Saturday, 25 January 2014
Tuesday, 17 December 2013
Driven by Eternity..... What really counts?
Just read through John Bevere's book "Driven by Eternity ..... making your life count today and forever." It is a most powerful and sobering book that really makes you think and evaluate the way we live our lives. John has a wonderful way of teaching from scriptures that rings true..... and his book is a serious reminder of how we should live. He compares our life on earth as a single breath compared with the eternity that is immeasurably more significant and how we should invest our lives in things and values that lasts for all eternity.
Saturday, 7 December 2013
Potent Prayers
Andrew has been speaking about spiritual
gifts for the last few weeks. And what a wonderful and encouraging series
it has been. Last week he brought just
about everything except the kitchen sink to the pulpit, and showed us that
although each of their favourite gadget was different, they all needed power,
and they all draw their energy from the same source. It is the same Holy Spirit who both gives and
empowers each of the different spiritual gifts.
Today I want to talk about Prayer, because
prayer is the means by which God's power is released in the world. And there is real potent power in
prayer. If we want to change the world,
it is not with bombs and armies and tanks, a fact that America and president
George W Bush have just been finding out.
Hatred only breeds hatred, it never changes people or nations. More anything else the ultimate and
mightiest weapon to change our world is through consistent believing
prayer.
Here is an illustration : For decades the
Berlin Wall divided East Germany from the West, and no one expected it to come
down without a major diplomatic or military effort. But believers in both parts of Germany were
praying. Then one day the Lord spoke to Dick Eastman,
president of Every Home for Christ, who was in America. What happened was, while he was in prayer,
Dick Eastman felt the Holy Spirit prompting him with these instructions: I want you to get on an aeroplane, fly to
Germany, go to the Berlin Wall, lay your hands upon it and say five words to
it: "In Jesus' name, come down!"
That was it – end of assignment. Five words and he could go home. That was
exactly what Dick Eastman did…Told his wife and family of his unique
assignment, (I think he must have very understanding wife ) booked a ticket to
Berlin, went to the Berlin wall, laid his hand on the wall and spoke the five
words: In Jesus name come down. … the wall did not come straightaway, but not long after, the wall that has stood
for decades dividing the East Germany from the West was torn down, and the world stood still and gasp, wondering
why?
A pastor in Romania, serving the Lord and suffering imprisonment and persecutions under the communist government, has been praying everyday for ten years that the biggest stadium in Romania one day will be filled with God's glory, and that a capacity audience of 50,000 people thirsty to hear the good news of Jesus would gather. That was, humanly speaking, an impossible dream, because not even 3 or 4 people were allowed to worship together under the communist rule. Then almost overnight, things changed. The Soviet Union broke apart suddenly by the hand of God in response to the faithful prayers of his servants, and Sammy Tippitt a well known American evangelist was able to share the gospel in that very stadium and thousands turned to the Lord.
But how do
we pray like that ? How do we pray
prayers that shake and change the world?
That was the very question the disciples brought to Jesus as they
observed the way Jesus constantly prayed.
They could see the radiance of Jesus' face as he emerged from a long session
of time alone with the Father. So they
said to him, teach us to pray. Matt.6: 5-13
Then he went on to teach them what we called The Lord's Prayer, which is probably better named disciple's prayer. We haven't got time today to look in detail the Lord's prayer, but it will be an excellent series to preach by our dear Pastor Andrew.
This establishes the basis of our coming to God…. Our Father….. in the language of those days, our Father would probably be translated as Aba … or Daddy….. a term of endearment, and expresses our intimate relationship with God….. We come not as strangers, not as enemies, but as sons and daughters of the living God, and God our father loves to hear the prayers of his children …. A privilege only possible because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross…. John 1:12
My son recently very excitedly told me that our grand daughter Brianna has started to say Daddy – her very very first word….. Now it may or may not be the best pronounced word on earth – but nothing matters – her ability to say da da in a hesitant manner is sufficient to melt the father's heart and opens a whole world of opportunity for her…. In the same way, every time you come to God with stumbling words and incomplete sentences, God will be touched and moved because we say Father, Daddy,….. and God sees us and accepts us because of his beloved Son…..
For us to
call God as daddy, Aba, Father, may not sound like a big deal, but to the
disciples of Jesus day what a revelation : God Jehovah was a holy God, a
consuming fire. No one dares come near.
It is the privilege and often the worrying responsibility of the High
Priest, to come only once a year, carrying the blood of sacrifice for his own
sin and the sin of his own people, as he approaches the Holy of Holies in the
temple. But with the perfect sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, he has opened a
way for us to approach God, freely and without fear, covered cleansed and
accepted because of Jesus. Our father
in heaven : gives us the perspective
in prayer…This is not just a Father, but a Father in heaven. We come not only
to a Father who loves us, but a Father who rules in power in the heavenlies,
the creator of the myriad stars in the universe, the God who not only causes
the lilies of the field to grow and he also feeds the hungry birds in the air,
a God of wisdom, power and might. A God
who not only loves but who also has the capacity to deal with the issues that
confront us.
Sometimes when things are not going well, and we are overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the problem facing us, and we didn't even know what to ask and how to pray, it is good to just come, say Father, or Dad or Daddy, and allow God's love and his peace and his understanding to cuddle you, comfort you. There is no need to say very much. He knows what you are going through and he will open a way for you that you will never dream possible.
When I
watch the movie The Sound of Music, and I watch it many times, one scene that I
really love seeing is the one in which when Maria the governess came back from
the convent after leaving the children suddenly, and she was being welcomed by
the overjoyed and relieved family, little Gretel approached her with not a word
; just raised her little bandaged finger with an expression look at my bruised
little finger, Maria would understand and would embrace her and comfort her and
love her. l. Our Father, too, will
comfort us when we just come like little children with our fears, and concerns
and pain.
When we speak of the name of a person, it is not only something to call them by, it is also a characteristic of that person….. It is therefore important to give good and significant names to our children, something that God can bless them with. In fact in scriptures we often read of a person's name being changed : simon being changed to Peter, a rock, Abram changed to Abraham, meaning father of many nations, sarai changed to Sarah, princess, Jacob the deceiver changed to Israel, the Prince with God.
When Moses
met God at the burning bush and commissioned him to go back to Egypt and lead
the people out, Moses said, how can I go and tell them that you have sent me if
I don't even know your Name? (exod.
3:14,15) So God said to Moses : I am who
I am : tell them that I am has sent
you….. " I am " really means that is no past or future…. God is
eternally present…. In the Hebrew scriptures it is represented with a word with
4 consonant : JHWH . This is translated
into Yahweh or Jehovah… which means the eternal existing one…
It is a title that Jesus adopted and which was recognised by the Jews. Remember that when the soldiers tried to arrest Jesus and asked who is Jesus of Nazareth, and Jesus replied : I am…. And the soldiers fell back as if hit by a mighty force.
I am the bread of life – driving out hunger
I am the resurrection and the life – driving out death
I am the Good Shepherd – providing guidance
I am the door – providing a security for the sheep
I am the Way, the truth and the Life – providing access to God
In scriptures, we also read about incidents in which God intervened on behalf of his people : and people have linked the name Jehovah is linked with another word :
Jehovah Jireh : the Lord will provide : Gen 22:14 (offer of Isaac)
Jehovah Nissi : Jehovah is my banner Exod. 17:15 (defeat of the Amalekites)
Jehovah Shalom : Jehovah is peace Judges 6:24 (Gideon )
Jehoshua : Jesus : Jehovah is my salvation.
