I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

God is More.

Our lives are busy things (for most of us). We have things that call upon us every day, maybe our jobs, our family, our friends, our habits, our hobbies, our wants and our needs. For many of us, life is a busy thing that we just don’t have the time to interupt.

But then when trials come in our life, we run – we hide – we pray – we call out to God to help us, save us, protect us, shield us. Like the psalmist calls out, God becomes our refuge.

But that is not all that is there is it?

God is More.

God is just not a refuge, but also our fortress. A refuge is indeed a place we run to when we are scared, under attack, or just can’t take it anymore. But a fortress is a place to reside, a place to live, a place to remain.

We are not called to just run to God when times are tough, or worse, when all else fails. But we are called to live in the presence of God.

Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

So yes, life is busy. But we need to live our life in the presence of God. We need to trust in God as our fortress and our refuge – not just a place to run to when our own strength finally fails us.

(Photo flickr\sologenesis)

Welcome back to Delving into the Scriptures! Yes, I am still here. On a personal note, I have simply been very busy, and when not busy, taking time out either to recover or spend time with my family… But I am still here, still reading my Bible and finding things to share, I have just not had the time to share coherently! So over the next month or so posts will be irregular – normal service will resume no doubt in God’s timing!

One change you may notice is that I will be using more translations of the Bible from now on. Spending much time reading different versions, and also lots of comments about different versions, I’ve basically come to the conclusion that just as I write these posts to try and help myself and others better understand the Bible and our God, different versions can help with that. Some more literal versions such as the ESV really help with seeing how the words, sentences and paragraphs were put together, and help give an understanding. But other versions, such as the NIV and HCSB help bring out the meaning more clearly when ‘language equivalence’ just clouds the issue. Language and meaning changes – and since I don’t speak or read ancient Greek, I need to rely on those that have spent the time studying both the language and the Word to bring out what will not simply translate in words.

Moving on!

These verses really stuck out to me when I was reading them recently! Not because my bit of hard work and ‘busyness’ is an affliction – but I think it helps us to focus. Hard times are going to come to us all – and when they do, they accomplish God’s purpose.

When Jesus suffered, was punished, and was hung on a cross and left to die publicly for our sins, He did not shirk back from what He was called to do. He did not ask to at least be hidden. He did not call down a legion of angels to save Him from what was coming, though He could have without even speaking. He chose to suffer for our sake, for our cause, for our sins. He chose to suffer and die, publicly, for the stupid things we have all done in our lives.

So with that context, how can we expect any less?

And if we get less than what Jesus Himself faced, should we not think that a blessing, no matter how hard it is? I know suffering is hard, I know pain is hard, I know affliction and persecution is hard. But the things we experience do not compare to what our Lord experienced in just one day in Jerusalem.

And to add to all of this, for any suffering we receive now, we will receive comfort from God. That comfort may not come immediately – we live in a fallen world, and the time will come for all of us to pass away some time. Even those who Jesus healed of all of their afflictions have since passed away – a long time ago. But the comfort will come, and it will be infinitely more than any suffering we endure for His sake.

So take heart. If you are suffering, I am truly sorry, and I pray God will comfort you. And not only that, I pray when you are finally comforted, you can take that comfort to others in His name, and show them the love and heart of Jesus, the God who loved us so much He freed us from our sins by taking the ultimate suffering upon Himself.

In my daily Bible reading (how are yours going by the way? Keeping up? I encourage you – keep reading daily! Do it!), I came across this verse last week. It has been a very busy week so I haven’t shared much, but this sat on my mind the whole time.

What was the Father well pleased with? An interesting question – and one which reveals a lot more detail that I first thought about.

Was God pleased that Jesus was being baptised, to complete all righteousness? I am sure that is part of it no doubt, but just part. You see, we know that Jesus was about 30 at this time (Luke 3:23). And what did Jesus do all this time up to the age of 30?

We know Joseph, Mary’s husband, was a carpenter. There is a good chance Jesus spent some time then as a carpenter, and certainly spent time ‘in the workshop’ with Joseph.

We know Jesus had at least other brothers, so He was an older brother to them.

We know Jesus had a miraculous birth and moved around a little as a kid, and certainly had a ‘different’ upbringing to many kids of the time.

