Kindle Devotion

By Richard

One of the announcements to Zechariah in Luke 1 concerning his son John was that he would kindle devout understanding among the most hardened sceptics. I like the language here the Message version.

“Kindle” suggests the smallest spark or flame setting off a huge fire.

When I was a boy living in Kenya an African lady, who worked in our home, showed me how to make a fire with a stick and a plank of wood. A little bit of friction heat on something like sawdust and that thing started to smoke. A gentle blowing from the lady and it burst into flames.

Our job as followers of Christ is to have lives that are “hot” for Jesus, to be small sparks that God can use to gently blow the kindling into flame.

I also like the word “hardened”. God can break through the most hardened of lives and eventually set them on fire.

It also reminds me of a time when I was a teenager and a member of the Scouts. We were away at a week-long campout and there was an old dead tree that was hard and shiny. So being good Scouts we branded the tree with our names and thought nothing more. About a week later we were sitting having breakfast by our personalised tree when it suddenly burst into flames. The tree had been, undetectable, smouldering away since we burnt our names into it.

My prayer is that simply because of the way we live for Jesus at Mountainview the fire of God’s Holy Spirit will enter those who don’t know him and that even though the fire smoulders away, maybe undetectable, perhaps for many years, that one day, unexpectedly, it will burst into flames.

Unannounced

By Richard

A short blog today! We read in Luke 1 that the Angel Gabriel showed up in Zechariah’s life “unannounced”. My prayer is that God would start showing “unannounced” up in the lives of many of my friends, who either don’t know God or cold towards God. We need God to send some angels and a few more miracles in the direction of Madrid.

Introduction to Luke – Eugene H. Peterson

I like Eugene Peterson's Introduction to Luke. There are some questions to think about at the end that we batted around at a Mountainview Service

Most of us, most of the time, feel left out – misfits. We don’t belong. Others seem to be so confident, so sure of themselves, “insiders” who know the ropes, old hands in a club from which we are excluded.

One of the ways we have of responding to this is to form our own club, or join one that will have us. Here is at least one place where we are “in” and the others “out”. The clubs range from informal to formal in gatherings that are variously political, social, cultural and economic. But the one thing that they have in common is the principle of exclusion. Identity or worth is achieved by excluding all but the chosen. The terrible price we pay for keeping all those other people out so that we can savour the sweetness of being insiders is a reduction reality, a shrinkage of life.

Nowhere is this price more terrible than when it is paid in the cause of religion. But religion has a long history of doing just that, or reducing the huge mysteries of God to the respectability of club rules, of shrinking the vast human community to a “membership”. But with God there are no outsiders.

Luke is a most vigorous champion of the outsider. An outsider himself, the only Gentile in an all-Jewish cast of New Testament writers, he shows how Jesus includes those who typically were treated as outsiders by the religious establishment of the day; women, common labourers (sheepherders), the racially different (Samaritans), the poor [and the unclean, lepers and other social outcasts]. He will not countenance religion as a club. As Luke tells the story, all of us who have found ourselves on the outside looking in on life with no hope of gaining entrance (and who of us hasn’t felt it?) now find the doors wide open, found and welcomed by God in Jesus.

1. How did the article make you feel?

2. What challenges do you face with prioritising people?

3. In what ways is your church exclusive?

4. How can guard against being exclusive in the church?

God with Us

By Richard

At the end of Mark we read that disciples took up the call to preach the Gospel and, “Went everywhere preaching, the Master [Jesus] working right with them, validating the Message with indisputable evidence.” (Mark 16: 20)

My prayer is that as we will preach the Gospel in Madrid we will experience Christ working alongside us and, in many different ways, his power validating the message.

Please take a look at the following video testimony from Bettina Iantorno, a memeber of the Mountainview Community, and notice how the Master spoke to her about baptism. Testimonies are just one way that Jesus validates our message.

Good News that Makes a Difference

By Richard

I am not sure whether you know but in the Andes Mountain range there is a watershed. Raindrops just a few centimetres apart will head in different directions. Some will head westwards towards the mighty Pacific and others will make the long Eastwards journey through the Amazon basin and out into the Atlantic. A micro millimetre in difference makes a world of difference.

After rising from the dead Jesus tells his disciples to, “Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all. Whoever believes and is baptised is saved, whoever refuses to believe is damned.” (Mark 16: 16, the Message).

Jesus claims the Gospel is something of a watershed. It’s good news if we believe and head towards God but is we refuse to believe (note the word refuse – there’s some strength in the disbelieving implied here) it will lead us away from God, eventually we are told to our own peril. A small choice that makes an eternity of difference! Mark’s Gospel was written to help you choose to head towards God the one who humbly loves us and offers life. Look into Jesus and choose carefully.

