The Trekkers Bible Blog

In response to:Today's Baptismal Service

2008-09-07T23:45:08+02:00

Are you a church minister ? I was a Methodist Lay Preacher on note at age 18 but my Faith fell apart for another 30 years or so until I became influenced by the late Bishop John Robinson's book ' Honest to God ' which teaches the concept 'God the gound of our being ' which appeals to me. David.

In response to:Today's Baptismal Service

2007-07-03T11:33:17+02:00

Good Day,

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In response to:Who you are looking for?

2007-06-18T21:22:06+02:00

Guilt trip or what !
Maybe we should be looking for the Jesus whose yoke is light; who invites us into a family where there are many brothers and sisters; who offers freedom from guilt; who promises us the ability to remove the burial shroud of sin; who asks of us everything knowing that if we approach our sacrifice by The Spirit we will find shalom.
Following Jesus does involve not doing some things, not submitting to some attitudes. But so often the physical comforts and mental comforts when obtained and preserved and protected for the sake of possessing them are not satisfying.
What does Jesus offer ? Peace. Not absence of war, hostility, tolerance but wholeness, unity, belonging, restfulness, ....
Why was this book written ? So 'you will have life'.

In response to:The Last Supper

2007-06-18T21:03:31+02:00

'become clear' ! The disciples didn't think so. The link from the blood on the cross to the wine in the cup to the covenant and the forgiveness of sins wasn't made by them for at least 2 days. And the confusion of transubstantiation, consubstantiation and symbolism proffered by different Christians suggests we are no clearer on a definitive interpretation.
And I've forgotten one further link; this was a passover meal.
So, while this passage may be foundational in our theology it is far from clear, either from those who are unfamiliar with it, or those who are over familiar with it.
Next, the event, of which this ceremony is to serve as a reminder, is to seal a covenant between God and man. But the content of a covenant was normally clearly laid out and fully known by all parties. That is hardly the case with this new covenant. So, what is Jesus doing here. Is it that Jesus is getting the disciples to think a bit ? He has taught by lecture, story, demonstration and he wants the disciples to put the bits together. Not to present a puzzle but to cause thought, consideration, understanding, appreciation of all aspects of the covenant. So, what are the implications for trekkers ?

In response to:Following Jesus

2007-06-16T07:45:05+02:00

Jesus saves!

But Beckham nets the rebound. :DD

In response to:Then I prayed to the God of heaven

2007-06-15T21:32:44+02:00

There are (at least) two aspects that fuelled Nehemiah's prayer: He knew what God had planned - the return of the people of God to the Promised Land - because he was aware of the promises of God made through the prophets. He was confident in his relationship with God - because he knew and understood the covenant. Equally we can came to God with confidence because we know what God wants - to establish his Kingdom of truth, justice and mercy - and we know where we stand with Him - recipients of His grace and forgiveness.
We can even rant at God, He's big enough to take it. But are we big enough to invite others to rant to us, or just be open and honest with us.

In response to:Then I prayed to the God of heaven

2007-06-14T23:25:23+02:00

How often do we bottle up our emotions? Nehemiah certainly doesn't! He tells God exactly how it is and lays his requests before him. He doesn't just rant at God but expresses his respect and love and boldly asks.
Crying before the King usually ended in an unhappy ending, but Nehemiah can't contain his emotions of grief. If he had, would results have been the same? The King must have known that this was out of character for his faithful servant and seeks the problem. Result for Nehemiah!
Later in verse 20 Nehemiah isn't bothered about looking out of place in front of others. His confidence in God is far greater than worrying about self image.
Openness, boldness and confidence are the key words for me today.
Are we open & honest about our feelings in our everyday situations, knowing that our confidence is in God and we can boldly approach his throne?

In response to:The Branch of Jesse

2007-06-13T23:59:43+02:00

Wisdom, understanding, guidance, power, goodness and fairness are some of the attributes of the king in this passage. If we are to be like Jesus how are we doing?
The fruits of the spirit spring to mind here. Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. We have quite a lot to be going on with! And while we are on the subject of barriers, are we sometimes the barriers to each other or the children when we are not living by the spirit? let's continue in our faith and work together - encouraging one another and praying for one another as we serve Christ together.

