Rant #1

It's Saturday morning, 2:00 A.M.

Jake arrived at my house and then we immediately departed for the Civic video Glenfield to get 3 things:

a) Xbox 360
b) Gears of War 2 (on xbox 360)
c) Guitar Hero: World Tour (on xbox 360)

As we were headed home we turned around the bend in the road to find a young lady in her young twenties trying to change a tyre with two things in her boot, apart from the spare tyre, she had one: a jack, essential. Two: a spanner. This lady was dressed in her work clothes, not the best outfit to change a tyre in.. as my Dad drove by he did something that didn't surprise me in the slightest, he did a u-turn and pulled in behind her to help her out. It turns out she didn't have anything to loosen the bolts with, and my Dads tools were built for an Audi A6, not a 1990 Nissian Sentra, so they were of no help. So My Dad then gaps it to a nearby petrol station to find a tool that will do the job. So Jake, Mandy and I were left with this wife to be (she was engaged) and sooner than later my Dad turns up and we are all set, the tyre is changed and we are on our way, knowing that we did a good dead.

What bothers me more about this event, was that that poor women was out of the street in Wairau industrial area for fifteen minutes without someone pulling over and giving help. It wasn't like the road was empty. This was at 8 in the evening. The traffic flow was large and there was heaps of potential saviours for this woman.

We as first world New Zealanders have gotten sue to the fact that everyone can fend for themselves, that in this capitalist nation the winner is the person that can get to the top first and hold it for the longest.

I wanna propose a different view on this. That we lower ourselves down the people that need help, and don't shrug the little man off. which seems to be the agenda for the capitalist society of today.

Because isn't that what Jesus did? He dined with the beggars, the tax collectors and the prostitutes, because when you really get down to it, how are those people meant to experience the love and the light of Christ, when they are hated by everyone they come into contact with.

No, i refuse to become like that, i will lower myself down to the people that need help. If that means not buying a $1800 amp and going to South Africa to work in the squatter camps with my Grandma then so be it. The Church of the 21st Century has denied the people any chance of real movement in faith towards the people that need help. The close knit boxed set that has formed as secured peoples life into that of mediocrity and conformity.

Now i don't mean conformity in the sense that everyone should go emo, thus creating a pack of people conforming together as emo's against conformity. It doesn't work like that. Instead we need to break this Shell of boxed set churches, because the "church" is one of the biggest obstacles for Christianity. And yes we need the non-profit organisations to spread the word, and the organise the movements to mission. But the Sunday morning, be there at 9:30am style church leads people down a path of conformity out of the true desire of Christ. There's the grit message of this Rant. Jesus Christ died so that we can step out into the world without the fear of the world. He died so that we are set free from the bonds of the world, so that no longer shall we worry about the man made law that drives people to extreme lengths to stay secure and safe, but rather we need to step out and use the ultimate gift that Christ gave us, Freedom.

The Culture of today is one where pleasure can be paid for and Love is scarce. As Christ's Children we need to love our enemies as if they were brothers, give them something that they will never experience themselves, the true and unconditional love of our Lord. To build the community that will allow this we need to change our culture into one where people love one each other, care for one other, and are not just out for themselves, but out for one each other, like Christ, who died for everyone else, to save everyone else, that he abandoned His well being for simple low people around him.

It shouldn't be hard to trust people around us, but it is. That act of trusting someone is nearly non existent these days. The fact that you can do nearly everything by your self, with little help from the Internet has allowed humanity to abandon the idea of trusting everything you have into other people. This idea of 'everyone making it big by themselves and stays at the top by themselves' is being poured into our generation by this capitalist drive, is destroying the trust that we should have and need in others. For with trust comes love. Jesus trusted people beyond what they thought they were capable of. He didn't tell them what to do with their lives, but rather provided a sound example of the right way to live, and they followed him through thick and thin. Jesus' act of trusting Judas and Peter, remembering that Peter also denied Jesus; three times actually, shows the extent to which he will trust people. The unconditional love that comes with trust drove Judas to kill himself in despair over what he had done, but also that loving trust drove Peter to become a great apostle of Christianity - The power of Trust huh!

