Author: Jimmy Day

The first boat arrived in Darwin in April 1976.  Over the next five years there were 2059 Vietnamese boat arrivals with the last arriving in August 1981.  The arrival of 27 Indochinese asylum seekers in November 1989 heralded the beginning of the second wave.  Over the following nine years, boats arrived at the rate of about 300 people per annum—mostly from Cambodia, Vietnam and southern China.  In 1999, a third wave of asylum seekers, predominantly from Iraq, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, began to arrive—often in larger numbers than previous arrivals and usually with the assistance of ‘people smugglers’.

It is my opinion that the Australian public – largely due to media bias – are largely uninformed about this issue and are unnecessarily reactive as a result.

Firstly, it’s important to understand that, compared to the rest of the world, Australia’s boat people “problem” is relatively small.  In the US, for example, it is estimated that more than 500,000 illegal aliens arrive each year.  Similarly, parts of Europe struggle to monitor and control the large annual influx from Africa and the Middle East.  In comparison in 2010, 134 boats arrived unauthorised in Australia with a total of 6,879 people on board (including crew).  Though considerably more than the seven boat arrivals in 2008 with 179 people on board, in comparison with Europe and the US this is still a small number.  In the year 2000, when approximately 3,000 boat people arrived in Australia, Iran and Pakistan each accepted over one million Afghan refugees.  In fact, the burden of assisting the world’s asylum seekers mostly falls to some of the poorest countries.  In 2009, for example, Pakistan was host to the largest number of refugees worldwide (1.75 million), followed by Iran (1.07 million) and Syria (1.05 million).  These figures should help us gain a healthy perspective of the small nature of Australia’s asylum seeker “problem”.  The truth is that there are far more important issues that our politicians and media should be responding too and spending money on – such as health care, infrastructure, taxation reform and care of our aging population.

Secondly, the majority of asylum seekers actually arrive in Australia by air with a valid visa and then apply for protection sometime after their arrival.  In the last year illegal boat arrivals made up 47% of asylum seekers – an increase of 16% on the previous year, but still less than half.  In spite of this, political and media attention only focuses on those arriving by boat.

A Christian response to refugees and asylum seekers should be twofold.  Our first response should be inline with the Golden Rule: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).  In this statement Jesus is teaching His people to put themselves in the shoes of others – to be compassionate and proactive.  Have you ever tried to put yourself in the place of a refugee?  What must it be like to feel that you cannot stay in your own home, in your city, in your country because staying will mean violence, starvation, persecution, or death?  What level of desperation drives a person or a family to leave the home they love and pay big money to get on a dodgy boat in order to get to Australia?  How would you like to be treated by others if you found yourself in this situation?  Australia demonstrates its compassion by allocating 13,000 places annually to asylum seekers.

But compassion doesn’t mean we have to be a soft option.  Jesus also taught people to “be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).  We do have a duty of care to refugees – but we have an even greater duty of care to those who already call Australia home.  I have no doubt that the majority of those seeking asylum in Australia are genuine refugees, but I also don’t doubt that there are some who will not be a blessing to this nation.  Asylum seekers need to be carefully processed as to their health, safety and identity (not an easy job when many deliberately destroy their passports).  Only after careful processing has taken place should genuine refugees be granted asylum in Australia.  Those who riot, burn detention facilities, and demonstrate other anti-social behaviour should be deported without question.  We do not want to import people who behave in this manner when they don’t get their own way.  Asylum seekers also need to be educated on our culture and values so they can easily assimilate here.

The other area that requires shrewdness is in our dealings with the people smugglers themselves.  These people are greedy at the expense of the most vulnerable.  They care little for refugees; they care greatly for getting rich.  The penalties for people smuggling were increased last year but these increases don’t seem to be a deterrent so far.  People smugglers are bringing refugees to Australia at an increasing rate and somewhere between 200-300 of these refugees have lost their lives at sea.  More needs to be done – in cooperation with nations like Malaysia and Indonesia – to cut this crime off at the source.

This is a complex issue and one that is not going to be solved quickly or easily.  In fact with an increase in global conflict even more people will be forced to seek asylum in safer places like Australia.  We have a responsibility to help these troubled people; we also have a responsibility to make sure Australia continues to be a safe place for its citizens!

A few Saturdays ago, Christie and I had an almost perfect day.  Our three daughters spent the day with friends, giving us a rare day on our own.  We made the most of it – grabbed a latte, walked along the beach, chatted about life & faith & the future, and then had a relaxing lunch together before heading home.

