WOW it's been a couple of weeks since my last blog. Can't believe how fast time flies by. It's been a topsy turvy two weeks too, with our kids being on holiday, getting sick and late nights keeping vigilance over them. All of which makes a wonderful challenge to meet deadlines for work and still run Breakthrough Nation at a level that is synonymous with heaven!
This week David & I will be going to Tonga for two weeks. This will be the first time for us both to go back to Tonga together since our last trip there together in 2004. I'm looking forward to it for the fact that God is doing amazing things there; repositioning the nation for a major overhaul and shift on every level, in every way. My last trip there was 2005 on my own with Liz Mauu and Cyrus. I remember that trip as I was quite surprised at the drastic changes that had taken place in Tonga both spiritually and naturally at that time. Sione & Linda had only been there for a couple of months, and looking back now, it really was a new beginning for us in Tonga and for Breakthrough.
David's last trip really set off a whole lot of things for the nation, that this trip back will be interesting to see God manifest whatever He has in His heart & mind for this nation.
Anyway, will keep posting up on my blog regularly when we are there..... hopefully will get some footage or photos posted up during the trip also.
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Monday, April 27, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
AGAPE EASTER
Happy Easter! It's Easter Monday today, and it's turned out to be a rainy, drizzly day in the usually warm sunny Brisbane. A great day for us to take time out with the kids, lounge around home and catch up on dvd's, reading, games and whatever else families do to relax and chill out.
Easter is traditionally a time where people go away camping, holidaying or visit a church to feel a sense of closeness to Christ during this season celebration; and I am sure this Easter was no exception to this for many people.
At Breakthrough Embassy Brisbane, this Easter we decided to have a somewhat different kind of approach to our Easter Service. Everyone made the effort to recreate the last supper scene throughout the whole service, with people dressed in the style of dress from that period, food from that period, props made to try and turn the hall into a rugged upper room, with a lowkey kind of simplicity to everything including the Praise & Worship, preaching and running of the service.
But the significance of the day was not in the outward display of any recreation or re-enactment of the last supper or the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The heart of the service lay in the AGAPE of Christ, that drove Him to be killed and crucified for our sins, so that through Him we too could partake of the more than abundant life that He died and rose again to give us.
Every year it is common for people to celebrate this agape love of Christ, but this year what came strongly to me was the condition of our own hearts and whether or not we too possess the same agape love of Christ. This Easter, not only did we want to celebrate the unconditional love of Christ for us, but we wanted to take stock of our own unconditional love and begin to do a spiritual critical analysis of our own hearts this Easter, asking the hard questions to ourselves of whether we love people unconditionally just as Christ did. We can come to church week in and week out, sing praise and worship songs, do Holy Communion, hear a great sermon, give our tithes and offerings.... but still hold offenses in our hearts towards our parents, families, ex-partners/spouses/boyfriends/girlfriends, business associates, children and the list could go on! While offenses are common and a normal part of life, it is what we do with these offenses that distinguishes us from the world, and sets us apart so that we begin to truly display ourselves as peculiar people called out; a people who are in this world but are not of this world.
It is so easy to love Christ and celebrate what He did for us, because He loved us unconditionally. But I believe that He is looking for a people who will demonstrate and display the exact replica of what He did, for our generation and people around us today. Truly we can change our world if we take a completely different approach to life as we know it, and genuinely follow and live out the example of Christ - His selflessness; His unconditional love that held no grudges/offenses against those who hurt, persecuted and crucified Him; His sacrifice for us, even though we were so undeserving of such love, grace and mercy.
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this, all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34 - 35
Does the world around me know that I am a disciple of Christ by my life; my love that is the same as Christ's? Or do they only know that I am a Christian because I go to church every week and talk a lot about what ministry/programme we are running at church?
Everyone desires to receive unconditional love, but how many of us are willing to actually GIVE IT? Jesus was so clear, that we are to love each other as He loved us. It's time for us to give abundantly in our unconditional love for each other - for our enemies, our offenders, our persecutors....EVERYBODY!
