Website of the Week – Desiring God

www.desiringgod.org – God centred resources from the ministry of John Piper

In its own words,

“Desiring God exists to say that…

God’s ultimate goal is to glorify himself.
And that’s good news.

Everything we do aims to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ.”

It is a truly staggering resource, with more than 25 years worth of sermons available to read, listen to or watch online. All of them organised by date, scripture, series, topic, occasion and title. In addition this, many of John Piper’s books and articles are also available alongside a wealth of other resources - and all for free!

If you find yourself with a spare minute, or just really need to hear a sermon (or six) on virtually anything, I’d highly recommend checking www.desiringgod.org out!

God Goggles

When you look at someone what do you see?

Perhaps you see an age group? Or a social scene? Or a character trait? It could even be as black-and-white as simply liking or disliking a person.

The thing is often how we view a person affects how we relate to them and how we interact with them. For example, you might find yourself thinking “I can’t say that to them, they’re too cool” or maybe “I’d rather not be seen talking to them” or possibly even “Yeah but that’s just X, he’ll always be like that”. You know what I’m saying.

I was challenged by this scripture the other day…

“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.“
1 Corinthians 5:16

The boxes and categories we tend to put people in are man-made. They might be accurate in one sense, but from God’s perspective they are missing the point – we need to view people not as the world does but as He does, namely someone of significance who is loved and who he wants relationship with; someone worth dying for. And not only that, someone who He is working in; someone with bucket loads of God-given potential.

I wonder what it would look like if we got hold of that? Would we act the same towards them? Would we say or not say the same things to them? I wonder just how much more God might move through our lives if we grasped how wide, high, long and deep God’s love is for the people we encounter every day?

Try it this week. In every situation ask yourself “how does God see this person?” See what he says – it might surprise you.

RSS – Reach Saturday Studies

In case you haven’t heard already, RSS is brand new this term!

The concept is simple: Bible study. Pure and simple.

Once a month on a Saturday morning we’ll be down at Nazarene Theological College, under the tutilage of PhD student Chris Foster and his wife Sarah, feeding on the word together. It’s going to be a great time for us to learn more about dealing with the scriptures as well as actually hearing God speak through them.

During the three sessions this term we’ll be taking a ‘macro’ approach to Bible study whereby we’ll looking to equip everyone in the generalities of Bible study as well as giving a contextual overview of both the Old and New Testaments. One of the books we’ll be using is How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart. Then after Christmas, we’ll be working through specific passages – using the tools we’ve acquired.

We’re so excited about this and hope you are too. Make sure you get along to the first one on 24th October. Drop the office a line if you want more info.

Map to Nazarene:

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Top 5 Books: #1

I’m sure you’ve all been dying of suspense but I am delighted to inform you that the winner of  my recommended reading this summer is…

…The Anointing by R.T. Kendall

I love this book. I love it for a number of reasons, but predominantly because R.T. Kendall seems to have really hit the nail on the head when it comes to the whole word and works thing. His a keen advocator of a greater union between ‘word’ people and ’spirit’ people – basically, we don’t need to pick a team as we need both in our lives. As a charasmatic with a theology degree this really hits home!

The book starts with Kendall unpacking the story of the transfer of executive power in Israel from King Saul to the prophet Samuel to King David. He looks at the role anointing plays in each of their lives (namely: ‘lost’, ‘held’, and ‘promised’ respectively) and then applies it to a modern context. Past failures and current frustrations are dealt with in equal measure as the need to look to the future. The overriding message from the book is the need to look for what God is doing and then going and doing it – regardless of any accompanying difficulties. The main reason being that the key ingredient for any kind of minsitry/service for God is ‘the anointing’ – i.e. the favour of God over that thing/person.  On a more specific note, one particularly interesting section of the book is where Kendall recounts the introduction of teaching on spiritual gifts such as prophecy into his highly traditional Westminster Chapel congregation.

It really is worth a read. I found it both uplifting and incredibly challenging – it really helped me to evaluate how I was going about my life. Summer may be drawing to a close but it’s a quick read and I’m sure you’ll be able to squeeze it out in the last few breaths of your holiday if you want to.

P.S. You may have noticed that there is no #2 on this list. Honestly, I’ve been putting it off for a while now and was always intending R.T. to be #1 so, in light of it being September already, I just sacked it off and went straight for the big dog. Apologies. You have every right to feel cheated.

Under the Radar

“To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds… The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.”

Daniel 1:17,19-20

Daniel and his buddies achieved amazing things for God. During their time as exiles in Babylon they were selected to enter the service of the king and, because of the intellectual (and physical) gifts that God had given them, they were fast-tracked right to the top of the tree. In fact, so impressed was Nebuchadnezzar by Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah that he ended up renouncing the religion of his country and putting his trust in the God of Israel – even before the whole incident with the lion’s den!

