HACKED BY NESAS_0DAY

Category: Society and me

  • Advice to my Younger Self

    Advice to my Younger Self

    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]By Jerry Gule.

    When you are in your 50’s there are times you look back with amazement at some of the things you got up to in your teens and early 20s. You say to yourself, “What was I thinking? I should never have done that or I should have done more of this.” In those moments you realize that time has gone and you cannot undo those decisions and actions. Guilt and regret can settle in your heart.

    This is where unmerited grace needs to come in to help you accept that there is actually no use crying over the proverbial spilt milk.  Grace says you are forgiven and you have to forgive yourself since there is nothing you can do about the past. You can only do something about the future.

    Regrettably, those memories of past decisions cannot be deleted from your inbox, and from time to time they come racing across the screen causing you even more hurt and pain.  Sometimes you see the “evidence” or “scars” of your poor and ill-informed decisions and each time they remind you of how inane your thinking once was.  The truth of yesterday haunts you today. King David must stand as one of the greatest Biblical examples of someone who could not erase the reminders and consequences of his past.

    I do wish at times that there had been a special person who emerged to give me eyes to see the impact my decisions would have on my future and on generations to come.

    If I could give advice to my younger self, this is what I’d say:

    1. Life is a journey

    Do not rush to do everything before you have walked the whole way. Sometimes our youthful exuberance leads us to act on half-baked information and facts. This rashness can have long lasting effects.  So always lean on the side of gathering the facts or data to inform your decision making rather than rushing impulsively into action without considering the pros and cons. You have a long life ahead – God willing – so why rush it?

    2. Remember your actions and decisions have consequences

    The results of your actions can either be good or bad, positive or negative. It is a certainty that actions or decisions have consequences, which in many instances can be deep and long-lasting. So, with this in mind, it stands to reason that one has to always carefully weigh the options. By deciding on one way or another, you may open or close your opportunities for an interesting and successful career long-term.

    3. Prepare for each life stage

    Preparing to live with a purpose at each stage of life beyond infancy is important.  The stages include: infancy, adolescence, young adulthood, adulthood and senior citizenship.  You prepare by listening to those who have gone before you. They may have been born before modern technology, but they know a lot more about life than you do. Of course, these older ‘counsellors’ or ‘mentors” should be people you trust and who have your best interests at heart. It is unwise to reject good advice off-hand just because you do not like it. One needs to take time to reflect and consider any feedback and advice one is being handed.

    4. Defer gratification or pleasure seeking

    Generally long-lasting things take time to achieve, so the “tyranny of urgency” i.e. a mentality that says “I want it and I want it now”, can lead to untold disasters. The trick is not to be driven by your desires. You cannot just get things your way all the time.  Learn to delay your gratification and control your impulses, giving you a necessary pause to think.

    5. You are not the final authority

    Sometimes youths “fight” with their parents or any authority figure, because they want to be in charge of their lives and to live their way without any controls. Remember you cannot live as if you will never account for the manner in which you conduct yourself. The reality is that you may be called to account many times during your lifetime. There is always someone in charge either directly or indirectly. Ultimately, God, the Creator and Judge of the universe, is in charge and will require some accounting when the curtains of this world are drawn. Live today with that final Day in mind.

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  • Hospitality: When it is uncomfortable and inconvenient

    Hospitality: When it is uncomfortable and inconvenient

    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]By Lilly Million.

    I’ll never forget the first time I came to Christ Church Midrand nearly 5 years ago, we got invited to the home of a family whom we have now become very close to. However that whole day I remember sitting in their home, eating, chatting and marvelling at their 1 year old daughter who could say “awesome”, wondering why they had invited us over at all. I was waiting for them to make a presentation or make some sort of a request, to get down to business, but it never came. I had had a great time yes, but felt like I had been left hanging and as me and my then husband-to-be drove out, I turned and asked him, “What was all that for?”
    Growing up in my tiny family of 3, visitors was a bad word to me. Visitors meant I was going to be inconvenienced – I would have to wake up extra early, clean the whole house before they arrived and watch my mom slave over a hot stove. Once they did and all the awkward pleasantries were exchanged I would have to stay in my room with my sister (if there were no other distant cousins around) so as to not eavesdrop on the conversation of the grownups. It meant a whole Saturday where my home was hijacked. If someone stayed over, for a night or heaven forbid a whole week, then it meant my room. My whole room with my posters and my walls and all my stuff. Visitors never came often, perhaps twice a month and when they did, I hated it. I felt the whole thing to be uncomfortable, and very unnecessary.

    The call to be hospitable.

    I hadn’t realised how precious about my space I was (am). However being drawn into true Christian community, this problem was exposed because this type of community calls us to do the opposite. It is evident in the scriptures that Jesus’ ministry was about people and spending time with them. An example of this is where Jesus is invited into Martha’s home and her sister Mary sits at his feet listening to his teaching (Luke 10:28). What a privilege that must have been. Another example is when Jesus meets Zacchaeus he invites himself to stay at his house. The scriptures describe how Zacchaeus “hurried and came down and received him joyfully”- Luke 19: 1-10. Throughout the book of Acts and in his letters, the Apostle Paul mentions various people who housed him and gave him provision during all his missional work. Finally, in Romans 12:13 we receive the instruction quite directly “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” The Lord wants us to share our homes, to be other people centred.

