Big Ones and Little Ones

Following on from yesterday’s bit about the super vacuum cleaner it also reminded me of a thought process that I was considering earlier this week. The link will become clear soon, follow the thread and you should get the jumper at the end of it. (You’ll need the jumper – it’s nearly winter!)

A dear friend of mine (ah ha, back to that one again, but it’s all about relationships right?) sent a prayer request on a pressing issue and that triggered an immediate response of mine which had all the right words of piety in it. The text ended with me riffing off the top of my head (reads better than following the leading of the Holy Spirit, doesn’t it?) and stating the same words that Paul uses in Romans 12:21 – Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. As ever it’s well worth checking the context of the verse as will become clear.

As I hit the send button on the text I actually started thinking again about the nature of evil. What is it? Is there a difference between evil, ungodly and wrong? Is there a difference between evil and ungodly? What is it?

The thought lingered with me throughout Monday and led to an engrossing conversation I had with another dear friend of mine. (That’s four different dear friends, if you’ve been counting from yesterday. Here I was thinking I didn’t have any!) I was talking with her about the nature of evil and what it is and we went up and down life experiences, general reasoning and scriptural support for the various positions being put across. She was a tremendous help in giving a different angle on what I was thinking about. Sadly, however, she failed to convince me of a growing conviction I have about the nature of evil. That is this: evil is that which goes against God.

Now in case you think my dear friend was refuting that, I quickly add, that’s not the contention I put to her. The far reaching consequences of that, however, will see God describing things as evil that we wouldn’t. I mean let’s face it, when the word evil is mentioned we have certain images, behaviours and accompanying words that spring to mind. To bring it across these are usually linked to graphic, horrific and physically moving definitions. You can fill in the gaps with your own views of evil, I won’t list them here. My friend was helpful here by giving a definition of evil as the extreme opposite of good. That definition is supported as you’ll notice by a deduction of that Romans 12:21 trip which gives us the two battling sides. Now by ‘battling’, I’m being a bit naughty, I know, for how can evil even think it has a chance against good, when it always wins? Oh yeah, it always wins – not all experiences may give that impression, but the entire tapestry of history at the end will show who wins and it be not evil, and evil be trounced good and proper by … errr … good.

So having that definition in mind, it should help us further to see what God would consider evil – apparently when we play favourites and discriminate on material basis, that’s evil. Don’t take my word for it – read James 2:4 for yourself. Now come on, the reasonable thinker will think, we’re hardly calling that an atrocity. That’s hardly something to be considered by the term ‘evil’. Bad, sure. Socially unacceptable, fine – but evil? That’s taking it a bit far isn’t it? Well evidently if Jesus is to be taken seriously, we’re actually not taking it far enough, because the whole deal of the Sermon on the Mount is about Jesus highlighting just what evil looks like when He riffs out the clarity of what we’ve heard it said and what he says to us. Calling someone a fool isn’t just naughty or ill-considered. Fantasising sexual encounters with one who is not your spouse is not just harmless play.

What’s my point? What does that have to do with the vacuum cleaner? Well we have this tendency of establishing big sins and little sins. We safely categorise deeds as being little white ones or dark, nasty, ugly ones. As we do this we fail to realise that these little white ones (which are not that clean) get embedded into our psyche, a psyche that’s already in need of re-wiring. Then the little ones become engrained and before you know it, while you’re looking to demolish the ‘big ones’ the little ones have such a hold on you that you can be justly accused of the very things that God Himself considers to be evil. As I said, don’t just take my word for it – check the book for yourself. As these little ones remain a part of the system, unseen and unconsidered just like our vacuum cleaning experience of yesterday, we will miss it and suffer for it.

Therein lies the problem of sin – it’s not just the big, obvious, blatant, stomach-churning ones, it’s the little ones that don’t even get so much as a slap on the wrists. It’s the little ones that even get promoted as positive values to pursue by various outlets. It’s the little ones that are passed on in playgrounds, offices, churches, leisure centres and homes from mouth to ear, heart to heart and perpetuated with no realisation and thus no repentance. Yeah, sure fight the major injustices, but unravelling that thread will show just how interconnected that is to those small ones that tend to go unnoticed. Not only will they need to be exposed for what they are, but they will need to be dealt with. There is only one Man for that job.

For His Name's Sake

Shalom

dmcd

Break Free: How Deep Is Your Sin?

Recently a dear family friend came to give us a demonstration of a multi-faceted vacuum cleaner that was said to be significantly better than the regular ones on the market. It’s her job you see and because she’s relatively new she gets to try it on her friends and family. Also because of the nature of the product it is not something that can be slapped on a leaflet or a TV advert but a personal demonstration is required – it’s about the personal touch of hearing and seeing the good news in action for yourself. Sounds familiar that, I wonder if that could work for the church?

