Hanging out in Hermanus

I have been having a great time with Lisa and the girls in Hermanus. We have had some great opportunities just to talk and hang with each other and Micayla and Chloe. Also trying to come up with a name for number 3.

Praying next to the lagoon is an awe-inspiring setting and is good for the soul.

Also been having the opportunity to think of some new possible series to do at church and catch up with some reading. Have read Inside the Magic Kingdom (Connelin) some food for thought. Also busy reading a fairly interesting book called Mojo (Marshall Goldsmith). Will share more about it on my Leading Smart Blog in time to come.

Questions for reflection

Time with God:

• Did I spend great time with God today? Did we connect?
• What am I obeying?

What has God been teaching me through

1. The bible
2. Circumstances
3. People

Personal Faith:

• Did I represent God well today?

Family

• Did I communicate love to my wife and kids?
• Did they feel it?
• Did we connect?
• Did we spend good time.

Personal Growth

• What have I learned today that will help me grow?
• How can I apply it and when should I apply it?

Adding Value

• To whom did I add value today?

Teamwork

• What did I do with someone today that made both of us better?

Leadership:

• Did I lead by example today?
• Did I lift my people to a higher level?

Friends

• Have I been a great friend this week?

The Good News

Eph. 3:8-10 ‘Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace (*1) was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹ and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. ¹⁰ His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms…’

(*1) The word grace in greek is χάρις (charis) prenounced khar'-ece.

The manner or act that his divine influence has upon your heart as reflected in your life (gratitude, favour, joy & pleasure.)

v.8 ‘…God gave me this privilege of taking to the Gentiles the Good News about the infinite riches of Christ.’ GNB

‘…God showed me his kindness by allowing me to spread the Good News of the immeasurable wealth of Christ...’ GNB

v.9 ‘He allowed me to explain the way this mystery works...’ GW

We have the privilege of teaching people

· The unsearchable riches of Christ.

· The secret plan of God.

For centuries people longed to have insight into this. We get to experience it on a daily basis.

My Utmost for His Highest

I have just started reading an devotional series called ‘My Utmost for His Highest’ by Oswald Chambers. This is not a cover to cover read, but more devotional thoughts. It seems to be very promising.

Extract below.

Phil. 1:20-21 ‘I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.’

We all tend to feel ashamed if we do not yield to Jesus the areas of our lives, he has asked us to yield to Him.

It is as if Paul were saying, ‘My determined purpose is to be my utmost for His Highest – my best for His glory.’

To reach that level of determination is a matter of will and heart, not of debate or reasoning. It is an absolute and irrevocalbe surrender of the will at that point.

(v.21) Whether it means life or death-it makes no difference! Paul was determined that nothing would stop him from doing exactly what God wanted.

Shut out every other thought and keep yourself before God in this one thing only – my Utmost for the Highest. I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and Him alone.

Devotional Thought: Do your best

2 Tim. 2:15 ‘Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.’

Do your best

· Be diligent, to use speed, to labour, to study.

To present yourself

· To put yourself before or to exhibit yourself

To God

· To an audience of one.

· God should be the one and only focus of this exhibition

· You are Presenting yourself to Him and Him alone.

As one approved

· To have been tried and tested.

· Prove: To establish the validity of something.

A workman

· Someone who is skilled, diligent and faithful.

Who does not need to be ashamed

· Who has confidence in who he is and what he is doing.

Micayla reading at library

Visiting the Joburg Church of Christ

I had a wonderful time visiting the Joburg Church this weekend. Had a great time with their staff on Friday (always great to be with leaders having a common purpose.) Had some fun at Elena's 10th birthday party. Had a great time with Justin and Irene and got to speak at their Sunday service. It was great to see so many Capetonian's (ex) in the fellowship.

Pilgrim's Progress Review

This is a must read for all Christians, but especially for older Christians. The story is about our journey as Pilgrim's to the Celestial City (heaven) with all its challenges and temptations along the way. The story makes it clear that is a journey that will take a tremendous amount of faith, hope and courage but will be without doubt worth it in the end.

Latest Read: Pilgrim's Progress

I am not a big allegorical/ fictional reader, but this book has been referred to in so many other books - that I have read - that I had to give it a go. Thus far I have been pleasantly surprised even though I am only 80 pages into it.

