Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-7 (NIV)
     If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
     Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Letters

2 Corinthians 3:4-6

     We couldn't be more sure of ourselves in this-that you, written by Christ himself for God, are our letter of recommendation. We wouldn't think of writing this kind of letter about ourselves. Only God can write such a letter. His letter authorizes us to help carry out this new plan of action. The plan wasn't written out with ink on paper, with pages and pages of legal footnotes, killing your spirit. It's written with Spirit on spirit, his life on our lives!

I got a letter this morning, it is not something that happens much any more. Almost everything people send me comes electronically so when the postman drops something through the door with my name on it it is a little bit of a surprise. The letter that came was not really anything too important and but there is still that moment of excitement that accompanies the arrival of a letter.

Letters are something that are common in the New Testament, letters were one of the few ways of communicating long distances back then. If you were wanting to send a message or let people know something without personally going yourself then you sent a letter.

In this passage Paul is talking about the letters of recommendation that travelling preachers and evangelists would carry so that people would know who they were and with who's authority they preached with.

But Paul says in this passage that true Christians do not need letters of recommendation as it should be evident if we have been sent by God as He will write it on our hearts and people will know because the Spirit will be working through us. The letter that God writes on us, if His life is on our life then we need no physical ink and paper letter as His power will be evident through our actions.

I would like to think that God can be seen in the actions I perform and in the work that I do, that I have God's words written on my soul by the Spirit. I would hope that I can show God in all of the things that I do and that I can bring in some small way a ray of His light in to corners that may be dim and dark. 

Jesus weeps still

1 Corinthians 1:10-15

     I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”
     Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptised in the name of Paul? I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized in my name.

Jesus Showed His human side many times while He was here on Earth, His anger at the money sellers, His tears for Lazarus and in the Garden of Gethsemane. In this He showed us that God is just as capable of the range of emotions that we have, love, anger, disappointment and so on. 

On of the things that must be a common trigger for anger, disappointment and upset for God must be when there are divisions and bad feelings in the Church. These can happen for many reasons, and some of them can seem just at the time, but nothing that causes discord in the body of Christ can be good. 

At times when we find ourselves involved in these disagreements we have to pray for assistance and guidance on how to repair the damage being cause. We need to ask God to show us what to do, what to say and how to act so that no further split or damage is cause. 

When we are part of the problem (whether the cause or not) we must look at the situation with God and ask Him, what is the right path? Am I right or wrong, do I stand up and fight or do I back down. Lord, how do I make this right, or how can I remove myself from it. Listen to God and His guidance, pray hard for His help and when He speaks go straight to work.

Divisions in the Church are nothing new, and unfortunately they will be with us for a long time to come. But the way in which we act is key. If we are acting in a Godly way we need to ask for God's help on how to help those who are wrong, but it if is us who has strayed, us who are in the wrong we need to look to God to help us put it right. Disagreements over interpretation will be common, in this look to the Bible and follow the teachings of Christ.

Mark 2:27 (NIV)

     Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

Jesus was not one to be held back by the Law, He knew what it was for and knew that there would be exceptions. The Law was made for man, not man for the Law. It works in this too. Legalism is one of my greatest bug bears of the Church, Christ did not come to state the Law, to show us how to obey an old covenant made with the Jews. He came and showed us how to live, loving one another, helping one another but mostly He showed us that to be humble and serve one another is the greatest thing we can do. If you are involved in a dispute in a church, be Christlike, be humble and subservient, be weak. For through this weakness you will find strength, in that strength you will find God, and where God is He will bring His healing love.

In all things, always first look to Christ.

 

A new creation

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)  

    Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 

When I awoke this morning the Bible verse on my phone was the one above and as I was reading it a short song that we sing in my Church began to play in my head. It is a song that I have not sung in some time but one that actually has a strong meaning for me. This song is one that I can attest to, on ethat sums up my feelings about coming back to the Church better than I can myself.

