January 4, 2012 12:32 pm

Life Works

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by    in Devotional Thoughts,One Way Community Church,Preached Series
Watch movement macro by GuySie

Keep the Wheels in Place

[The following is an introduction to the upcoming preaching series at One Way starting on the 8th January 2012] At the outset of a new year we can feel very despondent and overwhelmed by another year. We’ve come to realize that life is very unpredictable and often filled with unexpected and often unwelcome surprises. 2012 is no different, if anything it has the potential to carry some severe challenges. Both local and the global affairs seem to give us the impression that we may be facing challenges such as political instability, economic recession and more than likely an increased cost of living, and that’s not to mention the annual dose of fatigue, weariness and stress we’ve come to accept as normal.

Life works is all about realizing that no matter what comes your way this year, you have a sure foundation in Jesus Christ. I’m not always sure how people manage without Jesus, but I am sure that with Jesus at the center of our lives there is nothing that will come our way this year that will be able to defeat us.

Even the most beautiful hand-made Swiss watch will fail to work if the central wheels (gears) are missing or out of place. The very hands of God himself have fearfully and wonderfully (Psalm 139:14) fashioned us into existence. Life is wonderful and we’ve been divinely designed for a full life. However, life only works when we keep the central wheel in place.

The key in 2012 is to keep Jesus at the center of our lives. We need to keep him central to who we are and central in all we do. This is often something that starts off as a New Years resolution and is characterized by an initial determination to get to Church. If life is to work for you this year, however, it’s going to have to be more than an initial good intention, it’s going to have to become a lifestyle of keeping Jesus central. You’ll need to stay connected; connected to God through His word and prayer, and connected to His family through His church.

I’m not sure why we settle for second best in life when Jesus offers us the best life we can live here and now. In John 10:10 Jesus tells us we can have life and have it to the full. Will 2012 be another tiresome and weary year, or will it be a year characterized by a renewed vision, energy and determination. Let’s keep Jesus at the center and have our best year yet.

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December 22, 2011 11:22 pm

God’s Best this season

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by    in General

At this time of the year we stop to remember God’s great gift to all mankind in the form of a seemingly insignificant baby. For many people Christmas is about food, family and a willingness to receive as many gifts as possible. The birth of Jesus is however a whole lot more than just that. John 3:16 speaks about God giving his one and only son so that we can be saved. Christmas is therefore about God giving His best so that we may have His best in our lives. What an incredibly humbling truth. Christmas is in fact all about receiving; receiving God’s best for our lives! I falter as I say that and my thoughts grow quiet within me, however, I can’t escape this truth. Christmas is all about God giving me His best so that I can live the best possible life.

It is on that note that we want to wish all our friends God’s best this Christmas. There are many people both far and near that we love and value tremendously and want nothing less than to see God shower down his blessings on you this Christmas and in the year to come.

All our love and best wishes to all those special people in our lives

Ralph, Kirstin and the boys

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March 18, 2011 10:35 am

Japanese Earth Quake and Christian Hospitality

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by    in Christian Living,Devotional Thoughts

It’s been a long time since I posted to this blog, and truthfully, I don’t really have much time to be doing this today. I am however incredibly moved by world events at the moment. The situation in Libya and the Japanese earth quake are causing tremendous emotions to well up inside of me. Sitting in South Africa I am moved by a sense of compassion and helplessness. What can we really do to help a nation like Japan, broken by a huge earth quake and threatened by a Nuclear disaster.

One of the things that struck me about the Japanese problem is the rate at which people are leaving Japan in an effort to avoid the possibility of a nuclear disaster. The British embassy recently encouraged all it’s nationals to leave Japan as soon as possible. The US, France, China, and many other nations are encouraging their people to do the same. I just wonder what happens to the average Japanese family who no longer have a home, have no relations or options outside of Japan, and are struck with the prospect of a potential nuclear disaster. Who looks after them? Where do they go? Wouldn’t it be great if Churches around the world would open up their homes and commit to accommodating a family in need until the situation in Japan stabilizes? I’m sure this is a complicated discussion with many open questions, all the same, wouldn’t it be great? Surely this falls within our Christian mandate to love the nations of this world? Just a thought!

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January 11, 2011 7:45 am

Prosperous Christian Living

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by    in A Different Kind of Christian,Christian Living,Preached Series

Everyone wants to live a blessed life, not just Christians. While Christians speak of blessing, others may use terms such as prosperity or something else down that line. All over the world people are trying to increase their personal prosperity. Some use illegitimate methods while others invest large sums of money into creative opportunities for themselves to get ahead in life. The interesting thing however is that the Bible is clear about God’s intention to bless His people. It is both His intention and delight that we prosper abundantly (Deut. 30:9). Here are a few quick pointers on how we can secure God’s blessing in our lives:

1. Blessing flows from Obedience: It is clearly stated throughout the book of Deuteronomy that blessing will follow an obedient life (Deut. 28:1-3).

