Tag Archive for 'Jesus'

Driscoll Burns Sydney’s Plastic Jesus

Published
by
LayGuy
on August 29, 2008
in Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

My highly anticipated event at the Sydney Entertainment Centre has come and gone.  Mark Driscoll’s “Burn Your Plastic Jesus” event was a sellout with 10,000 people treated to typical “Driscollonian” brilliance.

To say that he was funny is the understatement of the year.  He had the crowd in tears on several occasions with his take on Australian, and particularly Sydney, culture.  Curiously I did see some people walk out early in the piece - most probably thinking that Driscoll was all comedy and no substance.  Their loss!

And as you can see from the photo, I did get to shake the man’s hand after the event as he stayed back and had a chat and prayer with anyone keen to meet up with him.  I’m the tall guy on the left and my mate and Pastor is on the right.  When we told him we drove up from Melbourne, he was blown away by how far we’d driven - he has done his homework on Australia!

Not since Billy Graham back in 1975 have 10,000 people packed the arena to talk about Jesus!  Driscoll has been likened by some to be the modern day Spurgeon and now he seems to be on par on what Billy G was able to achieve!

But instead of elevating him to superstar status and worship him as an idol (and heaven knows how hard some can fall - check out this story on Mike Guglielmuci), I simply take my hat off to a guy sold out on the message of Jesus and the advancement of His Kingdom.

I’ve been listening to Driscoll for 2 years to the day of the event and have seen him grow in maturity,  influence and impact as he follows his calling as founding Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle.  Additionally his work in the church planting movement Acts29 and ministry in The Resurgence and various high profile connections with some of the leading theologians of our time, has elevated Driscoll to monumental “influential” status in Christianity and indeed the world - being recently included in Seattle’s Top 25 most influential people (and this in the city of Microsoft, Starbucks and Kurt Cobain!)

But push all that stuff aside and you have a guy sold out to his hero - Jesus Christ.  The “Burn Your Plastic Jesus” event was designed to destroy the false views of Jesus held by Sydneysiders (a bunch of Australians inferior to Melbournians) and to replace it with a biblically accurate rendition of what Jesus said and did.

Thanks to Dave Miers, here are the 7 plastic Jesus perceptions Driscoll addressed:

  1. Religious Jesus
  2. Bling Jesus
  3. Moral Jesus
  4. Aussie Jesus
  5. Country Jesus
  6. Spiritual Jesus
  7. Pensioner Card Jesus

It’s my personal opinion that Driscoll held back on his assessment on many of these areas - in particular the Bling Jesus - which stands for “prosperity gospel.” He did mention that Sydney has a likening to “Bling Jesus” in particular referring to a 11% increase in “Bling Jesus” denominations.  Anyone who knows Driscoll knows that he can’t stand the “prosperity gospel” and undoubtedly he was referring to Hillsong and like minded denominations.  But as a guest to our shores - he held back.  Which was kind of strange for him.

But his pictures of the various “jesus” stereotypes and his explanations had everyone laughing - except for those who held onto these views.  I was blown away at how much he understood our culture as he went through these stereotypes.

He then took a few mobile phone Q & A’s before nailing what Jesus said and did.  In particular, he addressed the following areas:

  1. Jesus said he came down from heaven (John 6)
  2. Jesus performed miracles
  3. Jesus said he was God (Mark 14:61-64 + John 10:30-35)
  4. Jesus said he was without sin (John 8:46)
  5. Jesus forgave sin (Mark 2)
  6. Jesus is the way, truth and life and no-one comes to the Father but through him (John 14:6)

These are taken out of his book Vintage Jesus and in his explanations, he trashed the plastic views.  Personally I felt as if he rushed this area a little and would have loved to see him rip into the Revelation 19 rendition on the reality of our Glorified King - as was printed on our booklets. His teaching in this area is some of the best bible teaching I have ever heard!

But by this stage, he had been talking for a good 1.5 hours and to an unaccustomed crowd to long teaching, this may have been a little tiring.  Additionally like a good guest, I think Driscoll didn’t want to come across too strong in his views as this was his first visit here.

Having a chat with him after the event, he mentioned that he plans to hold an Acts29 bootcamp in 16-18 months time and is meeting up with John Piper and Matt Chandler next month to convince them to come down for the event.  Now that would be cool indeed!

Overall an awesome night!  Jesus was glorified, Driscoll was funny and the venue was packed!  Check out the five minute clip below of some of his teaching including a dig on the Bryon Bay dopers!  Like I said, in his 3 weeks here, he nailed our culture to the bone!  Truly a missional mindset!

Death By Love

Published
by
LayGuy
on August 25, 2008
in Books and Christianity
. 1 Comment

Behind all the smiles and masks of many peoples lives lie deep and dark secrets of pain and hurt. Inside of us are truly sobering cries for help amongst some of the cruel blows life can dish out.

Way too often we are unaware of our need for redemption and for a fresh start in life. Is it possible? Is there a way to delve into the deepest and darkest secrets of our soul?

Is there a way to face our reality in a truly honest way - acknowledge our condition - and find deliverance?

Welcome to the heart of Jesus.

Instead of being a victim 2000 years ago, Jesus stands for redemption. He pays the price for all our mistakes, hurts and pain. He is in the business of restoring a broken mankind to what it can truly be - forgiven and redeemed.

But to understand the power of Jesus’ transforming nature, we need to understand what He is. Not just a “nice guy” or a “good teacher.” In Him, the will of God is revealed to mankind. And what’s His will?

“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:40

You may be going through really tough times right now. Deliverance is assured in Jesus. If not right away, certainly on the “last day” - if you believe in Him.

But I believe that this process can be sped up if we have a proper understanding of Jesus’ redemptive nature. And that’s why I invite you to check out this short video on the latest book by Mark Driscoll:

Is this resonating with you? Are you in one of those dark areas? Are you at that point where you just need deliverance and a helping hand? I know at times I am. I can’t wait to get my hands on this book to get to know my King’s heart for me.
In the mean time, here is chapter one. Hope you find hope in the story of Kate’s tragedy. And to my King, I say thank You for your passion towards those who believe in You.

Purchase the book @ amazon.com: Death by Love: Letters from the Cross (RE: Lit: Vintage Jesus)

Louie Giglio On Laminin

Published
by
LayGuy
on August 21, 2008
in Christianity and Digging Deeper
. 0 Comments

I love my Bible but I also love my science.  Many think they are mutually exclusive events - they cannot be in harmony.  But I believe that when science is pursued without any bias, it will always merge with the story of scripture.

I also believe that the average “christian” needs to get off his/her bandwagon and stop clinging to cliches about our reality.  A classic example is the literal “6 days of creation” - do yourself a favour and check out what “morning and evening” means in the original Hebrew text.  You will never be the same - trust me.

One guy who fascinates me is Louie Giglio.  This guy is sold out to God and uses modern science to back up his story telling.  I remember first hearing Louie speak at the Hillsong 2007 Conference.

He stood out amongst many of the preachers simply because of the fact that he was sold out to God.  And he is a powerful communicator in regards to the story of Jesus’ reality.  And the thing I like about him most is his passion for science.  Like I said before, “when science is pursued without any bias, it will always merge with the story of scripture.”

Having said that, I don’t believe that the Bible is a science textbook.  It’s far more than that.  But I do believe that there are no theories that stack up against the Bible that are scientifically valid.  Any that do seriously lack insight.

And no, I’m not one of those “dumb christians” who turn a blind eye to valid reasoning in the name of “protecting the faith” - Galileo proved us all wrong there.

A great example of modern science is the clip below.  Please take the time check it out:

Interesting indeed. In case you didn’t get that verse, here it is again:

“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Col 1:16-17

Laminin - a cell adhesion molecule - vital for us to literally “hold together” just happens to look like a cross.  Don’t you just love the creative genious and the humour of our Father in heaven?

Thanks Giglio!

Ready For The Harvest

Published
by
LayGuy
on August 17, 2008
in Christianity, Church and Digging Deeper
. 0 Comments

For some reason, I really felt God tugging on my heart tonight to open His Word as He had something to share with me.  As an experiment, I did one of those cliche things Christians do and just opened up the Bible randomly to see where it would lead me.

And my finger landed on the following parable from Jesus:

“And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Mark 4:26-29

Being a member of a small church plant and seeing new people walk in every week, this parable struck a chord within me.  Being a church plant in a poor neighbourhood of a major Australian city is tough work.  I take my hat off to my Pastor who planted this church 7 years ago for his unending perseverance in what he does for our little church.

But this passage gives me a glimpse into how God works in the lives of our immediate and extended community and provides me an awesome motivation to keep doing what we do at Church.

At first, the farmer scatters the seeds.  it’s his job to do what he needs to do.  This represents our need to be faithful servants in the matters of the Kingdom. Do our job, fulfill our duties - share the Gospel.  As the seed needs to dig into the soil, so our message needs to be relevant to our community - or else it simply won’t stick.

But the reference to “sleeping and rising” indicates a long passing of time.  Sometimes we want immediate results from our efforts.  However imagine how bizarre it would be to a farmer if, the second he threw his seed and BANG, he had a mature crop.  It’s absurd indeed.

The reference to “he knows not how the seed grows” is an awesome reference to how the Spirit of God does His work.  We need to get the message out there and learn to relax and rely on the Spirit of God to do His thing.  Those destined to love God will grow and will thrive - often without us even being aware of it or even understanding it.

But that’s cool.  Just like the farmer scratching his head day and night as he sees the seed he’s thrown sprout into “blades and ears and full grain” I think we should allow God to do His mysterious work in the lives of people.  And we should do this in the absence of anxiety.  Imagine a farmer peering out his window at the end of the day looking for sprouting blades and ears - he would go nuts!

But the stickler in all this is the farmers knowledge of when the crop is ripe - it’s harvest time! In his experience, he whips out the sickle and, once again, does what he needs to do.  And this is where I believe, we as Christians, should ask for wisdom.

I think it’s prudent to ask God when the harvest is ripe and when to step in and do our thing when it comes to the spiritual development of people.  May we have the insight to whip out our “spiritual sickles” and lead people to Jesus.

God’s in partnership with us.  We do our thing, He does His and then allows us the delight to “close the deal” in the salvation of human souls.  What an honour! And how terrifying it is to do so if we haven’t a clue as to how to “swing that sickle!”

My prayer for me and all those at our church plant is to have our eyes opened to this reality.  God is bringing people into our church.  The harvest seems to be on our doorstep.  May we know how to lead people to Jesus.  Afterall, all the mystery of salvation is in his hands - we just need to be available and do our thing.  But may we do our thing in the best way possible! And be expert “sickle swingers!”

The Lion And The Man

Published
by
LayGuy
on August 2, 2008
in Christianity and Real Life Stories
. 0 Comments

Lion3 Sit in front of a nature documentary for five minutes and you get blown away by how violent nature is.  Seems like almost everyone has a predator further up the food chain.

Some may think this is the way nature ought to be - after all, all the beast of the fields and the air need to eat to survive right?

I see things from a different perspective.  Setting aside the awesome wonder and awe of creation as it now stands, I can’t help but think that all of creation is slowly decaying and declining.

Since the fall of man, the earth and everything on it, has been cursed:

“For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” Rom 8:19-21

So think about it for a second.  Next time you check out a documentary on nature, realise that despite the beauty that you see, it’s been slowly dying and decaying.  Then sit back and wonder how awesome things were before the fall.

But our God will restore all things to the way they were before.  And we will see just how beautiful things aught to be in God’s perfect order.

One passage of scripture that captures me in regards to this topic is:

“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” Isa 11:6-9

Imagine predators and prey hanging out with each other?  A pack of animals - wolves, lambs, goats, calves, lions and cows - all led by a child as he plays blissfully over a cobra snake hole!

What makes this possible?  “The full knowledge of the Lord” will blanket all our minds - both human and animal alike.  Does all this sound too weird to believe?  I’d agree if it wasn’t for the awesome reality of Jesus.

A friend posted a video on Facebook which gave me a glimpse into what this might look like.  It’s a story of a lion and a man.  Hope you enjoy it…

Piper On Perseverance

Published
by
LayGuy
on July 29, 2008
in Christianity and Digging Deeper
. 4 Comments

Perseverance seems to be a bit of a buzzword in my life right now.  Deep down in my soul is an “echo” of the word as I struggle to meet the daily demands of life.

Even at church, the topic mysteriously landed on my lap.  I occasionally get asked to share a message and we’ve been going through the Sermon On The Mount found in Mathew 5,6 & 7. Lo and behold, I got asked to share on Mat 7:7-11 - which again talks about perseverance.  The audio of my message can be found below.

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And then again tonight as I was checking out some video’s on YouTube, I come across this little beauty by John Piper.  Too often, we choose the path of least resistance in our lives - and this also creeps into our faith.  As a result, faith gets shipwrecked and the hope in God fades away.

When the going gets tough, the tough should get going to God - He is the One that can sustain and deliver us from any obstacle life throws at us.  And if He doesn’t want us to survive that obstacle, He will be there side by side - accompanying us all the way.

I can almost imagine Him looking at the tears streaming down our faces as we face our obstacles and saying to Himself, “in My Kingdom, these tears I will personally wipe away,” - just learn to trust Me.

So in my soul, I’m beginning to thank God for the current hard times because He is teaching me an attribute worth it’s weight in gold - perseverance.  Check out Piper’s video below and I hope you are encouraged by it.