EDITION EDITION 34, 34, NOV2012 NOV2012
Connecting Connecting Christadelphian Christadelphian Young Young People People
HEROes
A hero is someone who goes out of their way to help
others who are in need. The website dictionary.com says that a hero is a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act. Like Jesus, a hero does stuff for the benefit of others, not themselves. Most heroes will have a lot of courage to do things that others won’t even try to do. Heroes also believe that they are right and this belief drives them on to do something. They might believe they are doing something because it is a good thing to do; or they might believe they are doing something because it is the right thing to do at that time. Some heroes are strong, and this can help them with their job. But not all heroes are strong, so this is not an essential requirement. They can get strength from other sources if they need it, like helpers or from friends. In novels and other stories, the hero is the one who the book is written about. As the hero of the story, this person can sometimes destroy something that is bad. The hero rarely does anything wrong. Because they’re the main character in the story, it is the hero who is remembered by the reader when they think about that story.
ISAAC POGSON
If you walked up to someone and asked them “Who’s
your favourite hero?” they would probably pause for a moment, thinking, before replying with something like “Superman!” or “Spiderman!”. These ‘heroes’ use their super-human powers of flight and strength and other various and innumerable abilities to save damsels in distress or a school bus of children. They fight off the bad guys with little regard for their own safety, looking out only for the innocent bystanders (ordinary civilians). But these are SUPERheroes. They are only famous and powerful because of their inhuman strength, or whatever it may be. What would that person be without their powers? Would they still strive beyond the call of duty to protect the innocent and weak? I think also that people forget that these so called ‘heroes’ are nothing but fictional characters on a television screen or on a piece of paper. I believe a REAL hero is a REAL person that you can look up to, someone who has some trait that you admire and can aspire to have yourself. A real hero is someone that has great characteristics or an admirable personality, but at the same time is clearly human.
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AMALIAH MUIR But heroes are not just in stories. Everyone has an opportunity to be a hero. This can be by doing little things, like saving a cat caught in a tree, to big things like saving a dying person who is suffering from a disease. Being a hero requires a person to be aware of the opportunities and the needs in the world around them. It also needs the person to have the courage or the ability to do the thing that needs to be done. Some heroes have companions. They help the hero with the tasks that the hero has set out to do. Jesus had the 12 disciples as his companions. Jesus’ disciples helped him spread the good news of the Kingdom of God. They also helped him by healing the people who were sick and by finding him food when he needed it. They were not always as encouraging to Jesus as they could have been. We can all be companions of Jesus. We just need to have faith in God and read our bibles, and then tell everyone about the good news of the Kingdom. We also need to encourage others who are trying to do the things that God wants them to do. This is also something that Jesus did.
If you are struggling to think of someone like this, the bible is probably the best place you can go. It is full of people like this! My childhood favourite bible hero was Samson. Now Samson might seem to have possessed super-human strength, but he really was just a human being, like you or me. Samson had his flaws – his taste in women for one. We know that he went off and married Delilah, a Philistine. Yet we also read that he had great faith in God. Through this faith he was able to achieve wonderful things. Samson is just one example that we can take from the bible – there are hundreds! For example, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers at a young age. Life as he knew it was over, but with courage and determination he turned his life around. But above all, Jesus is probably the greatest example of a ‘hero’ to look up to. We know he was born the same as us, born human. Jesus faced the same temptations as us, but he overcame them all. Not only that, but in everything he did he was looking out for other people – almost nothing he did was for his own gain. He was kind and compassionate to all who were needy, even unto death.
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What makes a hero? A real person who shows faith, compassion, determination or love, despite their obvious flaws.
Saul
Paul is one of the most influential people
to Paul
of the New Testament and he, like all of us, went on a spiritual journey. But unlike most of us, his spiritual journey started at a completely different place…
As a devout follower of the Mosaic Law, Saul did everything in his power to stop the growth of the Christian church. Killing the followers of Jesus and leaving destruction in his path, Saul was not really doing what God wanted. This all changed in one blinding moment, on the road to Damascus, where God let Saul know that things weren’t so peachy. God used his power to tell Saul something - to let him know that he was going about his life all wrong. Yes, he had to follow something, but not the strict laws of his forefathers, but the teaching of Jesus. God used a life-changing event to work through Saul, to change his way of thinking and mould him to be in God’s image. By doing this God was able to show himself through Saul, now Paul.
NELL SAXON
Paul is a reflection of God’s character and shows this through his writing and his actions. As Paul showed love, forgiveness and compassion, he also showed anger and sorrow, which are all elements of God!
God used a blinding flash of light to change Saul’s ways. You might be thinking “Hey, why don’t I get that blinding flash of light? Or overly ornate, orchestra moments that will change my life?” But we do! It may not come with flashing lights, but God uses everyday events, people and places to nudge us in the right direction, in his direction. Like Saul, we all make mistakes, and sometimes these are hard to face, but God wants to help us through. By seeing God in the mundane and the everyday we’re able to see him working in our lives. God pokes and prods us, and while this may hurt and sometimes ignoring him seems like the way to go, whether you like it or not, God is going to working through you to fulfil his will. We are all on a journey, although it may be steep and hard going. God, as he did with Paul, is willing to give us all the help we need. All you have to do is ask.
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He knew it would come.
