Eastside Church

Just For Laughs

2009-11-09T11:05:00.001+13:00

Thanks to Suzy McFarland who passed these on to me...

Kids Are Quick

TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America.
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America?
CLASS: Maria.
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TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.

(I Love this kid)
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TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
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TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!
__________________________________________

TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
_______________________________________

TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with ' I.'
MILLIE: I is……
TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE: All right...'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'
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TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it.
Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.
______________________________________

TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.
______________________________

TEACHER: Clyde, your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's.
Did you copy his?
CLYDE: No, sir. It's the same dog.
___________________________________

TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher

The 6pm Service is on Facebook!

2009-11-06T12:50:00.002+13:00

For those of you who attend the 6pm service, or who want to keep up with what's happening in the 6pm service, we have created a page on FaceBook.

Click HERE to check it out. On this page we'll give you speacial sneak peaks at what is comming up as well as some resources that you will only find on the Facebook group! So if you haven't joined yet... what are you waiting for?

While we are on the subject of technology, have you checked out the podcasts of all our services available to download from iTunes or the church's website?

Enjoy
Clive

A Letter To Satan

2009-11-06T12:40:00.002+13:00

There is nothing quite like listening to people with passion! Watch this video made by the Passion For Christ Movememnt.

The Technology Revolution

2009-10-28T23:07:00.003+13:00

The digital revolution has been upon us for sometime now... and it's great to see that the church is not lagging too far behind.

One of the most exciting developments in the last couple of years has been the creation of YouVersion... an online Bible experience.

Now there is nothing new about an on-line Bible, but where YouVersion separates itself from the pack is it's innovation.

YouVersion has 16 English versions of the Bible. Nice.

But where it really leaves the rest of the pack behind is in the following 3 areas:

1) Interactive focus.

One can make contributions about verses that one has read that are available to anyone reading the verse.

One can also host live events through the mobile application. More on this later in the post.

2) Community Focus

You can form groups, where you can compare notes and even study together.

3) Mobile application.

Lifechurch.tv have made the mobile application available for free. If your phone is web enabled, you can download a version for your phone. 1 out of every 27 iPhones has the YouVersion Bible application on their phone!

Putting these all together is the latest feature... the hosting of 'Live' events.

If you have the latest version of the YouVersion Bible on your phone you will be able to connect with a live event happening in Eastside's 6pm service.

This includes: notes of the message, questions, polls, twitter comments, Bible reader, etc.

We will be running the Live events starting this Sunday in the 6pm service for a time to trial these exciting features.

If you haven't downloaded the app for your phone yet... what are you waiting for? You can download the app from iTunes for free.

I'd love to hear your feedback from this weeks first trial run. Please do leave a comment on this blog or comment through the live event.

PS: If you're interested in hearing about YouVersion and other on-line strategies that Lifechurch.tv are using click HERE.

Evaluate To Elevate

2009-10-19T00:48:00.004+13:00

I have recently written a message (which is more for myself than for the church... but that's usually the case) about our need to constantly evaluate ourselves so that we don't drift off course.

A pilot, who is just one degree out will fly 17 1/2 m off course for every kilometer traveled. Not a big deal if you're flying a few kilometers. But what happens if you're flying from Auckland to London, a trip of 18 331 km's? If you were just one degree out... you'd end up in Dublin, Ireland instead of London. Thats 530km's off course!

I am constantly suffering with drift in my life, so I have found that I need to evaluate where I am at least once a week.
Below is one such set of evaluation questions that I have used (I got this from Ps Bill Hybels):

I’m not abiding when:
1. I go through most of the day or week pre-occupied with self concerns. (You’re the big number one on the agenda).
2. I go through long periods of time with no promptings or convictions from the Holy Spirit.
3. I go through long periods without being concerned for the poor.
4. I go through long periods of time not being broken for the Lost.
5. I can sit through worship sessions without being stirred to worship and honour God.
6. I’m easily angered when corrected.

Let me challenge you to try using this set of questions to evaluate yourself weekly over the next month.

If you would like to hear the podcast of this message, you can download it for free from iTunes. Simply open up the iTunes Store, search out Eastside Church, Click on our 6pm service and you'll find the podcast entitled: Evaluate To Elevate. Its a great message... even if I do have to say so myself : )

Leave a comment and let me know what you thought... or perhaps even share with us how you evaluate yourself.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Lets Keep The Main Thing... The Main Thing!

