Too Busy To......

Tony Hauck

Church on the Rock - Melbourne

Life just keeps getting busier.  It seems every few months Rachel and I have to re-evaluate and prioritize how we’re spending our time.  And all the technology that is supposed to increase efficiency just adds things we can do, making our lives even busier.  I wonder how frenetic the pace of our lives would appear to someone of an earlier generation.  I fear we’ve acclimated gradually without realizing what we’re sacrificing.  And I suspect this isn’t just natural progression, but part of a sinister plot.

Afraid I’ve become a weird conspiracy theorist?  Well don’t get me wrong.  I love technology as much as the next guy, and see its value toward advancing God’s kingdom.  The question is, are we using these tools, or being controlled by them?

The book of Daniel finishes with a description of the End Times, and one line has always stood out to me.  “Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”  (Dan 12:4)  This statement is a little cryptic, so I won’t be dogmatic, but I think part of the enemies plan is just to keep us too busy to focus on the truly important things in our lives.

If I’m right, the End Time Church must resist being swept away with the pace of the world, because when we’re too busy, the first thing we sacrifice is usually our intimacy with God.

So have you evaluated how you’re spending your time lately?

The Main Thing About Prayer

Tony Hauck
Church on the Rock - Melbourne

Peter Lord once said, “the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing”.  This is a great life philosophy.  Short and to the point, it implies two fundamental principles.  Know what is important, and don’t get distracted by what isn’t important.  But sometimes identifying what is important is harder than we realize.

Take prayer for example.  We know it’s important, but why?  Because He said so?  Because it’s how we get stuff to happen?  Those reasons may motivate for a while, but my experience is that they don’t  remain long term.  I’ve seen many prayer groups start out strong praying for a move of God, but dwindle over time when the answer didn’t come.  What if the answer comes only after years of praying?  What keeps us going?

It’s easy to “grow weary in well doing” when we focus on results.  So I’ve been trying to refocus on the real reason we pray.

In Genesis 15:1 God told Abraham, “I am your exceedingly great reward”.  And that’s why we pray; to have Him.  If that is my reason, my reward in prayer, it really doesn’t matter if answers are years away.  I can have Him every time.  The main thing; one criteria of a successful prayer time.  Did I connect with Him?

Driving Home His Point

Tony Hauck
Church on the Rock Melbourne

In Matthew 21:12-14 and Mark 11:15-17 Jesus does three things in quick succession. First, He drove out of the temple the money changers and vendors who had set up shop in the court of the gentiles. It was supposed to be set apart for the gentiles (nations). Next, He declared that the purpose of His house was prayer, for all nations. Finally, He sat in the temple healing the sick.

Maybe this order of events is significant. Perhaps if His church returned to the primary purpose of prayer, He would once again sit in the midst of it healing the sick.

You Go First

Tony Hauck
Church on the Rock - Melbourne


I’ve always loved Psalm 110:3, “Your people shall be volunteers in the day of Your power.” Now truthfully, it’s not difficult to get people to volunteer for God when His power is present, and that’s probably how most of us would interpret this verse. But what if we have it backwards?

I think our tendency as a church is to be passive, waiting on a Sovereign God to initiate so we can respond. But what if that verse is really saying when my people volunteer freely it will usher in the day of my power? What if He’s waiting for us to initiate something?

Could it be that God is sitting up there looking around, just waiting to back with His power some people who whole heartedly fast and pray and seek Him? Hanani thought so. That’s the seer in 2 Chronicles 16:9 who said, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”

Look at it this way. When His power does come to the church, it wrecks our schedules anyway. Why not act like we expect His power and go ahead and build our schedules around Him now?

Feeling Faint?

Tony Hauck
Church on the Rock - Melbourne

I told someone recently that one of the most consistent spiritual attacks I face is simply the temptation to give up. It could be on a promise from God, a ministry, a person, a commitment to some spiritual discipline. How about you? Feeling tired? Frustrated? Nothing you’re trying seems to be working?

When I feel that way, there are three verses that come to mind that motivate me.

• (Gal 6:9)"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart".
• (Prov 24:10} "If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small."
• (Jer 12:5) "If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?"
  

I know, those last two are basically “quit being a wimp” verses, but it works for me. And there is one other thing that works. You can read about it in Isaiah 40:28-31. Waiting on Him; and prayer is a great way to do that. So I have a rule. We may stumble, we may whine, but there is really only one thing we can’t do, and that’s quit.

(Heb 6:11-12) "And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

God is faithful!

The Christmas Story

Tony Hauck
Church on the Rock - Melbourne

In light of the season, can you take a few minutes to open to the Christmas story found in Luke 2:1-20? I want to show you something there.

