The Tale of Three Trees

This is one of the best books anyone has ever given us to read with our children.  I just love the simplicity of the story, but also its profound focus on Jesus as treasure to be found:

Once upon a mountain top, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up. The first little tree looked up at the stars twinkling like diamonds above him.  "I want to hold treasure,” he said.  “I want to be covered with gold and filled with precious stones. I will be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world!" The second little tree looked out at the small stream trickling by on its way to the ocean. "I want to be a strong sailing ship,” he said. “I want to travel mighty waters and carry powerful kings. I will be the strongest ship in the world!

The third little tree looked down into the valley below where busy men and women worked in a busy town. “I don't want to leave this mountaintop at all,”  she said. “I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me they will raise their eyes to heaven and think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the world!”

Years, passed. The rains came, the sun shone and the little trees grew tall. One day three wood cutters climbed the mountain. The first wood cutter looked at the first tree and said, "This tree is beautiful. It is perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining axe, the first tree fell. "Now I shall be made into a beautiful chest, I shall hold wonderful treasure!" the first tree thought.

The second wood cutter looked at the second tree and said, "This tree is strong. It's perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining axe, the second tree fell. "Now I shall sail mighty waters!" thought the second tree. “I shall be a strong ship fit for mighty kings!"

The third tree felt her heart sink when the last wood cutter looked her way. She stood straight and tall and pointed bravely to heaven. But the wood cutter never even looked up. "Any kind of tree will do for me." He muttered. With a swoop of his shining axe, the third tree fell.

The first tree rejoiced when the wood cutter brought him to a carpenter's shop, but the busy carpenter was not thinking about treasure chests.  Instead his work worn hands fashioned the tree into a feed box for animals. The once beautiful tree was not covered with gold, or treasure. He was coated with saw dust and filled with hay for hungry farm animals. The second tree smiled when the wood cutter took her to a shipyard, but no mighty sailing ships were being made that day. Instead the once strong tree was hammered and awed into a simple fishing boat. He was too small and too weak to sail to an ocean, or even a river, instead she was taken to a little lake. Every day he brought in loads of dead, smelly fish.  The third tree was confused when the wood cutter cut her into strong beams and left her in a lumberyard. "What happened?" The once tall tree wondered. "All I ever wanted was to stay on the mountain top and point to God."

Many, many days and nights passed. The three trees nearly forgot their dreams. But one night, golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby in the feed box. "I wish I could make a cradle for him." Her husband whispered. The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the smooth and sturdy wood. "This manger is beautiful." She said. And suddenly the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world.

One evening a tired traveller and his friends crowded into the old fishing boat. The traveller fell asleep as the second tree quietly sailed out into the lake. Soon a thundering and a thrashing storm arose. The little tree shuddered. He new he did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through the wind and the rain. The tired man awoke. He stood up, stretched out his hand, and said, "Peace." The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun. And suddenly the second tree knew he was carrying the king of heaven and earth.

One Friday morning, the third tree was startled when her beams were yanked from the forgotten wood pile. She flinched as she was carried through an angry jeering crowd. She shuddered when soldiers nailed a man's hand to her. She felt ugly and harsh and cruel.

But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God's love had changed everything. It had made the first tree beautiful.  It had made the second tree strong. And every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God. That was better than being the tallest tree in the world.

Can we trust the gospel but not be in a relationship with Jesus?

That's the question I was discussing in my bible study with someone this morning. I was musing on our problem with the bibles warnings specifically those to do with drifting or being hard hearted or being lazy which have been a feature of our times in Hebrews. My question was why do people struggle with those warnings? Why when the bible so repeatedly tells us to guard ourselves, to beware, to watch out for shipwrecking our faith or failing to finish do we struggle with such warnings. Either they are rejected out of hand or they crush us. Is it because our faith is not robust enough and is too brittle because it is too focused on us?

