What Kind of God?

Over the last while we have been looking at the book of Acts in our weekly service at the church. While there is lots of really encouraging stuff to get our teeth into and take on board, there are also some really tricky parts.

Recently we covered Acts 4:32-5:11, which is a tale of two parts and since the second part is often a real no no for some, a God who strikes people, in this case Ananias and Sapphira, down ... no that cannot be the God we know and want to proclaim. surely?

The problem possibly is that we like the idea of a cuddly cute kind of God, who is all about love and goodness and a loving God could not possibly do something as harsh as that. After all who wants a God who disciplines and does hard things to correct his people?

One of my lecturers at bible college used to tell us that when we read scripture we need to ask"what kind of God?" and "so what?" God wants his people to be holy, right with him and as such things which pollute that or could cause his people to have very wrong ideas, need to be stopped short. Ananias and Sapphira thought that they could lie to the church and to God, What kind of God did they see? One that clearly was not all around and all knowing. So what? Well would that be a god worth serving, a god worth trusting? But God did know their innermost thoughts and attitudes, because nothing is hidden from him. As result they are punished - perhaps because the illusion that they had, would have undermined the wonderful generous nature of what was going on in the church at that time.

What kind of God? A God who is awesome, amazing and Holy, God who will not have his people led astray and so brings discipline. The sin being very public, the result being very public. Similarly God had dealt with other public wrong doing for example with David when he used his authority to take someone else's wife, and with Belshazzar when he used God's temple vessels for his own banquet.

So what? Thinking that we can hide things from God means we have a wrong view of who God is and there will be consequences with such an attitude.

As Gods' people we should realise that nothing is hidden, but all can be forgiven if we admit and repent, turn from our wrong doing. What kind of God? A God who loves us enough to correct and discipline us, as any loving parent would do. So what? Often discipline is hard to take, but usually, with hindsight we realise that it was needed and has put us back on the right path. God has what is best for us in mind.

He is beautiful ...

Some weeks back I was looking for some inspiration and a lift, in the midst of various pressures around me. Evening services are rare on Sundays in my locale and so I thought I would go further afield with Nicola, my wife. We found a church with an evening service, which seemed to fit the bill for us. Modern style of worship, preaching, contemporary songs ...

For us it was nice being somewhere where we were not known, nothing was expected of us and we could sing, take part and receive the sermon and think about it. In fact a song that they sang that I had not heard before really spoke to me and encouraged me to get back to early morning walking and praying and listening to God - something that has been a struggle when our dog was older and could not walk far.

We all need times of refreshing among our busy lives, we all need to set apart times to speak to and listen to God. It is in reflecting that we can find the deeper things of God, reflecting on our incredible God and what he has done for us. For me marvelling at what God has created as I walk leads me to be humbled at what Jesus has done through the cross and the hope he offers to all of us who will accept him and walk with him. Its in those moments that I think I see he face most clearly. He truly is beautiful.

Restored and Forgiven

On Sunday I preached from John 21:1-9, looking in part at the exchange between Peter and Jesus. A number of things come from reading this but the big one for me was related to forgiveness and restoration.

If you know the Easter story, you will know how bravely Peter had said he would follow Jesus, even if it meant dying with him. When the chips were down, Peter, as Jesus had told him, denied that he knew Jesus for fear of his life. A monumental failure.

So what would be our' response to a monumental failure or even a small failure, on the part of a friend, which caused us hurt and damage? Insist on reparations (some making up for it); public humiliation (maybe it might make us feel better); Ignore it and drop them as a friend?

Jesus did none of these things, didn't even mention it, he simply took Peter aside and ask him if he loved him. Oh, and in the process charged him to shepherd, look after, care for the church that would grow in Jesus' name.

Why was this possible? Well I think the look from Jesus post Peters denial of knowing him and Peters heart broken reaction at the realisation of what he had done, tells it all. He broke in tears, recognising his failure. Peter had made no attempt to make light of it as he met Jesus, he made no attempt to justify it, after all the rest had all run away. He simply walked with Jesus and was restored, knowing that he was forgiven, because he had faced his mistake and not tried to hide it or justify it.

We will all mess up at times, some more often than others, but recognising that we have should break our hearts as we realise that the cross was for just such as us and forgiveness from Jesus is possible if we can only admit that we got it wrong.

Son-light

The sun making an appearance in the last few weeks had me thinking how good it feels to have the sun light brighten things up. There is no doubt in my mind that many of us are cheered up when we are in the sun-light. Its why so many head of to warmer places for their holidays, to soak up the sun. There is warmth, a colourfulness to everything that it touches. The warmth that it brings stirs new life and plants shoot up and bloom.

A few weeks back as we drove home in a rainstorm, my wife and I were talking about how dark it was in the middle of the day, only to find bright rays of sun shine coming through and a lovely double rainbow. Again the light cheered us up.

We talk of Jesus as the light of the world, he said he is just that. A light that can shine through any darkness in our lives and give us the warmth that comes from knowing God. A song I like, reminds me of the fact that just as we sun light to see things in colour, the light of the Son can set our lives ablaze with colour as we begin to see things very differently.

Just as sun light warms our physical selves, so the light of the Son lights our spiritual selves.  For me that light guides my direction, my attitudes and my actions. Let the light of the Son of God touch your lives and see everything in full colour.

Jesus in the storm

You may remember the song "You raise me up" made popular by Westlife but originally by Secret Garden. There is a line in it that I think sums up life.


"When troubles come and my heart burdened be"

All of us have struggles as some point in our lives, storms to brave and overcome. Some of us can manage it on our own, sometimes, others need help. Understanding our need for help and having the courage to call out, to ask, is so important.

John Donne wrote

"No man is an island, entire of itself .." as he put down his thoughts and he goes on to suggest that each has impact on each other, we rely on each other. You can read the whole mediation here.

The disciples in the boat on the stormy lake, were afraid for their lives while Jesus slept in the boat, unconcerned about the turbulence of the storm. The disciples knew the waters, they fished there for a living, but the storm was beyond their ability. Jesus awoke, calmed the storm and peace returned.

The disciples needed something as they were beyond their abilities, sometimes we need help, from friends, relatives, even from complete strangers. Admitting the need is a strength not a weakness.

When we call on Jesus, all things are possible. Storms calmed, illness healed, lives changed. Recognising our need for him in our lives is a strength that will produce a rich reward. Life in all its fullness, life that will not be trouble free, but life that has the help that we need to deal with them and overcome them. Turning to him can never be a sign of weakness or failure but a sign of strength.