2009-10-02T10:54:00.004+13:00

This week some of the staff and other volunteers have been at the National Acts Church Conference. We had some really great speakers: Jentezen Franklin, Steve Kennedy, Peter Prothero, Jordan Smith and Bruce Monk (our national leader).

The wednesday evening session was the most challenging for me personally as Ps Steve Kennedy challenged us to reach out and share our faith.

We can all make excuses why we cant reach out: busyness, shyness, spending most of your time with Christians, etc.
But as Ps Nick always says, "We need to keep the main thing, the main thing!"

Jesus put it this way:
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
Luke 19: 10

Today as I came into work and read my e-mails I saw the video that I have included in this post. Don't you just love God's gentle nudgings : )

May you feel encouraged to reach out to those in your world.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Days of our Lives

2009-09-15T15:37:00.000+12:00

What are we doing with the ‘days of our life’? No-one knows how many days we have... but we all have days... and we get to choose what we do with them!

Romans 8:15 (from The Message) says... This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?”.

Let’s make the most of our ‘days’ and get away from timidity – into an adventurous spirit of expectancy! (2 Tim 1:7).

Jesus wants us to live life to the full (John 10:10)... and a key to doing this, is to put Him first in our life. Live life in close relationship with God – and ask Him – what’s next Papa??!!

Jan

A Cinderella Story?

2009-09-08T15:13:00.000+12:00

I’ve been thinking about Esther for a long time now...what is it about her life that captivates me so much I’m not sure...is it cause it’s like a Cinderella story?? The poor girl becomes a queen – every little girls dream right??

Well for me that was just by-products of her amazing influence! She saved a nation, and I don’t know about you but seeing a young lady be moved into the right place at the right time, and therefore to be able to be in position to step in and save a nation – is pretty amazing!!
God’s way of using situations in our lives to position us for plans...rather a mystery! But very exciting!

So in reading this Old Testament book I have been intrigued by the word “entrusted” - when Esther was sent to the Palace she was “entrusted” to Hagai the Kings eunich. I’ve been pondering this word “entrusted” and come to a few thoughts.
1. Esther was entrusted to Hagai – this means he had to look after her, protect her, help her develop and be all she can be.
2. Though you are entrusted to someone, for this to be effective relationship – you must trust the person you have been entrusted to, believing that that person has the best in mind for you.
3. Through Esther trusting Hagai who she had been entrusted to, she was able to hear his wisdom and inside knowledge and therefore able to follow his wisdom, which led her to become Queen.

So my question to you would be: Who are you entrusting your life with? God should be your number one person that you entrust your life with – because he wants the best for you and will help give you the secrets of inside word on how to live life well and be in the right place at the right time, so that you too one day can walk into the purposes that God has prepared for you!

Don’t be like the King who entrusted his kingdom for a time to a man that wanted to destroy his queens nation. Read Esther to see more!

God Bless
Naomi

It's In The Look

2009-09-02T12:35:00.001+12:00

Shane Willard iaa personal mentor of mine. I have long been thankful for the great insights and revelation that he carries. I was reading his newsletter and saw this fantastic piece on prayer. May it bless and encourage you:

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Not too long ago I was really challenged in my walk with God in the area of prayer. Jesus was teaching His disciples how to pray and He tells them..."when you pray, do not go on babbling like the pagans do, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." I was so challenged by this phrase. I asked myself, "what separates you from the pagans?"

I tend to go on and on when I pray. I remember being challenged as a young man to pray for an hour a day. To me, that meant talking for an hour. I would literally run out of things to say, so I began compiling a list of needs and working through them. This became an extremely monotonous exercise in spiritual discipline.

The problem is obvious and even gets more convicting when Jesus' next instruction is basically do not make your praying about listing your needs before God for don't you know that God knows what you need before you ask Him.

Well, this created a huge issue for me to work through with God. Jesus seems to be saying that the most powerful prayer life is not one of many words or a list of needs. No wonder my prayers seem to have no power. That is all they were about....words and needs. I mus admitthat if I took the words and needs out of my prayers that I literally have nothing left. Mix that with the fact that Jesus seemed to have His life in unisowith the Father, and I was left with an empty feeling inside.

I finally realized that I did not know how to pray. I had a two degrees in theology and on ordination and did not have a clue about how to pray without the focus being words or needs. Maybe what I learned next will help all of us who have struggled with this.

