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Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That….

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Psa 61:4; “I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever; I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.”
Do you remember the story you heard as child about the Hare and the Tortoise? How the hare, being one of the fastest animals around would win every race he partook in? If you do, then you’ll remember that one day the hare challenged the other animals to a race. It seemed like no one was going to step forward until the tortoise says, “I will race you.” Immediately there is laughter, since all the other animals thought that this was a joke. (After all, what chance would a tortoise have against a hare?) The hare, full of self belief in his own speed, takes a nap half way through the race and awakens to see that the tortoise’s slow and steady pace has him at he finish line. Much to his horror the hare can not make up the distance in time and loses the race. 
This fable from Aesop resonates so deeply with me for many reasons; one of which, is that the narrative taps into the human condition of “Just get it done.” God has created us in such a marvelous way that through our giftings and talents which He has bestowed upon us, we can accomplish so much. The potential danger with this though, is that there is a fine line between accomplishing something in our own strength and on our own timeline versus accomplishing something in God’s strength and on His timeline. We have been brought up mainly under the banner of, “You have got to keep increasing and moving forwards, never stop.” This prevailing cultural behavior makes it very difficult for anyone to wait upon anything anymore. Instead the “Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That” attitude sweeps across a hasty generation that often times has embraced a “Ready, Fire and then Aim” policy. 
Waiting implies a level of trust. For followers of Christ this equates to holding fast to what the the psalmist, David says, “I will trust in the covert of they wings. Selah.” Do we trust Him enough to simply “just be”, in spite of our obvious abilities to “Just get it done.?” With each passing generation I am convinced that we will find it harder to wait for something. Take the very scripture I have referenced today. It finishes with the word “Selah” (סֶלֶה). This word is a Hebrew musical term that at it’s core, means to “wait and pause”. In essence, to take time to reflect on what you have just heard. It’s a spiritual rumination that carries a sense of exaltation. Pause on that thought for a moment….. It means, that to have a “Selah” moment, is to exalt and lift up glory to God. God wants us to pause and think. And yet, we see that many of the newer translations of the bible (which shall goes nameless for this post) have omitted the term “Selah” altogether. Now, I can’t speak with full authority on why this is happening, but I put it to you to consider that it is just another “sign of the times”, that if allowed to go unchecked, this notion of not needing to wait or pause will start to have a major affect inside the church walls. 
The world’s economy says that a “plateau” is a bad thing and that if you are not moving onwards and upwards you are going to be left behind. In God’s economy that is a lie. What you gain through these times of “plateau” (a Selah moment in the Christian life) is of such high value, that you cannot put a price on it. Never despise a “plateau” from God. It could be the one thing that is about to catapult you into a new season. 
Selah…

Are Dubai-ing what they’re selling?

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Gen 11:4; “And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”
I recently had the privilege of travelling to the U.A.E. with OneHope for some program design sessions. These sessions were taking place in the city of Dubai. (A place that surely will become a missionary hub for the 10/40 window over the next few decades) I was joined there by a great team that was made up of ministers and cricketers of different nationalities. The aim of these meetings was to come together and design a Cricket Program that could be used alongside the Gospel in South-East Asia. There are over 100 million kids between 6-16 years old that play cricket in South-East Asia, many of whom will not simply walk into a church and hear the Good News. However, give them an opportunity to play the game they love and present God’s big redemptive story to them over the course of 16 plus weeks and you just never know what salvific work the Lord could do in their lives. This is a project that we will continue to appreciate your prayers.

After the sessions were over we were able to go downtown and see the city. So many buildings. I read a sign in the Dubai airport that said there was only 1 skyscraper in Dubai in 1990. Now, in 2014 there are over 900 and they are still building more. The pinnacle of their ‘creation’ is the Burj Khalifa (برج خليفة‎,). Standing at 2,722 ft it is the tallest building in the world. It is Dubai’s ‘Jewel in the Crown’. In all honesty it is hard not to stand in awe of its sure size and structural beauty. Add to that the water show that is presented to the passing masses every 30 minutes at evening time and it’s difficult not to take you phone out and snap a few shots. And yet for all of its grandeur there was something that ‘did not sit well’ with me. Entering into any city for the first time I ask the Lord, “Who is really in this place?” and “What is really going on here?” Every city is different and every city carries a different ‘spirit’. So, what is Dubai all about? What are they selling? Well, when I walked into the lobby of the Burj Khalifa, this was the first thing I saw: 
“I am the power that lifts the world’s head proudly skywards, surpassing limits and expectations.
Rising gracefully from the desert and honouring the city with a new glow. I am an extraordinary union of engineering and art, with every detail carefully considered and beautifully crafted.
I am the life force of collective aspirations and the aesthetic union of many cultures. I stimulate dreams, stir emotions and awaken creativity.
I am the magnet that attracts the wide-eyed tourist, eagerly catching their postcard moment, the centre for the world’s finest shopping, dining and entertainment and home for the world’s elite.
I am the heart of the city and its people; the marker that defines Emaar’s ambition and Dubai’s shining dream.
More than just a moment in time, I define moments for future generations.
I am Burj Khalifa.”
If these are not frightening words, I don’t know what are. The self-declaration of power, beauty and life force capabilities makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. In the Book of Genesis we see that the people of Babel built a tower for the purpose solidifying their collective strength; not much seems to have changed over the last 4000 years. In walking around the city of Dubai you are quickly aware of the fact that the ‘world’ is there. So many different nationalities and cultures are found in Dubai. It seems as if the ‘spirit of the place’ and natural tendencies of the ‘spirit of man’ are so hungry and strong there, that they are trying to reverse the act of Genesis 11:8 where the Lord did indeed scatter the people over the face of the whole earth.

As mentioned earlier, I think Dubai will in some way serve the church and its mission due to its unique location, but will the city become to opulent and amazing for its own good? Can it continue to sell itself to the nations as the greatest city in the world? Is it built on sand in more ways than one? Only time can answer these questions. Until then, are ‘Dubai-ing’ what they’re selling?

A Christmas Devotion #14

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Isaiah 7:14; “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a Son, and she will call His name Immanuel”.
During the course of these Christmas devotions we have looked at many aspects of the importance of Christ’s incarnation. From the fulfilment of prophesies to the response and obedience of many characters we see in our nativity scenes. Today I would like to look at one of the most important parts of the Christmas narrative. The Virgin Birth. In Christianity there are certain things that are at the core of our faith, that must never be compromised. The Virgin Birth, Christ’s Death and Resurrection and the His Ascension are some of these essentials. They are what I call the 4 pillars of Christ life. We must able to defend and understand why these are factual truths. Unfortunately the doctrine of the virgin birth has been both twisted or outright denied by many.
The book of Romans speaks quite clearly of the sin nature that we are born into due to the sin of Adam. Every person that is born is born into this sin, whether this is palatable or not, that is the reality of all our beginnings. Since we are born into sin it means that it is impossible for any of us to be 100% sinless. The wrath of God would only be satisfied by a perfect, sinless offering. No man born from a man and a woman could perform such an act, due to their inherited original sin. No angel could be our substitutional sacrifice. And neither could God defy His words to Adam that ‘the day you eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will die’ and simply create ‘another Adam’. There was ONLY ONE WAY. It had to be Jesus Himself coming to earth via supernatural means, thus avoiding the seed of original sin. If the Virgin Birth was not true, then ALL of Christianity crumbles. This is how important this event is. No one else has been born in such a way. Unfortunately, when you read the Catechism of the Catholic Church (490-493) it attributes the same avoidance of the inherited sin of Adam to the highly blessed Mary. This is called the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. To put anyone, even a women as great as Mary on the same level as or Lord is an erroneous. Neither is it correct to suggest that the ‘Perpetual Virginity’ of Mary is accurate either (499). The Gospel writer, Matthew quells this issue in Matthew 13:55.
This Christmas let us be in awe of the miraculous event that made our salvation possible.
No other person, no other way. Jesus Only.

A Christmas Devotion #13

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Matt 1:21; “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He save His people from their sins”.
‘Save people from their sins?’….. I have often found that many people think that they are ‘good people’ and live ‘good lives’ and don’t believe that they need rescuing from their wrongdoing. I am sure that this is not an alien concept to you either; you must have heard people say the same thing. Unfortunately, the reality is devastatingly different. We are all sinners at our very core and the seed of original sin is in each and everyone one of us from birth. Our hearts are naturally dark and evil and yet many people refuse to recognize this fact. They will observe that they have not committed any great sins, that they have not hurt people intentionally and are in no need of a savior.
Sin is ingrained in us so much, that even the youngest amongst us are susceptible to it. I remember when I was growing up that mam and dad wanted to teach me, Jonathan and Rachel a lesson in self-control. They bought each of us a plastic barrel with a twist top. Mine was blue, Jonathan’s green and Rachel’s was pink. Placed in the ‘biscuit barrels’ were 21 varied biscuits. (Cookies for the American’s amongst us). We were told that we could have free access to these biscuits, BUT, once they were gone, there were no more until the following week. Three biscuits a day should’ve been sufficient, right? Oh, there was one more thing; if you made it through the week and you had one or more biscuits left, you would receive a special individually wrapped chocolate biscuit. Well, I certainly failed this lesson in self-control. I think by Tuesday, all mine had ‘vanished’. Gluttony never tasted so good. However, I quickly understood that I had just forfeited my chocolate biscuit reward. Or, had I? I devised a plan that included me telling my siblings that I suspected biscuit thievery was happening and that if they allowed me to ‘watch over’ their biscuit barrel, I would make sure that none would go missing. Being the oldest I banked on them feeling safe under my watchful supervision. Mission accomplished, more for me. If only my parents weren’t smarter than me, I would have got away with it. This may be a comical family story but it shows once again that we ALL need saving from our sins, regardless of age, morals or lifestyle.
Today we have so many movies being churned out by Hollywood where the main character is a ‘Superhero’. Someone that comes and saves the day and usually mankind. Let us not forget that there is really only one Superhero.  His name is Jesus.