Life to the Full

Today at East Taieri Church we began our "Life to the Full" series.  We are taking three weeks to look at sex and technology and how they can be a part of the full life that Jesus offers, but how they can also be damaged and distorted, leading to pain and hurt relationships.  We will also be presenting practical strategies to keep ourselves and our young people safe in a digital age.

But first things first, I attempted to give us a biblical framework to help us think Christianly about sex and technology.  Sex is part of God's good creation.  "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. ²⁵The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame." (Ge 2:24-25)
But creation has fallen from what God designed us to be.  This damages and distorts things, including sex and technology.  Thankfully the story goes on to the forgiveness and new start that is possible through Jesus Christ whatever we have done or seen.  This framework guides our thinking and our conversations.  If your child comes to you and says they have looked at pornography or sent someone a sexual text or picture – don’t go off the deep end.  Deep breath!  The conversation might look something like:

“Thank you for talking to me!”

 “It is very human to be curious about sex, God has made us sexual beings.  But that thing is a fake idea about sex – it’s part of the way the world is broken and messed up by sin.”

"Isn’t it good that God knows about this problem and has made forgiveness possible and gives us a new start.”

They need to know you don’t approve, but don’t shame them.  Show them God's love and grace. Give them hope.

Don’t yell at them about rules and boundaries – “You’re never going on the internet again…”

Remember the biblical story and the way grace triumphs over law.

Remember the promise that God’s spirit takes the external law and writes it in our hearts transforming us.

 Rules and boundaries have their place, and you can have a conversation about that, but the most important thing is a conversation about redemption and character development (including self-control).

We need appropriate boundaries, but the big goal is developing character so we behave in a godly way when no one is watching.

You can listen to the whole sermon on Tuesday when it is put on our website here. 

Next week we will have James Beck from the Parenting Place here to help us understand the pressures people face in a digital world, and how to develop strategies to keep people safe – especially our children and grandchildren.  The Parenting Place has some great practical resources that are understandable whether parents are Christians or not.

Until next time,

Martin.

The Alpha Experience

Today at East Taieri just over 150 people had a taste of the Alpha Course in what we called "The Alpha Experience".  Why?  Because Alpha have launched a new film series which is outstanding, and because we want people to be a part of the global Alpha Initiative that is seeking to make the biggest invitation of a generation, and because every time we run Alpha at least one person discovers new life in Christ.  Even for those who have done Alpha before viewing the new film series helps ensure they can confidently invite their friends, knowing that it will be good.

This year at East Taieri Church we are aiming to invite 500 people to our Alpha Dinner 3rd August.  Some people may well say "No thanks" but we are praying that at least 75 people will say "Yes" and join us for dinner.  If you missed this Sunday and would like to see the Episode of Alpha we will show at the dinner so you know what you are inviting people to - click on: view Episode 1 "Is There More to Life than This?"

Why set numerical goals for Alpha?  You could argue that these are just numbers.  But each number represents someone God loves.  Each number is someone who needs forgiveness, community, meaning and purpose and eternal life.  Setting prayerful numbers helps us discern what God might be calling us to do.  It helps us plan and take appropriate steps.  For example, 75 guests at the dinner means we need a larger venue than usual.  500 invitations means we need everyone at East Taieri to invite at least one person.  That means we need to promote the course well and encourage people to invite others.  Hence the Alpha Experience.  We need to equip and coach people in building relationships and making the invitation.

More about the big picture behind the Alpha goals in my next blog.
Martin.

What is Ahead in 2017?

What is Ahead in 2017? 

East Taieri Church

Each year I find it helpful to list some prayerfully planned highlights that connect with our strategic plan and operational goals.  These things will help us move toward our Church vision:

We will be a thriving church, responding to God's grace and passionately living out our faith, wherever we live, work and play.

Together we will work alongside others to develop thriving communities 

where people feel connected, known, loved and valued.

Our theme for the year is “Inspire – Lift Up Your Eyes”.  We believe God is calling us to trust that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…

Evangelism:

·         Ravi Zacharias visit to Dunedin.  Stadium Event!  One of the team – Jade Te Uri Karaka will speak at our March Business breakfast at Aurora Café.

·         Journey to Easter - Stations of the Cross display in the Hub leading up to Easter. Invite the community to experience it.

·         Alpha in 2017 is “Invite the Nation” – Globally the biggest invitation of this Generation.  Aiming to have 500 invitations go out and praying for 75 guests at the Alpha dinner.

·         Develop the 1x1=1000 vision through prayer and encouraging faith sharing.

Worship:

·         Work on the results of our 10am service survey and see growth and health in this congregation.  Train up new service leaders for 10am

·         Develop the 9am gathering before worship.

·         Continue to explore fresh expressions of church.

Discipleship and Spiritual Growth:

·         We will start 3 new life groups and have 2 small group networking nights

·         Continue with the Hard Questions Café discussion setting for Christians who aren’t engaging with church and people wanting to explore deeper issues of faith.