In the afternoon, I spent a couple of hours reading the Bible and getting ready to teach at the Saturday evening service.  My topic was “Free to be patient.”  Little did I know that my own patience was about to be tested to the limit!

The service went very well.  The congregation enthusiastically embraced the message; people committed their lives to Jesus.  I went home feeling very encouraged.  At about 11pm we headed for bed.  I have a few ways that I like to demonstrate my love for Christie.  One way is to take her a cup of tea in bed most mornings.  Another way is to make her a hot water bottle on cold Melbourne winter nights.

That Saturday night was particularly cold, so I boiled the kettle, filled the water bottle and popped it into Christie’s side of the bed.  I got into bed first while Christie was hanging some clothes.  We were talking about the kids, and I was feeling the cold more than usual, so I reached out for the hot water bottle, thinking I’d warm myself up before Christie got into bed.
The next thing I remember is the most excruciating pain on my side, back and left arm.  I went from drowsy to wide awake in less than a second.  I don’t remember getting out of bed.  I was told later that I’d probably had some assistance from residual electricity because Christie’s electric blanket was also on.  I hit the floor and tried to get my pyjamas off as quickly as possible.
By this time Christie had realised what was happening and Gigi, our eldest daughter who had heard my screams, had come into our room as well.  They got me to the shower and stood me under the cold water to try and stop the burning.  Meanwhile Christie phoned for an ambulance.  I stayed in the shower the whole time – freezing and in so much pain – but I was still able to give instructions for what needed to happen at our two church services the next morning!
Thirty minutes later the ambulance arrived and took me to the Alfred Hospital.  I passed out along the way so I don’t remember the journey at all.  That began a nine-day stay in hospital followed by recovery at home.
I’m glad to say that I am now recovering well and feeling stronger by the day.  I’ve seen a few miracles along the way – not least the fact that I don’t need to have any skin grafts.  The Alfred staff told me I was the first burns case from a hot water bottle that they knew of that didn’t need grafts.  I am so thankful for that.  I’m thankful for the amazing support I’ve had from Christie and my girls, from the amazing community of God’s people at Bayside Church, for the prayers of thousands of people around the world, and for the medical expertise of the staff at the Alfred Hospital as well as Antoinette the nurse who visited our home each day after I was discharged from hospital.
This has been a horribly traumatic experience to go through and one in which I’ve had to draw on my patience message on more than one occasion.  I never want to go through anything like this ever again.  And I’d love to prevent others from going through this as well – that’s why I’m writing this blog.
One of the staff at the hospital told me about 200 people a year are admitted to hospital because of burns received from a hot water bottle.  That’s 200 people too many – plus hundreds of people who receive burns that don’t need hospital care.  Why do we think that pouring very hot water into a perishable substance is ever a good idea?  Hot water bottles are evil.  If you have one please throw it away.  There are better options for getting warm.
One thing I am grateful for is that this happened to me and not to Christie.  If I hadn’t reached across the bed that night for the hot water bottle Christie would have been burned by it instead of me.  We have now thrown away all our hot water bottles.  I encourage you to do the same.

The Victorian State Government is considering a “presumed consent” system for organ donation to replace the current system.  At present, people who want to donate their organs at death need to register their intentions.  In the new system, it would be presumed that everyone consents to donate their organs unless they specify otherwise.  Western Australia is currently introducing presumed consent.  This has been standard practice in Spain, France, Belgium and Sweden for some time.

I think this is an excellent idea because right now, only one in 10 Victorian adults are registered organ donors – and many of those never have their final wishes fulfilled because grieving families often block the wishes of the deceased.  Currently, about 1,700 Australians are waiting for organ donations.  Last year only 309 donors gave organs that saved 931 recipients.  So, what is a Christian view of organ donation?

Many Christians may fail to donate organs because of the idea that a total body will be necessary at the resurrection.  Carroll Simcox in “The Case of the Missing Liver” addresses this concern (to view this article, click on the link at the end of this blog).  The view is that, at the resurrection the risk exists of someone’s body missing vital organs or, worse still, organs flying out of the recipients and finding their home once again in the donor!  This concern can be quickly squashed by a proper understanding of 1 Corinthians 15:35-49 which teaches that there is a tremendous difference between the physical body at death, which may be buried, cremated and return to dust (Genesis 3:19), and the spiritual body of the resurrection.

Others may be concerned that organ donation and transplantation is interfering with the natural order.  Some people feel that organ transplantation is contrary to natural law, supporting the concept on the basis of the inevitable rejection by one’s body of a newly transplanted organ or tissue. Developing technology, however, has decreased the risks of rejection. In the early 17th century the practice of blood transfusions resulted in many deaths because incompatible blood was given. Then in 1900 Karl Landsteiner discovered blood types and thus eliminated the extreme risks involved in transfusions. Technological advances continue to eliminate the rejection of organs through closely screening donors and recipients, and then developing medications that will combat specific rejection of the transplanted organs.

It is my belief that the Bible supports medical, technological and scientific breakthroughs.  In Genesis 1:28 God commands humanity to kabash, or take charge of earth.  The Bible also gives many accounts of intervention to extend life or improve its quality.  One example is Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44). This event extended Lazarus’s life and gave him and his family new opportunities. The Gospel accounts record 23  times that Jesus healed or raised someone from the dead (see John 4:46-53; Matthew 8:2-4; Mark 2:3-12; Luke 18:35-43 and John 5:1-9). Old Testament passages also offer support for prolongation of life. Elijah prayed to God, and the life of the dead child for whom he prayed was restored (1 Kings 17:19-22). Elisha performed a similar act, as life miraculously returned to a dead child (2 Kings 4:32-35).

The other reason why I believe the Bible sanctions organ donation is the repeated command to “Love your neighbour as yourself.” One way to express this love is through modern technology that makes organ donation and transplantation possible. The parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) demonstrated the standard that everyone is a neighbour and that people should be willing to love in a way that meets the needs of their neighbour. This includes giving first aid and the best health care possible. The good Samaritan bandaged wounds, poured on oil and transported the injured man for help. Archibald Robertson says that anointing with oil was the best medical care available in Jesus’ day and that this formula testifies to the importance of medical care along with prayer. Today prolonging life through the best medical technology available and with the power of prayer should be the focus of every person in a similar situation.

Organ donation gives another chance at life to those people who would otherwise die.  Jesus taught the Golden Rule, “in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).  If I – or my wife or children – was dying and an organ transplant could save a life then I would be so grateful if a donor was available.  If I would want others to do that for me why wouldn’t I reciprocate? Organ donation is one of the few acts for which people will remember you even after you are dead.  Any person can give a new life to at least five individuals.  I’m registering as an organ donor as one of my goals for 2011.  Will you join me?

http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/public/services/aodr/index.jsp

http://www.donatelife.gov.au/Discover.html

http://www.religiononline.org/showarticle.asp?title=1000

I just wanted to write… about why I came back to your church this time.  What was my motivation?  It was the search for pleasure.  That sounds like a funny reason to come back to church.  People come to church because they are looking for God, or out of a sense of duty or something like that. Not because they are looking for pleasure.  That is not supposed to be the reason why anyone comes to church.  But it was the reason why I came.

I was lying in bed one Sunday morning early three weeks ago and I was reflecting on my life and it came to me that there was no pleasure or enjoyment in my life.  I mean my life is very rich and full, but it seemed to me at that time that everything I did was just drudgery.  There was no joy in it.
 
And the question that arose in me demanding an answer was where was I to find joy and the answer that came to me was that I was to find it in your church.  I will not say this message came to me from God, because that sounds a bit pretentious, but I will say that it seemed to arise from the innermost depths of my being. It sort of floated up from the depths of my soul.
 
Anyway, that instinct, that uprising, that revelation, call it what you will, has proven to be a correct receiving because coming to your church has enlivened me.

I believe that this is the answer for attracting people to church.  People will come to church when they actually feel that this is the most enjoyable and valuable thing that they can be doing.  They will come to church when they feel that church is more entertaining than going to the pictures or watching TV.
 
Sometimes when I am in your church I feel that there is nothing more entertaining that I could be doing in all the world.  Entertaining may seem like a trivial word, but actually in its deepest sense I think it is quite meaningful.  I mean it in a meaningful way, not a trivial way.  I feel it is really entertaining to be in church. My feelings are stirred and uplifted and enlivened. I am constantly entertained by the worship and the music.  I feel profoundly entertained by events such as that children's day.  There is nothing more enjoyable or valuable that I could be doing.  It is more entertaining than being down at Southland (shopping centre) watching some trashy and ultimately unsatisfying and unnutritious movie. The food at this church is not only wholesome and nutritious but also colourful and tasty and that is what people want.