It was totally inevitable. But they were prepared. Never could a king have done what he did, without raising the wrath of the Great King, the Mighty King, the King of the Universe. Already his northern neighbours had been deported to the ends of the earth because Hoshea revolted against his Assyrian overlord, and had also refused to pay tribute. Hezekiah knew he had a short time before the inescapable invasion by Sennacherib would come, and with it, the full might of the Assyrian Empire. If Hezekiah was going to save his people he had to act fast and categorically. He looked around Jerusalem assessing the vulnerability of the amazing city of David. How could he shore up this city to withstand the devastating attack and siege that were certain to come? Hezekiah determined the walls needed strengthening, and so he directed his construc-
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tion teams, not only to repair the existing wall but also build a new outer wall. The Assyrians were the experts in siege warfare. They had perfected it. As with any siege, Hezekiah knew the greatest weakness rested with the diminishing food supplies and lack of water. Again Hezekiah instructed his engineering teams to do the impossible – bring water into the city from the Gihon Spring. They set to work. Teams of stonecutters hewed the rock from each end of the tunnel until they could hear the voices of men on the other team. Their axes struck hard into the rock until finally they broke through and the water flowed. “Why should the king of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” The calculated frightfulness of the Assyrians finally swept down the Mediterranean coast in 701BC. The towns and villages capitulated under the force of the Assyrian propaganda machine. Only one town held out – Lachish. But it too finally fell with its inhabitants being beheaded, flayed or deported. Jerusalem
to be heroes, we need to “ Iftrainwe ourwantheart, soul, mind, and strength before a crisis. Then, when the Sennacheribs of this world challenge our faith, we, like Hezekiah, will emerge victorious in God’s strength from their siege.
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HELEN HINDMARSH was now clearly in Sennacherib’s sights. He sent his chief military officials to challenge Hezekiah and convince him of the futility of his attempted resistance. How could Hezekiah withstand the persuasiveness of the tirade of propaganda? True, the gods of Hamath and Arpad had not been able to match the might of Assyria. Even 45 towns of Judah had fallen. What could Hezekiah do? The people gathered fearfully on the wall. They could clearly hear and understand the haranguing of the “Rabsheqe” as he shouted in Hebrew the message from the great king of Assyria. He confronted Hezekiah. He quoted from their prophets; he promised peace and safety; he ridiculed their God. But to no avail! Hezekiah had instructed his people well. Hezekiah knew that he had the LIVING GOD on his side. If ever there was a time for Hezekiah to rely on his God – it was now. How he gained strength from Isaiah, as together they faced this formidable enemy. ‘Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe it! Listen to the entire message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the
living God! ...rescue us from his power, so all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.’ Hezekiah was heroic in his leadership of his nation during a time of an incredible crisis. The city’s annihilation was absolutely possible, but even so, he demonstrated an extraordinary faith in God. But not only did he rely on his knowledge of the power of God through his relationship with him, but he made physical preparations so that he was equipped for whatever Sennacherib threw against him. If we want to be heroes, we need to train our heart, soul, mind, and strength before a crisis. Then, when the Sennacheribs of this world challenge our faith, we, like Hezekiah, will emerge victorious in God’s strength from their siege.
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We need to remember what this equipment and armour is: We need to tell the truth always and fight against lying, as it hurts the people around us and causes destruction and mistrust - The Belt of Truth. We need to always be striving for righteousness in everything that we do - The Breastplate of Righteousness. We need to stay ready and excited for the Kingdom of God which is coming and will be good, that we read about in the Gospel - having our feet fitted with Readiness. We must keep our faith in God and his plan strong at all times, because if you don’t have faith in him you have no hope of standing against sin - The Shield of Faith. We need to stay ready and excited for salvation through the Kingdom and the fixing of everything in the world - The Helmet of Salvation. We need to always have the word of God with us to guide us through our lives. It tells us everything we need to know about God and his plan, it tells us how to live our lives and the hope we have in the future - The Sword which is the Word of God.
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armour GOD OF
A lot of video games these days are fighting based.
You are a secret agent who has to fight through an evil mastermind’s minions to stop Nuclear War (James Bond), you have to lead your squad in a fight against corrupt AI to stop Saren (Mass Effect) or you have to battle through dark creatures and gather an ancient magic power to stop Ganondorf (Legend of Zelda). There are always fights that you have to win to get to the final objective or enemy. These fights get harder as the game progresses until the final fight which is the most difficult one of all. If you don’t prepare for these fights (especially the last fight) then it is highly likely that you’ll die. There are two things that are usually done to prepare for these fights in video games. You either gather more gadgets or items to use or you gather armour to help survive these fights - sometimes both. James Bond games would be an example of gathering more gadgets before the final fight. When you start off the game you just have the classic Bond pistol. But as the game progresses you gather gadgets like remote control cars for surveillance or a grapple hook to climb up walls. You use these items and towards the end of the game when things are hardest you can handle any situation that comes along with relative ease. You gather the right equipment so you can handle anything. Same with Legend of Zelda – you gather items so that you can handle any situation with ease. The Mass Effect games would be an example of gathering armour instead of gadgets to survive the final fight. When you start the game you have a basic set of
JORDAN CUBBIN
armour. If you went into the final fight with that armour you wouldn’t last very long at all, as it is not the right armour. However you begin to find or buy stronger armour so that you can survive in that last fight. You put on the right armour for the fight. We, just like in video games, must be ready for the fight that is coming and more than anything be ready for the fight that is already here. The fight that is already here is the battle against sin, not a physical one. Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood”. We must also have the right armour and equipment for the battles that are coming so that we can stand through everything, 6:13“so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.” The most important thing is to be ready with the right armour and equipment for the great battle against sin that is coming. The armour of God includes the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, feet fitted with Readiness from the Gospel of Peace, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. We need to be standing firm always with all of these items, otherwise we have no hope of remaining standing when sin and temptation appear. Most of these things will help us a little bit in some areas but having all of them together is what everyone needs at all times in their lives to be able to stand against sin and win. Just like in video games we need the right equipment for the battles that are coming or we have no hope of getting through them.
