Article - Getting Ready for Christmas

Getting Ready for Christmas

It’s almost December, which means many people will be starting to open little windows on their Advent Calendars to count down toward Christmas.  Two weekends ago we were at Whitford City shopping centre where thousands upon thousands of people were trying to get ready – buying presents, decorations and stocking up on food and drink before the last-minute rush.  Phone lines run hot as people arrange the schedule of who-visits-who and when it happens so as not to conflict with the in-laws and the work do’s etc.

The first Christmas was also during a busy time, and the arrival of the Saviour might have gone completely unnoticed had God not sent His angels to stir up some shepherds who sought Him out and then went to spread the word.  Some of us run sheep on our farms, but I wonder if we will be shepherds like these ones this Christmas?  Will we listen afresh to the good news and seek out Jesus during this busy season?  Will we make sure others hear that good news through us?

So don’t focus on getting ready for a busy – or a relaxed – Christmas.  Focus on celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and spreading the word!

Article - Doing the Devil's Work

Doing the Devil’s Work

I received an e-mail this week strongly criticising a major outreach that is happening across Australia at the moment – the “Jesus, All About Life” campaign run by the Bible Society. It saddened me to see once again (hopefully) sincere and well-meaning Christians who attack and frustrate the efforts of other Christians in the belief that they are defending the purity of the church and the gospel message.

You don’t have to look very hard to find many examples of Christians attacking other Christians over all sorts of issues. Yet we all serve the same Lord who prayed for us “…that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ^22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: ^23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. ^[1]

Our reactions to others usually say more about us than they do about them. The reaction against the J.A.A.L. campaign I believe showed a lack of awareness of the total scope of the campaign and the churches involved in it. It may also highlight a very rigid idea of how we should share the gospel as well as some other things – it’s not up to me to speculate! This is why we have the “log and speck” principle that I have talked about so often. We are meant to correct and rebuke each other in love, but it must always be preceded by self examination. Am I being judgemental? Am I holding on to a grudge? Am I being suspicious? Do I have enough information to make a good assessment? Am I being teachable? Am I demonstrating humility and love as well as concern for the truth?

When we act according to our natural impulses we do the Devil’s work for him. We hurt each other and we hold each other back from doing God’s work. When we examine our own hearts and pursue the glory of God through unity with other believers, we build ourselves and others up to make the Church even more effective. Whose work are you doing?

Article - Living By the Spirit pt 3

Living By the Spirit pt 3

A friend once told me that the secret to losing weight was to eat and drink more! The key is in eating the right foods and drinking lots of water. If we satisfy our appetites with good things we will not keep turning to bad things.

The Bible says something very similar when it comes to overcoming sin. If we focus just on not sinning, the temptation stays right there until it eventually grabs hold of us. If we resist temptation and then turn and pursue good things, that temptation stops being the focus of our thinking and loses its power over us. That’s why when Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Tim 2:22, he says “Flee the evil desires of youth…” Timothy was a youngish guy who would be tempted by the sorts of desires young guys usually struggle with. But Paul doesn’t leave it there, he goes on to say “… and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” Timothy had his own struggles and temptations, like we all do, but not only did he need to resist them, he needed to do what every other Christian needs to do and pursue godliness with pure motives.

I have a real weakness when it comes to resisting the temptation of the bikkie barrel. When I keep a water bottle handy and choose to eat a piece of fruit instead my body benefits! In the same way, “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7).

Don’t just try resist temptation – it will always get you in the end. Focus yourself on Jesus – communing with Him and following Him – and He will cause you to stand firm. Instead of the fruit of destruction you will produce life-giving fruit.

Article - Living By the Spirit pt 2

So how do we live by the Spirit? That’s the key question of the Christian life. We cannot do it on our own, we need God to work in us and through us.

In John 15 we find Jesus saying exactly this, and He uses the image of a vine and its branches. He says: “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

^5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5)^[1]

To live by the Spirit means to remain in a condition of connection with Jesus. The Spirit will continually point us to Christ if we let Him. He will help us to talk to Jesus, listen to Him, love Him, obey Him, follow Him etc.. The Spirit loves to point us to Jesus and help us to live as Jesus did during His time on Earth (1 John 2:6).

