Life + Faith

Tag: Christianity

  • The Great Son: Understanding the Supremacy of Jesus

    The Great Son: Understanding the Supremacy of Jesus

    The world is constantly changing, sometimes rapidly. Take technology for example. Remember when floppy disks were cutting-edge? Those little square disks held all our data and seemed revolutionary at the time. Then came CDs, USB drives, and portable hard drives. Now, we store and share data wirelessly through this mysterious cloud, data centres in various parts of the world. This evolution is a reminder that things change, often quickly, and how what was once essential can become no longer.

    In the opening verses of Hebrews, this idea of change is made front and centre. The writer introduces us to a new season in which God has revealed Himself in a way that surpasses all previous revelations—through His Son, Jesus.

    Jesus Is the Great Son

    In Hebrews 1:1-4, we read:

    In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

    These verses highlight the supremacy of Jesus. He is greater than all who came before, the ultimate way in which God has chosen to reveal Himself.

    God is a God Who Speaks

    From the very beginning, God has been speaking. Genesis 1:3 tells us, “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” God continues to communicate with His creation, including us, giving instructions and maintaining a relationship with us. He is not distant; He is present, like a friend who is always just a call away, ready to help whenever we need it.

    Yet, despite God’s openness, we often hide from Him, just as Adam and Eve did in the garden after their rebellion. They were afraid, so they hid, but God sought them out. Similarly, when we realise our own shortcomings, we tend to withdraw, but God seeks us out, desiring a restored relationship. He wants to comfort and reassure us. The question is, do we have open hearts to hear from Him?

    God Spoke Through the Prophets

    In the past, God communicated through prophets in various ways. He spoke to Abraham in a vision (Genesis 15:1), to Moses through a burning bush (Exodus 3:2-4), to Samuel through a dream (1 Samuel 3:4-10), and to David through the prophet Nathan (2 Samuel 7:4-5). When we receive important news it may come via personal letter but probably via email or text or a phone call. Whatever the case, the message or important news is communicated to you. In the Old Testament, God’s messages were relayed through His prophets.

    God Speaks Through His Son

    But now, in these last days, God speaks to us through His Son. The writer of Hebrews emphasises that we are in a new era. The end times began with Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and they will continue until Jesus returns. From this time on Jesus is final and complete revelation of God. As we seek to hear God’s voice and know His will, we turn to Jesus.

    Hebrews 1:2-4 gives us insight into the Son’s place and role. Jesus is the heir of all things, the creator and sustainer of the universe, and the exact representation of God’s being. He holds the universe together with His powerful word and sustains us.

    Jesus’ role is further confirmed by His actions. He provided purification for our sins through His death on the cross, allowing us to draw near to God with sincere hearts and the assurance that comes from faith. Though it might seem strange to modern ears, the concept of being cleansed by Jesus’ blood is deeply rooted in Scripture, from the sacrificial system of the Old Testament to the teachings of the New Testament.

    Conclusion

    Finally, we see Jesus exalted, seated at the right hand of God (1:4). This position confirms His superiority over everything that came before Him. Jesus, as the heir, sustainer, and purifier, is greater than the angels, the Law, Moses, the prophets, and the priests.

    Just as floppy disks and CDs have been replaced by more advanced technology, the old ways of understanding God have been surpassed by the ultimate revelation through His Son. Jesus isn’t just an update; He’s the final word, the complete picture of who God is and what He desires for us.

    The encouragement for us is simple: listen for His voice, trust in His authority, and worship Him as the sustainer of our world. We are to live in the light of His exaltation, seek His presence daily, and reflect His glory in all that we do.

    This is a series through the Letter to the Hebrews, based on sermons I have preached over the course of our sermon series. For other posts in this series please see:

  • Greater Than: The Message of Hebrews

    Greater Than: The Message of Hebrews

    Have you ever found yourself at the point where you realised whatever you’re doing isn’t worth the time, energy, or effort to continue, so you quit?

    Many of us have experienced this with various things in life, like gym memberships, growing a veggie patch in our yard, or even more significant commitments like jobs or relationships. It’s a common human experience.

    We’ve begun a new sermon series at our church where we’re diving into the book of Hebrews, a letter that inspires and encourages us not to quit but to persevere in our walk with Jesus.

    The central message of Hebrews is that Jesus is greater than all. He is the ultimate revelation of God, providing us with everything we need for our souls, life, and faith. This then leads to the constant encouragement to not give up, to not quit the faith, but to keep on keeping on.

