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“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48

Love is a word that is used often by people today. Really if we think about it, it has a number of different meanings and uses. The ‘I love you’ that is spoken by a husband to his wife is different for example, to the ‘I love you’ that is said by a child to their parent. Different still is the love that two platonic friends share, and on top of that, we use the word ‘love’ so freely that sometimes its significance is very much diluted. The statement “I love Star Wars”, for example really just means that I like it a lot. Is this then all that love really is, to like someone a lot? If we are talking about loving someone who has hurt us, are we simply searching for a way to feel good about them again?

To Love

The first main problem with our use of the word love is that often, we only take it emotionally. Now I’m not saying that love isn’t an emotional thing. Of course it is. Only that love is just as much how we behave towards someone as it is our feelings and concern for them. To love someone, whether they are hurting or not, is something that we do.

In this respect, to love someone is essentially to treat them well. It is to be concerned for them, to care for them and ultimately to seek what is good for them. Now the actions that this involves will vary from situation to situation and from relationship to relationship but essentially the point here is that love is sacrificial. It is to put another’s needs before your own.

The ultimate example would naturally be Jesus. He says, “There is no greater love than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”  He is one who was unjustly hurt by those around him, by both those close and by those distant from him, and yet his act of love is to give up his own life so that they (and us) might be saved.

Thinking It Through

In a very real sense then love should exist and be exercised despite circumstance. Jesus loved those around him irrelevant of the fact that they were crucifying him and he likewise called on his followers to do the same. We do not love people because they deserve to be loved – the fact that we all sin and hurt others would suggest that no-one earns the love that they receive. Rather we love because God loves. In a way, the question of how we are to love those who have hurt us is the wrong question because our love for those around us should not be based on the things that they do or have done to or for us.

To love someone who has inflicted pain and suffering upon us is difficult for us because of our fallen nature, but not really any different to the love we should have for those we are in happier circumstances with. As a special situation however, it is worth mentioning that Jesus’ act of love involved forgiveness for those who did wrong. The ultimately loving act of those who have been hurt by another is to forgive. It is to forgive because we are not ourselves perfect, to forgive because it seeks the good of the other, and to forgive because God has forgiven us. Broken relationships do not honour God, so reconcile them.

What then are some things we might be doing to help us love others when we are hurt?

1. Remember that your love for them is based on God’s love for them.
2. Remember and thank God that he has forgiven us for the things we have done to hurt him and others.
3. Pray to God for help to forgive them.
4. Consider and understand what their needs are.
5. Find a small, simple and appropriate way to serve the person you are struggling to love.
6. Talk to them so that no further hurt or offence is unknowingly done.
7. Get help! Talk to someone else about your struggles and have them pray with/for you.

In Conclusion

So those are two general things we need to understand if we are to go about loving those who have hurt us. Firstly to judge ourselves soberly and understand our own need for forgiveness. Secondly to live love out by forgiving and behaving in a way that seeks the good of the other person. Really it’s to dwell on how Jesus has modelled perfect love for us and then be active in working out what this would look like in our own relationships.

If you are really struggling to move beyond your baggage with a person, then you probably haven’t forgiven them. That is indicator that we need to look to God and seek others who are godly and mature to help us. A lack of forgiveness results in grudges, bitterness and a relationship that does not honour God. Ultimately it reflects a lack of appreciation for the forgiveness we ourselves have received. And that is a situation we should not be so complacent as to remain in it.

So how does it work for you? What do you think love looks like in a difficult situation? 

“Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13-16

It’s a bit of timeless story. Boy meets Girl. Boy likes Girl. Girl likes Boy. Boy and Girl date. Boy and Girl split. Boy and Girl are bitter. Now if we were to follow Hollywood’s take on relationships, the next part of the story would be, “Boy and Girl reconcile and live happily ever after.” Now this is feel good, but it’s hardly the reality.

Break ups are difficult, but the interesting thing here is that this cycle of love and hurt doesn’t only apply to romance. It applies to relationships in general. Whether it is with family, friends or colleagues, we often get offended and hurt in such a way that we find it difficult to function ‘normally’ again. The question at hand then is how do we practice our Christian love when it all hurts so much.

