Tag Archives: harmony

THE POWER TO TRANSFORM

Christian life, ,

THE POWER TO TRANSFORM

“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behaviour: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.'” Luke 6:31-34 (The Message).

Jesus was brilliant!

What an amazingly simple, yet powerfully effective prescription for creating harmony in the world! But it takes far more than the disposition of ordinary humans to do that.

We humans have far more inclination to destroy that to build and to sustain. Watching television is enough to convince us of that. How many TV programmes and movies and books and news stories are about destruction? And we thrive on them all! Watching or reading about everyday stuff is tame and boring. We like murder and war and bloodshed.

Jesus challenged His hearers, and He challenges us today. Try living this way for a  month and see what it does to your depression; your stress; even your anxieties and fears. How many of the issues you have with others will melt away? How much suspicion, mistrust, dislike, offenses will dissipate? How much peace will you experience in the place of inner turmoil?

Just imagine how far the ripples will go out from the pebble you drop in the pond! You have issues with your husband? Try doing for him what you are always nagging him to do for you. Your wife refuses to be your servant? Try lovingly serving her without expecting any reward. The outcome beggars imagination. Homes would be transformed from war zones to havens.

Jesus put His finger on the nerve centre of our problems — selfishness! What if we dethroned ourselves, just for a month, put Him back on the throne of our lives where He belongs, let God be the centre of the universe, not us, and practised these simple ways to create harmony, not chaos, around us? Jesus said our behaviour would be as visible as a candle in a dark room.

None of these things are difficult to do, but we have strong resistance from inside because they are foreign to our natural disposition. That is the reason why we need a supernatural solution to our problem of selfishness. It may take sheer grit and will power to do what we are not disposed to doing, but it will not last. We will soon be back to our old ways because every kind thought or act would be cutting across our real selves.

What Jesus was describing is “kingdom” living and He said that it takes a “birth” from above to understand and live the way God does. This kind of “power” makes no sense to the person who is used to living by the sword. Is that why the disciples switched off when Jesus spoke about His death? It made no sense to them then that the way to overcome the world system of power through force was to absorb the evil without retaliation until that power could do no more to Him.

Nothing about God’s kingdom make sense to the person who is still dark inside. The disposition of darkness only understands the power that pushes others around. Jesus was advocating a new kind of power, the power to subdue one’s own heart to the advantage of others. The power of love. What the world calls “power”, He called weakness. What He called “power”, the world called weakness, foolishness, but it turned out to be the most powerful event in the history of the world — the cross!

The cross changes things for the better like nothing else can. Force can change the world — for the worse. But the cross changes lives.

Has it changed yours?

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – THE POWER TO TRANSFORM

Bible Study, ,

THE POWER TO TRANSFORM

“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behaviour: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.'” Luke 6:31-34.

Jesus was brilliant!

What an amazingly simple, yet powerfully effective prescription for creating harmony in the world! But it takes far more than the disposition of ordinary humans to do that.

We humans have far more inclination to destroy that to build and to sustain. Watching television is enough to convince us of that. How many TV programmes and movies and books and news stories are about destruction? And we thrive on them all! Watching or reading about everyday stuff is tame and boring. We like murder and war and bloodshed.

Jesus challenged His hearers, and He challenges us today. Try living this way for a month and see what it does to your depression; your stress; even your anxieties and fears. How many of the issues you have with others will melt away? How much suspicion, mistrust, dislike, offenses will dissipate? How much peace will you experience in the place of inner turmoil?

Just imagine how far the ripples will go out from the pebble you drop in the pond! You have issues with your husband? Try doing for him what you are always nagging him to do for you. Your wife refuses to be your servant? Try lovingly serving her without expecting any reward. The outcome beggars imagination. Homes would be transformed from war zones to havens.

Jesus put His finger on the nerve centre of our problems – selfishness! What if we dethroned ourselves, just for a month, put Him back on the throne of our lives where He belongs, let God be the centre of the universe, not us, and practised these simple ways to create harmony, not chaos, around us? Jesus said our behaviour would be as visible as a candle in a dark room.

None of these things are difficult to do, but we have strong resistance from inside because they are foreign to our natural disposition. That is the reason why we need a supernatural solution to our problem of selfishness. It may take sheer grit and will power to do what we are not disposed to doing, but it will not last. We will soon be back to our old ways because every kind thought or act would be cutting across our real selves.

