Prayers of a child

I was blown away recently to hear that the little girl in this picture, Esther Wakim, has been praying for me every night before she goes to bed. The amazing thing is that she is only a year and a half old!

I'm not sure how I should feel about that. Honoured? Blessed? Humbled? Probably all of the above.

This is a picture of Esther, with her Dad, Marko. Mum Anne didn't quite make this picture.

Bless you guys! I'm praying for you too, Esther!

Bashing Christian Culture

Book Review: The Christian Culture Survival Guide by Matthew Paul Turner.
Matthew Paul Turner is, among other things, a former editor of CCM magazine, which deals with American entertainment media from a Christian perspective. This book is a humorous look at American fundamentalist Christianity from one who considers himself an "outsider on the inside". With bullet-point lists such as "Six signs your pastor might have an ego problem", "Five questions you never want a pastor to ask on the first Sunday" and "Eight types of girls (for guys to choose from) in Christian culture", the author tackles subjects as diverse as the worship service, sex and dating, and Christian boycotts.
It's true that Christian culture, especially as practised in evangelical churches, can be strange and even funny. And it's true that this author is only trying to point the way to a more authentic relationship with Christ, one where the famous "cringe factor" has been minimised, if not extinguished completely. But this book epitomises everything that I have come to hate about the Christianity-in-culture debate. It's one thing for Christians to have a bit of a laugh at their own expense but it's quite another thing to mock the goings-on in churches where people are genuinely trying to live in holiness. Christians are engaged in some very serious moral battles these days. It really doesn't help to ridicule their good intentions. The problem is not that Christians have culture, but that their culture is not always as Bible-based, Christ-centred and Spirit empowered as it should be.
If the author of this book was setting out to be irreverent, he has certainly succeeded. At one point, he suggests spitting into your hands and wiping your eyes as a remedy for falling asleep during the sermon. He describes in some detail a large woman inadvertently displaying most of her backside to a stunned congregation. I could give many other examples. More importantly, he fails to adequately balance his cynicism about church life. He actually recommends "multi-churching", whereby people have several churches that they attend according to what might be happening there. And maybe I'm a sourpuss but I thought his stereotypes of various church characters were more ridiculous than funny.
The Christian Church is an easy target for books like this one. Instead of pulling down evangelical Christianity, we need more books that will respect God's Church and constructively point the way to legitimte Christian culture.

Classics on prayer and devotion to God

Lately, a lot of my reading has been done on iPhone. You can download pretty much anything but being the cheapskate that I am, I've been reading several old Christian classics that you can get for free.
Things like "How to Pray" by Torrey, "A Serious Call..." by William Law, and "A Plain Account of Christian Perfection" by John Wesley.
Various biographies of early church characters as well.
Sound boring?
Maybe for some but these old classics are stirring my spirit afresh to seek God for revival - in me, in my church in my city and in my nation.
How easy it is to become desensitised. We don't realise how bad things are getting because it happens slowly.
Some of these old classics can help us gain a more godly perspective on our general spiritual wellbeing

Bob & Dave and the very first Christmas

New Life Church has a small but growing Youth Music Team. On 20th December, they presented an original Christmas play called Bob & Dave and the very first Christmas. I thought it was absolutely brilliant. It was funny and entertaining, well acted and sung, but the overall impact was a clear message of God's love and grace.

I also loved it because it demonstrated what Christian culture can be - creative, imaginative, fun, but still very much glorifying to God.

Well done guys! Here is an iPhone picture of some of the young people involved.

What is the point for all our learning?

Christian culture should be instructive. That is, our art, music, literature and teaching ministry should help people to grow in their knowledge of God and their service to Him. It should also confront an unconvinced world with the claims of the Gospel.

I am currently reading an excellent book called "Culture Matters", by T.M. Moore (Brazos Press, 2007). In one of the chapters, Moore discusses John Calvin's efforts at cultural renewal through systematic education. He writes:

"Christian education today is largely regarded as an exercise in information transfer. Asked what they have been learning lately, most adult Christians will answer with some variation of a content response: "We've been studying the Book of Romans." "I've just finished a seminar on managing my money." "I'm working through a video series on the Psalms." Calvin defined true learning in terms of a growing relationship with God, expressed in growth in holiness and fulfillment of a life's calling to the praise of God and his glory."

"Until we begin educating the whole person - soul and practices - for living out all the requirements of God's kingdom - righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit - in every area of life and culture, we will continue to drift towards the margins of society, our fervent educational activities notwithstanding."

As learners, or as teachers and trainers, Moore urges us to a new vision of learning.

"We must challenge learners to new heights of personal holiness, greater humility in loving and serving others, improvements in excellence in their vocations, and a vision for church, society, and culture that takes seriously the promise of God's power being able to do far beyond all that we could ever ask or think (Eph 3:20).

This year, at New Life Christian Church, we will be focusing much more on instruction in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16).

Test All Things

1 Thessalonians 5:21 says: "Test all things; hold fast what is good."

This passage is very much on my mind today. You see, I recently read a book that claims to be a last-days message from God. The writer gushes about her love for the Lord Jesus and urges people everywhere to put their faith in Him. She says that Jesus is coming soon.

What could possibly be wrong with that?

Well, I was not convinced. There were some things about the book that disturbed me greatly. All the talk about how special she was to Jesus. Her obvious disdain for the authority that God has placed within His Church. And worst of all, the idea that God's Word was somehow not sufficient to warn people about hell and tell them about Heaven.

In Acts 16:17, a slave girl followed Paul, crying out: "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation."

What she said was true, but she was speaking under the influence of a demonic spirit. She was a vexation and hindrance to Paul. Even the truth can be dangerous if the source is not right.

Christians need to be less gullible regarding sensationalist claims. We need to exercise discernment. We should not reject what is good, but we are called to test everything, even the gifts of the Spirit.

Steve

What does it mean to be a soldier for Christ?

2 Timothy 2:3,4 – “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”

• A soldier is totally committed to doing the will of his commanding officer – so we must be committed to the will of God.


• A soldier will not become entangled in anything that will compromise his effectiveness – so we refuse to become entangled in worldly affairs.


• A soldier is trained to instantly obey orders – so we must instantly obey the Holy Spirit.


• A soldier is trained to endure hardship – so our personal comfort is never the main issue.


• A soldier is highly disciplined – so we must be disciplined in prayer, the Word of God and fellowship.


• A soldier gives due honour and respect to his superior officers – so we also honour those who lead us in the Lord.


• A soldier knows the importance of keeping rank with his fellow soldiers – so we look out for each other as Christians.


• A soldier knows how to be content with his rations, especially in the heat of battle – so we learn to be content with what God provided.


• A soldier is prepared to lay down his life if necessary – so we present ourselves to God as living sacrifices (Rom 12:1).


• A soldier is trained in the use of weapons and protective clothing – so also we must know how to use the armor of God and the sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:12-18).


• A soldier understands that there are some things more important than his own life.


• A soldier knows how to fight.