Andrew space: Church life

The three modes of Chinese church growth

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:13:32 GMT

How do Chinese churches grow? Primarily through relationships. From my observation of Chinese churches, there are three main modes of growth, each of which makes use of a different sort of relationship. And as a Chinese church matures, you will see it taking on more of these modes of growth.

Chinese churches usually start off with a core group of families who are passionate about growing their church. Usually these are young families with young children, and they naturally reach out best to other young families in their own circle of contacts. And as they share the gospel with other parents, naturally they will also reach that entire family, and that family will also join the church. This is the first mode of growth - and this is why Chinese churches grow very fast in their early years. It's because whole families are being added to their numbers by a core group of families passionate for evangelism. This kind of growth tapers off after a while as passionate families exhaust their circle of family contacts.

As the children of the families get older, there opens up a new mode of growth. In high school or university these children begin to 'own' their own faith, instead of just being brought along to church by their parents. They learn about evangelism, and begin to share the gospel with their own friends. While this second mode of growth usually begins in high school or university, it continues on as these children go through each successive phase of life. So when they leave high school to join university they meet a whole new lot of friends they can start sharing the gospel to. When they start work, again, a new set of friends. When they marry and have children, again, a new set of friends through their playgroup. This adds individual friends one by one, so growth by this mode is slower.

While the second mode of growth adds individuals from new families, it struggles at reaching the rest of those families, particularly non Christian fathers and mothers. This is because Chinese parents generally aren't very receptive to being told by their children that their religious convictions for their whole lives have been wrong! This is when the third mode of growth becomes important. Because while non Christian parents are not receptive to hearing the gospel from their kids, they are much more receptive to hearing it from people their own age, and of their own culture. In this third mode of growth, parents who are passionate about evangelism need to be connected up with non Christian parents of church kids. This kind of growth is much harder to achieve, as it takes some communication and understanding between age groups - all the other kinds of growth can just happen by the 'oldies' doing their thing, or the 'young people' doing their thing!

Now, there is a fourth mode of growth, which is biological growth. This is when young people marry and begin having children of their own... But that'll just make my diagrams far too complicated. Stick with these three for now.

Bear in mind that these are modes, and not stages. You don't leave one stage behind and move on to another - you add new modes of growth to your church. While the youth in your church kicks off the second mode of growth, the first mode should still keep on happening to some extent, although practically speaking, people will exhaust their circle of relationships after a while. This is why Chinese churches need to become proficient at the third mode of growth - to make use of the new family contacts that your church has made over the years!

[ PS: what modes are your church operating on at the moment? ]

How parenting is like holding a spring

Fri, 09 May 2008 04:49:02 GMT

Parenting is like holding a strong spring in the palm of your hand. You want to keep the spring in the same place for as long as possible - but how do you do this?

One way is to squeeze the spring very tightly, to make sure it doesn't escape anywhere. And so you squeeze and you squeeze, trying to control it - but sooner or later, one of two things will happen. Either you will get tired and your hands will weaken, or the spring will slip out from between your fingers and escape. And when either of those two things happen, what we discover to our dismay is that the spring doesn't stay where you want it to! Instead, it suddenly jumps out of our reach and rolls far away!

Parents do have the responsibility of raising children into adults who love and fear the Lord. But some parents approach that task by trying to control their young-adult children very tightly - what they study, how they spend their time, what friends they shall have. And their aim is to keep their young-adult children right where they want them - in the right career path, under their roof, and in the same church!

But what often happens is that once their young-adult children find their freedom - perhaps by getting their own car, or by buying a flat and moving out of home - they sometimes go very far away from their parents. Conflicts in the home can sometimes lead to young-adult children springing very far away from us. And it's almost as though the effort that the parents have spent in trying to keep their children in the one place, corresponds to how far the children go when they finally attain the means of independence.

This can be very hurtful for the parents, who really do love their children. And it can also be damaging for the children, who now feel a distrust of parents whom they could otherwise have turned to for advice and support.

But there is another way of holding a spring - and another way of parenting young-adult children.

Instead of squeezing a spring as tight as you can and for as long as you can, hoping it will stay in the one place when we eventually have to let go, we should instead gradually let go of the spring. When we let go gradually, it is more likely to stay here, than if it escapes from our tightly clenched fist. And then when we can finally relax - or we have no other choice but to let go - we can know we have done our part to make sure the spring stays in the right place into the future.

In the same way, parents of young children do start off having to hold on tightly to their children - young children don't automatically know that a boiling pot is hot, or that doing homework is wise! But when children grow into adulthood, we must not keep squeezing our children. Instead we have to learn to gradually - and then finally - let go.

As we gradually let go, we are giving young-adult children increasingly more and more responsibility. More and more opportunities to exercise wisdom in decision making in the reality of life. It even includes giving them the opportunity to make and learn from mistakes, and to live with the consequences of their decisions.

This does not mean we let go of the spring all at once - this is also a recipe for disaster! But while they are under our care, we intentionally give them more and more scope for exercising wisdom, while protecting them from too great a cost. Sometimes their mistakes might even be financially costly ones for us! But this is merely the cost of growing the capacity for wisdom in our children.

[ PS: I shared this analogy with our pastoral team a few weeks ago... ]

Christianity on holidays

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 11:43:22 GMT

What do you do on holidays? You stop working, you stop studying, you stop doing all the normal things - but does your faith also take a break?

Over the years I've noticed that Asians who can afford it like to go back to Hong Kong for their holidays, usually in the December-January period, and usually staying for Chinese New Year. When they're there, they spend time with family, eat food, and go shopping.

Others who have been bitten by the travel bug may be compelled to explore all the unlikely travel spots, soaking in as many new experiences and border crossings as they can.

The temptation though, when your regular pattern of life is broken up, is for your faith to take a back seat. And so instead of meeting up to encourage and be encouraged by your fellow Christians, you would rather shop. Instead of allowing your mind to be transformed by the word of God, you would rather eat. And instead of giving to support Christian ministry, you spend madly, knowing that in a week or so you have to fly back to Australia.

And so, the Christian on holidays often becomes no different from everybody else. Their values, the way they spend their time and money, become so thoroughly indistinguishable.

How sad, that your faith might be so superficial, that you can be waylaid when you are not around your church friends. That it is set aside merely by the promise of bargain shopping, and the inconvenience of having to make your own way to an unfamiliar church!

Of course, Christianity is not merely about going to church. But our sudden change in behaviour when on holidays is revealing...

As Christians, we may go on holidays. We may sightsee, and shop, and eat - but our faith should never take a break.

It is still true that we need fellow Christians (even though they be strangers) to spur us on to love and godliness. In fact what better way to see how Christ has united people of all nations together, than to go and church with people from a foreign country, to see a national as a brother, a sister in Christ!

