snakes to look at it and they had been instantly healed! Apparently the brazen image had been preserved throughout the years and had finally ended up an object of worship. Nehustan was the name given to it.

The glory of the moment had long faded, Moses was dead but hundreds of years later, people regarded it with some reverence. Did they still believe in its ‘healing powers’ or did they simply want to crystallise a historical moment to remember how God had marvellously healed his people? The bible does not say.

But what it does tell us is God raised a godly king to purge the land from such images, ordering them to be torn down and destroyed. You can read the story in 2 Kings 18.

Throughout history, the Church has shared a similar reaction with the women who bought a ‘piece’ of Diana. Anything directly or indirectly associated with Jesus’ life became a valuable artefact. During Martin Luther’s day, Rome boasted an impressive collection of bone fragments, limbs and hairs belonging to saints and martyrs. Pieces of the cross, John the Baptist’s skull and today, we have the Turin shroud, crying statues, bleeding hearts etc. Many have been safely enshrined in the continuing belief that such practices can bring us closer to God.

But can they?

Saint Jerome declared, "We do not worship, we do not adore, for fear that we should bow down to the creature rather than to the creator, but we venerate the relics of the martyrs in order the better to adore him whose martyrs they are" (Ad Riparium, i, P.L., XXII, 907).

Hmm..

Imagine asking someone for advice on how to improve your relationship with your lover. And the advice you get is, “You should frame a picture of his cat, have regular conversations with his dead relatives, save his nail-clippings and carry a photo of his best friend in your wallet.”

If Jesus came to remove the sin barrier that separates us from God, why does the church keep replacing it with more useless things? There is no lack of religious paraphernalia to keep us busy with religious activity and sadly this extends to even charismatic circles. Although her Protestant brothers will proudly say that they have no such traditions and images as the Catholic church, they are just as guilty of indulging in equally distracting religious activity. The Church at large has become so deprived that it is reverting back to practices it abandoned during periods of revival and reformation. Instead of feeding God’s people with the living word, pastors are throwing out scraps of human intellectualism from the pulpit! God’s people are starving for lack of spiritual nourishment. They keep their members busy with many 'good' and 'right' activities but deny them the 'one' thing that Mary settled for.

Jesus didn’t hand out souvenirs from his earthly life so we could better remember him by. Instead he gave of himself and when he had given all that he could give, he poured upon us his eternal spirit without measure. One that dwells in us and is close to us and will never leave us for all eternity. If Emmanuel (the name given to Jesus) means ‘God with us’, then the Holy Spirit is God in us!

When Jesus was preparing his disciples for his death, he gave them an interesting analogy.

You can read it in John 16.

16"In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me." 17Some of his disciples said to one another, "What does he mean by saying, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,' and 'Because I am going to the Father'?" 18They kept asking, "What does he mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what he is saying."
19Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, "Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me'? 20I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

An expectant woman goes through many physical changes during her pregnancy. She feels the baby move and kick within her and that brings her much joy. She enjoys the way her husband and family fuss over her. But no pregnant woman wants to be pregnant forever! She dreams for the day when she will hold her baby in her arms. She longs to see him, touch him, kiss and cuddle him close to her heart. She knows she must suffer the pain of childbirth but all will be forgotten once the baby is safely born.

The disciples would sorrow over the separation that physical death will bring but the outcome will cause them to forget their sorrow. The physical Jesus has to make way for the Spirit of Jesus who will dwell in them! Isn't that amazing? The mother witnesses the invisible becoming visible with the miracle of birth. But in God's kingdom, the visible makes way for the invisible!

On that day, they can go direct to Father God as Jesus did and they won't need any translators for the job!

No need for rabbit’s feet or lucky horse shoes. There’s no place for Christian mediums in the Kingdom of God.

If someone had said to the apostle Paul, “Let us immortalise these handkerchiefs (Acts 19)you used to heal the sick, so people can have a sense of closeness with you and indirectly with the Jesus you preach!” How do you think Paul would have responded? If the early apostles wanted to, they could have amassed a variety of Jesus collectibles ... crown of thorns, the purple robe, hairs from the donkey he rode, his breakfast mug etc. (Jesus didn’t really have a lot of material possessions, did he?)

But why would they do that when they had walked with the Bread of Life? The Light of the World. The Living Water. The Word that became alive and walked among men.

Why indeed!

If you could have an audience with King Jesus, would you ask him for a signed autograph? Pose for a group photo with him? Flick his sandals when he wasn’t looking and sell it on e-bay? Ask if you could add him on Facebook? Invite him to give the opening address in the ‘Evangelize your community’ conference?

I don’t know about you, but I know what I would do. I would take hold of him, and beg him to take me with Him wherever he goes.

The world had an audience with the living, breathing Christ more than 2,000 years ago. But the religious community decided he had outstayed his welcome and put him to death. His true disciples were devastated but Jesus promised them, “I will be with you till the end of the world”. His disciples believed his words and accordingly received his promise by the mighty outpouring of His spirit on the day of Pentecost. Natural limitations gave way to a Spiritual explosion and the world has not seen the end of it!

Why settle for anything less?

If you haven’t got the slightest idea of what I’m talking about, it isn’t too late. Ask with the faith and honesty of a child. Seek with the desperation of a man who hasn’t eaten in days! Knock with the impatience of a man who has been unjustly wronged!

This is not the usual, safe, run-of-the-mill ‘Sinner’s prayer’ that you’ re accustomed to. Pray this at your own risk!

“God, I am SO sick of church. I am so tired of religion. I am so fed up of tithing, praying, fasting, fellowshipping, serving and evangelising and still not tasting the eternal life you promised. I can’t keep up the charade anymore! I can no longer keep it together. Nothing is working. The leaders are not helping. Everybody does what they think is right. My theology is so air-tight, it’s choking me! It can’t give me the answers i seek.

I’m not going to pretend everything is ok, when it’s not. I don’t want to keep defending what I don’t believe in anymore. I’m done playing the hypocrite. I don’t care what people think. I don’t care about my ministry. I don’t care about my reputation. All I care is what you have to say.

Enlighten my eyes, so I can see. Open my ears, so I can hear. Loosen my tongue so I may sing the praises of the one who loved me and died for me!

Holy Spirit, fill me. Not just a drop, not a trickle but let the fullness of Him who fills all things flood my soul!”

Friend, if you get real with God, He’s going to get real with you! And I mean a relationship that you never dreamed possible. You will hear his voice speaking personally to you. (You don’t have to imagine what he’d say!). When you read the bible, it’s going to be in 3-D colour! (You will wonder why you didn’t see it before!). You won’t need another human being to tell you what to believe. (Jesus will be the only pastor you’ll ever need!)

I must warn you though of other 'side effects' you can expect.

You will discover who your true friends are. You will have trouble fitting in with the usual Christian crowd. You will never see ‘church’ or ‘ministry’ in the same way you did before; which means you won’t flow with the agenda of the organized church. You won’t care about material possessions or earthly promotions. You will find the unlovely and lonely worthy of God's love. You will develop a love and passion for Truth. You will love Righteousness and hate Evil which won't sit well for people who love the safety of Compromise. You will give cheerfully and generously from whatever little you have and still feel rich!