But helpful it was put to me that it may be that we believe in a system rather than in Jesus. We believe in the gospel rather than enjoying the relationship we have with Jesus. This means such warnings challenge the system I am relying on rather than calling us to a deeper understanding of and experience of a relationship with Jesus. As you look at Hebrews that really stands out - what the writer does is take this church he is so concerned about on a majestic tour, not of the gospel, but of who Jesus is and what he has done and the implications for them of faith in the person of Jesus.

The gospel is not a system, it is not mechanics, it is a person Jesus Christ the Son of God who became a man, lived on earth, willingly died on the cross in our place. He is the guarantor of a better covenant into which we enter by faith in him! In short without Jesus there is no gospel and we must ensure we do not so use the term gospel as to empty it of its focus on the person of Jesus Christ.

Emotion - a right response

We were looking at Luke 7 again on Sunday and the incident where the woman weeps, wipes and anoints Jesus feet. It is striking passage, why? Because her response is so emotional - in fact Jesus draws attention to her response of great love and contrasts it unfavourably with Simon's failure to love but desire to discuss ideas.

It poses the question are we to respond to Jesus emotionally? This woman is aware of her sin and the great salvation that Jesus has given her hence her lavish love seen in action. A great sinner worships a great Saviour.

I found myself asking whether I know that response? Whether I keep on knowing that response and what does appropriate expression of that look like? Or am I like Simon engaging in the debate enjoying the cerebral challenge but not broken and worshipping because I love little because I think I have little to be forgiven for?

I am Legend

Finally got round to watching I am Legend last night. Its OK as a film but it contains a brilliant ending and a great final statement that just rings with parallels to Jesus and the ongoing mission of discipleship.

"In 2009, a deadly virus burned through our civilization, pushing humankind to the edge of extinction. Dr. Robert Neville dedicated his life to the discovery of a cure and the restoration of humanity. On September 9th, 2012, at approximately 8:49 P.M., he discovered that cure. And at 8:52, he gave his life to defend it. We are his legacy. This is his legend. Light up the darkness."

If you want to read more there is an article on it in the Christianity and Culture section of the www.graceinthecommunity.org website.

Can I trust the Bible?

In 1979 Charles Templeton wrote a book called "Act of God" in which the fictional archaeologist says this: "The church basis its claims almost entirely on the teaching of an obscure young Jew with messianic pretensions who, lets face it, didn’t make much of an impression in his lifetime. There isn’t a single word about him in secular history. Not a word. Not a mention of him by the Romans. Not so much as a reference by Josephus."

More recently Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code has made similar claims about the reliability of the Bible. As one of his characters says: "What happens if persuasive scientific evidence comes out that the church's version of the Christ story is inaccurate, and the greatest story ever told is, in fact, the greatest story ever sold."

It raises the question can I trust the Bible? A set of documents written thousands of years ago, and passed on through the ages? Surely they'll be biased or corrupted?

When it comes to ancient documents there are a number of ways of testing their reliability. Are there a significant number of copies, the more copies the more likely they are to be reliable. Are those copies accurate when compared to each other, the more similar they are the more likely they are to be genuine. What is the interval between the original and the surviving copies? The smaller the gap the more reliable the documents.

Historical The New Testament surpasses other documents we accept as fact:

The gospels also pass the tests on other key areas where documents are scrutinised for reliability.

Eyewitnesses to the events – John, Matthew, Mark is Peters account, Luke tells us he interviewed eyewitnesses.

Bias – they report the good and the bad, it reports failures as well as successes of the disciples.

These facts have led to some startlingly conclusions about the New Testament:
“The New Testament [is] unrivalled among ancient writings in the purity of its text as actually transmitted and kept in use.”
B Warfield, Introduction to Textual criticism of the New Testament.

“Those who know the facts now recognise that the New Testament must be accepted as a remarkably accurate source book.”
Clifford Wilson, Rocks, relics and Biblical reliability.

The New Testament is reliable contrary to what many say and if we want to find out about Jesus – what he did how he lived, what he taught then the Gospels are the place to go.

Who is he?

