The Advance Party

St Paul often reminds us that God's plan is to have all His creation reconciled and living in peaceful relationship with Him and each other.
For example:

... God our Saviour, Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 
[1 Timothy 2 : 3, 4  KJV]

Making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 
[Ephesians 1 : 9 - 10  ESV]

If this is God's intention, then before the end of time, He needs to give everyone the opportunity to discover Jesus and what He has done for them.
Clearly that's not happening right now, so the time for the completion of God's plan must still be in the future.

Enter "The Advance Party".
In previous posts I have often referred to the Body of Christ as the Advance Party.
What do I mean by this description?
The Advance Party is a familiar term in other settings. 
For example, in an exploration mission, an advance party is often selected to go ahead and decide on the direction the whole party should take.
In a combat offensive, an advance party usually goes ahead to determine the strength and positions held by the enemy.
As a young Uni student I had a vacation job with a company that harvested and processed crops of peas and it was my job to go ahead of the harvesters and determine the readiness of crops by testing samples, the first fruits.

First Fruits of harvest functions in a similar way to its namesake in an exploration expedition (or even in an offensive combat undertaking) that goes on ahead to prepare the way for the main party (or troops). 
For Israel in Bible times, "First Fruits" refers to the first portion of the crop to ripen and was dedicated to God. They were a sample of what the ripened crop would be and a pledge or guarantee of the complete crop to be harvested at the appropriate time in the future.
Indeed, the nation of Israel itself was called the First Fruits from among the nations (Jeremiah 2 : 3)

In a similar way, Jesus was referred to as the First Fruits of the rest of mankind who are to be resurrected as He was. (1 Corinthians 15 : 20 - 23)

In the Scriptures the Body of Christ is referred to as the first fruits of the harvest of all mankind.

The Jewish Christians (Messianic Jews) of the first century were called First Fruits (James 1 :18) and were joined by Gentile Christians to become the Advance Party, the Body of Christ, of all mankind.

God is currently preparing this Advance Party for governing roles in tomorrow's world. 

For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 
[Ephesians 2 : 10  NIV]

To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—
[Revelation 2 : 26  NIV]

What a privilege to be called and to be trained to rule with Christ and to teach under Him when He comes in His Kingdom.
Others, not so called and trained now, or in previous ages, will be called and led to salvation in that glorious future.

Blessings, Barry

Other published Writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au

The Doctrine of Reserve

In my research on the views held by the ancient Church Fathers on the subject of universal salvation of all (USOA), I found something I wasn't even looking for.

Before I disclose my surprise discovery, let me share three related personal experiences as a believer in, and teacher of, USOA.

1. I had a very close friend with whom I enjoyed regular fruitful discussions about the Bible and church life generally.
He would always agree that the Bible did indeed seem to teach USOA, and that he would like to believe it, but it just seemed too far of a stretch and, in any case, contradicted what his church leadership had taught over his lifetime in the church.
He always confessed that he could not fault my exegesis of the Scriptures on this matter, but was unable to dismiss his longstanding position that was formed and frequently reinforced by decades of prior teaching.

2. Interestingly, in one of the churches he belonged to, I was told that I would be welcome to become a member provided I didn't share my views on USOA with other members of the congregation.

3. For over 20 years, my circle of friends included several church ministers of various denominations. One of them confided that he would like to believe in USOA, but even if he did, he would not be able to publicly support or preach it. Why?
Firstly, he would probably lose his denominational ministry position, and consequently his livelihood.
Secondly, he believed preaching USOA could easily lead some of his congregants to careless living and even gross sinning, because they might assume there were no longer any consequences for personal sin.

All three personal experiences were examples of the outworking of my surprise discovery in the writings of ancient Church Fathers - the doctrine of Reserve.

Although I had personally seen it in action, as described above, I had no idea it was a widely practised doctrine of the Christian Church, beginning right back in the second century AD.

So what is the doctrine of Reserve?
This doctrine teaches that it is right to withhold or disguise, or even deny, any Biblical truth if there is sufficient reason for doing so.

It was thought that it was perfectly alright for Church Fathers to hold or reserve the "deeper truths" for themselves, and to consider the people not ready for them. These were professional secrets, and it was considered not wise to confuse or confound the common people.

One such deeper truth that suffered, and still suffers, under this doctrine was USOA. Many of the Church Fathers reserved their belief in the USOA for themselves, and for other "doctors of divinity", but felt that it was not safe for the multitude, and so they taught them endless torment.

