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Saturday 31 January 2015

Who is Jesus? - 2



After Jesus had asked his disciples “Who do the people say that the Son of man is?” (Matthew’s gospel chapter 16: verse 13) and they had responded, He then asked them “But who do [yourselves]you say that I am?” (v.15). Peter replies in verse 16 “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus responds “Blessed –happy, fortunate and to be envied- are you, Simon Bar-Jonah. For flesh and blood [men] have not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter [Petros, masculine, a large piece of rock], and on this rock [petra, feminine, a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build my church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it – or be strong to its detriment, or hold out against it.” (Matt 16: 17,18 The Amplified Bible.”

Only Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that God, together with Jesus and the Holy Spirit comprise the trinity – God in three forms in complete, distinct and mysterious unity.
We read in the gospels that “God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only-begotten (unique) Son, sot that whoever believes in (trusts, clings to, relies on) Him- may not perish, but have eternal life and [actually] live forever! (John 3:16 Amplified Bible)
and “ Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) me.” (John 14:6).
This is the gospel message – that God sent Jesus into this world to honour His heavenly Father and teach us His ways, and to make a way for fallen humanity to be reconciled from our sinful state back into relationship with our Father. Following His death and resurrection and ascension into heaven, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be with us in this world, to indwell the lives of Christians. There is so much work done by the Holy Spirit, from drawing us to faith in Christ, to revealing scripture which might otherwise be just another book to peruse, to guiding us with wisdom.
As we see in the verses of Matthew 16, it is a great blessing to believe in Jesus Christ. His message is one of love, peace and joy. Belonging to Christ is to know His empowering and strength in daily life and the surety of life with Him eternally. How unimaginably beautiful that will be! It is not just to have seen a photograph of someone, or to know of that person. It’s not just to know that person. More than that, it’s to become adopted into His family- to know a relationship with Him that surpasses even the best of earthly ones. It’s this personal, intimate relationship with our loving Father through the atonement for our sins of His Son which makes Christianity unique among religions.
I say with Peter that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Who is Jesus?



Who is Jesus?

“Who do the people say that the Son of man is?”
“Who do you say that I am?”

These two questions were recorded in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 16. Jesus is travelling with His disciples in the region of Caesarea Philippi, has been ministering to great crowds and performing many miracles of healing and deliverance. He is gaining a popular following and has been attracting the attention of the leaders of the Jewish religious sects of that time, the Pharisees and Sadducees. People are starting to wonder who this person really is.

In response to Jesus’ first question “Who do the people say that the Son of man is?” the disciples respond – “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” (Mt 16:14). The people recognised that Jesus was a person of great importance, but looked back to personages that they knew either from the recent past, or from scriptural references.

It is widely accepted by Christians and non-Christians alike that Jesus was a real, historical personage, not a fictional character. His baptism by John the Baptist and His crucifixion are documented in accounts by noted historians of the time including Josephus and Tacitus.

Then, as now, the Jews were awaiting the return of Elijah, whose coming would herald the “Mashiach” or Messiah – not the Messiah as we think of in Christian terms, but an outstanding human who would lead Israel into a nation of unity and the world as a whole into a time of unprecedented peace. In Judaism there is only one God, not the triune God of Christianity.

In Islam, Jesus is regarded as a prophet of Allah. He is deemed to be human, not the Son of God. According to Islamic teaching the crucifixion of Jesus did not actually take place, hence there was no resurrection, although they deem that those who witnessed the crucifixion may have been deceived into thinking it had occurred. Muslims are awaiting the coming of the Mahdi, who will redeem the world and usher in a period of peace. They believe that Jesus Christ will return and assist the Mahdi to establish righteousness before returning to God with the faithful. (Note that there is variation in specific doctrines between Islamic sects – these details are given as an overview only.)

Hindus may acknowledge that Jesus existed, and to some He may be a God amongst other gods, as Hindus believe in a multiplicity of incarnations of the one god.

Buddhists believe that Jesus was fully human but have been known to acknowledge Him as a great philosophical teacher.

Those of the Baha’i faith acknowledge the existence, crucifixion and resurrection (in spiritual terms) of Jesus, but view His incarnation as one of a number of progressively enlightening incarnations of the one god, which also include Budda, Abraham, Zoroaster and Krishna.

This is the briefest of overviews of the way that some of the world’s religions view Jesus, and if interested, the reader is invited to delve more deeply into the great quantity of source material available online for a more detailed study, as there are many variations of these views within religions.