    If you’ve ever signed up for a gym membership, then you may have experienced something of the following. You sign up inspired to get healthy, turn up 3-4 times per week, and want to make use of the classes on offer or the swimming pool in the complex. But about 6 weeks in, the results aren’t there. Another 6 weeks later, you realise you haven’t attended in a while, and then 6 weeks after that, you realise you’re paying a good amount of money for nothing. So, you quit. You give up on it.

    In our faith we may be tempted to do the same. We get some months or years or even decades down the road of faith and drift. We drift so much, we decide it’s not true, or not worth the time, or we’re not longer convinced it’s worth it.

    This is where the message of Hebrews comes in. It is written to encourage us not to give up, but to persevere in light of who Jesus is and what he has done for us. It is written with teachings, with warnings, and with encouragements to help us do just that. To keep going.

    This sermonic letter opens with a majestic declaration:

    “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:1-3)

    As the letter progresses, we see that Jesus is greater than the angels, Moses, the priests, and the old sacrificial system. He is our Great High Priest, who mediates between God and his people, and offers Himself as the perfect sacrifice once and for all. This truth is at the heart of our faith and is written to give us the strength to keep going.

    Toward the end of the book Hebrews 12:1-2 says the following to continue this encouragement:

    “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

    In our faith journey, we might face moments where we want to quit due to life’s challenges, doubts, or our own shortcomings. But we are not alone. We are surrounded by a ‘great cloud of witnesses’—those who have gone before us and those walking alongside us. Most importantly, we have Jesus, who endured the cross for us and intercedes for us.

    The continued encouragement is to commit to running the race of faith with faith, fixing our eyes on Jesus, and drawing strength from His example and the community of believers around us.

    I look forward to sharing more on Hebrews in coming months as we explore this book.

  • Exploring The Habits of The Christian Life: Reading The Bible For Application

    In recent time I’ve been exploring what modern Christianity would call the ‘spiritual disciplines’. These are the habits, the actions, the lifestyle, the regular practices, which shape spiritual formation for the self.

    As you can imagine these practices are centred around the Word and prayer. However, they also bring with them other practices that can help in our communion with God (think: fasting, solitude, silence, giving etc). And in the end that is the purpose of these practices, to help in our communion with God, leading us to enjoying Him in greater depth.

    Modern proponents of the spiritual disciplines are people like Dallas Willard, Eugene Peterson, Richard Foster, Donald Whitney and others. But generally when reading their books they are often footnoting the divines of ages past. This week, as I’ve been reading David Mathis’ book, The Habits of Grace, one such quote from the Puritan preacher Thomas Watson caught my eye enough to highlight. He writes,

    “Take every word as spoken to yourselves. When the word thunders against sin, think thus: “God means my sins;” when it presseth any duty, “God intends me in this.” Many put off scripture from themselves, as if it only concerned those who lived in the time when it was written; but if you intend to profit by the word, bring it home to yourselves: a medicine will do no good, unless it be applied.”

    How often do we read the Bible and seek to apply it to ourselves in a way that brings it home to ourselves? Often we can read the Bible for the sake of understanding more of the Bible, it’s history, it’s context, the people it was originally written to, but how often do we apply it to ourselves in a way that means we need to apply it?

    For those of us who have been walking with Jesus for a while, who are familiar with the Bible, and understand many of its contours we can easily skip the application of the text for us.

    As Mathis rightfully highlights following this quote, it is important to understand the Word in its context, how it relates to Jesus and the cross, before seeking to apply it to ourselves. But after reading it in this way, do we take the next step in applying it for ourselves, meditating on it to find where it may be speaking to us, insightfully helping us to see how we may need to change our thinking or actions?

  • New Children’s Ministry Initiative Makes Worship Leaders Walk Out Of Service

    In an effort to be more inclusive of children in their services Pleasantville Baptist Church has encouraged those under the age of 12 to bring their own instruments to church for the opening bracket of songs.

    For three weekends in a row the services at PBC have included a time for inviting children to the front with their instruments. In preparation for the change to the Sunday service the PBC Worship And Musical Praise Singing Committee (otherwise known as WAMPS for short) decided to provide instruments for those who need them. Thinking particularly of visitors, or children who don’t have their own instrument, WAMPS provides a surprisingly large wicker basket full of maracas, shaker eggs, castanets, handle bells, tambourines, jingle sticks, and, for one lucky child, a kazoo.

    New Children's Ministry Initiative Make Worship Leaders Walk Out Of Service

    Those attending on Sundays have taken this idea to heart. Each week families make sure their children now take their favourite musical instrument to church, alongside the few coins they contribute to the offering. Dale Lewis, father of three boys aged 9, 7 and 4, says it has really encouraged his children in their worship of God. He said, “After this initiative was introduced our boys have really enjoyed bringing their recorders and joining in with the music team.”