What Jesus was describing is “kingdom” living and He said that it takes a “birth” from above to understand and live the way God does. This kind of “power” makes no sense to the person who is used to living by the sword. Is that why the disciples switched off when Jesus spoke about His death? It made no sense to them then that the way to overcome the world system of power through force was to absorb the evil without retaliation until that power could do no more to Him.

Nothing about God’s kingdom makes sense to the person who is still dark inside. The disposition of darkness only understands the power that pushes others around. Jesus was advocating a new kind of power, the power to subdue one’s own heart to the advantage of others. The power of love. What the world calls “power”, He called weakness. What He called “power”, the world called weakness, foolishness, but it turned out to be the most powerful event in the history of the world – the cross!

The cross changes things for the better like nothing else can. Force can change the world – for the worse. But the cross changes lives.

Has it changed yours?

THE BOOK OF ACTS – A WONDERFUL HARMONY

Bible Study, ,

A WONDERFUL HARMONY

“Everyone around was in awe — all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met.

“They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added daily those who were saved.” Acts 2:43-47 (The Message).

Sounds idyllic, doesn’t it! Everything happening in perfect harmony — no needs, no discord, no conflict with their neighbours, even the outsiders approving what was happening! Peace, joy, worship, praise, eating together, day after day after day!  Sounds like heaven!

Actually, it was a bit of heaven that had touched earth for a while. God intended it that way as a foretaste of the life to come. The kingdom of God was ruling in that little corner of the globe as the people who believed in Jesus were living out their kingdom lives in the middle of an ocean of selfishness, greed and ungodliness. Even the outsiders liked what they saw.

Unfortunately it did not last. The old nature in them saw to that. A few chapters later the apostles were in trouble with the authorities, a couple of hypocrites tried to buy the church’s approval and were nailed by the Holy Spirit and there was discontent in the ranks over racist practices.

But that’s how real life is. There is nothing idyllic in the Christian life this side of the grave. We have to live it out in the midst of a world system driven by greed, people who hate, fight and destroy, hypocrites who pretend to be who they are not, people who always want to be the centre of attention, others who are never satisfied, or divisive, and those who are just plain infantile.

That’s the beauty and glory of God’s kingdom. It flourishes in people who truly love Jesus and are submitted to Him regardless of their environment, in the midst of greed, selfishness, hypocrisy, discontent and divisiveness. The rest of the book of Acts bears witness to that.

There will always be those who are not real; those who are in it for what they can get out of it; those who use it to further their own ends, those who exploit it for fame or fortune; those who hide among its people but keep living their old sinful lives and those who go with the flow but never participate in displaying God’s splendour and bringing “up there down here.”

In spite of all that, what happened in the beginning keeps on happening in pockets all over the world as a testimony to God’s intention and power to restore His creation to its original purpose. There is an expression in Hebrew that says it all — tekkun olam — God is fixing everything that was broken, to the horizon.

As long as we live in the present scheme of things, God is at work, through His Holy Spirit restoring everything to its perfection. That does not mean that everyone will be saved but it does mean that He will consign to the rubbish heap everyone who chooses not to be a part of His rule on earth so that His creation will once again willingly and perfectly love and submit to Him.

It happened in embryo when the church was born and it will be completed and perfected when Jesus returns to establish His kingdom in earth forever — “olam”, to the horizon.

Be Different!

Bible Study, , ,

BE DIFFERENT!

“Live in harmony with one another Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.

“On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing so, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:16-21(NIV).

It’s all very well Paul giving instructions about how we should live, but how do we actually do it? After all, we have to contend with Adam’s old nature in us!

But that’s the whole point. If it were impossible for us to be different, Paul would not have even bothered to write these words. We, who are followers of Jesus, have to ask the question, “Did the cross work?” Jesus’ life and death had a very definite purpose – to reverse all the effects of Adam’s disobedience and to set us back on course to becoming the Father’s real children once again.

That means that everything that went wrong when Adam sinned was put right when Jesus died and rose again. He not only restored us to our rightful status as sons and daughters, but He also restored the entire creation to its original perfection. Of course it has not been put into effect yet but, when the final curtain comes down, everything will be perfect once again and everything that does not belong in God’s realm, including all lies and deception and those who subscribe to them, will be destroyed.

