Jacob's Dream

In this week's sermon, we're looking at Jacob, a loser of a guy - single, 65 years old, still living at home with mommy, who gets kicked out of the house because his brother is plotting his murder. In running away from his mess of a family, and running to a safe place to find some babe hopefully a third of his age, he lays down to sleep, and has a dream. In the dream, God speaks to Jacob - initiating the same kind of relationship that God had previously established with Abraham and Isaac. Demonstrating that he is definately a child of the 80's, when he wakes up, Jacob says, "Awesome!" There are all kind of great nuggets in here, but I got to thinking about a minor/major point. Jacob's dream.

Here's the deal. God is God, and his supernaturalism is woven naturally all through the Bible. It's just no big deal. But alas - the fact that God does speak and that God still does supernatural stuff is a bit of contention for a few people these days -let's call them cessationists. In short, they believe God doesn't lead or speak like that any more, that spiritual gifts aren't valid in the lives of believers.

Why would they believe this? Often, it is to protect the authority of scripture. We also hold that the Bible is the final authority for what we believe and how we live. But God leading and speaking and working doesn't undercut the authority of the Bible. Yes, scripture judges everything. Every word, dream, prophecy, sermon - the Bible judges it all. Even the New Testament itself describes non-canonical revelation - so there is no reason to say that 'revelation' ceased once the canon was closed. So where do folk get these cessationist ideas? Here are three possible sources:

1. The Bible teaches it. Um, wrong. The biblical evidence for cessationism is so weak that, well, it takes massive efforts by really smart guys to pull and stretch and play - it's just not in there. But watching their exegetical gymnastics is entertaining.

2. Experience. "If God's power could be experienced like it is described in the Bible, surely I would have experienced it." Dude - not necessarily. And besides - we don't establish doctrines on the basis of experience. Or non-experience.

3. Counterfeits. "The fact that there are counterfeit gifts and miracles means there can't be any real ones." It is true that that some miracles and gifts surely aren't genuine. Not every prophecy is really God-given. And the leg that grew 2 centimeters maybe was the result of a spinal adjustment and muscle relaxation. Whatever. But to say that a counterfeit disproves all of them is like saying that a conterfeit 20 pound note means that there are no real twenty pound notes.

So where does that leave us? With a sovereign, supernatural God who can bust into our lives any time he wants to. We build our lives on God's Word as found in scripture. But we are open to him speaking to us - and leading us. Some dreams may be from God. Some are from the pizza we ate last night.

Are we open? Yes - God is God and he speaks. Are we cautious? Yes - we scrutinize every 'word from the Lord' in the light of scripture.

Truth is - we're all like Jacob. We're jacked, and we need God. If he doesn't break into our lives, we're in trouble.


(Click HERE to read an interview with a really smart guy (Wayne Grudem) who believes spiritual gifts and such are valid for today).

Lost

Sorry, this isn't about the TV show, but about one of my personal quirks. Tuesday Night at our Connection Group in Edinburgh, as a little ice-breaker, we took turns sharing wee "quirks" about ourselves. One of mine . . . I lose stuff. I'm on ATM card no. 6. And as if to demonstrate the point, I was separated from my mobile phone for quite a few hours following the group - I found it about mid-day on Wednesday. All of that to say, I had lost the log-in information for this blog. BUT NOW I FOUND IT. YAY!
TJ's Back!

Remembrance and Reformation

Yesterday was Remembrance Day - a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War.

The week before, on Friday, 31 October, was Reformation day. This is the day when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenburg.

What do these two days have in common?

First, they are both looking back - back to the sacrifices others have made on our our behalf.

One of the sacrifces - wartime sacrifices - was to preserve our political freedom. This is important - Paul tell us to pray: "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." He then goes on to say that God wants people to be saved. The purpose of praying for political leaders is that we may have the freedom to proclaim the gospel - the good news of Jesus - to those who don't know Him.

The other sacrifice - that of Martin Luther and the Reformers who came after him - has to do with the gospel itself. The gospel is the story of Jesus - the gospel is the story of what God has done to secure our freedom from sin and its consequences, the story of what God has done to bring us to himself. It is the story of spiritual freedom - salvation as God's gift, rather than what man can accomplish himself.

The story of reclaiming the gospel is not often told - but it is the story of thousands - yes, many thousands - who gave their lives so that the true message of the gospel could come to us today. It is a story of courage and sacrifice and truth - it is the story of how the Bible came back to be in the hands of people, and the the story of how the gospel came to be understood and proclaimed.

SO - yes - let's remember - those who have gave their lives for our political freedom. And let's honour them by making full use of the freedom we have.

And let's also remember those who gave their lives for our spiritual freedom. And let's honour them by using every opportunity to bring give that good news to others.

IF you are unfamiliar with the gospel, the message of Jesus, you can go here.

For Christians - I would strongly encourage you to remember Reformation Day. Here are some of the key thoughts of the reformers.

PASTOR RAY

Sunday before last, I received an early morning phone call - the kind I hate to get. My friend and colleague Ray Shiels had died after a five year bout with cancer. Ray was pastor of a church in Dublin called Every Nation Dublin - he planted the church in 2001 with his wife Claudine and sons Sam and Jack.

Ray is one my heros - simply because he gave his last season of life to establishing a church in a city that needs that gospel. There are so many questions that arise from this, but for me, the questions immediately get personal. Am I willing to give my life to see churches started, congregations established, and the gospel preached where God has placed me?

Jesus said: "I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." Jesus is building his church in Dublin, and Ray was a partner with Him. Ray laid a strong foundation, and our prayers are with and for that church that it will grow strong and flourish and prosper as a place of great gospel ministry.

Our prayers are also with and for Claudine and the boys. My best friend's father - also a Bible teacher - died when I was 11 and my friend was 12. There's no other way to slice it than . . . hard. It's tough, real tough, for a teenage boy to loose his dad.

And yet - we trust God - his goodness and his wisdom- He knows when he calls his children home - by whatever means - and he will have his way. One of the most poignant moments of my life was singing the song "Blessed Be Your Name" at the funeral on Monday. When we got to the bridge - "You give and take away . . . " wow, sober stuff to be sung at a funeral, when God has just taken away someone he gave.

And yet - our thoughts have to go heavenward - that Ray is right now in the midst of intense celebration and joy in the presence of God. The Bible promises - for Christians - to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Yes, it's hard on the family, but Ray - well, as a jazz musician, he's has just entered the ultimate jazz bar. I haven't been there yet, but I'm guessing the music in heaven . . . is to do die for.

What other thoughts do I think?

I think Ray is a hero for establishing a viable congregation while fighting cancer.

I think Ray is a hero for continuing to trust God until the end.

I think Ray is a hero for giving his best years for the best cause possible - reaching lost people by planting a Christ-centred, Bible-based, gospel preaching church.

And I think Claudine is a heroine for clinging strongly to her God in her darkest hour.

And what do I think about death? We all die. That's the deal. Some live longer than others, but length of life is not the deal. The key question is what we do with the life we have.

Ray is my hero because of how he lived -full-throttle, aggressively running after God and his will.

May I live life in a way that honours God the way he did.

In The Big Apple

New York City is just a fun place. Not that I would ever want to live there, but Manhattan is a fun place to visit. I was there on Sunday for a meeting with a pastor friend of mine, and in a church called MSNY on Sunday evening. Apart from the normal reasons to find New York an interesting place, this was an exceptionally interesting time to be there.

Here's why: New York is the epicentre of the current world-wide economic mess. Everything you have read in the headlines about the financial meltdown - bank failures, acquisitions, hedge-funds - much of it is centred in New York. One Trillion dollars were just knocked off the value of the New York Stock Exchange. Ouch.

Sunday Night my good friend Jim Laffoon preached a message about the current economic climate, and how to enjoy peace. How Here are some highlights:

Practical Points for Walking Through a Dark Hour

1. PROVIDENCE: And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good. Romans 8:28. God promises that He will take care of us.