    It is in our homes where we exhale, where we truly live. Where we undo tight pants and suffocating ties and say what is really on our minds. Truth be told, more often than not, every other space in life we are on duty, whether at school or at work, where most conversations are short and superficial but it is in our homes where on a deeper level, we experience “real life on life”. So naturally it is easy to fall into the trap of shutting up all the doors and drawing the black-out curtains over the windows to shut the world out. However when we do that, how are we growing in community? How are we serving in and being part of the body of Christ? How are we reaching the lost and when we are feeling lost ourselves, how can anyone reach us? Yes Jesus himself took time away to be alone but If that’s the kind of behaviour we engage in most of the time, how are we truly being Christ-like.

    Personally most of my growth as a Christian and what it means to live as one, came from being in the home of that family I told you about in paragraph one every week. On good and bad days, living and witnessing everyday Christian life. Through that my family, my family has grown and has extended beyond our difference in blood and even race.

    “This is God’s house”

    Another great friend whom I call my “really cool aunt” tells the story of how when she bought her home she dedicated to God. Being a single woman, she purchased a 3 bedroom home many years ago till this day, on any given weekend, it is busy with grown-ups and children going in and out, having birthdays and dinners and braais and arguments. And one or two odd people who needed a place to stay for a few days. I have watched her do that with her space which I am sure isn’t easy as I have watched her lose it when the people became too much. However, the purpose for her home has remained the same – for God to use it for the benefit of more than just herself. And that has been amazing to see to watch. I myself have benefitted many times from her hospitality even on days when the world became too much and I just needed a place to go to for a few hours. I am so grateful for that. I have learned so much.

    Hospitality isn’t easy and doesn’t come naturally for all of us, including me, however I am sure most of us have benefitted from someone showing hospitality to us. So why not do the same, for the sake of living out the gospel in our lives?

    What does that mean?

    It means if we stand up and say we are believers in Christ. If we say that what Christ has done in our lives is greater than anything we can achieve or possess on this earth, then that should reflect in how we treat our stuff, and our homes. To be willing to meet the need when someone needs a couch, a bed or maybe just a meal. And even if they don’t need it, to be willing to offer it. To be willing to show our true selves in environments, share our lives, the good, the bad, the ugly. To be in true community and to recognise what true family really is, a family we have gained through the love Christ showed as which we ought to show each other.

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  • How to be a good Christian friend

    How to be a good Christian friend

    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]By Lauren Maggs.

    Over a meal the other day, I was chatting to a friend about the real joy of having friends you know you can call on with no reservations. Christian friendship has been one of the sweetest discoveries of my adult life.
    I consider this a marvellously easy blog to write, not because I’m such a great friend, but because I have such good Christian friends. I consider myself truly blessed by the many godly women the Lord has sent my way. I write this blog based on their faithfulness, love and character.
    I’ve drawn on their behaviour to guide these principles, in the hope that this would spur me on to be a better friend.

    1. A good friend walks the road of life with others

    Romans 12:15 talks about rejoicing with those who rejoice and mourning with those who mourn. What a joy to have friends who have whole-heartedly rejoiced with me through special events in my life? They have entered into my happiness by talking about the event with me, counting down to special events for me and putting themselves out to celebrate wins with me.
    Conversely, that have sat patiently with me as I have wallowed in self-pity and frustration and pain. They have been heartbroken with me. They have willingly weathered the highs and the lows of life with me. That’s what it looks like to walk the road of life with others.

    2. A good friend encourages others

    Good Christian friends encourage you to persevere. They do more than just say a few nice things to make you feel better – they pour out and stir up courage in you to help you keep going. As Hebrews says, they “spur you on to love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24). There is an idea of forward motion in Christian encouragement. They push you onward. Very often, a cup of coffee on the couch of a good Christian friend has given me the courage to keep fighting the good fight.

    3. A good friend speaks the truth in love

    A sweet joy to me has been how much I value correction from a friend. By speaking difficult truth to me, that have shown me that they love me. They have not cherished their own comfort more than my godliness. Ephesians 4:15 reminds us that speaking the truth in love in one another is what causes us to grow.

    4. A good friend lets you into their lives

    The great blessing of being part of a community of believers is that you have evidence of God’s work in the lives of others, even when you feel like you can’t see it in yourself. When a friend welcomes you into their lives to walk with them, you get to have a front row seat to see how God is working. God’s work in their lives becomes a physical reminder to you of his power and sovereignty. Hearing a friend express faith in God during one of their trials, strengthens you to face your own trials.

    5. A good friend points you to God

    I cannot thank God enough for the countless times that my friends have pushed me towards him. It is a great blessing to have a voice outside the mess of your own head reminding you that God is in control. Whether through thoughtful messages, prayer for you or with you or conversations, my friends have reminded me to turn back into God.

    In a world desperate for authentic and true relationships, Christian friendship always stands out as evidence of God’s wisdom and grace.

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  • How HIS Greatness Impacts Everything

    How HIS Greatness Impacts Everything

    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]By Gareth Maggs.

    Isaiah 6 is a biblical text I often dwell on. Each time I think about it, I find a new reason to be blown away by the Lord. Why? This text gives us a glimpse into Isaiah’s vision where he stands before the Lord almighty. If you got a glimpse of the greatness of the Lord, wouldn’t you play it over and over in your head?

    The scene must have been overwhelming! The Lord is so great that he sits above everything else (vs 2), has beautiful creatures constantly flying around him singing his praises (Vs 2 and Revelation 4:8), has a robe that fills the temple (vs 1), is covered with smoke to prevent lesser beings from gazing upon him (vs 4) and speaks with a voice that shakes the foundations (vs 4).

    This scene is awesome and it has a profound impact on Isaiah. I want to explore this impact, because I believe if we truly understand this passage, it will change every moment of our lives. Here’s how

    It helps us treat God like the sun, and not like the sun

    It looks like I’ve made a typo above. I haven’t. We often treat God like we treat the sun. We know the earth revolves around the sun, but we speak as if it revolves around us. We call our first viewing of the sun ‘Sun rise’ and we call the last viewing of the sun ‘Sun down’. We do the same to God, we live life as if he revolves around us. We try build our own lives, our own careers, our own families and our own self-esteem. We only call upon God when we need help in achieving our own ambitions, as if his purpose is to revolve around us. To worship us.

    In Isaiah 6, the first lesson Isaiah learns is perspective. He sees the grandeur of the Lord and understands that the Lord does not revolve around us. He begins to treat God like we should treat the sun. He says ‘“Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (ESV vs 5). Seeing God, He exchanges his own take on the world for God’s and immediately sees our biggest problem is not our daily struggles, our relationship issues, it’s not our career, nor our self-esteem, nor the poor or war; while these are important, our biggest problem is our ‘unclean lips’. Our sin.

    Do you wake up with your take on the world as more important than God’s? Do you see sin as greater than your own problems? If not, then you will never see why the cross is the greatest reason we praise the Lord. You’ll be angry at God for not worshipping you by building your dream life, when he has already solved the root of your problems by being nailed to a tree. You need to get perspective. God needs to become greater, and we need to become lesser

    No more fear of anything but the Lord

    Last week when walking from the gym (Sorry couch, your work on my stomach had to end), I passed some pre-school boys about to get into a fight. It was one against three, yet the one showed no fear. With great pride he proclaimed to the others, ‘My dad is bigger than your dad’. Luckily a teacher came before he got beaten.

    Why did he not fear? What was it about his dad that gave him confidence? After much thought, I realised that out of all the weapons he had against these bullies, dad was the most powerful. How did he know that? From his perspective dad is big, He fears him more than the bullies. In Isaiah 6 Isaiah not only sees just how great the Lord is (6vs 1 – 5), but experiences it through the Lord solving his greatest problem, his sinful nature (6vs 6 – 7). Isaiah’s response is staggering. The Lord calls Isaiah by saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? (vs 8)” and before the Lord even explains the task, Isaiah says “Here I am send me”.

    Isaiah responds like this as he knows that whatever task the Lord has for him, he can do it without fear. Isaiah fears God more than anything. He has the most powerful weapon. If you have a small view of God, then you’ll accomplish little for him. He’s not a God to be feared and therefore won’t be big enough to take on your fears, leaving you to only rely on yourself. If you have a big view of God, then you can take on the world in confidence, knowing that whatever area of life he has called you to live in, you can deal with it. Your God is greater.

    Not even doubt can separate us from him

    This point probably fits best under point 2, but I decided to keep it separate as I think one of our biggest fears is doubt. It could be doubt in the Lord, doubt in our salvation, doubt in the ability of the Lord to lead our leaders, doubt that the world is getting better, etc. Doubt is a daily fear.

    This week an event I heard about made me think. A teacher told her class that she was doubting the Lord. Immediately I thought, ‘No, you shouldn’t share that with children, what if they start doubting the Lord too?’. During that week, one of the children went home and created a promise box, filling it with verses showing how God is always faithful to his people, even when they doubted him. The next week, she gave this box to her teacher to help her in her doubt.

    That teacher was not wrong in telling her class her doubts, because God is greater than our doubts. That little girl taught me that when I doubt, I need to look at all the promises he fulfilled in his word, because no matter the obstacle, no matter the unfaithfulness of the human race, God proved his greatness by always being true to his promises.

    Last thoughts

    I wrote this article to move us from seeing the greatness of God as something that merely wows us, to something that changes the way we do life. Seeing the Glory of the Lord made Isaiah shift his perspective and caused him to live for the Lord without fear. Our response should be the same, our only fear should be the Lord. When tempted to join unethical practices in the work place we can shout, ‘My God is greater’. When we fear the future of our country we can shout, ‘My God is greater’. When we fear the future of our children, we can shout ‘My God is Greater’. When we are afraid of the grave, we can shout, ‘My God is greater’. When we don’t think we can make it through school or university, when we worry about school fees or whether we’ll get through the month, let us proclaim at the top of our lungs, ‘My God is greater’.

    He may not solve things the way want, but he has promised that he looks after his people. If our God is so great and he’s on our side, then let me ask this, “Who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

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  • Christ in the Centre of Your Friendships

    Christ in the Centre of Your Friendships

    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text][fusion_text]by Lilly Million

    “Get friends that make: sin look bad, God look big, grace look tangible and the Gospel look true” – Jackie Hill Perry

    I saw the above quote on twitter which is pretty cool because the influence of people and various friendships that have come and gone over the years has been something I have been thinking of over the past couple of weeks. This made me think even more so that I’ll take it as a guideline (and a God send… cause’ I’m so bad with headings) and just work around that for this blog.

    1. Make sin look bad

    Amidst great pressure or sometimes none at all, when we are idle and disengaged, it is at this point we tend to forget or simply ignore what we know. We desensitise ourselves to the working of the Holy Spirit and the desire to sin becomes so great. We choose to not exercise the gift of self-control and give in. Thinking we still have it together, we don’t realise it, but we slowly lose our will power to fight the fight against sin. We start letting things slide. Just as the book of James states in Ch1:15, once we let sin bloom it leads to death. The moment between choosing to fight and choosing to surrender isn’t as brief as we think. In those moments it has always been the company I keep and their attitude towards sin that has reminded me that I am in a fight and must do just that. It may not be something said directly to me, for we all know when it comes to sin we become very skilled at hiding. So No, it won’t be that, but it will be something as small as a friend being honest in a situation where they could have lied. Or hearing the statement “As a bible believing Christian (fill in the blank)”. Or the hardest one, the one that makes me want to sink into a hole never to be seen again, when someone asks me to pray for them in their struggle with sin. Now THAT’S when it gets real. I always appreciate God and the people he has sent me when moments like that come. If I can appreciate my friend who reminds me I’m on a sort of, ‘sugar free’ eating plan when I want cake, I can appreciate God’s saving grace when I am reminded of the cost of sin.

    2. Make God look big

    I spend my daily existence in a whirlwind of emotions and I can’t tell you how many times I have sat with friends and family frustrated with life and overwhelmed and desperate for immediate solutions. And then one of them will casually say “Well God is sovereign”, “God is still on the throne”, “No matter what is happening, the point is to become like Christ” or simply, “Have you prayed about it?” God knows we get caught up in ourselves, we make mountains out of molehills and lose perspective of who He is when faced with major trials or victories. Col 3:2 calls us to maintain our focus on Christ which is so important because the moment we get consumed by what is in front of us, we forget him all together. In my opinion, it is in times of extreme victory and extreme loss where we need to maintain correct perspective the most. The Lord does a stunning job of this in Job 38 when He finally responds to all of Job’s frustrations. Without the correct perspective of who God is and his intent, a storm can seem eternal and a little ray of sun falling on our heads can cause us to believe it exists solely for us.

    3. Grace look tangible

    One of my personal favourite things to do is to ask people about their stories of coming to faith in Christ or just something pivotal in their walk with God. When concepts around my faith seem abstract or somewhat unreal, it is stories like that, which remind me what a miracle and privilege it is to be in communion with God and part of a family of believers. And that makes me want to dig deeper. It is seeing lives completely transformed by the Gospel, people literally becoming new creations before my eyes that leaves me in awe. It is seeing those who once rejected Christ stand against everything, including blood relatives for the sake of the faith. It is in seeing those who have been wronged, forgive and choose love. Hearing of the successful businessman who gave it all up for the sake of being more present in his family. I mention such because as sinful beings, that is not who we are naturally. We are more inclined to be self-satisfying and seeking therefore, seeing such transformations can only come by the grace of God and the working of the Holy Spirit. Being in such company reminds me that God is working on me too and to not shift from where he has placed me. It serves as an encouragement to simply stick with Jesus.

    4. The Gospel Look True

    I would say this one links quite closely to the above paragraph, however I’ll extend this to our everyday living as Christians. One of most frustrating things for me to witness are believers who compartmentalise. That is, if their life was a wheel, their faith is just one spoke or section instead of it being at the centre. The issue with such a way of life is that the Gospel becomes stifled, crippled to do the complete work God has intended in our lives. It may be convenient for us as we can avoid certain areas of darkness and not acknowledge we will be held accountable one day. However, when the Gospel is the centre of the wheel this changes everything; how we live, work, play, spend our money, spend our time, love etc. etc. It goes on and on. Sometimes it’s hard, I mean it took me forever to host people in my home, because I love my space uninterrupted. But seeing friends do this encouraged me to do the same and now, looking back, I know I have come a long way when someone invites themselves over and I’m okay with it. But the work isn’t done, I’ll know I have made it when I am okay with sleepovers.

    In Closing…

    The Gospel is God’s power to save, and it redeems all areas of our lives. It is not the means to be with God in eternity but the means to live as he has created us NOW. If that is what you believe then you need people who can constantly display what that looks like. Coming from a broken home, we need Gospel centred families to display what God families to be. Coming from a context where the most violent offenders are men, we need Christ like men to display true manhood. In spaces where women are taught that their greatest assets are their body parts we need bible believing women to display that being made “in the image of God” is far more that the beauty God gives us. The list goes on but most of these changes happen in community, not in isolation.
    Friendships are beautiful gift from God and can grow and mature us. I always imagine how perfect they will be in heaven. But the road there is long, choose wisely whom you decide to walk with.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”https://www.christchurchmidrand.co.za//wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Mail-2.png” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”center center” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_3″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”2%” margin_top=”2%” margin_bottom=”2%” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]

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  • Christianity is Not Relevant

    Christianity is Not Relevant

    A few years ago sharing a bible passage with an unbeliever was a wonderful idea. Though that person may not have walked with the Lord, they had an awe or reverence for God and so accepted this as a kind gesture. Now day’s things are changing. More and more people are beginning to not like God and more specifically, the God of the bible.

    God is seen as unloving because he doesn’t accept all beliefs. He’s a homophobe. He sits back when evil and injustice happens all around the world. Too many people believe God is a legalistic, outdated figment of our imagination that does not belong in a world where we have freedom. Ironically, the world has created a gospel message that they are not afraid to preach. Their message is simple, “Christianity is not relevant”.

    We’re seeing the result of this ‘gospel’ all around us. People are rejoicing over the new laws in homosexuality and even going as far as calling it, ‘liberation’. People are fighting to remove Christianity from Schools as they no longer respect it as a belief which teaches good morals. Facebook shows people want to choose their own gender, and speaking of Social Media, when was the last time you saw a biblical response in a discussion that the forum respected?

