Mark Conner's Space

God's Heart for the Poor and the Needy

This last weekend I shared a message with our church on "God's Heart for the Poor and needy" (click here for a summary).

The prophet Isaiah challenged the people of his time that God was more interested in their works of love for the poor and needy than he was in their worship (see Isaiah 58). This is a message strongly echoed by other prophets (see Amos 5:21-24). Jesus reinforced this strongly in the parable of the sheep and the goats where he paints a picture of the nations being divided not by doctrine, personal ethics, or religious activities but by how they had treated the poor and needy (Matthew 25:31-46).

Poverty is not a 'left-wing' political issue; it is a Christian issue.

Just under half of the world's population (2.8 billion) lives on US $2 a day or less. It is hard to imagine that kind of poverty (click here for a description of what that would be like). Recently, Australia was ranked as the most prosperous nation in the world. We are the affluent minority.

How should we then live?

Learning to Lead Like Jesus

 

Over the last few days, we've been talking about a biblical philosophy of business. Today, let's talk about learning to lead like Jesus.

If you are a business leader, you want to learn and grow so that you can become the very best you can be. There is a plethora of business gurus (e.g. Bill Gates, Jack Welch, and Peter Drucker) and materials available to help today. Simply walk into your local bookshop and look in the business/management section. There are dozens of experts sharing their latest ideas (e.g. TQM, 360 degrees, and Balanced Scorecard) on how to see your business break through to new heights of productivity and success.

We can glean much wisdom and common sense from the corporate and business world for building organisations. We can also learn from other Christians in business, especially from those who are more experienced than ourselves. However, I believe that our ultimate business model and leadership example is Jesus Christ.

A Biblical Philosophy of Business (Pt.5)

Why does business exist?

I can hear some of you thinking, "Show me the money!" That's brings us to the fourth purpose of business ...

4. To generate wealth.

In exchange for service or a product we receive payment of some sort. This is the principle of "fair exchange". It’s okay to make a profit. Making a profit simply enables you to do business for another day.

Moses put it this way ...

"Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today." [Deuteronomy 8:18. NIV]

With the profit made, businesses can reward their staff and owners, as well as have resources to invest back into the business and to contribute towards God’s work in the earth.

For Christians in business, if you seek to (1) glorify God, (2) serve people with excellence, and (3) provide a place of meaningful contribution for others, I think you'll find that you will (4) generate wealth.

I believe that it is God's will that each person "prospers". A good biblical definition of "prosperity" is to have your needs (not greeds!) met and enough extra to give away to others.

Tomorrow ... learning to lead like Jesus.

A Biblical Philosophy of Business (Pt.4)

Let's continue our discussion as to why business exists. So far we've mentioned that business exists to glorify God and to serve people. Here is the third reason ...

3. To provide an opportunity for meaningful contribution.

God has created us with the need for meaningful work. Part of our sense of significance comes from our ability to make a contribution to our world. God is a worker and he created us to work too. It is part of his purpose for our lives. Business provides people with an opportunity to be involved in meaningful work, thus enhancing their sense of dignity and contribution.

Have a read of what the apostle Paul wrote to some followers of Jesus Christ in the first century ...

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don't follow the tradition they received. For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you. We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow. Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: 'Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.' Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people's business. We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living. As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good."[2 Thessalonians 3:6-13. NLT]

By creating and maintaining jobs business provides work that not only supports families financially but also harnesses people’s skills and creative energies.

Tomorrow ... one more reason ...

A Biblical Philosophy of Business (Pt.3)

Why does business exist?

2. To Serve People

Every business should exist to add ‘value’ – to provide a service or a product that enhances the quality of people's life.

Jesus came to serve others rather than to be served (Matthew 20:28) and as his followers we are called to do the same - to serve other people in love (Galatians 5:13).

Business does not exist just as a way to make a living but as part of God’s plan for meeting the needs of people. Your organisation exists for its customers not just its owners or shareholders. Great service creates not just customers, but raving fans who are so excited about the way they were treated that they brag about the organisation and its service.

Jesus attracted crowds of people without all of our modern day marketing methods (advertising, flyers, etc). Why? He knew and met real needs and people kept spreading the word until he had more customers than he could handle. Talk about “customer service”!