Who is he? That is the fundamental question that the gospels seek to answer, who is Jesus. And that is still the fundamental question in our evangelism. We can answer peoples questions until the cows come home and it is important that we engage in that business of knocking down barriers. But the key question is who is Jesus?

So we want to get round to looking at the evidence for him which the gospels give us. What we must encourage people then to do is to decide for themselves who this man is; who stills the storm, feeds the hungry, raises the dead, casts out demons, teaches brilliantly, dies on a cross, and is raised to life again. Who is he?

And having realised who he is what are they going to do about it? Is it to reject him or to accept and follow him?

Why religion is never enough

Do you think of yourself as religious? My hunch is that actually we could all do religion pretty well, it would look different from person to person but we could all do religion. We like rules and laws from a young age and religion can provide us with those things.

What do you expect Jesus to say about religion? Luke 11:37-54 gives us a bit of a jolt! Jesus says religion is not enough. He is speaking to the Pharisees and religious experts of his day, they did religion brilliantly - they had ways of washing and strict rules about giving - but Jesus comments to them are quite devastating. He calls them 'fools' (v40), now that's not particularly polite in any circumstances but especially when sat around someones dinner table. But Jesus doesn't do it because he wants to be cruel he does it because he wants them to repent.

You see a fool in the Old Testament was someone who was blind towards God and therefore couldn't respond to God properly. That was the religious leaders problem, and Jesus does the most loving thing someone can, he risks opposition and offence by warning them of their mistake and the danger it placed them in.

You don't need religion he says you need a change of heart. Your religion isn't enough to make you right with God. He then goes on to show that he has come to do that, the prophets all point to him and if they want to honour them they need to recognise who he is and what he has come to do. To win a people for God who can come into a holy God's presence not because of religion but because they trust in Jesus who will make them right with God.

The tragedy is 2000 years later, I can still find myself slipping back into religion mode rather than trsuting in God's means of being right with him his Son dying in my place.

How could a loving God allow suffering?

I think this is definitely the number one question that people raise, at least in my experience. And the question is where to begin in answering it.

Genesis 1 and 2 paints a glorious picture of a world without suffering and pain because it is world unmarred and perfectly created by God and which is in relationship with him. The Bible has at its other end the future, the new creation which is a world without suffering and pain again a consequence of being in a right relationship with God. The answer to how could a loving God allow suffering is seen in the Bible between those two bookends.

Genesis 3 is the obvious place to go, suffering is a consequence of our rejection of God and a relationship with him, it ruins the perfect world God made and gave. In the chapters immediately following Adam and Eve's rejection of God sin snowballs and suffering abounds. All a consequence of that decision to determine right and wrong for ourselves.

But why does God allow it? The Bible teaches that God has to judge sin. This is hard for us to take with our postmodern views and cultural norms but it is the truth. God hates sin, it grieves him, and he has to judge it, he is also just in the way he does so. So in the account of the flood we see God judge sin which is the cause of suffering.

Ask yourself who deserves to be judged by God? Hitler? Stalin? Jack the Ripper? How about terrorists? Child abusers? Murderers? Why do they deserve to be judged, because they cause suffering for others, or because they break our shifting moral code. God's standard is perfect, it is total obedience to his standards and we all fall short. If God is going to stop suffering he has to judge every one who has caused suffering to others and that includes me.

How could a loving God allow suffering? Because he is giving me time to repent. But also because it is his megaphone calling me to recognise that there is something wrong with the world in which we live. Leprosy is a horrible disease, it works by deadening the nerves so that sufferers lose sensation, that's why they will be missing a finger or toe or whatever. The nerves were dead so they didn't experience any pain when it was damaged, or when the knife or axe made contact with it. Pain is a warning, it tells us something is wrong and to address that situation. Suffering and pain tell us that something is wrong with the world in which we live, the Bible says God didn't make it this way, we corrupted it this way, and God's future for his people is a world where he will not allow suffering.

And the gospels give us a glimpse of just what that world will be like as Jesus heals the sick, casts out demons, and raises the dead and proves that he can bring it about. Jesus shows us that God is going to do something about suffering for those who will put their trust in him, but he wants to judge sin and suffering without destroying us so he sends Jesus to die on the cross in our place for our sins and the suffering we have caused for others, so that God can justly deal with rebellion and yet graciously save us for the future he has planned.

What about other religions?

I guess we all worry a little about offending the sensibilities of those we are speaking to and when this question gets asked its hard not to offend people. Our cultures big no no is exclusivity, don't make a truth claim, definitely don't question someone elses beliefs and never ever say one religion is the only way.

But that's where we have a problem, Jesus himself said "I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me." The early years of the church were a battle to the death over just that issue, Christians would not bow the knee and worship the emperor and it led to hundreds being put to death.

However, it is worth pointing out that actually Christianity is not alone in this, every religion makes truth claims, every religion can't therefore be right. Take the issue of God, Islam, Christianity and Judaism say there is one God, Hinduism there are hundreds of gods and Buddhism there are no gods. Now they can't all be right can they because they are contradictory. Like wise in the way they deal with death and with life beyond death, and again they cannot all be right because they are mutually exclusive.

The issue becomes what is true. And we live our lives every minute of every day as if there are absolutes. The challenge is to be prepared to examine the ultimate absolute, what is the truth when it comes to faith. Not religion because religion doesn't save, Christianity is not a call to become religious it is a call to relationship with God through the risen Lord Jesus who died in our place. It is the only religion where sin is dealt with, where God is so holy that he has to solve the problem and me pulling my socks up is not enough because I am so rebellious.

Wasn't Jesus just a good man/teacher?

There are times when we need to call a question what it really is, and this question is just untenable when you look at the evidence. It is the biggest cop out in history when confronted by the gospel accounts of the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus, and sometimes we need to call people on that. Either accept or reject, there is no fence.

The gospels leave us in no doubt about who Jesus was, he is the immaculately conceived (Luke 1:31), God in flesh (Luke 1:35, 2:11), fulfilment of God's promises(Luke 2:11, 28-32, 38). He is the one whose actions, do not suggest but, declare him to be God made man. Who claims to be able to forgive sin and then proves that he can (Luke 5:17-26), who defeats demons (Luke 8:26-39, 9:37-43), who demonstrates his power over death (Luke 7:11-17, 8:40-56), and who teaches about how to live by faith (Luke 10:25-11:13).

He then goes to the cross exactly as he predicted (Luke 9:21-27, 9:43-50, 18:31-34, 22:13-16) willingly, even as he dies his actions draw a rebel to faith in him (Luke 23:40-43) and his concern is for people (Luke23:28-34) and his relationship with God (23:46). Then there is the resurrection and his ascension (Luke 24) as he is vindicated by God, as his sacrifice in our place is enough and he is declared to be God's beloved son by being raised from the dead.

On the basis of the evidence there is only one conclusion Jesus is the Messiah and I must trust and follow him. This is not a good man this is THE GOD MAN.

Does God exist?

I guess that's a pretty fundamental question to answer with our friends, though interestingly enough according to 2005 census about 82% of the population believe in God. However, other people like Richard Dawkins argue that there is no such things as God.

But the Bible says that God reveals himself to us in a number of ways:

1. Through the world around us. It is an incredible world and speaks to us of a loving God who made it.
2. By our desire - we have an innate sense that there is something greater than us - God.
3. Through the moral law - right and wrong are God given that's why we have a common sense of this though from different cultures and backgrounds.
4. By our Conscience - conscience is not a product of evolution, it would be an evolutionary hiccup, so it is a sign that we were made in God's image.

But the Bible says we can choose to ignore those signs, in fact Romans 1:18 onwards says we do choose to deliberately ignore those signs.

But the most convincing proof that God exists is Jesus Christ, someone has said of Jesus that:

‘All the armies that have ever marched
All the navies that have ever sailed
All the parliaments that have ever sat
All the kings that ever reigned put together
Have not affected the life of mankind on earth
As powerfully as that one solitary life’

The decision to be made is what you will do with that life and that death?

Why isn't being good, good enough?

How do you know what is good? What is the standard for goodness? Is being good a little like marmite all a matter of taste? What does a good child look like? Is it one who eats their greens, does her homework, is polite, washes without being frog marched to the sink, helps out around the house, and writes his thank you letters? Is that a good child? You may think that is more than a good child, that such a child would be a miracle but I may just consider that normal behaviour and not especially good.

Or how about a good employee, what does a good employee look like? Is it someone who is punctual? Always meets deadlines? Uses their initiative? Obeys instructions without question? Works long hours? Buys into the company ethos? Makes the coffee without being asked? What does a good employee look like? My hunch is if you asked 10 managers you’d get 10 different answers.

So what does a good person look like? Is it someone who is law abiding, no criminal convictions, well apart from a few speeding tickets? Do they give to charity? Are they animal lovers? Do they have to be religious?

How do you know who is good? Is a terrorist a good person? Someone who sets out to kill others to highlight a cause he or she believes in. Those who share his or her beliefs might say they are good, his victims’ families would no doubt say otherwise. Who is right? Who decides?

How do you know who is good, how do you decide? Surely there has to be a standard. In industry there are kite marks that can only be used if your product passes certain standards of goodness. If it isn’t good enough, if it fails to meet the pass mark it cannot have the stamp to say it has met the standard.

Who decides what is good? God does. Why? Because “In the beginning God created…” God designed the world, he created us therefore he has set the standard. Just as in industry it is a manufacturer’s agreed standard that sets the pass mark for goodness, so God, the creator sets the standard for goodness.

So who does God say is good? The startling thing is that according to Romans 3 God says “No-one”. There is no one who passes the test for being good, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.

Why isn’t being good, good enough? because although I may be good in my eyes, I may pass my standard of goodness, I may award myself pass status. My verdict doesn’t matter, it is God’s standard that counts. There are two reasons why we are not good?

1. Because God says so.
(Romans 3:10-18) are a collection of Old Testament quotations that emphasize God’s standard, and our utter failure to meet it. God’s standard is not some shifting idea of goodness, like ours where the standard changes as societies values change. God’s standard is righteousness. God’s standard is not comparative, it is not about how good you are compared to so and so down the road. God’s standard is an absolute - righteousness -living a life that pleases God, living in line with God’s priorities, not mine, living a life that acknowledges God’s right to rule.

What is God’s judgement – there is no-one who seeks God, no one living in fear of him, no-one living with that continual awareness that God rules, is watching and is relevant.

In Genesis 3 we see that God has made the world and it is good and God has placed Adam and Eve in the midst of that world to enjoy it and to rule it on his behalf. The whole of God’s perfect creation is theirs to enjoy, they can eat of every tree bar one. The question is will they ‘fear the Lord’, can they live righteously, and can they accept the creator’s word and rule? Will they give God the respect he is due? Will they follow the maker’s instructions?

Well you know the story don’t you, they grasp for autonomy, they try to knock God off his throne, they reach for self rule, they want to decide for themselves how to live. They reject the creator and that in a nut shell is the problem, why can’t I be good because I reject the creator.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” God says do not lie but if I don’t lie I’ll look silly, or be found out, so I decide what is right and wrong. God says love your neighbour as yourself, but well he doesn’t know what they are like, I’ll make do with ignoring them – again I decide what is right and wrong. God says love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, strength, but I love my work, I love the money it brings in, I love the things I can buy with it, I love my family, I love my hobbies. What is it I spend most energy and time on in the week? That is what I worship, that is what my idol is and again I decide what is right and wrong and push God’s standard away.

Why isn’t being good, good enough? Because it is not what I think that counts, I may measure up to my standard of goodness, may be you even measure up to my standard, but we fall way short of God’s. God says “no-one is righteous”, no-one measures up. “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, we all miss the target. God’s standard is a life lived with God’s glory in mind, with God’s priorities in place and God’s rule established.

I’ve never played rugby except in PE at school. What would happen if I suddenly found myself playing for England against the Springboks in a few weeks time? I guess it wouldn’t be pleasant to find out, and would involve a substantial period of time taking food through a straw. Why? Because I am just not up to their standard, I could not stand the pace, the sheer intensity would find me out and leave me broken. To even be on the same field would place me in danger because I am just not good enough.

One day we will stand before God and we can bring our coupons of goodness with us, but we will realise that they are worthless that we do not know what goodness is. That our definition of good is not on the same plane as God’s standard.
Why isn’t being good, good enough? Because God says so. But also because

2. God shows so (24-6)
If your death would secure world peace would you willingly die? What about if it would end the conflict in Iraq? What about if it would save the life of a child who is stood in front of a bus? Is the sacrifice worth it?

We only make a sacrifice if we consider it worth doing. If the benefits outweigh the cost, that’s true in every small sacrifice, like giving up chocolate to lose weight, or going out jogging to keep fit, let alone in the big decisions. I wouldn’t be prepared to sacrifice my life unless I had to, unless it was absolutely necessary, unless I was convinced it was the only way to save somebody.

Well if being good is good enough then why did God sacrifice his son? Surely God only paid such a high price because it was the only way to save us. The cross is such a radical rescue package that it screams out you can never be good enough. It is the only way to make us good in God’s eyes, otherwise why would Jesus go through it. That is why God’s Son veils himself in humanity, that’s why the creator submits himself to the blows and indignities rained down upon him by the creation, that’s why God’s Son experiences his Father’s just anger against all rebellion against him.

Every blow, every insult, every second of bearing God’s judgement, says there is no other way. Jesus atones for us – he does what we can’t do, he meets God’s standard on our behalf.

John 18:1-11 shows us Jesus arrest, what stands out as you read the account is that Jesus is in control. He is not being swept along by events, merely reacting to circumstances, he is orchestrating them. He identifies himself to his would be captors not once but twice, he secures the safety of his followers, he prevents his disciples fighting for him. Why? Why doesn’t he escape when he can? Why doesn’t he fight his way heroically to freedom?

Because he must drink the cup the Father has given him. He must face the cross and God’s anger against sin as God’s obedient son because we cannot do face it. Only Jesus death can pay the bill, I can never be good enough; I need Jesus righteousness – Jesus total obedience to God to be credited to my account.

If being good is good enough then Jesus death is pointless. The cross stands over history and God points to it and says look at the lengths to which I will go because I love you and you could never be right with me. You can never make yourself good enough but look at the price I am prepared to pay.

Why isn’t being good, good enough? Because God says so, and because God shows so in sending his only Son to die for us to make us right before him.

This brings with it implications:
1. I had better understand God’s standards.
If what the Bible says is right then there is no point trying to live up to our own standards of right and wrong, no matter how high you set the bar it falls short. God’s standard is the only one that counts. If God’s verdict is “all have sinned and fall short” “There is no-one righteous” If I fail to meet those standards I had better find out if it is possible to meet God’s standard.

2. I better examine God’s solution
Jesus is the only way to be made good enough, we fall far short of God’s standard and he has met that standard for us.

3. I better warn others
There are millions of people who will go to sleep tonight thinking that even if, on the off chance, there is a God they are OK. If they were to be face to face with him they have a back up plan, they lead pretty good lives and that’s good enough isn’t it?

There are others who believe in God but think that being good is the key to heaven. That if they can show their giving, their being nice, their kindness, their goodness that will get them in. That God will accept them. If being good isn’t good enough someone needs to tell them.

Why isn’t being good, good enough? Because God says so and because God shows us so.

Hope

This week I'll attend the second funeral I've been to in two weeks, it would be three in two but for the fact another is on the same day. Whilst funerals are never enjoyable they are not without hope for those who believe in Jesus Christ as their saviour.

It is at the grave side that you are confronted with the big questions of life that we try so hard to insulate ourselves from in our everyday lives - what's the meaning of life and what happens when we die?

The Victorians big taboo was sex, they didn't talk about it and any evidence was hidden away. In our society we have gone to the other extreme and sex is on everything, you don't have to spend too long watching day time television or adverts or listening to the breakfast shows on the radio to realise that. Our taboo is death, the Victorians dealt with death much more matter of fact way than we do, but we hide it away and try to isolate people from thinking about it. Mention it in conversation and it suddenly goes very quiet. Lose someone close to you and people don't know what to say to you, in fact so often they choose to avoid you altogether.

I wonder if that's why people no longer think about the big question; 'What happens after we die?' I'm not sure my friends would appreciate me even asking the question, yet it is one that is pushed at us every day as we watch the news and hear of more deaths in Iraq or of the Virginia tech shooting, or another teenager killed in London.

Its a question that Jesus seems to address frequently in the gospels. With Nicodemus he talks about the need to be born again if you want eternal life - life after death, with the rich young ruler that is the issue under discussion, in Matthew 24 and 25 again it is life after death that is the subject.

When Paul writes to the Corinthians life after death features (chapter 15) and then to the Thessalonians (chapter 4:13) he writes "Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you grieve like the rest, who have no hope..."

If the New Testament answers that question about life after death then it is a question that man had and still has, and it is a question that we must pose of those around us.

What is the gospel?

The extract below is from DB Knox looking at the question, what is the gospel?

"To sum up, the gospel was the news that God has fixed the judgement day when he would judge the world in righteousness, and he had appointed a judge, Jesus, whom he had sealed in this office by the resurrection from the dead and by his exaltation to the throne of God as Lord. He was king and judge, and not only king and judge, but saviour from the consequences of the judgement of God on sinners. For God in his graciousness had sent his his son Jesus to be the saviour of the world, so that all who call on him for salvation, all who recognise his lordship and seek his help, will receive that salvation, which consists in the forgiveness of sins and justification in the eyes of the judge."

That paragraph from Knox in The Gospel of the New Testament is striking isn't it. It is, he contends, the gospel John the Baptist, Jesus, Paul and the other Apostles taught. It provokes the question is that the gospel I teach?

It is not a hard message to get across to those around us but it is one which our society would take issue with, which would meet with outright hostility and anger. But then that was John the Baptists experience, that was Jesus experience, that was the fate of James, Paul, Peter and the others. That's not bad company to have an experience in common with as you preach the gospel.

The Easter Bunny

I wonder if you remember ghostbusters? You will if you are of a certain generation. It ended with the team battling the giant Marshmallow man - Ray's first thought and a humorous way of meeting out destruction to the world.

I have my very own marshmallow man fear at the moment, but it isn't a giant sugar confectionery foe fit for roasting over a roaring fire, it is the ever growing Easter Bunny. In our commercially aware culture retailers are seizing upon Easter as another way to increase sales - in between Valentines Day and our Summer holidays - and put pressure on us to spend, spend, spend. Easter cards are now in the shops and we are encouraged to remind someone that you are thinking of them, oceans of chocolate is setting as I speak and being ferried up and down the country, Easter presents are beginning to appear complete with Easter chick, rabbit and lamb wrapping paper.

And in all the commercialism where is the actual symbol of Easter? The rabbit has, or is beginning to, dwarfed the cross.

No, I'm not turning into scrooge (well not over Easter anyway), sat chuntering humbug over my keyboard as I type, but just as the commercialisation of Christmas has divorced it from its true meaning so I fear the Easter bunny is set to displace the cross and the empty tomb at Easter.

Easter is the most amazing opportunity to share the gospel with those around us. It is a time to remember the great news. "that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, and after that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve..." (1 Corinthian 15:3-5).

That is what Easter is all about, remove the cross and resurrection from Easter and there is no reason to celebrate. God in his love sent his only Son to pay the penalty for our sin and to enable us to enter into relationship with God, to look forward to life without the wages of our rebellion - death - dominating our landscape, and all because God sent his Son who willingly goes to the cross in my place. And 3 days later the tomb was empty, Christ was alive again and was seen by many witnesses, as he rose again death and sin were defeated for those who trust in him, because his resurrection declares it is paid for, it is accomplished, it is finished. God now views me as his perfect Son in Christ and I can live now in light of that reality.

How should Christians respond to the rampant commercialisation of Easter - oppose the bunny! Declare the cross. The challenge is to convey the true message to our children, our neighbours, our family, our friends. It may not be popular but surely at Easter more than at any other time the love of Christ must compel us to witness to him. To give a gospel rather than an Easter card, to give a tract rather than chocolate, to speak of Jesus Christ rather than the Easter Bunny!

Compulsion

What is it that drives us? What is it that makes us get out of bed in the morning, get dressed, go out to work? What makes us do it day after day?

I guess many people would answer that money drives them, the new car or the new TV or to provide for their kids, or maybe if we're honest its to keep up with the neighbours. But what happens when you retire? What drives you then? Is it getting your golf handicap into single figures? Or taking up a new hobby?

What is it that gives us purpose in life? Paul as he writes to the Corinthian Church, to a church struggling with living out the scandal of the gospel in an image conscious world, Paul writes to give them a purpose as he explains his purpose for living.

"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died." Why get out of bed in the morning? Because Christ has died for me and in doing so he takes on my sin, reconciles me to God and makes me a new creation. Why go to work? Because Christ died for me and I am a new creation who lives for him. I am not a doctor who happens to be a Christian I am a Christian living for Christ as a doctor, or student, or mum.

Christ love is to be my purpose in everything I do, it is to be what drives me, it is to be what compels me if I am convinced that one died for all.

The gospel of Judas

Its nothing new but the publication of 'The Gospel According to Judas' is again being highlighted and publicised, partly because of the involvement of Jeffrey Archer. No doubt some will say that it casts fresh doubt over the Bible and Christianity. It does after all claim that Jesus never did some of the miracles the gospels attribute to him, nor did Judas betray Jesus for 30 piece of silver.

The book claims that Judas was not the character that the Bible portrays, that he never committed suicide, that he thought he was saving Jesus from himself when he handed him over to the authorities. After Jesus death Judas joins the Essenes before he himself is crucified by the Romans.

The only problem with the whole 'Gospel According to Judas' is that there is not a scrap of evidence for it. Even its co-author, J. Maloney, says that “not everything in this book can be regarded as probable. But everything must be possible.” The authors even had heated debates about the ending, should Judas have a death bed conversion to Christianity or not?

'The Gospel according to Judas' is a fiction built upon speculation. How should we react to it? It certainly isn't something to be feared, but we should be concerned about its effects on those who hear of it and are therefore hardened to the real gospel. It should drive us out to share the gospel with people because in contrast that is a story that is worth telling.

If Christ were Lord over the world...

How do you create a community that shows what life would be like if Christ was Lord over the world?

The gospel's give us a picture of what life would be like if Christ was Lord over the world, as death is conquered, sickness is healed, demons are banished, sin is defeated and perfect obedience is lived out. It is this glimpse that we see fleshed out in Revelation 21 and 22 and the descriptions of the new heaven and new earth where Christ is Lord and God is on his throne and all barriers to that are removed, including our sinfulness.

The Church is to be the community that enables the world to glimpse what such a reality looks like now, just as Israel was to be for the people around it in its day. So what marks such a community?

Acts 2 shows us some of the marks of just such a community and the word that stands out is devotion. But it is only as the gospel is proclaimed (apostolic teaching), Christ is remembered (breaking of bread) and God is relied upon (prayer) that such a community (fellowship) is formed.

How do you create a community that shows what life would be like if Christ was Lord over the world? You don't, you pray that God would do so as you devote yourselves to God's word and remember together what Christ has done for us on the cross; taking the punishment for our rebellion on himself and crediting us with his right standing before God. You then look to devote yourself to those thinsg with thsoe around you. Wouldn't such a community turn the world upside down now just as it did in the first century?

The big question

Came across this question about the church yesterday, its well worth thinking about.

How do you create a community that shows what life would be like if Christ was Lord over the world?

I'll try to post some thoughts in the coming days.