Sunday, June 24, 2012

GIVING BIRTH TO GREAT DREAMS


REGENERATION means being born again, a recreating or re-birthing.
It can refer to conversion, in which a person puts his trust in Jesus and becomes a reborn child of God.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1 Peter 1:3 
REGENERATION can also refer to God’s restoration of the Kingdom of God and of Israel and the recreation of Heaven and Earth.
So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. Mt 19:28-29 
However, regeneration has a wider meaning.
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. 1 John 5:4 (NKJV)
The word here is WHAT-ever, not WHO-ever. Some translations get it wrong. Only the person WHO is born again overcomes the world but that is only part of it. Many born again believers live defeated lives, defeated by family problems, financial problems, workplace problems and health problems.
So what does it mean that WHAT-ever is born again overcomes the world?   
When the great classical musician, Frederick Handel, was advanced in years, struggling financially and in poor health, he received a commission to write the oratorio, THE MESSIAH, a musical feast with           scripture set to music for choir and orchestra, entirely focussed on glorifying Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Handel set himself apart to receive heavenly inspiration and to compose his greatest masterpiece. He said it was as if heaven opened and the music poured down. Yet the music did not all descend directly from heaven. Handel was also inspired to adapt music he had previously written for Italian opera, yet the whole work fitted perfectly together as if designed in Heaven. When the King of England attended a performance, the great Alleluia chorus rang out.
The King stood to his feet and everyone else also stood, as is the custom in the presence of a king. From that day to the present, Handel’s Messiah has been performed before Christmas every year around the world. Handel’s inspired music was born of God and it overcame the world.
Jackie Pullinger was a young English woman who longed to do something great for God. She wanted to be a missionary overseas but no church and no Christian organisation would accept her application. Finally she spoke to a wise pastor who encouraged her. She bought a ticket and boarded a ship travelling to Asia. She went on until she reached Hong Kong and she looked around. She found a terrible slum area ruled by violent gangs and drug dealers. The only industries were drug dealing and prostitution. She felt the touch of God’s love calling her to stay. Appointed only by God and not by any Christian church or missionary society, she began to serve the people with the power of God. Today there is a Christian mission there and the darkness has been banished from that area. Jackie Pullinger’s mission was born of God and overcame the world.
God wants you and me to not only be born again but to give birth to His wonderful plans. Dare to be like Mary who conceived the Son of God and gave birth to the Saviour of the world. Dare to be like Frederick Handel and Jackie Pullinger! 
What is your gift? What is your calling? What is your hope? What is your desire? What is your dream? 
Why not just go for it? 
Start small if you must but don’t stop there. Be led by the Spirit of God like the saints of the past and the often unsung heroes of today.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

HOPE IN A DARK WORLD

Dear Friends
I hope you find these thoughts helpful.
Clearly the world is in a mess. What then can we hope for? Many people just seem to live for themselves and try not to think about the kind of world their children and grandchildren might inherit. The worse things become, the more selfish people are.
So what is the answer? The United Nations? The League of Nations failed and the UN is little different. A benevolent dictator? How benevolent have the dictators been in the last 100 years?
What about a new world religion? We know how cruel human religion can be. Islam became a world religion by a process of brutal conquests. Hinduism has a terrible record of fatalism and cruelty to women.
The Bible was written by Jews and it tells of the wonderful work of God in Jewish and world history. Yet in the Bible we also see the a sad history of the spiritual failures of the Jewish people. This is strong evidence for the genuineness of the Bible text.  
Is Christianity any better?
Christianity came out of Judaism because Jesus and His disciples were Jews. Most of the New Testament was written by Jews. Yet Christians down the centuries have savagely persecuted Jews. Christianity gave birth to the Spanish Inquisition and the civil wars in Ireland. I personally believe there is a divine glory which gave birth to both Judaism and Christianity but in every generation many human religious leaders have corrupted the glorious faith they claim to represent.

Why would a man made United Religion be any more helpful than the United Nations?
Many people find hope in a personal faith in Jesus Christ, who lived a wonderful life admired by His friends and even by many who do not follow His teachings.
Was Jesus the Son of God, was He the Creator of the Universe who visited our planet? Many people admire Him as a wonderful human being but do not believe in his divinity. This seems reasonable but is it?
What did Jesus Himself say?
Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29 (ESV) This is not the religion of the Spanish Inquisition.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matthew 5:7-9

This is not the religion of religious terrorism, either Catholic or Protestant.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (ESV)
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

These are not the words of a good man, unless that good man is who he says he is, the eternal Son of God.
If you believe in Jesus, you have an eternal hope, a secure future in heaven with God. But what about the earth. Should our faith be only a lifeboat ticket to escape Titanic Earth?
The Good News of Jesus Christ is the core of true Christianity. It is summed up in these famous words of Jesus.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
The Almighty Father cares about you and me but also this world. God also has a plan for this world.   
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. Revelation 21:1

God is not finished with this world which we have messed up. But will you and I be part of the problem or part of the solution?
Jesus said:
Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.  Matthew 12:30