Even though the local church hints at a remade world, I’m sure we all realise it’s far from perfect. So it’s a relief that in the final chapters of the book, we see a beautiful picture of God’s people perfectly gathered under His rule. What a joy it is to know that one day, ultimate unity is possible!
Ash makes an interesting distinction between heaven and the new creation (p179). He defines heaven as the place where God and Jesus “reside” right now, along with Christians who have passed on from this world (vastly different from the white, fluffy version of Philadelphia cream cheese ads). But even heaven is not the end of the story. The final goal of God, as far as we can understand it, is that God’s people will be ruling a thoroughly remade creation under Christ’s headship for God’s glory. Imagine the world as it is now, but purged of all things bad and with good delights transcended a thousand times. It’s creation, but deeply transformed – a reunification of heaven and earth!
This new creation will only come when Jesus comes back. That’s why everything is waiting for His return. It is the hope of every Christian past, present & future; the very creation itself groans in longing; and even Jesus Himself is awaiting that day. Therefore, we who are Christians persevere not for death & heaven, but for the Day of the Lord when all things in heaven and on earth will be brought under one head, even Christ (Eph 1:9,10).
Remaking a broken world – it’s a catchy book title, and it could almost be the subtitle for the whole Bible (if I may say so with utmost reverence for God’s word). Reading this book has made me appreciate how God’s plan to gather His people wonderfully and graciously includes the humble local church. It has refreshed my passion to persist in serving the Church for His glory whilst I eagerly await Jesus’ return. But in the end, perfect harmony will only be possible when God remakes all of creation.
Showing posts with label Remaking a broken world. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Remaking a broken world. Show all posts
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Remaking a Broken World #4
After thousands of years, God’s plan for remaking a broken world is fulfilled in Jesus! At the cross, Jesus reconciled people to God. What’s more is that people are also reconciled to each other as a wonderful side effect of the cross!
I found it fascinating to read about the relationship between the Spirit and the cross (p127). The vivid imagery of God’s Spirit destroying any hearts uncleansed by Jesus’ death depicts the awesomeness of God’s holiness. It is impossible for our sinful human hearts to house the Spirit of a most holy God. But I didn’t quite understand what the Holy Spirit has to do with gathering of God’s people. It turns out that the Spirit’s coming signified the fulfilment of God’s original promise to Abraham. (p128 cf. Ga 3:14) It is the Spirit that reverses the curse of the Tower of Babel at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-12) and also gathers people into fellowship with God. I guess the fact that I had never considered the Spirit’s role in bringing about unity demonstrates my often restricted understanding of the Spirit.
I was also greatly challenged by the seven marks of an authentic local church, as discussed in Chapter 8. It looks so different to the churches I’m used to! Not because I’ve been in bad churches, but the reality is that Christians meet in a world broken by sin. Yet this chapter has lifted my view of Church to see in it the seeds of a remade world.
The gracious nature of the church stood out in particular. As I read about Jesus telling His disciples that His followers must become like children (p145), I was humbly convicted of my own dependence and lack of status before God. It is only by grace that I am accepted into His Church. What right do I have, then, to think that I am any better than others who have also received God’s grace? On what basis can I choose to not accept others? How easy it is for me to forget the very reason I’m a Christian in the first place and lapse into the sin of pride!
So in exploring the elements of a remade world, I was instead reminded of how far the church (and myself) fall from that end goal. May God continue to graciously gather and perfect His people!
I found it fascinating to read about the relationship between the Spirit and the cross (p127). The vivid imagery of God’s Spirit destroying any hearts uncleansed by Jesus’ death depicts the awesomeness of God’s holiness. It is impossible for our sinful human hearts to house the Spirit of a most holy God. But I didn’t quite understand what the Holy Spirit has to do with gathering of God’s people. It turns out that the Spirit’s coming signified the fulfilment of God’s original promise to Abraham. (p128 cf. Ga 3:14) It is the Spirit that reverses the curse of the Tower of Babel at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-12) and also gathers people into fellowship with God. I guess the fact that I had never considered the Spirit’s role in bringing about unity demonstrates my often restricted understanding of the Spirit.
I was also greatly challenged by the seven marks of an authentic local church, as discussed in Chapter 8. It looks so different to the churches I’m used to! Not because I’ve been in bad churches, but the reality is that Christians meet in a world broken by sin. Yet this chapter has lifted my view of Church to see in it the seeds of a remade world.
The gracious nature of the church stood out in particular. As I read about Jesus telling His disciples that His followers must become like children (p145), I was humbly convicted of my own dependence and lack of status before God. It is only by grace that I am accepted into His Church. What right do I have, then, to think that I am any better than others who have also received God’s grace? On what basis can I choose to not accept others? How easy it is for me to forget the very reason I’m a Christian in the first place and lapse into the sin of pride!
So in exploring the elements of a remade world, I was instead reminded of how far the church (and myself) fall from that end goal. May God continue to graciously gather and perfect His people!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Remaking a Broken World #3
After the depressing brokenness of the world in Section A, it was uplifting to see the gathering of God’s people foreshadowed (Section B). In particular, I was struck by the riches of God’s plans for the church, exemplified through Israel’s assembly at Mt. Sinai.