Make a committment to give people excellent service in any way you can.

A Biblical Philosophy of Business (Pt.2)

The apostle Paul says this, "Whatever your do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17)." The "whatever" includes business and doing it in "the name of the Lord Jesus" means working in such a way as to honour and represent him well.

So what is God’s purpose for your business or work?

Let’s look at four major aspects of why your business exists as a Christian:

1. To Glorify God.

Who we are and how we do business should please God and bring glory to him. We are called to be "salt" and "light" in the world, in order to bring him glory (Matthew 5:13-16). We are his representatives in the world and we need to represent him in such as way that we bring him praise and honour.

The way we live and do business should attract people to God and give us opportunities to point people to Him. Have a read of this ...

"You must obey these laws and regulations when you arrive in the land you are about to enter and occupy. The LORD my God gave them to me and commanded me to pass them on to you. If you obey them carefully, you will display your wisdom and intelligence to the surrounding nations. When they hear about these laws, they will exclaim, 'What other nation is as wise and prudent as this!' For what great nation has a god as near to them as the LORD our God is near to us whenever we call on him? And what great nation has laws and regulations as fair as this body of laws that I am giving you today?" [Deuteronomy 4:5-8. NLT]

It’s possible to be ethical and successful (though it takes more than ethics to guarantee success).

A Biblical Philosophy of Business (Pt.1)

Today, let's talk about the business world. Most people spend the majority of their working week out in the marketplace and there are numbers of Christians who have their own businesses.

Unfortunately, many people have created a division between what is ‘sacred’ and what is ‘secular’. In fact, there has been a certain amount of tension between business and Christianity throughout the centuries. St. Jermome said, "A merchant can seldom if ever please God." St. Augustine, a fifth century bishop said, "Business is in itself evil." Not too much encouragement there!

Where does this perspective come from?  It comes primarily from Greek philosophy which sees life as a number of compartments – personal, family, work, religion (faith), recreation, etc. As long as we prioritise correctly and make appropriate contributes to each ‘box’, life will work out for us. Our faith and our relationship with God are ‘sacred’. Everything else is ‘secular’ - having no religious, sacred or spiritual aspect.every area of life. All of life is to be lived in His presence and for His pleasure.

Your business and your work is meant to be sacred. It is part of God’s purpose for your life (see Genesis 1:26-30). God’s mandate for us in creation was to take dominion over the earth and to work productively in it (Genesis 2:15). Work was God’s intention for us before sin. It was not a curse given to us because of sin. Business is simply an institutionalisation of ‘work’.

Many of the people God used in the Bible had careers and ran businesses at some stage in their life. They were not all ‘people of the cloth’ or working with the Temple or the church environment.

Mobile Phone vs Bible

A friend sent me this last week. It is thought-provoking ...

Mobile Phone (or 'Cell Phone' as they say in the USA) VS the Bible

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our mobile phone?        

• What if we carried it around in our pockets or purses?
• What if we flipped through it several times a day?
• What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
• What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
• What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
• What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
• What if we used it when we traveled?
• What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go ... Hmmmmm ... where is my Bible?

Oh, and one more thing ... unlike our mobile phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.

Makes you stop and think 'where are my priorities'?

Ministry in Perth

This last weekend, Nicole and I had the privilege of ministering at two churches in the city of Perth, Western Australia - Riverview and Generations Centre.

Riverview is led by Phil and Heather Baker, good friends of ours over many years. They are creative leaders with a real heart for people, and for reaching their local community. Phil heads up an informal network of pastors and leaders in Australia and New Zealand with churches 500+ in size. We really enjoyed sharing at their weekend church gatherings. We spoke Saturday evening (Mark), Sunday morning (Nicole), and Sunday evening (Mark).

Generations Centre is co-led by Andrew and Sharon Shaper and Kevin and Sally Mackay. Their church is 50 years old and they have been involved in leading it through a number of changes over the last decade or so. They have a passion for evangelism and outreach. We enjoyed the energy and enthusiasm of the church gatherings over the weekend. We spoke Friday evening (Nicole), Sunday morning (Mark), and Sunday evening (Nicole). I also spoke at a leadership seminar on Saturday morning. [I was booked to speak at this church just over two years ago but I had to cancel last minute due to a sudden appendix operation!]

As you can see, Nicole and I kind of played musical churches - but we had a lot of fun and God did some great things over the weekend, for which we are really thankful.

Perth is a beautiful city with some great churches. There is excellent unity in the city. One expression of this is the annual Church Together event where churches from all of the city meet together.

Third Space Conversations (Cont'd)

To follow on from yesterday's post on "Third Space Conversations" ... here are a few reflection questions ...

1. One approach to evangelism is for Christians to invite unchurched people into the ‘first space’. What kind of person is this applicable to? What kind of person may never come straight into a ‘first space’ gathering? What ways could we can make the ‘first space’ more welcoming to outsiders?

2. The majority of Christians spend a great deal of their time and energy in ‘second space’. How can the church better equip them to fulfil God’s purpose for them in this space?

3. Reflect on a ‘third space’ experience you have had. How did it happen and what was it like?

4. What are some practical ways we can become more comfortable in communicating in ‘third space’ environments? [Consider reading Erwin McManus' book "Soul Cravings" as a tool to learning to communicate the gospel in a third space context]

5. What are some keys to them receiving more ‘third space’ opportunities?

6. Church staff spend the vast majority of their time and energy in ‘first space’. What are some of the benefits of this? What are some of the dangers? Is it a reasonable expectation of church staff for them to spend some time in the ‘second space’? If so, how can they create more ‘second space’ moments in their world?

Third Space ... think about it .... then go there ... Jesus is already there :)

Third Space Conversations

Slowly read the following record of the Apostle Paul visiting Athens ...

"While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the market-place day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, 'What is this babbler trying to say?' Others remarked, 'He seems to be advocating foreign gods.' They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus where they said to him, 'May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.' All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas. [Acts 17:16-21. NIV]

Here we see Paul engaging in three different spheres or ‘spaces’ while in the city of Athens.

1. First Space

Paul began by speaking to those inside the synagogue. These were Jews and God-fearing Greeks who would have been believers in God and who would have known the Old Testament Scriptures well (note the sermon content in the Book of Acts to Jewish people). He already had common ground with them and was able to connect to them in language they understood from their religious environment and experience.

'First Space’ refers to inside the church community or to relationships with people who believe in God and know about Christian culture. This is easy for us as we have lots in common – beliefs, customs, and language.

2. Second Space

Paul also spent time in the market-place. This was outside of the synagogue where people went about their daily life and work. In this second space there is less common ground. There is a range of beliefs and insider language doesn’t connect. ‘Second Space’ refers to the marketplace – outside the church community, where people live, work, and do life. This is where most Christians spend the majority of their time. The challenge is to connect and bring the good news of Jesus to people into this space in a language they can understand.

3. Third Space

Because Paul was able to build rapport and generate interest in the second space, he was invited to a meeting in another place. This was a place where he had no previous influence and no common ground. He was in another world. He only entered there because 'they took him' there.

‘Third Space’ refers to places and people groups where Christ is unknown and where we can only enter through invitation. In this space, we need to be able to speak the good news of Jesus in language that they understand.

This thought was gleaned from Erwin McManus when he ministered at our church earlier this year. Erwin's book Soul Cravings was written to ‘third space’ people. It starts with people (not the Bible) and then points them towards God. It speaks of the cravings for intimacy, meaning, and destiny within the heart of every human being and how these cravings can only be truly satisfied through a relationship with God.

Tomorrow we'll talk more about the implications of these spaces for our lives ..

New Postcast: CityLife Church - Australia

Today CityLife Church Australia launched a new sermon podcast.

There are half a dozen sermons available already and more will be added shortly.

You can access the podcast via the church's web site OR download a free copy of iTunes, then go to the iTunes Store (from within the program) and search for 'CityLife Church Australia' or 'Mark Conner'. You can then select individual messages or subscribe - all FREE.

Initially, the messages will be of Nicole and myself but over time we'll be adding other speakers, including our local teaching team and some visiting speakers .

Enjoy!

The Abortion Bill - Update

Very sadly, Victoria's Upper House voted last Friday to pass the Abortion Law Reform Bill 2008 by 23 votes to 17. This means that the move to decriminalise abortion in our State has essentially been passed. Attention now turns to the 70 amendments which are to be debated in the Upper House, which could, if passed, could lessen some of the damage inherent in the bill.

