100% human

I've just been watching 'The Passion' again, about the story of Jesus' last week before the cross. Watching it, it suddenly struck me that we sometimes misunderstand and underestimate the part of Jesus that was 100% human.


Can you actually imagine going through 33 years without committing one sin?


Not get angry and bitter?

Not one bit of gossiping?

Not one wrong desire?

Not one white lie?

Not one fleeting wrong thought?


I've begun to see that we often, subconsciously (or consciously sometimes) think that 'Oh he was 100% God, so it was probably easier for Him'. 'He was divine, so it wasn't as hard for Him'


But surely the whole point of Jesus living a sinless life is that He shared all the same temptations, emotions, suffering, difficult circumstances and everyday issues that we have to face - granted, in a different context, but nevertheless the same basic issues.


He faced many temptations, He struggled to be obedient to God.


Take Gethsemane. Jesus essentially says if it wasn't up to God, He didn't want to go through with it. "If it is possible, let this cup be taken from me."


What Jesus the man wanted wasn't what God wanted.

But what does He do next? He says 'Not my will but yours be done'

So you see Jesus struggled the same as we do. Yet He didn't give in once. He was obedient always. Even in death.


Whatever you believe, that's some example. To go through an entire life not breaking trust, not being rude, not being selfish, not being bitter and angry, not gossiping, not being disobedient, putting others and God first, loving and forgiving everyone. Its not easy to do.


But He did it. Jesus was a man but committed no sin. He was not guilty of anything wrong.


How did Jesus as a man do it?


He put God first.

In everything.

He orientated everything around God. He gave up a career in the family business (well, His earthly family business anyway), gave up any chance of a wife and family (another temptation there surely was for Him), gave up His status in Heaven, where He could have stayed for eternity, and ultimately allowed Himself to be killed because it was what God wanted.


Because we were too important to Him and to God.


Of course, none of us are perfect. All of us need to grow, all of us have areas of weakness, all of us need forgiveness.


Its only possible though because one man who faced all the same temptations, problems, issues, and situations we face chose not to give in to temptation or to His own desires, but put God (and us) before them. He chose to love us and be obedient to God.


The more we see just how much Jesus was a man as well as divine, the more we see how much He loves us.


That's because the more human He is, the more we understand how difficult it was for Him.


The more human He is, the greater the power of the cross.

Small change, big revolution

Is anyone else sick of seeing pain, suffering, violence and injustice? Anyone else sick of living in a world where God seems so absent? Where hope seems to have died in many?

Me too. But we can change it. It can happen.

I've been reading about what's happening in Georgia in recent days and combined with what I've been reading in 'The Irresistible Revolution', I feel genuinely sickened by what human beings are capable of.

This world is so broken. So full of pain. So in need of hope. So in need of Jesus.

Yet because Christians and the 'established church' present such a bad public image of church, people don't see that there is a real genuine hope.

Yesterday I helped clean out a stretch of river in Sutton. Picking up litter, getting rubbish out of the river, finding things like mopeds and computers in the river, and helping remove them.

It was the first time in a long time I actually felt I was living out my faith.

I was actually doing something, rather than just talking about doing it.

Jesus was a man of action, and finally I was taking action myself.

It wasn't enough though, there's always more we can do.

When we actually live out our faith, then we are 'doing church'. Only then are we becoming more fully like Christ in our actions. Only then can we really claim to be followers of Christ.

Anyone can talk a good faith.

Actually living it out, outside of a 'Christian' or church environment is where the real test is.

We don't always get it right, of course we don't and its important people understand we all need grace and forgiveness.

However, if non-Christians see people going to church then not living it out outside of the church, then our faith loses authenticity and legitimacy, its just another bunch of good words and clever-sounding ideas, and there's plenty of them around at the moment.

When Christians take the lead in standing up for the right values and standing against things that Jesus and God is against, when they start to take action, and speak out, then people will finally see what the church and what Jesus is all about.

When thinking about what's happening in Georgia, and seeing a picture of a mother over the body of her dead son, an innocent victim, and reading stories from relatives of victims, I started to feel a righteous anger inside of me, it crystallised how wrong it was, how far we have strayed from God's vision of how life was meant to be lived.

I was sad and angry at the same time. I was disappointed. I was frustrated. I wanted to do something, and the only thing I could think of to begin with was to pray.

I do believe God is upset at what is happening too. Angry even. It pains him to see his people whom He created and loves destroying themselves, destroying His beautiful creation and killing each other. It pains Him to see us so far from how He intended.

This of course begs the question, why doesn't God intervene?

People who don't believe say that He can't exist, they blame God for suffering, wondering why He doesn't do something if He loves us.

Even Christians can start blaming God for their suffering.

I have done in the past.

But God doesn't make these things happen. He doesn't start these wars or elect these governments.

In Genesis God put us in charge of this planet, He made us stewards of this world. He gave us free will to make our own choices. To live according to His values or to put ourselves centre and do what benefits us, to go the way of violence, death, selfishness, greed, pride and selfish ambition.

In the Bible it says we will reap what we sow.

What seeds is our culture sowing?

What seeds has it already sown?

We are seeing the consequences of what has been sowed years ago.

Maybe God doesn't do anything because He sees tragically that the only way people are going to see their need for Him is through suffering.

Maybe he wants to allow people to see the consequences of following their own values, and let them see where it leads them.

Maybe He knows, being outside of time, that ultimately the outcome will work out for the best.
After all, He allows it in the Bible.

To be honest, we don't know precisely why God allows these things to happen and doesn't intervene.

It happens.

There's no real answer as to why.

