My previous post finished at the beginning of the final week of the Uni term at the University of Canberra. Let me fill you in on how the rest of the week progressed…
The highlight of the week, as always, was the Wednesday time on the campus. As we have done throughout the year, a group of students got together around 10am in the central concourse at Uni to work on a stall and seek to strike up conversations with students going past. One of the things that never ceases to amaze me is that we have done this all year, and during our outreach weeks we’ve done it every day, yet there are still students in the final week of Uni who have never heard of FOCUS. We met at least one Christian student that morning who had never realised that there were Christians meeting together on the campus. (Where do these people spend their time?)
More FOCUS people tend to congregate around the stall as the morning goes on. Around 12pm, there were probably 20 people sitting around on the grass and tables near the stall. Simply being there in the middle of the campus, a group of loving, joyful, Christian young people is an incredible witness to the campus. We are easily the largest grouping of people on the campus. I love sitting back and looking around the group. It amazes me to see the way in which these people – many of whom were strangers at the start of the year – relate, eat together, joke around, pray together, in short: be a part of God’s new creation, right in the heart of the old.

There are people from different countries who are studying on exchange, or as International Students. There are people from quite different Christian backgrounds and people who 2 years ago would not have acknowledged Jesus as their Lord at all.
Thinking about it takes me to Paul’s writing in 1 Corinthians 4:20 that “…the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power “. Sometimes I have talked with students who are struggling with doubt, who are asking whether the gospel is simply a way of talking that creates a world in which we choose to believe. The doubt runs like this: ‘If enough people all say the same thing they can continually talk each other into believing that its true.’ [Some academic theologians hold what amounts to a sophisticated version of this idea because they struggle to see how we can demonstrate the truth of something outside of our speech about it.] Regardless of the philosophy, it seems a sadly anaemic view of what is happening in the lives of believers. The gospel is a word from God that brings about change in the state of the world. Although Paul was talking about a different situation in 1 Cor 4:20, he highlights that God’s kingdom is not merely a matter of language, rules, or saying that a thing is so. It is about the work of God in bringing about the New Creation, and bringing his people into that Creation. It is about actual, real changes in the world, and in the lives of people. Sadly, other Christians err by equating this power of the Kingdom with miraculous healings, supernatural knowledge, and so on. For me, as I view the profound changes in the lives of God’s people, as they are completely reoriented towards worship of Jesus, that’s when I get tingles. I see the Spirit of God at work and I’m led to pray “come Lord Jesus!” because I so deeply want to see the end of this project that God has commenced among us.

The lunchtime Bible talk went well, there were a good number of students, including quite a few people who came along for the first time. We’ll be praying that they’ll come back again at the start of next year. Marcus spoke from Romans 11 (a strange passage for the final talk for the year) which finished off our series from Romans. Again, I was tremendously encouraged by the fellowship of Christians, gathered to hear God speak, and seeking to be his witnesses on the campus. Please continue to pray, and consider financially supporting this work, even when I’ve moved off to Sydney. It’s vital work and has proven to be a great way to help build the Church right around the country, and even around the world.

Friday night was our annual FOCUS Extravaganza. It’s the big end of year farewell party. It’s always a great time. The event is put together under the direction of the student presidents at both ANU and UC. They generally have a lot of fun with it. There were a range of strange awards for the unique achievements of ordinary FOCUS people. There was a graph showing the rise and fall in the quality of Stu Collett’s jokes throughout the year (he peaked about 2 months ago, it seems). The Ministry Trainees put together a presentation showing a day in the life of an MTS trainee. It seemed to consist mainly of busking for support (will write Bible Studies for money!), fishing things out of bins, and polishing the shoes and cars of the senior staff… Funny, I didn’t really remember it being too much like that.
Marcus Reeves and I sang a duet for the departing MTS trainees – borrowed heavily from Delta Goodrem’s Lost Without You, It was a quality production…
Especially moving was the open mic time. People shared their memories of FOCUS and the people who had shared God’s grace with them over the years. The nights like this, where you can zoom back the lens and see the big picture of God at work in people’s lives, are what enable us to keep working hard when all we can see are the details and the struggles.

