Melania Trump and The Lord’s Prayer

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From Charisma News:

Why Melania Trump Leading the Public in the Lord’s Prayer at a Rally in Florida Was a Historic Event

U.S. first lady Melania Trump steps from the stage after speaking at U.S. President Donald Trump's 'Make America Great Again' rally at Orlando Melbourne International Airport
U.S. first lady Melania Trump steps from the stage after speaking at U.S. President Donald Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ rally at Orlando Melbourne International Airport. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

We just witnessed Melania Trump’s finest moment as first lady so far.

After a week in which her husband declared war on the mainstream media, Melania absolutely electrified a huge crowd at a rally in Melbourne, Florida by reciting the Lord’s Prayer. What Donald Trump had to share afterwards was remarkable as well, but that night will always be remembered for what Melania did.

After beginning with the phrase “let us pray,” Melania stunned the entire world by slowly but carefully leading the crowd in the Lord’s Prayer, and it is being reported that the assembled throng responded to her prayer with “thunderous applause.”

She did not pronounce all of the words perfectly, but that didn’t matter.

What matters is that her courage enabled her to create the most powerful moment that we have seen from a First Lady in decades. The following is from a transcript of her remarks:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed is your name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespasses [sic] against us.

‘Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

If you have not seen footage of this incredible moment yet, you can watch it right here.

One of the primary reasons this moment evoked so much emotion is because the Lord’s Prayer is undeniably a Christian prayer.

Over the decades, our politicians have become very adept at speaking of “god” in a very generic sense. Even when they pray, most of our politicians are careful to use universal language that could apply to almost any religion.

That is why what Melania Trump did was so radical. By reciting the Lord’s Prayer, she was clearly identifying herself as a Christian, and there was absolutely no question about whom she was addressing.

 

 

Read the full article here

My Story

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Last night at the Christian Life and Witness Course, which we are running as preparation for Come Together next month, it was suggested that we write down the story of our faith journey. “You can blog it,”  the presenter, Rodney Trinidad said amongst other options.

Unexpectedly finding myself with a spare half hour, I thought that might be a good idea. I have talked about my conversion experience on many occasions, but it has been a long time since I wrote it down.

The story starts with my birth in 1958, in Wolverhampton, England, to a working class couple. My school years were at a Catholic school, and Mum used to take my brother and me to Mass most Sundays.

I guess that time of my childhood would be like that of most children in England at the time. My parents rented an ordinary Council house and made sure we had enough to eat and were dressed warmly.

In the late 1960’s the UK began a long process of transition from the unionised industrial era to a much more modern economy, and as companies were trying to become more competitive there were increasing strikes in all parts of the country. As a result Mum and Dad saw some brochures about how wonderful life in Australia was- backed up by letters from my Aunt who had moved to Sydney years before.

So it was that in February 1969, the Bates family became 10 pound poms and moved to Sydney.

As I grew through my teen years, I became a bit of an atheist. I loved to bait the christians in my year. But I was also very depressed.

In May 1976, during the first year of my degree in Chemical Engineering, I was staying at my friend’s place. His family had gone on holidays, and the plan was that after we had finished our end of term exams we would join them.

As I was lying in bed one night just before going to sleep, I had a vision as clear as if it were real life. In this vision I saw myself climbing a mountain. It was so steep that I was literally dragging myself up the side of the mountain. As I climbed I could see that there was an intense light shining from behind the mountain, but I couldn’t see the source. As I climbed the light got brighter.

Finally, I reached the top and saw that the source of the light was Jesus. As I saw Him I felt love, joy and peace such as I had never experienced before.

So what do you do with an experience like that? God literally dropped on a self-proclaimed atheist and said “Here I am.”

I said to the God who only minutes before I would have said I didn’t believe in, “I will go to church next Sunday and if it’s good I will follow you.”

The following Sunday, I didn’t go to church because I was away with my friend’s family. But the Sunday after, I went to the night service at Wesley Methodist Church Castle Hill. The service, although it was a traditional 4 hymn service, was so full of the presence of God.

Since that time, I have obviously grown in my knowledge of who God is. There have been times when  life has been very challenging. There have even been times when the old depression has threatened to come back and overwhelm me.

But God has given me such purpose in my life, and that initial feeling of love, joy and peace has always remained with me.

Walking with Jesus is just the best life there is.

Reflection on Matthew 5:38-48

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fight

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5.38-48

Scripture

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evil-doer”

Observation

Jesus takes the principles of the Law and extend their application to lengths that seem (and actually are) impossible to fulfil.

An eye for an eye becomes do not resist an evil-doer.

If someone sues you, give them more than is their due.

Love you neighbour becomes love your enemy because to be like the Father we have to love those who hate us.

The people of this world can be kind to people they like. It takes the grace of God to love our enemies.