I couldn’t agree more.  The God of Scripture, of creation, of redemption is colourful, joyful and satisfying.  His church – His people – should be the same.

“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:11)

Church has changed – Check it out!

This question is usually asked because of the exclusive nature of the Christian faith. That is, Christians believe it is only through the completed work of Jesus on the cross and His subsequent resurrection, that a person can have a relationship with God. I believe that! Bible verses such as these are used to substantiate this:

In John 14:6, Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Acts 4:12 states “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

The problem arises when the exclusiveness of the Christian faith leads to a lack of tolerance and respect towards those of other faiths. Some Christians have been guilty of this for centuries – and those of other faiths have been equally guilty.

I believe that Jesus calls all people to live lives of love, tolerance and respect towards others. This is particularly born out in Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan, in which he illustrates what it means to love our neighbour.  A Jewish man is robbed. Two people of like faith show no compassion towards him. Then along comes a man of another faith – a Samaritan – and it is he who shows the qualities of compassion, love and respect. Jesus teaches that loving our neighbour means showing these qualities even towards those with whom we disagree. People of all religions would do well to heed Jesus’ teaching on this.

Even a casual look on the internet reveals the amount of persecution that is still going on in the world today – Christians being persecuted by Muslims; Muslims being persecuted by Christians; Buddhists being persecuted by Christians and Muslims; Christians being persecuted by Buddhists; Christians persecuting Hindus and vice versa – you get the picture?  No wonder many people sit back and want nothing to do with religion.

As Christians we need to learn to move beyond the stereotypes. Yes, there are people with evil plans in every religion, but there are far more people of each religion who are good.

While we were on holiday last year in Malaysia I met two such people – two Muslim guys from Saudi Arabia. They were in their mid-twenties and we met over a game of water volleyball. Later that afternoon we sat together drinking tea and chatting about the differences and similarities in each other’s culture and faith.  It was one of the most enjoyable conversations I’d had in ages and, dare I say, the presence of God was very evident while we chatted. This encounter reminded me of how similar human beings are. We might have differences in skin colour, eye shape, language, religion and culture; but we are all made in the image of God and we all came from the same parents – originally. 

So, while we continue to hold to the exclusivity of our faith, let us also reach out in love, compassion, respect and tolerance to those who are different – and discover the similarities.  One thing I know – this pleases the heart of God.

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Why are some people preoccupied with the end of the world?  Of course, it’s not a new phenomenon.  For centuries people have been prophesying the end of the world.  Many of them have given exact dates.  All of them have been wrong!

The latest false prophecy about the end of the world was made by American radio evangelist Harold Camping who said that judgment day “… will be on May 21st[2011] that God will raise up all the dead that have ever died from their graves. Earthquakes will ravage the whole world as the earth will no longer conceal its dead.”

The prophecy was based on two numerological proofs. The first proof was based on Genesis 7:4, when God said to Noah: “Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”  According to Camping, when God referred to seven days, he meant both seven days and seven thousand years, because “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” The flood occurred in 4990 BC. Seven thousand years later is 2011.

The second proof looks at the significance of the number of days between the crucifixion and 21 May, 2011. There are 722,500 days between these dates. 722,500 is a significant number because it is composed of the significant numbers 5x10x17x5x10x17. Five signifies redemption; ten signifies completion; and 17 signifies heaven. The numbers represent the day of redemption (5) and the end of the Christian era (10) and the ascent to heaven (17) – and these factors are doubled for added significance!

For all of his profound mathematical insight Camping was profoundly wrong – 21st May came and went. Instead of admitting his mistake, Camping released a special statement on his radio program Open Forum stating that his predicted 21 May 2011 Rapture was “an invisible judgment day” and that he has come to understand it as a “spiritual”, rather than a physical event. “We had all of our dates correct,” Camping insisted, clarifying that he now understands that Christ’s May 21 arrival was “a spiritual coming” ushering in the last five months before the final judgment and destruction. But of course, and the Emperor has no clothes on either!

In an hour and a half broadcast, Camping walked listeners through his numerological timeline, insisting that his teaching has not changed and that the world will now end on 21 October 2011. Camping also speculated that perhaps a merciful God decided to spare humanity five months of “hell on earth.” Some followers said the delay was a further test from God to persevere in their faith.

