It's all about Him...

As I journeyed back to Athens from time away in Northern Greece, I found myself reflecting once again on the wonder of the gospel and how easily I forget the One whom life is truly all about. The following came out of that time and I hope it might be an encouragement to you, especially if you are just as forgetful as I am when it comes to remembering our great God and Saviour.

It's all about Him. It's about His Kingdom, His glory, His name, His reputation, His purposes. This is the right order of the world, yet sin turns the order of the world upside down. It's inward looking. I remove God from His rightful place on the throne of the universe, and position myself on the throne. No longer is life all about Him, it's all about me. It's about my Kingdom, my glory, my name, my reputation, my purposes. It's not difficult to see how this will not and cannot work.

Like any designer, they know best how their invention should be used. This is true when it comes to God. He made us. We were made to live with Him at the centre, with Him on the throne. Because this is how we were made to live, only as we live this way will we experience greater satisfaction and fulfillment in life. The universe is as it should be when God is where He should be, the King of my life, the ruler of my heart, the author of my destiny. Without Jesus we would be lost in a pit of self-denial, believing the lie that my life is really my possession, and that there is no higher authority than myself. Do you see how counter-cultural this is? The messages we hear day by day are messages promoting me to a position I was never intended to fulfill. A position I will never be able to fulfill - the position of God. As a self-made deity I try to command my life but if I'm honest it just doesn't work.

In search of comfort, I surround myself with possessions only to find myself falling deeper into debt. And once I've gained my desired possessions, it's not long before I crave new possessions to replace the ones that are now outdated and lacking of my affections. In search of meaning, I pull myself through experience after experience placing all my hopes and dreams on the next big high, yet once I've achieved this experience, I'm left wandering "was that really it?" In search of identity, I carefully fashion and craft my image, all the time knowing that I'm concealing the real me. In search of hope, I attach myself to an idea or a united cause, yet in time ideas fade and get replaced with new ones, and causes rarely ever deliver when they are needed most.

Thankfully, from the moment of humanity's first rebellion, God has been working a plan of salvation, a plan to save humanity from the calamity of itself. A promise was made that one day the designer Himself would come to meet with His work, to correct, train, rebuke and reveal the errors of their way. In a scandalous twist of events, the anger facing those who defiled God's Kingdom, glory, name, reputation and purposes would fall upon God Himself. Like any designer, any inventor, He loves His creation and is willing to do anything to win it back, even die upon a cross. A world once turned upside down by sin is now re-positioned with God calling sinners to repentance and faith in Christ. A call to surrender that God would once again sit in His rightful place on the throne of my life.

Such mercy and self-sacrificial love of the Creator God requires but only one response from His rebellious creatures, a life lived to the praise and glory of the One who is and always will be Lord, God and Saviour. And with God on the throne, and His Spirit dwelling within us, we are free and able to live as we were meant to live, a life for His Kingdom, His glory, His name, His reputation, His purposes. Only as we live out our true calling, our purpose to be children of the living God, only then will we know true comfort, true meaning, true identity and true hope.

Video: Easter candles...

As promised here is the video from the Saturday before Easter Sunday (Great / Holy Saturday). There are many traditions surrounding this event but hopefully this video gives you a little glimpse into what happens every year all around Greece. After viewing, why not pray that Greeks would by the grace of God come to a living relationship with the Lord Jesus, the true light who came into the world to save sinners. That many would see beyond the ritualistic practices and put their trust in the only God our Saviour Jesus Christ.

My Big Fat Greek Easter...

Easter in Greece is a big event. In fact, it is probably bigger than Christmas, something that was evident last night outside one of the Greek Orthodox churches. A group of friends and I got together and went to the square of an Orthodox church, very quickly it filled up with people holding their Easter candles (Lambades). These are the candles they use to receive the 'holy light', a flame that traditionally originates in Jerusalem before being transported to Greece. There is much tradition and ritualistic thinking behind this event which sadly means that for the majority who attend, this is most likely where the thought begins and ends.