·         See greater resourcing for God’s mission in people giving time, money, and using their spiritual gifts.  The Abundant Generosity series.

·         Appoint a new youth director.

·         Settle Caleb Griffith – our new youth worker into his role and help him create opportunities to connect with our community and disciple our youth.

·         Address internet safety and issues of sexting and pornography in our “Life to the Full” series including a visit from James Beck.

Community Ministries:

·         Feasibility study for a community hub.

·         Funding sourcing and reporting framework established.

·         Grow our connections with community groups, such as  TCC Food Bank, Emergency Response, Mosgiel Business Assn, Neighbourhood Support.

·         We will enhance well-being and connectedness of seniors through a mid-winter lunch.

·         Run three toolbox parenting courses.

·         Run Children's holiday programmes

·         Continue with Business breakfasts ( 3 per year). Explore the possibility of a special invitation only  Dinner with a guest speaker

Communications:

·         Explore the use of mailchimp for email updates, including updating supporters of community ministry.

·         Explore possibilities for a new phone system to replace our old failing PABX system and obtain funding to resource this.

Mission Facilities:

·         Obtain an initial design concept for our future mission facilities on the East Taieri Site.

Wider Ministry:

·         Three short term mission trips will be planned. Thailand Jan 2018, Malawi June 2018, Vanuatu youth team July 2018

·         South Island Ministry Conference in May

Christmas Gifts

Why do we give gifts at Christmas?  The materialistic part of us might calculate that giving a gift is likely to result in us receiving a gift in return. The Christian tradition of giving Christmas gifts comes from at least three sources.  

First, a Christian called Nicholas of Myra, a real-life, 4th-century Byzantine monk is reputed to have handed out bags of money to the poor.  St Nicholas is a possible origin of the modern day Santa Claus tradition of secret gifts arriving by night. Some traditions even have him out of modesty throwing purses with gold coins in a window so no one would see him.  Another version has him throwing the purse down a chimney. 

Secondly, gift giving reminds us of the wise men giving gifts to the baby Jesus.  It has been observed that these gifts, given as an act of worship, provided for Joseph, Mary and Jesus when they fled to Egypt to escape Herod's murderous plot.

Thirdly, giving gifts reminds us that God is the most generous gift giver of all.  He gave us His only Son to die on the cross for us and save us from sin.  This is the best present of all.

Sadly, in New Zealand these days, Christmas can often reflect excesses of the pagan celebrations of December that the early Christians sought to replace.  In winter festivals like the raucous Roman festival in honour of Saturn, god of agriculture, people would lift their spirits by drinking to excess and giving one another many gifts, such as pottery figurines, edible treats like fruit and nuts, and festive candles.

Interestingly, the three examples of Christian gift giving are quite different to that.  The biggest gift of all was from God to all humanity.  The wise men gave precious gifts to Jesus as an act of worship.  St Nicholas focused on giving to help the poor.  May we all receive again God’s gift of grace.  May we respond in worship by giving generously back to God’s mission.  And may we give to those in real need.

Happy Christmas,

Martin.

A Sugar High

This week I have been eating on $2.85 a day to raise funds for TEAR Fund to fight human trafficking.  It has (mostly) been a great experience.   As I mentioned last week, the objective is to identify with those in poor communities who live on $2.85 a day.  These people are particularly vulnerable to being sold or trapped and trafficked into modern day slavery.  Women and children are often forced to work as prostitutes.  TEAR Fund works to strengthen communities so people are less vulnerable, to rescue and rehabilitate people from slavery, and to bust up the human trafficking networks.  It’s been great to be able to raise money to help. Thank you to those who have supported me.  As I write I have raised around $200.

One interesting experience from the week.  It was a colleague's birthday on Wednesday.  She is also doing live below the line.  One of our team kindly made a cake and worked out that each slice cost 35 cents, so that we could eat some without blowing our budget.  It felt good to be able to celebrate, and yet do so in a way that kept us "living below the line".

The other interesting experience was the sugar high that hit me.  My body must have got used to doing without sugar.  This week my budget has stretched to some extras, but the extras have been a piece of fruit.  Not quite the same sugar load as a piece of cake.  About 5 minutes after eating the cake I felt the sugar kick in.  The rest of the team noticed it and gave me a bit of a hard time.  It lasted about 45 minutes.

Several reflections:

First, I was surprised that if I was careful I could manage a couple of little luxuries - even on $2.85 a day.  I couldn't afford a cup of real coffee obviously, but I did manage a few instant coffees.

Second, it made me realize how my body must normally be full of calories and stimulants like caffeine.  Our culture promotes high energy, excitement, entertainment and stimulation.  One of the most common and scathing criticisms we level at something is that it was Boring!  To connect with people in this culture we need to be high energy, exciting and stimulating, but I believe we also need to bring a refreshing (Paul Windsor would say "intriguing") challenge to our culture so that we don't "entertain ourselves to death".

Third, sometimes it takes an out of the box experience to have the shock value necessary to refocus my global vision to see and identify with the world that God loves and sends us out in mission to make a difference.