The story gives us a fascinating insight into how God can use us to infiltrate even the most out-of-reach areas of society. Because of the natural talent and training that Daniel and Co. received they were invited into places that, say, an ordinary Israelite, even a priest, never would. Then from this position of influence they were able to live completely uncompromising lives for God that were so magnetic and impressive that God brought to repentence those whom they encountered.

You all have skills and talents, not just in the spiritual sense, but in the ‘traditional’ sense as well. In fact, that’s why most of you have come to university – to hone those skills. Now don’t hear what we’re not saying, there is definitely more to life than your degree, but it is also worth bearing in mind that the outcome of it will go a significant way to dictating where you go afterwards. And one thing’s for sure – we definitely need a lot more Daniels in the world. People who will use their God-given abilties to get to the highest points of influence in all areas of society, and then, having slipped in under the radar, influence them for the advancement of the Kingdom.

So next time you’re thinking about sleeping through your lectures or sacking off revision it might be worth thinking bigger than just scraping through your course by the skin of your teeth.

Website of the Week

A little later than planned we have the third installment of website of the week. The illustrious recipient this week is…

… Scripture Text

Scripturetext.com, like Bible Gateway, is a searchable online Bible available in multiple tranlsations and languages. The beauty of Scripture Text lies in the extras that surround a selected passage following the intial search. Handily organised in tabs above the text, you are able to access parallel passages, cross references, and commentaries – as well as being able to see the text in its original language (Hebrew or Greek). Not only that, there is a ‘Lexicon’ (dictionary) tab that goes through the passage word-by-word giving full definitions which will help you to get a fuller grasp of the meaning of the words employed by the original authors, and not just the one English word or phrase that was selected by the translator (much like The Amplified Bible).

Furthermore, alongside each passage you will be provided with a list of maps and photos from the areas pertaining to the text which will help you to appreciate the words in a more “real” sense. It’s much easier to associate with the places that are in question when you can see them and know where they are in relation to us now. And there are a number of handy general resources on the Bible as a whole that are also housed at this site so make sure you have a good click around.

So if you’re interested in taking your study of the Bible that little bit deeper this might be just the resource to help you do that.

Hebrews 2:5-18

Part 2 of our devotional series in Hebrews…

Being on good terms with the Author

I’m reading a book at the moment called Time to Pray? by R.T. Kendall and he talks about the importance of being in a good place with God when coming to read the Bible. The words of scripture were written under the influence of the Holy Spirit and therefore it is only under the same influence that we can understand them. So before we go any further take some time to come into God’s presence, asking for forgiveness where you need it.

The Text

We’re skipping a couple of verses and heading straight for Hebrews 2:5-18. Give it a read.

Pick the verse that jumped out at you most and then write that verse down. If you can, put it somehwere where you’ll see it throughout the day and try and have that verse memorised before you go to bed. Test yourself in the morning!

Comment/Application

Chpater 2 follows on from Chapter 1 in theme in that it is establishing the superiority and supremacy of Christ as being the way in which God accomplishes his ultimate victory – the restoration of man to Himself. Whereas in the past God’s people received messages from the law, prophets, and even angels, now they have received the better messenger – namely, Jesus.

The thing that struck me most about this passage is the gritty reality that mixes with the amazing statements about Jesus. In chapter 1 we are told how Jesus is superior to angels and in chapter 3 he is shown to be greater than Moses. Yet sandwiched in between is the recognition that he was also ‘made like his brothers’ and that it was through suffering that he is  ‘able to help those who are being tempted’ and so utlimately ‘bring many sons to glory’. Jesus roughed it with us. He came down to earth and lived among us so that we could be grafted into God’s family and called brothers (and sisters) of the Son of God. It was through his submission and humilty that we have been saved, because it was only by becoming like man in every way that he could act as sacrifice for our sins and so make us right with God (verse 17).

So what does that mean for us? Well if Jesus had to humble himself and sumbit to God’s will then so do we – not just because Jesus is our example, but because it’s the best way!

So what does that look like? It doesn’t necessarily mean being and doing something you don’t want to be/do. It simply means asking what God wants for you and your life and then agreeing to it – even if it isn’t what you thought you wanted. It’s about a shift of perspective: rather than having your choices that you then fit God into, you have God’s choices that you then work yourself around.

But be careful not to fall into the trap of false humilty. This is where you demean yourself or don’t speak about your gifts, dreams, talents because you think you’re being proud if you do. (In fact, you’re being proud if you don’t).

Have a little muse over these ’sound-bites’ on humilty (apologies but I can’t remember their source):

“Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”
“True humilty is agreeing with God about what he says about you”

Ultimately, when we align ourselves with God’s will over our will then it’s always going to work out better. Look at Jesus – he sumbitted to God’s will and was able to save the entire human race. Epic win.