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A few months ago the biggest new release movie to
hit the cinemas was the third installment of the Batman Begins Trilogy – ‘The Dark Knight Rises’. I saw this movie and was intrigued by the commentary on Western society and the subversion of Christian ideas and concepts. Batman is portrayed as a type of Christ. He is presented as a saviour, a hero, who shoulders the burdens of the people. Firstly however, for those who haven’t seen the movie, a plot summary:
This movie starts eight years after the previous instalment, in which Batman had taken the blame for Harvey Dent’s crimes, was hunted by the Police, and thus had to leave the task of protecting Gotham in the hands of the police. Peace was brought to Gotham via some very strict laws that jailed all criminals. However, in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, a new foe emerges and threatens to destroy Gotham. When this masked foe, Bane, releases all of the jailed criminals, and threatens to destroy the entire city with an atomic bomb, Batman must break his 8-year exile and return to defeat Bane, and claim his rightful place as the true Saviour of Gotham.
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TIM MOGG By examining the ideas that seem to have a Christian basis in this movie, it’s possible to see who Christ actually is more clearly. To be very clear, this article is about examining the ways in which pop culture takes the Christian message and twists and subverts The Truth (yes, in capitals) to make an entertaining story that still retains a ring of truth. Everything we watch, think and do ends up influencing our future thoughts and actions and unconsciously shapes our worldview. If we become more aware of these processes we can be better prepared to make the right decisions. ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ deals with many ideas relevant to a Christian worldview. Compare and contrast the examples from this movie with what the bible teaches and the example that Jesus set. In one particular fight scene, the bad guy, Bane, says to Batman, “Peace has cost you your strength! Victory has defeated you!” Bane is referring to the years of relative peace that Gotham has enjoyed, in which time the people have become unaccustomed to fighting ‘evil’, and are now soft, and ready to be defeated by this very scary bad guy. In Ephesians 6 Paul encourages Christians to “struggle”
The Dar Knight R
and “take a stand”, but only by putting on spiritual armour – to be ready with righteousness, truth, salvation, peace, and faith. Throughout the movie Bruce Wayne has to deal with the idea that he has sacrificed a large part of himself to become Batman, yet he continues to be forced into giving even more, to save the city once more. Jesus gave himself fully, even to death. In Matthew 16:25 Jesus says that, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” Jesus is our ultimate example. We may never be placed in a position where we need instantaneously choose between life and death, but everyday we make little steps in one direction or the other. Throughout the film there is an obvious admiration for Batman from the Common Folk. There are many who had faith that the previously absent Batman would return, and save the city from its troubles. These ‘disciples’ of Batman hoped that he would return without any evidence that their faith would profit them. They got together, drew chalk symbols on the walls of the city, and used this hope to unite them and get them through another day.
rk Rises
For Christian disciples, there is more on offer than just the opportunity to admire Jesus, and wait for his return. From the reading the bible we know that there is the invitation to become a brother or sister of Jesus, by becoming baptised and identifying with his sacrifice. Batman is an obvious hero. He does’nt have any superpowers, so we can relate to him. Batman uses his skills for good, so we admire him. But Batman is not the answer. Jesus is. Jesus can save us. We can learn from the experiences and characters that appear in our lives, but we have to be very careful to reflect on these experiences in order to create contrast between who we are, and who Jesus, and his father is. In the movie Batman says, “A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a little boy’s shoulder to let him know that the world hadn’t ended. “ This is good advice, but it’s only a movie. My advice; if you are looking for a hero, you don’t need to look any further than the greatest example ever.
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A SUPERHERO... REALLY? 8
OR packaged parables
TJ REDING
We would like to think of the characters
in the Bible as heroes or villains, wheat or weeds, goodies or baddies, but people are much more complicated. And the people we read about in the scripture are not just merely two dimensional characters but real people, with real struggles, real problems that make very real mistakes and have very real triumphs. The complexity of our personalities and the choices we make are explained to us many times throughout the scripture. It is difficult for us to establish our own true motives in any given situations, but God knows the heart. Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each.” A hero, the Apostle Paul, expresses his struggle
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with being a villain at times most clearly in Romans 7:15-25 “ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate I do… For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do…” The Lord Jesus Christ, the one and only true hero, struggled too with villain tendencies, for we know he was, “tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus own words in anguish of soul as he prayed, “not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42), speaks to us of the challenge in being a hero for the things of God. Christ understood the complexities of man’s heart “the fruit of his doings” and how it does not always yield a consistent crop to God’s glory. In the parable of the sower (see Mark 4) he outlines four different types of soil as they relate to the heart of man and its
response to the Seed of the Word at any given moment. For the Word is not just sown once in our lives but is daily disseminated into the numerous circumstance of our lives. The question is which soil does it find? When we are heroes for the Word it finds “good ground� but as villains it falls on the soils of the heart too hardened, too shallow or too crowded to bring about fruit. The Apostle Peter is a classic example of the difficulty in discerning hero from villain or good ground from fruitless. He at one moment declares Jesus to be the Christ and
the next is rebuked for being an adversary (Matthew 16). He is violently defending the Lord Jesus Christ against armed men and then denying he even knows him to a little girl (John 18). Peter was a complex person. He was both a hero and a villain, as are we all.
Peter was a complex person. He was both a hero and a villain, as are we all.
All these examples speak to us of the difficulties in establishing who are heroes and who are villains. The task before is for us to cultivate the soil of our heart to receive the Word of God that it might bear fruit to his glory and that by his grace we are found heroes, yielding some thirty, some sixty, some hundred.
