Marching Forth!

" Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind ." 2 Timothy 1:6-7 Through the Holy Spirit, God gives spiritual gifts to His children to be exercised for the edification of the church and the glory of God.  Timothy was a faithful believer and pastor, but even he needed the exhortation from a brother to " stir up the gift of God " divinely placed within him.  His gift smoldered instead of burning with fervent and intensity.  Just like the wood in a dying fire needs to be stirred with a poker to burn hotter and brighter, Timothy needed to stir up his gift.  This phrase is ambiguous for a profitable purpose.  If a specific gift was mentioned here, it would limit Timothy's and our responsibility to remember and take intentional steps to stir up only a particular gift.  We do not know the gift, but it was a gi...

In the wake of the tragic events in Paris which unfolded over the weekend, I have heard a word repeated over and over again:  solidarity.  The word is defined in the American Heritage dictionary as, " A union of interest, purposes, or sympathies among members of a group; fellowship of responsibilities and interest ."  In a sense, those who stand in solidarity with Parisians share their shock, pain, and desire comfort all affected by the cowardly attack.  On the street one might say, "I'm feeling you.  I've got your back."  On the same street there is no shortage of opinions of what the problems in the world are or the best ways to stop them.  It is good to be united against evil, but often the common responses are anything but righteous. The world's methods of fighting are incapable of stemming the tide which threatens to wash the globe in blood.  People are divided over how to deal with the complex issues and potential threats nations and indi...

It was president JFK who famously said, " Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country ."  This self-sacrificial outlook did not originate with Mr. Kennedy, for it was Jesus who said it is more blessed to give than to receive.  In our study of Romans at Calvary Chapel Sydney, I was struck by Paul's desire to visit the Romans and his motivation for doing so.  His reasons were very different than reasons people today might have for choosing to visit or attend one church over another. In the west we have coddled an outlook fostered by capitalism and consumerism.  For instance, recently I took the boys for ice cream cones on the way home from church:  one week we went to McDonald's, and the following week we tried Hungry Jacks.  The prices for the cones were the same, but the ones at Hungry Jacks were almost twice the size!  "Now that's what I'm talking about," I said as the cones from Hungry Jacks were handed to me ...

It is in our moments of despair and heartbreak God is gracious to draw near to us and speak.  After finding the tomb empty at daybreak, despite receiving a message from an angel, Mary wept.  At that moment the risen Jesus Christ drew near to her and softly spoke her name.  Instantly she recognised Him.  Even in the Old Testament, God drew near to people who were gripped with sorrow.  One instance is when Hagar and her son Ishmael were sent out from Abraham with bread and a skin of water.  They wandered helplessly in the wilderness of Beersheba until the water was spent.  The boy was faint from thirst, and after placing him under a shrub Hagar believed he was going to die.  Her resources were spent, she was without guidance or direction, and all seemed hopeless and lost.  But with God there is always hope. Genesis 21:16-19 reads, " Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, "Let me ...