How do you respond to the words 'spiritual warfare'? Some may have never heard the term before and therefore respond 'you what?' Others may think that the term has something to do with the devil and with evil spirits, but their worldview, or their culture, have no room for such things - the whole spiritual dimension has been done away with in the face of science and technology. Others may see that evil spirits have a very real part in day to day life, and as a consequence live in fear. Or maybe their understanding of these things is more cultural than biblical.
In Ephesians 6:10-20 Paul writes his famous passage about the Armour of God. These verses alert us to the fact that there is a spiritual dimension (Paul uses the term, 'in the heavenly realms' throughout Ephesians) and what takes place in the heavenly realms impacts our physical, material lives and vice versa. Although I have explained it like that we should try and get away from this idea of the physical and the spiritual - as if they are two separate things - instead see that they cannot be separated out and should all be viewed together as the present reality.
For some people these are verses that come into their own when Christians find themselves in obvious 'spiritual conflict' situations - for example, going to visit a person who is heavily involved in the occult. But for the rest of the time they are not really that significant.
But it is important to recognise that these verses have a context - the rest of Ephesians. And there is nothing new here. Instead we should see this as a summing up of all that has gone before. Paul has been describing what it means to live a life that is consistent with the amazing calling that we have as Christians. And that's a tall order - one we certainly need God's help with if we are to stand firm. So what are the spiritual battles in our lives? Whenever we know what God wants us to do - we are faced with a choice - to do it or not. At that moment of choice we are in the heat of the battle.
Someone has said something about me at work - do I counter with more gossip, do I seek to defend my reputation, am I humble and gentle and keep silent, and consciously choose to forgive them? Do I consistently work overtime at the office, or do I make sure I am regularly at home to see my children before they go to bed? Am I the best employee I can be or do I go along with everyone else when they slack off when the boss is out of the office?
There are of course times when spiritual attack will be obvious but much of the time it is much more subtle - all those times we have a decision to make. I know what God expects - am I going to be obedient?
To listen to this message click here.
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Thursday, 17 July 2008
Take your faith to work day
Those who think that faith is something that is private and should be kept within the home have clearly never actually read the Bible. In this last part of Ephesians which we have been looking at over the last few weeks Paul has been teaching how our faith should make a difference to our relationships - first in the home, between husband and wife, and parents and children, but then in the workplace.
In 6:1-4 Paul is writing to children and parents. He goes back to the Ten Commandments and points out the link between proper relationships between children and parents and the communities well being in the land that God was going to give them. Somewhere along the lines our society has got things wrong when it comes to bringing up children. He is also highlighting the vital role fathers play in bringing up their children. As a society I believe we are reaping the consequences of social breakdown; of parents who are either unable or unavailable to discipline their children; of a government whose policy seems to be - at the very time when fathers are noticeable by their absence - to send mothers back to work rather than encourage one parent to stay home and raise their own children... It does not go well with us in the land.
How do fathers 'exasperate their children' and how might we address this? Just a couple of thoughts:
Lack of clear boundaries - or boundaries not consistently enforced. So children don't know where the limits are, and don't know from one day to the next what reaction any action will receive.
No time. Our society pushes us to work harder to achieve more - getting home later at night, and working weekends. When we're home we're constantly in touch with others through the mobile phone or email - and our children can quite quickly come to the conclusion that they are less important than the phone or the computer. Instead how about not answering the phone but letting the answer machine pick up - and only dealing with the messages after the children are asleep - assuming that you've not set aside that time to spend with your husband or wife!
Instead we are to nurture our children in the ways of God - primarily by example, and through praying with them, reading with them, helping them take part at church ...
Then Paul comes on to talk about slaves and masters (5-9) - which we can, I think, update to employee and employer without missing the point Paul is making.
As an employee I must be the best that I can be. Totally trustworthy. If I'm allowed a 15 minute break in the afternoon I don't take 20. I don't help myself to office stationary. My boss should have total confidence that whether she or he is watching me or not the job will get done as well as I can do it.
And as an employer I should have people queueing to work for me, because I value them, I respect them, I recognise that they have families to get home to, so I don't ask them to work Saturday mornings. Those who work for me are created in the image of God. I don't look to abuse power, to manipulate situations. Instead I look to encourage and build people up so that they can achieve their full potential. Because I am secure of who I am in Christ I don't feel threatened by others and therefore feel the need to crush them to keep them down.
In 6:1-4 Paul is writing to children and parents. He goes back to the Ten Commandments and points out the link between proper relationships between children and parents and the communities well being in the land that God was going to give them. Somewhere along the lines our society has got things wrong when it comes to bringing up children. He is also highlighting the vital role fathers play in bringing up their children. As a society I believe we are reaping the consequences of social breakdown; of parents who are either unable or unavailable to discipline their children; of a government whose policy seems to be - at the very time when fathers are noticeable by their absence - to send mothers back to work rather than encourage one parent to stay home and raise their own children... It does not go well with us in the land.
How do fathers 'exasperate their children' and how might we address this? Just a couple of thoughts:
Lack of clear boundaries - or boundaries not consistently enforced. So children don't know where the limits are, and don't know from one day to the next what reaction any action will receive.
No time. Our society pushes us to work harder to achieve more - getting home later at night, and working weekends. When we're home we're constantly in touch with others through the mobile phone or email - and our children can quite quickly come to the conclusion that they are less important than the phone or the computer. Instead how about not answering the phone but letting the answer machine pick up - and only dealing with the messages after the children are asleep - assuming that you've not set aside that time to spend with your husband or wife!
Instead we are to nurture our children in the ways of God - primarily by example, and through praying with them, reading with them, helping them take part at church ...
Then Paul comes on to talk about slaves and masters (5-9) - which we can, I think, update to employee and employer without missing the point Paul is making.
As an employee I must be the best that I can be. Totally trustworthy. If I'm allowed a 15 minute break in the afternoon I don't take 20. I don't help myself to office stationary. My boss should have total confidence that whether she or he is watching me or not the job will get done as well as I can do it.
And as an employer I should have people queueing to work for me, because I value them, I respect them, I recognise that they have families to get home to, so I don't ask them to work Saturday mornings. Those who work for me are created in the image of God. I don't look to abuse power, to manipulate situations. Instead I look to encourage and build people up so that they can achieve their full potential. Because I am secure of who I am in Christ I don't feel threatened by others and therefore feel the need to crush them to keep them down.
Tuesday, 8 July 2008
International Service
Why do we have an International Meal and International Service on the first weekend of July? As a church we have members from many different parts of the world, probably somewhere in the region of 50 different nationalities represented. As we have seen from recent studies in Ephesians - we are one in Christ. But we're also all different - and we want to make a conscious effort to celebrate our diversity and to thank God for it.
Genesis 1:27 tells us that we're all made in the image of God. Therefore we are all special. One group of people are not more special than another - we're all created in the image of God.
John 3:16 drives this point home - in case you're struggling to believe that it is true. Here John tells us that God so loved the people of the world that He sent Jesus to die for us. We're all so special and God loves us so much.
Revelation 7:9 is a picture of what heaven is going to be like - multicultural - made up of people from every nation, tribe, people and language. If you struggle with the concept of living with people from different parts of the world as your neighbours - I suggest you start getting used to the idea quickly. Otherwise eternity is going to seem an awfully long time!
Acts 13:1 shows a multi-cultural (and multi-class) leadership of a multi-cultural church. The Jew from Cyprus, the black African, the north African, the well connected Jew and the Jew from Tarsus. Wherever we come from we have an important place within the life of the local church. There are things that we bring from our culture that reflect God and others will benefit from us sharing those things. There are of course things in every culture that need to be rejected when we become a Christian.
Think of one thing in your culture that reflects God and needs to be celebrated and endorsed. Also think of one thing in your culture that needs to be rejected once a person becomes a Christian.
To listen to this message click here.
Genesis 1:27 tells us that we're all made in the image of God. Therefore we are all special. One group of people are not more special than another - we're all created in the image of God.
John 3:16 drives this point home - in case you're struggling to believe that it is true. Here John tells us that God so loved the people of the world that He sent Jesus to die for us. We're all so special and God loves us so much.
Revelation 7:9 is a picture of what heaven is going to be like - multicultural - made up of people from every nation, tribe, people and language. If you struggle with the concept of living with people from different parts of the world as your neighbours - I suggest you start getting used to the idea quickly. Otherwise eternity is going to seem an awfully long time!
Acts 13:1 shows a multi-cultural (and multi-class) leadership of a multi-cultural church. The Jew from Cyprus, the black African, the north African, the well connected Jew and the Jew from Tarsus. Wherever we come from we have an important place within the life of the local church. There are things that we bring from our culture that reflect God and others will benefit from us sharing those things. There are of course things in every culture that need to be rejected when we become a Christian.
