Remove, Repair, Restore
At present I am reading through 2 Chronicles in my Old Testament readings, a historical record of the history of Israel and Judah after the reigns of David and Solomon. This is often a troubled history, with more kings choosing to go their own way than those choosing to follow God’s way!
It can be disheartening at times to read the repeated cycle of rebellion and disobedience and to understand something of the fickleness of people, but God has always maintained a ‘remnant’ of faithful followers, even in dark times.
What is encouraging is how a believing king can make a real difference. Asa was encouraged by Azariah the prophet, a reminder that we all need others in our journey of faith. The story in 2 Chronicles 15 also reminds us that God’s word brings energy and focus to the people, leading to positive action and real change.
Azariah’s word to Asa (2 Chron 15:7) galvanises Asa into action: to remove, to repair and to restore worship. (2 Chron 15:8) God’s word removed discouragement, and Asa then removed all the ‘detestable idols’ that had crept into the nation, also removing his grandmother, Maakah, from her position as queen mother because of her idolatry. (2 Chron 15:16) He went on to repair the altar and then restored worship in the nation, which led to a great gathering in Judah and a recommitment of the people to God’s ways.
When God speaks to us, He gives us the courage to do what is right and the energy to not give up. Then we can remove what is sinful from our lives, repair what is broken and restore God to His rightful place as Lord of our lives
Hidden With Christ In God
Today we looked at Colossians 3:1-4 and the fact that God’s people are described as ‘hidden with Christ in God.’ The identification between the Christian and Christ is so strong that only Christ is visible. We are “hidden with Christ in God” through the work of the Holy Spirit, who baptises all believers into one body—the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12–13). At salvation, we essentially step into Christ, being buried with Him through baptism and raised to life because of His resurrection (see Romans 6:4-7).
This identification with Christ (see also Gal 2:20) is not mere imagination, but is a work that God does in us. It is largely invisible, but Paul urges us to set our minds and hearts on things above, harnessing our thoughts and feelings so that they are aligned with God’s word. God’s word acts as the correcting lens to our thoughts and feelings, realigning us with the reality of His truths. Instead of us being influenced and directed by all we see and hear around us, instead of being swept along by wrong thinking or damaging emotions, God’s word realigns us with truth so that we can see life from His perspective. As we fix our minds and hearts on things above, we see Christ, seated at the right hand of God. (Col 3:1) We see God as King, as ruler, as the sovereign maker of heaven and earth. We see history as His story; we understand the significance of the cross; we see God’s power displayed in the resurrection. We begin to take God seriously, and as a result, our lives are changed.
Being with Christ in God gives us security, a safe refuge (see Ps 17:8, Ps 143:9, Ps 91). We are thus able to live without fear and anxiety, for we know God is in control. This means we are strengthened in our ‘inner being’ (see Eph 3) and are given an eternal perspective that is able to take the ‘long view’ of life (which includes glory to come.)
This identity leads to a changed priority (with God as the central importance in life), a changed practice (developed through personal prayer times, as Jesus modelled for us) and a changed perspective. We wait for our ultimate transformation (see also 1 John 3:1-3, 1 Cor 13), knowing that God is at work in all His people.
Our identity as the people of God is shaped by God, by what He has done for us in Christ, and by what He is still doing for us, a transformation that is ongoing and largely invisible. By faith we believe that we have been raised with Christ, that we have died and our life is now hidden with Christ in God. Our response is to set our hearts on things above, to set our minds on things above, to live with the daily expectation of Christ’s appearing and to hold on to hope, no matter what our physical eyes may see or our human emotions may feel. Just as so much of what we experience daily is invisible but still real – who can see the wind? – so God’s truths are real, even if invisible. Let’s do our part by looking up! As The Message version puts it, ‘Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.’ (Col 3:2)
Discipleship (2)
This week we continued looking at what Jesus has to say about discipleship, and focussed on the hallmarks or characteristics of a disciple. Love is the defining mark of being a follower of Jesus (see John 13:34-35, John 15:9-17); the kind of love Jesus shows us is unconditional and sacrificial, and this is the kind of love His disciples must also show (see 1 John 2:10-11, 1 John 3:11, 14-18). We are called to reflect God’s love to other people.
