Convictions that make you humble #2: God calls us to salvation

2. God calls us to salvation. 2 Cor 4.6: ‘For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ’.

The truth that God calls us to salvation, rather than us choosing Him is immensely humbling. If we believed God’s work in salvation was 99% and ours was 1%, how we would glory in our 1%! It would give us some ground of boasting. We would believe that we had chosen rightly, while others had not made the right choice. But Jesus says, “you did not choose me, but I chose you”!

Scripture says that we are dead in our sins and transgressions before Christ makes us alive. We are not a drowning man looking for a life buoy. We are not looking for a helping hand. We are dead. A life buoy will not help. A helping hand will be too late. What we need is new life! We need to be resurrected! This is something no man can do for himself, only God. This scripture uses the imagery of God speaking light into being when He created the world. It is the same miraculous act of creation by which God speaks life into us and ‘makes us alive’ Eph 2.5.

2 Cor 4 says that God has shone His truth into our hearts. He has called us, he has opened our eyes, he has made us his own. As Luther says, the only thing we add to our salvation is the sin we must be forgiven of. God has saved us, not because we are good or worthy, but because he is good, and full of mercy and compassion.

May this truth become a conviction in us, leading us to live with wonder, awe and delight in the abundant goodness of God towards us. We don’t want our humility to stem from our weakness, but from God’s goodness and mercy.

 

Convictions that make you Humble #1: Growth Comes from God

1. Growth Comes From God. 1 Cor 3.7: “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.. each will receive his wages according to his labor”

We all have our favorite scriptures. And this often isn’t one of them. This one is often quoted as a qualifier when people are giving practical advice on church growth. 20 minutes are taken up explaining what you should do, shouldn’t do, things to avoid, ways to attract people, etc. Then right at the end of the advice, almost as an admission of it’s man centeredness, comes this caveat: ‘Of course we all know that ultimately growth only comes from God’.

This verse tells us that our job is the labor of planting or watering. We get rewarded for our labors, not for the growth. Our duty is to labor and we should be faithful. His prerogative is the growth and He should get the glory. According to Paul, the size of your ministry doesn’t make you anything. Only God.. who gives the growth. It’s His Sovereign will.

If we really believed this, it would result in a few things: Firstly, we would endeavour to be faithful, not to look good. Secondly, it would take a lot of pressure off of us. Thirdly, we would seek Him more, rather than attempt techniques and methods for success. Our desire would be to hear His voice and have Him lead us. Fourthly, it would prevent us from elevating ourselves above others. Finally, it would make us worship and honor Him, giving Him all honor and credit for any life in our ministry. May we believe this truth, that neither he who plants nor waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

 

Convictions that make you humble: Intro

A few months ago we were in a prayer meeting where God’s presence was very tangible. There was a great sense of excitement about what God was doing with us as church, and the moment could easily have lent itself to bold prayers, compelling visions and fearless courage. Suddenly someone read out a scripture concerning our humility before God. Over the next few minutes, about 5 people shared in turn how God had given each of them different scriptures, yet one theme: our humility before God. It was a powerful time: people bowing to their knees, confessing dependance on God, the need for His Spirit and gratefulness for His love. I have come to believe that humility is one of the biggest issues for any believer. Humility is God’s way. He resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. We must remember that before any leadership responsibilities we carry, we are weak sinners, saved by the merciful, effective call of God and the blood of His Son.

This has been our first year of planting a church, and I have felt God constantly reminding me about humility. He has done it in the most wonderful way too: by revealing truths of scripture that leave me with no other option but to humble myself before Him. I am convinced that only scripture will bring about true humility. The man who is only humbled by life’s events, will quickly be proud when life’s events turn around to his advantage again. Only the truths of scripture can really make us humble, as long as we keep holding to them. The next few posts on this blog are going to be around some of these truths that God has shown me. I trust that they are bearing the fruit of humility in my own life. I have called them ‘Convictions that make you humble’.