There is a law in Hebrew Hermaneutics that is called first mention. It means that whatever the first mention of something is in scripture defines with precedent the other mentions in scripture. What is the first mention of the idea of prayer in the Bible? It comes from Genesis 4 and says that the sons of Enosh called upon the Lord.
To fully understand this, we have to understand that the Hebrew Language was originally pictures. Every Hebrew letter was a picture, and every Hebrew word was a comic strip. The word translated called in Genesis 4 is three pictures. All three are heads. The first is the front of the head; the second is the back of a head; and the third is an ox head going into a yoke. You have this sense of a head turning front to back to look at an ox head going into a yoke. Therefore, when the Hebrew people read the word called or prayer, they read "a turning of the head in order to face the one who can bear the burden."

This makes all the sense in the world to me. That prayer is a change from self-consciousness to God-consciousness. It is an internal change of focus. It is realizing that God is as close to us as the air that we breathe and then becoming aware of it. Allowing our consciousness and imagination to feel the truth of the felt presence of God. This is how Jesus prayed for an hour and yet the words take 90 seconds to read. It was not about the words. The words were simply a manifestation of what had been built in quiet and in secret.

What would happen if our prayers could become that? Every word in the prayer built sufficiently in our spirit before they are spoken. Try it. Try praying without saying anything. Just sit quietly and become aware that the mighty One is close to you....as close as the air that you are breathing. Out of this awareness of God will come the most mighty prayers you have ever experienced.

Fantastic... wasn't it! Shane has numerous resources available on his web site. Click HERE to go and check it out.

Leave a comment and share some of your revelations on prayer.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Tears of the Saints featuring Leeland and Delirious

2009-08-31T12:07:00.002+12:00

What an awesome privlege and and responsibility we have been entrusted with.

Our heart beat at Eastside has always been to Win our world for Christ and see people developed into fully devoted followers of christ.

May this video have inspired you to share God's love with your world... for no matter where we find ourselves we are all in full time ministry.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Do the Spirited Dance!!

2009-08-24T15:24:00.002+12:00

1 Thessalonians 4:1-2 talks about living in a way that pleases God. The Message Bible puts it like this...

One final word, friends. We ask you – urge is more like it – that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance. You know the guidelines we laid out for you from the Master Jesus. God wants you to live a pure life.

To live in relationship with God – and in a way that pleases Him – doesn’t mean to live a life of boredom and glumness!

Living in relationship with God is exciting – you never quite know what He’s got planned next! He gives amazing joy and fulfilment like nothing else can bring! Go on... grow your relationship with Him - and do life with a ‘living, spirited dance’!!

In Honour Of...

2009-08-20T09:34:00.002+12:00

It's very exciting that we have Bob & Mara coming on staff to run Elevate (our high school ministry) and to oversee Noise (our intermediate ministry).
So in honour of the new crew coming in...

I (Clive) will be focusing on life groups in Eastside. So if you're not connected... give me a holla and I help you get connected with the fine people of Eastside.

Enlarge Your View

2009-08-11T12:45:00.003+12:00

I’ve been thinking lately about the phrase “magnify the lord”.
Now for some this would seem very straight forward, however as I was pondering I had this image of a person holding a magnifying glass. That takes me back to primary school looking for insects in the school gardens for our biology projects...

Anyway.....the thought being that God has given us free will, the right to choose what we want to focus on, he doesn’t demand or force us – he just welcomes us and gives us clues in his direction.

Therefore in life with our magnifying glass we have a choice....What will we look through our magnifying glass at?
Ourselves, our problems, our financies, our imperfections...there’s so many options....however David encourages us in the psalms to “magnify the lord with me”.
In other words – take your magnifying glass and fix it on Him...everything else will become it’s rightful size and in it’s right perspective when we focus it on Him.

The truth is it’s not to make God bigger – cause God is way to big to be made any bigger – it’s more for us, so that we can walk through life with confidence knowing that God is for us anT as we0fix our eyes on him all other things become in their right place.
And as Ps Martin Steel so brilliantly spoke about giving Lordship of our lives to God...this is one way of doing it....how about today you choose to let God big the biggest thing in your world and allow all the other things that seek your attention to shrink to their rightful size compared to God, and let his peace surround you!

Will You Join The Slow Dance?

2009-08-02T23:17:00.004+12:00

I have just finished reading The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. At the conclusion of the book I found a beautiful and wise poem that was sent to Tim by a terminally ill girl in a NY hospital:

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?

When you ask: How are you?
Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done,
do you lie in your bed

With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?

You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?

