Taslan

Posted on 17/12/2017 | 1 comment

By Disciple — see http://www.nobrokenreed.org/taslan/

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared – 1 Tim 4

In CS Lewis’ book, The Last Battle, a rather shrewd ape (called Shift) sews a lion skin around a rather dumb donkey (Puzzle) and uses him to control Narnia. Shift the ape, parades the look-alike lion before the Narnians only during twilight, and the innocent Narnians are left speechless at what they perceive the remarkable and legendary Aslan has become. How could one so majestic and powerful, have become so revolting and pernicious.

The ape then joins forces with the arch enemy of Narnia, the Calormenes, who have a god called Tash. Tash is an evil spirit, a vulture with 2 feet and 4 arms, and eats children who are given to him in child sacrifice. In a masterstroke of brilliance, the ape and Calormenes declare that Tash and Aslan are one and the same, and Aslan becomes Taslan. Everyone is utterly confused.

In the saddest twist that eventually destroys Narnia forever, even when the truth is finally revealed, when Tash is banished and the donkey exposed, Narnians are too dismayed to put their faith in anything other than themselves. A once beautiful country has now become worthless and fit only for destruction.

The Last Battle mirrors our own society so closely, that it would seem Lewis was writing while reading today’s news. Our society is so confused about the truth and who is really in charge, that the only person they feel safe putting their faith in, is themselves. The West it seems, has finally caught up with the world inhabited by Paul.

Paul’s final letters are replete with warnings on false teachings, spirits and deception within the fledgling church. While he specifically addresses what was happening in the church, it seems that if his society was anything like ours, that confusion was just absorbed from the world. Both the world and the church appear very mystified about Jesus Christ.

I met with a disciple maker this week, and we had a wonderful time sharing times of prayer, elation and trials. Our conclusions were remarkably similar, and that is, it is extremely difficult to engage Western culture in anything that resembles the demands of Jesus Christ. Jesus, Mohammed or even faith in yourself, is it really such a big deal? Sometimes sadly, the church appears just as jumbled.

Those with eyes to see will see this though – this is only the beginning, soon it is going to get much worse.

A happy Christmas message you might ask?

Well, I think so. To me and those who are committed to growing in Jesus Christ, this time reminds us of the sheer extraordinariness of God. We have a lofty, majestic King, God’s own Son, who is far above all else, and yet, and yet, this Christ still will condescend himself to accept us, heal us, forgive us, grant us total amnesty if only we would accept him. His lightness is more brilliant than the darkest of our dark, and he alone has the power to rescue humanity. He works in the lives of individuals dealing with each of us so perfectly and exactly where we are. Above all though, my Jesus is alive. Two thousand years after we nailed him to a cross, he continues to reign in heaven.

The world and the church will continue to grow cold in their devotion to Jesus Christ, and one day in this country we will be forbidden from celebrating him publicly. I am certain that will be the case. But it is worth reminding ourselves at this time of year, that such a fact does not alter one iota who the person of Jesus Christ is. World systems, politicians and those who are so full of hatred towards him, can no more make him go away than they can blot out the sun.

In The Last Battle, Aslan comes back when he is least expected. When all have dismissed his presence as no more than a mythical legend, Aslan returns. But by then it is all too late, for he has come for but one purpose, to wind Narnia up and only those who have remained faithful will be saved. So it is with our King, this Jesus that the world has largely dismissed. He is coming back.

My question to you, as it has been to those who I have met out on the streets all year is this though, why would you not embrace him with everything you have? A God who by rights should be at war with us, instead offers himself so willingly, so humbly, to each of us through his Son. Come to me he says, all who are weary and I will give you rest, freedom and life, both here and ever after.

Embrace it, embrace him with your all. He will never disappoint.

Merry Christmas, thanks for reading. May he be your rest and your peace this season.

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Posted in Bible Study, Discipleship, Kingdom of God, Make disciples

CONTRARY WINDS ARE BLOWING

Posted on 14/12/2017 | Leave a comment

REVELATION AND RESPONSE TO THE CONTRARY WINDS BLOWING
By Christine RichardsChris Richards image Daniel

Chris is a dear friend of ours. This is both significant and encouraging—Ian

Many years ago God gave me a prophetic word which He brought to the surface again yesterday revealing that it was a “now” word for His beloved sons and daughters as they try to make sense of these strange and unsettling times when contrary winds are blowing especially in light of laws just passed.