Really Dead?

By Richard

Some have claimed that Jesus never really dies on the cross. In Mark we find Jesus’ death certificate! Joseph asks for Jesus body and we read that Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus has already died and, “He called for the captain to verify that [Jesus] was really dead. Assured by the captain he gave Joseph the corpse” (Mark 15:45, the Message). Jesus was dead when he was buried! The resurrection is the power of God not the power of illusion.

Total Recall

By Richard

Jesus warned Peter that he would betray him. Peter refused to accept this verdict. Hours later, during a campfire “grilling”, inside the High Priest’s courtyard, Peter goes as far as to swear (we’re talking bad language here) that he does not know Jesus. The rooster crows a second time and we read, “Peter remembered how Jesus had said, ‘Before the rooster crows twice you’ll deny me three times!’ [And we read] he collapsed in tears.” (Mark 14:72, the Message).

The lesson here is that Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. Indeed when we read the bible there is an uncomfortable pointing out that if we dig deep enough within our souls we’ll find, if we are honest, a terrible wickedness. This is not meant to scare us but lead us, back to the one who knows us better than we know ourselves -and yet still loves us. The one who is able to help us with the healing of our sins and with shaping us into his likeness.

We know that Peter did return and was given a new start by Jesus. Judas on the other could not face his soul and ended his life. Come back to Jesus he waiting for you.

Jesus – Worth our Extravagance

By Richard

In Mark 14 A woman pours an expensive perfume on Jesus’ head – more than a year’s wages worth we are told. The onlooker’s complain, “What a waste!” However Jesus commends her extravagance, “She’s done something beautiful that will be remembered for all times.” It occurred to me to ask just how extravagant am I with Jesus? When it comes to giving money to Christ’s work I do my duty – but am I lavish? Or with my time? In our 24-7 world I can be quite stingy when it comes to Jesus – just one more thing that has to be fitted into my already overcrowded day. Jesus the King of the Universe is worth our extravagance…and we’re told that by doing so we’re building memories that will last an eternity.

The Return of Jesus

By Richard

The return of Jesus has spawned countless books, it has been the subject of heated debate and the source of way too many theological bust ups. The trouble is that we sometimes can’t see the forest because of all the tress. Here are two big picture items about the return of Jesus from Mark 13

Remain Focused: We must resist the tendency to run haywire about the return of Jesus following every natural disaster and man-made international crisis. Our primary job as believers is to preach the message of Jesus “across the world” (Mark 13:10). We must not be distracted from this task.

Remain faithful: Jesus makes it clear from chapter 13 that his second coming has relevance for every generation – not just the one in which it happens. He says to the disciples, “I’m not saying this for some future generation, but for this one too”. (Mark 13: 30, the Message).

One way that we remain faithful is to always be ready for Christ’s return. It could happen at any moment – or we could pass away and in a sense it would happen for us personally. When it comes to Jesus we should be on our toes, living today as if this might be our last one.

God is one

By Richard

In Mark 12, Jesus declares in verse 29, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one” (NIV). Later the religious man replies, “Great job Jesus for reminding us…That God is one and there is no other but him.” (NIV)

A bit of background information will be helpful to understand why the man was so pleased by Jesus response. Jesus began his response by quoting the first line of the Shema

For nearly 4,000 years the Shema has been the central confession of the Jewish faith. This first line of the Shema is repeated when you wake up and when you go to bed and at various times during the day. It’s also used in the temple worship and in the synagogue meetings. Jews even try to say the Shema aloud just before they die.

I found out a couple of other neat facts about the Shema.

1. When a person is praying alone, he begins the Shema with the phrase "God, Faithful King" to bring the number of words in the Shema to 248, the number of parts believed to be in the human body. This indicates that the worshiper dedicates their whole body to serving God.

2. In the Siddur, the Jewish prayer book, often the last letter of the first and last words of the opening line are larger to remind Jews of the word Ed – which means witness – to remind Jews to be a witness to God’s sovereignty by living exemplary lives.

There is a greater richness in the dialogue between Jesus and the religious man than might appear at first glance. Jesus is declaring his orthodoxy. In modern evangelical terms, Jesus is telling the onlookers that that he is "sound".

We need to understand the Shema is not a theological statement about the “nature” of God’s oneness. It is not telling us what God is like! Rather it’s a powerful statement that there is only one God. That’s why the man says to Jesus, God is one and there is no other.

