A man who said so little can teach us so much.

There is a well known saying that says 'actions speak louder than words.'  I am sure we are all familiar with it?  Tomorrow is fathers day and over the past week I have been reflecting on the many men in the bible who have made a huge impact not only on their families but on the world.  One man however has really caught my attention in recent days.  His name is Joseph, the earthly father of the most influential man who has ever lived, Jesus.

Out of all the key people within the texts of the bible Joseph is given the least amount of time and his story is very short. It is interesting to note that out of all the characters in the early chapters of Matthews Gospel, Joseph is the one that remains silent. He never says anything within the narrative, and yet his actions say more about who he was as a person, a father and a role model, than anything he could have said.

As we celebrate father’s day this year I have really been reflecting on Josephs brief story as I believe that it gives important insight into who he was not only as a father but also as a man in society. His life and actions are key to Godly living and is a reflection of who God calls us to be not only in our families but also as men within our church and within our communities in which we live.

Joseph was considered a just man. He was a man of high values and standards and in the nativity story he was faced with a moral dilemma that he had to work through.

In the gospel of Luke we are told that Mary went to stay with her sister for several months and it wasn’t until she returned that she told Joseph she was pregnant. I want you to consider for a moment how you would feel if your wife had been away for a while, came home, and then declared that she was expecting a child. Just to top it off she would have also told him that the child was from God. I am sure Joseph was quite confused and distressed and would have known that this declaration, in the eyes of the Hebrew law would have labeled Mary as an adulterous woman. As a man of high moral standing he would have known what was now expected from him from a legal perspective. Matthew tells us that before God even intervened in the situation that Joseph chose to divorce her quietly and send her away. His response was not aggressive and he responded to the situation with kindness and mercy. Joseph would have been well within his rights to question her actions and have her stoned but the bible records no such response.

Dr James Dobson once said that, “One of the best things a father can do for his children is to love their mother.” That’s what Joseph did. He loved Mary, even when he thought she didn’t love him. Our children are watching us men and they are watching how we respond to the issues within our relationships. If we want our children to grow up and treat their wives and partners well then we need to be modelling this behaviour in our own relationships. A behaviour of gentleness, love and forgiveness.

As God opened his eyes Joseph clearly understood his responsibility to his future wife. This would have been a tough choice because Joseph would have been setting himself up for possible ridicule and humiliation. As fathers and protectors of our families we are called to sometimes face difficult situations as we own our family responsibilities. Joseph understood clearly what God expected of him, and was ready to obey! He would take Mary to be his wife and suffer the cutting remarks from others, of a child conceived prior to their wedding. He would obey God in spite of the fact that this child of divine promise would be born under a cloud of adultery. Joseph believed God, obeyed God, and accepted the responsibility that God had given him.

Austin L. Sorensen once said, “A child is not likely to find a father in God unless he finds something of God in his father.” That is a deep thought. Seeing God in their father is a child’s best way to come to know God as their heavenly Father. Men, we have such an influence in our children’s lives. They look up to us for protection, for teaching and for spiritual leadership and guidance. What an awesome privilege and responsibility this is for us.

You know Joseph was a man who didn’t say much. But although his words were not recorded in the verses of the bible his actions were. His example teaches us some invaluable lessons not only in fatherhood but also as men in a society that is seriously lacking in good Male leadership —a lesson in righteousness, a lesson in responsibility, and a lesson in religion and faith. Joseph had many strengths that encourage us and teach us. He was firstly a man of integrity. He never compromised who he was and what he believed. He was also a man who was sensitive to God’s guidance and he was willing to do what God required of him no matter what consequences may have followed. From his life we learn that God honours that integrity. We learn that our position in our communities is of little importance when God chooses to use us. We learn that being obedient to the guidance of God results in more guidance from God. Finally we learn that how we feel when faced with a situation is not an accurate measure of the rightness or wrongness of our action. In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul highlights for us what true love, integrity and good modelling looks like when he says that:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

  “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” - James 1:27

Whose plan is it?

Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
    but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. - Proverbs 19:21

This scripture has come to mind this afternoon as I reflect on all that God has done not only in my own life but also in many other ministries within the church.  It continues to remind me that very often we can get so caught up in our own stuff; we can get so caught up in making our own plans, that we forget that it is only the purposes and the will of God that prevails.  

As I think about my own ministry I am reminded that it can be so easy (and dangerous) to get so focused on where I want to go that I forget that God is in control.  In fact I think I can confidently say that if God is not driving then I don't want to be in the car.  How foolish to even consider that we, mere humans, know the best way to carry out Gods plans.  I have been reminded in recent days of how important it is not only to be reading the word of God but also to be committed to daily prayer.  I don't know about you but I certainly don't want to be walking in my own plans and thoughts when it comes to leading God's church.  Even the distraction of the many voices around us can be used by the devil himself to try and thwart the plans of the Lord.

If we as a church are to truly be able to satisfactorily carry out God's plan for the local church then we need to be in tune with what God is saying.  We need to be spending time in his presence and we certainly need to be praying.  God is at work around us and we need to join him in what he is doing.  However, in the middle of this we need to be so careful that we do not try to overlay our own plans over that of God.  

As humans we have many ideas and plans of where we think we should be going or how something should be done but we must be very careful that they fall in line with God's will and purpose.  Too often Christians, the church and even the social arm of our ministries claim to be carrying out the plans of the Lord when in actual fact we are so focused on our own plans that we have pushed God out altogether.  If we are to be truly successful at building God's church and ushering in the kingdom of God then God needs to be at the center of it all, our focus and ultimate goal is to bring others into a relationship with Christ.  If it is anything other than that then there is no point.

Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
    but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. - Proverbs 19:21

Priorities

In recent days God has been pressing on my heart a message from the book of Haggai and I have been reminded of and even rebuked as to how relevant his message is for the Church today. Although directed to God’s people some 2,500 years ago and intended to address a specific situation at that time, Haggai’s message is nevertheless timeless in its relevance because the spiritual issues and problems that he had to deal with in his day tend to reoccur in every generation of the Church.

When we look at the lives of the people around us and possibly even in our own lives we see that pressures, demands and expectations are pushing into our lives from all sides. Our schedules are filled to overflowing as we try to sort through what is required of us by others. It seems that everyday somebody wants something from us. Our friends, families, employers, school, church, the numerous clubs we belong to; all of them are pressuring us to give more and more of ourselves. Life runs flat out as we try to attend to the necessary, the immediate and the urgent. Our lives seem to be chaotic and just full of stuff but our problem has got nothing to do with how many demands are on us or our inability to exercise good scheduling skills. The real problem lies in our values – that is the things that are truly important to us. You see people’s values and priorities are always worked out in their actions. Our values and priorities are always reflected in how we use the resources available to us. Our money, our talents, our time, our strengths and our spiritual gifts. People will always invest their resources in the things that they consider important. For many Christians we may claim that God is a priority, God is number one; but then he may often take last place on our ‘to do’ list.


We see in the book of Haggai that the people of Israel were not experiencing the blessings of God because they chose to pursue their own interests rather than doing what God had called them to. God was not a priority in their lives and as a result he with-held the blessings that he wanted to pour out on them.


In Matthew 6:33 Jesus tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (that is food, shelter, clothing, blessing) shall be added to you.” Now we know that Haggai’s congregation never heard the words of Jesus but we know that this principle was already known to them through the law. In Leviticus and Deuteronomy God tells the people to “Honour the Lord with your possessions, and with the first-fruits of all your increase; so that your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.” Friends when we put God first in all that we do he promises to bless us. If we want to experience the moving of the Holy Spirit and experience this move in a tangible way then we need to keep God as the focus and priority of our lives. If we want to see numerical and spiritual growth in our churches then we need to have God at the top of our priority list. It is obvious as we read Haggai that the people had confused their priorities but I wonder: are God’s people today any different from the ancient Jews?


The local church around the world can’t expand their budgets for local and international evangelism because the money isn’t there, and yet many church members don’t believe Matthew 6:33 and put God first in their giving. You know pastors can tell the spiritual condition of their church simply by how much is in the offering. You see as God takes a back-step in the priorities of the people the first thing that changes is usually their giving. But, as a person grows closer to God and begins to trust and experience him, giving and service becomes a natural response to God’s goodness. When we put God first and give Him what’s rightfully His, we open the door to spiritual enrichment.  More than a hundred years after Haggai’s message the prophet Malachi accused the people of robbing God and therefore missing out on the blessings that he had for them. How are your priorities looking? God told Israel that he would free them and return to them through the rebuilding of the temple. Jesus tells us also that one day he will return. We don’t know when that will be but I want to tell you today that we are certainly in the last days. Jesus is coming back and he calls us to make him and his mission our first priority. Vince Lombardi once said: “Your God, Your family, and the green bay packers, in that order.”

I want to encourage you to never compromise God’s will and purpose for our lives for our own desires and wants. What is God calling you to today? Is God your first priority? Do you need to refocus you spiritual compass?

 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. - Matthew 6:33 (NRSV)

To Boldly Go Where No one Has Been Before

For those that know me well they would know that I am quite fanatical about Star Trek.  So much so that I can literally sit down and watch hours and hours of Kirk, Piccard or Janeway cruising around the universe looking for new worlds and having new adventures. As I write this blog I have only just left the cinema where I got the chance to watch the latest Star Trek adventure. I don't know about you but for me, it's nice to just sit back and imagine myself visiting all these new worlds.  It is an awesome feeling allowing my imagination to enter the world of Star Trek and experience things that are not yet here.

Star Trek has actually brought to fruition many of the technologies that we enjoy today.  Mobile phones, floppy disks, computer systems, ipads and many of our other technologies have been influenced by this sci-fi phenomenon. Star Trek to me however, is more than just a movie. It is a reminder of what can truly be possible if we would just trust our imagination, trust our sense of adventure and to simply leave our comfort zones (Earth) and enter into deepspace. (the star trek universe)

The catch phrase of the Star Trek saga which has always been in place is to "boldly go where no one has gone before."  Isn't that an exciting statement?  Well for some it can be terrifying (I know it is for me occasionally.)  As I reflect on this statement however I am reminded of my own Christian walk.  As Christians and as a church God calls us to boldly go where no one has gone before.
I don't know if you have noticed but the church is slowly in decline.  In fact if we look at the universal church in Australia and dare I say it even the world, the only movement that has moved forward is the pentecostal movement.  You see when you look at the church, and when I reflect on my own experiences within it, I find that one of the main reasons we fail to boldly move forward is because we are too busy getting ourselves caught up in the past.  I hear people all the time say to me that we can't do something because that's not how we have done it in the past, or you can't do this because it will upset someone.  It is very easy for us to look backwards  in an attempt to move forward.  Yes history is important and we can learn from it and I guess that is the point, we can only learn from it.  If we are to boldly move forward into the future then we cannot continue to do the things of the past.  Yes they may make us feel good and feel comfortable but the reality is that it can't take us forward.  I once heard it said that you can't keep doing things the same way and expect a different result.  If we are to live for Jesus and move forward then we need to boldly go where no one has gone before.

When I think of The Salvation Army and how it began I am frustrated to hear people tell me that we cannot do something because it is just not Army.  What is Army anyway?  Are brass bands? Mercy Seat?  Happy Clappy songs? Song book?  Are they Army??  I don't think they are.  They are just things that have been used over a specific time period from other influences to bring others into a closer walk with Jesus. The early Army was innovative and would often try new ideas in an attempt to win souls for the kingdom.  The church as a whole needs to boldly go where no one has gone before if we are to stay relevant to the people we are trying to reach out to.  The churches role is quite simply to share the good news, disciple and to win souls for the kingdom.

