The judgement of God

“Fire and brimstone preachers”. People often raise this image with me. Even though I doubt many people today have experienced it, I think it’s a way of saying that we’ve heard enough about judgement and we want to focus on the positive.

I think we need to discuss the judgement of God. It matters. Why?

1) Salvation makes no sense without it.

2) Without it there is no justice

3) Without the judgement of God there is no affirmation of what is good.

4) It shows how seriously God takes our choices and the position of honour He gave us

So how does God judge?

1) Death
In Genesis 3 we are told that the choice to rebel would lead to death. In God’s mercy this was not immediate, yet everyone born of Adam is spiritually dead (Eph 2:1-2) and will one day die physically. We were not created to die but to enjoy God’s rest. Death is part of God’s judgement.

2) Immediate consequence

There are times in the Bible when God responds to sin by an immediate judgement.

Two examples are Herod (Acts 12:21-23) and the Christians in Corinth (1 Cor 11:20-30). This is what we would expect but God in His mercy withholds.

3) Final judgement

God’s kindness, tolerance and patience (Rom 2:1-4) can only last so long. God has set a day when He will judge the whole earth (Acts 17:31). This day of judgement is called the “last day” (John 6:39) or “that day” (Is 10:20-23, Joel 1, Amos 5:18-20).

God will stop history and call everyone to give an account of their lives and conduct (Dan 12:1-13, Rev 20:11-15). No-one is exempt and every wrong is accounted for.

4) Christ takes our judgement

There is a cup of God’s anger that is ready to be poured out (Ps 75, Is 51:17-23, Jer 25:15-29). This is what we must drink on the last day.

But in the garden of Gethsemane we learn that Jesus is going to drink this cup for us (Mark 14:36). The righteous one will stand in the place of the unrighteous (Is 53:4-6, Rom 3:21-26, 2 Cor 5:21).

Jesus takes our judgement on the cross. This is seen with the darkness over the whole land (Mark 15:31).

5) Judgement of creation

To bring about a new creation involves a destruction of the old. This is described in 2 Peter 3:10, 12, Rev 21:1. Romans 8 sees creation groaning for the new to come and the restoration that the sons of God will bring (Rom 8:19-21).

6) Judgement of Christians

It’s interesting that Paul’s ministry is carried because he is aware of the judgement seat of God (2 Cor 5:10). Being saved does not make everything permissible. God is still a consuming fire (Heb 12:28) and we will still be held accountable for our actions even though our names are in the book of life.

This sounds really scary, BUT, this judgement has an upside. It means that Christians will be vindicated for choosing the path of righteousness. It means that we will stand before God and He will declare, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt 25:21). Our ministry will be shown for what it is (2 Cor 3:10-15) and we will experience the joy of seeing those we ministered to standing in the kingdom (1 Thess 2:19-20) as our reward.

We mustn’t doubt that God will judge. This shouldn’t lead to us judging others. Instead it should promote humility and gratitude that God has provided a way for us to avoid condemnation through Christ Jesus. Knowing that there is a judgement day helps us to do good even when we face suffering for this, because we will be vindicated on that day.

NCD on leadership

Leadership

As part of our evaluation we’ve identified two areas that we want to work on in the second half of the year: leadership and Sunday Services.

I’ve just finished a book on leadership from the Natural Church Development group. Here is a summary of the book.

Today leadership is defined as success. In fact, they are seen as synonymous. This is not true.

Leadership is about leadership and influence.

Now leadership is about moving people from A to B, but it matters how you do this. The quadrants below show the different methods you can use

Some people feel comfortable about working alongside people, others like to decide the direction.

Leadership is a good mix of both, because it not only shows the direction but empowers them to lead others there too.

Now in leadership we are taught to focus on the results. But we can confuse what the results are with the measures to achieve results. Let me show you what I mean

Measure Results

No. of attenders Mature follower of the Lord Jesus Christ

Amount of money collected

No of ministries run

The measures assist in promoting the result, but they are not the final goal.

So to summarise, we need direct and empower, knowing what result we desire and the means of measuring progress.

The rest of the book is dedicated to what he describes as the 6 wing traits. These are the traits that will produce results and develop other leaders.

The traits are

1) Vision

a) You need to cast a vision that helps people see beyond the task to what is achieved by their contribution.

b) You also need to release the vision of others.

2) Experimentation

a) You need to allow for mistakes. In fact you should expect them. It’s only through trial and error that you find the best path.

b) You also need to learn from mistakes instead of repeating them.

3) Capacity

a) Focus on your strengths

b) Assess your weaknesses

4) Strategy

a) Set goals which are qualitative and can be monitored

b) Analyse your present situation (what is essential, your strengths and what do you need to stop)

5) Training

a) Teach the principles

b) Model the principles

6) Progression

a) Advocate bold moves

b) Nurture steady progress

Promoting Spiritual Growth

Follow Me

Willow Creek Community church decided to survey it's members about how they were going in becoming fully devoted followers of Christ. The results staggered them.

So they extended the survey to 80,000 people from over 200 churches. Here is what they discovered through the process.

 

Firstly, there is a spiritual continuum:

Exploring Christ- “I believe in God but I’m not sure about Christ”

Growing in Christ- “I’m working on what it means to trust in Jesus”

Close to Christ- “I feel close to Christ and depend on Him daily for guidance”

Christ-centred- “This is the most important relationship in my life”

Spiritual attitudes and behaviours increase significantly in frequency and intensity as people move along the continuum.

Secondly there four categories of spiritual catalysts:

1) Spiritual beliefs and attitudes

2) Organised church activities

3) Personal spiritual practices

4) Spiritual activities with others.

These catalysts to help movement along the continuum. Below is a table of what is most influential for each movement  

	Exploring Christ		Growing in Christ		Close to Christ		Christ-Centred
Beliefs and attitudes		Salvation by grace The trinity Personal God Christ is first Authority of the Bible		Personal God Salvation by grace Authority of the Bible Christ is first Identity in Christ		Giving away my life Christ is first Identity in Christ Authority of the Bible Stewardship
Church Activities		Serve the church Weekend services Small groups		Serve those in need Serve the church Adult education classes Small groups		Serve those in need Additional teaching/worship service
Personal spiritual practices		Reflection on Scripture Bible Reading Prayer to seek guidance Prayer to confess sins		Reflection on Scripture Prayer to seek guidance Tithing Solitude Bible Reading		Reflection on Scripture Solitude Bible Reading Prayer to confess sins Tithing Prayer to seek guidance
Spiritual activities with others		Spiritual friendships		Evangelism Spiritual friendships Serving those in need Spiritual mentors		Evangelism Spiritual mentors Serving those in need

 This is a very simple and straightforward approach to spiritual growth. The only problem is that nearly every Christian surveyed indicated that they had stalled in their Christian life at some stage. In fact, 22% of those surveyed were currently stalled.

It's hard for an organisation to change this, because the solution is found in returning to spiritual practices, going through a personal crisis or being inspired. There is also the problem of people (17% of survey) being dissatisfied with their church). They suggest that the dissatisfied are addressed and their issues thought through rather than shrugged off.

The one thing they did want to emphasise is that the Bible is the most powerful catalyst for growth. Not only does it help movement, the Bible was significant in helping the stalled and dissatisfied

So how can these findings help us to promote spiritual growth?

Should religion and politics mix?

My answer is quite simple- why not?

The problem of church and state is when you have totalitarian rule. That could be a fascist dictator or the Pope. When power is placed in the hands of one group generally it leads to problems.

Our ideas about separation of church and state come from the United States. Their constitution says, "... I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”

The phrase "separation of church and state" itself does not appear in the United States Constitution. The aim was freedom for individuals in how they worship.

The Constitution of Australia prevents the Commonwealth from establishing any religion or requiring a religious test for any office:—

 Ch 5 § 116 The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth.

Our democracy is a representative model. We entrust people to make wise decisions on our behalf. That’s it. If we don’t think that they can make wise decisions then we shouldn’t vote for them.