What does it mean to hallow God's name?
To hallow means to honour, to respect, to give glory to, to speak well of his Name. And the Name of God signifies not only what God is called, but also Who God is, his person, his character, his nature his wisdom as well as what he does……
A former president of the US President Theodore Roosevelt had a routine habit : every now and then, along with his friend William Beebe, at the end of the day, after making many major decision for his nation and for the world, he would step outside and look into the night sky, finding a faint spot of light the lower left hand corner of the constellation Pegasus, and one of them would recite : That is Spiral Galaxy of Andromeda. It is as large as our Milky Way. It is one of a hundred million galaxies. It is seven hundred and fifty thousand light years away. It consists of one hundred billion suns, each larger than our own sun" . There would be a pause and then Roosevelt would grin and said : now I think we feel small enough. Let us go to bed."
This is exactly what the psalmist wrote : O Lord our lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. You have set your glory above the heavens…. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers….what is man that you are mindful of him?
When we come to prayer, let us not rush into God's presence, and rattle off what we need and what we want. God is the majestic God. He is not our servant, and he is not the genie of the lamp, to be told what he must do.
Let us
first acknowledge that He is our Father, because that is
the only basis we can come, and then let us acknowledge his name : i.e. who
he is : his majesty, his holiness,
his power, his mercy and his love, his faithfulness. Let us praise him for what
he does : the wonders of his creation, let us praise him for
the amazing plan of redemption through giving to us his Son. Let us think of the God who is revealed
through Jesus : the one who touches the leper and said I will, be
clean, and who forgives Mary, the
sinful woman who came and wiped Jesus feet with her tears, the one who restores
Peter even after he has denied him.
Let our hearts and our mind be filled with the worship of the Lord of
universe, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, we can draw near in faith, Heb 4:16
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may
receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
If what we have said so far is the preparation for prayer :
We come because of the fact that God is our Father and he loves us to come…. Some of us may be like the prodigal Son who has squandered everything that the Father has given us, squandered every bit of reason that the Father might love him, but when he did come…. The Father is overjoyed to receive him…. Not because of what he has or has not done, but simply because he is the son…. And nothing can change that fact…. As we come in prayer… and God listens and welcomes us…. Because he is our Father…..
As we come we first acknowledge glory and honour that belongs to him…. As we say hallowed be your Name…. the name that is above every other name…. the name that speaks of the eternal self existing one, the great I am, the name that Jesus himself used when he said : I am the light of the world,, he who follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life, I am the way the truth and the Life….. through me and through me alone can you find God the Father…..
Inviting God to come in
Where did he get his idea from? Some of you may recognise the words as coming
from Rev. 3:14-20.
Real real prayer according to Professor Hallesby is opening the door of one's heart and let Jesus enter in.
The Initiator of Prayer is Jesus
What does it mean ? Well it means that in prayer we are responding to Jesus..... The initiator of prayer is Jesus.
He sees a need in your life and in my life, he sees a need in your home, in your neighbourhood and in our nation.... And he said: may I come in...... I come with all my love, my power, my healing.... I want to spend time with you.....I want to touch your life and the lives of those around you....would you let me come in ?
So seen in this light, prayer is not a shopping list, it is not telling Jesus what he doesn't know, it is not convincing him of things he doesn't want to do. Rather, it is an invitation for Jesus to do what he wants to do...... Prayer is not a tug of war between you and Jesus.....but if it is a tug of war, you are on the same side with Jesus and guess who will win this tug of war.
This is in fact what the next sentence in the Lord's prayer : " May your kingdom Come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"
What does it
really mean to pray for God's kingdom to come ?
What is a kingdom…. A kingdom of God is one where God's rule is observed and obeyed. The kingdom of God cannot exist where the kingdom of darkness also exists. If God's kingdom comes then the kingdom of darkness will be banished…… It is obvious that in our world, in our communities, when we read of the many lawless and shocking crimes being committed, the kingdom of darkness is still in control….. and when we pray your kingdom come, we are asking God to establish his kingdom in our world, in our own lives and in our communities – where Jesus reigns as king and his righteousness, justice and peace reign. Where we allow him to rule over us…. In praying for his kingdom to come : we give authority for God to bring in his kingdom, in our own lives, in our communities, in our nation…. We let Jesus to come in.
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness… and all these things will be added to you.
When our prayers begin with seeking for God's kingdom the promise is that what else we ask for will be given to us as a matter of course……
Some of you may have seen the transformation that takes place in many communities in the world, including our neighbour country : Fiji. After the coup by George Speight, the Christians in Fiji sought the Lord earnestly, and God's kingdom took over the nation of Fiji, and they saw a revival not only of the people : the prison was formerly a place of horror, of curses and death, but it transformed into a place of praise and worship. Fishes that have disappeared because of the poisoned sea coast suddenly returned, the corals that were dead became rejuvenated, and the people rejoice.
Your will be done : on earth as it is in
heaven……
In heaven: God rules supreme….. what he says, goes. But on earth, because of Adam's sin, believing and accepting the lies of Satan, he has handed the authority and power to Satan. Today, The whole world lies under the power of the evil one….. unless we revoked that authority that Adam gave away….. And when we pray, your will be done……. It is not a passive submission to something that is inevitable, something that automatically happens. It is a matter of choice and decision : We sometimes worry that God will take advantage of us when we sign on the dotted line. No, not at all. It is a glad exchange of the rule of Satan and the pain and the sin and the darkness that he brings into our lives, to the rule of God with the freedom and joy and grace and forgiveness that God gives. How do I know that God will not take advantage of me when I submit to his will ? Well it says that God's will is to be carried out on earth as it is in heaven….. and I don't think heaven is a miserable place. Otherwise, why go there. When God's will is done on earth, the earth will turn into heaven.
Here is an illustration : For decades the
Berlin Wall divided East Germany from the West, and no one expected it to come
down without a major diplomatic or military effort. But believers in both parts of Germany were
praying. Then one day the Lord spoke to Dick Eastman,
president of Every Home for Christ, who was in America. What happened was, while he was in prayer,
Dick Eastman felt the Holy Spirit prompting him with these instructions: I want you to get on an aeroplane, fly to
Germany, go to the Berlin Wall, lay your hands upon it and say five words to
it: "In Jesus' name, come down!"
That was it – end of assignment. Five words and he could go home. That was
exactly what Dick Eastman did…Told his wife and family of his unique
assignment, (I think he must have very understanding wife ) booked a ticket to
Berlin, went to the Berlin wall, laid his hand on the wall and spoke the five
words: In Jesus name come down. … the wall did not come straightaway, but not long after, the wall that has stood
for decades dividing the East Germany from the West was torn down, and the world stood still and gasp, wondering
why? A pastor in Romania, serving the Lord and suffering imprisonment and persecutions under the communist government, has been praying everyday for ten years that the biggest stadium in Romania one day will be filled with God's glory, and that a capacity audience of 50,000 people thirsty to hear the good news of Jesus would gather. That was, humanly speaking, an impossible dream, because not even 3 or 4 people were allowed to worship together under the communist rule. Then almost overnight, things changed. The Soviet Union broke apart suddenly by the hand of God in response to the faithful prayers of his servants, and Sammy Tippitt a well known American evangelist was able to share the gospel in that very stadium and thousands turned to the Lord.