In response to:A New Covenant

2007-06-13T23:40:33+02:00

Two verses speak clearly from the new agreement -
v33 'I will put my teachings in their minds and write them on their hearts'.
God has given us brains to think, reflect, consider etc but our relationship with him must also touch our hearts. To know of God's teachings, his might and power is very different to experiencing it deep within our hearts and wanting to grow in our relationship with him in love and faith.
v34 'I will forgive them for the wicked things they did, and I will not remember their sins any more'.
The almighty God knows all there is to know about each one of us - including all of our rotten ways! What immense love, that he is willing to forgive us through his Son Jesus - that Jesus was willing to die for us.
So, relationship & love or rituals and laws? I know which one I go for!

In response to:The Branch of Jesse

2007-06-13T22:57:09+02:00

The vision of the spirit filled man, the rule of justice, freedom from oppression, the shalom in the Kingdom is inspiring and raises our discipleship beyond the individual. But the inspiration is tempered by the world around us and life in the church.
'sick of sorrow /sick of pain' 'but hope and history won't rhyme'

I get an uncomfortable feeling about the return of the remnant. I can see Zionists using this to support the state of Israel and the images of swooping on Gaza and occupying The West Bank are ready made for proponents of a greater Israel. In my untutored state I cannot see an immediate rebuttal although I abhor such an interpretation .

Similarly, I get the same sense of discomfort in interpreting the vision of river barriers being removed in terms of barriers to faith being overcome. I cannot see that this passage could have been understood by Isaiah, or the people he was talking to, in this way.
However the concept of barriers to faith is a useful one. So what are they. Could be any of:- How we present the Gospel and the content of the bible. The character of Trekkers and the attitudes displayed there. The behaviour of the church. Competing or opposing messages from outside of the church. There may be some benefit in pursuing this.

In response to:A New Covenant

2007-06-12T23:16:11+02:00

Maybe a propos of not a lot; from 'heart of soul'
I don't care how much religion you've got
you gotta get a little love in your heart
Beth Orton - Comfort of Strangers

Also, it's not what you believe, it's not who you know about, it's who you know. God wants content not form. Covenant is not contract. Loving one as a spouse is not a nuptial agreement.

In response to:Sunday Morning's Sermon

2007-06-12T18:20:50+02:00

The really helpful points to me were about the timescales of grieving. It's ok to grieve at a later time (20 years on!)God still knows and cares and works through the process with us. Better late than never - although tough.
Also it's ok to grieve friends who have moved away. We are allowed to miss their company. I'm not always good at the greiving process - what right do I have to be down when others in the situation were/are closer to others involved? 'Stiff upper lip',as my Granadad always said! It's not a particularly healthy comment.
It's tough, but I'm slowly learning!

In response to:Sunday Morning's Sermon

2007-06-12T09:25:49+02:00

I too found Sunday mornings sermon very thought provoking and moving. I was able to apply it to my friends and most especially to the recent loss of a loved mum who was also my friend, so I cried too. Thanks to Graham for preaching a difficult and challenging sermon.

In response to:External Religion

2007-06-11T22:44:52+02:00

My reaction to Isaiah's words were also about the uselessness of religious services, probably strongly influenced my lack of connection with songs that speak of victory and all things being well and words that rarely get beyond saying everything is OK with Jesus. (Okay, TBB, you didn't quite go this far.) Yet it is difficult to criticise too much when such meetings do seem to connect for many people.
I would prefer to hear how to build the Kingdom, how it is being built, be involved with being faithful, just righteous, pure silver, undiluted wine, defenders of the orphan, widow, alien, binding bruised reeds, re-igniting smouldering wicks. One of the best songs I know is called Kyrie Eleison which goes something like
Look around you, can't you see
People suffer, people grieve
Feel the sorrow, feel the pain
Oh my people weep with me

I'm a little vague on the second verse but it contains lines something like
Walk among them, I'll be with you
Reach out to them, be my hands

Enough whinging !

In response to:DIY Religion

2007-06-10T20:08:02+02:00

At the personal level Rehoboam did not have God on his side ( because, as Bob has told us, He is on the side of America ) and Jeroboam did have God on his side, till he, Jeroboam, forged the calves. After all a prophet had told Jeroboam the God wanted him to rule the 10 tribes and God sent another prophet to tell him he had made a bad choice in setting up his own religion. The error both leaders made was choosing their own ways to consolidate their power and position.
Why did David have God's approval ? Because his heart was turned to God, he sought to please God. He did fall down sometimes but his inclination was always to follow Gods ways.
Why did God turn away from Solomon ? Because Solomon's heart turned away from God.
It is out attitude to God, the inclination of our heart, that is the significant factor. Or to use other words, our trust in God or our faith in God. That is, our relationship to Him, or with Him.
The inclination of our Heart to God is more important than our knowledge about Him. While knowing what we believe may enable us to spot some false religions it will not always give us a correct result. The theology of Falwell, or Swaggart, or Paisley is very orthodox, certainly with respect to the core beliefs, but the outworking of their beliefs can be in opposition to the Kingdom. Equally, there can be other faith groups whose theology may be unorthodox yet whose attitude to people can be very much of the Kingdom.
There is nothing wrong in having it straight in your head. But, it is necessary to have it pure in your heart.

In response to:"Is born of David's line"

2007-06-09T20:54:00+02:00

God did not require a temple and He did not want a king. He adapted to both, but, does He want something less structured, less fixed ? There are judges, there is the ark, there are covenants. But not special buildings, not rules, not hierarchy.
What this passage shows is involvement and response. For what was David commended ? Not that he did everything correctly, but that he loved the Lord.

In response to:Putting God where God belongs

2007-06-08T22:05:34+02:00

There are two aspects of the ten commandments: The God focused 4 and the people focused 6. What does it say about corrupted man that they are mostly couched in the negative and all presented as instructions. It is certainly possible to present some of them as positive statements: Keep your marriage promises. Tell the truth. Worship me only. There are places in the bible where this is done.
Making them other than instructions has difficulties. Presenting them as rhetorical questions, or as propositions with supporting arguments, invites the response of a discussion. That other points of view may be equally valid. And we humans are very good at coming up with justifications that support the position that we want to take. Our strong tendency is to want something and, if we think it necessary, to produce some intellectual or moral argument to justify what we want. We rebel against limits and guidance that we dislike even when such limits and guidance are to our benefits.
Now what does keeping the Sabbath holy mean ? As discussed in verses 8 to 11 it is about not doing regular work, and it applies to everyone. Principles expanded in the seventh and jubilee years. It's not about attending religious services or being inactive. And Jesus teaching and actions make it clear it is not an opportunity for holding back from doing good.

In response to:Putting God where God belongs

2007-06-08T09:50:28+02:00

'The Ten Commandments' sounds very overbearing and can give an image of a big stick being waved about by God. We mustn't ever forget who God is - all powerful creator, Lord of heaven and earth for whom nothing is impossible. We must also remember that he is our loving heavenly father who has given us these commandments because of his love for us. He knows what's best for us in our daily lives, and to live in accordance with his will we had better take note! Can we relate all ten to our daily lives? How are we doing with all ten?

In response to:The right person for the job?

2007-06-08T09:35:36+02:00

As Christians we certainly aren't removed from suffering. God has never promised that by following him we are kept in a glass bubble. We encounter many different kinds of suffering as does the rest if the world. Someones 'small' share could be huge to others.By experiencing many different dark places God can use us to come along others in there sufering with a little more understanding and concern.
The important thing is that God promises that we are never alone in our suffering. If we follow him he promises us his Holy Spirit to guide us and comfort us. This is a wonderful resource to have - what a gift! As we grow daily in him we need to be constantly filled with his spirit and develop that relationship. A gift put on the shelf gathers dust!! When we struggle we need to tell him that - he understands, he loves us.

In response to:The right person for the job?

2007-06-07T21:33:10+02:00

Milk and honey, milk and honey.

Larry Norman strikes again

He bugged him and he bugged him, he bugged him with real bugs

Moses in the wilderness: Upon this rock.

In response to:The right person for the job?

2007-06-07T21:14:02+02:00

'I have seen the suffering of my people'
Why didn't He act sooner ? What about the build maker who was beaten to death, or dies from hunger, the week before Moses arrived ?
Of course God was there with him or her, maybe unrecognised. The salvation of God does not remove us from suffering. And his presence may feel remote or bring little comfort.
But that does not mean He is not there or that he does not weep with us.

In response to:The right person for the job?

2007-06-07T21:01:29+02:00

And what if you are never concious of experiencing God's calling to a job. Is it helpful to have an assumption that God will call you individually to some task he wants you to do. The burning bush, the writing on the wall, the wet fleece are special interventions. For most of us should we not expect just to recognise a bit of Kingdom building that we can do and get on with it ?

In response to:The Promise

2007-06-07T20:28:04+02:00

In my best Dawkins voice:
But, from Abraham's family and this promise of land there wasn't much of a blessing for the Amorites and Canaanites and any other 'ites living in the promised land.
And it doesn't seem a vary blessed existence for Abram and Sarai. They spent a large part of the rest of their lives moving around. But then God's people have always been sojourners, strangers, only visiting this planet (roll Larry Norman).

In response to:The Promise

2007-06-07T20:16:10+02:00

It was the leave your country, family, father's house that I noticed too. Why ? And it was not till Lot had been dumped that God starts the blessing. Maybe something about being new, fresh, not tied to old ways. Maybe something about being separated from other supports and being dependent on God. And for us that means ... Can't stop, I'm just off somewhere else, leaving everything behind.

In response to:In the garden

2007-06-05T23:37:56+02:00

Chapters 2 and 3 are part of the same narrative. Chapter 1 is a different story, even if it covers the same events as chapter 2.
But where does the story begun in chapter 2 end. There is continuation from the story of creation to fall to Cain and Able, to Enoch, to Noah to Abram. If Abram is history, as in he moved from Ur to Haran to Canaan, he fathered Ishmael and Isaac, and he was ready to kill Isaac, does the crafty, talking serpent also have to be history ? Yet, I am not convinced this story is simply myth. The tower of Babel I can accept as myth, to explain the facts on the ground - different tribes speak different languages. But there is too much significant content in the story of the fall and the flood. There is detail that is not just embellishment, that is not needed in a myth to explain how we got here.
Pretty musings, but so what ! How do we present these stories to children. As historical facts on a par with Julius Caesar, the crucifixion of Jesus, the Babylonian exile, the exodus ? If we make no distinction then when someone questions the historical accuracy of the fall will they not also question the historical accuracy of the crucifixion, let alone the resurrection ?

In response to:In the garden

2007-06-05T23:23:23+02:00

Sorry MLP, I'll go back to eating my BLT in an LPG power MPV :(

In response to:In the garden

2007-06-05T23:10:13+02:00

Good comment about not having the knowledge of good and evil. What is this knowledge ? Is it ignorance ? Then, ignorance of what ? Is it an inability to make a moral judgement ? Is it valid to say that before the eating of the fruit the guiding principles for the life of the man and the woman were obedience to and trust in God ? Is that way of looking at things useful for those who are being saved but do have the knowledge of good and evil.
I don't think it is sinning that looks appealing but that there are thinks that look appealing that are harmful, selfish, oppressive, ... . That is, it is not the doing of wrong that is attractive. And more difficult are the things that may not be wrong directly but have some aspect or connection that is wrong. Cheap clothing is not wrong. It is that the production processes exploit people that is wrong.

In response to:In the garden

2007-06-05T22:52:28+02:00

Not sure I get the point of the Colossians reference - tell me more.
Linked to the blame game is acknowledging we are guilty; not that we feel guilty, but that we are guilty. I have done or said something wrong. Not I feel like I've done wrong, or, I can see someone else thinks I've done wrong. Once we can own our own guilt we have the possibility of dealing with it, including repairing the damage caused by our actions.
It has long been the case that medical and scientific research is undertaken because it can be done not because it is useful or beneficial, and society has never been able to work out how to use the outcomes of research well and not badly. Is the root problem that people act selfishly; this can make me richer or resolve my problem, without being willing to acknowledge how those actions have harmful effects on others. Or, will only the the positive uses of a development and not recognise the harmful uses of the development.

In response to:In the garden

2007-06-05T22:37:21+02:00

MLT !

In response to:The Promise

2007-06-05T21:28:40+02:00

Another 'simple' statement by God, "Leave your country, family, everything....." Did Abraham question this? Did he obediently trot off immediately or did he question God. This got me thinking again, When God calls us do we hesitate or trust his perfect will for us? I know what we should always do, but sometimes I hesitate - do you?
Once in the place where God wants us the blessings can be amazing - it's just the struggle of getting there! Trust & faith could be key elements here!