Monthly Archives: June 2017

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

A Prophecy for the Church in Malaysia

Without a doubt, the apostle Paul was one of the most influential people of world history. His indefatigable energy in evangelism and church planting during the 1st Century AD changed the face of Europe and the world. He was part of the company who ‘turned the world upside down’ (Acts 17:6). He also wrote up to half of the New Testament. Every day of the year for the last 2,000 years, his legacy continues to pay rich dividends to the church and the world.
Born with the Hebrew name Saul in the city of Tarsus, Cilicia in south central Asia Minor (Turkey), he may have been given the Roman name Paul at birth. In the natural, he was a gifted man: multi-lingual, a Roman citizen from birth, from the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. Like Moses and Daniel, Paul had a solid education in classical things and of the empire of the day. Despite his Diaspora-birth, he was fully orientated to Jewish theology and practice as one trained by the respected Rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 5) in Jerusalem. Paul could be forgiven for thinking he was destined for great things.
Yet, Paul’s personal earthly ambitions and strengths evaporate in the light of what God had planned for him. For those who want to make a difference in this world, who are more interested in being significant than merely successful, and want to leave a legacy that blesses the world, then Paul is your role-model.
How did Paul succeed in changing the world? His method is more valuable than the multi-billion dollar 11 herbs and spices KFC recipe. Unlike KFC’s recipe, which is a secret, Paul’s ‘recipe’ is open for all to see.
You can find it in the words of Philippians 3:7-12:
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,9And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 12Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
At first glance, Paul’s principles might appear to be ‘radical discipleship’ but in reality he is offering a blueprint for the normal Christian living. Let’s look at a few of them here.
Principle One: Don’t let your natural gifts get in the way of God’s grace. Be willing to surrender them all to God in order to live by grace and truth (John 1:14,17).
The apostle affirms that his assets – pedigree, education, nationality – were dispensable. In terms of obtaining the ‘excellency of knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord,’ he was willing to ‘lose’ his assets and counts them a dung in order to win Christ.
Is knowing Christ of far greater value than your natural gifting? Without a doubt! Remember that even gifted people have faults, failings, and deficiencies. When you ‘win Christ,’ He becomes your sufficiency (II Corinthians 3:5). All the potholes in your life are filled by Him, regardless of how numerous and deep they may be. Regarding your gifting, surrender it to Christ. If He chooses, the Lord will return your gift to you, anointed by the Holy Spirit, ‘renewed and improved,’ so that your impact will be far greater than you could imagine. 
Another way of looking at this is that Paul became a world changer by letting go of everything – his assets, sin, pride, blindness, everything – in order to be ‘hands’ free’ to take hold of Christ (v. 12).
You cannot change the world until you are willing to be changed yourself. In fact, change is not enough – you should be willing to be transformed. Paul’s principles guarantee that will happen. To be continued.

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Jerusalem: A Burdensome Stone Part 01

It has got to be one of the greatest puzzles in foreign policy today. A city of under 1 million people, lacking major roads, waterways, or rivers. In fact, its mountainous terrain makes access a real challenge. It possesses no natural resources though it is well-endowed with religious sites. In other words, it has none of the normal ingredients of greatness. Yet this city commands more global attention than any other.
Its international legal status continues to be in limbo. Though it serves as a capital city, no foreign embassies are found there. Yet, from the highlands of New Guinea to the jungles of the Amazon, the name recognition of this city is universal. It is the subject of frequent United Nations resolutions and causes foreign secretaries of major western countries to have sleepless nights.
The city in question is none other than Jerusalem. What we are going to discover is that the global spotlight will shine more and more brightly in the coming days. It will go from a global ‘concern’ to a global ‘obsession.’ What’s more, this attention was forecast 2,500 years ago in Scripture.
Jerusalem in History: To know the future, it is important to understand the past. And Jerusalem has a very long, rich past: a 4,000 year old history. The first 1,000 years (2000 -1000 BC) it was as a heathen town called ‘Jebus,’ perched on a slope known as Ophel, framed by the western hill (now known as Mount Zion) to the west and the Mount of Olives on the east. Despite its size, it eluded capture and occupation by Joshua, the judges, and even King Saul. It was a foreign enclave among the settled tribes of Israel.
The second 1000 years (around 1000 BC) Jerusalem was captured by Joab and King David’s mighty men (II Samuel 5; I Chronicles 11). In a masterstroke of genius, David took this ‘neutral city’ that belonged to none of the Israelite tribes, and made it his capital and royal city. Once he moved the Ark of God there, Jerusalem became a holy city, known as the ‘City of David, City of God.’
Yet another dimension occurred that would catapult the city into prominence. In II Samuel 7 and I Chronicles 17, God made a covenant (a binding agreement) with David, known as the ‘Davidic Covenant.’ The terms of this theocratic covenant were simple: God would give David a son who would rule on his throne forever. Bonus point: David’s son would simultaneously be God’s Son as well.
This Son would be known as The Messiah, the Anointed One (King of kings, Lord of Lords, Anointed of the anointed), Son of David – Son of God. In Israel’s Old Testament past it had three categories of ‘anointed’ people: prophets, priests, and kings. Messiah, known in Greek as Christ, is the ultimate anointed one. He would be anointed a prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18); anointed a priest like Melchizedek (Psalm 110; Hebrews 7), and anointed a king like David (I Samuel 13:14). As the Gospels and Acts testify, Jesus of Nazareth was anointed with the Holy Spirit and power (Acts 10:38). Jesus Christ was anointed in everything, including His burial. To be continued.
This Jerusalem will be the topic of the upcoming third annual, Australia-wide ‘Understanding the Times’ speaking tour. Click on to the link below for the schedule.
https://vision.org.au/blog/2017/01/31/dr-kameels-back/

Baptist, News

Women in Australian Society and the Church

Women in Australian Society and the Church

How is your church performing in the equality stakes? Our BUV now has an equal number of men and women on our Leadership Team, but this is not reflected across churches. It can be hard, but how intentional are we being?