Anyway, so this friend of ours popped over the house and gave us this demonstration of the vacuum cleaner. One element of the demonstration highlighted that the mechanic operation of a typical vacuum cleaner was only to actually suck up the dust. However it does not pick up all the dirt that is there because of its nature. The new product however works by an action of impact, vibrate and suction thus it is able to get deeper into the material to remove more dust. It so happened that our current vacuum cleaner sucked in the not good sense of the term and so to compare the effectiveness of this new product especially based on the principle of its action to the old model and its ineffectiveness was a wonder in itself.

What got me thinking was the whole thing of digging deep, exposing stuff and then removing it. Not just digging it out and letting it settle, not just dealing with the surface stuff and giving the impression of cleanliness, but the hard work of digging beyond what is seen to the point of getting to where it is, exposing it and dealing with it.

When Jesus became a part of my life that I was conscious about, I didn’t realise He worked in the same way. I’d learnt quite a bit about him at an intellectual level. I did the church routine and engaged in the emotional fervour without getting any sense of depth spiritually into the character of Christ and what that had to say about me. Thankfully that stage of naivety did not last too long.

In this month of Break Free, one of the first things to consider is that there is bondage. There is captivity. There is oppression. To some extent, we are all under negative pressure. That has an affect on our entire mentality.

For example there’s another dear friend of mine. (Sounds like I have quite a collection of dear friends, doesn’t it? No, you’ve only counted two so far, so let’s not get carried away!) This dude suffers from depression and at its worse it can virtually socially cripple the guy. In all other aspects of his life he may appear free and at his best he can come across as a rather engaging liberated individual, but the brother knows he’s in captivity to that which is over him. My prayer (and I’d love this to be yours too) is that he experiences that Break Free process. However in as much as his depression maybe dealt with, this is only the beginning.

We often get carried away with the physical/immediately apparent stuff, but there is stuff that’s deep down. There are mentalities and spiritual conditions near or at the heart of our being that plague us in worse ways than the actual physical/immediately apparent stuff. In reality the practices and solutions we’ve tried at this time have not got to the deepest level. Psychoanalysis, new age spirituality, religion, consumerism, etc. act much like my vacuum cleaner. They may appear to suck, but actually they suck – they don’t deal with the stuff beyond what we see, and left to their own devices these will accelerate a process of deterioration not just for the material around us, but even our own lives.

That is what makes the challenge of Christ convicting – we are slaves to sin at the very core of our being and the only solution is Him. Sounds cocky, doesn’t it? Sounds arrogant, I grant you. Sounds fairly exclusive as if to suggest not other route provides that level of liberty. The thing is, I’ve tended to notice that it’s not arrogant or cocky if you actually deliver what you talk about. Even more does it actually sound like a fair description of what has been demonstrated if you’re pointing it out after and as you’re doing it. The only question is whether people are willing to take Him at His Word in that desperation to Break Free.

For His Name's Sake

Shalom

dmcd

Why Break Free?

Every October for the last three years I’ve been looking at the theme of freedom especially for the workplace. This year is particularly poignant though.

I don’t think the blog entries have done justice to the turmoil, triumph and trauma that I’ve undergone in the last year or so, but this season is very important. I saw a vision where I was emerging from a dark place into the light of the sun shining on a glorious inviting landscape that drew me along a path. The vision was about emerging from the shadows and experiencing nature and life in all of its simplicity as it really is in the light of the Son. Sometimes the time in those shadows is character forming, like that moth in the chrysalis taking shape from its first form to its developed state. That cocoon time can be very important and of course timing is critical because leaving early could mean there’s not enough to withhold the new life and susceptible to the elements it falls easily and dies. Leaving too late means possible suffocation and an inability to cope likewise when it is released. Yet there’s no doubt that a release needs to take place. There is a place in nature, in the scheme of things in which I belong and this season appears particularly crucial in that whole development process.

So this month’s focus on freedom is as much a personal project as it is a theme to coincide with the month’s activities on Black History Month. I have not really been a huge proponent of expressing pride in achievements, however much it may help people’s sense of racial identity. I do acknowledge what a pivotal time it is for people to assess who they are and where they come from in a time where it is easy to have those factors overwhelmed by dominant cultural forces.

That’s why for me the concept of freedom is so important. As the series will outline over at the LJN devotional, it’s not just about freedom from stuff, it’s about freedom to stuff and sometimes what we are free to do some really odd things … So I’m really excited as ever about the what God has in store for the month and I hope to share episodes of how that freedom is impacting my thoughts, words and actions as well as witnessing its impact in the lives of others.

For His Name's Sake

Shalom

dmcd

Seekers September - Summary

So here we are at the end of the month. IT has been quite a month. I’ve experienced so much over the month that it’s not possible to remember everything that has happened. During the month I’ve only been at Stoke church for one Sabbath where other Sabbaths have seen me in Newport, home and Warslow. In this month I experienced my first stag do (as a participant, not the stag in question) and the honour of being a part of the crew of ushers at the wedding. I went to Scotland for the first time in my life. This was the month I started the teacher training course a significant step for me in fulfilling the call of God in my life.

