David Pawson & John 3:16

After listening to David Pawson’s Sermon ‘John 3:16’ over the past few days, I have finally finished it. It coincided on my recent trip to Georgia, in a particular place where heresy seems to over rule Truth…in a place where there is much need of Truth. It was a challenging visit, as I was having to revisit a place filled with memories of such darkness and struggle. At the same time this was a place of transformation and sharpening, and much time clinging onto my Lord.

I am looking forward to listening to the sermon again, as this first time listening I was driving for part of the time, cooking for another part and then finally took some notes on the last bit of my listen. I would love to track many of the points made in this sermon, but I will share with you my bit of notes I took on the last hour of this four hour sermon.

David Pawson spends four hours picking apart one very known verse, John 3:16. He goes to say that the Gospel of John is about what Jesus was; a story of a person, rather than his work. It is written for mature Christians and to believers to remind them to not believe ‘the wishy washy stuff’ around them. This contradicts the most common misconception of this verse. This verse is written to believers, not to unbelievers. It is abused when it is used as a tool of evangelism. It does not adequately tell people on how to respond to the Gospel. There is no word about repenting or baptism or the Holy Spirit. This is where it makes sense to me when Pawson said the people John is writing to has repented and has been baptized. This verse is to help them go on believing.

Pawson made a point of it not making too much sense that Jesus said John 3:16, but vs.16 was John commentating on verse 15; that Jesus stopped at vs.15, and John picked up at vs.16. Maybe John could see Christians drifting and had this deep burn in him to help his brothers and sisters stay on track. Take a notice the verb usage is vs.15 & 16:

¹⁵that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

¹⁶"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

A few notes of mine goes as this:

*Vs. 16 would be repetitive if Jesus would have said it.

*The verb usage is different. Vs.15 is before Christ was crucified, as the verb usage in vs.16 is after the crucifixion (notice gave not give).

Later on he thoroughly explains the 4 main words for love in Greek.

Thelema which is parallel to the English word lust (please correct me if I’m wrong, as this part is coming from my memory. I was driving at this point in the sermon.)

Philos is parallel to the term friendship.

Eros is parallel to attraction, a chemical reaction out of your own control (and the closest to today’s ‘Worldly Love’).

Agape is closest to the English meaning ‘Care’, as if to care for someone, or to show someone you care.

In John 3:16, the term used is Agape. “For God so Agaped the world…” It is not ‘For God so lusted the world’ or ‘For God was so attracted to the world’, but ‘God cared…’ So this love is much different than any worldly love. You have to accept the Love of God and experience it to understand God’s way of Agape.

Something Pawson said that stuck out to me is ‘This is not a verse about loving everybody, but a verse about giving a way out.’ He followed this with bringing up a man name Marcion who lived around 144 A.D. His teachings were purely heretical. He rejected the the Old Testament and Yahweh, saying that the God of the Old Testament was not the same God as the God of the New Testament. He chose books of the Bible, and teachings he only wanted to believe. He called this ‘New Testament God’ a ‘Motherly God’. He also believed that there was not a Hell.

This struck me hearing about Marcion. I’ve come in contact with many Christians following his teachings over the past year, and had to stand up for truth in the name of Jesus and defend the truth against such teachings repeatedly in the last eleven months. It is frightening how many evangelical churches have slid into such teachings and is blinded from the full truth of Jesus Christ and the Cross. They are blinded by the multitude of grace that is found constantly in the Old Testament. I’m learning about more and more people believing and following such principals and faith who call themselves Christians. I had no clue there was a name to go with it.

It is scary, frustrating and wrong how we Christians just slide right off the track of truth. It shows me the importance of holding one another accountable in our struggles and unbelief. We need to be like John and have a deep burn when we see our brothers and sisters so easily drifting away. We all need to keep our eyes wide open, feasting on the whole entire Word, and staying saturated in prayer.

Again, these are just notes and a reflection on this (very good) sermon. I recommend listening to David Pawson’s sermon on John 3:16 and spending time in the Word with any doubts or new 'ideas' it may spur on. I unfortunately do not have a link, but please let me know if you find one.

May peace be with you.

swings

While swinging side by side yesterday afternoon, five year old Bahati looked over to me and said 'Miss Stephanie, i love swings. they bring me to cold.'

yes, swings do cool us off in the hot sun.

I just love the choice of words from little ones...especially if they are learning english.

Asante.

Most phone conversations these days start with 'miss stephanie, when you come back?' (no typos included...). it breaks my heart, but makes me thankful for having such wonderful people in my life...especially here back at home. i am very thankful to have so many people that keep me in check in this season of healing and processing. seriously, praise God, and thank you all.

Can single women live among the poor?

Being removed from living in a neighborhood where food stamps are a common source of help, hospitality was expressed hundreds of times daily, and joy was freely passed on from person to person, I know that is where I am to be. I am recovering from a traumatic experience, that when I say could have happened anywhere, people look at me in doubt. But if a man was sitting in my chair that night, would the incident have played out as it did with me?