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BEN POOLEY
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from the annals Renee gives us her thoughts on Joy from last edition
RENEE PATINO
What brings you joy?
It’d be really great to hear any thoughts you’ve had about anything in The Vine this edition. What did you think about The Dark Knight? How do you view a hero? What’s your bible gold? Anything and everything will be appreciated send it to thevine@scyp.net!
Swimming in the ocean? A hot chocolate on a cold night? Playing footy with your mates? These things might bring you happiness but they can’t bring you true joy. There is a big difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is an emotion and something that is temporary; it comes and goes depending on what’s going on in our lives. But joy, in a Biblical context, is an attitude of the heart. It is true contentment that comes from internal factors like our faith in God. Joy is not necessarily based on something positive happening. It’s something that lasts and is bigger than you and I and our current circumstances. It is what brings us peace in the middle of a storm. True joy is eternal because it is based on our relationship with Christ and our Heavenly Father, which is itself an everlasting source of joy. Real joy is from God. It is like a bottomless well of water – always an abundant supply. Even in the darkest days, when sadness, grief and loss may threaten to overwhelm you, God’s joy is there. Job said that if we pray and remember our blessings, God will restore us to joy and righteousness (Job 33:26). David wrote that the study of God’s word can bring us joy (Psalms 19:8). Dwelling on ourselves, our problems, our hurts and especially our pasts will never produce true spiritual joy. Joy is not found in materialism. It is found in Christ, in God and in God’s word. If we remain in him, immerse ourselves in his word, and seek to know him, our “joy will be full” (John 15:1-11). The Bible says that for the joy set before him, Jesus endured the cross. I don’t think Jesus was necessarily ‘happy’ while he endured a painful, cruel death. But did Jesus have joy in the midst of it all? I’m sure he did... Joy to know that his sacrifice would work the ultimate good in humankind (allowing all of us an opportunity to be forgiven for our sins). Joy to know that this life isn’t all there is. Joy to have accomplished what he’d been sent to do. Jesus tells us “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). By keeping Jesus’ commandments and remaining in his love, his joy will remain in us and our joy will be complete. The Lord knows what is best for us, and if we let him, he will guide us in the way of truth and life. Even though your heart might be breaking, even though you may have lost all your hopes, dreams, plans and material things, you can still have joy.
Joy lasts even in the midst of the trials of life. Joy isn’t dependent on circumstances. Joy is strength, Joy is internal. Joy is eternal. Choose joy over bitterness, anger and sorrow. Make a decision to choose joy every day. “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.”
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Heard it on the grapevine... BIRTHS
Elia Rose McClure (Tim and Cara) Eloise Anne Millicent Thurlby (Luke and Katie) Harry Lucas McGeorge (Tim and Leah) Ezra James Hardy (Mictch and Miriam)
BAPTISMS
Angela Smith (Campsie/Riverwood) Bethany French (Newcastle) Billy Gascoyne (Riverwood) Georgia Muir (Lakemba) Jacqui Errington (Southern Highlands) Jo Dodson (Newcastle) Joseph M (Cabramatta) Kathryn Joseph (Camden) Matthew Devis (Moorebank) Michaela Teal (Campsie) Monica Tucker (WA) Tony Powell (Mt Colah) Zeke Weedon (Newcastle)
ENGAGEMENTS
Briony Milverton/Luke Shields Kathryn Joseph/Daniel Mitsos Lara Morgan/Luke Parry Jacqui Spark/Gavin McGuigan
MARRIAGES
Rachel Kingston/Jeff Smallwood Bec Smith/Dan Wolstencroft
The Vine is published (approximately) quarterly by the Sydney Christadelphian Young People (SCYP).
EDITORIAL TEAM
Georgia Muir, Joel Hillman, Suz O’Toole, Chrissy Mogg, Tim Mogg, Dan Blackwood
LAYOUT and DESIGN Joel Hillman
MASTHEAD DESIGN Alisa Thompson
COVER ART
Lucy Dangerfield On the front page is Jesus as the hero, and on the back page is Caiaphas as the villain. The two pages will fit together to make one landscape, but it can be folded down the middle to make the two covers. In the background is imagery relating to grace on the one hand (Jesus) and legalism on the other (Caiaphas).
CONTRIBUTORS WRITERS
Amaliah Muir, Isaac Pogson, Nell Saxon, Helen Hindmarsh, Jordan Cubbin, Tim Mogg, TJ Reding, Renee Patino, Dan McGonigal, Phil Gilmore, Ken Pooley, James McCann, Barry McClure, Chris Pooley, Elise Mogg, Bethany French, Billy Gascoyne, Jacqui Casey
binary mindset 1 judges 3 bible gold 5 review - mercyme 7 baptismwatch 8 outreach - spoken english 9 outreach - run with caleb 11
PHOTOGRAPHY
Steph Jamieson, Joel HIllman, Elysia Simons
COMIC
Ben Pooley
THANKS TO
Samee Lapham, Martin Russell
Contents
what’s a hero? 1 saul/paul 2 hezekiah with helen 3 armour 5 the dark knight 7 hero or villain? 9 heroes and villains 11 from the annals 13
The Vine is published to the glory of our Heavenly Father through whom all things are made possible. The views presented by the contributors are their own and not necessarily those held by the Editorial Team or SCYP. e: thevine@scyp.net To view past editions, check out: issuu.com/scyp
When you go running do you know why you’re
doing it? Is there a purpose to your run? Perhaps it’s just for fitness, or a goal that you’re aiming for. Is your running in preparation for an event? Have YOU heard about Run With Caleb?
RUN WITH CALEB
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Run With Caleb. A half marathon. 21 kilometres. The first one took place on the 14th July 2012 at Lake Gillawarna. The run was held in memory of Caleb Luke. He was married to Kate, father to Olivia and Aurora. He was not only a husband and father, but also a brother, uncle, cousin and friend. He was known to many of us, and maybe in some small way he touched your life. Caleb was a fit and healthy guy, a great
example and role model to follow. As part of the ACBM committee you would always find him supporting those overseas as well as those in his own ecclesia. On the 26th November 2010 Caleb was out on his daily run when he had an aortic aneurism and died. This man inspired a lot of people. He inspired this run to be created. This run inspired 60 people to run, which in turn inspired people from all over Australia to support, give donations, sponsor runners and show continual love. We as Christadelphians are supposed to be different. We’re meant to shine as lights to those around us. God gave each and every one of us the ability
outreach
to love, support and help those less fortunate than ourselves. The ACBM strives to help our brothers and sisters in the Philippines. In particular, the run supported Sister Nena Mangino and another sister who is battling cancer. She had to have her thyroid and lymph nodes removed urgently. The surgery needed expertise, which wasn’t available to her locally. She was transported to Manilla where the surgery was completed with the assistance of a neck surgeon. She is now recovering well. God blessed us with a truly amazing day. We had runners from interstate, Port Macquarie and all over NSW. The support we received was overwhelming. It ended up being a great preaching tool for the public that was at the lake with questions being asked, “Who’s Caleb?”
and “Why are you running with him?”. 21kilometres is a long way, but surrounded by friends and family who are all running for a purpose and having fun, make the journey easier. Remember we are in this run for eternal life. Strive to help each other get there. “Let us run with endurance, the race set before us.” Hebrews 12:1. If you weren’t able to make it this year make sure you start training for next years! We want YOU there. We want to double the number of runners and by that we’ll double the amount we raised. $9165 is awesome! A HUGE thanks to everyone that supported and donated. See you next year!
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JACQUI CASEY
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outreach
Recently, in a book called ‘Velvet Elvis’, I read this quote:
“…the most powerful things happen when the church surrenders its desire to convert people and convince them to join. It is when the church gives itself away in radical acts of service and compassion, expecting nothing in return, that the way of Jesus is most vividly put on display.” This quote really jumped out at me, as it perfectly summarises why I participate in the Shaftesbury Road Spoken English Program. The Spoken English Program began in 1993. Its primary aim has always been to freely address a community need. The suburb of Burwood (where Shaftesbury Road is located) is very multicultural. In particular, it has a large Asian population, many of whom struggle with the
language barrier and lack of social support. Some don’t have any family or friends at all. Subsequently, our Ecclesia implemented this program to help them adjust to Australian lifestyle and make new friends. The program has gone through a number of changes in recent years to improve the way this aim is met. We have amassed a range of resources that ensure we can help the students that just want to catch a bus, as well as the student interested in hard-core Bible topics! Students are also invited to lead the night’s introductory talk so that they can practice their public speaking and demonstrate their passion for God to the other students. One thing that hasn’t changed though is the focus on one-on-one. The intention has always been to have one tutor working with one student. This is because no two students have the same needs and it allows a relationship to develop between the tutor and student.
SHAFTESBURY ROAD SPOKEN ENGLISH 9
This focus has led to the growth of the Spoken English Program. We no longer need to advertise within the local media as we find that word of mouth is enough. Our students simply tell others about their positive experience. We’ve even had students return to their home country and tell others to look us up when they come to Australia. We do still undertake some formal advertising at Praise in the Park (PiP) and the Burwood Festival. PiP has been particularly effective at boosting our student numbers. My student, whom I have been tutoring for about 3 years, first came to Shaftesbury Road the day after PiP ‘09. He walked in, with his balloon in hand, and asked if he had the right place. Since then he has grown from someone that felt guilty about coming to the class when he didn’t believe in God to someone who can’t imagine his life without God. That’s the model this class works by. The aim is not to convert and convince people to join our Church by shoving the Bible
down their throat, it’s to show the love of Jesus by offering friendship and a free service. We would love anyone that is able to support this program to come along and help out. We have over 40 students and are struggling to maintain our 1:1 focus. Although it is a long-term commitment, the classes only run from 6–7:30pm on Sunday nights and all resources are provided for you. We really encourage young people to get involved as many of our attendees are young international students and it’s a great way to affirm your own faith.
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CHRIS POOLEY
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music review
mercyme Undone 2004
What really gets MercyMe onto my list of
Good Music is the lyrics. Hopefully you have all heard ‘I Can Only Imagine’ (If you haven’t I suggest looking it up, it’s really good) off MercyMe’s first album Almost There. That is a pretty good indication of what this band is capable of. Two more albums into their career, in 2004, MercyMe released Undone. It has been around in my collection for many, many years. Each time I rediscover it something different touches me. There is a simple honesty to the songs on this album. It expresses real emotions that I can identify with. This is the kind of album to inspire you. The lyrics are polished, powerful and extremely personal. It tends towards the rock side of Christian rock-pop, but has a very clean sound with a country twang. The lyrics are clear and easy to sing along to. The sound of the album is less of the style of ‘I Can Only Imagine’ in that most of the tracks have a harder back-beat laced
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with synthesizers and electric guitar solos. The vocals are at times repetitive but this seems to reinforce the honesty. What I like most about it is that it’s praise in its most authentic form. That is it delves into the relationship we have with our God. ‘Everything Impossible’ says “You’re the love you give to me; you’re the love I give away”. It reminds me of the reasons why my God is so amazing and supports me in the knowledge that a relationship with him is life. It doesn’t hide the fact that struggles are a part of any relationship that we have as humans: “Tell me how I got here? I couldn’t make it on my own” is a question found in ‘Unaware’; it reminds us that “Nothing else matters here, but glorifying your name”. The album is very well refined and represents the excellent style of both MercyMe’s preceding albums and the six albums that follow.