We need that Trust in people... we should have that trust in people.

So next time you see someone stuck on the sided of the road, or see a hitchhiker in desperate need to get somewhere, trust them, pour into them the love of Jesus

Just a thought...

Shaun

It Hurts To Be Truthful

One of the hardest thing to do in the world is to be transparent, to be totally truthful about everything you do..

It's much easier to criticize than to build up, doesn't make it the right thing to do.

It doesn't matter that God knows us inside out, our very dreams and hearts desires are his also, so if you think sometimes that you don't wanna be truthful with God, that he wont accept you, or that you don't think he'll forgive you then you are indirectly putting God into a box. Instead look at it like God is un-box-able, yes new word :D. And by being un-box-able his deminsions that he lives and acts with us is incomprehensible.. that's why sometimes the small voice in the back of your mind is God, and other times is just you, wanting it to be God. The more time you spend tryin to be truthful with God the more your heart will let his voice through. It's foolish to think God doesn't speak to us sometimes. God is always speaking to us, always wanting for us to wait for Him and accept His voice. The times we cant hear him is because our heart is not letting it through. It's filled with the stuff not of God, like thoughts of the day and noise from your life.

The best way to hear God is to spend 15 minutes shutting everything out of your mind, anything that isnt on God, and slowly your ears adapt to the quiet, like your eyes to the dark, and Gods voice is as clear as day. The blessings will be poured down becasue YOU have desired Jesus.

The thing that hurts when you tell the truth to God is not his response, it's the self discovery of your own faults.

It hurts when you come to realisation that you have been a useless son, like in the story of the Prodigal Son, it hurts when you realise the servants back in your fathers home are getting paid more then you are, and they are with your Abba, your Daddy.

But that hurt, is nothing to God's hurt when you deny him. the Love he puts into you that you just turn your back to, that hurts! God is a god that will keep loving even when you deny him. That love that was before the world, before anything existed that Love was there, for God is lovee. There nothing that can take that love away. unconditional wonderful love. Love that will take your truths and transform them into blessings, that Grace that flows through us when we desire the Lord is life changing, the powerful and loving voice that says 'I love you' when all is quiet and it's jsut your soul and God's love.

That is the God that welcomes all truth

Yes, truth hurts, but it's a step that transforms your life into the life our God almighty has planned for you.

Just a thought

Shalom!
Shaun

Trust.

Trust, the most powerful form of affection and respect.

You can't love without trust, and i don't mean the word thrown around far too easily. But true pure forgiving unconditional love, the love that has a capital L: Love

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

God is Love, and if we don't love then we are not with God: Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love...

It amazes me how it says here Love ALWAYS trusts

No matter what we do we shall be loved! We shall be loved to the Ends of the Earth! With patience and kindness with NO RECORDS OF WRONG!!! the love of God will always protect us, his angels wings will cover us, the Love of God will always persevere beyond anything... before there was anything comprehensible in our minds there was God, therefore there was love. True and Unconditional Love will never die out, it shall never be forgotten for as lnog as we have God in our lives we shall have that Love.

He Trusts us! He loves us so much that he trusts us! even when we fell he trusted us.. even when he gave us everything and we threw it away! He trusted us, in the quietness of the Lord, and the joyous cries of his poeple to him, he trusts us

Did you know Jesus did exactly that when he was there... he trusted the people that should never of been trusted... Jesus trusted in Judas and Peter, and they both denied him... the Love that Jesus showed them was so extreme in proportion to the actions that they returned back to him that it sent Jusas to suicide.. That same love made Peter a great leader of the very first Church in Acts.

Jesus trusts people to the extent that they can become marvelous (Peter), or destroy everything that they've created (Judas).

