An embarrassing moment

To me, one of the most mind-numbingly frightening things in life is trying to catch any kind of ball without making a fool of myself. Recently, however, I have started to change myself from the inside. I have been changing the way I think. For example, I have been repeating little mantras to myself. Here is a sample (which you should feel free to use yourself): I am athletic; I am COORDINATED; I am good under the high ball. I have beautiful hands (huh?). I am ... PATRICK LAMBIE*!

Then last week, my moment of testing arrived. Matthew was playing rugby against St John’s College, and I was sitting on the touch-line. I must confess (to my shame) that warmth of the sun and the soporific sounds of young gentlemen growling at the break-down had lulled me into a false sense of security. Little did I know that a ruthless danger was about to be unleashed on the ladies sitting so trustingly beside me...

Suddenly, my reverie was shattered by the sound of a deep thud and Gail shouting “watch out, the ball’s going to hit us”. I looked up to see that the John’s full-back had kicked a sky-rocketing up-and-under in our direction. “I am Patrick Lambie”, my brain screamed exultantly. I knew what I had to do. I was about to become a hero.

The world faded away as my eyes locked remorselessly onto the spinning ball. Everything began to move in slow motion. I was a ball catching machine. My mind, arms and legs were moving as one, finely-tuned athletic marvel. In fact, I had BECOME the ball...

“Ian!” shouted Gail – “You’re on the field! You’re on the field of play!”

I looked up. Thirty boys were thundering towards me, their faced contorted in various expressions of confusion. What was this 40-something, bearded man doing on the field? Should he be tackled? Would he try to score once he had caught the ball? The ref was reaching for his yellow card.

Gasping one short, sharp (very un-theological) word, I lunged for the safety of the touch-line and sat down. Make of this what you will, but one thing I know for sure: I am not Patrick Lambie. Also, my ears blush horribly when I am embarrassed!

Cheers for now – Ian

(Patrick Lambie plays full-back for the Sharks. We are the same height, but that is where the similarity ends, for I am 22 years older, 32kgs lighter and much better looking than Lambie.)

Do not finish in your own strength

Read: Galatians 3:1-5

I guess you would be pretty surprised if your pastor called you a fool. How would you like it if he called you bewitched? Such language is not guaranteed to fill the pews on a Sunday morning! But believe it or not, this is the language Paul used in a letter to the Christians in Galatia.  Why, we ask ourselves, was Paul so upset with the Galatians?

The Galatians had heard the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection. They believed that Jesus had gone to the cross to take their punishment so that they could be converted and adopted as children of God. Further, they had been given the Holy Spirit, the very presence of God within them. All of this had been received by faith not obedience to the law, yet now they were “trying to attain [their] goal by human effort”.

Paul’s frustration is birthed in the fact that what the Galatians had begun on the basis of faith, they were now trying to continue in their own strength. They were now following a Christ-plus gospel: Christ plus circumcision; Christ plus dietary laws; Christ plus observance of Jewish festivals. Since when - is the unspoken question - was your standing before God in Christ alone not sufficient? And how can you trust a religious system to stimulate spiritual growth whilst ignoring the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit?

Fact is we all do it. I hope you do not believe that a daily quiet-time will change your standing with God. Whether you have a quiet-time or not, you stand forgiven and adopted as a child of God. And sometimes, people get the message that one needs to be a sort of Bible scholar or intelligent person to know God. Baloney! You can know God because He is in you. Further, speaking in tongues does not make you more acceptable to God nor does being able to sing or having warm, fuzzy experiences or praying twice a day or tithing or reading your Bible or helping the poor or ...  anything that is on the basis of human effort.

Now, do not misunderstand me. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these things. Actually, we would not be Christ-like if we did not do the kind of things that Jesus did. But what is your motivation for following spiritual disciplines? They will not change your standing before God. And do not rely on a program of activities and rules to live a life pleasing to God whilst excluding the Spirit. The Spirit will guide you into habits, disciplines and activities, but He will give you the insight needed to make them productive and the power necessary to follow them.

There is no need to make fools of ourselves! Let us build on the basis of faith, actively seeking the Spirit’s help and rejecting any system that excludes Him.