It is still true that we must remind ourselves of Christian truths - perhaps even more than ever, because of the overwhelming nature of being in another culture. Daniel and his friends, exiled in Babylon, faced overwhelming pressure to conform to the culture of their Babylonian masters!

And it is still true that people we meet on our travels need to hear the gospel. In fact in the early years of the church, the gospel was spread by missionaries like Paul - but it was also taken from city centres far and wide by everyday, ordinary Christians on their travels. It was probably such Christians who established the church in Rome (which was why Paul had to introduce himself by letter)!

[ PS: how do you behave on holidays? ]

Generations of Chinese churches

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 03:07:46 GMT

What generation is your Chinese church? Because Chinese churches aren't all the same! And as Chinese churches move into different generations, they face different sets of issues... And the generation of your Chinese church depends - surprise, surprise - on when it was born.

First generation Chinese churches

Now there aren't a great deal of these sorts of churches around. These were established from outreach to Chinese workers who came out during the Gold Rush, and continued to minister throughout the years of the White Australia Policy (1901-1973).

The English ministries of these Chinese churches are now leading the church, and are must now be responsible for growing both English and Chinese congregations.

Second generation Chinese churches

These were established as migrants started to come into the country after the abolition of the White Australia Policy. These churches were around when there weren't a great deal of Chinese churches, and so grew quickly, and continued to grow because of the flood of migrants that was to come.

Churches in this category that are flourishing are those that have worked out the place of second generation Chinese churches, having realised that OBC culture is actually different from ABC culture, even though there are some similarities. They work out of the principle of unity in diversity - each congregation proclaims the gospel, but they have freedom to do it in culturally relevant ways.

Churches in this category that struggle are those that seek to impose a uniform culture across the church - but then discover that the second generation now have their own cars, broader networks of friends, and the willingness to establish themselves in their friends' churches.

Third generation Chinese churches

Remember Tiananmen Square? And the handover of Hong Kong to China? These two events frightened a lot of people in Hong Kong, who then left for safer shores. Some of these migrants joined existing first- and second-generation Chinese churches (contributing to their growth). But some others brought their own denominations to Australia (eg. Chinese Alliance Churches, or Evangelical Free Churches), or established their own churches.

The children born to parents in these churches are currently working out the place of second generation ministries (ie. English congregations). Should they operate in exactly the same way as Chinese congregations? How should decision making happen with a strong, vibrant English congregation? The decisions they make here are critical for whether the younger generation decide to stay, or go.

Fourth generation Chinese churches

Migration from Hong Kong has now dwindled - but Australian churches have woken up to the fact that there are many Chinese people around, and even more coming in from mainland China. And so there has been a tremendous interest among Australian churches in starting up Chinese congregations alongside their regular services. This is because they've realised that there are huge cultural barriers for many Chinese to come to their normal services, and are now adopting missiological thinking (particularly the Homogeneous Unit Principle, or HUP).

One problem such churches face is this: where will we get pastors from who can speak Cantonese and Mandarin? A great temptation for them will be to import pastors from overseas - who won't necessarily fit in theologically with the rest of their pastoral staff, or their congregation.

Another problem is a lack of cultural awareness. Sure, they're aware that OBCs are different culturally from the Aussie congregations - but what to do with their English speaking children? Should they be asked to join in with the regular youth group and congregation? For most Aussies, culture equals language. And so if people speak Cantonese, they can go to the Cantonese service - but if the children speak English, they should go to the regular service. But culture is much deeper than language, and in order for them to grow second generation ministries, they will need to understand that ABCs are a different culture from both the Aussies, and the OBCs.

[ PS: where does your church fall? what issues are your church currently struggling through? ]

Sermons that you forget

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:03:46 GMT

Ever thought that it was wrong you don't remember every sermon you've ever heard? Ever thought that it reflects negatively on your own concentration ability, or the communication skills of the preacher that not every sermon sticks in your head?

People sometimes admit that they don't remember every detail from a Bible study group, or the Sunday service - and they feel bad about it.

What I want to point out here is that the sermons you hear are just like the meals that you eat. Sure, some sermons will remain with you for the rest of your life - just as some dinners are just so memorable you can remember every detail years later. But you won't remember every meal you've ever had - in fact, it's likely that you will only remember very few of them! However each of those meals was important in keeping you going for that day, that week.

What did you have for dinner exactly a year ago from today? You probably can't remember. How about that whole month, can you remember any of those dinners in January 2007? Well it doesn't necessarily follow that it was a complete waste of time eating those dinners. You may not remember them, but each of those dinners contributed to your ongoing health and vitality back then. If you skipped all those meals, you can be sure that it would have had a devastating impact on your life!

What about the sermons you heard in January 2007? If you can't remember any of them, I wouldn't necessarily be worried. Yes it could be something wrong with the preacher, or something wrong with yourself (see the previous series here, here and here). But if those things are alright, then it's probably the normal way of things.

The job of the sermon is to keep us going by reminding us week in and week out, of the things we already know. To sustain us by refreshing our forgetful minds of the riches we have in Christ, and the hope we have awaiting us when he returns.

Be aware, however, of the danger of wanting every sermon to be memorable. If you fall into that trap, you will be burdening yourself (and the preacher, or your Bible study leader) with an unrealistic expectation every Sunday morning. The logical outcome is that one we've heard all there is to hear, there's no longer any point coming to church!

Taking up the analogy of meals again, that would be like eating a meal of chicken, then one of beef, then a pork, then lamb and then fish - and having eaten each of those once, thinking that we no longer have to eat again! After all, why keep on eating something you've eaten once before?

But that's not the point of eating - and nor is it the point of sermons (or Bible studies). Their job is to keep us going - just like eating regular meals.

[ PS: more on sermons to come... ]

The lies of gossiping and slander

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 21:46:12 GMT

So far we've looked at greed and materialism, lust and sexual immorality. Today we turn our attention to the lies, half-truths and false promises of gossiping and slander.

What are the thought-games we play to convince our consciences that these sorts of thing are okay for God's people?

"It's only a small thing. We should worry about other things instead."
"It doesn't hurt anybody."

This is the minimsation trick - comforting ourselves that really, it's not such a big sin.

However James tells us that the tongue the last part of our body we can keep in check (James 3:2). If you think your tongue is easy to manage, you need to think twice!

Moreover, it's not a small thing - the misuse of our tongue can actually endanger our very souls! James says that it can corrupt the whole person (James 3:6). And as such, we can't afford to let it slide.

James actually has quite a lot to say about the tongue and godly speech, and will repay careful study.

"Everyone else does it."

This is the democratisation trick - everyone else is doing it, so it must be ok. However as with the other ones we've looked at in previous posts, our standard for right conduct is not others around us, but God's own holiness (1 John 3:3).

"If I don't also share information, people will think I'm not interesting."

"I'll lose friends if I don't tell."

This similar to the one above, but has an added edge to it that really cuts. We all want to be seen as popular, we all want to be regarded well by our friends. And we instinctively know that one way to be regarded well is to seem to know a lot of stuff on what's going on - to be an authority (as it were) on the goings on at church.

So when people come to us and say "did you know about xyz?" we can respond to them "yes I already know, but even worse was that abc!" And so we rise in esteem in their eyes - moreso than if all we had to say was "I see." The edge is that we end up being socially inferior if we don't participate. Once we put it that way, you can see that it may really cost you, to pursue holy living. And so you need to decide whether you want to pursue the approval of your friends (which is much more immediate and palpable) - or the approval of God (which may not seem immediately apparent, but is eternal).

Another thing this raises is the character of relationships we have with our friends at church. Are our relationships with others so hollow that we need to maintain them with gossip and the one-upmanship of inside knowledge? If so, then you must raise this serious matter with your 'friends', and reform the whole nature and basis of your relationship.

"But the things I shared are true."

Right - and this is the difference between gossip (which is true information) and slander (which is untrue). However the Bible still speaks strongly against gossiping. In Romans 1 for instance, gossiping is listed together with a whole range of things including those who murder and those who hate God! By confusing gossip and slander in our minds, we can delude ourselves to think that gossiping is OK, since the information we share is true. It's not!

"They really should hear about this, so that they can pray for the situation."

This is the whole thing of using time to share prayer points as a big gossip session - and is the trick of using virtue as a cover-up for evil. How terrible that something that ought to be a time of holy dependence ends up being a time of unabashed sin!

It's great that people would pray for others at church. In a situation where one brother has sinned against another, however, the way to help isn't to spread the news - it's actually to encourage them to get together for forgiveness and reconciliation, without getting other people involved. In fact Jesus himself tells us not to get other people involved (Mat 18:15)! It's only in later stages, and as part of the actual process, that others should hear about it (Mat 18:16-17).

It's a shocking thing that gossiping is a regular pastime of some of God's people, and is even exercised at our regular meetings! Have you bought some of these lies? Are you desperately using some of these to convince yourself that your gossiping is okay in the eyes of God? Don't be fooled - he isn't.

[ PS: can you think of some more that you can add to this list? ]

Things to do in your holidays

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 00:05:00 GMT

So. You're one of these people with several months' worth of holidays? And you've got no idea how to fill it up?

Be aware that these holidays are valuable. No other time in your life (apart from when you retire) will you have such huge slabs of time to do with as you wish.

Because when you start working, you'll only get four weeks worth of annual leave a year (in Australia) - that's only twenty days!

So if you have two, or even three months' worth of holidays, make the most of it while you have them!

Here then are some suggestions of what you could do with your holidays.

Katoomba Youth Leadership Conference (KYLC). This is a week long conference run in mid-January each year. They repeat the program over two weeks, so you can choose which week to go to, and is pretty much the best thing you can do with your holidays.

KYLC exposes you to great talks, and strand groups designed to help you handle the Bible better. It actually functions as a three-year programme which deals with exegesis of a NT passage (strand 1), exegesis of an OT passage (strand 2), and then systematic theology (strand 3). So to make the most of it, try to get to KYLC three years running.

If you can't make it to KYLC there is also the AFES National Training Event (held in mid-December), which is similar to KYLC, but also contains a mission component where you join a team that does outreach at a local church for several days.
Scripture Union Family Missions (SUFM), otherwise known as Beach Missions, runs at various beach holiday spots up and down the coast, where a team of people does outreach to holidaymakers (and locals) in early January.

Country missions (such as Cowra Mission) do a similar thing, but in inland locations such as country towns.

These sort of missions are things where you go to people, and do mission among them (often in conjunction with local churches).
A slightly different proposition, where you hold a camp and people come to you, are things like Kid's Camp, run by Fitzroy Falls Conference Centre. Kid's Camp is a week-long Christian camp in early January aimed at underprivileged primary aged children and does awesome coal-face outreach work.

Similar things are Summer Breakaway Camp also for primary aged kids, and Summer Youth Camp (SYC) for high schoolers.

The impact you can have over the course of a week is simply tremendous, which makes such camps so worthwhile.
Read a Christian book. Some good sales on at the moment at Christian bookshops. If you're the kind of person that's so busy during the year that you never get to read a good Christian book, then why not pick one up now?
Catch up with people. A lot of the best ministry can be done informally, over a cup of coffee. Why not meet up with some of your friends from church or uni, and encourage them along, or read the Bible together with them?

Yes, you could get a part-time job and work away your holidays. Or, you could spend all of it on the beach (or shopping in Hong Kong). But you only have such long holidays for a limited time - make the most of the opportunity you have now to do some of these great things!

[ PS: what will you do in your holidays? ]

The lies of lust and sexual sin

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 13:26:49 GMT

The last post we looked at some of the lies, half-truths and false promises that we allow ourselves to be taken in by when it comes to materialism and greed. It's amazing, isn't it, how many ways we have of sneaking things past our defences?

Today we look at the lies, half-truths and false promises of sexual sin and lust. This includes things like sex outside of the proper context of marriage, as well as lust and pornography. Here we go!

"Our relationship will last forever anyway."

When you're going out, it might feel like your relationship is going to be forever - but you're not yet married. And BGRs that feel like forever sometimes will break up.

"It feels so good, it must be right."

This is the argument of the hedonist, where pleasure is the ultimate good. And yes, there's lots of pleasure to be had in sex - but as with other things, it can be used in a way that honours God's purpose and design, or which ignores it.

"The feeling was just too strong!"

We're promised that we won't be tempted beyond what we can bear, and that God would provide a way out (1 Cor 10). However, we often do the most silliest thing by actually placing ourselves in the place of temptation, instead of avoiding the situation entirely.

"Everyone is having sex early these days."

This is the democratisation trick - everyone else is doing it, so it must be okay, I'm not too bad compared to everyone else! However our real standard is not what other people are doing - but the purity of God. John says that we will one day see God as he is - and those who have such a hope will purify themselves, as he is pure.

"I was born this way."

"I have to be true to myself."

The argument of someone struggling with strong homosexual feelings. And the greatest 'sin' in our world (taught by our movies to believe Maslow's heirarchy of needs) is to deny one's own self-actualisation. But by the same reasoning, a hetrosexual man who lusts after a woman should act on that lust, in order to be true to himself. Remember when Jesus called his followers to deny themselves?

"I'm only admiring God's work."
"It's only looking."

"It's a small thing I can safely ignore."

This minimalises (or in one case excuses) lust or pornography as something small. However Jesus won't let us minimise it. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus reveals that lust is as serious as actually committing adultery itself! And close by is his admonition to pluck out your eye / cut off your hand lest it take you to hell...

"It doesn't hurt anybody."

"It won't have any far-reaching effects."

These are related to the ones above, but have a slightly different edge - they have to do with the effects. The belief here is that no one is hurt or damaged by this act, so it should be okay. However lust and pornography have the potential to damage your future relationships. Once seen, you will find it hard to erase images and thoughts from your mind, and you will carry this burden into every future relationship.

"I should take / do whatever I want (sexually)."

This is the outcome of the previous belief. Watch enough pornography, and you'll start to think that women are there to take and use sexually - because that's what gets depicted! However in the bedroom, as in every other area of life, the husband should exercise loving headship, and the wife Christlike submission.

"It will make me feel better about myself."
"Just once more, and then I'll stop."

Something important that you should know is that most sexual sins acutally put us into a vicious circle!

What happens is that we commit the sin, and get an initial good feeling - but then begin to feel bad about ourselves. When we feel really bad about ourselves, we go back to that sexual sin again, which gives us that initial good feeling and covers over those bad feelings - but then after a short while, we feel guilty and ashamed...

Sexual sin promises a wonderful feeling, but can actually suck us into a never-ending cycle of guilt and despair!

Have you bought some of these lies? Are you desperately using some of these to convince yourself that your lust or sexual sin is okay in the eyes of God? Don't be fooled - he isn't.

[ PS: can you think of some more that you can add to this list? ]

The lies of greed and materialism

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 06:53:53 GMT

Our Bible study group has been doing a series of Bible studies on sin, temptation and holiness. It's been awesome, but most recently we had a look at some of the specific temptations that people struggle with. And in particular, we've looked at some of the lies, half-truths, and false promises of greed and materialism.

You see the thing is that we often allow ourselves get fooled by the lies of greed. We willingly believe the half-truths. We desparately want to believe its false promises! But when you look at them in the bright light of day, you expose them for what they really are.

So what then are some of these lies, half-truths and false promises?

"I will be satisfied / happy once I get this one thing."
"You will feel good about yourself if you get this thing."

These are slightly different from each other. In the first one we imagine that we are at a certain level of happiness (say, 40%), and that after we buy this new thing, we will then move up to a new level of happiness for the rest of our life (say, 60%). However what actually happens is that it makes us happy only for a short while - perhaps a day or two - and then we drop back to our previous level of discontentment. As Jesus says, a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions!

The second one is a lot more subtle. Somtimes we tie our identity and self-worth to the things that we have, or the amount that we earn. And so if we earn $60,000 we feel better about ourselves than if we earnt $40,000. If we drove a shiny new BMW we feel better about ourselves than if we drove an old Datsun. For Christians, it is completely wrong to get our self-worth from these external things! And for non-Christians, how pathetic that they need such things to prop up their ego.

"Everyone is getting one, so it must be okay."

Here we are comparing our use of money not to God's standard of contentment and generosity, but to what we see others around us doing. If we aren't doing something outrageously different, it must be okay. However this is a problem since our society is also captivated by greed and materialism!

"At least I'm not blowing my money on a Ferrari or something like that!"
"It's only a new pair of shoes."

Related to the previous one is when we play the extreme game. We know that we're not at the very extreme (eg. buying or wanting a shiny red Ferrari) - so therefore whatever I want or do must be okay by comparison! You can't show me clearly that it's defintely wrong! And so by this we justify getting ourselves a nice new Mitsubishi instead. However it still may not be a good use of money, and it may hide what we really have on our hearts.

"My money is mine to do with as I want. I was the one who earnt it!"

Yes, it is a good thing to enjoy the good things of this world. But don't forget that we are called to be good stewards of the resources that God has given us. This includes our time, our energy - but also our money.

"I need to look after number one"
"Money gives me security for the future."

One of the lies about money is that it provides security and protection for life in an uncertain world. We can buy good healthcare when we are sick, or buy a few months' worth of grocieries if we lose our job. Paul warns us about this in 1 Timothy 6, and Jesus himself also in the parable of the rich fool - it is not the foolproof and ultimate protection that we pretend that it is.

"I'm just being careful with money."
"I'm just saving for the kids."

This justifies our hoarding of money (and its consequent lack of generosity) by pointing out that it is a good to be wise with money. And yes, it is good to be wise with money - there are quite a few verses in Proverbs about this very thing. However this thinking conveniently ignores that we are also called to be generous with money - and uses the virtue of wisdom as a cover up for our greed.

Have you bought some of these lies? Are you desperately using some of these to convince yourself that your greed is okay in the eyes of God? Don't be fooled - he isn't.

[ PS: can you think of some other lies, half-truths or false promises from materialism and greed? ]

Christians and alcohol

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 02:17:50 GMT

End of year celebrations - and alcohol

Alcohol features highly in Australian celebrations. And as we approach the end of the working year, the start of office parties and even schoolies, you may find an alcoholic beverage thrust into our hands. What then does the Bible say about alcohol?

The Bible on the good of wine

Historians tell us that wine in the Old Testament was fermented grape juice, and was drunk undiluted. Wine mingled with water was seen as spoiled. Herbs and spices could be added to wine to make them highly intoxicating. Certain additions could also make wine stupefying. During the Maccabean period, the use of diluted wines became much more commonplace

The Bible tells us that alcohol is part of God's good gift to us, and the Psalmists even give thanks to God for the gift of wine (Psalm 104):

14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,
    and plants for man to cultivate--
    bringing forth food from the earth:
15 wine that gladdens the heart of man,
    oil to make his face shine,
    and bread that sustains his heart.

Psalm 104:14-15 (NIV)

The consumption of wine is depicted in a whole range of both normal and celebratory incidents such as Genesis 14:18 (a show of hospitality), 27:25 (a family meal), Judges 19:19 (normal part of travel provisions). 2 Samuel 16:2 also tells us that wine was normally used refresh people. Wine even features in the interaction between God and humans through the sacrificial system (Leviticus 23:13, Num 15:5,7,10).

Wine is also used as a metaphor to describe what the inheritance God's faithful people will be like (Gen 27:28, Deut 7:13, 11:14, 33:28, Prov 3:9-10).

The Bible on the abuse of wine

However the Bible also shows that this is one way in which God's good creation can be abused by humans. As early as Genesis 9:21, the Bible recounts an instance of drunkenness. In 1 Samuel 1:14-15, Hannah is encouraged to give up wine, because Eli thinks she is drunk.

Furthermore the inebriated state is used as a metaphor for God's judgment (Psalm 60:2-3, 75:8). And the destructive potential of wine is aptly illustrated in the following lines from Proverbs 23:

29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
    Who has strife? Who has complaints?
    Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
30 Those who linger over wine,
    who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
    when it sparkles in the cup,
    when it goes down smoothly!
32 In the end it bites like a snake
    and poisons like a viper. […]

Proverbs 23:29-32 (NIV)

Drunkenness illustrates a love of wine, of being controlled in first place by wine, and not by God! This leads to a life of foolishness, as opposed to a life of wisdom (Proverbs 21:17).

Wine is also spoken of as leading to a lack of clarity of decision making. A drunk man is easier to convince to do something immoral, and we see an instance of that in Genesis 19. Wine (and beer), when abused, can lead people astray (Prov 20:1). Proverbs also warns against spending time with drunkards, as in Proverbs 23:20-21. It also appears that those who are in important decision making capacities should avoid wine so as not to cloud their judgment - the Levites (Leviticus 10:9), and famously King Lemuel (Proverbs 31:4-7) are instructed to avoid wine for this reason. The king who wishes to be wise, and rule with justice is warned not to drink wine as they have to rule. This is not that wine is bad, but that it is inappropriate for one who has to judge.

Therefore wine itself is seen to be a good gift of God, finding many positive uses in society. However, the Bible condemns drunkenness as being a foolish thing to do, and warns about its use by those who must make important decisions. It may be helpful to think of alcohol as being much like money – also a gift of God, but which people can also foolishly love, and so end up hurting themselves (1 Tim 6). As Christians we are to be controlled by God - and must be careful not to give up control of ourselves to a three-dollar drink.

Addiction and the law

In today's world, we must also take into account a range of other considerations.

Firstly, there are those Christians who have scruples about alcohol, and who incorrectly believe that it is a wrong thing for Christians to drink (as opposed to being drunk). We would want these Christians to grow in their understanding in these matters, but not put them in a position where they were expected to 'accept' alcohol before they are ready. Thus Christians should talk frankly and openly about alcohol - but be careful not to lead their weaker brother to places they are not ready to go.

Secondly, there are those in our society who are addicted to alcohol, and those who are recovering alcoholics. These people and their families are in danger, and it would be unloving to place them in situations of greater temptation. If we drink alcohol, we must therefore be careful around whom we drink.

And thirdly, there are those who, by law, are prohibited from drinking (in particular those who are under age, and those who are driving with P plates). Such people are to obey the government in these matters, and should not be tempted to drink.

[ PS: plus, most Asians turn an embarrasing shade of red... ]

Why you should bother with the prophets

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:40:15 GMT

For most of us the prophets are the black hole of the Bible.

See, we probably know our New Testaments really well. And if you've been to Sunday School as a kid you'll probably also have a good memory of the first half of the Old Testament - stories about Abraham and Noah, about Joshua and David and Gideon and Samson - you would at least know about those stories.

But for most of us the prophets are like a black hole - we're pretty fuzzy about who all these prophets are. We don't really know what they have to say to us. And I suspect for many of us we struggle to say how these prophets relate to us today.

But relate to us they do - because they point forward in expectation to the Lord Jesus Christ. They describe what it is that he will one day come to do, and in consequence, they can inform our faith. Now the prophets aren't going to tell us something completely different from what we already know in the New Testament - you'd be very worried if that were the case! But they will give us a deepend, strengthened understanding of our faith.

Now I know that some of us are already thinking that it's too much trouble. We already have our salvation, and that's good enough for us, we don't want to now have to bother with the prophets - and that's because we're pragmatic Chinese!

But let me put it this way: do you find yourself lacking in spiritual passion? Do you find yourself not moved by the gospel itself? Are you spiritually stale and dry?

Because if that is you then you will be surprised to know that the prescription for that is actually to go back to these Old Testament prophets.

And you're thinking: "how can this be, the prophets are the most boring of books in the whole of the Bible. You're telling me that's meant to give me back my spiritual passion?"

And the answer is: yes, that's exactly what they do for us. They help us understand the gospel not just in its New Testament clothes, but in all its glory. In the rich and lavish clothing given to it by the Old Testament prophets.

See the New Testament tells us that Jesus is our king - and we think: "huh, OK that's nice". But the Old Testament prophets flesh this out for us - Ezekiel actually describes how oppressive it was to have bad kings, and how wonderful it would be one day when God's king would arrive - someone who will lead God's people with justice and truth!

The New Testament tells us that Jesus is our sacrifice - and we think: "nice, that's very nice". But the Old Testament prophets like Isaiah gives that to us in full on Technicolor - describing for us vividly what things that sacrifice would one day bear for you and I.

See you and I, we can get by with just the New Testament. But really, our spiritual lives suffer, and whimper and wheeze along because it doesn't have the muscle that the Old Testament prophets give to the gospel.

Do you want to be spiritually fresh? Do you long for a passionate spiritual life? Are you perhaps in danger of thinking that the gospel itself is just not good enough, that you need something more, some greater blessing beyond the gospel?

Well if that is you, then what you really need, is to come to know the gospel in all its richness, in all its strength and majesty. And with that you can be passionate even in the darkest prison. The prophets like Zechariah, Ezekiel and Isaiah adorn the gospel with rich and heavy and bold colours that engage our affections.

If you have been avoiding the prophets, let me encourage you to not be afraid, but to get into them!

[ PS: we are currently going through an overview series of the prophets at ND... ]

Planning your prayer

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 10:35:54 GMT

So how's your prayer life - unplanned? unstructured? nonexistent?

For many of us, prayer is something we know we should do more of, but we find hard to do. We're aware that there are hundreds of things worth praying for - but very rarely will they make their way into our actual prayers. However, it's not a difficult thing to plan your prayer life - as long as you remember two things...

Firstly, keep it simple. When people set out to plan their prayer lives, they often make the mistake of designing an elaborate, all-singing, all-dancing system that contains everything, incorporates a card system, and is maybe synchronised to their PDA ... but then lasts for two days before being too hard!

The trick is to keep it simple - so that on Monday you are praying for this, Tuesday you are praying for that, and so on. You may not be covering everything, but at least it won't take a lot of effort to maintain - giving it a better chance of life.

Secondly, keep it memorable. If you can't easily remember what you should be praying about on Tuesday, or Saturday, then your system is too complicated. Just by knowing what day it is, should be all you need to know what to pray about. Otherwise, simply not knowing what to pray about will become the excuse to put off prayer for that day - and perhaps spell the end of your prayer plan.

So for example if you have a leaders' meeting every Wednesday night, pray for something related on Wednesday night - perhaps for church leaders, or your pastors. If you have a Bible study on Friday nights, pray for your group on Fridays. If you find yourself on a train going to work on Monday mornings - pray for your witness to your colleagues at work... By linking your prayer plan with things in your weekly schedule, you'll easily remember what to pray about.

So there you have it - keep it simple, keep it memorable.

[ PS: give it a go! ]

Parenting - how not to be too little, too late

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 04:22:36 GMT

I often hear of Christian parents in various churches being very concerned that their children no longer want to come to church. "And what," they ask, "is my church doing about it?" In response Christian parents sometimes demand that their children immediately start attending church regularly. And youth leaders feel the sudden burden laid on their shoulders to suddenly turn the youth into committed and responsible Christians.

But this generally is the culmination of a string of events through the life of the child. And we need to consider: how have Christian parents been influencing their children all along? Have they in fact been modelling that Christianity is second in importance to money, studies and marks? Have they only been asking about how they are going at school, and never asking about how they are going in evangelism? Have they always insisted passionately on tuition, and only been half-hearted about the church's youth group?

And so it's no surprise that sometimes we do see children of Christian parents growing up to see Christianity is unimportant - unfortunately, that's what has been modelled to them in the home for 15 years. At that stage, it's generally too late for parents to positively influence their children - if they are no longer interested in following Christ, there is little that Christian parents can do.

I do notice that relationships can sometimes open up again later in life. And so sometimes Christian parents can get a second chance at influencing their children - but it is only sometimes. And their ability to influence is much reduced.

Instead what parents need to do is to consciously bring up their children to love the Lord early on in life - and to keep on doing it consistently, all through the troublesome teenage years. You can't switch from being interested in marks and studies, and then all of a sudden later on in life ask them "so... how is your prayer life?" That is just going to come across as awkward and weird! It has to be done consistently, from an early age.

Note that this doesn't mean that parents stop talking about marks - it actually is a wise thing to know about this world, and to prepare well for living in it, and so parents want to keep training up their children in that kind of wisdom. But biblically, the cornerstone of true wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and parents will only do a complete job of raising wise children by also training them to be strong Christians. They need to train up their children for worldly wisdom (by getting them to study diligently), as well as for godly wisdom (by nurturing their relationship with God).

Furthermore it's the role of parents to be bringing up children in the fear and knowledge of the Lord - not the role of the church! Yes, the church can help with things like Sunday School and youth groups - but these should only support the role of Christian parents, and can never replace it. After all the youth group leader only sees the children once or twice a week for a few hours - and isn't living in the home with them, modelling Christlike living and gospel-transformed values. That, only parents can do.

How then are parents to do this earlier on in life? Here are some simple ways:

Make it obvious that you are doing your devotions, and tell the kids not to bother you because it's important. This models that your own relationship with God is important to you, that you also fear God.
Start talking about God in your normal conversations: "Yes, God is saddened when he sees that sort of thing happen in his world." This makes it more normal to keep on talking about God later on in life.
Always do a short devotion together over the dinner table - have one person read a short Bible passage, and then another person pray based on that passage. It takes less than three minutes, but they hear their parents reading the Bible and hear the content of their prayers (the XTG series put out by Matthias Media is excellent).
Avoid using Christianity as a tool to get what you want out of the kids: "Practice your piano, or God will be angry at you!" This is actually called religious abuse! And moreover it will sour their experience of Christianity.

A saying goes that the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago, and the second best time to plant a tree is now. So if you have primary aged children, now is the best time to start influencing your children! Because if you leave it too late, you may have lost your chance to train your child...

[ PS: am going up to Engage this weekend... ]

What Christian parents want

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 13:55:26 GMT

When I speak to some parents at church I'm often struck by how interested they are in the spiritual welfare of their high school aged children. They are aware of God's direction that they raise up their children in the fear and knowledge of the Lord. They pray for their children every day.

However when I speak to the children of those same parents, their perception of their parents is very different...

Instead of perceiving their Christian parents as being interested in their spiritual welfare, they instead get the impression that their parents are only concerned about marks, school, and getting a good job. Moreover, it seems to them that their Christian parents are indifferent to their spiritual welfare!

How does this come about?

Christian parents only ever seem to talk to their children about their studies - and never about spiritual things.
The things that Christian parents insist on all seem to relate to exams and marks - and never about growing in faith, hope and love.
The comments Christian parents make about careers makes it clear that being a doctor, lawyer or accountant is great - but you really should think twice about being a pastor, youth worker or missionary.
In the priorities of Christian parents, church events sometimes need to give way for their children's studies. But interestingly, their studies never seem to have to give way for church events...

Many parents I speak to are actually interested in the spiritual growth of their children - but it doesn't come across very well. This has the unfortunate effect of souring their relationship with their children.

How can parents change this perception?

Christian parents must be scrupulously careful in what they communicate to their children in their words, actions and priorities. In every conversation - and even in their non verbal communication - they are teaching their children. Through all of these children build up a picture of what is important to their Christian parents. Parents need to know that their children hear and see everything that goes on in the home - and act accordingly.

This means that Christian parents have to change their conversation, replacing some of those questions about studies - with questions about what they could be praying for. Or questions about their spiritual growth. Christian parents need to replace some of their concern about marks - and also show their desire that they grow in faith and hope and love. That it's just as important for them that they prepare for this world - as they do for the world to come.

A few parents may actually have to repent of priorities that are in fact far away from God's plan for Christian parenthood. But for most Christian parents, thankfully it's merely a perception thing.

[ PS: what is your non verbal communication conveying? ]

Four ways of relating to parents

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:17:42 GMT

In this follow-up post, I'll be outlining some of the ways - both good and bad - that people use in relating to their parents. You can imagine the four of these models arranged into a quadrant (see diagram).

1. Compliance

In this model, the child does whatever the parent tells the child to do. While this may be appropriate for young children, it becomes more and more inappropriate for adult children. As an adult, their aim should be to honour their parents (see earlier post).

Yet out of a desire to keep the peace, or out of laziness to commit the emotional energy needed to truly engage with their parents, or perhaps by not being aware of other ways of relating, an adult child might still relate using the compliance model. This is further complicated when parents want for their children to keep relating to them under the compliance model, well into true adulthood.

While there may be compliance on the outside in terms of behaviour, on the inside the child might all the while be harbouring resentment and hatred. And while the child may have grown up, the relationship with the parents has not.

2. Disengagement

In this model the child is passively disinterested in the constant nagging of the parent. They may shut themselves in their room, or cut themselves off emotionally from their parents, or seek any way to cut short conversations. This model often appears in adolesence - picture the noncommunicative teenager!

This stems from the awareness that somehow, things are now different in the relationship - but an uncertainty as to how to relate to parents in a new situation. And perhaps the simplest solution to this discomfort is to withdraw, and talk as little as possible.

Ironically, parents often respond to disengagement by pursuing their teenager (or even adult child) more and more, since it seems that their words of caution and wisdom aren't sinking in. And so caring parents repeat their messages again and again so as to be heard - but this is perceived as nagging. The situation that was once merely uncomfortable for the child now becomes annoying - and this then leads to a vicious cycle where the child retreats further and further from their parents.

3. Confrontation

In this model the child reacts against their parents making use of their newly discovered powers of articulation and personhood. All of a sudden they discover their rights as a person, and how their rights are not being respected by parents. And this comes out in the fights they have with their parents. "I'm an adult now, I can go out if I want, you can't stop me."

This is one of the unfortunate outcomes of Western individualism's focus on the individual's rights - the relationships we are in must necessarily take second place.

4. Engagement

In this final model, the adult child is actively engaging with their parents. The adult child is relating to their parents as an adult, seeking to understand their arguments, showing interest in their views, sharing information that they have, and asking for advice. In short, engagement is acting responsibly. I detailed five steps to engagement in the last post (see previous post).

But observe that engagement is different from compliance. In compliance the parent is the one doing the thinking and making decisions; in engagement the child is the one making decisions, and enlists the help of parents in their thinking and decision making process. The adult child is now the one who makes decisions - and does so in a responsible manner.

And engagement is different from confrontation. It shares with it the use of the child's powers of articulation and awareness of personhood - but it is mature, not childish. The adult child realises that to make responsible decisions, it is wise to listen to the counsel of their parents. To seek their advice. And the adult child realises that they are not merely individuals, but beings created for relationships.

[ PS: what model characterises your relationship with your parents? ]

How to get along with your parents

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 13:54:44 GMT

So how are you getting along with your parents? Not so good, perhaps? Could be better, maybe? Do you find that they are:

always nagging you
treating you like you're still a teenager
telling you what to need to do

Well, it will probably come as no surprise that this is what many Chinese young people find, and from a whole lot of different churches too.

In today's post I'll let you know one of the reasons why this happens - and what you can do about it.

First of all, you have to understand that Asian parents want their children to be responsible - not independent.

Responsibility and independence sound like the same thing - but they are definitely not! As an ABC you are probably hoping that you can become independent, but this is not what your parents are looking for - they are looking for responsibility. This is because of a clash of cultures - Easterners tend to be more collectivist in their thinking, and Westerners tend to be more individualistic in their thinking. And since many ABCs have been brought up in Australia, it's no surprise that ABCs unconsciously take on a lot of the values of their adopted culture, one of which is individualism.

Your parents want you to be responsible. But unless they see evidence of you being responsible, they naturally won't treat you as though you're responsible - it's as simple as that. Because they love you and care for you, they will protect you in the only way they know how - by making decisions for you, and by vetoing your decisions in order to protect you. That's why it seems that they are treating you like children - it's because they are treating you like the children they perceive you to be!

Secondly then: if you want to improve your relationship with your parents, what you need to do is not just be responsible, but actually show them that you are responsible.

See, you may actually have been making responsible decisions for years now. In fact some of the young people whom I know struggle with all this are actually already in the workforce, and hold very responsible jobs. They exercise the kind of responsibility every day that people are willing to pay money for! But at home they are still being treated like a teenager. And that's because they haven't shown to their parents that they can be responsible.

Consider honestly what your parents see of you. It's likely that they following things happen:

When they warn you about something that might go wrong, it appears that you don't listen to them, but instead brush off their worries.
They see you making major life decisions without consulting wise people (such as themselves), but instead by talking to people just as unwise as yourself (such as your friends).
You tell them about decisions that you've made up your mind about, and it seems to them as though you haven't spent any time thinking over the pros and cons. And when they talk to you about the cons they see, you don't want to hear.
They see that you aren't able to manage such simple things as waking up on time, cleaning your room, or paying your own mobile phone bill. Instead a lot of things are left up to the last minute, or done hurriedly.

Now honestly. Given that perception, you really can't fault parents for stepping in, can you! It really does appear to them that you are going to ruin your life, so they naturally want to step in and protect you. Instead of seeing this as them trying to make your life hard, see it as a sign of their love and concern.

A lot of these things are perception problems. For example, you actually have been giving that decision a lot of thought, and have already worked out the pros and cons like a responsible person would - it's just that they weren't aware you were doing all of that. You may be a tremendously responsible person at work, but they don't see what you do in the city - only what you do during those rushed moments at home.

There may also be a range of other reasons as well that can complicate your relationship. But just with this, you can already see some strong reasons why they might be dubious about your responsibility.

There are in fact some things you can do to help with this perception problem, and you have it within your power to make that change.

When they begin nagging you about something, instead of responding like a teenager and storming off to your room, why not sit down and talk to them about it, just like you would a colleague at work? Instead of cutting off the lines of communication, take the lead in opening them up further, just like a responsible adult would. Ask them questions about how it makes them feel. Why it worries them so much. Maybe even thank them for bringing it to your attention. They nag because they think you haven't heard them the first time, and so they need to say it again and again. You need to show them that, as a responsible adult, you are willing to hear from them - in fact, you welcome it.

When you have a decision that needs to be made, allow them to be part of your thinking process. Do some of your own initial thinking about the pros and cons (just some, not all of your thinking), and then go to them and ask them for their advice. Talk them through the pros and cons that you see, and ask them what they reckon. They will probably leap in and give you a solution ("you should do this"). But that's not good enough for a responsible person - ask them for their reasons for thinking that's the way to go. Test their reasons - not as a beligerent teenager, but instead as someone who wants to understand their wisdom and pick their brains. See if the three of you can maybe come up with some more pros and cons, or a new way of thinking about it together. This way they can see that you actually do think about decisions responsibly, and that you do have some insight into the things of this world.

So thirdly, in those areas where you have been given responsibility, you want to make sure that you are making responsible decisions and acting in a responsible manner.

Young children obviously shouldn't have a lot of responsibility given to them (so a lot of what I have to say here needs to be stored away for another time), but adults ought to have responsibility, and should be capable of handling it. And when they see that you are responsible, they will feel more and more comfortable in allowing you more and more responsibility in greater and greater areas.

It's not going to happen overnight, but it will happen, as they see that happening. And trust me, the first few times you do the responsible thing, they may not say anything, but they will notice it. And when they see the pattern of responsibility building up, they will start to treat you as an adult.

The fourth thing is to remember that, in all of this, as a responsible adult, you are the one who still has to make up the decision.

This not about making them happy by obediently doing what they tell you to do - that's going back to childhood! No, it's actually about showing them that you think and act responsibly - like an adult.

So in the end you may not actually go with what they told you to do. But hopefully they will see that you were responsible in your thinking process. They may not be entirely happy, but hopefully they would have been impressed.

The fifth thing to keep in mind is that this is not an act - you really do want to learn from their wisdom.

You are not just pretending to listen - trust me on this. They're your parents, they know you very well, they can tell if you're faking it. Especially when you haven't had lots of practice! Instead consider that, because they know you very well, it's actually a good thing for your decision making. Your friends that you talk to all the time? They only know you for a couple of years. But they've known you for 20 years plus! Not only that, they must have had some level of wisdom to have made it so far in this world, especially as migrants!

So what you want to do as a responsible person is to make full use of their general wisdom, as well as their particular inside knowledge of your character strengths and weaknesses over 20+ years of interacting with you. When they tell you that "this course is not so good for you, you should do that instead", they actually have a lot of authority. Ask them for their reasons for them saying that. It may in fact be built on some insights to your character that your friends don't have the history or the maturity to pick up. And only your parents can provide that kind of insight to you. Ask them specifically about what they know of your character, and add it to your thinking material.

Again, it's still up to you to make the decision in the end, but remember that it's the responsible and adult thing to do.

Your parents have a lot of wisdom they can share - and they can also make your life pretty hard! Why not make things easy for yourself, and make the most of the wisdom they have at the same time?

[ PS: things have been really busy since returning from Malaysia/Singapore, that's why there weren't any posts in September! ]

Becoming an expert

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 13:59:54 GMT

What is the one thing that most threatens to compromise your Christian life?

You probably know what it is already. You probably have a strong idea whether it's your greed. Or your lust. Or your pride.

It's not a surprise to us. Because we've probably had enough run-ins with it in the past to know that it's that one big thing that we are constantly struggling with, again and again.

But here's the thing - even though we know what the thing is that most theatens our spiritual life, often we don't equip ourselves to deal with that sin. In fact, we do the very opposite, and keep ourselves particularly ignorant about that sin!

If you were in the army and were fighting an enemy, you would probably want to know as much as possible about their weapons they are aiming at you. You would want to find out about their range, their accuracy, what it can do. And more importantly, you would also want to know how you can best defend yourself against those weapons. That would be the sensible thing to do. And how silly it would be for a soldier to remain steadfastly, willfully ignorant of the things that most threaten him!

So if you know that greed is the one thing that most threatens to compromise your spiritual life, make it your project to find out everything you can about it. Read Christian books on money and greed. Uncover every trick we use to deceive ourselves about our greed. Read up on how to cultivate Christian contentment. Find out everything you can on defending yourself from being undermined by greed. Make yourself the world's expert on dealing with greed - and don't content yourself with anything less!

And likewise if it's lust, or pride, or status - read up about it, prepare yourself as much as possible against that threat to your spiritual life.

Why would we want to remain steadfastly ignorant? Perhaps because we secretly welcome that sin, and like to dally with it. Or we foolishly minimise its danger to our spiritual life. Whatever it is, it doesn't really make sense.

[ PS: what books would you recommend to others who may be struggling with greed? with lust? with pride? ]

Things you can do in the car

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 01:37:05 GMT

So there you are: stuck in your car, stuck in rush hour traffic - yet again.

Sydney's that kind of city, really, If you're not headiing into the CBD, public transport's a nightmare. And Sydney's not a condensed area like some other cities - it's spread out over quite a large area. And so the best way to get around really is to drive.

But you know, there are some things you can do to make the most of those 20 or 40 minutes you're stuck in the car, driving along on autopilot. Here are two of them.

1. Listen to talks on CD

You can now get a lot of talks in mp3 format for free on the internet. A lot of them are mediocre, but there are some great ones around. Burn 'em onto an audio CD, and pop it into your car's sound system. If your car audio can play mp3s, even better - you can pile a whole bunch of talks onto one CD.

Check out your church's library for CDs, or ask your friends if they've got CDs from conferences they can lend you - they probably aren't listening to all of them all at once. In earlier years I learnt a lot of theology from listening to conference talks over and over again, until I could almost lip-sync them!

And so instead of stepping out of your car exhausted and cranky, this can mean you step out refreshed, and fired up for gospel ministry.

A variation: I also have a NT Greek vocab CD set - it's essentially someone reading out a list of Greek words and their meanings. And if you're trying to learn NT Greek, this is something you'll want to hear again and again, until that vocab becomes second nature.

2. Pray out loud

Sometimes when you pray, you can lose track of what you're praying about as your mind wanders. This is especially the case if you are praying silently. However, if you pray out loud, this is much less likely to happen. Praying out loud, it's much more like a conversation - and you'll be surprised at how long, and how genuinely you can pray.

But when you're in a car by yourself, this is the perfect opportunity to pray out loud. Obviously, you would keep your eyes open as you pray and drive: you don't want to be creating car accidents all around you!

This works especially well at night, when people in the car next to you can't stare at you. But even in daytime, I suppose people will just think that you're talking on your handsfree. If you're on your P's and get pulled over by a traffic cop because he thinks you're using a handsfree, it might be a great witness to him or her!

So next time you're in the car, give one of those two things a go!

[ PS: know of any good sites for getting good talks in mp3 format? ]

Different kinds of trials

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 11:20:55 GMT

Recently we've been studying the book of James at church. And in James 1 we're told that God sends trials to grow us in perseverance (v.3). This is God's means by which we are being made "mature and complete, not lacking anything" (v.4). And as a result, James can tell us to consider our trials "pure joy" (v.2).

Interestingly, James also tells us that we will face trials "of many kinds" (v.2). And there are many kinds of trials that you may go through...

Huge trials

Most obviously, there are those huge trials that come by once in a while. Things like the death of a loved one. Or losing your job. Or your marriage breaking down.

These things really shake your faith, and cause you to ask all those big questions about life. They make us wonder if God really is good. Or if God is there at all. Or if we can even keep on going...

Minor trials

But there are also all those minor annoyances that happen, almost on a daily basis. Things like an argument at home. Or feeling torn between studying for your exams, and going off to a church meeting. Or a patch of spiritual dryness.

These small things don't shake our faith to the core, but in hundreds of different ways, and from unexpected quarters, they test our godliness and patience in the normalcy of life.

Long, drawn out trials

While those sorts of trials are short in duration, there are also some kinds of trials that don't just last for hours or days - but which linger on. Sometimes for years and years. Things like a long term illness. Or marriage problems.

These things test our perseverance over the long term, and reveal what it is that we are really putting our hope in.

Corporate trials

And while all of the above are trials that individuals bear all by themselves, there are also the kind of trials that we bear as a group. Things like a church losing its pastor, and having to make do without one, perhaps for several years.

Trials don't arrive clearly labelled as such. They come along in many forms, and when they come upon us we don't know that God has a plan for us. But he lovingly sends trials of many kinds our way. He uses each of them to grow us in perseverance, to make us mature and complete.

[ PS: can you think of other types of trials? ]