ELISE MOGG
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God started acting in my life in all different ways, helping me,
changing me into a different person. He is a massive part of my life, and he always will be. I had been thinking about getting baptised for a while. And I finally made the biggest decision I will ever make, that I would be baptised. I started straight away. I started going through for baptism. Every time I would have a baptism session I would become more interested, learn more and would get more certain that I want to be baptised into Christ. Jesus has done so much for us. He suffered so much I can’t even imagine how much pain and agony he was in. He did it so we would all be saved. He did it out of love for us. Through baptism my sins were washed away and I was reborn into Christ and born into salvation, reborn into a family, a bigger family then I could ever imagine. God is my Father and will always be here for me, he will never leave me, he will always be here to help and listen to my prayers. He will give me challenges in my life, but nothing I can’t handle. God is merciful, powerful, wonderful, marvelous, loving, forgiving and many other things. But no words could ever describe how great he is, and neither could words ever describe how much I love God. And Jesus is my brother. No words could describe how great
God knows the beginning and end, he knew you before your
birth and knows the outcome of your life. Yahweh is HE WHO WILL BE, this signifies his purpose with creation, that is the manifestation of this name among the faithful, who become the ‘Elohim’ (‘Mighty Ones’). Baptism is the start of the manifestation process between God and you. It began with the late Aunty Margret Wong who lived a few houses down the street. She introduced my father to the Christadelphians as we attended the local Baptist church. From then, I started Sunday school at Riverwood at which I apparently caused a fair amount of naughtiness, which probably still continues today. It is quite amazing that God knows our beginning and end. He has known us before we knew about him. Looking back many years ago, the question invades my mind; was God behind these sequence of events? I definitely don’t think this is a random occurrence. God knew me before I knew him. “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love” (Ephesians 1:4). Let me share another: “He has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,” (2Timothy 1:9). For me, it was
he is and how much I love him. He will always be here to lead me in the right direction. He is my shepherd and he will guide me in the right way and will always make sure I don’t go astray. When I had reached the end of going through for baptism and when I was ready to get baptised, I was overjoyed! How excited I was to finally get baptised. On the special day, I was extremely nervous and so happy! When I was sitting in the water I was thinking about how after I come up from the water, I will be a sister in Christ, and he will be my brother, and God would be my father. When I came out from the water I was overjoyed! Extremely happy! I felt different in a way, I felt in a way that I will most likely only feel once. The only time I will feel like that again will be when Jesus returns. It is and always will be the happiest day of my life! I encourage anyone who would like to be baptised! It is an amazing experience. I cannot wait ‘til the day when Jesus returns to the Earth to reign forever as King in the Kingdom.
BETHANY FRENCH
yea-or-nay situation, will I accept God’s calling or will I reject it? Baptism did seem far away but now it was time to put faith into action. There is a realization that you want to be part of God’s kingdom and that the world now is only the reflection of sin. Baptism shows that you have allowed God to purify your spiritual self. Have you ever had someone ask you if you needed help and you strongly declined? This may be a sign of pride. Pride prevents God working in you. Would you let Jesus wash your feet? It may seem rather embarrassing for us to say yes, but it is the answer that shows we need help and cleansing. John 13:8: “‘No,’ said Peter, ‘you shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me’”, so it is important that we say yes to God and allow our old self to be washed away. During my baptism, I experienced a short glimpse of peace and joy. Peace that washed away all anxieties and trouble, and joy because I am now part of a spiritual family. The spiritual life is not supposed to be a leisure trip. The Gospels explain it as ‘a fight’ (2Timothy 6:12) where we need patience (James 5:8) for the glory of God will soon be established on Earth (Mark 1:15).
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BILLY GASCOYNE
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W
hen king Saul of Israel discovered that David would be king in his place, he persistently hunted David and his small group of supporters. This persecution lasted many years. Although David had several opportunities to kill Saul, he never took matters into his own hands. He instead relied on God to act in his own time. Besides God, David also had some very good friends during this time of relentless persecution. Amazingly, one of his best friends was Jonathan, Saul’s own son and heir to Saul’s throne; the man who David had replaced as next king of Israel. When David prayed to God for help, one way this help came about was by Jonathan visiting David while he was in hiding, and encouraging him. A lesson for us is that while it’s great to have a good friend, it’s even greater to be a good friend to
This year a about Bible t scyp has been all Gold and these presenters from the s three eries a here to dis til their tho re ughts - just for y ou.
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someone. Good friends are just that; they’re good! They provide good advice, good support and good example, just as Jonathan did for David! So take the initiative to make friends! Go out of your way to speak to and be kind to someone else. You never know; by doing this, you just might be answering their prayer to God for help. David often acted or reacted to situations based on whether God said it was right or wrong. If God said that a behaviour was wrong, then as far as David was concerned it was wrong, irrespective of whether he had personally benefited from this behaviour or whether the individuals involved were David’s family or friends, or socially important to David. He was not a “respecter of persons”, and Israel therefore saw in David someone they could trust as their king because he was fair and motivated by God’s values, not his own personal interests. God asks all of us to not be a “respecter of persons”.
