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my view AUGUST 2019
On crank calls … Every job has its occupational hazards. I’m sure that those of you who are doctors will tell me that at dinner parties people are desperate to chat to you about odd-looking lumps or troublesome piles, while the mechanics among my readers are equally frustrated by those bothered by their car’s dodgy ignition system and look to them for a free and painless solution.
Dr Brian Harris Dr Brian Harris is the Principal of Vose Seminary and Pastor at Large for the Carey Group.
If, like me, you head a venerated theological seminary, you are fair game for queries about every conceivable heresy hatched during 2,000 years of church history. Actually, the person making the query is often keen to birth a new heresy of their own, and usually wants my support for their misguided enterprise. It can take a fair amount of diplomacy to say that if millions of readers of the Bible
over the last 20 centuries have never spotted what they are now proclaiming, it is probably because it isn’t there. This is a long way of saying that when my PA announces, “I have [obscure name] on the line. They are keen to chat to you about Revelation 14:3-5 (or Ezekiel 17:1-4 or whatever),” my heart does not leap with joy. I usually ask, “You have told them I’m unavailable, haven’t you?”
My despair deepens with the reply, “Well, I just told them your 2:30 appointment was cancelled, so they phoned at a perfect time.” “Could you tell them the fire alarm has just gone off and we have to evacuate the building?” I ask. An awkward silence follows. “Oh alright, put them through,” I hear myself say. Lest you judge me too harshly for my poor attitude, do you go rushing to the door when
the Jehovah’s Witnesses come knocking? If not, don’t throw the first stone … But every now and then you get it wrong. Like today … it had all the marks of the classic crank call. The person had called three times (I had genuinely been out), and now was the fourth. There was no valid excuse to avoid the call. So, I took it. And I was blessed. The person wanted to share a God experience with me. I am so glad they did. You can’t put God in a box. Sometimes He speaks when you least expect it.
Walking with a limp Recently I have been reflecting on how we respond as leaders and as believers to the really tough things life throws at us. I’m talking about loss, grief, sickness – the big, life-defining things that have the potential to make or break us.
Jessica Magowan Jessica Magowan is the Associate Pastor at Inglewood Community Church.
The past seven or so years of my life have been marked by significant bouts of sickness, taking me out for weeks at a time and preventing me from being involved in all that I have wanted to. I should say that I am not very good at missing out – I want to be where the action is! Those years have broken me at times. I haven’t always responded in God-honouring ways, and I certainly haven’t been a good patient on several occasions. But those years have
also taught me valuable lessons as a leader and a follower of Jesus. They have taught me how to delegate, how to let go of the unimportant things and how to lean on the amazing team I have at church for support. The most important lesson I’ve learnt, however, is knowing when to push through the pain, and when to stop and rest. That was a long, slow lesson to learn, as my husband will attest to! I’ve learnt that when it’s time to rest, to do it well – to do
the things that are necessary for my body and for my soul to recover. I’ve learnt to treasure those times. I’ve also learnt that there are times when you have to keep leading through the pain. It’s not only necessary, but important – for you and those you lead and do life with. Why? Because in our weakness, He is strong. I call those times ‘walking with a limp’. I’m walking, I keep going, but it’s with a limp. It’s being aware that I’m hurting, whether physically
or emotionally, but choosing to keep going anyway because this life is bigger than me. God cannot turn our weakness into His strength if we never let Him use our weakness, and it’s in those times – those walking with a limp times – that God has done His most powerful ministry through me.
No more religion, more love in action As we all know, there are a myriad of different denominations in our Christian religion. We are aware that some denominations emphasise slight doctrinal differences, but often they simply offer different types of praise and styles of worship – depending on the preferences of Christians.
Peter Christofides Peter Christofides is the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church Coolbellup Campus Pastor.
We all know that it is crucial that we are to be of ‘one mind’ on the essentials of our faith, but beyond that, there are a great deal of issues that we have freedom on what we hold ‘close to our heart’. In my time of lecturing Introduction of Theology to students at The University of Notre Dame, I have found that most students (about 500 doing this unit each semester) do not know the difference between a ‘religion’ and a ‘Christian denomination’. I have found that most students actually
do not care about religion or denominationalism. What they do care about is acceptance of all people – no matter how different we are. They are not so much interested in our creeds as much as we are – no matter how important we believe these creeds to be. They are more interested in seeing those of us who claim to be Christians and lovers of the Lord Jesus Christ, to be demonstrating the love of God and the compassion of Jesus to all we come into contact with.
From my experience, they are more interested in the Father’s actions, where it says in Luke 15:20, “… his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” The word used there for compassion is ‘splagchnizomai’ which means ‘to be moved as to one’s bowels’. At the time, the bowels were thought to be the place of love, sympathy, kindness and mercy. I have learnt that no matter how passionate I am about my belief in my Lord Jesus, if I am
not able to show this compassion of the Father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, I am not demonstrating God’s love – which can be tough at times! However, I also need to realise, God’s forgiveness must be God-like – like that of the Father. God’s love is always far greater than my creed or lecturing – which is always to be doused with mercy, grace, compassion and pastoral care. So despite my denominational persuasion, it’s all about my relationship with Christ. As the lyrics of a song read, “Your sovereign hand will be my guide.” God’s hand will be my guide in my actions of demonstrating His compassion to those I meet. What a comforting challenge!