Blogthru the NT – Part 1 (Matthew)

Its been a slow week for blogging. I’m not sure what to write about. There are too many things in my head right I’m not sure I’d be able to put them down into a coherent post. Perhaps recounting where I am at will help. Im studying the New Testament at the moment, going through each book. I’m looking for theological emphases, and distinctions. If I could put it down to a word, I’m soaking myself in the text, and keeping an open mind to see where the Spirit leads. I’ve read the New Testament through many times, late last year I read it in 2 weeks, but nothing beats going through it with a fine tooth comb. I’ll share some brief insights I’ve learned from the Gospels so far.

Church in danger?

“Never think of the Church of God as if she were in danger. If you do, you will be like Uzza; you will put forth your hand to steady the ark, and provoke the Lord to anger against you. If it were in danger, I tell you, you could not deliver it. If Christ cannot take care of his Church without you, you cannot do it. Be still, and know that he is God… When you begin to say, “The Church is in danger! The Church is in danger!” what is that to thee? It stood before thou wert born; it will stand when thou hast become worm’s meat. Do thou thy duty. Keep in the path of obedience, and fear not. He who made the Church knew through what trials she would have to pass, and he made her so that she can endure the trials and become the richer for it. The enemy is but grass, the word of the Lord endureth for ever.”

– Charles Spurgeon, 1914, Sermon on Isaiah 40:8

Jesus the Evangelist – Richard Phillips

I’ve been exposed to many different church environments and views on evangelism in my time. Those who claimed to be reformed Christians are often accused of being fatalists and lax on evangelism. So I was interested to see a reformed take on the subject. If there was one area of my Christian walk I would like to develop more, Evangelism would be it. Personally I see a great need out there, but lack the confidence of how to go about it effectively. I hoped this book would go someway to helping me.

Wrestling with….the Bible

Recently I was challenged to read the Bible more. Not with the traditional, thump accross the head, but in a more subversive way. You see I read a lot of books. I currently have about 8 or 10 on my shelf waiting to be read (and an ever growing wish list on amazon). When I gloated about the number of books I was reading my Dad gave a me one of those looks. You know the one that only parents are capable of producing. The one that says “Oh boy you’re still so naieve, and you’ve got a lot to learn, but I love you and am proud of you, even if you don’t like what I’ve got to say next”  Well it was  something along those lines.

The Christian Lover – Michael Haykin

I’ll never forget my pre-marriage counsellers advice. “Write down why you love each other, and what made you want to marry your wife. Then when you go through tough times, what you’ve written will serve as a reminder.”

I chose to read this read book for various reasons. But mostly because I felt a bit “doctrined” out. Not only that but I must admit that I am a sucker for love letters. I find them intriguing. We hang onto these small bits of paper for years to come. We cherish them and are so uplifted when we read them.  I hope this book will spur me to write a few for my own beloved wife :).

John Calvin – A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine and Doxology

Have you ever wanted to read those authors of old? The ones who wrote with incredibly good grammar, a few words you’d never heard before? Well I have and I’ve put it off for a long time. That is until I picked up a few  cheap re-prints on  a recent trip to Wellington . Its funny how cheap they are. I bet it cost more to print them than they made selling them. The old writers had a way to engage their readers, drawing them into a world of three dimensional characters. They were master wordsmiths. But times change and so do peoples tastes. Thats why we always need a new generation of writers to make sense of the past and contextualise it for today.

Reality Check

My wife and I are quite different in our reading tastes. I only read non-fiction. She only reads novels. A few days ago my wife said to me that she wished she had the desire to read the Bible more, pray more, and “spend more time with God”. While I read a lot of theology, and am often reading the Bible, I too desire the same thing as her. Her desire wasn’t for the Bible or prayer. Like many Christians, what she wanted, was a connection. A relationship. We all want to experience the love of Jesus in our every day lives. We hunger for that authenticity, and reality in our relationship with Jesus that is just not there. We long to be fully human, we groan for it, as does creation.  

The Road Ahead

It’s normal at this time of year to start making resolutions. We want to lose weight, get a new job, make better friends and so forth.2007 and 2008 were two great years of discovery for me and I’ve learnt a great deal. I have grown in my understanding of the Bible like I never have before. As the year draws to a close I am a tired man. I have worked hard, and am ready for a rest. Some have said to me that if you’re not feeling stressed in life, then you’re not alive. There is some truth in that, but if all of life is stress that makes for a very poor existence. I owe so much to my dear wife Joy. She has made my life a life worth living