Ian Thomson

Recently an email arrived from a person worried about a movie which he said portrayed Jesus in a blasphemous way and asking for prayer that the movie would be banned.

I could not bother God about this.

This reminded me of other numerous protests from concerned pew-sitters worried that our precious “Christianised Australia” is headed for Sodom and Gomorrah, and that faith and peoples’ religious comfort zone is under threat. But Australia is not a “Christian” country, never was and never will be. In Australia we have, and will continue to have, a clear separation between church and state.

Jesus in his flesh suffered abuse and the most extreme humiliation and calls us to bear the same when it comes. It’s time Christians all realised we do not live in a society where we can just expect everyone to fall into line with our preferences. We are in the minority. We live in a nation which has forgotten its substantial Judeo-Christian roots. We live in the midst of a pagan, fun-loving, don’t-tell-me-what-to-do society, a society which thinks in terms of ‘what is true for me’ and ‘what is true for you’—which is an illogical way to live, but it removes the pagan mind from God’s existence and from God  botherers like you and me.

We have to expect more and more of this sort of thing.

Our mighty sovereign LORD—the one who is actively present in our universe—is not threatened but He puts His people in the midst of an unbelieving world in order to bear witness to Him. He does not call us to settle down and be comfortable and have an easy lifestyle where there are no movies, books, news articles, TV shows, neighbours, journos, etc who are going to ignore us or upset us. We are called to take up the cross and follow him. And that can mean abuse, misinformation, isolation and rejection even by members of one’s own family, let alone the general pagan community.

When a movie like this is shown, let’s not squeal and winge about it, as so many did when Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ was screened here or more recently the Da Vinci Code book and movie. Rather, let’s see these things as opportunities to contest the counterfeit and present the real Jesus and his courageous apostles, as recorded in the historical gospel documents and letters. Or are we going to be like the Islamists who respond with anger and threats if their prophet is even criticised in the slightest way?  To do that, we would be admitting that our God needs some help, needs defending. Nah. Not a bit. Not our sovereign Lord.

Actually, what is happening is that our Enemy and followers are threatened, not us. If there are insults and blasphemies against Jesus, he must truly be someone truly significant. He is and always will be the target. And we will targets also.

Let’s get used to it.

Please dear fellow believer in God and his righteousness,

Watch this. Get the facts about the destruction of our good farmlands and the persecution of Aussie farmers by filthy rich mining corporations. Yes. Coal seam gas and open cut coal mining. This is dirty in more ways than one.

http://youtu.be/Yd1nOHvCS_Q

Hurry. There is plenty more evidence if you look for it.

You will not get the truth about this from our Queensland State Government or from their conservative opponent Campbell Newman. This is a web of deceit, money-grabbing, plundering, threatening our food supply—

–while hunger increases around the world.

–while Aust is the world’s largest coal exporter and our food growing is diminishing and we are importing more.

–while we Aussies are white-washing in our efforts in sustainability.

–while all this and more is negating the efforts of many people like us are making to practice sustainability. Would you like a list?

 –while and why I go to public meetings to show my support for farmers whose lives and livelihoods are being destroyed.

 –while and WHY I have every spare bit of ground where I live growing food and learning to grow and teach others.

–while my wife and I support the enterprise FoodConnect (see Foodconnect.com.au) by opening our garage weekly for 5 hrs so neighbours can come and pick up their pre-ordered box of fruit and veg and milk and sourdough bread and yoghurt and …. —people do this not only because of the excellent, wonderfully fresh, chemicals-free produce all grown within a few hrs of the city and arranged by a great and dedicated team of people who believe in doing the right thing … but because it is growing food sustainably and encouraging farmers to grow organically, preserving our soils and who are under real stress and are ripped off by the BIG 2 supermarkets (the world’s biggest duopoly at over 80% of retail) …. come on become a F/C subscriber!

 –while I take the time to send you this and voice my concerns.

 –while we foresee all of the little children about us who when grown will have to clean up all this mess we –our generation—have made, please do what you can. For example, our 11 grandchildren. Your children and grandchildren.

 [[Sometimes I feel it’s all too hard, too late. Dear friend do you think I should just give up? Let human stupidity and/or evil take its course? What will I say to my Judge?]]

Do you think you could join us in being serious about the threats to sustainability and good farmland being destroyed? And more?

Do we still believe that the Lord is sovereign? You bet we do. But we must demonstrate our beliefs by our lives. Otherwise our faith is unfaith.

Please help spread this short video EVERYWHERE, NOW especially now in the next few days.

http://youtu.be/Yd1nOHvCS_Q

Our only security is Yeshua, his anointed one. He is all about real salvation—from bondage, enslavement to the great dictator, the accuser. This is all way beyond ‘getting to heaven when you die’.

 God says : Abandon all empty religion, all religious games and charades. All false gods and securities will fail.

Don’t count on the high ones who dispense religion.

Continue in humble, unknown, unpublicised, unsung, non-marketed, tiny groups—we are heard on high. We are precious in his sight. we are known.

 We are his children.

 We are still the people of God, though we suffer abuse and discouragement and misunderstanding.

 Do not be fazed at the extent of the subversion of the truth by Christendom. With formality, legalism, coldness, smugness, arrogance, the lord-it-over-them leaders, Big Worship, the hoo-ha, the microphone and PA dependant minders, the masses flocking to be entertained while the world is dying .

We, the unheard of ones, can celebrate His ways— the LORD used ruthless Cyrus to further the salvation of his people Israel and their mission to a sea of lost humanity. Now he uses ‘unchurched’ people in their hundreds of thousands to show loving-kindness and concern and rescue from the humblest blokes who drove 200 klms to helped flooded people in Brisbane, and to a ‘unbelieving’ PM who wept openly. And in Victoria. And in Christchurch. Just watch as He moves people—his creation—everywhere, with compassion—people who march but not under the name of some churchy group.

People like 12 year old girl, ‘Ambi’ in Pakistan who was recently abducted from her family, raped repeatedly by her captors, forcibly wedded to one of them and held and horribly abused for months until she managed to escape and now she and family live with the constant threat of being found in a relocated place. But she is known by God and nothing would persuade her otherwise!

He will share his glory with no one. He alone is LORD. The only One worth our allegiance, our devotion, our trust.

“Our God reigns!”

Hello everyone. In fear and trembling I have begun a blog. so expect to hear from me in this way. So here’s a start … Joan and I just laughed and laughed at this video made by kids in Auckland. Have a look …..