Nov 25, 2020 | TEC Connects
Hope Through Perseverance – Onward and Upward
… but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:31, NIV).
Hope through Perseverance has been an appropriate theme for 2020. We certainly have all been called to persevere on the walkways of difficulty. We have had challenge after challenge that has bent our faith under the winds of adversity. Yet, we remain resolute and anchored, with a hope in Jesus that will take us up on the wings of eagles and continuously renew our strength.
As we close out 2020, we embrace the stance of onward and upward. Whilst we have had to persevere through difficult days this year, the season of hardship has hit us hard front on and we are acutely aware that all things are under the sovereign, trustworthy hand of God which gives us the light of hope as we press on. As difficult as the year has been, we have not diverted and straddled the pathway of doubt and defeat. We have placed our resolute faith in Jesus who renews our strength and bears our weariness so we don’t faint.
Isaiah 40:31 implies the possibility of going onward and upward in the strength of Jesus. There is an inherent promise of endurance as we hope in the Lord. We pass through the passage of pain and into a new season that takes us forward. God marches through the grounds of adversity, gathering all the broken pieces and redeems what once seemed lost. As we press on, we can also look backwards and see the trail of God’s steadfast, faithful hand pulling all the threads together to build our faith. He moves us forward, demonstrating He is trustworthy and able to lead us on.
God’s intention is never to leave us drinking from the stagnate pools of hopelessness that immobilises our growth. God wants to move us through the seasons of pain. He wants us to go onward and into new frontiers of faith that have an upward trajectory, allowing us to soar on wings of eagles above and beyond the confines of our struggles. Going onward and upward means that God not only redeems all difficulties, He draws us upward and closer to Himself and gives us the ability to persevere with His perspective and by His perfect character of love and faithfulness.
As we press on, may we know the deep, deep love of Jesus in all things and through all things. As we hope in Him let Him draw us close, enabling us to run towards the finish line with strength and assurance that the One who calls us will always love us relentlessly and walk with us unswervingly. Together we go onwards and upwards in Jesus.
Nov 25, 2020 | Wens Pen
We sow to grow. So, what seeds are you sowing today? I’ve recently been learning about planting tomatoe seeds. It is the most incredible process to take a minuscule seed, full of potential for growth, plant it into the void of the dark dirt and watch the petite plantlets pop their heads through to find the light. The end result of the sowing is the growing; a crop of big, rich red, delicious tomatoes ready for harvesting and consuming. It seems like God has given each of us fields of opportunity every day that are ready for the planting. He has placed the seeds of truth, love, kindness, generosity, mercy, and encouragement (to name a few) in our hands and He calls us to sow these seeds into the soil of the lives of others, on His behalf. As Matthew 5:16 says, we must let our light shine before others and as they benefit from our good works, they will see and glorify Jesus. Each seed we sow will produce something. We sow to grow. So, what seeds are you sowing today?
Every time we plant a seed we must be aware of the potential contained within those seeds. Yet, whilst every seed may have potential, this potential can only come to fruition after we have planted the seed. Unless we sow the seed, the seed won’t produce fruit. We sow to grow. So, what seeds are you sowing today? Think about how you respond when someone sows a seed of encouragement into the grounds of your life. It lifts you up and spurs you on and makes you want to encourage others in return.
We sow to grow. So, what seeds are you sowing today? Are you sowing seeds with your words as you speak life and hope? Are you sowing seeds with your hands through acts of kindness and generosity? Are you sowing seeds of faith as you pray for others? What will your crop look like when it comes to fruition and what will be harvested from the seeds you have sown? Every seed you sow will have an impact; a word of encouragement can make all the difference to another who is feeling off their game. One expression of love can turn a lost person around. One act of kindness can restore a person’s hope. One act of service can relieve a weary soul. One prayer of faith can help turn the key that unlocks a miraculous change another person desperately needs. One generous heart can bless those in need. Whatever seeds we hold, we must sow. Every word and action, no matter how small will stir the growth of another and life will be birthed. As we sow our seeds, we help others to pop their heads through the dirt of life to embrace hope and to see the light of the glory of Jesus. We sow to grow. So, what seeds are you sowing today?
So, friends, get your ‘sowing for growing’ on today.
Best days to come.
Wen
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Nov 25, 2020 | Care Conversations
We began by seeking to explore how we help young people to interpret International, National and local events.
Increasingly we see that the world’s response to issues is protest which sometimes moves to rioting and anger.
Climate change concerns are expressed through a rash of global climate strikes in cities and locations across the world.
Racial disharmony, and perceived frustrations over the lack of remedial actions, leads to protests, riots, death and destruction.
Dr Mac Cusiter explores how our views of authority may be understood.[1] He suggests that there are four kinds of authority:
- Biblical Authority – God’s revelation in His Word. This is unquestionable; it is not affected by human philosophies or circumstances. What the Creator of the universe decrees is right and true, IS right and true.
