Free access to Wikipedia

As people with money we often take much for granted but for many, access to information is not always easy. There is a move to get kids access to Wikipedia for free.  I think it's awesome and worth our support!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nTVAmstteM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Facebook.com/freeaccesstowikipedia

Three questions...

Andy Stanley is one of the best leaders in the church in the US. I've heard him speak and he is outstanding at helping leaders step their game up.

If you are a leader,  whether you lead hundreds or just a few this is worth reading. 

http://davekraft.squarespace.com/posts/2013/10/22/three-critical-questions-that-need-answers.html

Can you answer the three questions?

Social justice and our domestic workers

For some time now the Missions team has been reflecting on a social justice issue, how we treat our Domestic Workers?

Our relationship with Jesus will impact and shape how we treat our neighbours, and how much closer a neighbour than the people who work in our homes. So, under Candice's lead, we have put together a draft Domestic Worker Charter which we want to put out for thought, discussion and feedback. What do you think?

Domestic Worker: PVC principles

·         Principle 1: Dignity and respect

o   Treat Domestic Workers, as the image bearers of God, with the dignity and respect you would show Jesus himself.

o   They are part of your family and integral to your lives. Therefore, Domestic Workers should be encouraged to feel welcome and loved in your home:

§  Eating and drinking with you and your family

§  Sharing your home

o   Treat Domestic Workers as valued co-workers, enabling them to learn skills that can improve their career prospects (e.g. attending a computer training course)

·         Principle 2: Living wage

o   Understand the financial situation of your Domestic Worker and pay a wage that allows him/her to live with dignity (rather than “the going rate”), taking into account all that we take for granted:

§  Living conditions

§  Safety and security

§  Transport

§  Nutrition

§  Education

§  Healthcare

o   Consider the luxuries you enjoy instead of paying a living wage (Isaiah 58):

§  DSTV

§  Gym membership

§  Restaurant meals

§  Luxury cars

o   Consider helping your Domestic Worker to live in a warm, dry, secure home

§  Consider buying (or contributing towards) a home

§  [If you are able to live in an affluent area, it is possible to live in a home worth R100 000 less than “you can afford” and in doing so help your Domestic Worker to purchase a “brick house”]

·         Principle 3: Compassion

o   Get to know your Domestic Workers as you would your closest friend or family member.

§  Their families and life story

§  Their struggles and their dreams

§  Their walk with Jesus

o   Show compassion as Jesus did

§  Understand (and help to address) the challenges of living in difficult conditions (such as availability of healthcare, childcare, transport)

·         Principle 4: Labour Legislations

o   Ensure that, as an employer, you comply with all labour legislation, including:

§  Registering yourself and Domestic Workers with the Unemployment Insurance Fund

§  Concluding a written contract

The great exchange

Advance

I recently had the privilege of going to an outstanding conference hosted by a group called Advance. They are a collective of like minded people who have a desire to see Jesus kingdom here and now. The conference was called work.church.nation and was really helpful for those who attended. The videos from the main sessions are available for download here.

Of particular interest were the sessions by Dr Ed Stetzer whose insight is really are worth listening to. He has been instrumental in developing the Gospel Project which is material that is currently being used by our KidsChurch teams. He also is president of LifeWay Research an organization that helps churches understand the culture and community in which they minister by providing research and statistics for them.

How to identify potential leaders

As always Dave Kraft with some insightful ideas about building new leaders.

http://davekraft.squarespace.com/posts/2013/8/11/how-to-identify-a-potential-leader.html

Politics and Christianity

A great thought provoking post by Tim Keller

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/07/08/should-we-expect-politicians-to-act-like-christians/

Do not judge...

From his new book, Tough Topics, Sam Storms tackles the non-Christian’s favourite verse.

Whereas it comes as no surprise that most Christians have at least one favorite verse of Scripture, it is somewhat startling to learn that most non-Christians have one as well. Non-Christians may know little of the Bible, but as certainly as night follows day, they can quote for you Matthew 7:1: “Judge not, that you be not judged.” And, ironically, this verse—which they love most—they understand least.