“At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, ‘Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’ The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken – that is, created things – so that what cannot be shaken may remain.” Hebrews 12:26, 27 (NIV).

How, then, are we to be different from the run-of-the-mill people around us and how do we carry it out?

Firstly, by what we think of ourselves. “Don’t be proud; don’t be conceited.” Get real! Who appointed you to be the model? Pride and conceit are subtle attitudes that lurk in our hearts when we compare other people with ourselves. Since when were we told to set ourselves up as the comparison for others? We have only one model – Jesus – and when we look at Him, we have to admit that there is no comparison! Whoever we are and whatever we achieve means nothing without Him.

Secondly, who made you the judge? Again, get real! Our judgment will always be flawed because it is one-sided and biased. When we leave the judgement and revenge to God, it takes the heat out of the situation and leaves us free to treat people with kindness instead of aggression because it’s no longer our fight. Like little people who look to daddy to fight their battles for them, we can look to our Abba to take care of our adversaries. He is fair, and bigger than they are.

Thirdly, the best way to subdue an enemy is to make him your friend. How can you do that? By treating him with unexpected kindness. That will take the wind out of his sails! Jesus put it this way: “Here is a simple rule-of-thumb guide for behaviour: Ask yourself what you would want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.” Matthew 7:12 (THE MESSAGE).

We have to potential to be different because God has put His nature and His Spirit in us, but it is up to us to put it into effect by making the choice and relying on the Holy Spirit to energise our action. We can only be different when we partner with the Holy Spirit to live out what the cross made possible.

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

“Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.”

 

The Power To Transform

Bible Study, , ,

THE POWER TO TRANSFORM

“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behaviour: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.'” Luke 6:31-34 (The Message).

Jesus was brilliant!

What an amazingly simple, yet powerfully effective prescription for creating harmony in the world! But it takes far more than the disposition of ordinary humans to do that.

We humans have far more inclination to destroy that to build and to sustain. Watching television is enough to convince us of that. How many TV programmes and movies and books and news stories are about destruction? And we thrive on them all! Watching or reading about everyday stuff is tame and boring. We like murder and war and bloodshed.

Jesus challenged His hearers, and He challenges us today. Try living this way for a month and see what it does to your depression; your stress; even your anxieties and fears. How many of the issues you have with others will melt away? How much suspicion, mistrust, dislike, offenses will dissipate? How much peace will you experience in the place of inner turmoil?

Just imagine how far the ripples will go out from the pebble you drop in the pond! You have issues with your husband? Try doing for him what you are always nagging him to do for you. Your wife refuses to be your servant? Try lovingly serving her without expecting any reward. The outcome beggars imagination. Homes would be transformed from war zones to havens.

Jesus put His finger on the nerve centre of our problems — selfishness! What if we dethroned ourselves, just for a month, put Him back on the throne of our lives where He belongs, let God be the centre of the universe, not us, and practised these simple ways to create harmony, not chaos, around us? Jesus said our behaviour would be as visible as a candle in a dark room.

None of these things are difficult to do, but we have strong resistance from inside because they are foreign to our natural disposition. That is the reason why we need a supernatural solution to our problem of selfishness. It may take sheer grit and will power to do what we are not disposed to doing, but it will not last. We will soon be back to our old ways because every kind thought or act would be cutting across our real selves.

What Jesus was describing is “kingdom” living and He said that it takes a “birth” from above to understand and live the way God does. This kind of “power” makes no sense to the person who is used to living by the sword. Is that why the disciples switched off when Jesus spoke about His death? It made no sense to them then that the way to overcome the world system of power through force was to absorb the evil without retaliation until that power could do no more to Him.

Nothing about God’s kingdom makes sense to the person who is still dark inside. The disposition of darkness only understands the power that pushes others around. Jesus was advocating a new kind of power, the power to subdue one’s own heart to the advantage of others. The power of love. What the world calls “power”, He called weakness. What He called “power”, the world called weakness, foolishness, but it turned out to be the most powerful event in the history of the world — the cross!

The cross changes things for the better like nothing else can. Force can change the world — for the worse. But the cross changes lives.

Has it changed yours?