The critical discipline of the Christian life is to carry an awareness of God with you in every part of life. We are to remain in Him – this means literally to dwell (abide) in Him.

There’s a great theme of abiding that flows through the Bible, but even in the previous chapter we find that God the Father abides in the Son and the Son abides in the Father (Jn 14:10). Not only that, but while Jesus abided with His followers for a time (14:25) the Spirit abides in us (14:17). It is the Spirit who enables us to abide in Christ.

So living by the Spirit means to abide in Christ and allow Him to produce good fruit in our lives. It is to have our whole lives oriented around a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, not excluding Him from any part of who we are or what we do.

More next week!

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^[1]All Scriptures from The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Article - Living By the Spirit pt 1

Living By The Spirit pt 1

In our series “Strive for Perfection” we discovered that we don’t become perfect by our own efforts, but by allowing God to cleanse us and shape us. This is summed up in Galatians 5:16, which says: “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

That’s why confession is so important, it restores the relationship by which we are being saved.

But how do we live by the Spirit? Many Christians are hazy on what that’s all about. We so often see our Christian live as a set of behaviours instead of as a personal relationship with God. But being a Christian is not living by Christ’s rules, it’s following Christ Himself. We can’t do that ourselves, but God in His incredible grace has chosen to live inside each of His people in order to change us from the inside out. We can only understand the things of God because God helps us to. We can only do the things of God because He helps us to. We are nothing without Him. We are helpless and depraved.

That might sound like a bit of a guilt trip or an unnecessarily harsh view of human nature. I’m not forgetting the fact that we are also wonderfully made and every human being is of infinite worth. I love to see good things in people and I’m often amazed by what I see in others – whether they know God or not.

But none of us can escape the corruption of our own sinful nature. We are at the same time wonderful and woeful! Recognising our own inability to be like Jesus is the first step to freedom. We need to live by the Spirit. We’ll talk about how we do that in coming weeks.

Article - Aim for Perfection pt 5

Aim for Perfection pt 5

1 John 1:9 promised that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”. How does God purify us from unrighteousness?

We already know that we have been purified legally – we are no longer guilty of our crimes against God – and we have been purified relationally – sin is no longer a barrier between God and us. The purification (cleansing) referred to in this verse is the final step in the process: effectual purification. This is the work that God does in getting sin out of our lives completely. It is the process of refinement that He is undertaking in every Christian in order to present us as a pure Bride (see Ephesians 5:25-27).

Remember we are purified legally once for all as believers in Jesus. We are purified relationally as soon as we confess our sin to God. We are purified effectually as we allow God through His Spirit to change us from the inside out.

In Psalm 51 we hear David’s confession to God for his sins of adultery and murder. It’s a great example of confession that I have personally found useful to use as my own prayer to God. In verse 10-13 he says: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

and sinners will turn back to you.”

We don’t become more holy by our own efforts, but by allowing God to make us holy. He is the One who creates a clean heart (desires & attitudes) within us through His indwelling Spirit. As Paul writes in Romans 7&8, our own efforts are never enough. It is the Spirit who frees us from condemnation and transforms us to be more like Jesus.

Confession of our sin restores our relationship with God and puts us in a position where He can cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Articles - Aim for Perfection 1 to 4!

Aim for Perfection pt 1

What standards do you set for yourself when it comes to how well you are living the Christian life? It is so easy to compare yourself to others, which is a very convenient comparison since we always judge others more harshly than we judge ourselves! Jesus tells us to “Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt 5:48), and Paul prayed for the perfection of the saints (2 Cor 13:9). That set’s the bar pretty high doesn’t it!

Hebrews 10 reminds us that we have been made perfect in Christ, but we are also being made perfect in Christ. The first is what Jesus has done for us through His death and resurrection, the second is what is happens as we allow Him to work in us through His Spirit to help us receive what we have already been given. The two go together. If you have been made perfect (you have been saved by grace through faith), then you will show signs of being made perfect (growing in holiness and maturity). Hebrews 10 and other passages confront us with this truth – if there is no sign of being made perfect (a change in lifestyle that we can all see), then you have not been made perfect (a change in spiritual condition that only God sees).