Thank you to all those who made an effort to let your voice be heard and to pray about this important issue. So many people and groups have worked hard to make a stand on behalf of the unborn. I do not think that this result is an indication of a lack of prayer or of effort on behalf of pro-life people. The bottom line is that that majority of current MPs do not see the value of preserving the lives of the unborn. This is very sad.

Let's continue to do all we can. Please continue to pray and I also encourage you to contact your local member of Parliament. Commend them if they voted against this bill. Respectfully express your concern if they voted for it. You can find all of the email details of the Victorian MPs here.

You can also let your voice be heard through an online petition expressing your opposition to the abortion law reform. If you are Victorian, you can sign the petition here. There is also an international petition open to everyone. Click here to sign it. [November 1st, 2008]

How the Stock Market Works

Once upon a time in a village, a man appeared and announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10 each. The villagers seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest, and started catching them. The man bought thousands at $10 and as supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their effort. He further announced that he would now buy at $20. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again.

Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms. The offer increased to $25 each and the supply of monkeys became so little that it was an effort to even see a monkey, let alone catch it! The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at $50! However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would now buy on behalf of him. In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers.

"Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected. I will sell them to you at $35 and when the man returns from the city, you can sell them to him for $50 each."

The villagers rounded up with all their savings and bought all the monkeys. Then they never saw the man, nor his assistant again, only monkeys everywhere!

Now you have a better understanding of how the stock market works!

[Source: Tony Scott on Crikey.com]

Living in a Parallel Universe (Pt.3)

Back in 1986, Christian novelist Frank E Peretti wrote a book called This Present Darkness endeavouring to paint a picture of two worlds interacting in the drama of daily life. Heaven and earth. Light and darkness.  

The book, which has an engaging multi-layered plot, has not been without its criticism.  However, through the power of a story, fictitious as it is, it helps us to see how the natural and the spiritual world interact. As a result, it encourages us to live more spiritually discerning lives.

Peretti's sequel Piercing the Darkness (1988) accomplishes a similar thing. Together these two books have sold over 3.5 million copies. If you haven't read them, I recommend them to you. If you have, maybe a re-read is worth your time.

The Apostle Paul summarises our topic well ...

"A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere." [Ephesians 6:10-18. NLT]

Living in a Parallel Universe (Pt.2)

Hmmnn ... a parallel universe. Sounds a bit like the Matrix, doesn't it!

This is what the Christian life is all about ... through faith and repentance we exprerience the living God, in response to his promptings. He sends his Spirit to live inside of us. We experience a conversion - an inner transformation. Two worlds inter-sect. Light comes into darkness. Heaven invades earth. God lives inside of humanity. What an amazing thing ...

What would it look like to live with a greater awareness of the spiritual world - not just the natural world? We would see with very different glasses, that's for sure. What would it look like to develop our spiritual senses - to see into the spiritual realm, to hear God's voice, to smell or to discern the source of things happening, etc? 

Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you ... to show you ... to open your eyes ... your ears ... to things unseen ... things yet to come ... today.

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him ... But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets. No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. [1 Corinthians 2:9-12. NLT]

Think about it ...

Living in a Parallel Universe (Pt.1)

If you think about it, we live in what could be called a parallel universe ...

There is the natural world that we engage with our five senses - sight, touch, smell, hearing, and taste. There is also a spiritual world that is just a real, if not more real, as the natural world, even though it is invisible to the human eye.  It contains real beings - God, angels, a devil, and demons. These two worlds are part of the one universe, yet they are parallel to each other ... and they interact. Heaven touches earth. Earth touches heaven.

How easy it is to live in one world while totally ignoring (or worse till, not believing in) the other. God calls us to live in and experience both worlds. We'll talk more about that tomorrow.

Think for a moment about travel between these two worlds, as well as interaction ...

