Our passage today starts with the word 'Therefore', which gives us a clue that there is a discussion that has already resulted in some sort of conclusion. As a result of which we have the passage in front of us today. It is also Paul at his difficult best. You can almost hear him having thoughts and getting them down on his paper. He didn't have my luxury of word processing, once it was written it was written, no going back and changing it. When a new thought comes along that really fits somewhere further back it must be recorded and dealt with there, he can't go back and re-do the last paragraph or two.
So, before we deal with the therefore lets try to get sense of what Paul is saying. I sat down and tried to re-write the thoughts, it helped me to get closer to the text. See what you think, if it helps you too – great, otherwise, just ignore the next slide.
[Slide 3]
We are standing in Grace and we are at peace with God because we have been justified by our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
So we rejoice in the hope of the God's Glory. We continue to rejoice even when that faith brings us troubles, because we know that those troubles produce perseverance, and perseverance produces character, and character hope.
Our hope does not disappoint us because we have God's love, brought to us by the Holy Spirit, who, himself was given to us by God.
Now that may or may not help you. It certainly won't if you don't understand all the theological language, so we will take a look at some of those words later, as we try to get a better understanding of exactly what Paul is talking about and what it means for us.
First, though lets go back and take a look at how Paul arrived at the 'Therefore'. We have to go back to Romans 3:21 to see what Paul is talking about.
[Slide 4] – Romans 3:21-26
Ro 3:21 But now a righteousness from God, b apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. c
Ro 3:22 This righteousness from God d comes through faith e in Jesus Christ f to all who believe. g There is no difference, h
Ro 3:23 for all have sinned i and fall short of the glory of God,
Ro 3:24 and are justified j freely by his grace k through the redemption l that came by Christ Jesus.
Ro 3:25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, 16 m through faith in his blood. n He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished o —
Ro 3:26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
In verse 21 Righteousness (being right with God) came from following the Jewish law – completely and perfectly. Now though another way of righteousness has been revealed. Before Jesus people couldn't have known about what he would do, unless they had studied the scriptures very closely and listened carefully to God speaking through them. No-one had, although some had come close. Now though righteousness comes through faith in Jesus – whether as a Jew you have tried to follow the Law, or as a Gentile you had no knowledge of the Law.
'There is no difference' Paul says at the end of verse 22, for all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.
[Slide 5] – Tin rolling demonstration – ask for a volunteer.
[Slide 6] – Tin rolling explanation.
The tin represents us. However hard we try we cannot keep on the straight and narrow. We will always fail, get distracted from our purpose, or change our focus.
Jesus said
Mt 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
Mt 7:14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Paul then goes on to explain that righteousness under the Law is not possible and justification is only available by faith – even to Abraham. Being Paul he does this in great detail, you can read it later, the key thing for us to understand is that God knows that righteousness is impossible for us living in a fallen world.
[Slide 7] – Bible Passage
Coming back to today's passage lets take a look at some of these technical words and try to get a better understanding of them all.
[Slide 8] – Bible Passage
Justified verse 1
Faith verse 1
Peace verse 1
Grace verse 2
Hope verse 2
Suffering verse 3
[Slide 9] – Justified
Justified can be easily explained, it simply means put right. You can remember it by saying “Just as if I'd”.
Here's just about the best illustration of justification that I've ever come across.
There was a man in England who put his Rolls-Royce on a boat and went across to the continent to go on a holiday. While he was driving around Europe, something happened to the motor of his car. He cabled the Rolls-Royce people back in England and asked, "I'm having trouble with my car; what do you suggest I do?" Well, the Rolls-Royce people flew a mechanic over! The mechanic repaired the car and flew back to England and left the man to continue his holiday. As you can imagine, the fellow was wondering, "How much is this going to cost me?" So when he got back to England, he wrote the people a letter and asked how much he owed them. He received a letter from the office that read: "Dear Sir: There is no record anywhere in our files that anything ever went wrong with a Rolls-Royce." That is justification.
Dr. Roy Gustafson
So lets see how that might relate to you and God. What would he write back to you, if you wrote asking what the cost of your justification was? [Ask the question]
[Slide 11] – God's response.
[Slide 12] – Faith
The second word I want to talk about is faith
It may seem fairly obvious what faith is, but sometimes the obvious does not really get to the point.
[The Chair illustration. - get someone to sit on a chair]
That shows faith, but is is a very simple faith, God expects more from us than that.
The following letter was found in a baking-powder can wired to the handle of an old pump that offered the only hope of drinking water on a very long and seldom-used trail across Nevada's Amargosa Desert: "This pump is all right as of June 1932. I put a new sucker washer into it and it ought to last five years. But the washer dries out and the pump has got to be primed. Under the white rock I buried a bottle of water, out of the sun and cork end up. There's enough water in it to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first. Pour about one-fourth and let her soak to wet the leather. Then pour in the rest medium fast and pump like crazy. You'll git water. The well has never run dry. Have faith. When you git watered up, fill the bottle and put it back like you found it for the next feller. (signed) Desert Pete. P.S. Don't go drinking the water first. Prime the pump with it and you'll git all you can hold."
Keith Miller and Bruce Larson, The Edge of Adventure.
Desert Pete's faith is much stronger. He has faith that unknown people will follow his instructions, and be good enough to replace the water, so that his instructions can be followed by the next person. People in these extreme situations are usually a lot more careful and responsible than people are in normal daily life. His faith is tied in with the things he has done – but that's another sermon.
There is a deeper faith still – the sort of faith that God wants us to have
When Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego were ordered to worship the Babylonian gods they refused, so the King threatened to put them in his furnace. This is their response:
[Slide 13] – Faith
Da 3:17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue n us from your hand, O king.
Da 3:18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. o ”
Faith here remains, regardless of the actions of God.
Can you and I say that. We believe that God will answer our prayer, but even if he doesn't it will not change what we believe about him or the quality of our belief in him?
[Slide 14] – Peace
Take a look at the images – someone asleep, a mountain brook, friends enjoying food together, soldiers with a white flag, a pile of money, a couple of hippies.
What do they say to you about peace?
Sleeping peacefully, the peace found in the wilderness, being at peace with your friends, the peace of having enough not to worry about the future, the peace of a very relaxed way of life.
God's peace is different, although it incorporates all of these things. The peace mentioned here is peace with God. It's the peace that comes from being totally secure in the company of someone else, it's the peace of always wanting and doing the same things, of being in agreement. It is not in-action, although rest is certainly involved.
[Slide 16] – Peace - Shalom
The biblical word is Shalom, but that is also another sermon.
[Slide 17] – Grace
In the words of the song “Grace is when God gives us the things we don't deserve”
[Slide 18] – Grace spells Gods Riches at Christ's Expense
Through God's grace all the rich blessing of God are availabe to us because of the death of Jesus on the cross.
Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker both had churches in London in the 19th century. On one occasion, Parker commented on the poor condition of children admitted to Spurgeon's orphanage. It was reported to Spurgeon however, that Parker had criticized the orphanage itself. Spurgeon blasted Parker the next week from the pulpit. The attack was printed in the newspapers and became the talk of the town. People flocked to Parker's church the next Sunday to hear his rebuttal. "I understand Dr. Spurgeon is not in his pulpit today, and this is the Sunday they use to take an offering for the orphanage. I suggest we take a love offering here instead." The crowd was delighted. The ushers had to empty the collection plates 3 times. Later that week there was a knock at Parker's study. It was Spurgeon. "You know Parker, you have practised grace on me. You have given me not what I deserved, you have given me what I needed.
[Slide 19] – Hope
A man sentenced to death obtained a reprieve by assuring the king he would teach his majesty's horse to fly within the year--on the condition that if he didn't succeed, he would be put to death at the end of the year. "Within a year," the man explained later, "the king may die, or I may die, or the horse may die. Furthermore, in a year, who knows? Maybe the horse will learn to fly."
Bernard M. Baruch.
That is very much like saying, before you've seen the forecast, “I hope it will be a warm dry day tomorrow.” If you're talking in June, then your hope may be reasonable, if you're talking in February it is probably not.
We though have a more solid hope. We rejoice in the Hope of the Glory of God, yet to be revealed, just as in the days before Jesus the Jewish hope was in the Messiah. The Messiah came, although for many it was thousands of years in their future. For us it may also be thousands of years in the future, or it may be that God's Glory will be revealed today.
We KNOW its coming, even if some of the Jews may not have Known the Messiah was coming.
We KNOW its coming, because God has given us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit not only marks us as God's, but continually reminds us that God is there working inside us and brining us closer to God's Glory day by day.
[Slide 20] – Suffering
You may remember that when I re-wrote these verses to try to help me understand them better I did not use the word suffering. I used troubles. This is because when you make peace with God, you immediately undo any peace that you had with your fellow human beings. You are no longer one of them and they will try to undermine your faith. This may be subtle, or it may be quite direct. One way or the other it will go against your new found peace with God, they will try to deceive you, or force you to deny your faith.
This testing of you faith is allowed by God and it is sometimes quite unpleasant.
God has promised though that we will not be tested to breaking point.
There is a purpose to this testing, it is to develop your character, so that you will become more and more like Jesus.
[get someone to identify coal]
[Slide 21] Coal
What happens when coal is put under extreme pressure for millions of years?
Diamonds
[Slide 21] Coal & Diamond
The pressure, or trouble that we are subject to changes us, so that our characters are built, until we are diamond – fit for heaven.
Conclusion
Paul is reminding his readers, or perhaps explaining to them for the first time how they stand before God. The passage also describes how we stand before God. We are able to have a relationship with God because we have accepted as true that Jesus was the Messiah the Jews were expecting, and that he suffered and died, taking the consequences of our sins. So we can rejoice in the hope of the Glory of God that is yet to be revealed. Even when our beliefs get us into trouble with others in the world we will continue to rejoice. We can do this because we know that the trouble that come our way are for a purpose – to develop our God-like character. This gives us hope, which does not disappoint us because God has given us his Holy Spirit so that we can know his love.
We have sung about it this morning when we sang “In Christ Alone”
All this for simply believing that Jesus died for you.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
A Dog called Demolition
I was given this book as an introduction to Robert Rankin. I read it. That's probably the best that can be said. It's a nice science fantasy idea but the execution of the no beginning, middle and end story just doesn't work. I didn't really get to care about any of the characters, except perhaps the one who died near the beginning (at the end of the beginning?)
Some of the 'music hall' humour was out of place, some of the other humour has already dated. The ending was more Monty Python than a fantasy story, and so hugely disappointing.
Some of the 'music hall' humour was out of place, some of the other humour has already dated. The ending was more Monty Python than a fantasy story, and so hugely disappointing.
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Billericay Hustings
Three candidates attended the hustings: John Baron (Conservative), our MP; Mike Hibbs (Liberal Democrat); Alan Davies (Labour). The decision was taken not to invite the BNP, and I'm not sure what happened to UKIP. I would like to have seen them all. I believe that not inviting the BNP is dangerous precedent and an attack on freedom of speech. It didn't work with Sinn Féin for Margaret Thatcher, and it won't work now, it just lets them 'skulk in the shadows' as John Baron said, picking up disaffected unthinking voters. My church disagrees, apparently the C of E synod has ruled that they are not allowed to be given a platform. So they were not there to condemn themselves.
The debate was structured around some introductory pre-notified questions, and then questions submitted on entry by those attending, sorted into categories. So here are some of the comments I recorded (it is not a transcript in any way):
About Yourselves
John: Started his career in the army, and entered politics with a desire to help people
Mike: Started as a sales assistant at a builders merchant and is now an architect, and entered politics because of the importance of community and to give people hope that things can improve.
Alan: Started at Marconi's, and is the only one of the candidates to have been born in the constituency.
Personal Passions
Alan: Stamp collecting, trainspotting (as a joke?), and his Christian faith.
John: Family, Politics
Mike: Sustainability, Young people
The questions from the floor followed:
NHS & Basildon Hospital
Mike: Too many managers. Some with over inflated salaries. Reduce and re-invest the savings
John: Basildon Hospital is doing good work and improving, they have met their cleanliness tragets
Alan: Only has good things to say about the hospital, and reminded us that Labour created the NHS.
NHS Parking Fees
Alan: Opposed
John: Uncomfortable with the idea and wants to understand where the money goes
Mike: OK, so long as it doesn't disadvantage the poor or those in long term care. Wanted to look at other ways to travel to the hospital.
Integrity
John: Has not always been in tune with his party, and is his 'own man'. There is a need for honesty in public service
Alan: His faith produces honesty and integrity.
Mike: Politics is the problem. The Liberal Democrats make their policy at their conferences and it is agreed democratically.
Gordon Browns 'Bigot' comment
Alan: He apologised face-to-face immediately. It can be forgotten.
Mike: He apologised face-to-face immediately. That's that!
John: It was an unfortunate word. Gives insights into the traits of the man. Immigration is a real issue which must be addressed by politicians because it is a real concern for many people.