And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die

Cause you never had time
To call and say, "Hi"?

You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift thrown away.

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower.

Hear the music
Before the song is over.

Unknown

What words of wisdom!
I fear if I try to add anything I'll just ruin it and get in the way.
Well, maybe just one more quote:

"There is nothing the busy man is less busied with than living; there is nothing harder to learn."
Seneca

Please leave a comment and share your thoughts with us.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Make Everyday

2009-08-01T00:30:00.002+12:00

Most times... less is more. So let me be brief and leave you with this fantastic quote:

"Make everyday your masterpiece."
John Wooden

How do you put this into practice? Comment and let us know.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

INSPIRE 09 is All Go!!!

2009-07-22T12:54:00.000+12:00

Our Inspire Conference is all go! The Countdown is on!

It is powerful when a team of people gather together for a united cause... the expectancy rises, faith rises and adrenalin gets pumping!

When the church unite and rise with faith and expectancy – watch out!... You can be sure that God will show up!

Ps Jordan Smith preached a great message last weekend about Zacchaeus (Luke 19). God responds to people who are wanting to see more of Him.

This incredible passage of Scripture inspires me... I hope you too will be inspired!...

Ephesians 1:18-23 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people. I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honour at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else in this world or in the world to come. And God has put all things under the authority of Christ, and he gave him this authority for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is filled by Christ, who fills everything everywhere with his presence.

May you know His power and presence today!

Jan

The Absence Of Father Figures

2009-07-21T21:40:00.004+12:00

I was writing a Happy B-day message to Harley Couper and found the following extract on his facebook page:

“I learned a great deal about myself while watching a documentary a few years ago about elephants in a wildlife trust in Africa. There were twenty-five elephants, all of them orphans, and they had been brought to the trust twenty years before. They were becoming teenagers– in elephant years.

The narrator in the documentary said the elephant musth cycle beings in adolescence, and normally lasts only a few days. But among these orphans, the musth cycle was disrupted and had become unusually long. These elephants were taking out their aggression on rhinos that bathed at a local mud pool. An elephant would slowly lumber down to the pool, enter near a rhino, then spear it through the side with his tusks. The elephant would then lean his gargantuan forehead into the head of the rhino, holding the beast underwater until it drowned. The filmmakers followed these orphan elephants who were always on their own, staggering about the wildlife refuge, fueled by a pent-up aggression they couldn’t understand. They weren’t acting like elephants– they didn’t know what an elephant was supposed to do with all his energy, all his muscle.

I have never killed a rhino, or much of anything for that matter, but there have been times in my life when I didn’t know exactly how to be. I mean, there were feelings, sometimes anger, sometimes depression, sometimes raging lust, and I was never sure what any of it was about. I just felt like killing somebody, or sleeping with some girl, or decking a guy in a bar, and I didn’t know what to do with any of these feelings. Life was a confusing series of emotions rubbing against events. I wasn’t sure how to manage myself, how to talk to a woman, how to build a career, how to– well, be a man.

To me, life was something you had to stumble through alone. It wasn’t something you enjoyed or conquered, it was something that happened to you, and you didn’t have a whole lot of say about the way it turned out. You just acted out your feelings and hoped you never got caught.

Watching television that night, however, the narrator began to speak of a kind of hope for these elephants. Elephant development, apparently, begins very early. Female elephants are only capable of having children once every two years, and during those two years between babies, the young are cared for obsessively by their mothers. They are fed, sheltered, loved, and guided in their learning of basic survival.

It is only at the first musth cycle that a young male elephant leaves his mother and enters into the African wild, searching for a mentor, a guide. The green pus running down his hind leg and his smell like fresh-cut grass alerts an older, fully mature male, that this is a young elephant in need of guidance. Upon finding a mentor, the young elephant’s musth cycle ends. The older and younger begin to travel together, to find food together, to protect each other– the older one teaching the younger what elephant strength is for, and how to use it for the benefit of himself and the tribe.

Watching television that night, I wondered if humans aren’t like that, too. I began to wonder if we guys were designed to have a father, whose very presence would cause us to understand more accurately what our muscle is for, what we are supposed to do with our energy.

You have to wonder, don’t you? Some statistics state as many as 85 percent of the guys in prison grew up without a dad. This is sobering to me.

