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The whole set up for the birth of Jesus is amazing. Consider first of all the simple fact that He came! God left His pure, ethereal, glorious existence and took on physical form. If I had unlimited power and existed in a world outside of time and space I’m not sure I would have willingly chosen to become a mere mortal confined to time and space. I mean consider that Jesus (God incarnate) had to be fed, have His diapers changed, learn to walk, go through puberty, make friends in school, study, get a job, work hard, feel tired, feel sad… the full range of what it means to be human.
Why did He do it? Love. Jesus is the ultimate expression of love in the flesh. He is an exemplar of ‘practice what you preach’. He showed us the way to live by example. And even more shocking is that His purpose was to effect the most scandalous gift exchange of all time. He gave His life so that we could gain eternal life. He took on humanity so that we could have godliness. He suffered so that we would suffer no more. He took away our sins so that we could become righteous. He left heaven so that we could have a home in heaven. He lay down His glory so that we could become glorious. The king became a servant, so that the servants could become kings!
Who is worthy of such a gift? The answer is no one and everyone. None are worthy, but all are accepted. The circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus were intentionally orchestrated by God to let us know that Jesus came for EVERYONE. He could have been born in a palace but instead He chose a stable. He could have been laid in a fancy hand-crafted crib but instead he chose a feeding trough for animals. His first visitors could have been the elite of the Jewish people at that time but instead He chose his first visitors to be the low-class shepherds and three wise non-believers. And when they did take Him to be dedicated at the temple who met Him there? An ordinary but devout parishioner named Simeon and an old devout widow. It wasn’t the who’s who but the ordinary faithful.
The bottom line is that Jesus was surrounded by believers and non-believers of humble and sincere hearts regardless of station in life or religious order. This is Jesus. The Saviour of the world. He came for us all. He does not care what denomination we belong to or if we have a denomination at all. He does not care about our social status or how many followers we have on Instagram. He is holding out His arms longing for all to come and receive Him. The Gift is free. The worth is inestimable.
Joyfully,
Ever so often in my life, the question of my image rises to the surface. Typically, I could care less about my image… or put another way; I could care less about the opinions of people who do not know me. But every so often, those ‘people who don’t know me’ are also people who can influence the course of my life. Thus, it is in my interest to care about the opinions of such people.
On one such occasion, I had just started a new management position and my boss suggested that we meet weekly to check up on projects that I would be working on. I thought that that was a bit excessive, so I suggested less frequent meetings. She didn’t go for it. A few months later she gave me my first performance feedback and admitted that there was more to me than first met the eye. She had not expected the level of competence that I exhibited. On another occasion, a senior manager was kind enough to let me know that my happy-go-lucky surfer dude persona was negatively impacting my management aspirations. He admitted that I had the intelligence and competence for the position, but some who worked less closely with me were concerned about my image.
To be blunt, this type of thing pisses me off. I have no problem when people have an initial opinion but then take the time to get to know me before passing judgment (like the first boss I mentioned above). But I have a serious issue with people passing judgement from afar, not based on my performance, but based on who they think I am as a person. However, this is the reality of the world. People make decisions about you based on their opinion of you whether they actually know you or not.
The question is; should we be concerned about our image? Should I be concerned about my carefree image? Should I try to change it? Such questions can be unsettling, at least for me.
As I discussed these thoughts with my bff, she shared an interesting perspective. She has an image of always having her hair and nails on point and lately she was becoming concerned about the signal that she might be sending to the young women in her sphere of influence. She wondered if she was contributing to the current ethos of superficiality. Are nails and hair the most important things about a person? In the world of fake eyelashes, fake nails and weave have we become a society that is more about image than substance?
She gave me food for thought and solidified my commitment to authenticity. There is a beauty and peace that comes with being yourself that for me is not worth any job promotion. I laugh loudly in the office and dance down the place at Christmas functions. That is not some people’s opinion of management behaviour. And I’m OK with that. You do you and I’ll do me. At the end of the day it would be nice to be judged only on your contribution to achievement of the company objectives but the world is not fair like that and I’m OK with that too. I am willing to pay the price for an authentic life. I believe in a higher justice. And I hope that my sacrifice will redound to upcoming leaders; that they will be able to shake the shackles of other people’s expectations and actualize their own authentic life.