    In all of this, where are the Christians?

    Most of us are sitting at home… praying if we are lucky. I’ve been reflecting on the Great Commission this week and one thing that has really struck me is how Jesus calls his disciples to ‘baptise in the name of the Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit’ (Matthew 28:19). For those who don’t know, the Great Commission took place just before Jesus left his disciples to be with his father in heaven. He had been teaching them for three years, he had died to defeat sin, had risen again and was now giving his parting thoughts before sending them off into the world. What intrigued me was the words ‘the name’. Why would they go to all the world baptising ‘in the name’ of God. Could they not have left out that word in the bible and done their ministry in, for or with God?

    The reason is because God’s reputation is in his name. God is concerned about how people view him. He doesn’t just want this baptism done as a mere action, he wants it done with people knowing that the loving, all powerful, all caring, creator who died for his people is the one in whose name they are being baptised in. Knowing this, I thought about how much I care for God’s reputation? Here the disciples are being told to go out into the world with God’s name as their number 1 concern, yet I go out with my name as my number 1 concern. I’m not the only Christian who does this. When was the last time you asked a Christian, ‘How are you?’ and God’s reputation came in the list of all their concerns? We rightfully created #menaretrash because women are abused. We rightfully cry to the Lord when we see falling economies, corrupt governments and starving children… why aren’t we crying out now when God’s reputation is being abused?

    We need to live sacrificial lives

    The correct response is NOT to run out smacking everyone with a bible and shouting ‘believe, believe, believe’. We definitely need to show people the God of the bible, but it needs to be done strategically as there is a lot of deep seated emotion. People hate God, they are angry at Christians, they think most wars are attributed to God and they feel the world has been enslaved to a belief in him for many years… saying, ‘Read this book and believe in the Jesus who loves you’ is simply not going to cut it.

    The early church is an example we need to look at. They did not only teach what they believed, but they lived it out. There are countless stories of people putting God’s reputation before their own lives and their own health. Read this extract on the early church from an article I used in my research for this blog (Click here to view the original blog):

    “Instead of fear and self-preservation, Christians quickly invaded the city and cared for the poor, sick, and dying at great risk to their own lives. What they understood was simple: God loved humanity, and so to love God back, one was supposed to love and care for others just as Jesus did. During this time period, Christians not only buried their own, but also pagans who had died without proper funds for burial. Reports estimate some churches fed 3,000 people daily. Once the plague hit Alexandria, the Christians there risked their lives performing simple deeds of washing the sick, offering food and water, and consoling the dying. Rome tried to even emulate this model, but it failed because for Christians it was done out of love, not duty. Romans began to marvel and often whispered in the streets “look how they love one another.”

    We need to defend what we believe

    Having the world calling Christianity irrelevant is a form of persecution. We are being mocked for our faith and I fear it will only get worse. When persecution happens, it has an incredible way of showing our hearts. Many who claim to be Christians fall away from the Lord under trial and Mark chapter 4 says it’s because they don’t hold on to the Word of God. Or as Matthew says it, their heart is not where their treasure is (Matthew 6). Holding onto the Word doesn’t just mean reading it religiously. It means grappling with it.

    We need to become people who ‘fight the text’. We need to be reading, asking what does the text mean? Questioning what we believe and why we believe it. The reason for doing this is simple, if you don’t have a clear reason to believe what you do, the moment you face persecution, you will have no reason to stay believing. If you are a Christian because you were ‘born into a Christian family’, ‘because it’s your culture’ or for any reason other than the Gospel defined in the word of God, you will not stand when persecution hits. It’s impossible to defend someone you don’t know. When questioned on why he allows suffering, you won’t know the answer, when questioned on his choices on homosexuality, you won’t know what to say. If anything, you will resort to an image of God in your head, which is not the God of the bible.

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  • Christ in the Center of How You Use Social Media

    Christ in the Center of How You Use Social Media

    By Paul Ntini

    Just like you, l am constantly finding myself browsing through Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Recently I’ve begun to think about how l present myself on social media, especially as a follower of Christ. I’m not an expert but I will share what I found out.

    Consistent with the Word

    Ask yourself, “What am I sharing or posting or even saying on social media? Is it in-line with what I claim to believe?” (1 Timothy 4 verse 16). Stop and think how your post will make Jesus look? Being His representatives should cause us to reflect on how we speak and act. This includes what we say and do on Twitter and Facebook .We should look at scripture and analyse our lives closely.

    Listen and Understand

    Read your post once, and then again. What would you say if you were on the receiving end of it? When you are commenting or giving an opinion on a post, how would you take it? You need to listen to what is actually being said rather than what you think is being said. You need to think critically. Be quick to listen, slow to speak and to become angry, especially when you ‘think’ the post is about you (in most cases this is a false presumption).

    Do not post and just say whatever you want to say. Remember for every idle word we speak we will give an account on the day of judgement (Matthew 12:36, 37). Therefore examine your heart, because out of your heart, your mouth speaks (James 3). If your heart is ugly, you will say things you shouldn’t and it’s not something you can control (Despite why you think). Changing the heart starts with trusting in Christ and spending time daily in his word (James 1:23 – 24). It also means, in the spur of the moment, instead of responding in anger to a post, considering your own heart and deciding the best action. That may mean consulting other Christians or maybe… maybe you shouldn’t respond at all.