But this act of trusting us shows his unconditional love for us. that it has NO records of wrong. Jesus believes, and so shall we, that every person has the ability to do good things for we are made in the image of God. How many of you have actually taken that upon yourself? That we were created to do good things, not evil things, but good. We are made in the image of God so we shall love like him. Unconditionally, as hard as that might become I pray that the Lord shall give me the strength to forgive and Love others as Jesus loved the people that hated him, so much even that he gave his life to save us

Jesus is my SAVIOUR, died BY me, FOR me. So I trust him, for he trusts me


Just a thought
Shalom

Shaun

Cliques Within Church and Enfolding A Newcomer Into Church

Part 2A: Write a 400 - 500, word description of the positive and negative aspects of cliques in the church

A clique or a primary group within a church is a group that has a “significant and prolonging common history” – John Wimber, in other words; a group of people that have developed together and become a church, or the bulk of the church, that is sixty – eighty members in size.

The primary group’s main priority is control and it will become very hesitant if it grows beyond eighty adults in population per Sunday as it means that they do not have the control that they used to have. A primary group will continue to function even if there are spectators eagerly waiting to join into the group and the group is happy to stay together and stay secure, even if it has to deny members because they want total control.

A primary group can have a lot of information about each other giving off the idea that they are close; however they will not be intimately close as they are not able to get that information out of the person as there is very little intimate contact. They can get information about each other, but not from each other.

A primary group has a very strong territorial identity, and are heavily influenced by their culture of the community that they are apart of. This gives the member security, a great sense of belonging and acceptance, often held together by blood ties, traditions and friendships. Overall they are very strong, but hard to grow.

This great desire of security hardens the primary group. This often distorts the direction that they bare wanting to go. Inevitability the majority if the group does not want to move anywhere, their great desire for security and comfort has beached them, making it impossible for them to move with Jesus Christ as he moves. This contrasts to the “Centred Set” model, one that gives the idea that people, and the group, should moving with Christ, but rather it portrays the “Bounded Set”, one that has strict boundaries and has high priority on numbers and statistics. This sadly, means that if Christ wants to move in the church, the fact that they are so caught up in their clique of security means that they do not leave their hearts vulnerable enough for the Holy Spirit to work with, and therefore results in their group dying or disbanding: because being is more important than doing.

Another negative aspect of cliques is the fact that primary groups struggle to grow. This is mainly because they are uncomfortable with any growth into numbers that are out of their control. A Primary group is ultimately going to heaven, but presently, in the time now, they want to sleep. They do not desire to move and extend the Kingdom, something that Jesus sent us out to do: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”[1]. Consequently the Church does not grow, as the group is happy as they are.

But how can we help these groups? We have to educate them, show them that the way that they are running their church is stalling the growth of the Kingdom of the Father. We have to mobilize them, give them a direction and realign them to point towards Jesus Christ, and to follow him as a church in obedience to his words.

Part 2B: Write a 400-500 word description of “Enfolding Newcomers into a Church”. Include your reasons for choosing the topic.

The average size of a church worldwide is fifty-five people attending on a Sunday morning or evening, often thirty adults and twenty-five children. These churches are primary groups, cliques that form because the people within the group are comfortable with each other, secure with the number involved, and the relationships are strong so there is no need for another one. These ‘closed cliques’ often repel new visitors and careful consideration needs to be taken in a church in re-evaluating how they address a newcomer. One should also see it from the visitor’s perspective. First impressions really do count for so much and that is reason why I decide to study this topic.

Visitors notice faults and flaws in the congregation and service generally in the first three visits that they have. The faults may be very minor to the members but for the newcomer every mistake sticks out. Therefore it is very important to view the congregation and service from their eyes and see how welcome the service really is to a newcomer.

Newcomers always hang around the visitor books and the information\sale table. This is because they arrive early to make sure that they are not late and that they have a space, however the congregation hover in cliques and socially attract to their friends, this leaves the visitor alone and therefore they go to the table to do something with their hands. It is very important that the church employs a system for which there is always someone at the table to start conversation with the visitor, to make them feel welcome. A friend of mine Paul Arram said to me the reason that he loved Vineyard so much was that the first time he went to the Vineyard service three people introduced them selves to him and asked for his name, the next week they all remembered it. It was this welcoming and inclusion that attracted him so much. A visitor should not in any regard be ignored during the service, someone from the congregation needs to, at least once, strike conversation with the newcomer. However there is balance between ignoring and overwhelming the newcomer

God delivers gifts to benefit situations, and certainly he distributes gifts into people for the benefit of the congregation. One of these gifts is a warm and welcoming personality. It is important that the leaders of the church discover the people with these personalities and allow that gift to open up to the visitors. Use God’s gifts to minister to visitors.