Alan: Responded by talking about the BNP.
Mike: less than 4% of non-British origin in this constituency. The problem is we don't really know where the immigrants are as border controls have been abandoned. Must ensure that the discussion is based on facts.
Education and the chance of getting a job at the end of it
Alan: Primary schools are at a reasonable level, spending has been doubled, training to 18 will be offered.
Mike: Phase out university tuition fees (when the economy can afford it). Look at schooling outcomes and try to improve the areas with poor outcomes.
John: Voted against tuition fees. Will give extra help to business to improve employment prospects.
The Equality Law and the problems it has caused for those of faith
Alan: Ask What Would Jesus Do?
John: Was involved in the defeat of the most invasive provisions of the bill.
Mike: Expressed concern over religious groups causing unrest.
What is the one thing that would make people vote for you?
Alan: Is a local and a Christian with a socialist voice.
John: Is dedicated to public service, helping people and improving government.
Mike: represents the best chance for real change in the way we are governed.
Did it change who I will vote for? - No, but:
It gave me a much greater insight into candidates, and their beliefs and motives.
Who won on the night?
John clearly 'won' on the presentation front. He understood the issue behind the question, and knew how he would answer it. He should have - he's had nine years of practice.
That was my first ever hustings - and a very interesting and stimulating evening it was.
The debate was structured around some introductory pre-notified questions, and then questions submitted on entry by those attending, sorted into categories. So here are some of the comments I recorded (it is not a transcript in any way):
About Yourselves
John: Started his career in the army, and entered politics with a desire to help people
Mike: Started as a sales assistant at a builders merchant and is now an architect, and entered politics because of the importance of community and to give people hope that things can improve.
Alan: Started at Marconi's, and is the only one of the candidates to have been born in the constituency.
Personal Passions
Alan: Stamp collecting, trainspotting (as a joke?), and his Christian faith.
John: Family, Politics
Mike: Sustainability, Young people
The questions from the floor followed:
NHS & Basildon Hospital
Mike: Too many managers. Some with over inflated salaries. Reduce and re-invest the savings
John: Basildon Hospital is doing good work and improving, they have met their cleanliness tragets
Alan: Only has good things to say about the hospital, and reminded us that Labour created the NHS.
NHS Parking Fees
Alan: Opposed
John: Uncomfortable with the idea and wants to understand where the money goes
Mike: OK, so long as it doesn't disadvantage the poor or those in long term care. Wanted to look at other ways to travel to the hospital.
Integrity
John: Has not always been in tune with his party, and is his 'own man'. There is a need for honesty in public service
Alan: His faith produces honesty and integrity.
Mike: Politics is the problem. The Liberal Democrats make their policy at their conferences and it is agreed democratically.
Gordon Browns 'Bigot' comment
Alan: He apologised face-to-face immediately. It can be forgotten.
Mike: He apologised face-to-face immediately. That's that!
John: It was an unfortunate word. Gives insights into the traits of the man. Immigration is a real issue which must be addressed by politicians because it is a real concern for many people.
Alan: Responded by talking about the BNP.
Mike: less than 4% of non-British origin in this constituency. The problem is we don't really know where the immigrants are as border controls have been abandoned. Must ensure that the discussion is based on facts.
Education and the chance of getting a job at the end of it
Alan: Primary schools are at a reasonable level, spending has been doubled, training to 18 will be offered.
Mike: Phase out university tuition fees (when the economy can afford it). Look at schooling outcomes and try to improve the areas with poor outcomes.
John: Voted against tuition fees. Will give extra help to business to improve employment prospects.
The Equality Law and the problems it has caused for those of faith
Alan: Ask What Would Jesus Do?
John: Was involved in the defeat of the most invasive provisions of the bill.
Mike: Expressed concern over religious groups causing unrest.
What is the one thing that would make people vote for you?
Alan: Is a local and a Christian with a socialist voice.
John: Is dedicated to public service, helping people and improving government.
Mike: represents the best chance for real change in the way we are governed.
Did it change who I will vote for? - No, but:
It gave me a much greater insight into candidates, and their beliefs and motives.
Who won on the night?
John clearly 'won' on the presentation front. He understood the issue behind the question, and knew how he would answer it. He should have - he's had nine years of practice.
That was my first ever hustings - and a very interesting and stimulating evening it was.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Bomber Boys
ISBN 978-0-00791215-1
Bomber Harris I'd heard of, but I knew little, if anything, about the men under his command. This book puts that straight. It is written about those who actually flew, the pilots, navigators, bomb aimers, rear gunners. Most of the recollections are taken from their letters. This is because the Bomber Boys formed the front line of WWII. That meant the death rate was appalling. You cannot get away from the sense of loss - although there is a chapter dedicated to death, the spectre of it is on almost every page.
We are taken from the start of the war, through the volunteers (all of them were, even if they'd been conscripted) selection and early training. The RAF mechanism for putting crews together - not what you'd expect. On to the operational flights, problems with the aircraft, and good things about the aircraft. Here some of the main characters begin to appear.
In later chapters, their friendships are examined, in particular their loyalty to their crew. A special closeness develops very quickly when under fire from flak and fighters in the dark at 15,000 feet., Their personal relationship is also covered, and some time is spent on wartime romances. Some of these come from letters kept by girlfriends for the remainder of their lives.
For the most part the Bomber Boys believed in what they were doing, even though they were regularly the target of propaganda, they were not so easily fooled. That Nazi Germany was waging total war, and the combined efforts of the Allies were only just enough to turn the tide. So when you hear about Dresden, don't only think in terms of revenge for Coventry, remember that when the raid was made it was not clear that the war had only months to run.
I bought this book towards the end of my unemployment in 2008, and have just finished reading it. Without that episode, I would never have considered such a topic. I'm glad I did. It is not an easy read - you just start to get to know someone only to hear they have been killed, or are 'missing', or taken prisoner. Patrick Bishop has done a brilliant job of bringing the Bomber Boys to life, and latterly showing how little their achievements and sacrifice have been officially recognised.
There is only really one criticism. The campaigns, or battles, for the Rhur, Berlin, Hamburg etc are spread throughout the book, and it is a little difficult to keep current with just where we are in the war as the topics change. However, there are extensive indexes, references., plane schematics and the like to keep you busy once the reading is done.
The main part of the book ends with:
Went the day well,
We died and never knew,
But well or ill, Freedom,
We died for you.
--- which Oh, so many of them did.