It is worthwhile I think, particularly for our own reflection, to break the issue up in to two different areas. If we want to work out how to love someone that has hurt us, we need to get a grip on what it means to hurt, and what it means to love.

To Hurt
Firstly we should be aware that it is inevitable that we will get hurt in this world. Sometimes in a big way, sometimes in a small way, but it’s impossible to scoot on through in life without having experienced some kind of deep pain and disappointment that is caused by others. We aren’t perfect and therein lies the problem. With our nature of sin, we and the world are broken and so we all live our lives in a broken way. We hurt others because we have hurt God. It should not be a surprise to us that people fail each other, and fail us, because even though we may have a lot of trust for the people around us, the fact of the matter is that only God is completely trustworthy.

We are all capable of hurt, and indeed we all exercise that ability. On top of this we are also receivers of hurt. I don’t mean to focus on the inevitably of hurt again, but on our sensitivity to it. We are all fragile. No one is strong enough to go through the whole of their experience of their lives without finding themselves in a position where they are lost, weary and damaged by the things others have done.

It is, therefore, very much a worldly way of thinking to decide that we are entirely without fault or blame, or that we can function perfectly in this world without any help from the one true and living God.

Thinking It Through
The first step then in learning to love those who have hurt us is to recognise that they are not perfect, we are not perfect, and so in our relationships we all actually need help from God, someone who is perfect. We need to humble ourselves in our pain to ensure that we do not enter into self-righteousness, where we think that we have never wronged someone in the same way. We have to realise that the one who has hurt us, is possibly (probably?) hurt or frustrated or suffering as well.

The real danger in our hurt then is to lose perspective so much so that we consider our own feelings and needs to be of the only real importance. Essentially the problem is that we may idolise ourselves. We need to be careful then that in our pain and anger, we do not sin by lashing out at others or by refusing to acknowledge God in our life. We’ve been called to be holy, and that is something that applies across the whole board of our living.

This is by no means a complete list, but here are some things that will help us keep perspective when going through pain

1. Dwell on the fact that Christ has dealt with suffering for us and that we have a future hope that is perfect.
2. Remember that we aren’t the only ones in the world that are hurting.
3. Remember that we too have hurt others, and have possibly hurt the person who has hurt us too!
4. Break ourselves out of the cycle of self-pity/selfish thinking by considering others and how we can serve and help them.
5. Turn to God for help and restoration in broken relationships.
6. Reflect and consider what God is teaching us through our pain.
7. Judge ourselves soberly to see if we have committed sin in our attitudes, thinking or behaviour towards others and God.

So what do you think? What’s been helpful for you in dealing with your own hurt in a godly way?

Click here for Part 2!

I’ve never thought it particularly important to know when Easter is on each year – That is until I had to reschedule a lunch I had made with a non-Christian colleague on Good Friday and his reaction was “…but it should be an important date for you to remember.”

So I want to ask the question: How attached should a Christian be to the date on which something symbolic occurs? In society many days are very important, like birthdays, anniversaries and when holidays begin (or end). Public Holidays are of particular significance to workers: Advance Australia Fair! (26th Jan); Lest we Forget (25th April), etc.

On top of those there are many religious holidays and even more so if the religion is works-based.

However as a Christian under the new covenant, there are no dates that have specifically been set for us in the New Testament to remember. We’re simply called to maintain fellowship with each other as a church under God. The dates for things like Christmas and Easter came later (they are however still very good to celebrate). We’ve moved on from a law-based covenant where regulations like dates mattered, to a spirit-based covenant where it is our standing before God that matters.

“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ…If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations–‘Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch’” Colossians 2:21

Many religions including the Old Testament place significant importance on regulations and the law. This includes many things from what one could eat, touch, or even when festivals should be celebrated, with strict punishments for those who do not follow these regulations. Colossians here reminds us that we ought not to be judged by the law or the regulations for the sake of regulation, but to submit to Christ who seeks our very lives.

Easter then, should be so much more significant than how the date is calculated. It’s what we are remembering in that period that should be life-changing for us.

