I'm Offended!!

I'm offended that as a new father I was unable to use a public 'parents room' to change my babies nappies without feeling I was intruding on a mother's only space.

I'm offended that when I was a father of five year old twins I couldn't take either of them into a change room at Kmart without being looked upon as a deviate.

I'm offended that today as a father of a sixteen year old daughter I am subjected to suspicious glances when I take her out to a cafe on a daddy/daughter date.

I'm offended that the designation of leadership roles in our home and ministry between my wife and I, based on our shared values and individual gifts and abilities, are judged by some as chauvinistic.

I'm also offended that men in general are singled out in social and political commentary as child abusers, perpetrators of domestic violence and instigators of sexist behaviour.

BUT...

I am more OFFENDED by the men in our society who do abuse their position of trust and violate the innocence of children.

I am more OFFENDED by the men in our society who do use their physical strength to inflict unthinkable violence against women as a means of exerting control.

I am more OFFENDED by the men in our society who still think that unwanted sexual advances, sexist jokes and sexualisation of women is just 'boys being boys'.

I am more OFFENDED that the inappropriate behaviour of a few men in our society can leave lasting physical, emotional and mental scars for a disproportionate number of women and children whose only vulnerability is that which is imposed upon them by the distorted use of power.

If singling out the role of men in the abuse of power is what it takes to restore a right image of self in the lives of women and children, then I can live with being offended.  My offence pales into insignificance compared to the greater OFFENCES being perpetrated by men who need real manhood role modelled to them by the men in our society who treat their mothers, sisters, wives, daughters and female friends with dignity and respect.

History has proven that the pendulum needs to swing in the opposite direction for a season to correct the imbalance of power in society.  So guys, if you feel offended like I do, don't allow your offence to become self pity but turn your offence into influence so that we can change the attitudes and behaviours of those men who cause the real OFFENCE, which is what really makes us feel OFFENDED in the first place!

Overcoming Evil

In 1914, at the outbreak of World War 1, British author and social commentator H.G. Wells is credited with penning the phrase "The war to end war" in several of his published articles. 

• Yet, wars continue to wage!

In 1963, during a civil rights march on Washington, American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech calling for an end to racism.

• Yet, racism continues to divide!

In 1990, in response to the international stock market crash, Australian Federal Treasurer Paul Keating described the Australian recession as "the recession we had to have." 

•  Yet, economies remain fragile!

In 2001, after the terrorist attacks in the US, President George Bush declared a 'War on Terror' in his speech to Congress stating, "We will not tire, we will not falter and we will not fail."

• Yet, terrorists continue to terrorise!
  

In 2013, during the Australian Federal election campaign, Liberal leader Tony Abbott pledged, "We'll stop the boats" as a commitment to end people smuggling.

• Yet, refugees continue to be displaced!

It seems we have learned little from one hundred years of endless conflicts, eloquent speeches, economic bailouts, evading terror and emigrating people.  Our best attempts to resolve human conflict has done nothing to change the human condition.  Our advances and achievements are unable to answer the universal question - "Why?" - about all the suffering in the world.  Our humanistic ideologies fail to compensate for our religious inadequacies.  If our past and present failings as the human race have taught us anything, it is that there are forces at work in this world that transcend our humanity and have corrupted our human nature and continue to disrupt the created order.  These forces are not of human origin but are manifested through human behaviour.  Until we acknowledge that the evil in our world is fundamentally a spiritual battle we will continue to fight against the agents of evil while not addressing the source of evil.  

There has been no conflict, no diplomacy, no sanctions that have ever had the power to destroy evil.  That's because we are fighting the wrong battles with the wrong weapons, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12).  The only time in history when a person possessed the power to overcome evil was when "The Word [aka Jesus] became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14).

In the first century, during the reign of King Herod and Roman governor Pilate, a Jewish man named Jesus Christ affirmed, "In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

In the garden before being arrested, Jesus Christ confronted the forces of evil as He determined, "Not my will, but yours [that is, God's] be done" (Luke 22:42).

In the moments before He died, Jesus Christ confounded the forces of evil as he stated before His accusers, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34)

In the days following His death, Jesus Christ conquered the forces of evil as His disciples witnessed His resurrection and heard Him say, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18).

In a time yet to be disclosed, Jesus Christ will return to earth and consume the forces of evil so "There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" (Revelation 21:4).