Bomber Harris I'd heard of, but I knew little, if anything, about the men under his command. This book puts that straight. It is written about those who actually flew, the pilots, navigators, bomb aimers, rear gunners. Most of the recollections are taken from their letters. This is because the Bomber Boys formed the front line of WWII. That meant the death rate was appalling. You cannot get away from the sense of loss - although there is a chapter dedicated to death, the spectre of it is on almost every page.
We are taken from the start of the war, through the volunteers (all of them were, even if they'd been conscripted) selection and early training. The RAF mechanism for putting crews together - not what you'd expect. On to the operational flights, problems with the aircraft, and good things about the aircraft. Here some of the main characters begin to appear.
In later chapters, their friendships are examined, in particular their loyalty to their crew. A special closeness develops very quickly when under fire from flak and fighters in the dark at 15,000 feet., Their personal relationship is also covered, and some time is spent on wartime romances. Some of these come from letters kept by girlfriends for the remainder of their lives.
For the most part the Bomber Boys believed in what they were doing, even though they were regularly the target of propaganda, they were not so easily fooled. That Nazi Germany was waging total war, and the combined efforts of the Allies were only just enough to turn the tide. So when you hear about Dresden, don't only think in terms of revenge for Coventry, remember that when the raid was made it was not clear that the war had only months to run.
I bought this book towards the end of my unemployment in 2008, and have just finished reading it. Without that episode, I would never have considered such a topic. I'm glad I did. It is not an easy read - you just start to get to know someone only to hear they have been killed, or are 'missing', or taken prisoner. Patrick Bishop has done a brilliant job of bringing the Bomber Boys to life, and latterly showing how little their achievements and sacrifice have been officially recognised.
There is only really one criticism. The campaigns, or battles, for the Rhur, Berlin, Hamburg etc are spread throughout the book, and it is a little difficult to keep current with just where we are in the war as the topics change. However, there are extensive indexes, references., plane schematics and the like to keep you busy once the reading is done.
The main part of the book ends with:
Went the day well,
We died and never knew,
But well or ill, Freedom,
We died for you.
--- which Oh, so many of them did.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Jesus expects ... belief (John 20:19-31)
Introduction
There are many things in this passage that we can see Jesus expects for his followers from the things that he says in this passage.
“Peace to be with you”
It's a greeting, but it is also something that Jesus expects for his followers.
“I am sending you”
He expects us to go – where ever we are able, to the people who he doesn't yet have a friendship with
“Receive the Holy Spirit”
He expects us to live together with the Holy Spirit, so that we can discern Gods will in any situation.
“Forgive or not forgive”
He expects us to know enough about what is happening to be the gate keeper for heaven. Those we forgive are in, any that we don't forgive are not.
“Believe”
He expects us to believe in Him, in what He has done for us and especially in His resurrection.
be blessed
This one applies to us, those who have believed without seeing, more than it does to the disciples that Jesus is talking to in the upper room. -
“Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Activity
Tell people in an unbelievable way that you have some treasure in the box. Find out who believes and who doesn't.
Get one of the non believers to come and take a look. - Then tell the others what he has seen.
Illustration – Belief
“The Easter story is nothing but a myth,” Tom’s high school teacher announced to his class a few days before Easter break. “Jesus not only didn’t rise from the grave,” he continued, “but there’s no God in heaven who would allow his son to be crucified in the first place.”
“Sir, I believe in God,” Tom protested. “And I believe in the resurrection.”
“Tom, you can believe what you wish to, of course,” the teacher said, “However, the real world excludes the possibility of miracles like the resurrection. The resurrection is a scientific impossibility. No one who believes in miracles can also respect science.”
Then the teacher proposed an experiment. Reaching into his refrigerator, he produced a raw egg and held it up. “I’m going to drop this egg on the floor,” he said. “Gravity will pull it toward the floor that the egg will most certainly break apart.” Looking at Tom with a challenge, he said, “Now tom, I want you to pray a prayer right now and ask your God to keep this egg from breaking when it hits the floor. If he can do that, then you’ll have proven your point, and I’ll have to admit that there is a God.”
After pondering the challenge for a moment, Tom slowly stood up to pray: “Dear Heavenly Father,” Tom prayed, “I pray that when my teacher drops the egg, it will break into a hundred pieces. And also, Lord, I pray that when the egg does break, my teacher will have a heart attack and die. Amen.”
After a unison gasp, the class sat in silent expectation. For a moment the teacher did nothing. At last he looked at Tom and then the egg. Without a word he carefully put the egg back into the refrigerator. “Class dismissed,” the teacher said, and then he sat down to clear his desk.
The teacher apparently believed in God’s existence more than he thought, or perhaps just doubted his non-existence enough. That teacher wasn’t willing to bet his life that God didn’t exist.
“Sir, I believe in God,” Tom protested. “And I believe in the resurrection.”
“Tom, you can believe what you wish to, of course,” the teacher said, “However, the real world excludes the possibility of miracles like the resurrection. The resurrection is a scientific impossibility. No one who believes in miracles can also respect science.”
Then the teacher proposed an experiment. Reaching into his refrigerator, he produced a raw egg and held it up. “I’m going to drop this egg on the floor,” he said. “Gravity will pull it toward the floor that the egg will most certainly break apart.” Looking at Tom with a challenge, he said, “Now tom, I want you to pray a prayer right now and ask your God to keep this egg from breaking when it hits the floor. If he can do that, then you’ll have proven your point, and I’ll have to admit that there is a God.”
After pondering the challenge for a moment, Tom slowly stood up to pray: “Dear Heavenly Father,” Tom prayed, “I pray that when my teacher drops the egg, it will break into a hundred pieces. And also, Lord, I pray that when the egg does break, my teacher will have a heart attack and die. Amen.”
After a unison gasp, the class sat in silent expectation. For a moment the teacher did nothing. At last he looked at Tom and then the egg. Without a word he carefully put the egg back into the refrigerator. “Class dismissed,” the teacher said, and then he sat down to clear his desk.
The teacher apparently believed in God’s existence more than he thought, or perhaps just doubted his non-existence enough. That teacher wasn’t willing to bet his life that God didn’t exist.
About Thomas
Thomas has had a bad press. There is just this one incident in the scriptures where he is shown to doubt, and as a result the phrase “Doubting Thomas” has entered our vocabulary.
The other disciples had also been doubtful, Peter and John you could say were even scornful.
Lk 24:11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.
Thomas is unlucky enough to have had his words recorded when in front of Jesus. So before we write Thomas off as some sort of archetypal sceptic lets take a look at what we know about him.
He's listed in the names of the 12 Apostles, by Matthew
Mt 10:2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Mt 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
Mt 10:4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
… and Mark, and Luke. He is listed as one of the disciples present when Mattias is chosen to replace Judas in Acts chapter 1. He mainly features in John.
At the end of John we find Thomas going fishing with Peter, James and John, and Nathaniel, so its reasonable to assume that he too was a fisherman.
When Jesus decided to go to see his friend Lazarus, who had just died, the rest of the disciples were worried that they would be stoned – the Jews there had tried to stone him on his last visit, but in John 11:16 we read: Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
Whatever we think of Thomas' beliefs, we cannot doubt his loyalty.
When Jesus was describing Heaven in John
Jn 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me.
Jn 14:2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
Jn 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back a and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Jn 14:4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Jn 14:2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
Jn 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back a and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Jn 14:4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Thomas responded:
“Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
It was one of those situations. There they all were listening intently, but probably not understanding very much of what Jesus was saying. This can easily happen when there is a very strong visionary leader. The followers really don't have a clue, but they are all so frightened of demonstrating their ignorance that they just sit there and nod in agreement.
Anyone who's ever been in a meeting at work with a very senior manager, many rungs above the normal level that you have to deal with will have experienced the same thing. He will be talking about things you don't understand properly. Everyone is sitting there willing someone else to ask the first question. I remember sitting in a hall of about 250 people, at the end of the presentation the global director asked “Any questions?” There were plenty in my head, and also in everyone else's, but who would be first to ask. My immediate boss, who had quite a stutter, stood up and began to phrase his question. His manager would often explain what he was trying to say over his stuttering, but not this time. Everyone was so relieved that someone was starting the questioning process.
That's exactly what happened here. Once Thomas asked a question, Philip felt able to follow up with his own question.
Thomas, it seems to me, is a genuine sceptic, he's not happy just with words, he needs to understand their meaning. Its important to him that he has the message right. So we can't deny his courage here either.
The question that must be asked of Thomas is where was he? Why was he not with the rest of the disciples.
I suspect that Thomas was more badly affected by the events around the crucifixion than the others, perhaps that's because he really believed in Jesus, even though he wasn't always sure what Jesus was on about. If so, then deserting Jesus, running away from the arrest and not supporting his friends and leader, at the most critical time of his life would have hurt Thomas. He would be upset and ashamed at the way he behaved. He may even have been in hiding from the disciples.
Being a realistic person, he would have realised that he could not stay apart from his friends for long, so one week later he is back. The scene with Jesus is played out.
Thomas' reaction when he finally meets Jesus face to face, and in the flesh is “My Lord and my God”. It is the clearest statement of who Jesus is in the entire new testament. Nowhere else and no-one else, neither Paul nor Peter make the statement as starkly and straightforwardly.
You will note that the scripture we read today does not support the picture that Caravaggio painted. Thomas may have said “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” When offered the chance he didn't need it. He saw straight away that it was Jesus – something about the tone of voice perhaps underlined to him exactly who it was.
Belief / Faith
How we decide what we think is true is a very complicated subject. Evidence is certainly important but a lot of the time we do not have the knowledge to evaluate the evidence. Sometime there is just not enough evidence or contradictory evidence. An alternative strategy is to develop trusted sources – we call these people friends, in case you're loosing me. What friends say is taken much more at face value than what strangers say.
For Thomas, seeing his friend alive was enough to convince him that everything that He had said before his death was true. He had indeed risen from the dead, and the visual and oral evidence was overwhelming.
The same is not true for us. None of us have seen Jesus alive. That is why Jesus says “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”. Our belief is based on faith, which Hebrews 11:1 describes as "Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being certain of what we do not see."
Sometimes our faith, or our belief is stronger than at other times. Sometimes it can be next to non-existent. This can have a number of causes, but there is only one cure. Just as Thomas' doubts were overcome by an encounter with Jesus, so must our doubts be. In our case, that will probably be with the aid of another person.
It was probably the first time my faith had waned. After all I had only been a Christian a few years. I didn't understand what was happening. I thought perhaps I was no longer a Christian. I worried about it. No, of course I didn't speak to anyone. I just drifted along, attending church, but not really being there, and wishing I was somewhere else. My avoidance wasn't good enough though. Captain Ron (remember him?) asked me to give my testimony at some outreach event. I tried to get out of it, but (it seemed to me) I was put under quite a lot of pressure. So I agreed. I reluctantly sat down to prepare. All I had to do was tell the story of God in my life, but I wasn't sure of God, in my life or anywhere else.
I went through a process of remembering all the things that had happened. Each discussion I'd had, each argument. Each time I'd told someone that a God was unlikely, only to find out eventually that a God was really quite likely – because there was good evidence He had been here. I wrote, and later spoke, about the small steps that I'd taken from being a sceptical agnostic to a believer.
In the preparation I had a fresh encounter with Christ, and a few days later, when I spoke my testimony I was no longer wondering how and why I had ended up in the church.
Last week Warner spoke about praying, if your faith had died. I was in a position where to pray was ludicrous. More was needed, and I am thankful to God and to Captain Ron that the more that was needed was available.
I'm not one of those people who never has any doubts. I find their certainty can be quite frightening. I have always found that having doubts has helped to build my belief in the long term. Asking questions, proposing solutions, and doubting the answers, until I arrive at something that seams reasonable and sensible to me, has worked well for me so far.
It works to strengthen my belief and my faith.
It worked that way for Thomas too, he went on to found the church in South India.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
ASUS & Windows 7 Pro - 64 bit (Software List for Implementation, including the experience as I do it)
A new computer is an ideal time to stop and work out what software you really need. I consume the stuff like sweets and end up with more than I can possibly ever use. So here's my list of the essentials! (The exclamation mark will be obvious if you get to the end.). First of all the browser. The 'browser ballot page is not a mandatory patch in windows update on Windows 7 pro!! - very naughty of Microsoft.
Firefox
Certainly better than IE, but mainly has the edge because of the extensions:
Thunderbird - email client
The only mainstream e-mail client that I've found that supports IMAP properly. IMAP keeps your mail on the server, its what webmail clients are based on. this is a great improvement on outlook express or windows live. Add-ons here bring the functionality up to outlook standards for the work I do
Office Software - text documents, spreadsheets, presentations etc
OpenOffice.org 3.2. Once possibly the poor relation, but since version 3 the functionality is there for everything I regularly do (except macros - which are much harder to understand in OOO). The office suite of choice because it doesn't cost anything.
Microsoft Office 2007 - because I have an enormous investment in macros that I can't easily replace, and open office has driven the price down to a reasonable 3 licenses for £70.00
Desktop Publishing - PagePlus from Serif
Its easier to use than publisher, and I've yet to find anything open source that comes close.
Picture Management - Picasa
Picasa is great and integrates well with the PicasaWeb for publishing and sharing on Blogger.
Picture Editing - Paint.Net and The GIMP
Paint .Net is simple and easy to use for most basic needs - cropping a picture, adjusting the levels.
GIMP is loaded but rarely used, its there for the more difficult stuff. It can be hard to understand.
Media Player - VLC
For me a media player must just get on with the job and not bother me for codecs, it must also play my youtube clips without any converters being required. VLC does a great job on both fronts. It also plays CD and DVD adequately.
Podcasts - ITunes
Chosen for its ease of subscribing and playback.
Web Site build and maintain
Nothing here! I used to use Namo Web Editor 4 - but that was a while ago - I'm still looking for something that works and doesn't cost a fortune. After all I only have 1 site and about 10 pages to maintain.
Instant Messaging - Yahoo
Chat clients seem to be a dying breed since the advent of FaceBook and the like, but they still have their uses. I have Yahoo messenger for no better reason than that the guys at work use it.
Compression - 7ZIP
7Zip is free compared to WinZip and WinRAR which are both shareware (try before you buy). It also achieves better compression in its native format. It processes the other compression types well. The only downside is that the GUI can be a little fiddly.
PDF Writer - CutePDF / doPDF
To emulate a printer and create a PDF (Portable Document) is now a basic requirement. Cute PDF does a good job and often produces a smaller file than the embedded function in the application. doPDF is a good alternative.
System Tools - Many and varied
Anti-Virus, anti-Malware, system watchers
Its good to have a combination here. The system came with Trend Micro anti-virus trial, so I'll let that run its course and see how it does. Then it will most likely be AVG as that seems to work and is easy to manage.
Spybot - Search and Destroy and AdAware together seem to provide good anti-Malware protection. As a final safeguard there is WinPatrol which informs you of changes made to key areas of the system and allows you to revert them.
System Management
CCleaner - to keep the rubbish off the system - it deletes old un-required files and tidies up the registry. I've had many registry cleaners, most do OK, but occasionally cause problems. CCleaner seems more reliable in that area.
MyDefrag (formery JKDefrag). Plenty of options or straight forward simplicity. Will defrag the disk properly, unlike windows (at least in vista) which ignores large fragments!
Bulk Rename Utility - by Jim Willshire - this is a slightly quirky interface, but it is very comprehensive.
Backup - Cobian Backup - There have been many problems with Cobian and Vista. It still just about runs, but I haven't found anything better at providing simple file backups.
Version Checking - PSI helps to ensure that I have the latest security patches on the system.
Development - VB 2008 - a microsoft freebie. The visual development environment installs automatically and provides excellent development and debugging. As I live in windows what else is there. .Net provide good protection (mostly) from the oddities of the various environments.
Then there's the specialist applications
For our Camera's
For our Phones
For the printer/scanner - Epson SX200 (don't buy one)
For the external network disk - Freecom 500Gb
Family Tree - Family Tree Legends
Bible Study - Pradis
Thought Organisation - Freemind
Project management - again, nothing of note has been found, but its a while since I looked
Song Projection - EasiSlides and OpenLp, until we decide which.
That's just the software. It must be configured and in some cases scripts will be required. So lots to do .....
Firefox
Certainly better than IE, but mainly has the edge because of the extensions:
- Adblock Plus - get rid of a lot of the annoying adverts that ruin the browsing experience
- British English Dictionary - for the spell checker in English English
- DownLoadThemAll - quick download of pictures, by right click
- FastestFox - for the autoload of the second google page as you scroll down, and the ability to highlight a phrase and search based on it.
- Flashgot - an easy way to download from YouTube and the like
- Tab Mix Plus - better use of tabs - indicators for visited pages etc.
Thunderbird - email client
The only mainstream e-mail client that I've found that supports IMAP properly. IMAP keeps your mail on the server, its what webmail clients are based on. this is a great improvement on outlook express or windows live. Add-ons here bring the functionality up to outlook standards for the work I do
- British English Dictionary (see above)
- Lightning - for calendaring - I'm still learning about this
- Signature Switch - for multiple signatures
- the address books (export / import via LDIF - easy!)
- the local folders (still TBA)
- the message filter rules (Thunderbird message filter import/export is the only thing I can find. I tested it on Vista to the old XP - perfect! In real life though - Vista to Win 7, it complains that the import is to a different folder structure I'm using IMAP, they can't be different, they're copied from the server!!)
Office Software - text documents, spreadsheets, presentations etc
OpenOffice.org 3.2. Once possibly the poor relation, but since version 3 the functionality is there for everything I regularly do (except macros - which are much harder to understand in OOO). The office suite of choice because it doesn't cost anything.
Microsoft Office 2007 - because I have an enormous investment in macros that I can't easily replace, and open office has driven the price down to a reasonable 3 licenses for £70.00
Desktop Publishing - PagePlus from Serif
Its easier to use than publisher, and I've yet to find anything open source that comes close.
Picture Management - Picasa
Picasa is great and integrates well with the PicasaWeb for publishing and sharing on Blogger.
Picture Editing - Paint.Net and The GIMP
Paint .Net is simple and easy to use for most basic needs - cropping a picture, adjusting the levels.
GIMP is loaded but rarely used, its there for the more difficult stuff. It can be hard to understand.
Media Player - VLC
For me a media player must just get on with the job and not bother me for codecs, it must also play my youtube clips without any converters being required. VLC does a great job on both fronts. It also plays CD and DVD adequately.
Podcasts - ITunes
Chosen for its ease of subscribing and playback.
Web Site build and maintain
Nothing here! I used to use Namo Web Editor 4 - but that was a while ago - I'm still looking for something that works and doesn't cost a fortune. After all I only have 1 site and about 10 pages to maintain.
Instant Messaging - Yahoo
Chat clients seem to be a dying breed since the advent of FaceBook and the like, but they still have their uses. I have Yahoo messenger for no better reason than that the guys at work use it.
Compression - 7ZIP
7Zip is free compared to WinZip and WinRAR which are both shareware (try before you buy). It also achieves better compression in its native format. It processes the other compression types well. The only downside is that the GUI can be a little fiddly.
PDF Writer - CutePDF / doPDF
To emulate a printer and create a PDF (Portable Document) is now a basic requirement. Cute PDF does a good job and often produces a smaller file than the embedded function in the application. doPDF is a good alternative.