Cheers for now - Ian

Reflections on a bus trip

I took a bus from Harare to Bulawayo on Monday. It was a double decker no less! I sat on the top deck at the front which gave me a great view of the road. But it also gave me an interesting view into the life of the thirty-something black lady seated next to me.

The lady was seriously into the bling thing. She had a bright red plastic handbag with yellow trim, golden jacket, blonde wig and knee-high boots with fluffy edges. Get the picture? She talked non-stop from Harare to Gweru whether I was listening or not. And most of the time, I was listening because it is not often that one gets to see the world from such a different perspective.

What made the perspective interesting was the fact that she was a single mum working for an all-female computer company (“my boss says that men are nothing but trouble”), who claimed to be a Christian. In fact, church attendance seemed to be a big deal for her because she phoned on an iPhone – proudly shown off and given to her “a few years ago by a Chinese man” - to make sure that her nine year-old daughter had been correctly turned out for church. I can’t be 100% certain, but I’m pretty sure she was talking to a boyfriend. I shuddered to think that her little girl had been left in the care of a boyfriend whilst she went on a two week trip to Dubai. Later, she made another call – a blackberry this time - and spoke to her daughter, asking whether she had enjoyed church and promising her a laptop from Dubai if she was a good girl. A laptop for a nine year old....

On one of the occasions when I managed to get a word in edge-wise, I asked the standard Evangelism Explosion questions: 1) If you died today, would you be sure to get into heaven, and 2) If God asked you why He should let you into heaven, what would your answer be? No, she wasn’t sure about making it to heaven, but she had led Praise and Worship in her church. Furthermore, God had given her many prophetic dreams. Some of them had even come true. As a matter of fact, she had seen heaven during a near death experience whilst her daughter was being born, yet nine years later, she had no assurance that she would get there. How sad.

It made me wonder what they preach at her church. It made me wonder how many of the sermons were simply self-help, feel-good recipes for worldly “success”. Why else would fancy phones and trips to Dubai take priority over her little girl? It made me wonder how many people that attend our own church lack an assurance of salvation or have based it on things like church attendance or some other trapping of Christianity.

Going to church is a poor substitute for the joy of knowing God! So, for that matter, is a fancy cell phone or even a holiday in Dubai. I pray that my fellow passenger will find that out soon.

Cheers for now - Ian

Small Beginnings

Ever wondered what triggers a positive change in the course of history? Now, let us not get too grandiose here, jumping to the affairs of nations and great causes. To do so would overlook the destinies of individuals, families and communities. Yet every avalanche has its small beginnings, so we should not despise the potential of a single dislodged stone.

For example, the Bible doesn’t trace to its ultimate conclusion the effects of a slave-girl’s deliverance in the Macedonian City of Philippi. However, her deliverance did lead to the salvation of a hardened jailer and his household. And do not forget that the slave-girl and the jailer were among the first soldiers recruited for the invasion of Europe with the good news. Perhaps, one day, you will trace the cause of your salvation to one or other of these two unlikely candidates for eternal life.

Be that as it may, it all began when Paul responded obediently to the voice of God. But how did Paul hear God’s voice on this occasion? It might appear that the only voice Paul heard for a few days was the insane voice of the slave-girl. And though she was shouting the truth, people would have lumped Paul and his team into the same loony-bin as their persistent follower.

 As one day followed another, Paul had ample time to discover that she was demon possessed and able to make a lot of money for her owners by fortune-telling. No doubt this information did not make his decision any easier. If he were to do something about the girl, he would stir up a hornet’s nest with her owners. Yet the poor girl was in bondage on many levels and hampering the Lord’s work. What to do?

In the final analysis, it was a particular form of God’s voice that helped Paul to make up his mind. The voice came in the form of a “troubled” emotion (v18). The Greek word translated “troubled” also means grieved, distressed or disturbed. It describes the emotion we feel when our deepest beliefs about right and wrong are offended. For example, Luke uses the same word to describe what the Sanhedrin felt when they heard that Peter and John were preaching about Jesus in the Temple (Acts 4:2). When this emotion is sanctified by feeling God’s heart for a particular situation, it can become a powerful guiding and motivating force.

For example, the Rev. James Ramsey was a ship's surgeon in the 16th century who became a clergyman and a medical supervisor of the plantations on the island of St Christopher in the Leeward Islands. Ramsey became so troubled by the plight of slaves that on his return to England, he spent three years writing a book which was highly critical of slavery in the West Indies. The book, published in 1784, contributed to the defeat of slavery by raising public awareness and interest.