The Jewish faith was surrounded by an environment of polytheism, where people believed there were many gods that controlled every tiny aspect of life and you had to do all this hocus-pocus stuff to keep them all happy! God is saying to Israel – God is saying to us. “Listen, there aren’t a lot of little deities out there that need your divided attentions, there’s just Me! And because of that I desire your full attention and for you to relate the whole of your life to Me.”

The truth, God is one and there is no other, has massive implications for our living.

Giving Everything

By Richard

Jesus was watching people putting their offerings into the collection box. Although he noticed the thunderous sounds of the rich putting in their large contributions it was the inaudible, well almost, plink-plink, of 2 coins from the poor woman that grabbed his attention. Calling the disciples to him he told them,

“Truth is… [She] gave more to the collection than all the other others put together. [They] gave what they’ll never miss, she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford – she gave her all.” (Mark 12: 44, the Message).

We’ve been talking about giving at Mountainview. This is a good reminder that Jesus is not interested in the amount of giving but in the heart of giving. But, it’s probably not a question of us giving less with a better heart – it’s about us giving more with a better heart. He is seeking people who want to give him their all. Giving is a good indicator of the state of our heart. So let’s work our giving hearts and the amounts will look after themselves.

Turning dust into Gold

By Richard

The stone the masons threw out
Is now the cornerstone!
This is God’s work!
We rub our eyes – we can hardly believe it! (Mark 12: 11, the Message)


One of God’s great characteristics is that of redemption. Jesus viewed by the elite as worthless becomes the cornerstone of the universe. It is for humans, material and made of dust that God bleeds to forgive, while fallen angels, great spiritual beings that have rebelled against God, are cast out of heaven never to return. We must bask in God’s great love of turning the worthless into the priceless. We must join God in loving the dust of humanity until God transforms them by his love into the gold of heaven.

Thoughts on Prayer

By Richard

I like these words on prayer.

I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you’ll get God’s everything. And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it’s not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive.” (Mark 11: 23-25, the Message)

It reminds me that prayer is massive and yet it’s so personal and intimate. It’s not just about God giving to me but about me forgiving others. There’s a vertical and horizontal dimension to prayer.

What’s in Your Temple?

By Richard

In Mark 11: 15-17 Jesus cleanses the temple. He reminds the people that the temple is a place of prayer, not a place to buy and sell and haggle, and generally rip people off. It got me reflecting on my own life. My body is, as we are reminded in Corinthians, a temple of God’s Spirit. I heard in a talk recently a speaker say that consumerism is the new idolatry of our times. I wondered how much of my life was dedicated to mammon and how much to God. Do I need to clear up a bit and make some more space for God in my overly cluttered desires for material things?

Bartimaeus

By Richard

Have you ever wondered why some of the people in the Gospels have names and others are just unknown men and women who were touched by Jesus. We read that Bartimaeus, once blind, was healed by Jesus and as soon as, “He recovered his sight [he] followed Jesus down the road.” (Mark 10:52, The Message)

I like to think that he’s mentioned by name because he was still following Jesus when Mark compiled his Gospel a few years later. Perhaps he was a well-known character in the early church – a living testimony to the power of God - a verifiable witness with a known address for any people who were checking out the accuracy of Mark’s Gospel.

It reminds me that Christ has saved me that I might follow him down the road of life. A Christian literally means a “Christ follower”. Bartimaeus was a true Christian! May we be too!

Servant Leadership

By Richard

Jesus warns us that power tends to corrupt. “When people get a little power…quickly it goes to their heads.” Jesus goes on to tell us, his followers, “It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant.” (Parts of Mark 10: 41-45, the Message).

When I look at the church, generally speaking, I am saddened by the misuses of power. When I look at my own life I’m all too aware of how power “calls” to me…Like chocolate from the fridge. I feel I must apologise for the church, and even personally for the times I have misused power. It MUST not be this way with leadership in the church. We must fight the temptations of position. As leaders we must heed the call of Christ to truly serve. If the church is to thrive once more in Europe it will need leaders who will climb down from their pedestals and enter the trenches of humanity as servants. Leaders, will you start serving, now and everyday!

Let God Do It

By Richard

Jesus reminds the disciples that it is hard for the rich, who have it all, to respond to their need to seek faith. It’s harder than squeezing a camel through the eye of a needle – well nigh impossible! Jesus goes onto to tell the disciples that humanly speaking there’s no chance at all that, “You can pull it off by yourself…but there’s every chance in the world if you let God do it!” (Mark 10:27, the Message).

