How safe is safe?

Terrorism looms. The threat of an attack is in the back of our minds. We follow the case against Gold Coast Doctor Mohamed Haneef with concern that what happened in England could happen here in Australia.

 

So we set up new laws. The anti-terror laws started in 2004, taking away some of our liberties. Over the last three years more than twenty new pieces of legislation have been enacted to “enhance” security

 

Then there is the financial cost. Last year the United States spent US$250 billion in the war on terrorism, whilst Australia has spent $11.5 billion.

 

So there are 2 questions I have

          1) Are we safer?

The total number of Australian deaths from terrorist attacks since 2001 is 160. Over half of this group died in Bali. So that’s on average about 20 deaths a year. If you compare that to the 300 Australians die each year from murder it is quite a small number. And when you consider that the deaths due to terrorism have taken place outside of Australia it shows that we are safe, but not safer. There are still other tragedies which occurred before September 11^th that can still impact on our lives

 

It’s the possible threat that concerns us. The “What if….?” The problem is that we don’t feel safe, and we need that feeling. So along as the feeling is there, we will go to greater lengths to protect ourselves.

 

          2) Can we be safe?

Here is my real concern. We believe that the world can be a safe place. Yet history is against us. Try and find the last decade in world history when there was no war. You’ll be going back centuries.

 

And we can’t avoid death. 12,600 people in NSW die of cancer each year. 550 people in NSW will die on our roads. Each year 500 people will die from a workplace accident and 2200 will die due to exposure to hazardous substances. Then there’s bushfires, air disasters, floods and drowning.

 

It is a political dream to believe that we can be safe. This world is not safe. And we are not powerful enough to deal with every problem. We are not the ALMIGHTY.  So rather than being nihilistic or seeking to solve every problem, we need to learn to trust in God who has allotted our days on this earth. We need to realise that “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away”, and that God has appointed a day when He will judge the world with justice. It’s only when Christ returns that we can truly feel safe.

All or nothing?

I find it strange the way we think today. We think we can have it all without any personal cost. It’s as if we never need to make choices.

We need to make decisions in life. These decisions will have benefits, but will also cost us. The classic example of this is found with lifestyle choices.

 What do you want: more time or more money? Answer- both. Great answer, except no-one has both. So you need to make a choice.

 Now you could choose the money path. The top 20% of Australian households earn an average of $1886 a week (net income). That’s fantastic! Except, to earn this amount of money they need to work over 50 hours a week, leaving very little time in their lives for anything but work.

Let’s look at the next 20% of earners. They earn an average of $790 a week (net income). that’s 2.4 times less! But these people work at least 10 hours less each week. This allows them to have a weekend with family, to play sport or go out with friends.

My point is this- you have to make a choice. You can’t have it all. Your life will be marked by money or mates, property or past-times, overtime or outdoor activities. It’s up to you which path you take, but please weigh up the cost. So many marriages are being detroyed by people who thought they didn’t need to make sacrifices. Now they are paying the ultimate price. 

What’s my job?

If you ask 10 people “what does a minister do?” you’ll get 10 different answers. Let me give you a few. A minister

- promotes social values

- visits the sick

- runs Sunday services

- maintains a Christian community

 Now I’ll probably be involved in all of these activities, but they’re not my main purpose.

So what is my job? To talk with people about Jesus.

That’s it. If you’re a Christian, I’ll discuss what it means to be Christ-like.

If you’re not a Christian, I’ll discuss how Jesus calls for you to follow Him.

This raises the question: Why is Jesus so important?

Well the Bible says that He is the Christ. Christ means the one God chose as ruler.

Now we would all like the job, but it has been given to one person. He is now the one who calls the shots and directs the action. Let me push it a little further. Paul the apostle talked about Jesus, because he thought that we should obey Him (Romans 1:5). As confronting as that is, it’s the truth. Jesus is the only one who can grant eternal life. Jesus is the only one who can bring us to the Father. Jesus is also the end-time judge.

So my aim is to help people become fully devoted followers of Christ. I don’t mind where people are at, my aim is to help them move along. Now I’ll do this in Sunday services, in small groups, in Scripture classes and in individual discussions.

So if you’re interested in talking about Jesus, drop me an e-mail (reads@tig.com.au) and we’ll have a coffee. We can talk about where we each come from and consider who Jesus is and how He changes our lives.