A TEXT ABUSED

Never has a passage of Scripture been so utterly abused, misunderstood, and misapplied as this one. Non-Christians (and not a few misguided believers as well) use this text to denounce any and all who venture to criticize or expose the sins, shortcomings, or doctrinal aberrations of others. One dare not speak ill of homosexuality, adultery, gossip, cheating on your income tax, fornication, abortion, non-Christian religions, and so on without incurring the wrath of multitudes who are convinced that Jesus, whom they despise and reject, said that we shouldn’t judge one another!

This problem is due in large measure to the fact that people hate absolutes, especially moral ones. To suggest that there really is an absolute difference between good and evil, truth and falsity, is to risk being labeled as medieval and closed-minded. In brief, for many (if not most) students today, “There is no enemy other than the man who is not open to everything.”

The irony, of course, is that in judging us for judging others they are themselves violating the very commandment to which they want to hold us accountable! To insist that it is wrong to pronounce others wrong for embracing a particular belief or moral practice is itself an ethical position, a moral stand. To insist on uncritical tolerance of all views is extremely intolerant of those who embrace a different perspective.

WHAT JESUS DOES NOT MEAN

Jesus is not forbidding us from expressing our opinion on right and wrong, good and evil, truth and falsity, can be demonstrated by noting two factors: the immediate context and the rest of the New Testament teaching on judging.

Virtually all of the Sermon on the Mount, both preceding and following this text, is based on the assumption that we will (and should) use our critical powers in making ethical and logical judgments. Jesus has told Christians to be different from the world around us, to pursue a righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees, to do “more” than what unbelievers would do, to avoid being like the hypocrites when we give, pray, fast, and so on.

All criticism must be preceded by confession.

Not only this, but immediately following this word of exhortation in Matthew 7:1 Jesus issues two more commands: don’t give what is holy to dogs or pearls to pigs, and beware of false prophets. “It would be impossible to obey either of these commands without using our critical judgment,” says Stott. “For in order to determine our behavior toward ‘dogs,’ ‘pigs’ and ‘false prophets’ we must first be able to recognize them, and in order to do that we must exercise some critical discernment.”

Direct your attention to such texts as Matthew 18:15–17; Romans 16:17–18; 1 Corinthians 5:3; Galatians 1:8; Philippians 3:2; Titus 3:10–11; 1 John 4:1–4; 2 John 9–11; 3 John 9–10; and especiallyJohn 7:24, where Jesus himself says, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment,” (emphasis mine).

WHAT JESUS DOES MEAN

What, then, does Jesus mean in Matthew 7:1–6?

It would appear that Jesus is prohibiting the sort of judgmental criticism that is self-righteous, hypercritical, and destructive. He is prohibiting the kind of judgment we pass on others not out of concern for their spiritual health and welfare but solely to parade our alleged righteousness before men.

Jesus is prohibiting not loving rebuke and constructive criticism, but rather self-serving censoriousness. To be censorious, Stott explains,

. . . does not mean to assess people critically, but to judge them harshly. The censorious critic is a fault-finder who is negative and destructive towards other people and enjoys actively seeking out their failings. He puts the worst possible construction on their motives, pours cold water on their schemes and is ungenerous towards their mistakes.

To sum up, “The command to judge not is not a requirement to be blind, but rather a plea to be generous. Jesus does not tell us to cease to be men (by suspending our critical powers which help to distinguish us from animals) but to renounce the presumptuous ambition to be God (by setting ourselves up as judges).”

BUT WAIT—THERE’S MORE

But we must not stop with verse 7:1, for Jesus has much more to say on this subject in the verses that follow.

The reason he gives for not judging others in a self-righteous and censorious manner is that “with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you” (v. 2). The problem here is determining whether this refers to the judgment we experience at the hands of men or of God.

When we set up a standard to which others must conform, we are no less obliged to keep it than they are. That is why humility and love must govern our judgments. All criticism must be preceded by confession. Before we point out a fault in others, let us first confess its presence in our own lives.

WHAT’S IN YOUR EYE?

An illustration of this principle is given in Matthew 7:3–5: “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye,” asks Jesus, “but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

This principle applies to any number of situations, such as denouncing the external, visible sins of the flesh, like adultery, theft, murder, in order to excuse or minimize the internal, less visible sins of the heart, such as jealousy, bitterness, greed, or lust. Related to this is the tendency to point out the faults of others precisely to throw them off the scent of our own sin. This form of judgment is nothing more than self-justification. We think that if we can just make known to others the gravity of their sins, we will by comparison come out smelling like a rose.

Saints are not to be simpletons!

There is also an opposite and equal danger. In Matthew 7:6, Jesus says, “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” Here Jesus points out the danger of being overindulgent and undiscerning. In loving our enemies, going the extra mile, and not judging unjustly, there is the peril of becoming wishy-washy and of failing to make essential distinctions between right and wrong and truth and falsehood. Whereas the saints are not to be judges, neither are they to be simpletons!

Jesus is not saying that we should withhold the gospel from certain people we regard as unworthy of it, but he is a realist and acknowledges that after multiple rejections and mockery of the gospel, the time may come to move on to others. There are those who are persistently vicious and calloused, who delight not in the truth of Scripture but only in mocking it.

THE GOSPEL ABOVE ALL AND IN CONTEXT

In conclusion, then, several points should be made.

First, it’s important to note that Jesus speaks of “pearls” and not “gravel.” We must always keep in mind the priceless treasure and incalculable value and glory of the gospel message.

Second, there are going to be different sorts of people to whom we witness, and we must learn to discriminate among them (see Acts 17:32–34).

Third, we need not present the gospel of Jesus with the same emphasis at all times in an unthinking and mechanical way. Some are already weighed down with sin and guilt and conviction of the Holy Spirit and thus need to hear of God’s love in Christ. Others need to hear of the holiness and wrath of God. Others need to come to grips with the depravity of their hearts, while still others need to be confronted with divine mercy and forgiveness. Remember that this instruction is set in the context of loving our enemies. Whereas we are not to cast our pearls before swine, neither are we to be nasty and vicious and uncaring.

This instruction is set in the context of loving our enemies.

Finally, Matthew 7:6 probably does not need to be taught in certain churches or to certain Christians. Their problem is not that they are inclined to be undiscerning and often cast their pearls before swine. Their problem is that they aren’t casting their pearls at all! This verse is addressed to those who are so zealous for evangelism that they fail to discern the scoffer from the hungry soul. Most likely, our problem is that we have no such zeal to evangelize in the first place.

Originaly posted @ TheResurgence

Thanks NG Kenridge!

Each Sunday for the last few weeks the Dutch reformed church in Kenridge has graciously opened their doors to us,  we are grateful for your care for a homeless sister!

But not for long :-)

Parents, Kids and church

Originally posted at iamtotallythatmom

You are doing something really, really important. I know it’s not easy. I see you with your arms overflowing, and I know you came to church already tired. Parenting is tiring. Really tiring.

I watch you bounce and sway trying to keep the baby quiet, juggling the infant carseat and the diaper bag as you find a seat. I see you wince as your child cries. I see you anxiously pull things out of your bag of tricks to try to quiet them.

And I see you with your toddler and your preschooler. I watch you cringe when your little girl asks an innocent question in a voice that might not be an inside voice let alone a church whisper.  I hear the exasperation in your voice as you beg your child to just sit, to be quiet as you feel everyone’s eyes on you. Not everyone is looking, but I know it feels that way.

I know you’re wondering, is this worth it? Why do I bother? I know you often leave church more exhausted than fulfilled. But what you are doing is so important.