• God used to walk in the garden of Eden and talk with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8).
• Enoch walked so closely with God that God took him from the natural world and he was not seen again (Genesis 5:24).
• Jacob had a dream of a stairway bridging earth and heaven. Angels were coming and going on it (Genesis 28:12). Was this some sort of a 'portal' (door or entrance) between these two worlds?
• Elijah was taken from this natural world in a chariot and horses of fire accompanied by a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11). Yet we see him again appearing on a mountain talking with Jesus and Moses (Matthew 17:1-3).
• God opened Elisha's servants eyes to see chariots of fire all around a human army that was surrounding them (2 Kings 6:15-17).
• The Son of God came from heaven to earth in the form of a baby. After his resurrection he ascended back to heaven again.
• All through the Bible we have stories of angels appearing to people at significant times.
• Jesus frequently set people free from demonic forces.
• Jesus invited people to 'see' then 'enter' the kingdom of heaven. He described that experience as like being 'born again' (John 3:3, 5).
• John had all sorts of visions of the spiritual world while in prison on an island called Patmos (Revelation 1:9-20).

Interesting stuff!

The Philadephia Experiment

Talking about conspiracy theories ...

Some of you may have heard of the

Philadelphia Experiment which was an alleged naval military experiment at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard sometime around October 28th, 1943, in which the U.S. destroyer USS Eldridge was to be rendered invisible to human observers for a brief period (a pretty handy feature during war time!). Some people even reported seeing this ship in another place 346 kms away before it returned to Philadelphia.

Back in 1984, this story was made into a movie and then again in 1993, then a book on the topic was released in 1995.

The story is widely regarded as a hoax. It has nonetheless caused ripples in conspiracy circles.

Interestingly enough, there is an amazing story recorded in the book of Acts about the evangelist Philip. He was baptising a man from Ethiopia and then looked what happened ...

"When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea." [Acts 8:39-40. NIV]

Wow, there's some real time and space travel! As someone who travels a fair bit, I've always thought that this would be a cool way to move from one place to another. I wonder if he had any jet-lag? I wonder if his bags went along too? :)

The Mystery of the Bermuda Triangle

Recently Channel 9 screened the 2005 mini-series The Triangle, built around the fictitious story of a billionaire shipping magnate who keeps losing ships in the Bermuda Triangle. He hires a motley band of experts to uncover the mystery that has haunted the Bermuda Triangle for centuries. The series weaves an eerie web of conspiracies and strange possibilities as the characters find themselves swept deeper and deeper into the secrets of the Bermuda Triangle. Entertaining viewing.

The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region of the northwestern Atlantic Ocean in which a number of aircraft and boats have alleged to have disappeared. Some people think these disappearances are due to human error or acts of nature while others claim paranormal sources or even activities by extra-terrestrial beings. In response, numerous official agencies have gone on record as stating the number and nature of disappearances to be similar to any other area of ocean.

Faith, Hope, and Love ... from a Technical Arts Perspective

A few weeks back we had a gathering of our ArtwoRx ministry - all of the singers, musicians, audio, media, and drama team members of our church. Ian Moyes, who heads up our audio ministry, shared a creative twist on 1 Corinthians 13 - the supremacy of love - from a technical arts perspective. I hope you enjoy it ...

If I use the vocalisation waveforms of my facial resonance cavity but don’t have love, I am only an oscillating Q-curve shaped brass resonator.

If I have the gift of time-shifted data and can zero-in to single bit-depth magnification of phase-jittered information streams, and if I have a faith that can move earthen acoustic insulation and reflection mounds, but have not love, I am lower than zero bits.

If I burn my entire recording studio and all my musical instruments, but have not love, I have the volume of negative infinity decibels.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

But where there is time-shifted data, it will be erased; where there are vocalisation waveforms of facial resonance cavities, their waveforms will appear along the centre 0dB line; where there is single bit-depth magnification of phase-jittered information streams, they will be permanently unplugged.

For our waveforms are missing data and our information streams are corrupted, but when analogue waveforms with no noise or distortion come, the corrupted data disappears.

When I was a child, I performed like a child, I wrote songs like a child, I mixed sound like a child - I even engineered lights like a child. But when I became a man, I put childish ways behind me (sort of!).

Now we see a positive-voltage waveform distorted and polarity reversed; then we shall see the pure analogue waveform with no noise or distortion. Now I have but partial data; then I shall have the entire uninterrupted high density digital stream, even as my own personal recording data is rendered. (scary)

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Well done, Ian :)