Tawa Baptist

An Inside Story – by Neville Gardner

A couple of years ago, in the rather isolated village of Hrastovlje, in western Slovenia, Nicky and I were shown a building that looks like a small castle with a tower. Close up, it looked a bit forbidding, but after we got through the gateway, we could see that the tower is actually attached to a very plain little Christian church. No-one’s sure when the church was built, but probably in the thirteen or fourteen hundreds. The tower was added later. The castle-like wall was built in 1581, to give villagers a refuge from Turkish invaders.

The church is nothing to look at on the outside, but as soon as we got inside, it was obvious why my sister-in-law, who grew up in the area, wanted us to see it. Just about every part of the interior is covered by colourful frescoes painted in 1490 – we know the date because the artist signed and dated them. The pictures are mostly scenes from the Bible, aimed at telling the stories to a mainly illiterate congregation.

These frescoes were once doubly hidden – not only inside a nondescript building, but at some time long ago they were completely hidden by a thick layer of white plaster. They were only rediscovered in 1949.

So my first impression of the church, from the outside, was one of disappointment. But this was a case of “appearances can be deceptive.” It was only on looking inside that a beautiful treasure was revealed.

The phrase “appearances can be deceptive” can apply to people too.

Relating to people, the term ‘appearance’ covers a wide range of things – the way a person is dressed, things they own or don’t own, things they say and the language they use, their apparent age or culture, their manner (such as being talkative or quiet, rude or polite, using facial expressions and hand gestures) and so on.

When we meet a person for the first time, we sometimes let their appearance either encourage us to get to know them, or put us off. Perhaps we try and get to know them whatever their appearance.

Imagine a conversation going on between two people next Sunday at church.

“Did you hear the sermon Neville gave last week?”

“No. I’m new here, which one’s Neville?”

“Oh, he’s tall, bald and wears glasses. Probably in his late 60s and has an English accent.”

“Thanks, I should be able to spot him.”

The facts of this description are probably quite accurate. ‘Tall, bald and glasses’ are obvious features about my external appearance. Late 60s and English accent – they are both part of my appearance too, but they could lead to questionable judgements about the inner person. Someone in their late 60s might be expected to have certain attitudes and prejudices associated with their age, which they may be judged on. An English accent might suggest a particular cultural background, and all that implies. You’d need to look past these appearances to get to know me and be able to judge my real character. That’s just an example, not a challenge!

The Bible has many examples of how God looks beyond external appearances to see the heart of the person beneath the skin. Obviously we can’t see as God sees, but we can learn from some of the things he looks for.

For example, in 1 Samuel 16: 6-7 we read of how God wanted to replace Saul as king of Israel, because of his disobedience. He sent Samuel to Bethlehem to search among the sons of Jesse. When he arrived in Bethlehem:

“Samuel noticed Eliab and said to himself, “Surely, here before the Lord stands his chosen king.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way people do. People look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

After God had rejected seven of Jesse’s sons, his youngest son, David, was brought in from looking after the sheep. God looked into David’s heart and chose him to be anointed.

The Israelites hoped God would pick a strapping hero, a brilliant and successful person. But God chose ordinary David for the potential he saw in his heart. We know that David went on to do great things, and very bad things too. But God had chosen him for his nature – at heart, he was devoted, obedient and thankful to God.

Some key words from the passage are “God does not view things the way people do. People look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

People look at the outward appearance – it’s what they do.

God looks at the heart – it’s what He does.

So what are some of the things God looks for in our hearts?

Here are just a few to give us an idea.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:8

  • God looks for a pure heart, free from sin and devoted to Him.

In Acts 15:8-9 we read: “God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted the Gentiles by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.”

  • God looks for a genuine faith in Him, regardless of ethnic origins.

Romans 12:1-2 urges believers to “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

  • God looks for sincere worship.

John 7:24 says: “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with righteous judgment“.

  • God looks for discernment, through truth and righteousness.

That’s just a small selection. Much of what God looks for is concerned with the relationship between God and that person. And that’s not for us to know, and even less to judge. We cannot look at the heart in the way that God does.