I could go on. But your experience is infinitely more valuable than any explanation I can give here.

Psalm 34:8
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Why I Don't Go To Church Anymore!

Why I Don't Go To Church Anymore!
by Wayne Jacobsen

Dear Fellow-believer,

I do appreciate your concern for me and your willingness to raise issues that have caused you concern. I know the way I relate to the church is a bit unconventional and some even call it dangerous. Believe me, I understand that concern because I used to think that way myself and even taught others to as well.

If you are happy with the status quo of organized religion today, you may not like what you read here. My purpose is not to convince you to see this incredible church the same way I do, but to answer your questions as openly and honestly as I can. Even if we don't end up agreeing, hopefully you will understand that our differences need not estrange us as members of Christ's body.

Where do you go to church?

I have never liked this question, even when I was able to answer it with a specific organization. I know what it means culturally, but it is based on a false premise--that church is something you can go to as in a specific event, location or organized group. I think Jesus looks at the church quite differently. He didn't talk about it as a place to go to, but a way of living in relationship to him and to other followers of his.

Asking me where I go to church is like asking me where I go to Jacobsen. How do I answer that? I am a Jacobsen and where I go a Jacobsen is. 'Church' is that kind of word. It doesn't identify a location or an institution. It describes a people and how they relate to each other. If we lose sight of that, our understanding of the church will be distorted and we'll miss out on much of its joy.

Are you just trying to avoid the question?

I know it may only sound like quibbling over words, but words are important. When we only ascribe the term 'church' to weekend gatherings or institutions that have organized themselves as 'churches' we miss out on what it means to live as Christ's body. It will give us a false sense of security to think that by attending a meeting once a week we are participating in God's church. Conversely I hear people talk about 'leaving the church' when they stop attending a specific congregation.

But if the church is something we are, not someplace we go, how can we leave it unless we abandon Christ himself? And if I think only of a specific congregation as my part of the church, haven't I separated myself from a host of other brothers and sisters that do not attend the same one I do?

The idea that those who gather on Sunday mornings to watch a praise concert and listen to a teaching are part of the church and those who do not, are not, would be foreign to Jesus. The issue is not where we are at a given time during the weekend, but how we are living in him and with other believers all week long.

But don't we need regular fellowship?

I wouldn't say we need it. If we were in a place where we couldn't find other believers, Jesus certainly would be able to take care of us. Thus, I'd phrase that a bit differently: Will people who are growing to know the Living God also desire real and meaningful connections with other believers? Absolutely! The call to the kingdom is not a call to isolation. Every person I've ever met who is thriving in the life of Jesus has a desire to share authentic fellowship with other believers. They realize that whatever they know of God's life is just in part, and only the fullest revelation of him is in the church.

But sometimes that kind of fellowship is not easy to find. Periodically on this journey we may go through times when we can't seem to find any other believers who share our hunger. That's especially true for those who find that conforming to the expectations of the religious institutions around them diminishes their relationship with Jesus. They may find themselves excluded by believers with whom they've shared close friendship. But no one going through that looks on that time as a treat. It is incredibly painful and they will look for other hungry believers to share the journey with.

My favorite expression of body life is where a local group of people chooses to walk together for a bit of the journey by cultivating close friendships and learning how to listen to God together.

Shouldn't we be committed to a local fellowship?

That has been said so often today, that most of us assume it is in the Bible somewhere. I haven't found it yet. Many of us have been led to believe that we can't possibly survive without the 'covering of the body' and will either fall into error or backslide into sin. But doesn't that happen inside our local congregations as well?

I know many people who live outside those structures and find not only an ever-deepening relationship with God, but also connections with other believers that run far deeper than they found in the institution. I haven't lost any of my passion for Jesus or my affection for his church. If anything those have grown by leaps and bounds in recent years.

Scripture does encourage us to be devoted to one another not committed to an institution. Jesus indicated that whenever two or three people get together focused on him, they would experience the vitality of church life.

Is it helpful to regularly participate in a local expression of that reality? Of course. But we make a huge mistake when we assume that fellowship takes place just because we attend the same event together, even regularly, or because we belong to the same organization. Fellowship happens where people share the journey of knowing Jesus together. It consists of open, honest sharing, genuine concern about each other's spiritual well being and encouragement for people to follow Jesus however he leads them.

But don't our institutions keep us from error?

I'm sorry to burst your bubble here, but every major heresy that has been inflicted on God's people for the last 2,000 years has come from organized groups with 'leaders' who thought they knew God's mind better than anyone around them. Conversely, virtually every move of God among people hungering for him was rejected by the 'church' of that day and were excluded, excommunicated or executed for following God.

If that is where you hope to find security, I'm afraid it is sorely misplaced. Jesus didn't tell us that 'going to church' would keep us safe, but that trusting him would. He gave us an anointing of the Spirit so that we would know the difference between truth and error. That anointing is cultivated as we learn his ways in his Word and grow closer to his heart. It will help you recognize when expressions of church you share life with becomes destructive to his work in you.

So are traditional congregations wrong?

Absolutely not! I have found many of them with people who love God and are seeking to grow in his ways. I visit a couple of dozen different congregations a year that I find are far more centered on relationship than religion. Jesus is at the center of their life together, and those who act as leaders are true servants and not playing politics of leadership, so that all are encouraged to minister to one another.

I pray that even more of them are renewed in a passion for Jesus, a genuine concern for each other and a willingness to serve the world with God's love. But I think we'd have to admit that these are rare in our communities and many only last for a short span before they unwittingly look to institutional answers for the needs of the body instead of remaining dependent on Jesus. When that happens do not feel condemned if God leads you not to go along with them.

So should I stop going to church, too?

I'm afraid that question also misses the point. You see I don't believe you're going to church any more than I am. We're just part of it. Be your part, however Jesus calls you to and wherever he places you. Not all of us grow in the same environment.

If you gather with a group of believers at a specific time and place and that participation helps you grow closer to Jesus and allows you to follow his work in you, by all means don't think you have to leave. Keep in mind, however, that of itself is not the church. It is just one of many expressions of it in the place where you live.

Don't be tricked into thinking that just because you attend its meetings you are experiencing real body life. That only comes as God connects you with a handful of brothers and sisters with whom you can build close friendships and share the real ups and downs of this journey.

That can happen among traditional congregations, as it can also happen beyond them. In the last seven years I've meet hundreds if not thousands of people who have grown disillusioned with traditional congregations and are thriving spiritually as they share God's life with others, mostly in their homes.

Then meeting in homes is the answer?

Of course not. But let's be clear: as fun as it is to enjoy large group worship and even be instructed by gifted teachers, the real joy of body life can't be shared in huge groups. The church for its first 300 years found the home the perfect place to gather. They are much more suited to the dynamics of family which is how Jesus described his body.

