Last Sunday morning I challenged us to think about the vision God has given each of us for our lives: the calling that God has for our lives for a particular ministry involvement. Pastor and author Bill Hybels, calls it our “holy discontent,” that need that God puts before us that frequently troubles or disturbs us. Nehemiah was troubled about the situation that Israel was in and specifically the fact that the walls of Jerusalem were destroyed and the city lay in ruins (Neh 1:3-4).  So he did three things, he prayed and asked God for help, he asked the king for help and then he acted himself by leaving his comfortable position and getting involved in rebuilding the walls of the city.

I believe God is calling each and every one of us to consider and address the thing that is disturbing us – our “holy discontent.” First we must identify and isolate in our minds what it is that concerns us most. Secondly we must intercede on behalf of that ministry or group of people in prayer. Thirdly we must get involved ourselves. This forms the biblical model for ministry development and involvement.

Our culture doesn’t always help us as Christians to adopt the Nehemiah method of involvement. Australian culture has taught us to identify a problem and then complain to an authority about it and that’s where we leave it. Unfortunately in the church we sometimes demonstrate this approach as we identify a problem and then complain to a pastor, elder or ministry leader about it. Thinking we have satisfactorily addressed the problem (by giving it to someone else), we move on to some other concern and if at a later date the leader hasn’t addressed our concern to our satisfaction we complain again. This is becoming a classic Aussie trait in our society that is sometimes reflected in the Aussie church. Old-school Christians used to be more prayerful and more proactive, especially in the early church.

Like Nehemiah we must always first and foremost bring our concern to God in prayer (Neh 1:5-11) and like Nehemiah we must get involved ourselves in addressing the matter (Neh 2:11). Nehemiah didn’t see the problem of the ruins of Jerusalem and then complain to the king: his relationship with God caused him to earnestly talk to God about it, and then to sacrificially become involved to help address his concern.

So the two questions I have for us today are:

• What is it that troubles you? and
• What are you doing about it?

The answer to these two questions may help to define your calling and personal vision for your life from God.

The causes that concern us are as numerous as the sand on the seashore… the poor, injustice, abortion, euthanasia, evangelism, the homeless, the widowed, orphans, the church, children, youth, families, the elderly, marriage, financial stewardship, morality, church property maintenance, pastoral care, Bible teaching, lifegroups, men, women, the single, the divorced, solo parents, child abuse, missions, administration and organisation, leadership, communication, sound and lighting, the sick, counselling, education, refugees, social change, muslim influence, worship, fellowship, catering. We can’t be concerned about everything but we must be concerned about something, what is yours?

I heard a rumour this week, and it may only be gossip, but apparently Australia has no government! Confusing times, as the battle for political supremacy continues and only God knows how things will work out. It is a reminder for us of just how important leadership is and how we need to pray for those who are willing to exercise leadership in whatever shape or form it may take. I guess it also reminds us that in life there is good leadership and bad leadership and everybody likes to be the judge of who is and who isn’t a good leader.

Today’s leaders emphasize grandiose strategies and plans with carefully thought out costings, all presented with glamorised advertising intended to convince people that they are stable and responsible leaders who can get the job done most effectively and efficiently. Jesus had an interesting style of leadership that differed greatly from the kind of leadership we see today.

He spoke of and demonstrated the importance of servanthood – the willingness to quietly and humbly serve others with no thought of recognition or reward. He had a strategy and a purpose, but it wasn’t widely promoted nor was it the centrepiece of his leadership, loving others was. Teaching and caring formed the foundation of what he did as he sought to connect with the depressed and the discouraged, the hurting and the humble. He had no inclination to connect with the top end of town; washing feet and feeding the poor was his priority and He taught His followers to do likewise.

Society places little to no value on these priorities, and sadly even the church misses this point as we struggle and strain to create a plan that will impress everyone who hears it. Any pastor presenting a New Year vision to simply “tell others about Jesus and feed the poor” would be criticised for being shallow and unimpressive as a leader. We crave for something far grander in our flashy media driven world. In reality, Christianity at its core, is neither flashy nor grandiose, and therefore disappoints many who think that life’s values are found in the loudest, the brightest and the most expensive.

Jesus revealed the opposite, teaching and demonstrating that death to self is life, the poor are the rich, and the humble are the greatest. If we applied these principles to our leaders and ourselves, I wonder how it would change our lives and the lives of those around us? It certainly would be a new kind of leadership and one that we could easily afford!

Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ²⁶Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— ²⁸just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."  Matthew 20:25-28

Over the last two years, three exploratory teams from EBC have visited the Philippines to investigate mission partnership on the island of Cebu. After much prayerful consideration and consultation, IMPACT CEBU was launched last Sunday! We communicated to the church the significant door of opportunity that God has opened for us in the Philippines; an opportunity that will allow us to potentially partner with a drug rehabilitation facility, an orphanage, community development program, pre-school children’s ministry, Sunday school outreach and a possible prison ministry. These opportunities will develop in partnership with two churches allowing us to bring the Word of God, and the love of Jesus, to a nation that is open and responsive to the gospel. 

The first short term team to be sent will leave this December for a 12 day visit to be involved in ministry and to further evaluate the opportunities before us. Our plan, the Lord willing, is to send two teams each year, one in early December and the other in March/April (yet to be finalised). There is another team booked to visit Cebu this year in late December which consists of a few of our Filipino families whom, whilst visiting family and friends in Cebu, will also be involved in ministry amongst our partners. Following our launch on Sunday a significant number of people have responded and in the coming weeks they will be contacted to discuss their specific involvement. If you have an interest in being involved in IMPACT CEBU, or require further information we ask that you speak with Julio Alejo or Wayne Burgan. Thank you for your prayerful support of what God is doing in and through us as a church.

As I write this, it is a very important time for our nation as we prepare for the Federal Election. As Christians our responsibility is to pray for our leaders and our nation. We are a land that is in desperate need of the blessings of God to rain down: the blessing of a spiritual awakening, the blessing of leaders and a people that acknowledge God, the blessing of wisdom to know how to function as a just and compassionate society, the blessing of a God fearing society who are repentant and embrace holy living, the blessing of a peaceful and prosperous society – that we might be a blessing to others – and the great blessing of strong, healthy and missional churches that are responsive to God and energised by the Holy Spirit. May God hear our prayers and answer us.

Please pray for me next week as I have a 10 minute opportunity on Life FM on Thursday at 11am to share a little of my testimony and to speak about EBC. Please also pray for those that I had the opportunity to share the gospel with this week – that their hungry souls might respond to the love and invitation of Jesus to come to Him.

Ours is a God of opportunity

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” ’ Luke 7:33-35

Did you ever wonder why John the Baptist and Jesus had such different lifestyles? John lived a life of strict discipline, frugality and hardship, in contrast, Jesus’ lifestyle was far more ordinary and normal. Jesus lived how most people lived. The reason they chose the lifestyles they did would no doubt have been related to the kind of audience they were endeavouring to reach and relate to.

While John was used of God to challenge the righteousness of the religious leaders, who lived a life of excess and ease at the expense of others. Jesus identified with the common people, the ones who had drifted far from social norms in Jewish society and more importantly far from God. Jesus loved them and related to them by choosing a lifestyle that would remove unnecessary barriers.

Interestingly, both were criticised for their lifestyles, John was accused of being demon possessed, Jesus of being a drunk. The response of the religious leaders, who themselves were hypocrites, warn us that we cannot expect to be applauded for making intentional lifestyle choices to reach out to society. There will always be people who do not understand or approve of genuine attempts to share the gospel and the love of God.

In response to the lives of John and Jesus and the lifestyle choices they made to reach people, let me ask you a question. What choices are you making to reach out to others? How are you living your life to be effective at sharing Jesus with those around you?

When a person decides to be a missionary overseas they make some fairly radical lifestyle choices, and for the most part we applaud them for it, as they study a new culture, learn a new language, change their educational focus, quit their job and career, and leave family and friends behind. How many of us staying at home make anything like these kinds of radical decisions to reach out to people in our own community? Why don’t we? Is it really just those who go overseas who are missionaries called of God, called to make sacrifices in His service?

I can’t imagine life was easy for John, wearing an itchy camel hair cloak, living on nothing but locusts and honey and sleeping among rocks in the wilderness. Jesus too would have struggled with the broken humanity and sinful lifestyle choices of those He was endeavouring to reach. This teaches us that to effectively share the gospel means making sacrificial choices that are never easy. We will need to mix with those who are different, annoying, disappointing, frustrating – sinful! Perhaps that’s why we don’t make radical lifestyle choices to reach others, it’s all too hard and we lack the patience and love needed to touch people’s lives.