The only way we can overcome evil and experience peace on earth is through a relationship with Jesus Christ who has the power to transform the human condition and restore the created order.  He has defeated the real enemy of humanity and has established His kingdom on earth.  Through Jesus "the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God have come.  The authority of his Messiah has come.  Satan, who brings charges against our brothers and sisters, has been thrown down.  He brings charges against them in front of our God day and night.  They had victory over him by the blood the Lamb spilled for them.  They had victory over him by speaking the truth about Jesus to others.  They were willing to risk their lives, even if it led to death. (Revelation 12:10-11).

Rise Up!

What happens when 170 Christian men from all over Victoria gather together for a weekend of teaching and fellowship?  For some, new friendships are formed.  For others, past acquaintances are renewed.  For most, the time away leaves them inspired.

What would happen if the same 170 Christian men returned home from such a weekend filled with the Holy Spirit?  They wouldn't just be inspired but would be transformed!  

Imagine the impact on their families, churches and communities!

During the final session of teaching the guest speaker invited the men gathered to "Rise Up in Power" and suggested that "Men need today a baptism of the Holy Spirit.  There are men in our churches who live somewhere between the Resurrection and Pentecost.  They have experienced the empty tomb but not the upper room."

That was the thought that resonated deep within my spirit!

It is time for men of faith to move beyond a knowledge of the Resurrection towards an experience of Pentecost where the power of the Holy Spirit is unleashed so that we will 'rise up' and become the husbands, fathers and leaders that God has ordained us to be!  

It is time for men of faith to desire more of Jesus than of ourselves so that God has total supremacy of our lives.  

It is time for men of faith to no longer "live according to the flesh [with] their minds set on what the flesh desires; but [to] live in accordance with the Spirit [and] have their minds set on what the Spirit desires" (Romans 8:5).

It is time for men of faith to 'rise up' and take a stand!
 

A Tale Of Two Leaders

What do you do when someone under your leadership or on your team is more popular or successful than you because of their achievements?  Do you celebrate and embrace their success?  Do you view their success as a valuable contribution to your team or as a threat?  Are you comfortable leading people who may be more talented than you?  Are you willing to share authority with them or do you try and contain or control them?

These are challenging questions that inevitably reveals the true character of a leader.  Secure and empowering leaders will go out of their way to ensure talented and successful people are given responsibility and authority to flourish by exercising theirs gifts.  However, positional and insecure leaders will go out of their way to restrict or remove people who are better than themselves.

At the recent Global Leadership Summit Chris Brown, Senior Pastor of North Coast Church, presented a session entitled "Right Title...Wrong Kingdom."  In this session he made an interesting comparison between two leaders.  He spoke of Saul, Israel's King, who faced overwhelming odds from his enemies and how the young shepherd boy David led the nation to victory and received enormous acclaim for his successes.  Instead of embracing David's victory as his victory, Saul viewed David as a threat and pursued him with the intent to end his life.  In contrast, Pharaoh, the leader of Egypt, embraced the gifts and abilities of a Hebrew slave named Joseph and put him in charge of all of his kingdom, second only to himself.  

What was interesting about this comparison was that God's anointed leader of Israel was threatened by anybody better than himself and was unable and unwilling to recognise God's anointing upon another.  Whereas, the pagan leader of Egypt was not only intuitive enough to see beyond the cultural barriers of a person's religious and social status but willing to embrace and empower an outsider to advance his kingdom.

There are so many powerful lessons to be drawn from this tale of two leaders!  But the question asked by Chris Brown drawing from these lessons that should challenge any leader in any context is, "Can we empower someone to the point of taking some of our power?"  Your answer to that question will have a significant impact upon the success of your leadership!

Leadership author and speaker John C. Maxwell declares his answer to such a question in his book The 360 Degree Leader, "Good leaders give their power away. They look for good people, and they invest in them to the point where they can be released and empowered to perform."

What is your answer?

An Unstoppable Force

I'm sitting here watching the movie "Unstoppable," starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine about an unmanned runaway freight train that is under full power.  It is an intense and action packed movie showing the desperate attempt by authorities to regain control of the train and avert a potential disaster.

I can't help to wonder about the potential for the local church to be an unstoppable force if it too was moving under full power.

Despite all the programs and activities that are coupled together to form the church, it seems that the church is largely running far from full power.  In fact, I think it is fair to say that some churches are just coasting along and others are at a complete stand still.

For churches to be a movement under full power, they must be churches full of the Holy Spirit!  Churches full of the Spirit will be an unstoppable force that can never be derailed by the enemy nor controlled by the religious.  Holy Spirit driven churches will be a movement with such power that strongholds will be broken and lives will be radically transformed. 

This is where the analogy with the movie ends, as churches moving under the full power of the Spirit will not cause a disaster but prevent a disaster of people who are not yet saved spending eternity outside of a relationship with Jesus Christ!

Keep In Step With The Spirit

  

"If you place 32 metronomes on a static object and set them rocking out of phase with one another, they will remain that way indefinitely. Place them on a moveable surface, however, and something very interesting (and very mesmerizing) happens."

A friend of mine posted this amazing link on Facebook and I couldn't help seeing beyond the physics of this demonstration and connecting it to a spiritual principle that is at work in the church.

When Christians who are living out of step with the Spirit gather together, they resemble the metronomes on a static object, in that there is discord and disunity amongst believers who live according to their own desires.  In this static, immoveable environment where the status quo is unchallenged and there is nothing to facilitate a change of momentum, there will never be unity in the church. 

In direct contrast, when Christians who are living in step with the Spirit gather together in a dynamic environment where the movement of the Spirit brings the heart and minds of believers into alignment, the church moves in unison with each other.  Like the metronomes moving in perfect harmony, a church moving with the Spirit generates a spiritual momentum and power that transfers to anyone sharing the same space.

I strangely found watching the metronomes coming into alignment an exciting representation of the potential energy and power of a church that moves in step with the Spirit!  The Apostle Paul understood this when he wrote to the churches, urging the believers to keep in step with the Spirit:

"Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." (Romans 8:5)

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:3-6) 

"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want...Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:16-26)

Just as the "energy from the motion of one ticking metronome can affect the motion of every metronome around it," the motion of Holy Spirit in the life of one believer can effect the motion of every other believer in proximity.  Imagine the impact of the collective motion of an entire church that is keeping in step with the Spirit can have on other churches...the whole community...a nation...or even the world!!

To Speak In Tongues Or Not Too

I saw this statement by Joseph Prince advertised on Facebook the other night, which got me thinking:

"Want to live stronger, healthier and wiser? Well, you can! Discover how you can live just such a victorious life, at peace with God and yourself. The key is the tremendous God-given gift of tongues. Through it, you allow the Holy Spirit to move more powerfully in your life, equipping and enabling you, helping you discern even between life and death. So listen and lock onto this incredible gift today. You will see your powerful Helper assist you in praying perfect prayers, and the wonderful works of God—constant wholeness, wisdom and perfect peace—manifest in your life!" - Joseph Prince

I want to preface this post by making it clear that it is not written against the ministry of Joseph Prince or the Pentecostal tradition, rather as an alternative reflection on a spiritual gift that has polarised many in the Christian church. My own spiritual journey has been deeply impacted by Joseph Prince through his book 'Destined to Reign' and by the leadership and ministry of a number of Pentecostal pastors and theologians.  The above quote simply provides a platform to express my biblical understanding of the gift of tongues and its relationship to being filled with the Spirit.

The elevation of the gift of tongues as the primary sign of being filled with the Spirit and somehow giving more spiritual power than the other gifts or being a means of getting closer to God, creates a tension for Christians who do not possess this gift.  I have encountered many Christians that don't speak in tongues who doubt the presence and power of God in their lives because they feel they are viewed by those who do speak in tongues as second class Christians.  In some churches, such is the importance of the gift of tongues, people are encouraged to manufacture or mimic the gift until they have it!

When key passages of Scripture about the gift of tongues are interpreted through the lens of a personal experience of this gift it is easy to see how this would shape a persons theology about tongues.  Those who have the gift of tongues and who agree with the above statement by Joseph Prince, naturally want others to share the same glorious experience that they have had.  However, experience alone is an inadequate foundation to form a theology that places a spiritual expectation on other Christians to possess the same gift and share the same experience. As someone who does not have the gift of tongues, but is very much filled with the Spirit, I interpret the same passages of Scripture about the gift of tongues through a different set of lenses than those who do.

Below is a brief summary of how I biblically understand the gift of tongues, not to dismiss its validity as a spiritual gift, but to keep it in proper perspective to the other gifts of the Spirit.

Acts 2:4-6 - "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other tongues (languages) as the Spirit enabled them.  Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.  When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in their own language."

