Promoting the Gospel with our Money

Preached this sermon today at St Alf's, although we could have done with three sermons on the topic!  Here are two questions that came up afterwards. Thanks for asking them, E!

Q: Should I get a mortgage? Isn't that just tying you down to a massive piece of debt that will limit your ability to go wherever God might call you to?
A: Mortgages, or more specifically, owning your own home, is neither godly nor ungodly on its own. The reality is that most people have to borrow money to buy a home, and that our Australian financial situation means that mortgages aren't essentially sinful.
My favourite story is of two friends. One bought a home, but insisted against that open-plan rubbish. He had two living areas: one for the family (kids) to run riot in, and another that could host small group Bible studies or pastoral meetings in quiet at the same time. The other refused to go into that sort financial (and emotional) commitment so that he could stay 'fliexible' and available to go wherever God called. He ended up overseas as a missionary for a decade. The first friend ran small groups and did ministry out of the house. Both were godly decisions, with good Gospel outcomes.

Q: What do you think about overseas travel for young adults/ uni students/ gap years? Doesn't it cost too much and that money could be given to missionaries or Gospel workers?
A: Travel is pretty neutral on its own, I think. Yes, there are environmental and opportunity cost issues, but the positive side of travel is that it's a chance to see more of God's good creation, including especially the good in the diversity of humankind, human history and culture.  These are the 'every tribe, people, language and nation' that will worship around the throne of the Lamb.
The problem with much young adult travel is that it's done for its own sake, or for fun times, or for the tourist value.  And Christians who travel often check out of worshipping in a corporate context (church on Sunday) for the duration.  That's just self-indulgent travel.
But travel with a view to taking in more of God's view of his entire world and all his people, enlarges us, expands our vision of what God is up to around the world, and opens us up to possibilities in ministry and universal Gospel truth that our often limited local experience makes hard to appreciate.  Yes, it's costly, but if prayerfully approached, and if structured with the right connections to local Gospel ministries in the places to be visited, can be a valuable investment in someone's ministry future.

Prayer

'Prayer changes things.' 

'When we pray, God works.'

Pithy saying, full of truth, but of course not to be over-extended into absolutes.  This season I'm praying earnestly for two big things, that I thought I'd share with you. 

The Queensland and Brisbane flood crisis.   

See our national news website for updates - http://www.abc.net.au/news/

I'm praying that God would be merciful and spare lives, property and precious memories.  And also that amidst loss and grief will come opportunities for Christians to demonstrate the grace, generosity and love of God in Jesus Christ.  

The referendum in Sudan, to decide if the mainly Christian south should become a new nation and separate from the mainly Muslim north.  Especially that God would achieve peace, justice and freedom from persecution for all the people groups in Sudan. 

Do join with me in praying! 

Thinking about Acts 20

I’ve been thinking recently about Paul’s farewell speech to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20.  It is such a great Word for small group leaders!  Do read the whole chapter, but here are a few reflections:

From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.  When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia.  I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of the Jews.  You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.  I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.  Acts 20:17-21

‘You know how I lived the whole time…’  Please notice that there was no escaping the examination of a life lived among his people.  So many of our conversations and interactions on Sundays can be fleeting, but not so in a small group meeting regularly in a home.  What a privilege to know our people and to be known by them.  What a great opportunity to live ‘real’ lives in community, with each other, as we really are and encourage each other along in our Christian walk.

‘I served the Lord with great humility and with tears…’  Please notice Paul’s passionate engagement with the Ephesians.  He serves God, but with tears as he serves them, amidst hardship and persecution.  Sometimes small group leadership can be challenging, but we remember Jesus who came not to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).  So, like Jesus and like Paul, we serve with humility and a servant’s heart, through the joyous times and the times when tears are involved. 

‘You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you…’  Please notice the absolute priority of teaching and declaring the truth of the Scriptures – especially here the Gospel message of repentance and forgiveness of sins.  Christian small groups are not the same as other social or common interest small groups.  The Pharisees complained that Jesus partied too much, but Jesus’ first act of public ministry was to say ‘The time has come.  The Kingdom of God is near.  Repent and believe the good news!’ (Mark 1:15).  The rest of the chapter speaks about how easy it is to slide away from this absolute priority.  It was easy then, and it is easy now to have as our focus something other than our deep need to keep repenting of our sins and turning to Jesus for forgiveness and the Spirit’s power to change us and mature us in Christ.

My prayer is that we might grow more and more into that sort of small group leader for the people of God.  

