Why I chose not to stay in politics...

A very nice older lady in my church's 9:30 congregation and I were having a chat about work.

Since I haven't started yet, I was left to discuss some longer term aspirations to save money, allowing me to head towards full-time Ministry.

What was perhaps strange was that she immediately suggested that maybe I should be looking at public service as a politician. Because of this, I have once again had to rethink my decision to leave active involvement in politics, to head for probable full-time ministry.

Here is a summary of a few reasons why I still think I am making the right decision.

The Nature of the work
A politician has his time freed up to convince people to support him and his party.
A minister of the gospel has his time freed up to challenge people to serve the Lord Jesus, and to teach about the God who made the world.

The effect of the work
The politician can try to create a better society by law reform proposals (in terms of either adding to or removing regulation; taxation; criminalisation; etc).
The gospel minister is allowing God to change people through his work.

The restrictions on where you live and work
The politician will seek to work in an area where many people agree with them, and as such makes their work easier to do. They will perhaps also work where they have a natural ascendancy against challenges to their work.
The minister of the gospel should not have the same restrictive approach, they can work just as effectively in areas that vote different ways.
(Note: this is an issue that is more pronounced in political things than in secular work, you may be tied to an office, but you don't have to live and church in a certain style of area).

The temptation to make ministry about you
A church minister is always at risk of making their ministry about building for themselves a profile, but...
The politician is trained to be looking at ways of identifying supporters, recruiting supporters and isolating those that won't support them. While some may do an admirable job working in politics and being involved in church, others may not find the balance so easy, and feel that their primary weekday task should operate at church too.

I might write some more on this later... but at the moment this is enough.

An outlook for Ministry

I've decided not to go to any of the Challenge Conference events this year, for what may be a purely selfish reason - I really want to be doing full-time ministry work now.

It is hard to explain this mindset properly without understanding the context (especially because I would very much encourage others to go).

1. I always get excited when a ministry opportunity comes up "somewhere else" and I think about changing to do that role.
2. I really need to be doing full time work next year, and the temptation is to commit to a ministry position before the timing is right.
3. I will be a more effective ministry person longer term if I have spent enough time in the workforce to understand to at least some extent what it means to be a godly Christian man with a full-time job.
4. The thought of studying for an extended period of time right now actually horrifies me. Even if that study means that I will be better prepared to teach the gospel. I need to work for a while.

Moving to Hornsby has helped me see how much my parents have made decisions right throughout my life with an attempt to be faithful to the gospel calling. I have seen clearly the sacrifices they have made, and keep seeing the willingness to use what God gives them for the purposes of building his kingdom.

The Lord Jesus Christ has put his claim on my life, I wish to submit to his claim, but at the same time, I need to realise the many wonderful ministry opportunities I have now, and to keep working hard at seeing people presented with the gospel, and equipped and trained to proclaim the gospel to others.

Random Surveys

Kog (Not an Anglican admittedly) has posted a survey on his site, and having little to do this morning, I decided to see what to do with it.

For some reason, the song choices pointed me to putting the survey here (maybe I haven't put enough non-Church Music on iTunes).

Anyways... here goes, feel free to laugh

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1) Put your music player on shuffle

2) Press forward for each question

3) Use the song title as the answer to the question

4) NO CHEATING!!!
______________________________

1.) How am I feeling today?
Compelled by Love – Bryson Smith

2.) Where will I get married?
Kingdom Song – We are His People

3.) What is my best friend's theme song?
Make Every Effort – Consider Christ

4.) What is/was highschool like?
O Come and See – Nicky Chiswell (Resurrection)

5.) What is the best thing about me?
Your Love to Me – Ruth Buchanan (Talking About Jesus)

6.) How is today going to be?
Could He Be The one? – Ruth Buchanan

7.) What is in store for this weekend?
My Lord you Wore no Royal Crown – Emu Music

8.) What song describes my parents?
Healthy, Wealthy and Wise – Bryson Smith and Phillip Percival

