A City On A Hill

Geographically speaking, Christchurch is far from being situated on a hill. We lay in more of a valley with surrounding hills and mountains that tower over us, but yet I felt God speak this phrase to me very clearly yesterday evening. I quickly hopped on the web and searched the passage of scripture that this came from.
In Matthew 5:14 it says

‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.’ (NIV)

February the 22nd marks the four year anniversary of the earthquake that destroyed this city, but it also marks a time where we became the most malleable form in which God can use us- I will touch in this more in a moment.  We were suddenly in the public eye, news channels jumped on this disaster and it spread like wildfire. I feel this is what really placed us as a city on a hill. This scripture will continue to ring true as we rebuild, slowly building up fresh infrastructure, birthed from minds that suddenly had a whole canvas of a city to work on. Community projects have blossomed like pop up dance-o-mats, poetry walls, and outside movie screenings have adorned this city with hope during this ongoing restoration project. This rebuild will not be a quiet task, it will draw attention no only nationally but internationally and it is pushing me to continue prayerfully that God’s hand is upon this whole process. If we are a city on a hill that cannot be hidden, I want to be a city that shines the light of Christ from every rubble ruined street corner, and every sleek new office building. I desire to be a part of something that has Christ as the centre, and know that if God can speak the stars into existence, he can take the brokenness of this city and make it whole again.

This leads me onto something I touched on before, being malleable in God’s hands. After the quake we became our weakest, as we mourned over loves ones and watched bricks that built up our homes and buildings, tumble around us. The city became a mess of road cones and tears, and we watched as we became very different versions of ourselves than we once knew. But not only did God speak to me about being a city on a hill, the thing that hit me the most this evening was two verses a few above that read,

³You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
⁴ You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. (THE MSG)

How incredible is it that God loves our brokenness? A person who is willing to become completely undone for the sake of being put back together to become more like him is someone who is treasured in God’s eyes. This evening I began to see God’s heart in the way I view this city. I see how I am intrigued by the fading shop signs and smashed bookcases behind windows. I look upon broken dollhouse-like buildings, and I am reminded of my own brokenness and how lovingly God looks upon my every fault, knowing he has work to do in me. I see how when this city and it’s people are at the end of their rope, there is far more God can do because we are willing for him to take the reins. I see how when we have lost what is most important to us, the embrace of our father is that much more comforting and needed. But most of all, I see myself in these broken city streets and hear my Dad call me his child and let me know the passion I have for this broken city is the passion he has for me. He wants me to run into his arms when I reach the end of my tether, or when I feel I am crumbling in the way this city did, because in times like these he will grow me the most.
I encourage you to be attentive to what God is speaking to you about, and don’t ever feel discounted because of your faults of weaknesses. For when we are at our weakest, it is at this place we are most able to be used by our Father- and he can use you in incredible ways.

Revisiting Spirituality (Part 1): God the Spirit and Spirituality

Introduction - God the Spirit, and Spirituality

The topic of spirituality has always been a foreign one for me at the least. Foreign, not only because I don't quite fully understand what spirituality is, but also, it isn't something we read in the newspaper or talk comfortably about on a general basis. But it is my interest to express my relationship with the spirit alongside the bible in order to deliver one approach to spirituality, and how it is applicable even in public. For the sake of irony (see next heading), I don't want people to misinterpret this blog as a direct finger point 'do this' because it's not at all. As it is just a yarn; one expression of one interpretation.

Spirituality and it's Hundred Interpretations

Spirituality is an important sphere in our lives, moreover, it is a space where we connect with God in particular ways. But sadly, spirituality is also an ambiguous concept. It is ambiguous because the bible says one thing, but people read three things, and thereafter the world has advertised a hundred things. Furthermore, the chemistry of its ambiguous nature is rather complex, but to put it simply it transpires out of these subsequent consequences: many people absorb many experiences, and therefore we tend to interpret many things. Spirituality from the current post-modern perspective, may be referred to, and limited only to as a concept. This limitation is a result of our inter-subjective web, simply: different people seeing various different things and ultimately; interpreting a particular response.