    Angry and Irritated? STOP

    Stop, stop, stop posting if you are angry or irritated, for where there is anger godlessness is always right there. “The anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (James 1 :20). Another option is to pray for yourself and the other person. We are called to be a family of believers (Ephesians 1:5), one that is attractive to non-believers (1 Peter 2:12). Anger only breaks down relationships. Instead, it makes sense to consider wisely ways of replacing your anger with ways that will encourage or build up others. Praying, and not posting can go a long way to strengthening a family or looking attractive. If you really feel you need to speak to the person, don’t do it over social media, and rather speak to the person face to face.

    Nowhere in the bible is ‘shaming in a public platform’ acceptable in any instant, so why do it? Attitude is the cornerstone of life, having a loving attitude is helping another person. It is important to remember that tearing someone down with words can stay in a person’s long term memory for many years. What’s worse on social media is that you cannot delete it and everyone can see it.

    Stirring the Pot

    Naturally we love controversy, because we are sinful. In our culture everything is one click away and everyone has an online platform of followers overflowing with opinions. Stay away from silly myths and old wives tales. Let us train ourselves to have nothing to do with godless conversations (1 Timothy 4 verse 7). Most controversies on social media have nothing to do with Christ. We should stop starting fights on social media, keep our mouths shut and spare ourselves a world of troubles.

    Promotion

    May we please promote Christ and his word on social media rather than ourselves? Have you thought about how it would actually look like if we all promoted Christ and his redeeming, amazing grace on social networks? We love to promote how happy we are and how amazing our lives are (which most of the time are lies anyway). We want more likes and more followers. If we are sincere in our walk with Christ, we should be making others want to follow Jesus in all of life. That includes social media.

    Remember, “All things were created for Him and by him “(Colossians 1 verse 16). We need to show people what Christ is doing with his creation that exalts him. Share upcoming events at your local church and what is happening in the life of the church. Share sermons with your friends, as well as what Christ is doing through his people. As believers our primary identity is in Christ and not in likes and followers. Our validation comes from the God not Instagram.

    Wisdom from the word

    “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise” (Proverbs 10:2)

    “For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, Let them even be taken in their pride, and for cursing and lying which they speak” (Psalm 59:12)

    “For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God.” (Ecclesiastes 5:3)
    “Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers” (2 Timothy 2:14)
    “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths , but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs , that it may benefit those who listen“ (Ephesians 4 : 29)

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  • How to Share the Truth in a Storm

    How to Share the Truth in a Storm

    By Gareth Maggs.

    I wonder if there is any harder conversation to have than one on suffering? As I’m writing this, I have a list of more than 10 people in my head who are struggling through hard times and I’d love to share with them the truth of the Gospel. Yet I’m afraid of doing it. I’m sure I’m not the only one in this boat. How do we share the Gospel to those who are hurting?

    As South Africans we’re facing a recession, we’re worried about our government, woman are being raped or killed and while divorce rates are going up, employment rates are going down. Oversees people are marking ‘safe’ on Facebook because of terrorism, while other countries are facing severe natural disasters. These macro issues alone are enough for me to write this blog, yet we can’t ignore the micro issues which certainly aren’t small. Many reading this will know of friends who are facing deep personal struggles. In Christ we have a hope which these people need to hear about and what’s standing in the way is our inability to speak to them.

    Here’s some tips to help you share the truth in the midst of struggle.

    1. Pray first and continue to pray

    The biggest fears we face in sharing the good news with anyone seems to always revolve around us. ‘What will I say?’, ‘What will they think of me?’, ‘Will I know the answers to their questions?’, ‘Will they still be friends with me after the conversation?’. Prayer reminds us that it’s not about us, it’s about God. We need to rely on God to speak and on God to act. We are nothing but a vessel for sharing the good news.

    2. Listen, listen and listen some more

    I once heard it said that people are like balloons with their judgment in the centre. When they are struggling, the balloon starts to fill with questions, angers, doubts, fears and a whole range of other emotions. Before you can get them to think about what you have to say, you have to deflate that balloon and clear the person of all that is clouding their judgment. Listening is the best way of doing that. Let them speak and if you feel the need to talk, make sure your words are probing questions that get them to share more. Once you have received all the facts, only then should you speak in order to not sound foolish (Proverbs 18:13)

    3. Strive for Christ-likeness

    In the book of Ephesians Pauls calls fellow believers to ‘Walk in love’ in the same way Christ did when he gave his life for us (Ephesians 5:1 – 2). Christ’s sacrificial death is the ultimate way of serving another. Imagine how many of those close to you would listen to you if you walked in love? If you were known as the person who continually served by putting others before yourself. Firstly, they would likely want to share their struggles with you as they’ve seen evidence that you care about others, and secondly, they may be more open to your Gospel answer because they’ve seen it displayed in you.

    4. Make Christ the centre of your conversation

    Often when we help those in need we appear like we are from the TV series ‘Touched by an Angel’. We tell people ‘God loves you’ without really showing the extent of his love. Nothing says I love you more than the cross. The cross both shows the lengths to which God went for us and shows that he too suffered like us. We might not be able to give a reason as to why the person is suffering, but we can bring a lot of comfort through the Gospel. The Gospel is where we find God living and breathing as a human being, experiencing our day to day struggles. He lost friends (John 11), suffered temptation (Luke 4) and experienced financial difficulty (Isaiah 53:2). The Gospel is where we see God lose his only child. The Gospel is where we see God experience the pain of death The Gospel is what gets rid of the sin separating us from God so that we can walk with him and know that one day we will be with him forever in a place of no pain.

    5. Set the pace by the person you are talking to

    You may feel the need to jump in with the Gospel the moment someone mentions that they are struggling. This may work, but in my experience, people often dismiss the truth. This could be for many reasons; they haven’t felt heard, they’re not in a place to hear an answer, they don’t know you well enough, they have too many questions. Depending on the person, it may be good to start slow. I.e. you could start with a few casual chats and then move into listening to them before sharing the Gospel. However, it is important that you do eventually give the Gospel. You have the ultimate cure for their suffering, it would be a waste if you didn’t give it.

    6. Be in God’s Word

    We fear we won’t know what to say when we’re dealing with someone struggling. Yes, the Lord will work in us with his Holy Spirit, but nowhere in the bible does that give us the excuse to slack off. While God is the one who ultimately does the converting, he still uses us as a tool. If we do not take God’s word seriously in our lives, then we might not only say false things about Christ, but we may not have an answer when we are questioned. Love God’s word, take every opportunity you can to learn more about it through getting more involved in church, learning from older Christians and reading good books. If we do this, then the Holy Spirit will have a fair amount of our knowledge and experiences to pull from when we are questioned.

    7. Prepare for rejection

    No matter how loving we are and how clearly we display the Gospel, there will be those who reject the message. The Gospel is offensive (1 Corinthians 1:23). It’s offensive because people don’t want to give their own lordship up for the Lords. They don’t want to give up the way they live to follow the way of the Lords (John 3:19). No matter how wonderfully we explain the Gospel and no matter how obvious it is that the Gospel is the solution to the struggles people face, we have to accept that not all people will receive it. We can still pray for these people, continue a friendship and find ways of sharing the good news again.

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  • Desperate Times… The Jesmond Consecration

    Desperate Times… The Jesmond Consecration

    Christianity in the world is on a steady path of giving up on the bible. The Anglican Church is the second largest denomination in the world and some brave men have chosen to go against this liberalism by fighting it at its source: England. Read the article from Mark Thompson below and watch the video from Martin Morrison above.

    The Jesmond Consecration

    In October 1517 Martin Luther began a revolution. He had not intended to do so. His concern was that the church he loved might see the danger it was in and make a stand with him on the teaching of Scripture. It was a rather innocuous act at first sight, the posting of notice of a university debate. Yet the reaction to Luther’s 95 theses and the subsequent action of this faithful Christian leader in the church and university of Wittenberg demonstrated quite clearly the determination of the institution, the entire hierarchical structure extending to the Pope in Rome, to resist reformation and to continue on its path of false teaching and unfaithful practice.  They would not stand with him but opposed him with every weapon in their armoury. Before long, Luther and those around him would need to train and authorise faithful leaders for the churches in Germany and elsewhere. When the institution had failed so badly and was so demonstrably committed to directions contrary to the word of God, something needed to be done. They could no longer wait for the institutional structures to embrace reform and sit again under the word of God come what may. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

    500 years on there are places all over the world where a new reformation is sorely needed. The Church of England is a case in point. There are many faithful men and women within the Church of England who teach, believe, and live out the teaching of the Bible. There are many faithful vicars and church workers and at least one faithful theological college where men and women are trained for a biblical ministry in the Church of England. There are even a few biblically faithful, godly, evangelistically-minded bishops in the Church of England. The picture is certainly not uniformly black. Yet for decades the structures of the Church of England have proven resistant to reform in the light of the Scriptures. Unbelief and immorality are not challenged but excused and, more recently, embraced. When the faithful are attacked for seeking to live out the same quiet, biblical faith as the sovereign, they find little support from the hierarchy of the Church of England, and whatever support they do receive is heavily qualified. The leadership is powerless or unwilling to act. When the faithful have cried out for protection against the predatory liberalism within the Church of England, which masquerades as tolerance and sophisticated broad-mindedness, little or nothing is done. Quietly the stranglehold of unbelief on the structures of the Church of England gets tighter and tighter. The disdain with which evangelical churches and institutions are treated is obvious and the subtle and not so subtle attempts to pressure them into conformity have continued to increase. The nation needs to be re-evangelised and meanwhile the bishops seem entangled in endless debates about legalities and how they might baptise the cultural consensus. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

    On 2 May the Revd Jonathan Pryke, a long serving member of the ministry staff at Jesmond Parish Church, was consecrated as a bishop in the the north of England. It was an entirely valid and legal consecration, though irregular. It was not initiated or sanctioned by the hierarchy of the Church of England. The consecrators were bishops of the Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church of South Africa (REACH-SA). The action was taken independently of bodies such as the AMiE (Anglican Mission in England) and GAFCON. It is regrettable that it has come to this, yet time and again every attempt to bring the Church of England back to the teaching of Scripture has been blocked by bishops, the General Synod, or the committees and organisations of the church. Those out of fellowship with their bishop over a number of doctrinal and ethical issues have had no support or encouragement from the leadership of the church. The so-called ‘provision’ for conscientious dissent has proven to be ineffectual in many cases, since it requires the permission of the local bishop who may well be entirely opposed. The faithful have waited and waited and now some have judged the time has come to act.

    Bishop Pryke is a godly man who is committed to the teaching of the Scriptures. He is a conscientious Anglican who believes the classic doctrine of the church as expressed in the 39 Articles and the Book of Common Prayer. His godly character is attested by those who have observed him in ministry over many years. He is an entirely appropriate candidate for leadership among God’s people. The consecration is valid, there can be no doubt about that. It is, however, irregular, but that irregularity is borne out of the desperate situation in which believers who remain within the Church of England find themselves.

