Bible Stories For Big Kids
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'ACTIVE OR PASSIVE'?

8/23/2018

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 When studying English grammar at school, we were taught about the 'active' voice and 'passive' voice and in local politics in the 1980s, I found the passive voice very useful. For example, I could safely say something like 'it would appear that the hole was caused by poor workmanship' (passive voice) instead of the dogmatic
' poor workmanship caused the hole' ( active voice). 

Sometimes Christians need to be passive and other times active, in relation to interactions with other people, and this can make life just a little difficult. When is the right time to be 'active' and 'passive'?  Sometimes, Jesus' teachings still confuse me and a reading in Matthew 21:33 ff, the 'Parable of the Wicked Tenants' brought this home to me. The story concludes with the statement "he will put those wretches to a miserable death". I realise the purpose of the parable was not about social justice but this seemed a very violent end to a story, told by the most peace loving person to walk this earth.

And then there are Jesus' retorts to the Pharisees - 7 times in Matthew 23 Jesus says,  'Woe to you' and v 33 'you snakes, you brood of vipers' - not exactly politically correct by today's standards, but an apt description of what these upholders of God's law had become and what they were doing to God's law and thus to the God's people. Jesus certainly was not the 'gentle Jesus meek and mild' when the situation called for this other side of his character but notice, he only became assertive like this, not to defend himself
( such as when he was on 'trial') but to defend God's truth and how this related to people knowing God's truth - God's  love and care.

My comment about ageing is that I must become more gracious as I become less tolerant  and I relate this as to how I am treated by people as there are times when I feel I need to be 'active'and other times, 'passive'. I recently resigned from a social group because of bullying by committee members - all of us in our 70s and this was just so ridiculous, but rather than fight my cause, it was more peaceful to resign and move away (passive).  However, when our neighbours' trees damaged our house  in the cyclone last year, trees which for 8 years we have  been requesting our neighbours to remove in order to prevent damage to our place, because they refused to cut down these trees, we are now taking them to court to ensure our future safety. This is being active.

However, my examples are trivial when compared to the current world scene of persecution of Christians. Indian Christians have now become a target as are Christians in northern Myanmar and Nigeria,as well as so many other parts of the world. How should Christians is these situations react? Should they be 'active' or 'passive'? From my armchair I would not even dare to  suggest an answer, but from the safety of my armchair, I   must at least pray for them.  Matthew 16:8 reminds us that Jesus said "I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it".

'Life wasn't meant to be easy' as the saying goes, and it can sometimes be difficult to work out whether to be 'active' or 'passive' in our own given situation. However, when it comes to the horrors of the persecution of Christians it is comforting to know that Jesus will not allow Satan, in whatever form, to win. Jesus will ensure that God's truth will prevail, "For His loving kindness is great toward us, And the truth of the LORD is everlasting. Praise the LORD!" ( Psalm 117:2)

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AN AHA MOMENT

7/14/2018

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 Last month I talked about a 'Wow' moment. This month it is an 'AHA' moment.

My son who conducts multi-cultural training, showed me the Lewis Model Dimensions of Behaviour and like many who have attended his  seminars, I had an 'AHA' moment. Firstly, I realised that I am so typical of the bottom left hand corner personality/culture and secondly I could now have a much more enlightened  understanding of why other people don't think like me. Definitely an 'AHA' moment.

The other morning, while reading 1 Timothy in the New Testament, a book I have read many times as is obvious from my  notes written in the margins, I had another 'AHA' moment. Paul  makes  some very controversial statements in his writings and not just to Timothy, statements which are not exactly politically correct in contemporary Western society. I realise they need to be taken in context, but they can still be rather perplexing. It was after I read the commentary 'Paul's focus is on regulating this situation, not legislating for all situations', that I had my 'AHA' moment and so many things now made sense. ( I must be a slow learner!)

This is what I realised - the BIG picture! Imagine being tasked to sort out an organisation which had gone off the rails. In that situation, I would firstly look at the whole organisation and how it was functioning, then see where the problems lay, and then seek to resolve those problems. That is just what Paul was doing. Each church to whom he wrote had is own unique set of problems which often related to the local culture. Take 1 Timothy 2:12 "I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man" for example. This teaching was meant to ensure that Christian women did not behave in the same manner as female priests from the cult of Artemis. I knew that ( from my previous notes) but the big picture just had not evolved.

My suggestion for those struggling with Paul's controversial statements is:- before reading one of his letters, check out what the problems were with that particular church or group and the context in which those problems arose, then read the letter and see how Paul addressed those problems. Of course, not all of Paul's letters to each church only problem solve - they contain   deep and meaningful theological and practical advice as well.

Looking at the whole picture of Paul's teachings, the basis of all that teaching is love - all instruction must be done in love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 :"And now faith, hope, and love abide, and the greatest of these is love."    

 
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A WOW MOMENT!

6/20/2018

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What wow moment do you remember?

A wow moment for me was when I was visiting America and the tour coach drove to the lookout at Bryce Canyon. Wow! was that a magical moment. I had never heard of Bryce Canyon so had no idea what to expect, but the rock formations were like nothing I had ever seen or imagined. Lunch that day was forgotten as my travelling companion and I walked the rim of the canyon, soaking in the scenery and of course, taking lots of photos.

I think King David had a wow moment as he contemplated his relationship with God  over the course of his life. I always find it interesting hearing the eulogy at a funeral and learning about aspects of the person's life which I did not know, and of course, now it is too late to have a chat with them to find out more. People always say nice things about the person, and I wonder if they had ever said it to the person while they were still alive - it's a bit late at a funeral. King David was not going to miss out on saying all the good things he wanted to tell God!

2 Samuel chapter 22 is entitled 'Davids' Song of Thanksgiving' and I think that as King David looked back over his life and at how God had been such an important part of  every aspect of his life - the good and the not so good - he had a wow moment. This song is not a trite list of 'thankyou God' moments, but an explosion of memories, of mind blowing occasions that could lead King David to exclaim in his opening statement " The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge."

Only someone who had actually experienced God with them, could say "In my distress I  called upon the Lord...and my cry came to his ears." " The Lord was my stay....he brought me out...he delivered me...he delighted in me".

The end of the financial year is fast approaching and many businesses are advertising their 'stocktake sales'. We all know how important it is to stop and sort through all the stuff in our lives - material and emotional, keeping only what we really need. As King David did his stocktake in the words of this song, he was confident to be able to say "This God, his way is perfect; the promise of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all who take refuge in him."

​What a wow moment!

 
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WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED?

5/18/2018

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A few years ago, I wrote a blog about Jesus' genealogy starting from King David, but I have recently made  a very interesting discovery courtesy of an article in a Christian magazine. This article was about Rahab who hid the 2 spies whom Joshua had sent into the land of Canaan, before his first assault on the land at Jericho. I found the angle of this story very interesting, so interesting that I wanted to explore it further and share it.

Did the spies really choose Rahab's house in which to hide from the soldiers, or were they guided there by God, not so much as to save the spies but instead, to save Rahab? In Matthew's gospel's first chapter, there is a list of Jesus' ancestors, and there in verse 5 we read "..Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse and Jesse the father of King David". Firstly, Rahab and Ruth are the only women mentioned and secondly, this commences the line of David from the tribe of Judah, the tribe from which God had promised a Messiah. Rahab was a very distant grandmother of Jesus.

Even  before the Promised Land was inhabited by the  Hebrews and the royal line of David commenced, God was preserving a family from which he would send a Messiah. Rahab may have been a prostitute by trade but she was no fool when it came to reading the signs of the times. Rahab obviously realised that these men were not clients for she initiated the most amazing conversation with them, telling them " I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt in fear before you" ( Joshua 2:9).  " The Lord your God is indeed God in heaven above and on earth below" ( Joshua 2:10). I would love to have seen the faces of the men when she told them this - this coming from a Gentile whom they would have assumed knew nothing or very little of the God of the Hebrew people.

Rahab saved the spies from the soldiers and now it was time for the spies to ensure that Rahab would be  kept safe when the Hebrews invaded Jericho. This of course happened and as the walls of Jericho fell, Rahab's section of the walls remained intact and she and all who were with her were saved.

I love learning something new from a familiar story in the Bible, but who would have guessed the significance of Rahab's actions in saving the spies, and her faith in their God? Never underestimate God's ability to carry out his plans - the actions are his and the timing is his.   




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HAVE TIMES REALLY CHANGED?

4/28/2018

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A recent advertisement on the television caught my eye, obviously enough for me to remember the picture ( but not the product!) although I presume it was an advertisement for paint. There was this old timber house painted white, with a pale grey roof and to me it looked so attractive and uncluttered.

And that is just how I felt when I listened to parts of the late Billy Graham's evangelistic messages. The message was so clear and uncluttered - Jesus and the Cross being the centre of everything he said. Billy Graham died recently at age 99, and having been so  famous for his evangelistic rallies and programs, there have been quite a number of his interviews replayed, as well as references to his message. One of his remarks was that if there was a password to obtain entry to heaven, it would be 'The Cross'. 

The other thing which 'surprised' me while listening to parts of the youtube clips, was the confident manner in which he presented his message at rallies. I attended a number  of his rallies when he was in Australia in 1959 and hold very fond memories of those hectic days. His method of presenting the gospel was so different to what I had heard at church, but that, of course was to be expected, for these were not conservative church services but evangelistic rallies; but to have  all this happening on such a large scale and all the way from America. Wow!

How times have changed. It wasn't till I listened to Billy Graham again, that I realised how political correctness and inclusiveness have changed our speech. Everyone seems go guarded in what they say in case someone is offended and once someone is offended, - there is always someone ready to take offence -  my goodness, common sense seems to go out the window. What Billy Graham said was so clear - every topic of his sermons centered on Jesus and the Cross, and what he said, he said with total conviction and sincerity. ( I have been listening to too many politicians!)

Many religions ( as well as Christianity) have good ethics and promote social justice and welfare, but only Christianity, through the Bible, has a message of reconciliation with God - that reconciliation  can only happen at the Cross.

Times may have changed but the Christian message is still the same for  " God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son so that whoever believes in him shall not die but have eternal life".( John 3.16)   
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NO MIDDLE GROUND

3/20/2018

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​

A  friend  recently took her son to the doctor as he had a  boil on his leg. The doctor took one  quick  look at the boy’s leg and prescribed antibiotics. In the ‘good old days’ ( which weren’t necessarily all that good!) a doctor would lance the boil, clean out the area and send the patient home. Instead, this child was on unnecessary antibiotics for a week, for the boil burst a day after the visit to the doctor.

But what does this have to do with Easter?

Unfortunately today, the saving message of Easter is too confronting, so it is packaged in fluffy bunnies (or bilbies in Australia), and chocolate. Easter eggs may represent new life, but the new life is more about the chicken hatching from an egg, than  new life through the Cross.  I am surprised ( am I really surprised?) with the amount of violence on TV which people must watch or otherwise the shows would be cancelled, but when it comes to religion,  especially Christianity, people  expect warm fuzzies and stories which make them feel good.   ‘Most people want to respect Jesus as a teacher, as an example of how we should live, but they do not want Jesus to be God, particularly a God who dies and rises again.’ ( John Harris.)
 
At Easter, we  come face to face with a very gruesome but wonderful message of Jesus taking the punishment for our  wrong doing/sin. Jesus ensured his message was very clear from the beginning of his ministry – ‘I am the Way the Truth and the Life. No-one comes to the Father except through me’. ( John 14:6).    For a person to be forgiven and become part of God’s family, there is no avoiding the cross – Jesus’ death and resurrection. Nothing we can do will earn us God’s love and without asking God’s forgiveness for our sins, there is no salvation/eternal life. Jesus, who did no wrong, was punished (on the cross) instead of us,  so great is his love for all people.

I recently read an article in a Christian magazine ‘Eternity’ , which talked about the ‘Vible’, describing it as ‘the summary of the moral teachings that people adhere to today. It’s a semi-organised, fairly contemporary, unwritten set of guidelines that allow you to feel like a decent human being.’  I thought that to be a very succinct description of how a lot of people avoid Christianity and the story of the Cross.

For the many people who genuinely want to do the right by others, and thus hope to earn eternal life by being a good person ( there is nothing wrong with being a good person),  they avoid dealing with the initial problem of sin, just as the doctor failed to immediately deal with the boy’s boil. The message of Easter is the centre or focal point of Christianity and cannot be avoided if we want to be part of God’s family and have eternal life.
​
I wish you a very Blessed Easter Celebration.
 
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FAKE NEWS?

2/18/2018

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Literacy forms a large part of the Bible Society's agenda, and why not? There is not much point in printing and selling/distributing Bibles if people cannot read them. To be able to read is such a basic skill, but such an important and valuable one.

When I was in local politics, I  considered myself to be in  'opposition' because big changes needed to be made in our Council, and people had elected me to try to make at least some changes. I did facilitate change,  not by having the numbers to vote in change, but by exposing what was really happening behind closed doors, thus  forcing change to take place. But where does reading the Bible come into all this?

Each fortnight we were given an agenda to study for the next Council meeting, and I soon learnt to read behind what was listed on the agenda - I did love politics! However, when I came home from a Council meeting ( rather exhausted) and read my Bible that night, it was with such relief to be able to accept what was written there and not look for hidden meanings. That feeling is still with me today - I so appreciate reading the truth, even though sometimes I may question that truth as relating to today's society. But the Bible  is still truth - God does not lie nor play games - we can believe with certainty what is written as there is no 'fake news'.  