I will share more lessons learned from it when I am done with it. But let me give you a brief synopsis and two extracts.

The story is about a guy called Christian who leaves his home in the City of Destruction and begins a long journey to the Celestial City. His adventure is full of encounters with interesting people such as Faithful, Hopeful, and Ignorance. Travelling through places like Vanity Fair and the Valley of Shadow of Death, he reaches his heavenly home but learns rich lessons during his journey.

Let me share to extracts or tasters…

1. Then the Interpreter led him toward the door of the palace. At the door stood a great crowd of people. All were anxious to go in, but no one dared to enter. By this Christian understood that a great many people who desire and intend to enter the kingdom of Heaven are kept back by fear.

The door of the palace was guarded by strong armed men. Between the crowd and the door sat a recorder at a table with book and pen, to write down the names of all who would enter.

Out of the crowd came one called Courage, and gave his name to the man at the table. Then he put a helmet on his head, drew out a sword, and rushed toward the door. He was seized by the armed guards, but they could not hold him. He cut and slashed them with such fierceness that they fell back and let him go in. From the inside, and from the top of the building, came the words: “Come in, come in; eternal glory you shall win”

2. Just then he saw two men come over the wall a little behind him. They walked fast and caught up with him. One was named Formality, the other Hypocrisy.

Christian: Gentlemen, where are you from and where are you going?

They said that they were from the town of Vainglory and were going to Mount Zion.

Christian: Why did you not come in at the gate at the beginning of the way? You know it is written in the book by the Builder of the road: “He that cometh not in by the door, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.”

They told him that to go to the gate from where they lived was considered too far by all and that the usual way was to take a shortcut and climb over the wall, as they had done.

Christian: But will it not be counted a trespass and a violation of instructions by the Lord of the City where you are going? They said he need not trouble his head about that, for they had a long-standing custom where they lived to guide them in their practice, and they could produce plenty of testimony of its practicality over a period of more than a thousand years.

Christian: But will it stand the final test?

They thought so. They said that a custom of such long standing most certainly had been accepted and, without doubt, would be admitted by the impartial Judge at the end of the way. “And,” they reasoned, “we are in the same way you are in. What does it matter how we got in? If we are in, we are in. In what way is your position better than ours?”

Christian: I walk by the rule of the Lord of the way; you follow your own fancy: the crude invention of uninspired men. You are called thieves already by the Lord of the way. Therefore I doubt that you will be found true men at the end. You came in by yourselves without His direction, and you shall go out by yourselves without His mercy.

At this they told Christian to mind his own business; they would take care of themselves. They said that they were quite sure of having kept the law and ordinances fully as well as he. “Therefore,” said Formality, “we see no difference between you and ourselves except the coat on your back, which, no doubt, some neighbour gave you to hide your nakedness.”

Christian: By laws and ordinances you cannot be saved. And as for this coat I am wearing, it was given to me by the Lord of the place where I am going. It was given, as you say, to cover my nakedness. And I wear it as a token of His kindness to me; for I had nothing but rags before. Now I feel sure that when I come to the gate of the Celestial City, the Lord will know me by this coat He gave me, by this mark in my forehead – which perhaps you had not noticed – placed there by one of His faithful servants, and by this book which I hold in my hand. All of these I doubt you have, because you did not come in through the gate.

They gave him no answer, but looked at each other and laughed. Then Christian walked on a little before them, often reading from his book, to refresh his spirit and overcome the disappointments of the day.’

You can buy this for R80 through Loot. It is absolutely worth it.

The Story of the Bible

We said that we need to read the bible as a Story. Not meaning that it is Fictional or Informational.

Meaning that it has

1. A PLOT: Creation à The Fall à The Wanderings à Redemption à Eternity.

2. CHARACTERS: God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, God’s People, The World

3. MANY AUTHORS

Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Paul, Peter, James, Jude…

· That all Wrote a WIKI story of the Bible.

The Unity of the Bible is this Story.

• It is the Story that Puts the Bible Together.
• BUT what is the STORY?

So let us begin in the Beginning.

Gen. 1:1-5 ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

^{GE 1:3} And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day.’

