This morning in Church, our Pastor talked about Acts 8:1-8. The passage is about the persecution that the church suffered in the early years and how, even in the midst of the persecution, there was joy and faith. The focus of the sermon was particularly on verse 8: "So there was great joy in that city."
He said that the life of a Follower of Jesus is not an easy one. There is persecution and there is a cost. However, a life lived in full submission to the calling of Jesus is one of joy and one that will be rewarded, whether it be in earthly life or life in heaven.
The main idea was that, if we want joy in our city and change in our nation, we need to be fully serving our God. We need to move in prayer and action and do what God calls us to do.
I'm overwhelmed by the idea that God wants His purpose for this nation and this world to be fulfilled through people like me, through people like you and through those who we would never expect to contribute anything to the world. God's thought's aren't mine; they're above and beyond anything I can imagine. The Creator of the Universe and the Greatest Power of all is calling me to fulfill His purpose.
That same God is also calling you to fulfill his purpose. He has a job for you whether you fell you're worth it or not.
Mind blowing, right?
At the end of the service, a video was played. It's a lyric video for a song sung by, possibly, my favourite worship singer. It's called God of this City and it's sung by Chris Tomlin at Passion. (It was originally written by Bluetree just to set things right.) The song is powerful and beautiful and it's the perfect way to round this whole thing off.
(And it appears that the video only works on YouTube directly. Oh well.)
"Greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city."
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Politics vs Faith
I've found that if you look up Christian music on YouTube (or better yet, Christian music from artists with a lot of non-Christian fans e.g Owl City, Skillet etc.) you will find that 99% of them have the comments flooded with debates about God. It's pretty stupid if you ask me.
Steps to creating unbearably ridiculous drama on YouTube:
1. Find a video with some kind of Christian content. It doesn't have to be a full-blown Gospel message. A song by Skillet would be a good option.
2. Find a comment talking about how believing in God is stupid. If the video has more than 10,000 views there will almost always be one there. You just have to look.
3. Respond to it in a holier-than-thou or angry fashion. If you want to REALLY get some drama going, put in some big words and talk lots about burning in hell. They love that.
4. Wait until they respond, and then repeat.
Now, in case you hadn't noticed already, that was a joke. Those are the very things you should NOT do. This is what will lead to an ongoing, emotionally tearing debate that, rather than getting the point across that God is a real, living God of love and power, makes both Christians and non-Christians look stupid.
Sounds a little harsh, but it's true.
Debating is politics. God is Love. God doesn't want us to be arguing with every atheist theory in existence. If I recall correctly, Jesus told us to turn the other cheek. To remember that we will be blessed for our suffering in His name. The first apostles were beaten and struck down for their faith, and they would come out celebrating it because they were able to suffer FOR JESUS.
Now, I'm not saying we shouldn't defend our faith when we are attacked. God should be important to us and we should be willing to declare our love for him publicly. What I'm saying is that we shouldn't be talking about God as if our faith makes us any better than anyone else. We also shouldn't be using God as an excuse to create drama or act smart. Because then we aren't seeking God's glory, but our own.
If you are to respond to those kinds of comments, at least do it with love. God loves them and so we should love them. At the end of the day, they're trying to cause drama and responding in a way that makes you feel superior is just as bad.
Faith is not politics.
So if you discover a comment or you receive an insult along the lines of "God doesn't exist. You're stupid, you Bible Basher. Religion is for idiots. DARWIN FTW!!!" you can do one of two things.
1. Ignore it and praise God.
2. Respond to it saying something like "Have a nice day :)" and praise God.
All in all, remember to praise God.
I never much liked politics anyway.
Steps to creating unbearably ridiculous drama on YouTube:
1. Find a video with some kind of Christian content. It doesn't have to be a full-blown Gospel message. A song by Skillet would be a good option.
2. Find a comment talking about how believing in God is stupid. If the video has more than 10,000 views there will almost always be one there. You just have to look.
3. Respond to it in a holier-than-thou or angry fashion. If you want to REALLY get some drama going, put in some big words and talk lots about burning in hell. They love that.
4. Wait until they respond, and then repeat.
Now, in case you hadn't noticed already, that was a joke. Those are the very things you should NOT do. This is what will lead to an ongoing, emotionally tearing debate that, rather than getting the point across that God is a real, living God of love and power, makes both Christians and non-Christians look stupid.
Sounds a little harsh, but it's true.
Debating is politics. God is Love. God doesn't want us to be arguing with every atheist theory in existence. If I recall correctly, Jesus told us to turn the other cheek. To remember that we will be blessed for our suffering in His name. The first apostles were beaten and struck down for their faith, and they would come out celebrating it because they were able to suffer FOR JESUS.