And yet, in all of these things, He did not sin. Jesus lived a perfect life through all of these things, through all of this time. I’ve hammered nails and hit my finger – and I am sure there are times I’ve bordered on sinning when this has happened – and yet Jesus never did. Jesus had younger siblings – as the father of 2 wonderful children, I know how they can act towards each other at times. And yet in this, Jesus never sinned. I also moved around a lot as a kid and had a ‘different’ upbringing to many, which sometimes caused me to be singled out by others. This no doubt happened to Jesus – and yet He never sinned.

In 30 years of ‘life’, Jesus never once put a foot wrong.

Let’s be honest, our lives are so caught up in sin and this world that going a day, let alone a week without sin is something that is sadly rare. And yet, in 30 years, Jesus did not sin once.

No wonder the Father was well pleased.

So when you read through the limited accounts of Jesus early life, remember this – there is much more we don’t see. Jesus didn’t just appear on the earth at 30, or jump from 3 to 30. He experienced this life, in all it’s fullness, for those 30 years, and lived it perfectly. So when we look the Gospels and see Jesus running around doing miracles and preaching – and wonder how that can relate to our lives, don’t be discouraged! Know this – in those 30 years, Jesus faced every temptation, and overcame. That is why He can be our perfect mediator before God the Father, because He has been there, He knows how hard it is, and He has overcome.

Hebrews 4:14-16 (ESV)
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

So, what about the Bible – do you think reading great quantities of the Bible, or small areas in great detail is better?

Be careful, it’s a trick question…

Most of the encouragement I see in the ‘blogosphere’ seems to point towards quality. Take your time when you are reading your Bible. Spend time with each verse, with each word even, coming to grips with what God is saying to you. And really, there is nothing wrong with that advice – it is in fact good general advice – there is so much in there that even after years and decades of study, it will continue to bring new revelation to you, and bear new fruit in your life.

But sometimes, and this has happened to me in the past, we lose focus of the big picture. We spend so much time focusing on one little thing, one little verse, one little doctrine, that we forget what the whole book is about. We lose sight of things like God’s creation, we lose sight of the history of Israel and all that it can mean for us now, and we lose sight of Jesus and what He has done for us.

And so, I would encourage both. Quality AND quantity. Broad strokes and fine detail.

Take the time to meditate on a single verse, especially one that is grabbing you, where God may be speaking to you right now.

But also take the time to ‘read through’ whole sections of the Bible. Whole chapters, whole books even. And when you do, I promise you will be surprised – surprised how much we can also learn when we focus on the big picture of what God is doing had has done since the creation of the world…

Who’s kingdom am I building today?

It is an interesting, complex and challenging thought.

Am I building my kingdom, or God’s kingdom? Am I doing things for my glory, or His?

What am I here for? What am I doing, on this earth, today? What has God called me to do?

God has given us all common grace to enjoy our lives on this planet that He made. He instituted life, He instituted marriage, He brought into the world all of the good things we enjoy. So I am not saying we should all suddenly take a vow of poverty and fly off to a slum in India (though certainly some of us need to be there!).

During our days we have many things to take our time and focus. Our jobs (for those that won’t work shouldn’t eat – 2 Thes 3:10). Our family, especially those of us who are married, and even more so those of us with children. Our community, our churches. Let’s not forget our personal time with our God, that should be a daily priority for us all!

Yes, there is a lot for us to focus on, and we aren’t all called to go today to another land to preach the gospel and help the poor. But we also need to be honest – I am sure less go than are called. No, we are not all called to go (though we are all called to ‘go’ somewhere, just not all to a foreign land), but not all who are called do go – whether the call is to India or the house next door…

I am sure there have been thousands of times in my life that I was not where God would want me to be. He knew I would be there (because God knows everything), but that doesn’t mean He approved of it! More and more I am thinking of these things on a daily, even an hourly basis.

So today, right now, am I building the Kingdom of God, or the kingdom of Drewe?

Today, are you building the Kingdom of God, or are you too busy with your own affairs to worry about that today?

Matthew 10:37-39 (ESV)
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

That is a tough, tough verse. But what am I seeking? To find my life, so that I may lose it? Or to lose my life, in the service of Jesus, who is both God and my Savior, that for His sake I will find it.

Something to think about…

(Photo: flickr/meanest indian)

Great! I hear you say. What is that?