But how do
we pray like that ? How do we pray
prayers that shake and change the world?
That was the very question the disciples brought to Jesus as they
observed the way Jesus constantly prayed.
They could see the radiance of Jesus' face as he emerged from a long session
of time alone with the Father. So they
said to him, teach us to pray. Matt.6: 5-13 Then he went on to teach them what we called The Lord's Prayer, which is probably better named disciple's prayer. We haven't got time today to look in detail the Lord's prayer, but it will be an excellent series to preach by our dear Pastor Andrew.
This establishes the basis of our coming to God…. Our Father….. in the language of those days, our Father would probably be translated as Aba … or Daddy….. a term of endearment, and expresses our intimate relationship with God….. We come not as strangers, not as enemies, but as sons and daughters of the living God, and God our father loves to hear the prayers of his children …. A privilege only possible because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross…. John 1:12
My son recently very excitedly told me that our grand daughter Brianna has started to say Daddy – her very very first word….. Now it may or may not be the best pronounced word on earth – but nothing matters – her ability to say da da in a hesitant manner is sufficient to melt the father's heart and opens a whole world of opportunity for her…. In the same way, every time you come to God with stumbling words and incomplete sentences, God will be touched and moved because we say Father, Daddy,….. and God sees us and accepts us because of his beloved Son…..
For us to
call God as daddy, Aba, Father, may not sound like a big deal, but to the
disciples of Jesus day what a revelation : God Jehovah was a holy God, a
consuming fire. No one dares come near.
It is the privilege and often the worrying responsibility of the High
Priest, to come only once a year, carrying the blood of sacrifice for his own
sin and the sin of his own people, as he approaches the Holy of Holies in the
temple. But with the perfect sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, he has opened a
way for us to approach God, freely and without fear, covered cleansed and
accepted because of Jesus. Our father
in heaven : gives us the perspective
in prayer…This is not just a Father, but a Father in heaven. We come not only
to a Father who loves us, but a Father who rules in power in the heavenlies,
the creator of the myriad stars in the universe, the God who not only causes
the lilies of the field to grow and he also feeds the hungry birds in the air,
a God of wisdom, power and might. A God
who not only loves but who also has the capacity to deal with the issues that
confront us. Sometimes when things are not going well, and we are overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the problem facing us, and we didn't even know what to ask and how to pray, it is good to just come, say Father, or Dad or Daddy, and allow God's love and his peace and his understanding to cuddle you, comfort you. There is no need to say very much. He knows what you are going through and he will open a way for you that you will never dream possible.
When I
watch the movie The Sound of Music, and I watch it many times, one scene that I
really love seeing is the one in which when Maria the governess came back from
the convent after leaving the children suddenly, and she was being welcomed by
the overjoyed and relieved family, little Gretel approached her with not a word
; just raised her little bandaged finger with an expression look at my bruised
little finger, Maria would understand and would embrace her and comfort her and
love her. l. Our Father, too, will
comfort us when we just come like little children with our fears, and concerns
and pain. When we speak of the name of a person, it is not only something to call them by, it is also a characteristic of that person….. It is therefore important to give good and significant names to our children, something that God can bless them with. In fact in scriptures we often read of a person's name being changed : simon being changed to Peter, a rock, Abram changed to Abraham, meaning father of many nations, sarai changed to Sarah, princess, Jacob the deceiver changed to Israel, the Prince with God.
When Moses
met God at the burning bush and commissioned him to go back to Egypt and lead
the people out, Moses said, how can I go and tell them that you have sent me if
I don't even know your Name? (exod.
3:14,15) So God said to Moses : I am who
I am : tell them that I am has sent
you….. " I am " really means that is no past or future…. God is
eternally present…. In the Hebrew scriptures it is represented with a word with
4 consonant : JHWH . This is translated
into Yahweh or Jehovah… which means the eternal existing one…It is a title that Jesus adopted and which was recognised by the Jews. Remember that when the soldiers tried to arrest Jesus and asked who is Jesus of Nazareth, and Jesus replied : I am…. And the soldiers fell back as if hit by a mighty force.
Throughout
the NT Jesus also used the I am title to reveal to us what God is like :
remember some of the I am Jesus spoke of himself in John's gospel?
I am the light of the world – driving
out darknessI am the bread of life – driving out hunger
I am the resurrection and the life – driving out death
I am the Good Shepherd – providing guidance
I am the door – providing a security for the sheep
I am the Way, the truth and the Life – providing access to God
In scriptures, we also read about incidents in which God intervened on behalf of his people : and people have linked the name Jehovah is linked with another word :
Jehovah Jireh : the Lord will provide : Gen 22:14 (offer of Isaac)
Jehovah Nissi : Jehovah is my banner Exod. 17:15 (defeat of the Amalekites)
Jehovah Shalom : Jehovah is peace Judges 6:24 (Gideon )
Jehoshua : Jesus : Jehovah is my salvation.
What does it mean to hallow God's name?
To hallow means to honour, to respect, to give glory to, to speak well of his Name. And the Name of God signifies not only what God is called, but also Who God is, his person, his character, his nature his wisdom as well as what he does……
A former president of the US President Theodore Roosevelt had a routine habit : every now and then, along with his friend William Beebe, at the end of the day, after making many major decision for his nation and for the world, he would step outside and look into the night sky, finding a faint spot of light the lower left hand corner of the constellation Pegasus, and one of them would recite : That is Spiral Galaxy of Andromeda. It is as large as our Milky Way. It is one of a hundred million galaxies. It is seven hundred and fifty thousand light years away. It consists of one hundred billion suns, each larger than our own sun" . There would be a pause and then Roosevelt would grin and said : now I think we feel small enough. Let us go to bed."
This is exactly what the psalmist wrote : O Lord our lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. You have set your glory above the heavens…. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers….what is man that you are mindful of him?
When we come to prayer, let us not rush into God's presence, and rattle off what we need and what we want. God is the majestic God. He is not our servant, and he is not the genie of the lamp, to be told what he must do.
Let us
first acknowledge that He is our Father, because that is
the only basis we can come, and then let us acknowledge his name : i.e. who
he is : his majesty, his holiness,
his power, his mercy and his love, his faithfulness. Let us praise him for what
he does : the wonders of his creation, let us praise him for
the amazing plan of redemption through giving to us his Son. Let us think of the God who is revealed
through Jesus : the one who touches the leper and said I will, be
clean, and who forgives Mary, the
sinful woman who came and wiped Jesus feet with her tears, the one who restores
Peter even after he has denied him.
Let our hearts and our mind be filled with the worship of the Lord of
universe, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, we can draw near in faith, Heb 4:16
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may
receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. If what we have said so far is the preparation for prayer :
We come because of the fact that God is our Father and he loves us to come…. Some of us may be like the prodigal Son who has squandered everything that the Father has given us, squandered every bit of reason that the Father might love him, but when he did come…. The Father is overjoyed to receive him…. Not because of what he has or has not done, but simply because he is the son…. And nothing can change that fact…. As we come in prayer… and God listens and welcomes us…. Because he is our Father…..
As we come we first acknowledge glory and honour that belongs to him…. As we say hallowed be your Name…. the name that is above every other name…. the name that speaks of the eternal self existing one, the great I am, the name that Jesus himself used when he said : I am the light of the world,, he who follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life, I am the way the truth and the Life….. through me and through me alone can you find God the Father…..
