Climate Change

Most Australians accept that the climate is changing. This is particularly the case amongst young Australians. Almost 100% of Gen Y (aged 18-28), 91% of Gen X (aged 29-43) believe climate change is real. However when it comes to attributing cause, there is less consensus. Just over half believe humans activities are the main cause of it. Most Australians believe that climate change will have a “significant impact” on Australia’s future and 40% believe it will have an “extreme impact”.

However, we don’t want to make too many sacrifices. Just over 65% of Australians don’t want to have to pay more than 10% for environmentally friendly products and services, and one-third of Australians don’t want to have to pay anything at all. 40% are willing to do a bit as long as it’s not too expensive or arduous. 10% are willing to pay “whatever it costs”.*

The Bible says that God has given humans ‘dominion’ over creation (Genesis 1:28-30, Psalm 8:6-9). This means that as humans he has appointed us to care for the earth and the things he has created, ‘You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet’ – Psalm 8:6.

When we realise that God has given us the amazing gift of living on this earth and entrusted us to care for it, do we become thankful for the aspects of creation that we see around us (1Thessalonians 5:18)? And in shifting our attitude toward the world around us to thankfulness, shouldn’t we want to live in a way that praises God by honouring these things with our actions?

That’s what I’ve been thinking. What do you think?

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* McCrindle Research Pty Ltd, The Heart of Australia, p3

An Australian Christmas

What does Christmas mean to Australians?

A survey conducted amongst Australians has shown that 57% of respondents identified themselves as belonging to a religion that celebrates Christmas as a religious holiday. On the other hand, 87% of those who are not religious still celebrate Christmas to some extent. Of those who belong to another religion, over half (56%) still celebrate Christmas.*

But what is being celebrating at Christmas? The angel that brought the news of the birth of Jesus said; ‘I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.’ (Luke 2:10-11). Here we see the central reason for celebrating Christmas. That Jesus came to this earth, he was God with us, and through his death and resurrection we can be set free from sin, death and sickness and be in personal relationship with God. Yet is this what people celebrate?

It seems that the top three reasons why people celebrate Christmas are quality time with family (87%), exchanging gifts/presents (50%) and because the children really enjoy it (44%).

The hype of the Christmas season in our Australian culture is focussed greatly on presents, shopping for other people and the stresses that this brings. Often we forget the truth behind Christmas and miss that it is a time of joyful celebration. Have you stopped in the busy Christmas season to ponder what it really means? What will you be celebrating this year at Christmas? That’s what I’ve been thinking about.

What do you think?

*’Heart of Australia’, McCrindle Research, p 7

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Carols by Candlelight

Singing Carols by Candlelight is an Australian tradition which many enjoy year after year. The inspiration for Vision Australia’s Carols by Candlelight® was born one Christmas Eve in 1937, as radio veteran, the late Norman Banks MBE, strolled along historic St Kilda Road in Melbourne after a late night radio shift. As he walked, he noticed an elderly woman sitting up in bed by her window, her face lit only by a candle. She had a radio beside her and was singing along to the Christmas carol, “Away in a Manger”. It was at this moment that Banks was inspired to create the first gathering of people to sing carols by candlelight. In 1938, 10,000 people gathered at midnight in the Alexandra Gardens to sing carols. The unusual candlelight setting, and the beauty of the carols, instantly won the affection of the large assembly. A new Christmas tradition was born.*

The continuing tradition of listening to and singing carols at Christmas is interesting to observe, given the lyrics of the traditional carols sung. To be shopping in Myer and hear a contemporary artist singing ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, “Glory to the newborn King; Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!”, sharing the story of Jesus’ birth proclaimed directly from the Bible (Luke 2) is somewhat startling, if one moves beyond the familiar tradition and considers what’s being proclaimed.

Is such a tradition outdated and out of place in our increasingly secular society?

Perhaps listening to and singing carols this Christmas, we can be reminded of the original message of Christmas, and challenge others with it.

That’s what I’ve been thinking about.

What do you think?

* http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/info

Do all roads lead to God?

There are many religions in our world, and many that we come into contact with every day. Each of them teach different things about God, and how people can know and relate to God. Some of us may have friends who are of the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish or other faith.

