Mission in Action

No, it’s not like that really. ? Numbers and Deuteronomy were fascinating and sobering reads – timely warnings to us in the face of our constant tendency to both grumbling and idolatry (one informs the other I think).

Numbers really was a book of counting. Aside from all that census stuff how about counting the number of times God’s people grumbled against him in the wilderness. ? Counting the number of times God judged their grumbling. ? Counting the number of times he stuck with them despite their behaviour. ? Counting the number of fighting men who died out in the desert (more than 600, 000 – Ed) and notice how God replaced them with roughly the same number prior to entering the Promised Land, remaining true to his word that none of that previous generation who refused to go up to enter the land the first time died out. ? It really does beggar belief as you read it at how unbelieving and hard-hearted the people were – until of course we turn the spotlight on ourselves and realise how gracious God has been in his dealings with us in our constant grumbling and unbelief. ? It also reminds us that grumbling IS unbelief, a sobering thought.

Then Deuteronomy. ? Talk about being on the verge of the Promised Land, you can almost smell it! ? What struck me as I read it was how all-encompassing of life God’s law was. ? This wasn’t a privatised spirituality that didn’t have traction in the everyday world; this WAS the everyday world being lived out in the light of God and his salvation. ? Of course the Shema of Deut 6 is central – “Hear Oh Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord one”. ? God’s unity being central to the unity of how we live our lives – no room for compartmentalism then. ?

What strikes me about reading the Pentateuch through again in such a short time is just how relevant it is to our own setting and how the post-Christian world is in a tail-spin because it has no centre. ? I often hear ministry gurus saying how we need to make the Bible relevant if we are to connect with today’s people. ? I fail to see how it could be any more relevant. ? The striking thing about it is how much I see me (and us – Ed) in all of it. ? The sad thing about the last few chapters of Deuteronomy is that God sits Moses and Joshua down and tells that in no uncertain terms that the people will rebel against him and turn to idols and that they will be cursed in the very land that promises so much blessing. ? I know the book ends with Moses blessing the people as they camp by the Jordan River, but his heart must have been heavy as he contemplates the reality that upon his death the people will be no better than they have been during his life. ? Now if only God would raise up a prophet just like him….?

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A very funny Christian cartoon has an austere looking man sitting in a chair with a side table and a glass of water, with a tapestry on the wall saying “Vengeance is mine saith the Lord.” Chris is reading a book entitled “Notes on Leviticus, Vol XIII”. ?

To be honest that’s how many people view Leviticus – a difficult and stark read, only for those who are humourless. ? To add to that there are a number of verses in there that our culture has a real go at especially those pertaining to sexuality. ? If that wasn’t enough there are many in the Christian world who question the kind of God who requires the quantity and exactitude of those sacrifices.

That does this important book a great disservice – especially in light of the whole Bible and God’s unfolding plan of salvation. ? The constant refrain of Leviticus is the call for holiness in the light of God’s holiness. Yet the constant problem that the continuous sacrifices highlight is the lack of holiness among God’s gathered people in the desert (and by extension all people) and God’s gracious provision of a way of approaching him without being made into toast.

By the time you get to the end of Leviticus you have a right to feel exhausted and unsure of how you are going to manage all of those sacrifices. ? Yet if God is going to dwell in the midst of his people, then there is no other way. ? Besides the desire of Moses to have God dwell among his people, and their desire to have God go with them, is so strong that they are willing to do all of this just to be close to the Holy One. ?

What an astounding relief when Jesus comes and imputes to us the clean standing that Leviticus can only hint at with its myriad sacrifices. The sharp contrast between the old and the new is highlighted in Hebrews when we are reminded that day after day the priests stood offering sacrifices that could not take away sin, yet Jesus offered himself once, then sat down, having completed his work by providing the final sacrifice that dealt with sin decisively. ? If you’re from Perth you’ll recall the Lotto Powerball advertising campaign in which a very bored production line worker is repeating the same action every three seconds. ? The weary worker looks up and says “One Powerball and I’m out of here”. ? That’s what Jesus’ sacrifice does to the whole Leviticus thing.

BTW – I often do wonder why people are so quick to dismiss substitutionary atonement as not being central to the cross, when so much of the OT is build upon the very notion. ? It seems a little strange that God would go to all that trouble to shadow something in the OT if it did not have a reality in the NT.

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We had 23 people around for afternoon tea today as our proto-group inches forward – including a plethora of kids. ? It was an interesting time with sub-groups of five or six people making their way into the kitchen, the lounge, or the back verandah for the late afternoon winter sun. It had a good vibe to it as we haven’t been pushing “the church thing” too hard, but rather want to see how it evolves. ? I had some good conversations in the lounge with some of the blokes and we got onto the topic of how to create a good community that others can look into and see something good about it. ? The irony is that there seems to be progress happening the less I push it. ? We have been throwing around some ideas about how to demonstrate what it looks like to be a community of light and we’ve realised that many of us have a bunch of skills (not nunchuck or bowstaff skills for those Napoleon Dynamite freaks out there – Ed) that could be offered to our surrounding suburbs. We like the idea of forming a co-op in which we offer our professional gifts to those in need. ? In our group we have an IT specialist, a trade-union advocate, several teachers, a couple of builders, a writer, a clinical psychologist. ? If we got ourselves sorted out we could be quite a good gift to our area. ? There was just something good about the group today – a natural feel that augurs well for the future.