2. PROMISES: And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 God has given us promises that we can embrace and stand on, and this one - here he promises that He will take care of us.

3. PEACE: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27 Amazing - Jesus is so powerful. Here he promises that we can walk in supernatural peace regardless of the circumstances in our lives.

4. PURPOSE: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 God created each one of us with a purpose. That purpose is realized in Christ. And in Christ - God has a purpose for us. God's plans for our lives are designed to accomplish his purposes. And he's going to do it.
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What's the Take Home? We all need food to eat, houses to live in, clothes to wear, and all the other practical stuff of life. We need money to live in this life. God is for us not against us. He promises to take care of us. So we can trust him and walk in peace.

Good stuff.

This Old House

OK - there is more information here than fits into a sermon - or even a series of sermons.

SO - here is the link for those who want to explore the Evidence for the Fine Tuning of the Universe.

Look at the bottom of the page - there just is no other alternative - this Universe of ours has freakish amounts of evidence for a designer.

Tree Huggers

I've got a confession to make - I love trees. No really - I love trees. Few things are inspiring to me as a really tall, full, healthy hardwood tree that's been growing 30 or 40 years. When my parents had their 20th anniversary . . . I gave them some trees to plant in the garden. I think the world would be a better place with more trees. One of the first things I did with our garden here in lovely Bathgate was to plant some . . . trees. It's true - I love trees.

Regarding the environment . . .

I've now lived in three different nations (USA, Ukraine, and Scotland). In each country, there is a different attitude towards the environment, on average. Here is my take on the general attitude towards the environment in each of these three places:

US: protecting the environment is fine, just don't mess with my lifestyle.
UKRAINE: protecting the environment? I'm just trying to protect my life and family, and find enough money and food to survive another month.
SCOTLAND: we've got to do whatever it takes to save the environment.

Now, I know that within each of these places there are various opinions - I've just tried to boil it my observation of the prevailing mood. But here is the question: what kind of attitude should a biblically informed Christian have? Before I state what I think this is, let me give some thoughts as to what it is NOT. In life, there is a tendency for people to head to extremes. Sometimes churches are established on the basis of one core truth, and the challenge with that is that it's hard to keep the church from ending up weird. The Bible keeps us out of the ditches, on the centre of the road. That's not say that truth is a compromise between two extrememes, but simply to say that the Bible calls us to be centred on TRUTH.

Here are a couple of environmental ditches (extremes):

1. Conspicuous Consumption: because God have the earth to us, we should use it without worrying about the ramifications. Here is a quote representing this view:

The ethic of conservation is the explicit abnegation (sic) of man's dominion over the Earth. The lower species are here for our use. God said so: Go forth, be fruitful, multiply, and rape the planet -- it's yours. That's our job: drilling, mining and stripping. Sweaters are the anti-Biblical view. Big gas-guzzling cars with phones and CD players and wet bars -- that's the Biblical view. - Ann Coulter

2. The Earth is god: the highest value a human can aspire to is saving the planet for future generations.
Here is a quote representing this view:

I am the earth. You are the earth. The Earth is dying. You and I are murderers. ~Ymber Delecto

There are all kinds of nuances and perspectives out there, but let me try to articulate, briefly, what I would call a balanced, Biblical perspective.

In short, the Biblical position revolves around three words: Dominion, Stewardship, and Conservation.

Dominion refers to man’s unique role as sovereign over the Earth and its creatures, as spelled out in the Book of Genesis. Dominion does not mean domination, in the sense of an immoral and wasteful use of Creation.
Stewardship is the enlightened and grateful possession and use of God’s gifts, in this case, the world He gave us.
Conservation refers to the prudent development and care of natural resources and especially the avoidance of unnecessary waste.

Check out this link to a website that works really hard to present a balanced, biblical, and positive case for conservation.

In the mean time, if you have a chance to plant a tree . . .