That terrible 'P' word

As I mentioned in the sermon this week, sometimes the wonder of Ephesians 1 is overshadowed for us with our struggles with the idea of Predestination. And in a western culture where individual rights and freedoms are seen as self evidently true, trying to understand how God can be in control of history, and by implication, our future, is hard for us not to object to.

The most popular and perhaps natural way to get around this is to suggest that the election of Christians is in some way conditional. This view has been around for a long time and was pushed very hard by Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609) in response to the very formative and influential writings of John Calvin (1509-1564). Amongst other things, Arminius proposed that humans are equipped with a free will and that God in his foreknowledge chooses the elect knowing what their response to his grace will be. This particular view (Arminianism) is probably the majority view in protestant Christian circles today and was championed by some of the greats like John Wesley.

The difficulty with holding to this view is it’s very hard to support Biblically especially in view of passages like Ephesians 1; Acts 13:48; Romans 9-11; Matthew 11:25ff; John 6:35ff. Also, it seems hard to argue that we indeed have a free will. If anything, the Bible is clear that we have a depraved will. There is not a part of our mind or body that has not been infected and effected by sins power.

However, before you triumph our inabilities and God's sovereignty there is another mistake we can make on the other end of the spectrum as well. Christians over the years have used Predestination as a reason not to engage in evangelism and even prayer because God’s plan will (so they say) be realised whether we do anything or not. Some have called this view ‘Hyper-Calvinism’ – although it seems to bear little resemblance to Calvin’s theology in the matter. The difficulty with this position is the countless verses that urge us to act, to choose, to repent and to be responsible. Indeed if you have a close look at the context of Ephesians 1 and Matthew 11 you see this very clearly in view.

So what is the way forward? Well the Bible teaches clearly that Christians are responsible and elect and holds out unapologetically the reality of God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. 

Don Carson affirms both these truths well in the following statements.

1. God is absolutely sovereign, but his sovereignty never functions in Scripture to reduce human responsibility.

2. Human being are responsible creatures – that is, they chose, the believe, the disobey, the respond, and there is moral significance in their choices; but human responsibility never functions in Scripture to diminish God’s sovereignty or to make God absolutely contingent. 

If you take on what he is saying, then it quickly dispels some of the myths and the negativity surrounding Predestination. It also affirms what all Christians know and believe anyway, that is God can and does and indeed must work in and through us. I also think more importantly, that it captures the scope and truth of the Bibles position.

Still confused? Well like some other Christian teaching (The Trinity, the divine & human nature of Jesus) it is hard for us to logically hold some things all in our heads at once. But God can. He ensures his good will is done and secured; ye he does it in a way that never violates our responsibility to trust and follow him. 

What this means, as I said on Sunday night, is that we should not be driven to confusion by Predestination, but rather be driven to comfort and joy. That seems the tone and part of Paul’s intent in Ephesians 1.

Suggested further reading:

Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God J.I.Packer

A Call to Spiritual Reformation , Chapter 9 D.A.Carson

Church for all nations

John's vision of the future in Revelation chapter 7 shows people from every tribe and language and people and nation. This is God's design for church. No nationalism, no racism, no tribalism, no elitism, no individualism. It was a joy to look at our congregation on Easter Sunday evening and see so many people from so many different places. On my count (during a moment of distraction!) roughly one third of the congregation were international students. How exciting to experience  a little taste of heaven, here in Canberra, Australia. Let's thank God for bringing so many people together to get to know him and one another better. And next Sunday, why not take the time to meet someone who comes from a different country to you?

By the way, you may have noticed that we have a fellowship for international students running each week, before church, in the foyer. You'd be very welcome if you'd like to come along some time. We are most keen for domestic students to be meeting overseas students. And we share a meal together!

Appreciation to the Dudleys

The time has almost arrived when Paul, Michelle and family make the move to Sydney. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank them for their ministry and friendship with us over the past three years. They will be deeply missed, as they have been deeply loved, by so many of us. We have been blessed and encouraged by their love and passion for ministry, especially among children and youth. Paul leaves a legacy of having shaped and guided an inspirational ministry among our families, and beyond. Our church is one that is welcoming to men, women, youth, children… and PUPPETS! We understand that his shoes will be difficult to fill, and it is probably important that we don’t expect someone to fill them. Others will come along with their own shoes!

More than a buzz

The last few weeks have been a buzz of activity and excitement. How wonderful to see so many people coming to church. It seems that both morning congregations have over 100 adults involved and Crossroads in the City has seen over 250 people coming. Many people are involved in serving every Sunday, making church happen, reaching out to people, and responding to opportunities for ministry. Crossroads International Fellowship, Crossfire, boys and girls clubs, FOCUS, City Bible Forums, and Supa clubs are among the many ways that people are serving and reaching out to others.

But, it's easy to get swept along with the buzz of it all, and to sit back and admire what others are doing. Can I please urge you to keep focused on God’s grace in Jesus and to be moved by this grace to keep ministering to others. As a simple guide, we are keen for everyone at church to be engaged weekly in one congregation, to contribute to a small group, and to have one particular way in which they serve God through the church. If you would like help in exploring how you can contribute, then please connect with one of the pastors from your congregation and they will be able to help you work out how you can be serving God. It is a trap in a large church to think that everything is covered and there are no opportunities to get involved. The reality is the opposite – the more people, the more opportunity and needs for ministry.

