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

How NT Wright Stole Christmas » Peter Leithart | A First Things Blog

Christmas is an interesting time of year with most people revelling in the sentimentality of the season. But Jesus himself was not sentimental at all. Peter Leithart makes the point that so much of what we see and hear about Jesus in popular culture, Christmas hymns, movies and even Christian ethos is not really that much like the real Jesus of the scriptures.

In particular he makes reference to the excellent NT theologian NT Wright and some of the deeply challenging things he has written that force us back to the gospels to find the Jesus we've often missed. Often Wright has 'spoiled' our commonly held ideas of Jesus - but he has replaced them with far deeper, more truthful and powerful themes from the scriptures.

Liethart makes the following observation:

Several years ago, when The Passion of the Christ was making headlines, I realized that N. T. Wright has spoiled every Jesus film. Once you’ve read Wright, you realize that none of the movies get Jesus right. Pharisees and scribes are reduced stock villains with caricatured Jewish features. Pilate has to make an appearance, and Herod, but we are given no sense that first-century Israel was the powder keg that it actually was.

No film ever gives us what Wright says we should be looking for: a “crucifiable” Jesus, a Jesus who does something so provocative to make the Jews murderously hostile. In the movies, Jesus is a hippy peace-child, a delicate flower of a man, a dew-eyed first-century Jewish Gandhi. Why would anyone want to hurt Him? Maybe because He’s so annoyingly precious; but that’s not the story of the gospels.

It's an interesting comment and in many ways true. So much of what we believe about Jesus is more flavoured by culture rather than scripture. May we keep turning back to the text of the gospels this season to allow our preconceived ideas of Jesus to be undone, that this Christmas we may again meet the saviour of the world and not simply an empty caricature.

Liethart's full article is here: How NT Wright Stole Christmas 

Ten signs of a healthy team

This is wirth reading whether you lead a church, a business or even a family.

Ten Signs of a Healthy Team

Inclusive/exclusive

One of the common accusations by those outside the faith against Christianity is our claim to exclusiveness. Our claim that we have the only means by which people might be saved: Jesus. Of course this is not simply something we've pushed on to Jesus, he made the claim himself repeatedly and so Jesus church is simply working within the boundaries of being saved that Jesus himself gave to us.

There is one way to come to the father - Jesus.

Of course those kinds of statements are politically incorrect.

But they are not all of the story. Whilst Jesus makes the claim to exclusivley be the door to everything of God's kingdom, his call to people to come to him is deeply inclusive. More so than any other offer we might find in this life. Jesus calls all people to himself that he might save them, redeem them and draw them into the kingdom of God.

“The angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’”Luke 2:10–11

The angel reminds us of this good news from the very beginning of Jesus coming. Good news. Great Joy. for all the people. Jesus calls people to come to him irrespective of ethnicity, culture, language or background. It matters little whether you have a long history of dark sin or whether you've been mostly good all your life. Jesus does not care whether you are immensely wealthy or desperately poor. He cares little whether you come from a Christian home or are an atheist. It does not bother him whether you have multiple degrees behind your name or a basic primary school education.  Jesus calls all people to come to him and to find rest for their souls a profoundly unique, exclusive call but extensively inclusive in its breadth. This is why we're called to tell people the good news - because there is life and Jesus wants all to find it.

This is a challenge to the church. The challenge is that we'd be a community that has that kind of heart for the world, that we'd call all people irrespective of who they are to come follow him. That we'd not draw inwards in holy huddles but that we'd take the unbelievable and liberating news of Jesus into the world.

Because Christmas is the season of good news for all people.

How shall we live?

Over the past two Sundays, Brent preached two powerful sermons which should have made us all sit up and take notice. He spoke about how we were saved from our previous way of life and how we made a decision to follow Jesus and how we are now looking forward to eternal life with him.

But what about the time in between? How are we going to live our new life in the present, in the here and now when we have received such a gift of grace? So I went and read again Col 3:1-17 and together with it Matt 25:32-46, and asked myself 'What is God’s will for me in 2013?”