But meeting in homes is no cure-all. I've been to some very sick home meetings and met in facilities with groups who shared an authentic body life together. But the time I spend in regular body life I want to spend face to face with a group of people. I know it isn't popular today where people find it is far easier to sit through a finely-tuned (or not so finely-tuned) service and go home without ever having to open up our life or care about another person's journey.

But ultimately what matters most to me is not where or how they meet, but whether or not people are focused on Jesus and really helping each other on the journey to becoming like him. Meetings are less the issue here than the quality of relationships. I am always looking for people like that wherever I am and always rejoice when I find it. In our new home in Oxnard, we've found a few folks and are hopeful to find even more.

Aren't you just reacting out of hurt?

I suppose that is possible and time will tell, I guess, but I honestly don't believe so. Anyone who is engaged in real body life will get hurt at times. But there are two kinds of hurt. There's the kind of pain that points to a problem that can be fixed with the right care—such as a badly sprained ankle. Then there's the kind of pain that can only be fixed by pulling away—as when you put your hand on a hot stove.

Perhaps all of us have experienced some measure of pain as we have tried to fit God's life into institutions. For a long time most of us hung in there hoping if we tweaked a few things it would get better. Though we could be successful in limited ways during moments of renewal, we also discovered that eventually the conformity an institution demands and the freedom people need to grow in Christ are at odds with one another. It has happened with virtually every group formed throughout the history of Christianity.

Are you looking for the perfect church?

No, and I don't anticipate finding one this side of eternity. Perfection is not my goal, but finding people with God's priorities. It's one thing for people to struggle toward an ideal they share together. It's another to realize that our ideals have little in common.

I make no secret of the fact that I am deeply troubled by the state of organized Christianity. Most of what we call 'church' today are nothing more than well-planned performances with little actual connection between believers. Believers are encouraged toward a growing dependency on the system or its leadership rather than on Jesus himself. We spend more energy conforming behavior to what the institution needs rather than helping people be transformed at the foot of the cross!

I'm tired of trying to fellowship with people who only view church as a two-hour a week dumping ground for guilt while they live the rest of the week with the same priorities as the world. I'm tired of those who depend on their own works of righteousness but who have no compassion for the people of the world. I'm tired of insecure people using the Body of Christ as an extension of their own ego and will manipulate it to satisfy their own needs. I'm tired of sermons more filled with the bondage of religion than the freedom of God's love and where relationships take a back seat to the demands of an efficient institution.

But don't our children need church activities?

I'd suggest that what they need most is to be integrated into God's life through relational fellowship with other believers. 92% of children who grow up in Sunday schools with all the puppets and high-powered entertainment, leave 'church' when they leave their parents' home? Instead of filling our children with ethics and rules we need to demonstrate how to live in God's life together.

Even sociologists tell us that the #1 factor in determining whether a child will thrive in society is if they have deep, personal friendships with nonrelative adults. No Sunday school can fill that role. I know of one community in Australia who after 20 years of sharing God's life together as families could say that they had not lost one child to the faith as they grew into adulthood. I know I cut across the grain here, but it is far more important that our children experience real fellowship among believers rather than the bells and whistles of a slick children's program.

What dynamics of body life do you look for?

I'm always looking for a people who are seeking to follow the Living Christ. He is at the center of their lives, their affections and their conversation. They look to be authentic and free others to hurt when they hurt, to question what they question and to follow his voice without others accusing them of being divisive or rebellious. I look for people who are not wasting their money on extravagant buildings or flashy programs; where people sitting next to each other are not strangers; and where they all participate as a priesthood to God instead of watch passively from a safe distance.

Aren't you giving people an excuse to sit home and do nothing?

I hope not, though I know it is a danger. I realize some people who leave traditional congregations end up abusing that freedom to satisfy their own desires and thus miss out on church life altogether. Neither am I a fan of 'church hoppers', who whip around to one place after another looking for the latest fad or the best opportunity to fulfill their own selfish desires.

But most of the people I meet and talk with are not outside the system because they have lost their passion for Jesus or his people, but only because the traditional congregations near them couldn't satisfy their hunger for relationship. They are seeking authentic expressions of body life and pay an incredible cost to seek it out. Believe me, we would all find it easier just to go with the flow, but once you've tasted of living fellowship between passionate believers, it is impossible to settle for anything less.

Isn't this view of church divisive?

Not of itself. People make it divisive when they demand that people conform to their revelation of truth. Most of us on the journey are accused of being divisive because freedom can be threatening to those who find their security in a religious system. But most of us aren't trying to recruit others to leave their congregations. We see the body of Christ big enough to encompass God's people however he calls them to gather.

One of the things often said about traditional church is that Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in American culture. We only meet with people who look like we do and like things the way we do. I've found now that I have far more opportunity to get with people from a broader cross-section of his body. I don't demand others do it my way and I hope in time that those who see it differently will stop demanding we conform to theirs.

Where can I find that kind of fellowship?

There's no easy answer here. It might be right in front of you among the fellowship you're already in. It might be down the street in your neighborhood or across a cubicle at work. You can also get involved in compassionate outreaches to the needy and broken in your locality as a way to live out his life in you and meet others with a similar hunger.

Don't expect this kind of fellowship to fall easily into an organization. It is organic, and Jesus can lead you to it right where you are. Look for him to put a dozen or so folks around your life with whom you can share the journey. They may not even all go to the same congregation you do. They might be neighbors or coworkers who are following after God. Wouldn't that kind of interconnection among God's people yield some incredible fruit?

Don't expect it to be easy or run smoothly. It will take some specific choices on our part to be obedient to Jesus. It may take some training to shake off old habits and be free to let him build his community around you, but it is all worth it. I know it bothers some people that I don't take my regular place in a pew on Sunday morning, but I can tell you absolutely that my worst days outside organized religion are still better than my best days inside it. To me the difference is like listening to someone talk about golf or actually taking a set of clubs out to a course and playing golf. Being his church is like that. In our day we don't need more talk about the church, but people who are simply ready to live in its reality.

People all over the world are freshly discovering how to do that again. You can be one of them as you let him place you in his body as he desires.

Pastors say the darnest things!

Here are some statements I have heard, made over the pulpit or quoted in church bulletins. If you know of any, please put it down in your comment!

My favourite Pulpit Bloopers.

1. God is both male and female. So then it is in the bedroom (read sexual intimacy) that men and women (read husbands and wives) are most like God.

[And what will the singles say, when they realize that not only did they miss out on the fleshly pleasures of wedded bliss but they also missed the chance of becoming more like God?]

What does the bible have to say about it?

Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

In God's eyes there is no discrimination between race, status or gender. We are all equal in Christ. It is just as wrong to elevate the married status over the unmarried as it is to elevate the single life over the married.


2. Without the consecrated ministry (a ministry where full-time workers are required to give up marriage, career and worldly goods and be subservient to their religious head ), God cannot perfect His church.

[Which do you find more offensive? The idea that such unreasonable demands are thrust on those who want to serve God? Or the suggestion that God CANNOT do something?]

The bible tells us of three things God cannot do.

Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

James 1:13
When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;

Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

There is no one God the Father trusts more than His Son and it is JESUS who is the author and perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2)! God has not delegated that job to anyone else.

Hold fast to the promise of God and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.
Psalm 138 The LORD will perfect that concerns me;Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.


3. You are not living a Christian life if you are not living in community (with like minded believers).

Institutional Christianity teaches that if one doesn't belong to a church one can't profess to be christian. It's kinda like saying that a house isn't a home unless it's in the right neighbourhood!

The Pharisees had a similar slant to their religious beliefs. If Jesus was indeed the Messiah, he'd stop healing on the Sabbath day and observe all the ceremonial customs that their Jewish community dictated. Jesus didn't play by their rules because he wasn't playing their game! But he was the Messiah nevertheless!

Some labels are more popular than others - 'church family' or 'christ-centered community'. But there is no difference whether you are 'connected' or 'belonging' or being in 'committed involvement' in the local church, none of these can 'produce' a christian.

I believe this mindset originates from false teachings that promote thinking such as:
"Apart from the church there can be no salvation", "God cannot be his father whose church is not his mother", "The five goals of worship, discipleship, fellowship, ministry and evangelism can only be properly carried out in the spiritual environment of a local church" etc.

I don't care how 'correctly' they are worded, NONE of them are based on scripture! Jesus never taught that people need to belong to an organization to be close to Him. Strangely, many well-schooled theologians and pastors of both traditional and charismatic churches are more than happy to teach such things in their classes and to their congregations!

In 1 Cor 1: 20ff, Paul (himself a well educated Pharisee!) said,
20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

26Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him. 30It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

Has the CHURCH now become our wisdom? our righteousness? our holiness and redemption? GOD FORBID!

I think the Sauls of present day Christianity seriously need a Damascus experience. Like Paul, they need to get knocked off their feet and hear the voice of Jesus speaking directly to them to realize how blind they have become! And believers who place so much stock in the seminary qualifications of their pastors will do well to go back and study the Word of God for themselves. God has already given us His Holy Spirit who has the mandate to lead us into all Truth and reveal Christ to us who is the Living Word!

John 16: 13-14
13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.

I can only conclude, if you want to be scripture smart you need to be theology stupid!


4. Everyone is called to be a cell leader (referring to the G12 cell group model)

The proponents of such a teaching study the Bible as if it were a handbook of principles/ rulebook. They come up with some preposterous statements like; Jesus discipled 12 so 12 is the magic number of people we need to disciple at any given time. This in turn leads to further 'revelations' as to why cell groups never thrive if they are allowed to grow beyond this number. Conclusion? For cell groups to be healthy and viable, leaders should ensure cells are multiplying and not remain stagnant. Soon the majority of church members are of the opinion that G12 is 'the way' to disciple people! And that they are doing it more 'correctly' than other cell churches.

What a deception! It looks and sounds good. Its got more than a couple of scriptures to 'back it up'. It's coming from someone who flaunts the right credentials and has pulpit presence, with years of ministry experience tucked under his belt. The leadership is united in their 'conviction' that its what their church needs to grow. How can it NOT be from God?

It is a sad reality that when you don't have God's Word in you, everything will sound like 'Chicken soup for the soul'!

Friends, just because something is 'working' is no proof that God is for it. (Saul continued to fight and win his battles for some time even after God had rejected him from being king). The word of God in you is sharper than a double edged sword, able to separate what is of God from what is of the flesh (Hebrews 4:12).

Unfortunately many believers have just enough bible knowledge to wield a blunt butter knife.

5. Poverty is a curse.

Read the following scriptures.

Matt 19:24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

Matt 19:21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

Matt 6: 19-20"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Hebrews13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

I Tim 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

What about the widow in Luke 12? The poor woman who could ill afford the 2 measly copper coins she dropped into the treasury impressed Jesus more than the rich who gave generously out of their plenty.

In Matt 26:6-8 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. 9"This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor."

Do you know what was Jesus' response? (I wonder how Oprah and Bono will react to it!)

He said, "The poor you will always have with you but you will not always have me"

Oh and do you know what else? Jesus died with nothing but the clothes on his back. He even had to be laid in a borrowed tomb which confirms that Jesus died a POOR man!

The Kingdom of the Son is not dependent on earthly currencies. It is not affected by monetary lack neither does it benefit from its excess. There are more scriptures to tell us that Jesus taught his disciples that wealth and the love for it is far more an obstacle to the eternal life He offers to us than poverty itself.

Still think its the poor who are under a curse?

Aku minta kepada TUHAN

Aku minta kepada TUHAN
Setangkai bunga segar
DIA beri aku kaktus yang berduri
Aku minta kupu-kupu
DiberiNYA ulat

Aku kecewa dan sedih
Tapi tetap bersabar

Namun, tak lama kemudian kaktus itu berbunga indah sekali
Dan ulat itu menjadi kupu-kupu yang cantik.

Begitulah cara TUHAN mengasihi kita
Selalu indah pada waktunya

Dying to Live

One by one. I've had to lay down my lofty ideals even the ones I thought were godly and worthy of my love and life. My most precious friendships, my most selfless ambitions, even my childlike innocence; Nothing was spared but each one was taken from me and systematically dismantled and destroyed beyond recognition.

Against my will.
Despite my strong protests.
My pleas disregarded.
My tears unnoticed.

Till I am standing stripped of every thing I treasured and worshipped.
My hands empty.
Till I am bleeding; torn without remedy.
My heart irreparably broken.
Till I despaired of ever being restored.
Drunk blind with disillusionment.

Is there hope for one such as I?

Can God put me together again?

Yes He can. He did not bring me this far to abandon me. His love for me is unfailing and eternal. He will restore this weary soul.

I WILL BE GOOD AGAIN. I KNOW IT.

But not the way I was before.

Minus my selfish pride,
Minus my smug self-righteous ways,
Minus my suffocating self-pity,
Minus my self-reliance,
Minus my need to vindicate self.


You see, Self is the only real enemy.

How will He accomplish this? It's not for me to know.

I only know God ordered this path for me. It was He who escorted me to Golgotha's hill. It was His hands that nailed mine to that cross. It was His spear that pierced my side. And finally it was He that left me there to die.

But I did not die alone. We died together. We suffered humiliating shame and crushing defeat, together. We felt the sting of betrayal and the pain of rejection, together. Together we drank from the cup of suffering and together we swallowed the last bitter drop.

But it was needful. Just as it was needful for Jesus to die on the cross so He could buy your freedom and mine.

In order to heal, I had to hurt.
In order to live, I needed to die.
To greet the dawn, I must endure the night.

I'm waiting for the 3rd day. When the tomb will be opened. And the dead will come alive again. Resurrected by the power of God. Filled with the Spirit of God. Complete and whole again.

But you won't recognize me.

Instead you will behold the Christ. HIS righteousness. HIS Faith. HIS Truth. HIS love. HIS Compassion.

A new creation. Conformed to the image of Christ - God's beloved Son.

All of Him and none of me.
He must Increase but I must Decrease.