And so watching the documentary, I began to wonder if those of us without dads aren’t making mistakes in our lives we wouldn’t make if we had a father to guide us. I wondered if there isn’t a better paradigm for our existence– a way of being men, a way each of us could truly embrace if it were instilled in us by a man who spoke with altruism and authority. I wondered if people who grow up with great fathers don’t walk around with a subconscious sense they are wanted on this planet, that they belong, and the world needs them. And I wondered this: Is there practical information we are supposed to know about work, women, decisions, authority, leadership, marriage, and family that we would have learned if there were a guide around to help us navigate our journey? I wondered if some of the confusing emotions I was feeling weren’t a kind of suspended adolescence from which the presence of an older man might have delivered me.

– Excerpt from To Own A Dragon, by Donald Miller (pp 31-34)

Leave a comment and let us know what your thoughts are on this topic.
Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Is There Hope?

2009-07-09T23:29:00.001+12:00

Will you be apart of the change?

Leave a comment and be apart of the conversation.
Clive

Thoughts On Worship

2009-07-06T11:01:00.003+12:00

Photo By Maessive (Flickr)

I’ve been thinking lately about the thought that worship is ALL about Jesus and that it’s not to do with us.

I’ve been thinking that in this day and age we’ve actually lost something of worship in this thought and understanding that we need to bring to light.

When we’re in relationship with someone, we bring part of who we are to the relationship, part of ourselves that we offer.

In worship when we come to God he says, “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind & strength”….so why is it that we take ourselves out of the picture and say it’s all about Jesus, it’s not about our emotions and it’s not about how we are feeling, we just need to focus on God.

However as I’ve been thinking about this - our emotions, our free will, our passion and our freedom is what sets us apart from the rest of creation. It’s what God has given us as a gift. Therefore when we worship it is about us to a point. We need to bring ourselves into the picture….we need to bring our HEARTS, our MINDS, our THOUGHTS, our EMOTION, our PASSION …..all of who we are….the good the bad and the ugly and bring it before him in worship.

God wants us, not our songs, not our money, not our works HE JUST WANTS US –(don’t get me wrong those things come with it) – but it’s all about God getting us – who we are! So next time you worship God – don’t pay him lip service cause you think you should – bring you into the picture….he wants you.

No I don’t think that our worship should be based around how we’re feeling or based on the situation that we’re facing – however I do think we need to bring the genuine reality of who you are into this relationship and let HIM change us and transform us!

Just a thought….i’ve been thinking...

Naomi

INSPIRE 09 IS SOON!!

2009-06-26T10:38:00.003+12:00

Our Inspire Conference is only just around the corner! In fact, the earlybird rego’s close next week!

Faith is rising... as we are getting expectant about our exciting theme – ‘Supernatural’.

Weekly Wednesday morning prayer meetings have been kicked off – and plans and preparations are all go!

I hope you can get to Inspire - 23^rd July till 26^th July... because I know God will speak into your life – and we will experience His presence and His supernatural power!

Get expectant – get faith-filled – and get your rego in!

Jan

We Need One Another!

2009-06-20T22:52:00.003+12:00

Sometimes less is more... so today I give you a great quote:

"Nothing can make up for the absence of someone whom we love, and it would be wrong to try to find a substitute.
It is nonsense to say that God fills the gap; He does not fill it, but on the contrary, He keeps it empty and so helps us to keep alive our former communion with each other, even at the cost of pain."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Moving Past Your Past

2009-06-12T10:12:00.003+12:00

We all have a ‘past’... good or bad – we have a ‘past’.

God doesn’t want our past to hold us back – but instead, spring us forward.

He has a great future for each of us... and doesn’t want us to let our past limit our future.

There are many examples of people in the Bible that could have limited themselves because of their past.

Look at Paul!... He murdered Christians in his past – but after an encounter with God, went on to become a powerful man of God.

Or if our past was really amazing, we can be tempted to live in the ‘good old days’... instead of stepping into the ‘present’ and the ‘future’ that God has for us.

Paul writes in Philippians 3:13-14... “No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Jesus Christ, is calling us up to heaven.”

Don’t be held back!... Go forward with God!

Jan

Answers To Your Relationship Questions

2009-06-06T22:18:00.006+12:00

Last week in the 6pm service I spoke on relationships briefly for 10 mins and then we opened the floor for questions which arrived via text. We got a lot of questions such as:

Sex before marriage is obviously wrong as a Christian. But what else is ok when dating? From kissing to sex there's a huge gap.
Is it ok to date when you are a teenager?
How should we treat other 'Christians' we know are fornicating?
Do you have any advice on how to prevent yourself thinking lustful thoughts when so many girls these days wear such revealing clothes?