Much of my work used to be (and to some extent in my current role still is) about process improvement. Removing waste from a process so that it is more efficient, faster, and more cost effective – without any loss in quality. Often, by removing the waste in a process, you actually get a better product in the end for less cost and time. That is lean six sigma in action.

Great! I hear again. So what?

I’ve been thinking recently a lot about the Great Commission (as you will know if you are a regular reader). I’ve also been thinking a lot about ‘churches’ (in this case, meaning the organizations we use to define church), and I think we have a lot of waste in our process.

And I am not the only one thinking it.

Today a post came along on Dave Black’s site regarding church planting in foreign countries - Can We Please Do Church Planting Cooperatively?

Dave has some great points, as usual. In his post, he poses this question -

How can we justify sending our well-paid church planters to Ethiopia when Ethiopian evangelists and church planters are eager to do the work themselves at a fraction of the cost?

Why do we send ‘expensive’ missionaries to a foreign country, when there are already many doing the work there for significantly less cost, with more effective methods? I am not saying that we can do all things remotely – there is always a place for people to go to an area to preach the Gospel or do other work. But in many cases there are already people there who we could ‘partner with’ to get the work done!

Lets take a look at some figures. Right now I just ran a quote to fly to Ethiopia next month – the costs range from $2100 to $4200 – for economy, per seat. If I were to go with my wife and kids, that would be 4 times that amount.

There are workers in Ethiopia right now, preaching the gospel full time, with wives and family who live on $40 a month (and struggle to get by). So for my cheapest airfare, for me alone, I could double the salary of one of these workers and still pay them for the next 2 years – that is two years of full time gospel preaching from someone who is local, knows the culture and knows the language.

And I haven’t even factored in any costs for me to do anything – that was just to get to the airport in the capital!

Again – I don’t want to discourage those who are called to the mission field, but we need to take a close look at what we are doing! Do we desire to go to a foreign country for selfish reasons (experience, cultural change, prestige?), or for completely honest reasons? Are the resources we are consuming in going to these countries disproportionate to the work that is being done?

There will always be needs to go to these places, such as going and helping with humanitarian needs, or helping teach those who are then preaching the Gospel, or many other things. But lets take a look – an honest look – and see if what we are doing is actually advancing the gospel, with the resources that we have been given – or if really we are just wasting what we have been given.

And what did I find?

No matter what you do, no matter what your experience, God can use you in the mission field.

Whether ‘at home’ (because ‘all nations’ means the one you are in too) or abroad, there are needs all over the world, even for people as strange as computer guys. And if they have need for computer guys, they need pretty much every one else too.

You see, we sometimes live under this picture that all missionaries go out and exclusively preach the world, evangelize, baptize and start churches. Not so! Preaching of the Good News of Jesus Christ is certainly the main focus, and in some way everyone participates in this work, but there is a lot of work out there.

Don’t believe me?

Take a look here, at the current list of needs just with one mission organization. And that is just a small list. Behind these people are those that support in prayer and financially. Those that organize and arrange behind the scenes. And not everyone goes with a formal organization like SIM. I challenge you – look, and you will find something that you could do.

So – no matter what you do, no matter what your skills are, God can use you. Introvert? Extrovert? Preacher, builder, IT Guy? God can use you.

It comes back to the church – the body of Christ. We are all parts of that body, and each a different part. I blog and am an IT guy – God can use me. You might be a builder, a plumber, a cook or a cleaner – God can and will use you too.

So the question now remains – will you go? And what will you do?

Cities are strange places. The are a conglomeration of humanity, a virtual stewing pot of peoples lives. And yet, in our modern interpretation of cities, we all have walls. We drive to work in our own cars, or maybe catch a train with thousands of others – yet never saying a word to anyone. We read our books, fiddle with our phones, listen to our iPods full of teaching, music or something just plain funny to get us through.

We are surrounded by masses of humanity in a city – and yet, there is so little communication we may as well live like a hermit in a desert. It reminds me of the old sailors rhyme – water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink….

So what can you tell about a person just by looking at them? In most cases, not much at all. You might be able to see affluence in their clothing or dress (and yet you could just be seeing credit card debt and slavery to fashion ideals), you may be able to see someone’s general attitude by their expressions or the way they stand or sit (but who knows what hides behind those smiles). At most, you can sometimes tell if someone is tired, though that is no guide with the advent of coffee and energy drinks by the thousand. You used to be able to tell the poor at least by how they dressed, but even not all who appear to be poor are so – just as not all who appear to be rich truly are.