I was amazed however at the number of people who gathered outside the church, perhaps some were there because they believe something, others maybe simply out of habit. It reminded me of the sad reality that so many people in Greece are lost in religion. Thinking that by doing these traditions, attending these events, carrying the 'holy light', they are made more acceptable before God. When you think about it, we (in England) are no different. 

I often wander how many people think that God will overlook their sin because they read the Bible, attended church and said their prayers. If this is true, then why did Jesus have to die? I'm not saying it is all bad to use tangible symbols as a way of communicating and expressing our faith, I do however think that when we begin to rely on these symbols, something has gone terribly wrong.

And so I left the church thankful for the experience but saddened at the thought of so many who are missing the true meaning of the gospel of grace. That we bring absolutely nothing to the table when it comes to our salvation and acceptance before God. Christ paid for ALL our sin, Christ said "it is finished!", Christ is ALL we need. O how we should grasp and hold tightly to the goodness and wonder of this news! 

My apologies to the vegetarians who may be reading this blog post, however I couldn't resist posting the picture of the lamb. One thought that might ease your mind is that nothing was wasted!

As well as this lamb, we were treated to a number of traditional Greek Easter dishes. Including a soup made our of the 'other parts' of the lamb, which actually tasty very nice. Not forgetting (how could I) the desserts.  

Another interesting Greek tradition involves red eggs. The game is called tsougrisma (means "clinking together" or "clashing.") In Greek: τσούγκρισμα, pronounced TSOO-grees-mah.

Each player holds a red egg, and one taps the end of his/her egg lightly against the end of the other player's egg. The goal is to crack the opponents egg. When one end is cracked, the winner uses the same end of his/her egg to try to crack the other end of  the opponent's egg. The player who successfully cracks the eggs of the other players is declared the winner and, it is said will have good luck during the year. 

My egg was victorious in battle, until 'someone' decided to crack it against my head! You can see the action below (not great quality + sadly my head cracking moment is not in the video).

I will leave you with a few more pictures from my Greek Easter experience. Another video from the candle lighting event last night will be posted soon. Hoping you all had a blessed Easter time as we remember all God has done in sending Jesus Christ.

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

                                                                                                      1 Corinthians 15:55-57

 

 

 

Friday 3rd April, A.D. 33 - a good Friday?

Surely if there was another way God would have taken it. Yet, throughout the gospels, Jesus mission is clear, he must die. From the moment of his birth he was destined for the cross. He himself whilst speaking with Nicodemus said:

No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” 

                                                                                                                              John 3:13-15


The Son of Man must be lifted up. In Luke's gospel we read:

And he (Jesus) said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

 

                                                                                                                                 Luke 9:22 

 

 

Jesus, the Son of Man, the one who came from heaven, must be lifted up, must suffer and must be killed. Why? What can such a death accomplish?

 

One of the things that characterised Jesus' 33 years of earthly ministry, was that there was not a single second that passed where he did not fail to do his Father's will. Jesus said:

 

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." 

 

                                                                                                                             John 4:34

 

However, it is in the garden of Gethsemane where we see something for the very first time. Here we see Jesus, praying to his Father, asking that the cup pass from him.

 

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

                                                                                                                     Matthew 26:36-39


What is this cup? The image is a frequent Biblical picture of God's 'cup of wrath'. We read of how there is a cup of wrath prepared for the nations, a cup of wrath destined for the lips of those who continue to live in sin (Ps 60:3; 75:8; Is 29:9-10; 51:17, 21-23; Jer 25:15-29; Lam 4:21; Zech 12:2).   

 

With this in mind, Jesus is filled with agony over the prospect of experiencing the wrath of his Father. For all eternity he has known loving fellowship, and so the idea of a single moment of separation was too much for the Son to bear. Thankfully, for us, Jesus in full submission to his Father's will said, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”

 

Jesus knew that there really was no other way. Even upon his betrayal and arrest, when one of his followers attempted to fight back, Jesus turning to him said:

 

Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”

 

                                                                                                                            Matthew 26:52-54 

 

But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” (verse 56)

 

For you see, the Scriptures must be fulfilled. We can often think of the cross of Christ as God's plan B. He created the world, things went wrong, so he quickly tore open the protocol for the contingency plan. This could not be further from the truth. Writing to church in Ephesus Paul says:

 

...he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will...