Now, I bet most of you haven’t heard of Ramsey, but without his contribution and that of many others, Wilberforce would never have been credited with the abolition of slavery. Maybe the issue of abortion or rampant corruption or pornography or endemic marital break-down seem beyond your influence. That is simply not true. It only takes a spark to get a fire going or a few small candles to light up the dark.

Are you deeply troubled by anything at the moment? Is your distress going away? Are you experiencing the distress because you are feeling God’s heart for a particular issue or person or cause? Paul was deeply distressed by the girl’s condition. And neither the feeling nor the girl were going away, so Paul acted and embraced the consequences. Will you do the same?

Cheers for now - Ian

Do not judge (a reflection on Luke 6:36-42)

Serving the body of Christ can push one to the brink of homicide. I wonder what it feels like to control fifteen fractious toddlers half an hour longer than expected when church runs over time. Let us not go there. But I know of people that have, and some are still alive today! In fact, some might say it was not the church overrun that put the final nail in the coffin but the time that elapsed between the closing prayer and the point when the last parent finally arrived to collect his little darling. It confounds the imagination to think that in such circumstances, some parents would stop to chat before relieving those on duty.

By the way, do not think that anyone has been complaining to me because they have not. But I do have eyes! And it is not only in the hallowed precincts of the toddler room that one may observe sacrificial and often unappreciated service.

Perhaps you also struggle from time to time when you are taken for granted or abused. And such abuse is particularly hard to bear when it is suffered at the hands of those who appear to contribute nothing to the life of the church. I suspect that one of the biggest temptations of those who are trying to follow Christ’s servant example is the temptation to judge those who seem not to be pulling their weight.

One of the ways we judge is by labelling people. Johnny is lazy or rude or selfish. Yes, we have been hurt and writing somebody off is one way to take justice into our own hands. So having passed judgement on Johnny, we then carve a picture of him in stone. We condemn him to a particular pigeonhole and leave him there to moulder without any possibility of change.

But the pigeonhole is simply a category we have created in our own minds. It does not exist in the real world. Johnny IS changing because Jesus has extended him the same grace that we ourselves have received. Yet we cannot see it because un-forgiveness has befuddled our focus. All we can see is the spec in Jonny’s eye, a spec that has grown to the size of a plank in our own mind’s eye.

Therefore, it is no wonder that we must remove the plank of un-forgiveness. How can we become like our teacher let alone aspire to lead by example when we are withholding the one thing that Jesus gave without measure? Instead, let us give generously of our time, service and above all forgiveness, knowing that if we give, it will be given to us, “a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over”.

What you do for the body is not about those who do nothing. It is about being like Jesus who was not only driven to the brink of homicide (e.g. Mar. 9:19) with frustration but gave to the point of death also.

Cheers for now - Ian

Following Jesus' Example

Have you ever looked at the cross and thought that the example of Jesus was way beyond your reach? After all, how many Christians get to die for their faith? I bet you haven’t yet! Sometimes we are daunted by the enormity of following Christ’s example. On other occasions, we convince ourselves that faith is about doing mighty acts of renown for God. In both cases, we tend to overlook the fact that following Jesus is an intensely practical, day-by-day experience.  Perhaps that is our intention. After all, who really wants the Glorious Intruder to interfere with their lives EVERY day?

 Recently, I have been challenged by John’s account of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet (13:1-17). The commentators agree that the foot-washing was symbolic of what Jesus would do for the disciples on the cross. Both had a number of ingredients in common. Firstly, Jesus - powerful and important though He was - humbled himself in order to meet a need. Significantly, it would seem from Luke’s account (22:24-27) that the disciples had been more interested in who was the greatest than in humbling themselves and meeting one another’s needs.  Then, secondly, there is the common theme of cleaning. The foot-washing cleaned the disciples on the outside whilst the cross cleaned them on the inside.

However, though the foot-washing was symbolic, Jesus tells us that it was done as an example for us to follow. And isn’t this exactly the kind of example you could follow? When you see a need - be it at home, work or elsewhere – do what you can to serve. You may have to crucify your desire to seem important; you may need to sacrifice your own comfort; or you may need to put to spend your own time and money on somebody else. But by doing this, you will paint a sign on the canvas of everyday life that directs others to Jesus. Consider giving somebody a taste of love this week, and who knows, perhaps you will awaken in them an intense hunger for the love of Jesus.

An offering of worship fit for a King (Phil. 2:12-18)

I am still a man on a mission: a mission to find joy in the midst of trials. Not only do I want to find joy in the midst of my own trials, but also in helping with the trials of others. Sharing one another’s burdens means that we get saddled with loads that are not our own. Is there any joy in that?

The Apostle Paul once wrote: “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches” (2 Cor. 11:28), so he should be qualified to teach us something on the subject! In the church at Philippi, Paul was concerned about persecution and its effect on the unity of the church. What are you concerned about? Maybe your friend is out of work. Will he loose his faith as a result of this trial? You may be praying for a cancer sufferer or someone whose fledgling faith is assailed by an addiction.

In verse 12 of Philippians 2, Paul makes an inference. On the basis of Christ’s humble obedience (described in verses 5-11), Paul concludes that the Philippians should also be characterised by obedience. Even though the Philippians had been obedient whether Paul was present or absent from Philippi (v12), Paul encouraged them to continue working out their salvation through obedience¹ (v12).

But what joy is there in obedience? Lord, you want me to raise these children or to lead this home-group or church or business, yet sometimes, it is a heavy burden to obey my calling. Living in a way that pleases you is tough. It brings more trials than if I did my own thing. I am not enjoying this.

Then, as if to rub salt in the wound, we are expected to obey without grumbling or arguing (v14). Paul, you had better have some good reasons for such obedience! And he does.

To begin with, salvation is a process. The race begins when you are born again through faith. At that point you are declared blameless and pure, and you become a child of God. This has nothing to do with your effort or work. But from then on, you must run the race until you cross the finish line when you die or Christ returns – then your salvation will be complete. Running the race requires repeated, ongoing obedience. Without this, you will stop running and fail to finish.

According to Paul, this process of “working out” your salvation should be accompanied by fear and trembling. This is not fear of failure or condemnation. No, it is a holy reverence for what is happening in your life: God Himself is at work in you. He began the work, and He will complete it. He will help you to desire what He desires, and He will give you all the energy and resources you need to obey His desires (v13). When we daily obey the will of God, we actually start becoming what we have been declared to be: blameless and pure (v15). Further, we give evidence of the fact that we have become children of God. These sound like good reasons for obedience! But there are more.

Have you noticed that obedience is somewhat out of vogue? It always has been. Nobody wants to be told what to do. Every man wants to decide for himself what is right or wrong.  For this reason, obedience to God differentiates us from the lost. Brothers and sisters, obedience to God makes you shine like stars in a dark universe (v15)! But there is more.

Experiencing joy in the middle of a trial requires us to focus on what the trial will produce. Paul has his eye on the day of Christ (v16) - the finish line, if you will. One day, like Paul, you will have the opportunity to look back on the way you ran the race (v16). If you handle your current trial with humble obedience, working with God’s help, you will look back on it with satisfaction on the day of Christ. Yes it may have been grindingly hard, sometimes you might have despaired, but you kept going, and God worked in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. The harder the race, the greater the satisfaction at the finish line. Don’t know about you, but I could get excited about that thought. But there is more.

What you have achieved in life will be combined with what you helped others to achieve, and together, these will form a sacrifice of worship to God. Paul uses the image of the OT daily sacrifice to communicate this point (v17). The Philippians’ faith-inspired service was like the lamb sacrificed on the altar. Paul’s work with the Philippians was like the drink offering poured out on top.

I long to give God a special gift of worship on the day of Christ: a life of obedient sacrifice, invested in the service of God and others. I look forward to seeing what I have done combined with the offerings of those I have helped. It would be an insult to God to think this impossible, for He has changed me and is at work in me to will and to act according to His good purpose. So just as Paul, even though he was in prison at the time, rejoiced in these truths (17) and commanded the Philippians to do the same, so I urge you to follow suit!

Cheers for now - Ian

¹ At the time of writing the letter, Paul would have had in mind obedience to the OT, his teachings, example and letters. Today we must be obedient to the Bible and the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit.