'Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my Soul to keep, … Continue reading Will We Die Before We Wake?
Will We Die Before We Wake?
‘Hope’ Where Hope Dies
In the well know Greek mythological story, a young woman named Pandora is given a box by the ‘gods’ which she opens and in doing so releases all the evils into the world. However, one thing remains in the box, and that is ‘Hope’. There are various interpretations of this story, but one thing that … Continue reading ‘Hope’ Where Hope Dies
Dead Horses, Opportunity Costs and the Un-harvest
“I chose you . . . . . that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should last.” ********** Probably like most people, now and again I get random thoughts come into my head. One of which recently floated into my mind when I … Continue reading Dead Horses, Opportunity Costs and the Un-harvest
The Atheist’s Bible Delight
‘Blessed is the man . . . . . . . . . . whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. … Continue reading The Atheist’s Bible Delight
Fiddling While Souls Burn
Again in the last few months a couple of people I know (one a close friend, another who I meet fairly regularly) have been diagnosed with terminal, or probably terminal cancer. This caused me to focus again on the issues in this previous post, concerns so serious in regard to the church and its ever decreasing missional effectiveness to those who have the Damoclean Sword of being without Christ hanging over their heads, that I thought it worth re-posting.
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In recent weeks I have learned that two long-time friends, both younger than me, have received a diagnosis of Cancer. Either too late to be effectively treated or of a type of Cancer with an average survival rate of less than two years.
These events have sharply highlighted the ‘Damoclean Sword’ of death that constantly hangs over all of our heads, whatever form it takes- sickness, a road accident or just the inevitable falling night of old age. For all of us this is the end of that brief mist between eternity and eternity we call life, the inevitable prelude to the swinging open of the gate of death. Then what?
Jesus answer to that question is that every human is journeying along one of two roads – the wide road that leads to destruction or the narrow road that leads to (eternal) life (Matthew 7:13,14).
This ‘Damoclean Sword’ meditation caused me to think which of those two roads are my friends on. For one I am sure it is the narrow road, for the other, a very nominal church member I am not so sure. Bigger than that-what about my family and other friends? What about the millions of Australians who are stumbling in darkness along the wide road that leads to the horror of an eternity without God.
With this terrible horizon waiting to greet the millions around us without Christ, should not our love from God and our love for God drive us to put all our efforts into gospel mission, so that with the Apostle Paul we “May possibly save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22)?
But what do we actually see? We see the Church ‘fiddling’. Fiddling with issues of varying importance such as women bishops, ‘same sex’ marriage, the preservation of old buildings and rituals but which are actually secondary to our Gospel mandate. This while millions of souls journey towards the, no doubt metaphorical but no less terrible, ‘burning’ of the ‘Second death” and “the lake of fire” (Revelation 21:8).
We see the church fiddling with missionally ineffective strategies of yesteryear, ever fiddling in a bondage to idolatries of form and ritual, of ‘comfortable’ Christianity which refuses to pay the cost of the discipleship that Jesus calls us to- while the ‘Rome’ of western society ‘burns’.
There is an urgency for the church to be ‘Unbound’, set free from its current captivities, to turn its still considerable resources to the mission into the pagan darkness of the lost. To let go of our beloved forms and traditions for the sake of the lost, to pay the price that the King made clear is His demand, without which we “Cannot be His disciple”. To show love for all those blissfully unaware of the ‘Sword of Damocles’ hanging over their head.
This is actually what ‘loving our neighbour is’.
In recent weeks I have learned that two long-time friends, both younger than me, have received a diagnosis of Cancer. Either too late to be effectively treated or of a type of Cancer with an average survival rate of less than two years.
These events have sharply highlighted the ‘Damoclean Sword’ of death that constantly hangs over all of our heads, whatever form it takes- sickness, a road accident or just the inevitable falling night of old age. For all of us this is the end of that brief mist between eternity and eternity we call life, the inevitable prelude to the swinging open of the gate of death. Then what?
Jesus answer to that question is that every human is journeying along one of two roads – the wide road that leads to destruction or the narrow road that leads to (eternal) life (Matthew 7:13,14).
This ‘Damoclean Sword’ meditation…
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When the ‘Main Thing’ Isn’t
The American businessman Stephen Covey was the author of the well-known statement that "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." While that was said in the context of business it also is highly relevant to the existence, health and purpose of the church, particularly in the area of Mission. At the … Continue reading When the ‘Main Thing’ Isn’t
The Misshapen Church and the Rabbit Hole to Weird-Land
“I’m not strange, weird, off, nor crazy, my reality is just different from yours.” … Continue reading The Misshapen Church and the Rabbit Hole to Weird-Land
Notice – A ‘SEEK’ Day – Missional Community Gathering
For Support, Encouragement, Equipping, Knowledge Sharing- 13th April, 2019 For all those who are already involved in, or interested in developing, Missional Communities and Networks. Looking at some of the (perhaps new) skills for the creation and development of MCs in the 'Live, Work and Play' cultural universes where unchurched people spend their time. For … Continue reading Notice – A ‘SEEK’ Day – Missional Community Gathering
The ‘Transferee Mirage’ – Again!
It is quite dispiriting to feel the need to return to this topic. It has been quite a few years since I first wrote about the ‘Transferee Mirage’. The original context was the satisfaction being expressed by many church leaders at the time that a (then) recent National Church Life Survey (2011) indicated ongoing attendance … Continue reading The ‘Transferee Mirage’ – Again!
Summer’s Morn
Morning sunlight dapples forest floor, At Escarpment’s foot, a sparkling Pacific dances in a southern breeze Eucalypt scents the air, Tumbling seaward the Creek burbles with pleasure Kookaburras laugh with joy Collared Doves coo, Magpies carol and Currawongs call, Backed by a Cicada choir God’s creation rejoices and sings unbounded praise for Summer’s morn.