This is not salvation by good works, it is salvation producing good works. Genuine salvation always produces transformation. The question is, how holy is holy enough? How many good works are enough? Is God being realistic when He commands us to aspire to perfection? We’ll explore that over the next few weeks!

Aim for Perfection pt 2

“…by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” – Hebrews 10:14

As we looked at last week, in Jesus we have already been made perfect through His death on the cross to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But we are also being made perfect as He continues His work of changing us so that we can live up to what we have already been given (Php 3:16).

The passage in Hebrews 10 continues…

^15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:

^16 “This is the covenant I will make with them

after that time, says the Lord.

I will put my laws in their hearts,

and I will write them on their minds.”

^17 Then he adds:

“Their sins and lawless acts

I will remember no more.”

^18 And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.

Verse 16 is a quote from Jeremiah 31 which prophesies that a time would come when God would indwell His people through His Spirit, so their relationship with Him would not be based on their obedience to the Law, rather our obedience to the Law would be based on our relationship with God. We can’t keep God’s laws by ourselves, we can only do it as we live by His Spirit (Rom 1 – 8). If we are to live the lives that honour God, build up His people and witness to others we must learn to live by His Spirit – to hear His gentle voice instructing, correcting, convicting, comforting, encouraging and so on. Notice that God’s laws then become applied both in our hearts – the desire to please God; and our minds – the knowledge of how to please God. We need both.

You can check your own life to see how well you are living by the Holy Spirit by looking at the descriptions found in Galatians 5:16-26. Next week we’ll look at what we need to do when we discover that we are falling short of that standard.

Aim for Perfection pt 3

Last week we looked at the promise quoted in Hebrews 10:16 -

^15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: ^16 “This is the covenant I will make with them

after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.”

God has done this through the Holy Spirit who lives inside all believers, convicting us of sin, instructing us in righteousness and replacing our sinful desires with godly motives. It is by receiving this ministry that we grow closer to perfection in Christ. But what happens when we fail to live by the Spirit and instead indulge our sinful natures? The passage continues:

^17 Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”^18 And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.

It’s important to recognise first of all that our failings as Christians cannot separate us from God. God has forgiven us once and for all – Christ’s sacrifice was enough to cover our sins past, present and future and God as the righteous Judge has already chosen to forgive us. Our eternal salvation is secure. This is not a license to sin, as the Bible describes that the desire to live a righteous life is evidence of genuine faith – it is impossible to have proclaimed Jesus as Lord if there is not an accompanying attitude of obedience. The sins of a genuine believer do not affect the fact that we have “been” saved, but they do affect how we are “being” saved. More on that next week!

Aim for Perfection pt 4

We established last week that the sins of a genuine believer cannot separate them from God, but they do affect the work of God within us and through us. It is impossible for a true Christian to be content to harbour sin in their life, since it goes against the very nature of the One whom we call Father in Heaven, the One who is Saviour and Lord and the One who lives within. A classic text that deals with this is 1 John 1:5-10…

^5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ^6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. ^7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

^8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ^9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ^10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

When God through His Spirit convicts us of sin, our responsibility is to confess it – to own up to what God already knows. When we do that, God forgives us – not in the sense of restoring our salvation, we discovered last week that He doesn’t save then condemn us, it’s a once for all thing. He knows those who are His. This type of forgiveness is where the problem of sin in our relationship with God is dealt with and removed. Until we own up to it, it is a problem that creates a barrier in our relationship with God and produces evil effects in our lives. God must address it through discipline if we will not respond to the quiet voice of the Spirit or the ministry of the saints in bringing conviction.

However once we stop trying to hide our sin and bring it out into the open for God to deal with, He forgives us and purifies us. The victory that Jesus won over sin and death becomes applied to our lives – sin no longer has any control over us. More on this purifying work next week!