We just have to trust God, who uses all things for good and sees everything, future, past, present - all together.

But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be upset by these events, their consequences or even with the perpetrators behind them, just as I believe God is.

It doesn't mean we shouldn't do something about it or just let it happen. Saying that we trust God with it isn't enough. God wants us to do something. He calls us to it.

Am I saying we should all protest about what's happening and go to Gerogia and try to stop it? No I'm not. Its slightly simpler than that - though no less a challenge.

Let me explain.

Lets get back to the question. What can we do about issues like this, which seem to be so big for us?

Ask yourself. What can I do?

All I could think of at first think of right was praying and trusting God about the situation in Georgia.

But then something else occurred to me. Something different and potentially much more poweful and of much more benefit to God, and indeed His world.

The best way we can deal with practically is by trying to make sure it doesn't keep on happening generation after generation. By starting where we are and making sure that in the small part of God's kingdom we're a part of the values of Jesus are key.

That's something we can all do.

Pray about the big stuff, and if God calls you to go and get involved directly, then do so.

It all boils down to focus on how we can make our little part of God's kingdom more like He wants it to be. Try and put God's values into practice where we are, where we live and work. In all the communities that we are a part of. In whatever part of the world He calls us to go to.

Listen to the call of God and go and live it out wherever we are and wherever He calls us to, whatever the location.

Ideally, as everyone does this, in every level of society things change. Slowly but surely, the values of the Kingdom start to spread, and a 'quiet revolution' happens.

Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed. Mustard seeds are small. But when they grow they move out and take over the rest of the plants and their branches get intertwined with and effect everything around them.

Its no coincidence Jesus used this analogy.

This is how the Kingdom of God works. It starts out small, then as it grows and develops it can take over and become a part of everything around it.

Imagine that happening.

If the next generation were brought up on these values, instead of the values that we're currently brought up on and which effect us so powerfully - sometimes even when we don't want them to - then they could go into every area of life - politics, medicine, law, film & media, music and many others - and take these values with them, and slowly the world could change.

A quiet, peaceful revolution would happen and suddenly would become massive, because the right seeds have been planted.

We can change this world if we put the values of God at the core of who we are, and as we do it will impact the world around us and change it, and the next generation might grow up starting to put these values into place in more and more fields of life.

It can happen. We must pray. We must act. We must do it now. Go on this adventure with Jesus and try to build His kingdom wherever He puts us, and start to truly bring His kingdom to this world.
That's what church and being a Christian is all about.

It really can happen. It seems so big and idealistic, but we have the creator of the universe on our side. The word of God says it itself, anything is possible with God. We just have to belieive it.

Bring the kingdom. Now

Changing the world. Today.

Start small, put Jesus at the centre, give it all you have, and keep doing it.

Eventually it will come. Jesus promises that.

We can help Him start the work now.

Imitation

Yesterday somebody told me their blog had inspired the look and feel of theirs, and one of the reasons they'd done theirs like they had was because of the way I've done mine.

Now I don't say this for pride or selfish purposes. I was telling them jokingly that 'imitation is the best form of flattery' and it later struck me just how true this is of our faith in Jesus.

We love to imitate people don't we?

People we have as role models, people we aspire to be like. Especially in a celebrity culture we currently live in, we see it all the time. We copy them, try to be like them. Look like them, talk like them, act like them.

Babies often imitate things they see as they try to learn. Sometimes they imitate their parents.

We love to imitate.

Sometimes of course it goes over the top and gets unhealthy and can become idolatry, especially today. It causes problems when people imitate the wrong things.

Yet imitation is actually Biblical, in its proper context. Done in the proper way. As with a lot of things.
In Ephesians 5 v 1-2 it says the following...

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God"

Now this passage has a 'therefore' at the beginning, and its always helpful when that happens to look at what it says immediately before the passage you've quoted.

In Ephesians 4 v 22-32, the end of the chapter, its says the following:

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

The Bible says we are to be 'imitators of God'.

What a truly awesome statement. There is such power in this line.

God wants us to 'imitate' Him. Just before that (and a little immediately after) He explains what that is.

Just to clear up any confusion, lets look at what the meaning of the word 'imitator' means. Here's the dictionary definition

"Imitator: Synonyms: imitate, copy, mimic, simulate. These verbs mean to follow something or someone taken as a model.

To imitate is to act like or follow a pattern or style set by another"

So how does this translate into the passage?

I believe the passage is saying God wants us to follow His pattern, to act like Him. To model our lives on His values, His standards, to orientate our whole lives around Him. To follow Him.

It even tells us how we can do it.

Living a life of love. Making sacrifices. Serving others.

Paul make it clear that imitating God primarily involves following Christ's example.

God wants Jesus to be our model for how to live a human life.

He wants us to act like Him. Be like Him. Live like Him. Follow His pattern. Follow His way. To take Him as our role model. Not worldly role models who all have their flaws. Jesus is the one to be put on that pedestal, to be copied and followed.

God is saying "If you want to be like me and live how I want you to live, look at Jesus".

Now this doesn't appear to be an optional extra, its not something we do just at church. Its not something we can opt out of.

Its a command.

The Bible and Christian history tells us that when God calls us to something He equips us so we can do it to the full. He gives us all the tools we need to do it.

So when the Bible says this, to me God is basically saying that He believes we are capable of reaching this standard. That if we are true imitators of Him and model Jesus' life, we can be just like Him.

Obviously, not in the sense that we can be divine or be a saviour.

But He believes that we can model His lifestyle, His behaviour, the way He treated people, to stand for justice and truth, to serve those in need, to change lives.

He knows we can be like Jesus. That we are capable of fully imitating Him.

All the things Paul talks about in Chapter 4 are related to that, are all ways of imitating Jesus. All ways to live like Him and deal with the temptations we have every day not to. So Paul gives us everything we need here.

He says what we need to do, how we should do it and makes it very clear for us. What encouragement to know that God believes in us. That God expects such high standards from us despite our sin.

It has to be because He believes in us, and has hope in us. That He knows that if we try to live like Jesus and allow Him to influence every area of our lives, that we can actually do it with God's help and in God's power.

We can do it.

But we need to be careful how we do it.

We don't just want to put Jesus on the top of a list in our lives. To truly imitate Him we need to put Him at the centre.

You see I heard a talk today saying that often in the past people have put God at the top of their priorities, that He is number one, above all things. That has value. God is above all things, He does rule over all things, and He should be a priority in our lives.

But being at the top means that you don't often get a look at everyone or everything below you, as the Chief Executives or managers of many companies or organisations know.

To truly know everything and impact everything around you, you need to be at the centre, where you can see everything.

That's where Jesus needs to be.

Then He's much more likely to be part of everything we do, and our everyday lifestyle. He is more likely to impact every area of our lives and everywhere we are.

If He's at the top of a list, then He becomes sectioned off, a part of our lives, but doesn't effect all the rest of it.

No, He needs to be at the centre.

He needs to be the role model we put right at the very heart of our identity and lifestyle. Everything else we do is then going to have Jesus involved, and we'll be looking to model Jesus in whatever area of our life and whatever we're doing, whoever we're with and wherever we are, and whatever circumstances we encounter.

Then the impact is greater.

The passage says we must do this. God clearly believes - or rather, knows - we can.

We might feel like failures or that we'll never get it right. That no matter what we do we we never be good enough. But God says differently. He calls us all to be imitators of Him. He says to us, that if we put Him at the very centre of our lives we can be like Him.

He doesn't just believe it either. He knows it.

So let us put Him at the centre of our lives. Let us become true followers of God.

Imitators of Jesus.

Do things His way and no other.

Orientating everything around Him, His kingdom and values.

He believes that we are capable of it. And He's never wrong and He never lies.

The Dark Knight metaphor: A preview

The above is a trailer for 'The Dark Knight'. The new Batman movie.

I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet. But its brilliant. One of the best films I've ever seen and from Heath Ledger a phenomenal performance on screen. Tragic that he didn't live to witness it in full.

Its amazing how God can speak when you least expect it, and how you can have a spiritual experience without any mention of God. This is what happened when I saw it.

I would love to elaborate on exactly what He said, but that would spoil it for everyone as it kinda involves giving a bit of the story away.

I am going away for a week, but when I get back more of you will have seen it, and I will post on the film. I will try not to give too much away even then, but it will be easier when more of you have seen it.

I think its brilliant. Its two and a half hours long, but you barely notice it. It taps into all of our dark sides. Its in no way a comedy, but plays on a sadistic humour that many of us don't often acknowledge. It has incredible metaphors tied up inside it if you're open to them.

So I'll be back in a week or two and will explain all. In the meantime, go watch it. If you've got any doubts, watch the trailer.

Jesus - Religious, not a religion

I've been thinking of the words 'religion' and 'religious'. Christianity is often called a religion and Christians are termed 'religious' people. I thought I'd explore.

I've discovered they are very different things, and only one of them in my view is truly applicable to the kind of life Jesus has in mind for us. Only one applies properly to the true nature of Christianity.

The word 'religion' talks about an organised, institutionalised system of religious beliefs.

An organised, institutionalised system?

Did Jesus really come to set up a system, an institution? What did he do with the religious systems around in His time?

He consistently condemned them, called their leaders hypocrites and said that saying the right things and being seen to do the right things, living rigidly according to the laws, being legalistic was not the way of God.

Jesus wasn't about starting a religion. But inspiring and encouraging people to live a new way, God's way. To make their lifestyle, their everyday lives, be pictures and reflections of God. To interact with God, to make our choices and habits ones which reflect God, to make our lives a witness of our devotion, rather than being part of an institution.

You say well didn't He ask Peter to start a church? Yes He did.

But Jesus didn't mean the church to become an institution. He meant for it to be a community of believers, serving each other, supporting each other, praying for each other, and serving the community as a collective and individually. A community where everyone was welcome.

Not an institution. Not at all. That's what man has made it.

I think what 'the church' as those outside of it see it and define it now, has become an institution. Part of the establishment. Part of the accepted order. Near to government. Part of Royalty almost. The Queen is the head of the Church of England even.

Jesus didn't want it to be that. Not at all.

Because when that happens it loses its edge. It loses its radicalism. It loses it power. Its more and more afraid to take risks and take a stand. It gets to stuck down in tradition and legalism. It becomes more a set of rules and regulations, not a living community, not a way of living.

Being a Christian is a way of life, not a religion.

Which brings me nicely to my second word. The word 'religious' means the following three things in the dictionary.

1)Of, relating to or manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity
2)Of, relating to, or devoted to religious beliefs or observances
3)Scrupulously and conscientiously faithful

If we talk about being religious with our faith - then that's correct. If we are truly religious Christians we will devote ourselves to God. We will devote ourselves to observing what He says, and His reality, and we will be faithful to this belief. Scrupulously faithful means being faithful to a life of integrity and conscientiously faithful is to be have our lives governed by God's moral codes and values.

Wow. This I can get on board with. Living a life of integrity, according to God's values, devoted to God and listening to what He says. A lifestyle devoted to God.

Being religious, in the truest sense of the word, is a good thing. Its how Jesus wants us to live.

Jesus wants us to religiously follow His way of life, His example, His teaching. If we are truly religious we will be putting it into practice, we will be living out our faith.

Christianity is a way of life, the way God wants us to live and when its done in its truest sense its done religiously.

But that doesn't make following Jesus a religion. Jesus didn't come here to do that, but to institute a new way of living, and to set us free to live it. Religious, not religion. They are two very different things, almost polar opposites.

Lets not get stuck in religion. Lets get religious with our faith instead.

Righteous anger - A gift

When people talk about Jesus getting angry, they always seem to bring out the same passage of scripture - overturning the money changers in the temple.

As if that was the only time He ever got angry.

Sorry, but I think that's completely wrong.

Jesus got angry. Much more than once, and more than is mentioned in the Bible I think. People have this misconception that Jesus couldn't have got really angry, being the Son of God and a man of peace and self-control.

He was the Son of God. But he was a man as well - a man without sin. Meaning that any anger He had was the right kind. Sinless kind. Justified. Controlled. The kind of anger God would feel.

Yes, Jesus felt anger.

What about the constant frustrations He expressed with His followers?

Here's some quotes of Jesus from the gospels.
"Have you been with me so long, and you do still do not understand?"
"Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it"
"Do you still not understand?"

In Mark 1 it says He was 'indignant' when the leper came to Him for healing.

Jesus got angry.

He got frustrated.

He got annoyed.

His reasons though, were righteous. He expressed righteous anger, justified anger rather than the anger we often express which is merely down to us not getting our way.

There's nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all. Righteous anger is good, especially if it leads us into action . Into becoming more like Jesus. That's the real power of righteous anger, it works as an impetus for change in our lives. God uses it to change us, and when we feel righteous anger we share in the experience of Jesus and the experience of God.

Righteous anger is not sinful. Its the same anger God has. I expect God gets angry with all of us at times, but that's tempered with love, grace, mercy and the forgiveness we receive through the cross.

Selfish anger is all about us. Why aren't we getting what we want? Why are bad things happening to us? Why is our will being blocked? Its all about us.

Righteous anger is when something is wrong, when we see something unjust, sinful, or purely wrong going on in the world and react against it. When we get annoyed about things which aren't right, which displease God, things which God doesn't like. This anger isn't expressed through sin and selfishness, but through action. As we take action against injustice, against the problems of the world, we take that anger and use it as a channel for God's glory.

Lets try to cut down the selfish anger and feel more of that righteous anger - there's things which really aren't worth getting angry about, and lots of other things that are, and where we can make a difference.

We need to be in touch with righteous anger if we are going to be real agents of change in this world.

Justice, mercy, love, forgiveness, peace and grace. These are the things we should pursue. Where these things are absent, there's something wrong. Something God doesn't want. If we ask, if we think, there is surely something we can do in response too.

The right kind of anger channelled and used in the right kind of way is a gift from God, a powerful gift.

Lets not waste it.

No healing = No faith? Not the Jesus I know

Healing.

A good thing, definitely. Its always good when God heals you, its a sign of His love, a sign of His power and His mercy. Its cause for worship and celebration.

What it is not, is a sign of how much faith someone has.

If you've been a Christian long enough, been to enough seminars and conferences and enough types of churches, chances are you will have heard some people talk about how someone wasn't healed because they didn't have enough faith. Or that they had 'some unresolved sin' to deal with before God would do them the favour of healing them.

Some people seem to think that God heals you on the basis of how strong your faith is, how much you know Him, how much you trust Him. That somehow you have this 'bank balance' of faith which 'pays' for your healing.

That analogy may sound shallow, it may sound materialistic and nothing like what God is like.

That's because the whole idea of being healed and not healed depending on your faith is nothing like what God is like. It doesn't fit with a God of mercy and grace.

You can't earn the salvation of Christ. You can't earn His forgiveness. You can't earn His love. None of us deserves them.

None of us deserve healing either. God owes us nothing, no matter how much we trust Him.

Everything He gives us or does for us is an act of love, grace and mercy. Including healing.

I heard a true story of three people who had the same fatal disease. All had a strong Christian faith. All were prayed for for healing.

Two lived. One died. Leaving a husband and two children.

Now can you imagine how her husband would feel. Two healed and his wife is taken. He'll be asking why. There are probably Christians out there who would think, if not say to his face that she died because she didn't have enough faith. Its almost worse thinking it at not saying it.

There are Christians who think like that.

They use the verse about 'the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well' and totally misinterpret it. Are not all prayers offered in faith? Why do Christians pray at all if they have no faith? There's no point in praying if you don't believe Jesus can heal. We all know He can, He does it in the Bible. He does it still.

Surely there's no question that God can heal us.

But if he doesn't heal us or our friend then does that mean there is no faith? That we don't know or trust God enough? That we don't love God enough? That we don't have enough 'credit' with God?

Of course not.

Some churches and Christians think if you aren't healed there is something wrong somewhere . Either you don't have enough faith, you don't trust God enough or you have 'unresolved sin'. As if they or any of us doesn't have unresolved sin.

They seem to think that God has to heal everyone who asks for it. That there is a problem if you're not healed by the next time you see them, or instantly.

Not at all. How arrogant, self-righteous, patronising and presumptuous. It shows no love, grace, mercy, or understanding. It doesn't reflect the real God. Just because someone isn't healed instantly or very quickly, or even at all, doesn't mean they don't have strong faith, it doesn't change that God loves them unconditionally and doesn't mean they don't trust God.