Inviting God to come in
Having acknowledged who God is, let us give
him the authority and invitation to work in our lives and in the lives of those
that we love. A book written by Prof
Hallesby gave a very good definition of what prayer is and I think he makes a
lot of sense.
He said : prayer is opening your
heart to God and asking Him to come in. Where did he get his idea from? Some of you may recognise the words as coming
from Rev. 3:14-20. Real real prayer according to Professor Hallesby is opening the door of one's heart and let Jesus enter in.
The Initiator of Prayer is Jesus
What does it mean ? Well it means that in prayer we are responding to Jesus..... The initiator of prayer is Jesus.
He sees a need in your life and in my life, he sees a need in your home, in your neighbourhood and in our nation.... And he said: may I come in...... I come with all my love, my power, my healing.... I want to spend time with you.....I want to touch your life and the lives of those around you....would you let me come in ?
So seen in this light, prayer is not a shopping list, it is not telling Jesus what he doesn't know, it is not convincing him of things he doesn't want to do. Rather, it is an invitation for Jesus to do what he wants to do...... Prayer is not a tug of war between you and Jesus.....but if it is a tug of war, you are on the same side with Jesus and guess who will win this tug of war.
This is in fact what the next sentence in the Lord's prayer : " May your kingdom Come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"
What does it
really mean to pray for God's kingdom to come ?
What is a kingdom…. A kingdom of God is one where God's rule is observed and obeyed. The kingdom of God cannot exist where the kingdom of darkness also exists. If God's kingdom comes then the kingdom of darkness will be banished…… It is obvious that in our world, in our communities, when we read of the many lawless and shocking crimes being committed, the kingdom of darkness is still in control….. and when we pray your kingdom come, we are asking God to establish his kingdom in our world, in our own lives and in our communities – where Jesus reigns as king and his righteousness, justice and peace reign. Where we allow him to rule over us…. In praying for his kingdom to come : we give authority for God to bring in his kingdom, in our own lives, in our communities, in our nation…. We let Jesus to come in.
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness… and all these things will be added to you.
When our prayers begin with seeking for God's kingdom the promise is that what else we ask for will be given to us as a matter of course……
Some of you may have seen the transformation that takes place in many communities in the world, including our neighbour country : Fiji. After the coup by George Speight, the Christians in Fiji sought the Lord earnestly, and God's kingdom took over the nation of Fiji, and they saw a revival not only of the people : the prison was formerly a place of horror, of curses and death, but it transformed into a place of praise and worship. Fishes that have disappeared because of the poisoned sea coast suddenly returned, the corals that were dead became rejuvenated, and the people rejoice.
Your will be done : on earth as it is in
heaven…… In heaven: God rules supreme….. what he says, goes. But on earth, because of Adam's sin, believing and accepting the lies of Satan, he has handed the authority and power to Satan. Today, The whole world lies under the power of the evil one….. unless we revoked that authority that Adam gave away….. And when we pray, your will be done……. It is not a passive submission to something that is inevitable, something that automatically happens. It is a matter of choice and decision : We sometimes worry that God will take advantage of us when we sign on the dotted line. No, not at all. It is a glad exchange of the rule of Satan and the pain and the sin and the darkness that he brings into our lives, to the rule of God with the freedom and joy and grace and forgiveness that God gives. How do I know that God will not take advantage of me when I submit to his will ? Well it says that God's will is to be carried out on earth as it is in heaven….. and I don't think heaven is a miserable place. Otherwise, why go there. When God's will is done on earth, the earth will turn into heaven.
I Believe in Worship
A. What is worship…….
When we talk about worship, different
people have different ideas about what it is and how it is done. About 15 years ago, shortly after we have
left the brethren church and joined Lower Hutt Baptist, we went to a combined
worship service in Upper Hutt town hall for one of those special meeting with
John Wimber and his team. The group
leading worship was from the local Christian Fellowship, but it was one worship
service that we did not forget for a long time.
The music was loud. The choruses
were repeated many times over. The
people around us were clapping and swaying wildly and a good number were
jumping up and down as if they were doing aerobics. People raised their hands,
knelt on the ground, and one person was
frozen in the hands lifted up position as the Holy Spirit came upon him….. We
felt very uncomfortable and wondered what we had got ourselves into. But it was obvious many people around us
were having a really good time…..in worship
Whereas in the Old Testament, Abraham was given no choices in the offering
of Isaac, here in Romans 12, Paul urges
the believer to consider offering worship this way as an act that is pleasing
to God. So What
should motivates us to worship ? Unlike the people in the Old covenant,
where worship was prescribed and there was no choice, we worship today because
of the love and mercies of God, we love him because he
first loved us.
Richard Forster, in his book The celebration of discipline defines worship this way :-
What kind of worship does God want ?
In spirit:
The triune God is made up of Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.....a mystery....something that we can never completely understand. In the same way, all human beings are made up of body, soul and spirit. The body is the external visible part of a person. The soul is normally related to our personality, our feelings and the spirit is that part which reaches out to God....in worship and in prayer. These are not completely separate unrelated entities, but they are linked to one another. As I speak, it is not just my body speaking to you, hopefully my soul and my heart reach out to you As you hear me, my words not only reach your ear drums and your brains only, but also touch your heart.....and your soul. The human spirit is the part of us that reaches out to God....because God is spirit. Any worship which comes from just our lips and our mouths and not our spirit will not reach God...... Any worship which is merely external, depending on ceremonies, the grandeur of a church building or its location or its tradition is dead worship and will not please God..... I am not saying that these are not important, but devoid of our spirit......we cannot reach or touch God. In fact, until the Holy Spirit of God himself touches our spirit and brings it life, it is incapable of reaching God. The scriptures talk about us being dead in trespasses and sin but being made alive in union with Christ (Ephesians 2). Through the same Spirit of God who brings us life, will the Holy Spirit lead us in worship.
The Russian cosmonaut who went to outer
space and came back and said that he could not see God even while he was out
there and so concluded that God did not exist made the same error as many
scientists......God is spirit....and we neither see him nor worship him with
our material eyes and our material minds. Let our prayers be, as we worship....Holy
Spirit....lead us in worship....quicken our spirits that we may touch and see
the eternal God in all his glory....touch and anoint our hearts our lips our
music our voices. Let us give the Spirit of God his freedom
to move among us...
In
truth:
What does it mean for us to worship in truth ?
The first: it probably means that we need to be truthful about ourselves. We need to be genuine....we need to be real. It is significant that as we look at the passage that when Jesus asked the woman to bring her husbands to him, she said: she had no husband.....Then Jesus commended the woman that she was being truthful, because the man she was living with was not her husband. Jesus was quick to seize upon a shred of truth that the woman brought....amidst all her excuses and corrupt living. In order to worship God we must first of all be truthful and genuine in our approach......Any falsehood and hypocrisy will spoil our worship......This does not mean we have to be perfect. The Samaritan woman was not perfect, but she was willing to admit her wrong. In the same way, we need to come as we are, with our masks off and allow God to touch us as we look up to him face to face........ Jesus was angry with the Pharisees because they had an appearance of holiness, but it was only superficial. He called them whitened sepulchres....looks good on the outside but inside full of decay and corruption and deadness.
I believe that we become transformed into
the likeness of whoever or whatever we worship. We see this principle currently
at work in society. The whole “pop”
culture of musical and sporting superstars has become a natural arena of
“worship” for many people today. Still
emerging from the embryonic phase of self-identity many youth are eager to
emulate any “role models” considered worthy of their aspirations. They will naturally take on ways of speaking,
dressing and behaving that identify them with such a pop star and the
surrounding pop culture. The
“Beatle-Mania” of the “70’s” is prime example of this. Not all of this is bad in itself - it does
however demonstrates an innate need of mankind to worship and aspire to
something higher than himself. People were created to worship God but
whenever we worship anything less than the one true God our lives will fall
short of all we were created to be.
Yes worship is more than just a duty, it
is more than just a routine to be got over with as soon as possible....It is
not just a duty to a demanding God who needed his weekly dosage of
praise..... No worship is God's way to
help us to reorientate our lives...to bring joy and vitality and power into
our feeble frames to wean us from the tragedy of focusing on ourselves, our
needs and our wants.....instead it sets us free to focus on him and let him be
the centre of our lives and in that process fills us to overflowing, to water
the lives of those around us……
My concept and understanding of worship
was given a big jolt. It was such a big
contrast to our Brethren days when worship was supposed to be quiet, orderly,
serious and formal. In some brethren
churches, even the use of an organ or piano was not allowed, let alone drums
and guitars because musical instruments were considered to be too distracting
for worship. So with these too widely different forms
of worship, who is right ? It certainly
made me think more deeply about what worship is all about. Why do we worship ? Are we supposed to enjoy ourselves in
worship ? Is worship for God’s benefit
or for our benefit ? Is there a pattern provided for us to follow ? And probably the most fundamental question
is : What is worship ?
What does the scriptures say about
worship ?
I turned to my Bible concordance and
found the word worship occurred about 153 times and the first time it occurred was found in Genesis 22:5
Now it is helpful to find the first time a word occurred in the Bible
because it often gives clues as to what it means.
Abraham
said to his servants, “stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over
there. We will worship and then we will
come back to you."
What is the background to this
passage? As you might have known, Abraham in his old age was called by God to
leave his home country to travel to Canaan, the promise land….. and because of
his faith and obedience, God promised him that his descendents will become so
numerous that it will be like the stars in the sky and the sand on sea shore. All very well, but Abraham had no children,
no heir, and worse still his wife Sarah was well past child bearing ages - in their 90’s. After many abortive attempts to have children
God finally miraculous gave them a son - Isaac - Now can you imagine the
excitement and the joy Abraham had when the Isaac arrived …… now finally that
was his heir and so what God promised about the future was
going to be fulfilled…… and all his hopes and dreams are now all centred on
Isaac - a child in his old age….. Now the bible did not mention that Isaac was
a spoiled brat, but I would not be surprised if he was…..
Here was Abraham’s pride and joy, the apple of his eye….. and life was good….. until …one day God
said to Abraham…. Hello
Abraham : God here….. I am thinking…. What are thinking Lord….. I am thinking
that it would be a very good idea that you take Isaac - your beloved son - yes
I mean Isaac - no no no not Ishmael your other son…. Yes Isaac your only son —
And offer him up as a sacrifice for me…. on one of mountains of Moriah…. When you are closer to the mountain, then
I’ll tell you more about it…. I don’t
know what went through the mind of Abraham that night….. the scriptures didn’t
say a word about what Abraham thought….. or the tears that went down that
wrinkled face of his…. Or the struggled he had with the God he thought he
knew….. But there was no question….. no delay….. no argument….. the scriptures
said : (Gen.22:3) because early the next
morning, Abraham got up and saddled his donkey and took with him two of his
servants and his son Isaac……and set out for the place God had told him
about…. Vs. 5 : He said to his servants
: stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come
back to you….. You know the rest of the
story….. Abraham took his son Isaac,
bound him up and offered him to God …..and he was about to kill his son when
God sent an angel to stop him….. and provided an alternative sacrifice in the
form of a ram caught in the bush. What then is worship from this passage ? If you asked Abraham he would have said :
Worship is the offering to God of the most precious thing in our lives, in order that God can be the supreme and only focus of our lives…… because he alone is worthy…..
Abraham did not lose Isaac in the
process, but in offering Isaac back to God,
he was able to be set free from making Isaac an idol of his life….. he
was able to love Isaac but without being possessed by him. You might say this is a very tough
definition of worship…. I am afraid so….. but just look at what is the greatest
commandment in the scriptures….. Here was Abraham’s pride and joy, the apple of his eye….. and life was good….. until …one day God
Worship is the offering to God of the most precious thing in our lives, in order that God can be the supreme and only focus of our lives…… because he alone is worthy…..
Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind
and all your strength.
And anything else in our lives that prevents us to love God unreservedly and whole-heartedly - like Isaac —needs to be offered back to God….. so that its hold on us may be released. That worship means offering of ourselves and our possessions unreservedly to God is not limited to the Old Testament. Paul, writing to the Romans, had this to say (Romans 12:1-2) : Therefore, I urge you Brothers in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.
And anything else in our lives that prevents us to love God unreservedly and whole-heartedly - like Isaac —needs to be offered back to God….. so that its hold on us may be released. That worship means offering of ourselves and our possessions unreservedly to God is not limited to the Old Testament. Paul, writing to the Romans, had this to say (Romans 12:1-2) : Therefore, I urge you Brothers in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.
Richard Forster, in his book The celebration of discipline defines worship this way :-
“Worship is
our response to the overtures of love from the heart of the Father” (Richard Foster)
Think about the Prodigal Son….. he was in
a far country, starving, hungry …..longing to eat even the food of the pigs and
even that was denied him…. And yet when he came to his senses and realized that
there was enough food and to spare in his Father’s house, he turned around and headed home…. In the same way, worship is the time and the
place when we return to our Father who is waiting to embrace us, put the best
robe on us and to share the feast of love with us…..
How do we worship
The word worship means :
OT : shachah : to bow down
Abad : to serve : as a slave to his master.
NT : proskyneo (pros = towards) (kyneo= to kiss)
it means to come towards and to kiss the hand.
Latreuo : means to serve in recognition of God’s worth (e.g. Romans 12:2)
The word worship means :
OT : shachah : to bow down
Abad : to serve : as a slave to his master.
NT : proskyneo (pros = towards) (kyneo= to kiss)
it means to come towards and to kiss the hand.
Latreuo : means to serve in recognition of God’s worth (e.g. Romans 12:2)
It is interesting to note that both in
the OT and NT worship involves a posture
: bowing down as well as an action: to serve.
The idea that worship involves serving probably is the reason why we
call time of public worship as a Service…… It is a time when we serve or
minister to God….. But obviously, esp.
in Rom. 12, the idea of service as worship ought to take each day and each
moment of our lives… and such is the preparation for public worship. But there is something very special when
come together to worship. Eugene Peterson gave the following
as the reason that we have public worship:
“Worship is
the strategy by which we interrupt our preoccupation with ourselves and attend
to the presence of God. Worship is the
time and place that we assign for deliberate attentiveness to God - not because
he’s confined to time and place but because our self importance is so
insidiously relentless that if we don’t deliberately interrupt ourselves
regularly, we have no chance of attending to him at all at other times and
other places”What kind of worship does God want ?
John 4:1 to 24
People who live in Malaysia, Indonesia
and the middle East Muslim countries are often aware of the call to the
faithful to prayer and worship.....