DREAM OF CAPTIVITY
It began with a dream where I was in a land where I was taken captive and surrounded by many who worshipped false gods. At first I kicked and bucked and yelled “I’m a Christian and I don’t believe as you do,” but I was so outnumbered I knew these tactics were useless. My cries were falling on deaf ears. As the dream progressed I began to settle down and make the most of the situation because there was no way of escape.
But I knew in my heart that I would never worship their gods or accept their way of life and so I began serving these people while still remaining true to the Lord. Somehow I knew this was how it had to be.

DANIEL AND HIS FRIENDS IN BABYLON
Then when I woke up God led me to look into the life of the prophet Daniel and I was struck by the remarkable similarities to my dream.
Daniel had been taken captive in Babylon but had learned to live for God amongst a people who were hostile to the ways of God and how this was all part of God’s plan and purpose. In spite of the suffering and persecution, Daniel and his friends held fast to their faith and remained true to their convictions, refusing to give into the pressures of an ungodly society and were all in the end elevated to powerful positions.

After being given this revelation the Lord then spoke these words to me,
“My precious one, you find yourself often alone living amongst those who worship false gods. Do not think this is an accident for it is part of my divine purpose and plan. It is not the time for murmuring and complaining and insisting upon your own rights as a child of God. See it as a school of preparation. Walk humbly and meekly in this time and at the end of this preparation you will be my minister. You will be promoted to minister before me with great power and authority.”

Now today I feel God is saying that there are many that feel this way. They feel that they have been like a voice crying in the wilderness in these troubling times and no one cares and no one responds.
God knows. God sees the stand you have taken over many years and says, your time of promotion is fast approaching!
Many will be raised up quickly and given new platforms of influence to be a voice of truth and authority.

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What is Jesus’ real name?

Posted on 20/11/2017 | 2 comments

November 16 at 7:40pm ·by my friend, Carl Musch on Facebook

Food for thought. (Not criticism or argument): Did you know that Jesus own mother probably didn’t call Him “Yeshua”.

That is His name in Hebrew but the only characters in the Bible who might have used that name to refer to Him would have been the Pharisees.

The NT was recorded in Greek…closest rendered in English is Jesus. Sickness and Demons seem to recognise the name of Jesus OK when I and thousands of others use it’s authority to bring deliverance. Of course they will respond to the names Yeshua or Isho or Yesu or Esu and others too because they are responding to your relationship to Him…The Father through The Son..”In His name” refers to a relationship not to a magic word ( not like “abara kadabera” or “open says-a-me”) Sickness and demons leave because you represent Him as an ambassador, as His son speaking His Word led by His Spirit according to and submitted to His will.

Jesus human parents were Galileans and they probably called him Isho ( this is where the Greeks got the name Jesus from. They added consonants to the front and back to make it easier to say for them like a Noonga might say “blekfella” because it is easier to say and not as weird as saying “black fellow”).

Mary and Joseph and his family are likely to have spoken Aramaic that says “Yeshua” as Isho or “Aeshoa”. As God speaks to us in our heart language usually it seems likely the Angel Gabriel used the Aramaic to speak to Mary. Jesus cried out in Aramaic to His Father on the cross in Aramaic (His heart language) As it says in Rev 5:9 every tongue will be before the throne and The Lord knows and receives them all equally. The Biblical significance of a name was not in it’s sound/pronunciation in a particular language but in the identity and character and nature and authority that the name communicated. Jesus himself sometimes seemed to read from and quoted from the Septuagint which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament. So it would seem Jesus was OK with translations of names because He read them as they were written not back translating them into Hebrew.

No matter how we say His name in the world as long as we know Him personally as Lord He will be our salvation…for that is what Yeshua means…The Lord is our Salvation.

My concern is that we can get caught up in “not really Biblical” “winds of doctrine ” that create divisions and pointless arguments in the Body of Christ and subtle elitism (meaning “holier than thou” huddles)

So let’s get focused on knowing Him and making Him known (John 17:3) rather than on what language we use except that we want people to understand what we are saying (1Cor 14:19)

If we are ministering in Israel or to Jews though of course “Yeshua” is the go.

Please forgive me if I have offended anyone. Unity is my hearts desire not more offenses.

 

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Posted in Bible Study, Discipleship

GATHER, LISTEN TO HIM

Posted on 06/11/2017 | Leave a comment

We were reading together recently Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians discovering some wonderful truths—eavesdropping on the reading to those saints meeting in Thessalonica.

We noticed how the authors, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy wrote to encourage their hearers as they sat and listened to the letter being read to them.