Nowadays, if you walked along the street and asked a sample of people “Who is Jesus?” you would no doubt receive a myriad of replies. In some countries you might be taking your life or liberty in your hands to do so. Some people would tell you there is no god. Some would describe Jesus in the derogatory term of “an imaginary friend in the sky”. Some use His name as a curse word. Some do not see Jesus as a way to God, preferring to seek spiritual meaning in angels, crystals, folklore or a range of new age practices which often blend elements of different religions, witchcraft and religious mysticism.

Was Jesus a deluded man? Was He a prophet? Was He the Son of God?

Who is Jesus? What do you say?

(to be continued).

Friday 23 January 2015

A Free Gift



Walk through any local supermarket or shopping centre and you don’t have to travel too far before encountering the word “free” – “buy one, get one free!” “free offer” etc. etc. Most of the time, these “free” things are only free if you buy something else.

In the Biblical book of James, the author offers us a truly free, valuable gift: one that is powerful and life-changing. Best of all, it comes with no pre-requisites, or strings attached. James tell us:

“If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God, who gives to every one liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.” James 1:5

Wisdom, as defined by the Oxford English dictionary, is the ability to combine knowledge and experience and put them to good use and practice. It’s wisdom which enables us to not only learn, but to use our learning in ways which will benefit others as well as ourselves, and edify our Creator.

At the beginning of Solomon’s reign as King, God appeared to him in a dream. God offered to give him anything he desired. Solomon replied
“Give me an understanding mind and a hearing heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and bad; for who is able to judge and rule this Your great people?” ( 1 Kings 3:9)
God was pleased that Solomon had asked for this, and declared:
“Behold, I have done as you asked, I have given you a wise, discerning mind so that no one before you was your equal, nor shall any arise after you equal to you.
I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honour; so that there shall not be any among the kings equal to you all your days.” (1 Kings 3:12.13).
Imagine getting a free offer and then lots of other things as well!

There was, however, a sad finale to Solomon’s walk with God. Towards the end of his life, he allowed himself to be led astray to worship other gods. Despite all the blessings that God had showered upon him, Solomon neglected to give God the honour and privileged place that was God’s alone.

So it is with each of us. God showers upon us wisdom, if we ask it of Him. There are so many other gifts He longs to give each person – salvation, relationship, the outpouring of His Holy Spirit upon us, hope, peace in the midst of all circumstances, the power to minister to others for His sake, an everlasting life with Him. The list is enormous, and amazing and better than any buy one, get one free offer!

Yet there is caution in the example of Solomon. Don’t become complacent with what God has given. Satan is ever waiting, thief that he is, to snatch away our greatest treasures. We need to be thankful for all that God has blessed us with, and obedient to His will for all that He has entrusted us to do.

I’m no longer a baby Christian. I want to walk the paths that my Lord has placed before me, and finish well.   



Wednesday 14 January 2015

The pen will shout, never silenced.



“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”

Words are powerful things. We think in words. We speak words. We write them.  They express who we are – our innermost thoughts, ideas and opinions. They can change lives. They can heal or can wound terribly.  The words above, which begin the gospel of the apostle John, describe Jesus: and how significant that He is described as “the Word.” Jesus is the One who spoke to us of our Heavenly Father and how we can be reconciled to Him; and who imparted (together with the other two members of the Trinity – our Father God and the Holy Spirit) His divine inspiration to the writers of the Bible.
As a Christian writer, I seek to glorify God and promote the gospel of Jesus Christ in various ways in the different spheres in which I write, including this blog. Sometimes more than others, I feel a prompting of the Holy Spirit to express my views on a particular subject or to provide insights and information that I’ve learned through personal or small group study, from sermons or a variety of other situations.
Over the past week I’ve thought a lot about the power of the pen. Like many others, I was horrified by this week’s events in Paris. My deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of those killed and the people of France who have been traumatised by these events. In a similar way only a few weeks ago, all Australia was deeply shocked and dismayed by the killing of innocent people in the Lindt cafe siege in Sydney’s Martin Place.
As a Christian, I am aware of the blessing of living in a country which allows freedom of religion. I am free to worship in a church or mosque or synagogue. I am well aware of what a privilege this is, in comparison to many countries in this world where Christians are persecuted, alienated, discriminated against or killed for preaching the good news of Jesus. Others practice Christianity in secret. Yet such is the reality and power of the gospel that throughout the world, people are coming to faith in Jesus Christ. My church congregation recently heard the testimony of a man who had come to faith in Jesus simply by reading Jesus’ name – he decided to find out for himself who this person with the compelling name was, and became a Christian.
The Christian message is one of hope, love and forgiveness. It is the only hope in a world of increasing fear and darkness.

Saturday 3 January 2015

Wrestled with forgiveness until it won.



Wrestled with forgiveness until it won.

Carrying nothing but love into twenty-fifteen.