9.) How is my life going?
The Servant – Consider Christ

10.) What song will they play at my funeral?
I Will Trust in the Lord – Consider Christ

11.) How does the world see me?
The Weight he Chose to Bear – Ruth Buchanan

12.) What do my friends really think of me?
Your Hand of Mercy – Phillip Percival

13.) Do people secretly lust after me?
Man of Sorrows – www.reason.mu

14.) How can I make myself happy?
Nothing Can I Boast In - Percival

15.) What should I do with my life?
”Christianity - the Best fit for this world?” – Archie Poulos and Peter Slezac
(Hey I think it is funny that the only non-song so far is this one… especially because it actually has me on it, from days of Freedom)

16.) Will I ever have children?
Worthy Of All Praise – We are His People

17.) What is some good advice?
In his Image – We are His People

18.) What do I think my current theme song is?
Revive Us – We are his People

19.) What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
Saviour and Friend – Ruth Buchanan

20.) What type of men/women do you like?
Where else have we to Go – Nicky Chiswell

21.) Will you get married?:
Halleluiah to the King of Kings – See Him Coming

22.) What should I do with my love life?
Psalm 24 – Nicky Chiswell

24.) Where will you live?
Your Great Name We Praise – Sovereign Grace Ministries

25.) What will your dying words be?
Before the Throne of God Above – Sovereign Grace Ministries

What the people want

Teaching Sunday School can sometimes be a great thing in clarifying issues in your own head.

My class is currently learning about the period from Judges through to the end of 2 Samuel.

Today we were looking at the whole idea of wanting a king.

I talked with them about various things, and it came out clearly within the discussion that sometimes God gives us things that aren't right for us, but they are what we want, and he uses those things to teach us lessons.

I have a feeling that this is so with my life recently.

I think I and others need to keep spending time thinking about how wonderful God is for me, and less time wondering where things are heading.

"Confirming" the Gospel

I don't know much about what others think, but in the busyness (and business) of doing ministry things, I have found it is sometimes easy enough to get caught up in the tasks you are doing, and to place them at supreme importance.

To challenge this, I was confronted in an unusual way by the Apostle Paul (and indirectly in preparation, by Don C as he discussed Paul).

Discussing Philippians 1:1-8 today with a friend, I was struck by how little Paul was actually currently contributing in a real sense to the partnership in the gospel. He wasn't planting churches or speaking to large crowds, he wasn't really doing any of the great "church growth" activities of his apostolic ministry. (I must admit he was writing his letters for us, imparting through his hand the God-breathed word).

What Paul was doing however, and this is perhaps the most important thing he ever did, was to confirm the gospel in his life. I only really saw the significance of it today as he discussed the work the Philippians were doing, but it struck me as something so incredible.

It is so easy to think that what matters is how much I can contribute financially, how much I pray, how much I evangelise, whether I pastor a church. While all these things are good, and allow others to know Christ, it is an essential part of our partnership in Jesus Christ with him and all believers through the ages that we make the gospel the centre of what we do. We need our lives to show that this is what we are committed to.

Please pray for the task-oriented blokes. Pray that their gospel proclaiming tasks would be matched by gospel confirming lives.

Time to be Anglican - Officially

I have a like/dislike relationship with the Census.

In some ways it is good, and much more convenient than the old style Quirinius and Caeser Augustus ones. (Despite the temptation to play with the stats by going to the south coast or another like location).

What gets me though is the "Religion" question.
I know what they are seeking to achieve/discover by it, but what happens when I don't identify as a particular religious affiliation?
In the past month I have attended good evangelical Christian churches in non-denominational, baptist and anglican settings.

The decline in denominationalism is something I tend to like writing about, but it is a good and bad thing. The Churches may even find the data collected on the form is not that great for what they are seeking to achieve.

Does it really matter if I am a Christian not an Anglican? Does it impact the system?

And what about independant Chinese church? What box do they tick? (Is it the same one as Hillsong?)

Oh well,

Worth a bit more of a look.