They were listening to the words of Paul who was a witness to the risen Christ! Clearly his testimony was critical to their life in the Spirit.

That’s how all of the letters to these young assemblies were received in the New Testament start. They listened together rather than read. The letters were composed to be read out loud to a meeting of believers. Never in their wildest dreams did the authors expect you and I could read this correspondence and gain so much insight into how they saw the application of the gospel.

To receive the word of God we have to hear the word of God rather than just read it. “My sheep hear my voice” said Jesus.

“Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts!”

Literally listening! Not just reading the print on the pages!

You have to be there. To be present.

Ekklesia (badly translated as ‘church’) means gathering or assembly. You cannot have a New Testament gathering unless actually gathered together. They came together and when they went back home they were no longer an assembly. They would eagerly look forward to the next time together, when they would assemble—to hear.

In the hearts of the authors, they saw in the Spirit the people to whom they were addressing when it would be read to them.

There is no way these believers could receive the word of God except they assembled. Right?

Each time together was unique.

No two meetings were exactly the time. Spontaneity. And as the Holy Spirit distributed his manifestations among them.

What is your gathering like? Is it a place where you HEAR His voice?

When we gather today, the living Jesus is with us to speak. But is He welcome? Does he have a voice in your meetings? Is He allowed to be Lord? Do we take seriously these living words?

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Posted in Assembling, church, Bible Study, Discipleship

DO You FEEL LIKE GIVING UP?

Posted on 16/10/2017 | Leave a comment

 

A classic word from David Wilkerson

A growing number of ministers have been writing to me in recent months, telling of their concern for those in their flock who are simply giving up. Today, more and more Christians are at the breaking point. None of the talk about giving up has to do with the Lord. Few Christians would even dare entertain thoughts of quitting on their love for Jesus. Most despairing Christians think only of giving up on themselves. You hear it so often now, “I can’t go on anymore. I just can’t make it. It’s totally hopeless! Why try?”

I hear some ministers today who continually preach only a positive message. To hear them tell it, every Christian is receiving miracles- everybody is getting instant answers to prayer-everybody’s feeling good, living good, and the whole world is bright and rosy. I really wish all those good and healthy things for God’s people, but that’s not the way things are for a great number of very honest and sincere Christians. How sad to hear such shallow theology being pushed from pulpits today. It’s an insult to a lowly Jesus who became poor, who died a failure in the eyes of the world. It is this kind of materialistic preaching that has so ill-prepared an entire generation of Christians to endure any kind of pain. They have not learned to be content with such things as they have-to be abased and not always abounding. Serving God becomes a kind of Olympic race in which everyone must strive for gold medals.

No wonder our young people give up in defeat. They can’t live up to the image created by the religion of a happy-go-lucky, rich, successful, always positive-thinking Christian. Their world is not that idealistic. They look in a mirror reflecting a face covered with ugly pimples. They live with heartbreaks, hour-by-hour crises, and horrible family problems. They look into the uncertain future, frightened and worried.

Positive thinking won’t make their problems go away. Confessing that these problems don’t really exist doesn’t change a thing.

These “apostles of the positive” should not exclude the Gethsemane experiences of life. The cup of pain, the hour of isolation, and the night of confusion were all part of the Master’s lifestyle. Our great achievements, our successes, ought to take place at Gethsemane, not Fort Knox!…

~Source-

http://www.lastdaysministries.org

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Posted in Discipleship, Famous persons

Where Shall We Go?

Posted on 14/10/2017 | Leave a comment

by fellow blogger       Leave a Comment

 

When’s the world’s blocked away, And if you’re looking for a rainy day, friend, Well, grab a rope, pull me in; lean on me

Grab a rope and pull me in, But lean on me, Everyday, you’ll have a friend, But lean on me  – Housemartins, 1986

Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. – Mark 10

Paul Heaton wrote a beautiful song I grew up with called Lean on Me; he was the frontman for the Housemartins in the 1980’s. In fact, he wrote many beautiful songs, and as well as being outspokenly political, he was also a Christian. I heard the song the other day, so I thought I’d look him up and see what he was doing these days. To my not so utter surprise, his politics had superseded his Jesus in importance. It made me ask, why do people who know Jesus, leave him for something or someone else? What could possibly be more important?

It’s a question I’ve grown up with in a Christian family; back in the day, we excused it away by saying, ‘oh they never really had a relationship with Jesus in the first place’ but that is simply not right. Others contend, ‘they never really experienced Jesus’ but that too can’t be right. The rich young ruler and many others in Scripture experienced the Son of God first hand, and still rejected him. Judas walked with Jesus for 3 years, saw everything and yet still walked away, in fact it is possibly the great tragedy of all humanity. Unimaginable.