2. Obedience must be Wholehearted: If we are to be obedient, it’s not enough that we just do the right thing. If that were the case then religion and spiritual superstition would receive the reward of an obedient life. Scripture teaches us that the commitment we make to God must a heartfelt commitment (Deut.30:2).

3. Blessing is not Exemption: A Biblical understanding of blessing is not an exemption from life and it’s challenges. God promises us victory when we face opposition, not the absence of opposition; God promises to bless the fruits of our labours, not to excuse us from our work (Deut. 28:7-8).

4. Blessing is for Blessing: God’s intention when blessing His people was never to create a self indulgent people, but rather to bless a nation that would be able bless other nations. That’s was God’s intention with Abraham. God promised to bless Abraham and He promised that through that blessing Abraham would bless the nations of the World (Gen. 12:1-3).

As I wrap up this post I’m reminded of Cain and Abel and the sacrifices they brought to God. They both did the right thing, they both offered a sacrifice to God, but only Abel’s sacrifice was accepted. We can be doing the right thing in an attempt to secure the blessing of God, but we can be doing the right thing in the wrong way (Heb 11:4). Obedience is about a wholehearted commitment to God and not the selfish pursuit of prosperity.

‘Be blessed and be a blessing’

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January 6, 2011 7:45 am

Elevated Christian Living

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by    in A Different Kind of Christian,Christian Living,One Way Community Church,Preached Series

If you’re 21 years old and your mother is still wiping your nose, putting on your suntan lotion, your water wings, and making sure you stay in the baby pool, then you may need to reconsider the date on your birth certificate. It sounds embarrassing and it is. This is a picture of a seriously dysfunctional life that probably does not have much future. It’s amazing how confrontational this image can be, yet, spiritually many people still go around looking for someone to wipe their nose. Shouldn’t more Christians display higher levels of maturity?

The way I see it there are two levels of Christian living. A base level and an elevated level. This may be an oversimplification, but it does help handle the concept of maturity and Christianity. Ephesians 4:14-16 give us an indication of what maturity in the faith looks like. The first thing it mentions is soundness of truth. Mature Christians aren’t tossed around by false, yet appealing, teachings. A second aspect of maturity is seen in the believers ability to contribute. It’s on this second point that I want to focus on here and discuss the difference between consumer and contributors.

Consumers: Consumers are base level Christians. Their primary focus is not on what they can put into the faith but rather on what they can get out of the faith. Consumer Christians often fail to mature because they fall prey to several base level trappings:

  1. Religion – Base level Christians get caught up in just going through the motion. They do the right thing but for all the wrong reasons. They keep going to church, reading their bible and praying purely because they believe that’s the way they access the blessing of God.
  2. Superstition – Essentially this is a subtle and deceptive belief. It’s more about treating God like a good luck charm. The more I keep Him happy by, ‘doing the right thing’, the luckier I will get. People who subscribe to superstitious Christianity live in fear that they will fall out of favour with God.
  3. Need-Based: In Need-Based Christianity the believer only takes an interest in God and faith when a need arises. God is kind of like a service provider. You call Him when you need Him otherwise you have nothing to do with Him.

Base level Christianity is consumerist in nature. It’s all about what we can get out of God and not what we can give back to God and to people.

Contributors: Contributors are more interested in what they can give than what they can get. In Matthew 22:37-40 we see the greatest and the second greatest commandment given to us from the mouth of Jesus. The first is to love God and the second is to love people. You cannot love anyone without giving to them. At the heart of loving is giving; in fact at the heart of loving is sacrifice (John 3:16).

God has given and God continues to give. God wants to bless us and give to us so that we can give back to God and to others. Consumers however are more concerned about what they can get out of God, not what they can give back to God. This being said, I believe God gives to consumers out of His grace, but the fullness of his blessing and generosity is truly seen in contributors. When God knows he can trust us with the resource He gives us, then He’s more inclined to give us more.

Be a different kind of Christian. Stand out in the Crowd. Decide today to embrace a Christian walk based on contribution and not consumerism. Decide today to elevate your Christian walk!

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January 4, 2011 7:45 am

Faith outside of the Crowd

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by    in A Different Kind of Christian,Christian Living,One Way Community Church,Preached Series
A different kind of Christian

A different kind of Christian

I’m a pastor and proud of it. I love God, love the church and all that God has an is doing in my life. I am however a little fearful. I use the word fearful and not ashamed. When ever I enter a new group of people where I am relatively unknown, I choose to try and conceal my identity for as long as possible. I do this because I’m afraid (not ashamed) of what that first reaction will be. I have the unfortunate profession that leaves me vulnerable to all sorts of misrepresentations. Not only am I represented by a somewhat mixed clergy around the world, but I am also represented (not by choice) by every individual claiming any strain or form of Christianity that could ever exist. You therefore understand my reluctance to reveal my vocation at the outset of the conversation. I find it works best if I am first able to build a level of support and then open up the subject, otherwise I end up being associated with the latest nut-job to make the front page in the name of Christianity.

A faith that stands apart is a series I’m preaching the beginning of this year at One Way. I believe it’s time that we as Christians start to correctly represent the name we carry. Although we can try and change our name, I think it best that we change our reputation. Although moral representation forms a part of the big picture, I would like avoid a discussion on the morality of Christians and rather focus on a Biblical application of who we really should be. The Bible does not explicitly tells us that Cain’s sacrifice was rejected on moral grounds, but it does tell us that Abel’s sacrifice was presented in faith (Heb. 11:4).  Sometimes we’re doing all the right things in all the wrong ways. Could it be that a life of morality lived outside of faith is just as unpleasant to God as a morally defunct life? I think a faith that stands apart from the crowd is biblical, authentic, and filled with faith.

Biblical: A biblical Christian is someone who knows, understand, and fully obeys the Word of God. Unfortunately today biblical faith has been replaced with arrogance, controversy, glamour and preference.

Authentic: An authentic Christians acknowledges his or her humanity but still strives to live in Godliness. Authentic Christianity understands that faith is more about a message of hope to a world in crisis than it is a moral code.

Faith-filled: A faith that is set apart is not only seeks to obey the Word of God, but it seeks to do it with faith. A Christian who truly believes all he or she read in the Word will stand out from the crowd.

Join me in 2011 as we seek to be all that God has always intended us to be. Let’s become a different kind of Christian, Christians that stand out in the crowd.

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October 26, 2010 4:27 pm

Stir-Fry Religion

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by    in Christian Living,Devotional Thoughts,Preached Series,Re:Fire

When I was growing up I remember the fascination and excitement of what we then called a Mongolian BBQ. If you’re not familiar with this terminology you may be more familiar with the concept. A Mongolian BBQ is when a whole group of friends get together and cooked up a stir-fry of their choice. The place is usually loaded with different meats, vegetables, spices and flavours. Everyone walks around and chooses their favourite foods and flavours and then cooks it up into a dish of their own personal liking.

I find it fascinating how the world has evolved. We’ve moved on from mixing our foods to get the right taste all the way through to mixing our religion to get the right taste. Today many people create a pluralistic faith made up of all sorts of ideas and philosophies that will serve their personal preferences. If the Bible isn’t politically correct enough, no problem, just leave that part out and add your own flavour. If your lifestyle is not consistent with the Bible, no problem, just reject that part of the Bible as outdated. We tend to start with salvation as a preferential belief and then modify everything else to suite our preferences.

It all comes down to the question of ownership and authority. Who owns your life? Who sits as the preeminent authority in your life? It is clear from scripture that Jesus has bought our lives and sits in authority. We are not our own, we have been bought at a price (1 Cor. 6:19-20; Gal. 2:20). If this is true and we are not our OWN, then why are we making up our OWN faith which is different from the one Jesus has prescribed for us.

I would suggest that even though we subscribe to Jesus’ principle of salvation, there still exists an ownership and authority issue. We want salvation, but we don’t want to let go of all the ‘I wants’ in our lives. Maybe today is the day that we stop mixing our faith and start living for the one who lived for us.

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October 25, 2010 7:30 am

Beware the Spiritual Patent Troll

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by    in Christian Living,Devotional Thoughts,Preached Series,Re:Fire

If you’re not aware, patent trolls are companies that secure patents in one way or another and then try and use them to sue other companies. These companies usually have no actual technology or products on the market. Their only purpose is to make a small fortune by claiming damages. Chuck Mulloy, a tech PR guy put it this way in an article on PCWorld, ‘It’s like the troll that lives under the bridge, but doesn’t own it, and charges a toll on everyone who crosses.’

Once again, there’s a great parallel in the kingdom. In many ways, the devil is a patent troll. He did not create you, he did not redeem you, but he wants to own you and use you for his own purposes.

In Deuteronomy 4:23-24 Moses reiterates the first of the Ten Commandments that the Israelites should have no foreign gods or fashion for themselves any idols. Directly after that Moses calls God a ‘consuming fire’, and he states that God is a ‘jealous God’. Why is God jealous of our worship and devotion? Surely God is not insecure or weak? I would suggest that God created us and redeemed us and therefore has legal right to us. He does however not want to use or abuse us, but rather wants us to live within the freedom and purposes for which we were originally created. That’s quit a contrast to what the devil does with us when we relinquish control of our lives into his hands. Consider the young girl prostituting herself on the street corner, or the young man with a needle sticking out of his arm. Consider all the broken families and broken lives scattered around society. Is that really God’s purpose and plan for those that follow him? Or is that what happens when we allow the devil into our lives by following the various idols of our society?

God created us and He redeemed us. His plan has always been to bring us to the place of life and life in abundance (John 10:10). We however are given the choice. Will we ensure that our worship and commitment is directed towards God and God alone, or will we allow our lives to be distracted by the various idols that seek our devotion on a daily basis?

‘The ownership of your life will determine the outcome of your life.’

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October 11, 2010 2:00 pm

Test tube faith

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by    in Devotional Thoughts,Preached Series,Re:Fire

Being surrounded by several large industries, I find myself continually encountering professionals who have been trained to approach life from an empirical perspective. Many people in my community struggle to find truth in something that cannot be observed or proven. This has historically shown itself to be a stumbling block to faith in Jesus and his all inclusive work on the cross. How do you observe history? How do you prove the power of the cross? How do you worship a God you cannot see? To be fair, not all people struggle with the concept of spiritual salvation through Jesus who now takes on an invisible form. But then again, many in the area of science do. It’s at this junction that we are faced with the question of that which we can understand, and that which we potentially will never understand. What are we to do with all this?

As a pastor I am not immune to all these questions. Pastors don’t enter into the ministry and get some form an invincible faith that never questions or doubts. I personally think the process of questioning and meditation will serve every man and woman of faith well. It is in these questions (if handled correctly) that truth is revealed and becomes a part of our steadfast convictions. For me the following scripture has spoken immeasurably when it comes to understanding God:

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. ” (Hebrews 11:6, ESV)

Science Lab Faith

This scripture tells me that when approaching God, there are just going to be things we will never understand. There are many things we can understand and should learn more about, but then there are some things we will never understand. I find further peace in the fact that failure to understand everything about God is not necessarily a bad thing. Surely if God is our creator then He is far superior to us in substance and understanding. If we claim to fully understand Him, or claim to understand exactly how He functions in every situation then we reduce Him to the level of our understanding. God’s too big for that. If you can get your God into your test tube, then you need a new God. I know my God doesn’t fit in there!

‘Any god who is fully understandable is no God at all’

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October 7, 2010 7:05 am

Sacrifice, obedience and blessing – which of these do you want?

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by    in Christian Living,Preached Series,Re:Fire

It’s one thing to make some changes in your life; it’s a whole new ball game to make some serious sacrifices. Rejuvenated faith, restored marriages and refreshed lives all come at a price. Many people are however not prepared to make the necessary sacrifices.

Genesis 22 gives us the account of a man who knew exactly where his priorities lay and was not prepared to compromise on those values. Genesis 22 opens up with Abraham moving in, what seems to be blind obedience, as God instructs him to sacrifice his one and only dearly loved son. As a father of two sons I find it hard to understand how Abraham could blindly move ahead in what appears to be an unreasonable request from God. Reading the account in retrospect does however give us an advantage. We see how things turned out and we also see the incredible blessing God bestowed upon Abraham (Gen. 22:16-18).

‘Blessing often follows sacrifice’

In life we want the blessing, but we’re seldom prepared to make the sacrifices. Here are three sacrifices Abraham made as he pursued a righteous walk with God.

1. Preference: Abraham sacrificed what he would have preferred to do for what he knew God preferred him to do. Rights and independence are good to an extent. Rights and independence become a problem when they take preference over God’s right to our lives and our mandate to depend upon God.  God’s blessing flows through God’s preferences, not ours.

2. Plans: I’m sure like any good father Abraham had long before this moment planned the way he would raise his most valued son. What are your 5-year, 10-year and 20-year plans? I was taught to plan ahead, both in life and in ministry. I don’t think this is a problem, but what happens when my plans come into conflict with God’s plans? Who gets the last say in the matter? True blessing can only flow in and through our lives when we submit every aspect of our lives to God, including the plans we so neatly put together. Does God have the authority to change your plans?

3. Position: Do I need to talk about the last being first and the first being last? Do I need to head over to John 13 and discuss how the greatest among us humbled himself to serve those he led? Abraham was given the all important title of father of the nations, yet when it came to undermining that title he chose to heed the voice of God and not the rights of his position. What position or status do you feel you possess? Do you really believe you’re position is more important that God’s leading? On the other side of the humility of Christ (Phil. 2:5-11) lay a blessing for all the earth. Your position may bring you blessing; the position of Christ on the other hand may bring a whole lot more blessing to both you and the people around you. Choose to lay down you position in order to see God’s position exalted.

So what was Abraham thinking? The genius of the Bible is that we don’t really have to guess. Abraham was totally convinced that God would raise Isaac from the dead once he had completed making the sacrifice (Heb. 11:17-19). God’s preference, plan and position were far superior to that of Abraham. Obedience often requires sacrifice, sacrifice often brings blessing. What needs to give in your life?

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