    Part-time Children’s Director, Kimberly Hutchinson, is particularly pleased with this initiative. She’s been suggesting this idea to the WAMPS committee for the last four and a half years, finally getting them to agree to it after the positive response during their Christmas service.

    However, in dramatic scenes this past Sunday, worship leaders Ella McKenzie and Cory Smith couldn’t cope. Not having led worship at PBC for a couple of months they were surprised to see so many children in front of them with their random assortment of instruments. During the seventh repeat of the chorus to one of the church’s favourite songs, ‘Shout To The Lord’, both McKenzie and Smith had had enough. They stopped singing, put down their instruments, and told the congregation they “…couldn’t continue to lead worship with the racket being made in front of them.”

    The congregation were left confused as to what was happening up the front. Unfortunately, no one heard what McKenzie and Smith said because the children kept worshipping with their own instruments; drowning out any possible sound from the late-1980s microphones still waiting to be upgraded.

    In a meeting with the Senior Pastor during the week both McKenzie and Smith explained their decision to walk out.

    “We walked out because all these other instruments meant we couldn’t feel the Holy Spirit. At our six-hour practice during the week we agreed that the four songs we’d chosen would take the congregation on a journey of reflection and into the moment. We didn’t feel this could be achieved with the out-of-tune kazoo being blown on 1 and 3. Don’t get us wrong, we think it would be lovely for the children to be involved somehow, but perhaps that could be clapping their hands as they stand next to their parents.” 

    As we write, the emergency WAMP meeting is now entering its fourth hour. Sources are suggesting that a literal understanding of Psalm 150 may be turning the tide in the children’s ministry favour.

    “Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
        praise him with the harp and lyre,
    praise him with timbrel and dancing,
        praise him with the strings and pipe,
    praise him with the clash of cymbals,
        praise him with resounding cymbals.”

    As Matthew Finkle, one of the children’s ministry volunteers, said upon arriving for the meeting, “Won’t somebody please think of the children?!”

    Other satire pieces, where I attempt to amuse myself, can also be found at the following:

  • Recently Read: April 2019

    Here are some short summaries of books I’ve read recently. I haven’t been reading as much as I’d like in recent time, but here are some of the books I’ve dipped into.

    Recently Read_ April 2019

    1. The Reckoning by John Grisham

    This is the best Grisham book I’ve read in a long time. It is his usual fiction, but this time structured differently as he delves into one of the character’s past in particular detail. This is a very sad story in many ways, but keeps you interested as there are plenty of turns and twists and secrets, only to come together in the final few pages. A great read.

    2. The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

    I hadn’t read The Pilgrim’s Progress properly, well, not that I can remember. I certainly remember the child versions I had when I lived at home. But thanks to Christian Audio I listened to it via their app. It was a great reminder of the trials and joys it is as a believer. This is Bunyan’s classic work and is an allegory for the Christian life, following Christian and his wife and family as they seek the Celestial City.  Definitely worth the read (again) and encouraging for my walk with Jesus.

    3. Gay Girl, Good God by Jackie Hill Perry

    This is a memoir, which details Jackie’s life as she has wrestled with her sexuality and lesbianism. It tells of the horrific situations she has experienced in her childhood, everything from abuse, to being discarded by her father, to family breakdown, and more. But then she tells of how she has been be called by God to follow Him and in turn find her life transformed. This is a powerful story, and great story that points more to God than it does to Jackie herself. It’s certainly worth the read.

    I’ve written a more in-depth review here.

    4. Tactics for Teen Ministry by Scott Petty

    Scott is a youth minister up in Sydney and has written a whole selection of books for young people. This one targets the youth pastor and volunteers.

    I found this book really helpful, and will most likely use some of the content to help train my leaders. It gives a good theological and ministry philosophy foundation at the beginning. The book then moves into more practical and specifics aspects of youth ministry, everything from team meetings, youth group meetings, how to prepare a talk, how to communicate to kids, parents, leaders, and the church etc. It also comes with good resources very clearly laid out in the appendices. And, it’s short – 100 pages or so.

    I’d recommend this to any average youth pastor like me.

    5. The Autobiography of William Jay by William Jay

    I’m still working through this second half of this book but it is excellent. Jay was a minister and preacher in England during the 19th century. He was pastor of Argyle Chapel in Bath for 63 years. His story is amazing; but his reflections on life, discipleship, evangelism, church, and preaching, and writing are even better. He writes these reflections in 19 letters to his children, about ten years prior to his death. There is a wealth of gold in these letters and reflections, some of which I’ll no doubt write about in due course. You can read a little something I wrote about his views of writing memoir and keeping a diary here.

    You can also read more book summaries I’ve written at the following posts: