From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.
1 Chronicles 12:32

This is one of those Bible passages that I’ve wandered past time and time again without considering it that significant. And that’s the thing, stuff in The Bible speaks to us at different stages and alerts  us to different things.

These guys, from the tribe of Issachar, understood the signs of the times, they had insight into the way the world was operating and they were able to discern the best course of action to take.

What are the signs of the times for us? 

A generally prosperous society.
An increase in financial stress.
Awareness of social justice issues.
Environmental concern.
The increased presence of sex in our everyday life.
Internet relationships.
Electronic connectedness / physical disconnectedness.

 These are just a handful of the ways in which the world we live in operates. As you spend time with God over the next few days reflect upon what you see as the signs of our times. Reflect also on how you personally should  respond to them. What do you embrace? What do you reject? What do you stand against?

 Those of us who are follwers of Christ believe we serve a God of purpose. Our lives are designed to have purpose. We’re not here to just let the world wash over us. We’re here to affect the world for good

“The Lord has told you what is good

and this is what he requires of you.

To do what is right and love mercy

And to walk humbly with your God�

-Micah 6:8

Here’s a simple recipe for life:

Do what is right!

Love mercy!

Walk humbly!

“Stand your ground putting on the sturdy belt of truth� Ephesians 6:14 (NLT) Ever noticed that Paul doesn’t begin this passage about the armour of God with the more high profile items like the sword or the shield? In making the comparison to armour Paul probably had in a mind a Roman soldier who was not a guy who wore combat pants as soldiers do today. He wore a kind loose fitting gown-like tunic and to move quickly in battle he would gather the folds of his tunic under his tightened belt. This would allow him freer, faster movement. You see the belt wasn’t really a very dramatic piece of armour but it was essential to everything else. The soldier’s breastplate was attached to his belt as was the sheath for his sword. So, if his belt wasn’t right his breastplate or sword could hand to loosely or even slip off. You could be the best soldier out there but if you sere to trip over your clothing and equipment you’d look a little foolish. That’s why Paul has the belt at the top of the list. To have the belt tightened means that you’re ready for battle, ready to move with the prompting of the Holy Spirit and make an impact in your world. The basis for all that we are and all that we do has to be the truth. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:21 that the truth is in Jesus.

“The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together.
The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road.
The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy.
The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes.
God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee.
The decisions of God are accurate down to the nth degree�
Psalm 19 :7– 9 (The Message)

God’s signposts are clear. The more connected with him that we are, the easier it is for us to understand his will for our lives. David was a man of action – he knew what to do and he did it. But he was also a man after God’s own heart. He spent time with God, he understood that God knew him intimately and he did all he could to be as close as humanly possible to his Lord. As we journey deeper in God’s Word, as we develop a more and more intimate relationship with him we become clearer on our calling and direction in life.

Therefore, Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed,
      preserving them forever from this lying generation,
even though the wicked strut about,
      and evil is praised throughout the land.

Psalm 12:7 - 9

We live in a broken world where many people are struggling with poverty, disease, drug addiction, or any number of other difficulties. The Bible tells over and over again that the God we believe in is the protector of the oppressed, the poor, the hungry. As his followers on this planet we are people who take up that challenge to do good and influence our community.

2000 years after he walked on this earth the influence of Jesus Christ is still shaping the hearts and souls of millions of people all over the world.

Following Jesus is all about a miracle called transformation but it’s rooted in influence. God wins our hearts. We follow him because he has earned our trust. He has influenced our lives.

And partnering together with God we are people who will influence our community and who will protect the oppressed.�

“Then Samuel said,
    Do you think all God wants are sacrifices—
      empty rituals just for show?
   He wants you to listen to him!
   Plain listening is the thing,
      not staging a lavish religious production.�

1 Samuel 15:22

Listening to God and following his Word is the thing. Samuel was talking to Saul who had just won a huge victory with God’s help. Where Saul went wrong was that he ignored all of God’s instructions. God has told him to destroy everything in the enemy city but Saul chose to keep some of the prime cattle to offer a sacrifice to God. Sometimes we can do what appears to be a good thing but it’s contrary to what God has been telling us.

  As we spend time in The Bible and presenting ourselves to God we become people who actually walk in his Word which means that it becomes easier for us to make choices in life because everything about us is immersed in him

“But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness…�

-Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

God has to come first in our lives; we need to be a Kingdom focused people who hear God and act upon what He tells us. In The Message version of the above verse it says:

“Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out.�

Too often we settle for human reality and that will always fall short of the fullness of living that we can find in Jesus Christ. A God-reality means living a life encased in Jesus, allowing Him to inspire and lead our existence.

Matthew 6:34 in The Message says:

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now�

If we pay attention to what God is doing and jump on board with His plans then we will live the life He has planned for us.

My mother-in-law passed away a couple of weeks ago and we had to go to Wellington,that’s New Zealand, in a hurry. It was a weird time of laughter, grief and joy. Celebrating the life of this woman who has served God faithfully, and seeing the heritage left in her children was very cool. But there is a sadness too, in knowing that you won’t
see her again in this world.

 

Wellington is where I was born and grewup so it was good to revisit old haunts and walk the streets again. Of course a lot of old haunts are gone or changed.

Where is my city now?
It’s crumbled to dust
along with my dreams.
All the people I knew or loved
have crumbled too, it seems.
You’re always there somewhere
in the background.
We’ve said “goodbye� before
but we cannot leave each other’s lives
even as new dreams feature in our days.Now the old order has crumbled
we’ve both changed
and followed divergent destinies.
I’ve found love for now
and you’ve strayed into emptiness.
But it’s time to quit dreaming of the past
we’ve got to go on.
there’s a future out there for us
somewhere.
There’s new dreams  to follow
old lives to forget.
Journey with me if you wish
because you know nothing can part us
I’ve found my love
and I’ve a future to build,
but I’ll never leave you out in the cold.                

    

It’s been exciting seeing new people come along each week since we launched. Last Sunday I talked about love and how the Hollywood idea of love difference from the Biblical idea of love. This week Daniel Sanders is going to be talking
about conflict - a topic we all need to consider from God’s point of view.

We also started new Life Groups this week and although we’re running 2 I think we will need to begin a  third very soon. I love the idea of small groups of people meeting to get to know God and each other more intimately.

 

 

Last Sunday we officially launched Imagine Collingwood in Father Flanagan’s Irish Pub. It was a great day with heaps of visitors and a true sense of the Holy Spirit’s presence. About 3 weeks before the launch we delivered around 4,500 postcards to letterboxes in the local area inviting people to do an on-line survey (an extra incentive was the opportunity to win an i-Pod). We had a great response and based our opening series of talks on what the majority of people said was the greatest need in our community. These are some of the responses to the survey:
A sense of caring & community between people who are currently strangers, and a direction for their lives.

Respect for others

kindness and care

understanding and respect of difference

Acceptance and understanding without judgement

Tolerance and understanding

helping each other out

caring and love for one another.

The place to start is to bring back the FEELING of community, to combat the growing sense of social disconnectedness. It’s very easy to take no responsibility for a community you don’t feel part of

The breakdown of community. People are so isolated in today’s world, that when something goes wrong, there is often no one to turn to.

What do all these responses have in common?

Relationship

We live in an increasingly isolated society. It is apparent that many people feel that there is a need for a better sense of community. A need for people to be able to get along better. A need for better understanding.

So we’re off and running talking about relationships and community and of course how God fits into this picture.