The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they might have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

John 10:10 (NKJV)

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Acts 1:8 (NKJV)

The immensely popular BBC Television science-fiction series Dr. Who, which has been screened almost continuously since 1963, features a space-travel/time-machine called the TARDIS. On the outside, the TARDIS looks like a small, 1930s-style police call box, barely large enough to fit two people. But, when the Doctor and/or his associates insert the key and enter through the narrow door, they find themselves in a spacious, futuristic environment, equipped with buttons, levers, flashing lights, and gizmos that can whisk them almost instantly to the planet and the time of their choice.

Life in the Spirit is something like that. It may not look very attractive or promising to the uninitiated but, take one step over the threshold and you are ushered into an entirely different dimension. As you enter this new realm, you realise something about the world you just left it had a virtual reality aspect to it that was indiscernible when you were in it.  You also realise something about this new world; it is bigger, brighter, and more real than you had ever imagined.

Life in the Spirit is about an adventure with God (and no adventure is without some sort of risk). It will require us to let go of all those things that we commonly depend upon for our security, status, a sense of identity in the world, and comfort. 

Life in the Spirit is about developing that relationship with God which began with our conversion, and regeneration through repentance, faith, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is about loving God with our whole heart, trusting him completely, and being led by the Spirit, day by glorious day and moment by precious moment.

Life in the Spirit is not so much about laying aside our wrongs (we did that at repentance remember?) but about laying down our rights. It is about the cheerful and total abandonment of ourselves to Gods will. It is a recognition that all that we have and all that we are belongs not to us, but to the One who redeemed us with the blood of His dear Son. It is the recognition that we own nothing that this world affords, but neither do we lack anything of any lasting value. It is the recognition that each new day is a gift from God, to be used for him and his glory. Each breath is a gift and, without Christ, we have nothing and are nothing.

Life in the Spirit is a reality when we understand what Paul meant when he said, In Him we live, and move, and have our being. (Acts 17:28 NKJV)   

The fullness of God is something that we see in Christ and His Apostles. We desire it, but most of us never attain it. We may long to be able to lay hands on the sick and see them recover. We may desire to speak prophetically and reveal the secrets of mens hearts. We may dream of confronting the powers of darkness and expelling demons from the oppressed. We read in the Scriptures that those who believe in Christ can do the works that He did and, because we are not experiencing it ourselves we become frustrated or disillusioned.

Watching children and grandchildren grow and develop can be quite illuminating. Toddlers see parents doing something interesting and immediately they want to participate. Allowing them to do so might be good for them but might equally lead to disaster. Similarly, we might think we are ready to step out in faith and do something significant for God but unless He sees that we are ready (not simply willing) the power and the anointing will be absent.

Being ready necessarily includes dying daily to our own desires and ambitions. It requires a wholehearted desire to only do Gods will and to do it His way. It demands that we resolutely turn our backs on the world and earnestly seek Gods kingdom and His righteousness. It demands the believers life, the believers soul, and the believers all. And when we consider how much Christ gave for us, how could we give any less?

A moment ago, Maggie felt completely normal. Listening to the soft keyboard playing, she was happy and still, standing in her pew, eyes closed, silently pondering her Lord. But a word had suddenly popped into her head. Cradle.

Cradle.

Cradle?

She tried to dismiss it. Why am I thinking about the word cradle? It makes no sense. She tried resuming her silent worship. But the word wouldnt go away. And now she started seeing a cradle. Imagining it sitting there, in front of her eyes, behind her eyelids. It started taking on detail, shadows and texture. She explored it with her minds eye. All the while, trying to make sense of what it might mean.

Why this word? What does it mean? Why cant I think of anything else? This cradle before me why dont I want to look away? I wonder whats in it?

Her mind zoomed in on the cradle, but there was nothing in it. A little straw perhaps. But thats because it looks like a manger and my imagination is putting the straw there surely.

Then, out of nowhere, another thought came to her. A little voice that seemed to say Im using you. And your imagination. Go with it. And then the thought took her further and said, Talk about it. Explain it to My people.