Don’t Be So Condescending!

When we think of the word condescending we usually think of it in very negative terms. We think of people who consider themselves better than us and are therefore very patronizing toward us, like the way adults talk childishly to infants.

It shows how full of pride we are that a word that signifies a gift of loving service has become a term of resentment.

Philippians 2:5-7
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!

Jesus is the true example of condescension. He gave up his rightful position in order to serve those below Him – far below Him – in status. He even gave His life for us!

This is the life to which He calls us, a life of loving condescension. Whether people are below us or above us on whatever standard you want to rank them by is not the point. We are to become nothing in order to serve everyone. Becoming nothing has no bearing on our worth or our nature, but rather our form and function. Jesus was incredibly special – the very Son of God! Yet to all appearances He was an absolute commoner. He had the right to exert power and authority, yet He functioned as a servant. This is what we are called to. With Christ living in us through His Spirit we are incredibly honoured, yet we are to live humbly, seeking to give ourselves for the sake of others. We are to be condescending!

Richard Dawkins and the Johari Window

Richard Dawkins and the Johari Window

I've got a bunch of books on my shelf waiting to be read. Two of them are Richard Dawkins' "The God Delusion" and Alister McGrath's reply "Dawkins' God". The first one was given to me by a friend who is an atheist -although he doesn't agree with Dawkins' approach or all of his ideas. The second one I picked up from a Christian bookstore last time I was in Perth.

I've got to admit that I'm tempted to read the second (shorter!) book as a way of killing 2 birds with one stone. It would tell me what Dawkins is on about and why he's on the wrong track, all in one go. I think that's a dangerous path to go down though.

I think we've got to be able to hear ideas from outside our own perspective and listen to them with a sense of careful openness, even if those ideas might be uncomfortable for us to hear. Much of what we hear might be rubbish, but there might be some really important truths that we need to hear if we are going to connect with where people are at and how they are thinking. We also might need to admit that there are some valid criticisms of how we (the Church) have thought, spoken and conducted ourselves that need to be addressed.

One tool that I find very helpful is the Johari Window - do a web search to find out more about it, but here's one way of drawing it:


Most of the time, we look for people to tell us what we already know, or to tell us new reasons why what we already know and do is right! We buy books and listen to people who we already know we like and agree with. As a result we get stuck in patterns of thinking and behaving which stifle growth and maturity.

So I'm going to do my best to make time to read "The God Delusion". There'll be times when I agree with what Dawkins' is saying and there'll be times when I think I know better (He's wrong and he doesn't know it!). However there will be some things that I learn from him which may also be of great use to me in my personal and intellectual growth. I'll also acknowledge that there will be some times when both he and I don't know as much as we think, and by listening to guys like Alister McGrath I will gain valuable perspective outside that of Richard Dawkins and myself. In the process of this whole discussion I will be trusting God to guide me in right paths, and even though it doesn't attempt to be a scientific textbook, the divinely inspired truths of the bible will have final authority because they have been tried and tested and more than anything else in this life, I know them to be true.

Article - Helping Men with Depression

Helping Men with Depression

The Victorian government’s Better Health Channel has the following information about Male Depression on their Men’s Health factsheet:

One out of every six Australian men suffers from depression at any given time. Statistics indicate:

· Teenagers and the elderly are particularly at risk.

· Male depression is associated with an increased risk of health disorders, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

· Life issues - such as the death of a spouse, separation, divorce and unemployment - trigger serious depression in men more often than in women.

· Men are likely to resort to destructive behaviours in an attempt to deal with depression.

· Depressed men are twice as likely as depressed women to abuse alcohol and drugs.

· The suicide rate for males aged between 15 and 24 years has tripled in the past three decades.

According to Beyond Blue, the agency supported by Australia’s Federal and State governments to address issues associated with depression, anxiety and related substance misuse disorders in Australia:

• In 2004, 1,661 males (16.8 per 100,000) and 437 females (4.3 per 100,000) died by suicide - a total of 2,098 deaths (10.4 per 100,000).
• Australia's young (15-24) male suicide rate is fourth highest among Western Countries.
• Rates for men aged 30-34 years are currently the highest for all male age groups, followed by men aged 40-44 years.