God, don't let me interfere with the process. Don' let me tell you what to do. Don't rescue me; don't release me until I am well and truly dead to the carnal fleshly me.

So that I may know what it is to truly Live.

Galatians 2:20-21
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Matthew 10: 38, 39
and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

An uncomfortable truth - Part 3

The Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus declared to us, is not one that is earthly. It will help if we understood the unique characteristics of this ‘out of this world’ kingdom.

It is not man-made for God alone is the architect.
It is eternal, a kingdom that will endure forever.
It is unshakeable, unstoppable and comes in God’s power.
It is capable of existing in this world but is not overcome by it.
It is not sustained by earthly monetary currencies
It rests in the hearts of the true disciples of Christ.
It seeks the surrender of the human will, not the exertion of human effort.
It is received in the simplicity of a child.
It is entered into by repentance and change of heart.
It is increased in those who submit to God’s government.
It is acquired by giving up everything of worldly value.
It is learnt by heeding the voice of God’s beloved Son.
It is discovered by the revelation of God’s Holy Spirit
It demands the daily discipline of carrying one’s personal cross .
It prefers the least over the greatest.
It is evidenced by the fruit of God’s character.
It is established upon God’s righteousness and truth.
It defies human logic & intellect and acts in opposition to it.
etc

The kingdom Jesus spoke about is no fairy tale. But it exists NOT in the natural sense but a spiritual one. The common mistake we make when trying to understand the Kingdom of God is by naturalizing it to meet our standards of morality and goodness. That's how we have treated much of God's Truth. Treated and tempered it to suit our natural and moral tastebuds.

It is not uncommon to hear God's kingdom referred to in corporate and even political terms at times. But Jesus is not the CEO of heaven neither can we refer to him as a 'leader' (the way some Christian writers like to) . The bible calls him the “suffering servant & lamb of God” which means one who had no special rights or privileges, did what he was told and was dispensable. Jesus himself testified that he did nothing that God the Father did not tell him to do! Now, that’s a follower not a leader! Go chew on that one!!

Jesus challenged the leaders to destroy the physical temple in Jerusalem which took some 40 years to build and claimed he would raise it again in 3 days! Seriously now, was Jesus considering to restore Solomon’s ancient architectural wonder after He reduced it to rubble? Of course not! He was speaking of a different kind of temple. One that had no geographical location. No home address. Not made of brick and mortar. Not built by human hands.

The Kingdom of God is a heavenly one and cannot be compared to any existing earthly model regardless of how ‘biblically ordered’, ‘morally upright’ or ‘divinely inspired’ it is. Even in their most ideal forms, the kingdoms of this world are no match for the Kingdom of God's Son. Heaven does not share our definition of perfection. In fact, Scripture tells us what is most valued among men is detestable in God’s sight (Luke 16: 15b)

Today's Church (or what I call the Organized Religious Institution) has created her golden calves and calls it the Christ. I am reminded of the OT Jeroboam who propagated his own gospel as a substitute for Moses’ law.

Read I Kings 12:26-33 for the story.

Jeroboam made 2 golden calves and presented them to Israel, “ Here are your gods O Israel who brought you up out of Egypt”. He ordained priests who were not Levites and installed them in shrines he built in high places. He offered sacrifices on the altar he built in Bethel to the gods he had made and ordered festivals in the month of his own choosing!

But God had left clear instructions with Moses :
Only one place of worship was allowed ie. the temple of Jerusalem.
Graven images were forbidden and bowing to them was a big no no.
Festivals were strictly during the month of God’s choosing.
Only Levites were qualified to be priests and offer sacrifices.

Blatant disregard for God’s Word led to his downfall.

Jeroboam was afraid the people might return to the rule of David and he came up with his convenient and cost-free option for God’s people. (I Kings 12: 26-27).

Friends, the gospel of Jeroboam IS NOT the gospel of Christ. In fact, the spirit of Jeroboam is dead set against the spirit of Christ. Christ is a threat to its existence and continuing influence because it knows only He is worthy of our complete obedience. Because once God’s people realize they have made their allegiance to a gilded bull, they will repent and begin to follow the Christ who is the head of his Body (the bible calls it the Ekklesia in the original Greek).

In church, there is always a need for volunteers - people are constantly being enlisted to make refreshments, serve coffee, drive the church van, direct Sunday traffic, make announcements, greet visitors, dust pews, host speakers, sponsor flowers, play the keyboards, babysit, arrange chairs, record sermons etc. There is no disgrace in these little things that many humbly and selflessly perform. The real shame is we have glamourized these menial tasks for mass appeal. We’ve got people thinking they are ‘ministering to God’ with their ‘gifts’ and that God is immensely pleased when people ‘serve’ the agenda of the church.

I may be shattering some illusions here but God’s goal for your life is infinitely more sacred and satisfying than passing the collection plate and washing the communion cups.

The point I am trying to make is this.

Christ DID NOT come so we could serve a man-made institution and be subject to her wardens.

Were that his mission, Jesus should have made it his life’s work to

Reform religion
Regulate worship
Revamp theology
Reorganize resources
Replenish finances
Recruit members
Raise leaders
Reduce conflicts etc

(And all the million other things church leaders do before they crash and burn to the ground!)

The blessing of owning land, numerous descendants, having more than enough and being a blessing to all the nations of the earth - This was the proud legacy left behind by Abraham, their founding patriarch. But Israel’s king would seize all of this for himself and his own. What a tragedy! God already knew what His people were capable of when they became a great nation. They would quickly forget the God who delivered them after more than 400 years of slavery in Egypt and reject Him for worthless gods. Freed from one bondage, Israel goes seeking for another.

That’s History repeating herself. And we are guilty of no less!

By faith, we became heirs of Abraham’s promise and citizens of God’s kingdom. But like Israel we reached for the very thing that put us in its power. And before we know it, we’re slaving for a counterfeit kingdom and its self-serving agenda. But as long as Christ is not the King, it will not stand.

The answer is not finding the right church to belong to. Its being connected to Christ who is the Head. St. Paul said WE BELONG TO CHRIST - not an institution (even if it dates back 1,700 years!)

When we are rightly connected to Christ then we are His church!

Don't believe anyone who tells you that you NEED to belong to one. It's a lot of Bull! (pun intended!!)

You cannot fake a resurrection

I like this meditation taken from Chip Brogden's article, 'Back to the Cross.

http://www.theschoolofchrist.org/articles/back.html
"For I determined to not know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (I Corinthians 2:2).

Religion seeks to reform a man; the Cross seeks to crucify him. Religion may fail to bring about the desired result, but the Cross never fails to achieve its end. Mankind will pursue morality, virtue, spirituality, even perform religious works and good deeds, in order to avoid death on a Cross. But there are no wounds, no scars, no evidence of having ever died and been made alive unto God. Either a man has never died, or he has died and been raised again. You cannot fake a resurrection.

I'm a church drop-out

"The social benefits of going to church can no longer compensate for its lack of spiritual life" - Chip Brogden

and the desert rose says, "Amen!"