Think of one thing in your culture that reflects God and needs to be celebrated and endorsed. Also think of one thing in your culture that needs to be rejected once a person becomes a Christian.
To listen to this message click here.
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
For Better, or Worse
As we continue our journey through Ephesians we come to a passage that has been misunderstood, misused and abused over the years. It can be very easy to make the Bible say what you want it to say - sometimes this is deliberate, other times it is unintentional. [This is why we have been working through our 'Using the Bible' course - to help us understand and apply the Bible better].
Ephesians 5:22-24 have been used to justify various kinds of abuse against women: physical, emotional, spiritual, psychological... At other times they have been used to encourage an attitude of silence towards such abuses - whereas the verses we read last week could have been used to encourage the exposing of such sin. Instead the prevailing attitude was that what goes on in the home should stay in the home.
But a reading of these verses that allows any room for any kind of abuse against anyone is quite wrong. Although these verses talk about a woman submitting to her husband in everything because he is the head of the wife we must read the immediate and wider context.
The immediate context (building again on the 'theory' of chapters 1-3) is that we are to submit to one another. This is mutual submission. Everyone to everyone else - whether male or female, Jew or Gentile, black or white, slave or free, rich or poor, in work or out of work...
And the command to the husband is to love his wife with the love that Jesus had for the church - that is the love that took Jesus to the cross even while we were still enemies of God. This is a totally self-sacrificial love that will put the interests of a wife ahead of its own.
So what does it mean for the husband to be the head of the wife? I believe that we are submit to each other. We are commanded to love each other. But God has given the husband the responsibility for his family - and he will be accountable to God for this. Decisions generally will be made through discussion and agreement - but when a stalemate is reached the husband makes the final decision - having lovingly put the interests of his wife before his own. When there has been an argument and bed time is approaching it is the husband's responsibility to make the first move to put things right (as instructed in 4:26).
A final word to overbearing parents. Verse 31 reminds us that when your children get married they enter into a new relationship and a new chapter in their lives. It is not your place to interfere. Some parents just can't help themselves and without trying they come between their son/daughter and their new wife/husband. They expect that they'll be around every Sunday for lunch and every year on Christmas day - just as before. They expect to be consulted about every decision. When your children get married, you have to let go. This doesn't mean you don't love them or they don't love you or that you won't be there when they need you. It just means that things are different now - because they are.
Ephesians 5:22-24 have been used to justify various kinds of abuse against women: physical, emotional, spiritual, psychological... At other times they have been used to encourage an attitude of silence towards such abuses - whereas the verses we read last week could have been used to encourage the exposing of such sin. Instead the prevailing attitude was that what goes on in the home should stay in the home.
But a reading of these verses that allows any room for any kind of abuse against anyone is quite wrong. Although these verses talk about a woman submitting to her husband in everything because he is the head of the wife we must read the immediate and wider context.
The immediate context (building again on the 'theory' of chapters 1-3) is that we are to submit to one another. This is mutual submission. Everyone to everyone else - whether male or female, Jew or Gentile, black or white, slave or free, rich or poor, in work or out of work...
And the command to the husband is to love his wife with the love that Jesus had for the church - that is the love that took Jesus to the cross even while we were still enemies of God. This is a totally self-sacrificial love that will put the interests of a wife ahead of its own.
So what does it mean for the husband to be the head of the wife? I believe that we are submit to each other. We are commanded to love each other. But God has given the husband the responsibility for his family - and he will be accountable to God for this. Decisions generally will be made through discussion and agreement - but when a stalemate is reached the husband makes the final decision - having lovingly put the interests of his wife before his own. When there has been an argument and bed time is approaching it is the husband's responsibility to make the first move to put things right (as instructed in 4:26).
A final word to overbearing parents. Verse 31 reminds us that when your children get married they enter into a new relationship and a new chapter in their lives. It is not your place to interfere. Some parents just can't help themselves and without trying they come between their son/daughter and their new wife/husband. They expect that they'll be around every Sunday for lunch and every year on Christmas day - just as before. They expect to be consulted about every decision. When your children get married, you have to let go. This doesn't mean you don't love them or they don't love you or that you won't be there when they need you. It just means that things are different now - because they are.
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