Southern Cross Presbyterian Church

It’s great to see questions starting to flow through on the website (see the right sidebar, ‘Got Questions’) alongside the many already gathered through the cards our church family are using to collect questions from family and friends. Some of these questions that are unlikely to make the top 10 (or aren’t quite in the category of “God, life and the Bible”) are deserving of a brief answer here on the blog, even if we don’t get to all of them.

So here’s one that came through recently:

“I know sydney anglican are doing connect 09 so is scpc a anglican church in presbyterian clothes?”

Thanks for that! SCPC started thinking about a year of mission in 2009 back in May 2008 after some talks at North Coast Christian Convention (coming around again soon May 23-24!) convicted many of us about a renewed passion for the lost. At that time, I put out an email to many of our small group and ministry leaders about the idea of a year of mission in 2009 and there was an enthusiastic response.

Meanwhile, we have been working hard since adopting our new mission statement, ‘connect, grow, serve’ (since the move to meeting at Lismore High in September 2007) at working ‘connect’ language through everything we do, seeking that God would use our connection with others to connect them with Jesus. So when we heard the ‘connect09′ slogan being used by a co-ordinated effort of mission in Sydney by Anglicans (and other denominations) we shamelessly grabbed hold of it for our mission here. We’re also grateful to be able to utilise one of the resources they have developed (more about this soon – an edition of Luke’s gospel, (‘The essential Jesus’) that we will distribute to every household in Lismore.

We are very grateful to God for like-minded gospel partners in Sydney and elsewhere whether Anglican, Presbyterian or whatever, as long as their focus is Jesus. Afterall, our goal isn’t to connect people to Presbyterianism but to him!

‘The Shack’ by William P. Young has grabbed the attention of many Christians. Some are raving fans. Some are scathing critics.

Part of me sympathises with the fans. It’s a book that addresses the pain of loss that afflicts many of our lives. It’s a book that reminds us of the wonder of a God who is Trinity. It’s a book that has some moments of brilliance in helping us comprehend what it means that “God is love”.

The problem with ‘The Shack’, however, is what’s left unsaid. It’s strong on God’s love but weak on his holiness. Strong on Christ’s incarnation but weak on the cross. Strong on our pain but weak on our sin. Strong in seeking to defend God but weak in challenging us.

I read ‘The Shack’ while our family was in Brisbane as Rossie commenced radiation treatment. Its strengths made it ‘a helpful read’ in that context, despite the obvious weaknesses. But then, as I read another book also addressing the theme of suffering, the weaknesses of ‘The Shack’ became all the more glaring by comparison.

This second book was ‘A Severe Mercy’ by Sheldon Vanauken. It’s hard to summarise this powerful, superbly written, autobiographical book (featuring wonderful correspondence between the author and C.S. Lewis). It chronicles Vanauken’s life and the loss of a loved one, and all God taught him through that. A Severe Mercy.

It’s hard to sum up the two different visions of God presented in these two books, and why the latter is so much more biblical in my view. But in a nutshell, I felt the god of ‘The Shack’ to be a comfortable god made in our image, while the God of ‘A Severe Mercy’ to be the confronting Biblical God in whose image we are made (and so the wonder of the cross all the more evidence of the depths of His love). The god of ‘The Shack’ revolves around us in a wholly individual experience. The God of ‘A Severe Mercy’ is He who we are to revolve around, in service of Him and others.

All that said in comparison of these two books, it is of course only the Bible that truly reveals God as he really is. We need to read it constantly so we’re ready to discern all else that we read.

“There’ll be no shelter here! The front line is everywhere.”

That’s the memorable chorus to Rage Against The Machine’s song “No Shelter”, referring to – believe it or not – pop culture:

“Cinema, simulated life, ill drama
Fourth reich culture, Americana
Chained to the dream they got you searchin for
The thin line between entertainment and war

There’ll be no shelter here!
The front line is everywhere.”

But you don’t need just entertainment culture to remind you there’s not much shelter round here. In the news there’s talk about sending more Aussie troops to Afghanistan – on top of the ones in Iraq. Or – to mention the incredibly obvious – bushfires in Victoria. For those living in bushfire areas, it could become a legal requirement to have a shelter – not unlike a bomb shelter – to hide in when (not if – when) the fires come again. I just finished a book about a compassionate German family hiding a Jew in their basement during World War II – but the problem was, when they needed to flee to the local bomb shelter during air raids, they had to leave their Jewish friend unprotected in the basement. No one wanted to provide shelter for him. Again, no shelter.

But whether we’re hiding from pop culture, war, natural disasters (it’s flood season in Lismore isn’t it?), even hiding from yourself maybe – whatever it is you’re hiding from, there’s good news: shelter is available. There’s a place to hide from all of your fears: in Jesus. Romans 8:1 declares that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Condemnation is what you deserve. But for those in Christ Jesus, condemnation is not what you get. Your greatest fears can be avoided. There is a shelter from the storm, a place to hide.

Our new song – “I Have a Shelter” – celebrates this truth (keep an eye on the “Featured Items” page – it’s coming soon). It’s a meditation on what it means to hide in Jesus. We hope it helps you rejoice in Jesus all the more. You can download a free (legal!) copy here. You can buy the album  – called “Come Weary Saints” by Sovereign Grace Music – here. Please – do meditate on the words. You’ll be thankful you did.

“I have a shelter in the storm
When troubles pour upon me
Though fears are rising like a flood
My soul can rest securely

O Jesus, I will hide in You
My place of peace and solace
No trial is deeper than Your love
That comforts all my sorrows

I have a shelter in the storm
When all my sins accuse me
Though justice charges me with guilt
Your grace will not refuse me

O Jesus, I will hide in You
Who bore my condemnation
I find my refuge in Your wounds
For there I find salvation

I have a shelter in the storm
When constant winds would break me
For in my weakness, I have learned
Your strength will not forsake me

O Jesus, I will hide in You
The One who bears my burdens
With faithful hands that cannot fail
You’ll bring me home to heaven”

One thing that really struck me in the media wave that hit in the aftermath of the Victorian bushfires was the number of times in headlines and on the lips of residents and firefighters and politicians the fires were described in terms of “hell”.

The PM himself was probably the most-quoted saying: “Hell and all its fury has been visited upon the good people of Victoria in the last 24 hours.” All this talk about hell got me thinking – what does your average Aussie think about hell? What do they understand and where do they get it wrong? Clearly, the one thing that everyone who has witnessed the devastation of the recent fires seems to know is that hell is something terrible – it will arrive unexpectedly, take away every good thing and leave a trail of despair and suffering in its wake. Neither does it discriminate between the “good” and the “bad”. All of these aspects make “hell” a good way to describe the recent bushfires.

But there’s one huge difference between the recent events in Victoria and the hell that awaits all who fail to accept the free gift of forgiveness and salvation God offers us in Jesus – and that’s the finality of it all. In the end, no-one will really be able to say “I’ve been to hell and back”. And hell will last an awful lot longer than the 24 hours PM Kevin referred to. There will be no talk of “rebuilding”, or “hazard reduction” once judgment day arrives. There will be no “relief effort” or “community spirit” because it’ll be too late. All the good things, including God himself will be taken away and that’s an existence too horrible to comprehend.

Why am I writing all this? Because hell is real. In some ways, the bushfires were a taste of it. And what a horrible taste. But the reality is even worse. Yes even worse. So I’m writing to warn people to flee to the only safe place – to Jesus and to an eternity that is as glorious as hell is terrible.

I don’t know if you’ve been to the Square this week, but if you have, you may have wondered if there is a promotion on draining racks and toasters.  Just stand at the travelator for 5 minutes and count how many walk out past you, usually accompanied by an 18 year old and a worried looking parent.

It’s o-week at scu, and 1800 first year students have descended on Lismore – most have moved here, having left behind their family, their comfort zone, and the influences of their parents, school friends, and any churches they may have been a part of or Christians they may have known.

So, exactly what has the bible talks (tbt) been up to this week on campus?

tbt’s aim has been to let every student know that there is a Christian group on campus – so that Christian students can be encouraged to keep Jesus as their first priority in life, and so that non-Christian students can be encouraged to think about Jesus – who he is, and what he means for their life.

To achieve this aim, we’ve handed out leaflets, we’ve walked up to students to chat to them and build relationships, and we’ve conducted surveys.  If you’re interested in what uni students think about God, check out our blog (www.thebibletalks.com) for our survey results.  Highlights include the guy who thinks melchizedek is an extra-terrestrial being (check out Genesis 14 and Hebrews 7 for the Bible’s version of events), and the numerous students who ask God for free nachos and beer.  However, many other students asked the big questions – who is God? Why is there suffering in the world? What’s with injustice? Is truth oppressive?  Can we be like Jesus by trying hard?

Please keep praying for the new students – that we can establish relationships with the christian students who have made contact with tbt, and that they can grow as Christians.  Please pray that many will be challenged to think about Jesus seriously for the first time.  Thank God that no student is beyond his influence.

Katharine Crossle