Joyfully,
Copyright 2018, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
Here’s a sneak peek inside:
Ann and Andrew were not very religious. In fact, at birth, Govinda and Celeste were registered as having no religion. Not Roman Catholic like their mother. Not Anglican like their father.None. It was completely without precedent and caused quite a furore when the time came for Govinda’s primary school registration. “He will choose a religion for himself when he is ready,” they said to the bewildered registrar.
So concerned were Govinda’s teachers for the state of his soul that he was automatically chosen to participate in anything religious. One teacher cast him as Joseph at every Christmas play. While another made him pray for the class regularly.
Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19 has become one of the most popular verses of the bible. It has come to be called ‘the great commission’ and it has been used as the basis for the stereotypical ‘missionary’ who travels to remote places of the globe bringing the good news of the gospel.
In recent times, there has been arising a movement that is calling the church back to discipleship. Many have noticed that the missionary foundation of the early church has largely been replaced with evangelism and church attendance. ‘Winning souls for Christ’ has become an exercise in getting your programme on television or radio or social media and then getting people into your church service and then making an altar call so that they give their lives to Christ and eventually get baptized. And voila! There it is the modern interpretation of Mat 28:19! I don’t believe this is what Jesus wanted His church to look like for one main reason; this can all happen without a single genuine relationship between two people. Christianity is personal and relational because Christ is personal and relational. Discipleship cannot be impersonal and non-communal. But before I dig into that, let me talk about what the reaction to this commercial church ethos has been.
I have seen two reactions:
The fact that there are people who have heard the call of God back to discipleship (and I believe this is a move initiated by God) and who have been convicted enough to do something about it is wonderful! I love it! But what I want to talk about today is less about what we do and more about who we are. I believe too often we do things out of a reaction to something bad and we create an exaggeration in the other direction. Like a pendulum, we swing all the way to the other side bringing criticism, division and cliquishness. Instead, I want to invite us to see what God is calling us to be and let that truth shine right where we are (which probably has some good things that God does not want us to throw out completely). I believe that as the church matures, we will see less moves of God that have been immortalized (or more correctly; mortalized) into denominations (Protestant, Pentecostal, Charismatic to name a few) and more continuous unification and maturing as we build upon the truths that brought us to where we are now, adding to it the current revelations of God.
OK so what are the truths that I believe God is calling us to embody today whether we are part of a mega church or a small study group? We can learn a lot from the added context of verses 18 and 20:
So here are three things that I am excited about! Three things that I am eager to see arising in the church:
You can do all of these things without starting a ministry or leaving your church (and I have nothing against either). Just choose to live a missionary life. It’s that simple yet that profound. You can start today!
Joyfully,
Copyright 2018, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
One of the most common mistakes that I’ve made in my life is judging people that I don’t know. We all do it right? Right? (Please tell me it’s not just me.) We assign characteristics and even worse, motives, to people we have never even talked to! When you think about it, it’s crazy. Or sometimes we’ve met a few people from a particular religion or political party or ethnicity or neighbourhood and we judge the whole based on the few. Everybody who crosses our path who fits the demographic is destined for our bad books. Crazy!
One of the most constructive habits we can cultivate to counteract this bad habit is to try to have authentic interactions with as many varied persons as you can. They say one bad apple spoils the whole bunch, but I have found that it works just as powerfully the other way around; one person can change your perspective of a whole nation. That’s one of the reasons that I love travel so much. I just love to touch, taste and see what looks different to me; what I’ve never experienced before. I love the practice of discovery.
I think the art of building bridges across divides of misunderstanding is even more critical in this fake news world that we currently inhabit. Don’t stay behind your computer/smartphone and pelt stones at the particular group that you love to hate, go out and meet them. One of my favourite examples of this is Daryl Davis. Daryl Davis is a black guy who befriends Klu Klux Klan members. So far, according to this article , he has persuaded 200 members to give up their robes. Now that is someone I would like to emulate. I’m not saying that we will always get someone to agree with our point of view, but we might gain a friend and we definitely will learn something.
Frankly, I don’t think I have ever convinced anybody to my way of thinking (I probably haven’t tried very hard) but I have learned a lot from people with vastly different views to mine and in some cases I’ve come around to their way of thinking. I believe 200% in Christ but I’ve learned a lot from agnostics. I used to believe in beating my children but due solely to a few people in my life with strong views against corporal punishment I am now trying different disciplinary methods. (Admittedly, I am tempted to return to my old ways at every major disciplinary impasse). I used to think Brexiters were myopic but recently I actually met one guy who was outspoken enough to share his views. It was enlightening. His reasoning was sound, and I left the conversation feeling a bit convicted for judging my Brexit friends so harshly and convinced that both sides of the argument had merit.
And this brings me to the final point I wish to make. Please, don’t be afraid to share your views passionately. The most you could be is wrong. There is nothing I find more frustrating than someone who has a strong view but refuses to share it! I know not everyone may be as comfortable (excited even) with debate and confrontation and conflict as I am, but I find it so sad to walk away from someone without ever receiving the gift of their viewpoint. Some say people walk away from these debates unchanged but I disagree. Rarely will I change my view on the spot but I always think about it for days after and a fresh perspective does change how I view things. Even if it is a small adjustment, it’s worthwhile. Some say you should never discuss politics or religion (basically anything that will upset anyone). I say that’s precisely what we should be talking about. It’s what matters. That’s how we evolve as a species, by taking the best of everyone’s ideas and moving forward together.
OK OK I’m off that soapbox…. So…. Get out there and go talk to someone new today!
Joyfully,
Copyright 2018, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
I woke up one morning this week with the epiphany that there are a vast number of Christians who have never heard the voice of God. Not only did I wake up with this thought in my head, but I also felt God’s emotions in my heart. He has such a deep grief over this fact, because His longing is for all of His children to hear His voice. He is always speaking but we often do not recognize it.
But today, if you are reading this, He wants you to hear Him!
The first thing He wants you to know is that hearing His voice is normal. Do not believe the lies and fallacies in your mind that say that only special people hear from God or that that was only in biblical times. NO, God is speaking to you every day!
The second lie that many of us have accepted as truth is that God is impersonal. God speaks through creation and through the scriptures. That is true. But that is often interpreted in an impersonal way. As in, He speaks to everyone in general. His grandeur and majesty and wisdom are there for all to see in the splendour, beauty and intelligence of creation. That is a wonderful truth! His statutes and commands and truth has been laid out in the scriptures for all who would search it out! Also true! But…. have you heard His personal whispers to you in the dawn? Has your heart burned as you read a verse that you knew was put there specifically for you in that moment? If not, God has more for you.
God is personal. He wants to relate to you personally; one on one.
Here are three truths that have helped me to hear God’s voice more clearly:
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
I’m praying that you start a new journey with God today, confident that He is speaking to you and that you absolutely are able to hear His voice!
Joyfully,
Copyright 2018, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
I was cruising down the highway, heading to work, minding my own business, listening to music when suddenly a police car with sirens blaring and lights flashing appeared behind me. I assumed they wanted to pass, so I pulled to the inner lane. They stayed on my tail and the driver signaled for me to stop. “What could they possibly want?” I thought. I pulled onto the shoulder, turned down my music and rolled down my glass.
One of the officers approached, “Good morning sir, you were driving above the speed limit.”
“OK”, I said.
“Driver’s permit and insurance please.” I passed him the documents. He seemed relieved and slightly surprised that I had accepted my fate so calmly.
After writing up the ticket, he handed me my documents and the ticket. “Have a good morning sir.”
“Thank you. You too.” He looked even more surprised and smiled. I pulled off and took care to stay below the limit for the remainder of my journey to the office.
Later that day I examined the ticket. The price of my infraction was TT$1000. It was enough to cause some internal pain as I thought about the status of my bank account. Then I realized that the officer had spelled my name wrong…. and just like that a moral dilemma was berthed.
Legitimately, I did not need to pay this ticket because the person charged was not me. Sad to say, I grappled with this temptation for a few days well. I had committed the crime, but I could escape the penalty due to a technicality. I even wondered if the officer’s error was God’s providence. My conscience, however, would not allow me to justify my considered course of action with the God card. What should I do?
Eventually, I paid the ticket and walked away from my test with a feeling of victory and renewed awareness of my vulnerability. In the end I was bound by a law higher than the law of the land; a moral code that knew wrong was wrong no matter the legal loopholes that were available.
Everyday, all of us walk this path. It may manifest itself in different circumstances, but the test is the same. When these moral decisions confront us, the choice is always the same; to do what is right or to do what we can get away with.
It seems to me that there is a growing movement to push the moral line away from what is right to what is legal. Less and less the question asked is, ‘What is the right thing to do in this situation?’ and more often the question is, ‘What are our contractual or legal obligations?’ or, ‘What is the company policy?’ In fact, it amazes me how easily even the standard of legality gets thrown aside if common practice dictates otherwise. It disturbs me how wealth and social status have become accepted reasons to live unaccountable to the law. I remember an incident publicized on social media where a well-connected woman was caught driving without a driver’s permit or insurance for her luxury vehicle and seemed more incensed that the police pulled her aside than contrite for her lawlessness. Just last month I heard someone admit quite casually that they had paid to get their driver’s permit after failing the exam.
Where are we heading? Do we really want to live in a society where everyone does whatever they can get away with?
Why are we ok to not pay workers/contractors on time for work they have done, or to use every advantage we have in business deals to ensure we gain as much as we can at the expense of the other party, or to use our contacts and wealth to live outside of the law?
We are losing our moral moorings. But how do we get them back? Do we even want to? I certainly don’t have all the answers but I’m willing to ask the questions. I’m willing to challenge myself and the people in my sphere. I’m willing to push back in the board room and in the dining room. I’m willing to engage and grapple and fight for the type of society that I want my children and grandchildren to inherit. A society where we do onto others as we want done unto us. A society where we protect the weak not take advantage of them. A society where we promote the common good over our personal gain. What would happen if we devoted less of our energy toward trying to ensure that OUR children are advantaged, wealthy and favoured and more of our energy to ensuring that EVERYONE can thrive?
That’s what I’m fighting for… who’s with me?
Copyright 2018, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
Hi everyone,
Today, I just thought I’d share a bit of a study I did. I broke it down into two parts. So here’s part 1:
There was a guy called Moses who God liked to speak to face to face. It was to Moses that God first revealed His special name; Yahweh. Moses would go up Mount Sinai and Yahweh would descend in a cloud and speak to him like a man would speak to a friend. It was on this mountain, in the presence, that Yahweh gave Moses the blueprints to the temple that would allow God to dwell among His people; Israel.
At the centre of this temple, in the innermost sanctum called the Holy of Holies , rested the ark of the covenant where God’s presence would dwell. The ark of the covenant was square box made of acacia wood, overlaid with gold inside and out. The arc would eventually contain three things:
The stone tablets represented the covenant that God made with Israel. Moses stayed 40 days and 40 nights on Mount Sinai as God gave him the commandments and he inscribed them on the tablets. When Moses came down from that mountain his face shone with the glory of God! Everyone knew that he had been in the very Presence of God.
The manna represented the miraculous way in which God provided for the Israelites as He led them out of Egypt. For 40 years in the desert they never went hungry. Every morning (except for the Sabbath) the manna came and those who collected little had just enough and those who collected much had none left over. It was through signs and wonders such as these that God showed the Israelites that He was with them and He would take care of them.
The staff of Aaron represented authentic leadership appointed by God. Aaron’s staff was the one that turned into a snake in Pharaoh’s court swallowed the snakes conjured by the Egyptian magicians. It was Aaron’s staff that God used to turn the water of Egypt into blood. And it was Aaron’s staff that summoned the plagues of the frogs and gnats. The staff was a symbol of God’s authority. The holder of the staff was authorized to represent God in the earth.
Each of these items represented very significant aspect of Israel’s relationship with God. His covenant, laws and statutes. His provision, signs and wonders. His rule, power and authority. Obedience, faith, submission. God put into the ark items that would remind Israel of what was required to walk with a Holy God.
But as I studied these items I began to see them from another perspective:
So, you see, each item also represents the absolute inability of the Israelites to walk with God. They were disobedient, faithless and rebellious.
