I clean my teeth because I don’t want them to fall out. I talk to people because I enjoy community. I eat food because I’m no good on an empty stomach.

We’ll usually only do something if it’s worth it; if the value of the result at least matches the effort we might expend.

Where does that then leave us in relation to God? What “because” could we possibly offer him?

“He rescued me because he delights in me.” – 2 Samuel 22:20

Wow.

In God’s eyes, our value is worth any effort. And it is value that stems solely from who we are, from who he made us to be. He delights in us. He loves us. That’s why he rescued us to be with him (Romans 5:8).

Again, wow.

If you haven’t already, you might want to check out this new worship CD from Bethel:

It’s really, really good. Probably even my favourite ever worship album already – I bought the CD and everything! There are lots of current Vinelife faves on there like You Are Good and Furious, and plenty of other hits like Deep Cries Out, Hope’s Anthem and I Will Exalt (Your Presence) to name but a few!

I also loved the DVD that comes with it. Basically it’s just the guys involved talking about worship – what it means, what it looks like, how it breaks the plans of the enemy etc. Just all really encouraging and inspiring stuff.

You can pick up the CD/DVD from Kingsway for £12.99 (click here) or download the mp3s from Amazon or iTunes.

I would heartily recommend it!

The issue was something Paul addressed in many places, including 1 Corinthians 1:11f.

¹¹ My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. ¹² What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” ¹³ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Essentially, the church in Corinth was dividing itself into factions – people were organising themselves into groups, uniting behind whichever leader or teacher most suited their personal taste.

To be honest, it sounded like a very familiar scenario!

We’re really good at setting up camp. Whether that’s over a political party, a sports team, a genre of music – whatever. The fact is, much of our culture is geared up to encourage us to unite with those who hold to the same things as us, and to divide with those don’t.

What about in church? I see it there too. While Paul refers to the Corinthians, saying “I follow Apollos” or “I follow Paul” or “I follow Peter (Cephas)”; we could just as easily read that as “I follow Piper” or “I follow Johnson” or “I follow Driscoll”. It seems that that basic human instinct of forming into tribes very much has a theological expression as well.

Is there anything wrong with honour and valuing “high profile” leaders and gleaning from them. ABSOLUTELY NOT. In fact, there is much to gain and one of the major blessings of the internet has been making this possible. Apollos, Paul and Cephas were all vital leaders in the church – as are many of the people the Lord has raised up today.

The problem comes when the formation into “teams” moves from being a point of unity with like-minded people, to a point of division with others. If you’re in relationship with someone solely on account of having the same position on something, unfortunately you’re on rocky ground. Sooner or later an issue will crop up that you see differently, and if your unity was based entirely on agreement then it has no other option than to end. You get forced into division.

Often it’s an attitude that can creep in quite subtly. Imagine this: you’re at lifegroup, someone pipes up and gives an opinion, your first thought – “oh that’s just X, they think that because they’re on team Y, I’m not really going to listen, I’m definitely right.” Maybe it wouldn’t be quite such a formed set of judgements, but hopefully you get the idea. We easily (and often unintentionally) judge people, discount them.

The Bible tells us in so many that within the Body of Christ there is to be complete unity. But how is this possible when we’re all so different? Simple: love. We all qualify on account of the same thing: love (of God). And we are all callled to relate to everyone in the same way: love (mirroring what God showed us). While political parties are formed over a common stance on issues, churches are built on relationship. Relationship isn’t a means to an end; it’s an end unto itself.

So maybe you think Bill Johnson’s the best thing since sliced bread, maybe you want John Piper to be your dad. Maybe both. That’s totally cool! Just don’t distance yourself from others or put people in categories on account of what they do or don’t subscribe to. If they love Jesus, they’re your brother or your sister. Treat them as such!

Want more?…

Listen to:
Phil’s talk – Heaven’s Relational Government (23/01/11)
Sarah’s talk – Favouritism Forbidden (13/02/11)

We’re so excited for what the Lord wants to do over the next term, and think our times on Wednesday afternoons are going to be a really important part of that.