USOA is thought by some to be a recently invented belief used to attract people from our "everyone gets a prize" generation.
Not so! It seems the ancient Church Fathers held this belief, even though they were careful to keep it hidden from the masses.
 
Blessings, Barry

Do Christians Go To Heaven When They Die?

There is often vigorous debate about where Christians go when they die.
I am currently writing an essay on this topic, which may well become a chapter in a future book, so I thought I would share a brief excerpt with you here.

Most Christians believe they go to heaven to be with Jesus the moment they die, although I'm not sure many of them could verify that position from the Scriptures.

Quite a few Bible Scholars use Old Testament passages to show that everyone (including Christians) go to the grave, where they sleep unaware of anything, until the rapture or the second coming of Jesus (depending on the eschatology timetable they subscribe to).

To me, having received eternal life (Greek - life of the Age) MUST make a difference between the immediate destination after death of those who are followers of Christ and those who are still un-reconciled to God.
And Paul hints at this in various places .....

But I find an interesting hint in Paul's description of the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:14.

We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God WILL BRING WITH JESUS THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP IN HIM. [NIV]

Jesus can only bring with him those who are already with him when he is about to come.
These are they who have been separated from their bodies at death - their souls/spirits going to be with Jesus in heaven and their bodies remaining on earth to be buried or cremated.

When Jesus comes, he brings these departed souls/spirits with him, raises their bodies, and re-unites their body, soul and spirit. Being "complete" again, as are the living saints waiting for this event, Jesus gathers both the departed and the living to be together with him in the air.

He then transforms the bodies of all those being raptured into their resurrection bodies, as 1 Corinthians 15 tells us. These bodies, we are told in several places, will bear the divine image of Jesus.

And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.
[1 Corinthians 15 : 49  NIV]

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son
[Romans 8 : 29  NIV]

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
[1 John 3 : 2  NIV]

I wonder if Peter, James and John were given a preview of what this body would be like when they saw Jesus transfigured on the mountain.
After they had seen this, Jesus instructed them not to tell anyone what they had seen until after He was resurrected. (Matt 17 : 1 - 9)
Why?
My guess: because Jesus' mission was to introduce Jews to their anticipated, earthly Messianic Kingdom, and himself as their Messiah, they would not understand anything about a transfigured, heavenly body until He had led the way into that realm on resurrection morning.

However, I have digressed.
The point of this excerpt is to demonstrate that St.Paul gives a clue that those in the Body of Christ were in heaven with Christ before the Rapture, and therefore must have been previously, spiritually translated to heaven on the occasion of their earthly death.

Blessings, Barry

Belief Doesn't Create Truth

Many churches and Bible commentators teach that
if a person believes that Jesus died for their sins,
then they will be forgiven their sins and thus saved.

In other words, personal belief is needed to activate Christ's sacrifice for them, and so obtain their salvation.
Or, more arrogantly, Christ needs our help to save us!

This doesn't seem to harmonise with what the Scriptures say about what God has done through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.

First, our sins have been dealt with 2000 years ago - whether we believe it or not.

Jesus Christ, the one who pleases God completely. He is the sacrifice for our sins. He takes away not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
[1 John 2 : 1 - 2  NLT]

Second, God is reconciled to us and thus is at peace with us - whether we believe it or not.

For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them.
[2 Corinthians 5 : 19  NLT]

Third, God intends everyone to know these truths and live in unity and harmony with him and his creation forever - whether we believe it or not.

... God our Savior, who wants (intends) everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.
[1 Timothy 2 : 3 - 4   NLT]
God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.
[Ephesians 1 : 9 - 10  NLT]

Belief doesn't create these truths.
Creatures like you and me cannot believe the Creator's plans into existence.
All truths need to exist before they can be believed, meaning they are equally true for believers and unbelievers.

So if these truths do exist, why doesn't everyone believe them?

The simple answer is that not all of us come to belief at the same time.
Are you a believer?
Did you become a believer at the same time as other believers you know?
Probably not. 

God draws us to him, gives us the Holy Spirit and the faith to believe his good news at his appointed time for each of us.
And those appointed times will be spread across the eons or ages of time, not just in this present one, for all of creation.