When you are here, the church is filled with a joyful noise. When you are here, the Body of Christ is more fully present. When you are here, we are reminded that this worship thing we do isn’t about Bible Study or personal, quiet contemplation but coming together to worship as a community where all are welcome, where we share in the Word and Sacrament together.When you are here, I have hope that these pews won’t be empty in ten years when your kids are old enough to sit quietly and behave in worship. I know that they are learning how and why we worship now, before it’s too late. They are learning that worship is important.

I see them learning. In the midst of the cries, whines, and giggles, in the midst of the crinkling of pretzel bags and the growing pile of crumbs I see a little girl who insists on going two pews up to share peace with someone she’s never met. I hear a little boy slurping (quite loudly) every last drop of his communion wine out of the cup determined not to miss a drop of Jesus. I watch a child excitedly color a cross and point to the one in the front of the sanctuary.  I hear the echos of Amens just a few seconds after the rest of the community says it together. I watch a boy just learning to read try to sound out the words in the worship book or count his way to Hymn 672. Even on weeks when I can’t see my own children learning because, well, it’s one of those mornings, I can see your children learning.

I know how hard it is to do what you’re doing, but I want you to know, it matters. It matters to me. It matters to my children to not be alone in the pew. It matters to the congregation to know that families care about faith, to see young people… and even on those weeks when you can’t see the little moments, it matters to your children.

It matters that they learn that worship is what we do as a community of faith, that everyone is welcome, that their worship matters. When we teach children that their worship matters, we teach them that they are enough right here and right now as members of the church community. They don’t need to wait until they can believe, pray or worship a certain way to be welcome here, and I know adults who are still looking to be shown that. It matters that children learn that they are an integral part of this church, that their prayers, their songs, and even their badly (or perfectly timed depending on who you ask) cries and whines are a joyful noise because it means they are present.

I know it’s hard, but thank you for what you do when you bring your children to church. Please know that your family - with all of its noise, struggle, commotion, and joy – are not simply tolerated, you are a vital part of the community gathered in worship.

Five ways to know if you are a leader

Dave Kraft with a helpful article.

Five Ways To Know If You Really Are A Leader

Amazing

2 hours and we're out.  Every chair, plate,  file, cable and piece of tech equipment.  Well done team you did an amazing job! Proud of our church today!

In a few weeks we do it in reverse into the new building. Exciting times!

Dallas Willard

Dallas Willard died today aged 77.

Many of you will not know the name but Dallas was a philosopher, theologian and author who was happy to wrestle and face the great unanswered questions about God. His books are deep slow reads that have a huge amount of profound thought about the Christian life.

I spoke to him at a conference a few years back after he had made a statement that the church has made confession the means to salvation instead of calling people to actually follow Jesus. It was one of the most formative conversations I've ever had and I was deeply grateful for a challenging chat delivered in a slow and gentle American drawl.

Thanks Jesus for Dallas,  for his life work and ministry and for how he lead people to you.

Hope City Presbyterian Church

Stephen Murray who has preached with us a few times is looking for our continued prayer support at this time as they prepare to launch Hope City.

Stanley Hauerwas once said, “Saints cannot exist without a community, as they require, like all of us, nurturance by a people who, while often unfaithful, preserve the habits necessary to learn the story of God.”

The time has come for our little church to attempt to provide, by God's grace, that community that teaches and imbibes the story of God. On the 19th of May, 2013, we will begin our public worship services at Hope City Presbyterian Church. There is a weird mix of extreme excitement and near-crippling fear boiling up in my stomach as I think about what we're about to do. The only truth that tempers my excitement and eases my fear is that God is the architect and builder of his church - we just have to follow the instructions. And so slowly a peace is rising out of that maelstrom as our launch date draws nearer. It's not lost on me that 2013 marks the 200th anniversary of the very first Presbyterian service in Cape Town. I'm not arrogant enough to believe that our little work is the revival of historic Presbyterianism in our city but I do feel strangely comforted that God might be playing with the numbers here in a significant way.

This is a big deal for us, and we hope it's going to end up being a big deal in the lives of people who will come to find Jesus here, so won't you please join us in fervent prayer for our launch service.

If you are in the area you are more than welcome to come and celebrate with us on the evening and invite friends/contacts/colleagues. The service starts at 5:30pm and will be held at the Gereformeerde Kerk on the corner of Hof and Orange Streets in Gardens.

Prayer Requests

Please uphold the following things in prayer with us:

• Continued growth both numerically and in terms of the depth of gospel understanding in our church.
• Pray that God might grant us fruit through the many relationships that have been built over the last few months.
• Pray for many new relationships with non-Christians in the coming weeks.
• Pray that visitors will join us on the evening of the 19th.
• Pray that we will work hard at our follow up and community building so as to provide new people with a genuine connection to the church.
• Pray that I will preach the gospel clearly and appropriately at the service.
• Pray for all the technical logistics involved in our launch service (music, promotion, tech, etc.)

Thank you again for this partnership in the gospel. We'd love to hear from you so feel free to respond to this email and share your news with us. Please also feel free to refer this prayer list to friends or other folk who might want to pray for us. There are options to forward this email below. Make use the social media links below to keep in contact with us through other media.

God's richest blessings.

Stephen, Robin, Genevieve and the rest of the Hope City crew.

The one quality be very leader must possess

The Indispensable Quality Every Leader Needs To Possess

Easter prayers

A number of our men sense they are being called by God to pray deeply as we head into the wonder of Easter. There is something special about quieting ones spirit and allowing God to draw us into the miracle of the Easter events that are central to our faith.

Our Easter services start with a Thursday night service that is heavy, quiet and dark reminding us of some of that happened as Jesus prepared to go to the cross. You can read the biblical account in Matthew 26 where we see the weight of those final hours on Jesus. Some men are going to be praying at the church the whole night through on hour shifts and I'd like to encourage you to join them as they seek God's face and allow the Holy Spirit to renew them and their love for Jesus.

Come spend some time in quiet reflection before God. There will be men on duty from after the 7:00 pm service right through till 6:00 am and then we will be gathering for a 9:00 am Good Friday service.

May it be said of us that we're a people of prayer.

I don't want to be either of these

By Dave Kraft

I only heard it once, but it has fastened itself in my brain for 43 years. Susan and I were at a Navigator training program in our first year of marriage and Jack Mayhall, one of our regional leaders, said it. Before he described these two kinds of people, I whispered a prayer telling the Lord I didn't ever want to be who he was about to describe.

Now, 43 years later, I would put this on a short list of the most memorable statements I have heard and which has had a significant impact on decisions I’ve made and fruit I have experienced.

“There are two kinds of people God can’t use,” Jack said.

1) Those Who Won't Do What They're Told!

This has to do with obedience. John 2:5 comes to mind, “His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.‘”The longer I live as a Christian, the more I understand what a significant role simple and immediate spirit-led and spirit-filled obedience plays in Christian growth and fruitfulness.

We live in a culture that values independence and rebellion…doing your own thing. When Susan and I lived in Sweden as missionaries in the 70’s, I saw “Ain’t nobody going to tell me what to do” scribbled on the wall of a subway in English. Things haven’t changed much in 40-plus years. Oh, the power of followers of Jesus saying yes to whatever the Lord is showing them and telling them he wants them to do. 

Years ago I memorized Psalm 119:33-38 in the Living Bible:

“Just tell me what to do and I will do it, Lord. As long as I live I’ll wholeheartedly obey. Make me walk along the right paths for I know how delightful they really are. Help me to prefer obedience to making money! Turn me away form wanting any other plan than yours. Revive my heart toward you. Reassure me that your promises are for me, for I trust and revere you.”