I’ve been a part of the ministry on the campuses in Canberra for 10 years now. First, as a first year Law student, with a lot of arrogant questions, and very little idea about the scale and beauty of God’s truth and his plans for us. It was the effort and time that a ministry trainee named Tim Bowden put into me then that fired my love for the Bible and began the process of my understanding how I’m to play my part in God’s project. There have been lots of turning points as I grew and learned. There have been times when I have drifted a long way from serving God, and times when I have acted in ways that have been completely alien to the identity he is working in me. But I’m not the person that I was when I arrived here as a 17 year old. I’ve gone from being a student, to a student leader, to a Ministry Trainee, to helping to direct the campus ministry. All the way I have been led and cared for by God, through his people and his word. And I’m hungrier than I have ever been to know more and see more of Him.
My priorities have been reshaped, my understanding of God has been deepened, my worship of Him has been enhanced through a greater appreciation of His grace, and my future – both in the short-term and long – has been swept up into the mission of God to redeem this creation and create it anew. I don’t think that we should ever for a moment believe that FOCUS is all that God is doing on our University campuses, he is always working, and endlessly creative, yet for many of us, it is the way that God has chosen to bless us personally.
The reality is that, while this time at the University has been incredibly significant for me, I’m still just a speck among the millions of intertwined lives and stories in which God is at work. Because I know that God my Father has known me beforehand, and will not forget me in the future, I can contemplate this truth without the terror or despair that it provokes in the pagan. The reality is that most of us will be a dim memory around the University campuses in three years time, in ten years we will be completely forgotten. in the history of this world our lives are like the morning fog on a winter’s day in Canberra, gone by 11 am. But the Spirit of God continues to do his work, convicting the world with regard to sin, righteousness, and judgement, he will continue to do it in and through the lives of Christians until the end of this age. I can’t think of the names of too many people who I know were a part of UC FOCUS in 1996 but I’m profoundly grateful to them for handing on a ministry that has encouraged and strengthened us in 2006. And if in 10 years time there remains a vibrant community of young Christians who are passionate about living out the call of Jesus on the Universities in Canberra then we will have built well, not in vain.

2 Cor 13:4 For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.

We are into the final week of Uni for the year. There is the exam period which continues on into November, but after this week the regular FOCUS meetings on the campus finish up, most of the campus Bible studies will begin to phase out, and the regular meetings 121 with students will start to fall off as the students head back home for the summer break. This is my 10th year of being involved with the Christian outreach on the campuses in Canberra, the year has taken on a regular pattern around weeks like this. But this is the last time, at least for a while.
The strange thing is that it’s turning out to be a quiet week. The great climax of meetings, relationships, Bible study – the final opportunity to say a word that God might use to grow or encourage one of his children – hasn’t really happened. It’s not surprising, everyone is flat out with assignments, study, and exams. A lot of the regular people I meet with have had to pull out on me this week. So instead I’ve been spending more time with all the odds and ends of administration that I usually have excuses to ignore. The truth is that there will be lots of opportunities over the next few weeks to say goodbye to people and to have that final word. I do need to keep praying for the opportunities and being ready and prepared to take them.

There is plenty of FOCUS News:
A couple of weeks ago we elected a new student committee to help lead the ministry next year. I’m really excited by the new group of students who will take over this role. They are enthusiastic and capable. There is a good range of people from different Churches; guys, as well as girls. And out of a total of 11 people, 5 are finishing their 1st year of Uni. That is great for the future strength of the group. It is a large leadership team but they will be facing next year with a new Staff worker, and a totally new group of Ministry Trainees. It will be a challenging year.
Our past 2 committee meetings have been combined meetings with the old and new teams of people. That’s a very large group of people (nearly 20) for a committee meeting. It’s been a lot of fun, though, as we’ve focussed on handing over roles and discussing how to work well together.
One of the greatest encouragements this past year has been seeing the growth of the students on the committee. There has been a great focus on building each other up in these meetings, we’ve had short Bible devotions in each meeting, and we’ve prayed together well. Our student president, Tim, has done a great job in thinking this through and making it happen. Praise God!

Last night I had the UC ministry trainees (MTS) over for dinner. We’ve been meeting up together each week this year and become close friends. It was a fun evening, though we ate so much that by the end, all I wanted to do was lie on the ground and groan. I thought Kerryn’s cheese cake was going to put me in a coma…
It’s been a great gift from God to be able to work alongside these people. When one of us has struggled, the others have encouraged and lifted. We’ve been able to keep each other accountable for our work, and to teach each other from the word. I’ve really enjoyed the great times of praying together, particularly at the start of the year, and the creativity that we’ve been able to generate in thinking through how to develop the ministry with the students. We’ve had great discussions about evangelism, how to encourage prayerfulness, about meeting 121 with students – there has been a lot of joy in working side by side for the gospel.
Next year we are all heading in different directions. Kerryn is getting married and going back to work at the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Ollie is off to study at Sydney Missionary Bible College (SMBC), Pete is getting back into the workforce and hoping to continue his involvement with Sports Chaplaincy. Pray that they would continue to lead others in glorifying God for the rest of their lives.

1:27   Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel… (ESV)

So Emma started work this morning with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Sussex St in Sydney. We caught the train in together and had a coffee before she went into work. The next few days will be taken up with finding her way around, the best train and bus routes, when to leave for work, when to come home. She will be staying with her parents for the next 2 months and coming back to Canberra on the weekends. It will be a difficult time for us in many ways. I’m glad to have a couple of good mates who will look after me and come and stay with me during the week, so that I don’t turn into a hermit. The biggest stress will be on relationships, Emma and I spending time apart, Emma with her parents, etc. Please pray for these things.

St Philip’s has offered us the use of a 1 bedroom flat in a building adjacent to the Church. It is small, but it is rent-free in the middle of the city. The flat is about 2 blocks from Emma’s work, and 1 block from Wynyard train station, where I can easily catch a train to College. We’ll move in there sometime around the end of the year. It will be fantastic for allowing us to be involved in the ministry of the Church. Having to commute through Sydney can chew up so much time that could be used in ministry activities, particularly as I need to spend the majority of my time on College and study. It will allow me to maximise the involvement I can have at the Church.

These events have made me think about God’s providence, bear with me while I go on a little theological excursion…
I’m always a little wary of over-reading the actions of God into the specific details of our lives. God is at work always and everywhere, through everything and every detail. It seems to me often a little like second-guessing God to say ‘this thing’ and not ‘that’ is God at work. (I’m suspicious of the fact that ‘God at work’ always seems to be in the things that we really wanted, whereas, the Bible teaches us that God preserves and benefits us just as much – if not more, through suffering).
Yet having said that, (and placing myself in a position of complete inconsistency), the way in which God has provided for us with work for Emma, and a student minister position for me, and accommodation, has made me step back and say, ‘God is at work here’. The way in which these things have come about, completely independently, yet wrapped up together, has the fingerprints of Divine providence all over it.
I know that God is at work in our disappointments and struggles, and I need to keep praying that I will stand firm in loving and worshipping Him, even when I do not feel the benefit of being one of His children. Job’s lesson is that God is worthy to be worshipped and adored because of who he is, not because of what he does for his people.

Yet God is good, and has been very good to us, and I want to give Him praise, and to ask you to praise and glorify our good God with us. And if this provision is a sign to us that it is God’s will that we are here in this place, at this time, then pray that we would stand firm and fulfill the ministry that we have been called to undertake. Pray that we’d be faithful in service, regardless of whether the way is smooth or rough. And I’ll endeavor to pray that prayer for you, if I know who you are and can pray it.
Pray that we’d be like Paul, who viewed the grace of God to him (calling a murderous persecutor of the Church, to be an apostle and preacher of truth), as a reason to work all the harder in proclaiming God’s goodness. Paul could easily have fallen into thinking that God’s incredible grace, of which he was so personally aware, rendered all his personal efforts and responsibility pointless. Paul’s work could never save him, and apart from Christ, all working is ultimately fruitless. But in Christ, and in grace, Paul found a work with meaning and value, directed at the good of others, and bearing eternal fruit. That kind of work is worth doing, and doing well, with more effort and energy than we could ever muster for trivial wealth and pleasures. Pray that we’d labor for things that will last.

1Cor 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
…
1Cor. 15:58    Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

While on the topic: the doctrine of Church has boiling around in my head a lot lately. What is a Church? What are Churches meant to do? More importantly, what was Jesus’ intention for the movement that he founded? Does it bear any relation to what we call Church? Have we imported organizational and management theory and built our practices out of these rather than from theological reflection on Scripture? What is the relation between the Church and the New Creation? I’ve been struggling with these questions, because I have been gripped by an uneasy feeling that we might at times be seeking to build on Christ’s foundation with Hay and Straw rather than with Gold and Precious things (see 1 Cor 3:10-14). As I have answered some of these questions, others have sprung up to take their place…

On the Monday morning I headed down to our Crossroads Church staff retreat on the South Coast from Sydney in a place called Broulee, about 4.5 hours south of Sydney and about 2 hours east of Canberra. I hitched a lift with our newest member of staff, Anthony Kerr who will be joining the Uni ministry at the start of next year. We set off early because we had more ground to cover than the rest of the guys who were coming from Canberra. About 1/2 way there we got a call from Dave McDonald (the senior Pastor) saying that the van that the Canberra contingent were traveling in had blown a clutch. They managed to nurse it back to Canberra and borrow another van but it set them back several hours. Which meant that Anthony and I had heaps of time to take it easy. We stopped and had a great lunch at Ulladulla, went and picked up the keys to the house in Broulee from the Estate Agent, got the wrong house number and tried to break into someone else’s house, then found the right place and got settled in. I particularly enjoyed picking Anthony’s brain about his experience of Bible College and what to look for in a Trainee Minister position. (Background: it is expected that while studying at Moore Theological College, a student will also have a position in a Church, usually just 1 day a week, to keep being trained in hands-on ministry skills). It was great to have time to share with him about the ministry in Canberra and some of the challenges and opportunities. I think a real highlight however, was chewing over some theological issues. Anthony talked me through a theological issues paper he had written on Christians and the Final Judgement (what the Bible teaches Christians should expect in the final judgement). It was fascinating and probably helped me to straighten out a few ideas, I also quizzed him with some of my questions about Church. I think it was a bit of a foretaste of life at College, and it got me really excited for next year. It was wonderful to get to know Anthony better and to see God’s hand at work in his life and in bringing him to join our staff team – he is a great fit for the staff that we have and will be a blessing to the student ministry. It makes it a bit easier to leave when you know that the people you love and have been seeking to serve will be well cared for.

The staff retreat was inspiring, frustrating, tiring, and tremendously encouraging. The Crossroads team aren’t the most naturally gifted decision makers but given enough time, the discussion and emphasis on consensus and everyone having input meant that exciting ideas came up and some great decision were made. It was hard work, but there was great godliness and an attitude of service through it all. I wish that I could be around next year to see some of these things take root.

After the staff retreat, I had a couple of days at home, trying to get some order into the chaos of things I’d been neglecting for a fortnight. I led Church on Sunday night, I spent a lot of time thinking and praying about how to go about this. Part of my reflection on the topic of Church has led me to think that we are better served by thinking of Church as an action, rather than an organization. And primarily the action of God in gathering his people. It is the reversal of the Fall, the scattering at Babel, and the Exile, and it is not consummated until the great gathering at the throne of God. Our local gathering is an action of God through his Spirit with a direction toward that final gathering. All this thinking also made me realise that often in my leading of Church I have tried to focus on generating a sense of community, or speaking to each other about what it is we should be as a Church. I’m starting to think now that I should work harder at leading us in doing Church. That is, in doing the things that God is doing in and through us for his Kingdom and glory. Drawing from us humble repentance and dependent faith, filling us with thanks, joy, and praise, giving us a hunger to hear him speak, motivating us by love to respond and to build each other up. We say a lot in what we do, and we do a lot by what we say. I’m trying to remember this in our Church gathering.

Acts 20:28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

We had a bush dance with the FOCUS group on Saturday night (26.08.06) and during the day was the University Open Day. FOCUS ran a stall so that we could meet prospective students and get to know them before they come next year. If people give us contact details we try to send out an email or letter at the start of the year letting new students know about our activities. The first couple of week of Uni can be crucial for some young Christians in their decision to put Jesus first while they are at Uni. I’ve posted photos of the Shin-Dig here and of the Open Day here.

There is one thing that has been weighing heavily on my mind and spirit over the past 2 weeks. It has deeply affected a number of people on our ministry team. It’s not the sort of thing that should be published in a blog like this though, suffice to say that a good friend of ours in ministry at another church admitted to us that he had been charged with professional misconduct and dismissed from his church role. This has been a very emotional and difficult experience for many people. Pray for him, his family, and his church family. It is very sobering to see the catastrophic effects of sin on ministry. There are lots of hurt and angry people.
God has comforted me in this time by turning my reading of his word back to the stories of the life of his Son. It seems trite to say it, but, no one compares to Jesus. Even if all his professed servants turn out to be the blackest sinners, or to have completely misunderstood his mission, none of the stain is capable of sticking to him. There is no question that we can tarnish the reputation of the gospel through our actions (just as godly Christians are an adornment to the gospel), but when I reflect again on Jesus himself, I’m continually struck by his mystery and his goodness. I can’t get to the end of understanding him, but I can never escape the conviction in every word of the text, in every response of those he met, and in my own response to reading, that he is good, and worth trusting.
I’ve found that my best ministry to myself, and to others in the past couple of weeks has been to take them to Jesus again.

John 1:43    The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (ESV)

“For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete…”
Colossians 2:9-10 (NASB)

As Augustine said in his Confessions, 16 centuries ago, “thou hast made us for thyself and restless is our heart until it comes to rest in thee.”

2 Cor 12:9-10 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2:14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
and bring her into the wilderness,
and speak tenderly to her.
15 And there I will give her her vineyards
and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth,
as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.

I think that Grace is the hardest doctrine to learn. I’m struggling to learn it again. It’s easy to know the information, even to teach it, but I’m not sure that I’ll ever master the learning of it… It continually surprises, offends, and becomes incomprehensible. I’m sure it is deliberately this way, a “glad struggle” because the joy of finding Grace again never dims.

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”
(Eph 1:2-6 ESV)

“Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2Pet 3:11-13 ESV)