We know that the physical Old Testament temple was but a shadow of the New Testament spiritual reality fulfilled by Christ! We know that we are the temple of God! Therefore, in the ark of our hearts we must have the laws, the manna and the rod. We must have a heart to keep the covenant and obey the statutes of God, faith to believe that He will provide and take care of us and submission to His sovereign rule and his earthly appointed authorities.
We also know that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God…. But where we fall short brothers and sisters, the grace of God traverses the gap… because covering us as the mercy-seat of God covered the ark is the broken body and spilt blood of the spotless Lamb of God! The blood of Christ covers every shortcoming and every lack allowing the Presence of God to dwell in us as He did between the cherubim of the ark!
Now that is cause for great joy!
Copyright 2018, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
When it comes to relationships, deeper is better than broader. A meaningful relationship with one person is better than one hundred Facebook friends. Why is that Matik? Well I’m glad you asked! It’s because the real value of a relationship is only experienced when people can be real, and people can only be real when enough trust has been established to allow the vulnerability that being one’s true self entails.
Somewhere I read that disclosure is the currency of intimacy and it has stuck with me because it’s absolutely true. Relationships deepen as we share a little about our true thoughts and true feelings and if we are not rejected or mocked or judged but rather accepted then we share a little more. Then the other person may feel safe to share as well and soon enough a real friendship is established. The ultimate example of this should be a married couple of course. If you cannot be absolutely yourself with your spouse and feel absolutely safe, then something is amiss.
But why do I say that these intimate relationships are better than all the other platonic ones that we have? For two reasons:
1. In any relationship in which you are not authentic, where you are keeping it professional, or where you are only showing your best side, you are missing opportunities for growth. You are missing opportunities for suggestions and feedback that could make your life dramatically more enriched. For example, when I go on business trips I like to share the challenges that my organization is currently facing with my business contacts because this has always been an amazing generator of partnerships and opportunities for my company. You never know what solutions and mutually beneficial relationships are out there unless you share. This principle has also been true in my personal friendships. People carry around a wealth of wisdom that they have gained through their experiences that you may never benefit from unless you have a real conversation with them. On the most intimate level, everyone needs love and to be known and accepted. Sharing your innermost self is a risk but the rewards are huge. Your soul blossoms in love. Usually but not always we get this kind of unconditional love from our parents, but they need not be the only ones. They should not be the only ones.
2. Of course, this works both ways. The people in your life also need you. The real you needs to show up because your family and friends need to see your awesomeness. You have something that no one else can give. You are a walking growth opportunity for those around you. This is not giving advice (nobody really takes advice from someone they do not feel connected with anyway). This is more than that; it’s sharing your soul. Your naked soul is beautiful and speaks without you saying a word.
Let me tell you a story. Last Sunday morning I woke up and I did not feel like going to church. I felt like I should just spend some time taking it slow. You know, a lazy family kinda morning. “But I can’t, I have a friend that I promised to take to church and I have to lead worship” I thought. I had good reasons and skipping church can’t be a good thing, right? Then my friend messaged to say that she was not going to church. Hmmm, one excuse down but I still had to lead worship. So, I went to pick up my two youngest children who had spent the night at my parents house. They were in the same mood and I knew I would be late if the tug-of-war to get them out the house ensued. They were about to sit with my parents at the breakfast table where a pile of hot pancakes was waiting. You get the scene. I still ignored my instincts and went to church without them. Guess what? There was some mix-up and we were locked out of the church building that we use. Eventually, I went back by my parents, but I knew that I had missed it. I had missed a moment to laugh and talk and deepen relationship with my children and parents.
I love my brothers and sisters at my church, but relationships aren’t built in a church service. If we are not intentional about it, we can be the most regular church-service-goers; smiling, shaking hands and giving hugs and it can all be meaningless because it’s all superficial. Choosing one brother or sister to call regularly or hang out with can be that monumental step from going to church toward being the church.
Now don’t get me wrong this is risky, messy business. Our true selves aren’t pretty sometimes and building meaningful relationships takes work. There will be hurts, misunderstandings, rejections…these are the risks but the rewards far far outweigh them! This message is doubly applicable to men whom I have found to be the most superficial creatures. You can have a friendship with a guy for decades and talk about nothing more impactful to his core being than football. We really need to step up men.
Go deep my friends and you will be rewarded with authentic joy!
Copyright 2018, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.