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PGA Chaplain Bible Studies

Study 16 – May 5th to 11th 2008.
Reading – John Chapter Ch15: verses 18 to25.

Is Being a Good Bloke Enough?

Jesus said; “If the world hates you, just remember that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, then the world would love you as its own. But I chose you from this world, and you do not belong to it; that is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you, No slave is greater than his master” If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours too”. John Chapter 15: verses 6 to 7. (Good News Bible)

I have attended many funerals as a minister over 22 years in the ministry and am amazed at how everyone who dies is seen as a good bloke or gal who is going to heaven. This seems to be the case irrespective of their relationship with God, or the values they have followed. It’s like wanting the best place for the one who has died. It’s like God and the world are one and the same. Nothing can be further from the truth as Jesus states above. Jesus came exactly for this reason; that there is a battle for our life that needs addressing. He came to reconcile a divided and broken relationship, but the point is we have the choice of where we belong; with the world or God. You cannot belong to both. The world here means a life lived apart from God, going in our own preferred direction.

In Australia I find the measuring stick regarding being a Christian is how good a bloke you are. Since we think of ourselves just as highly or lowly as anyone else, being a Christian becomes a personal private affair of how we live our life. Unfortunately this not what Jesus came to show us? Jesus speaks in the passage above about our relationship to him, following the commands he gave and how this will set us up in opposition to the way the rest of the world lives.

What is it that Jesus came to show us? The first and most important is God. Jesus came to show us what God is like and the way we can live in friendship with God. This means putting our relationship with God above our loved ones and family, our work, our leisure and yes even golf.

The greatest commandment in the NT is simply this; “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” (See Mark Chapter 12:verses 28 to 34).
It means to put God and his way of life first. Through Jesus we have seen how our sins are forgiven when we turn to him. To turn to God is to have a desire to follow Jesus not our own way. Only we know deep down whom we are following in life, God or ourselves and the world.
To follow Jesus is to partake in the things Jesus spoke of. These include:

  1. Being part of a community of God’s people to encourage and support each other. You can judge this by how much desire you have to worship God, encourage and help other believers in following Jesus. Following Jesus is being part the church.
  2. Sharing the good news Jesus brings to the world. We can judge this by the amount of times we speak about Jesus and his way of life in our conversation with others.
  3. Giving our time, money and talents to help the message of Jesus spread in the world. We can judge this by how much of our time each week, (hours and minutes) how much of our money (should be at least 10%) and how we use our talents (things we are good at) to help others in the Christian community and in the world.

My understanding of Jesus’ life is that the 3 points above are fundamental to what it means to believe in Jesus and to follow him. It’s very different to the concerns of the world. Heaven is simply the continuance of these things in a restored world that loves God. Where do you at present, with God or the world? Choose God.
Prayer. Help me today Lord to choose to be follow you rather than the world. Amen.

Prayer. Thank you Jesus for the gift of peace that you alone can give that draws us into the wonderful presence of God and lasts forever. Amen.

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