Right in the middle of the day, everything will stop as hundreds of
Islamic believers prostrate themselves to the ground. What difference is there between their
worship and ours ?
The same question was raised by this Samaritan woman. How do you know your worship is genuine ? Isn't the hill in Samaria just as good as Mount Zion ? Who says that the Jews and not the Samaritans have got the only way to worship God ?
Jesus reply: Yes the Jews do know better what to worship and where to worship because salvation comes through the Jewish people. But the time will come when worship will no longer be limited to the place or the ceremonies, nor all the external things, because true worshipper will worship the Father in spirit and in truth...they are the kind of worshipper God desires.....Why because God is no material thing nor a human being, he is spirit, and to worship him one needs to worship in spirit and in truth....
Herein probably lies one of the most
important truths for worshippers. But what does Jesus mean when he says :
they that worship the Father must worship in spirit and in truth ?The same question was raised by this Samaritan woman. How do you know your worship is genuine ? Isn't the hill in Samaria just as good as Mount Zion ? Who says that the Jews and not the Samaritans have got the only way to worship God ?
Jesus reply: Yes the Jews do know better what to worship and where to worship because salvation comes through the Jewish people. But the time will come when worship will no longer be limited to the place or the ceremonies, nor all the external things, because true worshipper will worship the Father in spirit and in truth...they are the kind of worshipper God desires.....Why because God is no material thing nor a human being, he is spirit, and to worship him one needs to worship in spirit and in truth....
In spirit:The triune God is made up of Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.....a mystery....something that we can never completely understand. In the same way, all human beings are made up of body, soul and spirit. The body is the external visible part of a person. The soul is normally related to our personality, our feelings and the spirit is that part which reaches out to God....in worship and in prayer. These are not completely separate unrelated entities, but they are linked to one another. As I speak, it is not just my body speaking to you, hopefully my soul and my heart reach out to you As you hear me, my words not only reach your ear drums and your brains only, but also touch your heart.....and your soul. The human spirit is the part of us that reaches out to God....because God is spirit. Any worship which comes from just our lips and our mouths and not our spirit will not reach God...... Any worship which is merely external, depending on ceremonies, the grandeur of a church building or its location or its tradition is dead worship and will not please God..... I am not saying that these are not important, but devoid of our spirit......we cannot reach or touch God. In fact, until the Holy Spirit of God himself touches our spirit and brings it life, it is incapable of reaching God. The scriptures talk about us being dead in trespasses and sin but being made alive in union with Christ (Ephesians 2). Through the same Spirit of God who brings us life, will the Holy Spirit lead us in worship.
In
truth:What does it mean for us to worship in truth ?
The first: it probably means that we need to be truthful about ourselves. We need to be genuine....we need to be real. It is significant that as we look at the passage that when Jesus asked the woman to bring her husbands to him, she said: she had no husband.....Then Jesus commended the woman that she was being truthful, because the man she was living with was not her husband. Jesus was quick to seize upon a shred of truth that the woman brought....amidst all her excuses and corrupt living. In order to worship God we must first of all be truthful and genuine in our approach......Any falsehood and hypocrisy will spoil our worship......This does not mean we have to be perfect. The Samaritan woman was not perfect, but she was willing to admit her wrong. In the same way, we need to come as we are, with our masks off and allow God to touch us as we look up to him face to face........ Jesus was angry with the Pharisees because they had an appearance of holiness, but it was only superficial. He called them whitened sepulchres....looks good on the outside but inside full of decay and corruption and deadness.
Secondly: we need to come to grips with the truth about God himself.
Genuine worship must have its foundation on the knowledge of who God is and what he is like. How do we know what God is like ?
One: by what he does in creation.by what he does in our own lives and in the lives of those that we know....The hymn How Great Thou Art .....is an illustration of that : As we look at the beauty and grandeur of nature, as we see lives mended and made whole, as we see God's love overflowing in our own lives........ we can bow down in heart felt worship.....
Two : from the word of God.
The Bible is the only book that reveals to us what God is like and Jesus Christ is the only One who lived on this earth who show forth the character of the invisible God. As we soak ourselves in the truth of God's word so will we be set free from our own narrow and limited vision of the eternal God.
Genuine worship must have its foundation on the knowledge of who God is and what he is like. How do we know what God is like ?
One: by what he does in creation.by what he does in our own lives and in the lives of those that we know....The hymn How Great Thou Art .....is an illustration of that : As we look at the beauty and grandeur of nature, as we see lives mended and made whole, as we see God's love overflowing in our own lives........ we can bow down in heart felt worship.....
Two : from the word of God.
The Bible is the only book that reveals to us what God is like and Jesus Christ is the only One who lived on this earth who show forth the character of the invisible God. As we soak ourselves in the truth of God's word so will we be set free from our own narrow and limited vision of the eternal God.
Results of worship:
a. Worship transforms the worshipper
I believe that we become transformed into
the likeness of whoever or whatever we worship. We see this principle currently
at work in society. The whole “pop”
culture of musical and sporting superstars has become a natural arena of
“worship” for many people today. Still
emerging from the embryonic phase of self-identity many youth are eager to
emulate any “role models” considered worthy of their aspirations. They will naturally take on ways of speaking,
dressing and behaving that identify them with such a pop star and the
surrounding pop culture. The
“Beatle-Mania” of the “70’s” is prime example of this. Not all of this is bad in itself - it does
however demonstrates an innate need of mankind to worship and aspire to
something higher than himself. People were created to worship God but
whenever we worship anything less than the one true God our lives will fall
short of all we were created to be.
b. Worship Changes our Focus
God
wants our worship but he does not need our worship….. he wants us to worship
him because it set us free from ourselves and our preoccupation with ourselves
and our possessions…… and in so doing lift us into his presence.
A few years ago, I was attending an Easter convention in Waikanae all by
myself. I was feeling dried up
spiritually and also had a highly critical spirit. Unfortunately one of the
worship leaders really annoyed me in his off handed way of leading
worship. Instead of getting on with the
job he was wasting time with irrelevant singing items and making lengthy
remarks and leaving little time for the speaker. I was desperately in need of some spiritual
refreshment and here I was deprived just because of an insensitive and
inconsiderate worship leader. After the
meeting I ran away from all the superficial conversations and retreated to my
bungalow which was quite a distance from the main camp, and sulk, feeling very
sorry for myself...... I was even
critical of God and I said God why do you want us to worship you......Isn't
that a bit selfish....surely you don't need my worship....you are complete in
yourself. Only insecure people need
praise to boost up their self image, but you don't need that......Now when you
talk like that to a human being you would end up in trouble.
But God was very gracious and he didn't get angry with me. Instead he pointed me to a pink rose in the middle of the garden, the only one in flower at that time..... The rose was in a perfect shape, its petals open up like hands up raised. And even as I look, the sun came onto the rose, making it even more beautiful.....And God quietly whispered in my ear....in words I would never forget......look at that rose Timothy....see how it is poised towards the sun......like the sunflower is always poised towards the sun..... The rose needs no more face the sun as you need to worship me... But when it does it receives the warmth and light and life that only the sun can bring....so will you as you worship me.....As you worship me and bask in my love, so will you grow and thrive as the rose does as it faces the sun. That was enough, more than enough......I had no more to say...... I was no more critical....A bit like Job after God has spoken.... Tears came down my cheek as I sang softly the song : I love you Lord and I lift my voice....to worship you O my soul rejoice... Take joy my king in what you hear, let me be a sweet sweet sound in your ear....and I meant every word that I sang....