We are remembering that God is very angry with us. He’s angry with us to the point of wrath because we have rejected him even though he is our Father and maker. More importantly he wants us to know he’s willing to forgive us. He shows his commitment to our welfare by sending Jesus, his one and only Son, to die for us and to take the punishment we deserve. He validates it by raising Jesus back from the dead to show us that He can give us life again. Jesus dying on the cross changes our direction from living our life our own way to living our life His way because we owe it to him. We owe him our lives.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” 1 Peter 1:3-4

We have the Easter weekend to celebrate that God in his great mercy doesn’t deliver his punishment upon us but gives us a new life that leads to an inheritance ‘that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven’ for us. We have that hope only because we understand and believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead, knowing that without God’s mercy our destiny is certain physical and spiritual death.

So when is Easter? It’s the Friday to Monday, where the Sunday follows the paschal full moon. The paschal full moon was the set date for the Passover in the Jewish Calendar. This was also the day of Jesus’ last supper with his disciples (Thursday). He was crucified the following day (Friday) and resurrected on the third day (Sunday).

Should we then, remember the date? Well maybe not the specific date months in advance, but you should know when it’s coming so you can set it aside to spend with your brothers and sisters in Christ before God, because our lives now revolve around Him. It’s also a great time to invite non-Christians so that they can be challenged with this message.

Note:
If you are particularly curious as to how it’s calculated you can check out this website for a very historical and mathematical explanation.
http://www.assa.org.au/edm.html#Method

“Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.” (Philippians 4:21-22)

When we are young, the relationships that we form are almost entirely without limits. Everyone loves the baby. A baby or young child forms a connection with adults – with their parents but also with their aunts and uncles. They also form a connections with teenagers or young adults (particularly in a Church context) – they meet neighbours and others in the community. They even form connections with the elderly – with their grandparents, older uncles and aunts and so on. And of course, they form connections with other children as they go to things like play groups and preschool (and school).

It’s interesting then that as we get more mature, we become less open to relationships outside of our own age group. It makes sense though that we gravitate towards the people whom we have the most in common with. And really this rule isn’t even something that is applied only to age groups, but also between personalities, preferences and backgrounds in general. In deciding who our close friends are for example, we choose those whom we get along with well. It’s just the way it is.

But should it really be this way? At the end of Philippians 4, Paul closes his letter by relating the well wishes of those who are with him. It is an expression of love and concern from one group of Christians to another. And it begs the question, why. Why does this group bother to send their greetings to people they most likely do not even know? I think the clue is in the description of the people they are writing to. In the first part of verse 21 it describes those receiving the greetings as “saints” and likewise in the first part of verse 22, those sending the greetings are also named, “saints”. It would appear then that they have this wilful concern and love for each other because they are united by their common belief in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. To put it another way, their differences do not impede or get in the way of their relationships with one another because their shared identity in Christ is more significant.

It raises the question for us – where or when do we allow human differences to supersede our togetherness? Sadly I think the place this is most visible is actually in the local church! We make friends with those who are like us and as the church is filled with all sorts of different people, it is inevitable that groups and cliques emerge. But are these groups helpful? Do they edify and encourage the whole so that we are all more and more like Christ?

I think we would agree that they can be. There is something particularly moving about the support and love of a close group of friends. And yet, if we observe carefully, I think we would find that these cliques are often so exclusive that the love and support that Christians are meant to provide each other is typically not available to anyone outside the circle. It’s a case where closeness, has become a ‘closedness’. Where our familiarity and comfortableness with our friends prevents our desire and willingness to begin, build and nurture relationship with others.

You can have close friends, but you can be close with them anytime. Spare a thought for those who do not have a circle around them so easily, and help them become close, by being open and initiating relationship with them.

So let’s ask ourselves some honest questions. Who do you consider to be beyond relationship? Is it those who are much younger than you? Is it those who are much older? Perhaps it is someone who does not share your interests, or perhaps it’s simply someone you’ve never spoken to. What topics of conversations are you constantly having, which stop some from joining in?

We can all do our little bit. Perhaps there is room for us all to open our circles such that we are all part of the one.