Friends, as Christians we are called to more than just sitting in church and soaking up the stuff in a way that makes us feel good.  We are called to explore new ideas and get well out of our comfort zones for Jesus.  The journey with Jesus takes us on a whole new experience and will certainly call us to boldly move forward.  We are however, not going to accomplish this if we keep looking backwards and getting tricked into doing the same stuff the same way in an attempt to get a different result.

Programs are one of those things we seem to keep doing because lets face it, we have always done them.  I don't believe our communities need programs. People may come to our churches through our programs but I really don't believe that a program in itself will keep people there.  We need to be Spirit filled people, totally on fire for Jesus willing to take risks as well as bold and confident in our faith.  If we want people to be attracted to our churches then we have to have Spirit filled churches that welcomes the moving of the Holy Spirit; not putting restrictions and time limits on how we do things.  One of the reasons I believe many churches are going backwards is because we do not allow the Holy Spirit to run our churches and we do not allow the Holy Spirit to challenge us and our people, which in turn allows them to move forward. 
Liberal theology is coming in and we are letting the power of the Spirit move out.  We don't preach the Word as the Word anymore because we are afraid we will upset people or worse, lose them.  If we are truly going to see our churches and our people grow then we need to stop tickling their ears with lovey dove messages and actually preach the truth.

I really do believe that God wants us to boldly go where no one has gone before but the more he tries to do that, the more we try to rationalize, theorize,  justify, and apply our own thinking and comfort zones to the task.  Just like the USS Enterprise we need to set off in faith, expecting to find and to experience new things in Christ and to be Spirit filled.  Maybe we even need to take a few risks.

"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." -- William Shedd

"Opinions are like armpits, everyone has them and some of them stink." - Corey Turner

Whilst at a conference this weekend I heard a quote that has really caught my interest.  The quote is this:  "Opinions are like armpits, every one has them and most of them stink."  What a great quote that was given in the context of hearing the voice of God.  Interestingly the message being given was exactly the same message I was sharing with my own congregation today.

This being the case I believe there is a real message from God in this.  Over the past few weeks I have been hearing of, and experiencing first hand the criticism of others about how we do ministry.  As I have reflected on the idea of hearing Gods voice it has occurred to me that both flattery and criticism often comes from the same spirit.  Both are usually given in order to distract us from hearing Gods voice in an attempt to benefit the needs and desires of another.

In today’s world we are told that there is no absolute truth and that truth is relative to our circumstance and who we are. People all over the world crave the guidance of friends, spiritualists and clairvoyants in an attempt to find answers to their circumstance rather than seeking out God and asking him. There are so many voices in this world telling us what we should or should not do that we actually get distracted and lose the ability to hear Gods voice. There are many false prophets and teachers out there who will try and talk you into something that is not of God.

Criticism in ministry is certainly going to come.  To be honest if we are not being criticised by somebody, then we probably should be asking ourselves whether we are hearing Gods voice correctly.  I am quickly discovering that the devil will always find others to do his dirty work.  Sometimes, he even uses those closest to us or those who really should know better.

Friends, we are living in dangerous times and the devil is getting nervous because he knows his time is short. If you are a Christian reading this today I want to tell you that the devil fears you because he knows that if we are focused on God; spending time in worship, praying and reading his word, it is more difficult for him to distract and use us. Satan’s main job is to distract us and prevent us from hearing the voice of God and engaging in his mission. It is so important that we get this right if we are to not only walk the path that God has planned for us but also to strengthen our faith and grow on our spiritual journey.

Spend good quality time not only in prayer but also in the reading and application of his word.  1 John 4:1 tells us “…do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Never ever accept anything at face value, always compare it to the word of God and if there is any difference then challenge it. Hearing Gods voice is important and it is critical to our journey with him. When we do this, we are told that we are protected by the Shepherd; that is Jesus. John 10:27-29 gives us an amazing promise when Jesus says: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” God protects his sheep and he knows who they are. 

I guess after all this I have come to the conclusion that criticism can be a blessing.  Why? Because it simply reinforces the fact that we are on the right track.

^"7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you..." 

James 4:7-8