But God was very gracious and he didn't get angry with me. Instead he pointed me to a pink rose in the middle of the garden, the only one in flower at that time..... The rose was in a perfect shape, its petals open up like hands up raised. And even as I look, the sun came onto the rose, making it even more beautiful.....And God quietly whispered in my ear....in words I would never forget......look at that rose Timothy....see how it is poised towards the sun......like the sunflower is always poised towards the sun..... The rose needs no more face the sun as you need to worship me... But when it does it receives the warmth and light and life that only the sun can bring....so will you as you worship me.....As you worship me and bask in my love, so will you grow and thrive as the rose does as it faces the sun. That was enough, more than enough......I had no more to say...... I was no more critical....A bit like Job after God has spoken.... Tears came down my cheek as I sang softly the song : I love you Lord and I lift my voice....to worship you O my soul rejoice... Take joy my king in what you hear, let me be a sweet sweet sound in your ear....and I meant every word that I sang....
Yes worship is more than just a duty, it
is more than just a routine to be got over with as soon as possible....It is
not just a duty to a demanding God who needed his weekly dosage of
praise..... No worship is God's way to
help us to reorientate our lives...to bring joy and vitality and power into
our feeble frames to wean us from the tragedy of focusing on ourselves, our
needs and our wants.....instead it sets us free to focus on him and let him be
the centre of our lives and in that process fills us to overflowing, to water
the lives of those around us…… Feeding the Springs
Reading John 4:1-14.
I can well sympathize with the Samaritan woman's constant need to get water.
In my early teens, I lived in a town called
Jesselton in Sabah, Malaysia. It was a
wonderful little town, with a beautiful golden sand beach about two miles
away. We lived in a two storey house
which was shared with another family.
The house was built on water with long stilts supporting it above the
sea. Despite being right on the sea (
and being able to fish from out of my window and from the back doors) we had
severe problems of water supply. The
local authority would send water trucks which calls around once or twice a week
and fills the 44 gallon drums that we put out on the road side, accessible by a
long course way of about 100 metres long.
Then comes the process of carrying those water in 4 gallon containers
back to another 44 gallon drum at the back of the house.
Sometimes though our water supply would
come another way. Half way through
the night everyone would wake up to the
sound of a tropical down pour as we rushed around to catch the water coming
down the roof. There was no guttering and
we would put pot and pans basins and buckets everywhere to receive the precious
downpour coming down the corrugated iron roof and then pouring the contents
into 44 gallon drums. Rain water was
miles better than the water we collect from the road side. It was so clean and
fresh and tastes wonderful. Being
tropical rain, it comes down in buckets full literally and within a matter of
half an hour, the 2 or 3 44 gallon drums would be filled and then we
would go back to bed, secure and worry free for the next two to three days as
far as water was concerned.
A few weeks ago we stayed in a motel in
Arthurs pass next to a river, or what used to be a river. Without rain for weeks and weeks, the river
has dried up and it was a very sorry sight.
A river can only flow if it was fed by a stream and a stream can only
flow if it was fed by rain……but unlike a spring which had stored away years of
water, this river has run dried. Like
a river, our Christian lives can also run dry……..
When I first became a Christian many years
ago, I was told that I must have a quiet time each day. I was given a copy of the Daily Bread which
I kept up using for many years. Initially
it was great and I began to learn many things from the notes which laid the
foundation for my early Christian life.
No one taught me how to pray although I was told to pray. But as years
went on, I struggled more and more with the so called Quiet Time. It became a duty rather than a pleasure. I changed from one kind of note to another
hoping it would give me a fresh insight and a fresh start, but I always ended
up discouraged. And so I began to
explore other ways of spending time before the Lord.
I find it extremely useful to use a note
book for my quiet time, to jot down things as it is brought to mind and
sometimes turn it into a prayer. I have
a prayer diary which I sometimes use to record my conversation with God and
often I record not only what I speak to God about, but also what I feel God is
saying to me.... And in the weeks and
months and years that follow it is very helpful to turn back and find out what
has gone on and what God has done.
Having to write things down means my mind does not wander so easily and
I can concentrate better.
Another variation which I find helpful in
my quiet times is to paraphrase the scripture I am reading, i.e., turn it into
my own words and turn it into a coherent flowing passage which I can
understand. For some passages it is a real challenge, but I have always come
through understanding a lot more and remember a lot more than if I just read
the passage. If you are trying this, it
would be wise to start with short and fairly well known passages, like the
Lord's prayer, or the sermon on the mount.
Then go on to more ambitious chapters like Ephesians one and two or Philippians 1,2
and 3. Be content to do two to three
verses at the most at the beginning, and try not to use any words that the
original passage uses.
There is a severe drought in New Zealand at
present in our South Island, and it is very sad to see the farmers struggling
each day to feed their flock. But there
is a greater drought in our land spiritually, and men and women are crying out
for water, living water which can satisfy.
I can well sympathize with the Samaritan woman's constant need to get water.
Sometimes though our water supply would
come another way. Half way through
the night everyone would wake up to the
sound of a tropical down pour as we rushed around to catch the water coming
down the roof. There was no guttering and
we would put pot and pans basins and buckets everywhere to receive the precious
downpour coming down the corrugated iron roof and then pouring the contents
into 44 gallon drums. Rain water was
miles better than the water we collect from the road side. It was so clean and
fresh and tastes wonderful. Being
tropical rain, it comes down in buckets full literally and within a matter of
half an hour, the 2 or 3 44 gallon drums would be filled and then we
would go back to bed, secure and worry free for the next two to three days as
far as water was concerned.
For the Samaritan woman it was a case of
walking in hot scorching sun for miles just to carry enough water for washing
and cooking and it was a case of coming again for some more. No wonder when Jesus offered the living
water to the woman she was so thrilled that despite the barrier of race, sex
and culture, she was keen to have that living water.
What Jesus was offering was of course more
wonderful than just physical water. It was water that would meet the deepest
need of her soul - her need for love - for recognition - for companionship -
her need for God - her need for
forgiveness - her need for security.
Hers was a life of constant quest, looking for someone who would really
love her and never sure whether she was loved or whether she was used.
But
Jesus promised more than just water to fill her once, he promised to give her
water which
will become a spring within her welling up and bubbling over until eternity,
and not only enough for her own use,
but plenty left over to overflow to the lives of other people.
Jesus offered her not a filled water
pot, but a spring.
What then is a spring ? and
how does it form ?
During a trip to South Island many years
ago, we went to Takaka, in the Abel Tasman National Park. We came to place which had a group of
springs which together are called Pupu Springs.
After getting off the car we walked along a long wooden walk ways over
which a stream of beautiful and clear water flowed. Although it was in the middle of summer the
water was icy cold to the touch. At the
end of the wooden walk way we came upon a platform which overlooks a pool of
water which had beautiful shades of green and blue. Water in the middle of the pool had an
appearance of a whirl pool, spinning and gurgling around, as water keeps
gushing out from below. According to the
information given about Pupu Springs: this is possibly the world's largest
known freshwater spring with a reputed 475 million gallons of water welling up
every twenty four hours (that is 4 and half thousand gallons every
second). Looking up the figures
published by the Wellington regional council this week, the average use of
water of the whole of the region is 152 million litres per day. So what came out of Pupu Springs each day
would last two weeks for the whole of Wellington. [ 2160 million litres per day or
25, 000 litres per second
During a trip to South Island many years
ago, we went to Takaka, in the Abel Tasman National Park. We came to place which had a group of
springs which together are called Pupu Springs.
