The Word was Made Flesh

The opening 3 paragraphs from the "History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century" by J. H. Merle d'Aubigné (1794-1872)

The enfeebled world was tottering on its foundations when Christianity appeared. The national religions which had satisfied the parents, no longer proved sufficient for their children. The new generations could not repose contented within the ancient forms. The gods of every nation, when transported to Rome, there lost their oracles, as the nations themselves had there lost their liberty. Brought face to face in the Capitol, they had destroyed each other, and their divinity had vanished. A great void was occasioned in the religion of the world.

A kind of deism, destitute alike of spirit and of life, floated for a time above the abyss in which the vigorous superstitions of antiquity had been engulfed. But like all negative creeds, it had no power to reconstruct. National prepossessions disappeared with the fall of the national gods. The various kingdoms melted one into the other. In Europe, Asia, and Africa , there was but one vast empire, and the human race began to feel its universality and unity.

Then the Word was made flesh.

Please read that again... out loud.

Good news isn't it! (Well written too)

The coming of the Messiah, the Son of God, as our Saviour is wonderful news indeed. Worth thinking about. Worth singing about! Especially at Christmas.

The Word becoming flesh is the first of the three great Effective Structures that God set up to restore fallen humanity. But like the whole "Effective Structures" thing we often miss the point.

We have great "Structures" in the Adventist church. From the General Conference up to the North New South Wales Conference, up to Toronto Seventh-day Adventist Church, and finally the peak, you and me, we have a powerful structure that can complete God's will for our part the big world.

Our tithing and offering system, along with with our effective financial committee and treasurers, allows us to put on programs and run ministries for our children, our oldies and the public.

I'm on the nominating committee at present and can only be amazed at all the positions that are filled by talented, dedicated volunteers year after year.

Let me make it clear: Toronto SDA church has great STRUCTURES! I wouldn't want to see any of them change. But what makes them EFFECTIVE?... only the presence of Jesus Christ!

Like the young women in Matthew 25, we have our lamps, shiny, fine structures, well made, well maintained year-after-year, but without oil they are useless and certainly not effective. Neither is the church without Christ.

Now "the Word was made flesh" for many reasons: to be our Substitute, our Surety, our Kinsman-Redeemer, our Justification, our High Priest, our King and more... and He also became flesh to demonstrate what a Godly human life looked like. He became an example of an effective human.

The first chapter of "The Ministry of Healing" is entitled "Our Example". Here are the first three paragraphs. Read them to see what His mission was and how effectively he achieved it.

Our Lord Jesus Christ came to this world as the unwearied servant of man's necessity. He "took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses," that He might minister to every need of humanity. Matthew 8:17. The burden of disease and wretchedness and sin He came to remove. It was His mission to bring to men complete restoration; He came to give them health and peace and perfection of character.

Varied were the circumstances and needs of those who besought His aid, and none who came to Him went away unhelped. From Him flowed a stream of healing power, and in body and mind and soul men were made whole.

The Saviour's work was not restricted to any time or place. His compassion knew no limit. On so large a scale did He conduct His work of healing and teaching that there was no building in Palestine large enough to receive the multitudes that thronged to Him. On the green hill slopes of Galilee, in the thoroughfares of travel, by the seashore, in the synagogues, and in every other place where the sick could be brought to Him, was to be found His hospital. In every city, every town, every village, through which He passed, He laid His hands upon the afflicted ones and healed them. Wherever there were hearts ready to receive His message, He comforted them with the assurance of their heavenly Father's love. All day He ministered to those who came to Him; in the evening He gave attention to such as through the day must toil to earn a pittance for the support of their families.

Jesus wants to become flesh here at Toronto. He wants to fill the void. He wants to lighten the darkness. He wants to minister to every need and bring us all to "complete restoration". He wants to live in Toronto church and make it look something like what we read here.

Next week we look at the second effective structure that God set up to bring about "complete restoration" of this world. What do you think it might be?

Effective Structures in Eden

What did God set up in Eden to effectively grow His relationship with humans, strengthen their fellowship and support their ministry?

I can think of three things:

1. Marriage
2. Sabbath
3. Walks together in the "cool of the day"

Marriage, and family as the children arrived, obviously strengthened fellowship.

God's intention in providing marriage and family was made plain when he talked about Abraham being chosen "in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him" (Gen 18:19)

And what had God spoken him? ... "(I)n you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Gen 12:3). One family, well conducted, blesses not just the family members but every other family in the world. That's effective!

A family conducted along Eden's lines is a powerful fellowship tool.

Family also improve its members relationship with God in family worship times and on Sabbath. And of course marriage was essential for the "be fruitful and multiply" part of human ministry.(Gen. 1:28)

The Sabbath seems, on the face of it, mainly to strengthen human relationships with God as they spend 24 hours with their Creator. A day when God is the main focus of our minds and speech is still a wonderful tonic to our relationship with him. 

Family was also a focus of the Sabbath hours, so fellowship grew as well.

The walks in the cool of the day must have been glorious as Adam and Eve showed off their day's efforts in the garden and in ruling the animal kingdom. Like the proud "parent", the Lord would have joined their excitement and encouraged their plans to "fill the earth and subdue it"... whatever great things that meant (Gen. 1:28).

So these walks were the way that God effectively supported Adam and Eve's work and ministry in the world.

God set up some incredibly effective structures to grow His "church" in Eden. Next week we will begin to look at the structures He set up to return His church to the Eden state.

Effective Structures - Revisited

How are we going at understanding "Effective Structures". I was asked to explain the concept just last week... and I'd forgotten one of the 3 main points!

Time for some brushing up.

Our church has structures, which is good... but are they effective?

Effective Structures assist the church to grow in 3 areas:

1. They help people experience God.
2. They strengthen fellowship
3. They support ministry to the church and Toronto.

To be effective, any department, program or position in our church must assist in one or more of these areas.

Think about your involvement at Toronto. Are you strengthening fellowship, supporting ministry and helping people experience God? I hope you are... but as Effective Structures is the weakest part of Toronto church, there are probably some areas where you could do better.

Keep this at the back of your mind over the next few weeks as I take you through some of God's Effective Structures.

40 Days

As a lead-up to our "Daniel, the man and his prophecies" seminar we are going through the 40 Days Devotional, designed to strengthen your relationship with Christ and enable you to lead others to Him. The book ($10.95 from the ABC), with the daily readings and instructions, was used by one of the Re-Claim groups because one of the aims of the 40 days is to pray for specific people who we would love to have return (or come) to Toronto church. Aims of the 40 Days are for participants to:

• experience personal spiritual revival
• strengthen their daily devotional habits
• personally reach out to 5 interests in community

It is designed to combine personal revival, corporate church revival with evangelistic outreach.40 Days ticks many of the boxes of an Effective Structure. It helps people experience Jesus and supports ministry to the church and community. But it also strengthens our fellowship because the 40 Days are best done with a prayer partner and combined with a mid-week prayer meeting.If you would like to participate here are the steps:

1. Contact me by replying to this email and state if you want to buy a book and we will get a copy for you.
2. Think of a prayer partner. Someone who you can easily contact each day for a time of prayer.
3. Contact your prayer partner to encourage them to order a book as well.
4. Join or, better still, host a mid-week prayer meeting where we will be debriefing what we have learned the previous week and pray for those on our lists and for the effectiveness of our church's outreach.
   We plan to have a Wednesday night meeting at church and, if we find appropriate places, in the Cooranbong, Maitland and Cessnock areas.
5. If you feel impressed to offer your home, or know of a place suitable, for a prayer meeting please reply to this email.
6. Ask God to show you who you should be praying for.

Principles of Quality Coaching

Quality coaching at least doubles your fruitfulness. - Bob Logan (author of Coaching 101)

Coaching answers these questions:

• Where am I?


• Where do I (and God) go next?


• How will I get there?

The 3 Rules of Coaching:

1. Don't give advice.


2. Don't tell people what they can discover on their own.


3. Don't fix their problems for them.

The 3 Rules Re-stated:

1. The person being coached does the work.


2. The person being coached does the work.


3. The person being coached does the work.

The Coaching Process
is the flexible application of these 5 principles:

• Relate - establish coaching relationship and agenda


• Reflect - Discover and explore key issues


• Refocus - Determine priorities and action steps


• Resource - Provide support and encouragement


• Review - Evaluate, celebrate and revise plans

We will look at only one part today

Relate
The 'relationship' gives coaching its power.

We relate by:

1. Listening


2. Asking good, open-ended questions
   

Rules of listening:

• RESPECT


• Focus - undivided attention


• Summarise - reflect without interpreting, evaluating, guiding or projecting feelings


• Invite - ask for more


• Unpack - their ideas are more valuable than mine.


• Clarify - "So far I'm hearing you say ... Is that correct?

Open-Ended Questions:

• Not "yes" or "no" answers


• It is an advantage not to have all the answers. Don't be the expert.


• Follow the Spirit's leading. Ask, when you feel impressed, even the 'strange' question.

Here are the 'Good Questions' we ask at the start of the relationship:
(You can answer these for Sabbath afternoon:)

• What is your deepest passion? What really satisfies and fulfills you?


• What energises you? What drains your energy?


• What legacy do you want to leave? What do you want to be remembered for?


• What are your strengths? What are your gifts?


• What's one thing you'd like to change about yourself?
  

Coaching

(another Effective Structure)

Coaching is not about telling others what to do, but helping people discover for themselves what God is calling them to do. It is the process of coming alongside a person or team to help them discover God's agenda for their life and ministry, and then cooperating with the Holy Spirit to see that agenda become a reality.
The North American Division (SDA) Evangelism Institute

A coach helps someone else succeed. Bob Logan (author of Coaching 101 - our textbook) says that success is "Find out what God wants you to do, and do it"

Coaching is one of the Effective Structures we are building to support you in ministry.

What Coaching Isn't

• Telling others what to do


• Mentoring


• Being the expert
  

What Coaching Is

• Listening


• Asking good questions to help people sort things out in their mind


• Let them come to their own conclusion


• Encouraging them to do what they come up with.
  

Why Coach?

• It keeps people focused on what is important


• It is fun. There is serious joy in working with God to achieve things in this world.


• It works. People actually get things done. As a coached leader said "I get more done as a result of one one hour coaching conversation than in a year of meetings."
  

My experience is pretty limited but this week I was sitting in the staff room eating my lunch and reading Coaching 101 (what else?) and not really hearing two staff complaining about how their jobs were getting so hard.

When one of them left to have a cigarette and the other turned to me and continued complaining. I tried to ignore her but realised (well duh...) here was a "coaching opportunity". So reluctantly closing my book, I turned to my ditzy blonde friend and asked one of the "good questions" (We'll work through the list of questions, the starting questions are all in Coaching 101). Here is a summary of the conversation:

"So what would you rather be doing at work?"
She stopped and thought and answered.
"Have you ever done that?"
Ditzy Blonde "Yes, last week I did ...."
"Why do you think you enjoyed it so much?"
DB "I guess because I had more control and I could use my enthusiasm for ..."
"So what would you need to do to get more of this?"
DB "Well... I could get my boss to ... and I could ..."
(I then made my first statement)
"I think you should... (slightly rephrased her last answer)."

Her workmate had finished her cigarette and came back in about then, at which my friend enthused "Hey you know what, Bruce and I have been having a great talk and I reckon if we ... Thanks Bruce, that was really good advice!"

I hurried back to work before I got another "client" and before DB realised that I had, in fact, not given her any "advice" at all. The agenda, goals and action plans were all hers.

That was coaching, and it was fun. Much more fun than I expected.

We will be starting training soon. How involved will it be? Bob Logan says that you can start as an effective coach after only three hours of training. So 3 hours training,, spread over 2 Sabbath afternoons, is coming up and with all the resources around Coaching 101, many of you will make great coaches.

(Un)Surprisingly Effective

(from now on, every blog post will have a picture of an Effective Structure)

I'm chuffed. This is deeply, satisfyingly wonderful.

One of the privileges of being involved in NCD, and particularly NCD at Toronto, is getting a first-hand, front-seat view of God at work. (Now don't tell anyone else... they will think we are big-noting ourselves, because Toronto seems to be one of God's favourite places, He turns up every time we get together, He seems to love Toronto folk)

On Monday night, at Cameron Johnston's Stress Seminar I saw Toronto church members in action. It wasn't until tonight that I realised what was happening.

Remember that our mission statement is...to represent Christ to all members of our community. And remember my questions from several weeks ago...

1. What does "represent Christ" mean?


2. What do we have to DO to "represent Christ"?


3. What do we have to BE to "represent Christ"?


4. And lastly, how successful are we at representing Christ right now?

One of the jobs I set for myself on Monday night was to talk to every attendee from "our community". It turned out that four women came from our community. During the break I tried to chat with them, but some member beat me to every single one. Then after the program the same thing happened. So I didn't even talk to one visitor!

So to answer those questions:

We represent Christ when we are friendly to people from our community.

I believe that you already "represent Christ". That's what I saw on Monday night and at all the other functions at Toronto... people being friendly. It seems almost natural, but there are lots of places where this isn't so. God has made His people at Toronto supernaturally friendly. It is part of our luncheons, in our Sabbath School, at Project G... all over the place.

So to answer that last question: I believe that you are already successful at representing Christ right now... Surprisingly effective actually. Well maybe I shouldn't be surprised, after all God has been at work here, with just as much power and grace as He is in overseas missions, big evangelistic campaigns, radical church plants and ADRA projects.

Jesus lives at Toronto because you are here... and I'm chuffed.