    Already there have been threats of legal action and the accusations and denunciations have begun. Of course it is permissible for evangelical Anglicans in England and elsewhere to conclude ‘I would not have done it that way’. We must not copy the tactics of coercion used by others and insist on a uniformity of opinion. Nevertheless, the impasse between evangelicals (often labelled ‘conservative evangelicals’ in the UK) and the church hierarchy could not continue forever. Something has had to be done and now a group of faithful men and women have acted. Even if I wish there had been another way to do this, I still want to pray, encourage, and support those who have been courageous enough to act. In particular, I want to support Bishop Pryke in prayer. I will pray that he will provide the kind of leadership that has been lacking in the Church of England and that he will provide effective pastoral care for those who have felt stranded and isolated within their own church.

    There were those in Luther’s time who thought ‘now is not the time’ and ‘we can still work within the existing structures’ and ‘it’s not as bad as you make out’.  Yet he — with all his flaws — was God’s instrument in bringing lasting and beneficial change to the Christian churches. The biblical gospel was recovered and, though it was not called this at the time, a work of re-evangelising Europe was begun. We can look back from 500 years on and say ‘Yes, it was the time’. My hope is that we will look back at the events of last week and give thanks to God that this was a pivotal moment in a movement that sees the gospel, and the Lord of the gospel, honoured and treasured again throughout England.

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  • Love

    Love

    Let’s talk about love…

    Our culture’s view on love

    I wonder what comes to your mind when you think of love? I know what comes to my mind: a song I heard on 94.7 the other day. Yes, sometimes I listen to Joburg’s number one hit station. And the hit at that time was “If it ain’t love, then why does it feel so good” by Jason Derulo. The rest of the lyrics are borderline ungodly so I’m not even going to discuss what he was on about. If it feels good according to Derulo it has to be love. Or how about this quote I saw on a poster? “Love is missing someone whenever you’re apart, but somehow feeling warm inside, because you’re close in heart.” We all tend to have all sorts of emotional, warm, fuzzy feeling associations when it comes to love.

    Is love that feeling you get when a flood of uncontrollable tears rushes down your face as you exchange your vows on your wedding day? Or is it being overwhelmed by the joy of holding your firstborn for the first time in your arms; accompanied by another episode of uncontrollable tears of Joy? I’ve never experienced this, it happened to a friend of mine . Is that what love is?

    It is what we see in “Rom coms”. It’s our music. It’s deeply entrenched in our hearts. I love this person. Things just feel right when I’m with them.

    Our view of love leaves us wanting

    Here’s the thing that we all know: this sort of thinking is not only deceptive and fleeting, it doesn’t help us when crunch time comes. Think about it. What happens when you look at your spouse with this thought, “I know I said ‘till death do us part’ but right now I feel like arranging the death part? What happens when your lovely bundle of joy can’t stop crying and you haven’t slept for days? Those feelings seem to become distant memories.

    We therefore need to rethink our understanding of love. And we need to do so by looking at God’s perspective on the cross. So what does the Bible have to say about the emotion of love? Does it shed any light on the topic of love? And what are the practical things that can help us with this emotion?

    The biblical view of love

    Now this is going to revolutionise your thinking. It revolutionised my thinking last year. Love is not an emotion. I’m pretty sure that’s not news to you. You’ve heard it before. But do we understand it? Because when the bible speaks about the best way someone has displayed love, it shifts our attention to a man on a cross. And the bible claims that we can’t truly love others, or even understand love if we don’t understand that cross.

    When God calls husbands to love their wives, he points them to the cross (Ephesians 5:25). That is clearly despite their feelings. When was the last time you felt like dying for someone? Look at how he encourages believers to love one another:

    7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation (sacrifice that paid) for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4: 7-11)

    True love is derived from ultimate love. And the ultimate way in which someone has loved was the cross. God moving towards underserving people and dying for them. It was selfless. It was for the benefit of others. It wasn’t about how we made him feel, in fact it was contrary. We were unlovable. And if we don’t understand ultimate love, we will remain trapped in what our culture tells us.

    Practical things to help us.

    So, I think we need to come to our senses. We need to look at that selfless man on the cross. And having seen the beauty of what he has done for selfish people like ourselves; we need to push against our culture’s selfish view of love. To look away from ourselves and to look to Christ. If I see the beauty of the cross I will not want to ‘seek my own way’. That is as practical as it gets. It has to begin with how much I grasp the message of the cross.

    When I understand it, I will not ask what would Jesus do, but I will ask: what has Jesus done? And how does He call me to live and behave differently? So let’s do a little test to put some meat on it.

    Let’s insert ‘I am’ in that Corinthians scripture where it says ‘love is’…

    I am patient and kind; I do not envy or boast; I am not arrogant or rude. I do not insist on my own way; I am not irritable or resentful; I do not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoice with the truth. (1 Corinthians 13: 4-6)

    How are you doing in that? In what places are you struggling? I think if I were to be honest. I fail this test. And the only way for me to do all of these is to look at the one who has done it all. He is the one I ask for strength.

    Think of the times when you are tempted to seek your own way. Whether it’s being impatient with a family member, struggling to love your spouse, wanting to come back from work and zone out, or not desiring to engage in conversation with your child. At that moment ask yourself this question: how can I be loving at this very time?

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