On another front my neighbour of seven years has been going through a really difficult time. I hadn’t seen him for a while and was worried so finally plucked up the courage to knock on his door and ask how he was. ? Not good at all, it turned out. ? He’s a great bloke and I’ve spent a lot of time in the past talking about spiritual things and how the world works/doesn’t work. ? I really do want to help him out and he’s keen to talk more. ? It all highlights the need to offer the gospel’s community of light to the discommunities of darkness surrounding us.?

Keep praying that Jill and I will demonstrate the kingship of Jesus in our family to those who live around us.

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Well, Exodus was a page-turner to say the least. ? Who would have thunk eh??

Two issues stand out. First, ? Salvation belongs to the Lord

We have the amazing salvation event of the exodus event itself – culminating in the drowning of the Egyptians and the song of Miriam celebrating it. ? In light of the precursor verse to the Ten Commandments “I am the LORD your God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” it is beyond a shadow of a doubt that any effort at living for God is solely in the light of and in the power of his prior salvation. ? What a liberating thought – and one that kills of our pride and self-sufficiency.

The second issue, Worship belongs to the Lord

Exodus seems to be a bit like an English Premier League match – “a game of two halves”. We have all of the amazing events of the first half and then suddenly we seem to get bogged down in the detail of what the curtains of the tabernacle should be made of and how each candle stick has to contain both almond branch and bud engravings. ? What’s going on? ? The clue could very well be the incident of the Golden Calf in which the people grumble about Moses and his disappearance, with Aaron getting their gold and putting it in the fire and, well what do you, a golden calf comes out! ? What a contrast. ? God’s detailed, precise plans for how the Holy One is to be approached versus a slap-dash throw-it-in-the-fire-and-see-what-comes-out. ? What a message for all of us – that God is so holy, so other to us, so pure and unapproachable, that only he is qualified to say how he is to be approached. ? ? It’s interesting how after that event God reiterates everything to Moses – thus sandwiching the incident of the calf between God’s true desire for worship. ?

Which sets up a great theological framework for God’s people today. The God who provides our salvation through Christ, only accepts worship from people through the means he has provided – Christ. ? I know we feel that this is offputting to people today, but no more it seems than to those in the desert all those thousands of years ago. ? ?

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What a day at work.? I had my recalcitrant bunch of Year ten students – the ones who the school figure have fallen through the gaps and are in danger of disengaging from school. To say they were challenging is an understatement.? It literally was a punch-fest festooned with liberal sprinklings of four, five, seven, and twenty-five letter words, phrases, suggestions and sexual references.? It ended with one of them being locked in the Student Services building for his own safety after he (puny) made a smart-aleck comment to another (brawny) member of the group.? I allowed one girl (sensitive and kind) to leave to go back to her mainstream class after fifteen minutes because it became really uncomfortable for her.? Jill has assured me that prison is simply an extension of this experience.? Can’t say I got a lot of thinking about church planting today, but certainly met with the kind of people who need Jesus a whole lot.? I have prayed for these guys before, but could do with doing that a bit more.

Fact #1

The average age of a teacher in a secondary school in WA is 49

Fact #2

Young graduates last an average of four years in the classroom before moving on to something else

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What a crazy family.? I have read a few newspapers over the past few days, but none of the weird stuff in there could compete with what goes on between Genesis 26-50.? But what an amazing story of grace also, as God keeps his chosen ones despite their sin and failings.? I love too the little touches that demonstrate the complete authenticity of the story, such as Jacob saying to his sons as they sit around starving whilst there is a famine in Egypt “What are you sitting there staring for?” It smacks of reality.? And also Joseph’s final words to the brothers when they are returning to Jacob having found out Joseph is still alive; “And don’t quarrel on the journey!”

All along the way we see God reiterating and building his covenant promises, blessing his people and blessing those who come into contact with them.? If there is one thing that comes to the fore it is a foreshadowing of what Paul says “Where sin abounded grace superabounded.”

Can’t wait to see what happens next!

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Ok – so I’m not going to do this thing religiously. ? I’m not going to read the Bible in 90 days as a way of seeking favour in God’s eyes. ? Which is just as well as the first 25 chapters of Genesis would disavow you of that notion. ? I read those today, and was struck afresh by just how foundational to absolutely everything in the Bible those early chapters are. ? Yes, I know, I’ve sneaked a peek at the back of the book and I know we win, but it’s amazing to read how Abraham’s trust in God’s promise was reckoned to him as righteousness – grace all the way, no place for self-righteous works. ? Now I have to say I have been reading the NASB instead of the NIV and the ebb and flow of it compared to the NIV is remarkable – it’s a far clearer read and being more of a literal translation than what is known as a “dynamic equivalence” it really sticks in your brain.

Despite all the good stuff, the murder, the intrigue, the Ancient Near East IVF program, the thing that most sticks with me from today’s reading is the logical consequence of listening to the devil. ? “You shall surely not die” says the father of lies to Eve, only for us to read over and over again a few chapters later in the genealogies “And so-and-so fathered many other sons and daughters, and he died.. and so-and-so fathered many other sons and daughters and he died”: A staccato reminder of the fact that sin leads to death and God actually was telling the truth when he pointed it out.

If you’d like to post some comments about the things you’ve taken from your readings for the day that would be great. ? Our own online Wikipedia-esque commentary.

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