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.” (Colossians 4:5)

One day, I was praying to God for an opportunity to connect with a Muslim and start a new friendship. Earlier, I had walked past a few Arabic looking guys, but I simply said ‘hello’ and moved on. So I asked God to give me a ‘second chance’, another opportunity.

I parked my car in Westfield and walked towards the centre entrance. I noticed a man and his son loading things into their car. I was 80% sure that he was a Muslim from Saudi Arabia. I walked towards him, praying that somehow an opportunity would come up. I made eye contact with him and smiled. Then he looked at me and said, “Excuse me. Can you please help me? I have a bad back.” Then I asked him, “Where are you from, brother?” To my excitement, he said, “Saudi Arabia”! So I shook his hand and exchanged a few Arabic greetings with him. He told me that he’s currently studying a Masters degree at university. So I asked him, “Do you know my friend X? He’s also an international student from Saudi Arabia. He’s one of my English students.” We eventually worked out that he was a mutual friend of ours! In the end, we exchanged phone numbers and I invited him to join us for coffee next time. 

In Colossians, Paul calls believers to “make the most of every opportunity”. I think he had at least two things in mind: (1) To live our lives in such a way that makes the gospel attractive to outsiders (see Colossians 3). This means living a holy life according to God’s standard, a life that is different to the world’s standard. (2) To speak up about our faith and to proclaim the gospel of Christ (see Colossians 4:1-6). This means being prepared to testify about why we follow Jesus.  

Here are three steps we need to take, in order to make the most of every opportunity:

1. Pray – We need to pray and ask God to open doors and give us opportunities to serve people and to speak into their lives. Only God can set up these “divine appointments” for us.
2. Be intentional – We need to always have our eyes open to see the potential that exists in every moment that we find ourselves in. We need to be switched on 24/7 for God’s mission.
3. Let go – We need to let go of all the selfish things that will hinder us from making the most of every opportunity: our time, our money, our energy, our personal goals, our fears and our pride.

May God open many doors for us as we intentionally seek out opportunities to do good and speak grace.

About a month ago, Mission Australia came out with results from a survey they did of 46,000 young people (that is, anyone between 11-24yrs), asking them a range of questions regarding their values and concerns. They’ve been doing it for a few years now, which helps show the common values young people have at their age and in this culture. I’ll only point out a few interesting tidbits from the report, but as you look at these, have a think about what it is that you value (or used to value, if you’re no longer considered young like me!).

Values
We start with the warm and fuzzies. The things that young people value the most? ‘Family Relationships’ and ‘Friends’ i.e. Other people. This is the way God has made this world and society, “…in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Phil 2:3b), which is done by the command, “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Lev 19:18).

Furthermore, ‘Feeling needed and valued’ has fallen by nearly half from 26% to 14%, which is a great sign indicating that young people these days are feeling valued, and ultimately receiving love from those around them and therefore not needing to highlight this as an issue. Seeing young people value others beyond themselves is a great thing and is pleasing to God, particularly since almost everything else in this list is pretty well self-centred…

…but there is one important thing on this list which isn’t self-centred, and is low on the value list, and that’s ‘Spirituality/faith’ i.e. God. In fact, if you look at it, young people valuing God and valuing dedication to God’s ways is deteriorating rapidly, dropping from 14% to less than 10% in the last 4 years. That’s 1 in 10 young people in Australia value God, the one who made them and gives them all good things! This also suggests that its only a matter of years before Christianity is but a remnant in this society.

If anything, the rapid rise in focus on ‘School or study satisfaction’ from 21% to 37% is indicative of a culture focused on worldly things as for a young person, the school and study is their world. For a worker, it would be the equivalent of placing your workplace and work satisfaction as #3 on the list, after family and friendships, but much above God. In 1 John it says,

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world–the desires of the flesh and pride in possessions–is not from the Father but is from the world.”(1 John 2:15-16)

So what do you value? If you’re a parent, what values are you seeing in your children as you raise them? Whether it’s you or the people you influence, here’s an encouragement for you to value the will of God, for “the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:17)

The X Factor is a television talent show which started in Australia in 2005 and originated in the United Kingdom. The “X Factor” used as the title of the show refers to the non specific “something” that makes a singer one of star quality. From hideous auditions, to “goose bump” performances, the judges’ wrong song choices to the faulty wardrobes, the backstage dramas to shocking eliminations, the X Factor has everything that makes a reality show appealing. The show premiered with 1.32 million viewers in its last series.

