No letters after my name. Free to be me.

Nick Vujicic. Hugging Machine!

On Saturday, 8 December, our church had the pleasure of hosting Nick Vujicic at a community outreach event in Melton, Australia. To those of you who don’t know Nick, he is a 25 year old guy born without arms and legs.

You can read up on Nick’s life story here and marvel at this amazing young man and how he views life through possibility and not disability. You see, Nick has a strong faith in Jesus and it’s this relationship that has allowed Nick the mindset to achieve incredible things despite being born without limbs.

Now at 25, Nick is an international motivational speaker to students and the corporate sector all round the world. He has spoken to over two million people and everywhere he speaks, people are amazed at this incredible young man.

Be sure to check out his website for more info on this guy. And for all you Youth Leaders, (Stuart!) you NEED to get Nick to speak at your event. He has a unique way of connecting with people and he is not shy to share the Gospel in a powerful way. You may have to wait in line though as he gets over 1400 requests to speak a year!

Nick has a soft spot for the community where our church is planted - one of the lowest socioeconomic areas of Melbourne, Australia. Like myself, many people in our little church plant have known Nick since he was born and marvel in what we see in him.

One aspect of Nick that makes him so likeable is the fact that he loves hugs. Although it might seem ironic for a guy with no arms to love hugs, trust me, you get hugged by Nick and you feel it.

After our event on 8 December, the hugs flowed for over 2 hours and went well into the night. I captured most of this on video and put together this little video. Hope you enjoy.

Tags: Nick Vujicic, CityWest Church, Community Outreach, Youth Ministries

Jesus & Satan. Brothers?

As an Aussie, I watch the candidates in the run up to the US elections with intrigue. In particular, the debate over Mitt Romney’s faith in Mormonism and Mike Huckabee’s reactions to it.

By now, you would have seen Romney’s "appeal" to the US that his faith will make no difference in how he would run the US if elected.  Fair enough.  But central in his appeal was the reference to John F Kennedy’s "similar" appeal to run for election as a Catholic.  Here are some highlights:

Now let’s make one thing clear here.  I am a Protestant Christian with little regard to Catholic doctrine.  But much of Catholic doctrine ties in with mainstream Protestant beliefs.

One thing we do share is belief in the divinity of Jesus.  Yet Mormonism is Romney’s faith.  And Mormonism declares that Jesus and Satan are brothers birthed by our Heavenly Father (and the mother is thrown in for good measure).

So much of Romney’s speech is hidden behind this fact.  Of course Mormons could say that Jesus is the Son of God.  But they fail to say that Satan is also the "Son of God" - thereby making Jesus and Satan brothers.  Good cop, bad cop to the extreme!

Huckabee has raised this issue and has been ridiculed by the Associated Press (AP) where they use the "authoritative Encyclopedia of Mormonism" which doesn’t refer to Jesus and Satan as brothers.

But thanks to Bible Belt Blogger, the Mormon website actually states this belief in very clear terms:

"On first hearing, the doctrine that Lucifer and our Lord, Jesus Christ, are brothers may seem surprising to some—especially to those unacquainted with latter-day revelations. But both the scriptures and the prophets affirm that Jesus Christ and Lucifer are indeed offspring of our Heavenly Father and, therefore, spirit brothers."

OK, so let’s think this thing through.  Who cares about the encyclopedia account?  AP should have done their research more fully on this topic instead of attempting to make Huckabee look ill informed. A church website has more authority than any encyclopedia. 

From a spiritual perspective, this belief is just too bizarre.  You see, Mormon’s believe that when they die, each couple will be given a planet to populate and become the Father and Mother of that planet.  Their offspring will be the spiritual children of that planet and they will be the "God" of that planet.

God the Father and God the Mother of earth had Jesus and Satan as offspring and one chose good and the other evil.  Therefore Romney see’s the battle between Jesus and Satan as a sorry form of sibling rivalry.

What an insult to God.  The Trinity is thrown out the window.  Jesus’ divinity is reduced to being a sibling of darkness.  It makes God look like a horny spirit being spewing forth his spiritual semen into his "glorified wife" and thus "populating" our planet with little critters like you and me.

According to Romney’s faith, when he dies, he and his wife will inherit a planet of their very own and they will become heavenly daddy and mummy and populate their own private planet. Of course none of this was made clear in his speech.

While I respect the right of people to practice whatever religion they choose, what get’s me infuriated is when they try to use aspects of Christian truth to justify completely non-Christian beliefs.  Mormonism does this better then any religion.

Romney seems like a great guy and has probably raised his family based on solid principles.  And, seriously, I don’t care if he becomes President as there are a lot worse candidates than he. But in his "Faith Speech," he should have elaborated  more on Mormon belief as the people deserve to know.

As for me, Jesus is Lord.  To equate Him as the brother of Satan is disgusting and is against everything Scripture stands for.  But each to their own.  God did, after all, invent free will.

George W Bush. Unfit To Lead?

To those of you whacked out enough to read my blog, you know that I’m not a Bush fan.  Truth is, initially I was.  In the early days, I was a victim of the propaganda machine, largely propelled by mainstream media, and consumed by the masses.

But since I have not relied on main stream media to shape my opinion of what’s going on in this world, my take on Bush has drastically changed.  These days I see him as a neocon thug sold out to power, money and deception.

Today I cam across a YouTube snippet from Keith Olbermann from MSNBC’s Countdown program.  Keith is seen by many of being a liberal commentator, to which he responds, "I’m not a liberal, I’m an American."

Keith often clashes with Bill O’Reilly of Fox News - who is largely seen as his right wing opponent. O’Reilly I have very little respect for.  He’s a conservative thug who badgers anyone on or off his show who disagrees with him or his world view.

But fair enough, both are entitled to their own opinion - much of which I disagree with.  But today’s video is something I can definitely relate to. The fact that Bush is on the war path against Iran despite intelligent reports that Iran has abandoned it’s nuclear weapons program - really pisses me off.

In this age of censorship, political correctness and blind patriotism, the following video needs to be watched as a reminder to the world at what’s really going on in the minds of those entrusted to develop US Foreign Policy.

I’d be keen to hear your opinion about what Olbermann says.

Middle East Peace? Fat Chance…

I read today that Mr Looney Tunes, George W Bush, refuses to rule out military action against Iran despite the report from the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) that “Tehran’s nuclear weapons program ended in 2003.”

What an embarrassing slap in the face to an Administration hell bent on going to war against Iran to facilitate their PNAC world view. Like the illegal invasion against Iraq, Bush and his cronies are using every trick in the book to convince a largely gullible and blindly “patriotic” American public who have been conditioned to the “imminent threat of terror.”

The report stated that Iran is incapable of developing nuclear weapons till at least 2015 and yet Bush has been pushing the idea that WW3 is on our doorstep because of Iran’s nuclear program.

For the record, I am not a Mr Ahmadinejad supporter. The guy is a Holocaust denier and is hell bent on the destruction of Israel. Problem is, he wants to throw sticks and stones against a country considered by many as a military superpower.

Put aside the military might of Israel and you have the supernatural provision of God at work. For the sake of His Name, He is collecting His people from amongst the nations and bringing them back to His land. And His might is at work in the provision of Israel…

“Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labour than she gives birth to her children. Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” says the LORD. Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?” says your God.” Isa 66:8-9

The day after Israel declared independence, it’s surrounding Islamic nations declared war. It happened again in 1967 and 1973. The “give delivery” of God is truly a more powerful thing then the intentions of mankind.

Although the US is a supporter if Israel, at best this is because it is in their “national interest”. In reality the US really couldn’t care less of the well being of Israel. It seems as it’s the “expected thing to do” for an exiting Administration to broker a peace deal in the Middle East.

Like a “crowning glory” of a soon to be former President of the USA, each leader drags all Mid East parties to the negotiating table and attempts to bring peace to the region. Bush claims to be a Christian. If he really is, he should be aware of all the Old Testament prophecies regarding God’s land and His people living in it. It particular, he should be aware of the following scripture:

“I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.” Zech 12:2-3

Anyone with half a brain can see that the Mid East peace process is dead in the hands of man. Tensions will escalate to the point where “all the nations of the earth” (UN led??) will attack Israel.

But Bush seems to fail to understand this and his instead tried to implemented the “Road Map for peace” in his desire to “..seek a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians before he leaves office.” And after seven years in power, he now plans to visit the region for the first time. First time? What took him so long?

In the mean time, his rhetoric is increasingly anti-Iran despite Iran being no real threat to the Mid East. He fails to understand that US foreign policy is the sole threat to peace in the Mid East.

Like I said, I don’t support Iran’s leader and see him as a thug. But for the US to go to war against Iran is simply wrong. Iran is a stumbling block to the US’ efforts to control oil and it’s distribution around the world. Read this article for a comprehensive world view that will blow your mind away.

WW3 will be played out in the Mid East. My fear is the perpetrator will be the US. It’s actions will destabilise the region and it’s collaborations with Israel will make Israel a prime target for world wide retaliation.

But when the nations gather against her, Israel will be in the blessing of God:

On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.” Zech 12:3

When this Great War happens, it will trigger off the most amazing event in history. The Jews will finally have their eyes opened and look to Jesus:

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” Zech 12:10

I’m sure most of you would have heard of that Scripture before. But when you put it in context with the rest of Zechariah 12, you see that the events leading up to this time could be very close indeed.

Jesus said that wars and rumours of wars will abound. Specifically the nations will gather against Israel. God will deliver His people and open their eyes to the reality of their Messiah. And then it’s party time for mankind:

“But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!” Rom 11:12

“For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” Rom 11:15

So you do your thing Mr Bush. Why don’t you go off and retire now like your daddy and leave the rest of the world alone.

Tags: USA, George Bush, NIE, Iran, Israel, God, Jews, Jesus, Middle East

Muhammad - The Pig?

Before I get any death threats for the above title, I just ask you to not shoot the messenger. This post is about a Christian Evangelist and the toy pig he has called “Muhammed.” (Yeah I know, he even got the spelling wrong)

Bill Keller, host of LivePrayer - a TV, Radio and email Christian Evangelistic venture, has posted a video on YouTube in response to the case of Gillian Gibbons, who was sentenced to 15 days in a Sudan jail after being convicted of insulting Islam for allowing her student to call a teddy bear “Muhammad.”

Gibbons had been found guilty of inciting religious hatred and showing contempt for religious beliefs, her sentence could have been 40 lashes and up to six months of prison.

Now I could rant all day long at how bizarre Gillian’s case is - especially the fact that Muhammad is such a common name in Muslim countries. My TV was saturated with images of fanatical mobs in Sudan brandishing machete’s calling for Gillian to be executed. Just too pathetic to even dwell on.

But then you get a Christian response to the situation. Bill Keller, with an email subscription of 2.4 million people, posts the following video on YouTube:

For a background on Keller, here is the Wikipedia entry on LivePrayer. Based in Florida, LivePrayer receives 40,000 emails EACH DAY for prayer requests. A team of 700 retired pastors pray over and respond to each request.He wont be a victim of the recent Senate inquiry into the finances of Christian big wigs as he is paid a salary of $50,000 and is against those who “build bigger buildings instead of winning the lost for Christ”. So kudo’s to him for that.

He does however have a bit of a checkered past. Becoming a Christian at the age of 12, he started a computer business while in college and was convicted of insider trading - where he spent almost 3 years in prison. While in prison, he recommitted to his faith and launched LivePrayer in 1999. I don’t hold anything against him - we all have our skeletons.

But to post such a video in the current climate is in poor taste. As a Christian, I, by default, find the teachings of Mohammad to be wrong and see a race of people developing into a very angry and violent group of fellow human beings.

But they still are loved by God and Jesus died for every single one of them. And for a Christian Evangelist to post such a video shows nothing of the love that burns in the heart of our Messiah.

Keller might produce this content in the safety of his Florida studio’s - thousands of miles away from Islamic controlled areas. But he has to remember that there are faithful servants of God in these areas risking their lives to bring the Gospel to these people in a way they can relate to.

One viewing of this video and much of their work with the people is snuffed.

Tags: Islam, Christianity, Muhammad, Bill Keller, LivePrayer, Evangelist, Gillian Gibbons, Sudan

Driscoll & The Wink Club

Back in September, Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Church, shared a message at the Convergent Conference at the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

In it, he targeted the views of Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt and Rob Bell. While I have very little respect for McLaren and Pagitt, Rob Bell I don’t know too much of and haven’t made up my mind on yet.

But what bugs me most about this Emergent crowd is the constant need to question everything. For example, Rob Bell, in his book “Velvet Elvis: Repainting The Christian Faith,” he writes:

“What if tomorrow someone digs up definitive proof that Jesus had a real, earthly, biological father named Larry, and archaeologists find Larry’s tomb and do DNA samples and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the virgin birth was really just a bit of mythologizing the Gospel writers threw in to appeal to the followers of the Mithra and Dionysian religious cults that were hugely popular at the time of Jesus, whose gods had virgin births? But what if as you study the origin of the word virgin, you discover that the word virgin in the gospel of Matthew actually comes from the book of Isaiah, and then you find out that in the Hebrew language at that time, the word virgin could mean several things. And what if you discover that in the first century being “born of a virgin” also referred to a child whose mother became pregnant the first time she had intercourse?”

This is a disturbing view in my mind and totally contradicts scripture as early as Genesis 3 where God talks about the “seed of the woman” - way before any Mithra’s or Dionysian cults ever existed. Any serious Bible student would know that God is alluding to a mysterious event here as genealogies in Scripture are usually discussed along male lines and not female.

Furthermore, Bell seems to belittle the Isaiah 7 passage regarding the virgin birth in his attempt to address this issue and ultimately pokes a finger in the face of the Gospel account. To me, the pursuit to reach the unchurched is not worth it is you trash scripture. After all, even God exalts His Word - even more then His Name.

But out of the three Driscoll targets, Bell is the least of my concerns. It’s McLaren and Pagitt who concern me in their views and activism within Christianity today. Form your own opinion of what Driscoll says. Here is the iTunes podcast link for the conference and have a listen to what Driscoll has to say.

Well it seems as if the Emergent movement has had it’s feathers ruffled as a result of this and a series of bloggers have formed a “wink club.” Fuelled by people like Adam Walker from pomomusings.com, this group of bloggers are posting a series of “wink” posts at Driscoll to show their dissatisfaction at Driscoll for what he shared at the above mentioned conference.

OK, now here’s my rant. This wink club - take it’s collective ability and impact and it doesn’t register a blimp on the radar of influence or impact in changing lives. This group of “bloggers” are emergent friendly and tend to pledge their allegiance to McLaren et al and their rebellious questioning of everything done in the name of Christianity.

Sure, there are heaps of stupid things done in the name of Christianity and the modern church needs to change in order to address this. But to question scripture and to modernise it in a way to embrace all kinds of whacked out ideas makes this group akin to the mindset of the people from the ‘Jesus Seminar” where the Gospel is assessed according to modern ideas as to what Jesus actually said and done based on a humanistic and carnal attitude.

The net effect of this this movement is to assess the life of Christ and to categorise the probability of the events actually happening to red, pink, grey or black “beads” of probability of these events actually happening.

The result of this is that the vast majority of the life and teachings of Christ are ultimately questioned instead of believed. Bell’s quote above is an example of the same attitude within the emergent movement.

Driscoll on the other hand has distanced himself from this movement. Initially a part of the movement, he tore away from it alarmed at where this group was heading. He now pastors a 6000 plus church and is among the fastest growing and most influential churches in the USA.

Among the reasons for this is that Driscoll holds Scripture in high regard. He often gets slammed for his stance of “God says it, we need to obey.” Apparently, those in the emergent movement forget the words uttered by Paul:

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,” 2 Cor 10:5

So to the winkers I say;

I know much of what WE as the church represent is questionable to an unbelieving world and I know that we have been a bad example.

But in our attempt to converse with them, we need not attack those who hold on to scripture in high regard for even our God places His Word higher then even His Name.

For example, Adam at pomomusings lists a bunch of “ridiculous” snippets from Driscoll’s message and one of them is:

“If Rabbis don’t love Jesus, they have a bad hermeneutic.”

Well Adam, you are a student of scripture and you should take note of the following passage where Jesus says:

“You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” John 5:39-40

So if a Rabbi does not love Jesus, he indeed does have a bad hermeneutic. You bring that up with Jesus if you have a problem with that - not Driscoll.

You winkers amount to pretty much nothing in the grand scheme of things and have very little impact on spreading the Gospel. Driscoll does. So get over it.

Tags: Mark Driscoll, Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt, Rob Bell, pomomusings.com, Emergent, Jesus Seminar, Churchrelevance.com, Christianity