She grew hot. In an instant a mere heartbeat, her body had turned into a sweltering oven. Red hot pumping blood began throbbing loudly in her ears, it was a wonder no one else nearby could hear it. Her stomach fluttered and her hands grew clammy. And her chest! If whoever was in there could stop hammering the inside wall of her heart with all their might, she would have appreciated it greatly. She knew soon... She knew He was telling her to speak. To let her... silly little idea come trickling out... But all she had was one word and the image of a lone cradle. How could she explain it when she didnt understand it herself?

This random thought that had just come to her out of the blue, was it even from God? Or was it just her distracted mind wandering, getting carried away? Cradle wasnt a particularly new or unusual word. Some would even say it was a bit cliché. Especially with the straw. It was pretty ordinary. Surely anything she had to say about it wasnt going to be new or enlightened or profound. Everyone knew all the symbolic connotations that came with the idea of a cradle. Its been done before.

She kept quiet. Shed made a resolve. She wouldnt say anything.

The nerves settled down a bit, thankfully. She breathed in a deep, shaky breath...

Cradle.

The word came again, like someone knocking persistently on the door instead of giving up and leaving her alone.

The cradles image came back again. Zooming in, slowly

Make room.

Whoa. Okay. That was new.

Say it. Speak.

She held onto her breath for a few brief moments...

Then, in the next moment, she heard her own voice. Speaking! Out loud! She hadn't planned what she was going to say!

What am I doing?!

But God spoke to His church that day. Maggie remembered afterwards how confident and sure her words had been. And the words did come, she didnt just repeat the word cradle, cradle, cradle like a moron. A few seconds after opening up her mouth, a little message unpacked itself and words from somewhere (she knew exactly where) came dancing and skipping pleasantly out and bounced off the walls and into open hearts. There hadnt been many words, and she couldn't even remember now everything she had said. But whatever it was, and as much as she knew she hadnt planned it, a certain Someone sure had.

One of the older ladies, who sits up the back and sometimes knits, came to her during morning tea in tears.

I am thank you for that word this morning. I dont I just thank you. She breathed and clasped Maggies arm with her delicate, shaking hand. I needed to hear that this morning.

Queen Esther had a moment in time where she had clarity of mind to see clearly and understand fully that "for such a time as this" she needed to decide on a certain course of action. In so doing, she saved a Nation from destruction, indeed, her own people. Bible stories, looking back on history, constantly encourage us to trust that "God holds our times in His hands".

I have been thinking a lot about time in recent days, having made a decision to retire at the end of this term from forty years of teaching. What an immeasurable comfort to know my times are in His hands.

I wrote an e-mail to the twenty or so PE staff who have been my comrades for many years at Pembroke School, sharing my thoughts and struggles associated with the notion of retirement. I share below, in part, the message sent to my fellow teachers:

"Just to let you know, I'm leaving/retiring at the end of the term.

It's just that my time has come.

Woke up in the middle of the night a little while ago and jotted down my thoughts. It's not a poem; just words that mean something to me.

Time takes no prisoners. 

Everybody has their time. 

Time to grow and time to slow, 

Time to walk in through the door and time to leave through that same door. 

We watch as time is up for others, we say our goodbyes, and go right on. 

Now, it is my time, after 38 years, to leave.

Just like yesterday I walked in, and seemingly so quickly, it's time to go.

My life changes irrevocably from this moment on, not so much for you who remain. 

Momentous for me, because it is more than just a workplace I am leaving. I leave behind people, their personalities, laughter, stories, their lives. 

What a loss occurs when it's your time. I already feel it when contemplating my immediate future. 

Everyone in our Department matters to me. I think of you all fondly and often. I wish for you as a group further joy, laughter and purpose in this workplace. 

As I leave the door from which I entered, I say goodbye to the most fabulous group of friends and professionals."

Recently I have been further encouraged to think about "the times" in which we live, by a conversation with a fellow teacher who miraculously recovered from a near death experience. In trying to encourage her she became the agent of encouragement. She simply shared that she now has a new capacity to see each day as beautiful, full of opportunity and gratitude. How important that we each gain clarity and understanding for each and every day. In the now time in which we live, and, in the time, yet to come, we might increasingly live out our lives faithfully, graciously and perhaps in a measure, gloriously.

