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Wednesday 16 October 2013

Breath


When the only form
was potential,
when nothingness prevailed,
in love and creativity
God breathed.

When the dust-laden flesh
moulded from the earth
coursed with its first
life-affirming joy
he breathed.

And she held her lifeless, murdered son
breath forever gone.

On a star-filled, wondrous night
a world held its breath,
a baby cried,
shepherds rejoiced
and angels sang around them.

So He hung in shame and torment
bloodied and alone,
despised and rejected
breathing forgiveness and love
till it was finished.

And they buried their lifeless, murdered One,
breath gone.

In darkness and emptiness
He rises
He lives
He breathes
And heaven and earth praise Him.

Light of the world, risen Lord
Our breath of life.


copyright Jo Collett 2013

Tuesday 8 October 2013

promise of hope


He is there
before me
beside me
beyond my time
angels in the air
unknowingly protecting
the song of my heart cries
thank you, Lord
for every good
every blessed word
heartbeats saved
restless thoughts enslaved
and the leaf dried broken
crushed underfoot
now green, renewed
the promise of hope.





Monday 7 October 2013

Could Richard Dawkins become a Christian?

Could Richard Dawkins become a Christian? Absolutely.
Professor Richard Dawkins and other secular humanists make it their business to attack Christianity. One only has to look at a few Youtube clips to observe a very antagonistic attitude towards anyone with any faith, but primarily Christians.
Basically, Prof. Dawkins labels Bible-believing Christians as ignorant, and openly states that they should be mocked and scorned. In the same way some people used to mock and scorn and believe that people of a different coloured skin were of less intelligence; or some people used to believe that women were less intelligent than men.
Christians, of course, come in all shapes and sizes and levels of intelligence, from severely impaired to eminent academics. Christians are found throughout the world in all spheres of business and academia, medicine, cultural pursuits, sporting teams, government, charities and many other areas as well as in the world of church communities, missions and theological training.
There are many Christian scientists. I invite you to visit the webpage for  Creation Ministries International  (link on this page) for some interesting articles by bible-believing scientists.I would defy anyone to mock or call ignorant Sir Isaac Newton, James Joule, Carl Linnaeus or Louis Pasteur. These great scientists were Bible-believing Christians.
Ironically, the Christian church is growing exponentially in China, in a country where the Communist government attempted to eradicate all forms of religion in favour of secular humanism.
Richard Dawkins states that when he dies, if he meets God, he- Richard Dawkins, will ask God which one He is.
This puts me in mind of another account of someone who attacked Christians:

 Together with other Jews of the Sanhedrin, a man named Saul participated in the persecution of the early church. Saul's first appearence in the Bible is shortly after Jesus has ascended into heaven and has sent the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. The fledgling body of Christ , the church, is afire with the gospel and spreading rapidly, gaining converts. And they are being opposed by the Jewish rulers. Saul is first depicted holding the garments of those who stoned the apostle Stephen to death.
Breathing out murderous threats against Christians, Saul was on his way to the town of Damscus to round up Christians for imprisonment and perhaps worse. Suddenly he was surrounded by a brilliant supernatural light, and heard a voice saying "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
"Who are you Lord?" Saul asked. ( Like Richard Dawkins' proposed encounter with God, Saul wasn't quite sure who was challenging him, but was obviously so impressed that he used the term "Lord.")
"I am Jesus whom you are persecuting," He replied.

The rest of the story of Saul can be read in the book of Acts from chapter 9. Saul did not dismiss this encounter as a silly vision. It completely and radically changed his life and he became a believing Christian. Widely known by his alternate name, the apostle Paul was used mightily of God to spread the gospel throughout the Mediterranean region, establishing many churches. His prolific writings include many inspired letters to the early churches which are part of the New Testament books of the Bible.

What God did for one unbeliever two thousand years ago, He is still doing today. We encounter God - some people directly, others through faith and belief, the revelation of beauty and truth which is apparent all around us and within ourselves. We live with blessing and inspiration. We live with a moral code. We live with love, peace, joy and hope.

Richard Dawkins has spent a lot of time pondering the mysteries and facts of life. He is also probably one of the most prayed-for people on earth. So to Richard Dawkins and those others who do not yet know Christ, I say with the words of the apostle Paul:
"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people" Ephesians 1:18






Saturday 5 October 2013

Church Hurt


When Christians are attacked for their faith by non-believers, whilst it is not a pleasant experience, we are not surprised. The Bible tells us to expect this:

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

In varying degrees Christians can be mocked, scorned, discriminated against, alienated, hated, imprisoned and martyred for their faith in this world. One reason amongst many for belonging to a caring Christian community is that we can encourage one another and support one another when the attacks from the world come.

But what happens when the hurt comes from within the body of Christ?

I’m not talking about little annoyances or grievances here. Most mature adults can face up to the fact that they are wrong sometimes or, if they’re aware that they’ve upset someone, can apologise and move on. The hurt I refer to is far more insidious and long-ranging.

Hurt is not God inspired. It originates from Satan, whose purpose is to divide and destroy the body of Christ. The tools he uses within churches are those which begin to separate us from dependency on Christ and shift our attention to our own little gods – pride, prestige, power, infatuation and a focus of who we are in the church instead of who we are in Christ.

The results are a multitude of both ministers and laity who exit churches or move between churches. Then the same pattern repeats itself and sometimes escalates. People who have been hurt can be bound into a spirit of offence, expecting and experiencing hurts wherever they go, until they are unable to join a church community at all. Likewise those individuals who have successfully ejected a pastor or other church member who they disagreed with can similarly go from “strength to strength” in their power plays, bullying and other methods of abusive behaviour, all the time suffering an emptiness of the genuine joy in the Christian life that should be theirs.

What is the answer to hurt within church communities? Here are a few suggestions:

Firstly, we all need to be people of prayer. Prayer is our first resource. We commit all things to our Heavenly Father.

Secondly, we need to take a Biblical approach to hurts. In Matthew chapter 18, Jesus tells his disciples to sort out conflicts between the two people concerned privately. Should this fail, one was to take along a third party for mediation. Should this then fail, the church body should be consulted through discussions with the pastoral team and designated mediators or counsellors within the body. Never should disputes between individuals be publicised through idle chatter within the body of believers.

How often is this process taught, upheld and held sacred in churches? To what extent do we follow the world’s values in relishing conflict, gossiping and taking sides in churches? Christ praised the peacemakers. How many are committed to mediation and reconciliation within our Christian communities? How many turn a blind eye to those in their midst who repeatedly cause trouble without addressing their behaviour?


Thirdly, a few factors which may promote unity:

Prayer for the pastoral team. These are people who have heard God’s call on their lives, have studied hard and been appointed to a position. Let them do their jobs.

Limiting ministry leadership roles: I believe that all non-pastoral leadership appointments should have an exit date, even if this means that the same leaders take a break and then return to a position at a later time. This allows greater participation by many in a church, a turnover of methods and ideas and avoidance of the "my way or the highway" mentality. I would suggest that two years of leading a ministry or being on a church board is long enough for a layperson.

Refusal to gossip. This one cultural condition can change a whole church. Just as it only takes a very small percentage of individuals within a congregation to wreak havoc, so too can a few people who refuse to carry gossip and who actively speak well of others impact the church in a very positive manner.

High standards for our churches: We should expect our churches to be places where the broken, lost and sinful can come for restoration and healing. If the church practices the same snobbery, cliques, exclusions and discriminatory behaviours of the world, it is no more than a social club with a smattering of religion thrown in. I expect a Christian community to be inclusive, to be loving, to be kind and tolerant, indeed to have better behaviours than one would expect in a workplace or community group.Shame on us if we do keep the outside of the cup clean and refuse to look at the grubby residue inside.That process starts with ourselves, each of us.
 
Emphasis on Servanthood. Jesus referred to himself as the “Son of Man” who came “not to be served but to serve others” Matt 20:28.
The people who founded the church do not lead the church.
The people who give the most in tithes and offerings do not lead the church.
The people who are the most outspoken in church meetings do not lead the church.

We serve Christ. We serve one another.
And Christ has always, does, and will lead His Church.

Fourthly, the Bible tells us to “love your neighbour as yourself.” Matthew 22:39
We are to show forgiveness and compassion for those who hurt us. We are to turn the other cheek and bless and pray for those who cause hurt in our churches. Loving a person can also involve "tough love" where they are called to account for repeated patterns of abusive behaviour. It may also involve consequences for such behaviour.
We are also to love ourself, the second part of this verse. Loving ourselves includes expecting to be treated fairly and respectfully.

Finally, if we look again at the first part of the verse I quoted at the beginning of this devotion, John 16:33, Jesus states “"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." No church can be all things to all people. But Christ can. In Him we find our peace, our acceptance, our friend, our comfort, our wisdom, our strength, our encouragement.

Also, it's only in Christ that we can find the forgiveness and grace that enables us to be His people. It's important to pray that we as individuals don't ourselves cause hurt and offence to others, knowingly or unwittingly. We desire to be conduits of God's love, and mirrors reflecting His goodness. To Him be all the glory. 



Dear Heavenly Father God, I came to You in prayer, thanking You for Your ever-present love and grace. Thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who came to this world to die on the cross, honouring You and making a way for sinful people to be back in right relationship with You.
Father, I pray for anyone visiting here who has experienced deep hurt in a church. Thank You that You are the One who binds the brokenhearted and brings comfort and healing. I pray that each one will become part of a church community that will include and encourage them again.
And I pray too for those who are bound in a spiral of hurting and offending others within our church communities. I pray that You will bring mediators and counsellors that will lead them by Your Holy Spirit into a deeper awareness of Your ways that will change their hearts and lives.
Give wisdom to each of us in our church life and relationships I pray Father, that we would become the people You desire us to be.
Thank You Father that what we experience in this life can grow us and bring us ever closer to Your loving heart. I ask for Your blessing upon those visiting here in the precious name of Jesus Christ. Amen