The Songbird And The Flower
by Chip Brogden

In a land not too far away lived a songbird. According to outward appearances this songbird was no different than the rest. She had blue feathers, a white breast, and a yellow bill. But she also had a very special gift!

Her gift was discovered one day quite by accident. She enjoyed singing to the Lord and worshipped Him at every opportunity. It was her custom to wake up early to see the sunrise and spend time worshipping the Lord. She had done this every morning since she was a little bird.

Her song carried unusually far one morning. Her neighbor, the squirrel, was sitting in his little recliner with a cup of tea, reading the morning newspaper, when suddenly this magnificent song came wafting through the open window! "I have to find out where that's coming from!" he exclaimed. Jumping up out of his chair, he ran through the door and into the field, looking for the source of the beautiful music.

Also, at that exact moment, a deer was walking through the woods and heard the same sweet melody. "What singing!" she cried. "I wonder who it could be?" And she, too, went off to find out where the music was coming from.

The songbird, of course, was oblivious to the excitement she had generated. She was lost in her worship when suddenly the squirrel arrived on the scene, followed by the deer - and about a dozen other animals!

"Where did you learn to sing like that?" they all asked with great admiration.

The songbird shrugged her shoulders. "I always sing like this whenever I want to give praise to the Lord. I hope I didn't disturb you."

"Disturb us?" answered the deer. "We think it is wonderful! How uplifting to hear such beautiful singing early in the morning. You really have a gift!"

"I do?" asked the songbird.

"Absolutely!" said the squirrel. "God blessed you to bless others, and you shouldn't let that gift go to waste. You have a special calling!" And all the other animals agreed.

"I don't want to waste my gift," answered the bird. "What should I do?"

"Come with us to the church service this morning," said the deer. "I'll speak to the pastor about you and he'll let you sing for the congregation!"

The songbird wasn't sure what to do about all this attention, but she didn't want to waste her gift, and she certainly wanted to bless others with what she had been blessed with. So she agreed to go.


* * *
Of course, the congregation of animals were blessed by the singing songbird, and she was such a blessing that they invited her to sing every Sunday morning. The little group began to grow as a result of the songbird's beautiful voice. In no time the songbird became the worship leader. Not only was she responsible for selecting the music and leading the worship service, but she was supposed to conduct the choir practice twice a week and teach voice to the pastor's daughter (the crow) so she could one day sing as well as the songbird.

One Sunday morning a group of eagles arrived, listened to the songbird, and watched her very carefully. After the service, the eagles gathered around the songbird and began to prophesy! "The Lord says that you have a special anointing, and He will give you an international ministry!"

Of course, the songbird was very thrilled about this, because she wanted to use her gift and she wanted to be a blessing. Another member of the church, the fox, offered to record her music and put it on CD. "That way," he explained, "You can reach more animals and be a blessing to God's creatures all over the world. This is what the Lord meant when He said He was giving you an international ministry!"

Before long the CD's were produced, and the fox had promoted them all over the world. The orders began to come in, and everyone said they were blessed by the songbird's music. Then came the invitations! "Is the songbird available to come to our church?" Everyone wanted their own live performance, and the fox took care of everything.

"Congratulations!" he told the songbird. "You're booked up for ministry every week for the next two years, and your CD's are in record stores all over the world. Now you can be in the full-time ministry! The Lord has really blessed you!"

So the songbird took her itinerary from the fox and began flying all over the world to meet the demands of her full-time ministry schedule. The fox even made her a special backpack so she could take all her CD's and ministry resources with her and raise money for her ministry.

The songbird sang in church services, and in retreats, and in conventions, and in concerts. She truly enjoyed meeting all the other animals, and she still enjoyed singing. She was getting a little tired of flapping her wings all the time to get from one ministry event to the other, and her voice seemed to be losing some of its former strength and purity from being used all the time, but she accepted that as part of fulfilling the call on her life. Besides, no one seemed to notice. Everyone loved her, and wanted to hear her.


* * *
Time went by, and the songbird was becoming more and more popular. She had a ministry headquarters, a ministry staff, and ministry partners all over the world. Her next CD was coming out soon, and everyone was looking forward to it with great anticipation. She was a busy little songbird, flying all over the place to keep up with her hectic ministry schedule, but having to carry around all those CD's and ministry resources on her back was a constant strain, and she tired easily.

One day she was traveling to her next singing engagement and found herself flying over a canyon out in the middle of nowhere. Exhausted from her flight, she decided this would be a good place to stop and rest her wings for awhile. Far below her she saw a gorgeous flower of indescribable beauty! So she circled around the flower and landed right next to it.

What a lovely little flower it was! It had round petals of many colors - yellow, blue, pink, and white - and golden leaves. She had never seen anything like it in all her travels around the world. And the fragrance! It was unlike anything she had ever smelled, and far better than any perfume she had ever tried. Yet here it was, growing out of a crack in the bottom of a rocky canyon floor, out in the middle of nowhere!

"Hello little flower!" the songbird said. "I was just flying overhead and admiring your beauty, so I thought I would visit with you for a moment. You are certainly the most beautiful flower I have ever seen, and I don't think there is another flower in the world quite like you."

"The Lord has been very gracious to me," answered the flower pleasantly. "Who are you, and where are you going?"

"I am Rev. Songbird and I'm on my way to minister at a retreat on the other side of this canyon. Maybe you've listened to one of my CD's, or seen me on television?"

"No, I don't believe I have," the flower said. "I'm quite alone out here in the canyon, and I don't have a lot of contact with the rest of the world. As you can see, I don't have wings to carry me anywhere."

"That's a shame," said the songbird. "Because you are such a beautiful flower, and you give off such a lovely aroma. The Lord has blessed you to be a blessing, yet your gifts are not being used as they should! Why don't you come along with me to church, so the other animals can see your beauty and enjoy your fragrance?"

"Oh no, that would never do," the flower said, "Because that would only distract me from my own ministry."

"So you are in the ministry? What denomination are you with?" asked the songbird.

The flower laughed. "I'm not with a denomination."

"Where do you go to church?"

"Oh, I'm not involved with a church, either."

"Do you have some books or tapes out?"

"Heaven's no!" the flower laughed.

"So what kind of ministry do you have, then? Are you in the ministry full-time, like me?" the songbird asked.

"Oh yes, it is a full-time ministry," answered the flower.

"But you are out here in the wilderness, all alone. There are no churches, no one to fellowship with. How can you be in the full-time ministry? It seems like such a waste."

"Oh, but that is where you are wrong," explained the flower. "You see your ministry as being to the other animals, but my ministry is to the Lord Himself! He has planted me out here in the wilderness, hidden from the rest of the world. You believe that is a waste, since no one can see me or smell me. But He can see me! And He can smell me! And the measure of my fruitfulness is not what I am to other people, but what I am to Him."

The songbird was silent for a long time. Finally, she said, "Creatures all over the world are being blessed and encouraged by my music. Perhaps you are called to minister to the Lord, but I am called to minister to the other animals!"

"Who told you that you are called to minister to the other animals?" asked the flower.

"The Lord!"