System Tools - Many and varied
Anti-Virus, anti-Malware, system watchers
Its good to have a combination here. The system came with Trend Micro anti-virus trial, so I'll let that run its course and see how it does. Then it will most likely be AVG as that seems to work and is easy to manage.
Spybot - Search and Destroy and AdAware together seem to provide good anti-Malware protection. As a final safeguard there is WinPatrol which informs you of changes made to key areas of the system and allows you to revert them.
System Management
CCleaner - to keep the rubbish off the system - it deletes old un-required files and tidies up the registry. I've had many registry cleaners, most do OK, but occasionally cause problems. CCleaner seems more reliable in that area.
MyDefrag (formery JKDefrag). Plenty of options or straight forward simplicity. Will defrag the disk properly, unlike windows (at least in vista) which ignores large fragments!
Bulk Rename Utility - by Jim Willshire - this is a slightly quirky interface, but it is very comprehensive.
Backup - Cobian Backup - There have been many problems with Cobian and Vista. It still just about runs, but I haven't found anything better at providing simple file backups.
Version Checking - PSI helps to ensure that I have the latest security patches on the system.
Development - VB 2008 - a microsoft freebie. The visual development environment installs automatically and provides excellent development and debugging. As I live in windows what else is there. .Net provide good protection (mostly) from the oddities of the various environments.
Then there's the specialist applications
For our Camera's
For our Phones
For the printer/scanner - Epson SX200 (don't buy one)
For the external network disk - Freecom 500Gb
Family Tree - Family Tree Legends
Bible Study - Pradis
Thought Organisation - Freemind
Project management - again, nothing of note has been found, but its a while since I looked
Song Projection - EasiSlides and OpenLp, until we decide which.
That's just the software. It must be configured and in some cases scripts will be required. So lots to do .....
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Gideon and Ananias in Conversation with God
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Slide 2 – Gideon's Story
War with Midianites 6:1-9
About 50 years have passed since the story of Deborah in Judges 5. Under the Judges Israel is a loose confederation of tribes – coming together when required, but mostly independent. In the last half century they have drifted away from God and once again are worshipping the gods of those around them.
The Midianites were the forerunners of the Bedouin. They had been attacking Israel like swarms of locusts and destroying crops and livestock. This had been going on for seven years. Israel had been largely defenceless, and now suffering extreme hunger they had cried out to God to save them. God sent a prophet to remind them of their past – all the amazing things that God had done for them. Especially reminding them of the Exodus miracle.
Slide 3 - An Angel 6:10-24
Then and Angel of the Lord comes to see Gideon while he was in hiding, threshing wheat. The Angel introduces himself with the phrase “The Lord is with you mighty Warrior”. We'll come back to that statement in a minute. Gideon looks back to the past wonders, and just assumes that God has abandoned them. The Angel does not argue, but responds “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” Gideon reminds the Angel who he is - “My clan is the weakest” and “I am the least”. This time the response is more direct “I will be with you” Now Gideon begins to realise that this is serious, and asks for a sign so that he can believe that he is talking to God.
He prepares a offering – a young goat. An offering of this nature would represent a considerable expense. There has been war for seven years, and Israel is short of food. Gideon remembers his history - he has certain expectations of the outcome. After Moses offered a sacrifice in Lev 9:24. “Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell face down.”. So fire consuming the offering was essential now, or Gideon would not believe that it really was God.
Whether Gideon knew it or not he had made the sacrifice for the unintentional sin of a leader. It's detailed in Lev 4:22-26. Before anything can be achieved with God it is essential that the sin of the people involved is first forgiven.
Once the sacrifice is accepted Gideon thinks “I have seen the face of God – I'm a dead man”. - in Exodus 33:20 God says to Moses “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
A sacrifice & a step forward 6:25-32
The next sacrifice will be a test for Gideon. Now he has to take some action. This is the point of no return. Ripping down the alter to Baal is going to get him noticed. Taking one of the prize bulls as an offering will also get him noticed. Gideon is fearful and still unsure of God. So he does this all at night, where it will be unseen and unchallenged until it is complete. In the morning he is as ready as he will ever be to face the music.
How would you react do you think if you had arrived at church this morning and found the building in ruins, the communion table smashed, and the building set up for another faith.
You can understand why there might be a lynching about to happen, but Joash comes to Gideon's rescue, and he escapes to fight the fight that God has planned.
He is now known amongst the people as one who is against Baal. He has made a very public statement and has set the course of his life in a particular direction for now.
Gideon starts to assemble his army. It is just in time, the enemy is gathering. All Israels enemies – the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples – have come together. He is still unsure that God will save Israel through him, so asks for more proof.
If I put out this fleece overnight let the dew only form on it, and the rest of the ground stay dry. OK – that worked.
If I put out this fleece overnight keep it dry while the rest of the ground is covered in dew. OK – that worked too.
Slide 4 - More 'proofs' from God 6:33-40
Slide 5 - The Army is too big! 7:1-9
Now the army is ready, Gideon has no doubt worked hard to convince people that God will deliver them from their enemies. He has assembled a large army.
God, as ever, has other ideas.
Many of them would rather not be there. Twenty two thousand did not have to be offered the chance to leave twice. By various processes the Army is reduced to just three hundred. Why did God do this? “In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her” God wants there to be no room for doubt that it was His actions and His actions alone that save Israel.
Karachi Prayer guide – asks us to pray for change in Karachi that is so dramatic that it can ONLY be caused by God.
Slide 6 - Midianites scared and routed 7:10-25
The Lord wakes Gideon in the night and says “get up, go and attack the Midianites” Gideon must have been hesitant, but his thoughts are not recorded. So, God tells his to sneak into the enemy camp, and listen. There he hears of a dream of defeat, and realises it is the right time to attack. The Midianites and their allies were routed and the heads of the leaders brought back to Gideon.
Aftermath 8:1-35
There is some political fallout from the battle as some of the peoples were not included in the original army. The people wanted Gideon to become their King, but he would not permit it, instead he took from each of them a golden earring, and with them he made ephod and Israel worshipped it.
So that is the story of Gideon
“The Lord is with you mighty Warrior”
There are a couple of things worth noting from Gideons conversations with God.
The first is that Gideon did not know God in the same way that you and I can know God. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit came upon people to enable them to complete a specific task for God. Jesus, through His death and resurrection make the Holy Spirit available to all of us all the time. So we can get to know God in a way that was impossible for Gideon.
When God first approached Gideon the angel called him “mighty Warrior”. Clearly in the passage Gideon is nothing like a warrior. He's in hiding, doing the threshing in a wine press. Threshing is an outside job. You need the wind to separate the grain from the chaff. Gideon is indoors.
