Notes on Luke 17.1-10 October 6
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Notes on the Gospel readings from Luke
Notes on Luke 17.1-10 October 6
The first two parts of this story make very great demands on disciples.
17.1-2: Don’t act in a way that causes other people to sin. Jesus thinks each disciple has a responsibility for the others. Our thoughts and actions affect other people. “These little ones” does not only mean children. It means all of the disciples, especially those who are learning from you. Jesus thinks it is a very bad thing if we cause others to sin. The consequences are very bad.
17.3-4: What should a disciple do if someone does sin? Jesus is probably talking about sins done against each other. First of all rebuke them. Challenge their behaviour and the thinking that goes with it. Urge them to return to the way of the Lord. Second, when they repent, forgive them. How many times? Seven times. This means every time. There is no limit to forgiveness.
Both these instructions are extreme. Jesus sets very high standards for disciples.
17.5-6: It is not surprising that the apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith. Jesus’ answer tells them how to increase their faith: it is by exercising it. Just do what he says and their faith will get stronger. The more they live in a way that doesn’t cause people to sin, the stronger will be their faith. The more they forgive the better they will be at forgiving.
17.7-10: This story is also about faith. Faith means doing what you are told to do. It is about being faithful. The person who keeps on doing what the Master has told them to do will become strong in faith. The disciple who is strong in faith is the disciple who obeys and is faithful to the Lord. They know they are servants, and they serve faithfully.
Dale
21. All Israel will be saved Roman 11
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Romans 2011-13
{podcast id=282}
All Israel will be saved Roman 11
Sermon preached at Christ the King Willetton on Sunday 29 September 2013
Bible Readings: Isaiah 59.15-21; Psalm 103; Romans 11, Matthew 11.20-30
Paul's answer to the question of whether and how Israel will be saved and how it relates to the Gentiles.
Notes on Luke 16.19-31 September 29
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Notes on the Gospel readings from Luke
Notes on Luke 16.19-31 September 29
The story of the shrewd manager ended with a comment that the Pharisees loved money (v14). Jesus then said that the Law of Moses was still in operation (v17). This meant that some of the practices of the Pharisees regarding divorce were wrong (v18). And so was their attitude to money (v13).
The passage for this week returns to the subject of wealth. The rich man was someone the Pharisees approved of. But in the story Jesus tells, the rich man ends up in Hades, the place of torment, and the poor man Lazarus is in heaven with Abraham. This is a very shocking story. Jesus describes Lazarus in very shocking ways. The fact that the rich man is in Hades is also shocking. The fact that there is a great gulf between Hades and heaven is also meant to shock. It means that the rich man has no hope.
The rich man is still talking like a rich man. He wants Lazarus to be sent as a servant to bring him water (24). He wants messengers sent to his brothers (v27). But he is no longer rich.
How will his brothers avoid ending up in the place of torment (v28)?
3. Healthy Churches Need Generous Disciples 29 Sep 13
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
3. Healthy Churches Need Generous Disciples
One of the ways to show our cultural conversion is to be generous. If some of the present foundations of our society and culture seem to be in materialism, with values that are increasingly human centred, that is, self-centred, then culturally converted people will be building their lives on a different foundation.
In a landmark book (To Give or not to Give? Rethinking dependency, Restoring generosity, & Redefining Sustainability), John Rowell documents the development of ideas about giving to the poor in the history of the United States. He traces this development from what he calls Social Calvinism, a way of giving by persons to persons in their community but which distinguished between the "worthy poor" and the "wayward poor", through Social Darwinism (eliminating, or allowing the unfit not to survive), through to Social Universalism which eliminated both personal giving (the government took over responsibility for welfare) and any distinctions about whether people actually needed welfare help. The result of these welfare programs was a cynicism that the public support programs didn't work. "Compassion fatigue" set in.
Read more: 3. Healthy Churches Need Generous Disciples 29 Sep 13
20. How to be right with God Romans 10
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Romans 2011-13
{podcast id=281}
How to be right with God Romans 10
Sermon preached at Christ the King Willetton on Sunday 22 September 2013
Bible Readings: Isaiah 52.1-10; Psalm 100; Romans 10, Matthew 9.35 - 10.10
Why not to try to establish evidence of our own goodness and why to rely on God's right way of making us acceptable.
2. Healthy Churches Need Culturally Converted Disciples 22 Sep 13
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
2. Healthy Churches Need Culturally Converted Disciples
One of the big debates going on in the world of missions at the moment concerns Insider Movements. This is the idea that people who are enmeshed in a close knit community of another religion remain in that community and religion when they become Christians. Especially if they are in danger of some kind of serious persecution. They act, behave and worship just as they have always done, while at the same time following Christ. They may or may not meet in fellowship groups. They are sometimes known as secret believers. Sometimes these groups are known as Insider Movements.
Understandably this has caused a fair bit of controversy. Is it possible to continue to practise one’s former religion (such as Buddhism or Islam) and at the same time be a follower of Christ? Part of the debate is that religion and culture are so closely connected that to become a Christian in these contexts would mean having to leave (or be excluded) from the society and culture one had been brought up in. In many contexts it would mean being killed.
How would we work out what to do about this?
Read more: 2. Healthy Churches Need Culturally Converted Disciples 22 Sep 13
Notes on Luke 16.1-13 September 22
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Notes on the Gospel readings from Luke
Notes on Luke 16.1-13 September 22
After the story of the son who wasted his father’s wealth Jesus tells a story about a manager who was accused of wasting his employer’s possessions. We were told twice in the previous story (15.13, 30) that the younger son had wasted or squandered the wealth of his father.
In this story the manager, who has wasted his employer’s possessions, acts in a clever way. Before he loses his job he changes the accounts. He hopes that when he loses his job, he will have “friends” who will “owe” him and who might give him a job. Some people think that he alters their bills because he is corrupt. Others think he alters their bills because his employer was exploiting them and charging too much. In either case the people who owe the money are grateful.
The reason the manager is commended is because he acted shrewdly (in a wise and clever way).
Jesus is still speaking to the Pharisees and teachers of the law (15.1) as well as his disciples. He says they should be just as wise and clever as the manager was in the way they use the wealth they have.
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