 Dr
Charles Slack had taught as a professor in psychology at several leading
universities in United States before moving to Australia. He was amongst
the first to experiment with LSD and later found himself addicted to it
as well as with alcohol. Since his conversion to Christianity in 1976 he
had not return to his old habits. He is married to Sue and now pastor a
church and an itenerant speaker.
email Dr Charles Slack |
| Matthew
(Chapter
5) tells us that a “great crowd” sat in the open air to
hear Jesus’ first sermon (the one on the mount). This audience, coming
from Galilee and Decapolis, Jerusalem and Judea were disadvantaged people.
Oppressed by a ruthless political dictatorship, they also served under a
repressive, pious priesthood. Mere survival was difficult, spiritual fulfilment
nigh on impossible. But no sooner had they all sat down, before Jesus had spoke more than few words, the whole multitude began to glow intensely with “supreme joy”, shining like a “city set upon a hill” (Matthew 5: 14). In fact they all “shone” so brightly that Jesus called them “the light of the world”. Christians now regularly call Jesus the light of the world but back then in his first speech, He said the same thing about His audience. He first called us “shining” before we called Him anything memorable. Of course you can interpret His remark as a commandment: Jesus telling people to make it shine. But He said “Let” not “Get”, an observation not a directive. “Let your light so shine before men that they may…glorify your Father who is in heaven.” He didn’t need to get them excited: they were already thrilled with His presence. He merely had to tell them what to do with their newfound, miraculous enthusiasm, how to remain aglow with fervour in a world gone dreary with apathy and sin. So it was not just what Jesus said that first filled them all with holy fire. The throng was probably totally lit up before He spoke. Just His being there was enough to ignite the multitude. That huge crowd was shining with the same Presence that made the very skin on Moses’ face shine down the mountain (Exodus 34:29). Moses’ radiance was so intense he had to wear a veil after encountering God. But Paul (II Corinthians 3:14) tells us that, in Jesus, the veil covering the Lord’s brilliance is removed. Even before He speaks, Jesus knows each heart and soul. And such is the miracle of His presence that we all know that He knows what He knows. He discerns our character, our secrets, motives and passions…our sins. Most importantly, we are aware, somehow, that this amazing Person loves each of us unfailingly, individually, despite our flaws. This is the unique, personalised, undeserved, comprehensive love of God. Jesus simply looks and loves right from the start. No wonder that old crowd of depressed Jews shone. I start to glow inside just thinking about it. |
The secret of shining If and when you are absolutely certain that you are ever unconditionally loved by someone, you will shine. Genuine love – as opposed to lust, hero worship, pity, duty, etc. - always causes shining. But it has to be unrestricted, not dependent on looks or personality. And it must be a gift. You don’t work for it; you live for it. The love that makes you shine comes to you not because of what you do but because of who you are. It’s the kind described in 1 Corinthians 13: unselfish, enduring, unfailing, patient, gentle – the kind that bears up under all circumstances, and is always ready to believe the best. Moses, you, I, everyone in Jesus’ congregation, indeed any human being on earth, will shine and keep shining after a touch of such love. |
| Winners
and losers Being loved is not the only cause of shining. An Olympic medal, an Academy Award or a Pulitzer Prize can make the winner shine. But winning-sparkle doesn’t last like love-shine does. Your winner-circle glow starts to fade when they play your National Anthem. By the time you’re getting stalked by paparazzi at the airport, your glimmer is half-watt. Furthermore, sports, science and show-business have thousands of losers for every winner. We losers don’t shine – unless we know Jesus. Then we shine win or lose. |
| Shining
is not conventional attractiveness Sometimes shining comes across in photographs but mostly not. In no case does skin-deep beauty compare with shining. We can all think of “ugly” looking people who shine beautifully with God’s light. By comparison, glamour is superficial and selfish. “Sex appeal” lacks love appeal. We shine brightest when we pay little thought to our appearance. “Beautiful people”, celebrities, stars, icons and “idols” don’t shine; they glitter. Shining is to glitter as a halo is to a spotlight. When the show is over or technicians goof, spotlights turn OFF. Many otherwise handsome young people can’t shine. They have “issues” that need to be exposed to light. Many fear looking stupid and put fool-blockers over their bulbs. A fool-blocker is a mental mesh (veil) that automatically inhibits uncool actions. Teenagers download these filters from websites like MySpace and YouTube. They come in different strengths: fine, super-fine, gothic and catatonic. By contrast, shining Christians are not afraid to be “fools for Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:10). Let glow and let God. Shining draws attention not to the self but to the One who loves us. The glittering celebrity tries to act humble but can’t do so because he must focus on himself. The camera may be steady but the celebrity’s inner light flickers off-again on-again. Likewise, the flashbulb and spotlight shine onto the gorgeous supermodel who then must mitigate her “look” in order to draw attention to what she wears instead of who she is. Only when shining with God’s radiance does our real self truly glow steadily from the inside. Our beam then points out toward the viewer and up toward the One who made us what we are and who lights us up. |
| Lovers Loving, as well as being loved, can make us shine. However – and this is a big however - we can only give away what we’ve got. We need charged batteries. For a lasting shine, we must be certain of our own ongoing lovableness. That’s why God first loved us before we loved Him. The only permanent, substantial, reliable source of shining is the absolute certainty of being loved and therefore lovable. We need the Super-modeller, the Creator God, and the Designer of our whole person (not the clothes designer or the hair stylist). The most expensive “makeover” will not make us shine. (Plastic surgery often implies that God made a mistake!) Best to let Him refashion us into the image of Christ. Loveable How does one become beloved? If you ever got it, or any approximation of it, from your mother, father, sibling, partner, or anyone else, consider yourself extremely blessed. People who receive human true love are rare these days. But don’t despair: God’s love is always available to anyone willing to receive it. If you are the least bit open minded, the gift could be there waiting. I first preached about Shining on a Sunday morning at the Cornerstone Assembly of God in Joondalup. The whole congregation lit up. Worried brows smoothed. Young attitudes lost their cool; old visages beamed knowingly. It was not your typical sermon. Inapt grinning, rowdy laughter, even uninhibited remarks went off like fireworks as toddlers with eyes like liquid gems ran the isles and radiated. We lost control. My cheeks ached from smiling. I couldn’t get all my words out. They weren’t paying attention. They thought private thoughts, felt private emotions. Yet in the finish they’d had one thing in common: a really good time! Someone came to me afterwards and said, “We love you.” September 9, 2008 |