My feeling is many have rejected Christ simply because they “have it all”. Let’s pray that God does the impossible and draws many materially soggy lives back to him. Will you pray this today where less than 1 person in every 1000 in Madrid is on fire for Jesus. I’m praying that God will get through to some of the hardest hearts that I know – One friend I know feels repulsed, almost violently, by the word “God”. May God do the impossible with that person.

Late Note: A friend told me recently of vague whispers of faith she detected in someone she thought was closed to faith…that’s God at work.

Divorce

By Richard

Jesus reminds us in Mark 10 that God’s desire is that people stay married and work out their problems. Divorce is only allowed by God because of mankind’s fallen nature. The Message says that if a man, or woman, gets divorced, “So [they] can marry someone else [they commit] adultery” (Mark 10: 12). I’m not sure what the original Greek precisely says (any scholars out there?) but Peterson is clearly suggesting it is divorce with the specific intent on marrying someone else that is true adultery. This would make sense from what I know of God and the human heart. I would hate for people, especially those who are the “victim” of divorce to think that remarriage was not an option. On the other hand I think that divorce is a last resort and the community of faith should never feel comfortable with divorce that is clearly with the intent on marrying someone else.

Help My Doubts

By Richard

In Mark 9: 14-27, a man wanted healing for his demon possessed son. He shouts out to Jesus, “If you’re able help me!” Jesus comes back and says that there are no “ifs” with him – people need only believe. The man cries out “I believe, but help me with my unbelief!” We read at that very instant the boy is healed.

I’m sure that the man is like most of us – there are probably areas in our lives of sincere doubts. I’m sure that there are many people in Madrid who’d like to believe, but have honest reservations about faith. While Jesus cannot easily break through a smokescreen of insincere doubts, on the other hand, honest doubts become opportunities to show us his power and love. The good news is that we can pray to Jesus because, he understands, and because is able to aid us and those around us who need help with some sincere doubts.

Leadership

By Richard

We talk a lot about leadership at Mountainview. In Mark 8 Jesus tells a crowds of onlookers that that if they come to him and become his disciple they “must let [him] lead". (Mark 8: 34, the Message). Our leaders at Mountainview MUST be led by Jesus. Question: Are we letting Jesus lead – really lead? Let us encourage one another to love Jesus wholeheartedly, to obey his teachings and be attentive to his voice through prayer and the circumstances of life.

Jesus Is Able to Look After Us

By Richard

In Mark 8 we read that that Jesus feeds the 4000. This account comes fairly soon after the feeding of the 5000 – although Mark does tell us that in the mean time Jesus made a ministry trip to Tyre and then back through Sidon, Galilee and the Decapolis (Ten Towns). Anyway after all this we find him warning his disciples to be on the look out for the “yeast” of the religious leaders. They think that Jesus is getting at them for forgetting to bring along sandwiches. So Jesus tells them that they are missing the point. After the all the people, 9000 to be exact, that he’s recently fed with a few loaves and fish don’t they understand that he’s more than able to look after them! The “yeast” of the religious leaders is their bad teaching! Backtracking slightly – Jesus tells his disciples that one of the reasons for the feeding of the thousands was to show his followers, people like myself, that he is more than able to look after us. Question is, like the disciples, do we believe that?

Quite a miracle

By Richard

In Mark 7 we have an interesting account. A man who could neither hear nor speak is brought to Jesus. So Jesus heals the man and we read that the man could hear and his speech became clear as a bell. The description demonstrates Jesus’ amazing power to modern man. We know that with the deaf, speech problems are usually a consequence of deafness. Some have said that Jesus was just a good herbal healer and deceived people into thinking he was a miracle worker. But think about it. This wasn’t simply a herbal healer removing an oversized ball of wax from a mans ear. The greater miracle is that a man, who would have needed years of speech therapy, in an instant spoke clearly. This is a miracle that becomes greater with the progress of human understanding not less. The miracle calls us to come to Jesus and listen to him, learn from him and live for him. The miracle calls us to stop being deaf and hear that Jesus is the one, God on a visit to earth.

Rest

By Richard

The disciples have just completed their practicum. Having been sent out in pairs they return to Jesus and report on how it all went. Jesus calls them to withdraw with him and, “Get a little rest” (Mark 6: 31). I don’t know what got me thinking this way…maybe it was the book I was reading by Philip Yancey on prayer. But it suddenly hit me that rest is actually one of the ways that we declare our dependence on God. It reminds us that we are not in ultimately in control, God is. Rest reminds us that while we cease our busyness God is still at work. There is a spiritual dimension to rest as it builds a daily reminder into our lives that we are created and limited, reliant on God. Indeed there might be something worshipful about a good sleep.