Do all roads lead to God?

Are all religions merely different paths leading to the same destination?

The Bible speaks to this topic. Jesus states in John’s gospel, ‘ “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”’ (John 14:6-7) Jesus taught that he is the only road to God. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. If we know him, we know God.

How can Christians make such an exclusive truth claim? Yet the reality is, all religions make exclusive claims regarding God; even the claim that there is no God or that we can’t know if there’s a God is an exclusive truth claim.

How do you feel about what the Bible teaches on this topic? Would you be confident in presenting Jesus to your friends and family as the true road to God?

That’s what I’ve been thinking about.

What do you think?

Living in an Anti-Christian environment

How can Christians cope with environments which are antagonistic towards them because of their faith? How much can one take?

Perhaps we can take some encouragement from the fact that Jesus knew his followers would have to live (and work) amongst those that were ‘anti-Christian’. Jesus told his disciples that the world would hate them, because Christians do not belong to the world. Rather, we belong to Jesus himself, who has chosen us. (John 15:10-19). We can also be encouraged that Jesus prayed for his followers, because, although he is returning to the Father, his followers must remain in a world that will hate them. It’s interesting to notice that Jesus doesn’t pray that God would take his followers out of the world, but that he would protect them from the evil one. (John 17:13-19).

But, how should we handle environments which are hostile to Christians? A helpful point is made by Peter, who urged Christians to live such good lives among those who don’t know Jesus that, although they accuse Christians of doing wrong, they may see their good deeds and glorify God (1 Peter 2:12). In a similar vein, Paul encourages Christians to be obedient, ready to do whatever is good, not to slander others, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility towards all people (Titus 3:1-2).

That’s what I’ve been thinking. What do you think about living, or working, in an anti-Christian environment?

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Can we just be ‘Sunday’ Christians?

Is being a Christian primarily about getting to church every Sunday?

In the Old Testament, it’s clear that God doesn’t want a one-off or outward sacrifice from his people; rather, he wants hearts and lives. They are told to love the Lord their God with their whole being – their hearts, souls and strength. They are to talk about God’s ways at home and when they are moving around during the day; when they go to bed, and when they get up. Being God’s person was meant to be a whole of life commitment (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

God renounces those who come near to him outwardly, but in their hearts are far from Him, and their worship of Him is made up only of rules taught by men (Isaiah 29:13).

Jesus also teaches that God’s people should love God with everything you have; heart, soul, mind and strength, and this includes loving your neighbour (Luke 10:27). The apostle Paul urges Christians to offer up their whole lives to God as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1) and to let every detail in their lives – words, actions, whatever – be done in the name of Jesus, thanking God at all times (Colossians 3:17).

That’s what I’ve been thinking. What do you think – is getting to church every Sunday the main part of being a Christian?

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Why does God let bad things happen?

The question of why God lets bad things happen is one of the biggest questions impacting both intellectual debates about the Christian faith, and deeply personal struggles amongst people who undergo suffering. What can we discover from Scripture?

One thing we can know is that suffering, ‘bad things happening’, are the consequence of curse of the fall. The result of the sin of Adam and Eve, and the sin amongst all humanity since then, is suffering in this world. Adam was told that the ground was cursed because of his sin, and that his work would be painful (Genesis 3:17-19 and Romans 8:18-22).

In the Bible, many bad things were allowed to happen to the man Job. God allowed Satan to bring suffering into Job’s life, because he wanted to show that Job would stand firm and be faithful to Him. But Job wasn’t given this insight; he, like us, questioned why God allowed so many bad things to come into his life. Job didn’t know why God let bad things happen to him; but he remained faithful. (Job 1:8-12, 22; Job 2:3)

Jesus told his followers that they would undergo persecution and trials, just as he did (John 15:18-16:4). We also know that God uses the bad things that happen to us as discipline; like a father disciplining his children, for our good, so that we may share in his holiness, and so that later on a harvest of righteousness and peace may be the result (Hebrews 12:10-12).