Top Three Things

I can't remember where I first read this - I think it was a Phil Yancey book - but it came up in conversation again tonight with friends.  It goes like this:
In a large sample US survey of elderly retired persons with nothing to lose from being completely honest and frank, the question was asked, 'Now that you're close to the end of your lives, looking back, what would you have changed?'
The Top Three Things were:
1. I would have made more time for relationships.
2. I would have taken more risks in life. 
3. I would have done more things that lived on after I died. 
My summary of these is:
1. Relationships
2. Passions
3. Significance
It seems to me that these mirror closely the biblical perspective on the meaning and purpose of existence.
We have been created by a relational God for relationships.  And lives that prioritise career over family, or ambition over friendship, end up in a lonely bitter regretful place.  No one has ever said to me at their deathbed, 'I wish I spent more time at the office'. 
Lives that stick to 'safe' and 'secure' paths - the career trajectory, the expected and traditional route of financial security or job opportunity - can often be not just unadventurous, but ultimately a poor reflection of the person that God has gifted you to be.  What are the specific gifts, talents and passions the Lord has given you?  What decisions will you take to prioritise good stewardship of those?  Those decisions will often be contrary to the received wisdom of what a decent or safe career looks like.  No great adventurer, inventor or pioneer in their field was characterised by doing the non-risky career-advancing thing at the time. 
Ultimately, we each have the average three score years and ten.  But at the close, our thoughts turn to the matter of significance.  What has been the meaning of my life?  What achievement or legacy am I leaving behind?  What will live on, after my death?  Is the world a better place for my having passed through it?  
The remarkable thing about the Christian God is that He chooses to use us to achieve His eternal purposes.  So our lives can make a difference for eternal things.  Actually, it's the first two Things, Relationships and Passions, that make up the key components of any Significance that we might hope to have.  See the Parable of the Shrewd Manager in Luke 16 for example!  
Relationships.  Passions.  Significance.  I hope you know what your's are in your allotted three score years and ten.  

St Alfred's Contact post 21 October

Dear St Alfred's family

Often we hear that people are 'busy' or 'tired' or 'stressed'.  The same is true whether you're managing a household and children, in paid full-time work, or a member of the church staff team.  There are seasons of harder work, and seasons of rest.  So Peter is on holidays this week and I'm going on Saturday for my first 'away-from-home' break in 3 years!  (That's what doing doctoral research might do to you...)  I'm trying to repent of my sins! 

Maybe part of the reason I'm bad at holidays is because I have the great privilege of being paid to do something I love and am passionate about: telling people about Jesus and helping them grow in faith, hope and love. So what does a typical week look like for me?  Since Monday, I've:

- run a staff meeting 

- met separately with four great young adult leaders: two for mentoring, one for programme review, and one for discussion of a future Daniel sermon

- written three references of various sorts 

- read and thought more about Luke 15 in preparation for our evangelistic service on 31 Oct

- led our Wednesday morning communion service

- met with three different persons in a pastoral capacity at church

- paid a pastoral visit to a grieving family 

- lunched with a old friend struggling with a spiritual issue

- met with other staff members to catch up on pastoral care and teaching programme matters

- and numerous other phone calls, emails and other bits of work!

Today, I'm writing this email and helping Heather with Contact.  Soon I have to be off to Ridley where I might catch up over lunch with some of our young adults who are studying there today, before teaching my class in the afternoon.  

Who says ministry only happens on Sundays?! 

But ministry also isn't only what I do, or only what paid staff do.  My most important ministry happens whenever I get home.  Typically, as our automatic garage door rolls up and my car rolls in, the door to the house swings open and through the wound-up car windows I hear Alexandra crying out, 'Daddy's home!'  The energy each of us reserves for relationships - especially those closest to us, whether at home or at work or in our other contexts - is perhaps the most significant ministry we can be involved in. 

1 Peter 2:12 says, 'Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us'.  

'Good lives' and 'good deeds' include the quality of our relationships - their integrity, love, faithfulness, hope, joy, gentleness, kindness and peaceableness.  God's Word is saying to us that these can have a direct impact on the pagan world, our Christian witness.  After all, if our lives are as chaotic, busy, stressed, 'no time for relationships', and devoid of eternal hope as everyone else's, then why would anyone bother with Jesus?  Our lives, the church's life and relationships must reflect the goodness and grace of the God.  How else are we to be salt and light? 

Well, this is a tremendous challenge to me, but thanks be to our gracious Lord Jesus!  God promises us wisdom for life and ministry, as we pray for it; and also the power to change by his Holy Spirit.  

  

Looking forward to seeing you again soon. 

Being Missional May Hurt Your Church

Here's a re-blog from http://theresurgence.com/2010/10/10/being-missional-may-kill-your-church

I didn't like the 'kill' language - why do people have to be so extreme in their statements?  Can't they trust that we'll pay attention if they have a good idea?  Anyway... enough with the gripe.  Here's the quote that I thought we could think about together:

In Breaking the Missional Code, Ed Stetzer explains how the church has shifted to missional thinking in the following way:

• From programs to processes
• From demographics to discernment
• From models to missions
• From attractional to incarnational
• From uniformity to diversity
• From professional to passionate
• From seating to sending
• From decisions to disciples
• From additional to exponential
• From monuments to movements

Surprising Insights: More on Unchurched-Reaching Pastors

OK, so I’ve been away a long time.  Blogging is a bit like that.  Let me continue my review of Rainer’s research findings.  Chapter Eight is entitled ‘What makes these Leaders Tick?’  What struck me most about this chapter was the clear emphasis on evangelism and theology.  

Rainer described four key motivational factors in these effective pastors:

1. a theology of lostness - they are personally and deeply convinced that people without Christ are lost and feel it emotionally too. 
2. passion and enthusiasm - especially for personally modelling evangelism
3. accountability in personal evangelism
4. excellence in all things - as Rainer observes elsewhere, excellence is intrinsically attractive

The chapter also lists 15 other lessons and features, well worth pondering, but I’m still getting over the emphasis on the need to model evangelism personally.  I’ve committed to that over several years, but I guess the question I’m asking now is if I’m doing enough.  Hm.  Any comments?