There is authority and spiritual power in the memorized Word of God. Through the years I have come to the conclusion that delayed obedience is, in actuality, disobedience. That is why one of my core values is “To immediately respond to God’s revealed truth,” regardless of who it comes through or what it may be.

2) Those Who Only Do What They're Told!

This has to do with initiative! Don’t you just love it when people are always thinking of what could be done next…what needs to be done next, rather than sitting around waiting for someone in authority to tell them what to do.

I so appreciate growing disciples and potential leaders who are looking around and looking ahead to discern what needs to happen and then doing something to move the ball down the field. In the military they give out medals for “going above and beyond the call of duty.”

Jesus referred to this as “going the second mile” in Matthew 5:38-41:  “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” 

The last statement in this passages means doing more than is expected of you--above and beyond the call of duty!

Going a second mile came out of old Persia and refers to the authority given by the king to those sent to do his bidding. If a courier or soldier needed assistance in fulfilling the king’s mission, he could commandeer any man or horse or wagon with no questions asked. Later the armies of the Greeks and the Romans adopted the practice.

Roman law required a Jew to carry a soldier’s pack one mile. A Jew could be forced away from his own concerns to help a legionnaire who may or may not have really needed him. In the same way, Simon of Cyrene was compelled to bear the cross of Jesus (Matthew 27:32).

Jews marked a mile in all directions from their home and would not go a step further. Jesus said they should go another mile.

The Jews of Jesus’ day, of course, deeply resented this humiliating law and saw it as a symbol of foreign domination. You can imagine, then, their surprise when Jesus said, "go with him two miles."

This saying is hard on us because we, like the Jews of the first century, live in a “one-mile world.” It’s a world of our rights and benefits. It’s a world of “What’s in it for me.”

There are at least three kinds of people in the world:

Those Who Don’t Know What’s Happening - They have tunnel vision and are always and only thinking of themselves--wrapped up in their own world.

Those Who Watch Things Happen - They are not fully engaged and are willing to let other people take initiative while they passively observe, not being willing to do more than they absolutely have to do.
Those Who Make Things Happen - They do this by always thinking, always being aware, always being sensitive and alert to the Holy Spirit. They’re proactive rather than reactive--willing to go beyond what they’ve been asked or what is expected. These are the “Second Milers” in the Kingdom of God.

By his grace, and for his honor, let’s all focus on becoming the kind of people God can use. Becoming people who do what we’re told and becoming people who do more than we’re told!

Originally posted at leadership by the heart.
I Don’t Want To Be Either Of These!

How are we to deal with those who oppose us?

Most of us will know very little about the story of Chick-fil-A, a US restaurant and the opposition to them by the LGBT community, you can get yourself up to speed on the full story here. In short, Chick-fil-A have supported anti LGBT organizations because they are a company with traditional views on sexuality and marriage, like Jesus and the Bible he inspired.

Because we've been talking about how to witness to Jesus over the last two Sundays, the story really caught my eye. Here is a real world example of how we can speak truth to those who oppose us and Jesus message, but yet still bring glory to Jesus. We're reminded to let our speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Colossians 4:6. I've got a lot to learn from the story of Dan Cathy, the COO of Chik-fil-A who does exactly that.

Cathy is a devoted follower of Jesus and he has recently reached out to one of the people leading the charge against his company, Shane L. Windmeyer director of Campus Pride. The way that Cathy has dealt with Windmeyer  as become a powerful story of how we're called to speak with people outside of the faith, with grace and truth. It's created a powerful witness to Jesus and has built bridges towards people rather than alienating them. If only all those who follow Jesus could get this right!

Here is an excerpt from the piece Windmeyer wrote, the full article is available at The Huffington Post

Throughout the conversations Dan expressed a sincere interest in my life, wanting to get to know me on a personal level. He wanted to know about where I grew up, my faith, my family, even my husband, Tommy. In return, I learned about his wife and kids and gained an appreciation for his devout belief in Jesus Christ and his commitment to being "a follower of Christ" more than a "Christian." Dan expressed regret and genuine sadness when he heard of people being treated unkindly in the name of Chick-fil-a -- but he offered no apologies for his genuine beliefs about marriage.