But we can still make the effort to go beyond appearances. I think we tend to look for two main categories of things – character and needs. We look for character traits that affect our relationship with the person, even if it’s a fleeting one. We might look for honesty, integrity, compassion, kindness, fairness and trustworthiness. And people look for the same things in us too. By looking beyond appearances, we can also get to understand people’s needs that are not obvious on the surface, or that we miss because of our initial judgements.

This is not to say that we should totally ignore appearances. After all, Jesus showed that he cared about physical appearances when he healed people of various diseases and disfigurements, although even then the results were often internal as well.

Proverbs 27: 19 sums this up – “As in water the face is reflected as a face, so a person’s heart reflects the person.”

Jesus knew what it was like to be misjudged because of his appearance. He didn’t have the appearance of the powerful king the Israelites were expecting. So he was continually having to prove who he was, that his authority came from within, not from what he looked like. Jesus often wanted people to look for his inner self.

Getting people to look at his inner being was a hard lesson that did not always sink in. Towards the end of his ministry on Earth, Jesus’ disciples looked for reassurance about what was going to happen next.

In John 14:8-10 we read that

“Philip said “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be content.” Jesus replied, “Have I been with you for so long, and you have not known me, Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father! How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me?”

In other words, Philip had not really looked beyond appearances.

Jesus wanted people to see his inner self, but not all humans are so open. Many people have barriers which can prevent or delay others moving beyond appearances. These could be barriers of language, culture or social difference, or they could be things like shyness, rudeness, poor social skills, anxiety, the need for privacy. Some people even go so far as to deceitfully create false impressions, with the aim of causing harm.

As part of the Sermon on the Mount, (Matthew 7: 15), Jesus warned “Be on your guard against false prophets; they come to you looking like sheep on the outside, but on the inside they are really like wild wolves.” We should look out for people, not just false prophets, who appear harmless on the outside, but are actually dangerous and deceitful inside.

Jesus encountered many barriers like this. He had constant run-ins with the Pharisees, who were an influential group big on tradition and external display, rather than on inner belief.

Jesus didn’t hold back when he said

“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Matthew 23: 27-28.

As well as encouraging us to look out for hypocrites and wolves in sheep’s clothing, Jesus modelled other ways to look at the heart rather than the appearance. And what we do with what we find there.

Just for example, Mark 12 41-44 tells us

“Then Jesus sat down opposite the offering box, and watched the crowd putting coins into it. Many rich people were throwing in large amounts. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, worth less than a penny. He called his disciples and said to them, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the offering box than all the others. For they all gave out of their wealth. But she, out of her poverty, put in what she had to live on, everything she had.”

One thing he was saying was not to look at and judge the appearance of a small offering, but consider the sacrifice and heart behind it.

In John 4 we read of an encounter between Jesus and a Samaritan woman at a well. She was a female in a society that held women in disregard, she was from a culture despised by Jews and she lived in shame, a social outcast. Outer appearances did not look good. But Jesus looked at her heart, spoke with her and offered eternal salvation. She went on to give testimony to her whole town.

Verse 27 tells us “And at this point His disciples came, and they marvelled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?””

The disciples looked at the appearance, but did not think to look any further.

This reminds me of a news item I saw a couple of weeks ago. Georgia Evans was playing rugby for Wales in the Women’s Rugby World Cup. During the competition she was subjected to considerable online abuse – not for her playing, but for her appearance on the field. Her reply was “The bows in my hair, the eyelashes and full-face makeup I choose to wear – none of that affects my ability, passion or fight for this game.”

That’s just the attitude we’ve been talking about in Christians – look past the appearance at the passion, the belief.

I said earlier that what God finds in a person’s heart is part of a relationship that we are not meant to see. It’s okay to keep this inner self hidden from other people, if that’s what we want, but there is one thing that God does want other people to see in our hearts.

God wants people to see our belief in Him, to see our Christianity. In fact, Jesus tells us that people shouldn’t have to see into our hearts – our faith and Christianity should shine out anyway.

In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus said

“You are like light for the whole world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead it is put on the lampstand, where it gives light for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.”

So, people shouldn’t have to look inside us to see that we are Christians, that should be part of our outer appearance.

In some parts of the world, shining out your Christian belief can get you into serious trouble. That’s not the case here in New Zealand, for which we are thankful, but there is a level of opposition to Christianity. There are many people who love God, but for various reasons tend to shy away from revealing this to strangers. There are also people who are happy to walk into a room of strangers and almost the first thing they say is “Hi, I’m a Christian.”

Whatever we feel comfortable with (or sometimes not!), God expects other people to be able to recognise us as Christian by the way we live our lives. We shine our light by exemplifying the Christian qualities of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These are all aspects of character we can develop through the presence of the Holy Spirit. We can also shine our light when God calls us to use the spiritual gifts He has given us – and again, we have the Holy Spirit to help us do that.

And we need to show those qualities all the time, not just when we feel like it. In that sense we are lamps on a lampstand, shining continuously – not like lamps totally hidden under a bowl, or even lamps under a colander letting bits of light leak through the holes, and definitely not like a torch, switched on and off to suit.

How much is being a Christian part of your external appearance, as well as your inner character?

I’d like to finish by going back to the decorated church in Slovenia. There is a sequence to the frescoes, and they end with what is known as ‘The Dance of Death.” There are eleven skeletons, each leading a person towards an open grave. There’s a child, a man with a wooden leg, a young man, moneylender, merchant, monk, bishop, cardinal, queen, king and a pope.

The message of this image is simple – When God looks in our hearts, we are all equal in his eyes, regardless of appearance or how important we think we are in our worldly life.

Tawa Baptist

Hearing from God – by Neville

Hearing from God, by Neville Gardner (22 Jan 2023)

At Christmas, I heard from a friend in England for the first time in several years. Well, when I say ‘heard from’ I mean ‘received an e-card from’ – I didn’t actually hear his voice. These days, ‘heard from’ can mean receiving a card, letter, text or other electronic message, as well as actually hearing a voice on the phone. It’s the same when we talk about hearing from God – we don’t necessarily mean hearing his voice (but we might), we just mean that we receive God’s words in some way.

When my wife Nicky and I are in different parts of our house, we’ll sometimes shout to each other with questions and comments. There’s no guarantee that we’ll hear each other, and if we do, the message can be misheard – unless I’m asking Nicky if she wants a cup of tea! The sensible thing to do is to get closer to each other and speak normally.

God understands the problems of making himself heard. Throughout the Bible, God spoke normally to those close to him, but sometimes he shouted to make himself heard. In the Garden of Eden, God walked and talked quietly with Adam and Eve; but just before the Ten Commandments were handed out, “Moses spoke, and God answered him with thunder”. (Exodus 19:19)

You’ll all know examples from the Bible of when God spoke directly to individuals (Moses, Noah, Elijah, Sarah – you can look up more later). Sometimes God sent messages by angels, visions and dreams, when that was the best way to communicate. He also used people to pass on his messages, speaking on his behalf. At the start of Hebrews, we read that “In the past, God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the prophets.”

But then God changed his methods. The verse in Hebrews continues “but in those last days he has spoken to us through his Son.” The apostles and many other people, in crowds or as individuals, all heard directly from God, in the person of Jesus. They heard first-hand of God’s promises and what he wanted of them.

That was a long time ago, but God has never stopped talking to his people. You can be confident that God values you as much as anyone in the Bible. Because of that, he wants to talk with you, and he does so depending on what’s best at particular times and in particular circumstances.

So, how do we hear from God now?

There are times when God ‘shouts’, talking to people dramatically through visions, dreams and miraculous events, but I think that he normally gets close and uses the ordinary. You may not hear God’s actual voice, but you’ll still hear from him.

In effect, you can hear God whenever you want to, through ordinary everyday actions.

By reading the Bible, you are hearing God’s words.

By praying, talking and listening to that quiet voice in your mind, you are communicating with God.

By talking with other Christians, and hearing their stories, you may hear or pass on God’s words.

Dare I say it, God can talk to you through sermons.

It is by doing these same things, frequently, that you get to know what God’s voice sounds like.

Reading the Bible and contemplating God’s word is a way of hearing God. But finding the time to do that in today’s busy world is not always easy.

“Be still, and know that I am God” says Psalm 46:10.

We know that Jesus was in the habit of spending time alone, praying, even when other people pressed their needs on him. Luke 5:15-16 tells us…

“But the news about Jesus spread all the more widely, and crowds of people came to hear him and be healed from their diseases. But he would go away to lonely places, where he prayed.”

God is always close, but I’d guess that most of you at times seek places where can you find a particular peace and closeness to God. I’d also guess that for many of you that would be outside – in a garden, in the bush, by the sea or on a mountain perhaps.

God speaks to us through his beautiful world. In these situations, you can feel surrounded by God’s creation, but more than that, you can feel being part of it. God cares for, and provides for, everything he created – that includes you and me.

In Psalm 104 verses 24 and 27 we read:

Lord, you made so many things!

How wisely you made them all!

The earth is filled with your creatures.

All of them depend on you

to give them food when they need it.

You give it to them, and they eat it;

You provide food, and they are satisfied.

We know that gardens are special to God – the Garden of Eden was where he spent close times with Adam and Eve. The Garden of Gethsemane was where Jesus found the space to pray in a time of need.

Some of you will be familiar with a poem called God’s Garden, written by Dorothy Gurney in 1882. A popular verse is

The kiss of the sun for pardon,

The song of the birds for mirth,

One is nearer God’s heart in a garden

Than anywhere else on earth.

Since the times of the New Testament, some people have gone to great lengths to find the time and space in which to get closer to God.

There is a small island off the south-west corner of Ireland called Skellig Michael. People go there now for several reasons. It is a wildlife haven, where birdwatchers go to be surrounded by thousands of circling and diving seabirds. The island is also home to strange-looking beehive huts. These stone dwellings housed a small community of monks from the 6th century onwards, in use for several hundred years. Here, away from the normal world of men, the monks would quietly strengthen their relationship with God and listen for his voice.

Each hut has a single door, through which a monk could look out at God’s creation – the sea, the sky, the birds, the storms even. But doors are two way places – to the monks they symbolised the contemplation of their own often dark interior.

Skellig Michael was the filming location for parts of a couple of Starwars movies. Appropriately enough, it stood in for the place, in a galaxy far, far away, that Luke Skywalker exiled himself to, to get away from his old life as a Jedi Knight.

In the 7th century, off the east coast of northern England, a young monk called Cuthbert became prior of Lindisfarne monastery. After ten years, he became worn out by the responsibility, so retreated to a small island nearby.

He did find peace and closeness to God there, but this was spoilt because people still came to find him and seek wisdom and healing. Cuthbert gave up and went back to the monastery for a few more years as abbot, but felt the need for peace and solitude again. He moved back to his island, where he built a small stone house and chapel, and spent the rest of his life there, praying and listening to God. But, tide permitting, people still managed to get to him!

Cuthbert of Lindisfarne and the monks of Skellig Michael went to great lengths to be able to concentrate on listening to God. But these were not the most extreme attempts.

In the late 1300s, in the east of England, Julian of Norwich became an anchorite. An anchorite was someone sealed into a small room, called an ‘anchorhold’, attached to a church – some still survive.

There was not normally a door, but three small windows. The first window let in light. The second window looked out on the outside world – it was used by people seeing to the anchorite’s physical needs, and by visitors seeking spiritual advice and wisdom. A third window, called a squint, had a narrow view of the altar, so the anchorite could see and hear services.

Julian had a severe illness, but after a ‘near-death experience’ she recovered and went on to receive religious visions from God for much of her life. These were compiled into a book called Revelations of Divine Love, which is the earliest surviving English-language book written by a woman.

Many people still appreciate the wisdom in these revelations – God still speaks to them through Julian of Norwich. She experienced two episodes of plague that swept her country, and people have been finding comfort in her words during the time of Covid.

I’m not suggesting that we all need to go to such lengths to find the peace and quiet in which to hear God’s voice. Turning phones off is a good start! Or spending time in the garden, or setting aside a daily quiet time at home, whatever makes you comfortable. These are all good practices, but in a way they are all aimed at putting us in control of when we hear from God. We mustn’t forget that God speaks to us when it suits him. That could be when we are not expecting it, even not wanting it. It may be at time of busyness, or when we are in an uncomfortable situation.

Jonah knew all about that. “One day, the Lord spoke to Jonah son of Amittai. He said, “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and speak out against it.” Jonah heard directly from God, yet he chose to leg it in the opposite direction. Jonah’s ship was caught in a storm and the sailors threw him overboard because he was running from the Lord. Finally, after being swallowed by a large fish, Jonah prayed to God and changed his tune. Back on shore, in a much more comfortable position, God spoke directly to Jonah again, repeating the first message. This time Jonah obeyed.

Think about the first Christmas, when God spoke several times through angels and dreams. An angel told Mary her first child would be God’s, not Joseph’s, her husband-to-be. She could have run away, but instead said “I am the Lord’s servant, may it happen to me as you have said.” An angel spoke to Joseph in a dream and told him about Mary, but he still married her. An angel told some shepherds, who were at work at the time, that they should leave their sheep and go to find the baby Jesus. Which they did.

Later an angel spoke to Joseph in a dream, warning him of Herod’s murderous intentions and telling him to become a refugee. He did, and saved Jesus’s life. In each situation, God took people from comfort to discomfort, but under his watchful eye, they all came out stronger.

Some years ago, I used to help run the children’s programmes at annual New Wine family camps, at El Rancho in Waikanae. This was far from a comfortable environment for me – working with the children was fine, but the whole thing of close living with hundreds of other people for a week was a huge struggle. I am not a gregarious person, and frankly, I hated that aspect of it. Yet that is where God wanted me.

One particular evening, I went to an adult’s session in the main hall, about the Holy Spirit and prayer. It was a hot summer evening, hundreds of people crammed together indoors – this was discomfort piled on top of discomfort. My unease grew as I listened to the words – something didn’t feel right, though I couldn’t put my finger on what. In the end, I just had to leave.

When I left the building I spotted an ice cream van, on the other side of the car park, which drew me like a magnet!

As I approached, the van seemed empty, but I could hear muttering and swearing coming from inside. I soon learnt that the . . . ice cream dispensing machine wasn’t working. I also learnt that the ice cream man thought he was wasting his time anyway, there were no customers in sight – apart from me, and I was out of luck. “Where is everyone?” he asked. I pointed to the hall across the car park. “What are they in there for?” “Learning about prayer” I said, without thinking. There was a pause. “Well, they could . . . pray for me then” the frustrated ice cream man said.

Now, another thing that makes me uncomfortable is praying out loud for complete strangers, but a quiet voice in my head said “Do it”. And I did.

At that moment, three things happened.

The ice cream machine started up

The doors to the hall opened and several hundred people headed towards us

The ice cream man’s mouth dropped open, without swearing.

Whether God was giving a lesson to the ice cream man or me, I don’t know.

But I did enjoy a free ice cream!

The circumstances of hearing from God are going to be different for everyone, and they are personal. I’ve shared something that happened to me because God can speak to us through the experiences of others. If this encourages you to tell someone you know about your experiences hearing from God, that’s great, but I’m not setting you a challenge.

If you are in a comfortable situation, thank God for that gift. But also expect him to turn your comfort to discomfort, to encourage you to ask him for strength and guidance. Treat discomfort as a learning experience!

I’ve only touched on a few aspects of hearing from God. Perhaps you’d like to reflect on:

Why you want to hear from God.

How do you recognise God’s voice?

Are you open to whatever God has to say?

Are you ready to carry out what God tells you to do?