Only God can touch the heart

In talking to one of my friends lately, I've discovered the reality that we as Christians can (and should) be faithful in speaking to others about Jesus, but only God can change their heart. I find this frustrating, and yet liberating, all at the same time. It's frustrating because I care so much for these girls, and want them to 'get it'; I want to see them come to know Christ as their Lord and Saviour, not just believe in His existence. Even Satan believes God exists.

But I trust in God's sovereignty, and this is why I feel liberated. I don't need to worry if I'm not eloquent in explaining the Bible; I don't need to be the world's next Billy Graham to see people saved. God is the one who does all of the saving, and He is also the one who works in the hearts of those He draws to himself. I am merely an instrument in his hand. There seems to be a point where theological reasoning can only get us so far. There is a big element of faith involved - which is a heart issue - and only God has control over that.

Perhaps through this frustration, God is humbling me and teaching me what it means to be the tool and not the craftsman. It means getting on my knees in prayer before I open my mouth to say a word. And to seek after the Lord to join his mission, rather than trying to embark on my own.

The unwasted life

"The unwasted life is the life that puts 

the infinite value of Jesus on display 

in everything you do." 

John Piper

Yesterday afternoon, as I ploughed through a mountain of ironing, I started watching John Piper's sermon from the 'One' conference held in Sydney in August last year. I haven't had a chance to finish it yet, so I've still got more of it to look forward to. He starts by flipping our question of "why does God allow suffering?" on its head by pointing out that it is only by God's infinite sustaining grace that we will even get to take our next breath! We don't deserve life, and to presume that we are entitled to be spared from the death and suffering that we rightly deserve is folly. 

Piper then goes on to discuss what an unwasted life looks like. It involves magnifying the Lord - like with a telescope to show how 'big' he is. It is our life's purpose to point to Him and demonstrate through our words, our actions, our thoughts, our decisions, how awesome He is and how much we need Him. I think to be honest, the vast majority of us forget this. We don't fear God, as we are commanded in Proverbs 9:10, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Instead we slot God into a 'comfortable' compartment of our lives, only talking to others about him in a manner and at a time that suits us. What if, for example, I were open to hear the Holy Spirit's prompting as I spoke to my non-christian friends? Would the conversation look any different to what it does presently? Would I be more bold about telling the truth of the gospel in its entirety, rather than emphasising all of the 'God loves you' parts over the bits about God's wrath and condemnation? Would I be more urgent in expressing that we only have two paths to choose from, and only one of them leads to life? 

I'm not advocating that we necessarily start using a 'turn or burn' methodology, but just wondering if there are enough Christians out there presenting the gospel in its entirety, expressing the full extent of its powerful message, not just relying on 'evangelism-by-living-by-example'? I guess the perfect model of this would be Jesus - tough but tender. He knows exactly how to use tough words to produce soft hearts, and love is in everything he says and does even when it may seem harsh. 

I pray that God gives us the wisdom to discern how to do this, and the faith to trust that by his Spirit he will give us the words we need when we need them.

My strength, my shield

It's funny - when God puts us in a position of teaching something from His Word, He won't let us teach it without first making sure we have learnt it ourselves. That's what I've found anyway.

While we were at mission recently we spent a week sharing Jesus with kids and families from non-christian backgrounds. During the week we taught several Bible stories to the kids, including David and Goliath. I realised that trusting God requires full submission to God's strength and ability, knowing that in his infinite wisdom He knows what's best and He has it under control. Like Saul, I tend to put so many safeguards in place (like his armour) to prevent me from slipping or falling - I try to organise everything and consider all possible scenarios, and I worry when things don't go to plan. But I am learning (bit by bit) to become more like David. He had complete trust in God because he knew His character in depth from past experiences. God saved him from the wild lions and bears while he was a shepherd, and He would come through for him when he faced Goliath.

I seek to know God's character more deeply so that my trust in Him becomes stronger. No challenge is too great for Our God, and nothing takes Him by surprise. He is good, and He is wise, and he is worth trusting completely - even without the flimsy armour we can be tempted to rely on.

Mary's heart, Martha's skill

Not long ago, Marty and I went to Hornsby to meet with some of the people who lead with us on beach mission in January each year. Originally the meeting was going to be a training event on evangelism, preparing a gospel talk for kids, and things like that. But I felt very strongly convicted that lately (particularly in regards to mission) I have been too much of a ‘Martha’ and not enough of a ‘Mary’ (Luke 10:38-42). I’ve been making myself so busy with plans and preparations that I have neglected to stop, sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to what he has to say. Isn’t it so easy to do? When things aren’t working, we just try harder. When we feel out of control, we take more onto ourselves thinking that we will be able to control it all. When Jesus speaks to Martha, I feel like he’s directly speaking to me, “Martha, Martha…you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.”
So I gathered a small group from our team and we prayed. We looked in depth at several Bible passages on prayer to establish what it is and how we are meant to do it. Prayer is so much more than petition. It is submission to His will and growing the desire to see more of Him and less of ourselves in our lives. When Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, he wasn’t giving him a list of things he wanted. Rather, he was coming before the Father in his greatest hour of distress to seek God and His will in the situation. Prayer should be an outpouring of our desire to grow in our relationship with God. It should draw us closer to God as we seek His will in our lives.
In our little group of 7, we prayed for each other, and we prayed for mission itself, covering it in God’s guidance and protection. We confessed our sins to Him and prayed for those we will be ministering to in January. And honestly, I came away refreshed! I came away with a peace in my heart and a load off my shoulders because I have left my concerns and anxieties at God’s feet. How wonderful it is to know our Creator and sustainer who is able to (and wants to) carry our burdens! It’s a priviledge that should not be taken for granted.

Seeing the Gospel through new eyes

I just came home from having breakfast with a girl from our church and I'm on a bit of a buzz. She has been coming to church for a while but hasn't felt yet that she really fits in, and we've started to meet up once a week to read the Bible together. It was so exciting today because I took her through the whole gospel using the 'gospel beads' method (i.e. Green = God created everything, Black = sin, etc...) It was so exciting to share with her the basic truths of the Good news we all know so well, and to see her start to understand it for the first time!

It made me realise once more how incredibly good the news really is, and how often I take it for granted. I've been personally challenged in my faith because I've had to explain complex concepts in simple ways, and I can't use jargon to cover myself. Everything needs an explanation. How grateful I am to this girl for her willingness to learn, and for the opportunity to be challenged after being stagnant for so long. Praise God for the complexity of the gospel - it is simple enough for a child to comprehend, but still baffles the wisest of us.

How easy it is to be passionate about the gospel in the context of church, Bible study and mission... the real challenge to me lately is stepping out of that Christian bubble, and letting ministry be part of my every day life! I shy away from discussing God with people at work, I don't want to be perceived as the Christian-nerd. But when we do allow God to work through us, when we do take him outside the confines of the church building, God does amazing stuff and He gives us strength not only to take that first step, but to continue with the second, the third...

Recently my brother and sister-in-law, Aaron and Claire, took a trip to Cambodia with World Vision to visit their sponsor children. They came back just blown away by the reality of spiritual warfare, that we so rarely take notice of in our comfy, cooshy, i-don't-need-God, western world. They went outside of their comfort zone and asked God to use them - if you ever do that, be prepared for God to do amazing stuff! All he wants is a willing and obedient heart, and He will display his awesome power in very unexpected ways.

Thank you Lord, for helping me to see the gospel through new eyes today.