Dallas Willard

I have recently finished reading Dallas Willard's Renovation of the Heart. It is a work of genius. Anyone who is serious about their own spiritual life should take a look at this book. It is a bit heavy going, but I cannot recommend it strongly enough. Willard is brilliant, and God can use this book to help transform your life.

Reaching people

Reaching people is the name of the mission module we study at College. Last night I was reminded again of something we learned about a while ago. The onion model of the person, or something like that, it's called. It says that the deepest part of the person is their "worldview" - this is what informs their behaviour, attitudes, how they dress, basically the person that they present to the world.
The thing is, people seem to have all kinds of hang-ups about reaching different people groups - or any, for that matter. We got all hot and bothered about how we dress, about what we do and how we do it, and so on. Like, youthwork means wearing baggy jeans and trying to relate to teenagers by using language we think they use.
The way I see it, I want to connect with people somewhere a little deeper than that, and I think so do people. People really need to connect at this worldview level. I wnat to know what you're really about. That's how it works. What makes you think like you do, act like you do, dress like you do, do what you do...?

The Return to Darkest Britain

The freedom of a de-compartmentalised life

Maybe your life looks a bit like this.

It's an office, each person separated off from the next by partitions, they're all in their own little boxes. The office is compartmentalised. One person's here, doing his stuff, another person's there, doing her stuff. I'm sure it works very well... in an office.

I know that my life used to be like this. I had my "church" life, my "school/college/work" life, my "friends/socialising" life, my "family" life, and I'm sure many others. All in their own little boxes, partitioned off from the others, doing their own stuff. My life was compartmentalised. All separate, and the bits didn't really connect with each other. That was the way I felt safest.

But then it happens...

She's reaching over...

She's made contact, and he's reaching out to her...

And there it goes! So much for separate compartments! What are they thinking?! They've crossed over, they've passed something from one into the next... But, wait... That looks quite important. Yes, that is a serious-looking piece of documentation. You know what, it's probably a good thing that they've reached across the boundary... It might actually really help. I reckon the guy might now be free and able to get on with his stuff a lot better, because of this (controversial? shocking? scary?) handover.

And that's how it is. Sometimes in life, stuff wants to, needs to, or just does cross over, from one compartment to the next. And maybe we didn't want it to, because "church" life and "friends" life, or whatever, are separate, and never the twain shall meet. We probably weren't expecting it, weren't ready for it. But, tough cheese, it's happened.

I finally realised that knocking down the partitions, the boundaries that compartmentalised my life, was something that I simply had to do. And from the moment I did it, I was set free. God told me it was time to "open plan" my life, he helped me to do it, and I've grown more and more in Him, as He has taken deeper and deeper root in my life. You see, opening up my life, one "compartment" into the next, has allowed God the freedom that He desires in my life. It's about giving the Holy Spirit access all areas. And I believe that He has been more and more visible in my life since the day I knocked down the barriers and de-compartmentalised my life.

The de-compartmentalised life is vital to evangelism, to witness. God is now in every relationship I have, He is in just about everything I say and do, He's at the centre, He's in all and through all. And all because I heard and responded to God when He told me to knock down the walls in my life. He told me, He helped me to respond, He helps me obey, He stays. Praise God!

In Darkest Britain and the Way Out

God says,

"... if my people, who are called by name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

(2 Chronicles 7:14)

Matt Redman wrote a song based on this, as well as Isaiah 6 I guess...

"We're looking to Your promise of old,

That if we pray and humble ourselves

You will come and heal our land;

You will come, You will come.

We're looking to the promise You made,

That if we turn and look to Your face

You will come and heal our land;

You will come, You will come

To us.

Lord, send revival, start with me,

For I am one of unclean lips,

And my eyes have seen the King,

Your glory I have glimpsed,

Send revival, start with me."

Lights in Darkest Britain

Jesus said,

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

(John 8:12)

The way out? It's Him.

But He also said,

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

(Matthew 5:14-16)

You see? If God is in you, if you've got Jesus in your heart, then you've got the light. OK, maybe it's only a reflection, but you know what? If you're stranded on a desert island, apparently the most important thing to have is a small mirror. Why? Because if you point it at the sun, it becomes the brightest beacon, so anyone off-shore or in the sky will see it.

So, even if our lives are only reflecting God's love and light a little bit, it's going to stick out a mile. People will stop, take notice, maybe even, eventually, think, "Maybe there is a God. And maybe He cares. And maybe I can get to know Him, and the life, real life, that He alone offers through Jesus Christ."

Have you seen the first Superman movie? There's this bit where Lois Lane has an exclusive interview with Superman on her apartment balcony. At the end of the interview, he asks her if she'd like to go for a fly. Taking his hand, she asks, "You mean I can fly?" Superman replies, "I'll be taking care of the actual flying, if it's all the same." And off they go. She can"fly", because Superman has come down to where she is, has taken her by the hand, and has lifted her up.
You know what? Most religions are about trying to climb up the ladder of religious doings to reach up to God, or indeed who or whatever may be up there. But I thank God that as a Christian, I don't need to do that, because there's no way I'd manage it. God is holy, perfect, pure, everything that I'm not, and could never be, on my own. So thank God, Jesus came down the ladder to where we are and takes us by the hand and lifts us up to be where He is!

one more person...

I don't know if you've seen the film, "Schindler's List". Well, it's set during the holocaust. Oskar Schindler is the main character (played by Liam Neeson). He is an entrepreneur, who is only out to make a lot of money and have fun in the process. He is a card-carrying member of the Nazi Party. He isn't always totally honest. He is a womaniser. He is lots of things that would make him an unlikely hero.

He discovers that WWII is actually good for business. He hires lots of Jews as cheap labour to make pots and crockery and stuff for military use. He becomes successful and rich as the war continues - as does the holocaust. Eventually, he starts to become aware of the realities. People are dying.

Finally, the Nazis try to send some of his Jewish workforce to the gas chambers. He then decides to invest his own money in buying their freedom. To his Jewish assistant's amazement, Schindler's List of Jews to be saved contains children and people who would be of little use to him in his factory. But he buys them out anyway.

So, with 1100 or so Jews, he moves to a new factory. But the war is over. So he will be hunted as a war criminal and must flee. He has freed his Jews. As he goes to his car to leave, all of his Jews surround him. They have given him a gold ring, inscribed, "He who saves one life saves the world entire."

Schindler breaks down and weeps. If only, he cries... If only I hadn't blown so much money on my own selfish lifestyle. If only I had sold this suit I'm wearing. I could have bought one more. Or the car. That might have bought me 2 more people. My watch. One more person...

The Jews try to console him. 1100 are alive who would be dead if not for him.

But I guess it's scant consolation.

And I am always deeply moved in spirit when I see this or think about this. One more person. I don't want to reach my death bed and feel that way. One more for Jesus, if only I had... One more person might have been saved, if I'd just...

others

I'll fight

"While women weep as they do now, I'll fight;
while little children go hungry as they do now, I'll fight;
while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, I'll fight;
while there is a poor lost girl upon the street, I'll fight;
while there yet remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight - I'll fight to the very end!"
(William Booth)

General William Booth

The founder of the Salvation Army, in 1865, although it was known as the (East London) Christian Mission at first. Some might say he was a revolutionary figure, but I don't know - I'd say he was pretty old-fashioned, he just did what Jesus told His church to do nearly 2000 years earlier. But either way, he was still an extraordinary man, the "General next to God."