Here’s the schedule for this term:

Note well! The two Friday Night Treasure Hunts.
We’re going to be running a training session with the students from Christ Central on these Fridays, before heading out on a Treasure Hunt…it would be great if you could join us for either part!

Yes, I’m talking about the trials and tribulations of student housing.

In fairness, it’s actually quite a lot of fun. But for the majority of you who will be sorting out your houses over the coming weeks, I thought you might benefit from some tips I picked up all those years ago! Hope it helps…

Ralph’s Top Tips for Student Housing

1. Use Manchester Student Homes
   http://www.manchesterstudenthomes.com.
   All the houses listed have passed a ‘code of standard’, which means they shouldn’t blow up when you turn the microwave on. You also get to deal directly with the landlord, meaning you avoid nasty agency fees.
   One word of caution, the properties tend to move quite fast. So be prepared to be decisive when you’ve found the house you want, and brace yourself for the potential of that deflating experience mentioned above.
   Still highly recommended!
   (They also have offices in Fallowfield – opposite Baa Bar on the crossroads)
2. Location, location, location.
   If you want to live in Fallowfield, it will be expensive. But great in many ways.
   You’ll get lots more for your money if you look further afield, such as Withington or Victoria Park. Just remember that these areas are usually more difficult to get to and have less of a “student/community” feel. It all comes down to what you’re looking for.
3. Don’t feel rushed or pressured.
   Even though properties tend to move quickly, remember that there are SO MANY student houses out there. So don’t dive into something you’re uneasy about on account of the fear of being homeless. There will always be something else.
4. Make as many decisions as you can before viewing houses.
   You don’t need to see a house before deciding whether or not you all want double beds, or if a dishwasher is a necessity (It’s not, by the way). The more things you can settle on before looking at a house, the easier it will be to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ when you get there.
5. View the houses as a group.
   This is notoriously difficult, but if you can be with all your future housemates when looking at a property it will, again, make life so much easier. You’ll avoid the awkward situation of relying of someone else’s opinion and the even more awkward situation of living in a house that you hate because Bob or Sue makes really poor choices. Furthermore, it will speed up the process and free you up to be more decisive.
6. Agencies are rubbish. Use MSH instead.
   That’s a sweeping statement, and probably not true. Agencies are helpful in terms of finding properties and lining up viewing appointments. Also, the idea of them sorting out your maintenance for you is very appealing. However, most of my experience of agencies is that they’re good at taking fees and rubbish at providing services. I’m happy to be proved wrong!
7. Don’t pay your deposit in cash!
   Make sure it’s all legit and that your landlord is putting your money in a deposit safety scheme (or equivalent). You should get a receipt for that.
   If you do hand it over in twenties, I can almost guarantee it won’t be safely stashed away in case of a housing emergency – it will be half way across the world somewhere.
   This rule applies to landlords who ask for a cash advance of a term/year’s rent – be very wary and get receipts!
8. Don’t forget about bills.
   It’s easy to see the cost of house rent in comparison to halls and think you’re on to a massive winner, just don’t forget to add bills into the equation (gas, electric, water, internet, tv license etc). Lots of student house do an ‘all-inclusive’ rent which takes care of your bills. Make sure to clarify what you’re getting.
9. Read your contract before signing it.
   Blah, blah, blah. That’s just common sense, but it’s always worth checking they haven’t added anything ridiculous.
10. These lists always need to be ten long, right?

So there you have it. Happy hunting!

I did a post this time last year on resolutions. I thought it had some pretty good stuff in and so have reposted it right here for your enjoyment…

…Having reflected a little on New Year’s resolutions I thought it would be good to see what the Bible has to say on the subject. After an unsuccessful Biblegateway search for “resolution”, I typed “resolve” in instead and deemed the four results it yielded worth sharing. Have a little read. It’s interesting to see what different Bible charcters resolved to do with their lives at certain points…

1. “Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah” – 2 Chronicles 20:3

Here we find the King of Judah in a spot of bother. One of his fellow tribes, Ephraim, has just turned against him and here we find him on the receiving end of some news that a couple of foreign Kings are coming to take a piece of him too. J’s response? A resolution. To seek God – and not just in a wishy-washy kind of way. Properly. Fasting and everything. The result was pretty emphatic. The people of Judah also made a resolution – “to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendour of his holiness” – out of which God intervened and we read that this happened in verse 22: “As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.“

In a moment of crisis Jehoshaphat resolved to lean on God rather than himself. It worked out pretty well.

2. “Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.” – Psalm 17:3

Psalm 17 is towards the cheerier end of David’s scale – I guess he’d been having a pretty good time of it when he penned this. The whole thing is a declaration of intent. Who knows what was facing David at this particular time, but whatever it was he wanted to make sure he was approaching it as God would have him do so. David knew the meaning of grace, that we can be sure of!, but he also recognised the fundamental necessity of living a righteous life. Do we? Or have we compromised off the back of God’ unconditional love?

What’s also great about this Psalm is seeing David’s heart behind his desire to live the best he can: “And I – in righteousness I shall see your face; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with seeing your likeness.” (Psalm 17:15). The sheer awesomeness of God was what motivated David in his resolution. For that to be the case he needed to know the God he was revering.

3. “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.” – Daniel 1:8

In a similar way to Jehoshaphat, Daniel too was in a spot of bother. He’d just been shipped off to Babylon with a few of his friends, and he found himself in the service of a King whose customs would force the young Israelite to abandon his people’s purity code. What you do in a similar situation? Maybe you can think of one from your time at uni. There are two options: compromise in order to adapt more easily to your new surroundings, or stand strong – sticking with what you know to be right. Daniel did the latter, he resolved not defile himself, just as God had commanded. And, like Jehoshaphat, he too felt the benefit – he rose to the highest governmental positions in both the Babylonian and Persian empires, influencing numerous people on account of his zeal for God. All kicked off by his resolute response to the Lord’s call on his life.

4. “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” – 1 Corinthians 2:2

The last of our exemplars is a tentmaker from Tarsus, goes by the name of Paul. Embroiled in heated debate with one of his most successful church plants, he starts his second letter to the Corinthians by setting himself apart from those charismatic leaders that sought to lead people on account of their eloquence and wordly appeal. Paul’s resolution? To talk about Jesus. Jesus alive, died and glorified. In a world of new ideas and whimsical trends, Paul had nailed his colours to the mast happy that the only thing he truly needed to tell people was that Jesus was God who lived on earth, died for man’s sin, and rose again to restore us to our right relationship with our Creator. Everything else was just hot air, regardless of how well it was pieced together.

So there you go. It might be that the turn of the year finds you in a crisis point, like Jehoshaphat or Daniel. In which case I’d suggest taking a similar approach to theirs – resolve to wholeheartedly seek God and trust in him for your deliverance.  Or maybe you’re a bit more like David or Paul. 2011 stretches in front of you like any other year has done in the past, but you feel like this one might just be different; that God has got something special up his sleeve for you. If that’s you, and if so I very much think you’re onto something, then what better way to position yourself by resolving to remain focused on the central truth of the Gospel (that Jesus died for your sin) and to commit wholeheartedly to pursuing a life of righteousness?

Jesus said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near“. The richness and fullness of being children of God is right there, just waiting for us to take hold of it. Our part is simple: recognise our need for God’s grace and turn away from the things that hold us back. Go ahead and leave them in 2009 – let’s resolve to make 2010 better than we could ever ask or imagine!

What do you think?

If you missed Part 1, read it here. We’re going to pick straight up where we left off…

4. God wants us to steward our gifts well, he opposes us when we don’t.
Look at what happens when the Israelite’s disobey God’s commands about not gathering on the seventh day (verse 20): “But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them.” The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away!
Jesus gives us a similar lesson in the parable of the talents and the parable of the minas. If we’re selfish and inward focused with what God has provided us with, then there are negative consequences. We need to generous and open-handed with our gifts; thus communicating something of God’s character. Read 2 Corinthians 9 if you don’t believe me!

5. Through God’s faithfulness, we learn lessons about other aspects of walking with him.
We always remember something when there’s a practical application, that’s why kids do homework at school and preachers use visual aids. Similarly God often teaches us lessons in practical ways, so we’ll remember them.
In this case, the Lord is teaching them about the Sabbath (read verses 21-30). By ensuring the Israelties didn’t collect manna on the Sabbath he was showing them just how serious he was about them dedicated a day each week solely to him – if their minds didn’t learn quick, their stomachs surely would!
What lessons is the Lord teaching you in the way he provides for you?

6. Testimony, bearing witness to what the Lord has done, is vital.
I love this. In verse 32, God tells Moses to put a sample of the manna in a jar so that future generations could see and know that the Lord miraculously sustained the people of Israel. The object being of course that they would trust him to continue to do likewise and have faith and confidence that he will.
It’s the same for us. We need to record and hold onto all the times when we’ve tangibly experienced God’s faithfulness. It will encourage both us and whoever we share them, it will raise faith, and, as Revelation 12:11 says, will help us to overcome the evil one.
So…go get yourself a jar of manna!

7. God’s faithfulness is unending; his provision will never expire!
Last one team. Ever have that (heretical) feeling of not wanting to ask God for something again just in case you might be “pushing your luck”? That this time He’s not going to come through? Me too, unfortunately.
But look what happens with the Israelites and the manna…(verse 35) “So the people of Israel ate manna for forty years until they arrived at the land where they would settle. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.“
God repeated the miracle every day for 40 years!! He didn’t get bored, his faithfulness did not expire. And nor will it for you – so don’t ever feel like you ought to stop asking!

So there you go. God is faithful. Absolutely and completely. And if you ever forget it then just spend a few minutes in Exodus 16.

Let’s go on a little trip to Exodus 16. It’s a great story that teaches us loads about God’s faithfulness and what it looks like.

First things first, read the chapter.

So the Israelites are in a situation. The Lord has rescued them from Egypt and brought them across the Red Sea, but they’re grumbling – they’re in need of food and have no way to get it for themselves. Let’s see what happens…

For me, there are seven key lessons to learn from this little episode. We’ll look at the first three in this post.

1. God meets a need with a promise.
He responds to the Israelites requests like this (verse 3): “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day.“
A promise from God is a guarantee. His word was powerful enough to create the whole universe. So if he says something to you it’s going to happen. Have a need in your life? Get a promise from the Lord and claim it. Matthew 6 is a good place to start.

2. God wants us to seek him before we seek what he can give us.
In verse 10 we read how before providing food, God reveals his glory. Ultimately that’s the more valuable thing!
“And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the Lord in the cloud.“
Also, this acts of a visual reassurance of God’s presence, and so would have increased the Israelites’s faith that he would come through on his promise.

3. God often provides in ways that we don’t expect…
verse 16: “The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was.“
So many times we miss what God is doing in our lives because it doesn’t happen in the way we think it might/should. Remember: God’s way are higher than our ways, and his thoughts far above ours! (Isaiah 55:9)

…but He always provides exactly in the ways that we need.
verse 18: “But when they measured it out, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.“
So don’t worry! God knows you far better than you know yourself. And he’s a good Dad who gives good gifts to his kids. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been unnecessarily worried about something and God has provided out of the blue. We just need to trust him!

Let those things sink in a moment and check back soon for part 2!

If nothing else, you should definitely download Joyful, Joyful and Shekinah. They’re both incredible (especially Shekinah).

So, yeah, there you go. iTunes is probably the easiest way to get hold of it.