Thanks for reading,

Martin.

Live Below the Line

Live Below the Line

I have a pretty comfortable lifestyle as a pastor of a church in New Zealand.  I guess I don't make as much money as I might if I had stayed working in chemical engineering, but I have plenty.

That's part of the reason I’m doing the “Live below the Line” next week. Monday to Friday I'm eating for less than $2.85 a day.  I’m doing it to raise money for TEAR Fund and their fight against human trafficking.  There are an estimated 21 million people trapped in slavery worldwide.  Women and children are especially vulnerable.  They are often taken or sold from very poor communities, they are taken to brothels and forced to work as prostitutes.

We can help prevent this happening, rescue and rehabilitate those trapped in slavery, and prosecute those responsible – bust up the criminal human trafficking networks.

So sponsor me if you want to help at this link:

https://livebelowtheline-2016.everydayhero.com/nz/martin

But I’m also doing “live below the line” to remind me that I live a wealthy, comfortable lifestyle, while the majority of people caught up in human trafficking come from poor communities who live on $2.85 a day or less. (807 million globally).

It changes something inside me when, with God's help, I say no to the deceitfulness of riches and yes to attempting to live more simply so I can give generously to those in need.

Martin.

How To Love Those Who Spit on You

Prompted by God through our current preaching series in Luke, and remembering a challenge from Dallas Willard to get serious about discipleship, I decided to write a resource that would help us "love our enemies and do good to those who hate us." Luke 6:27

I post my attempt below.  I welcome any comments or suggested improvements.  For those reading who are Christians, may you grow as an apprentice of Jesus.  For those reading who would not describe yourselves as Christians, may it give you an insight into the surprising, refreshingly different kind of life that I believe Jesus calls us to live.

How to Love Those Who Spit on You

Jesus has shown us what life in the Kingdom of God is like (e.g. Luke 6:20f) but how can we actually live like that?

Loving people who spit on us is too hard for us.  Instead of just trying harder, we can train as an apprentice of Jesus in everyday life.  This is really just one example of living a distinctively different life because you are following Jesus.

Jesus is the Way.  His Spirit is the means. His example is our pattern and inspiration.

 1.      Consider the Goal – Jesus call to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us. (Lk 6:27)  Be inspired by Jesus example in Luke 18:32 and Mark 14:65; 15:19.

2.     Face up to where we fall short of this goal.  Be specific in prayer with God.

Repentance is not an emotion.  It is not feeling sorry for your sins.  It is a decision.  It is deciding that you have been wrong in supposing that you could manage your own life and be your own god; it is deciding that you were wrong in thinking you had, or could get the strength, education and training to make it on your own; it is deciding that you have been told a pack of lies about yourself and your neighbors and your world.  And it is deciding that God in Jesus Christ is telling you the truth.  Repentance is a realization that what God wants from you and what you want from God are not going to be achieved by doing the same old things, thinking the same old thoughts.  Repentance is a decision to follow Jesus Christ and become his pilgrim in the path of peace.  Repentance is the most practical of all words and the most practical of all acts.  It is a feet-on-the-ground kind of word.  [from Eugene Peterson’s “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society” pp.25-26]

3.      Ask God to help you see what is going on inside you.  (You might need help from a trusted friend or advisor).  Why do you find it hard to love those who spit on you?  Is it because you hate it when people don’t like you?  Are you are scared what they might do to you?  Do you feel criticized when people don’t like you?

4.      Choose or develop a spiritual discipline (a spiritual training exercise) to address the issue you face.  (This is something you can do that will put you in a place where they Holy Spirit can do what you cannot).

a.      If you find yourself answering back and then regretting it, try experimenting with the spiritual discipline of silence.

b.      If you find yourself doubting your own self-worth as someone created in the image of God, then meditate on Psalm 139, or the love of Jesus expressed to the woman in John 8:1-11.  This is about being secure in Christ.

c.       On the other hand, if you find yourself being arrogant or stubborn, you may need to seek God for humility.  The spiritual discipline of confession could help you with this.

d.      If you are fearful for your safety, memorize some verses that reassure youy that God is on your side.  E.g. Ps 27.

e.      If you find yourself looking for the approval of others for your feelings well-being, then spend some time alone with God trusting in his approval and love.

f.        If you find yourself isolated and feeling alone when someone is spitting on you, then spend some time with trusted friends who can support you.

g.      If you find yourself growing in anger or frustration toward the person, try praying for God’s blessing in their lives.

Like training for a marathon, these exercises all take time to bring results. 

5.      Can you forgive the person?  (Remember – forgiveness doesn’t mean they don’t need to face justice).

6.      If it is safe to do so, and you believe there is opportunity for reconciliation, consider how you could meet with the person to seek reconciliation. 

Some questions to think about and discuss:

• ·         What do we do about relationships that don’t improve?  What did Jesus do in that situation?
• ·         Are you tempted to focus on the “sovereign work of the Spirit” side of the triangle, and neglect the others?  Why might that be?