To think that, or to say that to someone is not, in my opinion, anything near Christ-like.

Jesus didn't heal everyone. He healed 'many'. The first thing Jesus said to the man lowered on the mat through the roof, wasn't to heal Him at all. It was to forgive Him. The healing was merely an outward sign to demonstrate His power.

Jesus shows right there what is important to faith. Its not whether you are healed or not healed., its not being physically healed at all. Forgiveness is shown as more important. Jesus shows its more important to forgive someone and to ask His forgiveness than it ever will be to be physically healed.

These bodies we have now are dying from the day we're born. Eventually we'll get sick and won't recover. We'll die.

We don't take these bodies with us, we get new ones when Jesus returns. However, what we do keep is our character. What we do keep is our faith. What we do keep is what we've done while we're here. How we've treated people. Whether we've known and believed in Jesus and asked His forgiveness, or not.

Surely that is more important than physical healing.

Jesus doesn't heal us on the basis of how much we trust Him. He heals us on the basis of grace. Its that simple. Sometimes people are prayed for and healed, sometimes they aren't healed.

That's up to God. But the really important thing when it comes down to it, is that we try to live like Jesus, and we accept the forgiveness He gives us.

His forgivness through the cross is the greatest, most important gift, most important 'healing' of all.

Everything else He gives us is just a bonus.

The many sacrifices of Jesus

Last week I talked about Jesus the man. I'm going to continue that theme today, and develop it a little more.

I want to talk about the many sacrifices of Jesus.

Yes there is the obvious one. The cross. That's amazing enough in itself, but there is more.

You see I think sometimes we get so pre-occupied with the divinity of Jesus that we forget that He was also a human being. Yes its important to remember that Jesus was the Son of God. Its important to believe He died and rose again and to understand how much He went through and gave up for us.

But He gave up more than just His divinity.

He gave up more than His own life on the cross.

He gave up some of the human things that we can take for granted. We seem to think it was easy as He was the Son of God. But if he experienced the same temptations and experiences we have, then surely He would have had to make sacrifices - apart from the very obvious sacrifice of His life.

For example, marriage. If Jesus was tempted in every way He was tempted to adultery, to sleep with women outside marriage. He may have been tempted to get married, forget His ministry and continue in the family business and raise His own family, rather than choose the life and death He chose and which God had for Him.

That brings us onto the second thing, His job, His living. He was described as a carpenter but in Biblical times they did more than work with wood. He was what is called a tecton - a mason - so would have been involved in building, architecture and working with stone. The family business. He was the eldest too, so had the pressure of setting the example for the rest. He would have been expected to follow the family business, which would have given Him a secure income. Not wealthy, but secure.

To give that up and sacrifice a steady income to trust in God to provide is another tough choice.


The other thing that may have crossed His mind is the knowledge He would be thought crazy by some members of His own family, and be rejected in His home town. His friends from growing up would have maybe rejected Him and thought Him crazy. He may have been seen to have abandoned His family.

He knew who He was, He knew His mission. He knew what lay ahead. He knew the life He was giving up. He knew what some people would think of Him.

These were temptations to avoid His calling. These were things people valued greatly - wife, family, job, security, respect and friendship of peers. Jesus would have had to give all this up for His mission.

So what did He do?

He was obedient to God.

Obedient to His heavenly Father, rather that to maybe what He would have wanted on His own.

There is a clear example in Gethsemane where we see the conflict of what Jesus the man wants, and where He tries to avoid the pain that is to come. Jesus asks if there is any other way that we can be saved, any other possible path other than the one He takes.

This only makes what Jesus did even more powerful doesn't it? That He was faced with all these temptations, desires and feelings.

Yet because He loved us and knew He was the only way we could be saved was through Him, and because He wanted to be obedient to God and because He was without sin, He resisted and was obedient. He totally submitted to the will of God, even to His own death. Jesus loved us and wanted us to be saved. He loved His Father God and wanted to be obedient to Him.

That was more important to Him than His own desires as a man.

Its not just the divinity and sacrifice on the cross of Jesus that is why we should worship Him. Its that He gave up things many of us take for granted and the life we are now free to have so that we could know Him. That sacrifice is just as important.

Faced with the same choices now, what do we do? Do we choose sacrifice, do we choose God? Or do we choose our own happiness first?

Jesus chose obedience. Jesus chose God. Jesus chose the cross.

What would we have done?

Falling in love with Jesus

I fell in love with Jesus again this week.

I don't think I was out of love with Him, but I think I'd lost the enthusiasm, the fire inside was smouldering. I loved Jesus, but the passion had gone a little.

Then I did a Bible study on Jesus. Talking about Jesus the man, remembering and thinking about how much He had to endure and give up in order to save me. I watched 'The Passion' on BBC and saw what He did for me. I felt it in my heart.

Suddenly I realised how much He loved and still loves me. How He's been through much worse than I will ever go through. And He did it because He chose to. He did it because He loved me. He did it willingly and in total obedience and submission to God. So that I could be free. He allowed it to happen to Him. The worst kind of suffering any man could ever experience.

He gave up everything for me. When I woke this morning, Easter day, and knew the grave was empty and that He'd given it all up for me and emerged triumphant, I just felt overwhelming thanks and love for Him. More than I ever have before. I felt humbled and wanted to just bow down and worship. I sang my heart out at church and at home on my own.

I fell in love with Jesus again. I knew the full gravity and power of what He'd done for me and been through for me even though I've let Him down so often and even though I don't deserve it. I knew a bit more of how much love He has for me. I trusted Him like never before. I wanted to serve Him out of love, not obligation.

Jesus is amazing. There is no one like Him. He gave everything for me and now He's alive. The grave is empty. Forever.

What an amazing person. What a Saviour. I love Him.

Jesus - the Man and the Saviour

The above is a trailer for 'The Passion', which was shown on BBC this week and concludes Easter Sunday. A new dramatic re-telling of the story of Easter.

There are some historical inaccuracies, but the thing which struck me the most was that this told the story of Jesus the man.

Other dramatisations are very good, but Jesus is displayed more in his divinity and less of a man. Someone with presence, someone who stood out.

Now this is true. Jesus was divine. Jesus did stand out. But he was also a man. Jesus descended from Heaven and submitted himself to human experience. Jesus didn't just suddenly 'know' the scriptures. He had to learn them like anyone else could have done.

Yes, He had an anointing from God, a unique anointing. He was the Son of God. But he was 100% man as well as 100% God. Jesus grew up a Jew, in Jewish culture. He re-defined culture. He showed us the kind of culture God intends us to live in.

Jesus came not just for the cross. He came to show us how to live God's way out in a practical way. How to live as a man the way God wants us to. He got hungry. He felt physical and emotional. Pain. He was tempted. He had friends. He had family. He shared in all our experiences and temptations. He felt frustrated and angry. He had a sense of humour. He felt love.

He showed us it is possible for men and women to live differently. That it’s possible to deal with all the temptations of this life and issues that we face.

Jesus was divine. But he was also a man. He wasn't distant and above all the experiences of this life - but the difference was that He didn't give in to sin and temptation. Jesus was tempted in every way we are. Every single way. I'm sure that the temptation didn't just come in the desert, or when the cross was near. During his ministry He was probably tempted in circumstances that aren't mentioned in the Bible - in private, in His mind and heart. But they probably happened.

To know what His destiny was and willingly submit to it even though it involved sacrificing Himself. Jesus remember when He came to the cross didn't know for sure what would happen. He'd given up being outside of time. He trusted His life totally to God. He was obedient to what God told Him to do. But in his emotional, physical, mental and spiritual agony on Good Friday it must have been hard to be faithful. The temptation to say no, the temptation to avoid it. Jesus said Himself in Gethsemane that if it was possible He wanted to avoid the cross. The human side of Him didn't want it - but He knew that it was God's will. He loved us too much not to go through with it. He knew it was the only way salvation was possible.

One he resolved to go through with it. Once he submitted Himself to it, He gave Himself to it totally. He gave in to God. He went with it. He allowed it to happen to Him. He didn't fight it.

Right to the end He was obedient. Right to the end He was without sin. Right to the end He forgave. Right to the end, He loved.

Yet He was physically still a man. He still felt all the emotion, pain, temptation and mental torture that it is possible to feel for a man. But He felt one thing we never experience.

Separation from God.

To save us, He had to take our sin, and He had to suffer the punishment God has for sinners. He had to be abandoned by God. In order to save us God had to abandon His own Son.

Imagine that.

None of us, not even non-believers, ever have to experience that. God is always with us. God's presence is here on earth with us, if only we choose to recognise it and hear it.

Jesus had to cope not only with the worst kind of physical, emotional and mental suffering ever known, but also being abandoned by God.

And yet, He still was obedient. He still was without sin. He still did not abandon His mission.

What love. What mercy. What obedience.

Jesus was a man. He shared all our human emotions, temptations and experiences. He had friends, He had family, and He knew what it was to live every day as a human being and lived as one of us with us. He showed us how it’s possible to live on this earth and serve and follow God.

He was a man.

He also suffered more than any of us can ever suffer. And remained without sin. Remained obedient right till the end. And remained a man.

He truly was the Son of God. He is truly amazing. He deserves all our praise and worship.

The Jesus in 'The Passion' was Jesus the man, but a man who was clearly different. Who was clearly divine. Who was obedient to His calling, to His father to the point of death. Who showed His divinity through His lifestyle. His actions. His words. His obedience.

But who also showed that despite our sin, it is possible for us to live how God intended, and then through His sacrifice made that way possible.

I'm proud and honoured to know Him, to follow Him and to be His friend.

Giving God our best - everywhere and with everyone

Hypocrisy.

Its something that other people do isn't it. Or something that the Pharisees do in the Bible, but not us.We often subconciously say to ourselves that we've just about got it nailed or start to think we're right most of the time, and we'd never really be hypocrites. We get complacent, and its a subconscious thing that happens without our realising it.

Well today I realised that's certainly true for me.

It’s ironic, having been talking in my last post of Jesus as a way of life, a lifestyle choice, that today I was humbled in the most powerful and deep-rooted way ever, and by a non-Christian at that.

Without going into detail, basically there is a key part of my life which I'd put down as a minor priority, when actually it’s a big priority. My work. For so long my life has been outside work, my faith has been outside work, something I do everywhere else. Work was what I did to live and didn't matter as much.

Today that changed. I realised that was all wrong. I realised that I'd seriously mucked up.

In fact, doing my job well is a fundamental part of being a Christian.

If I'm a Christian that means I give 100% commitment and energy to doing every part of my life well, giving it my best - including my work. God gave me this job, God is with me watching me at work. When I'm at work people know I'm a Christian and how I work and treat people is going to impact people's view of Jesus as well as their view of me.

Doing that aspect of my life well is key to being a Christian - for all of us.

It hadn't been for me.

That has to change. That is going to change for me. Starting right now.

I knew this before, but today realised in my heart that if we're not taking one important area of our life seriously, if we're not giving it our full attention, effort, concentration and commitment then we aren't honouring God with it.

If we don't take how we treat others seriously. If we don't take church seriously. If we don't take our private times with God or our Bible study seriously. If we don't take how we treat our bodies seriously. If we don't take our attitudes seriously. If we don't take our jobs seriously. If we think any of those doesn't involve God and it doesn't matter how well we do them.

Any of that means that we aren't involving God in it.

It means we're probably not orientating ourselves around God, but around what we want. It means we're consuming God. Taking what we can get and leaving the tough stuff about life behind.

That's not being a Christian. That's being a hypocrite.

That's what I've been doing. That has to stop.

I'm writing this here so its on record. People who know me, please keep me accountable in this.

But everyone who reads this, think about your life carefully.

What important areas of your life are you not giving your full attention and commitment to? Who really is your God, what do you really orientate your life around?

Be honest.

If God's the most important thing to us, then things like work, healthy living, treating people properly, church and forgiving and serving others are all things we should be giving total commitment to and working hard at. With all our energy, time and resources.

Not just taking what we can get and leaving the rest behind. That's consumerism and the culture of yourself as the most important thing in this world and that's not the way to live.

Its certainly not the way I want to live.

I know I will still make mistakes, but the one mistake I hope I never make again is ignoring the fact that Jesus and being a Christian needs to impact me wherever I am, whatever I'm doing and whoever I'm with. I need to try my best to be the best I can in whatever I do or say, in all the different parts of my life.

Becuase Jesus is involved and wants our best in all of them.

For us to become like Him, its simply something we have to do.

'Doing God' today - Not religous and not a label

I recently read an article from a special feature on God in the New Statesman. It was written by a man called Ziaduddin Sardar, talking about 'The right way to do God'.

He writes:

"The fabric of modern society is comprised of questions of moral conscience and none of us can escape the obligation to make choices for which we must bear responsibility. The sooner we can be open and honest about how and why we struggle with the questions, the better it would be for...our political and public debate"

He concludes "I know we all need a more challenging idea of what 'doing God' actually means."

He's so right.

Now, for me the term 'doing God' in the context describes a cultural shift. The way people perceive God and people who believe in Him has to change. The old way of 'doing God' culturally is going.

Faith as something of you merely believe is not the future. Its never been the way.

Faith, religion, God is now becoming a way of life. A lifestyle choice, not just a decision about what you believe.

That's how it used to be. Whether you were a Christian or not depended on what you believed not on how you lived. They were almost separate, unless you were a priest or a monk. In society, God had - and still is - compartmentalised. Even now, in many Christian churches, there isn't so much about Christianity as a way of life, a lifestyle choice, a cultural decision made by individuals - but something you believe in.

Many churches today are obsessed with getting people to believe the right thing. Not only that, but to 'get in' you have to agree with everything this doctrine says.

But Christianity is more than doctrine. Doctrine is important, but its only one part of being a Christian, and what interpretation you believe and whatever wing of theology you end up on, then it has something to do with your own upbringing, background and life experience. The way you first experienced God, the way you experienced life. It all impacts your theological perspective.

But its only the beginning.

Christianity - which is how I prefer to 'do God' as Mr Sardar puts it - is a way of life. Its a lifestyle choice. It a cultural choice for individuals.

Everything we do every day is part of being a Christian. Every choice we make, everything we do, all our priorities and needs, our whole way of life should revolve around God. Around Jesus. Around following His example in every area of our life. Work, rest, play, good times, bad times, joy, suffering, church, home, day, night.

The term 'Christian' is not a label we can put on something which is written by a Christian or about Jesus or Christianity in some shape or form.

Christian should not a label we put on ourselves. Its not a 'type' of anything. Christianity is the culture of how we live. Its our identity. Its our lifestyle. Books by Christians about some aspect of Christianity shouldn't be called 'Christian' books - they are books about Christianity by Christians. Worship music or and type of music made by Christians shouldn't be called 'Christian music'. Its worship music, its rock music - its music of a certain type with lyrics about Jesus or God. Or a band made up of Christians.

Christianity is how you live your life. Your daily choices, how you treat people, how you engage with society and the people in it. How you engage with God.

When you see it for that, then it opens up whole new possibilities. So many new interpretations which are still in line with the heart of the gospel and the nature of God. It means that you will always be looking for new ways of living like Jesus in the time and place you are. You will be open to new things. The things you create will be label free, but could still be about Jesus. How you do church is more flexible.

Church is a community of Christians meeting together, worshipping together, going through life together, discipling and training each other and supporting each other, serving together and together getting involved in the community its part of.

When you see Christianity as a lifestyle and a group of Christians see it like that too then church naturally opens up and becomes more in touch with its community. It becomes bigger than the meetings and home groups, its becomes alive. It becomes organic. It grows.

The way to 'do God' now is to make it your lifestyle choice. The thing that all your choices and decisions in every area of your life revolve around. More than just what you believe and definitely not a label or a religion.

Then we see more and more of who Jesus really is and what He's like and that He is just as relevant now and will be tomorrow as he was yesterday.

Then maybe eventually the world we live in will start to see that Christianity and 'doing God' Jesus' way is not religion. Is not a label. Its a way to live. What's more, maybe that its the best way to live.

What a prospect.

Hope

We do have a hope.

Did you know that?

Hope.

Not just some ideal, naive idea, not some forlorn concept which isn't really real.

Not a work of fiction.

It’s real.

It’s true.

Its fact.

As Christians, we are part of that hope and have it in our hearts.

Not only that, by the promise of that hope being true and real.

It really strikes me at work how people today are so resigned to the negativity, cynicism and pain of life that they just get on and accept that's all there is. People seem to be resigned to the fact that there is no real hope. People have raised hopes in the past and disappointed, and now people generally have lost all faith that there is any real genuine reason for hope, that there is any chance of true joy, true peace, and true hope for the future. They are so cynical that is not even noticed, its almost part of everyone's DNA.

There is no trust anymore, and such a need for hope, for grace and love.

Even worse is that Christians, the people who have this real hope are themselves affected by it, and are so caught up often with other things we forget the most important ones. We argue who's right and wrong and which denomination is the best, which church is the best and divided over other things that we forget to love, serve, bless, forgive and show people the truth in a way that isn't hypocritical and distorted.

We Christians get sucked in by this cynicism. We downplay the truth of the hope we have, or at least, we water it down. Or maybe we just forget.

Do we realise how amazing this hope is?

We should do.

Are we excited by it? Are we enthusiastic about it?

We really should be.

We have every reason to be.

The thing is you see that there are real problems, real issues which Jesus wants to deal with today and we are the people He's trusted to deal with them. Being a Christian means choosing His values and standing up for them.

A lot of people think Christians are hypocrites, that the church is outdated. Can we not do anything to disprove this?

That’s why living and acting in the truth of this hope is vital.

Not all churches and Christians are like the image that comes across a lot of the time. We can make change where we are. We can make change by taking action.

It starts with each of us individually living out our faith, having integrity, admitting our weaknesses and going to the cross.

Doing it individually and together as individual churches.

It’s not easy, and we won't ever be perfect or get it totally right - but the message itself, and Jesus himself, is perfect and is authentic and real.

Give people a real hope, a real possibility for real change, show them something worth living and dying for that’s real and alive and true and this can happen.

Barack Obama is doing so well in the US Presidential campaign and gathering support because he is offering people what appears to be real hope for real change and a break from what's gone before.

Something different, something fresh and new.

Jesus did that 2000 years ago, and we need to make that message as fresh today as it was then. Communicating it in a relevant way, with modern metaphors and testimonies. And above all, by our daily lifestyle, our attitudes, perspectives and choices.

A faith and hope that stands and takes the lead against injustice, oppression, and the things that are wrong in this world. That stands against the values of this world. That presents a real and true alternative to the consumer culture we live in, yet helps us to deal with living in the culture that we find ourselves in each day.

First though we need to believe the truth and the promises of God for what they are.

The truth.

God is not some ambitious politician out to make a name for himself, but the Lord and creator of the universe with limitless power, grace and love, for us. His promises are true. His hope is real. Let’s live like it is.

Not that life will be easy or we'll be perfect, but even in suffering we know we have someone we can turn to. We have something to hold on to which gives us the strength to persevere. We have the hope and the promise of something better.

Not that we are perfect, but that we are in a relationship where we can be shaped, moulded and transformed. That the mistakes we make can be rectified. Where we can deal with the issues of life and our mistakes in a place where there is forgiveness, grace and support to move forward - in community with both God and fellow Christians. That we know a God who loves us despite our failings, despite our mistakes, despite our problems, despite our failings.

Finally, that we have a promise that Jesus will always be with us, that He has given us the gifts to deal with any situation, that He loves us so much He gave His life for us and has been through worse than we can ever imagine.

The real hope and promise of perfect love, grace, mercy and forgiveness.

The hope and promise of eternity with Him.

This is no idealistic fantasy. This is real. This is true. This is fact.

Its true. That's all you need to know.

I'm going through a particularly difficult time at the moment, for one reason in particular which I'm not going to go into detail about.

However, one thing has become abundantly clear.

I think that often some of us get so caught up with the good things, the comfortable western life we have, the culture of "I'm worth it" which makes us believe we only deserve good things, that we forget something.

Or we get so caught up with the blessings and and the good things we have at church - fellowship, worship, good teaching, the ministry of the spirit that we forget the very same thing.

The reason to be a Christian.

The reason to be a Christian isn't because of all the blessings we receive. The reason to be a Christian isn't because of the fellowship, isn't because of the good worship or the feel-good emotion we get when we're in a room full of the spirit. Its not because God always provides for us. Its not because He answers all our prayers and gives us what we need.

Its none of these.

The reason to be a Christian is....

...because Jesus is true.

His love is true.

The cross is true

That's it. The love, forgiveness, and sacrifice of Jesus is true.

That's it. That's all.

If our lives suck, if we're going through pain, if everything seems against us, if God seems distant, if we don't think our prayers are being answered, if things are happening to us that don't seem fair, if we don't get healed, if we don't feel the spirit, if our church isn't good, if things aren't going well - none of them are reasons not to be a Christian.

God is always with us. Jesus promised that He would always be with us, that the Spirit would always be with us.

That's it.

If we have real faith, surely we will keep believing, keep going and hold on to that.

If our faith is dependent on what Jesus does for us and how He blesses us, then its no faith at all.

Jesus is often quoted as saying how little faith people have and despairs of it, He despairs that people always need signs. Its there, all the gospels have it. That's because He doesn't want our faith dependent on anything but the truth. Not works. Not miracles. Not gifts. Not anything we get from God as a blessing.

The cross is the key to our faith. Anything we are given or is good in our life on top of the cross, is a bonus. Jesus wants us to recognise this, so we can have a really strong faith.

To have a real, strong faith is to believe in Jesus when there's every reason not to, and that's a challenge to us all.

Jesus is true.

That's all you need to know.