I am a new creation
No more in condemnation
Here in the grace of God I stand
My heart is overflowing
My love just keeps on growing
Here in the grace of God I stand

And I will praise You Lord
Yes, I will praise You Lord
And I will sing of all that You have done

A joy that knows no limit
A lightness in my spirit
Here in the grace of God I stand

                  (Dave Bilbrough)

When we come to Christ and accept Him in to our lives. When we become part of Christ's Church we are cleaned of sin, washed of all the stains we carry and we become a new creation through Him. Any thing we were condemned from is stripped away and we are not made as new, but made wholly new by Him. As I am writing though another song from my childhood has been triggered and sums up the power of God in simple yet powerful words.

My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing that He cannot do.
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing that He cannot do.

The mountains are His, the rivers are His, the stars are His handiwork, too.
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing that He cannot do, for you!

My little black book

Now this isn't a post about what you may be thinking. My little black book isn't a contacts book of girls I know or anything like that. My little black book is my coping device. When I am having a rough time I use it to pour all my thoughts and feelings into so that I can deal with them at a time that suits me. Once they are on to the page I can stop thinking about them and come back to the thought at a more convenient time. Mostly it is full of crap but there are some gems amongst the muck. Some make me laugh such as, "Don't think with your gut, it does not make good decisions except on when to eat.". Others I think are somewhat profound, "The past is past and needs to be left there in order to make the most of the future, there is no need to forget the past but don't be chained to it.". The most interesting thing that struck me today as I was reading through it was that despite through most of the writings in this book I would not have claimed to be a Christian, there are a significant number of spiritual and Biblical quotes in it. There are crosses sketched in various places throughout the book, sometimes clear, sometimes discreetly hidden amongst the chaos. For me this shows that even when I have been at my darkest depths God was always there with me, he was working in my life even if I could not see it at the time. There is loads of great quotes and thoughts in this book and hope to share more of them with you at some point. This book has helped me loads in the past in pouring out my soul, now its helping me by showing me how much better my life is, and giving me a laugh at the craziness of my own mind. Remember God is always with us in all things, he never leaves us.


1 Corinthians 1:7-9
    Just think-you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.

Christian friends

I have some amazing friends, I haven't always. Until I began attending my Church I had a lot of friends, but no one I could rely on. I thought I had good friends, but time and again I would be let down or left short on something. It has come as quite a shock to me that I have managed to acquire such good friends over such a short period of time. These friends have been there when I have needed them most, they have helped me get through some tough times. Even without knowing it they have done so much for me and asked for nothing in return. It has helped my spiritual growth so much to have Christian friends, it has made fixing my problems and issues much easier than if I had been doing it alone.

Jesus never intended us to be in this spiritual journey alone;

Matthew 18:20
    And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there."

Jesus could just have as easily said that "whenever anyone is worshipping my name or doing good in my name, I'll be there". But we are not supposed to be alone in this, we are supposed to be part of His Church, we are supposed to gather and work together.

Matthew 18:19
    When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action.

This does not mean that God will not answer our individual prayers, but it is a clear sign that both God and Jesus intended us to work together. As the Church we are the body of Christ, and we have all heard the story about how each part of the body must do their job and by working together as a whole the work gets done. Very often in Churches because they are made up of humans we have disagreements and arguments. This will always happen and does not make you a bad Christian. However the way we act in these situations does say a lot about our faith.

Matthew 5:9 (KJV)
    Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

From time to time there will be situations where we do not agree with the path our Church is taking, or someone's actions within out Church. Jesus is not saying we should just accept the situation and "lose". He is instructing us to do what is necessary to solve the problem but with as little friction as possible, leaving the best impression of being Christlike.

Regular gatherings are also an important part of Christian life. We should be meeting with other Christians often to pray, worship and eat.

Acts 2:42
    They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.

By gathering together like this, as a family, we are strengthening the bonds within our fellowship. All three activities are most enjoyable and productive when done in a group. Jesus was not a hermit or a lone wandering preacher, He surrounded Himself with His disciples. He gave us a model for the Church by his dealings with the disciples. How to act, how to follow, how to learn and teach but also in how to gather. The early Church would gather in each others houses to pray worship and eat together, why should we be any different 2000 years on.

So far I have talked about gathering in groups and Jesus wanting us to be together. But there are times in life where we need to be alone or cannot be surrounded by our Church for whatever reason. We are provided for in these situations;

John 14:16 

    I will talk to the Father, and he'll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. 