Other characteristics include:
- service (Mark 10:34-45, John 13:1-17), which includes humility and having a teachable spirit. It also means a willingness to examine one’s own life before criticising others (see Matthew 7:3-5, the ‘plank’ in your eye,)
- faithfulness (Matt 25:14-30). It is significant, perhaps, that discipleship is often synonymous with servants/ slaves. We are called to be faithful in our service, in following Jesus, not simply to be obedient. In the parable, the servants who were commended were those who did their best for their Master, increasing the value of the money they were entrusted with. It is also perhaps relevant that being faithful is connected to having faith (the word etymologically is obviously connected.) The good and faithful servants were those who trusted their Master and wanted to do their best for him.
- perseverance (Luke 8:15, John 15:1-8). We are required to continue following Jesus, no matter what our circumstances are or what comes against us.
Disciples of Christ are called to love selflessly, to abide in Christ so that the fruit of the Spirit grows in our lives. We are not called to lord it over others, but to serve humbly and faithfully, persevering in our calling to be followers of Christ and to make disciples of all nations.
Summer Fun Day (2)
The second Summer Fun Day organised by Dearne Churches Together was even busier than the first, with 154 people attending in total (81 adults, 73 children.) It was good to have the Salvation Army Emergency Response Vehicle there providing drinks for us all and to have members of the Dearne Family Hubs and 0-19 Team supporting local families. We are very grateful to the 21 helpers who did so much and to Nikki Hickling from JJ’s Chippy who fed us all magnificently.
There were a variety of activities and crafts to do today, including:
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a word trail (where we discovered that faith and action must work together – our actions must reflect our beliefs)
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painting rocks with positive action messages
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‘helping hands’ when people considered what actions they could do to help others
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making art from hammering flowers (vigorous action needed there!)
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playing Snakes & Ladders and considering how our actions have consequences
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decorating cookies with positive messages
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making a ‘Faith Compass’ where we looked at God’s word guiding our actions
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origami (when we looked at following instructions… and discovered some instructions are harder to follow than others!)
Here are some photos from today.
Fellowship Meal
After the service on the 1st Sunday of each month we share in a fellowship meal, sampling the cuisine of another country and pausing to pray for that country. This month it was the turn of France!
Many of us learned French at school and have visited France, which is a popular tourist destination. We learned about its nickname (the Hexagon, because of its shape) and its diverse history. This month we can pray for the church in France to grow and flourish, for wisdom for leaders in different political parties and for protection in the areas currently beset by wildfires.
We enjoyed boeuf bourgignon and coq au vin as well as tarte aux pommes and mousse au chocolat!
Kingdom Keys
Today Yan Hadley spoke on ‘Kingdom Keys That Unlock God’s Blessing.’ Jesus frequently spoke about the kingdom of God which is both here now (and relevant today) and has a future aspect to it. In Matt 16:19 Jesus spoke about the keys to the kingdom. Keys unlock, and the first key unlocks the door to an assurance of God’s miraculous power. (Eph 3:20). We may well feel we are living in a wilderness, but this wilderness can change when God intervenes. (Is 35:1-2) God is our refuge and strength; His revelation brings us the reassurance we need.
We need keys to unlock fearless obedience in us so that we can be wholly dedicated to God’s purposes. Josh 3:5 reminds us of the need for consecration. the need for personal holiness. 2 Chron 7:14 speaks of the need for us to repent, to turn from our wicked ways and turn back to God.
This recommitment causes us to cry out to God to search us and know us. Holiness is like a stick of rock – we need to be holy all the way through! We may well make many mistakes, but the biggest mistake we make is to ignore God’s holiness and to fail to seek holiness in our own lives.
When we have the keys to God’s kingdom, we have the keys to God’s joy. Joy is centred in Christ (John 15:11). He has promised us this joy, but we need to allow Him to reign in us so that His joy may be complete in us