Application

How do I live my daily life in the context of the radical love of God?

Revenge, even in the limited version allowed in the Jewish Law seems appropriate to most people. The Law of Moses allowed that a person who was injured by another person could take a legally sanctioned retribution in which the perpetrator was injured to the same extent as the victim. So then you have two maimed people, and the injuries of the victim are still there.

Jesus says, “Do not resist an evil-doer.” How does this apply when your house is invaded by people who want to harm you and your family?

Many Americans, and I suppose many people from most cultures, whether christians or not, subscribe to the philosophy of “Do unto others before they do unto you.” In other words a loaded gun beside the bed is your best protection.

How does that tie in with “Do not resist evil doers”?

Jesus tells us not to meet violence with violence, but with a defiant form of non-violence. “Turn the other cheek.”

Most of us do not often face extreme violence such as robbery or assault. Our situation is more likely a daily slap in the face- contemptuous put-downs, mischievous harassment. In those situations, Jesus tells us to show kindness to those who show us hatred, to love those who do us wrong. Rather than retaliation we choose a higher path of peace and love.

When our physical safety is threatened the odds are higher. But the principle is the same- remove the threat without harming the person. I can’t imagine what it is like to be a christian in ISIS controlled territory, or to go through a violent home invasion. In those situations we need the grace of Jesus to follow Him even in great suffering or at the point of death.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you sometimes challenge our thinking on what is right and good. The standard “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” is too high for us. Help me to surrender myself to your grace in every situation. Amen.

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 3:16-23

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temple

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+3.16-23

Scripture

Do you not know that you are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

Observation

Together we are God’s temple. The Holy Spirit dwells n us. If anyone tries to destroy His Temple, God will destroy them.

Those who think they are wise in the world’s ways should become fools because God’s standard of wisdom is different to the world’s. We must not boast about our human leaders because we belong to Christ.

Application

We are God’s temple. Together the church “contains” or become a place of habitation for the Holy Spirit.

We read this verse and think it means “I am a temple of God.” But Paul says “You (plural) are the temple of God.” He does not say “You are temples of God.”

It is when we worship and work together in the unity of the Spirit that God is manifest amongst us.

This is not to deny that each individual christian has the Holy Spirit. Three is a special anointing that comes when the people of God come together and worship with one heart and one mind.

Prayer

Holy Spirit come and fill me. Empower me to worship you in unity with my brothers and sisters so that we truly become the temple of God. Amen.

Sunday’s Sermon

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The sermon for February 12th is now available on the New Life web-site.

In this sermon, which is based on 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, I talk about Preaching With Power.

The first 5 minutes is missing from the recording, but the rest is pretty good.

Click here to listen on your browser, here to download the mp3

Book Review: “The Day The Revolution Began” by N.T. Wright

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One of the big problems with contemporary evangelical theology, according to N.T. Wright, is that we often have part of the answer but it leads to the wrong conclusions. For example, the theology of the cross comes down to “Jesus died so you could be forgiven and go to heaven.”. As Wright points out that is not what the New Testament teaches, or at least it is not all that the New Testament teaches.

So Wright goes back to Adam and Eve, right through the Old Testament and comes to the conclusion that the main sin that people have to face is idolatry. The people of God were constantly faced with the challenge of staying faithful to the one true God, Yahweh or worshipping the false gods of the nations around.

The problem with idolatry is that it undermines our calling or vocation as human beings. We were created in God’s image so how can we worship another image without damaging ourselves? For Israel, God’s covenant people, to worship other gods meant separation from God and the Land He had given them to live out their calling.

When Jesus comes on the scene, Israel has spent much of its existence either in exile or in subjection to other nations. The prophets knew that the solution they needed was national as well as individual salvation.

The cross then is not about a human sacrifice to appease an angry deity, which is what many christians think of. It is more like the one true representative of humanity (“the Son of Man” as Jesus frequently called Himself) dying for the world. He speaks of the sins of the nation, especially its idolatries, being heaped up and falling on Jesus.

A revolution of love, self-denying and sacrificial love, brings a new rule in the world- the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom, launched by Jesus’ death on the cross, sets us free to see and experience the true God and to follow in His ways.

The death of Jesus on the Cross at 6 pm on Good Friday is the start of the revolution. His resurrection before dawn on Sunday is the first sign that God’s kingdom of life, love and forgiveness is here.

Wright says that the gospel is bigger than “we get to go to heaven” (which is a pagan Platonist ideal). The true gospel message is that the Kingdom is here and God is overturning everything that is based on human idolatry, including relationships, politics, oppression and self-worship. Yes we get to live for ever in the new heavens and the new earth, but the Kingdom is more than that.

It’s hard to justice to a book of this size and scope in a few hundred words, but it is well worth reading. Wright covers deep topics in a way that many people find is easy to read. I think most people would want to read a few pages and mull it over for a few days.