Although David was “a man after God’s own heart”, he nevertheless committed some terrible sins in his life; including adultery with Bathsheba and the calculated murder of Bathsheba’s faithful husband Uriah. For almost a year David tried to cover up his awful sins, but eventually the truth came out and David’s sins were exposed. David acknowledged and confessed his sins, and God forgave David his sins. An important lesson for us is that we can’t hide our sins from God! However, if we acknowledge and confess our sins, God can forgive our sins. If God can forgive the terrible sins that David committed, then surely he can forgive any sin we may commit! God said of David “I have been with you wherever you have gone…” (1 Chronicles 17:8) David’s God is our God. He keeps his promises and can be trusted!
BARRY MCCLURE
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magine a beautiful old couple inviting you over. You are excited and humbled that they want to share a meal with you. As you arrive, they ask you to take your shoes off before you enter. Do you? Of course! You not only love them and want to do anything that pleases them, but you would never seek to disrespect their rules, in their house. The connection is simple. If God, the creator of the universe, asked us to come before him in a way that respects his principles, would we not want to honour our loving father? This is the story of Cain and Abel. It is written right at the beginning of the bible to teach us the most vital lesson. If we want to come into God’s house, we must do it his way, not ours. Cain knew God’s principles, but chose to worship his own way (Jude 1:11). God did not respect “Cain AND his offering”, showing that God wants not only our best efforts but right worship. Yet, God still gave him opportunity to repent. But, ‘what’s the big deal’?
J
osiah committed himself to God from a very young age. The books of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles tell how he sought the Lord at 16, and at 20 began to tear down the idols set up hundreds of years before and scattered the remains, burnt the bones of the heathen priests, cleaned up the worship in the Temple, and upon discovery of the Book of the Law during the Temple renovations, proceeded to follow its instructions. The great Passover celebrated the changes that he had made. But the real Bible Gold is God’s take on Josiah. While judgement was to come on the nation, God sent a personal message of hope to Josiah in 2 Kings 22:18-20: “Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place
Sin came into the world because man chose to go his way, not God’s. Sin is universal high treason. God showed us that we can’t save ourselves, nor cover our own sin. God must provide “garments of skins” (Genesis 3:21-24). This showed us that a blood sacrifice was God’s way to provide forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22). Blood is a symbol of the perfect life of Jesus, our representative sacrifice. Jesus’s death proclaimed that God is RIGHT (Romans 3:19-26). God will only meet us if we believe this truth (Exodus 25:22). God is not being legalistic to teach us that he does not want dirt on his carpet! He is showing us that he is holy (Hebrews 12:14) and wants us to be like him. This is what Abel wanted and loved (Hebrews 11:4)! Jesus is God’s way to cover our sin; “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by me”. Abel’s sacrifice must be ours (Hebrews 12:22-29). There has only ever been one way. God’s!
JAMES MCCANN
and its people - that they would become a curse and be laid waste - and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’” God could have commended Josiah for the removal of the altars, or the cleansing of the Temple, or the reading of the Law, or even for the great Passover; and so many other positive things he did for the people and nation. But above all else, what God focussed on was his tender heart, the fact that he wept before God, his expression of dismay in tearing his robes, and his humility. Something there for each of us to think about!
. KEN
POOLEY
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binaryy
01100010 01101001 01101110 01100001 01110010
JEROBOAM he made israel sin but was he a 1 or a 0?
On or off, black or white, good or evil.
Light or darkness. So much of life can be divided neatly into two opposing categories. In the computer world, we call it binary: 1 or 0, with nothing in between. We’re accustomed to this kind of neat categorisation and for good reason. Complex ideas are often best understood when reduced to simpler approximations and at the end of times, when Christ returns, we can only be either in or out. Called righteous or not. A sheep or a goat. You can’t be half a saint. But the lives we lead, they feel so much, well, greyer. I am not a paragon of virtue, nor a sneering mobster; in reality I sit somewhere in between, a salt and pepper mix of tiny triumphs and frustrating flaws.
Why should we expect that the characters in the bible should be any different? They were, like us, real people. So while the two-line summation makes it clear how God ultimately views them, there is for us real value in examining the detail of what makes a villain a villain. What we find is that often, like us, the picture is not so clear. We can sympathise with the decisions they make and find glimmers of potential. Seeing these things functions in turn as encouragement and warning - encouragement because we can see that evil isn’t necessarily a predefined destiny, that things didn’t have to go that way; and warning because grey can very easily be seen with hindsight as black, and acts of disobedience are sinful even when accompanied by a seemingly solid rationale. Jeroboam is a classic example. We know him as one of the stereotypical baddies of the bible. In Israelite folklore and the pages of the bible his name is synonymous with wilful sin. If he had a tombstone, the words upon it would have been very simple and to the point: Those are the words that define the legacy of Jeroboam,
‘HE MADE ISRAEL SIN’
His good reasons for taking such steps didn’t matter, because it wasn’t what God wanted. By these acts he made Israel to sin, the phrase to which his life’s efforts are reduced. 3
mindset
01111001 00100000 01101101 01101001 01101110 01100100 01110011 01100101 01110100
first found in 1 Kings 14:16. Not just once or twice, but twenty times throughout the books of Kings and Chronicles. His actions defined history, changed the course of the nation and damaged irrevocably the relationship between the ten northern tribes of Israel and Yahweh their God. Yet these descriptions are written after the fact. And hindsight tells a much simpler story than what confronted the people on the ground as it happened. You can find Jeroboam’s story starting from 1 Kings 11:26. His beginnings are humble; the servant son of a widow, from day one destined for big things. Picked out by Solomon as a man of talent and resourcefulness, and soon made manager of all the “forced labour of the house of Joseph” (1 Kings 11:28). By this stage, Solomon’s character and the quality of his reign were melting down, and Jeroboam was picked out by God as the appointed successor, the man to take control of the northern ten tribes. He even receives promises compared directly to the ones God gave
PHIL GILMORE
David, conditional on obedience to God (v 38). It’s a pretty good start, by any reckoning. Solomon chases him to Egypt, but it’s not long ‘til Solomon dies and we see Jeroboam back on the scene again, this time as head of the Workers Union, campaigning for better conditions under Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:2-3). His requests are refused and in short order he leads the people to revolution and begins the fulfillment of God’s prophecies. Very quickly, Jeroboam’s kingship faces challenges. Worried that the people will return to Rehoboam when they ”go up to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices in the temple of the LORD at Jerusalem” (1 Kings 12:27), he offers an alternative. It’s only a few tweaks here and there; he presents Yahweh their God as a couple of golden calves (an image that at least the people are familiar with from Exodus 32:4) as well as making more temples, bringing in even more religious feasts to God, and reducing discrimination in the priesthood (1 Kings 12:31-33). But it was wrong. His good reasons for taking such steps didn’t matter, because it wasn’t what God wanted. By these acts he made Israel to sin, the phrase to which his life’s efforts are reduced.