If you missed the message then check out the podcasting section on our website, check out iTunes or click HERE.

There were some questions that didn't get answered though so I will try to briefly answer them here in this post.

Q: How do we keep forgiving when someone keeps sinning?
A: Our ability to forgive needs to come from Jesus. If we try to just force ourselves to forgive it will never stick. We actually need to ask Jesus to do a work from the inside out. This means that it may take some time to fully deal with the offense / hurts but they will be dealt with in a deep and meaningful way that will lead to freedom.
Matthew 5:3 (NLT)
³ “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,^a]">[a]
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

Let me also add here that forgiving someone does not mean having to trust someone or even have a relationship with someone. If someone is constantly breaking your trust, abusing you, etc. then you need to get out of that relationship. Please talk to one of the pastoral staff here if you are faced with this situation.

Q: How can you forgive yourself after God has forgiven you?
A: Our pride steps in the way and often prevents us from receiving. In such a case we need to ask God to deal with our pride and to help us to receive His forgiveness and grace.
We need to take captive our condemning thoughts and replace them with God's truth and the revelation of that truth can sink in and bring freedom.
I find it no coincidence that Jesus was crucified at Golgotha which means 'The Place Of the Skull'. It is in our minds that the greatest war wages and it is here that God's Word will triumph if we will meditate on it!
Matthew 27:32-34
³²As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. ³³They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). ³⁴There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.

Q: How do you know when you are ready for love?
A: What a great question! I would say that if you are desperatly seeking a relationship... then you are probably are not ready for one!
Some of the wrong reasons / motivations that we seek relationships out for include: the need to 'fit' in / peer pressure; looking for someone to complete you; lonliness, desperation or insecurity; to control or dominate the other person; for sexual gratification; to recover from a previous relationship; to make someone else jealous.
Remember that love cost me and benfits others. Lust is all at others expence and is for my gain.

Rember the great advice given in the Song of Solomon 2:7
⁷ Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.

Here are some signs that you may be ready to pursue a relationship:

You are comfortable with your singleness but you know that God has more for you.
You are emotional mature and are ready to put someone elses needs before your own.
You are in a stage of life that you can pursue a relationship towards marriage (it's kinda tough hanging out for marriage when you're 11).

For more resources regarding dating and relationships check out the 'Dating & Relationship Resources' page in our church website. Click HERE to go check it out now.

I hope this has been useful. Leave a comment and share your thoughts or experiences with us.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

3 Critical Issues Facing The Church Right Now

2009-06-05T00:18:00.004+12:00

The following post WILL disturb you and leave you feeling unsettled!
I know because that is what it has done for me.

Click HERE to check out a post that I have written on the 3 Critical Issues Facing The Church Right Now.

Let me know what you thought of it by leaving a comment.
Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Are You 'Changed'?

2009-06-02T23:58:00.003+12:00

I have been having a grand old time revisiting the book of 1 Samuel. I love reading the Word of God. It continually amazes me the fresh revelation to be had even when I have read the passages 100's of times.
Just yesterday I came upon this incredible piece of Scripture:

1Sa 10:5-7
(5) Next, go to Gibeah, where the Philistines have an army camp. As you're going into the town, you'll meet a group of prophets coming down from the place of worship. They'll be going along prophesying while others are walking in front of them, playing small harps, small drums, and flutes.
(6) The Spirit of the LORD will suddenly take control of you. You'll become a different person and start prophesying right along with them.
(7) After these things happen, do whatever you think is right! God will help you.

Just for some background... the prophesying mentioned here is not foretelling of the future or speaking words from God over a persons life. Instead it refers to a passionate and enthusiastic praising of God inspired by the Holy Spirit... or put slightly differently an ecstatic expression to an intense religious experience.

This wasn't just the run of the mill Sunday sing-song. These were powerful moments when people connected with God's presence.
Interesting how it says that from this sort of encounter Saul would become a changed man.
Which leads me to question... what happens when we are not regularly having these encounters? Do we simply slide back into our 'old selves' and 'old ways'?

Another interesting thought was that once Saul had these encounters, once he had met with God and was walking in the anointing... he was simply charged to 'do whatever you think is right.'
When we are walking from a fresh encounter with God we know that we are keeping in step with the Holy Spirit.
What happens when we aren't having these encounters?

I'd love to hear your thoughts about my thoughts : ) Go on... leave a comment!
Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive