How do you find the meaning to life? Meet the Author.
What’s life about? Its architect knows.
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1 It all started with what the Author said.
What he wrote reflects the Author.
2 The Author was present in what he wrote.
3 The whole story came out of his being.
Not a single thing came from elsewhere.
My body is mine, no one’s but mine. That belief is at the heart of Western culture today.
It’s the heart of many culture clashes too:
So, this is a confronting claim:
1 Corinthians 6:19b–20 (NIV)
You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies.
That really needs some explanation.
What does it look like to be human?
What is our role in the world? In a word, to be human.
That doesn’t work if the church holds a negative view of what it means to be human.
God doesn’t. He addressed Ezekiel as son of man — literally human descendant. Jesus called himself the son of man more than any other term. God is restoring humanity in Christ. That’s why our role in the world is to be human.
What could be more fulfilling? Being human is what we were designed to be.
So, what’s the problem? Humans have chosen another path, wanting to be superhuman. It makes us subhuman, for seeking power over each other destroys our humanity.
That’s the reason Ezekiel was in Babylon. That’s why Jesus was crucified. That’s the problem all the way back to Cain and Abel. It is challenging to live as a humans when others are being beasts.
This podcast (23 minutes) was recorded at Riverview Joondalup 2022-06-19.
Generous people have a vision bigger than themselves.
Want a bigger vision? The generosity of the Father towards his human family inspires us to live well.
Where do you see such generosity?
What does it mean to be human?
To err is human, and I’m only human. The way we spin it, it sounds like being human is a liability. Perhaps we’re still seeking our identity. Continue reading “Humans as the king’s agents”
What Isaiah said about Israel, Matthew says about Jesus. How can he do that?
Open Matthew 12:17-21.
Years ago, I ordered the plans to build a 2-seater kit plane. It was fun pouring over the plans, but I didn’t really have the time or resources to commit to such a project. I took on pastoring instead.
Building community is nothing like building an aircraft. You only get one chance to get the critical things right in a plane, but you can stress-test the parts and be mathematically sure it’s good to fly.
Human beings are nothing like that. They decouple mid-flight and fly off in their own direction. There can be no blueprints for building community: the “parts” are living and constantly changing. A leader is always adapting the plans, reshaping and redesigning. Mid-flight!
Continue reading “Who is “the Servant of the Lord”? (Matthew 12:17-21)”
How could Jesus be human? Surely he’s not like us!
What’s your opinion of people?
You might want to hone the wording, but which is nearest to your belief? Continue reading “What’s your view of humans?”
We saw that Genesis 1 reveals our sovereign establishing two realms: heaven and earth. The first half of this narrative (Days 1-3) culminated with the sovereign placing lights in the sky as signs that earth is under heaven’s rule. The second half (Days 4-6) also culminates with the sovereign installing images of his reign.
Continue reading “Who are we? (Genesis 1:20-31)”
Seeking the kingdom 