Let this Easter be a significant change for us to not only celebrate Jesus' love for us, but also our love for others, just as Christ loved us too, and gave His life as a ransom for us.
Easter is traditionally a time where people go away camping, holidaying or visit a church to feel a sense of closeness to Christ during this season celebration; and I am sure this Easter was no exception to this for many people.
At Breakthrough Embassy Brisbane, this Easter we decided to have a somewhat different kind of approach to our Easter Service. Everyone made the effort to recreate the last supper scene throughout the whole service, with people dressed in the style of dress from that period, food from that period, props made to try and turn the hall into a rugged upper room, with a lowkey kind of simplicity to everything including the Praise & Worship, preaching and running of the service.
But the significance of the day was not in the outward display of any recreation or re-enactment of the last supper or the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The heart of the service lay in the AGAPE of Christ, that drove Him to be killed and crucified for our sins, so that through Him we too could partake of the more than abundant life that He died and rose again to give us.
Every year it is common for people to celebrate this agape love of Christ, but this year what came strongly to me was the condition of our own hearts and whether or not we too possess the same agape love of Christ. This Easter, not only did we want to celebrate the unconditional love of Christ for us, but we wanted to take stock of our own unconditional love and begin to do a spiritual critical analysis of our own hearts this Easter, asking the hard questions to ourselves of whether we love people unconditionally just as Christ did. We can come to church week in and week out, sing praise and worship songs, do Holy Communion, hear a great sermon, give our tithes and offerings.... but still hold offenses in our hearts towards our parents, families, ex-partners/spouses/boyfriends/girlfriends, business associates, children and the list could go on! While offenses are common and a normal part of life, it is what we do with these offenses that distinguishes us from the world, and sets us apart so that we begin to truly display ourselves as peculiar people called out; a people who are in this world but are not of this world.
It is so easy to love Christ and celebrate what He did for us, because He loved us unconditionally. But I believe that He is looking for a people who will demonstrate and display the exact replica of what He did, for our generation and people around us today. Truly we can change our world if we take a completely different approach to life as we know it, and genuinely follow and live out the example of Christ - His selflessness; His unconditional love that held no grudges/offenses against those who hurt, persecuted and crucified Him; His sacrifice for us, even though we were so undeserving of such love, grace and mercy.
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this, all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34 - 35
Does the world around me know that I am a disciple of Christ by my life; my love that is the same as Christ's? Or do they only know that I am a Christian because I go to church every week and talk a lot about what ministry/programme we are running at church?
Everyone desires to receive unconditional love, but how many of us are willing to actually GIVE IT? Jesus was so clear, that we are to love each other as He loved us. It's time for us to give abundantly in our unconditional love for each other - for our enemies, our offenders, our persecutors....EVERYBODY!
Let this Easter be a significant change for us to not only celebrate Jesus' love for us, but also our love for others, just as Christ loved us too, and gave His life as a ransom for us.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Champions are made, not born!
I have recently had this saying so strong on my heart and mind as I contemplate the state of Christians and christianity today. From my own observation, the trend for many of today's christians is that they are happy to just attend church services on a casual or ad hoc basis with no full commitment to a church community. The attitude of lone rangers not needing to connect with anyone but Jesus, together with the mindset that "being in love with Jesus is all that is needed; Jesus is love and grace and would never hurt me" is rampant in churches today. And it is these mindsets and attitudes that have created spoilt brat Christians who think that they can do whatever they like, whenever they like, with whomever they like - even when they know it is against God and His ways, because they have a fundamental belief that God will always forgive them and love them no matter. It is also these attitudes and mindsets that have created christians today to talk so much about God, about being more than a conqueror, about being an overcomer and about essentially being a CHAMPION. But have no lifestyle, authority or power to back this up, let alone give a true display of this in REALITY! Christians today are more talkers and proclaimers, rather than walking MANIFESTATIONS of the Word of God in their very lives.
It is time for Christians to stop mucking around with God, and get serious with Him and His process. And part of this process is that we are not called to just walk on our own with God as a lone ranger, but in a company of people called His church. For it is in the company of people and in the church, with all our imperfections and processes, that God will use this to make us into the champions we ought to be. Let's get away from all the trend of Christianity where going to church is just another social event alongside going to the nightclubs, the parties or the movies. Let's start taking our commitment to our local churches seriously, and give 100% so that we can be fashioned by God through our leadership, our fellow members and the church community. We must fear God in the right way, so that we don't misuse or abuse His grace and love that is so real. Ultimately, God's grace was not just to wash away our sins and cleanse us from all our wrongdoing, but His grace is there to CHANGE US AND MAKE US WHO HE KNOWS WE OUGHT TO BE! But that grace can never work in our lives as it ought to, if we continue to see it and use it as God's bail out plan for when I do wrong....even deliberately do wrong.
If we are truly going to be overcomers, more than conquerors and HEROES of our generation, then we need to get real and start taking God seriously, by fully committing to the process of being MADE by God rather than thinking that we will become strong heroes by osmosis through listening to great messages, reading great books and listening to praise and worship music. Being MADE by God takes guts, courage, determination, commitment, stamina, humility and a true pursuit of God Himself. To be made by God means that we have to lay down our WHOLE LIVES unto Him, and have Him deal with us as He pleases, not according to what we allow Him or what is comfortable for us. We can hear great sermons preached, read some of the greatest books ever written for christians and their walk in God, listen to the most anointed praise and worship music - but unless there is a true rendering of our hearts before God and a true brokenness of ourselves, our pride, our ways, our mindsets and EVERYTHING.....we will never become the champions that He has destined for us to be.
Being born again by the grace of God is one thing, being MADE by the grace of God through the trials, tribuations, afflictions and hard times is a whole other matter that only true champions can ever know.
It is time for Christians to stop mucking around with God, and get serious with Him and His process. And part of this process is that we are not called to just walk on our own with God as a lone ranger, but in a company of people called His church. For it is in the company of people and in the church, with all our imperfections and processes, that God will use this to make us into the champions we ought to be. Let's get away from all the trend of Christianity where going to church is just another social event alongside going to the nightclubs, the parties or the movies. Let's start taking our commitment to our local churches seriously, and give 100% so that we can be fashioned by God through our leadership, our fellow members and the church community. We must fear God in the right way, so that we don't misuse or abuse His grace and love that is so real. Ultimately, God's grace was not just to wash away our sins and cleanse us from all our wrongdoing, but His grace is there to CHANGE US AND MAKE US WHO HE KNOWS WE OUGHT TO BE! But that grace can never work in our lives as it ought to, if we continue to see it and use it as God's bail out plan for when I do wrong....even deliberately do wrong.
If we are truly going to be overcomers, more than conquerors and HEROES of our generation, then we need to get real and start taking God seriously, by fully committing to the process of being MADE by God rather than thinking that we will become strong heroes by osmosis through listening to great messages, reading great books and listening to praise and worship music. Being MADE by God takes guts, courage, determination, commitment, stamina, humility and a true pursuit of God Himself. To be made by God means that we have to lay down our WHOLE LIVES unto Him, and have Him deal with us as He pleases, not according to what we allow Him or what is comfortable for us. We can hear great sermons preached, read some of the greatest books ever written for christians and their walk in God, listen to the most anointed praise and worship music - but unless there is a true rendering of our hearts before God and a true brokenness of ourselves, our pride, our ways, our mindsets and EVERYTHING.....we will never become the champions that He has destined for us to be.
Being born again by the grace of God is one thing, being MADE by the grace of God through the trials, tribuations, afflictions and hard times is a whole other matter that only true champions can ever know.
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