Lately

     Over the past few weeks I've kept myself busy on various projects. However, I find that serving, is the best way to keep my mind focused on the bigger picture, and keep it off 'lil old me'. Conveniently, I  didn't have to look very far in order to find places in which to serve. As I transition into my next season, I am grateful that God allowed me to play a part, albeit a very small part, in the lives of these lovely people.

     School Leavers Opportunity Training (SLOT), is an NGO focused on giving young, disadvantaged people, the necessary skills in order to contribute to society as a whole. SLOT offers a holistic program addressing the pressing issues associated with the youth of South Africa, today. I was privileged to be a part of their spiritual side of things, where I gave a class on the Holy Spirit. I took the liberty of demonstrating the active power of the Holy Spirit and many were healed; from headaches to body aches! It was a great blessing and I know that for some of these young people, it was a life-changing experience. Yes people, God heals outside of church and even where there is no keyboard in the background!

The 60 young people I had the honour of ministering to at SLOT

   NCF church is expanding rapidly in the region and I happen to be related to the person in charge of all thirteen of the music bands, that make up this colossal effort. They have seven different sites (and counting) in one city, but due to the explosion of sites, there was a shortage of musicians. I put my hand up to help them out and had such a lot of fun. Seeing people encounter the living God during worship, is enough to inspire anyone to make the most of their life. It also made me realise more, that church is not about a building or a mission statement, it's not even about a band or a tattoo-bearing charismatic speaker (with a past), it's about Jesus; His love for us and our response to that love.

NCF Church - doing good stuff

How Should Christians Deal with Social Issues?

    We are surrounded by social issues every day. All around us there are people abusing substances, teenagers falling pregnant and crimes being committed, these are basic examples of negative social issues. The first question I want to pose is this: Are Christians responsible for solving social issues? The answer is an overwhelming, YES. We should be at the forefront of trying to put an end to upward suicide trends and increased gang-related violence, it is part of our mandate. The problem, however, does not lie in the if, it lies in the how.

    For decades now Christians have been trying to alleviate poverty by having fundraisers, buying food and clothes with the money raised and then handing it out to the needy, hoping it will solve the problem of having poor people on the streets. Albeit noble, this scenario and the many thousands like it are in vane, temporary at best. We constantly make the same mistake: WE ADDRESSS THE FRUIT AND NOT THE ROOT! The fruit of the issue is poverty, but the root is greed. The fruit of the issue is rape, but the root is evil lust. The fruit of the issue is gay marriage, but the root is deception. The fruit of the issue is wife abuse, but it is rooted in insecurity.

   There is an obvious trend to be found concerning the social issues we encounter everyday: They are all issues of the heart.  We are told that it is out of the heart that the issues of life flow (Prov 4:23). The apostle Paul does an interesting thing in Ephesians 6, when he addresses the issue of slavery, a major social issue at the time. He does not give his opinion on the merits of slavery, nor does he discredit the practice, instead, he immediatley addresses the heart issue, in the slave-master relationship. In verse 5 he says, "... in sincerity of heart as to Christ" , verse 6 "... doing the will of God from the heart" and verse 9 " ... your own Master is in heaven and there is no partiality with Him"

    What Paul has done here, is to successfully break down a highly controversial social issue of the day and make it simple. He didn't start a campaign against slavery, he didn't send out petitions and he didn't mobilize a prayer movement. He addressed the heart of the slave and the heart of the master, because from the heart flows all of life's issues.

    The fact is, that we don't put enough faith in the power of the gospel, the power of the good news of Jesus Christ, in order to let the gospel change people's lives. Instead we want to try and change people and their situations from the outside in, instead of from the inside out. The reality is that it is only the truth that will set people free (John 8:32) Only the good news of what Jesus has done for us has the power to break the cycle of poverty in our communities, it is the only force strong enough to forever bring people to their senses from a life-time of selfishness and greed. We must believe that the gospel is the answer, because it addresses the heart of the matter, the root, which will in turn bare good fruit.

    We must contend for the hearts of people, communities and nations. We must allow the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom and understanding on how best to minister the gospel to people, who believe God has failed them. The people who are worst affected by negative social issues, need to know that God loves them, that He wants the best for them and that no matter what they've done, He still died for them.

    Paul sums up what happens to us when our hearts transition from being under satan's control (old man), to a full and vibrant life, living in the freedom of Christ (new man). This is what we should want society to look like.