This is, of course, the story of Jesus being born in a manger in Bethlehem; God becoming man to make a way for us. But I want to focus on the response of the shepherds. First, they left their flocks (verse 15), then they returned full of joy (verse 20). Why joy? Two things. They heard the heavenly proclamation: peace, goodwill from God toward you (verse 13-14). They saw God (verse 17). This is the fulfillment of the cry of David in Psalm 27:4, to paraphrase, “All I want is to be where You are, to see You, and to hear Your declarations”.

Perhaps if we, like the shepherds, can leave our work for a bit during this busy season to seek Jesus, we’ll see a bit of His glory – even if it’s veiled in human wrappings, hear His declaration of “I have good will toward you”, and experience the true joy of the season.

Justice

Tony Hauck
Church on the Rock - Melbourne


It’s hard to see injustice all around us and not get angry. But it is comforting to know that, ultimately, no one escapes justice.

(Mat 12:18-21) Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory; And in His name Gentiles will trust.

Jesus is coming again, and will see to it that every man, woman and child receives justice, except one. (Acts 8:32-33) He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.

Jesus is the only man who will never receive justice. Throughout eternity the one great injustice will stand, an innocent man killed for the sins of others, and they will never be called to account for it. He chose to sacrifice His own justice to become a gift to us. Romans 5:8 calls this the demonstration of His incredible love. The next time you feel you’ve been treated unjustly, think about this.

Unity

Tony Hauck

Church on the Rock - Melbourne

I have really worked and prayed for unity among pastors and churches in our city. I believe it’s a huge deal to God. If fact, I think it’s a prerequisite to getting many of the things we’re asking for; things God won’t give to us as individuals. Things we have to come to Him together to get. Let me attempt to justify my belief biblically. Consider Psalm 133.

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! {2} It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. {3} It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing; Life forevermore."

We begin with the prerequisite: unity, and end with what we want: God’s commanded blessing. Note that we’re to dwell together in unity. I think that implies substantially more than coming together occasionally for big meetings. But look at the picture God paints twice in between the action and the result.

First the anointing oil poured on Aaron’s head that runs down to collect at the hem of his priestly garments. The New Testament says that now we’re God’s priests. Ephesians 4 describes the church as a body knit together with Christ as the head. There is enough anointing to heal a sick woman who touches the hem, the lowest position in the body. Then the dew that collects on Mount Hermon and pools together as it runs down to become the Jordan river. Jesus said in John 7 that we’d have rivers of living water flowing out of us.

So why don’t we see the manifestations of the Kingdom we’ve been asking for? The problem isn’t a lack of anointing. All the anointing the church is ever going to have has already been poured out on the head, Jesus, who dwells in us (Col 1:27). Maybe the problem is a lack of connection. How can anointing flow down from the head to the body if the body is dismembered? How can we have a river if we each hoard our own little stream? We know how important it is to stay connected to Jesus, but we may have underestimated how important it is that we stay connected to each other.

Quiet Zeal

Tony Hauck
Church on the Rock - Melbourne

What does zeal look like? We all know the story of Jesus turning over the tables of the money changers in the temple, and His disciples remembering that it was written, “zeal for Your house has consumed me”. Don’t forget that whole incident was about the importance of prayer. Jesus spent a lot more time in prayer, not quarreling or crying out, not breaking bruised reeds or quenching smoking wicks (Mt 12:19-20), than he did in flamboyant displays of zeal. Yet I believe He was zealous all the time. So what did His zeal look like most of the time?

"But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.' He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" (Mat 21:28-31)

I don’t know about you, but too often I’ve sung on Sunday, “Lord I want You, I want to do Your will, yes Lord”, and then, ignored Him on Monday. I really appreciate demonstrative worship, passionate prayer and stirring preaching, but I’m not sure these things are accurate indicators of zeal. Maybe true zeal is seen in daily disciplines, long faithfulness to a task, simple obedience. Maybe it’s less about emotion and more about making decisions in spite of how we feel. Maybe we’re most zealous when we’re dry and tired, but we’re doing it anyway.

I'm Waiting...

Tony Hauck, Church on the Rock - Melbourne

There are two verses, Psalm 27:14 & Isaiah 40:31, that promise we’ll receive strength as we wait on the Lord. I’m afraid we’ve mostly understood waiting on the Lord in the sense that He’s sovereign, and we just have to wait for Him to act. I often meet Christians who believe some prophetic promise that God is going to do, but are actually doing little more than marking time waiting for Him to show up and do it.

This is passive waiting, but the kind God is talking about in these verses is very active. The Hebrew word for “wait” literally means to be braided together. It speaks of a continual interacting, becoming entwined with God. Maybe God isn’t delaying His promises, but waiting for us to learn how to wait on Him.

So are you waiting on the Lord, or just sitting around waiting?