 

                                                                                                                          Ephesians 1:3-5

 

 

The staggering truth is that God in his mercy, always knew that one day he would send his own Son to die on a cross. He always knew that people would turn from him, that sin would enter and stain his perfect world, he knew this yet allowed it all to happen as part of his glorious plan. We find this hard to understand. Yet the Bible says, God chose the folly of the cross to save those who will believe.

 

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles...

                                                                                                    

                                                                                                                    1 Corinthians 1:21-23

 

 

There are little words to say that can truly describe what it meant for Jesus to drink the cup of God's wrath, on that Friday 3rd April, A.D. 33. What we do know is that he did this for us. The cup of wrath reserved for us, was instead given to Jesus. He drank every last drop so that we would never have to experience the wrath of God for our sin. Why would God do this for sinners like us? Because he is a God of infinite mercy and love. To end this rather long blog entry, here is how the apostle John put it:

 

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

 

                                                                                                                          1 John 4:7-10

 

 

                                                    Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Palm Sunday...

After my customary Saturday morning shop, I had been invited to join some friends on Mount Immitos. As you can see it was a beautiful day, and the mountain certainly offers the most quiet of locations for those hoping to withdraw from the surrounding city below. For me it provided the ideal opportunity to reflect on a week that has been somewhat challenging. Not in terms of ministry or school, but in terms of future considerations. There has been much sadness as I communicate with friends and colleagues my decision to return to England at the end of July. The question now is - what's next? I'm thankful that over the coming week, I will have a number of opportunities to talk to people, think and most importantly pray about all this.

I would value your prayer support in this too. I'm beginning to piece together some ideas about the future, but it does feel like a confusing time. Praise God I have found great comfort in His word. Alongside this comfort, there has been much convicting as I reflect on the following verses:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." Luke 9:23-24

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ... Philippians 3:7-8

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Last night, the Albanian fellowship invited a number of people for a time of worship, through song, prayer and the Bible. It was a joyful occasion and a blessing to be involved. We heard the testimony of a lady who had become a Christian at the age of nine in Germany during the war. After this, there was a second testimony from a man who was visiting from Switzerland. It was encouraging to hear how God had worked in their lives to bring to them to know Jesus Christ.

You may or may not know that today is Palm Sunday. This is a day when we look back to the week before Jesus death on the cross, and specifically remember his entrance into Jerusalem (see Luke 19:28-40). A time filled with much anticipation over the awaited King of Israel, although the people welcoming Jesus, probably couldn't have imagined what would be taking place on the following Friday. Yet, Jesus knew.

And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spat upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.”  Luke 18:31-34

As I sat in church this morning, I couldn't help but imagine what must have been going through the mind of the Lord Jesus during that ride on a colt. I am also humbled to think that during that very journey, he had me in mind. Not that I deserve saving, not that I deserve to know God, yet Jesus knew that in five or so days time he would be crucified, and he would do this for me. He would die so that I might live. And so in view of this, my hope over the coming week is that my mind would be firmly fixed upon the One who gave himself for me, and that in response to this, I might wholly give myself to Him.

Moving forward...

As the end of term approaches, there has been much to think about over the past week. I use the phrase 'end of term' loosely for I will still be teaching around the Easter holidays. The only difference is that my lessons will be in the morning. In many ways, this will be a welcome change from my usual teaching schedule of afternoon into evening.

Over these past days, my mind has been very much pondering the future and the big question of - what's next? I will be speaking with my school owner about my future, and will be sharing with her my decision to return to England. There has been some hesitation over this decision, mostly due to the fact that over these last seven months I have made many friendships. I also know that it will be sad for my classes. One class last week even asked me if I would get the school owner to refresh my contract!

I still have around four months in Greece, and there are many things I God-willing plan to do. I will look forward to sharing more of these plans in the coming weeks - one involves a mission trip in early July. Please pray for me as I seek to communicate my decision with friends and colleagues. Above all, pray that I would trust in God! He really does have a perfect plan. I'm beginning to see how it is one thing to know this truth, another thing to live it out!

In his book, 'Broken-Down House', Paul Tripp writes:

We simply need to accept that the reasons God does what he does in our lives, or how our life fits into the whole of his grand redemptive plan, will never be completely clear in this life. This is why real rest and peace is not found in knowing and understanding. It is only found in trust. Only when you have a quiet confidence in the Lord behind the plan and have come to know his love, wisdom, power, and grace, will you be able to rest in hope - even when you do not understand what God is doing in a particular moment in your life.

Looking back over the last few years, I can truly testify to the faithfulness of God. At times life can feel like you are driving in thick fog, you know your moving forward, you've just got no idea what's up ahead. I'm starting to see that this is not only a common experience, but is actually the way God has chosen for us to live - by faith. Sure he could show up and tell us everything now about the future, sure he could provide a detailed itinerary of the next 5 years, but if we really stop to think about it, would any of this actually produce in us wisdom and spiritual growth?

I often think of the experience of Joseph in the latter chapters of Genesis, a man who endured intense suffering, and at times must have wandered what God was doing. Yet in the end, he was able to look back and say with confidence, that all the events of the past were not only permitted by God, but were intended for his good. No doubt young arrogant Joseph had done much growing up during those painful years, and in many ways is the wiser for them. He learnt that real rest and true peace is only found in the sovereign and wise Creator.

And so, as I journey on, fog-lights at full beam, I leave you with some reflections on the question of identity. So often when we are seeking clarification on the future, we can be tempted to look to earthly things to define us, to say this is who I am. Yet... 

If I continually search for my identity in the creation I will forever be dissatisfied, for the creation was never purposed for such a task. My search must go deeper, beyond the creation to the Creator Himself. My journey of self-discovery was never meant to end in the things around me, but it is in the very things around me where I see the fingerprints of the One who is above me. Only as I come to Him will I finally find the true answer to the question of my identity.

Multi-national helping hands...

 

This week at helping hands, we had a team of staff and volunteers from nine countries! Greece, America, England, Canada, Albania, Afghanistan, Finland, Norway and Sweden. It really was a multi-national team. It is normally a varied team, however today with visiting volunteers from a Bible college in Sweden, it felt particularly mixed. As always it was a pleasure to serve alongside fellow believers and reach out to the Afghan refugees. At times the need in Greece can seem overwhelming, but we trust and know that the Sovereign Lord is at work, bringing people to Christ through the many ministries around the city of Athens.


Lots of tasty cabbage salad!

At helping hands there is always a gospel message after the meal. Those who hear the talk then have an opportunity to ask questions and find out more. It is inevitable that people only stay for the food, yet we can never truly know how God is working in the hearts of those we see each week.

As you can see from the picture on the right, there is plenty of food prepared for the refugees. One of my favourites is the cabbage salad. We are thankful that we can provide a tasty meal for all those who come to the centre. All in all, we probably serve in the region of 130 refugees from Afghanistan. Please do pray for the ministry and that through all that the team do, people would come to know the Lord Jesus - it is all for Him and His glory!

I am continually amazed at how quickly my time in Greece is going. I have now been living in Athens for seven months and since arriving in August 2013 it has been a most valuable time. I trust that the coming months will prove just as valuable as I continue to live and work in a foreign land. As I talk to people who have made the switch from home to foreign soil, they all say the same thing. It changes you. I'm still figuring out how, but I do echo that sentiment.   

Waiting at the metro

One of the many crossings


 

 

The Albanian church meets every Saturday evening to worship God
through the Bible, prayer, praise and fellowship.