“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of youir heart.” – Psalm 37:4

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:9

Pray

Ask God to speak to you about his will for your life – it might be helpful to flick through your Bible and look for some of the promises that he makes over you (e.g. John 10:10). Ask him to show you where you need to submit yourself and your plans to him. Ask for the strength and the faith to do that.

Hebrews 1:1-14

So here we go… The first chapter of Hebrews is pretty short so I thought we’d tackle it all in one go. Grab your Bible and a pen and some paper and let’s get cracking!

Background

The Epistle to the Hebrews is one which has always been surrounded by a level of mystery and uncertainty in comparison with other Biblical texts. This is as much to do with content as it is with the fact that the authorship of the book remains uncertain and so attracts a level of heated scholarly debate. The most common arguments are either for Paul or James as the author. Personally, I don’t think the style of argument or content is consistent with Paul’s letters and so I’d be surprised if it was him. In terms of dates, as far as I’m aware the concensus is that, like most of the New Testament, it was written in the mid-late 1st Century AD (CE if you’re pedantic).

The style of Hebrews is not too dissimilar from an educational essay in that the author is constantly backing up the claims he makes with quotes from the Old Testament – thus showing the high value that belongs to this part of the Bible. I find this really encouraging as it’s another reminder of the consistency of God and is really helpful when trying to marry up the message and meaning of Jesus with the Old Testament.

The Text

Take some time to carefully read through Hebrews 1:1-14. Do it twice if you’re keen!

One of the first things that jumped out at me was the repetition of God speaking. Go through the passsage and note down each reference to God speaking or saying something. For each one, see if you can put it into your own words and then write them all down in a list of simple sentences. E.g. ‘God says…’ or ‘God speaks…’.

Are there any common themes between these sentences? List them.

The undoubted star of this passage is Jesus. Look back through the text and write down all the different ways that the author describes Jesus – his identity, his actions and his character.

Meditate on these a while. Do you think of Jesus like this? Is there anything listed that you have never associated with him before?

Comment/Application

The main point of this passage is to emphasise just how awesome and how supreme is Jesus. However, this isn’t just done in a general kind of way, it is done in specific relation to angels. Now it seems logical that there must have been a reason why the author chose to do this – especially considering that this is the very first chapter of the book. In all likelihood he was addressing a community in which there had been an issue/confusion with the hierarchy of heaven – where angels had been given higher authority and reverance than the messiah, the Son of God. ‘Angel-worship’, as it is commonly termed, was a problem in 1st Century society but Hebrews makes it clear that it just won’t do – a refresher was needed in the supremacy of Christ.

These days  ‘angel-worship’ is not so much of a problem. In fact, in most Christians circles the very idea of the existence and importance of angels has been reduced to a side issue and these celestial beings are commonly perceived as periphiral characters who we tend to associate with the Christmas story more than anything else. (Despite the word angel being used 283 times in the Bible).

Even so, the exhortation to make sure that Jesus is the top of our worship lists is a message we still need to be constantly reminded of and one which we should frequently hold our lives up against to see how truly we are following it.

To worship something is to recognise its importance and to respond to it accordingly. We do this by giving that something praise (both verbal and active) and by giving our love/time/effort/money to it.

So let me ask you this… what are you worshipping? What do you love? What do you give your time and effort to? What do you invest yourself in?

Angels are not a bad thing. In fact, they are a very very good thing. In the same way, the things that we value and enjoy in life can also be good things. The problem comes when we worship them alongside or even in place of Jesus. So right as we kick things off this summer, ask yourself: ‘does my hierarchy need evaluating?’ Are you giving Jesus the worship he deserves or is something else taking its place?

Pray

Take some time to thanks God for sending his son and the grace, freedom and power that is avaiable to us because of that. Now think back over the questions we’ve gone through and offer them to the Lord. Ask him to show you areas of your life where you worship other things over him. Repent where you feel it is appropriate and ask God to show you more of his beauty so that worshipping him wouldn’t just be an option to choose, it would be all that you want to do!

Summer Bible Study: intro

As promised we’re going to be going through bits of the Bible right here throughout the summer, but before we dive right into it let me offer a few words by way of introduction…

What’s the point?

The whole purpose of the blog is help you stay close to God. The best way to do that is to spend time with him. And the best way to do that is to read the Bible and pray. So we’re doing the bible study section in order to offer you a tool you might want to use to help make sure you’re regularly reading the word. Trust me, it’s good for your health to be reading the bible and praying everyday so this stuff isn’t so much a substitute for your quiet times as an addition to them – have fun and get involved with some comments/responses!

What are we going to be looking at?

Hebrews! Win. It’s going to be a great. We’ll start at the beginning and work through although we probably won’t do every little section. I’m aiming to do a new post on this at least once a week so keep your visits regular.

Right. I think that’s enough chat for now. Look out for study 1 coming very soon…