After getting off the car we walked along a long wooden walk ways over
which a stream of beautiful and clear water flowed. Although it was in the middle of summer the
water was icy cold to the touch. At the
end of the wooden walk way we came upon a platform which overlooks a pool of
water which had beautiful shades of green and blue. Water in the middle of the pool had an
appearance of a whirl pool, spinning and gurgling around, as water keeps
gushing out from below. According to the
information given about Pupu Springs: this is possibly the world's largest
known freshwater spring with a reputed 475 million gallons of water welling up
every twenty four hours (that is 4 and half thousand gallons every
second). Looking up the figures
published by the Wellington regional council this week, the average use of
water of the whole of the region is 152 million litres per day. So what came out of Pupu Springs each day
would last two weeks for the whole of Wellington. [ 2160 million litres per day or
25, 000 litres per second
This compares well with the published
figure of average water use in Wellington Region of 152 million litres per day
or 2 weeks’ supply ]
The source of the spring is not known,
although there is a measurable increase
in the volume of water every time it rains heavily in the Takaka
vicinity; but research has revealed that the water, when it first bubbles up
clear and icy cold, has not been exposed to the air for a period of three to
five years !
I find that information fascinating and
revealing as a parable of the inner life of the Christians.
One of the most important things it is
saying to me is that if we want the springs in our lives to overflow to others
then we must be prepare to feed the springs.
In the case of the Pupu springs, it was the accumulation of years of
rain, dew, surface water or even snow from a very large catchment area. Those thousands of gallons of water gushing
out every second did not come from rain yesterday, or even from rain the week before.
It was water accumulated for months and years and systematically stored
away on top of non-porous rocks. So that
whether there was rain or not in the immediate past, the flow of water is
constant, always fresh, always clean and refreshing. A few weeks ago we stayed in a motel in
Arthurs pass next to a river, or what used to be a river. Without rain for weeks and weeks, the river
has dried up and it was a very sorry sight.
A river can only flow if it was fed by a stream and a stream can only
flow if it was fed by rain……but unlike a spring which had stored away years of
water, this river has run dried. Like
a river, our Christian lives can also run dry……..
In a sense there is nothing wrong in
seeking to meet God in special and dramatic encounters in camps and
conferences. Many of God’s servants,
like Moses, Abraham, David, Elijah have been thoroughly challenged and
refreshed in these encounters. But these encounters are not meant to be an end
in itself. They are meant to spur us on
to seek the Lord in a greater degree and having experienced Jesus in an intimate
way we would want to spend more time with him. However, as we return to normal daily life
from a camp or conference, we quickly
forget that, and we are caught up with
the daily rush and worries of life, and we soon dry up again for lack of water. And we bring our water pots to another
encounter experience. God is gracious
and he often gives us another chance of meeting with him. Our hearts are fired up again…..but only for a
short time before the process must be repeated.
Like the Pupu spring, we must develop our
inner life by a constant opening of ourselves and our heart to Jesus, so that
the dew of his presence will seep through our souls, like water that seeps
through the rock to be stored up for the drier times. But you say, it is easier said than
done. And I would be the first one to
agree.
There is of course nothing wrong with SU
notes, but my way of using it was wrong.
Instead of reading the Word and expecting God to speak to me through his
Word, I read the passage and straightaway turn to the notes for my inspiration
and so fail to give God the opportunity to speak to me directly, nor allowing
me to use my mind to think what the passage is all about. If you do use any notes for your quiet time,
maybe you could try not to read the commentary notes for a week, but pray and
ask God to speak to you through the passage chosen for each day.... God may not
speak to you in an audible voice(or he may) but you can be sure that he wants
to teach you and speak to you through
his word about yourselves and about things that you should do or could do and
things you could pray for.......but more importantly to reveal his love to
you……
I find it extremely useful to use a note
book for my quiet time, to jot down things as it is brought to mind and
sometimes turn it into a prayer. I have
a prayer diary which I sometimes use to record my conversation with God and
often I record not only what I speak to God about, but also what I feel God is
saying to me.... And in the weeks and
months and years that follow it is very helpful to turn back and find out what
has gone on and what God has done.
Having to write things down means my mind does not wander so easily and
I can concentrate better.
As a change to using SU notes, I sometimes
follow what Evelyn Christenson author of "What happens when Women
Pray" shares about reading until
the Lord speaks method. In your Bible
reading instead of doing an exact no. of verses as dictated by your Bible
reading notes, you simply go through a book of the Bible, reading it slowly, carefully and expectantly, until you
feel the Lord is speaking to you through the passage. This could be 2 verses or it could be 20 or
it could be 1 and a half chapter. It
doesn't matter. Read until you feel the
Lord is speaking and then stop. Pause to
think and to pray..... and to write
down, if appropriate what you think the Lord wants you to do, and do it.
Another variation which I find helpful in
my quiet times is to paraphrase the scripture I am reading, i.e., turn it into
my own words and turn it into a coherent flowing passage which I can
understand. For some passages it is a real challenge, but I have always come
through understanding a lot more and remember a lot more than if I just read
the passage. If you are trying this, it
would be wise to start with short and fairly well known passages, like the
Lord's prayer, or the sermon on the mount.
Then go on to more ambitious chapters like Ephesians one and two or Philippians 1,2
and 3. Be content to do two to three
verses at the most at the beginning, and try not to use any words that the
original passage uses.
But don’t limit your quiet time with the
Lord with just those 15 to 20 minutes per day.
Remember that the soaking process for the springs was a constant process
throughout the day. Pause a while in
the midst of your busy schedules to look up to the Lord and tell him that you
love him. Pause even in the middle of a
conference, pause while you are cooking, while you are dressing the baby, while you hang up the clothes on the line,
while you are driving on the road, while you are stuck in a traffic jam. Tune in to the Lord and say Lord I love
you.
Our world today rushes on..... cars are
built to go faster....computer are built to go faster...... instead of writing
a letter and wait for it to arrive the next day or next week, we use the fax
machine, we use the email. Instead of waiting to phone someone when he gets to the office, or gets home, we use the
cell phone....once again we can't wait.....as a Christian, I can't see anything
wrong with these advances in technology, but does make us into a generation of
people who do know what it is to wait patiently for the Lord. The well known promise from Isaiah 40 however
is for those dare to take time and spend time soaking in the Word of the Lord,
spend time to know the Lord and listen to him.
There is a severe drought in New Zealand at
present in our South Island, and it is very sad to see the farmers struggling
each day to feed their flock. But there
is a greater drought in our land spiritually, and men and women are crying out
for water, living water which can satisfy.
The Samaritan woman found that water and
she went away and shared that water with her folk and they came themselves and
found that living water too. God’s plan
and purpose for each of our lives is that we too may have that spring of living
water in us which not only supply our needs but it will overflow to the needs
of others too.
Speaking to the Israelites, Isaiah challenged his own people to begin to
care for the needs of those who are poor, those who struggle, instead of just
being religious and keeping the Sabbath as a ceremony, he had this to say :
The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings..... Is 58:11,12.
The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings..... Is 58:11,12.
May this be the promise for the
congregation here in Mana Baptist church as you reach out into the community.
(Preached Mana Baptist Church 7/3/1999)
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