God sees the potential in people rather than where they are now.
I wonder how good you are at spotting potential in someone, or even yourself?
Bernard Shaw played the "What If" game shortly before he died. "Mr. Shaw," asked a reporter, "if you could live your life over and be anybody you've known, or any person from history, who would you be?"
"I would choose," replied Shaw "to be the man George Bernard Shaw could have been, but never was."
The question for us is not “What could you have been?” but “What can you become?” I wonder how many of you had a sense of what this person could become when she first stepped on the stage?
When Michelangelo was ordered to decorate the walls of the Sistine Chapel, he refused. He had never done any work of that kind, and said he could not do it. But he was told his refusal would not be accepted. When he discovered that there was no alternative without unpleasant consequences, he mixed his colours and went to work. And thus came into being the world’s finest painting.
It is not just our God given talent that determines what we can be, whether we realise we have it or not. It is being available to do Gods work and to respond to his voice that is the key to determining our true potential.
“Go in the strength you have … Am I not sending you?”
I found the statement “Go in the strength you have” intriguing. We are always told to go in God's strength, but here Gideon is told to go in the strength he has – presumably already has.
What can God be saying. “Off you go Gideon you have enough strength for the task” - no it can't mean that, at the time that would have meant certain death. Gideon was not ready to lead an army. Any way later on God is concerned to reduce the size of the army so that it cannot be said that the Israelites did it in their own strength. Perhaps God is just trying to get Gideon started. Verse 16 say “I will be with you.” If God is planning to be there there will be plenty of strength available. So Gideon will have God's strength when he needs it. I think that is what the clue in the last five words is telling us. “Am I not sending you?”
If you are sent by God, that is power enough. So Gideon goes and builds his massive army. That is the strength he has, and it is the wrong sort of strength for God, who then carefully reduces the size to an unreasonably small number.
Slide 7 – Annanias
There are two people named Ananias in the Book of Acts. One appears in chapter 5 and is soon dealt with. The other appears in Chapter nine and has one of the most important and difficult jobs to do in the whole of the book.
Imagine the situation. You are a member of a minority sect. The authorities do not like what you have to say, nor do they like the fact that so many of their followers are becoming your converts. There is one young man, a rising start amongst the high priests who is particularly determined to wipe out this new sect before it can get a proper foot hold. In the capital he has already engineered the stoning of one of the deacons and a good deal of persecution followed for everybody. Many were forced to leave their homes, and travel to other places. Anywhere they might have relatives where they can go and live their lives. So many have gone and settled elsewhere that there is now almost no-one left for the authorities to pursue.
The town you are living is has received very many of these refugees – that's because it isn't that far from the capital. Now everybody knows that the young priest is coming here to continue his mission. Some no doubt are already planning to move on, to try to keep on step ahead of the persecution.
Slide 8 – Straight Street (1)
Anannias is not one of them. He is going about his business as usual. During a time of prayer he has a vision. In the vision Jesus says
“Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.”
Slide 9 – Straight Street (2)
Acts 9:12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
“Surely not, That can't be right. God would never ask me just to walk to my death”, and yet that was what he was being asked to do.
Had he heard correctly, had he misunderstood somehow? I'll bet he was hoping he had. But no!
So Ananias puts in a question. He tells Jesus what he knows, that he is expecting to be arrested at best, if he goes.
Then he gets more instruction “Go! Because I have already delivered the other half of the vision to your persecutor and he is expecting you!” “I have chosen him to spread the Good News through out the world.”
Now I must just take a minute to deal with the issue of the nature of God here. In “The Message” Acts 9:15 starts with the words “Don't Argue!” There is no sense of that in the NIV, NKJV, AV or the Amplified Bible. The sense of the word “Go!” in all of these seems to be closer to Hurry. We have seen from Gideon that God is patient with people – in Gideons case we might say he has the patience of a saint! Even if that is a slightly strange way of putting it. There is certainly no evidence here that God is in anyway trying to stop the conversation and force people just to do as he says.
So back to the question facing Ananias “Would you go?” Even with the additional information I'd certainly have put up more of a fight than Ananias.
Ananias does exactly what is asked of him. He goes to Straight Street, he finds Judas' house, and he goes in. No turning back from that point onwards. He knows and understand his mission, just as Jesus promised that we all would. John 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
He even manages to call Saul 'Brother' when he lays his hands on him. He completes his mission by the passing on of the Holy Spirit.
Slide 10 – His Masters Voice
From Ananias we see how conversing with God has changed between the old and the new testament times. Ananias knows God's voice when he hears it. He makes time in his day to listen. He has trained himself to hear what God is saying. What Ananias is asked to do does not take any special ability. He does not have to be ordained, or have studied theology – he just has to be available and willing. Oh yes, and have supreme courage and trust in God. We saw how Gideon was carefully prepared and taken step by step into putting his full trust in God. That was necessary because Gideon did not know God. Ananias does and he is ready to respond. Look at the detailed message he received. Here's the post code for the sat nav, you'll find the house easily, inside there's someone expecting you … his name is Saul.
Both Gideon and Ananias achieved great things with God. Neither of them had the skills they needed, and each in his own way responded to what God was asking. They listened to the messages they received and took the necessary care to ensure that they were hearing the right thing from God. Then most importantly they took the action that they were asked to take.
Listening is the first thing to do.
A former park ranger at Yellowstone National Park tells the story of a ranger leading a group of hikers to a fire lookout. The ranger was so intent on telling the hikers about the flowers and animals that he considered the messages on his two-way radio distracting, so he switched it off. Nearing the tower, the ranger was met by a nearly breathless lookout, who asked why he hadn't responded to the messages on his radio. A grizzly bear had been seen stalking the group, and the authorities were trying to warn them of the danger.
Joan of Arc was mocked with, "She says she hears God's voice; why, I don't hear His voice!" Joan replied, "Don't you wish you did?"
If you don't hear the message you will never be able to take the right action.
Ananias was give very specific instruction, and so was Gideon. I have to say that I have never received anything from God that was anything like as detailed. Indeed most of the things I hear God say are difficult to understand at first and never include the How. If you are hearing God voice it may be for a specific task, or it may be for something more long term. I first heard God saying I should become a Reader in 1982. It took me a long time to get here.
If you have something like that going on with God, then the vocations day is the place to start.
Slide 10 - Vocations Day
It will allow you to speak to someone about whatever is going on, without getting to the point where you have committed your self by smashing an alter or entering someone else's house.
Lets take a couple of minutes to be quiet and listen for the voice of God reminding us of the things he has been saying to us recently.
Silence
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