Leading.

It does not mean you domineer.

It does not mean you win.

It does mean however that you love people enough to not leave them where they are.

I remember when I first visited the Hillsong Conference….many years ago. I distinctly remember the mental image I had as I walked into the arena. It was of myself holding my arms together. Mentally protecting myself from what I might be exposed to.

How wrong I was. In a short term I discovered that God had a moment for me there. In fact many moments. Joy, peace, challenge and instruction.

Principles and wisdom that would hold me in good stead for many years of ministry.

How often do we close ourselves off to the possibility of hearing Gods voice by preconceptions and fallacies. By thinking the worst and not expecting the best.

I think of some Pastors I know who go to conferences only to disengage, to sit at the rear, to close themselves off. Protecting themselves from the possibility God may have a challenge, and encouragement…a word for them.

Recently someone approached me about the anger they felt towards someone who had done something unspeakably evil to a vulnerable person.

They expressed to me how as a Christian they were really struggling with forgiveness. The anger they felt towards this person in authority was something they were finding it hard to shake.

As I heard the stories I felt anger rise up within my heart. And frustration that someone who was meant to be a spiritual guide and leader would instead be found out committing acts which can only be described as evil.

I expressed that anger in such circumstances is a perfectly reasonable response, in fact a response anyone should have. The total selfish and depraved nature of such acts deserves nothing less.

But that leaves us in a quandary. Can and should we stay angry, leading to bitterness? While understandable, in the end such a journey only ends up harming us. People need to suffer the consequences of their actions. And we may never have fellowship with them again. But this does not mean their actions should continue to have control over us. Bitterness relegates us to be their prisoner. Letting the anger, grief and even pain go is part of the process of forgiveness. Forgiveness is not however pretending things can remain the same. Some actions have consequences which may never be fully resolved in this life.

This Sunday just gone has marked a significant marker in the story of my life, my wifes life and the life of my Church.

After around 2 years of renovation we have finally been approved and moved in as a church community to our new facilities. We purchased a Battery Warehouse and have spent considerable finance and graft to turn it into a creative place for worship, community activities, drama, dance, music and emerging artists.

It is a place we hope becomes a home for many people in our community.

There is something unexplainably nice about having a wood fire. Admittedly Perth winters can be cold, but by world standards are hardly severe. Perhaps though the difference is we are not really set up for harsh winters as other countries need to be.

Once or twice a year I take my smallish 14 inch chainsaw, an Echo, off to Jarrahdale and bring back a trailer load of wood. There is something very satisfying about going and getting your own wood.

This tends to do us as a family for a couple of months. We only get the fire going when we know we are all going to be home for the night, or at least most of us, for most of the night. So its generally on three or four times a week.

Our little wood heater heats up our rather large lounge room. Beautiful.

It distresses me a little when I see a hint of ‘bible worship’. You may see this when someone talks about how we hear from God. I was listening to someone the other day talk about how there is only way to hear from God. Read and study the Bible.  They then went on to dismiss all the other ways people may share on how they hear from God.

First a disclaimer. I believe the Bible is our test. It is our guide. It is how we evaluate what we sense God may be saying to us. But it is not the only way God speaks.

People share how God gives them an impression, a word. How the Spirit speaks to their heart, challenges their soul. How a beautiful sunset is profound. How a piece of music pierces their heart. How God leads them to speak to someone they had no intention of speaking to, and they lead that person to Christ.

We need to be careful that we listen for and worship The Living Word, Jesus Christ. He is revealed to us through the Bible, but there are many other ways He inspires, leads, touches and speaks to us.

There is a certain cultural element of Western Christianity which seems to take delight in a ‘fortress’ mentality when it comes to contemporary culture. The sort of attitude perhaps born out of an interpretation of scripture that contemporary life is going to get increasingly worse, like in the days of Noah.

This can lead to a sense that the Church is irrelevant, dying, washed out.

I wonder if sometimes we are like Elijah wailing in the dessert about how he is the only true prophet left. God comes to him and points our the truth. He is alive and working, and there are many on His side, actively working out their faith.

I think rumours of the demise of the church only serve to negate the truth that God is alive and well, and His people are active in even Western Culture. The recent release of Hillsong United album ‘Empires’ is one startling example. What is essentially a worship album with truly biblical lyrics finds itself perched at number one on the Aria Album charts. Second is Daniel Johns (of Silverchair fame) newly released solo album. Daniel has been featured on the round of talk shows and promo invites. Interestingly enough, the Hillsong Team have also found themselves been given opportunities to share of their faith and ministry on such shows as Sevens ‘Sunrise” program.

God is active, as is His Church. His Bride, will far from being perfect, is relevant to a contemporary culture, even a consumerist Western one.