"17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness" - Ephesians 5:17-24

Recommended Reads

Some of the more inspiring reading I've read over the past few weeks:

 Lance Armstrong's It's Not About the Bike, was a more-than-inspiring read. It puts into perspective the extent to which some people go, to get where they are, even against the worst odds. If you want to start dreaming big, read this. StartLiving rating: 8/10

 The Story of the King James Bible is an intriguing look at the events leading up to and the context into which the King James Bible came into being. Recommended for language, historical and theological buffs alike. StartLiving rating: 7/10

Blink sets out the idea of why first impressions count, but also, how they are often misleading. A must-read if you regularly deal with people and want to get the most out of your interactions. We all interact with people, so give it a read. StartLiving rating: 7/10

"You think your truth is better than ours"

    "You think your truth is better than ours ..." the lyrics from a popular Indy-rock band. This line depicts an element of truth within the psyche of people who are sensitive and insecure around other people's beliefs. This got me thinking, in a previous post, Why is it important to hear from God?, I suggested that if we didn't hear from God regularly, we would be insecure believers. This is true and very important. But I want to put forth another view, how as believers, we can still be immature and insecure, even while having been a church for a long time and hearing from God ocassionaly.

    "How?", you may ask, let's take a look. Going to church does not make you a Christian anymore than going to watch the Olympics makes you an elite athlete. However, most Christians don't see it this way, they don't seek God for themselves nor take responsibility for their own spiritual maturity, they expect the pastor to do all the hearing-from-God and all the reading-from-the word for them and so never end up growing, maturing and becoming effective believers.

    Ephesians 4:14 - 15  " ... that we should no longer be children ... but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ ..."

    Paul, writing to the Ephesians, makes a point of how important it is to be mature, to not be swung by any wind of doctrine, by the deception, trickery and deceit of people trying to lead you astray. He says this after he instructs those with the gifts of teaching, prophecy and apostleship to equip the saints for the works of ministry (v12). Why does Paul place so much emphasise on the teaching of anointed people?

   

     For the simple fact that we all need great, insightful teaching; apostolic impartation and prophetic guidance. Sometimes we need people to explain the bible to us. However, even with all of this in place, we still may not here the truth. For whatever reason the vast number of churches and ministries today, don't always teach and preach what the word actually says. There is a lot of speculation as to why this happens, reasons ranging from 'keeping the people happy', 'not wanting to create waves' and 'doing what's expected', are all thrown about as excuses for not teaching the pure gospel of Jesus Christ. These people are regularly grouped into a category we like to call seeker sensitive. It's impossible to preach Jesus and not be controversial, because Jesus was and still is controversial.

    The point that I am trying to make is this: We are sitting with immature Christians in churches for years, because they don't hear the truth. We can't lay the blame purely at the feet of the clergy though, because YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Speaking and seeking the truth in love, should be the responsibility of every believer, and every preacher. Holding back and pandering to expectation does more harm than good in the long-run, Christians will be (and have been) seen as the most gullible people on the face of the earth.

    We must hold our leaders responsible to teach the truth in love, to bring the people to a level of maturity. We must also take initiative and look for challenging and thought-provoking teaching for ourselves. Teaching that is based on the truth of the word, not post-modern philosophy. Teaching where the teacher has nothing to gain, financially or for fame, where they live what they preach. Teachers who are held accountable by others for what they preach.

    I know for me, that I had to make a deliberate attempt to find teaching that challenged me. I talk to many people who are frustrated with the teaching they receive and they repeatedly say the same thing, 'I am just not growing ... I'm getting over the milk I'm being fed' My answer to you is the same answer I give them, YOU NEED TO MAKE AN EFFORT. So, I am going to make the search a bit easier and give you links to the various teachings that have changed my life. People that have helped me transition to a gospel that has made me into a mature, world-changing believer. You may also like some of them, but there are others out there, you just need to make an effort because immaturity is not an option. The truth you find will be the the one that sets you free.

Andrew Wommack Ministries: http://www.awmi.net/

Bill Johnson (Bethel Church): http://www.ibethel.org/

Arthur Meintjes: http://www.kingdomlifeministries.com/

Rob Rufus (City Church International): http://www.ccihk.com/

Good Life

     I hope you enjoy this song as much as I have over the past weeks. I thought I'd share it with you because it really tells my story over the last three years and it's sung by one of my favourite bands. Check out the lyrics below incase you missed them in the video. 




Woke up in London yesterday
Found myself in the city near Piccadilly
Don't really know how I got here
I got some pictures on my phone

New names and numbers that I don't know
Address to places like Abbey Road
Day turns to night, night turns to whatever we want
We're young enough to say

Oh this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life

Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight
Like this city is on fire tonight
This could really be a good life
A good, good life

To my friends in New York, I say hello
My friends in L.A. they don't know
Where I've been for the past few years or so
Paris to China to Col-or-ado

Sometimes there's airplanes I can' t jump out
Sometimes there's bull* that don't work now
We are god of stories but please tell me-e-e-e
What there is to complain about ...?
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