“If our definition of being a Christian is simply to enjoy the privileges of worship, be generous at no expense to ourselves, have a good, easy time surrounded by pleasant friends and by comfortable things, live respectably, and at the same time avoid the world’s great stress of sin and trouble – if this is our definition of Christianity, surely we are a long way from following the steps of Him who trod the way with tears of anguish for a lost humanity.” In His Steps by Charles Sheldon.

This quote rocks my world, as it stirs me to want to step out of the comforts of spiritual mediocrity to embrace pure worship and fruitful ministry amidst the harsh realties of a fallen world. God calls us to a Christianity few seem to reflect - sacrificial, selflessness, where ego has died with Christ.

Where are the men and women in our church community who want to rise above the level of mediocrity and cast off the enticing cloak of comfort? Who wants something more from life than a comfortable seat by a warm fire, with a bowl of chips and a good movie? Isn’t life with Christ meant to mean more than going through the superficial motions of church attendance once a week, surrounded by a close-knit group of friends?

Where are the Spirit-filled men and women burdened for the lost, desperate for opportunities to share Jesus? Sometimes I hear complaints that in light of the gospel seem so hollow; the service was too long, the music too loud, the sermon too long, we stood for too long. Would someone please complain that we are not passionate enough for Christ, not providing enough opportunities for individuals to share the gospel, not seeing enough people converted to Christ, not sacrificing enough for Christ. Someone will dare say I’m being negative and not uplifting but I’m not sure how uplifting it is to say, “we are involved in a terrible war, so get your kit on and move up to the front line and get bloody for the gospel - instead of hiding back there and eating all the best biscuits!”

God’s call is to death - death to self, death to the world. To be fruitful in the kingdom is to face the harsh realities of our calling and to be present at the front-line - it’s where the neediest souls are, and more importantly it’s where Jesus is! It’s not an easy place, even harder to remain for long - you’ll run the risk of being wounded, weariness a constant companion, the stench and grime of others fills your nostrils and you may even be called to lay down your life for someone else. Not too many rewards or applause, plenty of heckling by those comfortably seated a safe distance away, but the glory that goes to God is immeasurable and for no other reason its worth leaving that warm chair by the fire and casting off that heavy cloak of comfort.

God wants warriors not wimps, which is why He has equipped us for war (Ephesians 6:10-20) and not with reclining theatre seats, with cup holders! Come with me and let’s sweat and cry and bleed and maybe die together for God’s glory and the salvation of precious souls.

I was greatly encouraged this week by reading about the suffering and death of others! That sounds a strange thing to say but its true, my heart was lifted to new joy and my mind gained great peace from reading about those who followed Jesus and were criticised and condemned as a result - even at the cost of their lives.

The Scriptures teach us that suffering will come to our lives if we truly are following God’s will and doing what is right in His sight. The disciples all experienced suffering, of one kind or another, because they were doing exactly what God wanted them to do: which was preaching the gospel and following Jesus. Although some of us may have failed in life to achieve the accolades of the world, we can succeed in becoming qualified to suffer for Jesus.

Living the Christian life is no easy thing. The world dismisses you as being an inadequate person, who is probably feeble minded and of weak disposition and therefore in need of a crutch like Christianity.  Satan will oppose your every step as you endeavour to achieve God’s will for your own life and encourage others to do likewise with theirs. It is even highly likely that fellow Christians, in supposedly an attempt to help, will cause you to suffer as they say or do things that result in you becoming hurt in some way.

When we read the Scriptures we soon learn that suffering is the intended path of the Godly. It refines the soul, digging deep into the recesses of the human heart and removing the dross of indifference, impurity, deception, maliciousness, selfishness, hard heartedness, jealousy….and replaces them with qualities of righteousness, holiness, purity, peace, maturity…. Those who have been tried by suffering gradually begin to realise that our suffering can actually benefit us, and work toward a greater fulfilment of God’s will in our lives.

Jesus said these encouraging words about suffering in Matthew 5:10-11 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Those words certainly put a new light on suffering - we should rejoice if we are considered worthy to suffer for the Name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, and sat down at the right hand of the Father.

May you suffer much for His Name for it is the true path to Christ-likeness.