Indeed, in this present age, God is only choosing the advance party of early believers, called the Body of Christ.
They do not have to wait till the end of time to come to know and believe the truth - as all others do.

Early believers are chosen and equipped to serve Christ in announcing these truths to the rest of their generation, so that those others still to be chosen from that generation will hear their call, be given faith and drawn into this advance party.

So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.
[Romans 10 : 17  NLT]

And God is still actively filling and empowering the advance party in 2022 - almost 2000 years after He began.

Blessings, Barry

Who or What is the Real Church - Part 3

Thirdly, the Church is the Community of Faith
We have discussed so far that the Church is the Body of Christ, the community of those who have been called or chosen by God for a particular role in God's plan for His creation.
(Let's not forget, with all this talk about the Body of Christ being specifically chosen, that God has also chosen all mankind to be saved at the end of the ages before "we step into eternity" together.  See the previous "God's Biblical Plan" posted in January 2019)

To perform their task or chosen role, members of the Body of Christ will require faith.
Why?
Because the gospel is pretty hard to get your head around without it.

Imagine trying to understand the gospel - the God of creation sending his Son to earth in a human body, His virgin birth, His death for our sins, His resurrection, His promised return, God being reconciled to us even as sinners, God's promise to reconcile all of us to Him eventually, etc.
It's way beyond what we would call rational. (See the previous "Is God Rational?" posted in August 2013)

We could not accept such a fantastic story without God's intervention in some way.
The gospel needs to be revealed to us - and then believed by us.

My understanding is this: If, before the foundation of the earth, God has chosen those who are to be members of the Body of Christ, then those chosen must hear the gospel (have the gospel revealed to them) and be given the faith to embrace it at some point in their life's journey on planet earth - the chosen need to be given the faith to act upon the gospel God has arranged for them to hear.
(Conversely, those who do not hear the gospel, or who hear the gospel but are not given the faith to believe it, have not been chosen to be members of the Body of Christ. Their salvation, their reconciliation to God, must wait until an event beyond their time in their earth-suits.)

Jesus (the Head) and we (the Body) have been given the faith to fulfil the roles God has given us. Both are referenced in this one verse from Hebrews.

Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God's throne. [Hebrews 12 : 2 GNB]

Jesus required faith to complete His challenging mission. (See the previous "The Faithfulness of Jesus" posted in May 2017)
and
The Body requires faith to embrace the message and embark on its mission (which we will discuss in the final post of this mini-series).

The Gentiles listened with delight and extolled the Lord's Message; and all who were pre-destined to the Life of the Ages believed.
[Acts 13 ; 48 Weymouth]
So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through preaching Christ.
[Romans 10 : 17 GNB]

Confirmed by Paul's personal experience ...

Though I was previously a blasphemer and a persecutor and had been insolent in outrage. Yet mercy was shown me, because I had acted ignorantly, not having as yet believed; and the grace of our Lord came to me in overflowing fulness, conferring faith on me and the love which is in Christ Jesus.
[1 Timothy 1 : 13 - 14 Weymouth]

Yes, we are blessed by our early calling but we are not to boast about our being chosen or our being given faith.

And because of God's gracious gift to me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you should. Instead, be modest in your thinking, and judge yourself according to the amount of faith that God has given you.
[Romans 12 : 3 GNB]
What is so special about you? What do you have that you were not given? And if it was given to you, how can you brag?
[1 Corinthians 4 : 7 CEV]

Correct. The Body of Christ is not special - just chosen earlier than the rest of mankind and equipped for a specific task.

Blessings, Barry
(Part 4 coming in the next post)

Who or What is the Real Church? - Part 2

Secondly, the Church is the Community of The Called or The Chosen
I appreciate that this makes it sound like the Church is an exclusive club - but it is.
That's God's choice, not mine.
You don't have to look far to see how exclusive it is, how few might be in the Body of Christ compared to how many who are not, just in the place where you live.

(But keep reading to the final post in this mini-series to discover why this smallish group has been chosen to receive its calling before the eventual reconciliation of the remainder at the consummation of the ages - the called have a distinct role to play in God's plan for His creation.)

Reports of God's calling of those he has chosen permeates all of Scripture. Here's a small sample relating to the church.

