Christian Faith Perspectives

In the past house owners have extended their houses with so much architectural flair; the various types of Cape Cod house extensions come to mind. But what is also happening today are complete rebuilds. Homeowners have done their sums and decided to demolish the existing home rather than extending. The result is a completely new home built to their liking!

We can remodel our lives hoping to live more positively. We can strive to live by a self-imposed moral code of ethics. But at best we find ourselves still struggling to live in accordance with those moral absolutes of purity, honesty and love. We too often find that our conscience is disturbed by personal moral failures.

What we need is a fresh understanding of what God has done for us in Christ. Even though we personally have saving faith in the Lord Jesus, we can still be trying to renovate or remodel our lives in our own strength. But there is a better way… God’s rebuild!

When Jesus died on the cross, he was destroying as it were our old life; not a patch up job, but the removal of the old to make way for the new. Picture if you will the empty block, the old house has been demolished and the land is clean and ready for the new build. When Jesus died and rose again, he was destroying the old and replacing it with the new. Ref. 2 Corinthians 5:17. NIV.

Gods rebuild is all about NEW CREATION LIVING! The old has gone the new has come and fully available in Christ Jesus.

Where we stand in life largely determines the future and what will occur. If you stand too close to a dangerous situation, you could get hurt, like standing too close to the edge of a train platform. I recall as a young man doing just that. Actually, I was walking with my back to an incoming train that I did not hear. Suddenly, I felt this powerful impact on my arm… part of the train carriage had hit my arm! I could have been knocked to the ground, or on to the track; at the very least I could have received a serious injury. I was fortunate to survive the incident, coming through unscathed.

As we grow up into adulthood, taking our place in the world we will frequently be making decisions on where we stand. It could be our political persuasion, it could be our opinion on a variety of subjects. Of course the spiritual dimension will not be excluded; do we believe in God? Or do we hold other life views?

In reading about the life of Jesus in the Gospels it is quite obvious that Jesus knew where he stood spiritually. He held a deep conviction that God was his heavenly Father.; furthermore, he held clear moral beliefs of right and wrong.

The impact on our lives can be quite powerful if we choose to stand in the same relationship Jesus stands with his heavenly Father. Some will say, “surely this is not possible!” But indeed it is, for the whole purpose of his coming was to introduce us to HIS FATHER… and to discover that we too can call him FATHER!

In our Christian lives, where we are standing has never really altered. What has changed is our perception of that relationship! Simple faith in Christ placed you and I in a relationship with God. Not a God afar off, but a Father who is always accessible.

The opportunity is ours to remember that we are always in his presence. This standing means we can always talk things over with him. As a result, God becomes involved in our lives; a loving Father who will direct us, protect us and supply all our needs.

Ref. Romans 5:1-2. NIV.

Contemporary worship allows freedom of expression as Christians come together to praise God. It may be the spontaneous heart felt raising of hands, it could be unrehearsed songs of praise, dancing and even shouts of praise. It may seem extreme to some and purely emotionalism. We can be comfortable with set liturgical forms of worship, but there is something liberating when the human spirit is allowed to respond to God creatively and without restraint.

Many of our hymns and choruses have been written by Christian believers inspired to sing a NEW SONG! For those who have experienced God’s Salvation, for those who have had that ‘Born Again’ experience there is new song welling up from within. Our secular songs can give us considerable enjoyment as we sing and listen to our favourites. But spiritual songs are directed to God; they are expressions of the spirit which touch heaven itself.

But because our praise ascends and registers a heart response from God the Father there is also a dynamic result of PRAISE!
Praise results in the manifestation of God’s power; it gives acknowledgement that all power and might belong to Him.
King Jehoshaphat in his war against Moab and Ammon used the PRAISE PRINCIPLE to win the battle. He appointed singers to go out ahead of the army and sing praises to God saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” As they began to sing the Lord set ambushes and the enemy was defeated.

Praise brings about a response from God to act on our behalf!

Ref. 2 Chron. 20:21-22. Isaiah 42:10. NIV

Simply put, ‘a co-operative is a democratic organisation, owned and controlled by its members for a common benefit’.
Ref. Business Victoria
There are other definitions, but the main emphasis appears to be the autonomy and joint ownership of an enterprise. You may well ask, what is the Biblical connection? Consider for a moment the following verse, “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener”
John 15:1 NIV.

Sometimes we get our relationship with the Father and the Son a little confused. Is it Jesus only, this belief is a travesty of Biblical truth! Or is it just the Father, well that on the other hand eclipses Jesus. Neither is an option, if we deny Jesus we deny the Father. If we deny the Father we deny Jesus. The Father and the Son are inseparable working together in the believers life. It is somewhat like a business partnership or co-operative where each member participates for the benefit of the whole; and we as branches are also a part.

So, Jesus typified as the vine, supports and sustains each one of us… the branches! His grace is sufficient for each day enabling us to function and of course bear fruit. Yet, over this arrangement is God the Father managing the vineyard operation as the owner.

In our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ we should also be encouraged to pray regularly to God the Father seeking his will and guidance in every aspect of our lives… A CO-OPERATIVE!

There is something special when you are heading down a freeway; you are locked into your journey. There is a singular purpose as you head toward your destination. Everything else becomes irrelevant as you travel with anticipation of your ultimate and exciting arrival at the next town or location.

Early Christians were designated as a people who were of the WAY! A group of people who had discovered there is a unique spiritual ‘FREEWAY’ whose destination is God Himself! Surely that has to be the ultimate life experience we can enjoy. The words of the Lord Jesus echo with authority and truth when he said: –
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 NIV.

Recently I had a hospital experience where I personally discovered afresh the reality of the relationship we have with God our heavenly father. Consequent to a significant loss of blood my life was somewhat in the balance as Doctors tried to stabilize my condition. I was aware that I could have died but my conviction and belief was that God would bring me through.

While in hospital recovering I sensed a special closeness to God as I talked to him in silent prayer. There is then, a special personal relationship we can each enjoy with God as our heavenly Father.

IT IS POWERFUL, IT IS DYNAMIC, & WILL BRING ABOUT CHANGE!

One of the most powerful emotional experiences a person can have is to know you are not condemned. Guilt is like a mental load we carry as an individual and to experience forgiveness is to know that load of guilt has been removed. One of the biggest causes of stress is the feeling of regret; we relive past failures, things we wish had never happened. In fact stress and worry over past events can even result in a person contemplating suicide.

If there is anything humanity needs to hear it is this one word, FORGIVEN.!

God sent his Son into a lost world, twisted and contorted by sin, not to condemn or judge it, but to save it with this one powerful message!

“FOR GOD DID NOT SEND HIS SON INTO THE WORLD TO CONDEMN THE WORLD, BUT TO SAVE THE WORLD THROUGH HIM. John 3:17 NIV.

If God has accepted us back into fellowship with himself we must be intrinsically changed. To be righteous and in a state of forgiveness is not a platitude, it is a reality. How sweet then to the sinner’s ears, how reassuring to the believer; Jesus does not condemn.! All we have to do is accept and enjoy the reality of FORGIVENESS! God does not condemn us, neither should we!

My last post was about the FREEDOM we have in the realm of the Holy Spirit. Jesus dealt with our sin on the cross where he took the penalty of the broken Law. As we maintain our faith in this grace so we can maintain a life filled with the Spirit.

The penalty demanded by a broken Law was carried out in the body of Jesus Christ, he died that we might live! Jesus went through the experience of death on our behalf. Through faith in him we are set free from that consequence of sin. This reality justifies us in God’s sight forever, it is… eternal life NOW!

Sin forfeited our access to the Holy Spirit, but Jesus took sins penalty to the cross. This enabled God to put the Spirit’s activity back into human lives… proof indeed that we are forgiven!

In a moment of faith time Jesus changed our status, releasing us individually from the curse of a broken law to the abundant blessings of the Spirit. To revert to a life of trying to earn God’s acceptance through works is folly and negates the Cross.

A final word though, we still have that command to love our neighbour as ourselves. We can do it! Jesus has empowered us with the love he has put in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Ref. Galatians 2:21, 3:14 NIV.

There’s something wonderfully unfettered about a bird in flight. It seems to own the air as it flies at will. Ascending, and diving at incredible speed, it is their realm, it is their freedom!

There is a spiritual freedom that is ours in Jesus Christ where we can soar and discover the realm of the Holy Spirit. Like those hot air balloons we can ascend and be carried by God’s wind.

Yet, we may not fully appropriate the spiritual freedom Jesus has made available. We can be like the hot air balloon, inflated and ready to go, but still held earth bound by anchor ropes.

Believe it or not, the very thing that can hinder or stop us from being totally free is the Law of Commandments. Yet it is that very Law that Jesus dealt with on the cross. The Law was introduced by God not to save us but to convict us as sinners!

Unfortunately we will never be good enough by keeping God”s book of rules. Try as we might we fall short! Then why does God still give us the Gift of the Holy Spirit? Because we have believed that Jesus took our failure so justifying us before God.

As we let go of those ropes of self effort the Spirit of God will lift us into that realm of total freedom and spiritual power.

Ref. Galatians 3:14 NIV.

Whatever the time of year we know that the cycle of seasons will continue. They are a valuable reminder of God’s faithfulness in times of doubt and uncertainty. God wants to encourage us, by letting us know, that like the seasons things will change.

Autumn for instance is a time of transition, richly coloured leaves fall, trees once laden become skeletons and we feel those chill winds announcing a coming winter. The crunch of morning frosts and early snow are reminders that things will become dormant for a while. But springtime comes, bulbs burst forth and the new growth points to a coming summer of warmth and harvest.

Life is a bit like that, those times when nothing seems to be happening. Even as Christians, the door we want to open seems firmly shut. In such circumstance it is so easy to lose faith or at least wonder why it seems that God is not listening or has no interest in the timetable of our lives. When nothing seems to be happening it is for a reason, the next event will be on cue.

We are so often told to keep faith, to keep believing and that is fine, but it can be very difficult when God seemingly gives no response. There is what I call, REVERSE FAITHFULNESS by God… his faith toward us is constant. Like the seasons which never cease His faithful love toward us will never change.

Ref. Gen. 8:22, Psalm 33:22 NIV.

What has darts in common with faith? Well quite a lot really, do you recall playing darts? The aim of course is to hit that red bullseye in the middle and score 50. However, the double and treble rings are handy for getting a good score when you target the high numbered segments. One thing is certain though, you have to concentrate and take aim when throwing the dart.

Faith is not a random thing, just hoping that maybe we might just get lucky. Christian faith must be specific if we expect to get good results. Aim at nothing and there’s a good chance we will hit nothing! Faith which can focus on the target will get results.

So, what are faith seeds? They are seeds that will determine the result. Buy a packet of carrot seeds for instance… plant them and you get carrots! Faith seeds then, are the actual things we expect to receive, be it health. or other needs. It is important to know what we want so we can focus and be clear in our prayers.

If we can see our need and describe it before God, the result of that seed thought when planted will be ours to receive!

Ref. Matthew 21:22. NIV.