I’ve had some wonderful times over the month and blog wise I’ve also been able to get out a fair number of entries out and been able to explore a bit the concept of seeking. Following Audio August, Seeking September really has got me stripping away everything to know what I desire more than anything else. For the next three months we as a church will be looking at the Sermon of the Mount which has at the heart of it a desire to seek the Kingdom of Heaven, see that kingdom manifest on earth, see it’s values and principles embedded not just in our minds or behaviours, but the core of our very being. It’s all about being centred on Christ, looking for him in everything and looking to be like Him in any given situation. So that requires Kingdom allegiance!

At a cell group session this evening we were looking at Job 42 and reviewing Job’s response to God’s responses to his calling out the Almighty to answer some questions. What I found fascinating about the scripture was not so much the recovery of Job’s loss. Not so much Job’s so called friends having to get Job to get them out of God’s wrath. These are all commendable parts of the story worth capturing in themselves. What was especially intriguing in terms of linking seeking to the sermon is the very first main point of the sermon.

Those who inherit the kingdom are those who acknowledge their absolute abject poverty before God, not in the material sense but in that sense that puts complete dependence on the creator of the universe. Job accepts that he cannot interrogate the Creator as if He has an obligation to answer our questions or He won’t get re-elected in the general election next year. Job’s act of repentance brings things back to the beginning where we are nothing but dirt and all we have we owe to His mercy. That’s why I seek Him because true riches are found in Him, not just material but the real riches of godly characteristics re-engaging us with the one who defines us and makes us whole.

That’s also part of the motive of the theme for the next month, but more on that in the morrow should the Lord spare our lives. In the meantime, thank God for the material blessings and great experiences, a loving family, brilliant church family and an amazing cast of friends and assorted extras that make my life what it is. Above and beyond all that thanks for Jesus Christ who allows me to enjoy these things in Him and to the Father who made me and continues to shape me in a pattern of His pleasing through good times and bad by His Spirit that lives in me. Thanks so much.

For His Name's Sake

Shalom

dmcd

Role of the Teacher and Praise Perspectives

Just to say how happy I am and honoured to have made it to 200 posts this year before the last quarter begins. I am really grateful to God for getting the level of consistency to this level.

I’ve been rather poorly lately, but have battled on despite everything to carry on with things like work, family and being an usher at the wedding of a dear friend. As ever, however, tonight has been the teacher training session and it has proven again to be a source of much thought and contemplation. Indeed after it I felt somewhat refreshed by the experience and in the context of the day I’ve had today from it I came out with two outstanding thoughts.

The first was on the topic of the role of the teacher. Is teaching a lonely vocation? In the light of the micro-teach and being able to see how our tutor did what happened it got me thinking about what the role of the teacher really is. There is the assumption that the teacher is the fount of all knowledge in a given area and all must bow and learn from them. I don’t think that’s the case and so I believe there must be an alternative,

I believe Jesus lives out that alternative. It is a testament to His impact that He has been able to get people to remember His teachings and endeavour to live them out and pass them along as they do so. This is so much the case that we have gospel accounts where He has not written a word of it yet He speaks resonantly clear for all to read and hear, see and learn from.

So I’m thinking that the measure of a good teacher is not the wealth of their information base, or their charismatic personality and beguiling communication style. There has to be more to it. There has to be an element of authenticity and challenge in that which is taught and the nature with which it is taught that engages the learner to actually take on board the material and allow their lives to be shaped by it. So much so that when the teaching is transferred from the teacher to the learner and then the learner becomes teacher and looks to replicate the process in their own personal style.

The second thought was about the importance of the perspective of praise. I was encouraging a friend in a text sharing that I had prayed for wisdom, peace and clarity in the situation. What it reminded me of is that our first place is not to consider what we have to do, but what God has already done. It really was a balm to my own recent health challenges triggered by self-imposed pressure by the things I have assumed and feel I should do. I’ve had good words of counsel to pace myself and to ensure I do not to put myself through the mill. All of these were sound words of guidance for me leading to this reminder.

As I pondered further I looked at how God made the garden and then set the man in it and then told him what to do in it. Especially in the context of Genesis 2 it is clear that all the fruit in the garden is for man to enjoy. That is to say the work it/keep it deal, is in the light of what has already been done for him. So man does what he does in the light of what has been done for Him.

When I consider what has been done for me in God creating me, Jesus dying for me and the Holy Spirit making me alive again. When I consider the provisions made for me in relational, physical, financial, intellectual and spiritual issues it shows how great God is and what great things He has done. It is on that premise of praise that I go forward in doing what I am called to do with much joy, not in the light of apparently averse circumstances, but in the light of God’s promise, presence and power.

For His Name's Sake

Shalom

dmcd