I’ve always felt that the typical atonement theory whereby Jesus takes the punishment for our sins and as a result we go to heaven has a few gaps in it. This book goes a long way to filling the gaps.

 

 

 

A Week Away

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Last week we managed to have a short break.

 

On Friday afternoon we drove to Newcastle where we stayed overnight before attending Margaret’s cousin Lorraine’s 60th Birthday Party.  The location was The Lakeside Cafe at Murrays Beach on Lake Macquarie.

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Lorraine, me, Margaret in the back row with Margaret’s brother Graeme and partner Suzanne and Margaret’s sister Cathy.

 

Forster is an absolutely beautiful place. Tourism is its biggest industry and oyster farming in Wallis Lake is a close second.

 

We stayed at the Sails Apartments located a block back from the beach. Fantastic location.

 

Tim and Philip cooked sausages on the balcony.

 

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We went on a 2.5 hour dolphin cruise and saw dozens of dolphins. I took many photos of water where the dolphin was a second earlier.

 

 

We paid $50 a head for the cruise which was value for money, but there were some stowaways

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A game of Jurassic putt-putt was a lot of fun.

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There was a “pirate ship” in the lake

 

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and lots of sting rays

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The mirrors in the lift  were a little confusing

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You know its a good holiday when you are exhausted.

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I always love the bright turquoise colour of the Lake on a sunny day. The water is generally very shallow, just a metre or two, and so the colour of the sand shines through the water creating a unique colour.

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So that’s a brief run down on our break.

You can see more photos on my Google page

Reflection on Matthew 5:13-20

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Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/search?%s=Matthew+5.13-20

Scripture

“In the same way , let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Observation

We are salt and light. Salt must keep its saltiness or else it is no good. In the same way a light must shine out to be of any use. Our light must shine as good deeds that people see and then glorify God.

Jesus did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfil it. The Law will be present in all its fullness until the time of its completion. Therefore, anyone who teaches people to disobey it will be least in the Kingdom of God.

Application

Jesus tells us to let our light shine before others that in seeing our good deeds they will glorify God.

Don’t hide your light. People need to recognise the light of God’s Spirit in out lives. It is too easy to conform to the values and the deeds of the world in our daily life. We must enable the values of God’s kingdom to flow through every aspect of life. This is not just moral values but the power of the Holy Spirit, the light that has come into the world which darkness cannot overcome, the person of Jesus.

Our good deeds are deeds of love and grace which change the environment around us. When people are puling others down, we build up. When people mock Christ we praise Him. We shine forth the gospel in our love for God and for our neighbours.

The goal is for people to glorify God. Everything I do should draw people closer to a revelation of the living God. A light does not exist to shine for itself; it shines so that people can see something else. My good deeds do not serve to make people like me; they serve to make people like God.

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ let your light shine through me that people will glorify our Father. Please show me how to let the light out. Amen.

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 2:1-6

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Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/search?%25s=1+Corinthians+1.2-16

Scripture

What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.

Observation

When Paul came to Corinth, he didn’t come with fancy words. He resolved to know nothing but Christ crucified. He came in fear and trembling, not using persuasive words but allowing the power of the Spirit to demonstrate the truth.

The wisdom that Paul teaches amongst the mature in faith is not the world’s wisdom, but God’s wisdom. This wisdom is a mystery that is only now being revealed. The powers of the world did not understand this or else they would not have had Christ crucified.

We have received the Spirit of God, not the spirit of the age. Therefore Paul is able to explain spiritual truths with spiritual words. The person without the Spirit is not able to understand the things that come from the Spirit, but the person with the Spirit makes all kinds of judgements by the Spirit.

Application

We have the Spirit of God. Later Paul says the same thing in different words; we have the mind of Christ.

The difference between mature christians and baby christians is that the former have learned to listen to the Spirit of God and to obey Him. The Spirit of God is available to every born-again Christian, and the Spirit leads us into all of God’s wisdom.

That is not to say that we are all independent believers. We need the body. We need correction and encouragement from others. We need the means of grace- Scripture, worship, sacraments.

The Spirit of God is able to lead us into deeper revelations through the various prophetic gifts.

The Spirit of God is able to give us deeper understanding of the word than we might get from studying at Bible College.

The Spirit of God can give us deeper insight into ourselves and the people to whom we are ministering.

The Spirit of God is like a river powerfully surging through our soul.

But we must listen to the voice of the Spirit. We must obey the voice of the Spirit. We must allow our conscience to be enlivened by the Spirit.

When we do this, God can use us mightily,

Prayer

What a mystery it is, Lord, to think that I have your Spirit, your mind, in me. Please let me hear the voice of the Spirit in every minute of my day. Teach me to hear, to listen and to obey. Amen.