Here is what Windmeyer writes as they later stand on the sidelines of a major college football event.

Instead, he stood next to me most of the night, putting respect ahead of fear. There we were on the sidelines, Dan, his wife, his family and friends and I, all enjoying the game. And that is why building a relationship with someone I thought I would never understand mattered. Our worlds, different as they can be, could coexist peacefully. The millions of college football fans watching the game never could have imagined what was playing out right in front of them. Gay and straight, liberal and conservative, activist and evangelist -- we could stand together in our difference and in our respect. How much better would our world be if more could do the same? 

May the same kinds of things be said of us as we deal truthfully and graciously with those around us who do not yet follow Jesus.

Fasting over Lent?

Lent starts today. It is a season where we allow ourselves to be carried back to the cross of Jesus and to remember all that was done on our behalf.

Lent is the season of forty days before Easter where we reflect on what Jesus gave up to serve us, and to save us and to open up to us the way to God. One of the ways we remember what Jesus did is by fasting. Jesus says to us in Matthew 6 'when we fast...' so it seems that fasting is not something we might do, and or even should do. It is instead something we will do as we follow Christ.

Of course our modern consumer culture would think it strange to give up anything. Ever. But the culture of the Bible is replete with ideas of sacrifice, emptying, losing and laying down. These ideas are sometimes practically displayed by us kneeling or bowing in worship.

It might be helpful to reflect that the point of lent then is not about us, that we might get anything out it. It is instead a season to bless and serve Jesus. Lent is a season where we put ourselves and our agendas onto the back burner. It is a season where we fast not to get anything ourselves but to give everything in worship to Jesus: lord, saviour and king!

Jesus reminds us that we are to fast without telling others. It is something done for His glory not ours and so we do it quietly and inwardly as an exercise of personal reflection and worship. Smile as you crave, grin as you hunger and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. What is our reward? To see Jesus glorified!

May this season bring to you little, but may it give much glory and worship to Jesus!

‘All sin is equal.’ Is that true?'

When we believe that all sins are equal, it often causes us to not take the problem of sin seriously.
Have you heard this said? Maybe you’ve said it yourself—it’s a common refrain among people, Christians and non-Christians alike.
But is it true?

WHY DO PEOPLE SAY THIS?

People may use the statement for one of the following motivations:
They don’t want to be like the Pharisee in Luke 18.
They want to find common ground with non-Christians.
They don’t want to be labeled “legalistic” or “judgmental” by others.
These motivations are understandable, but the question still remains whether all sins are equal before God.

DEADLY SIN, DEADLIER SIN

Sin is the great equalizer. Whether a beggar on the streets or a king in a palace, every single person is—apart from Christ—a sinner both by nature and by choice (Rom. 3:23). Sometimes the sin is obvious and we know what it is, and other times, the wool is totally over our eyes and we have no idea.
All sin is deadly, but there are many passages in the Bible where different types of sin are spoken of as being particularly grievous:

Numbers 15. This chapter differentiates between sins that are unintentional and sins “of the high hand,” meaning sins that are intentional and rebellious. (Think: middle finger to the sky.)

Deuteronomy 18:12, 27:15. In the Mosaic Law, certain sins are listed as being abominations, meaning these sins are an offense to God (e.g. sexual sin, improper worship, idolatry).

Proverbs 6:16–19. Seven things are listed as sins that God hates (and they’re not the seven deadly sins as most people know them).

Matthew 12:31, Mark 3:29. Blasphemy against the Spirit is said to be an unforgivable sin. (For a good treatment of this subject, listen to Acts 29 pastor Sam Storms’ sermon “So close, yet so very far away.”)