So what is Australia’s fascination with the X Factor? It must be a combination of seeing everyday people given a chance to live out their dreams, good musical performances and being able to see the finalists grow and change throughout the series.  We develop a relationship with the finalists as we watch them every week.  There is a deep sense of emphatic elation when they deliver a good performance but also a hollow disappointment when they deliver a bad one. 

The X Factor resonates with our experience of life.  We too are constantly facing our own elimination performances, good weeks and bad weeks. We too are trying to win the approval of the judges in our lives and win the acceptance of those around us. We live to stay out of elimination. 

Deeper still, the X Factor appeals to our innate sense to prove to those around us that we have what it takes to succeed. It appeals to our deep fear of rejection by others.  We want to prove to them that we have the “X Factor”. To this end, we pour efforts into our performances, into our lives.

But there is a problem.  Just like the finalists’ performances every week, we cannot deliver our best performances every time.  We feel rejected at our failures and disappointments.  One minute we seem to have the approval and praise of those around us, and just as quickly we can lose it all, falling to the bottom and awaiting elimination.  We fear that even if we give all that we have, it will still not be good enough.

In fact, the Bible tells us that, with God as the ultimate judge of humanity, no one will escape elimination.  We may think that just because we have the X Factor, or that we have achieved much in this life or have been good people, we can escape God’s elimination.  But the truth is, the Bible tells us that,

“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Romans 3:10-12

And because of this we all will face elimination before God the judge.  We will be voted off, we will be rejected, we will all be eliminated.

The only person that did not deserve to be eliminated is Jesus who not only lived a perfect life, had the ultimate “X Factor”, but also choose to be eliminated in our place.  On the cross, Jesus was judged, rejected and eliminated by God.  He took on all our bad performances and was eliminated for them.  And in exchange we can enjoy the fruit of his perfect performance.  Jesus has already satisfied the judge so that we can live our lives free from the fear of elimination and rejection.

So next time you watch the X Factor, remember that life is a performance that will be judged on the last day.  But also remember the one who had the ultimate “X Factor” but was eliminated so that we can receive the prize of eternal life.  

Welcome everyone to the new online face of our Church’s English Congregation!

The concept of ‘place’ is an interesting one. Now you might think to yourself that a place isn’t a concept – that is a physical thing, a location. This is more or less true but for lack of better words, places are really just the areas in which we spend our time. They are the locations in which we grace with our presence.

Scripture teaches us that no matter where we are and no matter what we do, worship is our Christian endeavour. The classic verse contributing to this view would be Romans 12:1, (Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.) with the idea that worship is not confined to our formal Sunday service. Worship is the spiritual sacrifices of our bodies, our lives, as a response to great mercy God has shown us in Christ.

If you’re following along with the train of thought here, the Bible calls on us to be worshippers of God, regardless of our ‘place’. If we stretch our idea of place to exist beyond our physical location, then it stands to reason that we might consider the internet a ‘place’ as much as we would any other. The internet, in being a virtual world, allows this strange phenomenon where we might be in two places at once. On one hand sitting in our study’s or bedrooms on our computers, while on the other, in our inboxes, on Facebook or simply cruising different websites and pages.

Though it has no physical substance, our presence on the various forms of ‘the internet’ should reflect our theology and concept of worship like all others. This puts on us as Christians a responsibility, to be mindful of our hands, our thoughts and our speech as we view and interact with the content, people and communities that we absorb and interact with.

My point in this though is not to challenge us in the holiness of how we behave online, (though this is an important issue we may touch on in the future) but ratherto present to you the reasoning behind this new website.

As a place that we spend our time, the internet is as good and significant as any other place to be engaged in and committed to ministry. The question of how to do ministry on the web is a complex one, however it is the aim of this site to be presenters of faithful Christian content examining the intersection of scripture with our everyday lives.

It is the hope and prayer of this ministry that as we write, and as you read, we might all be challenged, convicted and changed in the Christ like manner of our living.