The question however, is not 'What is God’s will?' It is rather this 'will we obey God’s will?' The Bible tells us in so many places what God's will for us is. Jesus said 'whoever finds his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake, will find it.' Jesus clearly acknowledged that following him involves taking lots of risks, but in the end leads to a great reward. This begs a question from each of us; do we believe the reward found in Jesus is worth the risk of following him? The changes in our lives will always increase in proportion to the depth of our relationship with Jesus.

We need to commit to believe whatever Jesus says in the scriptures but as importantly we need to commit to obey what we have heard (Jas 1:22-25).

The gospel does not merely prompt us to reflection. Instead the gospel calls us to respond.  In the process of hearing Jesus, we are compelled to take an honest look at our lives, our families, our church and not just ask “What is he saying?” but also “What shall I do?”

So, when we draw up our list of resolutions for 2013, let’s keep Sunday’s challenge in mind.

-Leon Huisamen

Worshipping Jesus this Christmas

Well proud of our team leading at a community carols event!

Unto us a saviour has been born, a saviour whose kingdom knows no end. May we never forget the reason for the season.

Understanding Sin

Tim Keller pastor and preacher at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan has written some outstanding books and is one of the great thinkers of our day in terms of helping those outside the faith understand Jesus.

Our aim is to be on gospel centred mission - but what does that mission look like, and how do we explain gospel to someone who does not understand anything about Jesus. So often Christians assume others understand what sin is, how Jesus saves us and how the Holy Spirit transforms us. Sadly most people are very ignorant about these things and often assume we are saying things that we are not.

Keller has written an good article on sin and how to understand in ways that are very helpful. You can see it here. He makes some really good points on how properly understanding sin will make us humble:

The biblical teaching on sin shows us the complete
pervasiveness of sin and the ultimate impossibility
of dividing the world neatly into sinful people and
good people. It eliminates our attitudes of superiority
toward others and our practices of shunning or
excluding those with whom we differ.

The Shepherd - Part three

We're unpacking some thoughts based upon ideas from Tim Laniak who writes about the primary biblical image of a leader being a shepherd. He make the point that we have three key roles: leading, feeding and protecting those under our care.

The shepherd leads and feeds. But a good shepherd also protects the flock from outside attack and sometimes even from themselves.

The shepherd as protector

A shepherd in Jesus day was well trained in the things that were a threat to the flock he was caring for. He'd have a good idea of what wild animals were around and how they behaved and where they hid. He'd also be good at reading the weather to get his flock out of harms way should a storm come in.

The Jericho road

Jesus was once asked by an expert in the law, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered with the parable of the Good Samaritan. It seems that Jesus sees care for the wounded like the needy, the poor and downtrodden as part of the essence of following him.

Helping someone along a dangerous, dark and lonely road is not everyone’s cup of tea and whilst we are not expected to expose ourselves to danger unnecessarily, the further we remove ourselves from personal connections with people in need, the further we stray from the ministry Jesus modelled for us in this parable.

In Matt 25:31 on, we see Jesus judging people on the basis of their ministry to the hungry, naked, homeless, sick and imprisoned. The ministry of mercy appears to be central to the very definition of being a Christian.

...the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.

In his excellent book Ministries of Mercy, Tim Keller concludes:

• All Christians live on that road to Jericho whether we understand it or not
• It is the responsibility of us all to care for the neighbour lying in the road
• There are times when we need God most, yet he seems strangely inaccessible. At this moment of apparent abandonment, the Body of Christ can rise to perhaps it’s highest calling 

Our church has a Care Team whose aim is to care for the wounded in our church and in the community in which we serve. The team consists of people who are passionate about coming alongside those who are going through hard times and their aim is to assist in practical ways where needed.

Whilst we have this team, ultimately the responsibility lies with each and every one of us to care for others as Jesus calls. It's sometimes difficult work, and the problems can seem insurmountable. But then we serve a God who specialises in the impossible!

For more info contact info@pvfc.co.za 

The Shepherd - part two

We're unpacking some thoughts based upon ideas from Tim Laniak who writes about the primary biblical image of a leader being a shepherd. He make the point that we have three key roles: leading, feeding and protecting those under our care.

