Jesus and the ten commandments: no stealing.
There are two ways in which we can miss the heart of God’s commandment against stealing. If we minimize the gravity of stealing, we fail to see that an intrinsic part of what it means to be human is to be given things by God to look after. Stealing from others robs humanity from them, dehumanizing them, and marring God’s image within. This is why all stealing, big and small, is beneath God’s lofty ideal for the people of his kingdom- it goes against something fundamental to how God has created humanity.
But, if we treat what we have been given, not as gifts from God to be held loosely, but our very own to hold onto tightly, we will find ourselves stealing not from others but from God himself. ‘The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it’, says the Psalmist. So we’re to treat what we have openly and generously, continually giving it back to the One who first gave it to us. We’re called not just to stop stealing, but to work - to work to further God’s kingdom so that we might have something to give back to him and to those in need.
This new perspective comes as we live daily according to who we have now become through God’s extraordinary generosity in Jesus. This is what Paul means when he encourages us to put on our ‘new self.’
By Ed Flint
Jesus and the ten commandments: no adultery.
Jesus is not interested in outward performative actions. This is the righteousness of the Pharisees, but has little to do with the kingdom of God. Instead Jesus calls his people to a much deeper, more fundamental level of heart righteousness.
Lust is the root cause of adultery, and it has no place in those who take their inclusion in the kingdom of God seriously. At its heart, lust is a misdirected, misaligned, corrupted desire. When desire rules us, as opposed to us it, we degrade the image of God in other people, and in turn ourselves.
Instead Jesus calls us to redirect our desire, a holy gift from God, to where it is supposed to point: firstly to Him, and then appropriately and with godly boundaries to other people, in whom we see the image of God. This is where freedom from being bullied by our desire lies. Jesus is looking for men and women He can trust, so that He can empower them to do whatever they want, knowing that whatever they want is whatever He wants.
By Ed Flint
Jesus and the ten commandments: remembering the sabbath.
As a culture, we tend to be very good at recreation, but less so re-creation. Sabbath is about the latter. It is the place where God re-orders us in line with his purposes and will.
Firstly, this means stopping all our work to reflect and delight. We remember that God is in control, that his plans for the world are good, and that our destination is heaven on earth, where ultimately all pain and suffering will cease. We catch glimpses of heaven all around us, even amidst the trouble of this world.
Secondly, this means preparation. During Sabbath we allow God to re-create His image in us where it has been marred. We allow Him to place His hand back into the imprint of our lives, and reorder our lives. We listen to His call, rather than pushing ahead with our own agenda.
Thirdly, and most importantly, we choose to surrender to Jesus and allow Him to do whatever it is he wants to do in us. It takes vulnerability to respond to Jesus’ surrender with our own. But as we come to him, as a helpless child might approach a parent, He does not lord his authority over us. Rather, He is gentle and humble with us, and places His yoke on us, giving true rest for our souls. What we receive is not something from Jesus, but Jesus himself.
By Ed Flint
Jesus and the ten commandments:
To take God’s name in vain is much more than simply using it as a curse word. Blaspheme is a symptom of something bigger. ‘In vain’ means 'to empty.' So, we’re called, not to empty God’s name of its fullness, but rather to fill it with the fullness of God's nature and His work.
By His name, God has made Himself known: He revealed Himself to the Israelites as ‘The great I am', the one and only true God, the 'Beginning and the End'. And, in the person of Jesus, he has fully revealed himself to the whole world. His name is Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Everlasting Lord.
When we fill God’s name with the fullness of His nature, we see Him more clearly, giving Him His rightful status and place in our lives and the world. To fill God’s name with its fullness is also to acknowledge the unique work Jesus has done in making us right with God, beckoning us into God’s presence.
When we don’t empty God’s name of its nature and work, our prayer and worship lives are transformed. We approach God with confidence, not in our own name but in Jesus’ name, knowing He is the great God, whose name is above all other names, who can do anything for us his children.
By Ed Flint
Jesus, the resurrected one. (EASTER)
The resurrection is emphatic: Jesus is said to have bodily risen in time and space at a moment in history. The resurrection is neither mythical, nor metaphorical. It happened, and it changed the world forever.
To a world lost to wishy washy relativism, Jesus’ victory over death is the most sure absolute anyone can build a life on. And the resurrection is transformational. The victory of God means the end of fear and the end of any lack of purpose. Those who live in the light of resurrection are able not to be alarmed, and to go: go and live lives of meaning. And the resurrection is grace. It’s the gift of God to a world in need. Grace transforms everything.
Thank God for Easter.
By Ed Flint
Jesus the irenic, innocent, indestructible one.
At Jesus’ trial before Pilate, the crowd call for Jesus’ crucifixion and Barabbas’ release.
Barabbas represents violent rebellion, in contrast to Jesus’ refusal to defend himself. Whether we like to admit it, there is something in all of us that can find brutal aggression more compelling than the way of Jesus. When this happens it’s like we’re in the crowd crying for Barabbas to be set free.
But Jesus is more than just an example of non-violence. He is also Barabbas’ substitute. And He is ours too. He does what no human before or since could do. His inncoent death is like a lightening rod for all our human corruption and guilt. In His body He absorbs Barabbas’s sin, our sin, and all the sin of the world. And, in death, he kills off all evil, setting us, like Barabbas, free. His revolution is not a human one, it is eternal.
Unlike any other revolution, it cannot be held back. It is indestructible. As such, it is the only revolution worthy of our lives. When we commit ourselves to it, we commit to the only way the world will ever be fundamentally redeemed.
By Ed Flint
Jesus, the victim of betrayal and denial.
In Mark 14, Jesus doesn’t directly accuse Judas, but keeps his prediction about the identity of his betrayer ambiguous. Part of the reason is to show that any of his disciples were, and by extension, any of us are, capable. We all have a bit of Judas in us. We can treat Jesus as a commodity, to be discarded when we don’t get what we want from him.
And, we all have a bit of Peter, too. Peter is so sure of himself he doubles down on his insistence he won’t deny Jesus. We can trust our own righteousness in similar ways. In all this, Jesus knows exactly what we’re all like. It means he goes to his death abandoned and betrayed. But he’s not defeated. And, as with Judas, he leaves the door open to us to turn around, be forgiven, and enjoy him and his presence, for its own sake, once again.
By Ed Flint
Jesus, the one who will return.
During his week in Jerusalem, Jesus prophecies about two future events: the destruction of the temple and his second coming. Jesus gives detailed signs about when the temple will be destroyed, so his disciples will know to leave Jerusalem beforehand; but about his return, he says no-one, not even he, knows when this will be. What he does make clear is that his return will be glorious, and we as his followers should be watchful for it.
So, the timing of his second coming is something we do not need to obsess over, but it is something we can draw comfort, reassurance, and purpose from. Those who know Jesus is in control of the future, is all-powerful, and will ultimately return to make everything right, can navigate the chaos of this world with joy, hope and an expectant watchfulness.
By Ed Flint
Jesus, the revolutionary.
During Jesus’ life, the subject of revolution was never far away. When he is asked about paying taxes to Caesar, the question behind the question is this: ‘Are you a revolutionary?’ Jesus’ response amazes the crowd. He says both ‘yes’ and ‘no’. No, he is not a revolutionary like any revolutionary before or after. But yes, he is a revolutionary unlike the world has or will ever see. His revolution is not of political but of cosmic, supernatural power. His is the revolution of bringing heaven to earth. His is a revolution of the defeat of sin and greed and lust for power.
As such, it is the only revolution worthy of our time. And he beckons us not just to enjoy the fruits of it, but to extend it to a world in need. In a time of political turmoil and anguish in our own country, remembering that in the face of similar chaos, Jesus’ focus remained fixed on the Kingdom of God is timely. We’re made for the kingdom that is both eternal and material, now, and not yet. Let us embrace it as the only hope for a world in need.
By Ed Flint
Alpha day return.
Concluding the theme of the alpha day away, we look at the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Paul says as Christians we have an obligation to be people of God’s Holy Spirit. This means knowing who he is, what he does and how we can grow in our experience of him. We’re told the Spirit adopts us, frees us, makes us joyful and empowers us. An ongoing experience of all these things is vital to our growth as Christians.
By Ed Flint
ALPHA WEEK 5: Prayer.
Alpha is a six week course exploring the big questions of life. It’s for anyone interested in discussing spirituality, god and the christian faith, in a non-judgmental open-minded context. Each week there’s a great meal, a short talk, and discussion in small groups. People who come to the course are from lots of different backgrounds - no faith, other faiths, brought up christian, and agnostic. Everyone is welcome.
Catch up on WEEK 5’s talk here.
Jesus, the clearer of the temple.
Jesus’ first significant acts in Jerusalem are to curse a fig tree and clear the Temple courts. The two are related. Jesus’ intention is not to call the temple sacrificial system to reform, but something more dramatic: to prophesy its destruction. It is no longer fit for purpose. God’s presence will no longer reside in a building, but in the temple of Jesus’ followers’ hearts. And the atoning temple sacrifice will be once and for all replaced by Jesus’ bodily sacrifice on the cross.
In light of this, all attempts to save ourselves or our world at the altar's culture offers are futile. But when we receive the gift of God's presence at the core of our very beings, achieved for us by Jesus at the cross, we are enabled and empowered to live out the lives that offer real salvation to us and our communities. This is how Jesus saves the world.
By Ed Flint
ALPHA WEEK 4: The bible.
Alpha is a six week course exploring the big questions of life. It’s for anyone interested in discussing spirituality, god and the christian faith, in a non-judgmental open-minded context. Each week there’s a great meal, a short talk, and discussion in small groups. People who come to the course are from lots of different backgrounds - no faith, other faiths, brought up christian, and agnostic. Everyone is welcome.
Catch up on WEEK 4’s talk here.
ALPHA WEEK 3: Why did Jesus die?
Alpha is a six week course exploring the big questions of life. It’s for anyone interested in discussing spirituality, god and the christian faith, in a non-judgmental open-minded context. Each week there’s a great meal, a short talk, and discussion in small groups. People who come to the course are from lots of different backgrounds - no faith, other faiths, brought up christian, and agnostic. Everyone is welcome.
Catch up on WEEK 3's talk here.
ALPHA WEEK 2: Jesus and the Evidence for the Resurrection
Alpha is a six week course exploring the big questions of life. It’s for anyone interested in discussing spirituality, god and the christian faith, in a non-judgmental open-minded context. Each week there’s a great meal, a short talk, and discussion in small groups. People who come to the course are from lots of different backgrounds - no faith, other faiths, brought up christian, and agnostic. Everyone is welcome. Catch up on WEEK 2’s talk here.
ALPHA WEEK 1: Who are you? What are you for?
Alpha is a six week course exploring the big questions of life. It’s for anyone interested in discussing spirituality, god and the christian faith, in a non-judgmental open-minded context. Each week there’s a great meal, a short talk, and discussion in small groups. People who come to the course are from lots of different backgrounds - no faith, other faiths, brought up christian, and agnostic. Everyone is welcome. Catch up on WEEK 1’s talk here.
Jesus, the glory of God.
The transfiguration is a rare moment of respite and balm for both the disciples, and Jesus, in the middle of the struggles of ministry. Despite the teaching, the healing, the deliverance and the miracles, Jesus is still opposed, threatened and misunderstood. Even his closest friends don’t really get it. And soon, he will make it to Jerusalem where suffering and execution await.
But here, on the mountain, Jesus is glorified. It is a moment of glory and wonder: the cloud of God’s presence enveloping all who witness it. It must have been wonderful to experience! If Jesus needed such a moment of respite from the brokenness of the world, how much more do we?
This week in Los Angeles has been a terrible reminder of the chaos of our world. But, thanks to Jesus, his glory and the presence of God is available to us all the time. This talk is a call to worship the divine Son of God and enter into his presence. Especially in times of trouble, there is no better place for us to be. In his presence, we are transformed - our motives, our prayers, our thoughts, and our desires are all aligned with his - and we are best able to be his people to a world in need.
By Ed Flint
Jesus, the Christ.
As we kick off the new year, we continue our series in Mark’s gospel. For many, this time of year is about making new resolutions. Jesus, though, comes to bring something greater than anything human resolve will ever accomplish. He knows our fundamental need is not a material one, but a spiritual one. So, he warns that whilst we may gain the whole world through our human endeavors, we can still lose our soul. Only he can achieve for us the life free from the power of sin that we so fundamentally need. And, he bids us give our whole self to him, so we can rise with him to the fullness of a life, no longer controlled by sin, which we most crave.
So, let us make this our one resolution for this, and every coming year: to be people who give up themselves to Jesus, to take up our cross and follow. This is where real life is to be found.
By Ed Flint
Jesus, deliverer from distress.
There is an epidemic of anxiety in the west. 50 million people in US have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. The number is rising. In today’s talk we find the disciples in distress. Something they experience whenever they are, or feel, separated from Jesus. This is something we will all experience. Whenever we’re dislocated from Jesus, our anxiety will rise, because we’re made for closeness to him. But Jesus meets his disciples in all his power. He is the lord of glory - the great I am. He displays his authority over all evil by trampling on the waves of the deep. And his compassion and closeness is seen as he gets into the boat with his troubled disciples. And as soon as he does so he alleviates all their fear.
By Ed Flint
Jesus, revolutionary shepherd.
Who is leading you?
Jesus sees the crowd in Galilee as sheep without a shepherd. But rather than be the revolutionary zealot leader the people want him to be, he reveals a different kind of leadership. He is the servant God who gives his life up for the sake of others. And in word and deed, he alone is the bread of life who brings satisfaction to the human condition.
We’re called to let him, the revolutionary shepherd, lead all aspects of our life. Not least our finances. As we launch our end of year giving campaign, we’re calling the church to let him be lord over our money, to invest in his kingdom, and to be vulnerable with our finances, allowing him to be our source of all security and protection.
By Ed Flint