"Really?" asked the flower.

The songbird thought about what the squirrel had said, and what the deer had said, and what the eagles had said, and what the fox had said, and what all the other animals said. "Well... just about everyone who has heard me sing has told me that the Lord has given me a special gift, a special calling, and a special ministry."

"Yes," agreed the flower. "But all of God's creatures have a special gift, a special calling, and a special ministry. Who told you that your gift, calling, and ministry is to the other animals?"

"I guess the other animals said so."

"Naturally," continued the flower. "But wait! What is that huge pack on your back?"

"Oh, that is my bag of music CD's and ministry resources. I carry these with me wherever I go, because this is how my full-time ministry is supported."

"It looks mighty heavy," observed the flower.

"It is, believe me!" said the songbird. But it's part of being in the ministry."

"For your ministry, perhaps," said the flower. "It's not part of my ministry! Ministering to the Lord is not a burden at all."

(Secretly, the songbird envied the flower, but she couldn't bring herself to admit it.)

"It does sound good," said the songbird. "But I'm not sure I even know how to minister to the Lord."

"Do you remember when you used to sing praises to the Lord in secret every morning, and just worshipped Him for Who He is, with no agenda or vision or plan or crowd of onlookers to minister to? Do you remember when you just sang the songs He gave you, and they were just between you and Him?" the flower asked.

"Yes."

"You were ministering to the Lord! And what was your reward, when no one could hear you sing, and you were just singing to Him?"

The songbird thought. "I didn't get any rewards, or recognition, or applause. So I guess the only reward I had was... Him?"

"That's right," the flower smiled. "When we minister to the Lord then the Lord becomes our reward. So then the question becomes: is Jesus enough for you? Or is the work of the Lord more important to you than the Lord of the work?"

And the songbird had to admit that she never had time to just sing to the Lord the way she used to. With all her traveling and performing she seldom took time to just minister to the Lord, the way she did before anyone knew how gifted she was. Now the ministry had become so big that the Lord Himself had been neglected.

"I see it now," the songbird finally admitted. "I went into the ministry, but I missed my calling."

"That's what usually happens," said the flower.

The songbird and the flower sat together in silence for a long time.

"So what do I do now?" the songbird whispered.

"Just go back to the beginning," the flower said. "The Lord is waiting to meet with you there."

The songbird and the flower embraced, and the songbird flew back to her nest, leaving the burden of her ministry behind on the canyon floor. So from that day forward the songbird devoted herself to ministering to the Lord, just like she used to do. And the Lord gave her some beautiful new songs to sing - just for Him.

©1997-2007 Chip Brogden and TheSchoolOfChrist.Org.

Permission is granted for non-commercial (free)distribution provided this notice appears.

Proverbs to live by

Did you know?

You can get by ...
without a fixed income but you cannot live without His provision.

You can sacrifice ...
the comforts of home but how can one give up the comfort of His presence?

You can listen ...
to the harshest critic but you cannot learn without His correction.

You can cope ...
by medicating your pain but you cannot be whole without His healing.

You can confess ...
your deepest fear but to conquer it you need His unfailing love.

You can bear ...
the greatest sorrow but you couldn’t endure without His promise.

You can answer ...
the hardest question and still be unable to explain His wisdom.

You can buy ...
the most expensive gift but you could never afford His peace.

You can neglect ...
the company of man but do not shun His friendship.

You can dismiss ...
the opinions of others but you cannot deny His truth.

You can go hungry ...
without eating but you will starve without His life-giving word.

You can please ...
all the people in the world and never win His approval.

An uncomfortable truth - Part 2

To answer that last question, we need to refer to the book of Deuteronomy.

This book contains the final sermon Moses preached to his people before they crossed over to Canaan. This was even before they had judges to keep the peace. With uncanny foresight, Moses predicts Israel would ask for a king once they settled in. God knew what His people were capable of and in His wisdom instructed Moses to prepare them for that day.

You have to read this carefully.

Deut 17: 4-17
4 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us," 15 be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, "You are not to go back that way again." 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.

18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20 and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.

Now, Israel enjoyed a succession of kings. Some good, some not so good, and some plain rotten! Under their leadership, she rose to new heights of greatness and glory. But in spite of all their achievements, not one of them could fulfill Moses' requisites.

Remember King Solomon? His reign brought peace, prosperity, wisdom and worship to Israel such that neighbouring nations sat up and took notice. But even he was a notorious horse collector, a polygamist (700 wives & 300 concubines!) and indulged in opulent exhibitions of gold and silver!

I am convinced this passage of scripture was more than just a rule for royal hopefuls. It was a messianic requirement and only the real Messiah could fulfil this charge in every sense of the word.

Guess what?

Only Jesus, God's only begotten Son made the cut! He

• was a Jew by birth


• only ever borrowed a donkey and its colt (and didn't send his disciples too far to fetch them either!)


• never married &


• died poor.

From age 12, Jesus simply astounded people with his knowledge of the scriptures. He taught with authority unlike the religious scribes of his day. You'd never describe Jesus as a theologian for his was not intellectual knowledge of God but a spiritual intimate relationship with the One he called Father. He fulfilled every letter of God's law and observed the Jewish calendar, but he was NOT religious. In fact, he constantly irked the religious community by healing on the Sabbath, fraternising with‘sinners' and ignoring their tedious ceremonial forms.

Contrast that with today's enlightened ‘spiritual’ leader who strives to be theologically sound, politically correct and ecumenically unified.

God used Israel's monarchy to teach us about the kingdom of heaven. Saul disqualified himself but King David who succeeded him showed us what the coming Messiah would look like. David had many wonderful qualities but the one quality by which all succeeding kings were eventually judged, was his wholeheartedness in following God. The bible tells us it was David who won the title of man after God's own heart.

I Kings 15: 5 For David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not failed to keep any of the Lord's commands all the days of his life - except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.

Acts 13: 22-23 And when He had removed him (Saul) , He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ 23 From this man's seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus—


It's important to note that although King David was God's choice, he was NOT the Messiah. David was a messianic witness to Jesus, the Anointed ONE.

The prophet Isaiah made an amazing prediction;

6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9: 6-7

A mere human could never accomplish this. He had to be God and Jesus fit that description perfectly. He confirmed every prophecy spoken of him by complete and total obedience to God the Father.

Nobody could equal or surpass Jesus' achievements. No not one.
Not before. Not after. Not ever.

Who are we to confer such lofty titles on another human soul addressing them your eminence, your holiness, your grace , your lordship, your reverence etc ? Shame on us!

The author of Hebrews exhorts us to fix our eyes on ONE person.

Hebrews 3: 1-6Therefore holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. Jesus has been found worthy of greater honour than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honour than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.

Here's another challenge for you.

Why didn't Jesus want to be king? After all he was a bona fide blue-blooded descendant of David's royal house. He could have joined the revolutionaries to overthrow the goverment and sent the Romans packing. The Jews had been waiting for more than 400 years since the last prophetic voice had faded. In their mind the coming of the Messiah would mean national unity and end of pagan rule. Israel could then begin her journey to reclaim her former glory.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem (once the royal city of David), he had the crowd eating out of his hand. They believed he was the prophet and were prepared to make him their leader.

