26 April, 2016
Topic: Mystery
Speaker: Ian O’Harae
Scripture: Ephesians 3:1-13
There are times when we want clarity, there
is not clarity.
V1-7: Talks about mystery: something that
can only come from revelation. Symbolic or metaphoric significance, using the
correlation of husband and wife to Jesus and His Church.
V2: Surely, you’ve heard about the
administration of God’s grace that’s been given to me. A mystery with a
purpose.
Mark Twain (the great 19th
Century theology): two most important days of your life are the day you’re born
and the day you find out why.
V6: Gentiles are heirs together.
Question of our identity: these days it’s
not like first century where it’s just whether you’re Jew or Gentile. It’s who
am I?
In Christ, we are new creations.
V7: Gift of God’s grace: the mystery made known
to Paul by revelation. Gospel help us understand this. New humanity.
You’re a Christian: what difference does it
make?
Some are born in a Christian home while
others don’t have that privilege.
V10: Displays this through the church? Uses
everyday people like us. God chose Paul despite his horrible past. If God can
use him, He can use you.
Identity issues today:
1) LGBTIQ community: Wrestling
with sexuality, even in and amongst Christians. Not to demonise them because
it’s not an unpardonable sin. Who are we in Christ? Don’t be gay bashers, but be
manifesting the love of Christ.
2) Intersectionality: the way we
conceive us as individuals.
3) Transhumanism: a movement
(Stephen Hawking is a big mover in this), plan to bring people back from the
dead by freezing their brains and then resurrecting them with artificial
intelligence. Humai, 30Nov 2015: We can clone your DNA. You can download your
experiences into Nanotechnology. A company claims that it’s developing
technology to bring people back form the dead!! Humai claims the technology
will be available in 30 years’ time!! http://humaitech.com/
Also, just a little theology excerpt from Erickson's on God's creative work vs humans!
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