Now, I'm not saying we shouldn't defend our faith when we are attacked. God should be important to us and we should be willing to declare our love for him publicly. What I'm saying is that we shouldn't be talking about God as if our faith makes us any better than anyone else. We also shouldn't be using God as an excuse to create drama or act smart. Because then we aren't seeking God's glory, but our own.
If you are to respond to those kinds of comments, at least do it with love. God loves them and so we should love them. At the end of the day, they're trying to cause drama and responding in a way that makes you feel superior is just as bad.
Faith is not politics.
So if you discover a comment or you receive an insult along the lines of "God doesn't exist. You're stupid, you Bible Basher. Religion is for idiots. DARWIN FTW!!!" you can do one of two things.
1. Ignore it and praise God.
2. Respond to it saying something like "Have a nice day :)" and praise God.
All in all, remember to praise God.
I never much liked politics anyway.
Friday, 4 November 2011
Still recall my name.
I never meant to wither
I wanted to be tall
Like a fool, left the river
And watched my branches fall.
Old and thirsty, i longed for the flood
To come back around
To the cactus in the valley,
That's about to crumble down
And wipe the mark of sadness from my face
Show me that your love will never change
If my yesterday is a disgrace
Show me that you still recall my name.
So the storm finally found me and left me in the dark
In the cloud around me, i don't know where you are
If this old world goes up in arms, all i can do is
stand
And i wont fight for anyone until you move my hands.
And wipe the mark of madness from my face
Show me that your love will never change
If my yesterday is a disgrace,
Tell me that you still recall my name.
Oh here, in this shadow;
Here i am
And i need someone by my side.
It becomes so
Hard to stand
And i keep trying to dry my eyes.
Come and find me
In the valley.
And Wipe the mark of sadness from my face,
show me that your love will never change.
And if my yesterday is a disgrace,
Tell me that you still recall my name.
And wipe the mark of madness from my face
Show me that your love will never change.
And if my yesterday is a disgrace
Tell me that you'll still recall my name.
I wanted to be tall
Like a fool, left the river
And watched my branches fall.
Old and thirsty, i longed for the flood
To come back around
To the cactus in the valley,
That's about to crumble down
And wipe the mark of sadness from my face
Show me that your love will never change
If my yesterday is a disgrace
Show me that you still recall my name.
So the storm finally found me and left me in the dark
In the cloud around me, i don't know where you are
If this old world goes up in arms, all i can do is
stand
And i wont fight for anyone until you move my hands.
And wipe the mark of madness from my face
Show me that your love will never change
If my yesterday is a disgrace,
Tell me that you still recall my name.
Oh here, in this shadow;
Here i am
And i need someone by my side.
It becomes so
Hard to stand
And i keep trying to dry my eyes.
Come and find me
In the valley.
And Wipe the mark of sadness from my face,
show me that your love will never change.
And if my yesterday is a disgrace,
Tell me that you still recall my name.
And wipe the mark of madness from my face
Show me that your love will never change.
And if my yesterday is a disgrace
Tell me that you'll still recall my name.
-Cactus in the Valley- LIGHTS
Something about this song brings figurative tears to my eyes. Especially the acoustic version. Whether this song had intentions of being written from a Christian perspective or not is unknown to me but so much about it brings security and reassurance that my God is with me no matter what I do or what anybody else does.
I guess the reason I posted this is because God can speak through so many things and I believe that this song is one of them.
I'm also really obsessed with this song at the moment.
Here's the studio acoustic version of the song. I hope it speaks to you to.
Saturday, 17 September 2011
Awesome God
"He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy;
He will crush the oppressor.
He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon through all generations.
He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.
...He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth."
Psalm 72:4-6, 8
I read my Bible. I'm trying to read the Old and New Testament all the way through parallel to each other. I'm currently in the Psalms in the OT.
I came across Psalm 72 and was thinking in my head, "Wow. God's pretty amazing. God's SO amazing." And then I thought again.
"Why did I forget that?"
It's odd how we can forget God's awesomeness so quickly and so often. I mean, this is our God.
The victorious, living, reigning Power over all creation. He's got the victory, the glory, the power, the love and He has saved us from the "unbeatable:" Death. How is it that we forget all this?
Why do I forget my awesome God?
Well, there are reasons. Not good reasons, but reasons. Life steps in.
Life always has to step in, doesn't it? "Totally livin' for JESUS! Let's start this Gospel spread!" BAM! Life.
"Full of the Holy Spirit, yeah. Gonna set the world on fire for God!" BAM! Life.
Good things happen, bad things happen, gaining money, losing money, gaining friends, losing friends, getting busy and getting lazy.
Life. It happens.
Sometimes, all we can see is life before our eyes. The bad things make you doubt God's glory. The good things make you ignore it. The boredom and business rids you of any interest in God's glory.
So then, we forget it. Do we just leave it at that? "Gods got glorii yeh. Wots it 2 do wiv me lyk? Gods got de glori so ill just get on wiv life then, yeh?"
No.
God deserves our admiration. In fact He deserves more than our admiration.
So then, how do we now remember Him?
Of course, we can do all the typical "Christian" things.
"Read the Bible, Pray..."
But, quite honestly, we should, shouldn't we?
Prayer is how God speaks to us. Not just us speaking to Him, Him speaking to us. Hearing from God Himself, can remind us of his glory whether it be through just being in His Presence or a more "direct" reply.
You read about how I remembered God's glory through God's Word. You can too. Reading verses describing God's glory over and over again will get into your head how His power can change every one of us. How His power never changes.
We can also think back to those miraculous moments when He has totally shone in power.
"I survived a dreadful accideeeeenntt...."
Being hit by a bus actually. And I didn't just survive, I was totally okay. A bit of shock and a tiny ankle graze, but I was okay.
If that wasn't God's glory then that must mean I'm actually dead.
If we truly believe that God is perfect and unchanging, then those miraculous moments should echo through eternity. God is powerful and we are not. God is perfect and we are not. God knows all and we do not.
He loves each of us infinitely, despite all our screw-ups and doubts. And how often do we forget it?
I'll be honest. I do, a lot.
Times will come when God will reveal his power again but why wait? Ask for Him now. He ain't gonna change and we can let those moments continue forever.
So let's not forget the glory. Let's keep the knowledge of His power in our hearts forever.
"Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvellous deeds.
Praise be to this glorious Name forever, may the whole earth be filled with His Glory.
Amen and Amen."
Psalm 72:18-19
He will crush the oppressor.
He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon through all generations.
He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.
...He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth."
Psalm 72:4-6, 8
I read my Bible. I'm trying to read the Old and New Testament all the way through parallel to each other. I'm currently in the Psalms in the OT.
I came across Psalm 72 and was thinking in my head, "Wow. God's pretty amazing. God's SO amazing." And then I thought again.
"Why did I forget that?"
It's odd how we can forget God's awesomeness so quickly and so often. I mean, this is our God.
The victorious, living, reigning Power over all creation. He's got the victory, the glory, the power, the love and He has saved us from the "unbeatable:" Death. How is it that we forget all this?
Why do I forget my awesome God?
Well, there are reasons. Not good reasons, but reasons. Life steps in.
Life always has to step in, doesn't it? "Totally livin' for JESUS! Let's start this Gospel spread!" BAM! Life.
"Full of the Holy Spirit, yeah. Gonna set the world on fire for God!" BAM! Life.
Good things happen, bad things happen, gaining money, losing money, gaining friends, losing friends, getting busy and getting lazy.
Life. It happens.
Sometimes, all we can see is life before our eyes. The bad things make you doubt God's glory. The good things make you ignore it. The boredom and business rids you of any interest in God's glory.
So then, we forget it. Do we just leave it at that? "Gods got glorii yeh. Wots it 2 do wiv me lyk? Gods got de glori so ill just get on wiv life then, yeh?"
No.
God deserves our admiration. In fact He deserves more than our admiration.
So then, how do we now remember Him?
Of course, we can do all the typical "Christian" things.
"Read the Bible, Pray..."
But, quite honestly, we should, shouldn't we?
Prayer is how God speaks to us. Not just us speaking to Him, Him speaking to us. Hearing from God Himself, can remind us of his glory whether it be through just being in His Presence or a more "direct" reply.
You read about how I remembered God's glory through God's Word. You can too. Reading verses describing God's glory over and over again will get into your head how His power can change every one of us. How His power never changes.
We can also think back to those miraculous moments when He has totally shone in power.
"I survived a dreadful accideeeeenntt...."
Being hit by a bus actually. And I didn't just survive, I was totally okay. A bit of shock and a tiny ankle graze, but I was okay.
If that wasn't God's glory then that must mean I'm actually dead.
If we truly believe that God is perfect and unchanging, then those miraculous moments should echo through eternity. God is powerful and we are not. God is perfect and we are not. God knows all and we do not.
He loves each of us infinitely, despite all our screw-ups and doubts. And how often do we forget it?
I'll be honest. I do, a lot.