The first six months are crucial for the newcomer as it is important during this period that they make at least seven friends. Either they need to be approached by someone, or the cliques within the church are too closed for the newcomer to gain any true friendships. Cliques are a part of human behaviour and cannot be stopped form happening, they can be good or bad. They are good when they provide a sound network of relationships through the church, one that welcomes the visitors and provides relationship building. However once they become closed to visitors they are dangerous and repel newcomers.

Personally the greatest priority that the congregation needs is too make sure the visitors know the values and beliefs that the church holds and to not impose a cultish behaviour onto them, that is; welcoming them with friendship and love and then have the teachings and beliefs introduced to them. A church has to be open with their beliefs, giving the visitor an honest choice whether to come back. Leaning into cult behaviour is a very dangerous thing for a church.

The reason I chose this topic is because lately I have become aware on the impact of the first visit from a newcomer, and I want to understand the mindset of the newcomer, so that next time one arrives at our church door I can introduce them effectively, hopefully to bring them to Christ through the help of a fellowship we create at the service.

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[1] Matthew 28:19

The Most Powerful Light

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator, intended to collide opposing beams of protons (one of several types of hadrons) with very high Kinetic energy. That means it speeds particles up, in this case protons, to nearly light speed, and then makes them collide! BOOM! and apparently, make a scale version of the big bang, says everyone, WRONG! they are not making the big bang. how could that happen? the main purpose is to test the limitations of the Standard Model, a theory that describes three of the four known fundamental interactions among the elementary particles that make up all matter, that is, very small things that make up what the world is. They are looking for the missing piece of the puzzle that is currently denying their theory of the big bang. This little piece is called the Higg particle, also named the 'God' Particle

It's funny cause in my mind Physics doesn't answer the question for me, instead is proves the answer that i already know. That answer is God.

How many of you know that God said "let there be light"? probably most of you. Genesis 1:3, have a look. Now all this talk about the big bang has got me thinking. The big bang theory suggests that the universe expanded from a very hot and dense state, and is still expanding. Now coming back to God, lets have a look at what he did, he made light on earth, before anything else. not only does that suggest the metaphorical nature of light, but also the literal physical need for light to be made first. And it is those two things that i have been researching and has been on my heart for quite a while now.

I believe that God used his own laws of Physics to create the universe, not special God laws, but the laws of physics that we know and learn today. Now I'm not saying that man knows all these laws and is equal to God, on the contrary, there is numerous phenomena that Man and science cannot explain. Perhaps laws we don't know yet? This is why i believe this:

The First thing God said is "let there be light". We all now that, we understand that. Now what e=mc2 means is that energy is proportional to the amount of mass times the speed of light squared, hence the mc2. The speed of light is massive by the way: 299 792 458 meters per second... Now square that.. You see what I'm saying :D

This is the fundamentals of a nuclear bomb works: e=mc2. That is why it is so powerful! you're taking a heavy dense object and using the squared speed of light to make a massive amount of energy!

But what is energy? well it turns out that light has a direct relationship to energy!! Now take the equation e=mc2 and turn it backwards, say we had a massive amount of energy, what would happen? Would it turn into a very dense and hot state? huh? maybe it will, I think so...

...What I am saying is that God used the perfect amount of energy and his own perfect laws to create an expanding matter state that is our universe.. how do you prove that it's is still expanding? Very simple. You know that noise that happens when a formula-one car races past you? Do you notice the sudden change in the sound? like VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR -UUUUUM. That, my friend, is the Dopple effect, and it is also used to measure how far a planet or star is away from us by something called 'Red Shift'. Red and Blue shift is the change in Wavelength. That means that the length changes in the light wave. When a light wave has blue shift is means the wavelength is decreasing, so it is coming closer to you. However when a light has Red shift it means the wavelength is increasing, meaning that it is getting further away from you... However, it is more complex than that. The red shift is not directly proportional to the increase in distance, in fact the galaxies are not moving purely because of the speed they have, instead the space around them is stretching with them- The universe is expanding.