Out on the streets, we come across a surprising number who are in the same boat. We knew Jesus once, but now, well, other things have simply taken over. Why is it that many walk away, and more importantly as a Disciple Maker, what can you do to prevent that happening?

Firstly, I walked away from God in my early teens. Baptised and committed, for some reason God and I parted company for many years. Those around me must have wondered if I would ever come back, but whoever was praying for me, I’m overjoyed I did. I am deeply saddened by those I know who are distant from God, when they were once close, even fervent. What happened?

A close look at the lives of those around Christ who believed, and then walked away reveals one important trait it seems. It is this, we come to God looking for what we can get out of him. The rich young ruler in the story above, Judas, those throughout the New Testament as well as those around us today all seem to want to know what God is going to give them. If we’ve had a normal conversion, then perhaps that is natural – we arrive at God’s feet in a state of disarray, often desperate for him to fix us up, which he usually obliges us with. Then, like the 9 lepers, we go merrily on our way ‘fixed’ and think no more of him.

But, somewhere along the process there must be a transition in our hearts that gratefully extends upwards. Our attitude changes to that of, ‘what he has done to me means my desire is so great, I ask now what can I do for him.’ No longer is it about what I can get from God, he has already given me everything he had to give in Christ, but a recognition through the Holy Spirit that he wants us to love him for who he is. Now we come to him with our heads bowed and offer ourselves as a ‘living sacrifice’ willingly laying down our lives.

For those who seek only to serve God, who have reached that point in their faith where they are so overwhelmed by what he has done for us, it seems our relationship changes. Somehow, if I can be a little irreverent, we become soul mates, inseparable by anything in this world. For those who go through life continually on the look out for what God will do for them though, the relationship seems unsettled. It is the tune of most big church evangelists in our day, preaching the prosperity Gospel – look what God will do for you if you will only put your money in the slot. Not fully understanding what he has already done, we will tire quickly of a God who stops giving us what we want, just as Judas did.

It is why, when we preach on the streets we always try to include the full Gospel; let us understand truly what we have done and how he responded, before we decide to commit. Tozer said, “it is unlikely God can really bless a man until he has really hurt him deeply.”

Such an affront to our modern selfish thinking, yet surely an antidote to our shallow tendencies with an Almighty God. Meantime, let us keep praying for those we know who are still away from God.

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Posted in Discipleship, Make disciples

Image

Jesus is doing it still

Carl Musch is a friend of mine (connection through Oikos Australia) . He is working with indigenous people in the far North and he posted this wonderful picture and story on Facebook Sept 21 . . . . . .

Indigenous boy raised from death

This little boy was found dead at the bottom of a muddy waterhole in warm water when a bunch of children came down to swim. They dragged him out and took him to the clinic where the doctor tried to revive him but finally pronounced him dead. Then the children said “Can we pray for Jesus to heal him?”. They prayed and he coughed back to life with no effect from the ordeal except today a hunger to hear the Word of Jesus who brought him back to life…and who gives eternal life to all who call on His name.

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Posted on 27/09/2017 in Assembling, church, Discipleship, Health and Healing, miracles

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Choose : Love or Hostility?

Posted on 27/06/2017 | 2 comments

Aussie blogger Onesimus posted this yesterday and i commend this message to all

see https://onesimusfiles.wordpress.com/2017/06/26/the-choice-between-love-and-hostility/

Recently I’ve been posting a lot of material from and about people who recognise the need to share the gospel with those from a Muslim background, a sharing in both word and deed.

I’ve felt the need to give prominence to that ministry direction because I’ve become increasingly aware that the complete opposite is happening – that too many professing Christians are responding to Muslims with hostility and fear. And it’s happening at a time when opportunities to reach out to those from Muslim backgrounds are increasing, and are becoming more and more critical.

Many of those Muslim background people are in an extremely vulnerable position. Many have witnessed the worst of what’s being done in the name of Islam, have lost everything because of it and are in desperate need of help.

Consider what response they’ve been getting from those who are able to help.

I’ve seen far too much hostility directed against them, even by recognised Bible teachers. I’ve drawn attention to some of that in previous posts.*
While individually we may not be in a position to personally interact with a person of Muslim background, we can ALL do something about the toxic atmosphere that makes the ministry of others more difficult.