Read Matthew 21: 8ff

8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!"

Jesus himself never denied he was the King of the Jews. Yet, why didn’t he try to fill the shoes of his ancient predecessor? Isn't that why He came? To ascend David's throne and establish God’s government eternally?

The answer is found in Jesus’ reply to Pontius Pilate.

35"Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?" 36Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." 37"You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

Ready for this?


The kingdom Jesus came to declare is literally, I mean literally OUT OF THIS WORLD!


To be continued..

An uncomfortable truth - Part 1

Do you know what was KIng Saul’s greatest sin that caused him to forfeit the throne? Was it uncontrollable sexual passions? Abuse of power? Insatiable greed for gold?

Give up? Dust off that bible and turn with me to I Sam 13.

Jonathan's surprise attack on the enemy outpost had incited the Philistines. They quickly assembled their armies to fight Israel. On seeing the strength of their military line-up, the hearts of Saul's men melted in fear.

Just days earlier, at Saul's coronation, the prophet Samuel had given Saul strict instructions to wait 7 days for him at Gilgal after which he would come and offer the burnt offering. Only after that would Samuel tell him what to do next. You can read this in I Sam 10:8 ff.

With a battle brewing, Saul had to uncover God's plans pronto! So Saul waited in Gilgal for Samuel to offer the burnt offering but when he still didn't appear after the stipulated time, Saul decided to do it himself. But just as he finished, Samuel arrived and chided Saul for acting presumptuously.

Read I Sam 13: 11-13.

Saul blamed everyone else for forcing his hand. His men for their lack of focus. Samuel for his tardiness and the Philistines for their imposing presence. But God did not let him off the hook! As a result of Saul’s failure to keep God's command, his kingdom would not endure and another would take his place as leader of God's people.

Few pastors will readily admit personal responsibility when they know they have failed God ; preferring to pin the blame on members' lack of commitment, leaders' inefficiencies and 'spiritual' attacks from Satan himself!

In this second incident, (Read I Sam 15) Samuel told Saul that God wanted him to utterly destroy the Amalekites sparing nothing and noone. Saul fought and won the battle but told his men to save the best of the livestock and destroy the rest. He also spared Agag, king of the Amalekites. .

Read on.

10 Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: 11 "I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions."

Meanwhile, Saul traipsed off to Carmel to build a monument to himself before he caught up with Samuel at Gilgal (v12).

When Samuel reached him, Saul said, "The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD's instructions." 14 But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?"

Now what was so wrong in destroying the blemished and preserving the best of the sheep and cattle? After all, these were only spared to be sacrificed to God.

When Samuel confronted him, Saul defended his actions.

20 "But I did obey the LORD," Saul said. "I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal."

Well, 2 out of 3 isn't bad. Or is it? After all Saul was only thinking of what was best for everyone. Right?

Wrong.
Check out how Samuel sums up Saul's actions.

OBEDIENCE to God’s voice is better than sacrifice.
REBELLION is equal to the sin of witchcraft.
ARROGANCE is no different from committing idolatry &
Since you REJECTED GOD'S WORD, God also has rejected you as King.

Strong words. What we may consider petty and inconsequential, God regards with extreme gravity. With God, partial obedience is no obedience and delayed obedience is still disobedience.

God's Word is NOT a suggestion or an option to be ignored.

His back against the wall, Saul concedes that he did violate God's command for fear of his men. He begs Samuel to forgive him and accompany him one last time to worship God so he doesn't lose face before the elders. (Yes, It IS possible to resist God and still participate in an act of worship!) Finally, it's Samuel who fully executes God's word. He slays Agag before returning home to grieve Saul until his death.

It's true Saul was anointed king on God's instructions (I Sam 9:16 - 17), but God only gave Israel the kind of king they wanted. They wanted to be on par with the other nations - a worthy king who would lead them and fight their battles just like the kings of the nations around them. They rejected the headship of God for the leadership of man. So God agreed to their demands and gave them Saul.

Saul embodied every proud aspiration of man. A man we're more than happy to have take charge and lead us to glory. Society constantly worships at the altar of good looks, talents and charisma and Saul fit neatly into the mold of this idol. What's more, Saul was anointed of God, empowered by His Spirit and even flowed in the gift of prophecy! Saul was an accomplished leader; an important protagonist in the annals of Israel’s kings. But failure to carry out God's clear instructions, exposed how spiritually bankrupt he really was.

Some pastors are convinced that God chose them for their extraordinary leadership skills. Can you really imagine God saying, “Tom is a true visionary, Dick is a keen strategist and Harry can get people to where he needs them to be (whether they like it or not!) - I gotta have them on my team”?

If this is what God is looking for, then Saul would have been the man after God's own heart. But he was nowhere on that list.

There could be a question at the back of your mind.
Didn't God see this coming? Surely God could have warned His people about Saul?

More to follow....

Blast from the past

God has placed in each soul an apostle to lead us upon the illumined path. Yet many seek life from without, unaware that it is within them. - Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931)

Don't underestimate the ordinary

I was worried about the future, wondering what it is I could do to make a decent living now that I no longer worked in the church. I know it was no mistake that I gave up pursuing a career in the corporate sector but what was it then that God had called me into? What should I do? Whom do I see? Where do I apply? So on so forth. And God being God, chose a movie to speak so clearly to me. I was watching the movie Paycheck starring Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman.

You can read about it in detail at this link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paycheck_(film)

The hero had a envelope filled with ordinary items that he did not recognise or recollect but which was crucial to helping him escape from life-threatening situations and finally leading him to the truth.

God said I have already deposited in your life what you will need for the future but you don't recognise them simply because they are too ordinary for anyone to take notice. But I know what your future entails and I will give you the details when it is time. You can try to figure out the what, how, why and when but you won't succeed because only I know what's in store for you. Just learn to trust my leading and at the precise moment, you will understand why I worked in the way I did. You can trust me for I make no mistakes and I cannot fail.

You have to love the way God speaks! No secret codes to decipher, no clues to break and no need for second guessing what it is He is saying to us.

I am still learning what it is to serve an Extraordinary God!

I started writing this post in Nov 2007. It is now Jan 2008 and I am teaching a basic English course in a local college. Teaching is my thing and English is (strangely) my first language! A happy combination for me. I get to work AND enjoy what I do at the same time! The majority of my students are from a home for the handicapped and they are simply precious!

For those of you who didn’t know, I was without a job for 8 months after resigning from the church I was serving in. I was so messed up that I couldn't work even if I wanted to. But God marvelously provided for me - I reconnected with my nephews and nieces in Dubai and then had a wonderful holiday in South Africa. I spent time with family and old friends and even found time to make new ones. I ate well, slept well and spent lots of time just chilling with God and allowing Him to speak into my heart. I had time to de-stress and work on this blog which is fast becoming a hobby of mine.

I just love this God who takes really good care of His sheep of whom I am happy to be one!