 

Matt Chandler – worthy of imitation

I can’t express the joy and gratitude I feel to men like this, who are so clear in their call and conviction about God. Hebrews 13.7 says we should remember our leaders, considering the outcome of their way of life, and imitating their faith. May God raise up an army of men and women like Matt Chandler, who can stare trial in the face and say with conviction ‘Christ is enough’.

See the video here at the Village Church’s pastors Blog.

 

Will we keep turning a blind eye?

This piece was written by my brother, Drew Murphy, in regard to prostitution in South East Asia.

_______________________________

There she is over there! Look at her, the filthy rubbish. Her and the others like her, bringing shame to our streets and to our city. It wasn’t always like this you know? Oh no! One could walk the streets at night, listening to the rustle of the leaves, watching the stars flicker in the blanket sky, but not now, oh no! Things have changed. Look at them! They’re all over the place, there seems to be one on every street corner these days. They infect our society with their vile and filth. They’re a disgrace, a stain on society. Unfortunately there seems to be more and more of them as time goes on. What kind of worthless being engages in such activity? How can you have absolutely no sense of moral guiding?! How could you choose to sell yourself, your body, your soul? You degrade yourself to that of a commodity, a tool to be used and consumed. These people have no morals! They have no shame. Prostitutes, whores, vermin! That’s what they are, vermin of the underworld – crawling out of their shabby little holes under the cover of darkness. They’re probably all drug addicts as well. They truly are the stain of society. What a horror. What a disgrace!

She stands on the sidewalk, the wind abrasive against her fragile face. Her arms are folded, wrapped tightly around her broken body, her broken soul. Anxiously she waits. How long will tonight be? Her blonde hair and blue eyes, the traits so often envied by many, have helped her stand out amongst her colleagues. ‘Helped’ – what a deceptive word! Why did beauty have to be such a curse? She paints her face and shapes her hair, her eyes are heavy, her heart, bare. Headlights in the distance, approaching. Here we go again! Her heart drops – or what’s left of it at least. The car slows as it approaches, its the usual routine. Whose it this time? She wonders. A wealthy doctor, tired of the routine? Or an upstanding politician, who dare not be seen? Perhaps it’s a loving husband, a father of three. She’s had a few of those before! Which monster is it tonight?
Men. Pigs. Monsters. Beasts. She makes no distinction, she’s known nothing else. From her drunken father, making love to his Whisky and Coke and beating her for sport to the hundreds of nameless faces that come to her for her body, all men are the same. She catches a glimpse of her reflection in the shop window to her right. All the makeup, the high heels and flashy clothes, the hair done up and the perfume, its just a thin fa=E7ade – barely covering her broken soul and crushed spirit. She is able to offer what the clients want – her physical self, but she can’t offer anything more. No emotions, no love, no soul or life. She’s an empty shell, only her body lives. On the inside, death has taken residence.

A gust of the icy November wind sends a chill throughout her body. The car has already driven off. No deal this time. She’s torn between relief and the reality that valuable income has driven off. Soon she will have to go back upstairs to shoot up again, the pain is increasing again. Across the street beneath the orange street lamps a mother hurriedly walks with her young daughter. She looks at the pair with some surprise – not a usual sight in these parts, at this sort of time of night. The little girl looks over towards her, but the mother quickly pulls her along, softly but sternly discouraging her daughter to look that way.

This scene spurs memories in her own mind about her childhood, her mother. It seems like an eternity since she was wearing the coloured dresses, playing with friends and dreaming about the prince who would one day choose her to be his princess. But those are all forgotten and distant dreams – life is quite the opposite for her now. All she has are slutty outfits, a group of acquaintances and a continuous stream of filthy perverts who seek to pleasure themselves at her expense. There will be no white dress as she walks down the aisle to the man of
her dreams waiting for her. No loving man who takes pleasure in delighting her and making her his queen.

She knows how society perceives her. She knows what people think. The judging glares and condemning stares are a part of her life. She and the others like her are the ‘stains’ on society. She knows that is what people see her as – an inevitable evil. If only they would get off their high horses and perhaps try and find out who she is and not only look at what she does. Never before has an occupation been the defining point of a person as much as it is with prostitution. She didn’t ‘choose’ this work. She didn’t lie on the lawn outside as a young girl dreaming of the day she could parade the streets at night and degrade herself to the point of worthlessness. She doesn’t wake up each day loving life and looking forward to another night’s work. She hates every one of her ‘customers’ who legally rape her. She hates the pimp who takes his share of her earnings. She hates the cops her throw in jail for illegal activity, but leave the clients to return home to their unsuspecting wives untouched. They are the real perpetrators of
this trade. She hates her father for beating her, destroying their family, forcing her to turn to the most instinctive form of survival. She hates the people who glare at her, curse and then walk on. They’re so quick to dismiss – generalising and stereotyping. She hates the ones who beat her with the book and act as though they were always blameless and pure. She hates the spiral she can’t escape from. Drugs to ease the pain, sex to pay for the drugs. It’s a chain around her ankles, holding her under as she gasps for breath. She hates herself for what she is. She hates herself for what she’s not.

When will we stop and think without making assumptions. When will we stretch out a helping hand instead of dishing out judging glares? Walking on by has never been easier; extending a hand never more needed.

drew murphy 2009

 

The President, the Passengers, and the Patience of God – John Piper

I was sent this ‘parable’ by John Piper and I find it incredible! You can find the original posting here Hope you enjoy it.

Sometimes we are so overwhelmed at being treated better than we deserve that we must exult in the all-sovereign God—the God of birds’ flight and Obama’s rise. When King David pondered how many were God’s “wondrous deeds,” he said, “I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told” (Psalm 40:5). That’s the way I feel watching God’s public mercies in the last few days.
Have you considered how unlikely was the crash of USAir flight 1549 in the Hudson River on January 15—not just the rescue but the crash itself? Picture this: The Airbus A320 is taking off at an angle—maybe 30 degrees. It’s not flying horizontal with the earth. Not only that, it is flying fast—not full speed yet, but perhaps four times as fast as your car would go at top highway speeds.
The geese are flying horizontally with the ground, more or less. They are not flying in a cloud like a swarm of bees. They fly level with the ground, often shaped like a V. In view of all that, what are the odds that, traveling at this speed and at this angle, this airplane would intersect with the flight of those geese at that very millisecond which would put a bird not just in one of those engines, but both of them?
Two laser-guided missiles would not have been as amazingly effective as were those geese. It is incredible, statistically speaking. If God governs nature down to the fall (and the flight) of every bird, as Jesus says (Matthew 10:29), then the crash of flight 1549 was designed by God.
Which leads to the landing in the Hudson River—which is just as unlikely. The airbus now has no thrust in either engine. The flight attendants said it was as quiet as a library in the plane without the sound of engines. The plane is now a 77-ton glider with its belly full of fuel. Captain Sullenberger decides to land in the river. Anywhere else would mean one big fireball.
He banks and misses the George Washington Bridge by 900 feet and glides the plane into a perfect belly landing. A few degrees tilt to the front or back or the right or left and the plane would have done cartwheels down the river and broken up. On the water, the flight attendant does not let passengers open the rear door. That would have flooded the cabin too fast. The emergency doors and front doors provide exits for everyone and the plane floats long enough for all of them to climb out. Ferry boats are there almost instantly. The captain walks the aisle twice to make sure everyone is off. Then he leaves. Later the plane sinks.
If God guides geese so precisely, he also guides the captain’s hands. God knew that when he took the plane down, he would also give a spectacular deliverance. So why would he do that? If he means for all to live, why not just skip the crash?
Because he meant to give our nation a parable of his power and mercy the week before a new President takes office. God can take down a plane any time he pleases—and if he does, he wrongs no one. Apart from Christ, none of us deserves anything from God but judgment. We have belittled him so consistently that he would be perfectly just to take any of us any time in any way he chooses.
But God is longsuffering. He is slow to anger. He withholds wrath every day. This is what we saw in the parable. The crash of Flight 1549 illustrates God’s right and power to judge. The landing of the plane represents God’s mercy. It was God’s call to all the passengers and all their families and all who heard the story to repent and turn to God’s Son, Jesus Christ, and receive forgiveness for sin.
I am writing these thoughts on the evening after the inauguration of Barack Obama, the first African-American President of the United States. I cried twice today. There were two points when I was overwhelmed by the magnitude of it all. Once was when I prayed with some brothers after Obama’s speech and was overcome with the sinfulness of my own racist background. The other was in trying to express my emotion to an African-American brother about what this must mean for him.
As much as I reject Obama’s stance on abortion, I am thankful to the bottom of my soul that an African-American can be President of United States. The enormousness of it all is unspeakable. This is God’s doing. The geese were God’s doing. The landing of Flight 1549 was God’s doing. And the Obama presidency is God’s doing. “He removes kings and sets up kings” (Daniel 2:21).
And I pray that President Obama has eyes to see. The “miracle on the Hudson” and the “miracle in the White House” are not unrelated. God has been merciful to us as a nation. Our racial sins deserved judgment a thousand times over. God does not owe America anything. We owe him everything. And instead of destruction, he has given us another soft landing. We are not dead at the bottom of the Hudson.
O that Barack Obama would see the mercies of God and look to the One whose blood bought everlasting life for all who trust him. The parables of God’s mercy are everywhere. The point of them is this: God is a just and patient Ruler, and Jesus Christ is a great Savior. Turn. Turn. Turn, O President of the United States and passengers of this planet.
Full of thanks for all God’s mercies,

Pastor John Piper

 

What it may cost, from challies.com

My friend Casper put me onto this post by Tim Challies this morning, and in the light of our prayer for Dave and Kascha Reed in Cambodia who moved to Cambodia to plant a church there a few years ago, thought we should bear this in mind as we pray for them:

“This is a remarkable letter sent from Adoniram Judson to John Hasseltine, the father of Ann, the woman he wished to marry. In this letter he asks John for Ann’s hand, but, as he intends to head to Burma to serve as a missionary, he is forthright in his request. It is a remarkable letter. Here is an excerpt:

… I have now to ask whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world? Whether you can consent to see her departure to a heathen land, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life? Whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean; to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death? Can you consent to all this, for the sake of perishing immortal souls; for the sake of Zion and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with a crown of righteousness brightened by the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Saviour from heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair?

John consented even to this and Adoniram and Ann were soon married and lived out their days in Burma. Six years passed before they saw their first convert; by the time Adoniram died, there were 8,000 believers gathered in sixty-three churches”.

Let’s keep praying for Dave and Kascha who are sowing the seeds of the gospel in a nation so desperate for it.

 

Redemption Hill Church – 6 weeks down!

We kicked off Redemption Hill Church with about 5 people who were almost certain to come at the end of last year, not knowing who else would join us. This Sunday, the 11th January was our sixth service, and God’s hand has been clearly evident in a number of ways, but particularly in the fact that we had over 45 people this week! We were told that the room could hold 50, and we managed to get 55 chairs in at the last minute as more and more kept coming. Fortunately we can open the doors at the back which doubles up the space so we can grow into that room. Here is a picture of Sunday..

It has been a wonderful start for which Tarryn and I are so grateful to God. We know that there are lots of challenges ahead, and are sure we will make mistakes, but are trusting God to lead us as we embark on His mission to this great city and beyond.

After the meeting about 30 of us went down to the Botanical Gardens for a picnic lunch together, where we all just chatted the afternoon away. This is a photo from the afternoon.

We really appreciate all your prayers for us, and ask that if you know of anyone who in Singapore that does not have a church, that you send them to us. They can check us out first at www.redemptionhill.sg!

 

Great Post at New York Church International Blog

I’ve recently ‘met’ Deryck Barson who leads New York Church International in, you guessed it, New York. He put up a good post at their church blog in the last few days which you can find here. I like some of the points he makes, and think that the practical tips he gives are very good, practical and helpful! Enjoy!

 

Seize Your Commute!

I have just stumbled upon http://faithbyhearing.wordpress.com/ which is a blog dedicated to great audio which you can use on your commute. I have been telling people for years to use their commuting as time to study, learn and listen to great preaching. This site seems dedicated to that end, and so I fully recommend it! They seem to have a lot of solid stuff on the site too.