What i am saying is that God used the perfect amount of energy with his perfect physical laws to create the perfect universe, then he waited until he found the perfect planet that was the perfect distance from the closest star to create a perfect world with water, land, and animals.. Isn't God perfect?

Now what is the metaphorical significant of Light? The bible talks numerously about the light. The one fact that I hold very close to me is the fact that Darkness is the absence of Light. Dark only prevails when there is no light to overpower it. Light a candle in a dark room and the darkness does not at any point overwhelm the candle. For instance, the candle cannot be put out by the darkness, in fact the darkness is put out by the candle. This is why Jesus speaks about our "light" in the gospels. if we hide our light under a basket we are doing the Devils works for him. He wants our light to be extinguished and he cannot do that himself. Because light cannot be put out by darkness, but he uses other things to do that, like anger, depression, pride, and lust. Jesus needs our light to light up the dark places of the world, for as long as people are in darkness they cannot see God, they cannot see the true nature of what Jesus really means, they need the light of Jesus to open their eyes.

Jesus is the light and we are called to walk with him in that light: "But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus" - 1John 1:7. We all have darkness in us, to say that we have no darkness in us is deceiving ourselves and that is foolish and untruthful. Therefore because we have darkness in us we need the light of Jesus to come into us and remove that darkness, for as long as there is light there is no darkness, remember Darkness is the absence of Light.

Darkness cannot prevail if we have light in us, that Light is Jesus, and by walking with him we create a fellowship with the greatest, brightest and most powerful Light in the universe. The Light that created everything, and the Light that heals everything.

Just a thought
Shalom!

Shaun

Spiritual Gifts and Sociological Aspects

Part 1A: Outline some of the points in Gary Best’s and Peter David’s discussion of spiritual gifts in your notes that interest you most. Add in your own comments and thoughts on these points

Gary Best and Peter Davids, in “Theology for Spiritual Gifts”, produced sound points of the workings of spiritual gifts. The first important point in this message is the relevance of the message to the Corinth Church, one that is “largely Gentile with strong, recent pagan practice and ethics”; in 1 Corinthians Paul attempts to perform “radical surgery without killing the patient” to the Behaviour and attitudes of the Corinth community.

The first point that catches my attention, in “Theology for Spiritual Gifts”, is Gary Best and Peter Davids writings on the body metaphor that Paul talks about to the Corinthians. One point that I found significant in this is that Paul used a medium that was powerful to anyone hearing it: The Human Body. Paul uses the Body metaphor to impose the idea of “Diversity within Unity”, that all gifts are different but are “perfectly united” in the cause of Jesus Christ and extending the kingdom of God. Paul related this to the church by saying “A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial”[1]. This can be seen very easily in my own Youth group. For the past two years we have had interns that are great leaders within the church, however this year the intern is a great server for the church and has no will to lead. This shows that variety of gifts that God gives to the church. Paul also speaks of the necessity of diversity, for if all parts were identical there would be no body at all, this can be brought back to our intern; If the entire work force were leaders then there would be nobody to serve and the goal would not be achieved. The final point in chapter II “Diversity within Unity”, which grabs my attention, is point E which addresses the need of the Corinthians to “desire the greater gifts”[2] and that diversity should not discourage you to eagerly seek to gifts of God. This is very important within vibrant youth through which I work with; they desire new and more powerful experiences with God.

Another point that catches my attention is how the people of Corinth receive the spiritual gifts. Because there is two different views on receiving spiritual gifts: a) one member one gift, and b) gifts given in gatherings, the distribution of these gifts can range from manifestations of the holy spirit in a group (to assign different ‘roles’ in the group by sovereign choice of God), situation individual anointing (One-time gifts for the individual), and gifts resulting from ministries (gifts discovered and developed through ministry), this last one can be seen in my own life, as I discovered my gift for public speaking I developed it with God, through ministry, and have taken several sermons for our youth and communion at our Sunday evening congregation. It is important to note for each of these distributions there are three common factors that Gary Best and Peter Davids point out: Grace, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to us”[3], Faith, “If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith”[4], and Co-operation, our hearts should be set toward loving and serving God and others though our giftedness.