So there are two ways that a religious group can participate in our democracy:

1) Set up a political party (Christian Democratic Party)

2) Lobby (explain the concerns to your local representative)

To me this is straight-forward. So why is everyone getting worked up about this?

Secularism

Originally secularism meant "a form of opinion which concerns itself only with questions, the issues of which can be tested by the experience of this life" (George Jacob Holyoake, English Secularism, 60). This allowed religion to function in society, but not be imposed upon people.

A secular society looked like this:

 1. Deep respect for individuals and the small groups of which they are a part.
 2. Equality of all people.
 3. Each person should be helped to realize their particular excellence.

This provides a place for religion in a secular society.

But that’s changed. Now secularists call for the removal of religion from public life.

Secular. org.au states they stand for

Teaching secular values in education
 Phasing out of government funding for religious schools
 Removing religious references from statutory oaths and pledges
 Abolishing parliamentary prayers
 Ending state support for religious institutions and personnel
 Removal of tax advantages for religious institutions

They stand against:

 Religious indoctrination of minors
 The wearing of religious attire in schools
 Government support or endorsement of any religion

This is not levelling the playing field. It’s a grab for power.

Ethics

We find two groups coming to the fore on ethical issues: libertarians and conservatives. Libertarians say individuals should decide  what is right and what is wrong. Conservatives want governments to enforce ethics by law.

Both groups are fighting a war.

The reason is because there is no longer a middle ground.

In the 19^th century the model looked like this:

There are three poles to making ethical decisions

Law                                         Truth                                      Freedom

Now the law was meant to provide a framework for community living, not decide ethics. Individuals were to pursue happiness within the context of community and society.

So how did they solve ethical issues?

Truth. They believed that there are absolutes which frame our character.

Rather than being left to our own devices or having a government produce legislation, individuals did what was right based on virtue.

Sadly, we’ve lost our moral compass. We’ve thrown out truth.

So we fight. Secularists say religious people don’t belong in the public square. Religious groups argue that they are acting for the good of society.

The solution must be found in dialogue. So religion must mix with politics.

Reading the Bible

We live in a dangerous age because people aren’t interested in the truth.

In generations past people sought to understand the world and the way we should live in it. This shaped my identity, my worldview and my virtues. This is why the Bible played a major role in the shaping people’s lives. Not anymore.

Today people decide the values they’ll live by without reference to the outside world. There is a celebration of freedom to do what you feel is right (which is also matched by litigation when your freedom impacts on me).

In this age the Bible seems irrelevant, archaic. Why read it? The are two answers given by preachers (which I don’t like):

1) Pragmatism

If you follow the advice from the Bible and it works then maybe it does have value.

2) Therapy

In our individualistic, ant-establishment age, we can feel alone. We look for comfort. If the Bible can provide this, then it does have value.

So my aim in reading the Bible is to see if it says something about the narrative of my life. To do this we’ll probably use either an allegorical or moral method. Let give an example. If you’re reading about rebuilding Jerusalem (like in Nehemiah), what does that say about your life? It could refer to your ministry at church (allegorical) or picking up the broken pieces of your soul (moral). If you can see your life in the text then you are filled with joy.

This is not how we are meant to read the Bible. The Bible is God explaining Himself, His creation and our place in it. Rather than the Bible being a narrative about MY life it is a narrative about GOD’S world. Instead of asking, “What does this say about my life?” the question is “Where do I fit in God’s plan?”

So how do you read the Bible? You read it in context, in history and as a whole. You read it to understand where we have come from and where we are going. You learn about where we have gone wrong and the new life we are meant to live. You’ll read sections that don’t directly relate to you because you need to see the bigger picture.

Life is not all about you. So if you want to understand how to live well, read your Bible thoughtfully.

Sanctification

How does someone live a holy life? That’s what sanctification is all about. To sanctify is to make holy. It sounds simple, but because of sin it’s complex. In fact, people have different thoughts on this.

1) John Wesley sees that a full and real conversion will express itself in love. This is the mark of holiness.

2) Charismatics look for the second blessing.  The Holy Spirit will bring about the sanctifying work we desire.
3) The Keswick movement looks for victory over sin by the Spirit and obedience

Now all agree that holiness should be taken seriously. However, they don’t agree about how holiness occurs. So let me outline my thoughts on the matter.