 The consequences of the ambiguous post-modern spirituality are the apparent unnecessary rituals we come across today. This has contributed to the "weird" and "spooky" vibe that people nowadays interpret when they come across 'spirituality'. For the sake of going off topic, all arguments aside: the bible is an absolute truth and so; how it describes spirituality should be seen as the real and true spirituality. But there are many ridiculous spiritual activities in practice, and all but one is true. Therefore, it is rare to see spirituality actually produce anything significant, good, or anything at all. It is then understandable; why the general (or at least western) perspective of  being spiritual is a quality of being insane or at least a little bit crazy. Surely if A, B, and C do an array of weird and ridiculous things, and all claim to act under a 'spiritual' determination, spirituality and everything to do with it must and only be a ridiculous in vain concept for nutters... By no means, this is a complete misinterpretation of what the bible says spirituality is, and furthermore, what spirituality should be interpreted as and look like.

What Christians (and this includes me) may face because of this, is a thick cloud of disillusionment. It is similar to this modern misunderstanding; when people understand Christianity as religiosity. For example, I often have people asking on the lines of 'Are you religious?' and my response would immediately be on the lines of 'I believe in [or follow] Jesus, but I am not religious.' This response often has people interested because they don't understand the difference, moreover it drops a 'fruitful' seed in their curiosity that opens future conversations. This atmosphere of the world loves to distract our perception from what the bible says spirituality is, and its confusion scatters our faith to what other things say.  Most importantly, this distraction has made it difficult for us to understand and develop a relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Holywho?

One thing that I continue to struggle with is grasping who the Holy Spirit is; as person of God. Yes, who, not what. I must admit, I still may accidentally refer to him as an it. For some reason it can be easy for me to limit the Spirit to God's Loreal product; in which we may think of the Spirit as a buzz that makes us feel "worth it".

Whenever I come back from intense experience of the Holy Spirit, I find it easy to limit what the Spirit can do when and where. This is a natural response, and it was particularly easy for me to fall into its trap in years surrounding when I first was baptized and met the Spirit.

I'd like to also note that being baptized in the spirit is different to knowing the spirit.

Back in my early years, I only understood the Spirit as an experience, rather than someone; whom is always with me. I don't fully understand the Spirit, and I probably will only understand him as a child understands little of the world they live in. This is the beauty of the Holy Spirit: not only he is someone we can experience things with that transcends any intimacy; but he is a person, therefore he is a someone we can develop and live alongside in relationship.


God, the Holy Spirit

I do want to avoid the confusion the Trinity tends to give to people, but God is three persons. To put it simply, a friend put him into perspective in the terms of water:

Water can be a gas (steam),
Liquid (water)
Or solid (ice).

But imagine water is in its forms all at the same time, God is (and in no particular order):

God the Father;
God the Son (Jesus);
God the Holy Spirit.

It's not the best explanation, but anyway... God plays three different roles as those persons, all are equal and work in perfect harmony (see Genesis 1).

Galatians 5 describes the fruits, the attributes of the spirit as love, joy, peace, etc (see image above). One may distinguish these fruits as the character of Jesus, in which is portrayed throughout the gospels. If you understand these fruits as 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away', it highlights a relationship between the three persons of God. Instead of limiting the Spirit to annual experiences in Christian camps, we should recognize how we can have a day-to-day relationship with him. Yes, you may not feel that 'buzz' everyday you felt that one or two times coming back from your first christian camps, but the Spirit may want to gives other things.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 

1 Corinthians 12: 4-6

1 Cor. 12 is a great chapter and you may want to read all of it! But how about when you are on the bus, before you get out of bed, in the show even; ask the spirit to develop even just one of those fruits. The Spirit is someone who helps us be like Jesus, he equips us with the things we need to live in this world. Ken Shelley, King's Church Christchurch pastor said "don't waste your wilderness." How about you use your wilderness as a starting point; to start seeing the Spirit as someone who can help you, and comfort you. God to us is a spontaneous God (see 'Our Worries' blog post), but he isn't; his will is ultimate and we can depend on him that he has our best destiny planned. Overwhelmed with work or assignments? Ask the Spirit for peace. Need to feel that little happier? Ask the Spirit for love and joy. Don't expect a quick fix; continually ask for it, fight for it! God wants us to live for him, but we live in a world that doesn't want God or his ideals. This relationship we have with God is one like any other in this aspect: it develops. It is this relationship that is given to us out of the grace of the father, and it lasts forever.

#YOLTBTSTYLF

(You only live twice, but the second time you live forever)