We all desire purpose in our lives. It is the time we have in the now which needs to be lived. Grasp this moment, act now, for our "times are truly in His Hands".

In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

Job 12:10

My times are in Your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. Psalm 31:15

Our lives are in His hands, and He keeps our feet from stumbling.

Psalm 66:9

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the sun. Ecclesiastes 3:1

Occasionally in our Christian walk, we arrive at a lifechanging place that sets up a way of living for the next many years. I had one of those experiences in 1972 that has been a guiding factor in much of what I do as a Christian and as a Pastor.

A preacher from Argentina came to Adelaide. His name was Juan Carlos Ortiz. When I heard him speak, I drank in what he said as would a thirsty man in a desert when he comes to an oasis. His two main themes were the blessings of what we now call Home Fellowships or Connect Groups, and how there ought to be Unity between pastors and churches within a town, or city.

Alison and I used to be part of midweek meetings, usually for prayer and teaching. Often, either a husband or a wife might stay at home to look after the kids (if there were any). Ortizs revolutionary idea was that the whole family should attend. If there were any young kids, put them down to sleep (wherever. And we did, and have). Ortiz also said to often have fellowship meals together, discuss scripture in practical ways; how it related to daily living, and if a problem persisted in ones life, discuss it again shedding light and wisdom and hopefully coming up with a good solution. In doing these things, a group could build fellowship, trust, acceptance, and a place to feel loved, wanted, and at home.

When I heard this idea, my heart leapt within me as I thought to myself, Fantastic, this is how it ought to be. I went back to our church and began to evangelise the idea of home fellowships. Many people grabbed the idea too and out of that, Home Fellowships became part of our church life. That was literally 50 years ago, and Alison and I have hosted, led, been part of, encouraged, and enjoyed these meetings for almost all of that time. Sometimes at our house, and if that was not practical, sometimes at someone elses house. I could not imagine church life without these great meetings. If you are not part of a home fellowship/connect group, I commend them to you.

The second main theme from Pastor Ortiz was that the Pastors, Ministers, and Priests of a locality ought foster a spirit of Unity among each other by meeting together periodically, praying together, refraining from criticising each other, and understanding that Gods work might be done in different ways from your way, yet it would still be Gods work. Again, as I heard this preached, I thought to myself, Of course, this is how it ought to be. So I went back to our home church and began building these bonds of fellowship and love among the church leaderships. I found that they too, when presented with these thoughts, began to think, Yes, this is how it ought to be. I must add that not every pastor and priest grabbed hold of this with enthusiasm. But many did.

So a new atmosphere began to develop amongst those Pastors and Leaders. Working together rather than working alone, and remarkably, by Gods grace, across the broad spectrum of mainstream Christian belief.

Out of that revelation grew combined monthly prayer meetings which ran in our locality for 18 years, a 14-night cross-church evangelistic crusade with an Adelaide preacher/teacher, a 10-night tent evangelistic outreach, with an Australian evangelist, which brought many many people to faith in Christ. Work in the schools grew. Outreach concerts started taking place. It seemed like there was an open heaven about our locality.

As these events developed, fostered by leaders in unity of faith and purpose, Christians across denominational spaces began to appreciate more and more the wonderful work of God and the power of the Holy Spirit when unity was there among His people.

So for 50 years, those two themes have been in the mainstream of my life and ministry. They are still powerful today and are outworked today in my relationships with other churches and ministries in our Eastern Suburbs.

One of my favourite pictures of Jesus, is that of Him riding on a donkey. Why did He ride on a donkey? He made a particular point of asking His disciples to go and find the particular colt (a donkeys foal) for the job. And not only that, but this colt and its mother were known by Jesus to already be in a nearby village waiting. They were there by heavenly design for the moment when the King of kings would require them.

Talk about God paying attention to the little things. Can you imagine... God planning and shaping the circumstances in this village for a donkey and her colt to be there at the right time. He saw the birth of this colt, and indeed the birth of its mother in the years previous. And He fashioned history around this donkey and its colt and planted the picture of it in the mind of Zechariah the prophet who wrote about the event roughly 500 years before it happened!

.and why? Why did God write history in this way? Why did He want Jesus to ride on a donkeys colt into Jerusalem? Well I cant say that I have THE answer. But I can think of a few possibilities.

In religious culture through history, donkeys were portrayed as symbols of service, suffering, peace, and humility, as well as also being associated with the theme of wisdom (at least according to Wikipedia). In Exodus 13, the Lord gives a rule to His people, that every first born male (including the livestock) belongs to the Lord (v12) in order to remember how God brought them out of Egypt (v16). (in other words, they had to be killed.) However, a lamb could be sacrificed to redeem that first born and donkeys are specifically mentioned here. Redeem with a lamb every first-born donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.

That first born donkey is doomed according to the law. It needs a lamb to be redeemed.

Skipping forward a couple of books in the Bible, to Numbers 22, we see how God uses animals in His wonderful, mysterious plans. When Balaam the prophet was going a reckless way on his trusty donkey, the angel of the Lord appeared in his path blocking the way. Balaam could not see it. Only the donkey. And so the donkey dug his heals in, deviated from the road, even laid down and refused to walk while receiving impatient beatings from Balaam, as he could still not see the angel. So God allowed the donkey to speak so Balaam could understand him (v28). He basically said Why are you beating me? Im your donkey you know Ive never behaved like this before. Think about it buddy! And then Balaam saw the angel, and obeyed the Lord.

Of course we know well, that God used a donkey to carry the Lord Jesus while in His mothers womb on the long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. And thirty-odd years later, we read of another donkey, a colt, who had not yet been given any task to do. (Luke 19) He was too young to work and so he was inexperienced, and kept in the pen all day long, never yet been ridden by anyone. Jesus, coming back into Jerusalem, knew that this donkey was there, ready for Him. He sent two of his disciples to the village to find this donkey, tied up there. They were instructed to untie the donkey, and simply say to anyone who asked them why they were untying it that the Lord needs it. (v29-31)

The disciples did this and found the little donkey just as Jesus said they would. The donkey was brought to Jesus, cloaks were laid on his back, and Jesus King of kings sat down on him.

In doing this, Jesus was, as they say, making a statement. Zechariah the prophet who saw this moment by the power of the Holy Spirit wrote: Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey riding on a donkeys colt. And Matthew quotes this again in his recount the fulfillment of prophesy.

Not only is His entrance into Jerusalem a declaration of His humility, lowliness, and servanthood, it also tells of His role as Redeemer. In riding this young, lowly little colt, Jesus takes on the characteristics of everything this animal represents just like the stable and the manger help us to remember that He is meek, gentle, and stoops low, behaving as a servant. He bends to reach those who cant stand, He comforts the broken, He washes feet, keeps company with sinners, He gives His life to redeem undeserving asses like us.

Behold our King!

While horses are a symbol of war, donkeys are a symbol of peace. Jesus reminded us, all the time with the way He lived His earthly life, that Christianity is not about power. Any group or religion that gives power to its leaders cannot be trusted. For where there is power, there is corruption. Interestingly, the philosopher Agrippa placed Christian apostles on a level with donkeys/asses. He said, It is clear as day that no other animal is in a better position than the ass to receive the divine. If you do not look to the ass, you will be no position to receive the divine mysteries. He was really onto something there, but of course it was Jesus first who said things like Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth (Matt 5:5) and So the last will be first, and the first will be last. (Matt 20:16). Our friend the little colt, because he was so lowly, so humble before God, so undeserving of carrying a King, he was the perfect choice for doing just that!

At some point Jesus becomes the Lamb. And we must be like the donkey. Humble, lowly servants. Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. We get to live, because He died. But while Jesus lowered Himself, we must remember, He was also raised! The Lamb who redeemed us is now sitting on the throne victorious!

We, are forever His, in freedom and in victory with Him. So can you see it? Can you see who He is and how He comes to us? Can you see who you are? And can you do it?