Photo by C3 Churches

A guest post by one of the finest leaders in Australia. I read his stuff, I give credit to his stuff, I steal his stuff, I take his stories and make em my own stuff and on this rare occasion, I am reposting some THAT goodness to you. If you don’t know Josh, maybe check him out. If you do know Josh, then thanks for sharing. Follow him here and STOP DOING DRUGS. Not sure who that last tangent was for …

You will probably like his magic_ness. He is extremely creative, he even spaces his blogs out super nice and neat. When he writes it’s as if  you’re watching an artist paint. I don’t even know how that is possible on a computer keyboard … but it is… because HE does it. Words will explode in your face, paint will splatter and you may just feel a bit of sweat in your own palms. Excitement is contagious. Enjoy …

PSALM 46:1 God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

I am a refugee in this world

Searching for a place of peace in amidst the war that rages on the inside and outside

Everyone needs a refuge

Everyone needs strength

Everyone is in need

Everyone is in trouble

All have fallen short and need catching

We need catching today

We need arms that can catch us

We need help now

The present is always now

Our need is ever+present

Where do we go for our refuge?

Where do we go for a little bit more strength?

What thoughts invade our minds to help us survive another war torn day?

Our refuge

Our strength

Our trouble

Our present

It is all connected…

Can you see it?

Humanity is hurting

Our hearts need changing

Our hearts are fallen

Our hearts are holding on by a thread of pride

It won’t hold.

Wait.

For.

He.

Who.

Is.

Ever+present.

In the beginning He was present

In the end He is present

Now He is present

JESUS.

THE PERFECT MAN.

EMMANUEL.

GOD WITH US.

CHRIST.

SAVIOR OF HUMANITY.

OUR REFUGE.

OUR STRENGTH.

EVER+PRESENT.

THE CROSS CROSSES ETERNITY TO REACH INTO MY HEART NOW.

LORD YOU ARE MY REFUGE + STRENGTH

WHERE THE EVER MEETS MY PRESENT

by heesterbeek ineke

Location: Tinley Park, IL
Read Time: 4 minutes
Podcast: 32 minutes

I was caught recently by a podcast from Pastor Phil Pringle, founding pastor of Christian City Church, Oxford Falls, Sydney, Australia.  The discussion focused on the story concerning the woman caught in adultery – or the modern day Desperate Housewives.  The story wasn’t what grabbed me, but what he introduced were the historical facts concerning Christian martyrs.

Another random thought to chew on: have we allowed cheating to being ok and almost humorous?

During the first few hundreds years after Christ, there was heaps of persecution against Christians.  Many of them were publicly slaughtered at the Roman Collisseum and even burned on crosses for professing Christ.  Massive amounts of blood were spilled, skin burned, skulls crushed… simply because of their faith in someone other than Caesar.  Imagine watching the following films in sequence to get an idea of what kind of mutilation was taking place: 300, Braveheart, Gladiator, Rambo 1, 2, 3, and some bits of Goodfellas.  What we forget to mention is how many of these Christians decided to renounce Christ at the last moment before death.  I don’t think any one of us could possibly imagine the horrific images these people were seeing as followers of Christ.

Can you imagine these men and woman, who were being screamed at and beaten, all being told that all they had to do was renounce Christ and they could go home?  They could go home to their children, their husbands, wives, friends and family… all with a few simple words.  They needed only claim Caesar as God, and light a candle in worship; just like that – death would pass.  Well, this seemed so easy that many of the professed Christians renounced Christ. Many of them said the simple words, claimed Caesar as God and went home.  What they were not prepared for was the continued persecution – only this time – from those who said they loved them.

Many of these (almost) martyrs would head home, stricken with guilt and search to meet with their local church leaders. The pain, anguish and agony they must have felt from the pressures of life must have been soul shattering.  Once home and seeing their families – the mind torment they must have endured for forsaking Christ probably seemed unbearable.  What was worse was how many of them were persecuted by fellow followers of Christ for having renounced.  They had made a mistake and instead of grace, these people were doubly disgraced from those who they thought would love.

How do we treat the fallen?  How do we react to the broken and the weak in spirit?  Have a read at the text below.   I hope this is illumination for you, as it was for me.  Do we allow grace in our lives, and have we forgotten how much Christ loves us?

John 8:1-11: 1 Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. 4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” 6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. 9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” 11 “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”