Before we kick in I have to say I am sorry I have not finished the 'Practical' Blog series. I will get around to it but for the time being lets blog
life and what we are discussing in Church.

Things I wish Jesus never said (Wk 1)

(and the power and significance of them)

34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’[a] 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. Matt 10:34 – 39

Now of course if you just read that first verse someone might think that Jesus was calling for warfare which would seem rightly a little
unusual and as we read on we note that it certainly is not a military conflict Jesus is calling for but IT IS CONFLICT he is
saying will come relationally.

I am consistently amazed at the continual challenges that Christ gives us. For me this passage asks a number of questions.

In this blog I just want to zone in one verse 35 and the challenge it brings.

1) How Distinct is my life? V 35

Whilst the gospel brings connection and peace with God , the operation of the gospel and the changing values, beliefs and identity in our loves will and should cause 'distinction'. So often Christian struggle to 'be the same' or relevant but our greatest struggle is not really relevance but distinction. Am I different? Am I ready for that distinction to cause relational distinction? The potential for a life to make a difference is found not in its relevance (that should be assumed) but in its distinction.

If you read Micah 7 you will see that Jesus was quoting Micah 7:6. In effect we see in Micah 7 the potential feelings of a person of God and the isolation that can bring but don't worry keep on reading past verse 6.

Verse 7 says

"Therefore I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me" Micah 7:7 NKJV

Note three things in here

a) "I will look to the Lord" Where is your focus?

b) I will wait for the God of my salvation" - Who/What am I waiting for? What do I practically consider my salvation or deliverance from my circumstances?

c) "My God will hear me" - Do you still trust in his ability and faithfulness to hear you? Circumstances can crush our hopes but he is faithful and will hear.

The results of a distinct Life

a) People will not 'understand' a distinct life (it shows your different values)

In Luke 2:41-49 Jesus as a 12 year stays at the temple - after the confusion in finding him and asking him why he was there. Jesus said that he was about his fathers business but they 'did not understand'. There should be things in our life that are confusing to the understanding of people and offensive to their perspective on life.

b) People will be 'incovenienced' by distinct life (it shows your different priorities)

When was the last time your kingdom priorities inconvenienced the normal plans that people have? It might be as simpleas going to church on sunday instead of the footy. Not watching certain movies etc. which might pull you out of activities with friends? I think you can easily say the call of Christ inconvenienced even his family.

c) People will be 'confronted' by a distinct life (It shows different rulership)

John 3:17 – 21

It is not our place to 'condemn' the world but we need to realise that it is condemning itself and your life should confront that position.

Stand up and you will stand out – stand out and people will ask you to stand down

4 Life,

Josh

LifeCity Church Canberra

Im:practical

Stop being so natural

Im:practical – Introduction

It has struck me for some time both as a personal conviction about my own life and as a wider observation of the Church in general that we have increasingly become so practical, so contemporary, so excellent, so planned, so organized, so educated, so equipped, so missional that if God showed up in our meetings we might call him a disruption to our ‘order’, to the way we do things, no matter what that way looks like.

If God showed up in our contemporary church we would freak because it might kill our sound and set, it might blow out our time. If he showed up in the midst of that thorough exegesis on Leviticus that the academically trained teacher has prepared we would ask God to step aside as 'this is not the time nor the place for that emotional clap trap'. If he showed up in miraculous power while we were attempting to be missional, loving the poor, getting out there serving the least in a relative ‘no strings attached’ moment we would accuse him of trying some attractional form of outreach which is so ‘nineties’.

In the attempt to be ‘relevant’, ‘missional’, ‘community focussed’, whatever the tag. Have we forgot that whilst we need to be relevant, we need to connect with the culture, we are also a peculiar people, a spiritual people, we are a different people. If we are just the same with a cool band and cool relevant edgy speaker than why not just go to the pub band down the road and watch a video of Anthony Robbins.

I am not claiming that we have it at LifeCity Church in Canberra, to the contradiction it is a concern because this is a huge area of weakness. When Jesus came he was proclaimed as emmanuel, God with us. When he left physically, he left the Holy Spirit, the comforter. Why is it that whilst we know the Holy Spirit is with us, are we practically not with him?

In the next couple weeks I want to cover different practical people, of which I have been guilty of more than one. It is time to be a little impractical and more spiritual.

Coming soon – Practical Atheist – Practical Deist – Practical Gnostic – Practical Spiritual Socialist – Practical Spiritual Capitalist.

4 Life,

Josh

Co-labourer in one corner of the church in Canberra

LifeCity Church Canberra