Luke 20:47. Jesus says that the Pharisees will receive a “greater condemnation” for their sins of religious pride (yikes!).

John 19:11. Jesus tells Pilate that Judas has committed the “greater sin.”

1 John 5:16–17. John differentiates between sin that leads to death and sin that does not lead to death.

In one particularly striking New Testament passage, Paul speaks of sexual sin as being different from all other sin because, “Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body” (1 Cor. 6:18). Bible commentators are fuzzy on what the phrase “against his own body” means exactly, but it doesn’t take a Bible degree to see that Paul is urgently, passionately warning his hearers to avoid sexual sin at all costs.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

All sin is deadly, but there are some types of sin that are so serious that they warrant an extra-impassioned warning, a sterner rebuke, a more drastic plan to avoid temptation. Additionally, some sins are worse than others in terms of their immediate effects. If someone steals a candy bar, sinful as that may be, it does not have the same effect as when someone molests a child.

I am convinced that use of the claim “all sin is equal in the eyes of God” is inaccurate and unhelpful. It is inaccurate because it does not line up with what the whole of the Bible teaches. It is unhelpful because it downplays just how serious the problem of sin really is. Sin, by its very nature, is never satisfied. It grows from bad to worse and leads to death (James 1:15). As the great English preacher John Owen put it: “Every rise of lust, if it has its way reaches the height of villainy; it is like the grave that is never satisfied. The deceitfulness of sin is seen in that it is modest in its first proposals but when it prevails it hardens mens’ hearts, and brings them to ruin.”

When we believe that all sins are equal, it often causes us to not take the problem of sin seriously. This attitude then leads us to not take seriously the biblical command to put our sin to death by the power of the Spirit.

THE CROSS, THE CROSS, THE CROSS

The good news is that regardless of what sin we have committed, forgiveness is found at the cross of Jesus Christ. And when someone sins against us, we can find cleansing and redemption in Jesus. On the cross, Jesus took the beating that we all deserve for our sins. It might not be truthful to tell someone that all sins are equal in God’s sight, but it is very truthful to tell them that all sins can be forgiven because of Jesus’ death on the cross. We can confidently proclaim forgiveness for any type of sin because Jesus rose again on the third day to prove that he was God and that he was able and willing to forgive sinners. What an amazing Savior!

Are you in Christ? Then God has forgiven you for all of your sins—past, present, and future. Jesus Christ shouted from the cross as his final words in triumphant victory, “It is finished!” At that moment, sin was atoned for and sinners were forgiven.

Originally posted @ ‘All sin is equal.’ Is that true? | Mars Hill Church:

A Hymn To God The Father

by tULLIAN TCHIVIDJIAN

The hymn below by English poet and cleric John Donne (1572-1631) says it all: God meets my ongoing sin with his inexhaustible forgiveness. 70 times 7.

My friend Shane Rosenthal sent me a note explaining that, according to some commentators, there is double meaning in the line, “Thou hast done” which repeats throughout the poem. It obviously refers to that which God has done for Donne in contrast to that which Donne has done (and continues to do). But the other meaning, especially clear in the last stanza, is a play on the poet’s own name: “Thou hast Donne.” It is his realization that despite his weak grip on God, God’s grip on him is perfect and forever, that finally ends his fears.

It never ceases to amaze me that, if you are in Christ, you can never, ever, ever outsin the coverage of God’s forgiveness. Amazing love…how can it be?

WILT Thou forgive that sin where I begun,
Which was my sin, though it were done before?
Wilt Thou forgive that sin, through which I run,
And do run still, though still I do deplore?
When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done,
For I have more.

Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I have won
Others to sin, and made my sin their door?
Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I did shun
A year or two, but wallowed in a score?
When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done,
For I have more.

I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun
My last thread, I shall perish on the shore ;
But swear by Thyself, that at my death Thy Son
Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore;
And having done that, Thou hast Donne ;
I fear no more.

originally posted @ A Hymn To God The Father