The tragedy is that many people quit their jobs, sold their homes and spent their entire life savings to warn people about the impending judgment. Robert Fitzpatrick, a 60-year-old, retired transit worker from Staten Island, invested his entire life savings of $140,000 into a New York advertising campaign.  I wonder if Harold Camping will refund their money? After all, the evangelist is a multi-millionaire.

In Old Testament times a false prophet was to be stoned to death.  Although I don’t advocate for the return of stoning one can imagine that it certainly would be a deterrent to the wild imaginings of some people.

It’s interesting to note that the vast majority of Bible prophecies concerning the end of the world are actually aimed at how we should live now.  The world will end one day, therefore it’s important how we conduct our life.

The Bible does speak about the future, but it is much more interested in how we live in the present. Jesus even told His followers “… do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

When Jesus’ followers asked him about the timing of future events he replied, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses …” (Acts 1:7). That’s a very polite way of saying “mind your business and get on with the job!”  That would be very good advice for all us – including the Harold Camping’s of this world!

There seems to be a regular attack on government funding of private schools.  Recently I read these letters to the editor in the Herald Sun:

“I resent paying for private schools through my taxes.  We need to better fund public schools first.”

“Get rid of the funding for private schools, build the new hospital (or two) and put the rest into public schools.  Simple.”

Simple?  Is it really?  The ongoing political and media debate about government funding of private schools is full of misconceptions and distortion of facts.   In 2007, comedienne and well-known atheist Catherine Deveny stated it bluntly when she wrote, “private schools should not receive funding.”
What is often not mentioned – or understood – is that the existence of private schools actually saves the taxpayer money.  For example, one local private school receives almost $3,000 of government funding annually per primary student and about $3,800 per secondary student.  The average cost of educating a student in a government school in Australia is over $7,000 (primary) and over $9,000 (secondary).

In other words, every primary student at this private school saves the taxpayer over $4,000 a year and every secondary student saves the taxpayer over $5,000. The combined 2008 savings to taxpayers from families attending this particular school were over $13 million.  Undoubtedly this saving has increased over the past three years.

What needs to be made clear is that scrapping – or reducing – government funding to private schools will increase fees, thus forcing some families to send their children to public schools instead.  This will inevitably put extra stress on the public school system, which in turn will cost the taxpayer more.  It would also reduce the education options for families and penalise people of many faiths who desire their children to have an education that is consistent with their religious beliefs.

I believe it is the right of every parent to send their children to a school of their choice – be it public or private, but please let’s not buy in to some of the tripe that is regularly served up by some politicians, media commentators and members of the general public.

Social media has been buzzing over the past week with the story of Casey Heynes, the 15-year-old student who finally snapped after being bullied for most of his school life.  The video of him slamming Ritchard Gale (12) into a concrete path has had thousands of hits on YouTube and has been widely reported by the world’s media.  Click on this link to see the event that has been so talked about.

Casey has become an overnight hero with a Facebook page dedicated to him with over 170,000 fans. Why all of this attention?

Firstly I believe it’s because most of us have a sense of fairness and justice for those who have suffered from bullying – me included.  Casey was taunted for being overweight.  I suffered the same taunts at school for being skinny.  The old saying:”Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” is so untrue.  Young people are affected by unkind words that are spoken over them and this – in extreme cases – can lead to depression and even suicide.  Casey Heynes said in an interview that he had contemplated suicide on several occasions.

Secondly, this event has received a lot of attention because it highlights a major problem.  Bullying most often occurs in our schools between children, but it also happens between adults in workplaces and at home.   Cyber bullying is also on the increase with children and adults being bullied via SMS, Facebook and email.

If you – or someone you know – are being bullied, the Internet has some very useful resources that can help you.  Try these three principles:

Ignore and avoid: Bullies usually harass their victims in order to get a reaction. If a bully is making fun of you, simply walk right by without responding to let him or her know that you don’t care what they say about you. Try and avoid them by engaging in an after-school activity, by using an alternative route home or by walking with friends.  If you’re the victim of cyber bullying change your email address or mobile number or block the person from Facebook.

Be confident: Bullies usually pick on people who they perceive to be weaker than them. Therefore, if you can demonstrate to the bully that you are strong and confident, they may stop picking on you.

Ask for help: Tell a teacher, your parents, or another trusted adult that you are being bullied.