In our “lucky country”, women are accorded equality; they are assuming leadership in every sphere of life and excelling in the education stakes. Nevertheless, at least once or twice a week in the daily paper that I read each morning there is an article on the pay gap between men and women, or the small percentage of women in management positions, or the discrimination shown towards women in one or other of the professions. Worse still there are never ending articles about the abuse of women in the home which impacts on an estimated one in five women. What this reminds us of is that even when we have the highest ideals, putting ideals into practice in a fallen world can be elusive and thus a constant challenge. When it comes to the developing world, the lot of most women leaves you in tears.

But what about in the church? Are we better at putting our Christian ideals into practice and specifically, are we better when it comes to women?  I think not; in fact all too often the church lags behind the world. The problem is when it comes to women we are divided on the ideal itself. Many Christians still believe that God appointed men to lead. I cannot tell you how many people have told me in anguish that in their church at least once a month their minister speaks about “male headship” and gives a sermon entirely on this topic several times a year and that he never allows women to preach.

Jesus would be horrified by such teaching. He said not one word on “male headship” and much to the contrary. Even St Paul, would have raised his hand in protest. Yes, in Ephesians 5:23 he spoke of the husband as “the head of the wife” but then he went on to say “the head” should give himself in service for his wife even to the point of giving his life for her. This kind of “headship” is too costly for most men to consider too seriously. Then we should note that Paul affirmed women leading in prayer and proclamation in church (1 Cor 11:5); commended Nymphia who lead a house church (Col 4:15), and greets Junia a woman apostle (Rom 16:7). In 1 Corinthians 12:28, he says, apostles are “first in the church”. What we need to recognise is that Pau in his age and culture, two thousand years ago, was seeking to subvert patriarchy, not endorse it.

For further information and to register, the CBE website, www.cbe.org.au

At the CBE conference Dr Mimi Haddad, the president of CBE International, the Rev Patti Ricotta who works against the mutilation of young women in Africa, and Dr Kevin Giles, a New Testament scholar will be keynote speakers. In addition, there will be twenty one workshops, covering such topics as biblical teaching on the male-female relationship, the abuse of women in the home, women in indigenous communities, women in church planting, gender equality in schools, and much more.

By Lynley Giles

Baptist

Women in Australian Society and the Church

Women in Australian Society and the Church

How is your church performing in the equality stakes? Our BUV now has an equal number of men and women on our Leadership Team, but this is not reflected across churches. It can be hard, but how intentional are we being?

In our “lucky country”, women are accorded equality; they are assuming leadership in every sphere of life and excelling in the education stakes. Nevertheless, at least once or twice a week in the daily paper that I read each morning there is an article on the pay gap between men and women, or the small percentage of women in management positions, or the discrimination shown towards women in one or other of the professions. Worse still there are never ending articles about the abuse of women in the home which impacts on an estimated one in five women. What this reminds us of is that even when we have the highest ideals, putting ideals into practice in a fallen world can be elusive and thus a constant challenge. When it comes to the developing world, the lot of most women leaves you in tears.

But what about in the church? Are we better at putting our Christian ideals into practice and specifically, are we better when it comes to women?  I think not; in fact all too often the church lags behind the world. The problem is when it comes to women we are divided on the ideal itself. Many Christians still believe that God appointed men to lead. I cannot tell you how many people have told me in anguish that in their church at least once a month their minister speaks about “male headship” and gives a sermon entirely on this topic several times a year and that he never allows women to preach.

Jesus would be horrified by such teaching. He said not one word on “male headship” and much to the contrary. Even St Paul, would have raised his hand in protest. Yes, in Ephesians 5:23 he spoke of the husband as “the head of the wife” but then he went on to say “the head” should give himself in service for his wife even to the point of giving his life for her. This kind of “headship” is too costly for most men to consider too seriously. Then we should note that Paul affirmed women leading in prayer and proclamation in church (1 Cor 11:5); commended Nymphia who lead a house church (Col 4:15), and greets Junia a woman apostle (Rom 16:7). In 1 Corinthians 12:28, he says, apostles are “first in the church”. What we need to recognise is that Pau in his age and culture, two thousand years ago, was seeking to subvert patriarchy, not endorse it.

For further information and to register, the CBE website, www.cbe.org.au

At the CBE conference Dr Mimi Haddad, the president of CBE International, the Rev Patti Ricotta who works against the mutilation of young women in Africa, and Dr Kevin Giles, a New Testament scholar will be keynote speakers. In addition, there will be twenty one workshops, covering such topics as biblical teaching on the male-female relationship, the abuse of women in the home, women in indigenous communities, women in church planting, gender equality in schools, and much more.

By Lynley Giles

Source: BUV News