In Conclusion, Paul relates the workings of spiritual gifts to the human body, an easy relatable comparison. Diversity within unity is necessary to make sure the body runs as efficiently as possible, and although there are different views and actions that the Holy Spirit takes to deliver these spiritual gifts, they all hold three things in common: Grace, Faith, and Co-operation.

Part 1B: Describe various sociological models of the local church

Sociological models aim to describe the group dynamics of a community and how an individual would see him/herself within that group. These models, hopefully, give us a clear indication on the different aspects on church life and the functions surrounding it.

The first model is the “Fuzzy Set”. This model is a free-for-all environment, completely “laid back” and at it’s worst some-what anarchic and out of control. In these models the people each do their own thing, and pull in their own direction, leaving no defined goal for the group. In church life, this model can be reflected on a congregation that has no, or very weak, leadership. Therefore there is no direction, no cohesion and no structure. It can be associated with the description of Israel in the book of Judges: “in those days Israel had no king and everyone did what was right in their own eyes”[5]. These sorts of groups are often a reaction to an extremely autocratic church and while they might be appealing in comparison, they do not usually achieve much due to the lack of unity around a specific purpose.

The second model is the “Bounded Set”. This model represents the opposite of the “Fuzzy-Set”, it is strongly ordered, structured and control driven view of society, and because this model represents the way many churches are ‘run’, characteristics can be easily described. The leadership is centred on one leader, the pastors, whose style and ideas are usually dominant and often leads the congregation praising, and in extreme, idolising the pastor. Boundaries create an exclusivist policy, and everything is seen forma right and wrong perspective with low tolerance. This leads to a we/they and in/out mentality, inducing guilt and praising performance within the congregation. The Pastor and leaders of the church in this model have a parent child relationship where the children are to achieve the pastor’s vision. The people of the congregation (children) are identified from being in and right, the sense of wroth and value is from being a good member and hard worker within the church. This model places high value on numbers and statistics and not necessarily on the well being of the people within the church.

The final model is the “Centred Set”. This model is completely different form the previous two and is not a compromise in anyway, but a frame of reference that is responsibly liberating to the people. This model has no boundaries, rather a moving centre that people are either moving towards or away from. In a healthy church, the centre would be Jesus Christ. People are either drawn in by the values of the church or being repelled from them. The vision and value that is in the centre is lived out and not just spoken about. The leadership is a team effort not an individual approach, as

each leader leads by example, at the front lines, instilling the basic values into the church by modelling them. Relationships are adult to adult as the people are treated as individuals, whose identity comes from within, from his relationship with the Lord. This creates a relational environment from which evangelism can occur through friendship and relationship. This model is motivated by the love of the Lord, the acceptance of the people and nurturing the congregation in the Lord.

These three models each portray three different sociological models of community. The Vineyard Church takes pride in following the “Centred Set”, as we align Jesus Christ into the centre and are attracted by his values. We grow in the Lord as we take responsibility for ourselves, advancing as a church through simple acts of obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ.

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[1] 1 Corinthians 12:7

[2] 1 Corinthians 12:31

[3] Romans 12:6a

[4] Romans 12:6b

[5] Judges 17:6

Did You Know?

Authorized Chaos
It's all around,
Hollow leadership
Hidden Underground

The Choice isn't yours
Yet you will choose,
The better of Two Evils
You'll always Lose

Yet God has a Plan
A plan that Prevails
The Saviour that is pierced
By Three Undeserved Nails

Then one Virgin Girl
Gave birth one old Night
When three specks in dark
Shone out oh so Bright

As the world grows black
When man had no hope
Our Saviour came through
Just a staff and a cloak

Did you know?

That He died for us?
When the Crack-Whip-Struck
And Back-Bone Tore
As the Nails drove Through
While the Tears flowed Through
And our Sins flowed Through
Into the man that died
Not by blade or by nail,
Oh no sir, oh no...
...My Saviour died BY me,
FOR me