Holiness is about godliness

God is the Holy One (Job 6:10, Is 40:25, 43:15, 57:15, Hos 11:9). To be holy is to be like God or godly (Lev 11:44-45, 19:2, 20:7).

We are designed to reflect God as image bearers, but sin pollutes our lives.

 Jesus is sanctified

He is the sanctified one (John 10:36) who sanctifies himself for us (John 17:19). Here holiness is tied to Jesus’ mission on earth.

 God sanctifies us

God sanctifies Israel (Ex 19:22-24). We are described as sanctified (1 Cor 1:3, 6:9-10). This is what Jesus HAS DONE. In Christ we forgiven, cleansed and made holy (1 Peter 1:2). Hebrews 10 states this best- “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

We live the sanctified life

Sanctification happens when we place our trust in Jesus (Acts 26:18). We are then called to pursue holiness (Hebrews 12:14). So what does this mean?
 
I think it means that we have an obligation to live according to the new identity given to us in Christ.

I get this idea from 1 Cor 6:9-11

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

God’s will is for a holy people. He makes this a reality through Christ. Now we are called to live a totally different quality and character of life.

Can we achieve this? No, Christ has. And the Holy Spirit works in us to bring about the new risen life. The word of God challenges us to conform to our new life in Christ too. As we trust in Jesus, this also will lead to repentance and the pursuit of holiness.

In this life we will be plagued by the old man, so complete victory is unlikely. But we still work at placing our body at the disposal of God for righteousness (Rom 6:1-14).

Discipleship

I’m urging us to be involved in discipleship? Who could disagree?

But what does this look like in practice and who can do it?

Let’s go back to the start.

What is a disciple?

A disciple is a student. Now our Western culture divides between theory and practice, but in the first century the two were one. You would walk and live with your teacher. It was in the daily activities that questions, debates and conversations occurred.

Jesus invited people to follow Him (Mark 1:17-18, 2:14-15). Through His ministry they understood that He was the Christ. He then explained what the implications would be for their lives (Mark 8:27-38). As Jesus was about to ascend to the Father’s right hand and received all authority he gave His disciples a task- make disciples (Matt 28:18-20).

How do you make disciples?

The key is the gospel. It is the gospel that is transforming people’s lives everywhere (Col 1:3-6). It’s important that we understand this. No matter how persuasive you are as a leader, you cannot overcome sin in someone’s life. But as people hear and respond to the truth they are freed to live a life of godliness (Eph 4:17-24, Titus 2:11-14).

Teaching is a key component, but the life you lead also plays a part. Paul taught the Thessalonians to receive the gospel as God’s word, but he was also a model, nurturing like a mother and disciplining like a father (1 Thess 2:1-16). In fact, Paul calls for people to imitate him as he imitates Christ (1 Cor 11:1).

Prayer is also a major factor. Paul is always praying for the churches (Phil 1:3-10, Col  1:3-7, 1 Thess 1:3-8). It is Christ is who is building His church and calling people into His kingdom. We are servants, and we therefore plead with God to have mercy on those around us.

There are some key elements to consider

Discipleship involves calling people to acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and Saviour
Discipleship challenges people to forsake old allegiances and serve God
Discipleship challenges people to follow the way of the cross (1 Thess 2:14-16, Phil 1:27-30)
Discipleship provides a model for others to follow
Discipleship encourages people to join and participate in the new community of Jesus

Should every disciple be a disciple-maker?

I think so. I think that there will be a need for teachers who are pillars in the community, bringing about maturity in the body of Christ through teaching the whole counsel of God.

Col Marshall in Trellis and the Vine thinks that these are the pre-requisites:

Confess Jesus as the Christ (Mark 8:34-35)

Teach children (Eph 6:4, 1 Tim 4:4-5)
Teach each other (Rom 15:14, Eph 3:15-16, Col 3:16, Heb 10:24-25)
Missionary heart (1 Cor 10:31-11:1)
Model Christian living (1 Thess 1:9-10)