by John Mason | Oct 15, 2014 | Word on Wednesday
In times when you feel your prayers are not being answered have you ever wondered whether you are praying correctly? How encouraging it is to discover that Jesus’ disciples were aware of their need to know how to pray. Without their request we might not have the model prayer that Jesus gave them!
‘When you pray’ we read in Luke 11:1, ‘say, “Our Father in heaven”.’
The words “in heaven” are striking. They remind us of the understanding of God that we find in the great prayers of the Old Testament, for example, those of Moses, Isaiah, Job and Daniel. All of them understood God’s awesome holiness and majestic power. So, when Isaiah saw the vision of God in the temple, high and lifted up, his first response was “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips.” Jesus’ opening words in the prayer he gave his disciples, remind us of God’s awesome majesty.
But there is a breath-taking new dimension that Jesus introduced with his first two words:
“Our Father…” For his first followers these words would have been electrifying. While the Jewish people understood the notion of the fatherhood of God and had heard prophets like Hosea speak of God’s people being his sons and daughters, the idea of calling God, ‘Father’ was quite unknown. Nowhere is this found in the Old Testament.
When we think about it, the idea of calling God ‘Father’ is one of the surprising distinctions between the Old and New Testaments.
In his, Knowing God, Dr J.I. Packer asks the question, ‘How would you define a Christian?’ He answers with, ‘Someone who knows God as ‘Father’.
To know God as Father is an even more important and richer idea than our being justified! Yes, justification is essential to our relationship with God – we can’t reconcile ourselves with God by our own efforts, church-going or charitable-giving. But, as Packer rightly notes, it is not the highest idea of Christian teaching. What is most important is our being adopted by God as his sons and daughters.
Through his death on the cross Jesus has provided the legal and just way for God to adopt us. That is our highest privilege. And in this model prayer Jesus tells us what this meant when it came to speaking with God. It is the greatest privilege of all, to be able to call him, ‘Father’. From now we can approach the great, majestic God of the universe in a very personal way.
These first words of the Lord’s Prayer encourage us to see that this big, exciting God delights in us knowing him personally and intimately as his children. When I think of this, I for one, want to pray, “Our Father in heaven…”
by John Mason | Oct 8, 2014 | Word on Wednesday
A friend of mine here in New York once asked me why it was that some Australian friends of his hadn’t expressed thanks following an event to which he had invited them at some cost to himself and his wife. I assured him that most Australians are not like this.
However, in not expressing gratitude, these Australians not only revealed a lack of gratitude for what they had received, but gave the impression that what they had received came as of right. Were they selfish, arrogant or simply bad mannered?
Now, I have to be the first to admit that I don’t always write a formal note of thanks using pen and paper, as has been my past practice, to express my thanks for someone’s kindness. I tend to write my thanks these days via email. But expressing our thanks to others for their generosity or kindness to us is important, isn’t it. In giving thanks we recognize someone’s thoughtfulness and generosity, often at cost to themselves – their gift to us.
When we think about this, isn’t it all too true that we often fail to thank God?
In Psalm 103 David lists the goodness of God, setting out in some detail the ways God had blessed him. David may have done this, not only to express his thanks to God, but also to protect himself from the temptation to be depressed (something which he experienced). He may also have decided to reflect on God’s goodness to prevent himself from forgetting the source of his success and prosperity. He did not want to take God’s grace for granted.
This is an exhortation we need to hear. Consider for a moment the way we tend to treat God. He has been good to us in so many ways – he is never over-indulgent; he disciplines us when we need it; he doesn’t give us everything we want when we want it; and yet his kindness is great. He often gives us unexpected and good things – far more than we deserve (see Ephesians 3:21).
The sad reality is, most of us simply forget to thank God for all his goodness. We take it for granted.
And if we think about it, people who are often ungrateful are, underneath it all, thoughtless, selfish or even discontented. In their eyes, other people who receive good things don’t deserve them. A discontented spirit is simply an ungrateful spirit. To be thankful is to accept the situation you are in – to accept it as part of the loving providence of God. A thankful heart trusts God in every situation and thankful people are happy people and contented.
When we turn to the New Testament we read in Paul’s Letter to the Colossians that as God’s people we need to be grateful to God:
Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17).
by John Mason | Oct 1, 2014 | Thursday Thoughts
In response to a talk I gave at a Men’s Breakfast in the North-West of England a little over a week ago, one man commented on the explosive spiritual power that must have been at work when the gospel was first preached. He is a nuclear engineer and was using nuclear energy as a metaphor for the work of God in people’s lives. So many people positively responded on the Day of Pentecost and in the succeeding weeks when the Apostles preached God’s Word.
His comment reminded me of the work of God in creating everything that exists, through the explosive moment of the Big Bang. God perfectly brought together the materials, the power, and the timing that were necessary to bring into existence the universe as we know it.
God at work in creation and re-creation. God’s work of creation is a helpful metaphor for his work of re-creation, or salvation. As we have been seeing, God has done everything necessary to address our deepest human need – namely, to rescue us from death, the consequence of our failure to love him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.
God’s Spirit. As Jesus told Nicodemus (John 3:5-8) and as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:3, God’s Spirit needs to be at work opening blind eyes and softening hard hearts to the truth of the gospel. But there is something else: God wants to involve us in this work of salvation, not just by telling his words of forgiveness and hope to others, but by speaking to him about others. God wants us to pray. In fact, effective outreach always begins with prayer.
Prayer. The French philosopher, Pascal observed,
“God instituted prayer in order to allow his creatures the dignity of causality.”
And C.S. Lewis commented,
“It is probably truer to say that God invented both prayer and work for that purpose. God gave us, small creatures that we are, the dignity of being able to contribute to the course of events in two different ways.”
God made the universe in such a way that we can do things to it – within certain limits, of course. This is both an amazing and perplexing idea. But the Bible shows us that God has given himself the discretion to be able to act within his overall plan according to our prayers. Prayer is not just a means of keeping the lines of communication open with God, or even bringing our minds and hearts into line with his will. Yes, that is part of its purpose, but not the whole. God listens to our prayers and, when he considers something is for the best, he will act on it. Prayer to the Almighty Lord is a very powerful tool, a potent force.
‘Never give up’. We often lose sight of this truth when it comes to outreach. In Colossians 4:2, Paul urged his readers to be steadfast in prayer. He understood that effective outreach begins with persevering prayer. Both Paul and Epaphras, the evangelist in Colossae, prayed.
The first Christians were committed and enthusiastic in their prayers; it is one of the reasons for their terrific evangelistic success. It may have been that the Christians in Colossae had become apathetic – they didn’t see the urgency or the need for prayer. And that’s why Paul insists, Continue steadfastly in prayer… ‘Don’t give up’.
Will you join me on Wednesdays in praying for people who do not yet know God’s good news – friends and family, work colleagues and fellow students. In particular pray that in his great mercy, God’s Spirit will be powerfully at work in their lives.
God’s joy. Jesus tells us that heaven rejoices when people turn to the Lord. It is one of the prayers that we can be assured God will answer.
by John Mason | Sep 25, 2014 | Thursday Thoughts
At the launch of a new book by Australian political commentator, Paul Kelly, Triumph and Demise, Tony Abbott, Prime Minister of Australia, commented:
“Paul suggests that the relentless negativity of our contemporary conversation, the culture of entitlement that he thinks has sprung up over the last decade or so, means that good government has become difficult, perhaps impossible…”
Reporting the launch in The Australian last month, Rosie Lewis noted, ‘Mr Abbott said his government’s challenge was to “lift ourselves” so that the nation could see the political system at its best.’
It is not my purpose here to discuss the merits or otherwise of Paul Kelly’s remarks, nor the Prime Minister’s response. What I do want to focus on is Kelly’s phrase, ‘the relentless negativity of our contemporary conversation…’ For what may or may not be true of the Australian political scene, is certainly true of the ‘contemporary conversation’ about religion, especially about Christianity, where there is a ‘relentless negativity’.
We see it in the media and on the street. An important part in communicating God’s good news is to be aware of the negativity and to take on the challenge to “lift ourselves”, to use Tony Abbott’s words, so that people everywhere can see Christianity at its best.
Let’s encourage one another to practise Paul the Apostle’s words:
Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone (Colossians 4:5-6).
Paul’s advice to the Colossians has two parts – life-style and speech. We are all obliged to act wisely and graciously towards people we live and work with. So, if you hold a position of responsibility, ensure that no one can accuse you of unfairness, exploitation or harshness.
Blaise Pascal in his Pensées, wrote, ‘Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true. The cure for this is first to show that religion is not contrary to reason, but worthy of reverence and respect. Next make it attractive, make good men wish it were true, and then show them that it is.’
Furthermore, we are all obliged to answer questions people have about matters of faith. We are to cultivate conversations that are kind and gracious, yet seasoned with salt. ‘Salt’ implies sparkling and interesting conversations that can open up opportunities to discuss the gospel.
Questions. Paul anticipates we will encounter people who have genuine questions about the faith. In our day, the questions may relate to differences between Christianity and, say, Islam. It’s helpful to show others the clear differences between Mohammed and Jesus. The former led an army of 10,000 against Mecca; and in 637, after two years of raids in the countryside, his followers laid a siege against Jerusalem, starving its population into surrender.
Jesus spoke of his kingdom being not of this world (John 18:36). He neither took up the sword of battle nor called for an army. Rather, he allowed the power of Rome to put him to death. Yet, through it he won the greatest victory of all, for through it he conquered once and for all the power of sin and death. His resurrection from the dead guarantees it.
In this age of negativity, let’s heed Jesus’ words,
“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
by John Mason | Sep 17, 2014 | Word on Wednesday
Michael Connelly in his 2013 book, The Gods of Guilt writes these words into one of his characters:
Everybody has a jury, the voices they carry inside… Those I have loved and those I have hurt. Those who bless me and those who haunt me.
Commenting on why he wrote Lord of the Flies, William Golding responded:
“I believed then, that man was sick–not exceptional man, but average man. I believed that the condition of man was to be a morally diseased creation and that the best job I could do at the time was to trace the connection between his diseased nature and the international mess he gets himself into.”
As every playwright knows, no one is perfect. Everyone has a character flaw.
The greatest problem on earth. All of us, even the best of us, are a strange mixture of good and evil. One way or another, in varying ways and varying degrees, we contribute to the world’s problems. Is there any hope?
The greatest news is that there is hope. And the most surprising thing is that the rescue comes from outside, from the one who created us. Paul concluded his speech to the Athenian academia by saying,
‘In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now God commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all people by raising him from the dead’ (Acts 17:30-31).
Human ignorance. Paul concludes by returning to his opening words – human ignorance. In setting up an altar to ‘The Unknown God’, the Athenians recognized that they actually might not know God. ‘Well,’ says Paul, ‘you might claim ignorance, but the reality is God has never left himself without witness.’ As Paul says in Romans 1, God has revealed himself through the natural order, but men and women have always tried to suppress that knowledge. ‘Well,’ Paul says to the Athenians, ‘God in his mercy is willing to overlook your past ignorance, but ‘now he commands people everywhere to repent.’
Justice. It is a matter of deep offense to God that we try to live without him, to say that this life is all there is, to think that there is no such thing as truth. Throughout history God has been revealing himself and now ‘he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice’. We may laugh at this, but if we think about it, judgment gives value and dignity to who we are and what we do. If people steal and hate, terrorize and murder and there is no final justice, life is meaningless.
The Judge. So we ask, ‘Can God find it in his heart to do anything to save us from the judgment we deserve?’ The answer lies in the person of the judge whom God has appointed. It will be God’s day, but the judge will be one of us – a man whose name we know: Jesus Christ.
If I had to make a choice and choose a judge for myself, he is the one I would choose! From God’s side, he is the Son of God equal to God, to be honored as God. But he is also the one who entered the world as a man; who dwelt among us full of grace and truth. He lived, he spoke and he acted in a way that was different from anyone else. He loved the outcast and brought joy and hope to people from all walks of life. The Gospel narratives tell us that this man died for us. His resurrection from the dead demonstrates that what he said was true and that his promise of forgiveness, restoration and new life, is real.
What should we to do? We need to prepare now for the day when justice will be done. We need to prepare to stand before the all-powerful, whose pure holiness is frightening to see. So how do we prepare? By repenting; that’s what God commands. Do I need to repent of all my sins and totally change my life? Yes, this is how we need to start. Our biggest sin is to trust any other god than God.
Will it mean a change? Yes! But what we are doing is finding God at last. We will be giving Jesus that central place in our lives that he deserves. It will mean discovering that this is what we were made for and that at last we have become what we were intended to be.