The shepherd as feeder

A shepherd must lead the flock but he must also feed the flock. Whatever our role of leadership from the preaching pastor to a volunteer team leader we're feeding those under our care. Sometimes that feeding is direct teaching from the scriptures if that is our calling and gift, but there is also teaching that comes through the way we lead our teams and the way that we interact with others. Jesus leads us to green pastures and we should be doing likewise with those under our care.

We're called to feed the hearts of our teams by being gracious, kind and affirming in our dealings with them. We feed our teams by reminding them that when they fail there is grace in Jesus more than enough for their failure. We can feed our teams by leading them in prayer and dependence on God's deliverance. We feed our teams when we point them to Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith.

Someone once quipped 'You are the only bible some people will read' Hopefully our teams are reading the bible too, but they will learn a lot from how you respond in high stress situations, how you treat your spouse, kids, colleagues and also the so-called 'unimportant' people in life. This is why we're encouraged to be Christ like in the way that we live.

People learn by watching. As as your sheep watch you, may they learn what the heart of the true shepherd, Jesus, is like.

The Shepherd - Part one

Leaders of the church are called to shepherd those under their care and it is a form of gospel centred discipling to do it well.

Tim Laniak notes that a shepherd has three distinct roles: they lead, feed and protect. Our model is the Great Shepherd himself, Jesus. This post and the next two will unpack each of these roles.

The shepherd as leader

The shepherd leads the sheep to places that are beneficial to the sheep not to the shepherd. So often leaders are on an agenda that is their own, their leading is to make themselves look good or for them to gain something. A good shepherd is a care taker for the sheep and he knows that they belong to the owner. The joyful duty of the shepherd is to get the sheep back home in the best condition he can, safe and well fed. A good shepherd is always a servant leader with the greater good of the flock in mind.

One of the ways we serve as leaders is to move the people under our care on their journey with Jesus.To lead the sheep you need to know where you are going or else you will wander aimlessly, backtracking, sidestepping and covering ground you have already covered. good leaders have a clear vision for the future and are committed to get the sheep there. As leaders we need to constantly be full of God's spirit or we will fall, fail or flounder our way around.

To be a good shepherd you take the sheep not to places they want to go but to the places they need to go. The narrow ledge may seem dangerous but it may also be the only way to the green pastures and the flowing rivers beyond. To not go because some of the sheep are scared or stubborn is not helpful, in fact it may be harmful to the flock. A good shepherd is a bold leader.

But a good shepherd is also a gentle leader. He helps the smaller and weaker sheep who are being left behind. A good shepherd cares for the whole flock. This is what Jesus did. He tried to shepherd the hard headed Pharisees into the kingdom of grace instead of the prison of law. Jesus shepherded twelve ordinary men to take the gospel to all the nations. He also shepherded a sinful woman caught in adultery and a demonized man who had been trapped by the net of evil. Jesus cared for all of God's people.

Jesus is the consummate shepherd and we need to emulate him as we lead the teams under us.

Are you being a good shepherd by leading those under your care as a leader in the local church?

Never the same...

In 1962 Don and Carol Richardson came into contact with a remote tribe in West New Guinea known as the Sawi people. They were cannabilistic headhunters without a written language, nor any clue about Jesus.

The Richardsons, along with their three children, preached the gospel to the Sawi people and witnessed a remarkable movement of God. The story is told in the best-selling book Peace Child and has inspired many to take the gospel to the furthest ends of the earth.

Just recently — fifty years after they first met the Sawi — the Richardsons returned to the village they once called home. This short 15-minute film from Pioneers documents that experience. It is one of the most amazing things you will ever see.

What could God accomplish with us if we allowed ourselves to be unleashed for the gospel?




Orignally posted on Desiringgod.org

Build Progress

We're continuing to make headway with the new premises for us to worship in. The driver injured in the accident earlier in the week is not severely injured and has a broken rib and some stitches. Below is a shot taken this morning showing the progress on the land.

What happens when the laws of physics get pushed too far

God made the laws of physics and you cqm only push them so far. Thankfully the driver is OK with minor injuries.

Finally we get the ground broken!

woohoo!!!