I feel that the professing Christians are at a critical point in history, when we will face the choice between obedience to Jesus and His gospel, and the security of our comfortable lifestyles. If we choose the latter we’re likely to see our fears realised and we’ll lose the security we idolised and tried so hard to protect.
And even worse than losing that revered security, those misplaced priorities potentially put our relationship with God at risk.

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Posted in Discipleship, Make disciples

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The Challenge of Islam

Posted on 13/06/2017 | Leave a comment

Published June 10, 2017 by “Disciple” — see this blog at http://www.nobrokenreed.org/the-challenge-of-islam/

In the late ‘90s, David Pawson recorded his mammoth project, “The Challenge of Islam to Christianity.” The series was based on a prophecy David received from the Lord, around the book of Habakkuk, a prophecy which he tested by going to denominational leaders across the country, asking them ‘is this from the Lord?’ Unanimously the verdict was ‘yes.’ It is the correct way to handle prophesy and as such, the prophecy deserves to be taken seriously. Perhaps it is also coming to fruition.

The prophecy Pawson received was that God was going to use Islam to purify his church, and it specifically related to Britain, and to some extent the West. I have thought a lot about that over the past week or so, but have never forgotten the content of that video series. I don’t want to appear insensitive at a time of absolute horror, but it is worth reading the book of Habakkuk to put this into context. An abridged version, is that the Lord tells the prophet Habakkuk that he is going to use the barbaric Babylonians to purify his chose people the Israelites, because of their idolatry and rampant injustice.

Coincidentally, I am reading some of the later letters in the New Testament (Peter, James etc) as well as having just finished a book called ‘From Small Beginnings’, about how various threads of people came together to form a close-knit, Biblical community in the US. Where does all this fit?

One of the major thrusts of the New Testament, is not grace, nor the love of God even, but the need for Holiness in our own lives. We are called to obedience. But crucially, all the references in the New Testament are to the church being called to Holiness, the church being purified. There is little or no mention of the world, perhaps because God expects nothing better from the world. From beginning to end, the NT calls for repentance and obedience within the church, the body of Christ.

For too long, too much sin has been allowed to flourish in ‘the church’ and go unchallenged and unnoticed. When we have substituted a personal, daily relationship with a living God into an attendance-based activity, sin was always going to gain the upper hand. When we dress up for our weekly attendance, yet continue on as though nothing has changed in the rest of our lives, we make a mockery of what Christ’s coming was all about.

The most powerful thing about the church in Acts, was the body of Christ, living a unified, Holy life in his daily presence. How I live on Tuesday, is no different to how I live on Sunday. In case we’re unsure of this, it is exactly how life will be like for eternity. The Kingdom of God is within you, means we need to start thinking about this now. God, at least, is deadly serious about how the church looks for the coming groom.

Of course, none of this will happen with the current church structure. Not ever. While Sunday is still the ‘holy day’ and the priesthood still lives out our daily Christian lives for us, and when we only ever gather together for an hour a week, our lives will be no different to those around us. Sorry to burst the bubble. Smaller gatherings, led by the Holy Spirit, meeting regularly – challenging each other how they live before a Holy God so that ‘a little leaven doesn’t unleaven the entire batch,’ and reaching out into their community with the joy of the Lord, is exactly what the Lord calls us to do and how we should be living. Outside of the West, I would challenge that is exactly how the church looks – and is flourishing as a result.

Reading ‘Small Beginnings’ recently, the true story of a community in the West, formed by believers who all moved into the same neighbourhood and lived church as they did in the book of Acts is a remarkable story. Our faith becomes so attractive to the outside world, as we love, serve, sacrifice and live Holy lives in a daily relationship with each other and before our Lord; again, it is exactly how we shall live before the Lord throughout eternity. Most importantly though, and this is vital, we cannot hide our sinfulness when we live daily in each other’s lives.

It is our refusal to live differently that makes it so difficult in our culture to make disciples. Last week our entire gathering was out on the streets (what a delight!) but we hear the same story – surely, I am good enough to stand before God? This comes, in my view, from a long held belief in Western civilisation that it is okay for someone to believe in God and continue living unchanged before him. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that though. But, the world buys into it. Hold on a moment…so does much of the church.

The last word Jesus says to his church is ‘Repent’ (in Revelation). Rethinking Pawson’s original prophecy, it would seem that God is not so much interested in punishing us as changing us. Like the nation of Israel, his intention for the church is to be a light in the world, to be so pure before the world that many in the world will choose to join it.