These are two of my recent six word memoirs, published on Smith magazine’s website. I’ve been part of the six word community for about four years now, under my moniker of Kharis. It’s an interesting mix of writing talents and provides a constant source of fun, reflections and topical points of view.

These two sixes highlight some of the struggles I’ve had in my life in relation to forgiveness. Some painful experiences have taken me many years to come to terms with, to the point of being able to put them firmly where they belong, in the past. Injustice and abuse do not usually exist in isolation – often they are supported by a culture of silence and denial, and as such forgiveness may need to be extended to more than one person or to a group or community.

There are lots of well known quotes about forgiveness but it is pointless to talk about wishing your enemy dead and drinking the poison yourself, etc. etc. until you have come to the place in your own walk with God that you can understand the effect that grace has – God’s grace to you, and the effect of grace that you extend to others.

The story of Jacob wrestling with God (Genesis 32:24) is one that has always struck a chord with me. It’s a peculiar story in many ways: Jacob wrestling with an unknown assailant all night long and demanding a blessing from him, while the man dislocates Jacob’s hip and changes his name to Israel (meaning “he struggles with God”). To me it’s a powerful reminder that we can sometimes rail against what we know to be right and what God wants, but ultimately we realise that what He wants is what’s best for us. Even the things that hurt us can ultimately draw us deeper and closer to God.

Over the Christmas holidays I’ve been watching the first two parts of The Hobbit movie trilogy. In the second movie Gandalf remarks to Bilbo that he (Bilbo) has changed. Indeed, Bilbo has changed – his possession of the magic golden ring has seen him subtly beginning to lose his innocence and evade questions, kill to protect his possession and begin to idolise the power of what he has. He is losing control and the ring is controlling him. So it is with a hurt or grudge or injustice that we cannot let go of.

On the other side of forgiveness, when I can genuinely pray for God’s revelation of Himself and blessing upon others, I can see that I have regained a soft heart, a heart that loves and cares, that wants to believe in the goodness of God and his ability to change lives for the better, to hope for the best in others, even within a fallen world in which none of us are perfect and all of us are hurtful. The alternative is to subtly allow bitterness and cynicism to creep into my life and change me, to steal away the best that God has placed there.


Thomas More wrote in his prayer, “A Godly Meditation”

Give me the grace, good Lord,
To set the world at nought,
To set my mind fast upon thee.
......
To think my most enemies my best friends,
For the brethren of Joseph could never have done him so much good with their
love and favour as they did him with their malice and hatred.
.......

This is the kind of forgiveness that Jesus epitomized on the cross, extended to each of us, and subsequently demonstrated by Stephen, Paul, most of the apostles and many Christian martyrs over the centuries since. Amazing love, and humbling to those of us who have thankfully never needed to extend such grace.

A watercourse is sometimes dammed up, perhaps by man, or by natural courses such as a landslide or debris blocking its way. It may pool for a while, but such is the nature of water that it usually changes course and finds another path. So it is with lives that are changed. The acts of others can set us on a different path, but one which, if we are open to God’s leading and guidance, will be used by Him for His glory and in ways which will deepen our walk with Him and knowledge of His love and blessing in our lives.


Wivenhoe Dam overflow after floodgates were opened in 2010.  

Happy New Year 2015




You are now entering your mission field.

These were the words which were written on the back wall of the church where I committed my life to God thirty-three years ago – Glad Tidings Tabernacle in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. Pastor Lloyd Averill was the senior pastor there at that time. The words were there to be read as you left the building and were a reminder that we were to carry God away into every aspect of our lives – into our workplaces and families, in our neighbourhoods, and in some cases, to the ends of the earth.

God is still at work wherever we are, not just in church on Sunday. We are part of the family of God throughout the earth – whether it be through prayer for the persecuted brothers and sisters of our faith, or ministry through our local church, or conversations with unsaved family or workmates, or acts of kindness through which we can demonstrate in a practical way God’s love for all of us.

We live in a world which has tried alternative philosophies and found them hollow and wanting. In some cases we live in a world of abundance which has failed to bring fulfilment. Often we live in a world of uncertainty and anxiety about the future. We live in societies aware of a pervasive darkness of violence and danger.

Against this backdrop the Christian message is one (the only one) of genuine hope. We trust our lives to God, who unlike the gods of any other religion, does not require us to attain some standard of perfection to become worthy of Him, but who took pity on us in our human frailty and became a man, so that through belief in Jesus we could accept eternal life. Christianity is the only religion based upon a personal relationship with God – a loving heavenly Father who extends to us His love, forgiveness, grace and peace.

I pray that throughout 2015, the Christian church will be salt and light in this world, that God will build His church, bringing many lost souls into His kingdom and that I personally, through whatever sphere I am operating in, will be a witness to His loving care in my life.