“Something’s going on here?” That’s the feeling and thoughts I get in life when changes take place outside of my control and I can only stand back and watch. We all know the saying, “God works in mysterious ways,” which is a way of saying I don’t understand what’s happening or even why but I believe that God is at work and He will bring about an outcome that will glorify His Name and bless His people.

Often we become nervous when things happen outside of our control, we all like to be in control and be firmly seated behind the driver’s wheel - that’s why some people hate being passengers. It’s also why I’m not really thrilled about sitting on an aeroplane when I can’t see what the pilot is doing. I feel the need to be able to at least see him so that I can keep an eye on him. Maybe I can offer some advice if he gets into a bit of rough weather or if one of the engines catches fire! As ridiculous as this sounds, I think many of us operate that way when it comes to our own lives and ministries. We don’t really want God alone in the driver’s seat - we’d rather be at the controls or at least advising Him on what He should do next. When things begin to head in a direction we never planned for, that’s when we tighten our seat belts and wish we were at the controls of life.

God’s response is always the same – “Trust me, rest in me, focus on me and stop trying to wrestle the controls out of my hands. I know what is best and I know how to best achieve my purposes for your life.” Here’s an example of changing circumstances, recently Lifehouse had its principal sponsor withdraw his support; this isn’t unusual as it has been a regular occurrence over the last year as he helps us to become independent. Each time it has happened finances have all but disappeared including a time last year when we ran out of funds altogether and while some staff left, others remained and worked voluntarily to keep Lifehouse open.

What is unusual this time is that while financial support from our principal sponsor has ceased, applications from women wanting to enter the house have risen dramatically over recent weeks. For the first time Lifehouse, in the coming weeks, will have a full house of women and for the first time we will have to turn women away! It seems as though God is putting us under a different kind of pressure, lack of funds is familiar to us but an overwhelming number of applicants is not.

So while on the one hand we rejoice in the doors that God has opened in blessing Lifehouse with greater responsibility of more precious women to minister to, on the other hand we are thinking: “Lord, how will you provide funds to allow us to continue to minister?” It makes me think and feel, “something’s going on here!” I don’t quite know what it is, but God is certainly active, and is making abundant provision in one way while removing it another. All I can say is “God works in mysterious ways” to achieve His will and purposes. We can but watch and pray which probably isn’t a bad idea. I’d invite you to join me in watching and praying that God’s will is done and His Name is glorified.

The intensity of spiritual warfare is real and needs to be recognised by us as Christians which I reminded us about in my message last Sunday morning. Satan is not interested in opposing sleeping Christians and churches, why bother, they’re already asleep “in the light” as the singer Keith Green used to put it. Christianity is not for the faint-hearted or those who can’t trust in God and His power to protect and deliver. Jesus repeatedly warned His followers of the battle they were in and how they needed to trust Him through every circumstance they encountered. The disciples struggled with this again and again as they relied upon the flesh to get them through. While Jesus was seeking to save souls by presenting the message of life, they were battling with each other over who was greatest and the most important amongst them.

Humanity doesn’t change and today we often find ourselves wrestling with all sorts of things except that which matters most: the salvation of souls. What does it matter who has the greatest influence, what one is called, how much one receives in wages, what office one has, where one lives or where we work or what vehicle we drive? All of these things are temporary and distract us from what is eternal, “so we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

The gospel is what is on God’s agenda! Telling people about Jesus and living exemplary lives before them, so as not to discredit the gospel, is what is of greatest importance. The New Testament overflows with Scriptures calling us to give attention to these things, to demonstrate love and acceptance to all. Remember Jesus went to the downcast, the rejected, those who society had no time for and it was to these ones that God’s love and message of hope was communicated. In short, God wants us to Impact Adelaide with ‘the message’ and ‘the kind of love’ that can only come from God. Satan doesn’t like it and will oppose us but God is our constant source of strength and inspiration.

Put on the full armour of God and don’t forget your gospel shoes! (Eph 6:15) They are what allow us to go to others, to make the effort and get out there and connect with unbelievers in the world. We have nothing to fear in Christ as the victory is already ours through Him. Let us put our time, energy, and resources into seeing men, women and children come to faith in our wonderful Saviour. To know Him is true life!

Please remember to pray for Dina Bellas whose husband (Arthur) of 49 years passed away last week. I would ask that you also pray for Enid Philbey and all her family: on the first anniversary of Harry’s passing last Monday Enid learned that her grandson had been killed in a truck accident. Pray for Marj Murdoch as well as she recovers from a fall and several serious injuries. May God extend grace and peace to those who have recently lost loved ones or are going through difficult times at the moment.

Continuing the battle for the gospel

When we think about the incredibly complex process of becoming a mother, it is truly amazing. A mother’s womb becomes the vessel in which each person is shaped in preparation for their birth into the world. What a strange method God has chosen to bring us into the world, to be formed and carried inside the body of another! Would we as human beings have ever thought of that, let alone been able to design a woman’s body so that she is able to act as host for another human being? It is altogether bizarre, incomprehensible and quite simply mind-boggling! Yet our God has done just that! Sadly many give credit for such a miraculous process to the randomness of nature. Some, recognising the wonder of nature, foolishly elevate the works of nature to a position reserved for the Creator alone.

Diana was a goddess worshipped, both by Greeks (who called her Artemis) and Romans, as a mother and foster-mother. She was seen as a fertility goddess and was honoured by many groups of people in the ancient world including the Ephesians. The Apostle Paul encountered their absolute devotion to this false god in Acts chapter 19. It is sad to think that even in the Christian faith, some, professing the Christian faith, have gone overboard in their acknowledgement of Mary as Jesus’ mother. Marian veneration teaches that Mary is the Mother of God and also the Mother of the Church. This belief elevates Mary to a position of authority and honour in the church that goes beyond the teaching of Scripture. 

Motherhood is an amazing blessing and it is obvious that humanity recognises the wonder of the biological process of motherhood. However it is also obvious that our appreciation of motherhood can become twisted, and as Romans 1:25 says, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever blessed.”

I’m thankful for Mothers’ Day and I’m thankful for my mother, an ordinary person, who became a vessel to incubate and give birth to another human being. Thank God for mothers and motherhood - what a truly amazing thing being a mother is! I am also in awe of God who is the Master Designer - no wonder King David, when he reflected upon these things was filled with awe at God and wrote: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.” Psalm 139:14-16a

Praise God for our mothers!

This Sunday is Anzac Day, an important day of remembrance for Australians and New Zealanders. The Anzac soldiers distinguished themselves by being totally committed to the cause of delivering their countries from the tyranny of terror. When evil forces threatened to take our countries captive, brave men rose up and said we will stand for the defence and freedom of our country. What an example and legacy they left as many followed through on their commitment to their cause, to the point of death.

The example of the Anzacs makes me wonder if men and women of grit, courage and determination still reside in this great nation. Are there people who will stand up for freedom, justice and righteousness? It’s a searching question and my response is; I believe there are people of this calibre and they call themselves Christian! They are the men and women who believe in the principle of right and wrong; who are offended by injustice; who seek after righteousness; who will speak out when women and children are oppressed; and who will act to defend the defenceless.

Churches around this nation are involved in all kinds of good works that seek to do exactly this as Christians, people that serve in and support ministries within Australia and overseas. These Christian ministries seek after righteousness, serve the poor, deliver the oppressed, and seek to honour the freedom of all mankind. We don’t hear much about Christian work of this kind in the media, only the shame and embarrassment of Christian failure makes the headlines. The work of God in churches throughout this country however, brings great honour to God - as mission and ministry is undertaken on a daily basis.

Thankfully here at EBC we too are directly involved in ministries that serve the oppressed - ministries that minister to the hurting, and bind up the broken-hearted. Where there is injustice, abuse and unrighteousness, we are reaching out to help, often in the face of significant opposition and with sacrificial dedication toward others. I wonder, have you seen these kinds of ministries at work, are you a part of the ‘miraculous’ deliverance and healing that God is doing in peoples lives?

There is still a war on, but its not for land or country - it’s a war for the souls of precious men and women whose lives have been destroyed by the treachery and deception of Satan and sin. We battle daily to see people delivered from spiritual bondage, and brought into the freedom and light of the gospel.

Look around, scratch beneath the surface and you’ll begin to realise that the war is all around you and there is an enemy who is doing all he can to dissuade and discourage the commitment and sacrificial dedication of brave men and women who seek after justice, mercy and righteousness.

Remembering the soldiers,