Looking for Signs

Men usually experience depression differently to the way women do. The vast majority of men do not show obvious signs of depression, or indicate any need to talk over whatever issues may be weighing on their minds. Some of the more obvious signs of depression include:

• fatigue
• difficulty sleeping
• changed eating habits
• frequent/constant gloomy disposition
• expressing feelings of guilt and/or worthlessness
• don’t find pleasure in things they normally would

There are other things that men do to try and escape from feelings of depression or cover them up. These may include:

• withdrawal from family and friends
• Self-medication with excessive alcohol or drugs
• Womanising
• Watching more TV than usual
• Preoccupation with sport, greater competitiveness
• Lashing out verbally and/or physically
• Demanding respect or consideration
• Seeming restless and agitated

Hmm, watching too much TV and being obsessed with sport – that covers a fair number of us! Remember though that what you are looking for are changes that might indicated that there is something deeper going on inside.

What can I do if I am depressed?

If you are feeling depressed, the best advice I can give is for you to go to the right places to get help. Feeling depressed is a very common and very treatable condition, but you need to take the initiative to do something about it. I suggest that you go straight to professionals who have the best information and resources to help. These include the local medical services, Central Agcare, Men’s Helpline, Lifeline and so on.

Talking to someone is essential, but you can also get a whole stack of good information online, at sites like http://www.beyondblue.org.au for example.

What can I do to help someone who may be depressed?

Check out the information and resources mentioned above to help yourself to be prepared. The best thing you can do is give someone the encouragement and support to access the help they need. Sometimes that requires some bluntness, too! Don’t be afraid to let a depressed person know the impact their depression has on your relationship, but do this in a supportive way which encourages action, not as a guilt trip that just makes them feel worse.

There’s a whole stack of other things that you can do to help:

• Be available to listen. Most men don’t like being pressured into talking about stuff, but it is important to provide opportunities for men to share how they feel and to know that you are OK with that – that they haven’t let you down or disappointed you by being human!
• Be understanding. Whatever you do, don’t tell someone to “snap out of it” or “just get on with life”. That’s not helpful, caring or even possible for someone with depression to achieve.
• Look for things to do that will bring some joy and satisfaction into their life. Often depression comes about not because of a single major issue, but after a series of events and other factors which all pile up. If you can accumulate and focus on positive things in your life, not only can you help prevent depression but you can also help people to gain some positive momentum to pull out of it. Some things that can be helpful include hobbies, holidays, visits with loved ones, participation in positive groups such as churches, sporting groups or just gatherings with friends. Don’t try to do too much however, as this will just make the person feel pressured.
• Give reassurance. Depression can kill off a sense of hope and optimism. Sufferers need to be reassured that they will pull through.
• Be positive. Instead of always agreeing with negative things, try to turn these toward the positive. Be realistic, but also hopeful.
• Be calm. Men with depression will often try to create conflict. Remind yourself that this is a symptom, and don’t buy into it. Be assertive but not aggressive.
• Look for ways to spend time together. Men who are depressed often push others away or withdraw from others. Give them some space, but don’t be too easily put off – they need to know that you want to be around them.
• Look after yourself. Supporting someone through a difficult time takes its toll, so be wise enough to make sure that you are getting the support that you need, too.

Useful Contact Info

Check out the back page of the Fencepost for contact information for local medical and counselling services.

You might also like to make use of services such as:

· beyondblue info line (National) - 1300 22 4636

· Mensline Australia (National) - 1300 789 978

· Lifeline (National) - 13 11 14

· “Just Ask” Rural Mental Health Information & Referral Line (National) - 1300 13 11 14

· Kids Helpline (National) - 1800 551 800.

And Finally…

If you would like to talk to me about this subject or any other life issues, feel free to contact me!

Mike Birch

Pastor, Narembeen Church of Christ

Ph: 90647210 E: churchofchrist@narembeen.com