Symeon has related how God first looked graciously on the Gentiles to take from among them a People to be called by His name.
[Acts 15 : 14 Weymouth]

James said this referring to Simon Peter's earlier comment that "God originally made a choice among you that from my lips the Gentiles were to hear the Message of the Good News, and believe."  [Acts 15 : 7 Weymouth]

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, to the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be saints ... [1 Corinthians 1 : 1 - 2 NIV]

He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. [James 1 : 18 NIV]

God has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.
[2 Timothy 1 : 9 - 10 NIV]

It is clear that the Church is a community of people who have been specifically called (chosen) by the Spirit of God to be members of the Body of Christ, and incredibly, that choice was made by God before time began.
That's how God operates - always choosing people, as individuals or groups, to implement His plans.
And we'll discuss what that plan is for the Body of Christ in a coming post.

Let's see a few more examples of God's choosing throughout Biblical history.
After Adam and Eve sinned, God promised that He would undo the curse of sin that the human race inherited. [Genesis 3 : 15]

After Cain killed Abel, God gave them another son named Seth (meaning the set or appointed one) as the one appointed to take the place of Abel.
God later chose Noah (meaning comfort or rest), a descendant of Seth and a righteous man, to save mankind when God judged the wicked in the flood.

Through Noah's son Shem (meaning name, fame, renown) God chose another man named Abram (meaning high or exalted father) to be an ancestor of Jesus Christ.

God's plan in calling Abram, who was later called Abraham, was to make a great nation of people who would be, not only the people from whom the Messiah would come, but also they would be God's chosen nation (Israel), a witness and example to all other nations. [Genesis 12 : 1 - 3, Exodus 19 : 3 - 6] 

In fact, Abraham was to be more than the father of just one nation, but of a multitude of nations - those of the circumcised (Hebrews) and those of the uncircumcised (Gentiles). [Genesis 17 : 3 - 6, Romans 4 : 11 - 12]

And what about the mighty Pharaoh, who thought he was completely in charge of his world. For the scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very reason I have raised you up, so that I may demonstrate my power in you, and so that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." [Romans 9 : 17 LEB]

And finally the words of Jesus as He responds to the grumbling of the Jews: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me should draw him ..." [John 6 : 44 DBH]

It is clear that one's calling into the Body of Christ is God's doing, God's choice - and His alone. It is not a choice that we make, no matter how often we hear people saying things like "I invited Jesus into my heart" and "I decided to become a Christian" or "I decided to give Christianity a go". It is not an "I" decision at all: it is solely God's choice as to whom He calls into the Body of Christ. 
Interestingly, C.S.Lewis admits he was dragged into the church kicking and screaming, definitely not his choosing at the time.

To finish, an interesting point from the Greek of the New Testament.
The word klesis is translated in English as 'a calling' and the word ekklesia is translated as 'church' or assembly.
Notice the similarity between these Greek words demonstrating that the church consists of those who have received a calling by God.

Blessings, Barry
(Part 3 coming in the next post)

Are We In the Last Days?

This topic is not directly relevant to the exploration of God's extravagant grace that is the major focus of my book, blog and website.
However, I am asked this question often so I will answer it and place the question and my answer on the website under the "Questions" link.

So my answer? - Maybe, no, and I don't think so.

If the question is referring to the last days of the church age, then my answer is "maybe"; if it's referring to the last days of the world, then my answer is "no".
And if the question is referring to the last days mentioned frequently in the Bible, then my answer is "I don't think so".

The Last Days of the Church Age
I'm not sure we can find many clues from the Scriptures regarding the last days of the church age.
During the age in which we are currently living, God has put national Israel to one side whilst he gathers the Body of Christ (the Church) from all nations (including Israel).
God has these members already chosen and gives them faith when they hear the gospel so they become believers and the first fruits of the full harvest which is to be completed at the end of the ages.

So the church age will end when the final member of the Body of Christ has been added, and God turns his attention again to national Israel.
And only God knows when that will be because only he knows whom he has predestined to be in the Body of Christ.
So are we in the last days of the church age? ... Maybe ... but who knows but God alone?

The Last Days of the World
From my comments above it is clear than there is still an age or time to come when God deals with, and saves, national Israel. (Romans 11 : 25 - 27)
So are we in the last days of the world? ... No ... there is still much more to come.

The Last Days Mentioned in the Bible
There are many references to the last days in the Scriptures: but they don't appear to be referring to our church age or to the end of the world.
Let's take a look at some of them and see if we can determine to whom they might refer.

