Just call me Theo

It's a pretty sweet name hey. If I ever get a dog, I think I'll call it Theo- can it be a girls name??

Haha this post is not on the millions of cool names out there though-Sorry Jen :) It's on a few discoveries I'm having in regards to theology at the moment.

The first is that knowing theology isn't knowing God. If you enjoy reading something meaty I'd highly recommend JI Packer's Knowing God it's an awesome book and really covers this idea in the first couple of chapters. Ironically it then goes on to discuss a whole lot of different dictrinal issues within the church at the moment, but the real crux of each of these issues is that for one reason or another we, as a church, have distanced ourselves from the wonders of the gospel message by learning it as theology, as a set of facts and ideas, removed from our own lives. It's reflected in our preaching, our biblestudies, our uni conferences, kids camps and sunday schools. We learn ABOUT God all the time-we just find it much harder to believe, because 'we weren't there' or 'the culture was different' or 'we can't see God's specific work today'.

This year's Engage Convention (held in the Blue Mountains by KCC) topic hits our weakness on the head- it was called A Faith that Works. Here's the description...

Faith in Jesus has to be real.It has to work on Monday.Connected. Integrated. Making sense.Actually doing something.
engage09 A faith that works.

Whoever thought of this is brilliant- I didn't end up going but wish I had've because it's exactly where we're up to- we know a lot ABOUT God, but it's not hitting our lives, because we still don't know GOD very well. Let me explain it another way, I think I know a lot ABOUT Kevin Rudd. I know he's the PM, he has a wife and some kids, I know where he lives, essentially his job role, I know he only sleeps 3 hrs a night, gets paid $340 000 a yr (for the time being), if I really wanted to I could probably google what his favourite colour is. But I wouldn't say that I know Kevin Rudd very well.

How would I get to know him better? Well if I spoke to him regularly, if we spent some time together, if he came to my family Christmas and met my mum and I took his dog for a walk every Thursday morning...if we looked after one another, confided in one another, prayed for one another- if we had some sort of RELATIONSHIP then I feel I would be able to say I knew him.
Isn't it similar to our standing with God? If we spent some time together, if we spoke regularly, if he supported me, and I prayed to him, wouldn't I understand him better? I don't need to be a walking concordance to know God (not to downplay the importance of reading His Word- that is after HE speaks to US after-all!) but I do need to build a relationship with Him.
I don't think we like this option as a culture. I don't think our culture deals in time anymore- in money, in information, in contacts sure, but time?? It's too inefficient-you can't achieve everything the world needs you to if you're generous with your time; it's is a commodity we permanently don't have which is why everyone's trying to get better at managing it. It's on restrictions more stringently governed then those set by the Sydney Water Board.

Yet, time is what God asks us to give.

We mightn't understand how things worked in Jesus' time as seamlessly as the first apostles. We mightn't be able to see God's every decision playing out today. Ironically I doubt the makings of the first church would've been as clear cut for Peter and John or Paul either- perhaps we like to believe that they were more in control of the situation then they actually were- but regardless of whether they were or not the difference is probably not what they knew ABOUT God but rather the relationship they were in with Him. They knew He was looking after them, they understood his provision and guidance. They prayed with ferverance, trusting in Him. Do we do the same?

I'll admit, I'm finding prayer painfully hard at the moment. I can't concentrate for 5 minutes with my eyes closed without my mind wandering off. I fidget and find it hard to pray alone. I'm praying each time I do come to Him that I would change. Graciously too he allows me to read things from His word that help me learn things of his character that make Him worthy of prayer. He inspires and encourages me to pray, and convicts me that serving at church, or singing to Him, or helping out a friend are all expressions of love towards Him INDIRECTLY but not directly. Directly my expression of love to Him is obedience, prayer, wholistic worship, peace and rejoicing in the knowledge of Him and reverent fear.

I need to work on the prayer, the more I discover the more important I'm realising it is.