Making a difference

It has been an exciting few weeks as we have launched into some major changes at Crossroads.  Our 12th anniversary with John Chapman was a great encouragement to push on with the gospel and to live it out in our church community in a spirit of love. The letter of 1 Peter has challenged  us to consider again who we really are, and what is our God-given purpose. We have seen that God is calling us to live very different lives in the world, so that he is glorified and people are  drawn to him through the gospel. We are keen to see 2008 as a year where we make a difference – as a church, and as Christian individuals. Our prayer is that people will be attracted to God by what they see in us, and that we will be prepared to point them to Jesus.

Looking back at 1 Peter, please let me ask you a few questions:

1. Will you pray that God will transform your life so that you attract people to God?
   
2. Will you pray that God will open opportunities for you to talk to people about what and why you believe?
   
3.  Are you able to explain clearly to someone who might ask what you believe and why? And if you are not sure about this, will you take steps to be prepared?
   

I don’t think that this means we all have to be ‘evangelists’, that we will all be on ‘the front line’, or that God has gifted us all in the same way. However, it does mean that as a church we are keen to work together to see people’s lives transformed. Together we can use what God has given us to pray and work and live and speak to promote Jesus and invite people to follow him. Please think of church, not only as a catch up with Christian friends, but as an opportunity to connect people with Jesus. Please consider your home groups and gospel groups as a time to be spurring each other on in making a difference for God. Please ask God to make a big difference in your life, that is evident to all.

There are two books that I would recommend as we explore these things together, and they are: Promoting the Gospel by John Dickson and Know and Tell the Gospel by John Chapman. These books are readily available at all Christian bookshops and well worth a read. We have also enjoyed a good relationship with both authors. Chappo encouraged us last month, and we are looking forward to John Dickson spending a few days with us in early May. John has a TV documentary on The Christ Files showing on Prime TV at noon on Good Friday and he will be speaking at church on 4th May. Please pray and plan now to invite friends to hear him.

 

Marketing peril

       How many times do you watch an add on TV, find it entertaining or clever, but in the end have no idea of what they are actually trying to sell? It seems so much of modern day marketing is the attempt to get you to be attracted to a product, not by focusing on the merits of the product itself, but by a whole series of other associations that may ultimately have nothing to do with it at all. So marketing is in many ways pure stealth with the aim of having you buy or sign up for something through a mirage of other associations. They are hoping ultimately, that you conclude the end product or cause must be worth buying and supporting having spent as little time as possible actually pondering it’s merits. It is terribly deceptive and some would say, it’s marketing at it’s best.

      If this is what our world is like then how easy can it be to do the same with Christianity? Paul is adamant in the opening two chapters of 1 Corinthians that he will not dress up the gospel by using the various expected techniques of the day. Basically in the first century you wanted an idea to go well you either had to be in power and force it upon others, or you marketed it well through oratory skill. And the greater your skill in entertaining and provoking your audience, the greater chance of acceptance. In other words, you mustered all your resources to dress up and add credibility to your ‘product’.

    Paul won’t go for this kind of gamesmanship and indeed if the former was 1st century marketing at it’s best, Paul knew it would be Christianity at it’s worst. The Gospel needed no dressing up and to do so was not only deceptive, but showed a severe lack of trust in God’s power. So he seeks to clearly and persuasively make the Gospel known. He’s at pains to be authentic, loving, humble and real. And he’s convinced that such an approach will see a true display of God’s power. Indeed the Corinthians are the very testimony to this.

      

     And so should we be as well. A community of believers clear on the gospel and seeking to be deliberate and clear about the significance of Christ crucified for the sake of others will be used powerfully by God. Even though weak and trembling (1 Cor.2:3-5) it will not be our powers of persuasion nor some sort of theological magic show that will have a lasting impact. Even the most intelligent of people prefer to be told important information clearly, simply and respectfully. And as people laboured to do this for our sake, it would be great for us to work hard at ensuring we are doing the same for others.

       But if the Corinthians began to lose sight of this and look for spiritual credibility in other areas (leaders, gifts etc) rather than have their confidence grounded in the wisdom of the cross, I wonder how we might be prone to also wonder? Where might we be likely to put our dependence so as to legitimate the success of our church and our Christian lives? What a tragedy it would be to have a mirage of various Christian ‘associations’ filling our vision, but to not be experiencing the power and wonder at the heart of it all.

       In short, marketing dresses up a product to make you buy it when you don’t really need it. To have the same approach to the Gospel will actually cause us and others to miss it ….and how we really need it!

What's your identity?

Identity fraud is a big issue these days. I hadn't thought too much about it until recently, when my credit card wouldn't work. The bank had put a stop on it. Someone had been using my card to pay $1000s to some obscure internet company in Israel. My card, my money, but not me!

It is so important to have a good grasp of your identity. Who are you really? 1 Peter was written to people who had changed their identity. Once they were 'not a people' and now they are 'the people of God'. These people had become 'Christians', which means that they had been called to belong to God, to be included in his family, and to display the family likeness. God had given them a new life, a new future, and a new purpose for living. A completely new identity.

We live in a world where people are constantly seeking to make a name for themselves. A world where our identities are shaped by our looks, our income, our education, our relationships, our possessions, and our dreams. The problem is that all these things perish and fade. By contrast, God gives us a new identity in Jesus Christ that is precious, lasting and secure. This identity is the REAL you. Not a fraud we manufacture for ourselves.

My question are: "Do you know who you really are?" "Do you see yourself the way God sees you?" "Have you been born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Christ Jesus from the dead?"