We read this and we Usually Focus on Creation.

• Instead of, Why did it Happen?

The early church Fathers explained the relationship between God, Jesus & the H.S. as Perichoresis

Perichoresis refers to the endless dance of the trinity in

• Love, Community, Joy, Ecstasy, Intimacy & Mutuality.

So God said, let us make this elsewhere.

• Let there be other beings that can experience what we experience.

Gen. 1:26-27 ‘Then God said, "Let us make man in our image,(in our Icon/ greek for tsalem) in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

²⁷ So God created man in his own image (or Icon), in the image (or Icon) of God he created him; male and female he created them.’

So God created man in his image so that Man could live in perfect unity with God, self & Eden.

• But in a sense Man stood alone.
• He looked through all the animals and there was no one like him.

So God split Man into Ish and Ishah. Man & Woman.

• So the he could experience the glories of love and mutuality.

God wanted the relationship between Adam and Eve to be like

• The Relation of the Father, Son & Spirit.
• He wanted them to experience Pericherosis.

Therefore he said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.’ Gen. 2:24

The word ‘one’ when he talks about ‘one flesh’

• Is the same word used in the Shema

Deut. 6:4 ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.’

So as the Father, Son and the H.S. are one.

• So Adam and Eve are made to be one.

So Genesis 1 & 2 is not as much about creation/ as it is all about the loving oneness of God

• Finding its earthly expression in Adam & Eve.

And when those who are Created in His Image. (Icon)

• Are at one with God, self, Others and the World.

• The glory of the God illuminates all of life.
• And we are able to delight in that Glory.
• THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE CREATORS INTENT.

And what a great story it would have been if it all ended here.

· But unfortunately it didn’t.

· Because Oneness is about to take a HIT!

Gen. 3:1-19

• Through disobedience the Icon that God created (the man in his Image) is Cracked.
• Jeopardizing Pericherosis.
• Jeopardizing the Oneness for which God has created us.

Their SIN led to four things.

1. THE DISTORTION OF SELF

Gen. 2:25 said, ‘The man and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame.’

Gen. 3:7 says that they were ashamed because of their nakedness.

2. The Distortion of their relationship with God.

• They hide from God.

3. We see the impact of sin in their relationship with one another.

• The woman made me do it.

4. And eventually we see the impact in their relationship with the world (Eden) being kicked out of the garden.

The fourfold relationship previously enjoyed is now completely cracked.

• They are at odds with God, with Self, with One another and the World.
• ONENESS NOW BECOMES OTHERNESS

Instead of Experiencing one another in Oneness.

• They now begin to experience one another as others.

Instead of living in Perichoresis

· In absolute Love, Community, Joy, Ecstasy, Intimacy and Mutuality .

They now desire to Climb over One Another and on Top of One Another.

• To control and dominate what they want.
• Which Inevitably leads to Death.

The rest of the bible story Points to Jesus who would turn these Icons bent on Otherness

• Into Icons basking in Oneness with God, Self, Others & the World.

This ‘Otherness’ problem is what the Gospel fixes.

• And the Story of the Bible is the story of God’s people struggling with Otherness and searching for Oneness.

Here many Bible Readers lose their way and Jump ahead from Genesis to the Gospels

• Because they have limited the Otherness Problem to God & self.
• And not God, Self, Others and the World.
• Because we tend to read the plot of the bible as…
• Creation à Fall à Redemption.

There is something missing when we do this.

• Because there is a Huge Gap between the Fall And Redemption.
• And that is about 1000 pages.

And in that 1000 pages that God shows how he Chooses to Redeem man.

• And that is the context of his Covenant Community.

And what you will notice in the O.T

• Is that it is not only the Otherness between God and ourselves that God is concerned about

• He is also concerned about our Otherness with Others.

Our problem is that

• We are so Focused on becoming One with God.
• That we Actually forget about our Oneness with Others.
• We forget the rest of the Story.

So what Happens after the Fall.

• God lets his Cracked Icons Foolishly fiddle around for another couple of chapters.

• Till he Finally does a Do-over with Noah and the Flood.

After the Flood God forms a Covenant Community through Abraham.