Bullying is abuse. No one deserves to be bullied and the problem usually won’t go away without direct action.  Although I don’t agree with the action Casey Heynes took in slamming Ritchard Gale into a concrete path, I can understand it.  This young man had had enough.  If you’ve had enough of being bullied take action today!

At the time of writing this blog, there is an inland sea of water sweeping its way across North West Victoria.  This wall of water is causing significant damage, devastating property and ruining lives.

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, it is easy in times of disaster and tragedy to ask the question, “why?”  Over the years, I’ve discovered that the answers that people offer to the “why” question usually amount to empty, shallow clichés.  I believe there’s a better question to ask at times like these: “what?”  What can I do to help make a difference?  What is life really all about?  What can I learn from times of tragedy?

There is a great resilience in the human spirit – I believe it is God-given.  When faced by adversity there is something within us that rises to the challenge and steps out to help others.  We have seen people risk their lives in order to save others.  We’ve seen thousands of volunteers rise up to help those whose property has been flood-affected.  In the midst of loss and sadness, there are always stories of miracles and rejoicing.  Such is the human experience on planet earth!

Loss of life reminds us how brief and fragile life is. I’m not suggesting that we should be living our lives always thinking of death, but it is important that we are realistic.  It’s too easy to be caught up in the busyness and routine of life and forget that one day, sooner or later, we too will pass away.  In a world of uncertainty we can be certain of this fact, as King Solomon wrote three thousand years ago, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die …” Are you ready when your time comes?

Have you noticed that when the media report on someone having died they always refer to the “body” being found rather than the “person”?  It’s interesting that our language reflects the inward knowledge that there is a spiritual dimension to us that is missing once the person dies.  We talk about someone’s “remains” – that is, what is left after the person’s spirit has departed.  The Bible says that our body is like a tent.  It is a temporary dwelling place until we depart for our eternal home.  God has promised that everyone who places his or her faith in Jesus will have an eternal home with Him.  Have you accepted Jesus as your Saviour?

Life on earth is short.  The Bible describes it as “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”  It’s sad that many people waste their short life living so far below their potential, wasting opportunities, misusing talents, abusing relationships.  We only get one shot at living life on earth – how are you spending it?

Thinking through the answers to the “what” questions is so much more productive than constantly asking “why?”  Someday we might know why, but I have a feeling that when we get the chance to ask why various things happened – or didn’t happen – that we won’t be so fussed with finding out!

If you would like to make a donation to the Bayside Church Flood Relief Appeal please click on the following link.  All donations over $5 are Tax Deductible.  Click here.

I’m sure we’ve all been watching over the past few weeks as many parts of Australia have been devastated by floodwaters.  People have lost their lives, their livelihood and their possessions.  It’s a tragedy of unparalleled proportions in Australia’s history.

Something that always fascinates me in times like this is how we try and find answers to “why?”  Why has this happened?  Of course, the natural answer to that question is that the floods have happened because there’s been extremely heavy rain over a long period of time.  The ground is saturated, and so all subsequent rain is run-off.  The dams are overflowing; the water has to go somewhere.

Others, predictably, have attributed the floods to the judgment of God.  One preacher said the Queensland floods happened because Kevin Rudd spoke against Israel (and Kevin lives in Queensland so that’s why God flooded it).  If that’s the case, the floods should have stopped at the border instead of inundating northern New South Wales!

But “why?” is the wrong question.  In fact, the Bible rarely answers the “whys” of life.  It is more interested in “what?”  There’s a fascinating story about this in Luke chapter 13.

“Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them — do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

In these verses, Jesus deals with “what” rather than “why.”  You see, people in Jesus’ day were no different to people in Australia today.  They were looking for reasons why tragedy had taken place and had come up with the answer – it was because those people were “worse sinners” and “more guilty” than others.  That’s why God judged them!  But Jesus told them they were wrong and then clearly tells us what our response to tragedy needs to be– we need to repent and get right with God.  To repent means to change our mind, behaviour, and direction concerning God, Jesus and the way we live!

Times of disaster like the floods affecting much of Australia right now can be a wake-up call for all of us.  They are a reminder of what really matters.  Human life – as well as material possessions – can be so easily lost. How important it is for all of us to live lives that make a difference to others rather than living selfishly. How important it is for all of us to be ready to meet our Maker whenever that might be!

To be continued…

If you would like to make a donation to the Bayside Church Flood Relief Appeal please click on the following link.  All donations over $5 are Tax Deductible.  Click here.