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What do we learn from Jeroboam?
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Hi! Welcome to another edition of The Vine. This time we’re looking at Heroes and Villains in the bible, and how they story relates to us today. There are some awesome articles, and I hope you’ll get heaps out of them. It’d be really great to hear your perspectives on anything in this edition too, even if you just come chat to us. As you’ve probably heard, we’re looking for people to help out with The Vine 2013. It’s really fun and something we love doing. If you want to be involved in any way (big or small!), email thevine@scyp.net. Enjoy! Georgia Muir and the Editorial Team
JUDGES
Judges is an amazing book.
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Sometimes it gets a bad rap and is dismissed as being all blood and guts and not very spiritual, often avoided for an easier to read section of scripture – and sadly, for some, whole sections of the Old Testament are bypassed altogether. Yes, it’s the bible’s version of the classic blockbuster disaster movie: chock-full of heroes and heroines, vassals and villains, death & destruction – but woven into the very fabric of the book is a tale of God’s infinite compassion and tolerance of the frailties of human thoughts and deeds. You know what it’s like – you read a book or watch a movie once, you think about it later (the people, the plot, ask “what was THAT all about?”) and go back and read or watch it a second time (or a third...) and then, whammo, it all falls into place and you just ‘get it’ – well Judges is a lot like that. It’s a book about heroes and villains and just when we think we know who is who, we read through the stories again and come up with a different opinion. It’s a great book to lose yourself in. An article on the whole of Judges would take a several copies of this magazine in its entirety to do it justice … but that’s not what we want to do here. This is just a snapshot, an overview, a teaser - to (hopefully) whet your appetites to delve further into this amazing book - and we know it’s amazing because God left it for us to study and learn from. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that ALL scripture is for our benefit – and for our learning. So why not Judges? Why not indeed! So let’s have a look at a fascinating period of Israel’s history – and one that mirrors, in many ways, our own. What do we think of when we hear the word Judge? A wig wearing, bespectacled person peering over a bench with a gavel in their hand? Maybe someone like Judge Judy – street smart and sharp tongued? Or a Judge Dredd, sort of justice serving vigilante, delivering law and punishment?
DAN MCGONIGAL
Well, maybe in the case of biblical judges it was a bit of all three, because biblical judges were authority figures that people looked up to, discerners, decision makers and do-ers. The book of Judges starts with Judah taking the lead (Judges 1:3–10) - forging into the promised land with Caleb taking the hill cities of Hebron and Debir. The remaining tribes are told to drive out the people of the land (the Canaanites).
This is the cycle that sets the theme of the rest of the book of Judges. The people turn from God and worship idols; God gives them up to oppressors; the people cry to God; he raises a deliverer – a judge; there is a sustained period of peace under the judge.
But they couldn’t and the ones that were left would be, as the angel Gabriel was to tell them (Judges 2) a “thorn and a snare”.
But, our God is a longsuffering God and would not let his people suffer unduly – even though they turned from him. So the time the people were oppressed is far less than the time of peace they enjoyed under the judge. Sometimes the period of oppression was as long as 20 years – but then the period of peace under the judge was usually 40 years (a biblical ‘generation’).
The inability to rid themselves of the Canaanites soon led to complacency, intermarrying and trade, so that instead of the Israelites dwelling with other Israelites, the tribes dwelt with the people of the land.
But then the cycle started again, like the generation in the wilderness that forgot God, so the generation that knew oppression died out and the idol worship started afresh. God must have been so frustrated!
So, have a guess what is going to eventually happen if you dwell in close proximity to idol worshippers? Soon the people started to “serve the Ashtoreths”, the fertility goddesses the people of Canaan worshipped. The result was (Judges 2:16–19) the start of what could be called “the cycle of sin”.
When you read Judges, you’ll start to read between the lines and a short chapter (such as with Gideon or Sampson) can consume you in an expanding storyline you never knew was there, like a TARDIS, the tale is bigger on the inside and you get drawn in. At the end of the Gospel of John, the following is said of Jesus “if all the words Jesus spoke were written down, perhaps the whole world would not be able to contain them”. A similar sentiment can be said of the book of Judges, there is so much to read and learn about how these people were just like us – our fears, our weaknesses. When the writer to the Hebrews wrote the record of the faithful, look at how many judges he mentioned. Gideon, Barak, Deborah, Sampson… all up there with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Wow! Do yourself a favour, read Judges, it’s an amazing (have I mentioned that already?) book given to us by our great God.
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EDITION 34, NOV2012
Connecting Christadelphian Young People