The Inside Man

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26 NIV

The above-titled movie (which I don’t recommend because of the language) depicts a cleverly designed bank heist where the robbers mix in so well with the hostages that when everyone exits the building no-one is sure who had been held captive and who were their captors. In life we often look around and think we know who’s walking right and who’s not; who’s sailing free and who’s in need of some serious saving, but is it really that clear cut?

Over a decade ago I joined a couple of teams that went into prisons and shared the Gospel with inmates. It was a powerful experience hearing the hearts of tough muscle-bound women as they shared how aware they were of their brokenness and how they felt more trapped inside their own destructive habits than the bars of the prison. They knew they had a heart problem and they knew they needed it fixed.

Outside the walls of a prison though, things can look very different. We tend to look at others and compare ourselves. “I’m not as bad as that!” or conversely, “I could never show that much self-control!” We come out better or worse depending on where we want to look. Truth is, we are all on a level playing field. We all have the same “heart condition” as the inmates. Broken. Selfish. In need of “heart-surgery”. In need of a “Heart-Surgeon”. Good thing we all have the same access to one.

Salvation in a Rusty Truck

There are some weeks of my life that I can remember nearly every detail of every day. This was one of them. Our team of 7 were living in an old wooden church on the outskirts of Chanthaburi, Thailand. We were sleeping on a wooden floor, covered by mosquito nets and woken up at 5am every morning by the rooster living underneath us. We washed our clothes and ourselves in the river and our toilet was a hole in the ground with a lovely recycled ceramic...seat?

Each day we would climb in a rusty old truck and travel two hours to visit a different school. Some days we brought the kids food and medical supplies, and everyday we gave them English lessons and told them stories from the Bible and our own lives. Stories that showed them how much they were loved, so much so, that Jesus had died for them.

At the end of the week, we planned to play a Thai-dubbed version of the Jesus Video in a tiny milkbar-type of store. It appeared to be the local hangout and people were soon gathering. We set up the video player and...nothing happened. No power. We prayed and the power came on. As the video progressed, the weather suddenly took a turn and it began raining. The rain pelted down so loudly on the tin roof that nothing could be heard. We prayed and the rain stopped.

At the end of the video, I noticed our translator/local contact was in tears. She had been sold as a prostitute by her parents at a young age and had returned to this village from her life in Pattaya. That night she realised the truth in all our stories throughout the week. That night, a beautiful woman realised that Jesus had died for her. He had died for her. That night she was introduced to her Saviour. Salvation had come not only to her, but consequently to an entire network of communities. It’s amazing what can get delivered in an old rusty truck.

Heavenly Hide and Seek

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth… Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made… All things have been created through Him and for Him.” Genesis 1:1; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16, TNIV

My 4-year-old daughter loves playing “Hide and Seek”. She’ll often wrap herself in a curtain or put a blanket over her head and say, “Mum, where am I?” She loves the fun of me searching for her in the oddest of places. “Are you in the fridge Em? Maybe under the carpet?” She also loves the thrill of me finding her and giving her a cuddle.

Did you know that the very reason you exist is for God’s pleasure? Colossians 1:16 says you were made for Him. When he set the Earth in motion and inhabited it with vegetation and creatures, the pinnacle of His creation was human-beings that He would have a fulfilling and intimate relationship with! When Adam and Eve chose to act against God and tried to hide from Him, His response was not to throw His hands up in frustration - it was to seek them out (Genesis 3:8, 9). Even as they were at their lowest, God unfolded His plan to them. One day their descendant would be responsible for conquering the very force that pushed them away from Him! Sin and shame would no longer have the upper hand.

Only a week ago we were celebrating Christmas, which marks the event of Jesus birth on Earth. He was the one spoken about in the very beginning. Throughout history humanity has continued the pattern of acting contrary to God and His character, turning away from Him and holding onto their ignorance and shame. Yet, God has already provided the solution through Jesus and He continues to pursue the very relationship He created us for! He has sought you out and will continue to. There’s no need to hide anymore.