I sometimes wonder as I am walking through a mall, or driving in traffic through masses of suburbia, who are all these people? What are they doing? Do they know God? Have they even heard of Jesus, apart from in blasphemy? What hurts and crimes hide behind their walls? What amazing testimonies are buried under the mass of humanity that surrounds them?

I was reminded of this again when someone I talk with online shared his story with me – you can read it here. Until that time, I had no idea what he had been through in the past – the past was just something inside of him that we can’t see just by being around, or reading, or even talking with him.

But it was there, the whole time. And his story is just one of thousands, millions, even billions of stories out there of people who are hurting, who are in need, who need to find a way out and through the pain of this life.

There are a thousand ‘escapes’ from the pain that many people suffer (drugs, alcohol, and more), but they all lead to deeper depression and more hurt. There is only one place that we can all go to for healing – to the God who created us all. He alone can heal our hurts. And He alone hurts more than we do when He looks upon the fallen and sinful world we live in.

So next time you are driving through suburbia, catching the train with thousands, or milling with hundreds in the city or the mall, take a moment to think – who are these people? What are they really doing here? Behind all the nice clothes and pretty makeup, what true stories hidden behind their masked smiles? What skeletons are hiding in their closets?

I beleive once we come to this point that we start to see and feel the hurts of others that we will develop true compassion for them. We will start to take the time to pray for them, to talk with them, and to share with them – there is a God who cares, and cares more than even they can imagine.

And He is calling.

(This is part 5 of our multi-part series on The Great Commission)

Over the past few days we have looked at the Great Commission, and discovered that Jesus commands us with all authority, that we are to make disciples by teaching them and baptizing them, and that He will be with us.

And so now we come to the crunch. If we are a disciple of Jesus, we will do all that He commands us, just as we teach others. And what does Jesus command?

Go.

There is a time for preparation. There is a time for learning and knowing what to teach, and what you will share with others. There is a time to build up. But all of those times are not eternal – they are for a time and a purpose, and they come to an end. And when they do?

Go!

But where will you go?

You could be like Craig, who is going by ministering to the men in his city, men who would raise some eyebrows should they walk into a church today. These men need someone to minister to them, and Craig is in that gap.

You may be like Dave, who with his wife, goes regularly to minister to the lost in Ethiopia out of their own funds. God has given them a passion for the Ethiopian people, and they do all they can to support and minister to them.

Or maybe you will be like Roy, who uses his love of motorcycles as a door to minister to others who also ride, but don’t know about what Jesus has done for us all.

One thing you can be sure, whether you are called around your home or called across the world – God will call. He will prepare you, He will give you the words and He will make the way.

All that is left for you is to obey.

And Go.

(This is part 4 of our multi-part series on The Great Commission)

The last words in the Gospel of Matthew are the words of Jesus, and they are a striking promise.

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

A striking promise of faithfulness, from Jesus, who is God, who lived a perfect life, died a horrible death, yet rose again as prophesied on the third day.

The words could not be clearer. Jesus is with us always.

Not just on Sundays, or Saturdays, or just when we are praying. Jesus is with us always. We may only go to him once a day, once a week, or even less – but He has promised to remain faithful to us, and be with us always.

And it is these words that bookend what we call the ‘great commission’.

All authority has been given to Me….I will be with you always.

The great commission is not just a call to go and do things, but go and do them knowing that we are commanded by one who has all authority, and will be with us always.

Let’s just spend one minute on that. If He is with us always, He is with us during all our personal trials. He is with us when we are up, and when we are down. He is with us when we think we are alone, or when we are surrounded by others.

He is with us when we speak to others about Him. He is with us when we pray with others, teach others, disciple others and baptize others.

And some of these things aren’t easy. Sharing your faith with someone is not an easy task, and is often met with rejection, skepticism, and in some parts of the world severe persecution.

But we know this – not only are we commanded, the One who commanded is with us, and He has all authority. The circumstances of life in this fallen world may not be good (and probably won’t be good), but Jesus is with us, guiding us, teaching us, leading us to the place He wants us to be, to the place that will bring the greatest impact – whether we can see it or not.

Jesus has all authority – and will be with you always.

All that is left now is for you (and me) to go.