- Rational Authority – we are capable of reason and live in a rational universe. We can observe and quantify what we see. We have been given minds to consider what is reasonable and what is not.
- Institutional Authority – Government is God’s idea. Laws are instituted for public safety, defence, order, safety and so on. Institutional authority is meant to bring order and prevent anarchy.
- Emotional Authority – which is more personal, but is still important. Love, compassion, anger – are all emotions which might drive our actions.
We can see that these four forms of authority all have validity. They also must all be founded on the authority of God that He communicates via His Word.
Rational, institutional and emotional authorities can be wrong, when they are not founded on Biblical authority,
All four appropriate perspectives give us a holistic view of authority and each needs to be accorded its proper “weight”. If any of these authorities are missing or given disproportionate emphasis, the effects can be profound.
Almost always, the first to be ignored is Biblical authority; this means the bedrock foundation disappears and the only authorities we have left are entirely human.
When Biblical authority is lost, one of the other authorities always expands to fill the gap.
Because there is then no agreed foundation, rational authority may become determined by the most persuasive orator. Institutional authority may be corrupted by aberrant human philosophies, and finally what a person or group “feels” becomes the basis of action.
Today it seems that “emotions are the sole determinant of authentic reality” – that is a dangerous place to be.
[1] Authority and Truth in Christian Education 2017
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Nov 18, 2020 | Care Conversations
Beware of Simplistic Explanations
We may not know why painful and sad things happen but we do know that it Is NOT because God does not love us.
God’s love is immeasurably great and eternally unwavering; love has its origins in the God who IS love. To even begin to think that we can have a better understanding of love than God is absurd.
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”[1]
The cross is the only place where all issues of life, tragedy and death, make sense. From a solely human perspective, the crucifixion of Christ is the most painful and tragic event in the whole of history. God, in human form, completely innocent of any crime or sin, is painfully killed.
Luke when writing in Acts, tells us that the death of Christ was both the intentional plan of God AND the actions of evil men. [2]
God lovingly governed the crucifixion of Christ! The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus was for God’s glory and our good. He dealt with the pervasive force of sin and annihilated sin’s judgement
We can clearly see the positive purpose and outcomes of that suffering at the cross.
We cannot explain individual human suffering, nor should we try, but we can KNOW God has loving purpose. We may never see an explanation as to why tragedy occurs in our own lives, or the lives of others, but we can know that God, who uses the death of His Son to redeem us in love, is trustworthy.
If our thinking, faith and living is not centred on the Cross, in this way, we cannot bear tragedy.
[1] Romans 8:35-39
[2] Acts 2:23-24; Acts 4:27-28
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Nov 18, 2020 | Wens Pen
Hello Everyone
Jesus will prevail.
As 2020 turned the history pages and a new century opened, we all seemed so perfectly positioned on the 21st century timeline for the best year ever. We bundled up many of our new, God-shaped dreams, hopes, desires and plans and placed them into the promise box of 2020 and stepped out with faith and expectation. Yet the wet blanket of calamity was cast over us and it feels like we have hit the decade of doom rather than the dawning of the new. The tiny particles of fatigue have settled into the grooves of many broken dreams and numerous unfulfilled expectations. What appears to be a whole heap of doors slamming and shutting, I believe is, in God’s economy, a time where new doors will open and Jesus will prevail. Whilst we are waiting behind the boarder lines of our current reality, it is also a time to embrace the truth that no shut door can keep the plans of Jesus contained because, no matter what Jesus will prevail. His plans and His timing will be enacted perfectly. Ultimately, it is not closed doors that have us pinned in a position of spinning our wheels; God has us perfectly positioned in spite of what appears to be a successful assault of the enemy on humanity this year. No! The enemy has already been defeated and Jesus will prevail. Colossians 1:16.
God is faithfully holding every promise we started the year with in His abundant, cosmic-sized hand. God will finally remove the fence line of this pandemic and redeem the pain of this season.Jesus will prevail past the borders of a year that has hemmed us in through a pandemic. He will bring us into a renewed, expanded territory that He has prepared for us to inhabit; a new season of life. What seems like a narrow passage will become an enlarged territory under the direction of the prevailing Jesus. He invites us to look past the doors of doom as He opens the borders and invites us into new frontiers of faith. Whilst the enemy creates the illusion of us being stuck in the narrow trenches with no way out, Jesus is using to advance His kingdom purposes. Jesus will prevail.
Ephesians 1:11 tells us that we are chosen, predestined according to His plan to work everything in conformity according to His purposes and will. Nothing can beat that. Jesus will prevail no matter what!
So, friends, get your ‘Jesus will prevail’ on today.
Best days to come.
Wen
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