Author Archives: Andrew Mackie

What Jesus demands from the world

I’ve benefited greatly from John Piper’s desiring God ministry, and have just discovered another book of his that I’m looking forward to getting into.

It’s called What Jesus demands from the world and in it John has collected 48 demands (commands) from Jesus in the Gospels. The demands John identifies are:

 You must be born again

 Repent

 Come to me

 Believe in me

 Love me

 Listen to me

 Abide in me

 Take up your cross and follow me

Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength

Rejoice and leap for joy

Fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell

Worship God in spirit and truth

Always pray and do not lose heart

Do not be anxious about the necessities of daily life

Do not be anxious about the threats of man

Humble yourself by making war on pride

Humble yourself in childlikeness, servanthood and brokenhearted boldness

Do not be angry – trust God’s providence

Do not be angry – embrace mercy and forgiveness

Do the will of my Father who is in heaven – be justified by trusting Jesus

Do the will of my Father who is in heaven – be transformed by trusting Jesus

Strive to enter through the narrow door for all of life is war

Strive to enter through the narrow door for Jesus fulfills the new covenant
Strive to enter through the narrow door, for you are already in the kingdom’s power
Your righteousness must exceed that of the pharisees, for it was hypocritical and ugly
Your righteousness must exceed that of the pharisees – clean the inside of the cup
Your righteousness must exceed that of the pharisees, for every healthy tree bears good fruit
Love your enemies – lead them to the truth
Love your enemies – pray for those who abuse you
Love your enemies – do good to those who hate you, give to the one who asks
Love your enemies to show that you are children of God
Love your neighbor as yourself, for this is the law and the prophets
Love your neighbor with the same commitment you have to your own well-being
Love your neighbor as yourself and as Jesus loved us
Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven by giving sacrificially and generously
Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven and increase your joy in Jesus
Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven – “it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom”
Do not take an oath – cherish the truth and speak it simply
Do not take an oath – let what you say – be simply “yes” or “no”
What God has joined together let no man separate, for marriage mirrors God’s covenant with us
What God has joined together let no man separate, for whoever divorces and marries another commits adultery
What God has joined together let no man separate – one man, one woman, by grace, till death
Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s
Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s as an act of rendering to God what is God’s
Do this in remembrance of me, for i will build my church
Do this in remembrance of me – baptize disciples and eat the lord’s supper
Let your light shine before others that they may glorify your Father who is in heaven
Let your light shine before others – the joyful sacrifice of love in suffering
Make disciples of all nations, for all authority belongs to Jesus
Make disciples of all nations, for the mission cannot fail

Strive to enter through the narrow door for Jesus fulfills the new covenant

Strive to enter through the narrow door, for you are already in the kingdom’s power

Your righteousness must exceed that of the pharisees, for it was hypocritical and ugly

Your righteousness must exceed that of the pharisees – clean the inside of the cup

Your righteousness must exceed that of the pharisees, for every healthy tree bears good fruit

Love your enemies – lead them to the truth

Love your enemies – pray for those who abuse you

Love your enemies – do good to those who hate you, give to the one who asks

Love your enemies to show that you are children of God

Love your neighbor as yourself, for this is the law and the prophets

Love your neighbor with the same commitment you have to your own well-being

Love your neighbor as yourself and as Jesus loved us

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven by giving sacrificially and generously

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven and increase your joy in Jesus

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven – “it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom”

Do not take an oath – cherish the truth and speak it simply

Do not take an oath – let what you say – be simply “yes” or “no”

What God has joined together let no man separate, for marriage mirrors God’s covenant with us

What God has joined together let no man separate, for whoever divorces and marries another commits adultery

What God has joined together let no man separate – one man, one woman, by grace, till death

Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s

Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s as an act of rendering to God what is God’s

Do this in remembrance of me, for I will build my church

Do this in remembrance of me – baptize disciples and eat the Lord’s supper

Let your light shine before others that they may glorify your Father who is in heaven

Let your light shine before others – the joyful sacrifice of love in suffering

Make disciples of all nations, for all authority belongs to Jesus

Make disciples of all nations, for the mission cannot fail

  As John Piper says, “the aim of this book is God-glorifying obedience to Jesus”, but note Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28–30:

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (NIV)

And from John 10:10:

 I have come that they [= you] may have life, and have it to the full.

 In Jesus’ demands we won’t find harsh rules that we must obey to obtain salvation – that would be religion, the false hope of trying to change ourselves to somehow become acceptable to God. No, in Jesus’ commands we find life, forgiveness and friendship with God, freely given to us through Jesus death on the cross, his offer of salvation sealed by his rising from the dead.

And once we are in relationship with God, we have His strength through His Spirit to become more like Him by following Jesus’ commands for us, noting stern warnings for those who think a relationship with God means saying sorry once and continuing to live as we see fit:

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:5-7

The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 1 John 2:4-6

So whether you’re already a friend of Jesus’ or not, I encourage you to discover what Jesus demands from us.  What Jesus demands from the world can be freely downloaded here.

A call to action

As Christians we often fail to comprehend both our sinfulness and God’s holiness. In turn we can lack appreciation for Jesus’ sacrifice and believe that the world is basically okay. We’re pleased with what little we do for God and boast of it, and believe that we are free to enjoy this life as we see fit.

Instead we need to understand the great depth of our sin and the sheer majesty and perfection of God’s holiness. We are undeserving recipients of God’s amazing grace, the grace that the world desperately needs to hear and respond to. In response to this free gift we are called to be servants, sharing the great news, spurring each other to run the good race and boasting in nothing but the Lord. As we do so and set our minds on Him, we ache for the restoration of all things – God’s judgement on sin and the redemption of those He has called.

Below I’ve copied twenty five or so passages on these topics that we as Christians will hopefully benefit from reading, meditating on and praying through, having first prayed that the Lord would speak to us through his word.

There’s a lot here, so take your time and if you don’t see the point in a particular passage – I’ve avoided the temptation to write any notes with each passage – skip it and perhaps return to it later.

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1 Corinthians 15:1–8 (ESV)
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

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Romans 3:9–21 (ESV)
For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

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Ephesians 2:1–10 (ESV)
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

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1 Kings 19:9–14 (ESV)
There [Elijah] came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

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Isaiah 44:6–8 (ESV)
Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.”

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Revelation 1:12–18 (ESV)
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

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Isaiah 6:1–8 (ESV)
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

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1 John 2:15–17 (ESV)
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

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Matthew 6:1–4 (ESV)
[Jesus:]  “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

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Luke 18:9–30 (ESV)
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’ ”  And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.”  When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But he said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

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Luke 17:7–11 (ESV)
[Jesus:]  “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ”

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Acts 20:22–27 (ESV)
And now, behold, I [Paul] am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.

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Philippians 1:18–26 (ESV)
Yes, and I will rejoice, for I [Paul] know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

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Matthew 16:24–27 (ESV)
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

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Matthew 13:44–46 (ESV)
[Jesus:] “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

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Matthew 25:14–30 (ESV)
[Jesus:]  “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.

Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’  He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.

For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

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1 Corinthians 3:10–15 (ESV)
According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I [Paul] laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

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Luke 12:22–31 (ESV)

And [Jesus] said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

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Matthew 6:19–21 (ESV)
[Jesus:] “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

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Luke 10:38–42 (ESV)
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

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Mark 4:1–20 (ESV)
Again [Jesus] began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that “they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.” And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

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1 Peter 1:13–25 (ESV)
Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

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2 Timothy 3:14–4:1 (ESV)
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it  and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

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Hebrews 12:1-13

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

nor be weary when reproved by him.

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

and chastises every son whom he receives.”

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 12:1–2 (ESV)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

1 Peter 1:8–9 (ESV)
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Psalm 23 (ESV)
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

Psalm 23:1-6 (ESV)

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,

for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Revelation 21:1–4 (ESV)
Then I [John, seeing a vision] saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Hopefully God’s word has made an impact on us – if not, I suspect that we’re taking God seriously enough. Lives that have been transformed by the renewing of our mind do not look like untransformed lives. Nor are we going to understand and become more like Christ in our own strength – we need to pray for repentance, encouragement, strength and a heart for Him.

I would also encourage you to:

  • listen to Matt Chandler’s sermon series called ‘The Path’ which discusses the process of sanctification (the process of becoming mature & more like Christ) and is available here – http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/sermons) , and
  • read John Piper’s book Don’t Waste Your Life, available free online as a PDF.

My hope and prayer is that by God’s strength you and I can run the good race, saying ‘Here I am! Send me’ as Isaiah did and one day hear: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’.

Logos Bible Software

Someone recommended Logos Bible Software on Facebook recently and last night I bought it. And it’s fantastic. 

Basically it’s an electronic archive of hundreds or thousands of books (the number depends on which package you buy – I got the Bible Study (green) package which has over 300 resources). Included are different translations of the bible (including interlinear bibles which show the original greek and hebrew words and their definitions), commentaries, study guides, history resources, bible reference books, bible introductions, maps and images … it just keeps going.

Even better are the search, browsing, reporting and display options – hover on any link and the appropriate text is instantly viewable, click on it and multiple tabs can be opened with different bibles or resources, several translations can be compared at once, reports shown on matching words and a lot more – it does more than I could have possible imagined. Now I can access hundreds of valuable books in just a few seconds – books that I’d never otherwise buy, let alone take the time to open and read. 

And those of you with iPhones, you can access this all of your content from the Logos website on the fly and for free – brilliant.

So I’m looking forward to being a lot more rigorous in my personal study of the bible, on this blog and in any bible studies I lead, and I hope that’s of benefit to you.

Finally, the software is 25% off until the end of January – if you can afford it (prices start at USD149 less the discount), I recommend it highly. Visit www.logos.com to learn more.

Quiet corner

During my shoot for All Mankind, this quiet corner drew my interest. I struggled with the composition – my gut said it was right but my viewfinder said it wasn't. Eventually I ignored my viewfinder and took it anyway, and I'm pleased I did. 

Presumably my difficulty was that nothing in the image was symmetrical, but there are converging lines – the brick wall on the right, the shadow and the angle of the wall on the left, that somehow make it work. Not a life-changing work, but a quiet corner that I like.

Comfort and hope

This week I've needed to review where I look for comfort when life gets me down.

I think that many of us look for comfort in a variety of ways – food (treating myself), TV (zoning out), computer games (opting out), books (entering another world) and shopping (retail therapy) might be the obvious examples. Or we take on more damaging pursuits – alcohol and other drugs (numbing the pain), porn or casual sex (a fantasy world), gambling (fake thrills), hedonism (making fun our god), materialism (making what we buy our god) and the like.

Or we might seek comfort in our relationships with family and friends. Obviously this is one part of God's design for us:

Genesis 2:18:

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

Genesis 2:24-25:

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12:

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

(the third strand in the cord being God)

Or Paul's command in Galations 6:2:

Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

(The 'law of Christ' presumably being that of loving God and your neighbour as retold in Matthew 22:34-40)

I think, however, there's a difference between receiving comfort from family and friends (which is clearly God's gift to us and our duty to others) and seeking this as our primary source of comfort.

Myself, I wanted to go to the bible for comfort last night (rather than watch television to zone out) and I found myself looking at Hebrews 11 – the roll call of faithful people who persevered in spite of "none of them [receiving] what was promised" – they died before seeing God's new kingdom being delivered by Christ. We are accordingly encouraged in chapter 12:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

This morning I read 1 Peter 1, starting with versus 3-9 which details our hope:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

From v13 onwards we are commanded to set our hope in that grace given by Jesus:

"… prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed."

Also Jesus' words to his disciples in John 14:1-4:

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."

And finally Paul's encouragement to the Corinthian church in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

This from a man who in the same letter details the extent to which he has suffered (2 Cor 11:24-30):

Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

This, therefore, is my challenge to myself – that I am to:

  • avoid seeking comfort in things that do not provide it,
  • be thankful for the comfort given me by family and friends (and to actively seek to comfort and encourage others) as God's gift to us all, but to
  • seek comfort from and set my hope in Christ and the grace to be given us through him. 

And as this hope and God's unfailing love carried Paul and the roll call of the faithful through their incredible sufferings, they too will carry me.

Tamarisk Steps

This seagull roosting on a house below the Tamarisk Steps in Hastings Old Town caught my eye.

There's probably not much else to say, except that the beach in the background was given to the fisherman over a thousand years ago and now hosts the biggest beach-launched fishing fleet in England.

Humility

A Christian friend commented that one of his new year’s resolutions will be to ‘work on humility’, prompting me to search the NIV bible for the words ‘humble’ (search results) and ‘humility’ (search results).

I was somewhat surprised to see it’s always command (of ‘be humble’) rather than a gift (of humility from the Holy Spirit). There appears to be two main types of humilty:

  • being humble before God, and
  • being humble before others

I believe the first is relatively easy if you have a clear perspective of God – reading about God’s visit to Elijah or God reminding Job of his place are just two of many examples showing our relative place before Him. And it’s difficult to accept God’s gift of salvation without first acknowledging your inability to save yourself and God’s ability to save – humility before God is essentially a prerequisite to a relationship with Him. 

I think it’s the second, of being humble before others, that’s the kicker. Paul’s letter to the Christian believers in Philippi speaks to this in detail that’s worth quoting in full:

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2 (NIV)

So those of us already in a relationship with God (Christians) are to consider others better than ourselves and look to their interests. And our model for doing so is the God all mankind (for whom nothing is too difficult – Jer 32:27) who humbled Himself for us, taking the very nature of a servant and dying for us. Mind-blowing stuff.

Ezekiel 33

This morning I didn’t feel much like reading, especially not the book of James that I’m go slowly through with the help of a study guide. Instead I opened my bible randomly at Ezekiel 33 and a few things jumped out at me:

 

Watchmen

In verses 1-6, the Lord explains a metaphor, that a watchman is charged with the security of fellow citizens. Should the watchman blow his trumpet to warn of approaching danger and others ignore him, those who die are responsible for their own deaths. But should the watchman see danger and not blow his trumpet, he is responsible for their blood, having prevented his fellow citizens from saving themselves. In verse 7 the Lord charges Ezekiel with this duty: 

 

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die’ and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, the wicked man will die for his sin and you will be accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.”

For me this is a sober reminder to Christians to share the Gospel, God’s saving power for all people, or be responsible for the blood of the world.

I do, however, want us to remember the context here – that Israel was already God’s people and as God’s people they were called to a standard of behaviour (and sacrifice to cover where they had not) to remain inside his covenant relationship. No one in the world can today be saved by following the law given to Israel (and nor were the Israelites – they were saved first and told to obey second). As such God is not calling people to a standard of behaviour but to turn back to God and be in relationship with Him, enabled by Christ’s sacrifice paying for our sin.

 

No pleasure in death

Verse 11:

“Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?”

I saw an atheist accuse God of ethnic cleansing on TV the other day. The God of the Old Testament is, in their view, barbaric, evil and arbitrary in His judgement and takes pleasure in smiting people. As such they view Him as having a lower standard of morality than their own. And as Christians we often cringe, perhaps thinking they might be right. But here we see the God of the Old Testament saying what we see in the New Testament, in 2 Peter 3:9:

 

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

We can see that in the previous section about watchmen – the Lord provides a warning so that people can turn back to Him. If all He wanted to do was smite, He’d smite without warning. The God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New.

 

Then they will know

Ezekiel is written as Israel is in exile – Jerusalem has fallen to the Babylonian empire.

 

v24: “Son of man, the people living in those ruins of the land of Israel are saying ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the [promised] land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as our possession.’

In other words, ‘we shouldn’t be in exile – we should be in our land because we have the strength (in numbers) to defend it’. In v25-28 the Lord details their rejection of Him (not keeping the law, worshipping idols, relying on their strength rather than the Lord’s, infidelity) and his punishment for that sin:

 

” … those who are left by the ruins will fall by the sword, those out in the country I will give to the wild animals to be devoured and those in the strongholds and caves will die of a plague. I will make the land a desolate waste, and her proud strength will come to an end …”

Why? v29:

 

“Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of the detestable things they have done.”

Again, the LORD’s punishment is not for his pleasure, it’s for Israel’s instruction, that they would repent and come back to Him. For the world we see is not all there is – it’s better to endure correction, training and suffering in this world and turn to the LORD than to live in pleasure but ignorance of God.

The other thing that struck me was a thought – ‘How can they not know that the LORD is the LORD?’. After all, this is the same God who took them out of slavery in Egypt into the promised land. Then I remembered the time difference and checked the dates – the exodus from Egypt was in around 1440 BC and Ezekiel is written during the exile in 593BC – it’s almost 1,000 years between these events. And it pays to remember that not even the Israelites who were personally saved in the exodus from Egypt remembered and honoured the Lord – they made a golden calf and worshipped it, and didn’t trust the Lord that they would safely enter the promised land (hence their 40 years in the desert). And so this is a reminder for me – just as the Israelites of Ezekiel’s day were to remember what the Lord had done for them, so are we to remember what Christ has done for us. For 2,000 years is not long in biblical history and as Peter says:

 

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Waking up

2009 has been the year that God has begun waking me up from my Christian stupor, something for which I am very grateful.

Let me give you some background – I grew up in a Christian family to loving and faithful parents who taught me well. Throughout school I read my bible regularly, had a heart for God and expected to find myself in full time ministry one day. But from university I didn’t. Life – stuff, sin, selfishness – took over. I never walked away from God, I was just focused mostly on me rather than Him, in subtle but significant ways.

Fast forwarding 15 years to late 2008, I knew things weren’t right. I knew that God commanded more of me than I was giving and that if I was to be a Christian I had to give him more – everything. At the same time, however, I had been listening to many talks on design, science, business and the like which often had a subtle (and sometimes not at all subtle) humanist and atheistic bent that began to wear me down. And evolution (which I had ‘dealt with’ previously by ignoring it) could no longer be ignored. I knew a crunch was coming – either Jesus was who he claimed to be and demanded my all, or he was not and I was free to live my life as I saw fit – this half-baked self-centred, comfort-seeking and problem-avoiding Christian walk wasn’t going to cut it.

I spoke to a wise Christian leader and he recommended Timothy Keller’s book The Reason for God which reminded me that there was no intellectual shame in our faith. I watched the Life of Jesus DVD and took advantage of other Centre for Public Christianity resources which reminded me of the historical integrity of the bible (helped by knowing the integrity of John Dickson and his work). I learned more about Darwin and emailed a well-known Christian scientist and asked him about evolution and faith. I listened to sermons on my iPod, looking for anything topic I could find that might help me work out if my faith was solid. But most importantly, I think, I prayed. I prayed that God would reveal Himself and give me a fresh love for Him, for His word and for being in relationship with Him. 

The big breakthrough for me was reading John Piper’s book Don’t Waste Your Life (which is available freely online as a PDF). From page 30 in the book he talks about ‘The great coming together for me’ in which John explains that we don’t need to decide whether to chase our own happiness (which feels inevitable) or to follow the Lord. Because of the way God is glorified (in our delight of Him) they are one and the same thing – God does not want us to begrudgingly serve Him, He wants us to delight in Him. That’s what we’re called to – joy, peace, fulfilment and satisfaction in Him – how could I want something else?

From there I went from strength to strength, listening to John Piper (web, iTunes) and more recently Matt Chandler (web, iTunes) speaking about Christ. And in doing so I started taking Jesus seriously. That bit about not loving money? He means it. And taking up your cross to follow Him? He means that too. As a result, a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders – I feel peace that I have not felt for many years. And now I want to share that with people who want to read it. 

At this point I should point out the gospel, so that no one thinks I’m talking about earning our way to heaven or saying how much better I am than anyone else. The gospel is this, that while were God’s enemies Christ humbled himself, lived among us and died for us, paying for our sins so that if we apologise (repent) and trust Him (= faith) we can have a relationship with Him, enjoy life to the full (this doesn’t mean we become rich) and Christ’s sacrifice takes the place of the punishment that our rebellion (sin) against God has earned us. A few bible passages on this:

  • 1 Corinthians 15 (a summary as a reminder to readers who have already believed and trusted in Jesus)
  • John 8:12-29 (a conversation between Jesus and the Jewish Pharisees who typically loved the law but not God)
  • John 3:1-21
  • Luke 24:44-48 (Jesus summarising his purpose for the disciples after his resurrection)

So welcome to my new blog on my journey in following Christ – I hope it will be an encouragement to you. I don’t yet know what frequency with which I’ll post – inspiration will come first and the words will follow.

When to quit

Seth’s book The Dip (summarised in this ChangeThis manifesto) explains the significant benefits of being the best in the (= your) world. Seth’s advice is to quit dead ends (where you can’t be the best), freeing up resources to push through the dip in areas where you can be the best.

I’ve learned a great deal from writing the catalyst blog and trust that it was generally useful to readers. It’s not, however, an endeavour in which I can be the best – that mantle belongs to Seth’s blog and others. Clearly I haven’t updated the blog for a while – today I officially quit the catalyst blog as it has existed to date and want to thank you for reading.

As to the future – where I can be the best – I have the clarity to see businesses and industries as they really are, the insight to understand what they could be and the ability to develop possibilities, solutions and processes to deliver radical improvements through radical change. I intend to use these skills to help make the world a better place and am working full time with a small team of equally committed people to turn concepts into reality. We’ve commenced early prototyping of my first major concept, one that in retrospect I realise I’ve been working toward for a number of years, and hope that within 12 months we’ll have something to announce and share with you all.

As we make ground I’ll transform my site to reflect my new focus and will advise any news through this feed. So please stand by – I’ll be in touch, hopefully with something great.