I get frustrated when a group of men move into a neighborhood full of poverty and people are very supportive. Now, I’m not frustrated that they put themselves in such a situation, but what happens if a group of single women feel that calling, and have that strong passion in them as well, how is this to go about? People are very cautious, questioning constantly and very worried if an idea of moving into a neighborhood like so is discussed. And in some sense, they should be!

Women are vulnerable beings. We are physically weaker, we are mentally wired differently, and we are determined. After being attacked a wall of fear has come over me. I know where my heart lays; I know where my Pappa wants me. It’s even the times where I am most uncomfortable where I am closest to my Jesus. I have to depend on Him for safety, for comfort and for healing. I can’t get through a day without him. I am willing to live in that day to day fear, especially if that is where He wants me.

What happens after being temporarily removed from such a setting and culture shock sets in? You start to realize people are not aware of struggles that are just a few blocks away from their home of comfort, from their lives of entertainment. Even just sitting here in this coffee shop right now, I feel privileged. There’s no way any of my neighbors can afford to come in and buy a $3 cup of tea. What a waste! Yet so many people (and me before having my eyes opened from experience) take a $3 drink so lightly…so blindly. No one can understand until they are living right next door to such struggles and pains. And even then, it can’t be fully comprehended!

A part of me is angry at God and I want to question His will. ‘Why don’t you just send me a husband so people can approve of me living in such circumstances…so I can continue to serve and be served by such beloved people?’ But looking back at an incident where some friends of mine were robbed in their own backyard, I see it wasn’t the husbands that saved the women that night…it was God. As hard as that is for me to see, i find much comfort in that.

I am thankful to have the experience to have lived in a home with two gals and four other guys. It was such a unique setting, and the reason it was set up like so was for safety reasons. Because of the guy’s presence, us girls were able to live in the neighborhood that we did. What was really unique about it is that the opposite sex was living under one roof in a Biblical setting. Prayer, accountability, rebuking and laughter was an everyday occurrence. They are my brothers, and there was something about their presence that sent me comfort.

Is that the answer to living in such ‘dangerous’ places? Do we start intentional Christ centered communities that contain both male and female…or do we just trust God daily to protect us and live in all female households until marriage?

This I wouldn’t mind getting a second opinion on…or third or fourth….

I feel I’m called to live among the simple, but fear has shattered that want…but not completely. My heart is being tugged each day I’m removed from such a setting. That want may be diminishing, but not the desire, not the passion...that is coming straight from Christ.

his words become mine.

<sup>My apologies, but this entry will be vague. I can say though, I am blessed to even be sitting here and writing this, as the Lord has not withheld his outstretched arm from me one second. He has been and is my ultimate protector. I will use Paul's words as they have been my reality; in the past week they have become like my own.

15</sup>Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; ¹⁶the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; ¹⁷the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. ¹⁸What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, ¹⁹for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, ²⁰according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ²²But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. ²³But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better ²⁴yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. ²⁵Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, -Philippians 15-25

I will not walk away because my innosence, passion and understanding has been tampered with. I know where my Father wants me, and because of that, I will follow.

My Psalm

How blessed am I to have a father that is love!
How blessed am I to have a father that is Creator of all life!
How blessed am I to have a father that is defeater of death!
How blessed am I to have a father that is teacher.

Lord, teach me to be still like your trees.
Teach me to be patient like the food you give us to grow.
Teach me to submit to you like the wind.
Teach me to praise you like the birds in early morning.
Teach me to trust you like your daughter Ruth.

I need to remember that our loving Father is constantly at work and cannot be turned aside. Teach me to remember.

5/10/2009

the latest.

here's a few random things that happen throughout my days here...

-people (white people) tend to donate us food a lot, as well as to our neighbors. this morning someone that works with one of my housemates dropped off two full boxes of spices and cooking oils (and REAL VANILLA!!)! Someone gave us some Penne about a month ago. I just ate some and it tasted a bit funny. i looked at the box and it had 'ATKINS' on it. i just got a stomach full of fiber and protein...

-i wore one of those silk scarves you buy at thrift stores on my head yesterday to cover up the evidence of my unclean hair piled on top of my head (no hair was around my face) and all the kids i work with told me they liked my hair. What hair?! Deng told me i looked 'funner'. I asked him what that meant and he replied "i dunno, like 18 or something."

-the past few days i have just embraced this freedom to share Jesus' name. i mean, i just want to shout it and name drop Him everywhere. I really can't say why, but I like it.

-I had the pleasure of sharing my world here in Clarkston with Tyler and Noel for a few days last week. It was so amazing to have them here and for them to identify with things and people i've been describing to them these past 8 months. It really meant a lot to me that they were here. It was very encouraging and refreshing. I'm so thankful for the people and community God has placed in my life over the last three years. I'm embracing my time here, but i have to admit i'm still excited to be heading back home soon.

-I am loving this spring weather and the early morning sun rises. Besides the garden, i have to say my favorite morning spot is our back porch. That cup of coffee and time with God is irreplaceable.