The Holy Spirit was given to us so that we would never be alone, the Spirit is our constant companion as a Christian. God promised to always be there for us and to carry us when we can not bear the load. It is through the spirit that this promise is fulfilled. The spirit is a wonderful gift and ensures we are never left alone, however it can not be seen as a replacement for the Church, there should be no such thing as a lone Christian. There are however situations where Christ instructed us to be alone, to remove ourselves from the bustle of daily life;

Matthew 6:6

    "Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. 

But this is not a commandment to become a hermit or lead a life of isolation. It is Jesus showing us that at times we require the stillness of being alone in order to fully immerse ourselves in the presence of God. After which we should return to our Church and our lives.

These are just my thoughts which have been triggered by conversations with friends recently. But I know from my experiences with Churches I have attended in the past that when only meeting on a Sunday or even less frequently, the health of a Church decline rapidly. We should not let divisions in our Churches become permanent, we should always be on the lookout for how to heal hurts and fix problems in a way that is best for everyone. A Church is a community which cannot exist in isolation, we must work together within our own Churches but also with The Church in general. This is not a new situation, in fact it has been with the Church from the beginning;

1 Corinthians 3:4-6

    When one of you says, "I'm on Paul's side," and another says, "I'm for Apollos," aren't you being totally infantile? 

    Who do you think Paul is, anyway? Or Apollos, for that matter? Servants, both of us-servants who waited on you as you gradually learned to entrust your lives to our mutual Master. We each carried out our servant assignment.  I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow.  

As I already said, disagreements and divisions are an inevitable outcome of having humans together. But at the end of the day we have to remember that we are not just humans, we are also Christians too and should act accordingly when our human nature causes problems.

Finally, Jesus left us with His promises and instructions, I would like to leave you with the one bellow as I feel it is a fitting end to what has become a slightly epic post. I apologise for the length but hope that you find it as helpful to read as I have in writing it.

Matthew 28:20

    Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

Self reflection - Where are you at

It was my birthday last weekend and therefore this week comes one of my regular rituals. I have been looking back at my life, specifically the last year and everything that has happened. Self reflection is something I do on a regular basis but just after my birthday is the BIG one of the year where I look back at my note books, thoughts and feelings for the last year. I use this opportunity to look at which aspects of my life are causing the biggest problems in each aspect of my life and what I can do to change them. This is the first year though that I have done this as a professing Christian, and because of that it has been somewhat different to usual. Instead of the usual thoughts of what do I like about my life and how do I want to change. I have been looking at which aspects of my life do not fit with the Christian message and the quest to be Christlike. I have been looking at which areas of my life would be upsetting to God. It is not all negative though, I have also been looking at where I have been doing the right thing and how I can grow and strengthen these areas of my life. In all it has been an interesting experience compared to previous glances back at and into my life. Its interesting for me to see how certain events have helped to shape and grow my love for Jesus and the faith I have in him. My confidence in my religion has rocketed to the point where it is as much a part of who I am as anything in my life. Where in the past I would avoid speaking about my faith I do so on a regular basis now. I am not afraid to be openly Christian in a way that would have been uncomfortable for me in the past. There are other parts to this that include my relationships with friends and family and so on which I will not bore you with. I would just like to finish with a challenge to anyone reading this. How closely have you looked at your life? Is it everything you want it to be? Is it everything that it should be? If you ask yourself these questions, which isn't easy, and do not like the answers then what will you do about it? We have a guide who leads us in life and in order to ensure we do not stray we must stop, listen and take note of what He is saying to us. If we are faltering or straying we must ask ourselves why and how do we get back on track.

1 Corinthian 4:15

    There are a lot of people around who can't wait to tell you what you've done wrong, but there aren't many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up. It was as Jesus helped me proclaim God's Message to you that I became your father.  

Embarrassed to be Christian

Right, before you guys start worrying its not like it sounds. I am not talking about being embarrassed about being a Christian in general, more that there are certain circumstances in which you are shall we say challenged. The case in point which I have is fire and brimstone street preachers, the kind who stand in city centres and shout at the passers by telling them that they must repent or go to hell. Now I don't know about everyone else but this makes me very uncomfortable because I do not see this as a Christian act and it causes a negative image of Christians in the public eye. I have a few Biblical quotes that I feel support my view;

1 Corinthians 4:15
    There are a lot of people around who can't wait to tell you what you've done wrong, but there aren't many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up. It was as Jesus helped me proclaim God's Message to you that I became your father.
Luke 6:45
    It's who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds.
1 Corinthians 13:13
    But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
Ephesians 4:15
    God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do.
Ephesians 6:4
    Fathers, don't exasperate your children by coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.
Colossians 1:28
    We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less.
1 Timothy 4:11-12
    Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don't let anyone put you down because you're young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.

In my opinion (Which may be wrong) the way Jesus wanted us to spread the word was in a loving way. Standing shouting at people trying to make them feel so bad they "repent" is not a loving way. I believe that we should be going out in to the world and living amongst these people, filling the needs as they appear and helping where we can. We should be living like Christ and serving those who need our help. In time people will see that we are just like them, yet there is something slightly different about us. It is when this intrigue drives them to question us why we are different we will be able to share the gospel with them. The preacher at my home Church uses a phrase quite regularly and it is a phrase that sums up my thoughts on this matter very well. He says "Preach always, and when necessary use words". If we want to save souls the way to do it is not by alienating the sinful people of the world, but by loving them. Again I may be wrong but to the best of my knowledge Jesus never stood in Capernaum, Galilee or Jerusalem lambasting passers by, instead he taught those who wished to hear and treat everyone else with love until they came seeking his message. If you disagree with me or have anything to add please leave a comment as I would be glad to discuss this with anyone, I always have more to learn.

Blogtastic

Ok guys, I have touched on the fact that as well as being a Christian I am also a scientist. For a number of people this is an issue, and it is one I have been fighting against for years. I personally do not see the issue with studying Gods creation to understand it over studying God's creation to understand it. Both science and religion have so much to offer us it is stupid to shut down one or the other. There is much that I could write on this subject and much I have wanted to write about on here. I do not however want this blog to turn into a battle ground for fundamentalist creationist Christians or actively atheist scientists and so I have decided to begin a second blog. It is not up and running yet but hopefully will be soon. I do not intend for this second blog to effect the amount or regularity of this blog. But I do feel there is a need for me to express my beliefs as a Christian in a scientific way which is likely to attract a different audience. The posts on my new blog will likely be a lot less frequent but significantly more in depth or at least longer. If you are interested in taking a look I will let you know when I have it up and running. I would ask however that as I plan to enter what may become a battlefield with me trapped between both forces that you would pray for me and this endeavour.

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence."

1 Corinthians 14:20 Only mature and well-exercised intelligence can save you from falling into gullibility.

1 Peter 2:15 It is God's will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you're a danger to society.

Science and Jesus are my passions in life and following them both is what I must do as both are in my eyes God given and God inspired. I don't know how this second blog will be used but if it can even in a small way fight the ignorance that is building up in this world then at least I have done something. Fundamentalism on either side helps no one, and it was Christ himself that taught us that it i not the healthy who require a doctor.


Mark 2:17 Jesus, overhearing, shot back, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I'm here inviting the sin-sick, not the spiritually-fit."

Intelligence and knowledge

Kind of in the same vein as yesterday and the science vrs religion debate (that one is not over yet). But how should we deal with the question of intelligence, knowledge and the understanding of the world. Is there a line which we should draw at which point we say ok, no more, this is beyond us and for God alone. Are there areas of knowledge we are not supposed to know or routes we should not go down, intellectually speaking. Again hailing back to yesterday. should we put science to bed as knowledge God never intended for us? In my opinion the answer is a resounding NO. Curiosity is a part of being human and as such we believe to be a gift from God. We read in the Bible that we were made in God's image and he is please with us, with the exception of sin. There is the whole of creation out there, bigger than we can imagine. As Douglas Adams said "Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean you may think it's a long walk down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space.". As a scientist I  work on a daily basis with mind boggling facts about this amazing creation God has made for us and I can not imagine he does not want us to wonder, marvel and then strive to understand what he created. We may never get to that point of understanding but surely to understand even part of God's creation is a good thing. In 1 Corinthians 12:2 it says; God wants us to use our intelligence, to seek to understand as well as we can. I believe that this is as much a call to study the universe as it is to study God's word.

Grace under pressure

Dealing with stressful situations is hard. To do it in a Christ like manner is even harder. And lucky me, today I get to experience a very stressful situation. I wont bore you with the details but I will be spending the day in a cramped environment with 3 people who have been driving me up the wall for the last 2 months. Now I know that at some point I will lose my cool at either a situation or more likely a comment made during a situation. How do I deal with it? How can I remain cool and calm when everything about the situation is irritating me to the extreme? One friend of mine told me to use music which will enable me to retreat to my own mental oasis of serenity. And this may be a good way to remain calm, by surrounding myself with things which keep me sane and relaxed. However Paul has some fantastic words to say on this matter, in 2 Corinthians 12:9 he writes "And then he told me, My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness." Hopefully when I am at my weakest today and ready to snap I can trust enough in Jesus to let his grace wash over me and preserve my sanity.

A luxury you can't afford

Realistically how often do you read the Bible. If you are not a Christian I guess the answer is never. But for us Christians, except in Church or Bible study, how often do we read and think about the Bible and what it says? It is something I do try to do regularly, but recently since I moved back home after Uni I have let slip. I am not a theologian, nor would I ever profess to be, and I know my Bible knowledge is far below what it should be. I also know that prayer and Bible study should be core to my life. Not long ago I discovered this verse, "Think straight. Awaken to the holiness of life. No more playing fast and loose with resurrection facts. Ignorance of God is a luxury you can't afford in times like these. Aren't you embarrassed that you've let this kind of thing go on as long as you have?" 1 Corinthians 15:34. And to be honest I am embarrassed. It embarrasses me that I don't know anywhere near as much as I should about my religion. How can I expect to live the right life and walk the right path if I have no idea what they are. How can I expect to bring others to Jesus if I am ignorant about him. Not knowing God is a luxury we can't afford in these times more than in the past because the time of His return can only be getting closer. If nothing else comes from me writing this blog I hope that it helps me read and study my Bible more regularly and more closely than before. I don't want to find myself standing in front of our Father and not know who he is, do you?

Its only words! Right?

Does swearing really matter? Because lets face it, they are only words right? Wrong! "The simple moral fact is that words kill." Matthew 5.22. And again in Matthew 12.47 "Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation.". Words have a significant meaning in Christianity, Jesus was the Word, John 1:1-3 (KJV) "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." God brought the entire Universe into being with a word which shows that words have a power beyond mere speech. But lets face it, we all inevitably use bad language. Even if we claim not to, we all have our personal curse words. And just because they are socially acceptable does not mean they are any better. Take 1 Corinthians 6:12, "Just because something is technically legal doesn't mean that it's spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I'd be a slave to my whims.". We need to be careful about the way we live and our actions in this life, we are always being watched by someone. Our very actions could be the catalyst to bring someone to God, or even to drive them away. That be as it may though, at the end of the day we are all only human and as such we are victims of sin. We will always fall short and we will forever be sinners. God knows this better than we do, and he has already provided for us. Mark 3:28 "Listen to this carefully. I'm warning you. There's nothing done or said that can't be forgiven." with the same sentiments echoed in Matthew 12.31. We will sin, we will swear and we will always fall short of the life we are supposed to live. That doesn't give us the excuse not to try though. "Knowing the correct password—saying 'Master, Master,' for instance—isn't going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, 'Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.' And do you know what I am going to say? 'You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don't impress me one bit. You're out of here.' Matthew 7:21-23. We know what God wants us to do, we know how He wants us to live. It is not expected of us to be perfect, only to try and live to the guidelines set out for us and to ask for His forgiveness when we fall short. I know this post has been very heavy on the Bible quotes but this topic is something quite close to me and something I have studied frequently. I hope it speaks to you as much as it does to me, please leave your thoughts and comments on this and any other post.