Another result of suffering and trials is they lead to the development of perseverance, hope and a refined faith in those who undergo them (1 Peter 1:6-7 and James 1:2-4).

That’s what I’ve been thinking. Why do you think God lets bad things happen?

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God’s Word

What do we mean when we say the Word of God? Do we mean the Bible…or Jesus?

The Bible is understood to be the words of God to mankind; that is, God’s Word. From Genesis we understand that God’s spoken Word created the whole world. The Law given to Moses and the Israelite people on Mt Sinai were the Words of God, inscribed onto tablets of stone by God himself (Exodus 31:18). The Bible teaches that all Scripture is ‘God breathed’ (2 Timothy 3:16), that is, it consists of words which issued from God’s ‘mouth’, along with his breath. So the Word of God is, today, a book we hold in our hands.

Jesus is also referred to as the ‘Word’ of God.’ John looks back to the creation of the world and states, ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ We can tell it is Jesus John is speaking about, since he continues ‘…the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us’ (John 1:1, 1:14). So John equates Jesus with the creating Word of God. We know from elsewhere in the New Testament that Jesus was present at creation, and is in fact the Word by which everything was created (Colossians 1:16).

So, is the Word of God only the Bible? Or is it also the person of Jesus? And how important is Jesus to the message of the Bible?

That’s what’s on my mind…

What do you think?

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Keeping Secrets

Less than 1 in 3 Australians (31.7%) state that they always keep a secret. Worse, 1 in 5 admitted to promising full secrecy to someone, knowing they would pass on what was said at the first available opportunity. Further, more than 1 in 20 (6.1%) are chronic secret sharers- divulging most or all secrets that they are told. More than half of all Australians (51.3%) have had a friend break their promise of secrecy yet two thirds of us (62.5%) have someone in our life that we trust unreservedly.

When exposing a secret, Australians are largely motivated out of “concern for that person’s welfare” (75%), “concern for a third party’s welfare” (52%) and “concern for their own welfare” (38%).*

From the Bible we learn the power of words, and their potential to impact other people. ‘The tongue has the power of life and death” (Proverbs 18:21). This verse is very clear in stating the way we use our words impacts our lives. The New Testament emphasises this teaching, with Paul stating, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29).

During his time on earth, Jesus stated we should love God and people with all that we have. ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ (Matthew 22:36-39).

The words that we say should be motivated by love. Is telling that secret to other people loving the person that told you? How do the things you say love other people?

That’s what I’ve been thinking about.

What do you think?

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* McCrindle Research Pty Ltd, The Heart of Australia, p 4

Why is God’s message relevant today?

Since our world has changed so much since the time of the Jews and Jesus’ time on earth, is God’s message still relevant to people today?

The Bible is very clear God doesn’t change. He is the same God, with the same character, nature and essential being he revealed to his people, the Jews, so long ago, and is now recorded in the Old Testament. From everlasting to everlasting, he is God, and does not change (Psalm 90:2; James 1:17). Not only does God’s character not change, but his design and purpose remain the same. God assures his people in Malachi, the final book in the Old Testament, that he does not change, so they are not destroyed (Malachi 3:6); God doesn’t change, and neither does his message. We are also assured that Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). This is to be an encouragement to us to continue to remember God’s message spoken to us, to live a life of faith, and not be carried away by other strange teachings (Hebrews 13:7-9)

Secondly, the Bible tells us that human nature doesn’t change. When confronted with his sin, David acknowledges that he was sinful at birth, as we all are; sinful from the time we were conceived (Psalm 51:5; Proverbs 22:15; Genesis 8:21). This is because all human nature is under the same condition that began with Adam’s first disobedience against God, a sinful condition which pushes God away, and leaves us by nature objects of God’s wrath (Romans 5:12; 17-19; Ephesians 2:3). Job observes that just as the sparks from a fire will always fly upward, so all humans are born to trouble (Job 5:7). Human nature has not changed; we are still in need of God’s love and his grace towards us in Jesus.

The Bible shows us that God’s message is still relevant today – because God has not changed, his message has not changed, and since humans haven’t changed, we are still in need of his message of love and salvation.

That’s what I’ve been thinking about.

What do you think?

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