Times will come when God will reveal his power again but why wait? Ask for Him now. He ain't gonna change and we can let those moments continue forever.
So let's not forget the glory. Let's keep the knowledge of His power in our hearts forever.
"Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvellous deeds.
Praise be to this glorious Name forever, may the whole earth be filled with His Glory.
Amen and Amen."
Psalm 72:18-19
Friday, 26 August 2011
Who am I?
Eliza. Simple
But who am I really?
A teenager. No, a Christian teenage girl. A Christian teenage girl who loves God, music and art. A clever girl. A strange girl.
Who's not perfect. Who can't socialise. Who can't fit in.
It's funny to imagine how others look at me. I find that often, others assume that my Christian life is perfect. They look at me and think "Wow. She's got it all sorted."
"Confident, intelligent and talented. I bet she doesn't bother with anyone else. I bet she's stuck-up."
This is so untrue.
Sure, I haven't 'backslidden' or rebelled tremendously. Yes, I am quite smart and I do have my talents. That's all good but I see so much missing in myself.
I'm rather eloquent in public speaking. It's a little scary but I enjoy it. However, as much as I can talk to people, I find it exceedingly difficult to talk with people. Most people don't realise it and it wasn't until rather recent years but I am rather shy. Only me and my Mum can really see it in it's entirety. People often see my quietness as being stuck-up or rude. Like I don't think they deserve to talk to me.
Actually, I often feel I don't deserve to talk to them because the people I can talk comfortably with often hear me spurt out some ridiculous or awful comment.
I have few "people skills." Throughout my life loneliness was always something I craved, particularly at school.
I am FLAWED. I am WEAK.
I am not worthy.
No matter how much I try or how many compliments I get, I find it hard to get over this major flaw. I see so many girls my age laughing and socialising with such ease that I often ask God,
"Why can't I be like that?"
However, in a way, that's like me slapping God across the face and shouting, "You're making me wrong! Make me better!"
My desire for time alone is a lonely feeling, but it's helping me through these years where it is so easy to be swayed by others from where God wants me. My introverted/confident nature has kept me from being anyone else but myself. Popularity was never a desire for me and I wouldn't have had it any other way.
I may feel awkward and things may seem hard but someday, perhaps years from now, I'll break out of this personality phase and start to be the confident leader and woman of God that He wants me to be.
I know that God loves me.
I know I have a purpose.
God will FORGIVE my FLAWS.
God will make me STRONG.
God doesn't need me to be worthy of anything.
Who am I?
God's servant.
That's all I need to be.
But who am I really?
A teenager. No, a Christian teenage girl. A Christian teenage girl who loves God, music and art. A clever girl. A strange girl.
Who's not perfect. Who can't socialise. Who can't fit in.
It's funny to imagine how others look at me. I find that often, others assume that my Christian life is perfect. They look at me and think "Wow. She's got it all sorted."
"Confident, intelligent and talented. I bet she doesn't bother with anyone else. I bet she's stuck-up."
This is so untrue.
Sure, I haven't 'backslidden' or rebelled tremendously. Yes, I am quite smart and I do have my talents. That's all good but I see so much missing in myself.
I'm rather eloquent in public speaking. It's a little scary but I enjoy it. However, as much as I can talk to people, I find it exceedingly difficult to talk with people. Most people don't realise it and it wasn't until rather recent years but I am rather shy. Only me and my Mum can really see it in it's entirety. People often see my quietness as being stuck-up or rude. Like I don't think they deserve to talk to me.
Actually, I often feel I don't deserve to talk to them because the people I can talk comfortably with often hear me spurt out some ridiculous or awful comment.
I have few "people skills." Throughout my life loneliness was always something I craved, particularly at school.
I am FLAWED. I am WEAK.
I am not worthy.
No matter how much I try or how many compliments I get, I find it hard to get over this major flaw. I see so many girls my age laughing and socialising with such ease that I often ask God,
"Why can't I be like that?"
However, in a way, that's like me slapping God across the face and shouting, "You're making me wrong! Make me better!"
My desire for time alone is a lonely feeling, but it's helping me through these years where it is so easy to be swayed by others from where God wants me. My introverted/confident nature has kept me from being anyone else but myself. Popularity was never a desire for me and I wouldn't have had it any other way.
I may feel awkward and things may seem hard but someday, perhaps years from now, I'll break out of this personality phase and start to be the confident leader and woman of God that He wants me to be.
I know that God loves me.
I know I have a purpose.
God will FORGIVE my FLAWS.
God will make me STRONG.
God doesn't need me to be worthy of anything.
Who am I?
God's servant.
That's all I need to be.
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