On the Day of Pentecost, Peter is explaining why the disciples are behaving in such a strange way:

These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!
No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
‘In the last days, God says,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your young men will see visions,
    your old men will dream dreams.'
[Acts 2 : 15 - 17 NIV, this event occurred in the 30's AD]

Peter was aware that this gathering was taking place "in the last days".
He was implying that "we are in the last days right now".

Paul was equally aware of the days they were in.
In summing up some warnings from Israel's history, he said:

Now these things happened to those people as an example, but are written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come.
[1 Corinthians 10 : 11 LEB, written in the 50's AD]

The writer to the Hebrews also described Jesus' visit as being at the end of the ages:

For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf,
and not in order that he can offer himself many times, as the high priest enters into the sanctuary year by year with blood not his own,
since it would have been necessary for him to suffer many times from the foundation of the world, but now he has appeared once at the end of the ages for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself.
[Hebrews 9 : 24 - 26 LEB, written in the 60's AD]

John was even more precise when he wrote:

Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come.
This is how we know it is the last hour.
[1 John 2 : 18 NIV, written in the 60's AD]

The time in which the New Testament writers (and the early Church) lived was variously described as the end of the ages, the last days and even the last hour.
So, the question becomes: the end of what ages, the last days of what, the last hour of what?
I believe they were in the last days of the Old Covenant era - the ages that culminated in 70 AD with the destruction of Jerusalem.

So are we in the last days referred to in the Bible?  I don't think so - they have long gone.

Blessings, Barry



 

God Still Has Work for Me Here

A very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous new year to you all.

Our celebration of Christmas at St.Luke's has been well-attended and God-honouring, very different from all the Santa stuff and happy holidays emphasis of our increasingly secular world.

I am looking forward to 2018 for a fresh start on a number of fronts.
As you are probably aware my blog has not been very active recently, but I hope to change that in 2018.

In the second half of 2016 I had a major back operation and, while still doing rehab from that, I had a quintuple by-pass operation in early 2017, which gave me a good dose of "can't-be-bothered-ness" for most of 2017. (I have been doing the things that just had to be done, but not the things that I usually choose to do.)

So, I am letting you know I am still here, and looking forward to being re-energised and re-motivated and continuing/completing the several projects God has given me since returning to Geelong 8 years ago.

It might take a little while to find and sort my notes and refresh my memory of where I was heading with my new book, website and blog, but I started that task today and hope to complete it before we get too far into the new year.

Looking forward to connecting with you again soon.
Blessings, Barry

Addition to Chapter 7 of The Really Good News About God

Hi Everyone
It's a long time since I added anything to the blog - I have been totally consumed with finishing and editing the book, and building its companion website.
I have made several changes during the editing stage - mostly small things prompted by your feedback, copy editing changes and the like.
However, I have added a new piece (below) to pages 168 and 169 of the pdf I sent to my reviewers to expand the way Choice Three could be actioned by the reader.
Please have a read and suggest any improvements for me (within a couple of days).

(Page 168)

So here's my question.

What are you going to do with the gift of faith that God has given you?

What are you going to do now that you know and believe that ….

God genuinely and unconditionally loves you,

Jesus has dealt with your sins,

God has completely forgiven you, holds nothing against you, and

has opened the door for you to enjoy life in union with Jesus forever.

Remember the Bible says that …..

There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus.

[ Romans 8 : 1 GNT ]

(Page 169)

Well, you have quite a few options.

First, you could totally ignore what you now know and what you have come to believe.

That will leave you exactly where you are, living the same life you have been living up till now.

Second, you could say, “That's good news. I think I'll sit on that for a while and see how I feel about it next week.”

Thirdly, you could say, “Wowweeee, how good is that? Thank you God for doing all that for me.”

You could then accept God's invitation to live in union with Jesus Christ, the One who paid for your sins, and learn to follow his way of life.

If this third one is your choice, then here are some suggestions for what you might do next.

• Seek out a Christian church in your locality that believes and teaches what you have now discovered about God and his plans, and become involved in its life and mission. (It doesn’t matter what denomination it is, nor what label is above its front door.)
• If you can’t find a church which teaches a God of unconditional love and supreme sovereignty, and a Saviour who will be 100% successful in his mission, then try to find one that will allow you to freely believe and talk about these things and still be fully involved in its life and mission. (I belong to a church like that. Several of us believe as you now do, but some don’t. However, everyone is accepted and acceptable, and we enjoy a great unity and freedom which embraces our diversity and respects people at all stages of life’s faith journey.)
• If you don’t feel brave enough to begin this search on your own, find someone you know who is also serious about being a Christ-follower and ask them to explore the church scene with you.
• If you can’t find someone to accompany you, ask God to bring someone like that into your life. (I found a someone like that at a local hotel. God has his people everywhere.)
• If you wish, you may write to me at goodnews@ibtechservices.com.au and I could share some hints about exploring your church landscape with you.
  
  
    

Any comments please? 
Blessings Barry

Progress Report on Finding a Local Church

It's a month since I last posted about this, so I should keep you up to date.  
(Actually it's a month since I posted about anything.  But I warned you that the rest of this year would be pretty thin pickings ..... )

We have been attending the church I mentioned for six or seven weeks now and getting to know a growing number of the congregation. 
The church is warm and friendly and we have been made very welcome.
One box ticked.

Within the church there is a wide range of views and opinions - moral, social and theological - but nobody seems to be side-lined because of the differences.  
I feel that we could say whatever we think about almost anything without being ostracised or asked to shut up. 
This is so refreshing, and suits me really well.  Mature, unemotional discussion of different views on Biblical topics is not encouraged in many churches, especially in those that were "established" to promote or defend a particular doctrinal position or practice.  
Indeed if all churches were like this one in this regard we wouldn't need a new church or a new denomination for every different thought or opinion that exists or emerges.
As you know "churchianity" is not my game, so I am pretty fussy when it comes to finding a group of Christians (a church) with whom I can worship and serve God comfortably and freely, and who will accept people who hold different points of view (that can be substantiated from Scripture).
Another box ticked.

I caught up with the minister for a chat at the church manse yesterday.
He is a very different person to me.  Indeed, I have not served with another quite like him nor been pastored by one like him. 
He announced to the church last Sunday that he was a universalist (and no-one seemed to blink) and that the "coming of Jesus" is more a series of comings of Jesus, some past, some present, some future. 
So as different as we are, we are clearly on the same page in many things.
He is a wonderful man of God who will stretch me in new areas and wrestle with me in old ones.
Another box ticked.

The church is also very different to any we have been associated with previously. 
It's a liturgical church, bases its corporate life on a common lectionary which celebrates the "standard" church seasons, and has a strong 'social justice' emphasis and a multitude of active connections with the local community.
Those who know our Christian and church history will be wondering how we ever came to be even considering a church like this, led by a minister such as this, but we are sensing that God is moving us into a church family that will love us and teach and challenge us in fresh ways that will round out our preparation for service in the kingdom.
Another box ticked.

Will post again in a week or so when we take the final step and "apply" to belong.
Blessings, Barry

Progress on Finding a Church Home.

Back in February I posted "Can You Recommend a Good Church?" in this blog.

I described a good church, or a church that would be attractive to me, as one that believes and proclaims that God is the Creator and Saviour of the world, and that is preparing believers to be co-rulers with Christ in the Kingdom of God.

That shouldn't have been too big an ask, but it was beginning to look an impossible task until very recently.
I'm not saying too much just yet, but ..... we may be on the verge of finding a church home within mainstream christianity.
No names, no commitment, no final decisions just yet.
But in the last two weeks we have uncovered a distinct possibility.

Here is a one-liner from the service last Sunday.
"See how God loves us!
God loves us enough to swallow up death forever."

Here is another from the Communion service.
"We have come to share in Jesus' kingdom meal.
We eat and drink in anticipation of that great day when we with all people will eat and drink in the Kingdom of God."

And one of the main Bible readings for the day was Isaiah 25 : 6 - 9, one of my favourites.

On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine - the best of meats and the finest of wines.
On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people's disgrace from all the earth.  The Lord has spoken.
In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation."

I haven't talked to anyone at the church about this yet, but it certainly shows some promise, doesn't it?

I have also attended one of its weekly Bible studies, which was not deep, but very enjoyable.
Here's the Golden Rule for the group.
"Agree if possible, disagree in an atmosphere of respect for the other person, and always listen carefully and thoughtfully to your fellow Bible student."
 
Wow, what a difference in tone from my other church experiences since retirement, where I've been told not to express any views that differed from the church's published views as that would cause confusion and division, and would undermine the leadership.
(Undermining the Bible didn't seem to cause the same sort of problem.)

Anyway, there's a ray of hope in this town that we'll continue to explore.  I am beginning to look forward to "going to church" again.
Keep you posted.

Blessings, Barry

Starting Riots

Sometimes, all I have to do to start a riot is quote Scripture.
And I am most successful with church folk!  (You may have noticed)

Here's a couple of riot starters.
2 Corinthians 5 : 19 says .....

God was in Jesus Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not counting people's sins against them.

   What?
   God doesn't count people's sins against them?
   People don't have to pay for their sins?
   Everyone is going to be judged, you know.
   Barry, you're out of your mind.
..... just quoting Scripture mate.

Romans 5 : 20 says .....

Where sin increases, grace increases all the more.

Romans 3 : 5 and 7 express the same theme ....

our unrighteousness highlights God's righteousness
God's truth super-abounds my falsehood

   Really?
   That means we should sin more and more so there will be more and more grace?
   Our sinfulness helps people see God's qualities more clearly?
   God doesn't want that from us surely?
..... you've finally said something right, God doesn't want us to sin.

Why would anyone even want to behave badly towards someone who has treated them so kindly and generously.
Anyone who would do so, surely hasn't yet appreciated God's grace.

These scriptures are saying the obvious.
..... the greater the sin, the greater grace is and needs to be - and grace will always trump even the greatest sin.
..... the blacker is the canvas of one's life, the more brilliantly does the radiance or glory of God's grace stand out when painted on that canvas.

The world is quite interested in talking about such things, but church folk, especially church leaders, are quick to reach for their riot gear.
The Scriptures don't fit their beliefs or help them keep their congregations in line.
I should know - I used to be one of them in my younger years.

And the last bit of 2 Corinthians 5 : 19 says .....

And we have been appointed messengers of God's reconciliation.

Ah, that's the ministry I am enjoying, regardless of the riots I start.

Blessings, Barry

Who's Un-Biblical ?

I recently had a conversation with a local church leader about "my un-biblical views" that God is the Saviour of the world and that all will eventually be reconciled to him.
It was suggested that I should not be expressing these ideas around the church as they were unsettling other members, causing division and undermining the leadership.
Phew!

In my devotions this morning, I began reading John's letters and soon bumped into one of my favourite verses.
Speaking about "Jesus Christ, the Righteous One", the Apostle John says that .....
"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world" [1 John 2 : 2  NIV]
The Message puts John's statement this way .....
When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good - not only ours, but the whole world's. [1 John 2 : 2  MSG]

How clear is that?
Yet, most of mainstream Christianity, and particularly its leadership, proclaim that the perfect and supreme sacrifice of Jesus will leave the great majority of his creation totally unaffected as it rushes headlong toward eternal torment and destruction.
And, by the way, while being carefully supervised by the God of love.

All this just reinforces what I decided some time ago - my views are more un-churchical than un-biblical.
It's getting more and more difficult to keep attending church and keep smiling.
If only those pastor/shepherds would care enough for me to show me the errors of my ways and put me on the right path, instead of just telling me to be quiet.

..... still looking for a good church .....

Blessings, Barry

Can You Recommend a Good Church?

Some of you will know I have struggled with the "institutional church" for much of my life.
Sure there have been some exceptions, but generally speaking mainstream christianity leaves me frustrated.

So it was a great surprise towards the end of my working life that God called me to pastor a small church and lead a state-wide restructure of the denomination of which that church was a part.

But apart from those rare times when I could make a contribution to the way the church worked and to what it believed, church involvement was (and still is) a huge struggle.

I often ask myself why this is so, since so many of my friends enjoy church and are heavily involved in its activities, and have finally been able to articulate my reasons in just one simple sentence.

For a church to be attractive to me
it needs to be

• believing and proclaiming the good news that God is the Creator and Saviour of the world

and

• preparing believers for their priestly function in the coming kingdom age.

The ways in which a church might do these things can be as varied as it likes, but if these goals are not being achieved, or at least being genuinely desired, then it will never attract me.

Many churches do good things of various sorts for their members and the communities in which they are located, and would therefore qualify as good social or community clubs.
But I am sure Jesus did not establish his church to be a social club, nor did Paul believe a social club would make God's wisdom known to the authorities in the heavens.

I hope you have found and are involved in a good church - I'm still looking for one.

Blessings, Barry