There is so much wisdom, wonderful promises and great stories in the Bible - that's why I wrote 'Bible Stories For Big Kids' - to make it easier to read those stories. So each time we read, whatever format that takes, we can be very thankful for the ability to read, and for all those who are giving that gift of reading to others.
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WHY CHRISTIANITY?

1/28/2018

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The Bible Society of  Australia recently published the following statistics:-

"80% of all acts of religious discrimination have been against Christians.

11 Christians have been killed every hour, every day for the past decade.

Christians are oppressed in 139 nations - in  Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Latin America ( by drug lords).

Persecution happens at the hands of ( different) extremist religious groups; but in some countries, government authorities participate in torturing, arresting, and harassing believers."

The Christian organisation 'Open Doors' has full details of persecution in these countries, but why is Christianity such a target? Like King Canute who tried to stop the tide, Communism tried to wipe out Christianity but history tells us that that did not happen.

Back in Peter's day ( Acts chapter 5) and up against the Jewish religious leaders, Peter, when told he must no longer teach about Jesus,  had the temerity to state "we must obey God rather than human authority". Fortunately, Gamaliel had the wisdom to tell the authorities "if this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them."

There are numerous stories of the suffering of persecuted Christians, but that is not the object of this blog. My question is, if Christianity is not for real, or is no longer relevant, why is there so much opposition to this religion? Even in Australia, various authorities and  progressives are opposed to Christianity being taught or even discussed in the public space. The few times I have read of the New Atheists, I have heard them attack Christianity but not other religions. However, due to my limited exposure to them,  I realise that may not be a proper assessment of their philosophy, although one prominent Australian athiest regularly  refers to  the Christian God in his weekly column.

I just find it interesting that such opposition exists towards a religion which many people want to dismiss.  Why is Christianity the most persecuted religion? Why is it such a target?

Maybe just maybe, Christianity is for real after all.



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November 29th, 2017

11/29/2017

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These are some random  quotes from Bible reading commentaries, thoughts which I have found relevant for today.

"There is spiritual blindness around us today. Those who live without a personal relationship with God through his Spirit are ill-equipped to understand spiritual realities - these realities are foolishness to them. Jesus told Nicodemus that unless someone is born again by the same Spirit they cannot see the kingdom of God. Being able to see the kingdom, even to the extent that we can have the mind of Christ, is the work of the Spirit. "
(Encounter With God  - Eric Gaudion)

 With the above in mind, a prayer from T.E.A.R. fund became alive " Give us the courage to remain open, aware and engaged with a broken world". It is so much easier to  become closed to  a broken world than realise that so often those with whom we become frustrated/angry, cannot see things from our point of view as they need God's spirit to enlighten them.

A Christmas prayer from CBM ' " Because of God's mercy the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us" :may the light of Jesus bring hope to many people in need around the world over the Christmas period.'

For me, these three 'comments' from three different people/organisations, seemed so connected and relevant to today's world. May the light of Jesus bring hope to many people in need around the world this Christmas.
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SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.

11/12/2017

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A recent Christian organisation posted on Facebook, a request for your favourite Bible verse. John 3:16 was mentioned as well as Psalm 23, but my first thought was Philippians 4:6 &7 - 'Do not worry about anything but in your prayers ask God for what you need with a thankful heart. And God's peace which surpasses all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus'. ( italics are mine). I just love that verse and can certainly testify to it especially while enduring a 40 hour category 5 cyclone earlier this year.

However, at the time of the Facebook post, I was reading Exodus 34 and made an interesting discovery. I have always thought it unfair that when God gave the 10 commandments, commandment number 2 said that  God would punish children up to the third and fourth generation when the adults worshipped idols. I realise there are consequences in this situation, but surely the parents are responsible for how their children have been taught. Obviously this is a more complex theological question from God's point of view.

Exodus 34:6 ff says "The Lord, the Lord,a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgressions and sin, yet my no means clearing the guilty, but visiting the iniquity of parents upon the children and the children's children to the third and fourth generation". There is it again - punishing the children, but notice there is a time limit - to the third and fourth generation, whereas God's love and faithfulness have no time limits - 'thousandth generation'.

I found that a very reassuring thought - God  put a limit on punishment but there is absolutely no limit to his love and faithfulness.

Something to think about.


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    I have always loved telling Bible stories, especially those from the Old Testament. For the past 25 years I have been teaching Religious Education in the local State School.  Each time I revisit these stories, I still find there's something more for me to learn. That's what I find so refreshing about the bible. 

    Karina Shim, Author
    Bible Stories For Big Kids

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