There is a great cost in this though, and that cost is our choice to live differently. Are you, am I prepared to pay that price for Him? The rewards are out of this world.

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Come, Let us die to self

Posted on 23/02/2017 | Leave a comment

This recent post by my friend ‘disciple’ says it so well

See his other provocative posts at http://www.nobrokenreed.org

 

“But why can’t I come now Lord?”  he asked. “I’m ready to die for you.”

“Die for me?” Jesus answered. I tell you the truth Peter – John 13:37-38

It’s a universal tale isn’t it, one that everyone knows how to finish. The cock crows, and Peter (and Jesus) suffers great anguish. As I read this time and again, it is Jesus’ reply that catches my attention. You can hear the tone through the scathing comeback – “Die for me?” Peter had no idea what was coming, and had no right to be so presumptuous.

But, because of Christ, the story doesn’t end there. In fact, Jesus’ other prophesy about Peter alsocame true. When filled with God’s Spirit, he went from a brazen, brash weakling, to a bold yet humble leader. In the end, by all accounts, Peter was also crucified, upside down as he considered himself unworthy to be hung the same way as his Lord.

I’ve been reading these past few months, and praying, and thinking about this word ‘die’. If I am not mistaken, our willingness today not to die to ourselves and take up our cross, is the very reason why we, modern Christendom, are as weak as we are. We simply don’t take Jesus seriously enough as he urges us to ‘take up our cross daily and deny ourselves – before following him’. In fact it is far worse than we can ever imagine.

Today, rather than simply taking up our cross and follow the Lord at undoubtedly great cost to ourselves, we have paid others to do that for us. Rather than smash the idols in our lives that Paul refers to in the very first chapter of Romans, we have assumed that we can live with them happily by our side.  If we can do the very minimum – attend a weekly service, listen to somebody else’s interpretation of Scripture (presumably because we don’t have time to read it and listen to the Holy Spirit ourselves) and sing some ‘worship’ songs, then we can get out and get on with our lives as normal people do.

We have been conned into thinking that this is enough to get us a ‘ticket to heaven’ which after all is simply brilliant, because it means we can have our cake and eat it too. We get the benefits of this life here, and eternity with Christ in the next. We will gladly sacrifice a small “fee” to enjoy these ‘out of this world’ benefits, and anyway the fee is Biblical and such a small price out of our standard of living, that we are glad to pay it so someone else can “do” our Christianity for us. We are in short, the most deluded group of people alive today.

There was a time in Peter’s life when he could say with absolute certainty, “Lord, I’m ready to die for you,” and be willing to follow through on it. But for you, or for me, is that the real truth? What remains in my life that I have not yet died to? Television, instead of prayer? Families, work, lifestyle, fear, pride, church, the list is endless. Do we understand what Jesus said though:

“If anyone comes to me, and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

Do you find that, like me, you read parts of what Jesus said and skip over it because it simply doesn’t make sense, or it’s too difficult? We have created a Jesus in our own image, but friends, this IS Jesus, and it is the only one we have. There is no other.

Jesus is telling us, as he always does, that he is anti anything and everything that would cause us not to obey him, because our heart strings, comforts, prejudices and pride are tied up in something other than him. He tells us that if we don’t leave our nets there and then and follow him completely, then eventually we will fall, we will fail as Peter did, and that we are deluding ourselves about the unseen world, a world which he knows and understands everything about.

We read Acts today, and create a ‘wax museum’ alternative, before proclaiming, this is how it was! But still, we don’t die to ourselves. The price of our delusion though, is astronomic.

This week, on the streets we spoke to more than a few young people, and asked them whether we could pray, or talk to them about Spiritual things, about Jesus. Everyone to a tee, declined, even if politely. We see them walking, living, talking and eating, and completely blinded to the God that created them. Yet here is the point of all of this, all of them, without exception, talk about a ‘church’ or religion to do with an older generation and they scoff. They know, they see this ‘wax work museum’ of the real thing that we have created, how ineffective and pallid it is, how those that have gone before them have simply gone through the motions, with no authenticity. They don’t want to know. They see a wax statue of Jesus, and never experience the real thing. Is it any wonder?

Friends, it must change and for that to happen, He must change us, and we must be prepared to give up everything. Only when Jesus has the community of believers that he wants, a community that is defined by a total dying to self, and sacrificially loving all others, will the world sit up and take notice, and respond to Him.

Believe me, this present generation is only interested in the Real Thing, they, like Him, will accept no substitutes. What about us? Lord, forgive us for this, surely the very worst we could do to you.

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Posted in Discipleship