I’d never before noticed the importance of that particular gathering for the Israelites. They must’ve wondered at God’s promises to Abraham as they slaved away in Egypt. But at Mt. Sinai, they were finally a nation in their own right! It was also the first church gathering since the Garden. They were one people, in the one church, under the one God, where they heard God speak.
God clearly intended for all His people to be one without divisions. Yet we know that Israel was later divided. We also know, all too well, that the church today is often separated by race, gender, culture or class. I look forward to the day when the Church is truly unified under God. May we keep working towards that even in a world broken by sin.
An interesting thing I noted in chapter 3 was that God’s people did not actually see God at Mt. Sinai. Rather, they heard God as He spoke to them, which demonstrates the importance of God’s word. Ash goes as far as to say that, “Unless our first desire when we gather is to hear and heed the voice of God in his word, we have missed the foundation point of the church.” (p52) What a great reminder that is, as the world constantly pushes for Christians to update, revamp, modernise and make attractive the Gospel. The word of God, and only the word of God, should be “the driving force that shapes authentic church life.”
So in many ways, Mt. Sinai’s assembly foreshadowed the gathering of God’s people. But the gathering on that day was still at a distance from God, a far cry from the intimacy of God’s relationship with mankind in the Garden of Eden. Thank God that in the perfectly remade world, intimacy will again be possible!
I’d never before noticed the importance of that particular gathering for the Israelites. They must’ve wondered at God’s promises to Abraham as they slaved away in Egypt. But at Mt. Sinai, they were finally a nation in their own right! It was also the first church gathering since the Garden. They were one people, in the one church, under the one God, where they heard God speak.
God clearly intended for all His people to be one without divisions. Yet we know that Israel was later divided. We also know, all too well, that the church today is often separated by race, gender, culture or class. I look forward to the day when the Church is truly unified under God. May we keep working towards that even in a world broken by sin.
An interesting thing I noted in chapter 3 was that God’s people did not actually see God at Mt. Sinai. Rather, they heard God as He spoke to them, which demonstrates the importance of God’s word. Ash goes as far as to say that, “Unless our first desire when we gather is to hear and heed the voice of God in his word, we have missed the foundation point of the church.” (p52) What a great reminder that is, as the world constantly pushes for Christians to update, revamp, modernise and make attractive the Gospel. The word of God, and only the word of God, should be “the driving force that shapes authentic church life.”
So in many ways, Mt. Sinai’s assembly foreshadowed the gathering of God’s people. But the gathering on that day was still at a distance from God, a far cry from the intimacy of God’s relationship with mankind in the Garden of Eden. Thank God that in the perfectly remade world, intimacy will again be possible!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Remaking a Broken World #2
My first impression of the book was – “huh?” I’m not sure if you felt the same, but it went over my head. I knew the premise of the book was to point towards the local church as heart of the Bible’s story by highlighting the theme of scattering and gathering. But as I started reading, I failed to grasp how this theme came about and why it was important.
According to my previous (perhaps naïve) understanding, the main goal of Bible overviews is to track the salvation plan from creation to new creation. Imagine my surprise when little mention was made of sin or death in the story of Adam & Eve (Chapter 1). Instead, it was mainly about the destruction of harmony and alienation from God.
At the tower of Babel (Chapter 2), again my views were challenged. I had previously thought the event was simply about human’s rebellion against God, which resulted in God forcing them to scatter and fill the earth (cf. original command to mankind). But I had not considered that part of God’s purpose in confusing their language was to frustrate man’s harmony and demonstrate that harmony is not possible without Him.
As I continued reading, however, I was persuaded. I realised that the destruction of harmony, either between God & man or man & man, is a direct result of sin. Without God’s merciful intervention, sinful people will always be separated from Him and scattered from each other. Gathering in harmony is only possible when God is accepted as Lord. (Not an earth-shattering revelation perhaps, but it took me awhile to grasp.)
Thus, this Bible overview isn’t really all that strange. God’s people have indeed been scattered or gathered at crucial points in salvation history. It’s merely a different angle that puts the church into main focus. I now look forward to learning more about this theme through the rest of the book!
So if any of you are struggling just as I did, I encourage you to persevere with me! It’s well worth it.
According to my previous (perhaps naïve) understanding, the main goal of Bible overviews is to track the salvation plan from creation to new creation. Imagine my surprise when little mention was made of sin or death in the story of Adam & Eve (Chapter 1). Instead, it was mainly about the destruction of harmony and alienation from God.
At the tower of Babel (Chapter 2), again my views were challenged. I had previously thought the event was simply about human’s rebellion against God, which resulted in God forcing them to scatter and fill the earth (cf. original command to mankind). But I had not considered that part of God’s purpose in confusing their language was to frustrate man’s harmony and demonstrate that harmony is not possible without Him.
As I continued reading, however, I was persuaded. I realised that the destruction of harmony, either between God & man or man & man, is a direct result of sin. Without God’s merciful intervention, sinful people will always be separated from Him and scattered from each other. Gathering in harmony is only possible when God is accepted as Lord. (Not an earth-shattering revelation perhaps, but it took me awhile to grasp.)
Thus, this Bible overview isn’t really all that strange. God’s people have indeed been scattered or gathered at crucial points in salvation history. It’s merely a different angle that puts the church into main focus. I now look forward to learning more about this theme through the rest of the book!
So if any of you are struggling just as I did, I encourage you to persevere with me! It’s well worth it.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Remaking a Broken World #1
I’m a pastor’s kid. Along with all the things that come with being a PK, I was a really good Sunday School student (although probably dreaded by all the teachers). Abraham & Isaac, David & Goliath, Jonah & the fish, Jesus’ parables, the prodigal son – I knew it all. A regular goody-two-shoes.
But the Bible didn’t make much sense. Sure, I thought I understood each part on its own, but when thrown together it became mish mash. To me, the books of the Bible had very little to do with each other apart from God being the ultimate author of them all. I also thought of the Old and New Testaments as pretty much the same. Just as we follow Jesus in the New Testament, we should follow King David and other OT heroes as moral examples (omitting the adultery & murder, of course).
Then the light dawned.
I was at a conference in Brisbane, when I saw, for the first time, how the whole Bible links together. I grasped the importance of God’s promises to Abraham, I saw Jesus as the culmination of God’s plan, I caught a glimpse of God’s eternal kingdom that is now but not yet. It was wonderful! It was as if I’d been watching a black and white TV that suddenly developed colour. The same TV, but on a whole new level. All the stories I’d learnt at Sunday School now fitted together with Jesus as the common thread. I could see the Bible as the one story with Jesus at the climax.
So that was my introduction to biblical theology. It’s changed the way I read the Bible, although I often still struggle to understand and apply it well. That’s why I’m interested in “Remaking a broken world”. I’m hoping to further develop my biblical theology by reading a book that explores church as the heart of the Bible story.
I hope you enjoy the journey with me.
But the Bible didn’t make much sense. Sure, I thought I understood each part on its own, but when thrown together it became mish mash. To me, the books of the Bible had very little to do with each other apart from God being the ultimate author of them all. I also thought of the Old and New Testaments as pretty much the same. Just as we follow Jesus in the New Testament, we should follow King David and other OT heroes as moral examples (omitting the adultery & murder, of course).
Then the light dawned.
I was at a conference in Brisbane, when I saw, for the first time, how the whole Bible links together. I grasped the importance of God’s promises to Abraham, I saw Jesus as the culmination of God’s plan, I caught a glimpse of God’s eternal kingdom that is now but not yet. It was wonderful! It was as if I’d been watching a black and white TV that suddenly developed colour. The same TV, but on a whole new level. All the stories I’d learnt at Sunday School now fitted together with Jesus as the common thread. I could see the Bible as the one story with Jesus at the climax.
So that was my introduction to biblical theology. It’s changed the way I read the Bible, although I often still struggle to understand and apply it well. That’s why I’m interested in “Remaking a broken world”. I’m hoping to further develop my biblical theology by reading a book that explores church as the heart of the Bible story.
I hope you enjoy the journey with me.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Meeting Winnie Lau
Winnie Lau is our March contributor on EQUIP book club.
Winnie will be reviewing Remaking a broken world by Christopher Ash, which helps us understand 'the heart of the Bible story'.
“I was born in Hong Kong but have spent most of my life in Brisbane. Two months ago, my husband Ez and I moved down to Sydney to start our ministry apprenticeships at St Paul’s Carlingford. We’d been thinking about full-time ministry for awhile so it’s exciting to be starting!
I was brought up in a Christian home and I’m extremely thankful that I learnt about God from a young age. During the middle of high school, the truth of the Gospel sank in and I put my trust in Jesus. However, it was during my university years that my love for the Bible grew and my faith matured most through a good evangelical conference and the uni AFES group. I worked as a pharmacist after graduation, which I really enjoyed.
My ideal day off would include spending time with Ez, getting together with friends, and lazing at home. To relax, I’d probably read, bake, watch TV or play the piano. I’ve also started jogging recently, since exercise is rumoured to be good for you.”
Winnie will be reviewing Remaking a broken world by Christopher Ash, which helps us understand 'the heart of the Bible story'.“I was born in Hong Kong but have spent most of my life in Brisbane. Two months ago, my husband Ez and I moved down to Sydney to start our ministry apprenticeships at St Paul’s Carlingford. We’d been thinking about full-time ministry for awhile so it’s exciting to be starting!
I was brought up in a Christian home and I’m extremely thankful that I learnt about God from a young age. During the middle of high school, the truth of the Gospel sank in and I put my trust in Jesus. However, it was during my university years that my love for the Bible grew and my faith matured most through a good evangelical conference and the uni AFES group. I worked as a pharmacist after graduation, which I really enjoyed.
My ideal day off would include spending time with Ez, getting together with friends, and lazing at home. To relax, I’d probably read, bake, watch TV or play the piano. I’ve also started jogging recently, since exercise is rumoured to be good for you.”
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