The events of Pentecost form the foundation for an incorrect understanding of tongues as a sign of being filled with the Spirit based upon what I believe to be a misinterpretation of what was actually going on at this event.  At the beginning of Acts, Luke reminds his audience of the words of Jesus who said, "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 1:4-5)  Acts 1 provides an important context for Acts 2.  The 'gift' Jesus referred to was not a specific spiritual gift but the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The baptism of the Spirit would empower the disciples to fulfil the Great Commission through the continuing presence of the Spirit of Jesus (see Luke 24:49), which is why they were to wait in Jerusalem until they received His power.  This power is the presence of the Holy Spirit Himself which enabled them to spread the gospel in a language that could be understood, not keep it to themselves in an unintelligible language.  If there was any specific spiritual gift manifested at Pentecost, it was more likely to be prophecy than tongues, as the disciples were speaking in the power of the Spirit to those they were commissioned by Jesus to reach with the gospel message.  In dealing with the misunderstanding and misuse of tongues in the Corinthian church, Paul's response is consistant with this viewpoint, "For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God.  Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit.  But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.  He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesis edifies the church" (1 Corinthians 14:2-4).

This leads to the second passage that is used to interpret the gift of tongues as the 'greater gift'.

"But eagerly desire the greater gifts." (1 Corinthians 12:31)

Here is an example of where the NIV translation does an injustice to the text and to Paul, who is incorrectly interpreted as suggesting there are greater gifts that should be desired and pursued.  Let me begin explaining by giving a more accurate translation of the text:  "And yet some of you keep competing for so-called “important” parts" (The Message). Far from Paul exhorting the Corinthians to desire any gift, let alone so-called greater gifts, he is correcting the wrong thinking of the Corinthians towards spiritual gifts, which makes sense of his introduction to chapter 13 - "Now I will show you the most excellent way" - putting tongues in its correct place in the very next verse.  The structure of Paul's letter to the Corinthians is to highlight their wrong thinking and then to rebut it in the next verse.  We see a very similar pattern of teaching by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount - "You have heard it said...now I tell you..."  In Paul's letter he does this three times (another example is 1 Corinthians 14:22 [Corinthian belief], followed by 14:23 [Paul's rebuttal]).  Paul is very clear in teaching that the Spirit gives the spiritual gifts "just as he determines" (12:11) and that not all possess the same gifts nor is any one gift more important than another, which is well argued by his illustration of 'one body, many parts' (12:12-30).

While there is so much more that could be said about this subject, the point I am making is that spiritual gifts are given at the prerogative of the giver, the Holy Spirit, to fulfil the purposes of Jesus and to glorify the Father.  Being filled with the Spirit is all about belonging to Christ and manifesting His likeness - the fruits of the Spirit - and not about what gifts we have.  I believe we dishonour God and grieve the Spirit when we make the spiritual gifts about something we do or have rather than who we become in Him.  The key to a victorious life is not striving to possess any one gift but submitting to the presence of the Holy Spirit who comes with power upon ALL who confess Jesus Christ as Lord!

“The one thing needful is to remember that to be filled with the Spirit is to be conformed to the image of the Son, and to be conformed to the image of the Son is to be filled with the Spirit.”  (Federick Coutts, “The Splendour of Holiness”)

Can He? Will He?

One of the perplexing struggles I have had with prayer throughout my faith journey is not whether or not God can, but whether or not God will.  I believe firmly in a God "who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:30).  This belief in the power of God has always been without question for me.  What I have questioned at times is whether God will?  The paradox is that this doubt about whether God will has the potential to cripple our belief that God can, thus disempowering the way we pray.

We should most certainly pray according to God's providential will, that is His ultimate will for humankind as revealed in Scripture.  This acts as a guide to whether or not our prayers are aligned with God's established character and purpose.  However, I am coming to think that I should not allow my uncertainty about God's personal will for specific situations to diminish my prayers to a powerful God.  In other words, don't let the fact of whether God will stop you from having the faith to pray passionately to a God who can!  

In his book, The Circle Maker, Mark Batterson writes, "With God, it's never an issue of 'Can he?'  It's only a question of 'Will He?' And while you don't always know if He will, you know He can.  And because you know He can, you can pray with holy confidence."  This is a liberating and powerful position to pray from, as my faith is strengthened by what I know (Can He?) and stimulated by what I don't know (Will He?), generating a faith-fueled exchange between the human and divine.

Pray passionately to a God who can and wait expectantly to see if God will.