Steve White's blog

As I've been preaching a series on Luke's parables over the last months, one in particular has shone the spotlight on my heart.  The question I am asked is: am I a Pharisee, or a Tax Collector?

“I was brought up in a Christian household”.  Those words are the beginning of so many Christian testimonies, including mine.  For a while, I thought my testimony started off a little boring.

Have you ever wondered why we think some things are good and some things bad?  Why, for example, is it wrong to steal from the poor?  Why is it right to give to the poor?  How do we decide what is ethically OK or not OK? 

I love being an Aussie!  I love the rough and tough image that the rest of the world has of us.  I love the independent, knock-about attitude we are known for.  I love living in a place with such a deadly assortment of snakes and spiders. I love that our country is tough and rugged and spectacular.  But therein lies the problem.  Our identity is first and foremost as citizens of God's Kingdom, not Australia.

 If you were to shake your family tree, who would fall out?  Chances are, there would be an assortment of characters, right?  There might be the odd hero, the odd villain, but most would be average people.  Matthew’s gospel starts with an account of Jesus’ family tree, and it is very similar to ours except for one thing.  Shake his family tree and only villains fall out.  There are no real heroes!

 There are a number of movements that flow through Christianity that concern me, but none more than the interfaith movement.  To me it is a lot like the hippopotamus.  The hippo is a big, docile looking creature - seemingly harmless and almost cute.  The startling fact is, however, that hippos are responsible for more human fatalities more year than any other animal on the African continent, including lions!  

As I've been preaching through Genesis two unmistakeable truths have remained constant: humanity's sinfulness, and God's grace.