 

Many people have completely the wrong idea about Christianity and what it means to be a Christian. The sad fact is often they get this wrong idea from Christians!  Let me explain…

Many people I speak with think that being a Christian is about being a “good” person and living a “good” life.  This message is communicated when the church takes on the role of moral policeman for society – thinking that its main role is to say what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour for everyone – even those who don’t consider themselves to be Christian.

The problem is that this moral message gets in the way of the church’s real message – the gospel, which is good news.  Some Christians are so busy trying to clean up others’ lives by Christianising them that they miss their real mission – that of evangelizing by sharing the true gospel.  The message of the moral police actually drives a wedge between Christians and the world that God loves.

Jesus didn’t behave this way so why has so much of the church bought into the lie that we are here to moralise and Christianise rather than evangelise?  It’s like trying to clean a fish before you’ve caught it.  Jesus hung around with all sorts of people who had been regularly rejected by the religious crowd of his day (see Mark 2:13-17).  The religious right, who did not understand such love and acceptance, scorned him.

God gave the same message to the Hebrews who had been taken into captivity to Babylon in 597 BC (see Jeremiah 29:4-14).  Jeremiah 29 is a letter to the exiles giving instructions on how God’s people are to live when they are foreigners in a strange land.  And what a strange place Babylon was! It was the place where astrology, and other occult practices, was developed. In their worship system, they had 37 supreme gods, and one of these, the god associated with the sun, was supreme over all the other gods. These people believed that numbers in some way had power over the gods they worshiped. They counted their gods and assigned a count number to each of the 36 lesser supreme gods, and then added up all of these numbers (from one to 36) and assigned the sum to the sun god – 666. They also practiced Knot Magic: The belief that tying and untying knots could cure all manner of illnesses.

In light of these and other strange and immoral practices you’d think that God would instruct his people to make banners and hold protest marches down the streets of Babylon – “Down with Knot Magic!” “God hates 666.”  “Astrologers will go to hell!”

But the message from God was very different.  God instructed his people to “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”  “Peace and prosperity” is the Hebrew word “shalom” which includes things like safety, happiness, friendliness, welfare, health, prosperity, peace, contentment, completeness, soundness and restoration.  This was the impact God’s people were to have on Babylon – this is the impact the church is meant to have on the world today!

Christians are not called to live as conspirators banded together against the world that is for the time their home.  Rather Jesus calls his people to live as salt and light “that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Canadian Scientists at the University of Alberta (Dr. Anthony Chaston and research colleague, Dr. Alan Kingstone) have proven once and for all that time really does fly when you're having fun. Or at least, it flies when your attention is engaged.

The scientists devised a test that required subjects to find specific items in various images (similar to a Where’s Wally picture).  Before the subjects started the test they were told that once they had completed it they would be asked to estimate how much time had passed during their test.

There were seven levels of difficulty. In the more difficult tests, the items were placed among many similar looking items, or they didn't even exist in the image at all.

“The harder and harder the search tasks were, the smaller and smaller the estimates became," said Chaston.  That is, the more your attention is engaged the faster time seems to pass.  And that’s the key to why time flies more these days than in days gone by.

Think about it – 100 years ago no one had travelled at more than 50 kilometres an hour.  Today space travel allows people to go around the earth in 80 minutes. 

And what about the increase in knowledge? The total storage of knowledge is doubling every eight years. Eighty percent of all the scientists who ever lived are alive today.  Every single minute 2,000 pages are added to man’s scientific knowledge.  The scientific material produced in one day would take one person five years to read. About half a million books are published each year. The fastest computer in the world can peak at two quadrillion operations per second! One edition of any major newspaper has more information than the average person living in the 17th century would have come across in a lifetime.

The prophet Daniel predicted this age more than 2,600 years ago speaking of the end times when “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”  Our attention is engaged more than ever and so time flies faster than ever.

With time flying faster it’s important that there are no regrets.  American Professor Mason Cooley said, “Regret for wasted time is more wasted time.”  You cannot change what you’ve done with the past but, as one year closes and another begins, you can make a decision not to waste the future.  2011 is going to fly just as fast as this year, therefore it’s important that you don’t end a year with regrets but rather plan ahead.  Do some planning now by scheduling the most important things: time with God and His people; time with family and friends; time for fun and recreation; time for work and rest and time to help others less fortunate.

Your time is going to fly – make sure you’re flying in the right direction.