Author Archives: Jon

books i read on holiday

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I’ve recently been on holiday for two weeks and during that time had some great rest and a lot of reading. The following is the list of books i read during that time. I might blog about a few of them over the coming weeks – we’ll see.

The Prodigal God by Tim Keller.

Living the Resurrection by Eugene Peterson.

Desire and Deceit by Al Mohler.

Women, Authority & the Bible edited by Alvera Mickelsen.

Total Church by Tim Chester & Steve Timmis.

Shattered Icon by Bill Napier.

The Disappearance of God by Al Mohler.

Storm Warning by Billy Graham.

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Storm Warning by Billy Graham

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Billy Graham, Storm Warning (revised ed., Nashville, USA: Thomas Nelson), 2010.

Billy Graham is widely known as the pre-eminient evangelist of the 20th century. Throughout his 91 years he has proclaimed the gospel of Christ on every continent and to millions and millions of people. There is probably no other person in the history of Christianity that has spoken to as many people about Christ as Billy Graham – he has had an amazing ministry. From the poor to the President’s he has preached and invited a wide variety of people to call Jesus as Lord.

It is this Billy Graham that has now revised and updated his 1993 book, “Storm Warning” for the modern day reader. Using the book of Revelation Graham takes the reader through a variety of passages linking first to the gospel and then to current day situations. As the book of Revelation moves through from John’s initial calling and vision to his letter to the seven churches through to the picture of a new heavens and new earth so too Graham uses this as the outline for his book. It is well done in this respect. There is a constant reflection on the gospel in each chapter and also some personal illustrations to explain what he is talking about. In most chapters there is a connection with issues that are affecting the world today and how particular passages of scripture either speak into this situation or how the events illuminate the scripture. Topics discussed range from natural disasters to spiritual depression to fear and anxiety to terrorism to the loss of religion. They are broad topics but also illuminated by Graham and scripture.

To be honest i was bored by the time i got to the middle of the book. I think this book is important, relevant and quite often right in it’s reading of scripture and the world. However, at times i thought texts and events were stretched to fit the argument. There is a lot of proof-texting going on which just got annoying. I think Graham has a wealth of wisdom to give us, particularly the evangelicals of this world but the more personal experience stories i heard the more “samey” the book got. In some respects i could almost pick how the next chapter would turn out.

In some ways it was a book about the end times. It tries to show that the events of today are more and more evidential of the coming return of Christ. And, while this is true it just seemed a bit of a stretch in parts. I loved the basis of the book – Revelation, the Gospel, Christ but i found it lacking in keeping my interest.

2.5/5

Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet & Frank Viola

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Leonard Sweet & Frank Viola, Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the supremacy and sovereignty of Jesus Christ (Nashville, USA: Thomas Nelson, 180 pgs), 2010.

This book is an excellent book. In ten chapters Sweet and Viola give ample evidence in the promotion of Christ, his supremacy and sovereignty. Throughout each and every page there is continual recognition of Jesus and who he is. There is regular reference back to the Bible and seeing how God has been at work throughout history. The authors analyse the current church and it’s “Youniverse” centredness, speaking directly to the heart of the church and her attendees. It is a challenge to the hearts of the readers of this book as it speaks so much truth. The essence of much of the book and it’s aims can be seen in this quote on pg. 100:

“Our problem is this: we have created a narcissistic form of Christianity in which “conversion” is less turning toward Christ than a turning toward success or fame or fortunes. Narcissus never had it so good than in best-seller Christianity, which has become self-centredness wrapping up as ‘spirituality’, which has become the latest fashion accessory for the person who has everything…True “conversion” is to lay hold of Christ, or rather, as Paul corrected himself, to allow Christ to lay hold of us…You are not the point. And we are not the point. Jesus Christ always has been and always will be the point. All the arrows point to Him and not to us”

The theological and scriptural basis on many of their arguments are well-founded. There is a great chapter describing Bethany as the resting place for the Lord while on earth and the truth that comes from those passages in Luke. There is a constant looking at Christ and the Word and then reflecting on that for our day today. In many respects this book is harping on about exactly what John Piper has been harping on about for many years now, just from a different angle and a bit lighter.

The aim of the book is to capture the hearts of those within the church and present a vision of Christ that promotes Him as the “one thing” and the root of Christianity. I think it is an excellent book and well worth spending the time to read. It is an easy read with many illustrations to keep one engaged. You’ll want to re-evaluate your walk with Christ once you’ve read it.

4/5.

living a good life and being kind to others…

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WordPress.com has a number of different posts that pop up each day. They are either the most popular or the ones that are deemed to be good or thought-provoking or something. Today, one entitled “Raising a churchless child” caught my attention so i had a quick look over it and at a few of the comments.

In the opening paragraph there are a few statements which simply sum up not only the writer’s thoughts on God but probably sum up what most people general think these days:

In the end, shouldn’t we be good people because it’s just the right thing to do, independent of judgment from on high?  And any God who might be out there… wouldn’t he/she/it be rather pleased I’ve lived a good life and been kind to others?  There’s just something about the notion of an all-powerful being who will punish me for not believing despite the quality of my life that seems a little… self serving?  Narcissistic?

Considering that this week has had an emphasis on the legalism of the Pharisees i thought this was quite relevant. This kind of talk pretty much hits the nail on the head, “As long we are good people then that will surely be OK. As long as i am nice to my friends and the people around me then i shouldn’t get punished for that”. This is what a typical religious person, or in this case, agnostic person, may believe what church and Christianity is all about. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

There can’t be one person living on the whole planet that can say that they have lived a good life the whole time, that they have been good the whole time, that they have never done anything wrong to another person, have never looked down on someone, got angry with someone, lusted after someone. It is a false assumption to say that generally being good to people our whole lives will be fine with our Maker.

It is a false assumption b/c the way in which we measure ourselves is different to the way in which God measures us. The Pharisees believed that if they kept all the Law that they would be fine, that they were doing God’s will and that they were going to be accepted because of what they had fulfilled. In the same way, believing that we are going to be accepted through being “good people” is like being a Pharisee. It is reliant on our own works, our own achievements and our own actions.

The good news for us, for the world, is that it is not through our own actions that we are accepted by God. It is through Jesus, and his death and resurrection. For, it is only through his actions that it has been made possible to find acceptance by God. Having faith in Jesus and believing that he took the punishment for our “bad” not only brings us into acceptance but also shows the incredible love and grace that God gives. Rather than being “punished for not believing” one is actually accepted through love.

cafe church review

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Ok, so it’s time for a bit of a review from Sunday night’s “Cafe Church @ Maling Room Cafe”.

Before heading into the review I should state that I don’t actually think that what happened on Sunday is actually church. I would prefer to call it an outreach event or a social night or something like that, but of course, you can’t get as cooler name if you call it something like that.

Anyway, I haven’t had too much feedback about it thus far. When I bump into people I ask them what they thought and if they bought a friend along what they thought of it also. So, if you were there on Sunday night and would like to give feedback either write it below of send me an email or something.

So, these are my thoughts:

What worked well:

- The space: It was a good size and held everyone in nicely. There were seats for all even though people chose to stand most of the night. People could spread out and chat to “different groups” of people. It’s the Maling Room, the space just worked well.

- The numbers: I was somewhat blown away by the number of people who came. It was great to see everyone seemingly get behind the night. In total we had nearly 60 people, which included a few kids. It was a good start i think.

- The food: The spread that was put on was amazing. All feedback that I’ve got about it was that it was impressive. Small hamburger rolls stuffed with different fillings, dips and crackers,olives, gherkins, sun-dried tomatoes, fruit platters and the quiche’s were excellent. Can’t complain too much about the food, nor so the drink.

- The vibe: People just sitting around and chatting with the live music in the background made for an excellent vibe. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and meeting new people or catching up on old news.

- The testimony: Bean’s testimony was excellent, concise, challenging and to the point made for an excellent explanation of the Gospel. Loved it.

- The live music: They were brilliant musicians and we were very fortunate to have them there. There music was good for the style and type of night.

What could work better:

- The live music: This is nothing to do with the actual music but the volume being so loud has been the consistent “could be improved” feedback that I’ve had. The way the Maling Room is set up and the acoustics of the rooms don’t do anything that great for live music. A possible change in position might help or just having very soft or unplugged music might be the way to go. Not sure how one can get around this too much. Having said this, if the volume and type of music was changed would it have changed the vibe?

- The cost: For people who came it cost $10 but we were being charged double that ($20 p/p). It’s not that the cost needs to be improved as such but more of a realisation that to put on something like this, which i think is a quality and culturally relevant event then that will cost money. If people are keen for it then what price is acceptable or how can the difference be constantly be made-up? Should i be seeking a benefactor or should people pay more or should the church continue to trump the difference? Positives and negatives on both sides there i think.

- The bringing of friends: I can’t complain too much, it’s the first time we’ve done this. I suspected that people were coming firstly to suss this out. Sort of saying, “What is Coombsy actually doing here? What does he mean by having an event a Maling Room? How is this going to work? Am i going to be comfortable bringing my friends to this?” They are the type of questions i suspect people were asking before the night, now I hope their “fears” have been relieved. In total there were 9-10 visitors who came from people about 5-6 people inviting them along. No doubt there were people who asked friends to come along and they just didn’t come – no worries. But, the litmus test of an event like this is how many friends/visitors did come. The event shouldn’t just be for the people within the CBC community, it’s not aimed at us or for us. We’ll just need to see how the next one goes.

Summary:

I think that covers most things that i can think of. I haven’t gone into depth about my talk – it’s always hard to do and can come across a bit arrogant really. I think i preached the Gospel and did so in 10-12mins. Hopefully when people have a coffee next they think of Jesus and perhaps that will move them forward. I think the night went really well and was really happy with it. So buzzed from it that i was up till 1.30am that night (and i don’t think that was just the coffee!).