Why Good Friday?

Why is Good Friday 'Good'? Christians will say that it's because it's the day of Good News, which is what 'Gospel' translates to in a literal sense.
'Euangelos' = 'eu' (good) + 'angelos' (news, or messenger of news, ie. an angel who delivers divine news).  Incidentally it's where we get 'evangel' and 'evangelism' and 'evangelical' from.
An 'eulogy' is 'eu' (good) + 'logos' (word/s)... or good words that we say about someone at their funeral, because I guess it's impolite to say bad stuff about someone at their funeral.  But I'm getting distracted..
Good Friday is when Christians remember the death - by crucifixion - of Jesus Christ.  Pretty gory, bloody and generally distasteful and messy.  Check out Mel Gibson's movie 'The Passion of the Christ' if you're in any doubt.
If there's anything 'good' about Good Friday, it must be that the death of Jesus - horrific and gut-churning as it was - actually and absolutely proves something to us: that God loves us.  In fact, God loves us enough to go through all that, and die for us.
Can we understand the actual mechanics of it all?  Probably not.  I've spent years in theological study and I reckon I've got a good grip on it, but there's still aspects of the willing death of Christ that boggle the mind and wrench at the heart.
But the Bible is crystal clear that Good Friday stands at the centre of all cosmic history.  And that Jesus' death for us is the absolute proof of God's love for us (Romans 5:8).  So the question is, 'Is there a God?  And if there is, does God love me?'  Christian answer: Consider Christ.  Consider Good Friday.  Have a look at the Bible account of Jesus' life and teaching and death.  Read it with an adult intelligent mind and see if it gives a credible answer.  Actually, see if it gives you good news worth celebrating this Easter.  Happy to chat or correspond!
Blessings on you this Easter season.

Priscilla and Aquila

On the past two Sundays I've been preaching from Acts 18.  Last Sunday the focus was on Priscilla and Aquila, from the second half of the chapter.  Paul slips out of the picture as he leaves Corinth and Ephesus, but we get the clear picture of the Gospel strategy of leaving Priscilla and Aquila behind as the new leaders of the church in Ephesus.  As if that weren't enough, we then get the dynamic duo taking Apollos under their wing and instructing him in the way of the Lord 'more adequately'.  So it's really 2 Timothy 2:2 in action in Acts.
The question the passage poses is, 'How does the Gospel grow?'
The answer it supplies:

1. by Gospel teamwork; and
2. by Gospel teaching.  

In particular, by Gospel teaching that is accurate (v25) and adequate (v26).
The good folks at St Mark's have made the sermon available here.  Do let me know what you think!  While you're at it, I'd also like to know what you'd like to see here on the blog.  Happy to serve!

Finding the friendlies on mission

I'm preaching this fortnight from Acts 18, at St Mark's Forest Hill.  What a delight to be in the book of Acts!  It contains the story of the beginnings of Christian mission, as the first followers of Jesus took the Good News from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and then to the ends of the earth. 
Last Sunday I looked at the first half of Acts 18.  Here's the basic outline:
Two principles of Christian mission

1. Find the Friendlies
2. Expect the Enemies.

The strategy that Paul and his team adopts is to connect with the friendlies, people who are already seeking God.  As they talk about Jesus and the meaning of his life, teaching and crucifixion, some opposition is sure to come.  So we too should expect enemies and animosity.  In fact, the clearer we are about Jesus and the Gospel, the more certain our opposition will be! 
We also looked at the encouragement from God in verse 10 of that chapter.  I won't give it all away, you might like to listen to the sermon, available from St Mark's here:
http://www.stmarksfh.org/Home/downloads
Blessings on you this weekend. 

What's your ten year plan?

A wise friend once said something very very wise.  I've never forgotten it.

You can achieve less than you plan in a year

But more than you imagine in ten. 

Now, just read that sentence again.
I found myself giving that advice - not for the first or last time I imagine - last week to some prospective missionaries.  The wise saying captures the truth that we are often over-ambitious when it comes to what we think we can achieve in a calendar year.  Every January we make our new year's resolutions and the list grows as long as both our arms!  Lose weight, get healthy, wake up earlier, less alcohol, less food, better quiet times with the Lord, etc. etc. etc.. And we never get anywhere near ticking off everything on that list of planned achievements.  We achieve less than we plan in a year. 
But we can achieve more than we imagine in ten.  So, add ten years to your current age and ask the question, 'Under God, what would I like to have achieved in the next decade?'  That gives you permission to Dream Big and aim for what Bill Hybels calls Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals ('BHAGs').
When I was thirty and in my second year of studies at Ridley, my wife and I prayed and dreamt big for the Lord Jesus.  We came up with three BHAGs for the next decade:

1. Finish studies, get ordained, have a ministry track record that means you can be trusted with a senior ministry leadership role.
2. Start and finish doctoral studies. 
3. Start and finish having as many kids as we're ever going to have. 

Under God - and it must be stressed that it was God's goodness and doing and strength - not ours'! - we achieved more than we imagined (and in nine years, not ten!).  Having those BHAGs kept us moving towards those specific targets; gave us permission to say 'No' to many many good things that came along in the period; and helped us to understand how staying at work in the bank or taking on this ministry and not that one fit into the big picture plan.  

Let me encourage you to take out a big white piece of paper and draw a line across it.  Mark out ten evenly spaced spots along the line.  Start with your current age, and pencil in the next ten years.  

|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|

Start praying and dreaming!  Love to hear how you go!  (Or, as someone else has said publicly before, 'God has a plan for your life, and Wei-Han has the details....' : ) 

How to become a missionary

My post on How to become a CMS missionary generated some feedback.  Including the notion that for younger folk, "Wei-Han is a scary monster, heavy-duty CMS dude... what if I'm not ready to talk to him yet?"  If that's you, re-laaaxx.. as an ex-young adults pastor, I eat your type for breakfast.  (Just kidding - I'm more a brunch kind of guy.)
If you're the kind of person who loves Jesus and is thinking about spending a life working in Christian ministry or missionary work, then the right thing to do is:

1. pray and seek the Lord's direction
2. talk and pray with your pastor
3. talk and pray with your close Christian friends
4. make contact with someone who is already working in the sort of ministry you see yourself moving towards

To find out more about missionary work, follow this advice from one of our missionaries, given at a recent CMS young adults' gathering:

1. find out more about the country or people group you're interested in
2. sign up for newsletters or prayer material 
3. talk to missionaries who’ve been there
4. speed date some missions agencies (like CMS) to ask them what they know/ think 

At CMS Victoria we have a couple of staff whose job it is to be friendly, chat with you about missions, and encourage you along the way.  If you mention this blog post and the code phrase ('Wei-Han would like a meconopsis betonicifolia for Christmas') I'll make sure they pay for the coffee.

CMS Victoria Branch Council vision day

The CMS Victoria Branch Council spent Saturday working on the vision for CMS Victoria.  This sits under the new CMS Australia vision: A World That Knows Jesus. Missionaries Arthur and Tamie have written about this at meetjesusatuni.com. Check it out their excellent blog! 

Three priority areas emerged for CMS Victoria:

1. closing the gaps between our children's, youth, young adult and adult ministries
2. being recognised for our missiological expertise
3. increasing our body of passionate partners/ members 

We're still working on all of this - do pray with us!

Our Branch Council are:

• Pam Thyer - chair
• Len Firth - vice-chair
• Fiona McLean - secretary
• Bob Browne - treasurer
• David Nettlebeck - chair of the Branch Candidates' Committee (BCC)
• David Clift
• Graeme Chiswell
• Jane Peters
• Peter Alier Jongroor
• Simon Koefoed