• This would be a Community in which the people were to find Oneness with God, Self, Others and the World.
• And it is their search for oneness with God and others that shape the rest of the Bible.

The Old Testament is about Israel’s Striving to become this.

• But there is a Massive Problem.
• God’s people don’t get the Job done.
• There seems to be something Terribly wrong with them.

Woven through the Story is a Deep Thread of Failure that Creates again Otherness.

• And we Learn that Israel won’t get the Job done until the Job is done for them.
• The job won’t get done until Jesus, Israel’s Long awaited Messiah comes.
• He will Bring Oneness.

He will Restore the Relationship between

1. Us & God.
2. Us & Self.
3. Us & Others.
4. Us & The World.

And as we enter the Gospels we discover that

• Everything God designed for Icons is actually lived out by Jesus.

Everything Icon’s are to Do and Be

• Can only happen through being one in Christ.

So, how does this work?

• How do we become one in Christ
• So that oneness can be Restored.
• How can we get into the Perecherotic dance with
• God, Self, Others and the World.

Acts 2:36-47

‘Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?’

The Spirit of God brought everyone together.

• They are Broken about their Sin/ their Otherness.
• They want to know how they can become one with God, Self, Man and the World.
• Asks what shall we do?

‘Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call."

⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." ⁴¹ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.’

Peter says, what you have to do is Repent and be Baptized

• For the forgiveness of your sins.
• So that you can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• And form a part of God’s covenant community

In which there would be according to Paul in the book of Galatians

no more Jew or gentile, Male or Woman, Slave or Free.

• Because they would all be one in Christ

Acts 2:42-47 ‘They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.

Oneness with God

⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.

Oneness with Others

They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.’

What happened?

· They Repented, Got baptized and formed a part of God’s Covenant Community.

Later on in Acts 4:32 is says, They were ‘one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.’

They became that which God intended from the beginning of Creation.

• One with God, Self & Others.

And this is the Story the whole Bible was Designed to Tell.

• OTHERNESS OVERTURNED AND ONENESS BEING RESTORED.

God’s work was now almost Complete

• And for the 1^st time His Covenant Community was now able to live in Oneness with God, Self, Others.

As they could now experience the Pericherotic Dance through

• Love, Community, Joy, Ecstasy, Intimacy and Mutuality.

But the Story does not End there.

• From the very beginning God created through Abraham a Covenant Community who would be a Blessing to the World.

From the very beginning when God started a Covenant Community with Abraham he said, ‘I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you;

I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.’ Gen. 12:2

I will make you great so that you can be a Blessing.

And the same is True for the Church.

• God wants to be a Blessing to the Entire World.
• And he wants to Express himself to the World through us.

Because Creation is not just about you and me.

• It is not just about me being in Pericherosis with God.
• But it is about me being in Pericherosis with
• God, Self, Other and the World.

As it says in 2 Cor. 5:18 ‘All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…’

The church is commissioned to bring God’s Plan of Pericherosis to Completion.

• By Pulling the World into it.

The church is what God is doing in this world.

• It is impossible to follow Jesus and not be a part of his Covenant Community
• A part of his Purpose of being a Blessing to the World.

The Gospel is designed to accomplish Unity.

• Unity with God, self, others and the world.
• And the church should be a Glimpse of his Kingdom glory.

Reaching out to a lost world is not just one of the Purposes of the Church.

• It is who the Church is.
• It is Who the church was Designed to be.

When the church ceases to be Missional is ceases to be the church.

• God’s whole plan for the church was to be redemptive
• To be a blessing.
• To Restore Oneness with God, Self, Others and the World.

This is the story of the Bible

· And each author of the Bible

· Simply has his view or take on it.

What does this mean for you and me?

• It means that we need to read it correctly.
• Read each book and passage against the back-drop of this story.
• And Know what the End-goal is.

But not only should we read the story.

• We should become a Part of the story
• Become a Part of God’s Covenant Community.
• And Pull others into this New Community.

So that they too can Enjoy the Perecherotic Dance of

• Love, Community, Joy, Ecstasy, Intimacy & Mutuality

So that the creators intent can be brought to completion through us.

** Most of the content of this message come from the research of Scot McKnight (Professor in Religious studies at North Park University, Chicago, Illinois.